Epiphani
When you are a child of the Most High God, you can and should live in expectation. To live in expectation means that you literally begin to expect, anticipate, await Godโs ways and promises to be a reality in your life on the regular, because God said it to be so. You expect to be favored, you expect to live blessed, you expect to obtain the victory in every trial (no matter how rough it gets in the middle of it), you expect Godโs promises to come to passโฆ
Whereas the world says, โno expectations, no disappointments,โ as a follower of Jesus Christ, you can rest assured that when your expectation is in God, His Word, His promises, and His character, disappointment will NOT be your portion! The scripture that God brought to mind was Proverbs 23:18, which says, โFor surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.โ Basically, you will not be disappointed when your hope is in God. In fact, the Amplified version literally says, โSurely there is a future [and a reward], and your hope and expectation will not be cut off.โ
So, step out there and put your expectation in God. Look above your circumstances, above the people around you, above what you see in the natural, and seek to see how God sees, and then begin to walk in expectation to see what He showed you by the Spirit come to pass in the natural. As you read the Bible, donโt just read it as a fairytale or an inspirational self-help book, but actually begin to apply it to your life and expect to see the fruit develop in your life. Expect to see the things that God promises to become a reality in your life!
It is the beginning of a new month. Take a moment to imagine what might happen if you decided to live in great expectation of God this month! The Bible already tells us that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ever ask or think according to His power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20). So, set your expectations high and watch God meet and exceed them! Donโt let past disappointments keep you from putting out hope and expectation again, but this time, make sure your hope is in God and anchored in His Word. Know that when you put your hope and expectation in Him, your hope will not be cut off! Choose to believe that today!
Welcome to November, sis! I am challenging you to live in expectation this month (and beyond)! I am looking forward to all that God will do and I hope you are, too!
I love you bunches,
Have a healthy & wholesome week and an exceedingly blessed month!
P.S. Just to clarifyโฆ expectation and entitlement are two subtly different things. Entitlement says, โI should have this thing because I deserve itโ or because โI want itโ or because of whatever other reason. However, expectation says โI anticipate this thing (or great things overall), because it has already been established for me by my Heavenly Father.โ Expectation rests on Godโs goodness and His promises, whereas entitlement rests on our โgoodnessโ and deservedness.
Freely live in expectation today ๐
Here's a song to go along with this month's declaration!
For years now, God has been refining my definition of health and the ways I take care of my mind and body. Somewhere along the way, I started feeling like, โAm I being extra?โ ๐ค & maybe to some, I am, but the real truth is that I kinda forgot to remember the โwhyโ for many of the measures God has had me implement over the years, and also the positive results of following through. And honestly, some things I forgot or didnโt realize were actually instructions from God and not just me wanting to feel/do/be betterโto be clear, wanting to feel or do better is reason enough on its own, but when obedience to God is at hand, Iโm likeโฆ
This is why recording Godโs instructions, as well as the journey that follows, is so important, whether on paper, by video, in a voice note, etc. Health wise, itโs also a good idea to record and circle back to your โwhyโ for implementing a certain habit or routine, eliminating a certain food(s), etc., especially when itโs been a while.
God has healed my mind and body in MANY ways over the last few years through measures Iโve shared across quite a few of our Wellness Wednesday videos and blog posts (and some I havenโt yet shared). From menstrual cramps, to bloating and indigestion, to intense seasonal and elemental allergies, to depression, and Iโm sure thereโs more. (Thank you, Jesus! ๐๐พ)
But to be candid, I kinda got a bit lackadaisical in carrying out some of the things God used to heal me in the first place. Granted, there are indeed certain things that are only relevant and applicable during the healing process, but this weekend, I was reminded that the lifestyle changes God has had me make over the years are meant to be carried out for a lifetime, or at least until the next instruction. I guess I kinda started thinking, โwell, if Iโm truly healed, then XYZ shouldnโt hurt me anymoreโ or โโฆbeing meticulous about XYZ isnโt a big deal anymore.โ It was actually quite the opposite and in some ways, I had to be reminded of this the hard way ๐ฅด lol.
In our faith Friday series, weโve been talking about obtaining and maintaining deliverance and freedom through Jesus Christ. Just like we implement certain things to get free and continue doing them to stay free spiritually, the same applies to our physical healing and health.The changes the Holy Spirit leads us to make with our eating, our physical activity, our visual and audio intake, etc. are often not just meant to heal us from illness, but also to help us lead healthy lives going forward.
I guess I kinda missed that second part, but thankfully, the Holy Spirit is our faithful Guide, teaching and instructing us in the way we should go and bringing us back when we veer off even a little.
So, long story long, donโt stop doing the things the Lord instructed you to do at first until/unless He gives another instruction. Continuing to treat your body with special care even after healing doesnโt mean you werenโt fully healed, but rather the opposite. Jesus did His part in sending the healing, and we must continue to do ours, obeying the promptings and instructions of the Holy Spirit to continue to care for our temples. Donโt intentionally or unintentionally re-contaminate what Jesus has purified by His Spirit and your obedience, and that applies both spiritually and physically. Maintain the vision He placed before you of a fully healed, healthy, and wholesome you, and do not cast off restraint. & if youโve โfallen off the wagonโ a little (or a lotta) bit, be encouraged & GET BACK IN THERE, SIS!
โFor a righteous [woman] may fall seven times and rise againโฆโ (Proverbs 24:16)
I hope this helped someone today, but even if not, it certainly blessed me! ๐๐๐พ
I love you all bunches! Have a healthy & wholesome week ๐
God says:
"You are not 'her' anymore"
"You have grown & I have pruned you.
It is time to stop identifying with your past self.
You are not her anymore.
Gone are the days when you weigh your character by what you did or who you were back then.
I have made you NEW! It is time to begin to embrace this new identity FULLY.
Youโre not โthereโ anymore. You are HERE & who you are is who Iโve molded you to be!
You will continue to grow from glory to glory, but from now on, no more looking back and judging who you are now based on your track record when you didnโt know to do better, when you didnโt recognize who you were.
You are who Iโve called you to be and you will continue to grow into her.
Embrace that today."
A couple months ago, God spoke these words to me about me.
He was trying to show me some things about my future and who I truly am in Him, but I wasnโt yet able to fully receive it, because I had yet to fully perceive who exactly He was talking to. God was speaking to who I am and who will be, but a part of me was trying to understand and identify with His plans, promises, and instructions from a place of who I used to be.
I believe the word God gave me also applies to many of you who have been in a season(s) of growth. When you've been on a journey of healing, growth, or transition, especially over a significant period of time, it can be hard to recognize that you've actually healed, reached a new level of growth, or transitioned. There's no such thing as "arriving" in general, because we should always be learning & growing, but there is such a thing as arriving at a new season... a new you.
Recognizing where and who you are now is so key, because if God speaks to us based on who we are yet to be, we canโt try to apply what God is saying to us based on old renditions of ourselves or seasons that have long passed. We also need to understand who and where we are now in order to navigate as such and to steward well over the current season. Having an outdated perspective of ourselves or our season can not only cause us to miss out on what God is doing, but also may cause us to make decisions based on factors of our former identity or reality that no longer exist. Stepping into a new you or a new season will often come with many changes (and even challenges), but the first key is to recognize that a change has occurred.
For today, Iโll focus on two of those changes / challenges โ imposter syndrome and growing apart in friendships.
Imposter Syndrome.
Imposter syndrome occurs when a person constantly doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments, and more specifically, when they fear being found out to be a fraud, or imposter. On one hand, this is certainly a tactic of the enemy to keep us from stepping into the fullness of who we are and what weโve been called to, or to keep us miserable while doing so. I talk more about this in our previous Overcoming Series, so check that out if thatโs something youโve been struggling with. On the other hand, though, imposter syndrome is a natural bi-product of not actually understanding who we are, in general or in a current season. Going back to what I mentioned earlier, if you have stepped into a new version of you, but are still wearing last seasonโs identity, you will naturally feel inadequate, because the former you was the one being prepared for what you are in now, but not yet the one who was equipped to walk in it.
For example, letโs say youโre a college student who just graduated and now you have a full-time job in your field. If you try to navigate from a place of still being a college student, you will certainly feel like you donโt belong, you arenโt qualified, you slipped through the cracks and got hired by accident, etc. However, upon realizing that youโve studied to actually become an expert in your field and graduated from that stage of life, you can begin to walk with a bit more confidence. It does not mean that you may not still feel that there is much to be learned and a lot to adjust and grow into, because after all, you went from being the โbig fish in a small pondโ (ie. a senior & โmasterโ at doing the college thing) to kinda โstarting overโ as a โsmall fish in the oceanโ of the workforce. However, it does not make you an imposter. Youโre coming equipped with everything youโve learned and every part of you that youโve developed so far. See that, embrace it, and stand on it! You have โleveled upโ and now need to grow into this next level. That takes time, but it doesnโt mean you arenโt qualified. Know that when you enter a new season or realize a new you, itโs new, so it will require some growing into, but donโt let that send you into an identity crisis. Youโre not an imposter, youโre the real deal, so grow into this new level with confidence!
In the same way that the new you and your new season require growing into some things, it also usually includes a natural falling away of some things, like friendships, relationships, hobbies, etc. It happens. If the old you chose those things, people, activities, etc. or you chose them in/based on previous seasons, they may or may not align with the new you or your new season, and thatโs okay. This isnโt a โthe price has gone upโ type conversation (lol @ those posts), but rather a conversation about alignment. While I donโt believe in cutting everybody off every five seconds, I do know that there is often a natural growing apart that can happen, specifically in friendships and I believe happens for many different reasons.
Growing Apart in Friendships.
One, as you grow, your interests, values, convictions, hobbies, etc. tend to develop and change, especially as you grow in the things of God and commit to submitting to His will for your life. Coming โout of the worldโ and โinto Kingdomโ can (and will) produce drastic changes in you and your life, so if your friends arenโt on a similar journey (and sometimes, even if they are), you will likely grow apart. This is not because youโre better or anything like that, because thatโs prideful thinking. However, itโs natural to expect that if you built a friendship based on certain things, and those certain things are no longer a part of your life, unless new common ground is developed, there isnโt much left other than love and memoriesโand as great as those are, they donโt actually constitute grounds for a solid friendship. I think sometimes, we can conflate loyalty for friendship. There should be loyalty within a friendship, but loyalty alone does not constitute grounds for maintaining a friendship. For (a very basic) example, letโs say you built a friendship with someone based on your love for trying new steakhousesโI told yโall this example would be basic, but go along with me here. Lol. Well, youโre now a vegetarian and find that now, you and that friend donโt have much in common anymore. There will naturally be a growing apart that happens if the friendship wasnโt solidified based on other factors that are actually still a part of both of your lives. And sometimes, you may even find that itโs not just one or two things that have changed, but literally, your whole life has changed and youโre a completely different person, and now, yโall just donโt relate at all. Thatโs okay, too. It happens over time, especially with those who were seasonal companions, and not ordained for lifetime bonds.
That brings me to reason number two: if we were unhealed when we chose these friendships or simply lacked a revelation of who we are and who God has destined us to be, we may not have selected our friends wisely (or even actually โselectedโ them at all). As you begin to heal and/or come into knowledge of who you really are, you may find that your โpickerโ was off. ๐ฌ This will also cause a natural growing apart, because you formed these bonds erroneously. This includes, but is not limited to, trauma bonds, one-sided friendships, friendships that you never vetted to begin with, unhealthy or toxic friendships, or even ones where you actually never had anything in common. As you step into the true you, and even more specifically for this example, as you heal and develop in wholeness, you may find that certain friendships canโt stay, because they never truly belonged in the first place.
Last reason Iโll mention is situational friendships. These are friendships that were built on things like proximityโyou worked or went to school together, you were on a team together, went to the same church, etc. When the โsituationโ changes, these will grow apart for obvious reasons if the friendship wasnโt solidified further on a firmer foundation.
Iโm sure there are many more reasons why this growing apart in friendships happens, but Iโll leave you with those. I donโt really have the answer for how to navigate the process of growing apart from friends, because to be honest, Iโm still navigating that myself, but I do think it will be different in each case. The few things I will suggest areโฆ
Understand that as uncomfortable or sad as it may be, this is a normal part of life and growth.
Know that growing apart does not diminish the value of what once was, nor does it diminish the love and care that is likely still there.
Ask God for guidance on which friendships you should maintain and which you should allow to fizzle out (or even intentionally end).
Nurture and grow with the friendships God says are meant to be in your life, but donโt try to force outdated friendships based on loyalty or longevity. (Refer back to #2)
Take time to grieve the breakdown of friendships you cherish(ed) if needed. Just because the alignment isnโt there anymore doesnโt mean it wonโt still hurt to let go.
Ask God for guidance and key qualifiers in choosing new friendships and alliances. Also ask Him to help you grow and develop as a friend, so youโre equipped for these new friendshipsโit may require doing friendship differently.
When the time is right, intentionally make space in your heart and in your life for new, God-ordained friendships to develop.
Whew, this got a little longer than planned, but I pray this helps whoever needs it.
In conclusion, when you enter a new season, or become a new person, embrace it fully.
This will likely require asking God to open your eyes to how He sees you and what He says about your season, but this is necessary to navigate with confidence and authority, and to steward the season well. Know that it is NEW, so there will likely be some discomfort and stretching, but it is only because youโve stepped into new territory. You may feel like you are starting over, because in many ways you are, but you are not starting from scratch. Your former ceiling has now become the ground of your next level.
Say it with me:
You have changed. Your season has changed.
Remind yourself as much as you need to until it sticks, โYou are not โherโ anymore!โ
And begin to walk into the โherโ you are today with confidence.
Love you bunches ๐