Standing Firm

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. [1 Corinthians 16:13]

DevotionalsPodcast EpisodeYou Are Who God Says You Are

What You Think About Yourself Matters

Cathy

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. [Romans 8:6].

QUOTE: When all biscuits are flying, it’s what we think and believe about ourselves that will cause us to either take our life or create life. (Cathy Fraser)

To some, this biscuit-flying season may not seem like a big deal. You may have all sorts of thoughts swirling around, but please bear with me because this is a learning journey for each one of us. As a single woman, losing everything I had worked for my entire life and having to start over again was a really big deal for me.

Oh boy, was it ever a loooooong journey! Girlfriends, this rebuilding and comeback process wasn’t a quick thirty-day bounce back. It wasn’t merely six months of having to live with my mom or a year of having my savings depleted and being forced to live in that one-person tent.

It wasn’t just two years of applying for over two hundred jobs (yes, I did say two hundred—trust me, I have all the records) for which I did not receive even one interview, but instead got one rejection letter after another. You must know, I’m a serial entrepreneur, job creator extraordinaire, fall-down get-back-up queen…but NOTHING was happening or working for me. I was hopelessly ashamed, devastated, and without a dime to my name.

Even after three years of trusting God for every single provision—from food, safety, a place to live, and simple day-to-day survival, I still did not have a prospect for a job or any money. When I say I had no money, I mean zero, zilch, nothing, not even spare change for a roll of toilet paper. Not “no money” like some people say when they have ten thousand in the bank and say they are broke. I had broken all my piggy banks and depleted every single cent of my savings and had NOT ONE PENNY to my name.

When I was entering my fourth year, the bottom dropped out even lower, as I lost my dearest and best friend due to unfortunate circumstances that led to her untimely death. Shortly after that, I found myself lying flat out on what could have been my own death bed. I somehow developed a kidney infection from kidney stones, in which I was in such a critical condition I was air lifted to a Colorado Springs hospital via Flight For Life. I spent five days in critical care, racking up multiple thousands of dollars in medical bills. Um, seriously…please, no more biscuits!

This wilderness season encompassed over five years of literally fighting for my life—minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. They felt like wasted years of great loss, embarrassment, and tremendous heartache. There were a lot of misunderstandings from people who were watching this up close… subsequently, they fell away, one by one.

HOWEVER, THERE IS GOOD NEWS, FRIENDS! I share this with you not so you will feel sorry for me or take pity; far from it. My goal is to bring you great hope and a powerful message because I am alive and well today! This is all because of Jesus and the work He does in our lives.

Even as I am writing this, I am still not exactly where I want to be; however, I am not where I was. I’m alive with hope, more than thriving, and moving forward daily. I know for some of you reading this, you may dismiss what I am about to say, but girlfriends, I seriously know that I would NOT be here if it wasn’t for my relationship with the Lord. I’m here ONLY because of the Holy Spirit’s power, grace, and the provision of the Lord. Period.

I found that going through this type of challenge (a financial loss) is a bit different than anything else I have been through. It appeared that most people didn’t stick around very long. This is a journey where you walk 100% alone, are left behind, ignored, shamed, blamed, talked about, misunderstood, and isolated. Having experienced this, I can totally understand why so many people take their lives when this type of crisis hits them.

Thankfully, the Lord prepared me with a few foundations before all biscuits started flying:

  • I was blessed with a few friends who did stand by me, even though they didn’t fully understand the depth of pain and sorrow I was in.
  • I was provided a sister in the Lord who would pray with me and for me, without one ounce of judgment, when I could barely breathe and certainly could NOT pray for myself.
  • I had built a solid foundation and relationship with the Lord, which honestly did get rocked and tested, but over time strengthened.
  • I was given a vision several years prior and continued to hold onto that in faith every single day.
  • I had relentless faith in God Almighty and I believed that what His word says is truth.

WHAT WE THINK ABOUT OURSELVES DOES MATTER: Most importantly, I learned that besides my relationship with the Lord, what I thought and said about myself was the most critical ingredient to getting through the biscuit- flying season.

I said a few things to myself when I was barely able to speak, with tears streaming down my face: “Greater is He that is in me than he that it is in the world”, “I am the head not the tail”, “I am a child of God”, “the Lord is with me and has not forsaken me”, “God said He has plans to prosper me, not to harm me”, and finally, these six words that literally saved my life: “I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM”

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DAILY ACTION STEP
Say to yourself out loud:
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM
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FRIENDLY REMINDER: Take out your journal and write down your thoughts, takeaways, and progress for this week!

TAKEAWAY GEMS

  • God is our ultimate provider (not ourselves, not a significant other, not our family, not the government, not anyone).
  • What we think about ourselves can be life-giving or life-taking.
  • Building a strong relationship with the Lord is essential.
  • Setting goals is important, but remember, God is the one that will direct our steps.

 QUESTIONS TO “THINK ON”

  1. What do you hope to get out of this book?
  2. What was something that happened to you that took you “forever” to come through? Or you thought you would never get through it?
  3. What happened with your relationship with the Lord? Was it tested? Was it strengthened? Write out your experience.

ACTION STEP

ACCOUNTABILITY & SUPPORT: Because what we are going to cover in this book is not an easy journey, create an accountability group (via Facebook, Zoom, or even an in-person, face to face group). Gather one or two girlfriends around you and walk this journey together OR join me with one of the Stellar Thinking coaching programs or workshops.

THIS WEEKS SCRIPTURES (New Living Translation NLT)

  1. Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone.
  2. Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
  3. Isiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
  4. Proverbs 31:26 When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.
  5. Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
  6. Romans 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
  7. Romans 8:6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
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