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What Is Mindfulness & What Are Its Benefits?

woman with dog practicing mindfulness
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We are always multitasking, especially women. Women can be folding the laundry while watching a television show but still making sure the kids are okay or cooking dinner while listening to a podcast. We are regularly doing more than one thing at the same time. I believe women are the masters of multitasking. But mindfulness is the exact opposite of multitasking.

Mindful.org defines mindfulness as the ability to be fully present in the moment, being aware of where we are and what we are doing, but not overwhelmed by what is happening around us.

At any time during the day, one can practice mindfulness, which can have many benefits.

The Benefits

Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn brought mindfulness into mainstream medicine. According to Helpguide.org, he was the founder and former director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He showed that practicing mindfulness brings improvement in both physical and psychological symptoms. It also provides a positive change in attitudes, behavior, and health.

Scientifically, experts view mindfulness as a critical element in reducing stress and enhancing overall happiness.

Mindfulness improves mental health.

Psychotherapists have used mindfulness meditation as a treatment for many problems like substance abuse, depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, to name a few.

Mindfulness improves well-being

Because mindfulness focuses on the present, using this practice can help people not be so worried about the future or think about past regrets. Mindfulness makes it easier to be fully present in current activities and make them more pleasurable or enjoyable. Also, it helps with a positive attitude that contributes to the satisfaction of life.

Mindfulness improves physical health.

It can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, treat heart disease, and reduce chronic pain.

How can you practice mindfulness?

There are many ways to practice mindfulness; the primary goal of any mindfulness technique is to focus on the present, be alert, and focus on relaxation. Being present, there in the moment, not worrying about anything else but being present in the moment.

Meditation is the most common way to practice.

  • Start with sitting straight back on a chair or with your legs crossed on the floor.
  • Focus on your breathing.
  • Once you have concentrated on your breathing, become aware of sounds and your ideas.
  • Embrace your thoughts without judging good or bad, and if your mind starts to race, go back and concentrate on your breathing.

Can mindfulness have a Christian approach?

Absolutely! FocusOnTheFamily.com mentions how Christians and faith-based counselors use mindfulness as a therapy tool, Christ-integrated, by making mindfulness rooted in scripture and focus on connecting with God during the technique.

Psalm 104:34, “May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.” (NIV)

Prayer is a practical way that Christians apply mindfulness to their daily lives because when people pray or worship, they are concentrating on God; their focus is connecting with God and drawing God’s presence near.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray continually.” (NIV)

Some can be fearful because they find that mindfulness is self-centered or self-focus, but as a Christian, making it God-centered or God-focused shouldn’t be a problem. It is setting time apart to just be present in the moment, in that precious moment with God. It’s very comforting and brings so much peace.

In conclusion

Mindfulness has many benefits to our overall health. It is a technique that should be practiced because it can improve our focus. When done correctly, it can help bring us closer to God.

Set some time apart during the day, maybe in the morning before you start your day, or at night before bed to whine down and practice mindfulness for about five minutes, few times a week and see if you can notice a difference.

Let me know what difference it makes!

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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Let Yourself Cry (Guest Post)

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Hey everyone, today I am bringing you a guest post! I know it’s been a while since I’ve had a guest write on my blog, and it’s because I stopped blogging back in February to focus on my Substack newsletter, but in August, I started blogging again. Now, I have the opportunity to bring you an amazing writer and a sneak peek of a new book releasing later this month.

Today’s post is by the talented Dorina Gilmore-Young. She and I connected in the Entrusted Women’s Facebook Group, and I’ve followed her writing journey for years now. Dorina’s new book is about grief, and if you’ve been here a while, I’ve written multiple times about grief. And will continue to do so because I believe once you’ve experienced grief, it’s a lifelong journey.

My hope is that this sneak peek of the book brings encouragement to whoever may be grieving. They feel compelled to purchase the book and that it can be a resource to help with the heaviness of grief.

Alright, I’m done now; here is Dorina.

You may also like: Grief – Finding Encouragement in God’s Word

Let Yourself Cry

One of my earliest memories of grief was attending my Grandpa John’s funeral. He died of a heart attack on the golf course. I was close with my grandpa. As a fourth grader, it was difficult to process that he was with us one day and gone the next. I vividly remember my grandma wailing over his casket at the funeral. She was an elegant, measured woman—always meticulously dressed and prepared with a full Italian meal in the refrigerator that she could easily retrieve and warm up for guests. I was surprised that day—and somewhat alarmed—to see her clinging to the casket and weeping so loudly. My uncles, her sons, tried to pry her away. They tried to calm and quiet her. But we all felt the weight of her emotion. She was now widowed twice.

It was not until years later that my mom explained to me that wailing over the casket was a custom in “the old country” of Italy. This was an expression of love. My grandma was not out of control, as some might think in more American settings where crying is subdued or suppressed at funerals. She wailed to acknowledge her deep sorrow and her deep love for my grandpa.

I look back now and see that day differently than the way I initially experienced it. Her tears were not cause for concern, but rather, a beautiful symbol of her grief. We don’t need to be ashamed of our tears. 

You may also like: God is Present In The Heavy Seasons

God Sees Our Tears

Psalm 42 was written as a song that expresses a thirst and longing to be in God’s presence in times of grief. The psalmist writes, “My tears have been my food day and night” (Psalm 42:3, ESV). I understand the psalmist’s sentiment here. After my husband’s death, I cried for a hundred days straight. The tears would not stop. When I stood in the kitchen, I cried. While driving my kids to school, I cried. I went to church and sat in the back row and cried. I cried into my pillow at night. Tears pooled in my eyes as I wrote in my journal at dawn.

I turned to the Bible for spiritual oxygen to fill my lungs so I could make it through each day. The words in Psalm 77:1–2 gave voice to my situation: “I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. I sought the Lord in my day of trouble” (CSB). 

Psalm 56:8 also helped me feel seen by God: “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book” (MSG).

He sees our tears and records our losses.

Jesus Wept Too

My favorite example of grief in the Bible is when Jesus took time to weep with Mary and Martha over the death of their brother Lazarus. John 11:33 says, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (ESV). 

We learn in verse 35 that Jesus actually wept. Jesus knew that later He would raise Lazarus from the dead, but He still takes time to cry with His friends. He knew they needed Him. He entered their pain, and through His presence offered comfort.

Friend, He weeps with you today. The healing often begins with releasing our soul-tears. We can trust the words in Psalm 147:3: “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds” (NLT).

*This post is an excerpt from Breathing Through Grief (releasing Nov. 14, 2023)

Pre-order here: https://amzn.to/45Uhkv7

Details here: https://dorinagilmore.com/breathingthroughgrief/

Prayer For Those Who Grieve

Thank you, Dorina, for sharing your heart with those who grieve. Thank you for sharing your experience and providing resources for those in a heavy season.

Prayer: Lord, I pray for everyone who is grieving. I pray that they feel your presence near and they know that they are not alone. I pray that you will comfort them and that they know you are there to catch their years. Let them cry to you, Lord. Let your love fill their hearts during this season. I pray that those who will need these words find them. Thank you, Lord, for being with us always. In your name, I pray, Amen.

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

P.S. If you would like to write a guest post for my blog, send me an email at heidy@heidydelacruz.com. I’d love to host you!

Dorina’s Bio:

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young grew up in a multiracial family and is a sought-after speaker, former newspaper reporter, teacher, and the award-winning author of numerous books, including three releasing in 2023: Chasing God’s Glory (Waterbrook Multnomah/PRH), Create in Me a Heart of Mercy (Revell), and Breathing Through Grief (Ink & Willow). Dorina leads as the president of the Redbud Writers Guild and the director of Lead Loved, equipping Christian women leaders. She writes for (in)courage by Dayspring and Proverbs 31 Ministries. Dorina chases after God’s glory as a remarried widow with her husband Shawn and three courageous daughters in Central California. Find her at www.DorinaGilmore.com

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Immigrants Are Made in the Image of God Too

statue of liberty the symbol for immigrants
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Immigration is not a new concept. Since the beginning of time, people have migrated (moved within the same region or country) or immigrated (moved to a new country). However, since 2016, it seems like immigration has become a controversial hot topic. Although it is political or has become political in the last few decades because of policies, I believe we should view immigration with a Biblical lens and view immigrants as image bearers, too, because they are made in the image of God too. 

I believe this because the Bible mentions the vulnerable all throughout. It talks about how we should treat them, and God has a soft spot for them. And who are the vulnerable, you may ask? They are the widows, orphans, foreigners (immigrants), and the poor. 

In the very beginning, the Bible starts by telling us that God made humans in His image. 

Genesis 1:27 (NIV) says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” 

This includes all of our brothers and sisters who have immigrated to the United States and the future immigrants to come. We need to keep this verse at the forefront of our minds when we are talking about immigrants.

What Else Does The Bible Say About Immigrants?

There are many verses that talk about the vulnerable, but I’ll only name a few. 

  • Deuteronomy 10:19 (NIV) And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” 
  • Deuteronomy 27:19 (NIV) “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
  • Leviticus 19:34 (NIV) The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” 
  • Psalms 146:9 (NIV) The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 
  • Zechariah 7:8-10 (NIV) And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ 
  • Matthew 25:40 (NIV) “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 

The last verse is a reminder that how we treat others is how we treat Jesus himself.

Why It’s Important to Hear Immigrant Stories

The podcast The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrants, shares stories about immigrants who moved to the United States. Immigrants talk about their journey coming to the United States, the cultural shocks they experienced, and how they adapted to living here. 

Some stories are good, and some stories are traumatic because everyone has a different reason for coming, but all have the same intention: to better their lives and the lives of their families. And it’s important to hear these stories because we need to understand our brothers and sisters better. We need to have more compassion towards them and empathy. And the best way to do this is by listening to their stories. 

The journey to come isn’t easy. The decision to leave or move from their home country isn’t a decision that is taken lightly. People don’t want to leave their home country. They don’t want to leave their culture, food, language, and sometimes families. They don’t want to start all over in a foreign land. This is all out of necessity. This decision is one that is thought about and pondered on for months and even years and often times prayed about.

In Conclusion

It breaks my heart how negatively the media talks about God’s children who immigrate here, which is one of the reasons why I started the podcast. Immigrant’s stories matter, and everyone should listen to them. To understand, to empathize, to be grateful that they or their family didn’t have to leave their land to make a better life for themselves. What if your family had to leave the United States? Wouldn’t you want people to listen to your story?

One last question to think about what if God called them here?  

With Love, Heidy

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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Glory Conference Recap

Glory conference with Jackie Hill Perry, there is a stage of the church, speaker on stage, with glory word in the background.
Picture taken by Heidy De La Cruz

Glory Conference

At the beginning of this month, I had the privilege of going to Lifeway’s Glory Conference hosted by Jackie Hill Perry. I first heard about Jackie at the Lifeway Women’s Live Conference in 2019 and I instantly was drawn by how she spoke and preached. Since then I’ve followed her on Instagram, I’ve read both of her books, and she’s a poet just like me, so I definitely identified with her in that aspect. 

When I saw that she had her own conference I was interested and searched to see if the conference would be hosted near where I live. There was one in Jacksonville, Florida but I thought to myself, “I don’t know anyone there and I’ve never been.” However, I saw that Glory was going to be hosted in my hometown, Grand Rapids, Michigan – so I set the plan to attend. 

The conference was on Friday night and Saturday morning. I arrived in Grand Rapids on Thursday afternoon and I got to spend time with my best friend. And on Friday morning, I got ready, wrote two articles, and spent more time with my best friend. We went to the outlet mall, I got a new purse, we ate good Mexican food (if you’re ever in Grand Rapids, you need to eat Mexican food), and we got pedicures! 

Friday Night

Then it was time to go to the conference. Before arriving I realized that I was going to this conference alone for the first day, my friend from Florida was arriving the following day, but it was a big deal for me because I struggle with doing activities alone. 

Friday night was great, the conference started with worship being led by Jordan Welch. And we heard a virtual message from Yana (I don’t think I wrote the name down correctly), and she told us how Jesus loves women and He cares for women. She asked, how can he not when he was born of a woman? She also said, “P.S. the future is not female. It’s male and female walking side by side working together for the glory of God.” I liked that message because as always with any movement there are extremists and we need both males and females to move things forward. 

The overall theme of the conference was Jesus and Women and Jackie preached from Genesis 16  – the story of Hagar. The overall message was that Sarai got herself into a mess because she was impatient, took matters into her own hands, and didn’t wait for God. Jackie said that misplaced hope gets you into messes. Don’t get yourself into a mess, wait for the Lord. 

Saturday Morning

Saturday there was worship again to start and then Q&A with Jackie and Dr. Sarita T. Lyons. Jackie asked Dr. Lyons questions about her ministry, and her background, and one of the things that stood out to me from one of her answers was, she said, “You cannot depend on people valuing you when your value comes from the Lord.” 

How many times do we wait for people to see our worth and wait for people’s recognition when we should only be caring about the value that God places on us? Too many times. They also opened up the floor for the audience to ask questions and the majority of them were about parenting. The biggest takeaway was that we cannot parent out of fear! 

After this, we heard another virtual message from Sarah (again, didn’t write down the last name) and her message was three distinctions for women. 

  1. The creation of women. 
  • We were created to bring strength. 
  1. The biological make-up of women. 
  • We can bring life into this world. Although, not every woman is called to motherhood. 
  1. Her position in society. 
  • As a woman, we need to study Jesus. Women were created to sit at the feet of Jesus. 
  • Sarah told us to use everything that makes you a woman for your ministry. 

Jackie’s Message at Glory

On Saturday Jackie preached from John 4 – when Jesus talks to the Samaritan Woman at the well. She gave us six observations of Jesus at the well to use in our ministries. 

  1. Lead with your humanity. 
  • Jesus said He was thirsty, that showed his humanity. Jackie told us that in our ministries we need to understand we are not God. We have limits and needs. And our insecurities remind us that we are human. Do not act like your life is perfect, Jesus helps you overcome. 
  1. Be curious about cultural context. 
  • The Samaritan women’s culture shaped how she saw Jesus. 
  • Jackie reminded us to always ask questions. 
  1. Address their spiritual condition. 
  • Everyone has a theological context. 
  • Sin produces ignorance and idolatry. 
  • Romans 1
  • People are thirsty for identity and authority but help people see that the thirst they have is for the water that Jesus provides. 
  1. Use what’s revealed to reveal God. 
  • Jesus told the woman to go call her husband and the woman responded that she had no husband, Jesus said, you are right, you’ve had five. He was revealing who He was. 
  • Most of your work in ministry will revolve around details of sin and exposure. However, show how God helped you overcome. 
  1. Practice true worship. 
  • God is seeking worshipers. 
  • If your practice if Jesus isn’t Lord, it isn’t true worship. 
  • Worship is daily. 
  • Believe in Jesus! 
  1. Keep it simple. 
  • Use the simple things that glorify God. 
  • Pray! 
  • You don’t need a huge platform or following because you need to be okay giving God glory when you are invisible. 
  • Point every woman to Jesus! 

A conference about God, not you! 

Wrapping Up

At the end of this conference, I felt so refreshed and ready to seek God deeper. I want to know God more and I didn’t even think this was possible. However, I’ve come to the realization that learning about God, seeking God, and knowing Him deeper is a lifelong journey. 

Prayer: Lord, I pray for everyone reading this recap of the conference that they will seek You God and they will get to know You. Our ministry isn’t about us, it’s about You, it’s about bringing you glory. It’s about Jesus! Thank you, God, for your ultimate sacrifice, for your Son, for your love, and for your mercy. I live for you and only you, to glorify your name always. Thank you for everything! And in your name, I pray always, Amen! 

With Love, Heidy 

Romans 3:23 NIV – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

Is a personal development newsletter an interest of yours? With a little bit of poetry? A little of opinion pieces? And some faith-based encouragement? Sign up for my Substack newsletter, “Into My Thoughts.”

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God Sends Messages at the Right Time

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If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I have my hands on a few projects. One of those projects is my immigration podcast. Immigration is close to my heart since I’m a child of immigrants, and it’s been in my heart to help and get involved with immigration. I want to be able to help in any way that I can, whether it’s being an advocate, educating, or volunteering.

In 2019 I was determined to go to law school to become an immigration attorney because I felt that was the best way I could help. I took the LSAT (the test to apply to law school), but my score was average, and I was disappointed. At the time, I was finishing my master’s, so I had a lot on my plate and couldn’t dedicate enough time to study for the LSAT. Because of my score, I got discouraged.

After starting my podcast, I came upon the opportunity to help a non-profit organization that helps new migrant families find resources for things they need. I help with translating documents and in online meetings.

While doing this, I realized there was a need, and I reached out to an immigration attorney to get their advice on if I would be able to help with the demand that is there, but she told me to be careful – it would be best if the families hire an immigration attorney for that particular need.

So once again, I got the urge to go to law school. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough in the area of immigration and that I could do more. I talked to my husband and a close friend about it, and they both said the same thing, I am doing enough. They both told me that the podcast is doing something; it brings awareness to immigration. My close friend said she would pray with me (I had reached out to her for a prayer request) about the situation and see if God leads me toward law school.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Well, this feeling of me not doing enough or questioning if what I’m doing is “worth it” comes to me occasionally. Like, right when I think, “what’s the point” and I feel like giving up, God ALWAYS reminds me that I’m right on track. And this time wasn’t any different.

Literally, the next day, I received a message from a person I’ve known since I was a child but hadn’t talked to in years, and she said, “I see you making a difference out there! Keep up the good work.” She then told me she had subscribed to my podcast. And to me, that was all the recurrence I needed to know that I was doing enough.

This reminds me of two bible verses – the first one is Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future, (NIV). And Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps,” (NIV).

God knows the plans for our lives, all we need to do is seek Him, and it will come to us. And His plans are much better than what we have planned for our lives.

I pray that you surrender any plans you may have to God and have Him establish the steps you need to take. And remember, God loves you, and He cares for you. All His plans for you are for your good.

Thank you, God, for always reminding me that I am doing your good work. Thank you for always being there for me and guiding me. Amen.

With Love, Heidy

Has God sent you any messages recently?

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God is Present In The Heavy Seasons

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Between August 2020 and March 2021 was a heavy grieving season for me. My grandfather went to heaven in August, I suffered a miscarriage in November, and my mother-in-law was called home to Jesus in March. Fortunately, if you can say that, this wasn’t my first season of grief; I learned the hardship of grief early in my life. At the young age of 23, my biological mother passed suddenly.

You don’t think about the passing of your mother. Although it’s impossible, you tend to think of her as immortal – someone who will always be there. That wasn’t the case for me. Everyone around me still had their mothers, so no one could understand my pain. They didn’t know the void in my chest that never leaves, the constant heaviness that hurt even to breathe, and they didn’t understand that a part of me died and I would never be the same. Actually – at the time, I didn’t know it either.

Since I had already endured the pain of losing a loved one, I thought I knew how this season of grief would be; however, I thought wrong. Each season is different because your relationship with each person is different. And losing a baby is another type of grief, but I’ll leave that story for another day. One difference in this season from the first was my relationship with God was stronger. So today, I want to share three things that helped me in my most recent season of grief.

One – Talking about my memories with my grandfather

My grandfather lived with us since I was 16 years old. We lived in a humble two-bedroom house; I slept in the living room while he slept in my room, so he was involved in many milestones of my life. For example, I took my driver’s test with his car. He helped me purchase my first car. He was present for my high school graduation. And when I was younger, I was told that he would go to a children’s boutique in the Dominican Republic to purchase a dress for me as a birthday gift. He did that for the first five years of my life. My mom would then get professional pictures taken of me in the dresses. To this day, I still have the pictures. So, sharing all these stories and memories with whoever would listen was helpful for me.

Two – Going on a trip to the beach

My husband’s birthday is August 13, and I planned a trip for us to Anna Maria Island. My grandfather passed on August 10 – just three days before the trip. I was so conflicted if we should continue with our plans. On the one hand, I wanted to celebrate my husband’s birthday, but then on the other, I didn’t want to seem insensitive to the situation. Since we couldn’t receive a full refund, we went for three instead of going for four days. And I am so glad we went. It’s hard to continue your day-to-day routine when your heart is so heavy, and this trip helped us get out of routine. It gave me time away from everyone to process my feelings and distract my mind for a few days. Also, I feel the closest to God at the beach, which was therapeutic for me.

Three – Staying rooted in God’s word

As I mentioned above, you can’t do business as usual when your heart is heavy. So, your schedule and routine are all messed up. However, in this season of grief, I was intentional about continuing my Bible reading. I continued my daily Bible plan and enjoyed reading the Bible at the beach. Listening to worship music while going through the miscarriage was comforting. And during my mother-in-law’s passing, I signed up for an online Bible Study; although I couldn’t log on to the calls, I continued to do the study, and it helped me stay mentally and emotionally stable.

These are things that helped me during my heavy season of grief. I know that everyone processes grief differently, and grief doesn’t look the same for everyone, but I hope my experience can help one person. And if you haven’t experienced grief, I hope you save this article and use it as a resource to help you during that difficult time.

I want to leave you with a Bible verse that came up multiple times during this season and reminded me that God was with me.

Psalms 147:3 NIV – “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

With Love, Heidy

What helped you during your season with grief?

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The Storm Didn’t Come to Destroy You (Guest Post)

Hello Friends! It’s been a few months since I’ve brought you guys a guest post, so here is one! This message is from sister in Christ, Dennisha Blake, the founder of Led By The Spirit Academy. And she provides this encouragement to remind us that the storms we go through are not meant to destroy us but, in fact, provide growth in our lives. Check it out.

Have you noticed that every time you start to step out on faith, you step right into the middle of a storm? Feeling lost and confused, frustrated, and overwhelmed, Like God didn’t give you enough information to go on.

Many times, I’ve found myself in the middle of a storm, and these storms are not easy. I’m sure you can relate! You step out on faith regarding something you have been praying for. But then everything starts to go wrong: things don’t seem to progress as fast as you hoped; then confusion starts to settle in, and you’re wondering, did I really hear God? At this point, fear, doubt, anxiety, and frustration creep in—these are just a few of the emotions we may feel in the middle of a storm. Not to mention feeling alone because we start wondering where God is. And here’s the dangerous part: when we start feeling all these emotions and dwell on them, we put ourselves at risk of making the wrong decisions—causing us to lose our ability to remain obedient to the Lord in that season.

But here’s the thing: The storm doesn’t come to destroy you. It comes to qualify you to carry the weight of your destiny and prepare you for the promises of God.

So, what do we do? How do we navigate the storm well to receive the promise in the end? That’s what I’m going to talk about today—how we can team up with God so that when His promises finally come true, we’re ready to receive them—and all they entail. So be encouraged there is light at the end of the tunnel and a strategy to navigate the storms.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com

Is Your Life on Repeat?

Not knowing God’s purpose for the storms will put our lives on repeat—and that’s not what God wants for us! Do you feel like your life has been on repeat? Do you keep going around the same mountain, not making any real progress? Do you keep making the same resolutions year after year? Do you keep praying the same prayers repeatedly without any manifestations of it? The reason why this keeps happening is that we allow our emotions to dictate our actions.

The disciples made the same mistake in Luke 8:22-25, Jesus fell asleep on the boat, and a storm broke out. The disciples became so afraid, losing faith, not realizing that the savior was literally on the ship with them. When they woke Jesus up, the first thing, He said to them was, “where is your faith.” That’s what God asks us about every storm we go through: “where is our faith.” Because every time He tries to get us over on the other side to receive the promise, we lose faith in the journey. In verse 22, Jesus literally says, “let us go over to the other side.” But if we lose faith, we repeatedly go through the same kind of storms.

There is a Strategy to Navigate the Storm!

Where do you go from here? Learn to become like the sons of Issachar (1 Chr 12:32), who were very knowledgeable of the times and understood what to do in each season. When it comes to the storms of our lives, we must recognize that it’s just a test. The Lord tests you to see if you are prepared to receive the promise. (Let me be clear not every storm is a test from the Lord. Some storms are self-inflicted by disobedience. But that is a blog post for another day.) As you go through the harvest, God is now testing you to see if you are worthy of the promise. This is biblical; God tested the children of Israel in the wilderness before they entered the promised land. We see this in Deuteronomy 8:2. God says I took you through the wilderness, and I tested you to prove your character.

God will test you to prove your character, but the enemy will tempt you to sin, so know the difference. God’s test determines if you are ready to receive the promise.

I’ll give you a sneak peek into one of the lessons I teach in my Led by The Spirit Academy: Execution of Faith course.

There are four stages to a season:

  • The identification stage
  • The cultivation stage
  • The harvest stage
  • The reaping/receiving stage

Everybody loves the reaping and receiving stage! We don’t care too much about the first three stages, but for us to reach the reaping stage, we must be able to get through the first three stages successfully.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Identification:  You must identify what God wants to cultivate in you in every season (maybe it’s patience).

Cultivation: Once identified, cultivate it by studying the Word of God concerning that specific thing. Cultivation is successful when you start to produce fruit concerning it.

Harvest: Once we begin to produce fruit, it is now time for the harvest. This harvest stage is the storm/test. Do not despise difficult seasons because they are cultivating something in you. If you navigate it well, those seasons will grow you. God’s goal is always to develop you into the image of Christ and prepare you for his glory. The harvest stage has four additional components, but if you can get through each stage of the harvest: Picking, crushing, pressing, and settling without jeopardizing it, you will reap the promise.

Reaping/Receiving: If you don’t give into the enemy during the harvest stage, you will receive the promise (Taking matters into your own hands, pleasing the flesh, easy fix). God Reaps the glory, and we receive the promise.

We often want the promise, but we don’t want to be processed for the promise. The process gives us the ability to maintain and sustain the promise.

  • Never focus on what God is not doing; instead, ask God what he is doing.
  • Cultivate it
  • Pray about it
  • Study the word in regard to it
  • Be obedient to God’s instructions

Be encouraged because the storm does not come to destroy you; it comes to qualify you to carry the weight of your destiny and to prepare you for the promise. Everything you have been and are going through prepares you for what you’ve asked God for. If you’re in the middle of a storm right now, stay the course, be strong, walk-in righteousness, walk in obedience, and pass the test regardless of what it looks like around you. God is still faithful, you are still His child, and He still wants to bring you into your promised land, but you’ve got to get through the wilderness. You’ve got to get through it without being disobedient and without murmuring. The children of Israel wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years when it should have taken them a fraction of that time to get into the promised land. Don’t let this be you; pass your test and receive the promise!

Perspective is a powerful thing! And once you have God’s perspective, you will be able to smile at the storm and even welcome it.

Can you identify how your current or past storms can prepare for the next season and promise?

Thank you, Dennisha, for this message and reminder that God wants us to grow, and we grow within these storms in our lives. We have to go through the storms to get to the other side.

Connect with Dennisha at:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/faithinthejourneyllc/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FaithintheJourneyLLC/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPAhtng-T9FapalsMPD53g

website: http://www.Ledbythespirit.academy

Dennisha’s bio:

Founder of Led By The Spirit Academy and CEO of Faith In The Journey LLC, a Bible-based company that provides Kingdom strategy and perspective to believers to not only hear the voice of God but Execute his instructions with confidence walking into their GOD-given purpose while advancing the Kingdom of Heaven. Dennisha is a life coach & mentor who is also ordained in the office of a prophet at her local church. She has a passion for seeing believers in Christ walk in obedience to the biblical instructions of the Lord enabling them to receive the promises of GOD and embodying Kingdom Authority.

And if you are interested in guest writing for my blog please contact me! I would LOVE to work with you.

With Love, Heidy

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Blog Spiritual

Forgiving the Hardest Person There Is to Forgive…

As humans, we make mistakes. Some mistakes are small, like forgetting an ingredient in a recipe. And others are life-altering mistakes, like deciding to move to a different state when you’re not ready because you think that’s the best decision for you at the time. Thanks to Facebook memories, I’m reminded of that particular mistake I made in my life and rereading those statuses, I vividly remember how miserable I was during this time.

This was during my early twenties, when I thought I knew what I was doing, but in reality, I was lost. I was completely lost. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life; I had no plans, goals, or sense of direction. The decisions I made at the time were based on someone else, and that is what is so hard for me to forgive.

When we are young, we think we know everything; however, we know nothing. And when I look back at that period in my life, I always down-talk to myself and say how foolish I was. I also regret certain decisions I made. Sometimes I wish I could do it all over again. But then I am reminded of one blessing I did get, my daughter. And I start to think, “if I had not gone through what I did, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be the person I am today, and I wouldn’t have learned the lessons I learned.”

When the topic of forgiveness comes up, it’s usually about forgiving others. Forgiving the hurt they caused us, forgiving their betrayal, or forgiving their unfaithfulness, and it’s preached that forgiveness is for us – not for them, which is true. But what about forgiving the hardest person to forgive, yourself? What do we say about that?

Foxgloves in the Wyre Forest, near Buttonoak by P L Chadwick is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

I believe forgiving ourselves is the hardest because we are our own worst critics. We think about the situation or scenario over and over again, even years after (like me). Sometimes we change to scenario into what we wish we would have done or said differently. It’s harder to move on from our mistakes, and we get stuck in this regret, beating ourselves up. But the same way we forgive others, we have to forgive ourselves.

We must be compassionate, empathetic, kind, and understanding towards ourselves to forgive ourselves, which we aren’t the majority of the time. God easily forgives us – as we confess our sins and repent, but why can’t we forgive ourselves as quickly as God does? He doesn’t hold our mistakes over our heads as we do ourselves. It says so in 1 John 1:9 (NIV), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Healthline.com gives 12 tips on how to forgive yourself, and one of the tips is to journal because this can help develop self-compassion. You can write yourself a letter to identify self-sabotaging thoughts, or you can list things you like about yourself to help boost your self-confidence. Another tip they give is to take your own advice. Many times, it’s easier to give advice to a friend than to ourselves, so one good way to practice this is by pretending your friend made the mistake you did – what would you tell them? Take that advice!

I want to leave you with another encouraging Bible verse – Psalms 103:10-11, “he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;.”

Is there something you need to forgive yourself for?

Be kind to yourself.

With Love, Heidy

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Motherhood Spiritual

God Answers Prayers But It’s Not Always The Answer You Want

As most of you know, I have a 6-month-old baby boy, who I’ve been able to breastfeed thus far. To me, this is a great accomplishment because I could only breastfeed my daughter until she was four months old. Well, my son doesn’t sleep through the night yet. He wakes up for one nightly feeding, and instead of feeding him a bottle and then having to pump, I just latch him.

I looked for different “sleep training techniques,” and none have worked. I had a friend send me a nine-page sleep training schedule that her neighbor provided, and we did it for a week, but it didn’t work. (Mind you, every article I had read stated that sleep training usually lasts three to four days.) We tried introducing him to formula since it’s been said that formula holds them over for longer than breastmilk, didn’t work. We tried putting cereal in the breastmilk at night, didn’t work. The cry-it-out method? Who got some sleep with that? Not me nor my husband.

Photo by Rene Asmussen on Pexels.com

So, I started praying hard, with tears in my eyes. “Lord, please, please, please let this child sleep through the night.”  I was beyond frustrated to the point that when he woke up, I started crying because I was so tired and over waking up a night. “Why, isn’t he sleeping!?” “Lord, please, how can I get him to sleep through the night?” Daily, I cried out to the Lord, begging him for an answer. Until He provided the answer, and it wasn’t the one I wanted.

I was texting with my cousin, her daughter is about to turn two years old, and I asked her when her daughter started sleeping through the night. She told me; that it wasn’t until she stopped breastfeeding. She breastfed her daughter for a year, and for that whole year, she woke up once at night to comfort feed, is what she told me. Because she knew her daughter couldn’t be hungry, she was old enough to sustain not eating through the night. And I knew right there my prayers had been answered. But it wasn’t the answer I was looking for. My son will not sleep through the night until I stop breastfeeding (hopefully, because I’ve heard stories of kids who don’t sleep through the night for years).

Photo by THu00c1I NHu00c0N on Pexels.com

Right there, I realized I had to make a mental switch; instead of being frustrated that I wasn’t getting the sleep, I needed to understand that this is a comfort thing. I also now thank God that I can still produce breastmilk because the formula storage is very stressful for parents. Every time I pump, I thank God, “thank you, Lord, that I am still producing and am able to continue to feed my child.”

Yes, I’m still tired because he’s not sleeping through the night, but I’m no longer frustrated like I was. And I am more grateful for the time I’ve been able to breastfeed. You see, since my daughter was switched to formula feeding sooner, she slept through the night sooner, so this was new to me. It’s incredible what switching your mind to focus on the positive can do for you.

Also, God answers prayers, but it may not always be the answer we are looking for, but we still need to trust him.

With Love, Heidy

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Lifeway Women Live 2022!!!

I attended the Lifeway Women Live event this year, and this time I was able to attend in person because they hosted it in Orlando again! It’s definitely a different experience in person than online; either way, you receive God’s message for you, but nothing beats the in-person experience.

I write about this conference every year because I hope to encourage someone to attend based on what I’ve experienced and them wanting to either get closer to God or wanting to fellowship with other ladies.

This year the lineup was Jen Wilkin, Jada Edwards, Kristi McLelland, Jennifer Rothschild, Kelly Minter, and Jackie Hill Perry. Nikki Lawrence and Juliana Wilson hosted it. The musical guest was Ellie Holcomb, and the worship leaders were B.K. Bridge.

Jen Wilkin

The theme for this conference was Grace, so each speaker had a teaching about Grace.

Jen Wilkin was the first one to speak, and her teaching was based on John chapter 21. She started with justice and mercy and asked what they were. She said justice is getting what you deserve after committing a crime or wrongdoing.

And mercy is not getting what you deserve. She told us that God has forgiven us so much, and we should do the same for others. She mentioned 1 Peter 3:17 and 18. And said we should be quicker to repent and slower to repeat our sins. That really stood out to me. Jen reminded us that we must read the bible to know who God is, and that way, we can know who we are. And she ended by saying that God’s mercies are new every day.

Jada Edwards

Jada was my favorite this year. It was the first time I had heard her talk, and I looked her up on Instagram as soon as she finished. I’m glad she went next because she definitely woke me up. She was hilarious!

Her teaching was based on Romans 3:23 and 1 Peter 3:17 & 18. She told us we could not be afraid to confess what God doesn’t already know. He knows everything about us, what we need to work on, and our sins. There is nothing you can tell God that will surprise Him. She said that we need something from God; we are very specific, but we lump it all together when we ask for forgiveness. She also said we need to know who we are so we can love well. And lastly, we should humble ourselves and see ourselves in the small things.

Kristi McLelland

Her teaching was based on Psalm 23. She had us read it out loud altogether. Kristi said that the Psalms are words we give back to him. She mentioned that a few of her friends our counselors, and she asked them what they had noticed now that we are getting out of this pandemic, and they responded that people are not okay. The world shook us to our core. And she ended her message by asking if we are praying honestly?

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Jennifer Rothschild

Jennifer is medically blind, and she has been since she was 15, I believe, she said. Her teaching was based on 2 Corinthians 12. And she started by telling us that she had asked God to remove her thorn. Her thorn of being blind and she had asked over and over again to be healed. She reminded us that we all have thorns. She said God’s Grace is undeserved, “I know I don’t deserve to be healed.” Then she gave us two takeaways:

  1. Since Grace is sufficient, how do we experience it? She said to rest and embrace what you cannot avoid.
  2. Since Grace is undeserved, how do you live it? And the answer spelled out G.R.A.C.E

G – Grasp loosely

R – Repent, not repeat

A – Apologize or forgive

C – Choose your words wisely

E – Empathize before you evaluate

Kelly Minter

Kelly’s teaching was based on Luke 8. I don’t have many notes from her talk, but I do have that she said God’s Grace is not bound by time or location. Which really stood out to me. She told us that God’s Grace could handle your whole truth. We don’t need to hide anything from God; in fact, we can’t hide anything from God.

Jackie Hill Perry

The last person to talk was Jackie Hill Perry, and as she was talking and said she was going to give us three points, I realized it was the same message she gave last year. But instead of being upset, I thought, this year’s theme is Grace, so let’s give some grace. She does have a four-month-old at home, just like I do.

In Conclusion

Overall, the conference was good this year. We were able to get 52 women from our church to go, and we had reserved seating. It was nice being with so many women and listening to God’s word together. I always encourage Christian Women to attend one of these conferences. The next one is in Atlanta in August.

With Love, Heidy

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