Science has proven that the bumblebee is not aerodynamically equipped to fly.

Its body is too big. Its wings are too small.

So why is this supposedly disabled creature able to do the things scientists say it shouldn’t be able to?

I’ve heard people say it’s because the bumblebee doesn’t know that it shouldn’t be able to fly. And that may be true.

But I have a simpler answer than that. Bumblebees are able to fly because that’s what God wants them to do.

It doesn’t matter what scientists say. It doesn’t matter what the bumblebee knows or doesn’t know. It doesn’t matter what test results prove. The only thing that does matter is God’s purpose for the bumblebee.

You may have heard this fact about the bumblebee before, but have you transitioned the lesson of the bumblebee to your own life?

There are some things that people have told you can’t be done.

There are some things that seem impossible with your current level of skills, talents, and resources…or lack thereof.

There are some visions so big that you just don’t know how they’ll ever become a reality.

So…why should you be able to soar and achieve greatness with all of these things against you?

The simplest (and most powerful) answer… Because God has created YOU with a purpose. And, He has uniquely equipped you to fulfill that purpose–flaws and all.

Maybe God revealed a huge purpose for you that you haven’t even begun to pursue because someone like you just shouldn’t be able to do something like that. Well, NOW is the time to shift your thinking.

Leave behind those limiting thoughts that tell you what can’t be or shouldn’t be done. Determine that you will truly and fully live out God’s purpose for you. Boldly step into the truth that you CAN!

Cleansing Exercise

What godly purpose are you holding back on because you think you can’t do it? What could you accomplish if you boosted your belief?

Soul Food

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

~Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Picture this.

You’re just settling in for a rare evening at home alone.  The kids are with grandma and grandpa.  Your honey is out with the guys.  The house is quiet and you’re looking forward to enjoying your favorite movie and then a luxurious bubble bath.  It’s been so long since you’ve had a night to yourself.

You snuggle up on the sofa and just before you press the play button your doorbell rings.

You head to the door a bit frustrated and annoyed, intending to let whoever it is know that you’re busy and don’t want to be disturbed.  Opening the door you see that it’s your neighbor. 

Before you can say a word, she says, “I know the kids are away and Jack’s out for the night, so I came over to keep you company.”

Without waiting for you to invite her in, she walks right past you and plops down on the sofa.  She picks up your bowl of popcorn from the coffee table and before putting a handful into her mouth, she asks, “whatcha watching?”

For the next two hours, your neighbor munches on your popcorn and adds extra commentary to the movie. Needless to say, your quiet, relaxing evening is ruined. 

After the movie ends, she proceeds to tell you all about her day.  The conversation rambles on and on.   Well, not a conversation really.  More like a monologue because you are barely able to get in two words.

An hour later, she yawns and says, “I’m so glad I came over.  It’s been a great night.”

Closing the door behind her, you think, “Why did she have to come over and ruin my evening?”

Examining this scenario, it’s easy to blame your pesky neighbor for ruining your evening.  But instead of asking why she had to ruin your evening, the better question to ask is “why did you even let her in?”

Let’s rewind our scenario and go back to the ringing of the doorbell. 

This time, instead of opening the door, you look through the peephole and see that it’s your neighbor from across the street.  You know that she has a habit of popping up uninvited and it’s really hard to get her to leave once she’s in your home. 

You decide not to even deal with the hassle and go back to the sofa, press the play button, and enjoy your movie.

You stopped the intrusion and had the evening you’d been looking forward to.

One of the most powerful revelations you can have is to realize that you can stop thoughts from entering your mind.

Yes, that’s right.

Similar to your home, your mind has a door that can protect you from unwanted intruders.

The problem is most people leave the doors to their minds wide open to allow any and every thought to feely walk in.

Here’s a novel thought.  Make your thoughts ring the doorbell. And, before you open the door check the people.

You may not be able to control which thoughts knock on your door or ring your doorbell, but you can choose which ones you let in.

Cleansing Exercise

What thoughts do you need to close the door on in your life?  What could happen if you ignored the unproductive thoughts intruding in your mind?

Soul Food

“More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.”

~ Proverbs 4:23 (Common English Bible)

   

 

 

Are you living in a constant state of worry?

You worry about your taxes…you worry about what your partner is doing…you worry about loved ones dying…about getting sick…about getting a ticket…about finding a job…about losing a job…there’s SO MUCH WORRY in your life.

Have you ever imagined what you could accomplish if you would spend less time worrying and more time actively creating your life?

“But Benecia,” you may be saying, “How do I stop worrying?  Every time I try to stop worrying, I just worry even more.”

My answer—It’s time to take the focus off of your worry.  Let’s shift your perspective so that instead of a constant state of worry, you experience a constant state of peace. 

What is so great about the solution to worry is that it works in every situation—no matter how big or how small.  One of the most comforting things to remember is that everything is small to God.  There is nothing He can’t handle.

So, instead of worrying, here’s what you should do:

• Stop worrying about all the bad things that could happen. Start asking God for what you want to happen.  This shifts your focus and turns you away from the problem to the solution.

• Be Thankful. Don’t get so focused on what you don’t have that you forget about what you do have. 

• Focus On What’s Good. Philippians 4:8 gives us further instructions about eliminating worry from our lives.  When you fill your mind with positive, life-affirming thoughts there is no room for worry.

Cleansing Exercise

Take a few moments to consider this…

What are you worried about? 

What would your life look life if you stopped worrying and started asking God for what you really want?

 

Soul Food

 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:6-7 (The Living Bible)

As I stood in my grandmother’s formal dining room chair all I could think about was,”I hope it doesn’t get me.”

My fear of dogs is intense.  No matter the size, all dogs are hairy beasts to me.  Just the sound of barking is enough to send me over the edge.  And, it definitely was enough to jump into one of my grandmother’s chairs.

k watching whatever game was on.  In the middle of our conversation, we heard barking coming from the back of the house.  Knowing my grandmother doesn’t have a dog, we ignored it at first. But, the barking continued.  We even asked my grandmother if she was dog sitting for my cousin–she wasn’t.

About ten minutes later, my godsister heads toward the bathroom. At that moment,the barking resumes and my god sister, being as afraid of dogs as I am, runs back into the dining room and jumps on her chair.  Convinced a big hairy beast was chasing her, my godmother and I followed suit.  We crouched in my grandmothers’ dining room chairs–heels and all–expecting the worse.  

My grandmother hearing the commotion came into the dining room and scolded us for standing in her chairs.  My nephew was right behind her…laughing.  It turned out that the big hairy beast we were afraid of was my seven year old nephew.  

It’s amazing what fear will make you do, isn’t it?

Fear can make you abandon your common sense and cause you to act in the most irrational ways.  Fear can cancel out your faith and have you doubting even what you know is true.  Fear paralyzes you and keeps you stuck afraid to make even the slightest move in the direction of your dreams.

Fear can be the scariest of “hairy beasts.”  But, the great news is–you can tame your fear.

Today, I want ot give you a four step process for taming your fear.

(1) Face The Fear.  You can’t address it or overcome it unless you face it.  Understand and identify the fear.  

(2) Embrace The Possibilities.  When you face your fear, you will indeed look at all the things that could go wrong. But, what about what could go right?  What would could happen if you steeped out on faith, faced your fears and succeeded?

(3) Act.  Instead of trying to hide from the negative, move in the direction of the positive possibilities you identified.

(4) Repeat.  Keep it up.  Each time you meet with a new fear, face it, embrace the positive possibilities, and take action.  Do it over amd over and over again.

Here’s a powerful  truth–Fear is the only thing that shrinks the closer you move toward it.  If I would have moved in the direction of the barking at my grandmother’s house instead of standing paralyzed in her dining room chair, I would have discovered there was absolutely nothing tobe afraid of.  The same is true for yoru dreams.  Ehen you begn tomove in the direction of the fear.  When you acknowledge, embrace the possibilites and take action, you ill realie that ther is really nothing too fear

Cleansing Exercise

1. Face Your Fear – Write down the fear that’s been holding you back.  Be completely honest here.  One way to determine the fear you are facing is to ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that could happen”.

2. Embrace The Positive Possibilities.  Now, write down all the things that could go right.  Use your imagination and think of everything great that will happen once you accomplish your goals.

3. Action Brainstorming.   Write down at least twn actions you can take to crate some momentum around your goals.

4. Take one of the actions you identified in step 3.  Share it with me by simply replying to this email.

Soul Food

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. ~2 Timothy 1:7

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Since participating in this devotional experience have you seen anything happen or change n your life?  I’d love to know about it.  Send me a message and share your story with me. 

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“It’s been 25 years but I can still hear my mother’s voice telling me I’m no good and I’ll never amount to anything.” 

“I pray all the time.  I feel as if I’m very close to God, but I just can’t control my temper. There are people who know how to push just the right buttons to make me fly off the handle.”

“I’m so afraid I’ll fail that I don’t even try.”

“I just can’t stay focused.  My mind is going a mile a minute and it’s hard for me to concentrate.” 

These are all statements I’ve heard recently during coaching sessions.  Different clients…different goals…different lifestyles…Same Problem.

At the root of each of their challenges was the same issue–there was a serious battle going on in their minds. 

Romans 12:2  gives God’s master plan for winning the battle–“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (NIV)

How do I renew my mind? you might be asking.  

Well, that’s exactly what we are focusing on this week.  We are going to detoxify your mind by removing poisons like fear, doubt, worry, depression, and confusion.  But, before we take things out, I want to help you start putting the right stuff in.

Think of your mind as one big MP3 player.  Up until now, you may have been playing an old worn-out song; a tune that didn’t serve or empower you, but kept you from achieving your goals and eroded away at your self-esteem.  Now, you have the opportunity to download NEW songs and create a fresh playlist!

Have you ever heard the term “Garbage in, garbage out” as it relates to the quality of computer programming?  Well, our mind is the ultimate computer program and this too applies. So we need to be putting GOOD STUFF IN for a better outcome! 

Cleansing Exercise
Change the Tune

(1) Create Your Playlist

• Find 3-5 quotes that really resonate for you.  Ones that make you smile, challenge your negative thinking, or remind you of who you are becoming.
  Many of my clients use scripture or other similarly inspiring verses or poems
• Select 1 – 2 inspirational songs that motivate and empower you.

(2) Write or type your quotes on a sheet of paper.  Or, take the extra step and record yourself reading the quotes/scriptures out loud.

(3) For the next 7 days, start each day with your new tune. Read or listen to your inspirational quotes and listen to your inspirational songs.