Day 15 - Sensing/Joy (Tiffany)

I am embarking into a new season and I am at a place where I believe that God is moving me into the next realm as a Kingdom Citizen and fulfilling the will that He has placed me in. I know that I have to move in synch with the Holy Spirit, for my feelings do have a way of getting a hold of me and the enemy will use others around me to try to distract me from my purpose and he will try and make me look to the left or right to get me off focus to the purposes that God has for me.

To be a light is difficult to do without having the joy of the Lord in my life and the peace of God. I think that I can stir up joy in my everyday life by meditating on the word of God day and night and to ask Him in prayer about being full in joy in all things...The Word says to rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice! 

Day 14 - Imaging/Passion (Tiffany)

I believe that when I truly put my relationship with the Lord at the forefront of all that I do and that pleasing Him is what matters most in my life then I will be able to establish myself, take dominion over the assignment to which I am called to and make a difference in the lives of others.

The hardest part for me is in resting. I tend to over think about things and do not take it to God thinking that I have to do the work in my talents, putting a lot of pressure on myself instead of allowing the Holy Ghost to guide me in my talents. It's a learning process because I'm learning to live by the Spirit period in my life and so learning how to rest in Him in my talents, gifts and passions is something that I'm learning how to follow in as well.

I'm actually glad that I'm able to go through this at this point in my life and grow into a better woman, a better human and to make an impact to affect the lives of others.

Video for Week 3

Day 15 questions from PG

How can you stir up joy in your everyday life? Be specific. 

Discouragement, loss, depression, disappointment, fear, anxiety, oppression, sickness, lack, and loneliness are common joy-thieves. What are some of the things stealing your joy? What will you do to eliminate them? 

Day 14 questions from PG

What are you passionate about?

How can you harness the power of your passions to establish yourself, take dominion, and make a difference within your family, community, or country?

Your inherent passions are part of your genetic makeup. How can you tap into your passions to "go and do your best?" 

Day 13 - Resting/Uniqueness (Tiffany)

Today's discussion is right on schedule with my life. It took me over five hours to get through it, because I was distracted, my soul was not at rest, but my soul could hear everything the book is saying...yes, I'm praying and asking God to really help take me there...I am taking the questions from today into a reflective place and in prayer over night while I sleep and I ask God more questions about me. Each day, I'm learning something new, He is shining light on things that were once unseen and then I look at myself and call myself a hot mess! LoL...but yeah, it's not until He shows you what you're doing wrong & you keep doing it because you don't wanna stop when you get into willful sin...and it sort of blinds your eyes and messes up your signal to His radio dial and hearing correctly. I see many of the bumps I made myself this year on the road, while He specifically guided me and told me straight up of the things I needed to focus on what I did not need to allow to distract me, and yes I allowed those same things to distract me, although not as much this year, but I even had an encounter with that distraction today and I had to say, enough is enough...Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee! Yes, the devil will flee if you submit to what God has said and stop trying to go after your desires in YOUR way Tiffany!!! Yeah, that's it...follow His lead & His lead has what I've been trying to do nowhere nearby...I must perfect this talent/gift and He has stripped everything away just so I could see that, and for me to not pay attention to this right now, would be ignorant and ratchet! LOL!!! I'm out & Praying!!

Day 13 questions from PG

Meditate on the following:

Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris sic the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to them: do you know what you are? You are marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers; the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, or a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. -- Pablo Picasso

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. -- Henry David Thoreau

List five aspects if your personality that make you special. 

List five desires that are uniquely yours.

List five strengths that you bring to the table. 

List five talents that God has given you to steward. 

Day 9 Directing (Peace) Dommi

I've been really working on trying to maintain my peace within. Sometimes I win, sometimes I fail... A few ways I try to manifest peace in my life are to stay engaged in communication with The Lord thru prayer, listening to gospel music to uplift my spirit, and meditating on Gods Word! When the peace of Christ rules my inner world, my outer world is calm and serene... The one thing I need to let go of that does not produce peace is the the desire to change people. Sometimes I just want people to do good and be the best that they can be, but that's not my job. Only God can change people, and in HIS timing... I have to trust God and continue to walk in love & peace...

Day 12 - Restoring/Simplicity (Tiffany)

Well twice today I came across obedience being better than sacrifice. The simplicity characteristic is very important because I do need to just take some time right now and clearly hear what God is saying. I've been listening to podcasts and just asking God about some things about the vision He showed me and how He had reconfirmed things, but right now nothing looks like it, but is it because I didn't follow a step He made plain and clear back in January this year? I got all my journals out today and have been going through them looking for God's voice in what He has said to me and where I am right now and where I'm headed. The podcasts are really helping me out in this and I'm hoping the Lord will send me a dream on the two questions that I do have...however, I will take it anyway He speaks to me. Lord, have Your way, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Day 12 questions from PG

How does the geography of your soul look? Do you need to establish order, repair the power lines, or just mend some fences? Make a list of what these are and begin to address them immediately.

Today, feed your soul by pursuing the simplicity demonstrated by Christ -- demonstrate love. List some practical things you can do to show this.

Day 8 Empowering (Balance) Dommi

My life is so out if balance in so many areas. I think a lot if times I rest in Dommi instead of resting in God and that's why I have so much chaos going on in some situations because I trust in me instead of God... I can't make things better in my own strength and for some reason I find find it hard to lay it all on God and fully trust in him to handle it... I always end up meddling in Gods business... And the result is my life being out of balance in the most important areas... 

I did recently have an experience in resting in God, and that was when I was having major issues with my car. It was like God had to eliminate every other avenue so that I had no choice but to trust him & also so I knew without a shadow of doubt it was God & God alone who worked it all out! It was fearful at first because I had absolutely no control over the situation, but the end result was just unexplainable!!! 

I don't always want to be broke down to ground zero to have faith & trust in God that he will handle the situation... I want to be able to trust & have faith from the beginning with no fear... 

I think one thing I need to change in my daily routine to bring true balance, is to intensify my prayer time with God!! 

Day 11 - Becoming/Discipline (Tiffany)

God can only bless you in proportion to the condition of your soul. 

Are your feelings and emotions roadblocks to His work in your life? 
I think that my feelings and emotions are definitely huge obstacles to the Lord working in my life. Emotions and feelings are big in our areas of experience and it is difficult to push past them at times because they can become overbearing to what our mind truly thinks about the situation. The problem is that the longer we take to confess what we are feeling emotionally and we keep trying to handle things in our own strength, the harder it becomes to discern the voice of the Lord. I read this piece earlier this morning about King Saul and his act of disobedience. The Word said that it is better to obey than to sacrifice, meaning that we need to live by the Spirit and the Word that He gives us instead of trying to hold on to tradition, or what others may be telling us. Many times we can get stuck into moving in legalism in our lives because we are at a place where we may feel disappointed in God because He has not moved in the timing that we felt that He should move in and so we take matters into our own hands.

I have done this countless times, because I failed to trust Him in certain areas financially, I would take extreme measures (not to mention I grew up in a home full of gamblers, so unwise risks were embedded into my cultural make-up)...but I cannot blame what I grew up around, because I am a new creature in Christ, but like I just wrote earlier, our feelings will get us to make a decision out of our flesh instead of on the truth of what the Word of the Lord is saying to us in a particular season.

God confirmed and reconfirmed some writing assignments and details, but I kept my focus on what was going on in my life financially and not giving it over to Him, but trying to make things happen myself...all to the point to where I've now become dependent on others...and yet the enemy is still using this as a point of pressure. It's the system of Babylon and the enemy will keep trying to use it to get Kingdom citizens to bow down from their true purpose here on earth.

"It isn't that God won't bless you, but that He can't bless you until your soul is rightly ordered and restored to God's original plan."

This is a time and season to be correctly in alignment with the purposes of God and His will so that His Kingdom come and His will be done here on earth as it is in Heaven!

"Paul said the discipline of God is not so much about what we choose not to do, but more about what we choose to do."

And I get that! Prior to all of these tearing down in my life, I went through a series of fasts, where I fasted from food. I was getting to the point where my financial situation changed and I didn't have as much food as I used to, so fasting from food didn't make any sense plus I was loosing too much weight! I then heard the Lord say that I need to use His Word in the situations that I was facing, so I began a season of where I would use the Word of God sometimes, but then I would get discouraged after speaking and it didn't seem to come to pass as I thought it should be...especially with one particular circumstance, I know that God spoke because He said it more than once and used two different scriptures in the situation. He told me to "Be still and see the salvation of the Lord." Twice in two different texts...yet, when it came down to it, I was sitting on the floor in fear one day, I was really trying not to feel fearful or dismayed as I sat there, but I was in absolute terror...I was brought to a place where I could feel myself when I was four and a half years old and I felt so alone, so lost, so unprotected, uncovered and vulnerable...I was having a huge problem with trusting God and believing by faith for a miracle, and then the exact thing that I did not want to happen, happened...Now according to law of attraction, this one thing that I was afraid of had been tormenting me since 2004. Throughout the years, the Lord built my faith to the point where I said that I won't worry about tomorrow, but when tomorrow turned into today that's when things were hard, because what God really wants us to do when He says not to worry about tomorrow is to just REST in Him...to carry ALL of the burdens that we have in prayer! We actually forfeit the peace of God because we are too busy trying to handle things on our own!

I believe that God has me at the place where I am...stripped down to next to nothing so that I can properly plan with the Vision He has given me. He wants me to concentrate on writing plans and working and executing, but the devil will come in and try to get me off focus, not concentrate on to-do lists, to think all of these other things need to be done...the enemy will bring external forces who are nosy about my life and begin to ask me all these questions and then offer their opinions, then I start listening to them because I'm not following God (mediating on His Word day and night and not looking to the left or right) and when that happens, that's the discord...FOCUS TIFF, FOCUS!

When the Lord has placed something deep within your heart/soul to help others, you cannot continue to ignore it...you cannot continue to look at everybody else...it's time for DISCIPLINE in your life and to follow the law of love and not legalism. Confess to the Lord where you feel broken, let down and your struggles with how things turned out, and then leave it there and move forward! You can't move forward and look back at the same time, you'll run into something & keep running into things...don't be Lot's wife turning into a pillar of salt, but rather be what God called you to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world!

Colossians 3:12-14 

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: Compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Day 11 questions from PG

1. How do we exercise a disciplined life in God?

2. Paul said the discipline of God is not so much about what we choose NOT to do, but more about what we choose TO do. Make a list of things you can actively choose to do for God.

3. Discipline starts in the mind. For every negative thought or negative word you think or speak today, commit to give $1.00 to a charity of your choice.  

Week Three of The 40 Day Soul Fast

The Nature Of The Soul: The Essence of You

This week we will take a closer look at the life of the soul, what it is, and how it works.
You are not alone if you’ve ever asked yourself, “What is the soul exactly?” or wondered
why it is so important.

Sometimes the essence of who we really are is the most difficult thing to understand.
Consider how much research has gone into studying the human body—think of the
science that has been dedicated to understanding our cells and the chromosomes they
contain which make us who we are!

As much as our true nature is revealed on a cellular level, so is the truth of who we are
hidden within our souls! By understanding who we are on a “soulular” level, we are
better able to diagnose our vulnerabilities, supplement our weaknesses, and nourish our
strengths.

When I think of a healthy body, I think of a body that is able to defend itself from
disease. I’ve heard it said that you are exposed to enough germs at any given moment
to make you deathly ill, but as long as you keep our immune system functioning as it
should, you can fend off even the deadliest germs.

Likewise, the health of your soul depends on its ability to defend itself against whatever
may cause you dis-ease. You may understand how to keep your cells protected and
strong, but what about your soul?

Your body provides a beautiful metaphor for how your soul functions. There are always
forces at work bombarding your soul—attempting to get a foothold where there is a
weakness in order to throw your system off balance.

Just as a virus is a formidable enemy on a cellular level, so are the forces of darkness
when it comes to the life of your soul.

I think of how laser technology is able to destroy cancerous tissue or disintegrate a
malignant tumor, and how the light of truth with laser-sharp accuracy is able to destroy
all the works of the enemy.

Human souls are what kingdom forces are warring over. God’s primary objective has
always been to liberate the souls of humanity from the enslaving forces of the enemy so the sons and daughters of God can take rightful dominion of the earth.

Why is the human soul the frontline of this epic battle taking place between the kingdoms of light and darkness?

Because the soul is the driving force that causes a person to dream—it gives
every individual the power to create a new reality, a different outcome, and the
potential to change the course of history.

The soul is the engine that gives a person the power to imagine a desired outcome and
the determination to complete a goal. It provides the motivation, willpower, desire, drive, enterprise, passion, resolve, urge, and zeal to accomplish an objective. It is what makes the human will unstoppable.

The soul is both the navigational center as well as the engine room of a human being. It
determines whether you move toward or away from God’s divine purposes—and it
determines the speed at which you move in either direction, depending on whether it is fueled by Truth or deception.

Unlike the mind, the soul is the seat of one’s personality—it is where the genetic code of
each individual’s drives, temperaments, aptitudes, intrinsic motivations, inherent
desires, and innate abilities are imprinted. It is the “inner man” that is expressed through
the outer man we all see when we look at one another.

The soul is our life force. It is made up of electromagnetic energy that can be measured.
It is a substance that can be weighed.

In 1907, Dr. Duncan MacDougall of Haverhill, Massachusetts discovered that the
human soul consisted of a material substance that weighed approximately twenty-one
grams—just less than an ounce. Through a series of experiments, Dr. MacDougall
concluded that this substance was unique to human beings. How did he come to these
conclusions? As it was understood that the soul left the body upon death, MacDougall weighed his human subjects just prior to their dying and then again in the moments after they
passed on. It was ascertained that upon death, the standard amount of weight lost by
each of these subjects was twenty-one grams—whereas when he weighed various
animals under the same circumstances, no weight loss was measured.

Although Dr. MacDougall’s findings were never taken seriously by the scientific
community of his day, more sophisticated measurement tools and electromagnetic
detection devices have caused his theory to become more widely accepted in modern
times.

Today, it is believed the average person loses closer to two ounces when he or she
dies. Some scholars attribute this loss to what many have defined as a person’s
electromagnetic life force, which is strictly unique to the human species.
Therefore, when we are referring to the human soul, we are talking about a measurable
substance that has been scientifically proven to exist. This substance is what gives
each person his or her distinctive identity, personality, mental faculties, talents,
emotions, and will. It is from where we derive our sense of self and individuality.
In the words of Ray Charles, “What is soul? It’s like electricity—we don't really know
what it is, but it’s a force that can light a room!”

Our soul determines everything about who we are, from our appetites to our ambitions.
It is our life force that leaves an indelible mark on all we meet. We may forget a face,
but it is a person’s soul that leaves the most lasting impression.

The word “soul” comes from the Hebrew word nephesh, which when translated,
generally refers to a “breathing, thinking being with passion, appetite, and emotion.”
According to The Hebrew-English Lexicon, it literally means the “complete life of a
being” defined by the following characteristics: 1) soul, self, life, person, being, mind,
consciousness, desire, emotion, passion, appetite; 1a) that which breathes, the
breathing substance or being, the inner being of man; 1b) self, person or individual;
1c) seat of the appetites; 1d) seat of emotions and passions; 1e) activity of the mind;
1f) activity of the will; 1g) activity of the character.

The soul empowers a person to perform a task by providing an individual with ability,
potential, aptitude, competence, capacity, facility, skill, and wherewithal.
The soul, which sets humans apart from every other created being on the earth, is
governed by an individual’s will and unique pattern and process of thought—divinely
ordained and comprised of a person’s temperament, personality, proclivities, mindset,
disposition, destiny, and purpose.

The soul gives a person the mental faculty to make decisions including the power of
judgment, discernment, discretion, volition, prudence, insight, foresight, conviction,
belief, and faith.

The soul endows a person with the ability to think and apply knowledge via the intellect,
understanding, creativity, sensibility, wisdom, and what some have come to call,
intuition.

The soul is the seat of one’s intelligence, conscience, and reason; it houses the mind,
will and emotions of an individual. The soul is contained within a physical body that God
created from the dust of the earth—a body created from the earth to interact with and
function in the physical realm.

With the aid of five physical senses, the body enables humans to be conscious of the
world around them giving them the ability to discern earthly things.

In contrast, the spirit of man was created to reflect the image and likeness of God,
making him God-conscious, and giving him the ability to interact with and discern
spiritual things. So while the body is temporal and earth-bound, the spirit is eternal and
heaven-bound.

These two planes of existence—the earthly and the heavenly—come together in the
human soul. The great battles taking place between the kingdom of heaven and that of
the world—between the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness—are for the
souls of humanity. These battles not only rage in our souls, but for our souls.

The soul, in essence, is where the temporal and eternal aspects of human existence
intersect. The soul gives human beings the ability to discern the divine self—to be selfaware—and to consciously live a life elevated by the Kingdom of God while still physically bound to the earth.

The soul is the seat of intention, conscience, and choice. In other words, the soul is the governing mechanism of your life, which in turn is either governed by Christ, the world, or the enemy.

What you allow to govern your soul is what you permit to occupy it.
• Is your soul governed by the love of things or the love of God?
• What do you spend the most time thinking about? What do you most hope and long for?

Hope acts like an anchor that will either tether your soul to the Kingdom of God or to the
kingdoms of this world—to your painful past or to the promise of your future. Paul told
the Colossians, “The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they
are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope” (Colossians 1:3-5 MSG).

It is our hope in God alone that provides “a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls”
(Hebrews 6:19).

From the beginning, God set mankind apart from the rest of creation by breathing into
him His very own breath and causing him to become a living soul—an eternal thinking,
feeling, rational, creative being like Himself. He created him in His own tripartite
image—spirit, soul, and body.

The Trinity of the Godhead is comprised of God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Ghost. When we are born into the family of God, His DNA is activated within us—
His Spirit comes alive within our spirit, we are given the mind of Christ, and every cell of
our mortal bodies is revitalized by the power of His Resurrection Life.

Every aspect of the Godhead comes alive in our own tripartite being—His Spirit comes
to live in our hearts, His Nature takes up residence in our consciousness, and even His
eternal Word is made flesh in our mortal bodies.

So why doesn’t every believer in Christ walk in complete victory in all areas of their
lives? Why do God’s people struggle generation after generation, day after day, not only
with the multitude of opposing forces at work in the world, but the forces at work in their
own minds and bodies—even in their own souls?

The great Apostle Paul wrote about this very thing in his letter to the Romans, “But there
is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to
the sin that is still within me” (Romans 7:23 NLT). What is this enslaving power? Paul
admitted that this power “makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do” (CEV).
How can you be a child of God and still a slave of sin?

This is the primary question we will be dealing with throughout The 40 Day Soul Fast.
• What are the toxins and ties contaminating and entangling your soul keeping it vulnerable to sin and cycles of failure?

Even if you don’t feel bound by sinful behaviors or victimized by continual defeat, there may still be other encumbrances within your soul keeping you from breaking through and achieving the greatness God has implanted in you.

“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” - James 1:21 NLT
©2011 N. Cindy Trimm. All rights reserved.
 

Day 10 - Seeing/Goodness (Tiffany)

My habits have been mostly random, where I have walked carnally most of the time instead of living by the Spirit, because I have chosen to do my own will without even considering the will of the Lord. So I believe that if I make my new habit to be to truly put God ahead of my day and to pray and ask Him for the map of my days, weeks, months and life...then I can walk righteously in a way that pleases Him.

I know that He will not show me every single detail, but in prayer as I write and re-write my blueprint, He will guide me along the way, telling me to slow down here, pay attention that way, pray for these areas, go this way...He's been doing this thing for the last few days and speaking to me through my dreams. I am grateful for that!

Day 10 questions from PG

1. Examine your life, your habits, your heart, and your thoughts: are they an expression if the life of Christ in you, "rich in goodness"?

2. How might these things be different if the consisted of " every form of goodness"?

3. Think of one negative thing you can replace with something positive.

Day 9 questions from PG

1. Mohammad's Gandhi said, "each one of us has to find his peace from within. And peace to to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances." Jesus said, "let not your heart be troubled" (John 13:1) think of some practical things you can do in your life today to manifest peace.

2. Focus on allowing the peace of Christto rule in your heart. When Christ's peace rules your inner world, how will that affect your outer world?

3. Be willing to let go if whatever does not produce peace. Pray, and write down anything the Spirit brings to your mind.

Day 9 - Directing/Peace (Tiffany)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;I will counsel you with My eye upon you. - PSALM 32:8

This process of learning to really keep my trust in God and put Him first in everything is something new, and something hard to think about each moment. I think that I am where I am today so that I can constantly think of Him first as far as guidance and direction and this is me getting in alignment with what He wants for my life and His will.

I have always had many dreams, goals and desires in my heart...but I think where I missed it is that I relied in myself in getting it, I relied in what I could do and when it didn't pan out the way I envisioned, I had negative thoughts and complaints. This doesn't help when you grew up around very critical people, because when the inside of you feels disappointed and others are looking on the outside and saying the same thing, it's really difficult to rise above what you're feeling inside.

I know that through my current circumstance the  Lord is showing me those feelings I used to harbor and how long it took Him to deliver me from that before, and I had not noticed that I had been healed from all of that until I was faced with those demons speaking to me again...and when they speak, I have to either rebuke them and keep pressing or I can give in and believe them. I just know that there is no way that I can win if I believe them. So this is where I am...I can only move forward because being defeated is not an option for me.

"Whether you receive God's guidance and direction through studying and reflection on His Word or He chooses to speak to you through another person, He seldom gives a written set of detailed instructions."

Very true! God has been leading me along this path, and He has shown me things to open my heart to. Along the path these past two and a half years, things have gotten rocky. Some points, I heard Him clearly speak, other times I wasn't so sure it was Him and kept asking for confirmation...and recently, I've had to endure a crash that made me question His whole leading only to have a dear spiritual friend of mine say, "Stay on your assignment"...

What's difficult about staying on your assignment is the attacks that the enemy tries...he is sly and slick and when he discredits your identity and you don't fight back with who you are in God, but you just take it, then it's hard to get up and intercede for others especially if they're the ones who are hurting your feelings...you just want to back down and away until you can find in a cave to hear His still small voice again like Elijah!

"God will cause you to learn what you need to know along the way. He is going to direct you as you move forward. He wants you to learn how to make choices--how to develop wisdom and discretion--just like any good father would want for his child."

This above passage is very difficult for me because I'm in a situation where I am choosing the way of the only opened door for me, but it may not look morally right to other people of faith. It is the only way that I can go without putting myself in danger and harms way. All I can think about is that when I do this, I have to maintain a clear focus and I cannot rest, I have to go hard to achieve the vision set before me. I am about to work on a vision board on Pinterest just so that I can make sure that I have everything aligned before I walk through this door so that while I am there, I have no time to get distracted and pay attention to any of the emotions that I may be feeling. This is going to have to be a time where I truly secure my emotions in the Father because I don't have time to get sidetracked, plus there is too much weight for not only my future, but for my son and those lives that God will be using me to impact for His glory.

"There is a direct correlation between where you are now and every decision you have made in the past. Each new decision you make will determine your future. Destiny moves at the speed of decision."

 I'm one of those people that takes awhile to make a decision, because I really don't want to choose wrong. Some people are irritated by that, they think you are slow...want to call you names, but I want to be satisfied with the decision I have made. Ending up in wrong relationships is one reason why...I know the kind of person I don't want because I used to dive in based on physical attraction, but failed to look for other important characteristics!

"God is not the author of confusion, but of peace"...this scripture just gave me insight. So many people can look at what you're going through and they start suggesting what they would do if they were you, or what you need to do...but it's not what God has said. Listening to a whole bunch of other people when you have a clear connection with God is foolish. Sometimes we can be in our flesh on something, and it's wise to listen to counsel, but we must first prayerfully bring back what has been said to the Lord. I have had a person close to me and the Lord tell me things that God has said several times and it's been off...and I felt a little dumb after doing what this person told me to do...once I prayerfully considered and it ended up having a negative effect on their life...well maybe not, God works everything out for the good! Anyway, many people have been speaking to me and trying to speak over me as far as the direction my life is going and I just cannot accept the limits that they put on. My God is infinite and I believe that He is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that I can ask or think! And I'm believing God that I will be a business owner. Many business owners have had to endure hardship and failure, and probably hearing a lot of naysayers along the way, but I believe that if you stay focused on what God is calling you to, and listen to His voice only, He will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in!! Yes, I believe this and I have been a faithful tither, God knows! So it's just a matter of time.

I think that's the scripture that I will meditate on tonight, Malachi 3:10-12

¹⁰ Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

¹¹ And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts.

¹² And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

Day 8 - Empowering/Balance (Tiffany)

It's Through Christ That I Can Do All Things

When I read the following statement, I was confused, but thank God I was able to ask Him for understanding!

"It is only as you are linked to God's purpose that you can expect His power. If you can surrender your own personal agenda for God's agenda, you will be given great power to achieve extraordinary things"

My issue laid in "God's agenda". I kept asking, "How am I to know Your agenda?"...but then it clicked in my head what was meant by this statement. When we try to do things our own way and from the place of the flesh, we are operating according to our own agenda instead of God's agenda and therefore we are operating in the flesh instead of in a place of rest where we have our faith in God to do and we rely on Him therefore we don't have to work.

It's not a place of laziness and slothfulness, but trusting in God's power to move through us. I am reminded of when I waited until the last minute to do my college papers in my undergrad career. I would procrastinate until the night before a paper was due, then I would be at my computer with my mind blank and I would pray and ask God to help me. I would then pull an all-nighter but it wasn't in my flesh that I was pulling the all-nighter but by His Spirit. I don't think I even had time to agonize whether or not if my faith was faith, we can get caught up in thinking too hard about what God is doing that we end up missing using His gifts and abilities in our lives and therefore we become barren and unfruitful.

"God is constantly at work, looking for ordinary people who want to partner with Him by allowing His supernatural power to be channeled through them to a hurting world."

To rest in God is felt when you completely have your faith in Him to do things through you. You don't strive from your flesh to meet the needs or obligations in your life. You pray in faith, and then you work trusting in His power to move through you in things you are faced with. When you are not resting in God, you tend to experience, irritation, agitation and/or anxiety...all things that keep you from the peace of God; you're doing things from the flesh and not allowing the Lord to build.

I believe what I need to change in my daily routine to bring balance to my life is to pray without ceasing. When I am constantly praying, most likely I will not get caught up in doing what my flesh desires or is afraid of.

Day 7 - Healing/Wholeness (Tiffany)

Ask. Seek. Knock.

In the spiritual area of my life right now, I am waiting with expectation on a miraculous move of God, while stirring my gifts, asking, seeking and knocking. I've been in pain lately by things that have been projected unto me. I believe that this period of brokenness and suffering is preparing me for the glory that is to be revealed in me. I'm prepared to allow God to work in and through my current situation to bring me to greater wholeness. It's about letting go, stop trying to deal things on our own, but until I'm able to accept responsibility for the decisions I make, I won't be able to grow. Yesterday when I went through this section of the book, all I could think about is how often I do place blame on others as well as myself...and that's kind of where I end up getting stuck. But from a Kingdom perspective, we have to allow faith and forgiveness to liberate us and heal our souls.

The Holy Spirit led me to two particular scriptures yesterday which made me understand all that is needed to please God.

Hebrews 11:6 - "But without faith it is impossible to PLEASE and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out."

Romans 8:8 - "So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot PLEASE or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him."

Basically, when we live our lives by faith we please God, but when we live our lives by our flesh/carnal nature and don't depend on God, we do not please God!

I think over the past decade plus that I've been a Christian, I did not understand this about faith because mostly faith was preached as a place of prosperity thinking, I did not understand that it ascertains to our entire lives and being and in everything that we do.

My most current pressing concerns come from a place of thinking that I was sent somewhere on assignment and the enemy is using them to remove me from there and being a light. But the enemy did it in such a way where my identity and character had been attacked, and there is just no way that I can even want to stay somewhere where I have so much difficulty even trying to get a prayer through, so my time will be up soon, very soon and hopefully my next assignment will give me enough peace to pray the Father's will.

For a few days, I was really angry and upset and wished I had never sent a certain text message, because if I hadn't I wouldn't be in this season...but all I can be is grateful, because I have learned much, I was able to minister to others and be of encouragement and help. I believe that God is building me for the next level and also to know how better to cope with rejection which I will be faced with when entering the world of business.

Day 8 questions from PG

1. Read Hebrews 4:1-11

2. How does it feel to rest in God?

3. What do you need to change in your daily routine to bring true balance?

Day 7 Healing (Wholeness) Dommi

I'm currently struggling with Wholeness in my life right now. The thing that causes me to lie awake at night and worry, distract me, causes me to furrow my grow, and steal my peace is ME, and how I handle certain situations. Sometimes I handle things like I've already been defeated... I meditate on things and situations like God is not in control & fighting the battle for me... I walk in offenses & hurts instead of forgiving and walking in the forgiving love that God gives me... I'm trying to genuinely walk in love & show love but it's very hard to do in some instances & it affects the Wholeness of my being... I am a work in progress...

Day 7 questions from PG

  1. Identify your most pressing concerns. What causes you to lie awake at night and worry? What distracts you and causes you to furrow your brow throughout the day? Who or what have you allowed to steal your peace? 

2. Make a commitment to yourself to never wish things did not happen. Accept learn and grow from every experience. 

3. Take responsibility by shaping every irritation, offense, anxiety, or doubt into a prayer. Write down what you notice happens as a result. Who are you able to forgive? How will this affect your network of relationships? 

Day 6 Connecting (capacity) Dommi

What I have learned about myself so far is I am a fighter! I don't give up or give in easily. I'm always trying to find a solution to a problem and make it right!

Four things I will purpose to eliminate are 1) talking about my problems to others to gain sympathy or to have someone on my side of an issue. 2) allowing my thoughts to wander & over-analyzing situations. 3) stop using food as a crutch when I feel emotionally abandoned, sad, depressed, or bored. 4) stop meditating on my hurts and offenses...

Four new habits I will focus on cultivating are 1) pray about EVERYTHING!!! 2) think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praise-worthy! 3) control my eating habits. 4) make a specific time each day to study Gods Word!

Day 6 - Connecting/Capacity (Tiffany)

Consciously Say Good-Bye to Selfishness

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. - Matthew 6:30

I think that most of what the Lord is digging up out of my soul through this Soul Fast is that part of me that is so selfish. My ex-husband used to say that I was so selfish and he said this more than I cared to hear. No one had ever called me selfish in my life and I didn't want to accept what he was saying. But the reason why I could not accept what he was saying is because I never looked at the Word in a way where I saw that part of myself, and when I began to look into it that way, God started tearing some things down.

Initially, I didn't want to change, but I believe that the Lord works on us in a way that first He reveals our sin to us, whereas before we never saw it and was okay living that way, but when He first reveals it, we don't automatically change/repent. We may first struggle with giving it up and confessing it to God. But overtime, when we truly desire to go deeper with God, we have the desire and we say we give ourselves away, usually meaning that thing that we have been struggling with giving away, or why God hasn't been able to use us fully because of that one area.

Ultimately, the Lord is changing our character to look like the image of His Son, on a day by day basis as we submit ourselves to Christ.

Humble yourselves before God, voluntarily submitting yourself to weakness, limitations, and to feasting on His Word, expect His grace to save your soul by healing, empowering, directing, and seeing.

You see the issue I have with getting rid of my selfishness, is that it's not clear-cut like the outward sins that I gave to God and have been trusting Him for over the years (drunkenness, fornication, lying, stealing)...you see with selfishness, it's hard for me to determine when I'm being selfish because I'm so used to myself...anyway, I now understand a major reason is that I'm selfish because I'm trying to protect myself from harm and danger. I noticed that for many years, it's hard for me to hug others, because I feel that I cannot trust who I am hugging, because in my mind, I think of it in a way as me getting a hug from them and that they don't mean the hug that they're giving. I try to turn my thinking around to be a Giver of hugs instead of a Getter of hugs, but it's very difficult. I would say there was a point in my life after coming to Christ where I gave real true genuine hugs out of concern for others, but it was short-lived...I think when I started fellowshipping at a former church, I felt that the people there were friendly but not genuine, and I began to put up walls, as I put those walls up, I also was dealing with how to break the walls in my own marriage, which was hard to do, I didn't know how to let go of things...so this whole ordeal has transformed into having a difficult time in reaching others because I cannot get thoughts about myself and what I need or want out the way...I have a hard time not concentrating on what I'm getting instead of focusing on Giving...and this is really what Matthew 6:33 is about! You put the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first, not what you are struggling with when it comes to others.

I think it's a process, but it's really deep. I'm glad I'm going through the soul fast and this is one of the things that I am purposing to eliminate in my life and I will start that by not focusing on myself so much, eliminating negative thinking and my new habits will be to memorize scripture, to change my mindset, practice complimenting others and praising God when I am able to actually give to others.

I think a good way to start that is to greet people at church. I think when I was a greeter at my first church, I broke that barrier and really was ministering through greeting, but in between all that has happened in my life, that part is no longer inside of me and I need to get back to that and start loving others from there. I believe that will change my prayer life as well on how I intercede for others, I won't necessarily feel the need to have to talk to them and tell them that I prayed for them, but I just need to do it, genuinely.

Day 6 questions from PG

1. What have you learned about yourself so far?

2. What are 4 things you will purpose to eliminate? 

3. What 4 new habits will you focus on cultivating? 

Week 2 ~ The Purpose of a Soul Fast

WEEK TWO:
The Purpose Of A Soul Fast (Cindy Trimm)

The Self-Leadership Challenge
Welcome to Week Two of The 40 Day Soul Fast!
I hope you’ve been following along in the book and journal—and taking advantage of
the phone app! We are only just briefly touching on each week’s overarching theme
here—while the book takes you deeper into each day’s topic and the journal coaches
you through each of the forty characteristics of an authentic person.
Today we are going to talk about the purpose of soul fasting, the symptoms of an
unhealthy soul and how everything you experience begins on a soulular level.
When you feel weighed down—like you’re dragging around some kind of heavy
baggage not knowing what’s inside of it—you’re in need of a soul fast!
If you feel like you’re drowning in a quagmire of mental clutter, stress, hurt, loneliness,
or fear—fuzzy headed, indecisive, not able to think straight—or simply feel emotionally
bankrupt—or as if something has a spiritual lien on your soul—you need to stop and
clean your inner house! “Make a clean sweep of your lives,” as it says in Luke 3:16-17
(MSG).

Breaking free, getting clear, and finding that peace and confidence that makes life joyful
is the purpose of The 40 Day Soul Fast.
You are not alone when you feel those waves of despair crashing against your mind, or
that for every one step forward you end up taking two steps back—circling, yet stagnate,
bumping up against walls, blind. Every human being is susceptible to these nightmarish
symptoms simply by neglecting the life of their soul!
The first step in healing and liberating your soul is making the decision to do so.
“Destiny Moves At The Speed Of Decision.”
If you are here reading this, I congratulate you on taking the time to invest in the life of
your soul. You are already on your way to creating a stronger, fitter, better you. Believe
me when I say that when your soul is fit and strong, everything else about you will become better and stronger!
It amazes me how little we are willing to invest in the most important asset we
have—the one asset that governs everything else we experience in this life!
The minutia that ties up our souls is one of the most misunderstood things keeping us
from running with purpose and certainty. Experiences, events, habits, relationships,
desires, and motives, even spirits, continually ensnare our souls holding us back from
moving confidently forward in the direction of our dreams.
In his award-winning book, Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard wrote, “The hidden
dimension of each human life is not visible to others, nor is it fully graspable even by our
selves. We usually know very little about the things that move in our own soul, the
deepest level of our life, or what is driving it.”
We must ask ourselves, “Why do I do the things that I do?”—“Why do I keep attracting
the people I really do not want in my life, and repelling the people I do?”—“How can I
break free from negative cycles?”
We must be willing to be honest with ourselves and have the courage to be
circumspect—look around, take heed, and ask the difficult question of what within our
own life is causing our circumstances or determining the experiences we have with
other people.
“Negative patterns prevent us from fulfilling our
dreams and cause us to abort our purpose until we
eventually die with the seeds of massive potential
still locked up within us.”
Now more than ever, at this time in history, we must “lay aside every weight, and the sin
which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before
us” (Hebrews 12:1).
The weights that tie us down not only keep us vulnerable to sin, but also cause us to
inappropriately respond to life’s challenges and adopt entire sets of behaviors that keep
us stagnated and going around in circles. These negative patterns prevent us from
fulfilling our dreams and cause us to abort our purpose until we eventually die with the
seeds of massive potential still locked up within us.
Not only that, but when we are unable to break free from the junk cluttering our soul life,
we keep those around us bound up as well. We become part of the problem rather than
the solution. We are among the blind leading the blind. Jesus asked His disciples, “Can
the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?” (Luke 6:39.) We become
the hurting that hurt, and the disappointed that disappoint.
“Many never realize there is a direct correlation
between where they are now
and every decision they have made.”
In my years of interacting and observing people, it has become glaringly apparent that
most folks are generally oblivious to how their decisions and thought patterns affect
those with whom they interact on a daily basis, and vice versa—let alone how everyday
words and decisions affect their own destiny. This is heart wrenching to me.
I have spent my career as a civil servant, educator, and minister observing the
debilitating burdens people carry who have been hurt or negatively affected by the
words or actions of others, as well as their own.
The fact is, all of those negative actions and reactions are simply the outcry of hurting
souls—a cry for healing and restoration—a desperate plea to be freed from the weights
and bondages that have tied so many of us to continual defeat, failure, and despair. It is
a self-perpetuating process the enemy has spun into perfection incarcerating the souls
of humanity in prisons of offense, resentment, and unforgiveness.
I have come to the conclusion that most of the junk cluttering our souls has to do with
the experiences we have had, or are having, with other people. The result of the
choices we make within the context of our relationships.
“Your life is simply a representation
of the sum total of your choices—
choices that either enslave or save your soul.”
It all began when humankind first chose to walk away from a healthy relationship with
God and to relate instead to the god of this world paying fatal attention to his deceptive
propositions. Since then, we have observed generation after generation of deteriorating
healthy relational ties, and as a result, the strengthening influence of unhealthy soul ties.
We have become an increasingly self-centered people, pursuing the lust of the eyes,
the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life—experiencing deceptive measures of success without ever fully maximizing our potential or fulfilling our purpose—and hardly ever do
we do either with any real power or inner peace.
Many exit this earth prematurely while others are plagued with sickness and disease, or
feel exiled to an inferior standard of living with its perpetual cycles of defeat and failure,
or fall victim to self-sabotaging and self-destructive behaviors. They draw destructive
people and circumstances to themselves simply by what they choose to believe.
Many never realize there is a direct correlation between where they are now and every
decision they have made in the past.
“You are always only one decision away
from living the life of your dreams!”
Destiny moves at the speed of decision. In other words, the life you are living—the state
of your relationships, the joy and peace you are experiencing, or the sorrow and pain all
find their root in the decisions you’ve made up until now. Your life is simply a
representation of the sum total of your choices—choices that either enslave or save
your soul.
Think about that for a moment. Ultimately, you are only one decision away from
changing everything. One decision can change the trajectory of your life. You are
always only one decision away from living the life of your dreams!
From here on out, make certain everything you say or do is aligned with the Word of
God. James wrote, “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”
(James 1:22). Why? Because it is by choosing to do and not just hear the Word that you
are “able to save your souls” (James 1:22).
Yes, it is up to you to take charge of your soul—and ultimately your destiny!
“The goal of the Soul Fast is to guide you through the
process of discovering who you really are,
assist you in examining all of your objectives and
relationships, and establish you on the path to
success and prosperity.”
For the next forty days, I will show you how to detox your soul and renew your mind so
you can break free from the decisions that are keeping you from going around in circles.
I will take you on a journey through the realm of your soul and the territory of your
thoughts, and walk you through the mechanics of harnessing the power of your words
and the extraordinary force of your actions.
You may have been handed a bad deal from the day you were born, but I’m here to tell
you that doesn’t have be your final epitaph! The goal of this 40 Day Soul Fast is to guide
you through the process of discovering who you really are, assist you in examining all of
your objectives and relationships, and establish you on the path to success and
prosperity.
My highest calling and greatest reward in life is launching you into a new level of
victorious and joyous living by establishing you in the knowledge of the truth of God’s
Kingdom—knowledge that will set you free regardless of the unfortunate events,
decisions, or relationships you’ve been bound by in the past.
Jesus promised his disciples, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free”
(John8:32). The truth will set the real you—the divinely created you that has been held
captive—free from the limitations of your unsaved, enslaved soul!
Let’s get started unlocking the real you!
“What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?
What could you ever trade your soul for?” (Mark 8:34 MSG).

~Taken from Cindy Trimm http://www.soulfast.com/?page=40day&lesson=lesson2

40 Day Fast week 2 with Dr. Cindy Trimm

Week Two - Soul Fast Email Letter

Welcome to Week Two of The 40 Day Soul Fast!

This week we are focusing on the purpose of soul fasting, the symptoms of an unhealthy soul, and how everything you experience begins on a soulular level.

It is truly astounding how little we understand about the life of the soul. I commend you for making the decision to do some soul-keeping--when your soul is in order, you will be surprised how this will impact the rest of your life! 
 
Your circumstances, experiences, relationships, even your environment are a reflection of the condition of your soul.

Seasons of fasting from the clutter and minutia that crowd your mind and cloud your soul help you to more fully enjoy God's presence and discern His gentle promptings. Most of us are willing to heed His voice but are simply unable to hear it!  

The key to greater peace and abundance is letting go of the regrets, shame, doubts, fears, insecurities, and emotional entanglements that keep you from the truth of who you really are--keep you deaf to your dreams and blind to possibilities--keep you from delighting in the Lord and entering His rest, and from trusting Him to faithfully order your steps. Hope begins to fade as the wellspring within you becomes muddied.

Take this week to get back on course. What are the things weighing you down, pulling you off center, or depleting your energy? Identify those things and begin addressing them mindfully and deliberately. Set some clear soul goals. How would you like your inner life to look at the end of this 40-day period?

It is up to you to take charge of your soul--and ultimately your destiny!
Mark 8:34 MSG: What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Isaiah 55:2 NKJV: Let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Day 5 Loosing (patience) Dommi

The thing that typically causes me to lose patience is when I feel like people are not listening to me. I can change my perspective to tap into the power of patience by realizing that God is doing His perfect work in me and while it may not be done in my timing, when he is done with me, the work he has done will be perfect and complete...

Day 5 - Loosing/Patience (Tiffany)

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

There are some hard truths that you are confronted with when you are truly trying to live in a place where your soul is right. I admit some things, I know I need a lot of work, I just don't understand why all this work gotta be done at one time...I feel like I'm under deep construction...it's not even funny. I feel exactly like the metaphor/analogy of the Chinese bamboo as used in today's text:

I came across a compelling story that demonstrates the value and power of patience. This story is about a very unique plant, the Chinese bamboo. When bamboo is planted, watered, and nurtured throughout the growing season, it does not outwardly develop at all- not a but or sprout appears. It takes five consecutive years of cultivation before even the slightest sign of growth is visible. And then in the fifth year, something incredible happens: Within a six-week period it grows up to 60 feet! For five years, the bamboo seed silently develops underground-expanding its root system in order to make it strong enough to sustain the "sudden growth" that ultimately takes place in the fifth year. Had the tree failed to build a strong underground foundation, it would be impossible for it to "all of a sudden" reach its full potential when it comes time to push its way through the soil into the outside world.

I was at a Homegoing celebration today and I heard all these accolades of the woman who went home to glory. It was beautiful, but what was hard to understand for me, in all that she gave, in all of her virtue, her last years here were hard, she had to stay in a home, she had Alzheimer's and only one of her adult children took care of her while she was in this state. It was heartbreaking to know that someone could invest so much into so many people, and only one of her children was there day-to-day...she made a promise to her mother to the point that she had put her husband on the backburner because of the commitment she made to her mom. That's genuine love. But I had a hard time with this because this is not the first godly woman that I have seen gone through something like this, and I just ask myself why??! Especially when you have given so much for the Kingdom, why does God allow this to happen to His servants? I don't understand this kind of longsuffering, and then there's people out on the street lost trying to find relief to their souls through drugs and so they medicate so that they don't have to deal with who they are or with God...how can these ppl who don't care about their souls be this way, but those who pour out all of who they are have to endure like this? I need answers.

I wrote my answers to the questions earlier today in my own journal, but this is what's on my heart at this moment...

Day 5 questions from PG

1. What typically causes you to lose your patience?

2.how can you change you perspective to tap into the power of patience?

3. Visualize yourself exercising patient restraint the next time you want to react otherwise.

Day 4 Preparing (commitment) Dommi

Commitment has definitely been a challenge for me in everything I do... Even in doing this study I have allowed myself to be thrown off track!

I would love to see myself having my life together, whatever that looks like... I feel like I'm aiming for something I've never had before, and because I've never had it, I'm not sure what it will look like for me. It's kind of like the opening quote for day 5 (yes I peeked ahead, lol) me doing this study is like taking the first step even though I can't see the whole staircase...

I am going to commit to finishing this study no matter what in order to save the real me! 

One thing I will purge is the erroneous thinking.... I will commit to changing those negative thoughts into speaking God's Word & His truth over my life...

One thing I will add to cultivate my true self is determination to follow thru... 

Day 4 - Preparing/Commitment (Tiffany)

The heart regulates the hands. 

This is one of the most profound things I've read. It was at the end of the chapter for today, it was in the following scripture:

Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. (2 Corinthians 8:10).

I mean that makes so much sense, I cannot begin to do in my hands what's not in my heart...and it's difficult to stop doing the things that's in my heart that aren't right. So when you truly think about commitment, how can you commit to something if your heart is faint about it. I keep thinking about the vision that I've had and everything falling apart, but faith is not seen, right? So as I'm feeling that I can go in all of these different directions right now, if I go back to what I've believed by faith in Him and what He can do, I shouldn't deviate too far from that, should I? It's hard to even contemplate the thoughts because my human mind is trying to reason this whole thing out and I see NO WAY...but God will make a way.

Sometimes, God is just waiting for us to be committed to what we say we want...but if we don't really want that, we cannot commit to it. I've seen people who have continued to press forward in achieving their dreams in music for years. There has been no real financial success, but it's what they love, it's what's in their heart, and they believe that their gift will make room for them, despite the down period of time that it takes to get there. What makes it hard to live like this for your dreams and your commitment to it, is that you get so many outsiders and naysayers...and you never know how long this will continue on. I'm not really sure, I just know that I'm going to follow Jesus no matter what.

• What are you going to commit to doing in order to save the real you?
• Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee!

• Identify one thing you should purge from your life that is causing you to lose the real you.
• FEAR. It's the thing that holds me back. I have a fear from when I was four years old, and it's one of the biggest things that I feel is being purged out right now. I don't like that it's there, but I believe that it will only go away through me being courageous and not letting it take my mind.

• List one thing you should practice every day that will help cultivate your truest self.
• PRAISE. If I praise the Lord, I won't have time to be fearful or to have negative thoughts about others. One thing I keep noticing about some of my interactions are my thoughts towards others (strangers at that), I'm being very opinionated for no reason at all, but I had to go through this the first time I went on this fast, so I guess I'm still dealing with the issue. I believe that Praising God will help me to come out of these thought patterns.

Day 4 questions from PG

1. In light of "thinking bigger" what would your life look like if you were to actually "win the true life of your soul?" Imagine it now.

2. What are you going to commit to doing to save the real you?

3. Identify one thing you should purge from your life that is causing you to lose the real you.

4. Now identify one thing you could add that will help cultivate your truest self.

Day 3 Aligning (Truth) Dommi

Truth...

I'm really having a battle in my mind... While I AM trying to align myself to the word of God, going thru these stressful moments in my life has made it hard for me to focus my mind on the truth of who God says I am, or even that he's fighting these battles for me... My mind is in such a cloudy place... I am however learning how to not only look at the faults of others, but to look in the mirror, be honest with myself, and see my part. Also to read the truth (Gods Word), meditate on the truth, speak truth, exemplify truth, uphold the truth, stand on the truth, and live the truth!!

Training the Eye of the Soul - Does the Soul Contribute to Hearing the Voice of God?

Kim Clement:

Training the Eye of the Soul - Does the Soul Contribute to Hearing the Voice of God?

What Is The Soul?
Recently, while teaching at The Den, my Internet program, I touched on the area of the soul and the response from our watchers, the Warriors, was truly overwhelming. As a result of this, and of course the prompting of the Spirit of God, I began compiling a series of teachings on the soul from a prophetic perspective.
Some of the questions I will address are: Does the soul contribute to one hearing the voice of God, or does it hinder it? Is there such a thing as the "eye" of the soul? If the Spirit leads us, then where does the soul fit into the directive?
During these teachings, I will endeavor to supply knowledge to you, which ultimately, if you apply it in your life, will help you not only in being led by the Spirit, but to reach others who are in desperate need for help.
Let's start...in Mark 8:36-37: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"
The loss of the soul is the highest, greatest loss; a loss that can never be repaired or made up. The soul is often called the HEART of man. Good or evil have their rise within the soul or heart of man.
The first conception of good or evil is in the soul. The soul understands, wills, reasons, judges; these are the faculties of the soul. So, "heart" and "soul" are often taken for one and the same. "For out of the heart (soul) proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts..." (Matthew 15:19).
The soul of a man is his understanding, reason and conscience, etc. The soul needs breath – God's breath; otherwise it weakens and relies on other "breath" to keep it going. Pleasures are more relied upon to keep one "breathing"; alcohol, drugs, etc. become a substitute, and the list goes on.
David truly understood how to keep his soul divinely breathing. David called his soul his "darling." He said, "Deliver Lord, my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog." Psalm 35:17 says, "Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions." Most men say of their souls, "My slave," "My yoke," and, "My drudge..."
Do you love your soul? If you don't love your soul, you will lose it. That's the start. We are told, "Love your neighbor as [you love] yourself." If you despise your soul, which is the real you, you will never obey that commandment.
Spirit and Soul Have Different Understandings
Job spoke about the "spirit of my understanding" (Job 20:3).
Also read Ephesians 1:17-18: "...[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints..."
Soul Understanding
Your soul has to understand your spirit, and likewise your spirit has to understand your soul to bring a balance in your journey in this life. The soul understands certain things and the spirit understands certain things. Spirit has no restrictions in its understanding of the spiritual life, but in regard to reason, emotions, etc., there are restrictions. The soul has restrictions in its understanding beyond reason, emotion, etc.

It's quite fascinating, but once there is a mutual understanding between the two powerful entities, a marriage takes place and many beautiful blessings are born; great supernatural acts are accomplished and, most importantly, other souls are reached, touched, and restored.
Why do you think David was so strict with his soul? He would constantly put it in check, speak to it, encourage it, command it, and nurture it. He knew the importance of the soul being restored and healed.
In fact, in the beautiful and famous Psalm 23, he wrote these words, "He restores my soul. He [then] leads me in right paths." I am suggesting today that you simply cannot be led by the Spirit if your soul is damaged or hurt in any way. Yes, your soul can be hurt because it is the very heart of your being. Your soul knows love, but it has also experienced hatred. David would never have prayed for his soul to be restored if it was not wounded or hurt.
Everyone wants God to lead him or her in the right paths in order to accomplish great things while on the earth. Once you have an understanding of how to prevent damage to your soul, you will go from victory to victory, from one state of existence to a higher state of existence, and your presence will fill a room with unusual aromas of sweetness, power, peace, hope, love, and life.
Do you want that? DO YOU? Of course you do, and here are some keys for you to apply and start being a blessing instead of always wanting a blessing.
Internal Dialogue
Your soul is aware of internal dialogue. It can sense when someone despises you, is critical toward you, is cursing you, questioning you, and so on. Jesus was constantly aware of internal dialogue, and on many occasions dealt with it before it proceeded out of their mouths.
Matthew 9:1-7 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!" But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" – then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
The problem with us is that when we "sense" something, we try and reason, judge, and oftentimes because of the lack of discernment, allow it to simmer within until it causes our soul to get bitter, and then it's downhill from that point. This is where you need help from your spirit.
If you study Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 12, he speaks about nine gifts of the Spirit. One of these gifts is the "discerning of spirits." When you're in the position, and you're not sure about what you're sensing, it's time to lean on your spirit to discern for you, without emotion, reason, judgment, etc.
The discerning of spirits, as stated in 1 Corinthians 12:10, is the ability (when needed) to perceive and recognize what manner of spirit (human spirit in this instance – as it could be angelic or demonic as well) is affecting you. Once the spirit discerns this, it offers that information to the soul, thereby equipping the soul with correct judgment. Cool, eh?
One of the greatest ways of avoiding soul damage is to obey the commands of Jesus. He tells us to forgive, turn the other cheek, give an extra coat when asked for, pray for your enemies, knowing that these are preventatives that guard the soul. It all has to do with giving to others.
I have found that when the Spirit prompts me to give an offering, and I obey Him, something happens to me that does NOT happen when I receive. He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). When you give an offering, you are being a blessing. Start this journey today by becoming a blessing.

Watch The First Week's Session

To see the first week's session, you must go through a series of email, passwords and links, but you'll be able to watch it on vimeo for free: http://www.soulfastcurriculum.com/

Day 3 - Aligning/Truth (Tiffany)

To Thine Own Self Be TRUE!

I want to be true with God and myself and with that, I understand that I am having a conflict in our relationship right now. It doesn't mean that I will stop telling others about Him, but I've been feeling a bit frustrated to the point where I just want to move wherever I see anything open up because I'm going through too much to figure out what God is saying. I know there is a danger in that, because I can end up in the wrong place and everything can be hectic, but I just don't know right now because like I said in the post from Day 2, I'm uncertain about His voice...


Well, as I say this, I come across this scripture in the book:

"Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me and I'll show you how self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?" - Mark 8:34

How do you keep from losing the real you in a world of distractions?

I guess you have to choose to think differently, but I'm still trying to understand how exactly this is done without neglecting your responsibilities.

To love like God we need the Spirit of Truth, to be truly Godly, we must have Him to help and empower us. We have a lower nature that is cowardly and doesn't want to take risks, one that wants to play it safe at all costs, but when God says that you have to let Him lead and you're not in the drivers' seat, He may lead you into fire! And when He leads you into fire, He doesn't want you to run from suffering but rather embrace it, that is difficult to do when you're trying to hold on to self. Others around you don't understand and won't understand especially if you have had to face it and say you don't understand but the Word says to Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not unto your own understanding...in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths, He will make the way straight!

The foundational key to living authentically is truth.

• Be true to yourself
• Living in the full light of the truth
• Being governed by the truth

What does it mean to be governed by the Spirit of Truth?

• The Spirit of Truth rules over by right of authority over me...my life
• The Spirit of Truth exercises a directing or restraining influence over me
• The Spirit of Truth guides me, holds me in check and controls me
• The Spirit of Truth serves as law for my life
• The Spirit of Truth is my constitution
• The Spirit of Truth predominately (stronger/leading element force) influences my life

John 16:13 AMP - But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].

Psalm 51: 6 What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then ; conceive a new, true life.

What would this new, true life look like if it were conceived in you? 
I was listening to this song when I read this question and I thought, wow how appropriate? This is one of those ways that I have been hearing from God over the past two years, so I'm really in a place where I just wonder sometimes...is He speaking to me through this way and if He is, then what happened to what He said before, because I know that God is not a man that He would lie, and I know that He will perform His Word and I know that He doesn't going around saying things just because...so anyway, this is what my new, true life will look like as it is conceived in me.
 
"From the Inside Out" by Hillsong United
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

Day 3 questions from Participant's Guide

1. Sit quietly with the Spirit of Truth and allow Him to guide you into all truth about who God has created you to be. (See John 16:13)

2. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal "deep and hidden" things about yourself that should either embrace or change? (See Daniel 2:22 NIV)

3. Ask him to help you filter through what is not of the truth, to cut anything away from your heart or mind that is not true, and to help you cultivate those things that lead "to finding yourself, your true self." (Luke 9:23)

4. What would this new, true life look like if it were conceived in you? 

5. How can you realign your life so that it reflects the authentic you God had in mind?

Day 2 questions from Participant's Guide

1. Meditate on the following and journal what you believe the Bible is saying about you as a person: God created human beings in His own image -- reflecting His own nature. He blessed them saying: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!" (See Genesis 1:26-28) 

2. Sometimes we are our own worse enemy. Are you sabotaging your own success by the thoughts you think? Are you allowing your thoughts to interfere with how God wants you to view yourself? Are you giving someone else permission to lay things on you that aren't yours to carry and don't further you toward your destiny?

3. Are your past failures holding dominion over your future? Are relationships distracting you, Or worse, suppressing your God-like nature for greatness, significance, and love?

4. In what areas are you living a "godless, indulgent life" and can you -- starting right now -- begin living a more "God-filled, God-honoring life?"

5. What undermining habits do you want God to help you to give up? List them and it them to prayer. From this day onward, expect God to empower you to live a Godly life pleasing to him.

6. Think of your sufferings as a weaning of that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of. Wing tyrranized by what you want. ( 1 peter 4:1-2)

Day 2 - Cleansing/Godliness (Tiffany)

A Path to FREEdom

1 Timothy 6:6-8
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Wow! Reading the above passage about godliness makes me feel like I'm so far off. I'm undergoing a process of stripping and it started in late May, right after I sat under a Bible Study which I later studied intently the next day. I came across "Greater Glory" and it was like an induction to my next season where I began to learn about the words that I speak, that it goes deeper than my thoughts but the words that I speak have power. However, there has been a constant testing of my mind where my thought-life is being purged from the old way of thinking.

Some days, I don't want to fight. I don't want to read the Word, I don't want to even look for a quiet place to find the Lord because I absolutely dislike what's been going on in my life, but the scripture above is convicting those very thoughts! I am to be content with living a godly life, there is great gain to that. My immediate concerns may be about what I have, but this scripture says that we should be content when we have food and clothing...it doesn't even list shelter!

I suppose, yes I can refocus my thoughtlife and be content with having food, clothing and shelter. I am blessed!

In Vine's dictionary, it states that the noun of godliness is eusebeia (eu=well; sebomai=to be devout)
It denotes that piety which is characterized by a Godward attitude, does that which is well-pleasing to Him. When I think of pleasing God, I think of Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him"

I have no doubt that God is God and this I believe. I also believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. I think my issue is with faith right now, because I'm having a problem with whether or not I am hearing Him correctly. I believe that God spoke to me about several different areas and it seems that they have all been flipped upside down and there is no promise left of them coming to pass, and so now I'm challenged in my thought-life because I have to wonder have I really been walking by faith or some concocted thought process in my own head...thinking I was being led by the Word, but maybe it wasn't Him and it was the enemy? Because I'm having this issue, I'm having a hard time coming to the Word and prayer and having my alone time with God, because I fear that I don't hear Him, that all that has flowed for me for the past two years or so, has been nothing but me...the word says that His sheep know His voice and another they will not follow...

Well where does that leave me? I don't try to serve the enemy. When I'm convicted in certain areas to stop doing certain things or dealing with certain people, I am usually obedient to that...but for some reason, the season that I am in now, I just feel sort of lost although I haven't even strayed. I feel lost because I'm so uncertain about what God is doing and what He is saying to me.

Day 2 Cleansing (Godliness) Dommi

Cleansing, cleansing, cleansing.... Yes, I need cleansing of the mind... Cleansing of my thought processes to be exact! 

Initially when I read about Godliness I took it in as character behavior, but as I read again the text was slowly showing me what I need to work on is my character THINKING!! My thinking is not always lined up with Gods word! I allow what others think of me to affect what "I" think of me, I let a lot of negative inside chatter direct the path of my day instead of God! I have a lot of stressful situations going on right now or rather, I accept a lot of stressful situations that I don't have to, and let them stress me out. I need to learn how to not accept every plate of stress, drama, and negativity that I am offered. I'm very good at giving this advice to others, but do poorly in taking that advice myself!

One major area I know I need to focus on concerning Godliness is to walk in LOVE even when someone offends me. I have a habit of just wanting to cut people off when they offend me and just not be bothered with them, rather than work thru the offense in love...

I am going to start focusing more on what God says about me, than what others think about me, and eliminate the negativity that I harbor in my heart & mind about myself. I'm going to study & meditate on scriptures that build me up in Godliness, and not let the enemy tear me down...