Category Archives: view of God

Say Yes!

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Most of us have heard that God is a God of “Yes, it is so (amen)”, (2
Cor 1:20), but many of us have times when circumstances are such
that we perceive God to be a God of “No, I don’t think so!”

Over the past year, I have had many opportunities to talk and work
with people who have been laid off, searching for work, or trying
to establish a new business… in what everyone agrees is a very
difficult economy.

Every person without exception has understandably been quite
anxious, some even terrified, as they think about their future.
Fear, when it grips our hearts, has a way of convincing us that we
are destined for the poor house, or worse – living in a cardboard
box under a bridge (my personal favorite).

Well, I am thrilled to report that every one of those people have a
job, or a new business venture they are thrilled about, or an
existing business that is taking on a new dimension.

What do each of these people have in common?

Loss or fear of loss caused them to:

1. take a closer look at Who is the Source of their security, and
what have they been thinking about that. Do they perceive God as a
God of Yes and It is so, or No, I don’t think so?

2. examine who they THINK they are and what are they truly
qualified to have in life. Lack and poverty, or more than enough
wealth? What does God say Yes to?

It’s not easy to have a change in mindset when fear is dominating
your life, but God is faithful, and when each one of these people
decided to say YES to what God says YES to, things shifted in their
lives, which caused other things to shift in their lives… which
resulted in, as one dear one said, “more than I could have hoped
for!!” Oooo… how I love participating in people’s happiness!

So, may I encourage you today to ask God to reveal where you may be
perceiving Him to be a God of No and I don’t think so, rather than
a God of Yes, IT IS SO!

Then, let Him have the final say, and out of your mouth, you speak
what He says!

In Your Corner!
Maryann

P.S. I’ll keep you posted as to when the next tele-coaching class
will be offered. Also, if you think your mindset may be standing
in the way of your personal life, profession or business, consider
one on one coaching! I’m here for you!

I know God loves me, BUT….

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Something I’ve noticed over the years is how many of my clients have “Father love” issues.  Maybe that isn’t the reason they come to me, but how wonderful it is of the Lord to reveal it!

That can only mean He has a desire and a plan to DEEPEN AND EXPAND their view of Him!  It’s pretty amazing how a restricted or inaccurate view of the Father can subtly interfere with the quality of our lives!

Have you ever said, “I know God loves me, but….”?

Check out what comes after the “but”. Often it will give you a clue as to where you may need an expanded view of the Father.

Many books have been written about the Father’s love and how we often get a distorted, or at a minimum, incomplete view of Him based on our earthly father.

If your earthly father was cruel, demanding, or rigid, you may feel an inability to ever please the Father, or maybe you often fear punishment or disappointing Him.

If your father was kind and compassionate, but didn’t do much to help you, you may have developed a “I have to do it myself” mentality, or you may feel at times like the Father isn’t going to help you.

If your father left when you were a kid, or was never really “there”, you might feel God ignores you or that you just aren’t that important to Him..

And then there are many permutations of those.

My point in bringing it up isn’t to find fault with your father.  That won’t serve you at all.

But it can help you to see where God wants to broaden your view of who He is to you.

This is part of having your mind renewed, and the word says we are TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our minds.I have found that when stressed I can get into doubt about whether God is REALLY there for me.

But rather than beat myself up, fall into a pity pot, or build up resentment, I have learned from the Lord to allow Him to show me some NEW OR DEEPER ASPECT OF HIM that I am not yet fully grounded in.

You know, the more accurate our view of the Father, the more we can actually FEEL His presence and involvement in our lives, the happier and more confident we will be.  Truly.

And because He is infinite, there is always more and more to learn.  How fun is that?!!

So, may I encourage you today to ask Him to show you more of His Father’s heart for you?

Decide to be willing to take any false notions developed or even programmed in you to the dump.No need to get into blame!  Just realize it “ain’t workin’ for ya,” and position yourself to receive what it is the Father wants to show you.

So… Here’s a little assignment for you:  Read Ephesians 1:17-2:5 and take note of how the Father’s heart is revealed here.

Write the passage, meditate on it, and ask the Father what He wants you to see.  I’d love to hear about it!!Have a richly blessed day!  Remember… it’s all in the seeing!

Maryann

Have I Ever Told You….
You’re My Favorite!
The Importance of Feeling Special
God wants you to feel special, and one of the best ways He does it is by giving you His favor!
Not convinced?
Get your copy today!

Go to : www.favoredbyGod.com
Available Now!

Your Perception of God Controls Your Life

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The more people I mentor, the more I am convinced that how a person perceives God controls every aspect of their life, especially how they view themselves.

The interesting thing is – despite this critically pivotal state of mind and heart,  most people have little awareness of how they see God.

And so, one of the first things I listen for is my client’s mindset about who God is to them.  This is often revealed in subtle ways, in the words they casually speak, when they they talk of their past experiences, or what their current struggles are.

Their mindset about who God is to them is formed from a variety of sources from growing up, to what they were told in school, to  what they see in the media, or while they’re out and about in the world.   Even what they are taught in church.   (Yes, I understand, people get nervous when I say those kinds of things.)  Slowly over time conclusions about God and a person’s relationship to Him get solidified to the point that they are never questioned, let alone challenged.

Over my many years of being a Christian, I have hit plenty of walls of frustration and fear. But in each instance, God had given me the opportunity to question and challenge my perception of Him, how He related to me, what He had in store for me, what His promises to me were — yes, you probably noticed a theme… ME.

But contrary to the saying, ‘it NOT about YOU,'”  I believe there are times when it has to be about me… and my mindset about God, which gives me my perception of Him, which will control how I experience what I am going through, and what choices I will make as a result.

Often the Lord has shown me that something definitely needed to be tweaked in my mind… I need the spirit of my mind to be renewed, rejuvenated, and often changed.  And He is faithful to do it.  The more I can see Him as Good, and Good to and for ME, the more I experience His goodness toward me.  This leads to greater peace, clarity, and confidence.  I am able to soar and rise above the difficulties, armed with new spiritual and practical tools and weaponry, all in the safe context of a loving God.

If you are feeling like things are not going so well with you, maybe it’s time to challenge your existing mindset. Ask God to show you what may not be working in your thought life, even in your subconscious.  Tell Him through writing or speaking… not just thinking, that you are ready to hear and see.  He is all about your success, freedom, and fulfillment.

God bless you, my friends.

Developing a Mindset of Favor

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Recently I proposed to you that much of our frustration can be resolved, and dare I say, even eliminated once we have a mindset of FAVOR. (Click here for that post.)

Because the Lord has so thoroughly convinced me of this, it has become my mission to share the power of this transcendent gift.

Getting rooted and established in His favor has caused a huge shift in how I see myself, the world, and why I am even here.

Also, in all my years of counseling and coaching, I have never seen breakthrough in my clients’ lives like I am these days. It’s quite astounding!

Maybe it’s because one very specific reason Jesus came was to restore us all to a favorable relationship with Him!

Look at this verse.  This was not just some doctrinal statement… this is personal, to be taken personally.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (Amplified Bible)

18But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].

19It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).

20So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ’s personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God.

A mindset of favor is to trump all other competing mindsets.
Verbally thanking Him will increase your faith!

So today, thank God for His favor.  Thank Him that He favors you!
Thank Him for coming into this world FOR YOU, to cancel out ALL your sin… past, present, and future.
Thank Him that not only do you HAVE His favor, but you ARE highly favored.  Ask Him to grow this seed of truth within you, change your mind as to how you see yourself, and then, expect Him to do it!!

I love you all!

Maryann

Are you made for success?

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When I was 16 I came across some books which helped me deal with all the negative things that were a part of my life at the time… separated parents, distraught siblings, cheating boyfriend, thwarted goals, and normal teen stuff. You get the picture.

Well, these book, now classics, literally “saved my life.” They were, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” and “The Power of Positive Thinking.” I studied those books, took diligent notes, posted relevant quotes in my locker… I wanted to know what made people successful and what didn’t.

That question has been a theme in my life. I understand today why that is: because we are made for success, and it has become my personal God-given mission to help people discover the “secrets” to success and implement them in their own life.

And though God has made us to succeed, the obstacles are plenty! Indeed, I think I may have encountered every single one of them!

Today, I would like to address just one:

Did God really intend for us to be successful?

Until we are CERTAIN that God intends for us to be successful in our endeavors, our careers, our families, and our faith, we WILL BE double-minded about success. Double-mindedness dilutes our efforts, robs of us peace and joy, and creates confusion. No doubt about that!!

So, here is but one verse that may clear up any double-mindedness from Joshua 1:7-9 (The Message):
Strength! Courage! … Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

Joshua had a purpose and a mission born out of that purpose. The Lord wanted him to be successful… and He gives Joshua some strong direction as to how to make that happen and the attitude with which he was to approach his mission.

Quite frankly, the word “success” isn’t used often in the Bible. But several passages say things like … “the Lord was with him and gave him success in everything he did.” It is clear that the heart of God is for our success. Jesus came here with success in mind. He was going to accomplish what He set out to do, NO MATTER WHAT.

Being successful was not something He struggled with, and it shouldn’t be for us either.

Next week I will write to you about the meaning of success. Even if we are established in the notion that God desires us to be successful, we can get tripped up in what success is and what it isn’t.

So, if you would.. could you send me YOUR definition of success? What does it mean to you? Do you feel successful?

The other thing I wanted to ask you is…. I am seriously considering making these emails short video emails. Maybe about 3 minutes in length. What do you think of that? Thanks for the feedback!

Have a great day!

Always in YOUR corner,
Maryann

What is your view of God?

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New USA Today article discusses new book…  Well, it’s confirmed… how we view God determines how we approach life! No kidding!

Americans’ views of God shape attitudes on key issues

“If you pray to God, to whom — or what — are you praying?

When you sing God Bless America, whose blessing are you seeking?

In the USA, God — or the idea of a God — permeates daily life. Our views of God have been fundamental to the nation’s past, help explain many of the conflicts in our society and worldwide, and could offer a hint of what the future holds. Is God by our side, or beyond the stars? Wrathful or forgiving? Judging us every moment, someday or never?”

Click here to read rest of article and take the quiz.  Which of the 4 views of God do you have?