BethAnn Foro

JOSHUA: KICKING FEAR ASIDE AND TRUSTING THE COURAGE SUPPLIED!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”." {Joshua 1:9, ESV}

READ: JOSHUA 1:1-9; DEUTERONOMY 11:24, GENESIS 12:1-3

How often have you felt the Lord prompting your steps, maybe even so much as giving you the billboard sign "go here!", and yet you still have trouble following? Stuck in the questioning if you are hearing God correctly and second guessing God's promptings altogether because it doesn't look how you expected.

Sounds crazy, right? but you are not alone!  I've had God whisper a sweet "go here" even giving those easy turn by turn directions and still struggled to obey. How direct, strategic, and purposeful are God's directions to Joshua and the Israelites in our passage today. Here is the land I'm giving you, it's from here to here and it's your's — you only need to obey me and take possession.  No question about it! No hidden hoops to jump through. Go when God says go, obey, and the land is yours.

It really doesn't get much clearer than that!  And yet, even when I've felt the Lord map out my steps, I've still questioned them. Or things get in my way and I get distracted.  Or worse, I allow fear to take the lead and I stumble off course.

I never intend to stumble off course but I do.  And it happens when I forget my first love when I fail to arm myself every morning in God's word and in prayer with the One who loves me unconditionally.  I'm not strong on my own, my true strength to withstand all that this life throws at me comes from God.  My strength and courage shows up when I set my gaze rightly fixed upon the Lord, leaning in to know Him through daily reading of His Word and in prayer.

The beauty in today's truth is that we are not expected to act alone in any of God's commandments!

I love that God's command to be strong and courageous isn't a command to act alone and in our own strength, but instead, it's God who supplies the instruction manual, the know-how, to help us in every way to walk in the strength and courage that He supplies.

First, God promises to never leave us! We are not meant to be strong and courageous on our own, Hallelujah! We don't have to muster up the strength and then go, we only need to trust first and keep stepping and God sticks by us and supplies all we need. That is so comforting! Everything feels easier when we aren't doing it alone, right?

Second, we have a responsibility to be obedient and to meditate on His Word daily. Why, because God's word reminds us of who God is.  When we spend time each day learning and being reminded of who God is, we are strengthened through the knowledge of Him for how He meets us in our everyday circumstance.

When we remember these two things, that we are not alone and strength comes from knowing God, we will be successful and prosper in all we do.  It's kinda fool proof! huh?

"Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." {Joshua 1:7b-8, ESV}

God's promise: "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses." {Joshua 1:3, ESV}

Trust that God is with you today, lean into His help and courage for your day!

Find this encouragement and more over at www.shebelieves.co! And follow us on Instagram for short sweet encouragement every day at Instagram.com/shebelieves.co.

*article first featured at @Shebelieves.co here.

"The true measure social impact is not how well you can care for someone in your presence, but how well they thrive in your absence." ~ Krochet Kids

Christmas is just around the corner and while we are still on the front side of Thanksgiving the stores are already wooing us with their festive decorations and spirited holiday music ......and way too early Black Friday sales.

This holiday season is in full swing whether we are ready for it or not.

When it comes to holiday gift giving, I tend to air more on the side of spending quality time and doing fun activities with the people I love rather than spending a whole lot of money on gifts.  However, I definitely get excited when I find the perfect gift for someone! And doubly excited when it’s a gift with a greater purpose behind the product.

If you are going to be doing a little shopping this year have you checked out some of the really amazing Socially Good Companies with great products and an even cooler global impact!?

Check out some of our favorites here  on our The Holiday Gift Guide: Socially Good Gifting page.

I love giving gifts that come with a greater story behind every gift. Not only am I able to bless the ones I love with a special gift they can use to pamper themselves, I get to include a story of how their simple gift is helping to change the world.

I think most people want to make a difference in the world but I'm not sure how many people honestly love to get those wrapped certificates that say "I donated on your behalf".  Don't get me wrong, it's a super nice gesture and we need to be donating for change but what about getting a super cute shirt from a company "Turning Rages Into Resources" or another company with really cool socks who donate a pair for each pair sold and help to employ the homeless.  Your money goes doubly far.  It's not only exchanged for cool goods but empowers a group of people doing really great things to keep on doing really great things!

It seems to add a greater sense of satisfaction to whatever gift I pick out.  A neckless isn't just a neckless it's an opportunity for someone to make money to support their family or go to college.

In light of Christmas coming way too fast and many of us thinking about our Christmas budget and what we will be buying our loved ones, we want to help. We've put together a list of some of our favorite Non-profit and For Profit/For Good companies with products that work to empower communities and people in need around the world.

[bctt tweet="Those gifts you place under the tree this year they have an incredible opportunity to impact the world!" via="no"]

Plus, here are just five short videos highlighting some of our favorite companies individual impact around the globe.  Check out our full list { here }.  I hope you will take a few minutes to watch these short videos and in hearing their stories behind all that they are doing around the world you will be inspired to shop for the special people in your lives thinking beyond the gift.

Be inspired!

YOUME CLOTHING: Turning Rags Into Resources

https://vimeo.com/190898953

MITSCOOT OUTFITTERS: Get + Give + Employ

https://vimeo.com/127879191

SSEKO DESIGNS: 

https://vimeo.com/36069709

NOONDAY COLLECTION: Your Home, Their Marketplace

https://vimeo.com/165013970

KROCHET KIDS:

https://vimeo.com/140120491

Click on over to our The Holiday Gift Guide for a full list of all the Non-profit or For Profit / For Good companies we are featuring this year.

And no matter what, may you be blessed with amazing time with family and friends this holiday season remembering that gift or no gifts we have already been given the greatest gift of all...Jesus!  May He be the center of your holiday celebrating this year!

Ps. Oh and...this is not sponsored.  All our favorites are just that ... our favorites! ...and we hope they are some of yours too!

*This article originally appeared @shebelieves.co

I've been thinking a lot lately about vibrant living.  What does it take to live fully alive? And turning the tables on myself; am I doing it? If we have been called to a life of abundance, and I believe as believers that we have, what could or should that look like in our lives?  How can we step up and live in more abundance every day?

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I come that they {YOU} may have life and have it abundantly." {John 10:10, ESV}

I have had seasons in my life where I definitely walked in more vibrancy and seasons with less.  The common denominator has always been linked to whether or not I was walking in tune with the following three things; the Lord, reality of today, and authentically me.

1. We need to be in tune with the Lord.

The Lord is the giver of life.  He blesses and breaths heavenly favor into our lungs every morning. I believe it's impossible to live a vibrant life without being fully in tune with our Creator. To be in tune we need to be in commune with God on a regular basis.  It requires that we are hearing, learning and getting to know God through his word and in relationship and prayer daily.  The more we know our heavenly father, his character, and His promises, the more able we will be to live a vibrant life.

"I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things,..." {1 Timothy 6:13}

Let's commit to getting still before the Lord often. Opening our bibles and reading His word first thing in the morning for more vibrancy every day!  Do you have a bible reading plan you or following or a devotional you are studying?  A couple of my favorite studies on She Believes have been the Ruth study and the Joshua study. If you are looking for some inspiration, these are some great places to start.

You can also sign up for daily devotions sent to your inbox here.

2. We need to be in tune with reality.

It's impossible to live vibrant lives today if we are fixated on tomorrow, and equally impossible if we are constantly living in the past. Good or bad, I believe everyone struggles to some degree with one or the other, and we can get stuck for a plethora of reasons.

Sometimes we remember the heyday when we walked through our high school halls at the top of our game.  We were the star of our sports team or maybe always played the lead in the school musicals. Facing the reality today that we are a much smaller fish in a gigantic pond can be too much to let go of  the past and step into our current reality.

And if living in the past glory day isn't your struggle, maybe living for the good dreams you have conjured up for the days to come is. Fixating on your dreams for tomorrow because today just isn't what you had hoped it would be.

Either way, when we fail to live in the reality of today, we miss out on the blessings God has right in front of us. The Lord promises that there are seasons and a time for everything.  His timing is perfect and trusting God's timing means trusting that where we are right now is beautiful and perfect. Believe that God has abundance for you right here and now!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." {Ecclesiastes 3:11, ESV}

So how can we stay present?  One way that I have learned to stay present is in the daily act of journaling. It's a simple way write down my struggles or emotions around a situation to avoid escaping my current reality.  It can also be a place to write our dreams and link them up to step by goals we can do in the present that will lead to achieving those big dreams and make them a reality. Journaling also allows us to write down our daily conversations with the Lord and leverages intentionality in seeking God for today.

Do you have a journal?  Whether you are an avid writer or sporadic at best, it's never too late to make a commitment to start.

3. We need to be in tune with ourselves.

It's really hard to live fully alive without knowing who we are.  I believe our current culture plays a heavy role in confusing us of our true identity every day.  If we are not careful we can find ourselves slipping into believing some of the predominate lies about our identity the world tends to offer up.

To help steady our grasp of ourselves, it can be beneficial to explore and get familiar with how you are wired, what makes you tick. Understanding ourselves will help us avoid reactionary living. Ultimately, the Lord is the best resource for getting to know ourselves, and getting into God's word daily will help with this step too, after all, He is the creator us.

But outside of seeking God and his Word regularly, there are many great resources that can help identify our unique wiring as well; from personality, spiritual gifts, and 5 love language tests to profession organization tests like Myers-Briggs and StrengthsFinder.

Often times, the results will not be surprising, but instead, unlock that tangible illustration of us.  Being able to recognize how we are wired sets us up for greater success and awareness for all life circumstances.

There is power in the mastery of us. Knowing ourselves helps trim back the yucky, and often reactionary responses and enhance the good.  It gives a platform for change and helps to accentuate what we already do well.

Have you used any of the resources I mentioned above? Are there some areas in your professional, emotional or spiritual life that could use better understanding?  Most of the resources I've mentioned are free or can be accessed for a minimal fee. These resources have been extremely helpful in my life and know that they will only help to live in greater understanding of ourselves for more vibrancy.

Could you use more vibrant living today?

What are some tangible steps you could take to live more in tune with God, reality, and greater understanding of yourself for more vibrancy?

Knowing God, being present for today, and understanding our unique gifts and wiring, sets us up for success and most importantly awakens our senses to the Holy Spirit promptings for incredible kingdom blessings every day!

[bctt tweet="Let's fiercely step into the vibrant abundant life the Lord has for us today!" username="bethannforo"]