Hi Sweet Friends!
What a fun day we had today. We hosted Day Three for our new series Stepping up to the Call? Who are You? Our topic today was:
Who is WITH YOU?
The replay is now available. Here it is:
Secrets to Victorious Living
Are Your Stretching Yourself???
Hey Sweet Friends!
I have GOT to squeal!
I have been a busy bee working behind the scenes on several amazing projects. Ever have those moments that you make yourself proud?
This is one of my moments!
I am participating in my sweet friend, Kelly McCausey’s 2020 Stretch Yourself Challenge. I love Kelly’s challenges because she has a way of kickin’ my tail! 😉 This year’s challenge is the very best ever! I made a pretty formidable list for myself this year. I did that because last year when I joined her 2019 Stretch Yourself Challenge. It literally changed my life. It was a pivotal point in my life and my business.
Think back where I was last year….
I was working full time and going to school for my Master’s degree. I was on the “hamster wheel” and in spite of my great intentions and my great to-do lists, I was simply NOT getting the things I really wanted DONE.
Ever been there?
I truly did not know how I could get unstuck and moving again.
I wanted to.
I needed to.
BUT! I went month after month and year after year simply stuck.
I recommend the SYC because it changed everything for me!
I was able to do all of those things that I needed to do yet had absolutely no idea how I could get them done. There were so many things that needed to get done that I actually did not know where to begin. Yep! And, I am a business and ministry coach!
I think it was about several things for me.
- Starting! Just starting somewhere.
- Doing it in community! There is something about doing things in community. I was able to accomplish far more than I could have ever done on my own. Plus! I had the benefit of picking the brains of others who were either doing it at the same time or those who were just steps ahead of me. It was priceless!
- Deadlines! I jokingly say, “I work for mugs.” Kelly set deadlines and gave us a reward of our choice. I worked all month for her mug last year. 🙂 Of course, it was really more than the mug! It was about setting a deadline and choosing things that needed to get done, in spite of the fact that they “stretched me” in my already jam-packed life.
And it worked!
I had a list of things I wanted to achieve and a list of things that I simply “would like to achieve.” Imagine my delight as I achieved every single thing on my ENTIRE list! I cannot tell you how that made me feel. It also positioned my business and ministry so I could jump back in and jumpstart my new year back in full-time ministry and business.
I am sure that you may be thinking–I could do this on my own. I was thinking that same thing and I didn’t. I thought that for a long time and it did not happen. Relate?
I am sure I *MIGHT* have gotten around to it as well. Of course, I recommend the SYC because it takes us from “thinking about it” or “hoping to get around to it” to taking action and stretching ourselves to do things that normally get ignored.
The doors have closed for joining Kelly’s group this year, but she has a DIY version that you can use today. And…because I think community is priceless, when you grab it and work on your own challenges this month, I will do it alongside of you! 🙂
I am setting up a private mastermind that is my bonus gift for you if you go for it. Can you beat that?
Want to join me? We can even plan some fun things together and I promise to kick your tail! 🙂
Here is the link to “Stretch Yourself” now (Oh! Use a coupon code 2020SELFSTUDY to save $15) : https://cindyrushton.com/stretch
If you use my link, I will plan a weekly bonus session where we can all mastermind together. Soooo, join us already! ?
30 Minutes to DONE!
Overwhelmed?
Discouraged?
Stuck and can’t figure out how to get unstuck?
Sitting in analysis-paralysis?
Tempted to forget about your calling and apply for a J-O-B?
My sweet friend, I totally understand that! I did some of that last year…ok, the past 7 years! ME! Yep–Little Miss Get-Things-Done has been right where you are!
So, how do you get moving again? How do you get things done? For me, it was about stretching myself–my time, my capabilities, and even my standards of perfection. One of my biggies that has helped me the most was a challenge from my biz coach. I was needing to create a quick product. I had toyed around with it for years. TRULY! My coach advised that I set myself a timer and get it done in 30 minutes. ?
30 MINUTES!
30 minutes from idea to done!
Yes, you read that right. 30 minutes from idea to brainstorm to production to done!
Something about that stretched me. I was in my old habits where I would try to create the “perfect” source that gave EVERYTHING they needed on the topic. Reality was that everything has shifted. Give ONE great idea. Give ONE great tip. Answer ONE most pressing need, struggle, pain.
EVERYTHING shifted.
I don’t go a day without hearing her in my mind ask, “What if it could be easy?”
So, let me ask you—“What if it could be easy?” How would this look? How would things shift? What would change?
Would you get things done?
Would you do the same AWESOME job you always do, because that is just who you are?
Would you find a fresh, clean, easy product as a result?
Would you step out of overwhelm and discouragement?
Would you be able to run the race again—as a victor?
The more that you are YOU, the more likely you will be to attract those you want on your list. The faster that you get past those voices that hold you back or that old narrative that is telling you who you cannot be, the faster the real you will step up and bring it!
Tonight, give yourself a deadline – tonight? Tomorrow? Give yourself 30 minutes to done. See if that doesn’t shift EVERYTHING!
Need help taking your next steps? Need a coach to help you find clarity? Hire me as your coach. I am a business, ministry, and life coach. We can take you from overwhelm and stuck into productivity. Here are my coaching packages!
Unplug. Disconnect. Disengage.
Unplug.
Disconnect.
Disengage.
Do those words make you get uncomfortable? Do you feel the stretching? I sooo understand!
I had a lot of changes in my life this year and one of the best has been learning how to pace myself.
The biggest lesson of this year so far is that I have learned the valued of having specific days that are completely OFF, UNPLUGGED, DISCONNECTED, DISENGAGED. Yes, you read correctly.
Those days are spent doing NOTHING productive. I don’t allow myself to do ANY work or take ANY appointments. I don’t pick up a school book. It is just a day for me to do just exactly what I want. For people who know me well, you will know what a shift this is for me. It is a big deal because I don’t remember ever giving myself permission to unplug, disconnect, or disengage. I don’t remember giving myself the permission to truly recreate. I really like it! Usually, these days are NO MAKEUP, PJ-Days. It is time that is just the way I want for it to be.
No pressure.
No crisis situations dragging me back to work.
No temptation to get extra things done.
No jumping through the hoops of expectations of others.
No sacrificing ME to please others (who don’t even know what it is costing me).
The difference in my life is simply incomparable. My productivity is soaring. My creations are the very best ever. My margin is crisp and clear. My life is back!
Another thing that I have learned to do was do work/rest hours in my schedule. I was working with a coach and she asked me how much time I was working each day. At the time it was 15 hours or more a day!!!! Yep. You read that right! And…then, I would transition to studying or writing for school.
I was wiped out and had no idea why.
All we did was set timers after every 45 minutes of work to take 15 minutes to just do something just for ME–go for a walk, make a call, grab some hot tea and sip, worship, etc.
It was that simple.
It was that easy!
I cannot tell you how much it meant for my day, my week, my month, my year. I am finally getting back into the REAL ME. It is a sweet space.
My sweet friends, take a moment to think through your day, your week, your month, and your year.
What do you really want?
Are you living the life you want to live?
Are you stuck and have no idea how to get going again?
Are you wore out, frazzled, exhausted, and just plain burnt out?
Give this a try!
Unplug. Disconnect. Disengage.
Pull Out the Highlighter!
I had a dream last night that I believe is a Word for you.
I dreamed that I was taken to a person that represented “the church”. I could see her struggle with identity, worth, power, possessions, and purpose. She wasn’t sure who she was or what was hers. She was confused about what it meant to be a Christian and what difference it even meant for her and her life. In fact, she wondered if being a Christian meant she could not enjoy life and only lived by a list of archaic rules.
I asked her to show me a glimpse into her day.
Her day was filled with “messages” that Jehovah wanted to remove. I could hear Him saying that those messages simply needed to be “deleted”.
The first came from the “programming” she was putting into her life by music, media, and television. It was literally screaming loudly that she wasn’t enough. It was parading people by who “appeared” to have what she wanted, but as we tapped in, we could see vile and ugly lives full of pain, addictions, lies about what life was all about, and worse of all horrible choices and decisions for immorality. As we looked closer, we saw that their world was very dark and black. It was so dark and black that we couldn’t look but just a second. I saw that they literally sold their soul into deep bondage to the enemy of their soul. They thought it would give them everything they wanted, but it was a trap. In the quiet of their life, they had no idea how to get out of it all so they kept getting deeper and deeper. The real twist was that they were nothing that they projected in their music, pictures, words, or in their acting. Their words were empty lies. I heard the Lord say to us, delete their messages. Turn them off. Block them from speaking into you.
Next, I saw Him take us to a long reel of film. It represented the story of her life. I could see that on that reel were a long playlist of events. Those events were playing the same messages over and over. Those messages were speaking over and over propaganda messages of the enemy. None of them were true. He was using them to define her, her identity, her purpose, her abilities, her power (or lack of power), and her future. I heard the Lord say to highlight the reels and push delete! They were all constructed by the enemy and were his weapon formed to defeat her and to cause her to walk as a captive in defeat, discouragement, depression, and despair.
Next, I saw Him show us a telephone that was ringing. It was a old rotary phone on a table. It was black. It was ringing loud. I saw her pick it up. It was the voice of someone important in her life. As she picked it up, she was excited to hear the voice and soaked in the words deeply. However, as soon as the words started, I saw her withering. Her face changed to sadness and deep pain. Her shoulders folded over as if she was hit in the gut by what she was hearing. The words were so convincing. She gave the words value because she trust the voice. Those words were words she had heard since she was a little girl. I heard the Lord tell me to cut the call. He told me to cut the line. He had plans for a new call.
Then, I saw the Lord take us up high. It was like a big treehouse above everything. It was so pretty and spectacular, but very soon I saw that she had brought another voice with her. It was loudest of all. It was so loud it was distracting from all of the beauty. It was her own voice. I saw that what she was speaking was simply the programming she was hearing everywhere else. Then, I heard the Lord say that He wanted to give her NEW Words.
I saw Him lay before us a giant “family Bible”. It had been laying there all along. He asked us to open it. I was soooo full that I had to help her open it up. We looked down and as we did I saw God hand her a big highlighter. He told her to highlight what He was speaking over her. He told her to hide that in her heart. He told her to put those Words in her mouth. He told her to listen to His voice and notice that it sounded like the Words she was reading in the Bible because those ARE His Words. Those are Words she needed as the sustenance for her life.
As she poured over those words I could see the other things trying to come against her, but she was shielded from them. They could not impact her. The Words she highlighted were strengthening her and giving her a new definition of who she was, what was hers, what she was about, and what she could and should do. They were flooding her with light. All of the shackles of the past dissipated. All of the voices and messages stopped. Only One Voice could finally be heard. It was trustworthy. It was soothing. It was beautiful. It was speaking a love letter and singing a song of love.
As she listened and continued to highlight the Words, I knew she was ready to tell others what she was finding and I was hearing a call to go look for others who needed to hear this.
As I left this beautiful summit, I could see other spots lighting up all around. As far as I could see, I saw spots lighting up in the darkness, so many that it was as if the sun had come up and darkness was gone. This was key to dissipating the darkness.
I hear God saying that it’s time for the messages, voices, programming and stories of darkness to be silenced—deleted, cut off, and put away. I hear Him saying that we are His beloved, wrapped in “Beloved Identity” as the daughters and sons of the Most High, the King of kings and the Lord of all lords. He wants us to ask Him to teach us what that means. I hear the Lord beckoning us to pull out His Word and highlight what He has to say about who we are, what is ours, what we are all about, and what we can and should be doing. It is there that we will find freedom, healing, passion, and purpose. It is there that we will be strengthened and shine forth brightly, dissipating the darkness.
Lies … Just WHO Will YOU Serve?
Lies are interesting—they change their story. Lies have different stories each day. Lies shift with the wind. Lies lead us astray.
We can see that this “pandemic” is a great deception because the lies change daily and shift constantly to and fro.
Truth is—government, medicine, military, education, economics are not our God, but rather are gods vying for our faith and allegiance.
In this crisis, our world has a choice—what will God be or become to them?
Today, I declare to each of you that God is Jehovah Rapha. He is the God who wants to be or become our Healer. This is Who He IS. Non-changing. Covenant God Who wants to be or become Your Healer, your personal God Who heals. He does not change. He does not lie. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The question is— Is He our God Who heals all of our diseases or are we placing our faith in mere man or man’s masks or untested medicines? There is a choice.
It is absurdity to think a mask is our protection. It is absurdity to trust medicines and vaccinations—read the warnings on their own packages.
As for me—I’m gonna stick with the God Who never fails, forsakes, or leaves me. He is sooo faithful.
Our world needs Him as never before.
This is a glimpse into the spiritual condition of our culture. It is a true glimpse into the church today. People are easily led away from God. Their full faith is not IN HIM. There are many who place their faith in the gods of our culture. It has been a slow fade, but we are here.
Today, the biggest question of this “pandemic test” is for the culture and the church to decide who they will serve—Jesus Christ or Antichrist. There is an eternal decision to be made.
Bride Wake Up! Prepare!
I was just discussing how the church should be responding to these times. I hear the Lord saying that this is an important word for all of you.
The church needs to be awake and tune in to what GOD wants. We need to get HIS WORD and HIS daily news not the skewed proclamations of a world that doesn’t know what is really going on. He is the only one with REAL news. He gladly disclosed it so we can be prepared.
Here is what He is saying….
Bride wake up!
Bride prepare!
Bride—it’s your time to fight the good fight!
I hear Him saying that these days are pivotal. His church has to learn how to speak. It is the year and decade in His calendar for the church to speak and declare what HE is saying to the church.
It’s not a time for the church to go along with the culture or to buckle in silence. It is not time for the church to close their eyes and ignore things. During this year and decade it is essential for God’s people to wake up, arm up, stand up, and fight.
The church is not accustomed to fighting the good fight. The church is not accustomed to standing on or for anything. The church doesn’t even know where to find it’s armor since it’s not used it daily like it’s supposed to. The church is drowsy, annoyed, and trying to push snooze.
The church doesn’t get it, how can the culture get it?
Sweet friends, time is up. The time for the church age is drawing to a close. The kingdom of God is at hand. We have a mission. It is time for us to focus on that mission and do it! It’s not going to come easy. We must battle for those who are desperate for freedom and life! It’s time to wake up, arm up, step up, and fight!
We are called to go into the enemy’s camp and setting captives free.
That’s not cozy or kind. It is being a force! It’s taking them by FORCE.
Are you aware of how our special forces have to go in and set captives free?
When a person is captive, they don’t get up and walk out of captivity. Most are stunned, unsure, and resistant to getting up and moving.
Green Berets are charged with the duty to free the oppressed or set captives free. They have a specific way to free captives.
A Green Beret has to go in to the enemy’s camp and take them by force. They have to take them out like another enemy would. That’s the only way the captives will get up and move out. Good soldiers go in and take them out of the enemy’s camp by force.
When they are out of the enemy’s camp, then the Green Beret can begin the process of deprogramming and reprogramming the captive.
Only then can they move their mindset from captive to free. Only then can they renew their mind so they can fully enjoy their freedom.
We are called to be mighty warriors, taking back ground the enemy has stolen from God’s kingdom, setting captives free, and leading them to renew their hearts and minds so they can walk in complete freedom.
We are not taken back when there is resistance. It should not surprise us. But! We also don’t let those who don’t see the dangers or the wiles of the enemy dictate what is right and wrong. We step up and step outbound we take the lead!
Today we are called to stand and declare kingdom. In this hostile culture, it’s not singing “kumbaya”. The church has tried that passive approach and it’s been an epic failure.
The church is in real life not church camp.
We can no longer sit back or shy away from our calling.
It’s imperative that we listen to those who are sounding the alarms and join as a body in the fight for these souls and for our kingdom.
Time to Worship!
Stressed? Agitated? Irritable? Angry?
The Bible says that during end times there will be a great deception. It prophesied of wars, rumors of wars, an anti-Christ spirit, offense, and a beastly world kingdom that sets itself against Jehovah’s kingdom and His people.
I sense this deception swirling in the atmosphere. I also sense an unprecedented revival and awakening swirling In the atmosphere. This swirling is a battle between good and evil. The enemy knows his time is short. His fury is mounting.
Only those who keep their eyes on Jesus will be able to walk above this and not sink. Only those who get above this will fight well. Only those who use worship as their weapon can remain steadfast.
My friends, we need to remember who we are and what we are called to do. We are water walkers. We walk ABOVE the storms that rage. Actually, we dance on the storms of life! We are water dancers. We are mighty warriors! We fight the good fight.
Worship is our weapon!
Worship is our warfare!
We worship as our warfare!
Worship is not three songs and an altar call. It is not a building. It is not a program.
It’s a LIFE.
A life fully devoted and surrendered.
Today, I call up our mighty warriors to a place above the storm. I call you up to a place above the battle. I call you up to a place above the swirling and whirling of the storms of deception.
Come apart. Take your position. It’s time to worship!
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