My Faith Strategy

More often than I can count, I am asked one of a few questions.  One is “How do you do everything that you do?” or Another might be “How do you do it all?” Or sometimes they phrase it, “I don’t see how you do everything that you do.” More of a statement, rather than a question really.

No matter how they say it, most often I don’t know how to react to whatever way they choose to phrase it.  Honestly, I don’t know how I do it “all”.  And quite simply I don’t believe that I ever do it all.  I am a person who has high hopes, big dreams, and many goals.  My daddy taught me to be that way and my Heavenly Father gifted me with a few traits that help me to “make it happen.”

I have determined just this morning that the act of “getting it all done” really boils down to a few simple steps.  I have dubbed this my faith strategy.  You see, being a big dreamer and a goal setter I tend to do just that, “dream and set goals”.  This makes for a person who is always creating something to do.  I create many things for myself to do.

As a Christian, I seek God’s guidance on just what it is he’d have me to do at any given time and I wait for answers.  So the first step in what I am calling my “faith strategy” is this:

Pray. Before I do anything else, make even one step in the project or even choose a given project I pray.  God leads me then in the direction He’d like me to go.  And I move on to step number two.  Prayer however is a basic building block of the whole process, I return to prayer daily as a part of the strategy, so don’t ever believe that you can pray once and be done.   The next step is necessary and one of my favorite parts of the strategy.

Set goals. I believe in setting goals.  I have always been a goal setter and at times my goals were loftier than others.  At times I have set myself up for disappointment by outdoing myself with my own goals, but I learned to “revamp” and start again.  However, I believe in the old saying, “if you don’t aim for something you’ll miss it every time.”  You have to have a goal to aim for, or you’ll wander around aimlessly for a long time.  After setting the goals you move on to the next, important step.

Seek accountability. For a long time, I wondered why my goals were so unreachable, why I felt I was “spinning my wheels”, and even why I couldn’t, “get anything done”.  I was day after day attempting to do too much too soon, or put my “cart before my horse”.  I didn’t see how much I was really doing, I felt that I was going nowhere when I was actually getting somewhere I just couldn’t see it.  That’s when I decided to seek accountability. Having someone in my life to point out where I was successful, to encourage me and to help me prioritize has been a huge blessing and has definitely been a vital step in my strategy.  With this step accomplished you’ll be well on your way to the final step.

Just do it! It seems cliché, and it may be a little intimidating, but if you’re going to get anywhere you are going to have to take that step, you’re going to have to just do it.  This will vary from project to project, sometimes this will be easier than other times, while some times, it will be “easier said than done.”  But the fact is for any project to be finished, for any goal to become a reality, for any dream to come true, you must take action.  That is what the final step is all about and it is how my strategy works.

If you need that extra boost of encouragement, a hand to hold or more information about these steps.  Check out Faith Leaps.com a membership training site for taking “leaps of faith”, which after all is what my “faith strategy” is all about.

Alyssa Avant is a Christian writer, speaker, and business owner. Alyssa ghostwrites for several WAHM websites and blogs. Alyssa holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and is completing her Master’s Degree in Christian Education from Liberty University. She makes her home in Carrollton, MS, where she is wife to husband Greg and mother to three precious children (Baker, Lily and Brady) all under the age of five.

A Fly On the Wall

To be a fly on the wall in heaven, oh what I wouldn’t give.  Lately, we’ve had a ton of flys around my house.  Gosh! Those darn things are annoying, but imagine all those precious moments that they get to see.  Wouldn’t you like to be a fly?  Especially a fly in heaven? 

Think about it.  Just yesterday, sadly my church family had to bury a child from our congregation, a little boy who was killed tragically over the weekend.  But, as sad as the event was, the event was also heart-warming as that little boy had just accepted Jesus as his Savior the week before in Vacation Bible School and therefore the moment he passed from this earth he was present with his Savior.

It was a homecoming  unlike any other.  The angels ushered him into heaven.  And, if I had been a fly on the wall, I’m quite certain that those tears I shed over his family’s loss yesterday would not have been present for in heaven there are no tears and there is no sadness, in heaven there was only a celebration.

They celebrated as another of God’s children came home.  I’m sure it was unlike any celebration we have experienced here on earth and honestly I would have loved to even have been a fly on the wall.  Thank God for his grace and mercy, for his salvation that came to us through his Son, Jesus and that one day we will all as God’s children enter heaven.

Photo Credit: Jpctalbot

Alyssa  Avant is a Christian writer, speaker, and business owner whose mission is to turn the hearts of girls towards God.  Alyssa recently felt the calling to help those who felt called into ministry but were fearful of taking the “leap of faith”, to help them she created FaithLeaps, a membership training program for those looking to “take the leap of faith into speaking, writing and / or ministry.

Three Essentials for Those in Ministry

If you are a person in ministry, you have certainly felt a call to it. You knew God was tugging at your heart, pulling you in that direction; but what you may not have considered is the commitment that it takes to be in ministry.

Ministry is a position that has both a public commitment and a private commitment. Publicly, you are committed to those that you minister to, as well as the “tasks” of ministry. These tasks are found in many other positions, even those in the secular world. Tasks including bookkeeping, filing, and the like. One can learn the skills that it takes to accomplish these tasks and do so in a way that is pleasing to everyone involved.

The private commitment is much greater. This commitment includes the practices of spending time in prayer, reading and studying God’s Word and becoming spiritually disciplined. These private acts are truly more important to God, more than any of the things that you do publicly. These are disciplines/habits that the people you minister to, will never know if you keep or not.  Far too often, even those of us in ministry, will put these things last in our lives; and though you might think that it will not make a huge difference, it will.

Prayer is an essential. Prayer is our communication with God, our Father. How can someone in ministry effectively minister to others without first communicating with their Heavenly Father? We should learn from the perfect example of Jesus, who often retreated to be alone to pray. He made spending time with the Father His priority. If the only perfect man who ever lived, spent time with God daily in prayer; why should we think that we as human imperfect ministers, should be able to do it all on our own?

Reading God’s Word is equally as important. God’s Word gives us direction, pierces our hearts and shows us where we need to add to or take away from our lives. It is the ultimate decision maker when we need to find answers, and will inspire us when we need encouragement. If you’ve been in ministry any length of time, you know you’ll need one or all of those things.

Becoming spiritually disciplined takes time. Spiritual disciplines may not be shared by everyone and can vary depending on your “belief system”. We’ve already mentioned, prayer and Bible study. Others include: tithing, fellowship, worship, evangelism, all things that we know we should be doing, but often struggle to do. That is why these things must be developed over time. We shall never cease “striving”. After all, Christians are on a journey to become more like Christ. We will never get there this side of heaven, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be disciplined in the practice of doing so.

Photo credit: DrGBB

Alyssa  Avant is a Christian writer, speaker, and business owner whose mission is to turn the hearts of girls towards God.  Alyssa recently felt the calling to help those who felt called into ministry but were fearful of taking the “leap of faith”, to help them she created FaithLeaps, a membership training program for those looking to “take the leap of faith into speaking, writing and / or ministry.

Pesty Problems

Around the back door in our home, small pests have started to intrude. At first, it began slowly, with just one or two ants here and there and maybe a random beetle. But, over time, it has worsened and today we have what looks like a small ant village on the wall inside of our home.  Yes, you read that right, inside our home. The exterminator is coming on Thursday.

Our spiritual lives can be compared to these intruding pests. Are pests eating away at your spiritual life? I know it sounds like an odd comparison, but it can truly be an eye opening one, if you give it some thought.

There are lots of different pests that can eat away at our spiritual lives and will creep ever so slowly into our hearts; the exact place where Jesus is suppose to live and to reign, but somehow the pests are coming in and trying to push Him out.

You see these pests work on your heart slowly, just like the ants that worked on my door. These pests can come in many forms. They can include: distractions, busyness, and negative thinking.

Distractions are a huge part of life.  It could be the telephone, the computer, or the kids; yes, even good things in life can be a distraction to us many times.  Therefore, we often cannot get rid of the distractions. You certainly wouldn’t be likely to get rid of your kids, but you can learn to work around them, even with them. Remember this, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You” Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

Busyness is another pest that can eat away at your heart and mind causing you to hurt spiritually. Sometimes even the good things that we do in life can cause us to spend too much time on “other” things and not enough time on the most important thing, our relationship with God. The Bible encourages us to “ seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV) So even in the busyness of projects, family and work we should take time to seek Him daily.

Negative thinking is a pest that alludes so many of us. Even with Christ in our hearts, our minds are often swayed by the pests of negative thoughts. God wants us to “be joyful always, pray continually.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 (NIV) It is important to remember both parts of that. Negative thinking often comes in the form of “worry”.  Many of us assume this is “the way we are”, but the Bible tells us plainly in Scripture that this is not so. We can be joyful always through prayer. Prayer takes away our worries, whereas worrying only invokes fear into our hearts.

Don’t let these pests eat away at your heart and clog your spiritual arteries. Don’t let them push Jesus out of his rightful place on the throne in your heart and life. Call in the exterminator, and have Him make sure those pests are driven away.

Photo Credit: prashanthk

Guest Blogger Alyssa Avant is a Christian speaker, writer and blogger.  She is the owner and trainer at FaithLeaps, a membership training site for those looking to “take the leap of faith into speaking, writing or ministry”.  http://FaithLeaps.com