Courtnaye Richard

www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org

If you’re going through a tough time at this moment in your life, I pray that this post truly ministers to you and encourages you. Whether you're going through a tough time with your marriage, relationships, children, job, ministry, or something else, I want to start by reassuring you that, “God is here.” Remember, His Word promises that He will never leave you, nor forsake you. So that means that He is with you in the struggle.

The reality of life (even for us as Christian women) is that hard times hit our lives. Think about it for a second. One day everything can be fine and the next day, we can find ourselves struggling with some issue, trial, illness, or sin that we need to overcome. As the new saying puts it, “The struggle is real!” Yet, how do we handle the struggles that strike our lives?

I believe that we have to handle them by going straight to the throne room of God through prayer and His Word. That may seem simple, but it truly is the way to jumpstart working through your struggles, sis. Alongside that, you need the encouragement of others (like what I’m doing right now). These days, you can also request prayer through social media and if you’ve noticed, the body of Christ will step up all across the globe to pray for you.

But let’s get back to the Word. Because I know that when struggles strike, honestly, the Word of God will be the most powerful thing that helps you get through when no one else is around. It will not only be life-giving, but life-strengthening. So hold onto it when you’re going through your struggles and allow it to work.

With that being said, I want to encourage you to search the Scriptures on the particular struggle that you're dealing with, and then meditate on those verses. For instance, do a Google search or search your Bible index for verses directly related to the problem that you’re currently facing. Then place them on index cards or in your journal and read over them, speak them to yourself out loud, and let God’s Word encourage and strengthen you.

I've provided a few sample Scriptures below...

Fear – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” ~John 14:27

Illness – “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am the Lord your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” ~Isaiah 41:10

Trials – “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” ~James 1:12

Broken-hearted – “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” ~Psalm 34:18

Loss – “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” ~Matthew 5:4

Finances – “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:19

Tough Assignments – “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” ~1 Corinthians 15:58

Sin– “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” ~1 John 1:9

Wherever you are on this subject, know that God is with you in your struggles, sis. He is right there ready to help you in your time of need, reassurance, trouble, or deliverance. So talk to Him, and allow others to lift you up in prayer, as well. But don’t forget about the powerful effect that comes straight to you through the Word of God. Let Him work and strengthen your faith and life. This is how to handle your struggles.

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 struggling with something today, sis? If so, do you need prayer today? 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.

NOTE: I will be doing a Bible Study on The Sermon On the Mount (Zoom video study for women only). It's the first time ever for my Inside Out with Courtnaye audience. I'm super excited about it, so SAVE THE DATE and stay tuned for more details to come. It starts, Wednesday, October 2, 2019 @ 6:30pm - 7:45pm (CST). NOTE: I will send everyone who is on my email list the details. However, if you're not on my list, please join so that I can get you the details or send me an email saying, "Bible Study Interest" in the subject line. Thanks and blessings! 

*Have a women's conference or event, let me know and let's connect on the details! For more information on booking me to speak in 2020, Click here!

Order your copy of IDENTIFIED TODAY!

*Tune in every Monday at 7:30am for new posts, “Like” my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye), and follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/InOutwCourtnaye. Also, share this blog with friends, family, co-workers, or your women’s group or ministry. I’d love to stay connected and help more women grow in the Lord! Thanks again and may God be with you!

 

www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org

For starters, I want to ask you do you volunteer, work, or serve in your local church? Do you run your own ministry (i.e. non-profit organization, blog, brand, or social media platform)? If you answered yes to any of these examples, then I want to encourage you to keep reading, because this is the post for you dear co-laborer. I want to speak directly to pressing through ministry responsibilities when you’re feeling overwhelmed, overworked, or maybe even a little overcommitted.

Let me just say, I know what it’s like to have God-ordained assignments at church and/or in your personal ministry, and find yourself asking, “Lord, how am I going to be able to do all of this?” I need to add here, that it's also a good practice to reassess to see if you're actually doing a God-thing or a good thing. In other words, we have to be careful that we don't take on additional responsibilities that have nothing to do with God's will or this particular season.

When God has called us to do something, He will give us the grace, wisdom, and energy that's needed for the task. Our job at that point is to stay in prayer (connection with the One who knows all that we can accomplish) and follow His divine flow for the project and the day. The Bible tells us in Psalm 37:23, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

With that being said, following God’s lead as we work on an assigned task or responsibility at church, volunteer opportunity, or even in our own ministries, will be crucial to finishing whatever we’re working on unto completion and well.

I’ll tell you, just last week, I not only had a full work week, but one of the days was jammed packed, sister! Throughout the day, I felt my body growing more and more fatigued (ever been there before?). Yet, since I'd already committed to doing what was on my schedule, I took some time to pray and ask the Lord to help me press through what needed to get done.

Well, guess what?

Do you know the Lord stepped in supernaturally and moved two appointments that were scheduled to another day? WOW! Go God!

That supernatural shift opened up space in my day for what I believe, God wanted me to devote more attention towards. I truly felt His amazing grace! It was unmerited favor. Because it wasn’t like I’d done something special to deserve those extra free hours. He just knew! And I received it with much thanks and praise! Trust me.

Now, let me tell you. Sometimes you and I will have to work with the time allotted that is given to us to show up for something that we’ve agreed to do - whether that’s an ongoing ministry commitment, a weekly Bible Study that we lead, rehearsal at church, or standing meeting that we simply can’t miss. And that’s typically when we need to pray and ask the Lord for supernatural strength to press on beyond our feelings, fatigue, or shortcomings.

That's when you'll need to allow the Lord to give you what you need in that moment. Because if you go in with the wrong mindset (attitude), then it’s not going to be good for anyone, including you. So my advice when you know that you have stuff to work on or you’ve committed to do something in ministry, try these…

Go to bed earlier– If you get in bed by 10:30pm at night, you will have the energy that you’ll need to kick off the tasks for the day and rest of the week.

Block your time– Whatever you need to accomplish today or tomorrow (I’m not sure when you’re reading this post), consider having a “time-blocked” schedule. Meaning from 9am-10am, you may work on responding to emails and inbox messages on your social media platforms, 10:15am – 11:15am you may have a meeting, 11:30am – 12:30pm could be your lunch break, and from 12:45pm to 3:00pm you could start working on research or ministry tasks. Got the point, here? Thisis blocking your time as you press through your ministry responsibilities.

Take a quick nap– If you’re getting off work or shutting down your work for the day (for those of you who work from home), consider taking a quick nap before you run off to your evening Bible Study, a meeting, start working on another assignment or task, or tending to your home-life. Get that power nap or cat nap if you can squeeze it in. Sometimes this is all you need to get you through the rest of the day or evening. But if you can't...press my sister. God will give you the strength to see you through. And before you know it, you'll be done or back at home for that hot shower or relaxing bubble bath. Ahh...

Pray before you commit– Before you say “yes” to another thing, pray. Check your calendar. Tell people that you will get back to them to let them know for sure. Don’t make quick decisions without weighing everything out. Because once you say yes, you’re committed. You’re in! (And you want to be a woman of your word). So even if it hurts, you’ll want to remain loyal and faithful to the one whom you said, yes to. However, this isn’t written in stone. I know life happens and we all make mistakes of overcommitting or overbooking. Yet, my point here is to pray and weigh your yes(s). ;-)

Plan your week– Try to layout your week ahead of time. Think about everything that you’ll need to do or attend, early. Try doing this on Sunday evening, if you can. For instance, everything from devotion, to what you’re going to wear, meal planning/prep, ministry schedule, meetings, research, your tasks and deadlines, rehearsals (if any), exercise, kids schedule, hubby-to-do-list, errands, and down time for you.

Listen, sis. I feel you! I know what it’s like to grind hard and show up for all of the ministry responsibilities and commitments made, even when you feel depleted. And granted, we’re not always tired. Yet, for the sake of this post, I’m leaning in more on this angle, because this is when you need to press (when you're fatigued). I would add, even when you’re going through hard tests and trials in your life - while you do what you’re called to do.

The enemy is not happy about our Kingdom work! If he can get us stressed out, depleted, and wanting to give up, he will definitely do his part. So watch out for him, sis! Remember, he’s prowling around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (see 1 Peter 5:8). He wants us to throw in the towel, wave the white flag, and say, “I’m done!” But NO! We can’t do it!

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Amen!

So keep pressing my sister! We’ve got work to do. But let’s fulfill each task or responsibility through unceasing prayer, asking for God’s wisdom, grace, and strength; while also knowing our yes’ and no’s, getting the proper rest, and working diligently and efficiently.

“So, my dear brother and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

~1 Corinthians 15:58

"So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Therefore, wherever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone -especially to those in the family of faith."

~Galatians 6:9-10

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 involved in ministry, sis? Are you servicing the local church or do you have a ministry of your own? How are you handling your ministry responsibilities these days? If you need prayer, you can email me directly and I will pray for you @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you. 

NOTE: *REPLAY of Blogs & Books & Christian Woman of Impact are here below. They'll only be available to watch for the next 72 hours. A FREE gift from me to you! ;-) They're loaded with content!

Replay of "Blogs & Books" FREE Online Training

Replay of "Christian Woman of Impact: How to Grow Your Influence & Income (without going crazy)" - FREE Online Training

Also, I will be doing a Bible Study on The Sermon On the Mount(Zoom video study for women only). It's the first time ever for my Inside Out with Courtnaye audience. I'm super excited about it, so SAVE THE DATE and stay tuned for more details to come. It starts, Wednesday, October 2, 2019 @ 6:30pm - 7:45pm (CST). NOTE: I will send everyone who is on my email list the details. However, if you're not on my list, please join so that I can get you the details or send me an email saying, "Bible Study Interest" in the subject line. Thanks and blessings! 

*Have a women's conference or event, let me know and let's connect on the details! For more information on booking me to speak in 2020, Click here!

Order your copy of IDENTIFIED TODAY!

*Tune in every Monday at 7:30am for new posts, “Like” my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye), and follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/InOutwCourtnaye. Also, share this blog with friends, family, co-workers, or your women’s group or ministry. I’d love to stay connected and help more women grow in the Lord! Thanks again and may God be with you!

 

www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org

Looks like you're interested in studying the letters of the Bible. I love it! I believe if you embarked upon a study of the letters of the Bible, you will not only experience a greater knowledge of God’s Word, but you’ll also gain greater insight on how we are to live and stand for the Gospel. You’ll understand even more what it means to be chosen, and why it’s so important that you walk in the Spirit, live by faith, be fruitful, stay pure, remain in Jesus, and do good works, especially in these last days. 

When you and I take time to read and study the letters of the Bible in depth, we really begin to see that these epistles were God-inspired writings not just for the early church, but for us as well.

So, if you were to dig into one of the epistles (also known as letters or messages), which one would you read first? There are several letters…

The Pauline Letters – Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians

Paul’s Prison Letters – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon

Paul’s Pastoral Letters – 1 & 2 Timothy (which we can relate to as well), and Titus

The General Letters – Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, also 1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude

Out of this list of letters, again, which one or set would you start studying first? Do you feel more drawn to one more than another in this season? If so, don’t neglect the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I believe it’s not by chance that you're reading this post right now. I believe God wants you to go deeper in His Word. This is where maturity takes place. This is where you can grow in your knowledge, faith, and life in Christ, sis.

With that being said, I also want to give you a few practical tips on how to study the letters of the Bible. My first suggestion would be to pray about which one to begin with and then schedule a day to settle down for some devoted time towards it.

The next step would be to get a study notebook or journal. You can type up what you learn or write it out as well (I do both).  Also, you can create a folder for it. That way you can easily find it in your files for later reference.

Thirdly, I would break out the highlighters, a good pen, or color pencils for good notetaking purposes. And don’t forget the index cards for memory verses that you want to hide in your heart. It’s also a good idea to purchase color tabs to remember certain places in your Bible to reference later, too.

Lastly, I would suggest having a commentary, dictionary, bible dictionary, and concordance handy while you study. You can watch videos from YouTube on the letters of the Bible to gain even better understanding of them as well. However, use CAUTION when you search for articles, videos, and even some blogs regarding scriptural truth, because unfortunately some scholars and Bible teachers can either misinterpret Scripture or twist it based on their own beliefs, so be careful.

To avoid deception, pray and ask the Lord to lead you to the right ones, while using good judgment. You always want to pray for discernment when taking in knowledge from others, because you want accurate teaching and you want to understand it within the proper context. People are human and are prone to making mistakes, some are unintentional and some intentional. So study with caution, especially in today’s day and hour where deception is growing even stronger.

In closing, I hope and pray that you have a great study time. I pray the letters of the Bible that you read become real, personal, and life-changing for you. God knows exactly what He’ll want to reveal to you through them. Just go in with an open mind and heart ready to receive His love, encouragement, instruction, correction, grace, knowledge, and wisdom. It's study time, sis. Let's know and grow!

“I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.”

~Psalm 119:15-16

“Study to shew yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

~2 Timothy 2:15

“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.”

~Psalm 119:18

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: Have you ever studied a book of the Bible before? If so, which one and how did it go? If you've never really done this before in depth, which book would you study now? Let me know. Also, if you need prayer, you can email me directly and I will pray for you @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you. 

*Upcoming online teachings and trainings this week, find out more information by clicking on the links below and RESERVE YOUR SPOT or SPOTS today...

Monday, September 2, 2019 - Blogs & Books

Tuesday, September 3, 2019 - Let's Talk: Nurturing Relationships Offline & Online(Facebook LIVE)

Wednesday, September 4, 2019 - Christian Woman of Impact

*Pick your topic (or pick them all). I hope you'll join me!

*Have a women's conference or event, let me know and let's connect on the details! For more information on booking me to speak in 2019, Click here!

Order your copy of IDENTIFIED TODAY!

*Tune in every Monday at 7:30am for new posts, “Like” my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye), and follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/InOutwCourtnaye. Also, share this blog with friends, family, co-workers, or your women’s group or ministry. I’d love to stay connected and help more women grow in the Lord! Thanks again and may God be with you!