#258 - FOUR Ways to be a Super Woman!

Proverbs 31:15-16a - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks. She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]...

As we read about the Proverbs 31 woman, I'm sure you've thought it too... she is Super Woman! When we read about all her attributes and accomplishments, it can be extremely intimidating in comparison to where we may currently be in life. I assure you, I am NO different! I often stand in awe of this amazing woman.

Let's look at just a few things from the verses above and see how we may be able to apply these Super Woman qualities!

(1) Benefits to "rising while it is yet night" - The house is quiet. For maybe the only time in the next 24 hours will you be able to think without hearing, "Mommmmy! Mommmmy!" Or without wiping a mouth, washing fingers, cleaning up spilled milk, picking up toys before your spouse walks in the door. I read this morning the quality of "THINK TIME."

• "Resolve now to set aside some time each day (at least thirty minutes) to be completely by yourself.... Select a time when your mind is fresh and when you can be free from distractions.... Spend some time in managed solitude every day and think yourself to success." - David J. Schwartz

(2) Getting YOUR Spiritual Food or Direction - As a woman, mom, business owner, employee, wife, friend, sister, daughter, we have responsibilities that involve the well-being and growth of others. As a mom, it's mine (and your) responsibility to grow our children up in the Lord. HOW are we doing that on a daily basis? Is it a planned event? Are we daily imparting the Word of God into our children, teaching them Biblical lessons or how to act as a child of God? With grown kids... are we encouraging them in their walk with the Lord? Cheering them on to seek the Lord even in the little things? Being an iron-sharpener versus a constant bearer of gossip? Being spiritually fed every morning put US in the right mentality to be able to LEAD our children & ourselves! Being spiritually fed and taking that morning time to THINK and PRAY, allows us to be SPIRITUALLY DIRECTED for our day, so those things we do are not done in vain! 

(3) Assign maids their tasks! - I don't know about you, but I have yet to hire a maid, though I look forward to the day I will be able too!! Until then, how are we doing in assigning those MAID TASKS? Planning when things are going to get done?

• Meal Preparation - healthy & on time for the family 
• Cleaning - baseboards, toilets, mopping, dusting, vacuuming... all the fun stuff!
• Laundry - washing, folding AND putting away. 
• Organizing - how does that tupperware cabinet look? the garage? the pantry? your closet? 

This time of planning of when you are going to get to some of these things. To be honest, I need to work on every one of these areas! But, if we never take the time to assign these tasks to OURSELVES (until we can afford a maid), they may go undone, or a point of stress because we always feel behind. IF ONLY we PLANNED out these items, we may be surprised at the amount of time we actually have AFTER they are completed, not to mention how good we feel about ourselves. (i.e. not carrying that guilt around, and nervous if our husbands are going to ask us for clean underwear again - they are still in the laundry basket!) UNTIL "we" have a maid, our job is to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN - ASSIGN THE TASK. Pull out the calendar, and FIND a TIME to ASSIGN THAT TASK!!! Maybe it's one day a month where we prepare meals in advance to freeze? Just PLAN it!

(4) CONSIDER & Expand PRUDENTLY - I KNOW God has called me to do great things with my life, to accomplish things that will change people's lives for the better. I also know that He has called YOU to great things too! He has a purpose and plan, and it is OUR JOB to accomplish HIS purpose for our life. That will take carefully considering everything that goes onto our calendar. If we are going to add something to the calendar, expanding prudently after time as put prayerfully considering that activity. IS it something that you and I are suppose to do, or will it be just one more thing to keep us "busy?" (B.U.S.Y. - Being Under Satan's Yoke) - Make sure that "BUSY" isn't keeping you from accomplishing God's BEST for your life! Sometimes the most POWERFUL and SPIRITUAL word can be "NO"!  Consider, maybe you are suppose to say NO to that committee so you can actually work towards the assignment GOD has for you to do! 

Be blessed! Maybe take ONE thing in the above thoughts that you can work on this week. We CAN BE SUPER WOMEN! It may just take a little THINKING and PLANNING! :)

#250 - Tips from my Brother: Losing Body Fat %

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.

^{1 Corinthians 6:19-20} - Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. 

Physical fitness. Some of us like it, some of us don't! Nonetheless, to honor God in all aspects, means also honoring Him with our body. Working towards getting or staying physically fit as well as eating healthy foods that make us strong.

Today, I'd like to share some tips with you! Tips from my brother, WBFF Champion Body Building Pro, Fitness Model, Hollywood actor... James Ellis. I have some weight loss and fitness goals with a timeline on them and was talking to my brother yesterday for quite awhile. I'm into details. I like to know what works and how to maximize the minimum amount of time that I plan to work out during the week. The 4321 (or 4321 x 2) program that I have been doing has worked very good for me (10 minutes) in helping me get from 160 down to my current weight of 133 and MAINTAIN. If you are anything like me, I don't want to spend an hour working out. I put my time in as a collegiate cross-country and track runner, so I have ran my fair share of long miles, 5, 6, 10, 15 mile-runs. Now with kids, goals, a successful yet growing business, a home, etc, etc.... fitness is something that I want to do and get it done, then be able to go about my day. 4321 is a great option for that. I also know that it's important to "Muscle-Confuse, Muscle Confuse!"Or as my brother says "SHOCK" your body. Once you've been doing something for a long time, it's important to chance things up to confuse your body, shock it and allow other muscles to work. If your body/muscles get used to the same things done daily, over and over and over, the results will not be as good as they could be.

Today I implemented one of the changes I got from my brother. I figured if it can help me, I might as well share so it can help you too! We're on the pursuit of being STRONG Proverbs 31 women (as well as strong, and fit men!). As it reads in the amplified version of Proverbs 31, that means strong spiritually, mentally AND in physical fitness. Here we go....

Tips I picked up from my brother: 

1. If you want to have the greatest amount calories lost that are FAT BURNING calories, do your cardio work out first thing in the morning. 
2. Do your cardio workout on an empty stomach. What happens when you do your cardio workout on an empty stomach is that it grabs existing EXISTING fat that is on your body. When you have eaten first and work out, it grabs the fat from the food you ate. The carb you ate, the banana, the egg, etc. (Granted, if you plan on doing a weight workout after your cardio, you are going to need to have some protein. A protein shake or protein bar.)
3. "When I was trying to lose body percent fat, I speed walked on the treadmill for 30-35 at 4-4.5 miles per hour (mph) at a 2% incline." - The Fat Burning Zone is done at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. In this zone, 85% of calories burned are from fats!
4. When speed walking make sure to move/pump/swing your arms. This helps to also burn body fat in your arms. 
5. Ultimately, keep things switched up! SHOCK your body. If you do the same sort of work-out all the time, make sure to switch things up sometimes to get maximum effects.  

So... I learned some good things from my brother! He knows his body inside and out and is REALLY good about knowing what to do in order to get a specific desired result.

If you want more info on the subject, he wrote a helpful blog that breaks down some more details. Check it out: Cardio With a Purpose. 

SO.... as we pursue our relationship with the Lord, work towards becoming that Proverbs 31 woman, let's not forget the importance of fitness and taking care of our body! :)

Thanks JW for all the great tips! :) Love you!!

FB: James Ellis
FB: Scientific Body Sculpting
follow on twitter: @jamesellis3
website: James Ellis Fit

#174 - Is there enough Time in Today?

Good morning! :) I pray all is well with you?! Things here are great. Went to bed a bit early, starting out the morning awesome, and the Word of God is ALIVE & ACTIVE like a two-edged sword! Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart." The WORD is ALL of that! That is powerful! Well, praise God that we serve a RISEN Savior! That even today, we can commune with, be directed by & enjoy a friendship with a living God! I'm thankful for that!

Proverbs 31:15 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.

This morning as I sat down to have my Quiet Time, I began to journal.... and this morning I began listing out ALLLLLL the things that are on my mental "To-Do" list. In a way I was kind of whining to the Lord. Not really totally whining, but just trying to figure out what has the most priority on it, because all the things are important. I was just journaling out my thoughts to the Lord, kind of in a "HELP" mode. Have you ever done that? Either in your mind, on paper or out-loud? You think, "How is it humanly possible to get all of this done today? I just need more time." Well... those were some of my thoughts.

I read through Proverbs 26, nothing really jumping out at me except the obvious.... "don't be a fool!" It talked a lot about "the fool." I then proceeded to jump over to Proverbs 31. Though I have read this chapter what seems like hundreds of times, I just felt like this amazing woman must have some insight into planning. I just knew that she surely had it together in this area of "accomplishing" and "getting things done." I mean, she is the infamous Proverbs 31 woman! She is the woman who "excels them all" as it says in verse 29. Surely she could reveal to me the secret. Right?

I read through the chapter, through my underlining, circled words, highlighting, scratches in the margins... and as I completed the chapter, I was still just drawn back to one of my favorite verses. Proverbs 31:15. I say "favorite"... but it may just jump out at me because it is still something that I know I need to work on. Now, don't you go and tell Tyler to read this devotion! He doesn't read all of them, but this one, he could very well come out saying, "I told you so!" But, praise the Lord for Tyler. He's an amazing husband and probably the #1 thing he's learned over the years is to cast ME on the Lord. He doesn't try to change me, he just casts me on the Lord. He lets the Lord deal with me and make me better! Which is good.... probably the stubbornness of my childhood may just rear up and buck if someone tried to "make me do something." However, the Lord has His way of prodding us, doesn't He?

So, I'm reading Proverbs 31:15, "She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks." Sure, we know that Franklin Covey wasn't around when this was originally written. As well, she wasn't able to go down to her nearest Office Depot to pick up a DayTimer. Right? But.... imagine with me, if you could read while closing your eyes, I'd have you do that... but just imagine this... She, our Proverbs 31 friend & example, wakes up, crawls out of bed leaving her sleeping husband still there, she quietly puts on her house-shoes (slippers for those of you up north!), brushes her teeth and pulls up her hair, then slips downstairs. The house is quiet, the windows reveal the darkness still hanging outside, the birds are even still sleeping and the only sound is the occasional chirp of a cricket. She gets the coffee ready and pours herself a cup, most likely doctoring it with honey or something good for you (OK, she might not even drink coffee... just go with me on this. *wink*) There at the table, she sits down and begins to get her "spiritual food." She begins getting in the Word, listening and talking to the Holy Spirit. She is not beyond learning. She is pulling out gold nuggets from the Word, she is learning, she is growing. After her spiritual hunger is filled, she moves on to listing out the tasks and assignments of that day, including what the maids are to accomplish. I would imagine, she also lists out those things that SHE wants to accomplish that day. With the direction of the Holy Spirit, she prioritizes & is led with a plan for the day. Since she is in-tune with the Holy Spirit, and has already been communing with Him, if she writes something down that would be done in vain, HE prompts her not to do that today, it wouldn't go well, the person that you need to talk to wouldn't be there, so don't go to the "Market Store" today. She LISTENS to the promptings, wraps up her list/schedule of activities for the day, begins to prepare breakfast for her family, slips back upstairs to put on her clothes for the day, a touch of make-up, her hair in a neat pony-tail, and the hustle and bustle of the house begins! The house awakens. The birds begin to chirp, the kids begin to arouse, and everyone wakes up hungry and ready to eat, the smell of bacon already pulling them out of bed.

Sounds like a "dreamy" morning, doesn't it? Peaceful, but planned. Just the idea of "coming out with a plan" for the day sounds grande, doesn't it? I know I went through a season of doing really good at this! I accomplished a LOT with "planning my day." As I read this morning, I was prompted that ALL of my things can get done if I would only have a plan. "You can't just fly by the seat of your pants if you want to accomplish all that I have for you," I felt the Holy Spirit prompting.

So... this morning, I'm getting my notebook back out. "6 Things Before 11:00" was one of my goals. It allowed me to accomplish a lot. God has big plans for me, so I need to PLAN in order to get done all that He has for me!

Do you need to plan too? Is there enough time in today? There is EXACLY enough time to accomplish the things the Holy Spirit wants me & you to accomplish, we just have to ask Him!

XOXO!

Be blessed! ~ Amy J

#157 - It's all about Consistency!

Good morning! It's going to be a great day. Praise the Lord for the rain last night to wash away some pollen! We definitely needed it. We have had a yellow layer of dust on everything, cars, streets, porches, etc. So, YEAH for rain!!

Well... let's get started.

Proverbs 24:33-34 - Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep--So shall your poverty come as a robber, and your want as an armed man. 

How is anything accomplished? One action at a time. One positive step at a time. One area that Tyler and I daily confess on our "goal cards" is that we are "Spiritual Giants." Our desire with our spiritual growth is that we would be wise, we would be continually learning the things of God, we would be "Spiritual Giants" of the Word & things of God.

Good or bad, big things in life happen because of a series of events and decisions. In the Proverbs verses for today, poverty came upon this man because of daily decisions that he made. If we could see into his day a bit more, I would anticipate we would see days compounded. Day after day, this man sleeping, doing things that were not progressing towards a positive end, laziness. I would anticipate we would see a man who epitomized the definition of lazy.

As Christians, or really even non-Christians can apply this.... it's the power of consistency. For example, when began my real journey of spiritual growth was back in 1996. I rededicated my life to the Lord, and for the first time in my life, began a journey of growth. I would say at the time, I was very "spiritually illiterate." I didn't really even know a lot of the Bible School stories that most children learn from Sunday School. I felt like I knew nothing, or at least very little. But, do you know what happened? Day after day I began to learn. Little by little, I began to take in the Word. Some days I would only spend 5, 10, 15 minutes in the Word, some days I would spend 2 hours. I was hungry. Over the years I have retired several Bibles. Bibles that would get so high-lighted and written up, that I was ready to start with a fresh new one. Or... early on, I used an NIV version of the Bible. As a new believer, it was just easy to understand. I have since advanced to really enjoying the King James & The Amplified versions. Back in 1996, I was not ready for that yet. I was still like a baby drinking from a bottle, I was on milk. I just needed to understand the basics.

Often what happens in our society today, and I am guilty of this in certain areas of my life... we want to have immediate knowledge or success. Putting in the "daily time" can seem monotonous, or like we aren't getting anywhere. BUT, WE ARE! I look back over the last 15 years of my life, and the daily consistency of being in the Word has REALLY REALLY grown me up. I still would say I aspire to be a Spiritual Giant, but it took DAILY CONSISTENCY to get where I am today. It did not happen over night.

I've heard a few very successful people say phrases like that.... one lady in particular who rose to a great level of financial success would say regularly, "We just did something every day." In reaching her success, she may not have moved a mountain every day, but she was consistent in doing something every day to move forward. Just yesterday I was listening to a CD and the guy said something pretty great... he said this, "I don't know how to be focused for a year, but I can ROCK 7 days!" I bet many of us could relate to that. It may be hard to stay on track for a whole year, but if we just chose to be diligent and consistent with a week, how much easier would that be? Each week you start over. Just a week! Or just a day! Just focusing on the small, and in doing so the time compounds!

I know I won't become a "Spiritual Giant" over night, but consistently spending time in the Word, listening to the Holy Spirit, etc... over time, it will happen. It's all about consistency, in WHATEVER the arena. Fitness? It's all about consistency. Finances? It's all about consistency. Keeping a clean house? It's all about consistency. Progressing in your business or job? It's all about consistency.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, 'How do you eat an elephant?' Answer: 'One bite at a time.' Same with our goals in life, it's not about accomplishing the end result today.... but it's one day at a time, one positive step at a time. Before we know it, we will be there!

It's all about consistency! So today... maybe this weekend... maybe it'd be good to sit down, you, your journal, maybe your Bible.... and plan it out! Set a date with yourself, an appointment. What are the consistent steps that YOU need to take to get to where YOU want to be in life? Make a plan, break it down to the day, and then be focused on the Daily Action Plan! Before you know it, your dreams will be your reality!

#117 - SHOW YOUR FAITH!

Good morning! It's been quite an interesting day already. Seems like things have gone a bit backwards.... but nonetheless, it's been a great morning. I guess when you wake up late, things aren't always "on schedule" like normal. The boy enjoyed a bath this morning.... fun. I must say, he is such a joy. Sometimes I just feel like I'm a broken record.... well, OK, all the time! Every day I just say how much I love him and what a blessing he is. He is SO good. After breakfast, he played for awhile, then went back up to his room to put him in bed and let him have HIS quiet time. Well... at first, he whined for a second when I put him in bed... mom was taking too long getting his books and toys. Well, the SECOND I put his books in his bed, he immediately grabbed one and just started looking through it... reading of course (ha!). And then he waved bye to me. He's so funny! Blessed! Blessed! Blessed! Early on we determined that WE, Tyler Sr and I, were going to set the tone of our home, and set the schedule of our children.... the verse in Joshua rings clear "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." And we ALWAYS want our kids to know what the MOST important thing is, and that is Jesus. So far, so good. :-)

Proverbs 14:14 - The backslider in heart [from God and from fearing God] shall be filled with [the fruit of] his own ways, and a good man shall be satisfied with [the fruit of] his ways [with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts and in which he delights].

Proverbs 31:16 - She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard. 

We recently came out of a period in our life that they only way I can explain it is as a "Sabbatical." A period where we took a few years "off" so to speak. We were not really aggressively "in the pursuit" of what we knew God was calling us to do. It was almost like we needed a period of time to renew our mind. Tyler especially during this time was really changing. I would come home from work and in the evenings just be excited to hear about what he had been learning. It was as if God was gradually changing so much of our old thought process and renewing it with a proper mindset. I wish I could say that during this time we were still progressing forward with some of the important areas in our life, but in all reality, a lot of things stood still and were put on hold. So much was churning in our heads. We were learning a lot spiritually, but God was doing a really great work in us. A great and a deep work. It was like a digging down to create proper thought process. Out of that, came a lot of new revelations, a new fervor and a more complete belief and acceptance on the subject of faith and how it works. 


James 2:20 says this (AMP), "Are you willing to be shown [proof], you foolish (unproductive, spiritually deficient) fellow, that faith apart from [good] works is inactive and ineffective and worthless?" Or commonly read in the NKJV, "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" During the couple of years we were on our "Sabbatical", we most definitely learned a lot. We were still operating in faith, but we were not AGGRESSIVELY operating in faith. Our faith was accompanied by good works, but not aggressively so. More recently, this old concept, has become so new to me. New in a way that combined with some other great truths I have been learning, it has really started to allow a "NEW ME" to emerge. A NEW & BETTER Amy to surface. An Amy that does not hold back, does not fear, does not hesitate. But an Amy who takes FAITH at it's word and applies action to it. A faith that says, "GOD does indeed have EVERYTHING under control. He has ALL things planned out. He is carrying out the good work that He began in me as it talks about in Phil. 1:6. GOD is bringing my desires to pass. He is setting me up!" A faith that says, "GOD, even more than ME, wants me to accomplish MY Calling that is on my life." Me accomplishing the calling on my life, only feeds into GOD accomplishing HIS calling for mankind. It allows Him to trust me to do my part as a piece of the big puzzle. MY Calling is part of the BIG PLAN. MY Calling is part of God's big plan that He has to evangelize all mankind and bring us all home. 


Before, MY works were not accompanying MY beliefs. I believed, but I was not showing my belief by my actions, therefore, like it says in James, my faith was dead. Since my faith was not being backed up with actions my faith was INACTIVE, INEFFECTIVE & WORTHLESS. Whoa! That's a hard pill to swallow! Well, let's read the tale end of Proverbs 14:14 again, a good man shall be satisfied with [the fruit of] his ways [with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts... - Notice the word: actions. Sure actions are first accompanied by thoughts, but what I was excited about was this.... it was all prompted by the HEART. During the few years of renewing, I did not know HOW to get to the next place in life, I didn't know how to get that fervor back, or the excitement. Praise the Lord for a godly husband, he is much to thank for our coming out better, stronger and more excited than ever, more planted, more prepared, more ready. The consistency of taking in the Word, whether it be through reading, devotions, listening to CD's, online media broadcasts, or just sitting at dinner listening to the newest revelations that Tyler had, the Word was taking root. The WORD was doing it's part. The WORD was working! 


And now? I'm thankful to say, more than ever I KNOW what faith means. Yes it means to believe. But more than that it means backing up my beliefs with ACTION! It means BELIEVING and ACTING! God has already provided EVERYTHING I need, want & desire. NOW all I have to do, like the Children of Israel collected manna. They collected food for 6 days, on the 6th day they collected enough for the 7th day. On the 7th day they fully rested. On the 7th day, there was no manna to collect. Manna was not on the ground when they walked out on the 7th day. AND GUESS WHAT? My PROVISION is out there too! God has put my PROVISION (manna) out there for me to collect each day and I am COLLECTING IT! And, I am excited about it! We are changing people's lives. Helping them change their finances. Helping them improve their marriages. Helping them live a life of victory. And, helping change the WORLD one person at a time. Our calling is sure. Our calling is definite. If you do not know what your calling is, I encourage you, link your belief up to someone who IS doing great things for God and watch God reveal to you the details of his plan for your life!  

#105 - YOU ARE MEANT TO DO GREAT THINGS!

Hello! I'm BACK! :) It's so great to be home!! You know when it is exciting to leave, but it is also exciting to get back to "life". Get back to the routines & normalcy. My parents came into town last Saturday for the boy's birthday party. Then on Sunday we left to go to Orlando (except Tyler Sr staying home. :-(''' ) I drove back home on Thursday night, and Tyler and I left for a conference in North Carolina, Friday-Sunday.  SO... I'm HOME now. It's nice. What an amazing last week though! SOOOO many amazing things happened.... I wish I could share them all, but it would take WAY to much time. 


Well... let's go ahead and get started...

Psalm 82 - ¹GOD STANDS in the assembly [of the representatives] of God; in the midst of the magistrates or judges He gives judgment [as] among the gods. ²How long will you [magistrates or judges] judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! ³Do justice to the weak (poor) and fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy. ⁴Deliver the poor and needy; rescue them out of the hand of the wicked. ⁵[The magistrates and judges] know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction]; all the foundations of the earth [the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice] are shaking. ⁶I said, You are gods [since you judge on My behalf, as My representatives]; indeed, all of you are children of the Most High. ⁷But you shall die as men and fall as one of the princes. ⁸Arise, O God, judge the earth! For to You belong all the nations.

Proverbs 31:24 - She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them 

As I was reading Psalm 82, I was interested when I got to the phrase "complacent satisfaction." As I read and re-read the chapter, that was what the chapter encompassed... complacency. God being frustrated with magistrates and judges for showing complacency, for allowing unjust things to continually take place. Complacency had set in. What is complacency equal to? Darkness! When you walk around AVOIDING doing what you KNOW you are suppose to do, you begin to grow not only complacent, but your world begins to become a world of darkness. Complacency begins to not only affect your joy, but the longer complacency sets in, it allows your self-image to take a hit as well. When you know the calling God has on your life, if you have been complacent about it and not PURSUING it your self-image gradually gets worse and worse until hiding and being at home is the easiest thing to do. The passion and fervor for living life has dissipated and a midweek movie, or TV program becomes a normal thing to take part in. Pursuing your "Calling" would require effort and un-comfort in your life, so it is easier just to try to avoid it, all the while, it almost feels like a gnawing in the deep parts of your brain and heart is taking place. You KNOW you are CAPABLE to do great things! YOU KNOW if you just CHOSE to pull out that GREATNESS that you KNOW is in you, you would most definitely be a WORLD CHANGER and make HUGE difference to countless numbers of people. Deep down you KNOW how great you really are. You know that you were not created just to be living the average life you have been living. This is just NOT how it was suppose to turn out. That is what Psalm 82 is talking about. Complacency. 


The scary thing. Allowing complacency get to a point of "complacent satisfaction." At this point, even though deep down you KNOW you were MEANT, really MEANT, CALLED BY GOD to do really GREAT things. The complacency, the gnawing sensation in your heart over time stops "gnawing" as much. Over time of "doing nothing", not progressing towards your goal, or calling, your complacency turns into a complacent satisfaction. You begin to be OK with just being AVERAGE. You begin to be OK with the life that you are living. You begin to be OK about NOT pursuing your calling, the calling GOD has set for your life. You begin to be OK about just being AVERAGE.


Do you really want to just stay average? Do you really want to remain in a life knowing you COULD HAVE done so much. Knowing every day you are living UN-TAPPED. Do you really want to live and ultimately finish life like that? I heard someone say this weekend, what would the day be like in 20-30 years from now when you meet up with the person you COULD HAVE been? How would you feel?  When you meet up and you SEE the person that you SHOULD HAVE been? You see all the great and amazing things you were SUPPOSE to accomplish, how you were SUPPOSE to live, if you just would've gotten out of the place of "complacent satisfaction." 


WHAT IF? What if you chose to pull that person out now. What if you chose to live the life pursuing your ultimate destiny, living out the calling God has on your life. And then, when you get to the end, you look back and see all that you did, how fully you lived, all the you accomplished for the Kingdom of God, all that your children accomplished because they watched an awesome example in you. How different would things be if you just BECAME the person you are SUPPOSE to be. That you chose not to have fear, but to just pursue God's calling. If you just chose to NOT be average. If you chose to be GREAT. If you chose to pull out that AMAZING YOU that you know is deep down inside you. 


The Holy Spirit told me something interesting this weekend. As I was sitting in a leadership conference with so many winners and world changers, the Holy Spirit reminded me of Proverbs 16:9, A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. I had been waiting for the LORD to just tell me what to do, for the LORD to make a "plan" for me. But that's not what the Word says. The Holy Spirit proceeded to tell me that if I, AMY, made a plan, HE would direct it and make it sure, make it successful. It was up to me, I needed to make a plan. Those things that I have been uncomfortable about doing, but deep down have KNOWN that if I just started, I would be really GREAT at... those things, HE would make them succeed. And ANYTIME you begin to do something over and over, it gets easier. 


I know God has made me great. I know deep down I have really GREAT things to do and share. Great things to BE. I know that I was not meant to be average. And you know what, neither were you. 


What have you been afraid of? What has been holding you back? Choose today to leave complacency behind. Be the GREAT YOU! Live out your potential. And when it is all over, have the satisfaction of knowing that you will look back over your life with NO REGRETS. 

#27 - Proverbs 31 - The "HOW TO"

Buenos dias! Como estas? Todo bien en Columbia, SC. :)


HI! Well, this morning is going to be a bit different of a post. This morning is going to be a "HOW TO." HOW TO become this Proverbs 31 woman. The purpose of this "devotional" in your life. Your responsibility outside of this devotion. Like the "wise saying" answering the question: "How do you eat an elephant?" - Answer: One bite at a time. 


This morning we are going to discuss the "one bite at a time" in becoming this woman. As you have studied Proverbs 31, have you at times felt overwhelmed? Have you, like me, thought, "Man, she is literally like super-human. She is everything. Is she just an idea? She is perfect. She is good at everything. Ahhhhh!" When you read through her qualities, characteristics, strengths, accomplishments.... truly it can be a bit overwhelming. Like a, "I'll just quit while I'm ahead".... "I'll just stop before I even start."


HOW TO USE THIS DAILY DEVOTION:
The purpose of this devotion, this study through Proverbs and the Proverbs 31 woman is to take you deeper. One verse at a time, to help you see real life examples. Since each blog-post covers only ONE verse about the Proverbs 31 woman, the goal is to take you deeper on the topic. Take you deeper on that verse. Maybe give you different insight, allow you to see Hebrew text & meanings, see cross reference scripture of other parts of the Bible. Why are the cross-references good? Because the Bible ALL is one, WHOLE book. The Bible is ALL true. NO verse contradicts another. The Bible works together as a whole to deliver one package and message. True, within it, within the inspired Words written thousands of years ago, we find many messages, many areas in which we can learn or work on but all working together. One package. One book of truth. The cross-referencing just brings more validity to what we study about this Ultimate Woman, this Proverbs 31 Woman. The cross-reverencing brings more depth or insight into who she is. 


The purpose of this devotion is to take you deeper. Give you a deeper look. 


HOW TO BECOME THIS PROVERBS 31 WOMAN:
When you just read Proverbs 31, it can be a bit overwhelming. It could be easy to give up before you even start, but I encourage you, KEEP GOING! There are obvious areas that may jump out at you that you know are strengths of yours, then maybe some obvious areas that may be areas of weakness. What is our goal? One quality, one characteristic at a time, to work on that area and make it part of your life. To make it a strength. We are not trying to be the WHOLE PACKAGE TODAY! We are working towards the whole package. This is MOST DEFINITELY a JOURNEY! A journey that may very well take a life-time, but most likely will take years and years. Will we ever "arrive"? I'm not sure, but I DO think that we can get to the point where we ARE operating in all of these strengths! I believe "SHE" is innate in "US"! I believe God made us to BECOME this Woman of God! I believe deep down, in each of us, THERE she is! She is there! Our job now is to just mold, develop, kneed these areas until they are thriving in our lives. Let's look at some REAL examples and some real ACTION steps!


ACTION STEP #1:  MEDITATE & CHOOSE  
Read Proverbs 31:10-31, daily. As you read, truly read, open your ears and listen as the Words go through your mind. As you are reading and listening, you will feel a JUMP in your spirit... or for me, in my mind it is often as if I see a RED FLAG go up, the red flag saying, "Look at ME! Look at ME! Here I am! Work on ME!" Sometimes when the "flag" goes up, that's all the further I read. I know that that specific verse is what I am suppose to work on, to meditate on, to begin establishing that quality or characteristic in my life. Let's look at a real life example...

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.

 - I currently work out four days a week. Usually Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I do not work out on my DOR (Day of Rest - which is usually, but not always, on Wednesday). And, on the weekends, we usually may go on a walk with the boy, talk... we are "moving". We may walk around our block which is a mile. WELL, to make sure I am always working on this verse, what do I do??? On the days that I work out, I always incorporate an arm exercise. Something to make my arms strong and firm. It is something easy that I can incorporate into my work-out. I can do it daily. And because I am doing it on a regular basis, before long, my arms WILL BE very strong & very firm. Say, "SO long to arm jiggle! So long to arm flab!" I have incorporated maybe 1 minute of push-ups, 1 minute of curls, 1 minute of lat-pull downs. This is not in a gym, it is right outside my house using a "Green Band". I believe you can get them at Dicks Sporting Goods, maybe even somewhere like a Wal-Mart. But, the great thing about it... if I am doing curls, I can step on the band in a spot which is "higher up" and give myself a harder resistance. So, you don't need to have an expensive gym membership to get firm arms or become this part of the "Proverbs 31" woman. 

Now that I am regularly working on the "firm arms"... I am past the point of "thinking about it." Or past the point of it really being a struggle to incorporate into my life, I am doing it regularly without even thinking about it. It is now part of my routine. Once past getting that into my routine, I move on to ACTION STEP #2.


ACTION STEP #2:  BUILD UPON EACH OTHER  
So, once you have ONE verse that you feel like you have under your belt pretty good.... ADD another one. Go back to ACTION STEP #1. Read through it daily until something jumps out at your spirit. When something does, ADD that as an area to work towards. For example...

- Waking up early has always been a struggle? But, you see in Proverbs 31:15- "She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household..." - As you read through Proverbs 31:10-31, that verse just continues to jump out at you, pricking you, pricking your heart. You KNOW that you need to get up early. You know that you need to be getting in the Word before the day starts and begins to get busy. So, finally, against what your flesh wants to do, you decide to work on this area. To finally CONQUER this area that has been a weakness for so long. Begin. Just begin. Set your alarm clock a little bit earlier. You usually wake up at 6:30, set it for 6:00. Decide by the time you "wake-up" and get into "position" it will be 6:10... so you will have 20 minutes to get in the Word, pray, etc, before you need to start getting ready for work. 

ACTION STEP #3:  PREPARE YOURSELF FOR SLIPS  
You are not perfect. Will you have those mornings where you sleep in? You sleep through your alarm clock. You hit snooze 3 times instead of getting up. YES. You may have those mornings. That is why we are only choosing ONE VERSE at a time to work on. Start again tomorrow. Begin again. Every day, begin again. Until, eventually, you will surprise yourself. As you continue waking up, you will find you are REALLY enjoying this intimate time with your Father. You are really starting to look forward to it. You wake up hungry. Hungry for the Word. Before you know it, you are awake 5 minutes before your alarm goes off. Then you start waking up a little bit earlier because you are finding that when your time comes to an end each morning, you just want more. You just want more time. You have accomplished this verse.... now, it's time to go back to ACTION STEP #2 - Build upon this verse and ADD another one to your arsenal. 


Can you see how doing this you are "EATING THE ELEPHANT ONE BITE AT A TIME." You are not overwhelming yourself to be the WHOLE PACKAGE today or tomorrow. You are BEGINNING. You are doing the Slight Edge: Those things that are easy to do, but equally as easy not to do. You are establishing habits. You are building Proverbs 31 habits. One upon the next upon the next. You are on the path to REALLY becoming the Proverbs 31 woman, not just thinking or talking about it! You have an ACTION PLAN in place! You REALLY are working towards an end result! 


BEGIN:
In closing.... I encourage you to begin. You will be surprised on this journey, not only will you feel great about accomplishment, but as you are pursuing the things of God, He may very well just drop "witty inventions" in your mind. As you are working on these areas, he may just drop ideas in your mind of something to create. Something the market needs. Where, as you are on your journey to be the woman God wants you to become, you find success & joy. You find that truly wealth and riches ARE in your house, you just had to unlock it. Million dollar ideas. The ability to do what you love and get paid for it. Living out your dream. Living out your passion. Impacting the Kingdom. It almost seems wrong because you LOVE it so much! You no longer will work a day in your life because walking in your calling is not work. You were BORN to do this very thing. I would bet, on your journey to become this Proverbs 31 woman, you may very well find or begin doing what you love to do. At least that is my prayer for you. More people need to be living and walking in their calling, not just working for a dollar bill just to get by. There is so much more than just getting by. It begins with beginning. 


Enjoy this journey as you are becoming....

                                             The Ultimate Woman.