Tag: Faith

the butterfly journey

Chasing Holiness Part 2 – Justification vs. Sanctification

livingwholecoaching

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

Dear God, I love you!

livingwholecoaching

Father, it’s me your daughter, Lisa again. I just wanted to tell you, I love you! I’ve known your faithful love for many years and yet in still I was not experiencing the most intimate relationship with you that I desired. But it wasn’t you Father, it was me. I didn’t understand the process of getting to know you. Until, one day it all clicked into place, and I surrendered my all to you and everything began to change.

When I mean change, I mean change! I have never experienced the type of freedom in the Lord that I have right now. My whole being body, mind and spirit are free! And peace, oh my Lord the peace that surpasses all understanding fills my life to the fullest!

I have talked to you all a lot lately, trying to have someone, anyone, consider donating a living kidney for me, because I was suffering from Stage 5 renal failure and desperate to live a little while longer. But I had no success, but my heart and my spirit were well with whatever outcome the Lord had for me.

I didn’t complain, I was grateful for every sunrise and every sunset. Life was more vibrant to me during this journey. I began to seek God more and I found Him more; my prayer walks became my happy place during my days. As God gave me grace for this journey He began to want to use me more for the kingdom. And I decided to be obedient to His call. I began to walk in my spiritual gift for teaching the word of God. I believe in the utmost that the living word of God is a manual of life but not only that it teaches us about the loving, gracious, kind, awesome, and sovereign Father in the intimate way.

But on Sunday, October 26, 2025 {my kidneyvarsary}, I got the call of a lifetime at 5:04 am in the morning! I was in the restroom when the call came through, but I was not expecting it to be about a kidney, I was kind of upset that someone dared to call me that early on a Sunday morning. However, when they rang back immediately after I declined it the first time, I knew something was up and I answered. “I am looking for Lisa, the caller stated.” “This is Lisa I replied. ” ” The caller said we have a kidney for you.” ” I stated, what?” “She said, yes, it is a great kidney, probably healthier than mine own kidney.” “I was stunned for a moment, trying to get my thoughts together. When she said “do you want it?” And I said, YES!

So from that point it was a whirlwind of activities. Me and my husband were running on pure adrenaline, with excitement and scared all at the same time. We got ourselves together {well my husband got me together}, as I had just stood in the middle of my bedroom floor and started to cry. We finally at about 6 a.m. hit the road to MedStar Georgetown and arrived safely there around 7 a.m. And we waited in the hallway of the Emergency room until the kidney finally arrived at 9:30 p.m. Finally, it’s showtime, I go to pre-op and wait some more then around midnight they take in for surgery.

The miracle of it all is so much, God just orchestrated everything in perfect excellency, down to every small detail. He is amazing to say the least. I will have to continue my story over the next few weeks as its so much to let you know about the goodness of my Father.

But I am doing very well, and recovery is coming along better than I could have imagined.

I want to thank each of you for your prayers during this journey of health challenges in my life and I ask my Father to bless each of you with renewed desire to know Him better in these difficult times and days in this world. He wants to know you better as well.

Be blessed,

Sister Lisa Walker

the butterfly journey

No Comfort Zone

livingwholecoaching

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

Learning to Walk with God

livingwholecoaching

A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with kidney failure. While I didn’t know what that meant fully, I knew it wasn’t good. After ending up in the hospital for about a week because of the fluid overload and my body trying to fight I realized that my situation was way more dire than I thought.

This new health challenge had bought my mortality to the forefront of my mind. And with that came thoughts about my relationship with God. Had I been cultivating a pure connection with Father God like I knew I needed to? It would take several months of being vulnerable and open to listening for God to tell me or show me my true self during this time.

I can honestly say, I cried an awful lot during this time period, and I asked God many, many questions. Not questions like, “why me”, but more like “if my time on earth is over, what is it that do you want me to do before I leave?” My heart was hurting just thinking that I had wasted my entire life and didn’t complete anything that the Lord had wanted me to do.

But over the course of this time God showed me how to walk with Him. He taught me to lean on Him each day. Do you remember when the children of Israel were in the wilderness and God provided them with manna each day? That is what he began to do for me. Each day He would give me peace and grace for the challenges of that day and at the end of each day when I came to bow before Him in prayer, I would find He was always there for me.

There have been setbacks and challenges along the way during this journey but each day I walk with God, He reminds me that He is there with me no matter what. I know that sometimes God allows things to come to get our attention back to Him like it should be and to be honest if this is my test then I am grateful that Father God thinks of me enough to get me back on track to what He has for my life. And not only that but just the opportunity to know Him in the most intimate way is priceless to me.

I am thankful that I am learning to walk with Father God in the way that He is most pleased and honored. I want my life to be a testimony to the goodness of God! And I want to complete my life with integrity and grace and fulfill the purpose God has designed for my life. I want to live and die with no regrets!

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me,

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

depression, Healing, healing and deliverance

I Am Healed! No Weapon!

livingwholecoaching

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

31 Day Butterfly Journey

31 Day Butterfly Journey: Refresh!

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refreshWow what a challenging day!  Every where I turned there was some situation that was rearing its ugly head trying to sap the life out of those that I care about and love, even me!  I started to get frustrated, like why God not one more thing?!  But in my journey of learning from life’s lessons, I stopped myself and my mind from going any place other than to the one I know can change our future.

I often wondered how people that face a life altering threat can withstand the uncertainty of their situation.  It amazes me how some face their challenges head on, never wavering to consider “why me”; they just keep on moving forward to see what lies ahead of them.  I have witnessed people that have held on so tightly to their faith that nothing that came would shake them.  How do they do it?  What motivates them to face health issues, and sometimes death everyday and not get tired of the pain, the changes, or the limitations?

Well I tell you what one friend told me; she said “I do get tired, sad, and even wanting to give up”, but she said “I can’t”.  I said, “what makes you keep going then”?  She said “it’s the love of God”.  Explain I said, well she began it’s like this, “every time I can’t take anymore of my situation God comes and refreshes me”.  I asked; “how does He do that”? “By taking the pain away or making the situation better for a day or so”? She said, “no not really, it’s more internal (more to do with my heart and spirit)”.  Wow! ” You are telling me that by God refreshing your heart and spirit allows you to go on another day?!”  She said, “yes”!

I took her wisdom and placed it in my heart for such a day like today.  I was even able to pour into someone else that was going through and we both shared a tear or two, but our spirits were okay. . . they were refreshed!

So no matter the circumstance ask God to refresh your heart and spirit.  Begin to praise Him in the midst of your storm and see if He will not only refresh you, but He will restore you to a place in Him that nothing can touch, not even the negative reports or feelings that you may have.  He is greater than anything that we face.  Yet we still may have to face our challenges and sometimes they may seem daunting to us, just know for sure that God will refresh you!

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

believer, Faith, God, the butterfly journey

Can You Imagine?

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believe2Can you imagine what our life would be like if we truly believed in God for who He really is?  That is a question that I have pondered over the last several weeks and the other night I was having dinner with a close friend of mine and she asked me this same question!

What if we really believed in the God that we serve for who He really is?  What would our lives and the lives of those around us look like?  Yes, I know what you are thinking, if we are Christians then we do believe.  But go along with me for a minute.

How many times in your life have you wavered in your faith?  It is easy to believe when things are going well and blessings are flowing freely, but what about the times when things get a little scary and unknown?  Do we still hold to the same level of faith and belief in God that we should?  I am just asking the question because in my own life I have wondered and doubted my own faith when things came out of nowhere to “test” what I believe.  My stance wasn’t so sure, my confidence wasn’t so strong and truth be told I was pondering will this all work out for my good?

As the world in which we live becomes more and more complex and troubling will we have the level of faith that Israel had when they found themselves stuck between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army?  Would we have stepped into the sea to escape or would we have retreated back to the place that threatened our freedom?  I often wonder if I would have been so trusting in such a scary situation.

But the hope is that we can believe and trust in God!  We can build our faith and belief to limits that go beyond our own understanding, if we just continue to believe.  We can believe that God is who He says He is by having a “true” relationship with Him.  We can stand firm in the midst of trouble, pain and the unknown if we position our hearts to know Him (God).  Trust begins with knowing and knowing starts with realizing that we can’t live this life alone outside of God.  He is the one who holds the future and knows all things!

As your relationship with God develops and you begin to see that He is faithful and gracious to us, we begin to build a bond with Him that can never be broken unless we decide to turn away.

If we begin to believe God for who He is then and only then can we be a force that could change the world!  Will you believe with me?

The Butterfly Journey

Challenges, coach, depression, Faith, purpose, seeking God

Every Day A Challenge

livingwholecoaching

Even though, I am living my life on purpose now and far from the land of depression that I suffered a short few years ago, I still have challenges.

Every day is a challenge for me; something is always evolving from situation that I would rather not have to face.  But this just life.  I have to face my challenges and I do, sometimes with zeal, prayer and supplication.  Other times not so much.  I run to my friends for encouragement (while nothing is wrong with that), I come to know that really I need to seek God first in everything.

All of us have challenges we face on a daily basis, but our choice in how we face them is the key to getting through them in the shortest, most productive way that we can.  For me it’s prayer (conversations) with God directly.

Sure I can call on my friends, however, they have their challenges too and so they may not have the energy to deal with me at that particular time.  So  now I feel left out, I feel not valued or loved, but no I need to understand that my issues are just that – mine.

Trust me when I say that when I was engulfed in my depression there was no one and I mean no one that could come to my aid.  But the lesson I learned from that is that God wanted me to look to Him for everything that I needed during that time.  It was a lesson in FAITH and it has prepared me for the things that would come my way.

Find your comfort in facing your challenges, but do face them.  The worst thing that we can do is bury our heads in the sand, or couch and try to pretend that they don’t exist.  It will only get worse.  But next time seek God for the answers of how to deal with your challenge in a more spiritual way and see how He will orchestrate the outcome for you.

Join our new Life Coaching Program – STAGES to give you  the tools to navigate life in a more excellent way and catapult you into a life of purpose.  Email – lisa@thebutterflyjourney.net

The Butterfly Journey ~ Lisa

circle of fear, God, prayer, success

The Circle of Fear

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Once again I am going around this same old process.  I am tired of standing in the face of success with fear.  What am I afraid of?  God gave me the plan and endorsement, so just do it already!  But sometimes this paralyzing feeling of fear of success creeps up inside of me and I feel like a deer caught in headlights.  Afraid to run and afraid to stand still.

I know I said earlier this year (and January isn’t even over yet), that I would walk by faith.  I said that I would continue to move forward regardless of my own human limitations.  But here I am again stuck in a place of overwhelming fear that I can’t do what God asked me to do.  I know that sounds awful and I feel awful for saying and feeling it, but it is true.  I understand that the key to being able to push past this feeling is prayer.  I need to continue to seek God every minute of the day for direction, motivation, and clarity to accomplish my mission.

I wonder if others ever feel the same?  Did those who have reach their moment of success ever feel overwhelmed with fear? I need to hear their stories of overcoming.  I need to know what was the pivotal moment that released them to push past that moment/feeling?  What was it that catapulted them to move past the fear and grasp the reality of success that they knew would come?

I really don’t want to continue on this circle of fear of success.  I want to move past it and begin to walk in the purpose and destiny that God has ordained for me.

Today I am asking for your feedback, comments, and stories about how you have overcome the feeling of fear of success and moved into your purpose.  Thanks in advance for your input.

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa

book, Denise Hall Brown, destiny, dream bigger, Faith, God

Dream Bigger!

livingwholecoaching

What does faith have to do with dreaming bigger?  Everything, we can only dream as big as our imagination can take us.  Beyond that point we have nothing. We can strain and squeeze our brains all we want and we are never going to be able to imagine more that it can contain.  But with faith you see anything is possible.  God is able to do above and beyond our wildest, most creative dreams.

My good friend decided to step off the cliff into a “faith walk” that God had prepared for her.  I was so scared and happy for her all at the same time.  I envied her tenacity to make such a bold move with her life.  I wanted to do the same thing, but I didn’t have the nerve that it took to even get to the edge of the cliff.   But my friend Denise said the urge to step into her destiny was so strong she felt she had no other choice.  So she took a quantum leap with God and the results have been more than miraculous.

You see, my friend, Denise Hall Brown, has suffered a tremendous amount of lost and tragedy since the time that I met her.  Years before I even knew who she was or her story, she had lost her mother to a tragic accident with a drunk driver.  Her mother was her world and at her tender age, it was a devastating event that would rock her world.

Years later, when I did have the opportunity to know Denise very well,  is when she suffered the untimely loss of her 6 month old baby boy,  Isaiah.  I remember that day just like it was yesterday and I don’t think I will ever forget it.  My heart broke in a thousands pieces for her and her family and I feel like a part of me will never be the same.

Yet in still she rose to the top and she survived and she began a deep walk with the Lord.  She opened her heart to Him in such a humble way that it amazed me to see her grow so fast in her spiritual journey after all that she had endured.

Then again tragedy struck when one winter season not very long ago, she lost her husband.  I began to wonder too what was God doing in the midst of this sisters life.  How could she take anymore upon her soul?  But she continued to grow in her walk and she grieved and grieved.  She was down but she wasn’t out.  You have to read her full story in her book: 2Grieve 2Gether for the rest of her journey.   More about Denise’s story and how to purchase her book:  www.2grieve2gether.org or www.amazon.com

Today, she is not only surviving, she is thriving!  If you ask her I am sure she would tell you that she never would have dreamed that she would be in the place that she is today.  Her story/book has just been nominated for: Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author with the 43rd NAACP Image Awards! (www.naacpimageawards.net)  She wrote that book to help other survivors and supporters get successfully through the grieving process.  She understood her purpose and destiny and she humbled herself to give to others.  In the midst of that God has shown her favor.  And because her mind could only image so much, God took over and helped her to – Dream Bigger!

The Butterfly Journey – Lisa