Happy Belated New Year! There’s a lot that has been going on for me this past month, including my new website and blog. Welcome to my new home! I hope that you enjoy this new space as I expand and grow both personally and professionally. Here you will continue to find an encouraging word, in addition to my walking further into my God-given purpose. My journey continues!
Speaking of expanding and growing, God has been stretching me over the past year, but I felt it more in the last quarter of 2020. The box that I put myself in broke because I was placed in various situations that grew me outside of my comfort zone. One of these situations permitted me to publish my first Kindle Short Read eBook, “For My Singletons”. It is a 15-day devotional to encourage my Singletons during their waiting and preparation season. I pray that it touches you and/or someone you know. You can purchase it now, by clicking HERE.
Another form of stretching occurred for me when I decided to stop allowing fear to hinder me from continually pursuing my God-given purpose. This refers to my doing the things that kept me inside of my comfort zone. It’s easy to do the things that keep us in that zone, but there’s always something on the other side of it. I learned to stop justifying inactivity or procrastination in the areas that I was afraid of taking steps. Instead, I took bigger tasks and divided them into smaller action steps that led me to fruitful end results. I didn’t let fear of the big picture hinder me, instead viewed these tasks as stepping stones to get to the next step and so forth. Looking back, it wasn’t so bad after all. There’s something special about being on the other side of fear.
If you have followed me for the past few years or so, you may know that I choose a word and Anchor Verses for the year. As a result of my stretching and prayer time, God revealed “Gratitude” as my word for 2021, along with my Anchor Verses of: Proverbs 18:16 NKJV and Isaiah 43:19 NKJV.
Gratitude: The state of being grateful: THANKFULNESS (from Merriam-Webster.com)
“A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.” -Proverbs 18:16 NKJV
“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” -Isaiah 43:19 NKJV
The stretching has revealed to me the importance of trusting God with the processes He put me through to grow. I learned to be tested, faith-filled, and pushed through my doubts and fears. This allows me to see any current stretching from the viewpoint of gratitude rather than from questions or doubts; which in turn showed me my Anchor Verses for the year. God is putting me before greatness while I’m walking in greatness, building new things in my purpose that He allows to happen because of my obedience to Him. The stretching seasons are continuous preparation. They are necessary.
Don’t be afraid of being stretched by God.
Until next time.
Blessings,
© Lisi P, 2021
Thanks Lisi for your inspiration! And congrats on your accomplishment – page bookmarked 🙂
Thank you, Lindsay! Blessings, my friend 🙂
This is beautiful Lisi. Continued blessings my friend!
Thank you, Sis! Blessings!