What or Who Is Your Stronghold?

Stronghold: A well fortified place; fortress-place that serves as the center of; core; foundation;

The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

Oppress: To lie heavily upon (the mind, a person) weigh down.

Oppressor: causes one to suffer unjustly

Oppressed: overwhelmed, crushed, heavy.

Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, “Seek my face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Psalm 27:7-8

Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

Psalm 27:11

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14

Are you oppressed? Depressed? What is weighing so heavily upon your mind? Are you ill or in pain? What has you weighed down?

Do you have an oppressor? We all do! The enemy! While a person may oppress you, it is simply the work of the enemy trying to overtake and overwhelm you!

Are you feeling overwhelmed, crushed and heavy? What is it? Who is it? What are you going to do?

Who or what is your stronghold? Is it God? Is it food? Is it good or evil? Is it a person? Does your stronghold build you up like a fortress or tear you down physically, mentally, spiritually and even nutritionally?  

And the Lord answers:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am The Lord, your God, the Holy one of Israel, your Savior.  Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.”

Isaiah 43:1b-4

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts

Than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to without

Watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:9-12

You will find joy in the morning and he will give a crown of beauty for your ashes! He is the God of Zephaniah 3:17-“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing!”

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalm 91:4

I don’t know about you, but I sure need this right now! A feather bed! Yes! With love songs being cooed over me! What do ya think? You in?

What you need to do:

Be self-controlled and alert! Your enemy the devil prowls around like a lion for someone to devour.

Resist him! Standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, AFTER, you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen

1 Peter 5:8-10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Ephesians 6:10-11

Cease striving; be still, and know that He is God. He will fight for you if you just be still! When we have on our armor “the fight” loses its grip because we know who is fighting for us and we can stop working so hard and be still.  Be in his peace.  We can laugh at what’s in the future because we know whose hands are holding us.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:8

Take heart, be confident in the hope that anchors our soul! Let Jesus anchor your heart so that it cannot be moved by the oppressor! Stand firm! You are secure in this hope! Jesus, our hope, our anchor has gone before us, entered the curtain on our behalf and he will turn away now!

See Hebrews 6:19-20

Prayer:

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Lord I pray for your deliverance of those, including myself, who are in pain, depressed, oppressed, sick. Deliverance for those who are in times of marital distress, financial struggles, and those dealing with a prodigal child. I pray for those who are lost and don’t know you yet as their Savior so that they may know this same hope that is spoken of. That the lost will come and find their place in your kingdom and take their place in your family tree.  I pray deliverance, peace, comfort and healing for all those who are suffering with cancer, that evil disease that wrecks so many lives.  My heart truly bleeds for them today! God come and fight for us today. Deliver us and cover us with love songs and surround us in your feathers! Come and be our stronghold Lord. You are the foundation! Let us make you our core, the very center of our lives!   In Jesus name I pray, ask and believe in you for all these things! Till next time! 

It's almost Christmas!? Already???

So, today, the stress has hit me! The overwhelming burden of what's next! In just one day we have Christmas with our kids so I've gotta hurry and prepare. I still have my job to see to. Saturday I still have enchiladas to make and Sunday is Christmas and I have food to make for that too! Oh and a few gifts to get, but MONEYl! I have bills to pay! And then, there's just life that still has to be done! WAAIITTT! SSSTTTOOOPP! I'm not ready! I still haven't made it through today yet! Sigh! Ya know, I get it. I get why there are seasonal alcoholics! Lol! I mean, even I think, "I need a drink!" Ok, well then, if not a drink then a pill! Yes! No! This anxiety is making me sick! I can't think straight, can't focus; therefore, I think I'll just shut down and get even less done and feel even worse! And then I will just hate on myself a little bit more and tell myself how stupid and incompetent I am. Worthless! Pull the covers back up! Am I the only one to feel this way? I highly doubt it! THIS is why so many, including myself, tend to hate Christmas! IT IS STRESSFUL!!! Somehow, I don't believe that Christmas, Jesus's birthday, not ours, was meant to be this way! Traditions are ok, but what are they doing to us? Ugh.

Christmas is Holy. It is a reverent time. It is a celebration of the birth of our Savior. But with so many expectations, it can truly bring me down. And I can say from experience that being financially strapped can totally put a damper on meeting expectations and make me feel left out, not good enough, judged, criticized, and unwelcome. Now, most of these are self-imposed feelings, some may be true, but regardless of where they come from they are still felt. I know I'm not alone in this! There are those who are far less fortunate than me. I have a home and heat by the grace of God. I have my family. I have a car and running water. I have food and a table to sit at. I have warm clothes, furniture, a cat, 2 dogs and 10 chickens. I could go on. Some, don't even have shelter or warm blanket to snuggle under. I have COFFEE! That I don't need! Lol! So, what's a gal to do?

Go to the cross! What Lord do you have for me today? Where can I find joy, peace, and hope and comfort? Where is Christmas? It's in CHRIST!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the JOY set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

Jesus is our HOPE! Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly REJOICE, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 1 Peter 1:3-6

God comforts us when we come to him! He's there waiting during this crazy stressful season that WE HAVE CREATED! Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I, God will give you rest! Matthew 11:28

And finally, therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this GRACE in which we now stand. And we boast in the HOPE of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

It all started in a manger, in a wooden box, with a baby, named Jesus. For unto us was born that day out of the city of David a child, our Savior, Jesus Christ who, gave his life fully to His Father, God. And on our behalf, for the JOY set before him, he suffered, bled and died, so that we might have HOPE, COMFORT, and PEACE like a river that flows without our understanding. He was born and died so that we could celebrate Christmas!

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE, good will towards men. Luke 2:14

Merry Christmas! Peace on earth! Goodwill!

Jesus Christ is the Christmas gift! Have you accepted the gift and unwrapped it? Will you? Let Jesus be the gift you give and the gift you receive this Christmas 2016!

PS. Today I balanced myself with the Word, Release, Forgiveness and Present Time Essential Oils and Release It and Be Courageous Flower Essence Formulas.

Who Will Be King?

TRUMP VS HILLARY
WHO WILL OUR NEXT "KING" BE?

In reading 1 Samuel 8 it struck me that we as a nation seem to be crying out for the same thing as Israel.  In that day they decided that their leader and judge, Samuel, wasn’t enough.  They wanted more like the other nations for even Samuel’s sons had turned aside to dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.  The people said to Samuel, “Give us a king to lead us.” Because this displeased him, he went to the Lord and prayed.  And this is what the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” Let me repeat that, “but they have rejected me!” Sound familiar?  Let’s continue on. 

God said, “As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.” Hold on now, are y’all ready for this? Here’s the words of the Lord that Samuel told them who were asking for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use.  He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord WILL NOT ANSWER you in that day.” Ouch! What are you hearing when you read this? Let God speak into your heart!

 Even with Samuel’s warning they still said, “NO! We want a king over us.” They wanted to be like the other nations. We’ve had other nations wanting a king to be like us, but slowly some are seeing the reality that we aren’t all we’re cracked up to be!  Amen! They wanted a king who would lead them and go out before them and fight their battles. Woah! Do you hear that? To this day we are still crying out “Give us a king!” And we are still just as sinful and blind. Truth is, God was meant to be their king just like he is meant to be our king today.  There was never supposed to be any other king but God. And we are still dethroning him to this very day! We cry out for our own selfish desires disregarding the evil that lurks behind our desires.  Friends, don’t join the masses of this world demanding your rights and desires because I tell you God WILL give them to us! Instead we need to be like Samuel, praying! Like Nehemiah, weeping, fasting and praying that God would strengthen our hands and our hearts and give us the opportunity to rebuild the walls! Oh dear friends, we have a responsibility to be the Godly leaders this world so desperately needs.  We have the chance to be like Abraham whose faith was credited to him as righteousness! He is our father. God has made him the father of many nations! Let’s pray like Abraham and ask the Lord to spare Sodom and Gomorrah.  May the Lord look down upon us and find us faithful unlike Sodom and Gomorrah.  And when God moves us out DO NOT look back to see and weep for what we are being saved from.  

We are a sinful nation in need of our Savior Jesus Christ! We must pray for our leaders. Pray for God to change the hearts of sinful man and to spare us.  Yes, prophecy will be exacted, but God yearns to hear our hearts in prayer because he can and will change the course of things.  Let our faith go before us and our warrior feet follow God into battle. Raising up disciples who will go out and share the gospel of the good news of Jesus, leading the lost to salvation.  It is not pleasing to the Lord that any man should perish without him, oh but so many will! What are you going to do about it? I love how Samuel confronted the people with evidence of all the Lord had done for them. All the righteous acts done for them and their forefathers.  Oh that we would do the same with great boldness! God has already delivered us in so many ways and longs to do more, but I am afraid we have become so much like Israel and have begun demanding for our own selfish desires and disregarding the good that God has brought us and have FORGOTTEN THE LORD!  We have armies (evil) moving in on every side of us and we are still crying “Give us a king!” Soon the Lord will give us our king, what we have asked for. What, my friends, are you crying out for? What are you demanding? I pray that we would turn to demanding God’s justice and mercy, His will and not ours here on earth as it already is in heaven.  When things get hard and messier than they already are there will be those who will turn and ask God’s people to pray to our Lord because “they have added to all the other sins, the evil of asking for a king”. And we will come together and pray! Be careful what you are asking for in this election and from our next leader! 

 As it says, “If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and your king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God-good! But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.” Do not turn away! Serve the Lord with all your heart! God is king and He always will be! Now, let Him reign and be king of your life before it’s too late to call out to Him! We are not promised tomorrow, but in our pride we boast about what we will do tomorrow! Will you turn your life over to the one true king? Jesus Christ! Will you pray for God to be king of our nation?

 Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God who came down to earth as a man in order to take on your sins and diseases on the cross where he suffered greatly so you don’t have to and then died and rose again 3 days later to sit on the right hand of the Father? Will you ask for forgiveness of your sins and let Jesus be the Lord of your life, and finally putting him on in baptism for the forgiveness of your sins? Will you submit to him and his commands in all of your life? Life with Jesus is so beautiful! His peace that he gives is totally beyond our understanding. His grace reaches the highest of mountains! His grace inspires you to move to higher ground! His mercies are new EVERY morning! His love and forgiveness never run out! Your faith in Him can move mountains and your love for him and others will change this world! His commands are not burdensome, but instead bring fulfillment and life abundant in joy, peace, safety and goodness! Why do you wait? Step into his love for you and then storm the heavens with your prayers of thanksgiving and for his blessings and provisions upon our land and our leaders! Lord, give us the leader who will bring you glory! Amen and amen! 

In Christ alone

His willing warrior and servant,

Stephanie Goode

Are you a FAT Christian?

I AM SOOOOO FAT!

Are you a FAT Christian? I'm not, but I wanna be! Said no-one ever! Are your scales tipping over to a number that you "shouldn't" be? Or is the number that you "should" be too low? But either way, you're still FAT? This is a question I've been asking myself lately, am I FAT? Especially as a Christian! Have mercy!  I think every one of us would answer this question with a resounding YES! It doesn't matter if we are "too skinny" or not, we say "I'm fat!" Don't we? How many times a day do we say "Ugh, I'm so fat"? When we eat a cookie we immediately think "I'm so fat" while we pinch our inch to see if it's somehow grown in the last 2 seconds it took us to inhale our cookie! First of all, let me ease your mind, fat doesn't grow that fast! Water and poop maybe, but not fat.  You would need to eat that cookie everyday for about 2 weeks to gain a pound.  But the guilt and shame we consume each time we eat it will definitely make your fat cells swell up immediately! That spare tire just suddenly put on 50 more pounds of pressure! No kidding! Am I wrong? I know from experience! Oh, but the sweet, sweet grace of Jesus covers us and like tar on a hot road, melts away that guilt and shame!
Here's the real question we need to ask ourselves, am I spiritually FAT? What if we applied that same physical awareness of being fat to our spiritual diet? What would your answer be? Before you answer, let's look at what FAT means.

F aithful
A vailable
T eachable
(borrowed from Alisa Keaton, @revelationwellness)

Now, are you FAT? I'm not as FAT as I'd like to be! That just makes me chuckle when I  hear myself say that! Go ahead, say it out loud! "I'm not as FAT as I'd like to be", "I want to be FAT", "Man I wish I were more FAT"! Sounds funny and maybe it even brings up some very emotional feelings.  It's ok if take time to go there with Jesus! Leave no stone unturned physically or spiritually.
So, I've been thinking on this for weeks and every time I do I cannot remember what the A stands for.  I always have to go look and then I'm like "oh yeah, ok, sure I'm available". But am I? This time I brought the letter A to Jesus. Like Sesame Street, "Today, Cookie Monster is eating the letter A". A is for Availability! What exactly does that mean? Available: Present, ready to use. Accessible, qualified and willing to serve or assist.  Capable of being used. Uncommitted, FREE and able to ACT AT WILL! To be unavailable is to be inaccessible, unapproachable, and not available or at hand. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak! What a great place to be honestly because Jesus' power can work greatly in that space.
 Here's some questions God has given me to ask myself:

1.Are you willing and able to be available beyond the point or pain, discomfort and disappointment?
2.Are you available to move past your insecurity or lack of confidence?
3.Are you available to act in my strength and not your own?
4.Is your heart available for me to work in and show you things that stand in your way?
5.Is your heart open to trust me and depend on me?
6.Are your eyes free of stumbling blocks and judgement?
7.What is keeping you, my Daughter, from being fully available? Can I show you?

Well, I thought that I was pretty available until I started examining my heart.  Do you know what my biggest stumbling block is? FEAR! FEAR! And, well, FEAR! Yes! Oh my gosh! I am passionate for Jesus, I desire to be a mover and a shaker, a difference maker! I want to take all that God has done for me and share it so that others might be free from their chains! I want to give the world Jesus! I want to help other Christians shake off all that is holding them back and making them unavailable! But sometimes...fear keeps me in my closet (praying or not) rather than out there being a shaker of salt and creating a thirst for God! What could I possibly fear? Sometimes I fear rejection. I fear not knowing enough and being thought of as stupid. I fear being ridiculed and judged, being laughed at.  I fear crowds! I know, who'da thunk it, right? I fear being uncomfortable, embarrassed, and on and on! How crazy is that? It sounds like I fear being like Jesus? Doesn't it? I mean, do I fear being FAT? Ha, boy that has double meaning doesn't it? Fear is a tool of satan to keep me under a bushel! Yall, this little pea is popping on out of that bushel! Whoop! "The sun'll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, come what may..." Lord let it be today, not tomorrow! Do you know what else can keep a girl/guy from being available? Unconfessed sin.  Oh my, like a cookie, sin makes me do a pinch test and waller in guilt and shame. Mmmhmmm! So does jealousy & envy (for another day), unforgiveness, and feeling sorry for myself.  Claiming busyness to avoid interaction is an availability killer.  Bitterness, resentment and hate can also puts me under lock and key.  Any of these sound familiar? When God says, "jump" do I ask 'how high?' or do I say "wait", make excuses, or pinch my inch? Am I available at all costs? You've heard the saying "If God sends you to it, he'll get you through it!" It's true, but are you, am I, willing and able to throw that much caution to the wind? We've been told "look before you leap".  The only thing we really need to look at is the scale of our hearts.  "The phrase taking a leap of faith implies a swift and sure movement in a direction where the destination is unknown." (Kingdom Woman)

I WANT TO BE FAT! I want to be faithful, available and teachable! I want to be so FAT that I can't fit through a door way because Jesus is so big in me! I want to be so FAT that when I enter a room everyone notices because the light of Jesus draws their attention! I want Jesus to be my "spare tire", my "roll" over my belt, and that extra wave under my arm!  I want the face of Jesus to be smack in the middle of my cellulite! I want my hips to pound out a rhythm of praise for is He is worthy! Woo hoo! Being FAT is sexy! I am beautiful! So are you! Let me tell you something friends, being overweight or fat physically is just an outer manifestation of an inner dysfunction.  Truly it is! There is no shame! Embrace where you are knowing that God is just chomping at the bits to get in there and work you out! Our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak! Hallelujah! It's not about the outside! Ask yourself these questions:

1.What are you protecting yourself from with that spare tire around your waist? What is it you can't stomach in life?
2.Got lower belly fat? Whom or what is a like a parasite in your life? Is it unconfessed sin? Cast out that life sucker! Maybe it's time for a cleanse! Literally, you may actually have parasites! Ew! Lol!
3.Upper belly fat? Ah, why are you so closed off in your heart? What or whom are you protecting it from? Is there distrust? You CAN trust again! Don't believe the lie that says you can't. Trust is not gone, just wounded.  Pain? Sorrow? Surely we need to protect our heart's for it is the well spring of life, but not from God!
4.What's with that rounded, "beer belly?" Too much beer? LOL! That's between you and God! If it's hard, maybe you worry too much and need to slow down and rest in Jesus.  Maybe ya need a boost of citrus Sonshine and some "Real Salt" of the Word of Life! If it's soft maybe you need a shot of BJesus! Maybe you need to be fed.  What's got ya so sluggish? Is it toxins?

What is making you unavailable? Be FAT for Jesus! He is the "good fat"! He is the "olive oil" of life! Consume him daily! He is your Omega 3, 6, 9, 5, & 7! Let him wreck your heart!  Let him remove your fear, guilt and shame! Let his goodness replace your "wrinkles" of resentment, bitterness and let his love smooth out your hate! He is the giver of life! He is your vegetable, your lean protein, your healthy whole grain and the fruit of the vine! I can't think of a better diet plan!  Be mindful and be FAT, be FAT, be FAT!

I am faithful, I am available and I am teachable! Say this affirmation daily! Look in the mirror and say "I am FAT, I am beautiful, I am worthy, I am valuable and I am available! Use me today Lord, not tomorrow!" When you embrace the joy being FAT I can promise, yes promise, that your "physical" fat will move, your eating habits will change, and your energy will increase! Joy is the magic pill! It IS the best fat burner out there! Order yours today, it's FREE! No shipping, no taxes!

Warning: Joy is contagious!
Spread this message like wildfire and become a real "Available" life changer!

It's a challenge: Tell someone "I am a FAT Christian and I am bringing sexy back! Let's go! It's time to dance!

We are fearfully and wonderfully made to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. For God examines the heart of a man and not the outer appearance. We are created in His image and He will continue the work in you until the day Jesus appears! Amen!

#boldinthesoul

Stephanie Goode,
Holistic Health Coach, CNHP

Fear and Doubt

F alse
E vidence
A ppearing
R eal

D istorts
O verwhelms
U nbelief
B elittles
T ortures

Do you know what doubt and fear do? They keep you from moving forward. They keep you stuck. They keep you in chains! Right where the enemy wants you! Weak, worn, weary! Fear and doubt are lies that hold us hostage to unbelief. They cause us to shrink back. Fear and doubt belittle us and make us feel small, not enough. They torture our souls with anguish and worry. Fear and doubt overwhelms our hearts and minds with things that aren't real. They distort the truth!

I know these two fiends very well! I've met them numerous times in my life! When we live in doubt, which I've been good at, our vision is stolen from us. We can no longer see things for what they really are. It's like having our hands clasped over our eyes. Oh sure we can peek out, but if truth presents itself we will shrink back again in fear. Does doubt cause us to fear or does fear cause us to doubt??? I think they are married to each other! They go everywhere together! Doubt can keep us from receiving good in our lives because fear has told it that its not good! Fear keeps our mouths closed, our voice muffled and our feet planted. Fear creates anxiety, a lack of confidence and a deficiency in desire. It causes us to worry about EVERYTHING and causes us to focus on pleasing others and not God. Fear puts it's huge, scary hand over our lives. Fear takes life! Steals our breathe!

Fear and doubt have stolen much from my life, but in the name of Jesus and in His power and boldness, I step forth! Once again! I remove the hands of fear from my lips and the fingers of doubt from my eyes and I will you Lord most high with all that I am! I will proclaim your goodness from yesterday, today and tomorrow! My lips will not be silent, my feet will not be still and my heart only beats for you!

I invite you to do the same! Be bold for Jesus! Let His light and assurance bring you confidence and strength! I understand, it makes your heart pound with anxiety. Don't let anxiety fool you, it's a close relative of fear. Anxiety is just mistaken excitement! It is a case of mistaken identity! It is boldness being held back! Go on and grab it, raise your hands to Jesus, and spin and dance in the rain of His mercy and justice and grace! Let His great drops of love cover your fear and doubt! Shout it from the roof tops and don't you ever, ever, ever shrink back! Jesus came to give life, fear and doubt are there to steal it! GO! Tell the Lord "Here I am, send me!"

For I am not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved! I live by faith and I am a pleasing aroma to Christ!
Hebrews 10:39 (paraphrased)
Matthew 21:21-22 "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can o do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to the this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

‪#‎boldinthesoul‬ ‪#‎gotellitonthemountain‬ ‪#‎fearnot‬ ‪#‎doubtisakiller‬ ‪#‎gowithGod‬‪#‎revelationwellness‬

Living Free,

Stephanie Goode

Beauti-Fully Wrecked

                                                     

The other day I was relaying my experience with my workout and a friend (whom I haven't met yet) described it as "beautifully wrecked".  I've been thinking about that.  What does that mean to me? So yesterday while doing my workout on the spin bike again, I got it! My picture may show me smiling, but just moments before that I was choking back tears. There were several of those moments for different reasons, but the one reason that gave me that light bulb moment was when I wanted to give up because my legs were tired and it was painful. I cried out to God, "It hurts God, I can't do this, I need to stop. Give me your strength, show me what I need to know."  And BAM, I'm powering through the pain! I make it past it! During my struggle to push through God reminded me of the pain I've already come through.  The difference is, it was emotional pain.  I look back now and wonder how I ever made it.  At least 3 years out of the last 5 were pure hell!   I remember wondering if people could see on the outside what I felt on the inside.  I felt and could see in my mind, my body being contorted and twisted.  I could see me pulling my hair out and ripping my clothes! That's how much emotional and spiritual pain I felt. It was a war for my soul! Satan wanted what did not belong to him.  Previous to this time I was always at the gym working out and taking care of myself.  I loved who I was, but then something happened.  The enemy broke in on my race and I stumbled and fell.  My body and mind became worn. Oh how satan sifted me.  But God's grace lifted me! I didn't think He could, I didn't think I could.  On the other side of the emotional struggle came the physical struggle.  A diagnosis with Epstein Barr about did me in.  I became bed ridden and fevered for almost 3 months.  My muscles hurt to the point that standing or sitting became painful.  It took me a year to recover and gain some strength back. During my dark time my body became my idol.  And now I couldn't make it move. Fast forward to this last year, my knees and hips went down. Again to the point that I couldn't sleep because of pain, walking was hard and painful, getting on and off the toilet was serious, and even times my husband had to help me walk.  No working out for me! I have slowly worked my way back to the gym.  I became so discouraged that I didn't even take care of the parts that I could actually move. That was a huge mistake. It only added to my painful recovery.  I don't need the perfect body or the biggest muscles, but I do need to be able to move.  God has work for me to do! So, with therapy and time I have progressed a great deal in the last six months even tho there are still times of great pain and other times none.  I'll be honest and tell you that I have thought many times that I'd rather go through emotional pain because I know now that I can handle it now.  I became afraid of physical pain.  That's never been my problem.  As I sat on that bike pushing past the pain I realized, "You have got to overcome this stronghold with pain because the enemy cannot win!"  Jesus did it on the cross and so can I! I was being beautifully wrecked in my pain, sweat, tears and moans and groans and probably winey baby faces! Lol! I have learned to hate the gym, hate to work out because I knew it would hurt in more than one way! That's so crazy! One big excuse after another! I used to love the pain and soreness! Now the thought of it will keep me sitting at home making excuses.  I have always loved to run and even that was taken from me.  I would do it anyway just because it made me mad and then of course I suffer in pain afterwards! Does that even make sense? Running was my stress relief. It made me feel strong and powerful! Hmmm, in who's power? In who's strength?  I've prayed "Lord, why? Show me what I need to learn here. How can I get stress relief if I can't even do cardio because my knees can't hold up?"  He said, "find another way."  Truth is I just needed to stop.  Be still.  But I couldn't. I needed to quit making excuses and be all that I would ask a client to be.  Be what you want others to be. How can I show you and teach you to push through if I'm not willing to do it myself?
I have always been a runner emotionally too! I feel like I've finally conquered that, but now it's down to, will I persevere in physical pain in order to strengthen my body so that I can go where the Lord sends me next? Will I go forth believing in his healing?  It is in His strength that I am pushing forward, and it's His healing I am believing in.  So, it is in God's strength that I can do anything. It is my pain, be it emotional or physical that makes me #boldinthesoul.  And oh how good it feels in the end when the nausea passes and the muscles relax and become weak from exhaustion. But mostly, it feels good knowing I did it and I didn't have to do it alone! My workouts are my time to press in to Jesus! I workout my soul while I workout my body!  If I wait and rely on myself and the desire or strength to get up and move and push past my own ability, I will never move! Without Jesus, I am nothing! With Him, I am #boldinthesoul!  Lord, keep showing up in my pain! Keep me bold so that I can be used by you to help strengthen others and lead them to freedom in you!

Beauti is found when you are fully wrecked! Be beautifully wrecked in Jesus!

Stephanie Goode  ©

A kernel of Wheat

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. John 12:24-26

Like the caterpillar who must lie dormant in a cocoon in order for it to develop it's wings and become a new creature, more beautiful in character and color than one could imagine, we too must bury ourselves in Christ, becoming dead to sin and our old lives so that we in due time can be transformed to bear our spiritual fruit and put on our wings that will transcend us from this world to our heavenly homes where we will never spin nor toil again!

Buried in Christ,
Stephanie Goode