Assurance...

I spend a lot of time with people.  As a High School Principal of a Christian School, I see daily students, teachers, staff, parents, etc.  As a Consultant/Coach I spend session time with clients on the phone or in person.  As a Leader for The Crucible Project, I am ministering to men through weekends, groups, one on one sessions, etc.  In all of these various encounters with people, I see a need for assurance. 

Just about all of us (if not all of us) step into parts of our lives with a lack of assurance.  We may feel we are not enough.  We may have fear as we step into something difficult or new.  We may have some emotional barrier that is keeping us from living as God made us.  Maybe we are not sure we are where God wants us.  Maybe we just do not feel like we are enough. 

Through all these years of working with people as well as growing, learning, and being mentored by others, I have noticed four things that are quite helpful in building assurance.  I have benefitted by applying these into my life.  I have also noticed others have benefitted from these as well.  See if these four areas of assurance land for you as well.

      Stand in certainty that God is always present…He knows the answer and the outcome whether we do or not – Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from you presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”   Instead of this being a passage of fear that God is always watching, it is a passage of assurance that God is always present.

      Be yourself, the authentic you that God created – Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”  Be you and no one but you. 

      Trust your wisdom and experience – Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”  Our experiences are taken by God, and used for good.  The power to make decisions is already within us, a gift of God. 

      When our wisdom and experience falls short, seek out and enlist the wisdom of trusted advisers – Proverbs 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”  Overcome the western belief that “I can do this on my own”.  Go to those who have walked before.  God places these wise sages in our lives for a reason. 

Challenge yourself this week.  When you begin to doubt, feel weak, insecure, or you are not sure if you are enough; try these four areas of assurance.  Notice how God shows up.  Share this with others.

Blessings

Consider deepening your walk with God through Christian coaching: http://growthresources.net/  Set up a FREE 30 minute call to get a glimpse of what coaching can do for you:  https://calendly.com/byron-growthresources/30min

Are you a Manager, a Leader, a Supervisor?  Get focused coaching.  Visit - http://middlemanagercoach.com/  Set up a FREE 30 minute call to get a glimpse of what coaching can do for you:  https://calendly.com/byron-growthresources/30min
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After I've Been Hit...

Thought for this week: 

The following was written by a friend and coaching client who wishes to remain nameless.  I thought this would be a great devo thought: 

Sometimes the battle wages, and I’m not lost yet...but I have been hit. One of those arrows, one meant specially for me and programmed to find weak places in my armor hits me. Satan is the best bow hunter. Almost every shot he gets does significant damage. It leaves a scar. This time, like most, he has hit me with the arrow of inferiority. From that arrow comes a raspy voice that mimics and confirms my worst fears from my darkest places, 

“You are not enough.

You’re not good enough for God to love you.

You’re not good enough to be a Christian.

You’re not a good enough wife, daughter, sister, advisor, teacher, friend.

You should have done _____ better.

You should have tried harder.

You will never be good enough.” 

This arrow hurts. It strikes a tender part of me that most people don’t see. A part that I’ve buried under accomplishments and performance, so hoping that no one will know it’s there. Maybe they’ll think I’m good enough by what I do. But Satan can see through that. And I go down. My sword drops from my hand and my shield of faith falls out of reach. I lie in the dirt and all I can think about is the pain radiating from the wound. I believe what the arrow says. After all, I couldn’t fend off the attack. I’m not a good enough soldier. There’s no more battlefield, no more army, no more reason to fight. Now there is only pain. While I’m in the dirt, bloody and fading, I feel a pair of hands lift my head up. I raise my eyes to the owner of the hands, and it’s the Commander. He’s kneeling on the ground next to me, resting my head on His lap. As He cleans my wound, I hear Him speaking. His voice isn’t like the other one, fiery and dark. His words are light and as He speaks, they work to ice and heal my hurt places. 

“You are enough because I am enough. You are enough because I say so. I chose you, part of my Royal Priesthood. Part of my Holy Nation. Part of MY PEOPLE.

I don’t love you because you are good, I love you because I am good. Your goodness will not affect my love for you because you are my child and nothing can change that.

Dear one, my disciples have never been perfect. Solomon, the builder of my earthly house, filled his house with idols. Peter denied me. Paul persecuted my followers. My children have peace, not because of what they have done, but because of what I have done.  You are fully equipped for every good work. Your sufficiency comes from Me. The star-breathing God is breathing life and peace into you.

I am the only Perfect One. Why do you keep trying to take my place? Know that I am with you in the hard decisions. I am right there in the room and I love you. Rely on My wisdom, and not yours.

When I created the world, I knew Satan would enter it and draw my children away from Me. For this reason, I sent Jesus, my precious firstborn.  And in the tomb on that third day, this war was won. His blood, his perfect blood covers you now and always. He shed his blood so that you don’t have to stay bloody. You are free.” 

Once more, He lifts my head. This time it rests on His shoulder. As I look down, I can still see the scar, but the pain is gone. A calm like I have never known washes over me. And we sit. The guilt is gone. The pressure is gone. The inferiority is gone. There’s just me and my Father. He holds me close, wipes my tears, and hands me my shield. I am no longer trying to run ahead of him to fight, now I am fighting alongside Him. And let me tell you, He knows what He’s doing. 

Consider deepening your walk with God through Christian coaching: http://growthresources.net/  Set up a FREE 30 minute call to get a glimpse of what coaching can do for you:  https://calendly.com/byron-growthresources/30min

Are you a Manager, a Leader, a Supervisor?  Get focused coaching.  Visit - http://middlemanagercoach.com/  Set up a FREE 30 minute call to get a glimpse of what coaching can do for you:  https://calendly.com/byron-growthresources/30min
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Click HERE to purchase Weekly Devotional Thoughts: Weekly Applications of God’s Word on Amazon Kindle and write a review.
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Don't forget to visit my Amazon links.  General purchases:  Click on the Banner at the top of the blog.  For a list of my favorites go to:  http://astore.amazon.com/weekldevottho-20

 

 

 

 





Live as God Sees Us...

Thought for the week: 

How does God see you?  The answers to that question will vary greatly.  Some people will give a Biblical answer based on the Grace we receive.  Some will answer from a place of shame and feel God is always ready to point out flaws.  Some believe that as long as they are living “right” and following law, then God looks on them with favor.  Moreover, there are all kinds of answers in between.   

As I continue to work with various people through coaching, I frequently notice how my clients define themselves according to the results in their lives.  They say things like, “I’m not the man I want to be yet, but I am working on it”.  “I want to be a person of integrity”.   “I see growth as I develop into who I want to be.”  “I should be doing better.”  “I haven’t arrived, but it’s my goal.”  What keeps each of these people (and so many more) from living as they desire?  The focus is on their results.  And, why not?  We live in a results oriented society.   

Results are a good indicator of whether or not we are reaching goals for our lives.  Setting goals are a good thing as well.  Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart,  but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”   It is true that we should always be striving to be the best version of ourselves we can be.  To do otherwise would leave us stuck. 

However, the goals, the betterment, the results should not be our only focus.  Recently, I was receiving some coaching from another of the TCP blog authors, Dmitri Bilgere.  In this particular session, he noted we tend toward being “addicted to our reality”.  In fact, our raising from childhood to adulthood points us towards waiting on reality to tell us who we really are.  This is so engrained in us that our heart rises and falls with our results.  It can become at times very disheartening.  Taking this a step further, many times we see our undesirable reality and project this onto God.  We feel God sees us based on our results.   

Although we want different results in our lives, those results do not define us.  Furthermore, those results are not how God sees us.  Early in my athletic coaching days, I came across a quote from Tony Robbins that has stuck with me for years.  “There is no such thing as failure, only results.”   I used this for years as motivation for both my players and for myself.  Now, as I coach others in life, leadership, business, etc., I am compelled to add to the quote, “…those results may not be what I desire, but they do not define me!” 

So, how does God see me…you…us?

• As His creation – Genesis 1:26, 31a  God made us in His image and he said this was “very good.”  He never changed His mind on the fact that we are made in His image.  This is CERTAIN!  
• As Powerful – Ephesians 3:20  His power is already in us.  Go live as God’s POWERFUL CREATION! 
• As Loved – Romans 8:39  His love is always there and available.  You, are, LOVED! 
• As HE, does not see us as Humankind does – No matter how we think we are viewed, God views us from a place of love, grace, mercy, and compassion.  He is disappointed with us much less, than we are with ourselves.  

In a sense, at times, we set our results up in the place of God.  I at times think I am hearing God’s voice of disappointment when my results are not acceptable.  When we make our results our definition of who we are - WE WILL NEVER MEASURE UP!  I sincerely want to work every day to be a better version of myself.  However, my focus should not be on my results.  My focus should always be on how God sees me.  When I live as the man that God sees, and believe in His love, then the things that I cannot control will not control my heart and me. 

Find some time this week to reflect on God’s truth about you.  Find a trusted friend or guide to help you touch the truth about who God made you to be.  Develop the mindset that no matter the results, I am God’s Creation! 

I was fortunate to speak on this topic to a group of men.  The video is located HERE. 

Blessings. 

Photo Credit:  Bethany LeRoy 

Consider deepening your walk with God through Christian coaching: http://growthresources.net/  Set up a FREE 30 minute call to get a glimpse of what coaching can do for you:  https://calendly.com/byron-growthresources/30min


Are you a Manager, a Leader, a Supervisor?  Get focused coaching.  Visit - http://middlemanagercoach.com/  Set up a FREE 30 minute call to get a glimpse of what coaching can do for you:  https://calendly.com/byron-growthresources/30min
--------------------------------------
Click HERE to purchase Weekly Devotional Thoughts: Weekly Applications of God’s Word on Amazon Kindle and write a review.
---------------------------------------
Don't forget to visit my Amazon links.  General purchases:  Click on the Banner at the top of the blog.  For a list of my favorites go to:  http://astore.amazon.com/weekldevottho-20