How Do You Measure Success? Silencing The Voice of Failure

My dear faithful readers, if you receive my blog posts via email, then I have a favor to ask you. As you read the beginning of my latest post below, at the end, would you click over to my new website, and re-subscribe by putting your email in the "Follow by Email" box. This will allow you to continue to receive the new posts I write. Thank you so much. As always, it is my prayer that all I write will be a blessing to you.

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I AM A FAILURE! The accusation rose up from my heart and weighed heavy on me.

In just three short weeks, I had gone from feeling successful about the launch of my new website, with your kind comments and encouragement, to defeat. All because, I did not meet my own illusive goal to write one new post each week. 

The voice of failure is not an unfamiliar one. In the past, I have listened to it taunt me when I believed I had failed or fallen short in my attempts to be a godly wife, or mother, or friend, or Christian...the list could go on and on.

Over time, I have learned, this sly and subtle enemy sneaks around and slithers in when I begin to measure my success based on what the world says I should do or be.It grows louder as I start to compare myself with the talents and success of others, instead of rejoicing in the person God made me to be. And, the voice nearly paralyzes me when I lose focus of the distinct ways God is able to work in and through me.

PLEASE Click Here to Read The Rest of this Post and to re-subscribe to continue receiving future posts. 

A New Home

Hello dear reader. I am so excited for you to visit my new website. For the past several months, my youngest son shared his time and talent to help build this beautiful new site, a home for my blogs, a spot for my speaker information, and a place where I pray you will be encouraged! I am beyond blessed, and so thankful, for the sacrifices my son made to invest in my life and calling.

Now, with 2013 off to a good start, not only will my blogs have a new home, but my husband and I are looking for a new house as well. You see, the place where we currently live is bursting at the seams! When our children and grandchildren come to visit, our tiny house is overflowing with love, laughter and bodies. And, there appears to be no end-in-sight to our families growth and multiplication. (Smile) So, a few months ago, my husband and I started to look for a bigger house.....   Click here to read the rest of my post, to see my my website and for a chance to win a new Serenade & Strum CD. Also, PLEASE RE-SUBSCRIBE at my new site,  if you would like to continue to receive my posts. 

Randomly Selected or Divinely Appointed

Business First: I am excited to announce, I have a new Website! It will launch in just a few days. If you follow my blogs by email, or would like to follow my blogs by email, then please subscribe (or resubscribe) at cathyhorning.com after February 1.  

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"A Blogging Conference Worth Every Penny: Want to Win A Free Pass?" The words on my computer screen caught my attention. It was mid-November. And, just the day before I had prayed, Lord, should I be using social media and blogging to do ministry? 

Could this be an answer to my prayer? I wondered. I followed the link on Judy Dunn's Blog, entered the contest, and committed the outcome to the Lord.  

I received my answer a few days later. I won! I was one of two randomly selected (or, should I say, divinely appointed) winners to the New Media Expo. I was so excited. I was going to start the new year in Vegas at a social media convention.  

However, when the time came to pack my suitcases, I began to have doubts. Why did I win? What am I doing going to this conference? My blog is so small and my social media skills are so weak....On and on, doubts and fears taunted me...I am sure there are others who would benefit from the conference more than me. 

Despite my doubts, I believed the pass that I won, courtesy of Bob Dunn, was a gift from the Lord. The opportunity to learn more about social media and blogging was the answer to my prayers. 

The first morning of the conference, surrounded by hundreds of experts who were successful and influential in the blog and social media world, I was still asking the same questions. Timidly, I mapped out the sessions I wanted to attend. Then, I took fastidious notes during each workshop, because I wanted to be a good steward with the gift I had been given. 

On day two, my doubts continued. So, as I walked from my hotel room to the conference center I prayed, "Lord, Why am I here? What can I do for you today? How would You use me here?" For something in my heart was telling me God had more reasons for me to be there than simply lectures and note taking. 

Thankful for a Starbucks near the meeting halls, I stopped to grab breakfast and my morning ice tea. A woman offered me a seat at her table, and we began to talk. Our conversation soon veered away from formalities and conference topics to personal details. “I’m worried about my teenage son,” she shared.  

“I blog about parenting teenagers,” I said. And, there at a Starbucks in Las Vegas, we talked about pain and loss, faith and hope, as well as God’s promises for redemption and the power of a mother's prayers. She took notes on my parenting tips; I took notes about her social media advice. Then, before going our separate ways, we prayed together. And, joy filled my heart; I knew why I was there.

On the last morning, as I headed to Starbucks once again, I whispered, “Lord, Thank You that I am here. What would You have me to learn? And, how would you use me today?”  

I ordered a venti black-ice-tea, and some oatmeal. Then, I found a small table, where I sat to plan out my day. “Can I join you,” I was interrupted by a gentleman I had met earlier while standing in line.

“Sure,” I said. 

“Could we put aside conference talk?” he asked as he sat down. 

And suddenly, I found myself sharing God’s Word with a successful conference attendee who was worried about his marriage. There, in the middle of Starbucks, we discussed the Bible’s instruction for a man to love his wife. I shared the apostle Peter's admonition for husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way so nothing would hinder their prayer life. Our conversation was brief, as he had to run to another appointment. But, before he left he turned, looked me in the eye, and asked, “Would you pray for me and my wife?” 

There I sat, tea untouched, oatmeal cold, but, my heart soaring. God heard and answered my prayers. He put me in the right place, at the right time. And, once again, I saw another reason why I was there.

I am home now. The conference is over. 2013 is in full swing. But, I can’t forget the prayer I said in November. A prayer God answered with a “randomly selected pass” to attend a conference in January. An answer not only to help inform and further equip me to use blogging and social media for ministry. But, as only God can do, to use my time there for "divine appointments" to encourage and pray with a worried mom, as well as share scripture and pray for a hurting husband.

I am excited for all the Lord has in store for the year ahead. I hope and pray that you are too! Remember, when you visit me after February 1, at cathyhorning.com, you will find my new website. There, you will find me posting more on my blogs. And, you will find regular tips and words of encouragement on my Facebook ministry page, as well as on Twitter. I hope you will visit me there. May God bless you richly in 2013! 

Born To Soar - A New View of Joy, Suffering and Hope

Welcome to week 5, the final installment, of my attempt to put into writing the material I recently taught at a women’s Bible study. I wish you could have been there, because there is no way to adequately cover in a blog post all of the Scripture studied, the stories told or the rich insights shared by the women who attended. That said, I pray you will be encouraged by the snippet of lessons taught through this series.

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In my last four posts, I wrote about God’s desire for us to renew our minds, thus transforming our lives so that we might experience all the freedom and fullness available to God’s children through His Son Jesus. Paul explained it so beautifully in Romans 12:2, Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

I don’t know about you, but one of the most difficult questions I wrestle with is, “Why? Why does a good God allow so much pain and suffering in this world?” When tragedies occur like the recent Connecticut school shootings, or divorce, or premature death, or devastating accidents and illnesses, I am tempted to cry out with the rest of the world, “What a waste.”

Now, I confess, I am no theologian. And, I don’t claim to have all the answers, but one of the ways God has changed my thinking, the past few years, is by giving me a new view of joy, suffering and hope.  And, just as a caterpillar is transformed from it's limited view on the ground into a butterfly with a view from way up in the sky, my mind is being renewed from a lowly human perspective to God's higher, heavenly one.

1) A New View of Joy
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7

For most of my Christian walk, I thought this passage meant I should rejoice in the trials that came my way, because it meant my faith was being refined and proved genuine. While this is true, one day, while meditating on this passage, I suddenly understood that Peter was not telling me to rejoice in my trials. No, what he was referring to were the passages preceding, “In this you greatly rejoice.”

The THIS Peter was referring to is, “That the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his great mercy...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—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. I Peter 1:3-6

2) A New View of Suffering
Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Romans 8:17-18

Several years ago, after I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, I memorized the verse above, as well as the passages in I Peter and many other scriptures. In them, I found great comfort as I began to see how God is able to use the pain and suffering in our lives. And, for the past four years, I have needed and clung to those promises more than ever as I have walked alongside family and friends through unbearable pain and unthinkable loss.

One on the passages I hung on to through dark days and fearful nights, was in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

3) A New View of Hope
We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:2-5

Before my bout with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and my long walk through the valley of the shadow of death beside loved and dear ones, it was easy to fix my eyes on what was seen and on what was temporary. Until then, I hoped for normal things. As a girl, I hoped to one day get married and have children. Then once I became a wife and mommy, I hoped for worldly possessions like a big house or a nice car. Of course, I also hoped and prayed for the Lord’s provision and His protection as well as health and happiness.

The last few years, after experiencing pain and suffering more deeply than ever before, my hope is no longer anchored in the wish for the temporal things of this world; the things seen and coveted by my human eye and fleshly heart. Instead, more and more, I am beginning to understand that God has eternal purposes for our temporal pain. My hope is becoming deeply rooted in the promises and truths in the Word of God; for the things that are eternal and unseen. 

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. This is so true! The longer I abide in Jesus, the more I learn the truths in my Bible and cling the promises of God, the more certain I am that somehow NO TRAGEDY IS A WASTE when entrusted into the loving, powerful, and redemptive hand of God! And, I am so thankful as God renews my mind, teaching me His higher thoughts and showing me His higher ways, that I am gaining a new and glorious view of joy, suffering and hope. 

Dear reader, as we come to the end of this series, I am praying that like a beautiful butterfly, you will soar to new heights, and see a new view of joy, suffering and hope. I encourage you to look at the Word of God through fresh eyes. Look for truths to replace the lies that have held you captive. Discover and claim the promises that are part of your new identity as God's precious child. And, ask the Lord to give you a  growing appetite for His Word that will nourish your soul, renew your mind and transform your life in order that you might enjoy all the freedom and fullness that is yours in Christ Jesus our Lord! 

Scriptures for Further Study:

I Peter 1:3-7; I Peter 2:20-24; I Peter 3:13-17; I Peter 4:1-2, 12-13; I Peter 5:6-12

Ephesians 1:17-19; Romans 5:2-9; Romans 8:16-25; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

2 Corinthians 4: 16-18; Titus 1:1-7

Born to Soar - From Crunchy Green Leaves to Fresh Sweet Nectar

Welcome to week 4 of my cyberspace Bible Study. Recently, my posts have followed the heart of the messages I taught this past fall at my church. I pray they will be a blessing to you!   

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In my last three posts, we looked at God's desire and plan to help us renew our minds, thus transforming our lives into the men and women He created us to be. One of the greatest gifts we have been given to help renew our mind is the Bible, the living and active word of God. In the same way a leaf-eating caterpillar is mysteriously equipped with a small pipe-like straw that enables it to burst forth from it's cocoon into a sweet-nectar drinking butterfly, we are miraculously equipped by the Holy Spirit to eat a new kind of food when we are born into the family of God. No longer do we simply hunger for the food that our body needs, but our soul longs to be nourished by spiritual food, the very God-breathed, mind-renewing, life-transforming Word of Truth! 

1) New Hunger

God humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3

I loved my first Bible, a gift from my parents on my ninth birthday. I enjoyed looking at the colorful pictures of the garden of Eden, David and Goliath, and the Good Shepherd. The stories were familiar to me from Sunday school and church services. Yet, even though, I cherished my little, white Bible; I never read the words on it's pages. Not until my senior year of high school, when I truly heard the gospel, and prayed for Jesus to forgive my sins and live in my heart. Then, for the first time, I was encouraged to open up my Bible and read it for myself.  

After my graduation, I put aside the Bible. I didn't want the rules and regulations I found there to ruin the fun and freedom I had been looking forward to as a new independent "adult." And, for the next two years, I ran hard and fast away from God and His Word. My world spiraled downward as I attempted to be the "boss" of my own life. Then, one day, the thought crossed my mind, If this is what life is like, it's not worth living. It wasn't a suicidal thought, just one pondered by a lost, lonely and miserable girl. 

With a desperate longing, I began to search for answers to the emptiness and turmoil I felt inside. I knew just where to look. I dug out my old, precious Bible. Then, for the next few weeks, I drove to a nearby park on my lunch break. There, under a cool canopy of trees, I sat at a picnic table, nibbled on my lunch and read the pages of that small, white book. Day after day, tears flowed, as I read the truths of God's Word and cried out, "God, I know this is true, but I don't know how to do it!"

2) New Food

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35 

What I didn't understand, as I ate my lunch each day while reading the words in my Bible, was that God's Word was at work softening my hard heart. It helped prepare me for the day when I finally "hit bottom." Broken, and at the end-of-myself, I slid into the back pew of a New Year's Eve midnight church service. I was all set to flee if things got "too heavy." Instead, at the end of the service, I found myself down on my knees begging God to take over the mess I had made of my life. I asked Jesus to save me, and to be my Lord! Moments later, in the wee hours of a new year, I practically floated out of the church. I was filled with a peace I had never known. And, I found that in exchange for my surrender to God, I had received a new heart and a fresh hunger for the very things God had desired for me all along.

In the days that followed, the Bible came alive to me. With a yielded heart, and the help of God's Spirit within me, I began to read my Bible with new insight and understanding. I no longer saw God's Word as a book of rules I had to keep and regulations to ruin my fun. Instead, as the words in the Bible fed my soul, and began to renew my mind, I experienced the true joy and freedom that Christ came and gave His life for. 

I was just nineteen, when I fell-in-love with the words in my Bible. It is God's Word to me and to you. Since then, I have read, studied, memorized and meditated on it. It never grows old. In fact, even now, thirty-three years later, the Word of God continues to feed my soul, reshape my thinking and revolutionize my life. The precious truths and promises in the Bible truly are one of God's greatest gifts to us. Psalm 19:7-11 says, The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 

For Further Study:

Joshua 1:8; Matthew 4:3-4; Luke 4:3-4; John 6:35,47-58; Psalm 119

Psalm 1:1-4; Psalm 119:16,24; John 4:31-34; 2 Timothy 3:15-17

Also, you may click on the highlighted words for links to other Bible passages

Born to Soar - New Seed, New Name, New Family

Welcome to week 3 of my cyberspace Bible Study. This fall, my posts are following the heart of the messages I teach each week at my church. I pray you will be blessed.

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1) A New Seed (New DNA)

I Peter 1:23-25 says, For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. 

In my last two posts, I wrote about God's desire and plan to help us to renew our minds and transform our lives when we become a beautiful new creation through our faith in Jesus Christ. My own transformation began one spring evening in 1977, after I accepted a friend's invitation to her church youth group. That night, as the youth pastor gave his message to an enthusiastic group of high-schoolers, I listened. And, for the first time in my life, I heard the good news of the gospel. I knew, with my whole being, that Jesus was real! He was the Son of God, who came down from heaven, became a man, was crucified on the cross for MY sins, and was raised on the third day to give ME new life. No one had to convince me how much I needed a Savior. I knew I was a sinner. So, at the pastor's invitation, I eagerly asked Jesus to live in my heart, to forgive my sins and to save my soul. Although, it took two more years before I fully embraced my decision, that night an imperishable seed was planted in my heart, and a new DNA began to flow through my soul. Little did I know, that memorable evening, I also received a new name.

2) A New Name

John 1:1-3, 11-13 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made...He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God---children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

Recently, I added my maiden name on my Facebook timeline. One reason I included my unusual Norwegian name was to connect with "long-lost" family members. It's been so fun to get acquainted with my relatives. But, to be honest, the reason I kept my maiden name off my profile information was because I didn't want my former high-school classmates to find me. I was embarrassed and ashamed of the person they remembered from high school. Until, one day when it occurred to me, I want to be found. I want others to know I have a new name. Not just my married name, but I have a spiritual name. I am no longer just Cathy Indgjer, the lost and confused girl they knew in high school. I am Cathy Child-of-God! If people from my past find me, I pray they will get a glimpse of the Lord's amazing power to transform a mixed up teenage girl into a woman with a deep faith, strong convictions and a certain hope. The "old" Cathy, was born again. She became a new creation, with a new name! And, much to her surprise, she also became part of a whole new family. 

3) A New Family

Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children...

Through Facebook, not only have I reconnected with long-lost family members, but I have connected with men and women who are a part of my family of faith from around the world. I took both of these families for granted, until years ago, when my husband and I moved away from them to pursue God's call on our lives. For more than a year, alone in a new city, I begged God to send us a new family of faith, especially godly mentors to teach me how to love and care for my young family. And, as Jesus promised in the passage above, for the last twenty-two years, God has blessed us with more "brothers and sisters", and "parents" and "children" who have loved us, prayed for us, believed in us and encouraged us than we could have ever imagined or hoped for.

As I end this lesson, remember just as a caterpillar mysteriously weaves a cocoon, and then from it's dark tomb is birthed as a beautiful butterfly, we are mysteriously given new birth when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our future is no longer determined simply by the human DNA passed down to us from our parents, but by God's imperishable seed, a spiritual DNA, that now flows through us. We are no longer known only by the name on our birth certificate, but we have a spiritual name. You are now, ___________ (insert name here) Child-of-God.  And, we are no longer simply part of our family of origin, but we have become part of a larger family, the precious, international and eternal family of God.

More Bible Verses: 

New Seed: John 3:3-16, Titus 3:4-5, I Peter 1:3-4

New Name: Isaiah 62:2, Revelations 2:17, 3:12 

New Family: Ephesians 3:14-15, Galatians 6:9-10 

Born to Soar - Lies that Hold Us Captive; Truth that Set Us Free

Welcome to week 2 of my cyberspace Bible Study. This fall, my posts will follow the heart of the messages I am teaching each week at my church. I pray you will be blessed.

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Last week, I wrote that like an old caterpillar transformed and burst forth from it’s cocoon into a beautiful new butterfly, God desires each of His children to enjoy a whole new way of life on this earth, while we expectantly look forward to eternity with Him in heaven. Years ago, the Lord showed me that one reason we don’t enjoy the fullness of the abundant life He intends is because we don’t change our thinking. I have found this to be true in my own life, and have witnessed it in others. 

photo by Carlos Adampol on Flickr

For years, I have observed that one of the greatest obstacles to renewing our minds is the lies that we believe. Lies we may have heard from others, lies we told ourselves, and the lies whispered to us by our enemy, the devil. However, until we recognize these lies and learn to dispel them, we are held captive to them. These lies keep us from experiencing the freedom that Jesus gave His life for. Like a butterfly who doesn’t understand it can fly, the lies we believe keep us down on the ground where we get kicked, stepped on and, sometimes, even squashed. 

One of the biggest lies I believed, when I was a young wife and mother, actually came flying out of my mouth each time I blew it with my kids or my husband, as I shouted, “I can’t change! This is just the way I am!” This huge lie kept me grounded. It hindered me from enjoying many of the blessings God desired for me and my family. Thankfully, with the Lord's help, I began to recognize the lie and seek out His truth. And over time, this lie, and many others, lost it’s hold on me as I 

1. Persisted in Prayer

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 NLT

When my children were small, I cried out to God, again and again, after yet another angry outburst. I felt like a failure as a mother. And, I believed my own lie, "I can never change. This is just the way I am." Yet, each time I lost my temper, I turned to the Lord and I pleaded for His help. I didn’t want to be a bad mommy. I desperately longed to change. So, I also turned to the truths in my Bible.

2. Promises in God’s Word

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

One promise I clung to was James 1:19-20. I wrote it down. I carried it with me. I memorized it. At first the scripture would come to mind after I yelled at my precious little children. Then, with a contrite heart I would plead with God, “Lord, please teach me how to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Help me to live the righteous life that you desire.” Then, once again, I would confess my sin of anger to the One who gave His life for me. 

3. Precious Blood of Jesus

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:7-9

Each time, after I yelled at my kids, I would kneel down, wrap them in my arms, and say, “Mommy blew it, and I am so sorry. Please forgive me.” And then, I would ask the Lord to forgive me, once again. You see, one truth I did believe was that I could not make myself clean or righteous. Only the precious blood of Jesus could take away my sins. I also knew one other truth. I was filled with a power greater than myself. And, if I could yield to Him, He would turn my life around.  

4. The Power of the Holy Spirit

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Romans 8:5-6 NLT

I continued to press into the Lord. I was desperate to change. I didn’t want to be an angry mommy. I understood I had a choice to be controlled by my sinful nature or to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. One led to death, the other peace and life. I wanted peace and life for me and my family. So, I began to invite the Holy Spirit to control my mind and to change my thinking. 

The happy ending to this message is the Lord heard the cry of my heart. He answered my prayers. God radically transformed my life. (And, not just my anger.) Through His Word, I learned truths that demolished the lies that held me hostage to my sin. And each time I did sin, through my confession, I was forgiven and cleansed. Then, as I surrendered my powerlessness to the power of God's Holy Spirit, I was set free to live the abundant life God intended!

How about you? Is there an area of your life where you are being held captive? No matter how much we long to change, we cannot change ourselves. Only the Lord can renew our minds and transform our lives. He does this as we continually turn to Him in prayer; as we hold tight to the promises in His Word; as we receive forgiveness and cleansing through the precious blood of Jesus when we confess our sins; and as we yield "our control" to the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

It is my prayer, with God’s help, we will renew our minds and allow Him to transform our lives. Because, God did not intend us to "crawl on the ground" but to "soar to great heights."

Scriptures for further study:

Prayer - Matthew 26:36-42; Luke 5:16; John 15:7-8, 16-17

Promises - John 8:31-37; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:4

Precious Blood of Jesus - I Peter 1:1-2; I Peter 1:18-20; Revelation 12:10-11

Power of the Spirit - Acts 1:8; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 3:14-17a