Tag: christianity

the butterfly journey

While You Wait

livingwholecoaching

Waiting on God doesn’t mean doing nothing. Waiting isn’t passive, it’s a posture of faith, prayer, obedience, and courage. Waiting on God can be praying, studying His Word, preparing, serving, growing, and remaining faithful.

There are two distinct Hebrew words in regard to the word “wait”. Qavah means to wait, look for, hope, and expect. Qavah is active and hopeful, not passive. Chakah means patient, disciplined, waiting. This waiting involves focus, restraint, and readiness. Pursuing God attentively and being prepared for His timing.

What Are You Doing While You Wait? Examine your waiting season.

  • Are you growing spiritually?
  • Are you praying?
  • Are you preparing?
  • Are you learning? (God teaches us as we wait).
  • Are you obeying?
  • Are you striving to become the person God is calling you to be?

The waiting room can become our classroom for faith, patience, character, and trust.

Waiters don’t just stand around, they serve.

Are you preparing?

Are you preparing for what you are asking God for? For an example; I am waiting for a physical healing. Which I already know I have because of the finished work that Jesus did on the cross. But I am waiting for the full manifestation of my healing. As I wait, I’m putting into practice new lifestyle changes that will allow me to be a good steward over the healed body that I am asking God to release to me. That includes eating healthy food, exercising, and self-care, including the proper rest.

So, what are you doing to prepare for what you are asking God to give you? Don’t just pray for the opportunity, prepare for it.

Waiting requires courage? Read Isaiah 40:29-31. Courage is a heart anchored in faith. We cannot wait in own strength.

The biblical description of courage is to trust in God’s promises, protection, and guidance. While you wait you need to be confident in what God has already said and done. Waiting can be an opportunity for the enemy to tell you lies and try to discourage you from receiving the good things God has for you in His perfect timing. God is excellent in all of His ways.

There is purpose in the pause.

Sometimes a “not yet” is not a denial, it’s preparation. The “not yet” may be creating a space for something you aren’t ready to receive right now.

What if your waiting season isn’t evidence that God has forgotten you? What if it’s an invitation to trust Him more deeply?

You may not know when the answer will come or why you have to wait, but you can choose what you will do while you wait.

Waiting is action.

So, while you wait, keep praying. Keep preparing. Keep growing. Keep serving and keep trusting God.

Your waiting season has purpose. Don’t waste it.

the butterfly journey

From Broken to Beautiful Series Part III – Why Your Story Matters

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There are a couple of points we need to delve into in this post.

Do you really comprehend that if you are a believer in the God of the universe, you have a real enemy?  That enemy is working tirelessly to get you to turn away from God.  He is a deceiver and a liar.  And if he can get you to buy just one of his lies, then he has an opportunity to get you to stumble and fall.  Where are you falling? Away from God.

I mentioned in a previous post how the world’s systems and culture will have you saying, “Oh, it’s not that serious.”  In fact, most of the things we think have no real significance have a very deep spiritual outcome.  And now is the time for the people of God to wake up from their spiritual slumber and begin to walk in the things of God.  (We will need to dig a little deeper into this topic in another post.)

The enemy wants you to believe that whatever you are going through, you are the only one. But the Bible tells us that there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9 The evil one wants you to keep your tough seasons to yourself. He doesn’t want you to get encouragement from others, or, better yet, prayers going up on your behalf.  No, he wants you stuck and believing that no one cares, especially God.

But this is where the other point comes in: sharing your story will matter to someone.

Your testimony about your struggle with addiction, but by the grace of God, He delivered you, can be the very thing that gives someone else hope.  Sharing a scripture that you clung to when you were diagnosed with stage 5 renal failure (Psalm 91) can be someone’s saving grace when they are facing serious health issues. God is too gracious and good to us not to share our journey to help another person.

Your story may not look like mine, but it matters.  Don’t allow the enemy to trick you into believing that your story will not matter, because it does.  God has assigned someone to your voice and whatever way He uses you to get your story out there do not sit idle on it.  Speak.

#thebutterflysjourney

Lisa M Walker

the butterfly journey

Do You Want More?

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When things are going well, life seems grand. But when I reached a point in my life where the things of life no longer satisfied me, I started searching for more.

I wasn’t sure what I was searching for, but a deep feeling in my spirit told me there is more to life than this. I had always known of God, but it wasn’t until I began to seek Him out for answers to my questions about my life that I began to understand the depth of His love for me.

The word of God tells the whole story about the unconditional love that He has for each of us and the opportunity to know Him more. John 3:16 says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” NLT

I firmly believe that we are all born with a yearning in our spirit. We don’t quite know what we are yearning for, but it’s something. We seek to fill that empty feeling with things of this world, temporal things. Since this world is the only life we know, it seems adequate to gravitate to the things that this world has to offer. The world offers successful careers, an abundance of wealth, and the accumulation of things like houses, boats, and cars, but these things fade away over time. Let me disclose that there is nothing wrong with any of these ambitions, but they are not the things that will satisfy the void in your spirit.

Don’t you agree that the void that you sometimes feel is deeper than these things? If you are in a season where you feel dissatisfied with your life as it is, then I challenge you to begin a journey to find what’s really missing. Here are some action steps you can take this week to begin.

  • Take time to reflect on your life as it is now. Write down all the things that you feel satisfy you.
  • Journal what you feel is missing in your life.
  • Evaluate if you receive or accomplish certain things, would you feel complete?
  • Pray
  • Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or spouse about what you discovered by completing these steps.

I can attest that there is so much more that God has for you in this life and eternity. It’s never too late to find the real you.

In Christ Jesus,

Sister Lisa M. Walker

the butterfly journey

7 Daily Habits That Cultivate Holiness

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Pursuing holiness is not a one-time deal. It is something that we must work toward each day of our lives. But it is something that we should want to pursue until the day of Christ Jesus.

  1. Prayer – This may seem like a given habit as a believer, but sometimes it is not a developed habit that we consistently do.
    • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” NIV
    • Philippians 4: 6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV
    • Jeremiah 29: 12-13 “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” NIV
  2. Studying scripture – How can we please God if we don’t know what pleases God? His holy word begins to open up the character of God and how we should walk out this life of faith.
    • 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 “All scriptures is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” NIV
    • Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” NIV
    • Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” NIV
  3. Gratitude – Be thankful for the unconditional love of God towards us.
    • Psalm 107:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” NIV
  4. Accountability – We are accountable for maturing in the things of God as believers.
    • Romans 14:12 “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” NIV
    • James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
    • 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up just as in fact you are doing.” NIV
  5. Humbleness – Remain humble in all you do and only allow the Lord to exalt you.
    • 1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” NIV
    • Proverbs 22:4 “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” NIV
    • Colossians 3:12 “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” NIV
  6. Worship and Praise – Give God everything that He is due. He is an awesome God and there is none like Him.
    • 1 Chronicles 16:29 “Ascribe to the Lorad the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.” NIV
    • Psalm 63:3-4 “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name, I will lift up my hands.” NIV
  7. Fellowship – Spending time with other believers helps encourage each other with the challenges of life.
    • Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” NIV

As you continue your pursuit of holiness, I pray that this list of daily habits and the scriptures will catapult you into the abundant life that Jesus died for us to have. The blessings and promises of God are your portion.

In God I trust.

Sister Lisa Walker

the butterfly journey

Chasing Holiness – Part 4 Pursue

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“Pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14 NKJV

The biblical definition of pursue signifies actively striving with intent and determination toward spiritual goals, righteousness, peace, and a deeper relationship with God. (reference – Bible Hub)

When you want to know about something or someone, you will pursue more knowledge about the matter or person with urgency and intent. That is what God wants us to do with Him. In order to know Him and develop a true intimate relationship with God we need to earnestly seek Him. As Jeremiah 29:13 states; “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” NIV

My experience with pursuing God happened when a stirring from the Holy Spirit moved me to know more about Him and draw closer. When I was first saved, I didn’t know a thing about walking in this Christian faith. But the other thing was I didn’t pursue knowledge or wisdom from God either. Which lead me to backsliding and getting a lot of bumps and bruises from the enemy. But the Holy Spirit prompted me to seek more of God. I am so very joyful that the Lord has me in a position to seek Him now. Like I feel like years have passed me by, without having that intimate relationship with God. But I am glad that God can redeem the time and gives me another chance before I leave this earth to really know His love in full.

One of the main reasons I write this blog, is to perhaps spark an interest in others to know God more. Perhaps my words can inspire someone to begin to diligently seek the Lord and in doing so they find so many treasures, promises, and hope hidden in His word and in the gloriousness of His presence. God wants us to be close to Him, He adores us! And if you don’t yet understand that fact then keep seeking Him in prayer, His word, worship, and fellowship with other believers. You will definitely find God in all His glory and holiness.

As the spring season unfolds, with the blooming of trees and flowers and the brown dormant nature start to turn green again; I challenge you to refresh your relationship with God. Seek Him more and with intention. Join a local bible study group in your area or church. Take a discipleship class. If you don’t have a relationship with God and are seeking one; please reach out to a local church in your area or talk to someone you trust that is a Christian or even message us and we will be glad to help you in your pursuit of God.

In pursuit of God,

Sister Lisa Walker

the butterfly journey

Chasing Holiness – Be Holy Part 3

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This conversation I had the other day with another believer left me confused. I was sharing with them about the journey I was on learning from Holy Spirit about holy fear of God and holiness. I always get super excited when God reveals His word to me in an intimate way, because it shows me that He loves me and trust me if He would allow me to mature in His grace and develop more intimacy with Him. But when I share with other believers and their attitude is lukewarm to the things of God, especially His word, it confuses me. How can you say you belong to the Lord and love Him, but you don’t seek Him. How can you not desire to please Him in the newness of your life that you received when He gave His son, Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for you so you didn’t have to go to hell because of your sins?

The person’s position on being holy was that it is not attainable. But I beg to differ, because not only does God say it in His word; it is a command. 1 Peter 1:13-16 says: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be bought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written be Holy, because I am Holy.” And the latter part of this scripture Peter took directly from the Old Testament scripture; Leviticus 11:44-45 “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be Holy, because I am Holy. I am the Lord, who bought you out of Egypt to be your God; therefore, be Holy because I am Holy.” My question would be why God would command us to be holy if it was not attainable?

Let’s dive in a little deeper. Perhaps our perspective about what Holy means is incorrect. Let’s see what the biblical definition of Holy states. The first thing that the definition starts off with is that there is over 430 times that the word holy or holiness is mentioned in the Old Testament only and over 180 times it’s mentioned in the New Testament. So needless to say, the meaning of word holy and holiness is important to God. The Hebrew word for holy is “godesh” which means apartness, sacredness, or separateness (God is set apart from His creation) above Him there is no other. The Greek word for Holiness is “hagios” which means pure, morally blameless or set apart. (reference: http://www.whatchritianswant toknow.com)

With this additional information about what the word holy or holiness means in the biblical sense perhaps we can begin to understand what God meant when He co mmands us to be holy. Holy doesn’t mean that we are perfect and to me I don’t even believe that it means we reach the completion of holiness while still in the flesh. What I do believe it means is that we are set apart to God and if we truly have been born again, embracing the free gift of justification through salvation because of what Jesus did on the cross, then we would desire to please God in every area of our lives.

When we allow Holy Spirit to have His perfect way in our lives then we are allowing the process of sanctification to be fulfilled through us. Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins so we can repent and then point us back to Jesus and His attributes which we should also develop. Being holy and walking in holiness is a daily process and we need to crucify our flesh daily as the word states. If you desire to build your intimate relationship with God and walk in holiness then you should develop these daily habits; read and study the Bible each day, develop a daily prayer life, and serve the people of God with the gifts and talents God gave you to glorify Him.

Back to my conversation with my friend, I don’t understand why a believer would want to only have the bare minimum life that God has for us. For me I want all that He has for me in every aspect. I seek Him with my whole heart, and He wants you to do the same. God longs for an intimate relationship with all of us who love Him.

Question to ponder: Are you seeking God and His holiness?

Father God, we honor and adore you! We worship You for who You are in all of Your holiness and sovereignness. We thank you Father that we can know You intimately. We ask Holy Spirit to come into our lives to lead and guide us to all Your truth that is in Your word. We repent for not seeking You with our whole heart because we do love You and want to please You in our new life as Your children. In Jesus Christ precious name we pray. Amen.

In His service,

Sister Lisa Walker

the butterfly journey

Chasing Holiness Part 2 – Justification vs. Sanctification

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I am reading this wonderful book called: “The Awe of God” by bestselling author John Bevere. And something that he says in the book that really gave me pause was that we can love God and walk in error because we do not fear God. That really shook me to my core.

This takes us back to why Jesus came to begin with and that was to fulfill the will of God to become a holy sacrifice and cleansing blood that atoned for our sins and redeemed us back to a right place with Father God. If you remember the scriptures when Jesus was about to be crucified, He pleaded with God to take this assignment from him, but His ultimate resolve was, “not my will Father, but your will be done”.

The gift of salvation from the completed work of Jesus, justifies us. When we receive this gift, we are then justified at which point the work of sanctification should begin. Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old is gone and the new is here.” NIV This is where sanctification comes in to teach us how to be holy. Remember what Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13 “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” NKJV We have to will to do things in the right context of what God says in His word. Sanctification means “set apart to God”. When you pursue a life “set apart to God”; you are maturing your relationship with God. Transformation can begin to take place in your life. And with transformation becomes your will starts to look like that of your Father God’s will. There is so much more to this, but we will begin to pull pieces out that God wants us to focus on.

There are two things that I am learning so far from pursuing holiness: 1. I need to learn from Holy Spirit and God’s Holy word in order to understand who God is and 2. having holy fear of God allows me the will to do the things that He wants of me in reverence to His glory.

I don’t want to get to judgment day and not have done things in the correct way because I was ignorant of it. I want all that God has for me in order to glorify Him. And that’s why I share, because God has called me to teach and share His word of truth with His children.

Thoughts to ponder: Do we understand the process of sanctification? Are we pursuing it as we should?

If you are getting anything from my insights as Holy Spirit is teaching me, please let me know, I’d love to interact with you! Come back next week for Part 3. Subscribe to the blog and you can get notification when a new blog post is up!

In His service,

Sister Lisa Walker