"I will thrive no matter what happens." -quote by Steve Backlund that I've come back to for many years

Thriving is the opposite of surviving.

The apostle Paul is a great example of thriving in any situation.

• Phil. 4:11-13 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

4 things to believe about God that allows us to thrive in anything

1. He is constant/never changes, faithful.

• “I the Lord do not change.” Malachi 3:6

1. We can depend on him; he never leaves.

• “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

1. He is always working in our lives for our good.

• "So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose." Romans 8:28

1. He is and brings peace.

• “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
• “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:7
• “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3

“I will thrive [flourish, prosper, grow and develop] no matter what happens, because I know God never changes, he never leaves me, he is always good, and he brings me peace.”

Key takeaway -

• Both thriving and survival are mindsets before they become our lived reality.

Truth to remember -

• I will thrive no matter what happens!

Most of us are looking for a breakthrough somewhere in our life. Remember this - you probably don’t need a big change; you just need a small revelation that can shift everything. So don’t overlook the small stuff!

Click the link below to get the pdf Truths to Remember When I'm Feeling Afraid or Overwhelmed, a Scripture-centered guide to refocus your mind and bring you from chaos and fear back to truth and peace. subscribepage.io/MbmSZU

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It's Prom Week! Lots of dreaming, planning, and shopping has been happening the last weeks, and all of it made me think of the celebration God is planning for us.

Am I as intentional in prepping for that celebration as we are for prom?

Matt. 25:1-13 2 mindsets - Intention & Apathy

• Pro. 29:18 “where there is no vision, people perish”
• Hosea 4:6 “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”
• Matt. 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.”
• James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the father of lights.”

Our mindset sets the stage for our habits, and our habits set the stage for our future.

Intention and apathy are mindsets, but they become a way of living life.

Apathy and doing just enough to get by will not lead to living with purpose and satisfaction. We will miss deadlines, opportunities, and will produce low-quality work.

Intention and pursuing excellence will not only point others to God but will lead to purpose, fulfillment, and bigger opportunities.

And ultimately, living with intention will keep us prepared for when it our turn to meet our Bridegroom, Jesus, at the end of our life!

Most of us are looking for a breakthrough somewhere in our life. Remember this - you probably don’t need a big change; you just need a small revelation that can shift everything. So don’t overlook the small stuff!

Click the link below to get the pdf Truths to Remember When I'm Feeling Afraid or Overwhelmed, a Scripture-centered guide to refocus your mind and bring you from chaos and fear back to truth and peace. subscribepage.io/MbmSZU

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Today I was encouraged by Phil. 2:13, “It is God who is working in you.” Anyone else ever wonder if he really is making any headway on what he's doing in you?

• “God will continually revitalize you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him.” TPT
• “...live in responsive obedience…Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.” TheMessage

Stepping outside our comfort zones to where God is calling us, and how this podcast is that.

Ezra 1:5 "everyone whose heart God had moved"

How has God moved your heart? What arouses your spirit? What is he prodding in you?

Most of us are looking for a breakthrough somewhere in our life. Remember this - you probably don’t need a big change; you just need a small revelation that can shift everything. So don’t overlook the small stuff!

Click the link below to get the pdf Truths to Remember When I'm Feeling Afraid or Overwhelmed, a Scripture-centered guide to refocus your mind and bring you from chaos and fear back to truth and peace. subscribepage.io/MbmSZU

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We're wrapping up the personal responsibility series today by asking the question "Who do you want to be?"

My personal story with this question and why it's become so important to me

• James 1:6,8 - “The one who doubts is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind…double-minded and unstable in all his ways.”
• Matt. 7:24-27 - Jesus' teaching on the 2 foundations, sand vs. rock.
• 2 Cor. 10:5 “…and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
• Taking responsibility over our thoughts is to our mind what lifting weights is to our body - it increases our weight-bearing capacity.

Daniel's life

• Daniel 1:8 - “Daniel determined/made up his mind not to defile himself"
• Daniel made a decision about who he wanted to be - he wanted to be pure before God, and his life reflected that. Regardless of what was going on around him, he lived from his relationship with God and was strong in who he was.

Who do YOU want to be?

Most of us are looking for a breakthrough somewhere in our life. Remember this - you probably don’t need a big change; you just need a small revelation that can shift everything. So don’t overlook the small stuff!

Click the link below to get the pdf Truths to Remember When I'm Feeling Afraid or Overwhelmed, a Scripture-centered guide to refocus your mind and bring you from chaos and fear back to truth and peace. subscribepage.io/MbmSZU

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Welcome to my favorite episode yet! I got to have a guest, one of my favorite people, on the show with me this week. She's awesome and tells us the story of her life over the last 2 years and how God has showed up BIG in her life.

We talk about how faithful God is, how he has THE BEST ideas, and how he's proven to be so worthy of our trust.

Most of us are looking for a breakthrough somewhere in our life. Remember this - you probably don’t need a big change; you just need a small revelation that can shift everything. So don’t overlook the small stuff!

Click the link below to get the pdf Truths to Remember When I'm Feeling Afraid or Overwhelmed, a Scripture-centered guide to refocus your mind and bring you from chaos and fear back to truth and peace. subscribepage.io/MbmSZU

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Most times when we hear the phrase ‘personal responsibility,’ we think of guilt, blame, or pressure. But what if personal responsibility is actually one of the most freeing truths we could embrace?

Joseph — Responsibility in Unfair Circumstances (Gen. 37-41)

1. Joseph had every reason to become a victim.
2. He worked with excellence, stayed faithful, and didn't grow bitter.
3. Joseph recognized that his choices and character were his responsibility.
4. Joseph didn’t control the pit, the prison, or the palace—but he controlled who he was in each place. He lived the same way in the prison when no one was watching as he did in the palace.
5. His life demonstrates how our character and our choices —not our situation—shape our future.

What is one area of your life where you’ve been waiting for things to change instead of taking responsibility? What step can you take now to own your choices and character?

**Key takeaways -

1. Personal responsibility is the bridge between where I am and where I want to be. I can always own my character and my choices, and that will shape my future.

**Truth to remember -

1. The one who faithfully manages the little he has been given will be promoted and trusted with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10

Most of us are looking for a breakthrough somewhere in our life. Remember this - you probably don’t need a big change; you just need a small revelation that can shift everything. So don’t overlook the small stuff!

Click the link below to get the pdf Truths to Remember When I'm Feeling Afraid or Overwhelmed, a Scripture-centered guide to refocus your mind and bring you from chaos and fear back to truth and peace. subscribepage.io/MbmSZU

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Most of us want change in our lives. We want more peace, more growth, more breakthroughs. But there’s one thing that often stands between us and those things—and it’s the thing we most resist- looking into the mirror.

Adam & Eve — Deflecting Responsibility & Blaming Instead

1. Blame looks backward. Responsibility looks forward.

King David — Owning His Sin

1. Our breakthroughs often start where our excuses end.

Where in my life have I been spending more time explaining my situation, deflecting responsibility, and blaming others or my circumstances rather than taking responsibility for my next step?

What will my next step be to take responsibility and move forward?

**Key takeaways -

1. Blame looks backward, but responsibility looks forward.
2. Our breakthroughs often start where our excuses end.

**Truths to Remember

1. “Each one of us should carry our own load.” Gal. 6:5
2. “God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest." Gal. 6:7

Why the small step you’re overlooking might be the key to your breakthrough

In this episode, we take a look at stories in the Bible of how God takes small things and creates big results from them.

1. Marching around Jericho to bring down the walls - Joshua 6
2. Small cloud brought great rain to end a drought - I Kings 18
3. The widos's small amount of oil - 2 Kings 4
4. The small stone David used in his sling - 1 Samuel 17
5. Israelites’ worship as they went into battle - 2 Chronicles 20
6. The small lunch the boy gave Jesus - Matthew 14
7. The sick woman's small brush against Jesus’ robe - Matthew 9
8. “Jesus wept.” - John 11
9. Naaman, the foreign army captain, that had leprosy - 2 Kings 5

"We underestimate the power of little things and overestimate the power of big things.” Amy Cate

What is your current biggest frustration? Where do you feel the most defeated? What small habit could you change or begin that might be a catalyst for breakthrough?

**Key takeaway -

1. God specializes in using small things to create big results!

**Truth to Remember -

1. "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much..." Luke 16:10

Most of us are looking for a breakthrough somewhere in our life. Remember this - you probably don’t need a big change; you just need a small revelation that can shift everything. So don’t overlook the small stuff!

Click the link below to get the pdf Truths to Remember When I'm Feeling Afraid or Overwhelmed, a Scripture-centered guide to refocus your mind and bring you from chaos and fear back to truth and peace. subscribepage.io/MbmSZU

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.