Purpose & Calling – Beloved Women

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Many people are not effectively answering God’s call on their life because they are in a position of push or a position of pull, but if we want to experience the benefits of boldly walking in God’s call on our lives, we must be in a position of . . . well, you’ll have to watch and see. Enjoy!

God calls different people to do different things. This also means we have different ways we answer those calls. So in today’s video, I want to share with you 3 common ways that people often answer God’s call and the one way that is the best way to answer.

A POSITION OF PUSHThe first common way people answer God’s call on their lives is in what I call a position of push. This means that God has told you what He’s calling you to do, but you are hesitant to answer for any number of reasons (fear, doubt, complacency, you name it), and so you may frequently find yourself in a position where God is pushing you to where He wants you to go.

Some signs that you are in a position of push are:

You often overthink what God’s calling you to do
People keep asking when you’re going to do what it is you’re called to do (and often wonder why you haven’t don’t it yet)
You struggle with imposter syndrome and question if God made a mistake when calling you.
The moment you get excited about moving forward in your calling, you immediately are overcome with doubt and insecurity.
The battle with doubt and anxiety that comes with answering the call makes you want to turn back.

The challenge for the pusher then is to trust God over your doubt and feelings of inadequacy. If you struggle to trust yourself with this calling, you’re going to have to trust God with yourself and what He can do through you, in spite of you. The hope I want to share with anyone in a position of push is Proverbs 3:5-6 which says:

*“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” ‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6 ‭ESV)‬‬* An example of someone in a position of push in the Bible is Moses. When God approached Moses in the wilderness in Genesis 3 to call him to go and free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, Moses hesitates. He does not go right away. In fact, he and God have a pretty lengthy conversation about it. Moses is fearful, doubtful, and he just doesn’t want to do it. But for every excuse Moses gives, God has a solution and although God does not take “no” as an answer, He really twists Moses’ hand and pushes him towards answering the call.

Now if you are in a position of push, it’s often that your hesitation and indecisiveness are going to rob you of the peace and strength you need to move forward. The alternative is to trust God with your comfort zone and go where He tells you to go and do what He tells you to do. Now God is patient and gracious and He will take the time to process and wrestle with us, but hopefully, as we mature in our relationship with Him, that wrestling becomes less and less because we’ve experienced that if God is calling us to something, it’s for our good and His glory.

A POSITION OF PULLThe next common way people answer God’s call on their lives is in what I call a position of pull. This is where God may or may not have revealed His call to you, but you are running full speed ahead to what you think it might be and so God has to pull you back to get you on track. You are a few steps ahead of God and although your ambition is praised by the world, it is more important to be in alignment with God.

Signs you may be in a position of pull include:

You always feel in a hurry for God to tell you what’s next
You often leave projects unfinished because you’re excited to move on to the next thing
You start sometimes with much energy and excitement, but eventually find yourself burnt out
You feel like you’re always putting more into a matter than what you get out

Someone in a position of pull is often in a rush because they are passionate about this calling, but may find themselves out of step with God’s ultimate plan. It’s important then to trust God with the mission, no matter what that looks like, or how long it takes. Don’t become so focused on just getting it done or getting to the end destination, that you miss God in the journey. The hope I want to share with anyone in a position of pull is Proverbs 16:9 which says:

*“**We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 NLT)* An example of someone in a position of pull in the Bible is David. David was passionate about building a temple for the Lord, and he was about to go all in on this project. But it was not God’s will for David to build the temple, but his son Solomon, instead. So God sent the prophet Nathan to David to pull him back and let him know the temple would be built, but not by him and not now. David could have moved forward full steam ahead and just did what he wanted, but instead, he praised God. He thanked God for the promise that the temple would be built, even if it wasn’t him building it, and then he ensured his son had all he needed when the time came to build the temple. If we’re too busy rushing what God has called us to do, we might miss when and how He called us to do it. Answering God’s call is not about just getting it done as fast as possible, even if we’re just genuinely excited, but about walking in step with God at His pace to His desired purpose.

A POSITION OF FLOWSo the best way to answer God’s call is not to be in a position of push or pull, but to be in a position of flow. This is where you are walking in what God is calling you to do, but fear is not slowing you down, and anxiety is not moving you ahead of God by working in your own strength. Flow is where we surrender to God’s call, His way, and His timing. When we are in alignment with God like this, His Spirit becomes like wind beneath our wings and gives us the strength to do what we’re called to do. You will operate outside of your capacity because doubt is not slowing you down and you’re not relying on your strength, but God’s. This is where you become unstoppable. Isaiah 40:29-31 says:

*“He gives power to the faint,**and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary,**and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the* *Lord* *shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31 ESV)* God is fueling you as you surrender to Him. Often, we struggle with effectively answering God’s call on our lives because we’re in a position of push or a position of pull, but if we want to boldly answer God’s call on our lives, we need to be in a position of FLOW. If you are in a position of push, trust that God will give you the strength to fly. If you are in a position of pull, trust that God’s strength will take you higher than your own. When you find yourself in a position of flow, doing what you were made to do, no more and no less, that’s when you start to soar.

To help you learn even more about how to confidently answer God’s call on your life, I invite you to join our next Bible study series titled “Crazy or Called” as we look at the lives of ten ordinary people in the Bible called to extraordinary purpose. If you’re ready to find the boldness to confidently answer God’s call on your life, join now for free and get the study guide to follow along by visiting the links in the description of this video.

If you enjoyed today’s video, will you do me a favor and share it with a friend because you just never know who might need some Beloved encouragement today.

For more Beloved encouragement, be sure to download the Beloved Women app available in the Apple and Google Play stores for unlimited and ad-free access to Beloved Bible study series, daily devotions, exclusive content, and videos to fill your soul. I look forward to connecting with you there.

As always, thank you so much for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.

The post How to Boldly Answer God’s Call on Your Life first appeared on Beloved Women.

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God placed a specific call on your life because He trusts you. However, when we doubt God’s judgment in choosing us for the call, we’ll respond with hesitation and fear instead of boldness and faith. In today’s video, learn 3 ways you can trust God with His call on your life so you can effectively answer that call with confidence. Enjoy!

When you ask someone to do something, the last thing you want from them is an excuse. This, however, is exactly what Moses gives to God when God asked him to leave his life as a shepherd, go back to Egypt, and lead His people out of slavery.

As we look at the excuses Moses gives in Exodus chapters 3 and 4, we’ll see that they are not that different from the excuses we often give when God calls us. Still, for every excuse Moses offered, God has an answer.

1st Excuse: I’m Not Enough?First, Moses asks God, “Who is he to lead the Israelites out of slavery?” Moses had lost his confidence in himself and felt he was unfit for the job. The reason Moses left Egypt in the first place was that he killed an Egyptian whom he saw harming an Israelite. He always wanted to help his people, He just went about it the wrong way. Now that he has an opportunity to do so in the power of God and not in his own strength, he is too ashamed of himself to accept the call.

But God did not coddle Moses and tell him how great he was to encourage him to answer the call. God’s response was “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12) Essentially, God is saying it doesn’t matter who you are, what matters more is that God is with Him.

Often, we allow doubt to delay us from answering God’s call because we’re too focused on ourselves. As we remember our past mistakes, failures, and inadequacies, we talk ourselves out of our purposeful positions. But God knows what He gave you and what He didn’t give you. He knows what’s in your past and what’s not in your past. He knows what you’ve done and what you haven’t done and what’s been done to you, and He’s still calling you anyways, not because of who you are, but because of who He is. He can use any purpose, situation, or circumstance to do as He pleases. So if we want to answer God’s call with boldness, we need to take the focus off ourselves and place it back on God.

2nd Excuse: Who Are You, God?To answer Moses’ first excuse, God assures Moses He will be with him, so the second excuse Moses gives God is summarized in the question, “Who are You?” Moses is unsure how to let the Israelites know that it is God who sent him, because he’s like, well, who is this God? Moses asks, “what should I say when the people ask who sent me?”

To this, God responds, “I am who I am,” (Exodus 3:14 ESV) period. In short, this means the God Moses was talking to was not some other little “g” god, like the many other gods in Egypt. The God Moses was called by was the One and only God who created and ruled all. God explained to Moses that yes, He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God of their ancestors, but He first introduces Himself as the “I Am.” The eternal, sovereign, omniscient, creator God of all. So it’s not a matter of determining which god sent Moses, but that God, the One and only God Almighty, sent him.

Moses had to understand that the God sending him had the authority and power to back up his call. We, too, have to understand that whatever it is that God has called us to do, as our source, He has the authority and power to see it through. So we’re not answering in our own strength, we are walking in the authority that God has given us when we answer His call on our lives. Now how much more confidence and boldness would we walk in if we truly understood that we’re not doing this because we think it’s a good idea, or it just feels like the right thing to do, but that we are in alignment with the power and authority of God?

3rd Excuse: What Will People Think?The third excuse Moses gave God had nothing to do with himself or God, but his insecurity in how the people he was called to rescue would respond to him. He asks God, what if he goes back to Egypt to tell the Israelites that God called him to release them from slavery, and they don’t believe him? This excuse was rooted in the fear of people. Moses was afraid of how the people would respond to him. Once again, God graciously responds to Moses and gives him the ability to perform signs and wonders to get the people to believe him. The truth is that it was Moses’ job to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and he would need influence over them because he would need their cooperation. Still, God could move the hearts of the people to do what He needed them to do. Proverbs 16:7 says:

*“When a man's ways please the* *Lord**, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7 ESV)* God can give you influence and favor with people, especially when it’s necessary for answering His call. God was not worried about how the Israelites would respond, Moses was. As long as we’re being obedient, we don’t need to fear man because God can handle that too. It’s more important for us to fear God. Proverbs 29:25 says:

*“Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.” (Proverbs 29:25 NLT)* And Galatians 1:10 asks:

***“****For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10 ESV)* THE FINAL STRAWSo God has addressed all of Moses’ excuses, but Moses is not satisfied. So he goes back to excuse one about him being inadequate for the call, but he goes into more detail this time. He explains that he’s not an eloquent speaker and has a speech impediment, to which God responds that He is the One who gives us our mouths and that He will help Moses to speak.

Still, not enough for Moses, he finally expresses how he really feels by saying:

*“Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” (Exodus 4:12 ESV)* That’s what all Moses’ excuses were really about. He just didn’t want to do it. I’m sure Moses still wanted the Israelites to be free, he just didn’t want to be the one to do it. Now as patient as God had been in this entire conversation, He’s now angry with Moses because Moses was essentially saying, “God You made the wrong choice,” but God doesn’t do anything wrong. God was not wrong or mistaken to call Moses and He was not wrong or mistaken to call you. He made no mistake when He gave you your purpose. Our excuses reveal our shortcomings, not His.

His graciousness, even while angry, God accommodated Moses. He assigned Moses’ brother Aaron to speak to the people for Moses and serve as his mouth. Finally, Moses set out to answer God’s call and he does go on to lead God’s people to freedom. Are you having a similar conversation with God? Are you bringing more doubt than belief? More insecurity than boldness in the One who called you? More fear than faith? The only cure for your excuses is to stop looking at yourself and look to the all-powerful, sovereign, promise-keeping, gracious God that called you.

To help you learn even more about how to confidently answer God’s call on your life, I invite you to join our next Bible study series titled “Crazy or Called” as we look at the lives of ten ordinary people in the Bible called to extraordinary purposes. If you’re ready to find the boldness to confidently answer God’s call on your life, join now for free and get the study guide to follow along by visiting the links in the description of this video.

If you enjoyed today’s video, will you do me a favor and share it with a friend because you just never know who might need some Beloved encouragement today.

As always, thank you so much for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.

The post When You Don’t Want to Answer God’s Call on Your Life first appeared on Beloved Women.

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Our Creator God, is purposeful and intentional. That means He has a reason for everything He does, including why He created you. He gives us all purpose and places a specific call on our lives. In today’s video, I’m sharing 7 important questions to ask yourself to confidently discover God’s purpose in your life.

Today I’m sharing how to discover your God-given purpose. Now all believers have the same call to go and make disciples as Jesus commands in Matthew 28:19, but we also have specific purposes and assignments from God that are unique to each of us.

Many people struggle with knowing what that purpose is for themselves. In our social media-driven society, we battle comparisons that distract us from doing the work to discover our own calling, because we’re looking at what everyone else is doing.

However, we don’t find our purpose by looking out, and contrary to common belief, we don’t discover our purpose by looking in. Our purpose is revealed to us by looking up to God. The purpose of anything is found in the One who created it. Our purpose comes from God, and it’s for God. Still, you may be wondering, ok, that’s great, Christina so when is God going to tell me my purpose? Well, unless you’re like Moses, He most likely won’t tell you with a burning bush. You may just have to do some searching and discovery. The Bible says:

*“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.**” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭25:2‬ ‭NKJV‬)* Here’s the thing; we can’t search for our purpose without looking to God. This is not to frustrate us, but to take us on a journey to not only prepare us for our purpose, but to also help us learn about the God who has graciously given us that purpose in the first place.

So in today’s video, I’m going to share with you 7 important questions to ask yourself to discover what specific purpose it is that God has entrusted to you so you can walk in that purpose with confidence and boldness.

1. What is my POSITION? The first question to ask yourself to discover your purpose is: what is your position? Your position is where you are in life. Both your physical location and the season of life you are in reveal what God is calling you to do. By God’s sovereignty, He has placed us where we are in life at this moment for a reason. Pay attention and look around. Who has He put you around? These are the immediate people you are called to serve. Whether it’s your family, co-workers, or neighbors, God does not have you here by accident, so your position is connected to your purpose.

Where are you in life right now? What do you believe this might reveal about God’s purpose for you? What season of life are you in? Why do you think God has called you to this season and what lessons are there for you to learn here?

2. What is my PASSION? Next, you want to ask yourself: what is my passion? What do you love to do? What do you do that makes you feel alive and closest to God? What would you do for free? Whatever that is, is your passion. This is what you want to do. Whatever it is you’re called to do, even if you feel like you don’t know what it is, in some capacity, is already revealed in the passions that are in your heart. Now you may be thinking the heart is deceptive, can my passion really dictate my purpose? When we place God first, and He has access to our hearts, the answer is yes, because He can move our hearts as He pleases.

What are you passionate about and absolutely love doing? What is something you loved doing as a child? Do you see ways you can pursue or already are pursuing that passion as an adult?

3. What is my PROFICIENCY? The third question you want to ask yourself to discover your purpose is what is my proficiency? What are you good at doing? What are your gifts and talents? These are important questions to ask because they too, come from God and reveal His calling on your life.

I love that our talents are also called gifts. They are precious skills and capacities that God gives us that He doesn’t give to everyone. On top of that, when you mix your talents with your unique passions and experiences, it reveals a unique calling on your life that no one can answer but you. I think of Joseph, who was gifted at leadership, and whether he was a slave, imprisoned, or ruled Egypt, this gift went with Him. Proverbs 18:16 says:

*“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬)* What I love about purpose is that it can’t be contained by your situation. Wherever you are, there is a purpose for your life.

What are you good at doing? What is something people always ask you for help with because they know you are good at it? What comes easy to you that doesn’t come so easily to others? What gifts and talents do you believe God has entrusted to you?

4. What is in my POSSESSION? The next question to ask to discover God’s purpose for your life is what is in your possession? What do you have to work with?

In Genesis, God called man and woman to subdue the earth. We are charged to build and create and make earth a great place to live, but God doesn’t give us finished products, but He gives us the raw materials to use. So what are your raw materials? What do you have on hand because they are a great clue as to what you’re called to do?

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, Moses gave God every excuse he could think of not to do it. God asks Him: “What’s in your hand?” Well, Moses just had a staff. But God used that staff to perform miracles and wonders as Moses answered his call to lead the Israelites out of slavery.

So ask yourself the same question: what’s in your hand? Do you have hair supplies to do hair? A notebook and pen to write? A smartphone to record video?

Now you might feel you don’t have much in your hand, or that you don’t possess a lot, and that’s ok because God does not need a lot to do a lot. Trust God with what you have. He is faithful to finish what you start.

What resources do you have available to create, serve or lead with? What’s in your hand? What do you believe God wants you to do with these resources?

5. What is the PROBLEM? The next question that you want to ask when it comes to discovering your purpose is what is the problem? Often, we are really good at finding a problem and complaining and discovering how things can be better because we’re frustrated that they are not operating at their full potential. What we’re not good at however, is often realizing that we are the solution to the problems that frustrate us. Discovering your purpose isn’t only about what you like, but it’s also revealed in what you dislike.

We have to be careful with this because the Bible tells us that man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (James 1:20) So although that frustration may be a signal to what our purpose is, it cannot be our ultimate motivator. It is our job to look at the things that discourage us in this world and seek the Lord on how He wants us to be the solution.

What problems in life and the world make you upset? What’s a topic that has always frustrated you? Why do you think this problem bothers you the way it does? How can you see God using you to be a solution to that problem?

6. What’s in my PAST? Your past does not define you, but it can propel you to your purpose.

Your past tells a story. A question that you want to ask yourself when it comes to discovering your God-given purpose is what is in my past? Oftentimes, the things that we’ve been through and the experiences that we have lived give insight into the purpose that God has called us. This is because God never wastes anything. Whether our past was glorious or painful, God can turn it all into purpose.

We too often want to run from our past, when in actuality, our past holds a key to our purpose if we will give God the chance to heal us from our past, so we can then have the power and authority to help heal others. Often, purpose is birthed out of a painful past. Not that God wants us to experience pain, but He will use it to propel us to our purpose.

How has your last affected who you have become? What have you overcome in your past, and how can you help others overcome as well?

7. What is my POTENTIAL?The final question you want to ask to uncover your purpose is, what is my potential? There are certain things about you that reveal your purpose that have yet to be discovered, but God knows they are there. This is why He often calls us to do things that seem bigger to us or before we feel ready. We don’t know our potential, but God does. So when God leads you to do something you’re never done before or something you feel weak in, it’s because He knows your potential. As you walk in it, you will feel stretched, but that is God pulling out the potential He placed in you from the beginning.

When is a time God has called you to do something you didn’t feel capable of doing? Thinking back on your passions, past, possession, and more. How do they reveal that you may be more ready than you think? How can you see God growing and stretching you to be who He’s calling you to be?

To help you learn even more about discovering your purpose, I invite you to join our next Bible study series titled, “Crazy or Called” as we look at the lives of ten ordinary people in the Bible called to extraordinary purposes. If you’re ready to find the boldness to confidently answer God’s call on your life, join now for free and get the study guide to follow along by visiting the links in the description of this video.

If you enjoyed today’s video, will you do me a favor and share it with a friend because you just never know who might need some Beloved encouragement today.

As always, thank you so much for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.

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Everyone wants a blessed life, but we can’t overlook the truth that blessings come with a responsibility that can sometimes...

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If you’ve ever wondered if you should start a Christian YouTube channel, the answer is yes. But how do you do that?” In today’s video, I’m going to show you step-by-step how to start your YouTube channel to help you share your God-given message, increase your impact, and glorify God with your work, gifts, and creativity. Enjoy!

I started the Beloved Women YouTube channel with my webcam (which was not very good by the way) at my kitchen table in our apartment. I recorded quietly as not to wake my daughter who was asleep, because as many moms know, real work doesn’t always get done until the baby is asleep. I had no idea that years later, my channel would reach women all over the world. I truly believe that no matter where you are or what you have, you can start an impactful YouTube channel. In today’s video, I’m going to give the steps for you to take to get started.

1. Define your purposeful mission. The first step to take when creating a Christian YouTube channel is to define your purpose. Some people call this your “why.” I call it your purposeful mission. Your mission is how you serve and who you serve. Your purpose is why this mission is significant to you and your audience. One of the first lessons I teach In my YouTube course is how to develop your clear, purposeful mission statement with an easy-to-follow formula because when you are clear on why you want to start a Christian YouTube channel, you obtain not only the direction you need but also the fuel you need as a creator to keep going when it’s not as easy to press record. And if you want a lasting impact, you can’t just post videos just to post them or to get views. You need to be clear on why you are doing what you’re doing. So ask yourself these 3 questions:

Who do I want to help?
How will my channel help them?
Why is this important?

2. Create a Google account and set up your YouTube channel.Your next step is to create a Google account and then set up your YouTube channel. Google owns YouTube, so you must have a Google account to create a YouTube channel. This may seem simple enough, but do you know how many people just think about starting a YouTube channel but don’t actually do it. They overthink and get so caught up in all the tech and details and stop even before they get started. This doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t have to have all the answers before you create your channel, but you do need an actual channel if you want to be a YouTuber. So create a Google account, and set up your YouTube channel with a clear profile picture of yourself, and cover art. Then fill out the about section for your channel and add any necessary links to your website or social accounts if you want.

3. Choose Your Video equipment. Next, you want to choose the video equipment to record your videos. The most important being your camera. Fortunately, you do not and should not spend a lot of money on equipment, especially if you are just getting started. I personally suggest using your smartphone or webcam for new YouTubers and then work your way up to more equipment like a digital camera, professional microphone and more as you become more consistent in creating video. This way, you have time to learn your personal style and what works for you, and you’ll be better prepared to make a wise decision in what type of equipment to buy based on the video experience you’ve gained. Other equipment you might want to consider is a microphone, lighting, and a hard drive to store all your videos. Also, a case for your hard drive just in case you drop it. Ask me how I know.

You can find the list of all the equipment I use here. I always need to note that although people wonder about equipment the most when it comes to starting a YouTube channel, it is not the most important part of your YouTube journey. The content you create and the value you add to your audience is way more important. Remember, God is the driving force of your mission. Do the work and trust Him with the results. Too often people trust the equipment, but it is God who will give you influence and help you to impact others no matter how much or how little equipment you have. Psalm 20:7 says:

*“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” ‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭20:7‬ ‭ESV)‬‬* Let me paraphrase this for the Christian YouTuber:

Some trust in camaras and some in perfect audio, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Don’t wait until you have a $500 or $1000 or $5000 camera to get started. What’s in your hand? A smartphone, a webcam, an old camera you haven’t used in years that still works? Use what you have and allow God to grow you from there.

4. Set up your studio.Next, it’s time to set up your studio. Now this does not need to be an actual studio but a simple space for recording your videos. Wherever the location of your studio is, it should be quiet so you don’t have any distracting background noise, well lit so we can clearly see you in your videos, and functional so you can feel comfortable recording your videos. Maybe this is at your kitchen table, the desk in your office, or on the couch in your living room. Just make sure no personal information is showing on the wall or the background that may reveal too much. I shoot my videos at this desk in our guest bedroom facing a window that gives great lighting. Again, don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be. Keep it simple and then keep it going.

5. Plan your videos. Just because you have your equipment and studio set up and ready to go does not mean you’re ready to press record. First, you want to do your research. Decide what topic your first or next video will be about and brainstorm video ideas. If you’re running low on ideas, ask your audience, read the comments on your videos or videos like yours to see what the conversation is like around your topic, and what questions people are asking. I also like to type my topic in the YouTube or Google search bar and see what search suggestions come up to provide even more video ideas. As you come up with ideas, write them down. I keep a running list of video ideas on my phone so I never run out.

6. Start creating. Next, it’s time to start creating! Here you will press record and make a video. Make sure the topic of your videos is clearly communicated in your video and that by the end of the video, your audience is helped. Keep in mind there are many directions you can take when creating a Christian YouTube video. You can share a video devotion, or conduct a video interview for your podcast or even share a lifestyle Vlog sharing your behind-the-scenes or day-to-day life. Create a video that best represents you. That’s what YouTube is all about.

7. Share your content. Next, it’s time to share your content. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised to know how many people plan and record videos but never actually share them. Don’t let that be you. Upload your video, add a compelling thumbnail, add your description and tags, and press publish. Then share on social and with your email list if you have one. It’s ok to share your work. People can’t benefit from your gifts if they don’t know they exist. Now is not the time to hide; it’s time to shine bright for Jesus and share your gifts with the world.

8. Engage with your audience.Your next step is to engage with your audience. YouTube is about community, not just people listening to you. It’s a two-way street. So reply to comments on your video and ask your audience questions. Let them know you are just as excited to hear from them as they are from you.

9. Review Your Results.Next, you want to review your results. After you post a video, check out your comments and see how your audience is responding. Is this a hot topic you may need to create more videos on? Was something unclear, or have you triggered your audience? Also, look at the analytics of your video, such as views and watch time (found in your YouTube studio) and see how your video or videos are performing. Ask yourself what changes and adjustments can you take to make your next videos better. What’s working and what’s not? I need to warn you to be careful here. The numbers are not always a clear indicator of the impact you are making, but they do provide information to help you grow as a YouTuber and content creator. So know who you are in Christ and that you work for God and not the YouTube algorithm.

10. Repeat the process. Your next step is to repeat the process all over again. The most successful Christian YouTubers don’t have the best equipment, connections, are the most tech savvy, or even the largest following, but they are consistent. Consistency is the best way to show up for your audience. When you show up for your audience, they will show up for you. So create a workflow that’s best for you. What can you commit to consistently? One video a month or one a week? Two a week? Make a plan and then go for it. If you miss an upload, don’t worry about it. Keep going and upload again next time. Just don’t give up, keep going, and let God use you according to His perfect purpose and plan.

Now that you’re ready to get started with your Christian YouTube channel, you need a plan to grow your channel and, ultimately your impact which is why I want to invite you to my FREE Christian YouTube masterclass, where I will teach you 3 important steps to confidently start and grow your Christian YouTube channel. Click the link in the description of this video to register for free, or visit wwwchristinapatterson.com.

There is a purpose why God gave you the gifts you have, so be encouraged, release fear, and keep creating for Christ.

As always, thank you so much for watching today, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed and beloved.

The post How to Start a Christian YouTube Channel first appeared on Beloved Women.

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Christine Cain is quoted saying, “Sometimes when you find yourself in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.” No one wants to experience a wilderness season, but we all will at some point. Honestly, a majority of our spiritual growth will occur in seasons of isolation, suffering, and pain. We, however, do not journey through this season alone. God is with us every step of the way, and in today’s video, I want to share with you how to grow closer to God and trust Him even in a wilderness season. Enjoy!

Navigating a wilderness season requires an elevated dependence on God. It’s in these seasons when our senses are heightened to how much we need God because we’re face to face with our lack. As I incurred a neck injury a few years ago, it was a serious wilderness season for me. At first I didn’t know what was going on and why I was in excruciating pain, then I was misdiagnosed, which only exacerbated matters, and that was followed by a bumpy journey of healing and recovery.

The most challenging part wasn’t the pain but knowing my kids were worried seeing me in pain and time, I felt like I was missing out with family and friends. I just didn’t understand why God had me go through all that. It made no sense, but I resolved to trust Him anyway. Now looking back; however, I can clearly see God’s hand all on that wilderness season, from leading me to the right doctors, miraculous healings that surprised those doctors, overwhelming me with His presence, and showing me that even when I didn’t feel Him. He was there. If anything, that season deepened my trust and faith in God on a level I don’t think could have in any other circumstances. So while I’m not looking for a wilderness season, I’ve experienced firsthand how God is closest to us in the dark.

Wilderness seasons are times of lack, waiting, and even suffering. Seasons like this can be very lonely, especially if God appears to be silent. You’re making it day by day, but you don’t feel like you have enough as you wait for God in this season. It’s here you need to fight the urge to shut down, stay angry, or run away. Resist the lies this season tells and cling to God’s truth because some of the most important spiritual growth in our lives occurs in a wilderness season.

When we think of growth, we think of growing bigger. As children, we want to grow taller and up. But spiritual growth first grows down as we become deeply rooted in God’s truth. Colossians 2:7 says:

*“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” (‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)* Often in gardening, we focus on the plant, the fruit, or the flower. We often give little thought to the roots of a plant. But we must not forget it’s the unseen root of a plant that enables it to grow fruit and flower in the first plant. And it’s this growth that takes place in a wilderness season.

Last year, I grew a flower garden in our front yard, and a few of the flowers were struggling and were starting to wither. As my son helped me to water them to bring them back to life, I saw he kept putting water on the petals of the flower and leaves of the plants. I said, “son, you have to water the roots for the plant to get the water.” It’s hydrated roots that transport much-needed water to the rest of the plant. It will not be enough to water your petals and spend all your energy on how you look or how you come across. A sustaining faith comes from not looking like you are well watered but actually being well watered.

When our hearts are saturated in God’s truth it is then that His truth permeates to every other aspect of your life. And many times that watering occurs in the dark of a wilderness season.

Watering the withering petals of a plant will not restore it. In the same way, we can’t treat the symptoms and not the root cause of a matter. Growth doesn’t come from treating the symptoms but from treating the root system.

Jesus says:

*“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)* Much of the spiritual growth we experience will happen in the dark, unseen, and often overlooked wilderness seasons of our life, much like roots growing in soil. Proverbs 12:12 says:

*“The root of the righteous bears fruit.” (Proverbs 12:12b ESV)* I like to say it this way, fruit starts at the root. Much of our root growth is established in wilderness seasons. It’s here we must remember we are not alone. The darkness of this season is not meant to destroy us but to provide the necessary conditions for growth. A seed cannot grow unless it is broken first. In the same way, God will use our brokenness to start growth in us to strengthen us for seasons to come. But don’t think that God wants us to be broken and stay broken. He does not take our pain lightly, but He will use our brokenness for our good, His glory, and to produce fruit in our lives. Honestly, when I think of many of the blessings in my life, I can look back and see how they originated from some sort of brokenness that opened a door for God to give me something better.

In a wilderness season, we must remember this is not the end. You are victorious in Christ. It may not seem like it, but the wilderness season is when God is the closest to us. He is right beside us in the dark and depressing times. Psalm 34:18 reminds us:

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 ESV) A wilderness season is like winter. We don’t often associate it with growth, but it’s often where the most important growth occurs. It’s in the cold dark soil where the seed breaks and roots start to grow. It’s the growth no one sees but is necessary for fruitful living. Your wilderness season is the time to press into the presence of God and understand that no season lasts forever. This, too, shall pass.

Today’s video is part of a series called “Growing Closer to God in Any Season,” where we’re learning how to trust God in a wilderness, pruning, growing, or harvest season. Take my “Spiritual Seasons” quiz to learn which of the 4 spiritual seasons you are in currently, and be sure to comment on to this video and let me know your results.

If you enjoyed today’s videos, will you do me a favor and share it with a friend because you just never know who might need some Beloved encouragement today.

And for more Beloved, be sure to download the Beloved Women app available in the Apple and Google play stores for unlimited access to beloved Bible studies, daily devotions, inspiring interviews, and videos to fill your soul. I look forward to connecting with you there.

As always, thank you so much for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.

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If a farmer knows the best time to plant tomatoes is between April and July, it would be foolish for him to plant them in November and expect a flourishing harvest. Seeds have to be plated at certain times and in specific seasons for optimal growth. In the same way, God plants us in certain seasons to grow us; however, if we’re not aware of or accept the season God has called us to, we risk missing out on the growth and fruitful lives that God has for us. In today’s video, I’m going to introduce you to the 4 spiritual seasons and share how to recognize which season you are in. Enjoy!

I remember a season as a young mom when I was so frustrated and discouraged because my to-do list was longer than I had the time to accomplish it, and I am sure that many of you have experienced this before. I was upset because I expected to be able to produce in that season of young motherhood the same amount that I did in previous seasons. Instead, I felt like I was moving slowly, and things were just not getting done as fast as before.

While I was at the grocery store with one of my kids, trying to squeeze in a trip to pick up food before the next thing I needed to check off my to-do list, I was also on the phone with my friend Kia venting to her about how I was tired and frustrated and confused I was, and I’ll never forget what Kia explained to me that day because it’s something that I take with me throughout all the seasons of my life now. She reminded me that I can’t compare what I’m doing now to what I did in previous seasons because the season I was in was completely different. Kia reminded me that my kids had gotten a little older and they required a different type of attention from me at that time. She explained that my ministry was growing, which was taking out a different level of energy from me. The season I was in at that moment would not afford me the time I desired to do some of the things that I needed to do if I wanted to be present at home. I was reminded that it’s so important to understand what season you are in because the season you are in determines the fruit that you will produce.

Sometimes we get frustrated because we want apples, but we’re in an orange season or we want strawberries, but we’re in a kale season. So if we want to be fruitful for Jesus, if we want to live fruitful lives for Him, we have to understand what season we are in. Too often, we think about what we are not doing instead of realizing what season we are in. Then we become discouraged, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Unfortunately, we often take those feelings out on ourselves and think that there’s something wrong with us. We think we’re lazy or not good enough. If you feel that way today, I want to remind you that there is nothing wrong with you and that sometimes we’re just trying to do the right things in the wrong seasons.

My family and I plant a garden each (almost) year in our backyard, so I know that I can’t plant every seed possible at the exact same time. I look at the back of the pack of seeds to find the optimal time to plant a particular seed because in order for a seed to fruit, it needs to be planted at the right time, providing the environmental factors present in a certain season for its optimal growth. Each season provides what the seed needs to grow at each and every stage of growth.

Guess what? When it comes to our spiritual lives, the same principle applies. Every season of life grants us the opportunity to grow, flourish and live fruitful lives for Jesus. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us:

*“For everything there is a season and a time for every activity under heaven.” “(Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV)* We know that the weather provides seasons of summer, winter, spring, and fall. Each season is unique and provides key environmental elements that support life and growth. Just as the weather experiences different seasons, so do the seasons of our spiritual lives. What works in one season will not work in another. Understanding what spiritual season you are in is essential to the growth of your faith and relationship with God.

As we talk about spiritual growth, we, too, have 4 seasons that impact our growth. A spiritual season is a set of circumstances that influence our faith and our walk with God and provide specific and necessary conditions to help us mature and live fruitful lives for Christ. So what are the spiritual seasons? The 4 spiritual seasons are:

The Wilderness season

The Growing Season

The Pruning Season

The Harvest Season

Wilderness seasons are times of spiritual isolation where it can often feel like God is silent. Even though it often feels like God is far from us in these seasons, I’ve learned it’s in the wilderness that God is actually the closest to us as He’s developing our spiritual eyes and muscles to see and experience Him more.

Growing seasons are times of testing and stretching. It’s often here where God will call us to do things we’ve never done or things that we feel are impossible.

Pruning seasons are times of purification where God is taking away and striping us and our lives of things that are not conducive to our spiritual maturity in Him.

Harvest seasons are times of fruitfulness and experiencing the rewards of the work and faithfulness in previous seasons. This is the season everyone wants to be in, but we have to be careful because harvest seasons have their challenges as well.

When we know which season we’re in, we can be better equipped to maintain our faith and trust in God no matter what we face and mature as believers in the process so that we become better each season that we go through.

A gardener would not plant one seed in one season and call it quits. No, she must plant the right seed in the right season, season after season.

And as I’ve shared, each seed has a different season or time for which it is best to plant.

Planting seeds of faith in God’s truth is an ongoing process. It’s not only for the new believers or seasoned Christians but for all of those who place their faith in Christ. We must understand that the seeds you plant depend on the season you are in.

I want you to think about what season you are in and what faith it’s requiring of you.

Maybe you’re in a wilderness season, and you’re waiting on God to deliver you. You’ll need faith that God is true to His Word and keeps His promises.

Maybe you’re in a growing season, and God is stretching you to be and do more than you ever thought you could. You’ll need to have faith that when you are weak, God is strong.

Maybe you’re in a pruning season, and you’re being stripped of the things restricting your growth. You’ll need to believe that God is greater than any worldly thing you can place your hope in.

Or maybe you are in a harvest season where God is giving you the desires of your heart, but you’ll need the faith not to make your blessings idols.

We must understand that God is with us in every season, empowering us to grow and mature in Him. This means our trust in God doesn’t have to waver depending on what season we’re in. In fact, each season we face presents a unique opportunity to know and trust God more. So over the next four weeks, we will discuss how we can trust God in each of the four spiritual seasons so that we can mature and live fruitful lives in any season. To help you follow along in this series, I’ve created the free Spiritual season quiz. Click the link in the description of this video to take this short quiz to discover which of the spiritual seasons we discussed today you are in and find encouragement specifically for you based on your quiz results. Be sure to comment and let me know which season you are in.

And please subscribe, so you don’t miss our upcoming videos on how to trust God and grow spiritually in a wilderness, pruning, growing, and harvest season. This series is created to help you confidently place your faith and trust in God no matter what because although seasons change, our God does not. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever.

If you enjoyed today’s videos, will you do me a favor and share it with a friend because you just never know who might need some Beloved encouragement today.

As always, thank you so much for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.

The post How to Recognize Which Spiritual Season You Are In first appeared on Beloved Women.

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When challenges come, and life gets hard, our strength starts to fail. It’s then that the Bible tells us that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. So being strong doesn’t mean you never get weak. It means exchanging our weakness for God’s strength. In this week’s Bible study, learn 3 important steps to take to review your strength in the Lord. Enjoy!

In order to get stronger physically, to prevent injury, and promote my overall health, I’ve been doing a lot more strength training. My challenge, however, is that I’m not that strong. Especially my upper body. So starting a strength training regiment has been frustrating at times. You’re putting all this pressure and stress on your body, and as you’re getting started, you’re not seeing very much change . . . . yet.

I’m learning that to grow in strength and increase muscle mass in your body, you must put stress on the muscles. This is what can make exercise very uncomfortable, but it’s a healthy stress on the body that actually promotes the strengthening of your muscles and the increase of muscle mass. So to do well in strength training, you really have to have a mentality willing to be consistent through the stress to wait for the results. That is how you get stronger. and the same is true for our spiritual lives as well.

Oftentimes we want to run away from situations that make us feel weak, we want to avoid situations that have caused us to grow weary, and we just want to give up. But it’s our enduring and trusting in God in those pressures that increase our strength.

Today we’re going to be looking at Isaiah chapter 40:28-31 to learn how to renew our strength in the Lord. it reads:

*“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.”* *(‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭28‬-‭31‬ ‭CSB‬‬)* Much of the book of Isaiah is a prophecy about the consequences the Kingdom of Judah will endure for turning away from the Lord. As we get to chapter 40 in this book, howeve,r there is a shift from the consequences of their unfaithfulness to God to a focus on God’s faithfulness to His people. Even though they will face the consequences of their actions, God still, in his mercy and Grace, speaks comfort over His people. Isaiah prophesied the coming Messiah, Jesus, and then he went on to share about the sovereignty and power of God. “Do you not know?” he says “have you not heard?” he asks. He reminds God’s people that God is everlasting, He is the creator of all, and even in all His creating and doing and controlling He doesn’t run out of energy or strength or knowledge. If you read chapter 40 in its entirety, you see that there is a vast contrast that Isaiah presents between God and people. God is everlasting. We are not. God is the creator of the entire world. We are the created. God never grows faint or weary. He has no limits. We have many limits.

Now, this may not seem like a comforting message; however, in verse 30, Isaiah makes the connection between God’s strength and our weakness. God has all these qualities and aspects that we don’t have, and yet He also gives them to us. We grow faint and weary. God does not but God does give strength to the faint, and he gives strength to the powerless. Now you are feeling weary and faint today, you may be wondering how can I get a hold of that strength?

As we take a look at the text for today, we’re going to learn three important steps that we need to take to exchange our weakness for God’s power so that our strength can be renewed.

STEP 1: ADMIT YOU ARE WEAKThe first step that we need to take to renew our strength in God is to admit that we are in fact weak. Note that the text reminds us that even youths grow tired and weary, and even young men faint. There is no one, no matter how old or young, that doesn’t become tired at some point or that doesn’t lose their strength. What does that mean? This means that we all need God and not admitting that we are weak, to not admit that we sometimes run empty, is to try to say that we don’t need God, or even worse is to try to say that we are equal to God. As the text reminds us God is the only one who is limitless. He’s the only One that the scripture says never grows faint or weary.

Now, this may seem like an obvious step to take; to admit that you are weak, but it’s not that obvious in our hustle culture. We fill our calendars to the brim, unrealistically, hopeful that we can do more in a 24-hour period than we really can. We often think that we’re stronger than we are because that’s what we want to be. Instead of humbly admitting and accepting our limits, we want to rush everything and push ourselves to the limits when God’s never called us to do that in the first place. It’s okay to admit our weaknesses and our limits and even embrace them. In fact, today’s scripture reveals to us that God expects us to get tired, He expects us to run out, He expects us to get weary. So why are we so surprised when we find ourselves hitting a brick wall? Why are we so frustrated with ourselves when we don’t complete the project, when we don’t get done all that we planned on our to-do list, when we have to take a break and sit down and catch our breath? Too often, we beat ourselves up for needing a break when God expects us to need those breaks. He expects us to run empty, and then He’s right there, ready to fill us back up. If we want to fill up on God’s strength, we will have to empty ourselves of the false strength we often like to portray that we have when in actuality, we’re really struggling, and we’re tired and we are two seconds away from burnout. The Apostle Paul knows what it’s like to be weary and weak but listen to what he has to say about his weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:

*“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬)* It’s when we’re weak that we are in prime position to receive God’s strength. God is not giving strength to the strong God. He’s giving strength to those who are weak, those who are weary. He’s giving His strength to me and you. It’s pride that’s making us weak. It’s our trying to appear strong and striving to be superwomen that’s actually draining us of the strength that God is ready to pour into our lives. I can’t tell you how many times it took me reaching my end to finally come to God and admit I did not have enough and I needed help. And it was then that thing started to finally turn around. When we’re not trying to act strong and be God, we can then get out of God’s way to allow His strength into our lives and allow Him to renew us with the new strength that comes from Him and not from our weak, feeble attempts of trying to control. God is waiting for us to admit that we’re weak and that we, in fac,t need Him and He is ready to pour His strength into us when we do.

STEP 2: CONNECT TO THE SOURCE OF STRENGTHIn order to receive God’s strength, we need to be connected to Him. Just like your phone runs out of power the longer it’s disconnected from its power cord or charging station; we too, need to connect to our source of power. Jesus calls this abiding in Him. In John 15:4 Jesus says:

*“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4 ESV)* As believers, we are called to be fruitful, but many of us are weary and tired because we’re more concerned with being productive with busy work and not a fruitful faithfulness to the kingdom of God. Production is just about getting something done for the sake of saying that you got it done but fruitfulness involves cultivating, waiting, nurturing, and can’t be done without a gardener who is international about the type of fruit He wants to grow. We can’t be fruitful without being connected to the vine, Jesus Christ and the gardener, our Heavenly Father who gives us all we need to grow. It’s not enough to admit we are weak if we want to get stronger. We must connect ourselves to the unlimited source of power that God gives.

When we seek power from ourselves, it will run out. When we seek power from the world, it will be taken away. But when we seek power from God, (who gives power to the weak) we have a source of strength that will never run out.

When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4 He told her that the living water He offered would never run out. It’s the physical water or things of the world that will always run out leaving us searching for more. But it’s not so with God. We can always come to Him empty and leave full.

If you are tired and weary and weak I want to ask you, where are you drawing your strength? If it’s from distracting yourself to avoid your problems, or the quick rush of sensation you feel when you scroll through your phone, or the temporary comfort of eating more than you know you should, or the quick fix of people pleasing until they are not pleased anymore you will always endup with less than you invest and find yourself faint and weary.

It’s ok to be weary and weak and as I’ve shared God expects us to become weak but we don’t have to stay weak and weary. We can renew our strength when we connect to God. How do we do that? We seek Him when we are in need or weak instead of trying to fix it on our own. We ask for His guidance and leading before we make decisions. We feed on His truth by reading and studying His word.

The enemy is attacking your relationship with God because he knows you are weak without God so he’s doing everything he can to distance you from your true source of strength and power. Connecting to God as your source isn’t easy because there is opposition in the spiritual realm and many don’t even realize it. Listen to how the apostle Paul connects our strength to spiritual warfare:

*“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV)* The strength that we need comes from God, but we must put on the whole armor of God to stand against the schemes of the enemy. The enemy has a plan to disconnect you from God’s strength and hopes to trick us into believing that opposition to our relationship with God means that God’s not true, or real or relevant. And it’s all a scheme to strip us of our power in God and prevent us from renewing your strength in Him. Our battle isn’t against what we see and feel here in the flesh, but dark forces of evil that want to take our strength from us. Renewing your strength by connecting with God won’t always be easy, because sometimes we’ll have to fight for it. Sometimes we won’t feel like it, but we can be sure that if we don’t fight to stay connected we won’t renew our strength because God is the only true source of strength to our souls.

STEP 3: WAIT ON THE LORDThis leads to the third step that we must take to renew our strength and that is to wait on the Lord. Once we are connected to God we must abide and stay with Him to receive His strength. Many of us are weak Christians because we do not exercise the spiritual fruit of patience. We want to say one prayer and see results.

Just like it would be unwise for me to work out one time and expect muscle gains, the same is true for every other area of our lives, including our spiritual lives. To exchange our weakness with God’s strength most likely won’t happen overnight. It takes time. It takes waiting.

Now waiting on God doesn’t mean we sit and do nothing. It means we stop trying to control the things only God can control and trust He will provide what needs to be provided, healed what needs to be healed, and move what needs to be moved. When we try to do what’s out of our control, we don’t gain power, we lose strength. But when we wait on God, our strength is renewed because we’re not wasting energy striving to do something that we were never meant to do. Psalm 27:14 says:

*Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14 ESV)* See the connection between waiting and strength. It takes courage to wait and trust God, but it’s in the waiting that we gain strength. Some of us are spending energy on things God has not called us to do and we’re wondering why we’re tired and weary. In the physical, we’re like those who overtrain their bodies to the point that they injure themselves and can’t run the race. There have to be moments of pause and rest so that strength can build.

As I’m strength training, I’m learning more about what it takes to build muscle, and it’s more than just heavy lifting. It’s eating the right things and resting to allow your muscles to recover from the stress that was put on them during training.

Muscles aren’t built in the gym. Muscles are broken down in the gym so that when you go to sleep and rest, it’s then that your body builds your muscles back stronger than before. In 2021 I went through months of physical therapy due to a neck injury. When I told my physical therapist I was having trouble sleeping at night, he became very concerned. I didn’t understand why because I was going to physical therapy and I was doing my exercises consistently at home but he let me know that sleep was important to my recovery because a majority of my healing would not occur during my physical therapy but at night when I was asleep.

Some of us are weak because we’re not resting in and waiting on the Lord, giving Him the necessary time to build up our spiritual muscles and make us stronger. Instead, we run, and we go, and we do to no end, and all of this is a lack of faith. And I want you to know that I’m first speaking to myself. It takes trust to wait on God and be still and know that He will do it even when we can’t see it. It takes faith to go to sleep at night when your life is out of control. But the strength to soar and run and walk requires seasons of waiting on God.

So if you’re feeling weak, helpless, and as though you can’t make it one more step. Wait on God. Don’t turn back and leave Him, don’t try to keep pressing through and get ahead of Him. Stand firm, and wait for Him, because although you can’t see it, it’s in this waiting that God is renewing your strength.

Now I would love to hear from you, Beloved; how is God renewing your strength this season of your life? Let’s encourage one another in the comments.

If you enjoyed today’s video, will you do me a favor and share it with a friend because you just never know who might need some Beloved encouragement today.

And for more Beloved, be sure to download the Beloved Women app available in the Apple and Google play stores for unlimited videos to learn God’s Word, grow your faith, and encourage your soul.

As always, thank you so much for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.

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If you’re already struggling to keep up with your goals for the year or you chose not to set any at all because they usually don’t work for you, I want to share with you 4 biblical principles to purposeful planning to make this your best year yet. Enjoy!

Hello Beloved and welcome to Beloved Women with me Christina Patterson. If you’re new here, please be sure to subscribe for Bible study videos on Monday and videos to grow your faith on Thursdays. For those of you returning, welcome back. Thank you so much for watching, commenting, and sharing as it truly helps us to reach more women with the love and truth of Jesus Christ.

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It’s the beginning of the year and everyone is talking about goals, resolutions, intentions, and vision boards. It’s actually quite exciting, until it’s not and you’re overcome with anxiety about how you’ll actually meet these goals or the doubt of questioning if you will. And year after year, we put ourselves through the same cycle of goal planning. Make a goal, get some momentum on it at the beginning of the year, and watch it fissile out by the end of February.

Our problem is that we focus on our plans and associate our satisfaction on accomplishing the plan over fulfilling God’s purpose. Proverbs 19:21 says:

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV) Having plans is not bad and this is good because as the scripture tells us we have many of them. Dreaming and thinking of all the plans we want for the new year is the easy part. The Bible supports this truth when it says, “many are the plans in a man’s heart.” We’re not short on plans, dreams, and ideas of what we want our year and life to look like. If you’re like me, you have memos, notepads, and journals full of ideas and plans. Our ability to dream may not have limits, but our lives do. We’re constrained by the amount of time, energy, and resources we have. This is why planning goals can become full of anxiety and fear for many people. We know we can’t do it all, but we sure do want to, so we fear setting goals and then facing the disappointment of not seeing them come to pass. But what if I told you there was a better way.

When we look to the scriptures, we see we are not to place our hope in our plans anyway. Instead, the scripture tells us it’s God’s purpose that will prevail. Plans are what we want to do; purpose is why God called us to do something. Plans can be checked off, while purpose is about becoming the woman God created you to be. Plans have restrictions, where purpose holds God’s promise to see His will in our lives. This doesn’t mean we should not plan. We should write down our hopes, dreams, and visions because they come from God too.

But once we have our plans laid out, we need a way to move from simply having plans to living God’s purpose. In order to complete our plans to see God’s purpose this year, we need a clear path from plans to purpose. You need clarity to know which way to go and God’s Word lights our path to give us clarity as we move from plans to purpose.

Psalm 119:105 says that God’s Word is a light to our path showing us the way to live for His glory. As we look through the scriptures, I’ll help you develop a path for each purposeful goal you have for this year.

Instead of setting goals for the year, I’m going to take you through my P.A.T.H. to Purposeful Goals method so you can plan for purpose and experience the joy and satisfaction of fulfilling God’s desire for your year. It’s a 4 Step process that includes:

Purpose
Achievements
Tasks
Habits

So let’s start with purpose and what it means to set a purposeful goal instead of a traditional goal. A traditional goal says: I want to write a book. The traditional goal is so fixed that it doesn’t leave room for flexibility. Either you write the book or not and even if you write half the book by the end of the year, you feel like trash because you didn’t complete writing the book like you planned. Traditional goals are so frustrating because they focus only on an end destination and leave little to no room to focus on the process and progress to getting to that destination when that’s where we spend most of our time when it comes to pursuing goals.

A purposeful goal however focuses on becoming and the why behind the goal. While a traditional goal may simply say “write a book by the end of the year,” a purposeful goal says: “I want to become an author who inspires women to understand their identity in Christ.”

So the purposeful goal is much more flexible. Your focus is writing because that’s what authors do regardless of if you finish writing the book or not and you’re clear on why you want to become this type of writer.

I’m not saying don’t give yourself a timeline, but the focus shouldn’t only be to accomplish a task in a certain amount of time, but rather becoming the type of woman who accomplishes those types of things and why it’s important. Writing a book is just writing a book. But when you focus on why you want to write, in our example: to help women know their identity in Christ, it attaches so much more meaning to our goals making it more likely we’ll reach them.

Here’s a personal example of mine on what it looked like to set purposeful goals. I have the desire to reach 100,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel. And for so long, I viewed this as a goal. But it’s not a goal, it’s an accomplishment. Instead, my goal this year is for this channel to become the leading source of Biblical content for women to learn, love, and live God’s Word. That’s my purposeful goal. Whether we reach 100,000 subscribers or not, the purpose is more important.

We have to realize it’s not worth it to reach our goals if we miss God’s purpose. If you lose 15 pounds this year and reach your goal weight but you’re unhealthy with all types of heath issues, would you want that? Instead, what if you didn’t meet your goal weight, but you decrease inflammation in your body, you increase your energy so you can do more physically, you become stronger, and grow in your endurance. That would be a better outcome than simply losing 15 pounds. Now the type of woman who lives a healthy lifestyle may very well reach the achievement of losing a certain amount of weight, but she does so as her focus is on her purpose.

Your life is more than a bunch of items on a to-do list that you check off as fast as you can. Your life is about walking with God to become more of the woman He’s calling you to be. It’s a process and journey that doesn’t have to feel like an impossible and disappointing path when our focus is in the right place: His purpose.

Now, like I said, as we focus on our purposeful goals, we will reach certain achievements along the way to signal that we are headed in the right direction. Proverbs 16:9 says:

*“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 NLT)* So, our achievements are the steps on the path to our purpose. So, with the example of writing a book, an achievement may look like completing the outline for the book, writing the first chapter, finishing the books, editing the book, and finding a literary agent. Achievements map out what results will look like along the way to ensure we are heading in the right direction. Achievements are the result of our purpose when lived out. Many people set goals that are really just achievements but have no purpose behind them.

By starting with our purpose, we can now set our achievements, knowing why we are doing what we are doing. This increases our chances of actually achieving our goals. So when you envision your life living out the purpose that you’ve set, what achievements will you accomplish each step along the way? Remember, your purpose is more important than the achievements themselves, but achievements act as indicators that we’re making progress. We don’t have to be perfect, but plotting out each achievement helps us to stay on path.

Each achievement then serves as a stepping stone, on our journey towards the purpose that God has for your life, and not just a means to an end. Again, your life is not just about checking off plans and achievements, but enjoying the journey of discovering God’s purpose for your life.

After we’ve determined our achievements, we need to set tasks and habits.

Tasks are the one-time actions we need to take to reach each achievement. This is where many people get stuck. It’s exciting to think of our purposeful goals and of the achievements we want to reach, but the steps to get there are not always so glamorous. Still they are necessary if we want to reach our goals. Proverbs 21:5 says

*“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5 ESV)* As we stay diligent to the tasks it takes to reach specific achievement, we’ll find ourselves closer to our purpose. So if an achievement is to complete the outline for your book, tasks may include:

Create a google doc for the outline
Collect all your notes in one place
Setting a time in your calendar to create the outline.

Some tasks will be mundane, but when we realize they are the necessary steps to reach the purpose we want, we can enjoy the journey as we work for the glory of God.

Finally, we need to establish habits. Proverbs 16:3 says:

*“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3 ESV)* We need committed and consistent actions that we take to reach our purposeful goal. We can’t eat one healthy meal and think we’ll be healthy. We can’t write one sentence and think we’ll complete a book. Either we do something one time and become frustrated because we don’t see results the first, second, or third time that we do it, or think we have to accomplish everything at once, become intimidated, and don’t do anything at all. But those who have the patience to do a little bit at a time over a long period of time will most likely reach their goals. These are called habits.

Many people fail at reaching their goals because they see goals as a one-time accomplishment and not a lifestyle commitment. When we view goals this way, we work hard at the beginning, reach a few accomplishments, and then stop because we’ve reached our goal or gotten close enough. Then we revert right back to our old way of living. So if you want to become an author, you need to commit to writing. You need a habit of writing. Maybe you write 2 hours every morning or 1 hour each night, but you need a consistent system that leads you to your purposeful goal. So ask yourself, what are the habits of an author if you want to write a book? What are the habits of a runner if you want to run a marathon? But living intentionally with purpose is a consistent and faithful lifestyle composed of daily, monthly, and yearly habits that make us the purposeful women God has created us to be.

So I hope as you plan for this year and think of all the many plans in your heart, your focus will be God’s ultimate and greater purpose for you.

And to help you with that, I’ve created the Beloved Planner to help you design a life guided by grace, field by faith, and led by love. This is a digital planner that you can print out or use on your iPad or tablet with purposeful planning pages to walk you from your plans to your purpose for this year. It’s a dated or undated planner with monthly and weekly layouts, themed months with scriptures throughout to keep you encouraged on your purposeful goals year-round. You can get the planner now by visiting thebelovedboutique.com or as a free gift for those that become Beloved app members for a limited time, so join now at belovedwomen.tv or in the Beloved app available in the Apple or Google play stores.

So let me know, have you planned for this year already or are you just getting started like me? I look forward to chatting with you in the comments. If you enjoyed today’s video, will you do me a favor and share it with a friend because you just never know who might need some Beloved encouragement today.

As always, thank you so much for watching and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.

The post A Biblical P.A.T.H to Purposeful Goals in 2023 first appeared on Beloved Women.

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As we enter the New Year, it makes one very reflective. It’s during this time of year that we ponder all that happened last year and wonder what will happen this new year. I often find myself with those butterflies in my stomach that you get on the first day of school at the top of the year. It’s that nervousness that you face when you are leaving something old and entering into something new. I’ve always had that nervous feeling at the start of a new school year when I was younger. I had it when I stayed home with my kids for the first time as a stay-at-home mom. I even had it when I sent my kids to school for the first time.

New beginnings usher in a level of excitement, but they often bring in excitement’s ugly cousin: fear. When we don’t know what will happen as seasons change, we fear what might be. What if this new change is the worst? What if I should have stayed with what I’d always done? What if it doesn’t work out or I fail?

Looking into a new beginning holds much promise and possibility, but it also holds much uncertainty. And that’s very scary. But it’s in these times God so gently reminds us in His Word: do not be afraid.

In this study, we are going to look at Joshua who too was facing a new season that would bring much opportunity to fear and doubt. In Joshua 1:1-9, we hear God’s word of encouragement to Joshua to move forward into new territory without fear, but with strength and courage. It reads:

“After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ‭‭(Joshua‬ ‭1:1-9‬ ‭ESV‬‬) Joshua had the responsibility of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. After years in Egyptian slavery and more years in the wilderness, they would finally receive a land to call their own. A land promised to them by God.

This was good news but there was a reason God needed to tell Joshua to be strong and courageous. There is a reason God told him not to be fearful or discouraged. Each blessing we obtain or new seasons we enter carries a certain weight to it and Joshua was feeling the full weight of his new leadership responsibilities.

At the start of the book of Joshua, before God gives His commands and encouragements, He tells Joshua to arise. This lets me know Joshua was down or else God would not need to tell him to get up. Moses, who led the Israelites out of slavery and through the wilderness has just died. Joshua, who was Moses’ assistant, was most likely mourning this great loss. His whole life in the wilderness was under the leadership and direction of Moses who spoke directly with God. All of God’s people relied heavily on Moses and now that weight would shift to Joshua at a time where he was sad and afraid.

As we enter the new year, I wonder what you may be mourning? What have you lost in the process of getting to this moment? What is God gently asking you to arise from so you can walk into this new season?

Graciously, God was sympathetic to Joshua and gently provided the encouragement Joshua needed as he entered a new season, and this is the same encouragement we need as we enter this new year.

From the text, we see God didn’t just tell Joshua to stop being afraid. No, He gave Joshua a reason not to be afraid and He gives us the same reasons to proceed into new seasons with courage.

God gave Joshua a plan, a purpose, and a promise that would sustain the courage and strength he would need to get up and fight for what God blessed him and his people with: the Promised Plan.

Like Joshua, as we enter new seasons, God grants us a plan, a purpose, and a promise to infuse our hearts with the courage we need to step through new doors and opportunities.

GOD GIVES JOSHUA A PLANFirst, God gives Joshua a plan. The beginning of the year is full of planning and strategizing. I honestly find it intimidating. We plan out what we want to accomplish for the year, but we don’t know if it will actually happen. We paint the picture, but we don’t really know how it will develop. Proverbs 16:9 tells us:

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬) It’s ok to have a plan but in our hearts, we must make room for God to have His way. He has ordained every step of our lives and we can trust Him with it. God told Joshua:

“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.” (‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭ESV‬) God then lays out the specific places He has entrusted Joshua to conquer. Joshua didn’t have to wonder what the plan was; God made it clear to Him. And as I read this part of the text for this study, I took in the magnitude of this conversation between Joshua and God. Like Moses, Joshua would hear from God, a necessary part of not only His success, but an entire generation of God’s people.

Y’all, when it comes to making new moves, entering new seasons, and walking into new opportunities, we need to hear the voice of God. When plans are made, we need to be in a position to hear from the One who orders all our steps. As we enter this new year and think about what we want to accomplish, we must ask ourselves, have we heard from God?

This is why God tells Joshua:

“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” (‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭ESV) Joshua’s success in accomplishing God’s plans were directly connected to him knowing and following God’s Word. God speaks to us in many ways: through prayer, through the Spirit, through others, confirmation, dreams, visions and more. Whether you have heard God in any of these ways, there is one way God speaks to all His people leaving us with no excuse as to if we can hear from Him or not and that is through His Word.

As we make plans, we involve God through seeking Him in prayer, but we hear from Him and gain understanding and clarity of His desire for our lives through His Word.

This week at church I was reminded that our lives are not our own. God has entrusted our lives to us and we will be accountable to God one day for what we did with them. If we want to be successful, we need to re-evaluate our definition of success.

According to our text, success is not in how much money we acquire, the titles we hold, the degrees we accomplish, or who we know. The Bible says it’s when we follow God’s Word that we will find success wherever we go.

Is that on your to-do list? Is that on your vision board? Is obedience and surrender one of your New Year’s resolutions?

Now, I’m not saying don’t make plans, but ensure those plans are led by God and directed by His will.

One of the most popular verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11 that says:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11 ‬NIV) Not only are God’s plans greater than ours, His plans always lead to PURPOSE. Which leads to my second point as we look at Joshua on the cusp of entering this new season:

GOD GIVES JOSHUA PURPOSEA plan is a set of directions to achieve a task or goal. Purpose on the other hand, is the reason why something exists or something is done. A plan is what we do, but purpose is why we do it. Proverbs 19:21 says:

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19:21‬ ‭ESV‬‬) We have many plans, and ideas for how we want to accomplish many things in our lives. I love that the scripture says that we don’t just have some plans, but that we have many plans because I know I do. I have lists, and notes and memos full of ideas I want to try, books I want to write, and goals I want to accomplish. At times, it can be overwhelming and exhausting, and frustrating knowing that I don’t have enough time or energy to actually pursue every plan that comes to my heart. But we can have peace when we know that greater than our many plans are God’s ultimate purpose.

Often when our plans don’t work out, we get discouraged. When we look at our planners and vision boards and see all that we have not accomplished, we become frustrated. But what if God is using what we would call failed plans for His greater purpose?

When we think of Joshua, we have to realize He wasn’t just entering the Promised Land, He was preserving a nation that would usher in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would bring salvation to all who place their faith in Him.

Plans are what we do, but the effects of purpose grow far beyond ourselves. Yes Joshua may have been fearful, yes he had reason to mourn the death of Moses, yes we can understand and sympathize why he would be intimidated, doubtful, or discouraged. But this wasn’t all about him. His decision to listen to God and follow His plan would birth a purpose that would affect all mankind.

We have to realize that when God calls us to do something, it’s not just about us. God is ready to use His plan for our lives to impact others. Overcoming your fear, trusting God, stepping out on faith, and taking that risk over again isn’t just about you. It’s about the purpose on your life that will save, heal, set free, encourage, and inspire those God has entrusted to you.

Just like our life is not our own, neither is this New Year. This year is God’s year and we can make our plans, but we must always find peace in knowing it’s His greater purpose that will prevail.

GOD GIVES JOSHUA A PROMISESo not only does God give Joshua a plan to know which direction he should go, and a purpose with great meaning to inspire him, God also gives Joshua a promise.

God didn’t just tell Joshua to be strong and leave it there. He didn’t simply tell Joshua to be courageous and leave him hanging. No. God gave Joshua reason to obey His command which was the promise of His presence.

It’s God’s presence that is the answer to our fears and worries, or doubts and anxieties. We might not know what’s going to happen or how things will turn out and that is frightening. But we can find security in knowing that we walk with the God who does know all things. He knows how it will work out and we can trust Him. Why? Because He knows and we don’t.

Envision you’re watching a movie with a friend and you grow to like a specific character in the movie but you start to grow a suspicion that this character might be killed off and you can’t stand the thought of it. Now imagine the friend you are watching the movie with has already seen the movie and knows how it will end. You ask them if you should worry about your favorite character dying and they assure you, you don’t need to worry about it. You don’t know the details, and you still don’t know exactly how the movie will end, but you have peace knowing it will be ok because you’ve trusted the word of your friend who’s already seen the movie.

In the same way, as we walk through life, as we leave one season and enter another, we have a God who is with us. God knows how this story is going to end, and without giving us all the details, gently promises us that it’s going to be ok. So although there may be some struggle, surprises, or plot twists along the way, we hold tight to the promise that God is with us and in the end, we have nothing to fear because:

God’s plans are always good.

His purpose will always prevail.

And His promise is always sure.

The post God’s Plan, Purpose and Promise for New Seasons first appeared on Beloved Women.

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