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Tag: purpose
You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby! LET’S WIN!!
There was a slogan from the late 1960s and early 1970s spurred by the women’s equality movement that emphatically declared, “You’ve come a long way baby!” While the movement itself represented both things with which I fully agree as well as things with which I decisively disagree, I can say with clarity, “I have indeed come a long way from where I began! HUGE strides!”
For my WINNING WINS-DAY report, rather than a video, I have chosen to post a photo from 2011.
Leah Fort, January 17, 2011 “Life Lessons on Success” Women’s Council – Chamber of Commerce, Amarillo, Texas
In this photo I am addressing members of the Women’s Council of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce with the theme Life Lessons on Success. It was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. What a terrific day to share my personal story of how major traumatic incidents in my life did not define me nor prevent me from becoming the woman I am purposed to be.
That day, I shared my signature presentation The VineSweet Connection. In it I reveal the incidents that led to a life riddled with trepidation and the five steps I took which led me out of FEAR into FABULOUS!
Jesus made clear this beautiful connection, The VineSweet Connection, when He said,
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5
My WINNING report today is that I have risen as VICTOR this side of those circumstances! My path is defined by my walk with the Lord, Jesus Christ. I am grateful that by placing my trust in Christ, I have grown tremendously and as I walk this path am able to meet with success.
You see, there was a time in my life I would have chosen the unsuspecting corner rather than standing in front of a crowd of two, much less two hundred, five hundred, a thousand, etc., making a presentation. Yet here I am, living proof that God can and will change a person from the inside out, make him/her completely new, give him/her a voice for His glory and His Kingdom!
In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success. Proverbs 3:6
What are the results of my WINS? Because of my changed life, one HUGE win for me is the many opportunities I have to share my story and help overwhelmed people grow personally, triumph over past experiences, and find true success.
I would be remiss if I ever fail to bring glory and honor to the Lord for ALL the wonders He has performed in my life.
Through Him, therefore, let us [ME!] constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name. Hebrews 13:15 (AMP)
ENERGY = LIFE
LIFE = JESUS CHRIST, The VINE
You + LIFE = POWER
This is the VineSweet Connection
Join me as we Connect to The Vine!
2018 GOD with US!
Another cold and glorious morning! I am ALIVE!
The question for all us living, breathing folks is simple: How do I make this world a better place because of my life?
The only way for each of us to make this world better is for each person to fulfill their own place.
And how do you do that? Simply, be YOU!
YOU are unique. No one else can fill YOUR place and YOU cannot fill anyone else’s place. So…
Seek The Lord. Call on Him.
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. ~ Isaiah 55:6
The great thing is that the Lord is always near because He dwells in us through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit is the very essence of who He is and He wants to fill each of us with His presence! The truth of this is vastly beyond my ability to fully comprehend, yet I know it is the truth! How? Because I experience the joy of His presence in my life every single day!
This truth is the reality of what we just celebrated at Christmas.
Jesus left the splendor and majesty of Heaven to come to earth. God Incarnate. He was born as a baby–fully human and fully divine. Jesus came as Emmanuel–God with us. He grew up, lived his life, had siblings and worked. He began ministering to people. He selected His disciples; a group of regular people, much like you and me. He walked, talked, taught, ate and slept. He healed the sick and delivered the afflicted. He also prayed, wept and mourned over the condition of mankind. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.
He gave Himself. He is the only One worthy–completely free of sin, spot or blemish–to be offered as The Sacrifice on our behalf. He died. He was buried. He rose from the dead. His disciples saw Him as the resurrected, risen Savior. Before He ascended to Heaven, He made a promise to send a Comforter. That Comforter is the very essence of Himself, His Holy Spirit, who dwells within us.
Jesus, through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit, is still Emmanuel, God with us because He dwells within us!! Share on X
What’s more is that I(we) did not have to ask Him to make this sacrifice. He chose to give Himself before I knew I needed Him.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ~John 15:16
He promises to be near to us, to reveal His presence to us when we ask. We are taught this from the apostle James when he stated, ”Come near to God and he will come near to you.” He goes on to tell us we can be clean before the Lord when we, through the blood of Jesus, “Wash our [your] hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8)
When I seek Him and draw myself near to Him;
He will draw near to me and direct my path.
He will show me His will and purpose for my life.
He will enable be to produce the fruit that will last. Love.Joy.Peace. Patience.Kindness.Goodness.Gentleness.Faithfulness.Self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
He will inspire me to move forward to fulfill that purpose.
It’s time. Let’s go!!
Life’s Purpose. It’s All About WHY.
Have you ever wondered about your “why?” You know, Why am I here? What is my reason for existence? What is my purpose?
Of course. Who hasn’t, right?
Each of us has probably asked this question of ourselves at least once in our lifetime. Most of us ask it many times over the course of our days.
As we seek to answer that nagging question, we study various subjects, learn new skills, further our formal education, change employers, change professions, and reinvent ourselves–all in an attempt to find our purpose.
And, what is that purpose?
Some say it is finding our passion. I believe that is correct because our passion is what drives what we do. Passion motivates action. Passion defines our why. We spend much of the time in our culture seeking to fulfill our greatest passion. We search our hearts for the thing that sets the wind in our sails. All the while, our hope is fixed on that moment we identify that great passion just knowing from there we will gently float on the crest of the waves through the rest of our lives. But, is that the reality of passion?
Maybe we should start with defining passion. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary online gives five definitions: beginning with all that Jesus Christ suffered just prior to his death on the cross, then running the gamut of suffering to unbridled anger to ardent devotion describing that as “an object of desire or deep interest.”
Passion motivates action. Passion defines our why.Passion motivates action. Passion defines our why. Share on X
Knowing this, how do we find our passion?
We can begin by identifying the object of our desire and deepest interest. You see, our passion is the thing for which we will willingly suffer. Our passion will arouse our ire. Our passion is that to which we offer homage and admiration. So to identify it, we must ask ourselves these questions:
- For what would I willingly suffer? Endure hardship? Withstand ridicule or humiliation?
- What is that thing that when attacked raises my hackles? Readies me to courageously defend? Inspires me to right the wrong?
- To what do I offer my greatest admiration, honor and devotion?
The answer to all these questions will identify our life’s passion.
The one thing about which we have the most passion is the object of our worship.
OUCH! That statement hurts a little. What do I worship? My job? My family? My own sense of pride? As Christians we know God desires to be the ONLY object of our worship. We are taught in the Old Testament, by the prophet Isaiah, that we are created for God’s glory.
everyone called by My name
and created for My glory.
I have formed him; indeed, I have made him. Isaiah 43:7
God created us for His pleasure and glory. We bring pleasure to Him by worshiping Him.
Then the apostle John revealed to us through the revelation that the Lord is worthy of all honor and glory.
Our Lord and God;
You are worthy to receive
glory and honor and power,
because You have created all things,
and because of Your will
they exist and were created. Revelation 4:11
By this and many other Bible Scriptures, we know our purpose is to bring glory and honor to the Lord God, Almighty. This leads us back to the original question: Why am I here? And, Who is the object of my worship?
I LIVE to WORSHIP YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD! I WORSHIP YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, to LIVE!~Leah Share on X
I will close this post with the challenge for us all to search our hearts to ensure our greatest passion is to follow and serve our Lord with every fiber of our being and to do as the psalmist said and
Sing the glory of His Name and
MAKE HIS PRAISE GLORIOUS!
Psalm 66:2