Tag: Encouragement

the butterfly journey

Do You Want More?

livingwholecoaching

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

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

the butterfly journey

On One Accord

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Dear God, It’s me Lisa.

I have been thinking a lot about how I can be on one accord with you. I understand that continuing to develop my relationship with you through reading your word, communicating with you, through prayer, and listening with my whole heart will enable me to understand my assignment, as it pertains to your will. To be honest; I struggle with doing those things on a consistent basis. I repent.

Father, how do we become on one accord as believers? I read Acts 2:42-47, which gives me some idea of how the early church operated and developed fellowship and like-mindedness. The word says that we need to be willing to be taught, come together in fellowship, breaking bread together, and prayer.

I read and meditated on Romans 8:5-11. This is really the meat and potatoes of the way we get to be in sync with your will God. We need to walk in the Holy Spirit and not in our flesh. The word says that the mind that is governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit leads to life and peace. Ok, God now I am beginning to understand the assignment!

Lastly, 2 Corinthians 5:17 lets me know that now that I am in Jesus, that I am a new creature. I need to be focused on changing my mindset from a fleshly viewpoint to a spirit-filled mind. That will give me and my fellow believers a roadmap to being on one accord! I know that this will please you God, when your ecclesia is walking on a true path of righteousness!

Thank you as always Father for helping us understand what we need for today!

Love and blessings L

the butterfly journey

I’m Back!

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Well, it has been a long road getting back to writing but, here we are! My plans from more than a year ago were to blog/write most days and I started out with a bang. Then life got in the way. I had surgery for a new access port for my dialysis treatment and things didn’t go so well. As a matter of fact, I lost the feeling in my left hand due to the loss of blood circulation in my arm. Unfortunately, a year later I still do not have full feeling in my hand. Um, the enemy trying to silence me again.

The plan may have worked for a little while, but I’m back and more motivated then ever! I pray that you will come along with me as I refresh my writing and prayerfully bring new and encouraging Godly wisdom, as I myself navigate biblical and Godly insight directly from Holy Spirit.

I don’t know if you feel it but, there is a fresh wind, a new season coming upon us. It is a time of shifting in the spirit realm. It is a time to rededicate ourselves to the things of God. It is a time of thirsting after righteousness. I feel like God wants to release a newness in us and revive us from a “dry” season.

Are you ready for a refreshing of your spirit? I know I am; it’s been a tough 15 months dealing with my health issues but, God is able to do the impossible and He has. He has kept me through all the trials and ups and downs. He has continued to be faithful to His word! His grace and mercies have been new to me every morning when I open my eyes to see a brand-new day.

Father God we are ready for what you have in store for us this new season! We will continue to abide in you.

I look forward to sharing with you all.

Blessings L

the butterfly journey

No Comfort Zone

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Perhaps you can tell that I write about things I am dealing with in my own life, and I try to share the lessons that I’ve learned with you the reader in hopes that it can help someone else in their daily walk.

I am trying to navigate this new journey that I am on in regard to my health, and it is teaching me how to thrive outside of my comfort zone.

I would have never chosen to go through this challenge on my own. I thought that I was doing an okay job of just bumping along in my comfort zone and not making any progress into the person that God wants me to be. But here comes discomfort to stretch me beyond the borders of my comfortable life and catapult me into a place of growth.

Let’s be honest, no one likes the feeling of discomfort, but discomfort can bring about new opportunities that you may have never had before. It can open your mind to new possibilities or new perspective of life.

Let me share some lessons that I have learned so far going through this journey:

  • I‘ve learned to trust God! Not the lip service in trusting God, but really depending on Him every second of my life.
  • I’ve learned how to pray with a fervent heart. If I am being honest sometimes when I prayed, I was not really expecting anything to happen. I wanted to believe that my prayer would change a situation, but I didn’t really believe it in my spirit. But now I listen more intently to the voice the Holy Spirit to guide me in my prayers so I know that I am in the will of God, and I can stand on His word for an outcome.
  • I‘ve learned about God’ peace. I can truly say that I understand the scripture that talks about ” the peace the surpasses all understanding”, I know that peace! Night after night I would cry out to the Lord in my secret place with just me and God and beg Him for His peace and each night, He would meet me there and give His peace so freely.
  • I’ve learned that I am not an island. I have found out that having loving saints surrounding you with prayer and checking on you during your time of need is priceless. Not only do I have family and friends, in some cases I have people that I have never met praying and caring for me. We were not created to be alone.

I would hope that I would have learned these lessons on my own, but probably not. It has taken this challenge and discomfort to place me on a path of growth and change. I am going to trust God that I will learn everything I need in this season to encourage others, reach my full potential in Him and most importantly give Him the glory that He deserves.

the butterfly journey

Prophetic Word for 2023

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Refreshing Rain from God!

This new year hit different from any new year that I have experienced. Months prior to the new year I had been seeking God for my life. I was listening more intently than ever before to hear the voice of God.

Over and over again I heard the word restoration. The meaning states that you would be restored to an original state after having something lost or stolen. But God wants to do more than restore back to an original state He wants to take us to a better place than where we were originally!

The man of God spoke about God shaking dead things and resurrecting them. My Lord! I feel that 2023 will be a year of restoration and resurrection. I see God resurrecting dead things: assignments, relationships, health, the body of Christ, and dreams. God will begin to breathe new life into areas of our lives that we thought no longer had any vitality left in them.

God asked Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37: 1- 14 if these dry bones can live? And God said that they could live and commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones! We need to begin to speak the living word of God over situations in 2023 and watch Father God resurrect the dead things in our lives.

What things in your life do you need God to breathe on? Is it your marriage, a lost son or daughter, health issues or perhaps it is an assignment that God has ordained for your life that you have walked away from or that you never really embraced. What about those divine dreams that God showed you for your life, have you pursued them so that God could be glorified through your obedience? Now is the time. We don’t have time to waste anymore, time is drawing to an expected end, and we need to move while there is still time to move.

First, we need to understand and seek the renewing of our minds. We need to understand how the principles of the kingdom of heaven influences things in the earth. I will have more on this topic in future posts, so be on the lookout.

I pray that you are seeking God for your life more than ever in 2023. As you seek, I pray that you will receive revelation and wisdom into the secret things of God that are only revealed through an intimate relationship with the Father. I am looking forward to all the miracles, signs, and wonders that God will allow to follow us during the year. I can’t wait to hear the testimonies of not only restoration but of resurrections of dead areas in our lives.

Be blessed L

depression, Healing, healing and deliverance

I Am Healed! No Weapon!

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Isaiah 54:17

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. KJV

More times than I care to admit, I have felt weary and tired and ready to give up! Fiery darts flying, false accusations, scary situations, and health issues just to name a few of the seasonsim healed no weapon of my life that I have faced.

I was reminded recently that I am healed and no weapon formed against me shall prosper, because God is my Redeemer! Why do I need to keep being reminded of the fact that my God is awesome, gracious and able to do all that I need for my life? Why do I keep falling back into the snares that I know are being set for me by the enemy? I learned a valuable lesson, be consistent in following and believing God for everything that He did for me and all of His promises!

Another strong lesson that I learned was that every situation, although it may appear different stems from the same source, the enemy. The enemy trying to take me off the path of life that God had created for me. He doesn’t want me to reach my full potential in God, to serve and encourage women! He rather me be deep in stress, negativity and pessimism. Why would he want me to grow closer to God and learn more of His word and promises? Why would he want me to have the courage and confidence to move forward in the gift(s) that gave me to use in this dying world?

So I have to go back a few steps to recover the strength in God that was so evident in my life. Be consistent in my prayer and praise. Lastly, I need to remember who is against me in life. Not people, although the enemy can use them as part of his schemes. Situations that seem to be a blessing when looked at after the enemy has told you lies begin to look like a plantation, a place of discontented, a place where I would lose my creativity and energy. But wait a minute it really is a blessing, an opportunity that God allowed to happen to help me.

Stay focused and remind yourself every day until it becomes a part of your spirit that God will not withhold any good thing from me. He wouldn’t give me stones for bread! Stop in the moment that your thinking becomes opposite of who you know God to be. Remain faithful to the One who is faithful!

Prayer: Father, we thank you because even when we get off track you send ministering angels to pray for us and to us and remind us that we are the daughters of a God that is good and holy! Thank you Father that you care enough for me that you would restore and strengthen my inner man for the journey ahead! Keep our minds stayed on you Father, the author and finisher of our faith. Make our lives renewed in you. Give us a spirit of consistency to stay grounded, focused, and faithful to only YOU! We thank you God for who you are in our lives. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.

Blessings, Lisa

destiny, finding God, gifts and talents, God, journey, Life Coach, life worth living, mission, purpose, the butterfly journey, women

I Want to Die Empty

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I admire those famous people in history that used their entire life serving people and making the world a better place. Those that we had the opportunity of knowing because their lives were showcased to the world. Some that come to mind are Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Theresa and there are countless more, many more.

But there are ones who we didn’t get an opportunity to know through history or Are you living your life fully on purpose,mainstream media. Those that weren’t written about in books. Those ordinary people like you and me, just living out their purposes, using their God-given gifts, talents and life experiences to serve others and making their communities something better than what it was before them.

I always knew that I was born for something. I just couldn’t believe for a minute that God would create me just to exist. It took me almost a lifetime to figure out what it was, but here I am today striving to live my life until I am empty. No not empty in the way you may be thinking, but empty of everything that God gave me and created me for to complete while here on this earth. I wish that I could have had someone to come along side of me to help m figure it all out before now. But God always had a plan. (Jeremiah 29:11)

When I first saw the words “die empty” it confused me; as I asked myself, “Why would anyone want to die empty?” But see God has given me a mind that is able to look at things from a whole different perspective.

To die empty to me means to use all that God has blessed me with and all that He created me to be to serve people in a unique way. It means to be passionate about using my gifts, talents, skills and every life experience (good and bad) to help someone else. It not only means to make the world a better place, but ultimately it means to build up God’s kingdom for His glory!

The discovery of my purpose came during one of my life’s storms. Yep, I discovered my purpose through my pain. It wasn’t very clear at first, but the revelation came after the storm, during my healing process. I went through a lot during that time and even though it was a painful experience, I am glad that God allowed something beautiful to come out of it. (Romans 8:28)

For me to find my purpose, my reason for being here was the most wonderful thing to happen to me! It gives me a specific reason for living, it gives me direction and it gives me peace!

The more I seek God, study His word and follow His guidance, the more I learn about life, my life that is connected in Him! I know for sure that I am here to help people “die empty” and most importantly to know God, for He is who we live and die for!

Love Lisa

The Butterfly Journey

http://www.thebutterflyjourney.com

brokenness, encouragement, God, health, the butterfly journey, women

Heart Healthy

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brokenheartFebruary is heart health month.  During this month you can find helpful information about how to have a healthy heart, or about warning signs when something is wrong with your heart.  It is all about the well-being of your physical heart.

February is also the month of Valentine’s Day.  A day set aside to show love to your significant other and others you love in a special way.  Usually we adorn each other with chocolates and roses.  Valentine’s Day is one of the most celebrated and lucrative holidays that we engage in.

What about your spiritual heart?  Is it healthy, do you know the warning signs that something may be going wrong with it?  Do you have the information on how to keep it healthy?  Or have the arteries of life circumstances caused plaque to build up and the flow of love and joy are having a hard time reaching your heart to keep it healthy?

Have you been exercising your heart muscles by showing love to keep your heart strong and in a position to receive love?  Your spiritual heart is just as important as your physical heart.  It warrants your every effort to make sure that nothing foreign comes in to make your heart beat irregularly or cause damage.

We place things in our heart from experiences that we have encountered in our lifetime.  Some things are good, others are bad, but God wants us to make sure that what we put in our hearts are things that will help us live life to its fullest.  Good things that will catapult us into a relationship with Him and others.  When we have experienced something that was not good and we place it in our hearts, it stays there until we release it.  As long as it stays there the more miserable you may become.  You will live your life not fully being free to love or receive love.

That’s why God said in His word: Proverbs 4: 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. NIV

The good news today is that God can help you release the bad things that you have placed in your heart.  The things that will keep you from experiencing a true flow of love and joy, but you have to give God all the pieces of your brokenness.  He will replace those things with wisdom and love.  Trust Him, I do!

Blessings Lisa

 

31 Day Butterfly Journey, the butterfly journey

31 Day Butterfly Journey: Change

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Well I’m back!  I had a challenging 2 weeks recently and had to take time to deal with the situations that presented themselves in my life.  I don’t like dealing with challenges, especially those that cause me discomfort (most people are probably the same), but I have learned that I must face those challenges in order to move forward and not get stuck in a place of discouragement or defeat.

change1I’m learning that placing my struggles in the hands of God can shorten the process or challenge that I am facing.  It’s hard to relinquish your troubles, but I am realizing now that it is well worth it in the end.  God gives me the answers or supplies my needs in each situation and then I can breathe again.

Change is a very hard subject for some (me included), but change most times is a result of things that come into our lives either for the better or for the worse.  It is not always something great that happens to make us look at change, sometimes it’s something bad that has caused us to really look at change in a whole new light.

For me its my health.  I suffer from diabetes and all its little minions that follow along with it; hypertension, high cholesterol, and all kinds of different ailments.

This past week my fiancé and I were on vacation in the mountains of Massanutten VA, just relaxing and enjoying the scenery.  We both realized almost at the same moment that we need to live a healthier life.

I am not sure if it was because of the beauty of the environment or if it was the lazy feeling that settled over us after we had a wonderful fat-laden meal each day, but something just sparked a burning desire to take care of the one body that God gave us.

Change isn’t always easy, and sometimes it’s a matter of life or death and as the old saying goes; “old habits die hard”, but they do die if you decide that it’s time for them to go!   So I am going to give my old unhealthy habits notice that they will have to go, go to a grave where they can no longer have control of my life or health.  They have to go so that I can live and fulfill my God-given destiny.  They have to go so that I can see my grandchildren grow up.  They have to go so that I can have a medication free life without all the side affects that surely will give me an early funeral of my own life.

If there is something that you need (or want) change for in your life today, then declare and decree it in the name of Jesus that it has to go!  Don’t be afraid of failure, just keep trying!  We will give you all the encouragement that we can and when the results start to show you will be so delighted that you decided to make that change!  It’s not always going to be easy to face each new challenge, but it can be done!

What is the one change that you would like to see in your life?  Let’s change together, we CAN do it!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa