Encouragement

Discovering the Wisdom of Success

January 1, 2019 By Mrs. Mom 2 Comments

If I were to ask you what you want most out of your life and tell you that you had to give me one word to explain it all, I think I know what you would say. You would tell me that you’d want success. When we think of success, we think of joyful lives, filled with peace, wealth, honor, fulfilling relationships, and someone walking in their purpose. That picture can look different for different people, but what we don’t normally see when we think of success is what it takes for a person to be successful. What we don’t normally see or hear about is the wisdom of success.

Today, I want to talk to you about becoming successful and obtaining all of the desires that God has given you, from the biblical perspective of wisdom.

When I have read the word of God on the topic of wisdom, I have learned a few things. The voice of wisdom is one that speaks clearly and shows the road to take that honors God. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, but what exactly is wisdom?

What is wisdom?

Wisdom is defined as having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgement.

While there is, from our general perspective, one definition of wisdom, we must recognize that there are two different types of wisdom. There is first, the wisdom that is from above or from God. Then, there is the earthly, unspiritual, and demonic wisdom. (James 3:13-17)

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. ~James 3:17

The Biblical definition of wisdom, as explained in the Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, states

“The man or woman, who fearing God, lives in accordance with what God expects and what is expected of him in a God-fearing society is viewed as an integrated person. He is “wise” in that his manner of life projects the fear of God and the blessing of God reset upon him.

The opposite of a wise person, according to the Bible is the fool or wicked person

who stubbornly refuses counsel and depends on his own understanding: “For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” (Prov. 1:32; Deut 32:5-6; Pro 3:35) from Vines Complete Expository Dictionary

When you begin to understand that there is a difference between the wise and the foolish, you should also seek to understand what it means to be wise according to Biblical standards. The details of wisdom are found throughout the entire bible, but if there were one place for you to start, I would recommend that you go to the book of Proverbs.

A Few things the Bible says about wisdom

“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an horrible life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13

The book of Proverbs is a book of the Bible that helps us to understand the ways of a wise person. From here on out, I want you to remember that when I use the word wise, I am speaking of a person that is considered wise from a Biblical perspective. Anything other understanding of wisdom has to be thrown out the window, if you are going to understand the true wisdom of success. The purpose of the book of Proverbs is to

“teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.” (Proverbs 1:2-3)

The Bible tells us that people who are wise should pay attention to the proverbs and become wiser. They should determine to understand the meanings of the proverbs by digging into what they mean and searching them out. (Proverbs 1:5-6) It also says that in many different ways that the person who desires to be wise or one who possesses wisdom does not passively sit around waiting for wisdom to come to them. They are diligently searching out wisdom. They are looking for knowledge. They are seeking to understand.

Can you see yourself in any of this? If you can’ that is awesome! I want to encourage you to continue to seek and search.

However, if you cannot see yourself in this, I want to encourage you to start to desire knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.

There are great benefits to being a person of wisdom and there is great success that comes with being wise.

Benefits of wisdom

Sometimes we need a little motivation to work hard. We may say that we want to do something, but it’s not until we clearly see some of the benefits that we will actually begin to work towards obtaining the thing. Wisdom is no different. I know that you may feel like it will take too much for you to obtain wisdom. God knew that as well. I believe this is one of the reasons why He outlined for us some of the benefits of being wise. I want to share them with you now.

Why would a person want to be wise? What are some of the benefits of wisdom? (In the statements below, wisdom will be referred to as “she.” This is how wisdom often appears in the Bible)

Wisdom will preserve you (Proverbs 4:6)
She will keep you (Proverbs 4:6)
She will promote you (Proverbs 4:8)
She will bring you honor (Proverbs 4:8)
She will bring you grace (Proverbs 4:9)
She will bring you glory (Proverbs 4:9)
When taught the way of wisdom, you will not be hindered (Proverbs 4:12)
Wisdom will be life to you, when found (Proverbs 4:22)
Words of wisdom will be health to all your flesh/body (Proverbs 4:22)

I don’t know anyone who would decide that they did not want to be promoted, have glory and peace, health and life. Who would say that they didn’t want to be preserved, protected, or that they wanted to be hindered? Well according to the Bible, only the fool or the wicked.

So that just leaves one question, for now anyway.

How do you live wisely?

Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.

Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.

Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.

Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.

Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:23-7)

These are just some of the ways to live wisely, but what I love about the Bible is that God has chosen to lay it out plainly.

He said in His word.

Getting wisdom is the wisest thing that you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgement. If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her and she will honor you. ~Proverbs 4:7-8 NLT

Now it is up to you. Take each of these directions and begin to think about how you can apply them to your life in daily situations. Look at how you act and what you do. Begin to ask yourself if you are acting the way that a wise person would act or if you are acting like a fool. When you lack wisdom, ask God for it and He will freely give it to you without making you feel bad for asking. (James 1:5) He won’t call you stupid or dummy. He will simply give you what you are asking for because He loves you and wants you to reap the benefits of wisdom more than you want it for yourself.

I hope that you found this helpful and realize how you can have a successful life. There is a lot more that goes in to this, but it is a great start. By determining that you will be successful, you are saying that you will choose that pathway of wisdom. That my sister, is a good decision.

If you found this helpful, share it with someone who you believe can be helped by it, as well. Make sure to become a subscriber, by filling out the form below. My subscribers receive emails of encouragement, weekly. Then, really begin to apply yourself, by joining my Facebook group and becoming apart of the Being Mrs. Mom Community.

I look forward to connecting with you soon. 🙂

Remember to have the Right Mindset

December 16, 2018 By Mrs. Mom Leave a Comment

You don’t have to stay where you are, but it requires your participation. You will need to pray, study, and make adjustments. Learn from people who have already been through and are where you want to be. Trust God for guidance and use wisdom as you move forward

The Lord is good and we must bring ourselves to a place of appreciation and thankfulness on a daily basis. When things look gloomy and like there is no hope, take a moment to thank God for what He has done. You will become grateful and find yourself in a place of peace. Go ahead! Take a moment to say thank you.

We want to have a heart of gratitude, but it is also important to have a heart of obedience that moves our actions to follow Christ. There is a reason for everything that God tells us to do. Don’t stop the blessing because you are thankful but disobedient. Do the work of the Lord and commit yourself to following Him, wholeheartedly.

Know that the Lord is with you, when you seek to walk in integrity.

Are you going to push and praise your way through?

November 21, 2018 By Mrs. Mom Leave a Comment

Ultimate success is fulfilling the purpose of God, for your life. This doesn’t come easy. You cry through it, pray through it, and want to quit through it. Yet, everyday that you wake up, you have to make a choice. Are you going to do it all over again? Are you going to do what God told you to do? Are you going to answer the call and will you praise Him in the midst of it? Are you willing to push and praise?

Admitting the problem

You don’t come to a place of having what you want because it fell in your lap. For every good marriage, there were hundreds of hours spent toiling, fighting within, and praying for change to come. For ever healthy life, there were months and years of mistakes and unhealthy habits. For ever goal achieved, there were times of learning what not to do, so that the “what to do” was engrained on the heart of the achieved.

I know these things from experience. When you want to be successful in life, you worry, but then at some point you realize that worrying isn’t going to get you anywhere, so you seek to do something else.

As children of God, we have to look to Him for our answer and, as we have seen before, He has a word for every situation that we find ourselves in.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:6-7

Don’t worry! But what do you do when you are full of worry? You are worried about your house, your finances, your marriage, your personal success, your friendships…so full of worry. And all of this worrying is making you anxious.

Realizing the solution

You have to be willing to do what the Word of God says. You open up your mouth or stop for a moment and commit to action.

You have to say to yourself and to God

“I am not going to be anxious. I am bringing myself to a place of calm. I am going to tell God what is causing me to stress and I’m going to ask Him for what I need. Lord, I need somethings from you and I know that you will come through for me. I believe and trust you, but where there is doubt, help my unbelief. Father, I thank you that you are doing all of the things that you told me you would do. You said in your word that whatever things I ask for in prayer, believing, I will receive. I am asking you for these things now and I know that you are going to give me peace that surpasses all understanding. Guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name. ~Amen”

You have to push

You cannot quit!

You must not give up!

No matter how you are feeling.

You must know without a shadow of doubt that whatever God has called you to do, He will also equip and accompany you to do.

You must push your way through this and every situation in front of you.

You must get in the word of God and reinforce the words that He spoke to your heart from the beginning. Get to a place where you know that you know that God has called you to this place of pushing to the high mark that He called you to.

While you push, praise.

You have to praise

Put on the playlist. If you don’t know what to play, go on YouTube and pick your favorite biblical song. From there, the app will do the rest, playing songs that are like it. Allow the Holy Spirit to encourage and be with you through this process.

Tell your heart to be glad. Find the beauty and the joy in the midst of the situation. Don’t allow yourself to get in a slum. Yes, cry, if you must, but then be done with it. Give it to God and praise your way through, knowing that He is faithful and He is with you.

He is with you

For everyday that you wake up, He has something for you to do. For every breath that you breathe, there is a task for you to accomplish. For every moment that He graces you with, He is with you spurring you on to accomplish the thing that He has placed in your heart.

So, dream big for your marriage. Have high hopes for your children. Determine that the dreams and visions that He has placed in you, will come to pass because you are going to allow the Lord to work in you and through you, to see them accomplished.

Make a decision, everyday not to give up, so that have the strength to push and praise.

If you are struggling with seeing things in a positive light and need a little push from the outside, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter. You will receive encouragement, right where you are.

If you need to take a few days to refocus, so that your heart can get right, then go ahead and purchase the 5 Days of Gratitude Devotional and Journal. You’ll be encouraged through the Word of God to refocus and live life with a thankful heart.

Understanding Gratitude and the Power It Can Have in Your Life

November 20, 2018 By Mrs. Mom Leave a Comment

Everyday that you wake up, you are given the same opportunity as millions of people across the world. You start off with the same number of hours, the same breath of life, and the same ability to decide how you will see the world around you.

So, what is the difference between a person that sees the world as dark and grim, and the one that sees it as a beautiful place where the colors are a bit faded today?

The difference is perspective

I believe that the difference is perspective. Our perspectives are the way by which we see the world, but it is also the lens that is colored by the environment cultivated within us. In other words, what happens in our hearts, determines the perspective that we view the world from.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

~Proverbs 4:23 NKJV

Be careful how you think, your life is shaped by your thoughts. ~Proverbs 4:23 GNT

If you struggle with forgiveness and bitterness, your perspective will always be of one on guard because the world, through this lens, cannot be trusted. If you have struggled with rejection, guilt, or depression, the world will seem mean and unkind because you will feel that you have nothing to be thankful for. You will feel like an outcast in the world and your inner perspective will determine your outlook, actions, motivations, and even, the direction of your relationship.

But what happens if you have a heart of gratitude, where you are constantly on the lookout for things to be thankful for?

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. ~Luke 6:45

Well, like everyone else, you will always have 24 hours in a day, but when spent with a thankful heart, you live loved and optimistic.

I’m sure that you’ve heard the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I know that we apply this statement to many things, but you can take the same concept and apply it to the condition of your heart. If you look at your life and situation hard enough you can find something to be thankful for. I’d also like to point out that the opposite is also true.

Understanding Gratitude

When you turn your heart from unthankful to grateful, you are expressing gratitude.

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful. It is a readiness to show appreciation and to return kindness.

Now why would you want to be grateful. Well, gratitude involves being appreciative for the things that God and other people have done for you. It causes you to look outside of yourself for goodness, and it makes you feel good in the process. This process occurs because possessing a grateful heart helps you to realize that the goodness you see is beneficial to you, which causes you to feel loved.

“The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I feel good.”

Thinking like this keeps your mind upbeat, joyful, and optimistic. Positive thoughts breed positive emotions, actions, and interactions. When you feel good, life seems good. When this is true, no matter what happens, you can find the good and this is the way that you want to live your life.

The power gratitude can have your life

Gratitude causes you to feel like you are important to someone, cared about, and loved. You begin to feel like you matter. You see people as good and your perspective of life is blessed.

When you see this, you will even begin to bless God for the way that He has cared for you.

Research shows that gratitude has the power to make you resilient, more optimistic, and kinder. It helps you achieve your goals, feel more hopeful, makes you healthier, and can help you sleep better.

Gratitude makes the difference

If each person starts their day with the same ability to make a choice which effects their day, situation, and life, wouldn’t you want to choose the perspective that blesses you the most? If your answer is yes, then choose gratitude. It really makes the difference.

If you have trouble focusing on the positive, go to the scripture.

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. ~Psalm 34:1-2

Scripture helps us to focus on what God says and it gives us a new perspective, when ours is out of whack.

Make gratitude a goal by focusing on the things of God to take your thoughts outside of yourself. Begin to thank God for all that He has done for you, ever, in your whole entire life. Sometimes that’s what it takes to make your heart grateful. It may require you to look back over your life and remember where you have been to see where you are and bless the Lord. Your act of thankfulness will transform your thinking, surroundings, relationships, and your life.

Today, I encourage you to think about the effects that gratitude can have on your life. Make a decision to have a grateful heart, so that you life can always be in an upward spiral.

Get focused

I also want to encourage you to take sometime to focus your thoughts and heart. That’s why I’ve written the 5 Days of Gratitude Devotional and Journal. It gives you the opportunity to focus your thoughts, emotions, and actions on being thankful. Get your copy today, it costs $7 and is packed with such great information. It blessed me to write it and I know that it will bless you to interact with it. I want to tell you that while it is a 5 day devotional, it is 44 pages of devotion that will send you on a biblical journey of checking your heart and your perspective, so don’t wait. Get your printable e-book copy of 5 Days of Gratitude Devotional and Journal today, by clicking on the image below.

How to Use Your Mouth to Frame Your Thoughts and Your Day

November 6, 2018 By Mrs. Mom Leave a Comment

Have you ever woken up and found that you were in a weird mood? You don’t know why, but your attitude is a little bit off. You can’t even put your finger on it, but you now have somethings on your mind that are making you feel some sorta way. These feelings are starting to make you wonder if you are going to have a good day or not.

I want to stop you right there and say that we all have mornings like this. Now whether that turns into a bad day or not, is up to each person.

As things begin to happen, you will have to get frame your thoughts. We normally try to figure out whether or not it is going to be a good day or a bad day based upon circumstances, but you and I have to be willing to take a step forward and do something that will effect everything.

We must take control over our thoughts and emotions, using our mouths.

When we feel this way, the Holy Spirit, who is our Helper, will always say something that we must respond to, if we want things change. He will speak words of encouragement or even the word of God.

One time, I remember struggling in the morning to get going. My emotions were all over the place and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. It seemed like everything was going wrong and getting on my nerves. Then as I stood in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart “bless the Lord O my soul.” This immediately triggered me to stop for a second and think on the scripture and the Psalmist’s experience in the Bible.

Let me say that the Lord doesn’t always speak to me in this way, but the more word you and I put in us, the more word He will use to speak to our hearts and direct us.

I continued getting dressed and took my children to school, all the while contemplating the word that was spoken to my heart.

Let’s take a look at Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
The Lordis merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lordis from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
Youministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

David used his mouth to fame his thoughts and to get himself, his soul, in line.

This is what we have to do. We have to remind ourselves of God’s goodness and command our soul to bless the Lord. With this we take charge over our experience. We frame our minds and our day by what we are saying.

If you think of a frame, no matter what type of picture you put in the fame, it is going to be perceived by it’s frame. You could have a children’s popsicle frame or an expensive decorative, each one give you a certain perspective, when you look at the picture.

This all matters. By framing your day with your words, using the word of God, you can change your perspective and situation.

So, do as David did.

Speak to yourself commanding, yourself to bless the Lord and to remember all of His great works. Don’t forget the benefits of being a child of the King of Kings.
Remember how the Lord worked in the past because that is His track record. He never changes. What He did for someone else, He can also do for you.
Find the beauty in the world. Slow down for a moment. Look around you and notice how all of creation has chosen to bless and worship the Lord.
Go back and reaffirm to yourself that you should be blessing the Lord with your mouth, heart, and life. You need to be reminded sometimes. Tell yourself to do it and then actually do it.

Keep this up and watch what happens within you and around you. God has given you the power and authority to change what could have been a bad day, into a good day.

Encouragement

Discovering the Wisdom of Success

What is wisdom?