Stephanie M. is the WINNER of the book Stressed-Less Living, Finding God’s Peace in Your Chaotic World by Tracie Miles and the Conference Call Series for Stressed-Less Living! Thank You everyone who participated!
Grateful to coach women around the world at www.lindakuhar.com!
This week I had the privilege of spending a little time talking with Lysa TerKeurst and Renee Swope. I walked away with a wealth of perspective on leadership in ministry! I knew right away I wanted to share with you some of the great insights I gained from talking with these two remarkable leaders from Proverbs 31 Ministries.
I asked Lysa and Renee what was one of the most valuable lessons they had learned from leadership?
Renee shared there are three seasons in her life. NO. GO. SLOW. This is so true. For example, at different times in our life God will specifically tell us NO even when we “think” it should be yes. Or often when we are afraid to take that next step and would rather stay in our comfort zone, that’s when He comes through loud and clear and tells us to GO. Other times we can be running so fast that we might lose sight of where God really wants us and that’s when He whispers, it’s time to SLOW down. Listening to Renee talk about the different seasons in her ministry gave me sense of relief and opened my eyes to see which season I’m in right now. Renee and Lysa both shared unique stories about the different seasons throughout their ministry. As I was listening, I realized it takes all three seasons to grow a ministry because ultimately God is the One in control and at work anyway.
Lysa shared that she often approaches God with the question, “What is my assignment for today Lord?” I absolutely love this question because it challenges us to look at today only. As a Christian Life Coach, I’m frequently encouraging my clients to focus on one day at a time. It is written in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Lysa turned the statement of one day at a time into a coaching question in her dialog with the Lord. As I left our conversation, I could hardly wait for the next morning to start my day journaling with this powerful question, “What is my assignment for today Lord?” After processing where God was leading me for the day, I realized how much unneeded pressure lifted from my spirit. I was able to focus and trust that I was exactly where I needed to be that day to accomplish the ministry work He has called me to. This is now one of my favorite ways to start my day, and an excellent tool to share with others.
I want to wrap up this post by saying THANK YOU to Proverbs 31 Ministries leaders Lysa TerKeurst and Renee Swope for consistently providing encouragement, confidence and guidance to women all over the world who are building a personal relationship with Christ. If you have not visited the Proverbs 31 Ministries website, I highly recommend you to check it out and sign up to receive their daily devotionals. You will be blessed and inspired every single day!
Thank you to all my readers for allowing me the opportunity to share life with you! As always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
Honored to coach women from around the world at www.lindakuhar.com!
Last year our local Christian Radio Station came to my home and interviewed my mom and me about my cancer story. When I watch the video it brings a specific scripture to mind.
I will say of the LORD, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! Psalm 91:2 AMP
Today as I share this video with you I want to lift up my Savior and sing songs of PRAISE & THANKSGIVING!!! Nothing is impossible for our God! I am forever grateful! I pray this video is a blessing for you today!
Have you ever intentionally taken a day to be silent with the Lord? Last week I spent a day in prayer and spiritual renewal in a quiet sanctuary located at the beautiful Well of Mercy retreat center. As I settled myself in the tranquil surroundings the sound of silence overwhelmed my spirit. I immediately felt tension throughout my body. It was like I was literally fighting with myself to settle down and just be still. After some time I felt myself getting comfortable, nestled in my chair and finally taking in the calm and peaceful atmosphere. Within minutes tears filled my eyes and I realized how beautiful the sound of silence really is. Silence is a gift from our Creator. It’s astonishing when we allow our walls to come down and get silent with the Lord, how He speaks to us.
This day I was spending with the Lord was different from my daily quiet time. One reason was I had no time schedule. Even though I have quiet surroundings in the early morning hours at home, in my head I have that internal clock-ticking ready to start my daily routines and responsibilities. Being completely focused some days can be quiet the challenge. Another reason this day was special was due to the way I approached my time with God. I came to the retreat center with an expectant heart ready to hear from Him. I knew this was not a time for me to go down my “wish list” of all my hopes and dreams I pray the Lord will provide. As a Christian Life Coach, it’s important to bring clients to a shift in thinking and that’s exactly what I experienced. I approached the Lord with a “what attitude” instead of a “how attitude”. Isn’t it funny how one little word can shift your entire perspective.
I left the Well of Mercy with a sense of awakening and of longing. My soul awakened to my deep yearning to spend more time with the Lord. That’s what is so exciting about our relationship with Christ. Each time we encounter Him we build a stronger desire to be even more intimate with Him. I would love to hear from you today about your time of silence with the Lord and how He continues to awaken your spirit.
Honored to Coach Christian Women Internationally at www.lindakuhar.com!
Where can you find real serenity, especially when life is so out of control?
I don’t know about you, but for me I crave serenity…peace…calm…tranquility. You know that exact place you find yourself when you finally recline on the beach with toes snuggled in the sand and the sound of crashing waves removing all debris from your thoughts. That moment when you exhale a sigh of relief…vacation has finally arrived. Why do we have to wait till we are hundreds of miles away from reality to embrace serenity? If I dare take a guess, it’s because we cannot let go of control. We are simply too afraid to hand over control of our lives to the One who created us. We “think” because we’ve said yes to Christ and officially labeled ourselves Christians, with a Jesus bumper sticker, cross dangling from our neck and socializing with that certain ”group” of believers, then surely we’ve surrendered ourselves to Christ….right?
Wrong!
Please hear me, all those things are noble and it speaks volumes for who we are, however God has been opening the eyes of my heart over the last six months to what I call genuine soul surrender. How exactly does that work you might ask? It all starts with one little word….obedience. Yes, that’s it, just plain and simple obedience. Please don’t let me fool you by sounding like I’ve got this all figured out, because coming from a rebellious take charge, get it done now kind of girl, it has not been an easy road to travel. To be frank with you, it’s down right sucked many days. By no means has it been a walk in the park having to deny my flesh and ego day after day. However, I do have good news for you today!
“Your job is obedience. God’s job is results.” pg. 162 Let. It. Go. By Karen Ehman
When we are wholeheartedly committed to obedience, God provides results every time. So, back to my question on where can you find true serenity in the middle of life’s chaos? On your knees my friend, handing over your desires for God’s desires and in doing so the result is serenity. That place scripture refers to as “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” Philippians 4:7
If this post has encouraged you in any way today, please leave a comment. Just click the link below that reads #comments.
Honored to Coach Christian Women Internationally at www.lindakuhar.com!
I have a beautiful 12-year-old daughter who looks as if she’s going on 19. I don’t know what happened, but it’s like I went to sleep one night with a baby girl by my side and the very next morning I woke up to a young lady who is madly in love with Justin Bieber, obsessed with what to wear and could never have enough colors of nail polish. Now all of a sudden I find myself in panic mode to make sure she knows “enough” about Jesus and that her identity is completely emerged in Christ and not in any way shape or form what others say about who she is. In my typical control freak nature, I’ve tried to have conversations (more like manipulations) with her to clarify who she really is and what she really believes.
So just last week I said, “Meg who do you think healed me from cancer?” and with a dumb founded expression she rolled her eyes and said “duh Mom, Jesus!” I have to admit I felt pretty stupid and yet a burst of relief all at the same time. That’s when I realized again we do not have to push our beliefs on others, but to simply allow others to observe our lives and decide for themselves.
As a Women’s Christian Life Coach, I have many clients that have husbands or loved ones that are not followers of Christ and they struggle with holding their tongue and waiting patiently for God to move in their lives. But what I’ve recently learned in scripture is that “Often we look for God’s glorious acts without concern for following his instructions” NIV Study Bible. My point being is that we must continue every day to patiently TRUST God in a posture of obedience with our lives. What does that look like for you? For me personally it starts with meeting the Lord on my knees in the early morning hours or putting my hands up to praise Him in worship. It’s funny how our postures show exactly what we are feeling internally. I would like to encourage you the next time you meet with God to notice how you are approaching His throne. Does your posture reflect His instructions for your life? Does it show the ultimate love you want so desperately for others to believe?
Please leave a comment today and share your thoughts! Just click the link below that reads #comments.
Have you ever had your mind and heart set on a dream only for God to take you down a completely different path in your life?
I had this happen about 5 years ago. I started going back to school to get a Masters Degree in Counseling. I knew without question at a very early age I wanted to help others in this field. While going back to college I was diagnosed with cancer, and my life took a completely different turn, as you can only imagine. Immediately I went from pursuing my dream to become a licensed counselor to fighting for my life to stay alive. Looking back over what took place, I can’t help but almost laugh at how true God’s word is.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21
When I set out to get my degree in counseling, I never in my wildest dreams would of thought that God would use my life to minister to others about His unfailing grace, mercy and miraculous love for us. Who in the world would of thought that while training to run a half-marathon 6 months after waking up from my coma I would discover the deepest desire of my heart, coaching? Even though I had no desire to become a “running coach”, God revealed to me that I could be a spiritual coach. As a Women’s Christian Life Coach I get to love, encourage and motivate others just as my running coaches did for me. Now today, 5 years later I have the privilege of coaching women daily around the world as we seek God together and build deeper intimate relationships with Christ!
My hope and prayer for you today is that even if you are questioning which direction your life is heading, that you too will trust the scripture and know without question that God’s purpose for you life will prevail! Leave a comment today and share where you are in your life plans and what God is revealing to you.
Honored to serve as a Women’s Christian Life Coach from Charlotte, NC at www.lindakuhar.com
Welcome to CA…Controllers Anonymous. Hi, my name is Linda Kuhar and I am a control freak! While you may be chuckling at my cute little comment, I need to confess to you that because of my insane controlling nature of 38 years, this week it has actually brought me to my knees in desperation asking God, “Do you REALLY exist? Because God if you are really REAL than why do I struggle today with the exact same issues I had 10 years ago, 15 years ago, heck even 20 years ago? If you’re real, than why haven’t you removed the pains of insecurity and fear I have buried so deep inside me?”
And in one simple answer He spoke….”Control, you haven’t give me control over your life.”
Well, in my typical controlling fashion I would usually explain to God why I haven’t given everything to Him and try to manipulate God by convincing Him (really myself) that I am the way I am because ultimately He is the one that created me, right? Well, this time my scheming and conniving ways did not even rear it’s ugly head. Instead, I was at the darkest place of desperation and brokenness that all I could do was say ok God. You are exactly right. I have been afraid to give you control over my life because fear and insecurity have been such a source of comfort and refuge for me, but today I give up, I quit! I cannot do this control thing any more. I have no strength left in me to fight!
I quit trying to control those I love so dearly, my husband and child, my business/ministry that you called me to and even..are you ready for this my friends? I give up control over my healing from cancer and coma. Yes, it’s true. I’m confessing to you that I’ve struggled all this time truly believing that I was miraculously healed. I’m completely embarrassed and feel like such a hypocrite as I write these words. But the truth is I’ve tried to convince myself that I was healed from H1N1 (the swine flu) and not a reaction from the chemotherapy drugs because logically my lungs would have never completely healed if it was the chemo that my body had the reaction to.
Long story short is, it does not matter what God healed me from, He miraculously healed me and today I can honestly say I believe that because I have Let. It. Go. by giving up control.
Friends, are you living a life of control? Or are you really letting God control your life? I’m currently participating in Melissa Taylor’s Online Bible Study and we are studying Let. It. Go. by Karen Ehman. If you want to know how to stop running the show and start walking in faith, living a life free from control, I recommend reading her book today. As you can see I personally have already experienced some life changing transformation and would love for you to join me. Leave a commit today if you are living a life of control and are ready Let. It. Go.
To watch this weeks video blog click here or to leave a comment please click on the link below that reads #comments.
How would your life be different if you really believed God’s infinite power in your life? Would you live like a superhero? I think I would soar through my days never looking back. Fear, disbelief, insecurities would not exist! Approaching problems would be exciting and thrilling because the end result would always be success.
Wow! Why can’t life really be like that? Wait a minute. It can be if we choose to really believe who Christ says He is. According to Ephesians 3:20, “He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”.
So then why don’t we live every day like a super hero? One thing I’m certain of is that in this lifetime we will never comprehend exactly who God is and the order of how and why things happen. In the book of Job, God points out that if we cannot fully grasp common events such as nature, then how can we truly understand God’s moral purposes for our lives? We end up wasting so much time trying to figure out who God is that we put very little time in just simply believing. Today let’s shift our mindset to believing God’s ultimate power over us.
I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below.
To watch day 2 of my Vlog click here.
Recently I did something pretty crazy or audacious, as my Pastor would say. Last October during my quiet time, preparing for bible study, God lead me to a 40-day juice fast. Let me be completely honest here, I had never completed a 24 hour fast of any kind. I’ve always overlooked the fasting thing in the bible because personally it was something I really did not want to do. I know that’s not making me look too great as a “Christian Life Coach” but I’m just being real with you. The truth is we all have certain things that we want to ignore and pretend it doesn’t apply to our life.
Well, that particular morning, I was trying extremely hard to ignore God’s prompting so I actually starting arguing with him. This is how it went down. As I was reading scripture, I got that gentle nudge in my spirit that said 40 day juice fast. I sat in my chair and literally looked up at the ceiling and spoke out loud, are You serious? No food, just juice for 40 days? I shook my head and headed to the kitchen to pour myself a nice cup of hot coffee and while I was walking back to my chair I started complaining. “There is no way in creation that I can go 40 long days without chewing any food. No way, no how, can I do that. Forget it.” And then I heard Him again (not audible, of course), if I can’t trust you with food, how can I trust you with people? I immediately tossed my hands in the air and said, ok fine you got me! My life is about reaching women with the love of Christ through coaching, writing and speaking so this was a big eye opener.
Luke 16:10 reads, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much…” Don’t you hate it when scripture backs up the truth you were so hoping to avoid? You know I’m just kidding, but heck 40 days was more than I wanted to bite off…LOL!
Today I want to encourage you that you can be trusted with more. I want to challenge you to stop ignoring God’s promptings and embrace the truth. Why, because the Holy Spirit lives inside you and if you press past your fears and seek His constant presence in everyday life, I promise you all things are possible.
What has God been prompting you to do lately? Did you avoid it or embrace it? Leave your commits on my blog today!