Our Own Worst Critic

I often wonder when my life here is over, and I stand before God, what He will show me. I think He might show me the "could have been's" if I merely followed a different set of steps in my future. Far too often, I believe we pray for His direction in our day, but then we are the ones who get in our own way of possible success. Perhaps it is that we lack the confidence and faith to believe in the possibilities laid before us. I firmly believe that with my whole heart. Even if we have 100 people tell us that we need to go in the direction we believe God is leading us to, we second guess, judge ourselves and listen to the lies of the enemy that say, "You're not as good as you think you are."

We kill ourselves before we even get going. Even though there is gas in our tanks, we don't even want to grab the keys and jump in the car. But the honest point is that we don't know how close we might be to reaching the other side of the shore, if we simply give up. What is it is one more project to complete, that will start your business in a successful path? What if it is showing up one more day, prepared to tackle whatever lies in front of you, and then the path will open wide up? What if we are merely steps away from reaching that point, God has called us to, but we throw in the towel saying, "I'm done. I can't do this any more. I'm out."

What if it was merely changing how we view our attitude that day? There are so many what ifs, and it makes me curious, why do we tend to listen to the negative what ifs in our head, instead of what could be positive what ifs instead? I wonder if it is just a woman thing more often than it is with a man, because everything that we do and say, is all connected in a way. Everything touches something else in our life. I believe we are our own worst critic and while we pray for God to work in our situation, we are blocking the way. It's time to stop saying it's too late to begin again. To say you're too old to do something. It's time to stop accepting the lies of the enemy and start listening to that still small voice that cheers us on, and encourages us to keep moving forward. Stop quitting and start working harder to find out what God's will is for your life.

If you're unsure, pray for clarity. If you don't have the strength to go on, lean on God. If you will listen to the lies of the enemy, start listening to the whispers of the Spirit. In other words, girl, get out there and be all God has created you to be. Stop standing in the way, get out of the way and watch God work.

Today, I received another email from a big name Christian book publisher that they are closing their review program to everything but eBooks. While I can see their point in keeping costs low, there are so many that can't or don't have access to eBooks. I see this as another confirmation that I am meant to move forward in my path as a small business owner and slowly transition from a book reviewer to the new chapter God is laying before me. Whether I will continue to make wreaths and home decor for the next year or whether God is calling me to teach and encourage others, I will pray for wisdom to know the difference between what God's will is for me in my life, and what I want instead. I need to give it all up to God and walk in the path He has laid before me today.

How can I encourage or pray for you today?

All Saints - Movie Ticket Giveaway

From the makers of films like Miracles From Heaven and the War Room,  Provident Films and Sony Affirm Pictures once again has created what I believe will be another life changing movie. All Saints is coming soon to a theater near you on August 25th and with it the chance to win a pair of movie tickets to go see the film in theaters. All Saints is a movie based on true life events and takes a pastor, Michael Spurlock played by John Corbett who is sent to a small town to close the All Saints church due to low or what some might say is poor attendance. There are only 12 current members attending. Using his prior sales experience Michael is given inspiration to try one more time to see what he can do to generate interest in the church.

With the arrival of a group of Burmese refugees who understand the power of faith, they help inspire Michael to give God a chance to revive the church again. He is reminded that when Jesus started the church on earth, he began with just 12 people too and yet He did alright. Coupled with the faith and hope of those who can see God's hand in making use of their talents, from beginning a farm based on the great soil surrounding the church, and being reminded that we all have a purpose to serve by being created. Kind of like Matthew West's song, Do Something. Sometimes we all wait around in this world hoping for a better world and hoping that it will come about without us having to lift a finger. What if God's purpose is for us all to contribute while we still have breath in our lungs. That is what Pastor Spurlock will face when he struggles to understand his purpose by being assigned to save this church.

After all, what will happen if the church closes? Then what will those who attended do? Makes you consider what might happen if that very thing happened even within the doors of our own church, because we have come to expect that others will step up so we can have a place to worship. What happens when those around you go hungry and there isn't resources to feed them. Pastor Spurlock believes God has called him to do just that. To not only save the church, but to feed the people both the come to All Saints but even those in the community in hopes that a small spark will ignite into a flaming fire of redemption and restoration. From a seed of faith, grows hope!

I received this giveaway promotion compliments of Sony Affirm Pictures and LEV3L Digital. The giveaway winner will receive a Fandago code to purchase two tickets FREE to see it on the night of your choice. It's simple and I've done it in the past! The giveaway codes will be received in time to see the movie, so you won't miss out. What I need your participate in is to help spread the word about this movie. So often as Christians, we look for great entertainment for the entire family in light of what is currently being shown in movie theaters, so lets remind the world, we want more movies like this one!

So please visit all the resource sites below to copy and share banners and movie clips and trailers like the ones features in this post. Use your social media sites to help spread the word. For each share, simply copy and paste your links below in the comment box to be entered to win in this giveaway. From Facebook, to Pinterest, to Instagram, Snap Chat, Twitter and any other way to can think of, let's join forces as a Christian community and share the good news about this upcoming movie. The giveaway will end on August 18, 2017.

For more information about All Saints, Sony Affirm Pictures, or Provident Films please click on the links below:

All Saints by Sony Affirm Pictures and Provident Films

You can find All Saints on Facebook to stay up to date on all the latest about the movie.

Please find some great resources about the film like movie discussion guides, refugee information, and more by visiting All Saint's website.