Your Influence: Your Personal Calling is an Opportunity to Influence Others

Your Influence: Your Personal Calling is an Opportunity to Influence Others

Remember the story: God asked Moses to lay it his shepherd staff on ground. It became a snake! God asked Moses to pick up again by the tail. And as he did, it became a staff again. Moses staff not only symbolizes his identity (as a shepherd) and his income (source of livelihood), but it also represents his influence. As a shepherd, he uses his staff to pull and push sheeps from point A to point B. God is using Moses’ sheperding skills from moving herds of sheep to influnecing and moving God’s people out of Egypt onto the Promise Land.

God is doing the same thing with you my friend. He wants you to surrender to Him your identity, income and influence. And when you do, see what He can do with it. From staff to snake! He can bring it to life! But it if you try to take control of it again, it will be back the way it was, lifeless and insignificant.

As leaders, others entrust you with providing direction and empowering them to use their gifts and talents to serve God in a particular place and for a particular time.

• How has your role as a leader blessed and empowered others to serve God more fully?

• In Revelation 3: 8, God says, “I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.” Where have you experienced opportunities to serve match the very talents and gifts you have?

God bless you in your journey as a person who is called to serve and called to lead…OnPurpose!!

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Suddenly ♡

​Suddenly, you’ll get saved. Suddenly, you’ll get healed. Suddenly, you’ll get delivered. Suddenly, God will provide what you needed when you needed it.

Suddenly, you’ll be called by God, because suddenly is how God moves.  He moves instantly, He moves unexpectedly.  I see it all over the Bible!

YOU qualify my friend.  I think possibly it is in the acts of radical obedience that may bring about those SUDDENLY’S in your life.

Radical obedience grows fearless faith in our lives to believe God for the impossible’s life may throw at you.

Many times those mountains that seem to consume us are actually just little mole hills that the devil has magnified.  Feed your faith and wait for the #SUDDENLY.  It is coming.

Suddenly…OnPurpose♡

I’M GONNA LIVE SO GOD CAN USE ME, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

 bought-with-a-price

The Holy Spirit lives in the body of the born–again believer.

How wonderful it is to know that He is with us constantly to counsel, guide, and comfort us.

The Spirit will not live in an unclean dwelling, therefore we must offer our bodies” as a living sacrifce, Holy and Acceptable unto the Lord in honor of Him.

It is the very least we can do when you think about it… In actuality this body is more or less just loaned to us during our stay here on earth.

Remember who created it?  Remember what He sacrificed to allow us to live eternally with Him long after this body is gone?

JESUS paid that price with His Blood.

Let us not defile our loaned bodies with anything outside of His will.

Prayer:  Father, I confess to you that I sometimes lose sight of how precious my body is to you. With aging and the other challenges that daily remind me that my body is a vessel of decay, I find it hard to believe that I can glorify you with it. Please, through your indwelling Spirit, quicken in me a deeper reverence and appreciation of your presence in me. In the name of Jesus, my atoning sacrifice, I pray.  Amen!!

Let Him inspire you to keep your house in order…OnPurpose!!

HIS Time not mine

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Msg. ~ god-timeTrue, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time – but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going.

The definition of TIME: the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

The PROGRESSION of Existence – Movement of being.

“Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to used during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course? Each of us has such a bank, it’s name is time. Every morning, it credits you 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost, whatever of this you failed to invest to a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no over draft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against “tomorrow”. You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health & happiness. The clock is running. Make the most of today.”

Pray this prayer with me: God our Father, you are not so much timeless as timeful,
you do not live above time so much as hold “all times . . . in your hand”, you have prepared for us a time when we will have leisure to enjoy each other and you to the full, and we thank you, I appreciate you and applaud you for  YOUR TIME, Amen!!

Credit to my daughter: Shakarra

Appreciating HIS time…OnPurpose!!

A Paradigm Shift

Ecclesiastes 3:11 New International Version (NIV)

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Duck-Rabbit_illusion

Do you see a RABBIT or a DUCK?

We all have “learned” what we know. But what happens when you wake up one day and everything you’ve known makes NO SENSE…it looks different?  Books you’ve read several times have new and different meanings?  Scriptures you can quote verbatim mean something so different…a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions, also known as a paradigm shift!!

Romans 7:15-20 New International Version (NIV)

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

I have been acting like a “Cra-Cra” person.  I was really strugging with this.  If I am going to be honest…I STILL STRUGGLE WITH IT!!!  I have done a few things that I think are good and healthy for me but this morning in my quiet time – I received these words of comfort:

Paradigm shifts are scary.  You may go into a crisis of faith, because you can’t trust what your know to be accurate. You may not have a clue who you can trust or believe anymore. But the one thing you can trust and believe is the teachings of Jesus– HE is everything you need and more!!

This is what I have been doing during this current SHIFT:

I have created a safe space – couple of people who I can share, cry, pout and trust with my heart and struggles while experiencing the growing pains.  These people have the same passion for following Christ as I do – they are my accountability partners.

I have identified TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS and set healthy boundaries with them.  I don’t love them any less, but I don’t buy into their controlling patterns for ME & MY LIFE.

I don’t feel guilty for embrace my time alone – God put something in me that I want to invest time with HIM to excavate, cultivate, prune, water and grow HIS plan and purpose for my life.

I LOVE to READ – I LOVE to LEARN – I LOVE to STUDY and I do these things OnPurpose and I ENJOY doing so.

I AM SHIFTING.
I HAVE SHIFTED.
I WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT.

When the student is ready…the teacher will appear!!  God is all-knowing, all-power and the creator of EVERYTHING – there is nothing new under the sun…in His time, He makes everything beautiful.

God is taking everything I have ever known and making all things new!!  I have new sight, new touch, new smell, new tastes and new hearing.

In my case…God has put me in a place where I cannot relay on what I know because it doesn’t fit the situation…I have to FULLY RELY ON GOD [FROG]- to see, touch, smell, taste and hear FROM HIM and not myself or my limited knowledge.

Pray this prayer with me: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.  I turst Your plan for my life, I trust Your way for my life…I know You know the plans for my life, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans for hope and a future and I submit and surrender to YOU, in Jesus might name…AMEN!

Written by: The “Butterfly”

Shifting…OnPurpose!! 7/29/16

 

What Is A Toxic Person: 18 Signs

1. They often speak badly about other people.

If someone you know is regularly gossiping about others, this is a warning sign. Incessant gossiping is a warning sign of insecurity and a toxic personality.

Likewise, you can be sure that if they’re gossiping about someone else, they will gossip about you too. Be careful with gossipers and remember that gossip is usually untrue anyway.

2. They’re negative.

A hallmark of a toxic person is being negative. This includes being judgmental, sarcastic, frequent complaining and the list goes on. This negativity can be draining and no fun but it is also a big warning that you’re with a toxic person.

3. They lack compassion.

One of the key elements to a relationship is the ability to show empathy and compassion towards others. If they are unable to show empathy, they might be toxic to you.

4. They take up an inordinate amount of your time.

They show up and take up too much of your time, disregarding you and your life. Relationships are a give and take. If you feel like they’re sucking up your time without providing much in return, it may be time to reassess this relationship.

5. They’re constantly involved in drama.

If they seem to always have crisis and conflict going on, this may indicate they are they cause more so than other people in their life.This is particularly true if they seem to thrive on or actually enjoy drama. The same is true if they seem to always have a big personal mess going on.

6. They lie to you.

In addition to straight out lies, make note of even slight variations on what they tell you and note the omission of critical facts as well. Often times, it is difficult to spot a direct lie, but rather, things just don’t add up. If someone is lying or bending the truth it is wise to question whether you can trust them in your life.

7. They criticize you.

It’s one thing to help a friend out if they have some food caught in their teeth. It’s another if someone is constantly criticizing you or offering their “advice” about you and your life. This is very true of the parent-child relationship. If you feel like you are always being corrected, it’s probably them and not you.

8. They talk way more than they listen.

A big red flag is when someone talks way more than they listen or if they don’t really listen at all.

9. They act like a victim.

If they frequently blame all their problems on someone else or some situation – or even if they blame their own mistakes on someone else or some situation – this is a red flag. A lack of personal responsibility is a sign of toxicity. Be careful, toxic people can be quite convincing.

10. They are hurtful.

If someone purposefully says hurtful thing to you or engages in hurtful actions against you or even just disregard your feelings, consider them toxic to you. The way we are treated is important. It matters and if someone hurts you regularly, they are not good for you.

11. They’re always stressed out.

Life is stressful for all of us. No one gets by without some stress. If someone magnifies their stress or compounds it through their choices, they might be toxic.

12. They lose their temper.

Being around someone with a temper problem can be excruciating and unnerving. If it seems like they need anger management, you can rest assured they are toxic to your life and  you do not need to expose yourself to this.

13. They need to be right.

A sign of a toxic person is their need to be right. If they’re constantly trying to prove themselves or close off to the opinions of others, this is not good. Likewise, toxic people will often claim to be right even if they’re not. Conversation is not supposed to be a challenge that must be won. This is unhealthy.

14. They treat others poorly.

Have you ever noticed that someone can be kind to you and the people in your circle, but when you’re around other people, they treat them poorly. This includes other co-workers, service people (such as a waiter or waitress). This can be a tip off that the person is putting on a show when they’re with you, but you can see the real person in how they treat others.

15.  They’re self-absorbed.

If they usually consider themselves first, have a need to talk about their own stuff and are not there for you when you need them, consider this a warning sign that they are either not a true friend or they are toxic. Also pay attention to whether they are looking to see what they can gain in a given situation versus what they can give.

16. They try to control you.

If someone tries to tell you what to do or say or how to act, this is a huge red flag. This can often show up as manipulative behaviors as well. If you feel like you’re being used as a puppet, it’s time to take a deeper look into the relationship.

17. They have unresolved addiction issues.

No question that being in a relationship with someone battling addiction can be one of the most difficult and painful things you could ever deal with. People in the throws of addiction will often exemplify many of these behaviors listed here – not because it is their true nature, but rather because of their addiction. Addiction is a serious issue. If you have a relationship with someone who is an addict, it is imperative to seek help for yourself.

18. You just have a bad vibe about them.

When in doubt, if you have a bad vibe, trust it. Your intuition is a valuable tool and is usually right. Even if you can’t put your finger on it, you should avoid or limit interaction with someone when your gut says to “look out!”

Pray this prayer with me:

Dear God, I have loved well but not wisely. I’ve given my heart to someone who has not honored that gift and I realize this relationship does not serve either of us. Please give me the courage and strength to end this relationship gracefully. Help me to forgive, heal and move on with my life so that I may open the door to new happiness. In Jesus’ matchless name, Amen!

 If you are in an abusive relationship and you don’t know what to do – Get Help Here http://www.thehotline.org/ 
call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224.
The “Butterfly” has been there before.  You can get out too!
In case no one has told you, You are beautiful, God loves you and so do I…OnPurpose!!!

What role are you playing in my destiny?

What is your role in this story of my life: Are you Abraham, Issac, the Ram, the Thicket, the Alter, the Knife, one of the two Servants or God?  In fairness, it would depend on what role I’m playing…I’m constantly changing… (Praise God)

In this season of my life I am being intentional in everything I do and purposeful in what I say.  As God deals with me and my fears, I am being bolder in my faith and in trusting Him with what He gives me to do and say.

One of my first stories from the Bible that I understood as a child is Abraham & Issac: the Testing of My Faith.  Each time I read it, I get something new.  I have been stuck on the “THICKET” for a while.  Just this morning it came to me…the thicket in my life are the people that I have allowed to dilute my dreams and poison my hopes. I have lived in fear of everything my entire life! I have held back from doing great things because I allowed other people’s fears and doubts of their life to shape mine.  I remember the first time I stepped out on faith and did something HUGE that someone said I souldn’t do – I DID IT!!  That was 11 years ago.

Since then, I have accomplished things that were centered around my son. When it comes to him, nothing is impossible for me to do but until resent I didn’t have that same drive for myself…Until TODAY!

On this day, I will play the role of Abraham – I will do what God asks me to do.  My passion is Issac, I will offer it up to God, trusting Him with it…stay tuned to see how the rest of my story unfolds!!

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”  Genesis 22:1‭-‬5 ESV

Lord, help me stay connected to you so that I do not dilute your plans for my destiny!!

I will not listen to toxic words from anyone…OnPurpose!

Written by: The Butterfly

 

To Do List: Twenty things to start doing right now

Ephesians 6:7-8 ~ 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.Untitled-1

I found this list from a few years ago when I had a Mary Kay Unit and thought it would be great to ignite the passion in me and possibly YOU!

  1. Be enthusiastic.
  2. Think big. Act on big and small opportunities alike.
  3. Learn to translate aspirations, needs and vision of the broader organization into tangible results you can deliver or facilitate.
  4. Discover aspirations, needs, and vision even if they’re not explicitly stated. See it before everyone else does.
  5. Practice corporate entrepreneurship; determine what the right outcomes are without regard to resources you have on hand.
  6. Connect and spend time with key decision makers and strategists within your organization. Ask questions about their plans, needs and aspirations. Listen. Learn.
  7. Organize your work life so that you spend time on what’s important, not what landed on your desk. Delegate in all directions.
  8. Demand that your team members bring you solutions to problems, not the problems themselves. The former motivates and empowers them; the latter are major downers for all involved.
  9. Solicit input of your team members on strategic directions. Even the act itself is motivating, and you will see a high degree of engagement when it’s time to execute the common vision.
  10. Encourage and empower your team member to decide how to go about their work within the guidelines and expectations you define.
  11. Develop the sense of shared meaning within your team.
  12. Communicate with your team members frequently and openly. Always take the time to explain strategic decisions.
  13. Notice and reward “positive deviance” – new practices that yield superior results.
  14. Pose challenging questions to your team. Notice and reward volition to find answers.
  15. Always be on a lookout for innovation in your industry and profession.
  16. Further, be aware that really exciting breakthroughs come from the cross-application of approaches and methods from other realms.
  17. Reward results, not the time, effort and cost expended. Too often, managers believe that their job is to generate action, whereas it is to create results.
  18. Take every opportunity to promote your team within the organization. Share results, lessons learned and new practices. Utilize internal publications, town-hall meetings, newsletters and so on.
  19. Position your team members as ultimate experts within the organization. Set up mentoring and communities of practice around their expertise.
  20. Become industry experts. Take leadership positions in professional bodies. Write in professional publications.

As I read through this list – I could see many biblical principles & scriputes…Can you tag a scripture reference to the ones your recognize?

Pray this prayer with me:

Precious Lord Jesus, I love you.
What is my future, Lord?
What is to become of me?
I have a past steeped in many mistakes and in many kinds of poverty.
In addition, I have had little chance of escaping my past.
Do I have a future of any kind?
Although I ask these questions I already know the answer.
I know, as I am in your arms this minute, my future is bright in your eyes.
I know, as I am in your arms this minute, my past mistakes can be erased, undone, and made to be of no consequence.
No matter what I face in the next hours, days, or years, I know you are with me.
As you assure me you are with me, we shall walk this road together and your strength will be my strength, your vision shall be my vision, your direction shall be my direction, and your wisdom shall be my wisdom.
You are the one who enables me to move beyond my present circumstance.
You are the one who gives me the ability to make progress.
You are the one who comes to visit me when I am in prison.
You are the one who comes to sit next to me and comfort me when I am sick.
You are the one who comes to me when I am lonely and downhearted.
I praise your name with my words.
May my every thought and action also praise your name. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!!

Written by: The “Butterfly”

Being enthusiastic…OnPurpose!

 

The reading of my WILL

Luke 22:42b “…Yet I want Your will to be done, Lord, not mine.”

my willI will – not lament about impediments, barriers, morons at the helm and lack of time.
I will – not get hung up on details.
I will – not allow pessimists, doomsayers and curmudgeons near me. (They will suck the life out of you.)
I will – not procrastinate.
I will – not being in love with methodology, processes and tools. (I will Challenge myself instead.)
I will – not censor my ideas.
I will – not tell people how to do their job. (Instead, set my own expectations to acheive next level results.)
I will – not punish myself for mistakes, unless they are a result of laziness or overt sloppiness.
I will – not limit myself with arbitrary timelines, goals and beliefs.
I WILL – EXCEED MY OWN EPECTATIONS!!

Colossians 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—
5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel
6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
In Jesus’ name AMEN
I WILL…OnPurpose
Written by: Michelle

Are We Loving One Another?

(Matt 6:12-13) …forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

This scripture is a request for the grace of The Lord. We know how easy it is to ask for God’s mercy, but how merciful are we to our fellow man?

In our quest for God’s forgiveness, we must ask ourselves, how forgiving are we to our neighbor?  It speaks of our own accountability and of our being responsible. Secondly, we know that God does not lead us to do wrong; however, He may allow us to be tested. Temptation is a strong force, but our God is even stronger. We must continually ask for His discernment to identify all temptation at its onset and then His power to overcome that lurking beast that’s just waiting to devour… We need His Holy Spirit, for we cannot do it without Him.

Written by: Anonymous

Pray this prayer with me:

Almighty Master, Show us how to better love one another.  Show us how all love comes from you.  Show us how everyone who loves has been born of you and knows you.  In hope, we live for a bright tomorrow surrounded in love.  In hope, we are never disappointed.  In all we say, in all we do, in all we think, place all our hope in you because we know you pour your love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. In love, because you love us, we are not slaves to fear of death. In love, we received from you the Spirit of being your child. In love, we cry to you “Abba, Father” for you are our true Father in heaven. Show us how we must love one another because we are all your children. Remind us anyone who believes in you as the Son of God has the testimony of love in their heart.  We believe you are the Son of the living God and we believe the testimony given to us by God the father.  We love one another because we know you love us.  We love one another because through your blood we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of your grace.  We love one another so in the coming ages you might show us the incomparable riches of your grace, expressed in your kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  Because you loved us, we shall love one another.  In Jesus’ matchless name, AMEN!!

Loving One Another…OnPurpose

love one another