Tag Archives: Yolanda Adams

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Seven Scriptures to Inspire Resilience During Tough Times…

Hello World,

From “Occupy Wall Street” to the divorces of friends, 2011 has shaped up to be a year of change – and not necessarily good change for a lot of our fellow travelers on this earth…Having experienced some tough times in my own life, I’ve learned to consult the Word of God to inspire me and give me the courage to face my life daily when it seems easier to keep the covers over my head and sleep all my troubles away…

1. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28  This verse is my absolute favorite verse in the entire Bible because in this verse God promises that He is working together all of my circumstances (good or bad) for my good. The only caveat is that we must love Him first…

2. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. ” Proverbs 3:5-6. It is so tempting to try and figure out why certain things have happened to us, but I have learned in some situations that it is pointless to endlessly ruminate. Instead, it is more powerful and ultimately sane to trust that we are walking on an God-ordained path, a path that only He knows where it will lead…

3. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18 I remember when someone first told me that I should give thanks to God for all things – even bad things…I was like, “Yeah right. I should give thanks to God for being fired from my job, not being able to pay my mortgage and not having enough money to fix my car.” But I did what I was advised to do, and it really helped me. When we give thanks to God for all of circumstances, we acknowledge His sovereignty. And God has shown me over and over again that He is more than able to work it all out…

4.  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 I have learned that God is always with me so I don’t have to succumb to terror and discouragement! Instead, I can focus on the strength and courage that God will give to me if I only ask…

5. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” Psalm 23:6 This is God’s promise that goodness and mercy will permeate all the days of our lives – no matter what it looks like now…

6. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 Sometimes, just some cold, hard cash would go a long way in solving our problems. I have discovered that the Lord will provide for all of our needs – even financial – when it is needed. I remember a time when I was in between jobs, and a close friend paid my mortgage that month!

7. “…Weeping may endure for a night. But joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5. There is no doubt about it. No one is immune from tough times. But tough times don’t last forever! Joy will come in the morning!

I hope these verses inspire you to be resilient as they have inspired me! The Bible is filled with Good News if we would only crack it open…Also, sometimes God speaks through other good books…Check out “Where Will You Go From Here? Moving Forward When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned,” by certified personal and executive coach Valorie Burton. (Incidentally, I interviewed her for my book.)

Also, please also take a look on my new interview series “Resilience & the Bible” which includes:

Resilience & the Bible: How to Use Scriptures to Bounce Back From – Rebellious Teenagers

Resilience & the Bible: How to Use Scriptures to Bounce Back From – Losing Your Home

Resilience & the Bible: How to Use Scriptures to Bounce Back From – Losing Your Voice

Resilience & the Bible: How to Use Scriptures to Bounce Back From – Racism & Prejudice

Resilience & the Bible: How to Use Scriptures to Bounce Back From – Domestic Violence & Divorce

Resilience & the Bible: How to Use Scriptures to Bounce Back From – Stiff Person Syndrome

Any thoughts?

My favorite gospel song that inspires resilience…”This Battle is Not Yours” by Yolanda Adams…I got to meet her someday and thank her personally for this song because it has me blessed me sooo much over the years…

 

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Status Update: March 2011

Hello World!!!

I know I’ve been gone a minute, but hopefully, y’all will forgive me…I’ve been crazy busy pursuing my goals for 2011! One of my goals involves me really buckling down this month and April so please, charge it to my schedule and not my heart if my posts are not as exciting or as frequent as I would like them to be. That being said, I will still do my best — so please check me out every Sunday and Wednesday!

As the title of my post suggests, I want to know what’s up with the what’s up? It’s March so by the end of this month, we will have 75 percent of this year left! That sounds crazy when you think of it like that…But how are y’all doing on your goals or resolutions for this year?

One of my goals was to simply eat more vegetables. I know that sounds simple, but for me, it always isn’t…but I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself craving vegetables earlier this week so I had a big salad for dinner on Friday. And it was yummy too:) That doesn’t even sound like me…but it’s true…Another one of my goals is to continue to reduce my monthly bills. I’ve been able to knock down some of the charges on some of my bills, but one of my service providers wasn’t hearing it yesterday…but I’ma pray on it and call back…Hey, a different day, a different customer service rep…you know how it is…I also said I was going to experience more that the A has to offer this year…My city has hosted several awards shows and other world -class events like the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show (which I finally attended last month), and it makes no sense that I’m not in the mix…Also, one of my goals is to send more greeting cards to my friends…With e-mail, e-cards and the like, sending greeting cards through snail mail is a lost art in my opinion…and I love receiving greeting cards in snail mail, and I imagine that others do too…

I’m not sure where I heard this or read this, and I think Catherine Marshall, my favorite author, may have written it. Anyway, I think we should dream so big that only God can help you fulfill that dream. What I mentioned above are only some of the smaller goals I have for 2011, but know that I do have some big goals or dreams on my list as well. And I also know that sometimes it’s best to keep those bigger dreams to yourself as you pursue them so I won’t tell you what other bigger things I’m working on yet — but you will know sometime this year!

But if you have already encountered some sort of stumbling block this year as your pursue your goals or dreams, please listen to this inspirational Yolanda Adams song “Never Give Up.”

Any thoughts?

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Mountain High…Valley Low (much respect to Yolanda Adams)

Hello World, 

Incredible. Riveting. Inspiring. These are some the words that I thought of as I watched Chilean miners being painstakingly rescued one at a time after being trapped in a mine for what had to be an excruciating 69 days. As I watched the rescue unfold, I could not help but think  of how everyone experiences dark periods from time to time…of course, we may not be physically submerged in a mine hundreds of feet below the earth’s surface but we are having a valley experience nonetheless…

I wonder what the miners used to sustain themselves during this dark period of their lives…And what do we do when we experience the valleys of our lives…how do we cope? how do we sustain ourselves? what do we do to push through?

As much as I detest pain in any form, I have realized that God uses painful experiences to draw us closer to Himself and to grow in character and faith…a necessary evil at its worst and a prelude to blessing at its best if you let it be…I’m not Job as I have not had everything taken from me all at once with no explanation but I have had some trying times for sure…

I recall a particularly painful time in the beginning of the 2003…I had not had a job in my field for about a year and although I had managed to find a retail job, I was left without steady income again when the retail company suddenly shut down…My roommate who I had depended on to pay half of my bills moved out…My car broke down, and I did not have the money to pay for it to be repaired…

I did know what to do – except to turn to God for comfort and an explanation…And He did…I believe…In January of that year, I had had a mountain high experience…God had confirmed to me that my writing was my ministry through a synchronistic experience at church that New Year’s Eve…I felt like I had received my “marching orders” and quickly began working on my first book…

But by the end of that January after I lost the retail job, my roommate moved out and my car broke down, I no longer felt inspired to write – or do much of anything else for that matter…Since I did not have money to pay my bills, I simply stopped opening the envelopes with the bills in them (I would not recommend this if  you have mortgage.) My world became very small since I had no transportation…I spent most of my time at my home although I did not clean it for a long time since I was feeling so down…I started dating this wildly inappropriate guy that if I had been in my right mind, I would have run from…Lord help me…

That dark period went on for about two months…I must say the Lord had my back because nothing was turned off although I had stopped paying my bills and although my mortgage got behind, I did not lose my home either…But as I continued to seek God, although halfheartedly, He finally revealed to me what the deal was…One day, as I was searching the Internet, I came across a sermon that basically said that just like Jesus, when we have been given a ministry, we must go through a period of temptation and testing as Jesus did…As mystical as that may seem, I knew it was true…When God gives us a revelation, I think we have to be prepared for the devil to come to take away what God has told us…And as Jesus did during his temptation, we have to stand on the word of God and believe what He told us…even if we have been trapped in a mine…

Once I realized what was going on, I knew that I could cope with what was happening to me…And within a few months, everything that had been taken away from me had been restored…I got a job in my field that enabled to pay all of my bills without a roommate and my car was fixed. I began opening my mail again, and I finally cleaned up my nasty house…As a I write this, I wonder if people will think I’m foolish but the “foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom.” (I Corinthians 1:25)

So how do I cope when feel like I have sunk into a mine and life has become dark and constricted…I petition God for an idea, a thought, a scripture – a glimpse of heaven when I am in hell – or what feels like hell…

I imagine the miners thought of their family and friends as the dark days ticked by…I imagine many of them prayed to God night and day to be rescued…I imagine that God revealed to them that although everything was dark around them, they would again see the light…

How do you cope during difficult times?

Any thoughts?

P.S. If you’re going through, the lyrics from “Open My Heart,” a song from Yolanda Adams’ “Mountain High…Valley Low” album maybe  just what you need…and the video of this beautiful song is also below…

Talk to me
Talk to me

Alone in a room, it’s just me and You
I feel so lost ’cause I don’t know what to do
Now what if I choose the wrong thing to do
I’m so afraid, afraid of disappointing You

So I need to talk to You and ask You for Your guidance
Especially today when my life is so cloudy
Guide me until I’m sure
I open up my heart, oh, yeah

My hopes and dreams are fading fast
I’m all burned out and I don’t think my strengths gonna last
So I’m crying out, crying out to You
Lord, I know that You’re the only one who is able to pull me through

So I know I need to talk to You and ask You for your guidance
Especially today, when my world seems so cloudy
Lord, guide me until I’m sure
I open up my heart, oh, yeah, yes I do

So show me how to do things Your way
Don’t let me make the same mistakes over and over again
Your will be done and I’ll be the one to make sure that it’s carried out
And in me, I don’t want any doubt, that’s why

I want to talk to You [Incomprehensible] and ask You for Your guidance
Especially today, when my world seems just a little bit cloudy
Lord, You guide me through that’s why I open up
I open up my heart, my heart, my heart, my heart

All I need to do is just hear a single word from You
I open, I open, open up my heart
Just one word could make a difference in what I do
Lord, guide me until I’m sure

I open, I open, I open, I open my heart
You just say one word, one word, one word, one word, one word
I open up, I open up, open up my heart to You, to You

You’re the lover of my soul
Captain of my sea
I need a word from You
That’s why I open up my heart