Courtnaye Richard

www.courtnayerichard.com

Hey Sister! At the time of this writing, majority of us are being quarantined in our homes during the Coronavirus. So my question this week is “How are doing in there?” Are you sick or are you well? If you’re sick, I’m praying for you, sister. And if you’re well, take advantage of this down time, because when we’re all back out into the world and into our normal routines, we’ll be praying for some much needed quiet time or extra time catching up on things. 

With that being said whether you’re working outside of the home, because you’re needed on the job or in the health field, or whether you’re quarantined at the moment, I want to suggest a few helpful tips during this time. Are you ready? 

Here goes…

• Rest when you can
• Get up earlier to spend some time with the Lord in quiet (or stay up a little later, when everyone else is asleep)
• Study a book of the Bible (like really study – notebook, pen, highlighters, etc.)
• Memorize and meditate on Scripture (grab a few index cards or type them up)
• Read a few books that you’ve been wanting to read (now that things are slower-paced)
• Cultivate your gifts or research topics for your ministry, brand, or business (take good notes)
• Join a Facebook Group, connect, and grow together online
• Connect with family members, friends, mastermind groups, or bible study groups through Skype or Zoom
• Share the gospel, God’s Word, or encouragement with someone at the grocery store or online
• Do a puzzle with the family (even if it’s just you alone or with your spouse)
• Play games with your family or play one on your phone
• Watch a good movie (or a few good movies)
• Call a friend or family member that you haven’t chatted with in awhile
• Take a bubble bath and simply relax…

This time will eventually be over. So take advantage of this break. And remember, when we put God first and His righteousness, everything else will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33). God’s got us. He will supply all that we have need of, according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).  

So take care of yourself. Use wisdom. Be alert in all things. And until the next post…hang in there, sister. Literally.

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

QUESTION: So again, how are you doing, sis? Are there any tips here that you would like to apply this week? Also, need prayer? If so, write it out here or you can email me directly to join you in prayer on it @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you.

*Grab my NEW book today! Visit www.courtnayerichard.comor Amazonto order! Thanks!

 

Courtnaye Richardis the founder of Inside Out with Courtnaye, a ministry that helps women grow in their walk with Christ from the heart and equips them to fulfill their God-given purpose. She is also the author of the book, IDENTIFIED: Knowing Who You Are in Christ and Moving Forward in Your Purpose. Courtnaye is married with three beautiful children and is a contributing writer for ibelieve.com, Women’s Ministry Tools, speaker of a host of women’s conferences, and her blog reaches thousands of women across the globe. She resides in the beautiful Texas Hill Country (outside of Austin, Texas).

www.courtnayerichard.com

I want you to look at the image of this post again, because it’s saying a lot. I chose this picture for this particular entry because it shows a father with his daughter looking over what she’s doing (while she is seemingly frustrated at her efforts). Now, let’s go inside. Let’s go a bit deeper. Imagine this is God looking over what you're doing, as you sit frazzled, frustrated, or feeling stuck on your next move.

I want to ask you a heart-to-heart question. Are you about the Father's business today or are you busy doing what you want to do vs. what God has actually called you to do? Don't click off this post, sis. Instead, think about that for a moment. Pray about it. The reason why I’m asking this question is because sometimes we can get so caught up doing a “good” thing that we neglect to be doing a “God” thing.

(Shameless Plug: I’ll be going deeper into this point in this month’s “Let’s Talk." It's entitled, "Soul Care.” It will be hosted from my Facebook FanPage/Inside Out with Courtnaye. NOTE: Whenever you read this, you can always watch the replay – but there’s nothing like being a part of it LIVE. It’s happening, Tuesday, March 3, 2020 @ 8:30pm/CST). I hope to see you on. Join me!

Okay, let me ask the question in another way. Are you truly doing the will of God or are you busy doing what you think will bring you happiness, success, accolades, or prestige? I know this is a hard heart-question, but unfortunately today, too many Christians are finding themselves searching for success in all the wrong places and wearing themselves out in the process!

Between social media and the television, there are so many subliminal messages and outside influences that are so persuasive, that to some degree, it’s deceptively luring people away from heart and will of God. We have to keep in mind that Satan is a master deceiver, especially in this last hour. So if we’re not on guard, discerning, prayerful, and in the Word as often as we can be, he’ll have us believing that we need to be someone or even doing things that are totally away from God’s will for our lives.

Saying that, I am in no way trying to discourage you from fulfilling what you already know God is calling you to do right now. By all means, do it, sis! ;-) However, I am asking you to consider Him in all of your endeavors while making sure that He's the One who has instructed you to do what you're doing, because being about the Father's business is truly what’s best.

Remember, Jesus was about His Father’s business. He knew what He was called to do, and when it was time, He fulfilled it. But here's what I also want you to take heed to, today. Jesus, the Son of God said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

The reason why this is so important is because what we don’t want Him to say is, “I never knew you. Go away, the things you did were unauthorized.” (Matthew 7:23) So I encourage you, my dear sister, to be about the Father’s business and consult Him in all you do. When we're doing His will, that's when we will experience true peace, joy, and ultimate success that pleases the heart of the One who has called us.

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

QUESTION: Do you believe you're about the Father's business right now, sis? Need prayer? If so, write it out here or you can email me directly to join you in prayer on it @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you.

*Grab my NEW book today! Visit www.courtnayerichard.comor Amazon to order! Thanks!

 

 

Courtnaye Richard is the founder of Inside Out with Courtnaye, a ministry that helps women grow in their walk with Christ from the heart and equips them to fulfill their God-given purpose. She is also the author of the book, IDENTIFIED: Knowing Who You Are in Christ and Moving Forward in Your Purpose. Courtnaye is married with three beautiful children and is a contributing writer for ibelieve.com, Women’s Ministry Tools, speaker of a host of women’s conferences, and her blog reaches thousands of women across the globe. She resides in the beautiful Texas Hill Country (outside of Austin, Texas).

www.courtnayerichard.com

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you wanted to scream or quit everything? How about a time when you felt so overwhelmed whereas you wanted to drop all of the balls you were juggling? Are you there now or know someone who is (share this post with that person, if so)? I totally know what it feels like to be completely overwhelmed.

Quite naturally, I’m a doer - a visionary. Also, by gifting, I’m an administrator and exhorter. In other words, I see what needs to happen and I focus on getting things done in strategic excellence and with vigor! I’m what some people might call “a mover and a shaker.” It’s just the way that I was created. And I’m good with that.

But guess what, sis? All of that “go-get” and “energizer bunny action” can not only be exhausting, but overwhelming at times. Honestly, sometimes I want to just throw my hands up and say, “I can’t do this! It’s too much!” Yet, the Holy Spirit reminds me of Luke 12:48, “To whom much is given, much is required.”

So I won’t give up! I won’t give up on God. I won’t give up on my family. I won’t give up on those whom I serve. I won’t give up on this Great Commission. I will not give up! And neither can you. We just have to know when to pause and consider. We’ve got to know how to overcome overwhelm when it comes on and how to beat it, quicker than later.

When overwhelm hits us, there are two choices. We can choose to let it overcome us or we can choose to overcome it. It is definitely a choice. Sure, I can choose to throw my hands up and say, I quit. I’m done. Whatever! You can, too. But is that really the right choice? No.

With that being said, we have to pray. Trust me. That is the starting place. Because God knows where we are when we feel overwhelmed. He’s actually right there willing and waiting for us to bring our heavy burdens to Him.

Truth be told, as Christian women, wives, mothers, leaders, employees, entrepreneurs, speakers, teachers, and content creators, God knows that we can easily become overwhelmed with the demands of life, work, and ministry. Throw in marital problems, broken relationships, kids acting up (or needing things), lack of moving forward in your goals or dreams and it’s the perfect mix for either throwing in the towel or crying out, “Help me, Jesus! I don’t know what’s happening, Lord.”

Yet, He is near – ready to encourage us in our innermost being. He’s there to lift our spirits and walk us through each issue or heavy burden. He can either supernaturally remove the heaviness or show us how to maneuver through it with divine insight, wisdom, instruction, strength, and peace of mind as we place our hope and trust in Him.

I want to encourage you as I encourage myself - let’s let God strengthen us to keep moving forward. Let His Word come alive for specific issues. Let Him comfort us when we’re hurting and don’t know the answers to our problems or questions. Let us put our faith and hope in the One who cares about us and all that concerns us.

Also, let us not give into the enemy’s tactics when we’re feeling overwhelmed. Because just as surely as the Lord is near, the devil is near as well. I just told Satan a little while ago before writing this post, “Not today!” And I was VERY serious about it.

James 4:7 tells us, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee.” And let’s not forget to fight him off with our spiritual weaponry (see Ephesians 6:10-17). Amen! So let’s push him back in the name and power of Jesus Christ, through the life-giving Word of God, through perseverance, but also through resting in knowing who we are in Christ – we are overcomers, sis!

Overcoming overwhelm starts and ends with us. Once we feel it, sure, we can cry – but we’ve got to pray. We can scream in a pillow, but then we’ve got to rise up and ask the Lord to help us. We can absolutely take a ride to clear our minds, but as we take on the road, let’s have that heart to heart talk with our heavenly Father (and put on some worship music as we let the words of the songs minister to us – I totally love this option). I also want to add here that we can talk to someone whom we trust to listen, love on us, and encourage us through the overwhelm. God uses people to help lift our heavy burdens, too.

Before I close this post, I want to share with you a few scriptures that I pray will encourage you whenever you feel overwhelmed in life…

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

Psalm 43:5, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and my God!”

Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

1 Peter 1:6-7, “…There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

You can overcome whatever you’re feeling overwhelmed about right now. You can overcome overwhelm whenever you feel it coming on. You can win the day and you can win in life! Lift up your head, my sister. And I will do the same. Love you!

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

QUESTION: Are you feeling overwhelmed right now, sis? Need prayer? If so, write it out here or you can email me directly to join you in prayer on it @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you.

*Grab my NEW book today! Visit www.courtnayerichard.comor Amazonto order! Thanks!

Courtnaye Richardis the founder of Inside Out with Courtnaye, a ministry that helps women grow in their walk with Christ from the heart and equips them to fulfill their God-given purpose. She is also the author of the book, IDENTIFIED: Knowing Who You Are in Christ and Moving Forward in Your Purpose. Courtnaye is married with three beautiful children and is a contributing writer for ibelieve.com, Women’s Ministry Tools, speaker of a host of women’s conferences, and her blog reaches thousands of women across the globe. She resides in the beautiful Texas Hill Country (outside of Austin, Texas).