Our True Image In Christ

Our self-image and confidence must be rooted in Christ. Clear the Path was the title of the message Charlana Kelly and I taught on at the last Shoes on the Move meeting. This message had to do with "CLUTTER" both internally and externally. To walk the path God has for each of us, it requires that we remove the obstacles that are in our way.

I have found that the internal clutter determines the quality of my external existence. This is why Romans 12:2 is so vital for every Believer: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

 

In Dr. Keith Johnson’s book, The Confidence Makeover, he says:

I can tell your level of confidence by your daily focus. Your focus reveals and determines your level of confidence. Losers focus on what they are going through. Champions focus on what they are going to.

Dr. Johnson continues:

You are motivated to become what you picture yourself to be. Your behavior is a mirror image revealing your self-portrait. If you see yourself as a champion in life, you will be motivated to develop all the positive qualities and actions of a winner. However, if you see yourself as a loser, you will continue to experience one failure after another in life. You will act and perform in direct response to your self-image. You can never outperform your inner self-image. A distorted photograph of yourself, created by your negative belief systems, will create a glass ceiling that limits you from achieving higher levels of success in life. A positive self-image enables you to set goals for your future that will reflect your true potential.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)

 

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]. (Philippians 4:13 AMP)

　
Excerpt from The Confidence Makeover (pg. 159-160):

Gunder Burke land was born in Norway. At the age of 2, Gunder contracted polio. His legs shriveled up and would not work. His parents would put him in a wooden box. They would tie a rope onto the box and pull him around in the box. In the winter time they had ski runners on the box, and in summer they put wheels on it. For several years he heard such things as: "You will never walk. You will never do anything or have anything. You will never amount to much. You will not live long. Can you imagine hearing all those negative words spoken about you? Maybe people have said the same thing about you. Can you imagine watching everyone walking around having fun, but there you are in a box? Do you fell like you have "legs" and great talents yet people around you keep trying to put you in a box and tell you that you will never amount to anything? If so, the rest of this story will encourage you.

One day his parents sat little 7-year-old Gunder Birkeland before a mirror. He looked into the mirror that day and say a new picture of himself. He did not see himself trapped in that old, ugly box. He saw himself standing up like every normal kid.

This new photograph transformed his life. After that vision, he would rock back and forth until he tipped the box over. Every now and then his parents would come in and scold him and spank him. They would say, "Get back in that box." But as soon as they left, he would rock back and forth again, and he would get out of the box. He kept saying to himself, "I’m getting out of this box. I’m getting out of this!" and eventually he did.

He started with a crawl as he dragged himself across the floor. Then he started getting up on his deformed little legs. Pretty soon he began to walk. What people said he could never do, he began to do.

Gunder Birkeland outlived ever one of his relatives and he died at the age of 75. He became one of the ten wealthiest men in Seattle, Washington, where he lived most of his life. The space shuttle was built on his property. Gonder left his testimony:

"I realized that I did not have to stay in the box. My mission in life is to tell people this: You don’t have to stay in the box either. You can get out. You can become what you see in your spirit, and in your dream. And you can obtain, you can abound in this life. You can get out of the box. You don’t have to be surrounded by adversity of circumstances. You can get out of the box!"

Joshua 1:8 NKJV
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Let God’s Word determine your self-portrait. You are a new creation in Christ! These Scriptures were taken from the SOTM Assignment for August 4 and August 5:

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Colossians 1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Galatians 3:13-14
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

We look forward to seeing you at the next SOTM meeting, Tuesday, August 17 at 7:00 PM.

Know that YOU are loved!

Clearing the Path

Last night's SOTM meeting was such a joy and a real God ordained time for all the women who attended. There were door prizes, new friends, and great thoughts shared from the group about how to remove clutter from our lives.

Who doesn't have clutter in their life? Whether internal or external, we need to clear the path in our life to make room for the plan of God to come to pass. External clutter keeps our minds busy and overwhelmed; like being distracted by that closet that needs to be purged or the mess that needs to be cleaned up in our home. Internal clutter pertains to spiritual matters that need our attention; like unforgiveness, soul ties, poor self image, past disappointments and wounds.

Either way, once the clutter is removed God's peace follows. When we are at peace and content in our ways, He has room to lead us and we have time to hear Him. Let's get organized so that we can be effective for the kingdom of God.

Get that clutter out of your way. External clutter is easy to remove, just make the decision, set aside the time and do it. It's amazing what we can accomplish in 20 minutes. On the other hand, removal of internal clutter takes discipline, by daily making a decision to forgive and let go of the things that are holding us back; like breaking soul ties and allowing God's Word to restore our self image.

Debbie and Charlana provided a handout with prayers for internal issues that hinder our spiritual growth and a homework assignment that will help restore our self image. Visit the WTM website to download and print the material to use throughout the month.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 17, same time, same place. Debbie will continue on with the message focusing on the brain/mind connection, so that we will be free to get our shoes moving and fulfill our God-given purpose.

Don't miss a moment... great things are going on at Shoes on the Move!

Your Holy Cause

“Supernatural thinking is imagining, planning, and doing things for God that would be impossible to accomplish by mere human effort. The vision comes from God, the service is for God, and the work can be done only by God through us.”
— Dr. Bill Bright, The Joy of Supernatural Thinking.

The point of Shoes on the Move is to offer a network of Christian women who can mentor others in fulfilling their God-given purpose in life.

Dr. Bright correctly points out that we can accomplish little without the supernatural aid of our loving Father. The Holy Spirit seeks to enable us to reach our goals in a supernatural fashion so that the Lord is the only One Who will receive the glory in our success.

Let’s think about Dr. Bright’s statement:

1. "Vision comes from God." This is so true. God knows what He designed you to do, and He will reveal vision to you by the Holy Spirit: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12 NKJV).

2. "Service is for God." Man-made vision is usually self-serving. But vision that comes from God serves others and brings personal peace. Your “holy cause” is intended to touch many lives for Jesus. The Psalmist says the joy is in the serving: “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing” (Psalms 100:2 NKJV).

3. "The work can be done only by God through us." We need God’s help. In fact, Jesus said: “. . . without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NKJV). Fortunately, with Christ we can bear much fruit.

Shoes on the Move will stir your faith and build your dreams. We’ll see you this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Hilton.

Blessings,

Debbie

Make plans now for the July 20th Meeting!!!

Supernatural Thinking

In our Shoes on the Move meetings I have given away the book, The Joy of Supernatural Thinking. This is an inspiring book from Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International.

Having touched the world with his vision to fulfill the Great Commission through a ministry to college students, he has come to personify the principle of supernatural thinking. I love his teaching and suggest that everyone get a copy of this manual for living.

In the closing pages of his book he states:

Where there is unbelief, no mountain will be moved, no sick people will be healed, no great works will be done for God’s kingdom. Just as Jesus could do no mighty miracles in Nazareth because of the townspeople’s unbelief, so today we limit His mighty miracles because of our unbelief (p. 93).

Shoes on the Move is a wonderful training ground for moving mountains, healing sickness, and doing great works for God’s kingdom. Ladies, we are people of faith and action. God is using us and we are fulfilling our God-given purpose in life.

Life is good to us and we are good to the lives of others.

Love you,

Debbie

Shoes on the Move is all about YOU

The primary purpose of Shoes on the Move (SOTM) is to help you find, develop, and exercise your God-given gifts and talents.

Debbie, Charlana and Beverly were so excited during the June meeting to hear the offering message Leah Evans delivered to the ladies in attendance. Her words were inspiring as she shared the importance of giving time and money to the vision of SOTM. Leah said several times, “I want to be a part of what God is doing here.” Leah we say to you, “This is just the first step of an amazing plan that the Lord is unfolding for you.”

Debbie shared that the enrollment for SOTM will close at 100 and that the ladies who are participating in this year’s group will become next year’s mentors to the new women that will join SOTM.

We are all excited about what God is doing!

Answering the Call to Fulfill Your Destiny

Shoes on the Move met on Tuesday, June 22 and had a wonderful meeting. Women were encouraged and strengthened in worship and by the Word. Charlana Kelly shared a message on Answering the Call to Fulfill Your Destiny. God has called each of us to do something extraordinary for the Kingdom.

She encouraged each one to answer God’s call by acting upon the desires He has placed in our hearts. One of the most important parts of answering the call is to understand that we didn’t just dream it up on our own. God planned it and imparted the call into our hearts, then equipped us with all we need to fulfill our purpose (John 15:16 & Hebrews 13:20-21).

One of the greatest struggles we go through when embarking on the journey is overcoming our fears. Charlana shared two important keys to help us get beyond our fears. First, become more conscious of God’s ability than our inabilities. Second is to simply act, put feet to the vision God has placed in your heart.

Dale Carnegie said this, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds
confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think
about it. Go out and get busy.”

Charlana pointed out that we need to consider Gideon when we struggle with God’s call. Through the events of Gideon’s life detailed in Judges 6 and 7, we can learn a number of things…

#1 – God chooses the most unlikely ones (Ordinary people to do extraordinary things.)
#2 – Gideon acted even though he was afraid
#3 – Its okay to confirm what you believe God has put in your heart
#4 – Remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit so that God can lead you
#5 – Be careful to give God all the glory for the victories in your life

What a marvelous night! We are already looking forward to the next meeting.

The Power of One

In May, Shoes on the Move welcomed special guest minister Beverly Clarke who together with her husband Chester founded IndoChina Partners in Vietnam.

Thank you Beverly for a wonderful evening of revelation, laughter, and time in His presence. We were so blessed by the message Beverly shared on, "The Power of One." This message was about the difference one person can make in another life, in the world in which we live, and in the kingdom of God. Beverly shared that we are the "one" that God is looking to use to make that difference.

Beverly's main Scripture text was: Proverbs 3:6, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."As Beverly ministered the Word of God, she addressed discouragement, disappointment, depression, and all the attacks that Satan uses to get us off of our God-given path. Beverly told us, just get back on the path. Don't lose any more time. Don't wait for the feelings to come first. The key to victory was to take the first step by faith and the feelings would follow that step of faith.

Beverly encouraged all that attended to put their shoes on and start moving towards all that God has put in their heart. Thanks again Beverly for your leadership. It was a wonderful meeting!

"You Have God-Given Potential," by Debbie Watts

Potential Is Within You

During the April Shoes on the Move Meeting, Debbie shared a message about potential and the limitless resources God has placed within you that will help you fulfill what He has called you to do. An excerpt follows, but you can download and print the entire message under "Meeting Notes" in the sidebar by clicking the title link "You Have God-given Potential".

There is so much in you waiting to be released. Do you see it? Do you know what’s in you? Within you lies something that the world around you needs. You are designed to be a blessing and fulfil a need in this world.

Your potential is God-given and man cannot limit it. What God has put within you has great value to Him. Give yourself to your God-given potential. Learn to recognize it, yield to it, develop it, and enjoy it. No matter what—never bury your potential.

Dr. Myles Munroe says, "Everything in life was created with potential and possesses the potential principle. In every seed there is a tree... in every bird a flock... in every fish a school... in every sheep a flock... in every cow a herd... in every boy a man... in every girl a woman... in every nation a generation. Tragedy strikes when a tree dies in a seed, a man in a boy, a woman in a girl, an idea in a mind. For untold millions, visions die unseen, songs die unsung, plans die unexecuted and futures die buried in the past. The problems of our world go unanswered because potential remains buried." (Quoted from the book, "Understanding Your Potential," pg. 21. A great resource to help you develop your God given potential.).