Author: princessleah

One thing that is necessary when growing in God, is to determine the difference between condemnation of the enemy and conviction of the Holy Spirit. Thoughts of condemnation give no hope. Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and is our reminder that we need to repent and change, and that God’s grace is there to help us. Change is good. Wanting change for others is good too. We want everyone in our world to be more like Jesus – that is good and positive change. Here are Alan Wright’s three points to change:
1. We change a negative spirit by sowing the opposite spirit
2. We enable positive change through the power of blessing.
3. We help people embrace responsibility by treating them as if they are owners and not slaves. (Romans 8:15-17)
The fruit of shame is slavery. The fruit of grace is freedom.
Our motivation in the body of Christ should be in this order
1. Belong to the fellowship
2. Believe right
3. Behave right
Instead, most people and churches say that is what they believe, but they do the opposite. We say the right things, but we still treat people this way. You can belong, once you behave and believe right. Do you know that is exactly opposite of what Jesus taught. He wants to be your friend, not because you believe right, or do the right things. He wants to be your friend because He Loves YOU. Period!

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This week, we are continuing to look at several great books that can help you to become your best self in this New Year. We talked about the Bible first, because that is the best book of all! Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your daily eword. I hope you are feeling empowered by the points from each of these books. At the same time it is important to realize that the enemy certainly won’t leave you alone when you start experiencing some success, so you will have some challenges in the future. Don’t despair, challenges are meant to be overcome. And you can do it with the power of God. Here is your dailyeword.

Monday
A while back, I received a new book by one of my favorite authors. His name is Alan Wright and he has written a new book has the potential to be a permanent life changer. It is called Shame Off You. Shame can be a suffocating noose around your neck. The world is filled with people who are walking with their heads down, enslaved by shame. That feeling of being inwardly flawed and never feeling like you measure up to the expectations of others leads to a life of being motivated by shame. Shame needs to be overthrown and replaced by grace. Your shame is not too deep to be overcome, nor is it so light it should be ignored. Any measure of shame needs to be uprooted, and it should be uprooted, the sooner the better. Here are some ways shame based people and familes think.
How well you do, determines who you are.
No mistakes are allowed
You always do it wrong, you’ll never get it right.
Love is conditional
You must always do better
My worth depends on my ability
If I blow it, I won’t be accepted, appreciated, or loved
Things never work out for me
I can never do enough
Do you approve of me?
If you really knew my struggles you wouldn’t love me.
I always have to do things the hard way, nothing is easy for me.
These thoughts are common to a shame based life, and are lies from the enemy! Believe the Word about you, not the shame that may have been spoken over you.

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We are continuing to look at how to be your best when you feel your worst. Yesterday points one and two were, find your course and follow your course.
Point number 3 is
3) Staying on Course – be committed to grow. The more you seek Him, the more you will find Him. Live by faith, walk by faith, grow in faith. God has empowered you with tools He wants you to use. Use what you know is good for you. Do what you know is good for you.
4) Overcome Your Past – on the race you will hit some potholes and road blocks. Challenges can do 2 things, stop you, or propel you forward. Which do you choose? Commit to grow stronger and to be better. Stay around people who encourage you. Don’t let past issues determine your future. Press on, leave what’s behind, behind. God forgives and forgets, you should too.
5) Finishing your Course – Be a good starter and a good finisher! You need power to win, and the Holy Spirit is your power source. Champions endure. They stay in the race. You will have tribulation, but cheer up, or be of good cheer, I (Jesus) have overcome the world. (John 16:33) Refuse to be a victim. Have the heart of a winner. Jesus fulfilled his purpose on the earth, and you can too. Settle for nothing less.
What challenges do you have facing you? Do they seem insurmountable? You can overcome and finish strong. God is on your side. Even You Can Be Your Best When You Feel Your Worst.

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Have you ever been committed to doing something and unexpected challenges come up? Well everyone has. It seems like the enemy is good at trying to sideswipe us as often as he can. Casey Treat, who is a good friend of ours, wrote an excellent book called How to be Your Best When you Feel Your Worst. He was blindsided with a medical diagnosis that could have taken him out, but he did just as the title of his books says, still kept going, even when he felt awful. His book has 5 life principles that can help anyone who has had a roadblock put in their path. (At one time or another, that could be all of us!) His book and life are proof that you really can still be your best self, even when the enemy throws his most deadly punch. Here are his 5 steps to a great life.
1) Find your Course – God is for you and has a wonderful plan for your life.
He has given you everything you need to prosper in life, even when challenges come your way. Keep your eyes focused on the prize, and renew your mind to the Word of God. Know that God loves you and likes you too. He is not hiding his will from you, he wants to guide and direct your path.
2) Follow your Course – Open your heart to God’s plan. Stay tuned to His voice, and believe you can, because God says you can. Start saying you can, and overcome your limitations, fears, and insecurities. You are who God says you are, believe it and follow His course for your life.
We will look at the final 3 points tomorrow. But for now, find your course and follow your course!

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Today we are going to talk about a book that is by a secular author, but I believe the principles are taken right out of the Bible and can be beneficial to our life. Would you like to be less defective and more effective? I know I sure would. There are 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey that gives powerful lessons in personal change. My husband had our church ministry staff study this book and I know it has helped many of them be more effective in their own lives. We all want to live joyful and effective lives, and most or many of us fall way short of that. Let’s change that! Here are the 7 Habits.
1) Be proactive – take initiative. Choose to look for solutions instead of only seeing problems. Focus your time and energy on those in your influence. Choose to respond, don’t just react.
2) Begin with the end in mind – Get creative! Have a vision for what you want, and then go after it.
3) Put first things first – be productive. Understand the difference between urgent and important. Sometimes we need to say no to the good, so we can say yes to the best. Use your time wisely.
4) Think win/win – how can we benefit both parties – look for solutions that satisfy you and others. It means seeing from another perspective and choosing the solutions that benefits both. One person’s success should not be achieved at another’s expense. We is always better than me.
5) Seek first to understand, then to be understood – be empathetic. Don’t prescribe before diagnosis. Don’t try to fix something without getting the bigger picture. Become a good listener.
6) Synergize – value each other’s differences. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Cooperation and sharing is essential to open minds and hearts.
7) Sharpen the saw – Keep getting better. Do your best to stay in balance in every dimension of your life, and never quit learning.
a. Physically – eat right, get rest, learn to relax, take time for exercise
b. Spiritually – Listen to the Holy Spirit, Read the Word, Pray, Meditate on the Word (Schaal suggestions!)
c. Mentally – be a life long learner, study to show yourself approved to God!
d. Socially/Emotionally – Serve others, and operate in self discipline.
In our desire to live effective lives, we can put these principles into action and make positive changes that can help us get on track and stay on track for the long haul. So do you want to be effective? I know you want to, and I know you will!

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The practices of Effective Ministry help to keep things simple. Make things easy on yourself. If your plan is too complicated, you will get discouraged. The 7 steps keep us moving in the right direction. They keep us focused and relevant. They will help you evaluate your success. And then you can help someone else in the area that you are becoming proficient. That’s God’s plan in action…helping people, and training people to help others!

What happens as we incorporate the principles of effective ministry into our life? We will keep ourselves open for new possibilities, new discoveries and new revelation. All of us want to be winners, and we want to know what it takes to win in life. We are winners, we have overcome the world through Christ Jesus. Let’s celebrate our victories and live with joy and purpose! Let’s be more effective and overcome life’s obstacles and cross the finish line, winning in life.

Are you still energized to overcome this year? After a few days of doing something new, we can get tired or give up….Don’t do it! Keep going. It will do you good, and you will be encouraged. You can do it.

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Today I’m going to share some main points from a great book called the 7 Practices of Effective Ministry, by Andy Stanley. Don’t tune me out thinking you’re not in the ministry. As believers, we are all ministers of reconciliation and can “help” or “minister” (those words are interchangeable) to someone every day. Because we want our lives to be more strategic and effective, these points can be a help to you. Here are the 7 points:
1) Clarify – define what is important on every level of your life. This will fuel your momentum.
2) Think steps not programs – Before you start anything, make sure it will take you where you need to go. This will keep your life aligned.
3) Narrow the focus – choose to do less to achieve more. This helps us walk in excellence.
4) Teach less for more – say only what you need to say to those who need to hear it. This keeps us relevant.
5) Listen to outsiders – get a new perspective on occasion. This helps us stay focused on growing and helps us see the “trees in the forest.”
6) Replace yourself – learn to delegate and teach others what you do. That will ensure a legacy of your life.
7) Work on it – take time to evaluate your work and then celebrate your wins!
Everyday we can put into practice these ways to bless others in our world.

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If we want transformation, our minds must be renewed to the Word of God. One thing my husband does is read through a different translation of the Bible each year. It is interesting how you can see different truths in a passage of scripture just by how it is translated. I admit that there are days when intensive Bible time doesn’t happen for me. On those days, I take one scripture and meditate on it all day long. I mull it over and chew on it, and often God gives me fresh revelation in the midst of a busy day. We can all make time for the Word! Using the dailyeword Bible Reading plan makes it super easy. In fact, you can complete the reading plan in les than 10 minutes each day. Make God’s Word a lamp to your feet and a light to your path – daily all throughout the New Year. The Word of God is the most loved and cherished book you will ever read. Nothing surpasses the Bible for being the best way to overcome!

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Welcome to a New Year! During this first part of January, I want to encourage you to grow in your relationship with God this year. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. Perhaps you made some resolutions, and maybe you’ve even broken some of them already. The best way to true life growth is systematic and gradual. We all would love to be a spiritual giant overnight, but it takes time and it takes a process. So make this THE year – that you make some great strides in your spiritual progress. Here is your daily eword.

Monday
I hope that this year, you make more time for reading your Bible than you ever have before. It is your true source of life, and true source of growth and change. If we want to be more like Jesus, I encourage you to spend time learning about Him. The gospels are a terrific place to begin and if you want to act like Jesus, just go about doing what He did! We have His life on the inside of us, we have the authority to use His name, and on top of that, He left us His Holy Spirit to comfort, guide and direct us. God has given us every tool we need to be victorious. Sounds like we are well able to over come! We are more than conquerors! He won the battle and then handed us the victory. How awesome is that!

So here are some keys to making the Best Book of All a part of your daily life. Open it up and read! Keep a Bible handy at all times. I have on in my purse, one in my car, several by my computer, one in the bathroom, one by my bedside….I think you get the picture. What is available, is easy to access. There are so many great plans available on youversion.com. If that works for you great….the most important thing of all is that you get God’s Word into your heart everyday!

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Do you know that God has something to say about you? He has a plan for your life, and has called you his very own child. Your identity once you have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior is as a Christian. The word Christian mean Christ-like. You are also a disciple, which means disciplined one! There are lots of other things God has to say about you too. Why not say what God says. Don’t believe the lies of the devil, that you’re not smart enough, not beautiful enough, not annointed enough, or rich enough to do what God has for you. Believe what the Bible says! It says this…. You are God’s own son or daughter, once you became a Christian. The words of others are not as powerful as the words of God. His Word is what matters in your life. You are above and not beneath, the head and not the tail, blessed going in and coming out, and most definitely able to do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You are going to fulfill your destiny, and live the dream that God has for you. Your life is full of blessing in every way. You are blessed to be a blessing. God has a great plan for your life, filled with hope and a future! You can be and do and have all that God has for you.

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