Category - Contentment

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I like to work hard. I figure, the more stuff gets done, the better off I’ll be. The more accomplished I’ll feel. The more restful I can be later.

Working makes me feel good. Until I read a verse like this:

“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Ps. 127:1)

God says:
my work = vanity
my safeguarding = a waste.

My hard-working is often toiling, when done apart from God. I either tire out or I steal glory from God when I believe it’s “my doing”.

I remember when the disciples returned from a trip. They said, “Hey Jesus, we cast out all kinds of demons. They even obeyed us when we threw out your name. We nailed it out there! We rocked it.” (Luke 10:17, kind-of)

Jesus wasn’t as enthused. He replies, “Don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of heaven.”

They rejoiced because of their doing.

Jesus wanted them to rejoice because of their belonging.

There’s a ravine-sized difference between the two – doing and belonging. One, aims to prove its worth to God. The other aims to enjoy its worth from being with God. One is tiring. The other is refreshing. One is empty. The other is eternal. One is self-oriented, the other is self-giving. One knows where it lives, thinks and derives confidence from: heaven. The other knows where it works, strives and toils from: earth.

Citizens of heaven know the fullness of God is behind them, so they don’t have to fully devote themselves to doing things their not called to. They permit the power of God to move in. This changes everything. Because those “who know” they’re citizens, like children, let God bring heavenly answers to their earthly problems.

They trust the God of all might to move. And, He does.

Where do you need the God of all might to move? Might you consider seeing yourself as a citizen of the most royal, the most equipped, the most powerful kingdom ever, rather than simply as a worker out in the field of the world? It will change everything.

Battle Ready  is a hands-on scriptural plan that teaches you twelve easy-to-implement, confidence-building mind-sets designed to transform your thoughts and, therefore, your life. You’ll gain practical wisdom, like how to

· make new habits stick in just five steps
· disarm the seven most common attacks that plague women
· exchange self-limiting thoughts for purpose-driven, love-releasing thoughts
· implement thirty-second mind-lifters that deliver peace
· create boundaries so you live life full of what matters

Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.

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3 Ways You May Stifle God

August 9, 2018

hoooLast night, I had a dream. My tarp, the one set up next to the swimming pool, was falling down. It turns out I was turning the screws the wrong direction. Now, the hooks were unfastening and the whole covering had too much slack and was coming undone. The evil person was now going to win.

This dream made me consider all the ways things are about to fall apart in my life.

Maybe you feel this way too: like things are unfastening. Like you are not going to win. Like evil may get ahead of you.

I gleaned an important message from my dream: when, from God’s Spirit, our attention departs, things tend to fall apart. Here, we push the wrong way. We move through life by the limitations of our natural mind. We get frustrated by halted goals. We pulsate with anger because God didn’t come through.

We cannot “force” something by works and at the same time believe God, not by sight. The two are as polar as opposites.

I don’t want to push in the wrong direction. Do you?

Let’s avoid stifling God. Here are 3 main ways we may be doing so:

1. Fear.

The second we move away from love, we live in fear. Just as you can’t live in Antartica and find tropical weather, you can’t live in fear and dwell easily in love. If you feel your heart consumed with worry, anxiety or the sense God is far and unavailable, return back to daddy.

Return back to the truth that: You are loved. God is with you. He will not fail you. He has done the miraculous before, and certainly, He can do it again.

2. Works.

We are trained to think: He/she who works harder, lives better; the person with the most schooling, gets the best job; practice makes perfect.

God’s economy doesn’t run like ours. Rest in God is often the formula to renewal in the Spirit. And, renewal in the Spirit is the currency of life, peace, joy, hope, direction, fullness and purpose. If there is no life apart from the Spirit, there’s certainly death by works. We all know this: we’ve had moments of feeling overwhelmed, over-tired and over-it.

God honors works, when done from the right heart. Yet, they ring empty, shallow and lifeless – especially when we do them out of religious obligation or shame.

3. Attention Deficit Issues.

If we can not attend our minds to God, we will pay no attention to Him.

I know what it is to have attention problems: I look here, there and everywhere. I see a whole world at play, but at the same time – I see nothing. I see so much, but I have no focus.

The same thing happens when we let the world take center stage. We see the talking heads politicizing, we see the cars moving down the street at 65 miles an hour, we see the to-do list, we see the text messages coming in a mile/min. But, what we do not see or hear is God.

We’ve allowed so much to crowd in, we’ve crowded out the Spirit’s voice, nudges, and revelations.

I am guilty of all of the above; this is why I write about it. Yet, I am also, today, choosing to renew my mind, by praying this: Father, I have turned the wrong way. I have turned away from God. Forgive me. I am going nowhere. I am spinning my wheels. I want to return back to your loving arms. I want to know the way to go: to life. Thank you for forgiving me, for restoring me and renewing me. Holy Spirit, fill me afresh. Amen.

With a clear heart and a ready Spirit, I am now ready to:

1. Cling to God’s promises

2. Dwell on truth, life, and hope.

3. Attune my ear to listen.

4. Be attentive to the Spirit’s promptings.

5. Spend time with God, before I do work on my own stuff.

6. Rest in God.

7. Expect the best from a God who loves me.

8. Ask God what to do next.

9. Give thanks.

10. Lift all glory right back to God.

What about you? Do you feel full of peace and life or are you running on empty or spinning your wheels? Why not turn back to the Spirit of life?

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5 Prayers for Breakthrough

August 7, 2018

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Consider how a good parent equips a child…

We don’t send our children to school without their supplies on the first day of school. Nor do we send them to lunch without a brown bag. That would be cruel. In fact, when we find out there’s a kid that is picking on them on the playground, we don’t put them back out on the playground without a strategy. Why? Because we are parents. Parents equip children with the tools they need to succeed.

God equips us the same. As a good Father, He gives us a vital tool: prayer. With prayer, we don’t stand weaponless on the battlefield. We don’t stand nearly naked and waiting for the onslaught. No. Instead, we stand armed with the ability to ask for everything we need.

God wants to send us into our day, ready and thus the reason why He tells us to pray at all times, regularly and honestly.

We are told to pray, because:

1. God hears our prayers.
2. Our prayers work.
3. God answers prayers.

Yet, we must realize:

1. It is not always on our timeline.
2. The prayer may be answered, but not as we originally demanded.
3. Gods’ ways are always higher, more intricate, and far more detailed than ours.

One of the most important components of being battle ready is being prayer-full. Do you know how to pray?

Here are 5-short breakthrough prayers I’ve seen work miracles in my life:

1. God, I can’t, but you can. So, please come and help me.

Once we realize the battle is not ours to win, we clear way for the Lord to win on our behalf. Usually, it is about us getting out of the way, so the Spirit of God can move in, with power and strength.

2. Pour out on me the Spirit of wisdom, revelation, and understanding.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5 NIV)

3. God, will you increase my faith?

“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” (Mk. 11:23NIV)

4. God, give me the power to understand “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” for me? (Eph. 3:18)

Once we see how deep God’s love goes, the more we’ll understand the lengths He’ll go to help us. The Spirit will lead us into these depths if we make time to hear and understand what He is saying.

5. God, will you strengthen me by “your glorious power”? (see: Colossians 1:9-14)

When God gives strength, it shifts problems, attitudes, misaligned perceptions and strongholds right out of the way. God’s power doesn’t leave us powerless, defenseless…

…or weaponless.

We are not a lone soldier on a chaotic bullet-zipping battlefield. God hands us the weapon of all weapons, prayer, to effect powerful change. Change that silences every enemy, shuts down every opponent and stalls the horrific chariots coming to our direction. Trust in it.

Don’t look at the war; look at Jesus. His bigger, better and is roaring like a lion. Nothing can stand against Him. Take heart, Christ has overcome the world.

(Book image is attached & Kelly Pic)

BIO: Kelly Balarie is the author of the book, Battle Ready: Train your Mind to Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt and Live Victoriously.

Battle Ready is a hands-on scriptural plan that teaches you twelve easy-to-implement, confidence-building mind-sets designed to transform your thoughts and, therefore, your life. You’ll gain practical wisdom, like how to

Kelly Balarie, an author and national speaker, is on a mission to encourage others not to give up. Through times of extreme testing, Kelly believes there is hope for every woman. She shares this hope on her blog, Purposeful Faith, and on many writing publications such as Relevant, Crosswalk, and Today’s Christian Woman. Kelly’s work has been featured on The Today Show, 700 Club Interactive, Moody Radio and other television and radio broadcasts.

Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.

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The Blessing of Being Ready

August 2, 2018

attack, awe, Contentment

By: Kelly Balarie

I was in the waiting room for the MRI. All that was going through my mind was thoughts of, This is horrible. I am never going to survive. I am not going to be able to walk. There is no way out of this. I will be scared to death in that loud machine. I hate needles and they’ll put one in me.

All I could see there was me. It was me and my problems. Me and my trauma. Me and all the horrible pain that was ahead of me.

Add this to the fact that I was a new mom. My kid had been up screaming all night long. I had been pacing the hallway with him. I had been the one trying to hug him all day long as he screamed his head off. I think he had acid reflux.

I also had a mole that needed to be taken off my chest. We didn’t know if it was cancerous. The doctor gauged my chest. The scar still remains.

Did anyone ever tell you that we have an enemy that roams around like a sneaky, conniving villain in the night, searching out ways to steal, kill and destroy?

He’s likely come after you.

But, may I tell you? Battle Ready women, built up in the Lord, strong in their mind – those who renew their thoughts – know something that others don’t.

They know: It doesn’t matter what the enemy does; It matters what Jesus did.

You see, above our problems, our mayhem, our issues, our dents and dings of life, is a victorious King who reigns and rules. He sees everything. He knows our every tear. He sees our every way. He is a help in a time of trouble. He is our refuge and our strength. He is our way and our life.

He is Overcomer. He is Victorious. He is equipping us with all we need to fight the good fight today. We are not crushed, ruined or abandoned, we are raised up with Christ Jesus in the heavenlies.

Jesus brings resurrection life no matter what situation we’re in. Battle Ready women are not driven by their wide-ranging emotions but by heartfelt dedication to God’s truth, His promises and His purposes. This changes everything.

Rather than seeing the issue, they see the Provider. Rather than seeing the MRI, they begin to see the other woman in the room that they can minister to. This happened to me. I lifted my head there and got to know a woman with bone cancer. She was in so much pain. I prayed for her before she went into her MRI. I told her about Jesus.

How can you do this in the heat of your battle? Here are some ideas?

1. Ask God for his view of your situation.

2. Look around you and see the needs of others.

3. Talk with other people who are struggling. Understand their pain.

4. Pray for yourself, but also things that extend beyond yourself.

5. Ask God for breakthrough.

6. Give thanks.

7. Praise God’s Victorious name.

About Battle Ready: Train Your Mind to Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt & Live Victoriously

Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.

5 Tools To Help In Hard Moments

July 31, 2018

awe, birth, Contentment

9 Comments

By: Kelly Balarie

She didn’t so much as say hi to me. In fact, even worse, she walked right past me, looking the other direction. She pretended I wasn’t there. Hmph!! After all I’ve done for her. After all I’ve given her. After how I’ve gone out of my way to love her.

Now I’m the one left looking like a crazed waving-at-the-air fool. Like – an idiot.

I humph at her husband along the way to my church seat. Silently, I critique her in my mind, She’s rude. Before not too long, I get side-tracked by own thoughts: Everyone always hurts me. Like that boy, I asked to dance in 4th grade. Like those girls who circled up to whisper about me in that damp locker room. Like the group of women who act like they’re far better than me.

I’m supposed to be listening in church, but who can listen, thinking about all this, all them!?

Here, I find myself, in the heat of a horrible battle. You can always tell if you’re in the heat-of-a-battle. Almost instantly, your soul-crushing problem magnifies 100x larger than your promise-keeping God. Suddenly, you’re standing weaponless, in all-out combat within your own mind. Hardly able to win.

Ever been there?

I’ve struggled through a lot – through massive health-scares, depression, an eating disorder, financial debt and relationship-severing dramas. Battles. Huge, hard-fought battles, loaded with momentary decisions of pain, struggle and uncertainty.

I remember the time:

1. The doctor returned to the room with the clipboard saying, “You really might have Mulitple Sclerosis.”
I thought: How do I keep my thoughts close to God with this kind of news?

2. My colicky newborn made me pace my hallways 24-7. Sleepless, hardly-thinking and powerless to change my health-situation, I didn’t know what to do.

I thought: How do I still love people when my whole life is unraveling?

3. A family member called me to say I really should get on setting up long-term care for myself.

I thought: How do I deal with the fact all my dreams will now look different than I thought?

Through all this, I realized, real wisdom is having a battle-plan.

Let’s talk about Christ-centered battle-plan preparedness. Begin by asking yourself: What am I currently facing?

Identifying your main struggles (resentment, regret, trauma, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, fear) is to allow God to help you win your battle. For example, for me, underneath that issue with the girl, was an old war full of rejection, humiliation, and abandonment from years past. Underneath, were old battles I’d lost – because they were left unaddressed. Therefore, they left me with resentment towards God.

Seeing our battles for what they are, gives us a clear-cut strategy to fight – and win. It also removes all the pent-up offenses that, like plaque, cover our heart.

What about you? Do you emotionally respond to happenings set before you or do you wisely act based on God’s Word and promises?

Today, you can fight your battle a new way. Consider:

1. Asking God what feelings of fear, worry, anger, resentment, neglect and hurt He desires you give to him.

2. Giving those hurts to Jesus, by saying, “Jesus, I am not meant to carry these. Forgive me. They’ve hurt me for far too long. I know and believe you have peace, joy, life and freedom for me as I give you these things.”

3. Blessing any women who have hurt you.

4. Reframing your moments of hurt. (Example: when she passed by me quickly, she was probably was in a rush, she might have had something to do or she lost in thought)

5. Returning to a heart of love. (Example: Thank you God that you love me and I can love others. In fact, I can love the very person who hurt me by ___.)

This is the start of being Battle Ready. There truly are practical insights, wise biblical instructions and truths that can help you rise above the mayhem of trials and hardships. You can find the light of Christ and step into all God has for you.

The victory belongs to the Lord. Isn’t it time you began to make room for it?

About Battle Ready: Train Your Mind to Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt & Live Victoriously

“The best time to be strengthened against the Enemy’s tactics of doubt, disappointment, and devastation is before he makes his first move toward us. We all desperately need the biblical guidance and preparation found in Battle Ready!”

Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries

Battle Ready is a hands-on scriptural plan that teaches you twelve easy-to-implement, confidence-building mind-sets designed to transform your thoughts and, therefore, your life. You’ll gain practical wisdom, like how to

· make new habits stick in just five steps
· disarm the seven most common attacks that plague women
· exchange self-limiting thoughts for purpose-driven, love-releasing thoughts
· implement thirty-second mind-lifters that deliver peace
· create boundaries so you live life full of what matters

Buy Battle Ready here: https://amzn.to/2l5qQrw

To get Battle Ready freebies – printables, devotional reminders, a customizable daily Battle Plan and the “Find Your Battle Style” quiz, visit: www.iambattleready.com

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Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.

The Person Who Hurt Me

July 24, 2018

10 Comments

As I worshipped God in church, I felt a hard elbow nudge into my arm. My husband leaned in, “Kelly, he’s here.”

No sooner did I open my eyes than I saw his horrible face – and everything he did to me. This man made me question my faith. This man chided me openly in front of others. And this man “supposedly” calls himself a “man of God”, a teacher and preacher.

How did he end up here? He lives hundreds of miles away.

Sure enough, there he was – interrupting my line of sight. I closed my eyes; I could still see him. I sang, there he was. The words of the song I was half-heartedly singing were not lost on me: “It is time for your healing.”

Is it God?

I’d spent months furious about how he spoke, the doubt he caused and the rough wake of his injurious mouth. Really, God?

I guess I thought I’d already forgiven him. Clearly, I hadn’t.

How God?

“Jesus said (as he was being ridiculed, shamed, assaulted, defamed, maligned, tortured and abandoned by man), “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lu. 23:24)

Offenders, on many accounts, do not know what they are doing. They do not realize: the harm, the foul, the injury, the life-long effects, the residual pain, the continuous mind-dialogue they leave behind. They are hurt, so they hurt.

But, we are called to see beyond all this; we are called to see Jesus… Lifted up in victory, even though mankind tried to defeat Him. Interceding on our behalf, even though He was once hated. Reigning, although ridiculed.

Jesus rose to victory via forgiveness. So can we. Forgiveness is victory.

Know Forgiveness.
Know God’s appointments.
No forgiveness.
Know disappointment.

Just as Jesus forgave, God has strength so we can too. Ask Him for it.

You know, before seeing that man at church, I would have said I’d already forgiven him. Yet, I hadn’t.

There is an easy way to tell if you’ve really forgiven someone. After you say you’ve forgiven them, can you pray, “God will you bless ____, abundantly?”

Who do you need to forgive today?

Freedom and God’s great appointments are just on the other side of your anger, contempt, bitterness, remorse, and apathy. Hand all that to Jesus, forgive, then bless the person in the name of Jesus.

You can do it; God has your strength. He is an abundant giver.

Learn more about my new book, Battle Ready: Train your Mind to Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt and Live Victoriously.

Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.

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I Get Complain-y and Want Sympathy

July 19, 2018

awe, Contentment, doubt, failure, faith

There are two ways I tend to look at things:

1. Good
2. Not so good at all.

Unfortunately, I usually default to the bad outlook. Somehow I figure if I focus on what is wrong, I can fix it. Or, if I see what is not right, I’ll have a better handle on it. Or, if I know every detail of the problem, I can lay out a plan. I also like sympathy from people. Emotionally, when I feel hurt, I want someone to make it better. Or, I want someone to really grasp my pain.

In these cases, I may:

1. Complain
2. Whine
3. Act negative
4. Feign tiredness and weariness

After a bit these actions cause issues. On-loading problems onto people almost always off-puts them. There’s a threshold people allow. They may walk away, roll their eyes, tell you to get over it or not call you back. You really have to be careful about going “too far”, I’ve found. But more important than this is – we don’t need sympathy from man, what we really need is empathy and love from God. He is the only thing who will ever fill us up.

So, how do we find this?

Psalm 57 has some interesting answers.

David complains, “I’m surrounded by fierce lions…” (Ps. 57:4)
Shortly thereafter he says, “Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.” (Ps. 57:5)

David whines, “My enemies have set a trap for me…” (Ps. 57:6)
Shortly thereafter he says, “My heart is confident in you, O God.” (Ps. 58:7)

In the place of “not so good at all” thoughts, David gets back to “good”, quickly. His mouth runs ahead of his mind for a second. Then, he catches up to “good” with God’s truth.

We can do the same. Even if we think “not so good” thoughts, we can catch right back up to goodness, by immediately changing course, just like David. We can dwell on thoughts of:

1. Praise
“I will waken the dawn with my song.” (Ps. 57:8)

2. Protection
“I will look to you (God) for protection.” (Ps. 57:1)

3. Promises
“…God who will fulfill His purposes for me.” (Ps. 57:2)

4. Power
“He (God) will send help from heaven to save me.” (Ps. 57:3)

5. Passion for God
“My heart is confident in you, O God.” (Ps. 57:7)

David didn’t always think perfectly, but he returned to the Perfect One, quickly and readily. We can do the same. We won’t ever be perfect, but above us, around us and for us – is the Perfect One who has all our answers. He answers when we call. Not only this, He sympathizes with our pains, holding our every tear in a bottle (Ps. 56:8).

All we really want is sourced from God.

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I Don’t want to Take a Step Back

July 17, 2018

awe, birth, Contentment, doubt

10 Comments

What if your power to move ahead, was in stepping back? What is not pressing ahead, but sitting out?

I recently heard a story that captured me. A group of All-star basketball players went to meet an elite coach. His instruction was that they step back; he wanted to re-structure their basketball shot. The mechanics and technique of their shooting arm needed to be entirely reworked to take them to the pro level. For this change to happen, they’d have to go back to the drawing board for 3 months. They’d need to essentially sit it out on the sidelines as they learned a new way.

The sad part was many of the players couldn’t, or wouldn’t do this. They wouldn’t listen to the coach. They didn’t want to lose thier all-star status.

Yet, what they didn’t realize was to compete on the next big stage, they needed this new skill. The coach knew: refinement was required.

A rich man essentially said to Jesus, “I’ve followed your commands. Now, Jesus, what do I still lack?”

Jesus replied, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mt. 19:21)

To get ahead, we sometimes have to go back.

To follow, we sometimes have to give away.

To move forward, we must release.

To meet with God, we relinquish other important things even if it appears we will be set back, halted or we will lose out.

I don’t like moving backward. In fact, I believe so much in the message God wrote in the book, Battle Ready, these days, I want to keep working harder to make sure every person in need gets a copy. I believe in the transformation I am seeing happening in people’s lives. I see how mindsets are being renewed. I want to push, push, push…and get Jesus’ message out far and wide.

Yet, still, God whispers: Kelly, rest. Trust me (even if it feels like you are moving backward). Surrender.

To not strive, to not push, to not do anything….feels like I’ll lose what God is giving me. It feels like I’ll fail. It makes me feel nervous.

But, God never leaves us behind. Surrender never counts us “out.”

The truth is we only follow Jesus, when we follow him. We only can go where He is going, when we obey. It’s not easy to follow with the world on our shoulders. Nor can we follow when we clench our history and won’t let go of it. Following doesn’t look like demanding results.

Today, if it looks like you are moving backward, be encouraged. Christ did not bring you this far to drop you on your face, to leave you behind, to fail you, to discourage you or to hurt you. He brought you to this place to love you, to equip you, to ready you, to prepare you and to be with you.

Time spent reworking your life is not a waste. Time spent with kids is not idle. Time spent praying is not inconsequential. Time spent seeking answers is not useless. Time spent sitting at Jesus’ feet is not without merit.

Move backward and see Jesus change the trajectory of everything as you move forward. God is good and He truly does have goodness for you.

Women who are battle ready know this – and live it.

Learn more about the book, Battle Ready: Train your Mind to Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt and Live Victoriously.

Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.

BLOGGERS, 4 Winners will receive (in order of votes):

1. A 15-minute Literary Agent Meeting with Amanda Luedeke from MacGregor Literary. (2 People)
2. A 15-minute Publishing Appointment with Baker Books editor, Rebekah Guzman. (1 Person)
3. A 15-minute blogging, writing, life-coaching or platform consultation with Kelly Balarie (1 Person)

Learn more about the Battle Ready Contest.

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4 Reasons Wilderness Deserts are Good

July 12, 2018