Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. (1 Peter:6)

It sounds beautiful . . .  but what does this mean? How do we humble ourselves under God's hand? Humility is a posture we must take to heal and live an abundant life.

How do you start? Start by simply kneeling before the Lord. Sit quietly. Trust that He is with you.

Overtime, you'll become increasingly aware of His presence. Overtime, you'll come to believe He has your best interest at heart. He is for you and not against you.

Affirmation: Today I will simply sit in the presence of God, trusting that He is all powerful, all knowing. He knows the yearnings of my heart. I am safe under His mighty hand.

I taught advanced step aerobics throughout the 1990's. Now a days, I'm a little rusty. In the midst of a step-class, I found myself holding back to avoid making mistakes.

The instructor shouted, "Don't over-think it! Stop taking small steps with no energy because you're afraid of messing up! Take big steps with passion and don't be afraid! Besides, we learn more from the bigger mistakes and we're less likely to repeat them."

Thank you, Jesus. And forgive me, for forgetting that it's You who prompts me to step out and You who empowers me to take each step with passion.

Do you have a tendency to hold back when you're unsure of yourself? Ask God to ready your heart to do something new and exciting. He is with you every step of the way. 

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.  (Psalm 32:8 NKJV)

Affirmation: I will yield to God's agenda for my life today. I will listen for His instruction, trust Him to direct my steps, and detach from the outcome. God is in control. 

It is in quietness and confidence that we find our strength. (Isaiah 30:15) I spent my quiet-time outside this morning. It's calming to feel the warm sun on my face with my sweet, yellow Lab, Hannah, at my feet.

The wind blows today. The birds sing everyday. I sit. I listen to the sounds of God's creation and thank Him for teaching me the value of sitting in silence. The value in taking deep breaths.

When you feel anxious, take a break from what you're doing or planning to do. Take a few minutes and be still. Be still. Breath deeply. Confess to God that you're losing balance and ask Him to restore your strength with quietness and confidence.

Affirmation: Today, when I feel the most pressured to produce results in my life, I will be still and know that He is God. I will breath. I will listen for the still small voice of reason.

Last Tuesday, on "is this for you," (formerly "is this blog for you") I explained that I would be taking some time off to prepare for public speaking. I cried on and off all day. That night, in a women's group I host in my home, two women told me how much they've appreciated my willingness to share so transparently about my life.

I climbed into bed that night and second-guessed myself. Had I really heard from God? Was I crazy? 

Two days later, I met with a woman who encouraged me to apply to be a Premier Presenter for a women's organization. One of the requirements is a DVD Demo of my message: How to Forgive What You'll Never Forget. This is an amazing opportunity. I realize now, that I'm NOT crazy and I DID hear from God when He told me to lay down for a season, the frequency that I blogged.

Things are moving fast, now. I can't help but wonder: What if I'd been disobedient to what God told me to do. What if I'd taken a month or so to wrestle before realizing He wasn't trying to take something away, He was trying to bless me?

The Lesson? When God tells you to do something--DO IT. Just do it. There's more at stake than anything a NIKE commercial can portray.  

I DID it! I was obedient when it seemed CRAZY. Remember, I referred to this as social media suicide. But, I can already see that this is a good thing. Frightening, but GOOD! Who knows. maybe one of these days we'll meet face to face after a conference. You never know.

One thing I do know. All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) 

What is God asking you to do? Are you afraid to do it? Do you hesitate to be obedient? Just do it!

I'm back from North Carolina, where I'm blessed to have spent five days with hundreds of writers/speakers--a gathering of extroverts on steroids, if you will. ("Uncomfortable silence" is a foreign concept to peeps like us.)

Before I left town, I asked you to imagine your life--transformed, and then think of the message of hope it will one day offer others. Now don't leave if your life happens to be falling spectacularly apart. I know that scenario well. But I also know that when my life showed no signs of improvement, redemption was at hand.

If I hadn't experienced a multitude of hardship, I couldn't offer hope to you today. And I believe that expressing God's concern for what YOU are going through today, makes what I went through "yesterday"--worth it.

Here's something to consider: Twelve years ago, I could only be described as a broken, co-dependent, crazy (okay, it's not a politically correct description--but trust me . . . crazy), woman, with no hope in sight. 

And yet, last week I sat before literary agents and pitched a non-fiction book project. How could I have known that the very things I hated about my life would one day be transformed by God into a message of hope. (By the way, the meetings went very well!)

Regardless of your circumstances, make a statement of faith. It can be as simple as: I believe God will heal me. Imagine where you want to be in life. Write it down. Date it. And remember, it's an "inside job" between you and God. And when it's time; when you're ready, you will see beautiful change on the outside. Believe. 

So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. (Luke 5:16 NKJV)

Affirmation: I will spend some time alone with God today. He is my refuge and my strength.

Have you ever experienced a season when life presents one new challenge after another, prompting you to wander if you're doing something wrong? Today, my friend, Holly Smith, shares encouraging words on the subject: View short video.

Holly is the founder of Hidden Voices Ministry. She empowers women to find their true voice and speak their testimonies. She currently leads a speaking group in her church.

Holly's heart's desire is to help other churches discover the hidden voices in their congregations, to further impact the lives of others through shared testimonies. For more information, please visit www.hiddenvoicesministry.org.

Revelation 12:10-11 says that we overcome the enemy through Christ and the word of our testimonies. We all have a voice.

Last night, I attended a ladies event called FLAVOUR, hosted at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX. Can I just tell you, I was so blessed by the countenance of the ladies. They're warm, inviting, passionate and powerful for the cause of Christ. We had a great time.

For this event, women and their teenage daughters attend. We closed with a song that begins with the lyrics:

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

I immediately got tears in my eyes. It's a familiar scripture to me: Isaiah 60:1. My husband presented it to me in 2007; a season when I wondered when light would break through my dark circumstances. It's highlighted in my bible. I read it often. How sweet of the Lord to bring it around again, at a time when I wasn't even thinking about it!

Do you have a bible verse that you cling to, trusting that it will manifest in your circumstances in due time? Hold on. Don't give up. Believe.

Or perhaps, today it's a message just for you and this will be the one you hold on to, never give up on, and believe will manifest in your circumstances.

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)

Yes, God is adamant about restoring, renewing, reviving, reclaiming, and redeeming His beloved daughters. He never throws us out.

"For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds," says the Lord, "Because they called you an outcast saying:

"This is Zion; no one seeks her" (Jeremiah 30:17 NKJV).

Affirmation: The Lord sees me. He seeks me. He will restore my health and heal my wounds. Today, I will make time to sit in His transforming presence.

"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light."

--Helen Keller [Having lost sight and hearing ability at a very young age, Helen learned to grapple with life's small and big struggles.]

Just for today, I will hold my face up to the light, even if for the moment, I do not see it.

God in heaven, shine Your light into my dark circumstances. Direct my steps. Grant me the grace to function when all I want to do is curl up in a ball and then disappear. Reveal the tangible steps I must take as I commit to walk in Your ways. Remind me today that I am not alone.

In the midst of my morning walk-jog (this works best for me), I found myself thanking God for the amazing dreams I have for my life. I realized that even if they are never realized, I am a better woman for having dared to dream. It's a blessing to dream. To dream little, big, and everything in between. To be unafraid to hope and dream is a miracle for someone with my past.

Although, I have a feeling my Heavenly Father will see that His daughter gets a little icing on her cake in life! He's sweet that way!

How about you? Do you have dreams? Keep dreaming. Submit them to God and grant Him authority over how He will transform you into someone who can walk them out!

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8-10 NKJV)

If you are making every effort to overcome a painful circumstance (perhaps you're in therapy for survivors of sexual abuse, healing from an addiction, or overcoming dysfunction in your family), I want you to know that you are operating in goodness, righteousness, and truth--even when you mess up.

If you've messed up, don't beat yourself up. While it's true that we learn what is acceptable to the Lord by praying, discerning His will in the midst of our wants, and by studying the Bible, it's also true that we learn what is acceptable after we've done something that is unacceptable. I don't know about you, but I learn both ways. I'm not a perfect student. 

God knows it's hard right now. He knows you hurt, get frustrated, and feel like quitting at times. But don't give up. Tell Him every thing. If you can't say it, write it down. You'll be amazed at how quickly you receive fresh resolve to hang in there when you can collapse at His feet and have a good cry, or even a fit. 

I want you to fill in the blank for today's prayer:

Dear God, this is how I REALLY feel:______________________!

"Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
for to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the
morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up."

(Psalm 5: 1-3 NKJV)

Note: If there's an art to crying out to God, King David mastered it. I love his transparency. He told God everything. You can too. Are you scared, hurt, fatigued, angry, or sad? Tell Him. Perhaps you've just experienced a breakthrough and your hope has been renewed. Thank Him! Regardless of where you are today, Christ is the lifter of our chins. Chin up, in Christ you can and will overcome!

Prayer: God, You consider my circumstances as I cry out to You. You hear me. You care for me. I will continue to tell You how I feel and trust that when I can't find the words to speak, You see them in my heart and receive them. Today I will look up. In Jesus' name, Amen