transformation

Your Life – Make It Count!

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“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

(Romans 14:12)

Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted three years.  Yet, those three years were packed with power, miracles, changed lives, and the demonstration of God’s glory.  Quality of time, not quantity, made the difference as Jesus impacted those who came across His path.  To some, three years seems like a short time; to others, it’s a long time – it all depends on what you’re setting out to accomplish. 

As Christians, we are approaching the greatest celebration of life, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  During this season, reflect on the fact that you have been given the priceless gift of life – and with that, a certain amount of time (your life span) is allotted for you to fulfill the purpose God created just for you.  In Luke 16, Jesus told the story of a rich man with a servant who got “called on the carpet.”  His master confronted him, “Give an account of your stewardship!”  When this man realized his position was in jeopardy, he immediately got busy being productive for his master’s benefit.

Each of us faces a similar moment of truth today.  When God glimpses you, does He see you fervently serving Him – or your own interests?  He expects His faithful children to commit to using the gifts He entrusted to them (time, talent, energy, skills, abilities, etc.) to profit and promote His Kingdom.  Over 2,000 years later, Jesus’ life holds a legacy that we continue to benefit from.  Are your actions today creating a legacy that will bless those who look beneath the surface of your life?  Resurrection power in action will cause you to be a wise investor and not a resource waster!

What are you doing with the precious life God has given you?

© Copyright 2008 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Stop NOW! Time is of the essence…

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“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,

 when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

(Acts 3:18-20)

Have you ever scheduled an activity, only to find that the time to do it never comes?  Do you often plan to do things and realize (maybe weeks later) that the time to accomplish them never presented itself?  If you can relate, it’s quite possible you need to take a moment to stop and evaluate where your energy is going.  Where is your focus?  If it’s all over the place, that could be an indicator that you need to try a different approach.

Now contrast this with a stoplight turning red – what does that signal (or indicator) mean?  It means: STOP NOW!  If you put it off until later – it might be too late.  It is actually hazardous (to your health and the health of others) not to stop when you see the signal is already red – or better yet, if you see the warning of the yellow caution light telling you to slow down and PREPARE to stop.

A friend recently e-mailed me, reminding me to take time to refuel, reconnect, and REST.  I appreciated her concern for me as I wondered incredulously, “Exactly WHEN would I find the time to do this?!?”  Truth be told, she e-mailed me on 12/12/07, but I’m just now getting this message posted on 12/20/07 – see how it happens?  Time drifts away from us when we don’t actively manage it.  Let’s commit to actively managing our time in 2008 instead of passively allowing time to dictate to us what our schedules will be…a novel concept, wouldn’t you agree?

The times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord.  If you’re too busy to spend time with Him to get clarity and direction for your life, then guess what?  You’re just too busy.  Stop NOW!  Refocus. Reprioritize.  Rest in Him.  As we take time at the end of the year to reflect, we can also use this time to reprioritize based on what’s really important.  The Holy Spirit is here to help us and guide us as we commit to aligning with God’s Word. 

Abundant blessings as you tie up those loose ends and approach the conclusion of 2007 🙂

© 2007 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Don’t EVEN Go There!

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“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”

(II Corinthians 10:5-6)

Why do we do things we have no business doing and say things we have no business saying?  Because we allow ourselves to think things we have no business thinking!  How do I know?  Because I’m Culprit #1!   I’m sitting here at my desk munching on a rice cake, and I recall the instruction on the package “Do not microwave.”  So I start pondering and wondering, “What’s the worst that could happen if I put it in the microwave?”  Then I looked around stealthily (as if someone were actually watching me in my cube) and said to myself, “Surely nothing bad could happen in 5 seconds if I tested this out…”

This is a lighthearted (but true) example of how quickly things can get out of proportion and out of hand.

Guard the seeds that are planted in your mind and what you allow to grow there.  If a wayward thought takes root, it’s gonna be harder to get rid of it once it’s growing.  Take preventive action – don’t let it settle in!

 © Copyright 2007 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Fill ‘Er Up! Lessons From the Gas Station of Life

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“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking,

be put away from you, with all malice:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

(Ephesians 4:31-32)

Background From Last Night

So I was aggravated with someone yesterday.  (Yes, with all of my own idiosyncrasies and quirks, I had the nerve and unmitigated gall to be irritated by one of God’s children – audacious, I know).  My annoyance over a very minor thing with them probably didn’t start yesterday, but it had accumulated when I didn’t deal with the tiny seed of irritation when it first appeared.  Last night, I tried to shake it off, but the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became.  As my hubby reminded me, this person had probably moved on and was sleeping very well.  So I tried to pray before going to bed (realizing I was blocking my own blessings if I didn’t forgive and release this person), I tried to “calm myself down,” I even tried to think about something else and take my mind off the situation by doing a puzzle.  This morning, I’m not sure if any of this really worked that well, but I did finally go to sleep around 2 a.m.  And it’s not that I wasn’t tired (because I LOVE sleep – it’s a hobby); I was just agitated in my spirit and in my flesh. 

Snapshot From This Morning

During this morning’s commute, I stopped to attend to the gas needle looming ominously near “E.”  The first indicator that I’d happened upon a gas pump with an attitude was when I set it to auto pump, got back in the car with the kids, then noticed (30 seconds later) that the numbers weren’t moving.  It was going NOWHERE – fast.  So I got out again, reset the pump, and got back in the car as the gas (finally) pumped.  Up I watched the numbers climb – whew, what it takes to fill a tank these days!  After a few moments of bantering with my kids and singing along with the radio, I heard the man at the pump next to me banging on my gas tank. (I admit that my first fleeting thought was, “Oh Lord, is he trying to do something to my kids in the backseat?!”).  Then he quickly stopped the gas pump and told me, “Ma’am, your tank was overflowing and your gas was spilling out.”  I sheepishly thanked him for his act of kindness, then pulled off fuming as I wondered how many extra pennies from my budget had run out onto the pavement.  Yet, I tried to shake that off and let it go, too.  I know God is my Provider, and He hasn’t stopped doing His job.  Are you starting to see how vexed I was?  Can you relate?

The Point

As I pulled off from the gas station, indignant with the faulty pump (how ridiculous, I know!), I realized that last night’s episode was a precursor and foreshadowing to this morning’s gas incident.  My own tank (my heart) was so full of junk that I couldn’t even sing along with the worship music without feeling like a hypocrite.  I knew something had to give.  I had to get rid of that stuff – and FAST.  Last night I had enough sense to realize that I didn’t want to pass away with that stuff lingering in my heart.  I repented for wasting the precious time God was gracious enough to give me.

Take Action – Make a Change

So the question for all of us today:  What are you already full of?  What are you trying to pump in?  Is there room for anything else in your tank?  If so, would there be a place in your heart for the Holy Spirit to come and dwell, or would He be crowded out by bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and malice?

I encourage you to join me in getting rid of the junk in your tank today so you can make room for the priceless substance of the Holy Spirit’s presence.  We’ll go a lot further – and get better gas mileage!  Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I have a phone call to make.  I need to release this person and move on with my day.

p.s. If y’all have any tips for how YOU let stuff go right away instead of letting it get under your skin, please e-mail me!  God’s got my attention and (in spite of what it feels like) I am determined to allow Him to work on me for HIS glory, for there is no good thing in flesh!

© Copyright 2007 by Kayren J. Cathcart

The Perfection Misconception

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“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the work of Your hands.”

(Psalm 138:8, NKJV)

Have you ever waited for just the right set of circumstances or conditions?  You want everything to be in its proper place and “just so.”  You don’t want to risk making any “mistakes.”  You’re reaching for perfection (a misconception and a work of the flesh) instead of excellence (flowing from the Spirit of God).

I am so guilty of this!  And you know what?  That elusive perfection never comes – it’s an illusion and a delusion.  Then you procrastinate.  By that time, you’re out of God’s perfect will.  When you try to play catch up, you’re asking Him for provision in an area that He’s not obligated to cover you in – because you led yourself there!

Did you think I was talking about you?  I was actually talking about myself!  But you know the old saying:  if the shoe fits…

I welcome you to the first of many submissions for The Writer’s Corner.  It’s been a long time coming – and I almost missed my window of opportunity.  But God gave me this chance, and today, I am seizing the moment.  I hope you’ll do the same today.

Faith requires stepping out of your comfort zone and beyond what your intellect can fathom, particularly when you can’t see how something will turn out.  It leaves us open and vulnerable, but it also creates an awesome atmosphere and environment for God to show Himself strong and mighty in and through us.  When we come to the end of ourselves, His glory manifests, and it’s absolutely magnificent to behold.

Have a productive day as you obey His voice and instructions to you – don’t act like you don’t hear Him talking to you!

© 2007 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Preparing To Embrace Transition

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“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

During last month’s Life Application classes, we identified a “cure for the common life.”  This month, we’ll develop an unquenchable thirst for God’s presence.  Applying the combination of these two themes to our lives promises to bring us into a new season – we won’t be able to stay the same!  So how do we prepare for the upcoming transition?  What mindset do we need to embrace so we can do something different from what we’re already doing?

As we approach a change of natural seasons (moving from Summer into Fall), take a moment to hear what God is saying to you about your own spiritual season.  Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t look like you’re where you think you should be.  God is preparing a place for you at the same time He is preparing you for that place!  Be encouraged and know that He has an expected end for you (Jeremiah 29:11).  

Surely, there is an appointed season and timeframe for your blessing, your miracle, your healing, your deliverance, your promotion, and your breakthrough.  Realize that it may not happen overnight, in a week, or even in a month; transition occurs through a process.  You must listen closely to God’s plan and obey His instructions to satisfy the conditions and be in position for the transition. 

God is faithful and He is taking you somewhere…

Are you preparing to embrace the transition God has for you?

© Copyright 2007 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Does One Degree REALLY Make a Difference?

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“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin our vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.”

(Song of Solomon 2:15 NIV)

We’ve already reached the fourth quarter of the year – where did the time go?  Have you achieved the goals you set for yourself in January?  Are you even close?  If not, do you wonder how in the world you got off-course? All it takes is one tiny step to veer away from your planned course of action – and before you know it, you’re way off-track!  One degree changes the angle.

Maybe I’m the only one who goes shopping for just one thing and ends up buying more items than I care to tell my spouse.  Or looks at the mountain of laundry on Friday that started out as just one load washed and dried Monday when I said, “I’ll fold and put it away it later…” but later never came.  Or reasons, “I’ll eat just one piece of chocolate,” only to find too many foil wrappers scattered around me five minutes later.  Yes, I’m sure I’m the only person who has these kinds of experiences!  It’s the little things that significantly affect the end result.  When driving a car, we don’t jerk the wheel violently back and forth the whole time we’re going straight.  Instead, we use a series of smooth movements and slight, consistent adjustments to keep us going in the desired direction.  When it’s time to turn, we approach the transition by changing our pace and rate of speed accordingly.

God wants to do the same thing with us.  He wants us to remember that small changes can have big impact – if we allow Him to modify and correct areas where we’ve started to drift away from His perfect will.  It may be uncomfortable now, but it’s better to catch something sooner than later, when it will truly hurt.  What’s coming to devour your fruit?  You’ve got to identify it and conquer it before it destroys you!  A thermostat is proof that one degree does make a difference. 

Ask God to adjust and fine-tune you this week – you may be surprised to see the areas He desires to tweak in YOU!

© Copyright 2007 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Growing Into Oneness: The Process Requires Change

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“…grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”

(Ephesians 4:15)

By now, if you haven’t embraced last year’s Jubilee theme “Step Away From the Tree,” you’ve probably found it very difficult (or nearly impossible) to demonstrate and walk in “Oneness,” our theme for this year.  Stepping away from the tree means overcoming those fears, distractions, excuses, and weeds that have held you back for much too long.  And yes, it simply means choosing to do something different – and then doing it!

If you want to make a change, you must be willing to go through a process.  Immature people desire the end result (or “the blessing”), but don’t want to do the work of developing the character they’ll need to support them when they get there.  Though it may be uncomfortable, change is an essential part of growing into Oneness.  And if you are growing, you are changing. 

Three critical action steps for change and growth are:

  1. Accountability – enlisting key people to support and coach you as you make changes (but don’t expect them to do it for you!)
  2. Responsibility – admit mistakes and reward progress (keep moving, one step at a time – you cannot stay the same – it’s not an option!)
  3. Maturity – stand on your own feet (commit to move from milk to meat – it’s time out for spoon-feeding!)

Walking in agreement and being your brother’s keeper starts with you working on you.  Then you are able to offer something of significant value to others.  Are you willing to change and grow so your own purpose becomes unified with HIS will for your life? 

Lord, please show me how I can grow into ONENESS with You this week…

I know it will make a difference in my relationships with my brothers and sisters.

© Copyright 2007 by Kayren J. Cathcart

Enduring and Overcoming Adversity TOGETHER

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A Study from James 1

Marriage Enrichment Session Presenters:  Gibson & Kayren Cathcart 

Division is out there – don’t let it conquer your ministry of marriage!

– Adversity – hardship, difficulty, harsh conditions, hard times
– Division – separation, split, disagreement, discord, break, schism, divide, gulf

Tests & trials:
· Build faith – which brings maturity (James 1:2-4)
· Work patience (James 1:3)
· Bring an opportunity for growth (James 1:5)
· Set you up for blessing/promotion (James 1:12)
· Expose areas of inconsistency (James 1:6-8)
· Bring you closer to each other & to God (James 1:17-18)

Examples of adversity:
· Past – emotional baggage
· Present – financial strain/challenges
· Future – the unknown

Children/discipline issues, working vs. staying at home,
extended family (level of involvement/interaction), unresolved conflict, individual dreams and goals, physical changes or ailments…

Anything of great worth and value WILL be tested
· We must learn to solve problems together as a couple, not just as competent individuals
· Acknowledge strengths and weaknesses (your own and your spouse’s) – cover each other’s insecurities and vulnerabilities

– Endure – bear, undergo, continue, go on, carry on, keep on, persist
– Overcome – prevail over, rise above, triumph over, conquer, defeat
– Together – jointly, as one, collectively, in sync, mutually

Your perspective affects EVERYTHING!

 Combat the spirit of division with:
· Trust-building, open communication, flexibility, & adaptability
· Personal growth and development
· Individual and couples’ counseling
· Have fun together – get to know each other better! (we’re constantly changing)

Recognize the difference between a curse and God’s process…
– Curse – nuisance, pest, bother, irritation, annoyance
– Process – procedure, development, progression, route, course of action

6 Causes of curses:
1. Wickedness & backsliding
2. Did not hearken to the voice of the Lord
3. Would not keep the commandments and statutes
4. To be a sign and wonder to teach you and your children lessons forever
5. Because you did not serve the Lord with joyfulness & gladness of heart for the abundance of all things
6. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord

Adversity is a tool God may use to take us to another level!

“We never know when our disappointment will be His appointment.” 

– Charles Swindoll

7 Laws of Prosperity:
1. God with man (Genesis 39:1-3)
2. Obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
3. Meditation (Joshua 1:8)
4. Faith (II Chronicles 20:20)
5. Seeking God (II Chronicles 26:5)
6. Goodness to Israel (Psalm 122:6)
7. Hospitality (Luke 6:38)

3 Reasons some do not prosper:
1. Rebellion against God (Deut. 28:29)
2. Covering sins (Prov. 28:13)
3. Fighting God (Is. 54:17)

Action Steps to Build ONENESS (this is deliberate and intentional!):
· Pray together (as well as individually for your spouse)
· Discuss/share about the Word regularly together
· Give your spouse grace – forgive!
· Speak the truth in love – don’t injure your spouse
· Seek God’s timing for communicating with your spouse

© Copyright 2007 by Kayren J. Cathcart & Gibson Cathcart