Take Back Your Power

Have you ever been lied to by someone you trust? Have you ever been let down by someone? Perhaps it was someone who had authority over you, a friend, a family member, or even a spouse.

I don’t know of anyone that suffered more disappointment and false accusation than Joseph.  His own brothers conspired to kill him but instead they sold him into slavery after placing him in a pit.

He was falsely accused of rape.  Spent time in prison for a crime he did not commit.  After interpreting the dream of a fellow prisoner he expected an early release from prison, but the fellow prisoner whose dream he interpreted forgot about Joseph once he was released from prison. 

During the entire time of Joseph’s trials and tribulation we do not read of him complaining, but what we do read throughout his journey is the Lord was with him.  

Perhaps you have old wounds that have not been healed. Maybe you are carrying a grudge against someone that has hurt you.  Just as the Lord was with Joseph and caused him to prosper in spite of his circumstances He is also with you and will prosper you in spite of your circumstances if you just as Joseph, forgive, do not try to get revenge, and put your trust in Him.

We read in Mark 11:25-26 and when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

When Joseph’s brothers were made aware by Joseph himself, that not only had he survived the slavery they had sold him into, he also forgave them they were amazed.

Joseph said to his brothers, now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.  So now it was not you that sent me hither but God.

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand why we must endure some of the things that occur in our lives, but what we must remember is that the God that loves us so much that He sacrificed the life of His only son will never allow us to suffer more than we can bear.

Learn to put your trust in God. Forgive those that have caused you harm. Carrying anger or a grudge empowers the very person that has hurt you. Take your power back.  When you put your trust in God you can never be disappointed by man.

 

Where's Your Trust?

We are a spirit. We live in a body and we possess a soul. The mind of the spirit, or the embodiment of the spirit lies within the heart.

You may have heard people say ‘something does or doesn’t feel right, or my gut is telling me to do something’. That is the mind of the spirit trying to guide you. It is the Holy Spirit within you.

 

We read in Proverbs 3:5 trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

We get into trouble when we do not follow the mind of the spirit but instead rely on our own understanding. It’s when we try to rationalize or try to figure out how God is going to do something that we get into trouble. But think about it, are we really trying to figure out how God is going to do something or are we trying to figure out how we are going to do it?

I am an eternal optimist, I look for the good in everything and everybody. I am also a dreamer. I believe God gives me the greatest ideas and He is going to bring them to pass, or do I? I say I believe that He will bring them to pass, but what happens when I am put to the test? Most of the time I trust Him, but there have been times when I have leaned to my own understanding.

Sometimes it’s the thoughts that go through our mind that cause doubt and unbelief and sometimes it’s the thoughts and opinions of others. Have you ever been excited about something you believe God is going to do, or that He has told you to do? Naturally because you are excited, you share your thoughts with someone that you think will be just as excited as you are, only to find not only does that person not share your enthusiasm, but they may even try to stop you.

They may say things like, are you sure that was God, you know so in so tried that and they lost all their money. You have been out of school for how long and you want to go back, for what? I thought you already had a good job. You can try it for fun and if you make money that’s great.

Then there are the nosy people asking how much do you have to invest. Do you have that kind of money? They may even go as far as saying if it was really God it would be easy. Seriously? Who do you know, or where have you read in the bible of someone walking right into their destiny or doing what God has predestined, and I do mean predestined because His plan for your life was made before you were thought about, but when has anyone reached their destiny without encountering some kind of trial or tribulation? Should the entire journey be that way? I don’t think so because God has called us to peace and when He left earth He sent His Holy Spirit to comfort us, but there will be trials.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers us from them all. Someone I know mentioned she is planning an event.  In explaining her vision she mentioned she was looking for a speaker. I immediately volunteered to be her speaker. Well, don’t you know as soon as the conversation ended fear try to attack. Many people are afraid of public speaking but I know the plan for my life requires me to speak publicly. So what am I afraid of? God hasn’t given me a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. Well the sound mind, or the mind of the spirit was temporarily taking a back seat to the fear. I was leaning unto my own understanding instead of trusting in God and His anointing to speak.

Are you trusting in God or leaning to your own understanding? Are you trying to do things your way or allowing God to do things His way?

If you are trying to work things out on your own I encourage you to trust in God. You will find His ways are better than your ways and His results will far outweigh anything you could do on your own.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Many of you are familiar with Genesis 12:1. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.

What some of us fail to recognize is the use of the word had. God actually spoke to Abram and instructed him to leave his father’s house and his family, prior to his father Terah moving the family to Haran as we read in Acts 7:2-4. In verse 4 we read of Abram not moving or following Gods command until after the death of his father.

Why was it so important for Abram to leave familiar surrounding’s? It’s evident in what we just read that as long as Abram’s father was alive Abram was under his father’s influence. Many of us, just as Abram become comfortable in our surroundings and what we are doing and don’t want to move. Sometimes we are afraid of the unknown, afraid of failure or maybe even afraid of success.

What happens when we confront our fear? Initially we may be afraid. We are experiencing something we may not have experienced before, but once we realize there is nothing to fear we are able to move forward.  

Abram moved out of his comfort zone, away from a land with which he was familiar and away from family. What are you afraid of? What is standing between you and God’s best for your life?

As you are aware I have just published my first book, Secret Thoughts: Things We Are Afraid To Say Out Loud which is available on Amazon. A portion of the book contains personal information which I have not shared with many people. I thought it was important to share my story in an effort to empower others in a similar situation to not only share events of their lives if they so choose, but to free them from the bondage, shame, guilt or fear which may be associated with some of life’s experiences. I had to let my passion for empowering others be greater than my fear of people knowing my secret thoughts.

 

Fear immobilizes, confronting fear empowers. Don’t let fear hold you hostage.

Are Secret Thoughts Stealing Your Joy?

One minute we may be up and the next minute we may be down. Sometimes we may be able to sustain our joy, or life of abundance for weeks or even months at a time. When I say life of abundance I am referring to the life Christ lived and died for us to have. As we read in John 10:10 the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The reason we are unable to sustain our joy or life of abundance is described in the same verse.

The thief, that dreaded enemy comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He does everything he can to prevent you from enjoying your inheritance of joy, peace, provision, prosperity, strength, health and all that the resurrected Christ represents.

Think about it. Think. One of the definitions of the word think is to have a certain thing as the subject of one’s thoughts. A certain thing. Oftentimes it is a certain thing that we are thinking of that allows the enemy to steal our joy whether momentarily or for an extended period of time.

What is that thing? That thought that is stealing your joy, the thought that prevents you from enjoying a daily life of abundance?  That thought that lingers in your mind no matter how you try to dismiss it. Notice the emphasis on the word you.

The enemy uses the fiery darts that he shoots at us to attack our mind. That is why we are to use the shield of faith to quench or extinguish those fiery darts, or thoughts that plague our mind. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith it is impossible to prevent the thoughts planted in our mind by the enemy from taking root.

You wake up one morning with joy in your heart. The enemy sends a fiery dart your way. Whatever the thought may be it causes you to doubt that God can take care of it for you. Your faith in this situation has been replaced with doubt. What has changed? You, or your mindset has changed, God has not changed. The same God that awakened you with joy is the same God that will see you victoriously through whatever thoughts Satan has placed in your mind.

We read in Romans 7:22-24 for I delight in the law of God after the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and brining me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

When we are born again our spirit relishes in the love of God. We desire to serve Him, to walk by faith and not by sight. But our flesh, in which the carnal mind lives wars against the knowledge of the truth that abides in mind of our spirit. So unwillingly, if we do not seek The Holy Spirit we give in to the thoughts of our carnal mind, and lose our peace.

Sometimes it is those Secret Thoughts that we do not dare to share that wreak havoc in our mind.

We read in 2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into capitivity every thought to obedience of Christ.

It’s a given, thoughts that are contrary to the thoughts God wants us to have will be placed in our mind, but it is imperative that we not allow them to take root. It is up to us to replace the thoughts that are contrary to Gods word with thoughts that align with His word.

 

Puppet or Clay?

We read in Isaiah 64:8 but now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

God is the potter and we are the clay. We are shaped and molded by our life’s experiences. The experiences God allows to occur in our lives that make us into the vessel He has created us to be.

Notice the use of the word allow. God doesn’t make things happen in our lives but He does allow things to occur. In Job chapter 1 we read the account of Satan walking to and fro in the earth. When God asks Satan if he has considered his servant Job he basically responds are you kidding me. Job doesn’t serve you for nothing. You’ve placed a hedge of protection around him, his household, and everything around him. You’ve blessed everything he touches and cause it to increase.

Well that same hedge of protection is also around you and me. Yes things touch our lives just as they did Jobs, but these things when we come through them, and yes we do come through them make us stronger, give us a testimony to help someone else and believe it or not work together for our good, because we love God and we are the called, according to his purpose as we read in Romans 8:28.

Oftentimes when we are in the midst of going through we don’t know how we will make it through yet alone how what we are going through could possibly work for our good.

Years before my mother passed I always thought if anything ever happened to her I would not survive. We were very close. We shopped together, had the same taste and enjoyed each other’s company. We talked to each other on the phone every day.

In The last few months before her death she was in and out of the hospital. My two sisters and I took turns caring for her. We were with her when she took her last breathe. One of the last things she asked was that we keep our family together. Little did any of us know what was soon to occur. Both my sisters and I now live in the same subdivision within walking distance of each other and are closer than we have ever been.

When we allow the things that occur in our lives to shape and mold us we become stronger. Contrariwise when we allow the things that occur in our lives to adversely affect us the enemy has us just where he wants us.

Have you ever seen a puppeteer skillfully manipulate his puppets? He pulls the strings and maneuvers the puppets as he chooses. Satan tries to do the same thing with us, but he can only do what you allow him to do. It’s up to you to choose how you react to what you encounter and experience in life, whether your reaction is spiritual or carnal.

It’s only human for your initial reaction to be carnal because you are reacting based on emotion. Once the emotion has passed your reaction should be spiritual as you recognize that in the flesh there is nothing you can do.

A carnal reaction enables the puppeteer, Satan to manipulate your emotions, prolonging your victory.    

We also read in Jeremiah 18:4 and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. The Potter is willing and able to reshape you, to smooth out the marred places, to remove the flaws…are you willing to let Him?

As we read in Galatians 5:16 this I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Are you yielding to the puppeteer or to the Potter?

 

 

Secret Thoughts: Things We Are Afraid to Say Out Loud

The Moment We Have All Been Waiting For Is Finally Here!

Secret Thoughts: Things We Are Afraid to Say Out Loud

By

Greta G. Hillman

 

What are your Secret Thoughts? What are you afraid to say out loud? Who can you trust with your deepest secrets without fear of judgment or envy? "Secret Thoughts: Things We Are Afraid To Say Out Loud" is now available on kindle. Click on the link to order your copy today for only $4.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L2O12KU the paperback version will be released soon. Follow my blog for the release date.

Everyone has secret thoughts. I understand the struggles experienced sometimes with sharing those thoughts. In my book I share my secret thoughts in an effort to empower others to comfortably share their thoughts as needed. You will read about secret thoughts which you may have even experienced yourself. Thoughts you would like to share, but do not know if or with whom you should share them.

This book will help you recognize who you can trust with your deepest secrets as well as when and how to release them. This practical yet powerful guide serves as a tool to provide you with guidance on sharing thoughts that may cause pain, stress, discomfort, or joy without fear of judgment, repercussion, retaliation or envy.

I pray this book will be a blessing to all who read it.

Encouraging your financial, spiritual, physical and emotional wellbeing,

Greta

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s Not My Job

Have you ever gone into an establishment, maybe a grocery store or department store asked for assistance only to have someone reply that’s not my job? What was your reaction? Did you ask if the person could point you in the direction of someone that could assist you? Perhaps you became angry. Maybe you left the establishment.

There are people that are assigned certain tasks or jobs that only want to perform the tasks or jobs they have been assigned, are trained on and equipped to perform.

Then there are people that are trying to do tasks that have not been assigned to them. They have not been trained nor are they able to perform the tasks.

Many people try to perform the tasks or the job of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to be our comforter, our teacher, our guide, our protector.

How many times have you tried to perform the tasks of the Holy Spirit? How many times have you tried to carry burdens that you could not bear? How many times have you tried to fix a circumstance or situation only to end up with less than desirable results?

The Word of God is very specific when it comes to what we are and are not capable of handling. We read in Ephesians 6:12 for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

This scripture has a twofold meaning. 1.) Don’t wrestle with your own flesh. Your flesh is enmity against your spirit. The two don’t and won’t agree. Your flesh will lead you to do one thing while your spirit may tell you to do something completely different. 2.) You should not wrestle or fight physically or verbally with others. The battle is not physical it is spiritual.

Oftentimes our desire for change within our own lives or in the lives of others will put us in a place where we become engaged in situations over which we have no control. Try as we may without the Holy Spirit we cannot change anything as we read in John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing, and we certainly can’t change anyone.

Several years ago I was in a no win situation. I couldn’t fix what I wanted changed. I talked until I didn’t know what else to say. I cried until not another tear would fall and I prayed until I couldn’t think of anything else to pray. My final prayer was God I can’t do this anymore. I give it to you. I gave it to God and didn’t take it back. In His time and in His way He fixed it.

Many of us are trying to do a job that we have not been trained nor are we capable of performing. The next time the enemy interjects thoughts into your mind of a situation that you know you can neither control, change or should even get involved in remind yourself as well as the enemy that’s not my job! Give whatever it is to God and allow Him to take care of it.