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In my last article I shared my cousin’s story about her trusting God in her faith walk. If you didn’t
read that article, you may want to read it here before you continue reading on. This week’s article is
especially dedicated to the women who responded in transparency about their own personal stories,
and also to those who are facing intimidating challenges.
I wish there were words that I could put on this page that would immediately remove your challenges
as soon as your eyes and the words connect, but I can’t. I so desire to pray a prayer for you that will
instantly annihilate the situation, pain and suffering, but I can’t. But what I can do is share with you
what I know about life, our God, and the faith that he has given to each of us. You have the measure
of faith already within you and it is your responsibility to exercise it as you would a bodily muscle so
it can grow stronger day by day. I call this living by design.
Pain is a fact of life.
Pain is inevitable. It is the result of hurt or disappointment. Suffering comes from feeling powerless
to stop the pain and change it. But suffering is optional. What do I mean by this? You are not
powerless with regards to your suffering. You are powerful in easing the pain and problem through
your faith. God already knows how powerful and wonderfully designed you are to allow you to go
through this pain and problem understanding that even through it you will still expand and grow.
There is always a lesson learned in trials. God has a bigger plan in all of this. A plan for you to work,
grow and expand so there is more of you to give to those you love. You were put here for such a time
as this because you have in you more than enough.
And even though it may not look like your faith isn’t working or you feel you’re not where you should
be in life, if you can’t change your situation, you can design your model of the world. It was Paul who
put it this way,
Paul’s contentment wasn’t in being a doormat or crying, “Woe is me.” You have to find the
empowering meaning. And your vibrancy and your gift will be your opportunity to step out of your
own pain. That doesn’t mean you won’t feel it. Instead, use the pain as your driver to design your
model of the world.
Remember satan’s aim is to cripple your faith and steal God’s plan from your heart. He wants you to
give up on God. He wants to use you to cast a bad light on the Gospel so that others will dismiss the
message. Situations, temptations and trials of life are inevitable, and they hurt and cause pain, but
you don’t have to be destroyed by them. You can be purified through them. Sticking to your faith in
God and what he says about your situation is part of walking by faith. I am not saying it is easy, but it’
s required. Don’t give up. Don’t give up on God’s plan because time is moving on and you don’t see
anything happening. Choose to give glory to God in the midst of trials and tribulations (Romans 4:
20). Choose to believe in hope and say what you want to happen instead of what you see happening
(Romans 4:17). Choose to be fully persuaded that God is able to perform what he has promised
(Romans 4:21).
Sometimes you’ll just have to encourage yourself.
When you’re standing in faith, there are times that no one understands but God. If your back is up
against the wall, if your mountain looks like its about to overtake you, stand up and say out loud, “I
don’t care what you throw at me devil, I know in Whom I have believed and I’m persuaded that my
times are in His hands. Whatever you throw at me devil, it won’t change my mind or destroy my faith
because I refuse to fear!” The Bible instructs us to speak to the mountain (Mark 11:23).
Oh how I know those fearful thoughts that run rampantly through the mind. Fearful thoughts and
feelings come to everybody. But a child of God who walks by faith and not by sight knows that in
order to succeed, you must fight to overcome the fear. If you don’t fight fear, it will run your life.
When fear comes, deal with it immediately. Don’t let it stop your faith. Go to God with your fear. Ask
Him for help. Allow His love to cast it out and be mindful that there is no risk with God. And
remember, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all ~
Psalm 34:19.
As I stated earlier, there is always a lesson learned in trials. When I talked with my cousin about her
situation, she admitted the many lessons she’d learned from almost losing her home. One was she
hadn’t been a good steward of what God had entrusted to her. She didn’t save money; she spent
aimlessly, and didn’t have a plan should she lose her job. She cared more about herself and being in
the moment than she did about anything else. The good news is she is extremely sincere and
dedicated to God and His work. She has great faith and was willing to go the distance and not give up,
which is what it takes to see results. Now, of course, she has repented and is putting a plan in place for
her future.
Ask God to reveal to you what caused the situation you are facing. Learn from what He reveals to
you. Get to the root of what He reveals and work on making any weakness a strength. Focus on the
strength. And also remember to do these three things:
Pain is a part of life. The pain that digs inside of you, this deep, deep, deep pain opens up a well. Your
responsibility is to discover what you are going to fill it up with. Will it be with faith or fear? There’s
a faith inside of you which says, there’s a beautiful design that can come from this; there’s more
inside of me because of this, there has to be more.
The more you exercise your faith, the more power you’ll experience. Don’t let anything steal it from
you!
I enjoy hearing from you and would love to hear your story. Please contact me at
dmurphy@eewmagazine.com or leave me a comment here.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dr. Deana is a Marketplace Minister and founder and CEO of LivingDesigns360, a company that
mentors the kingdom-minded woman in creative ways to renovate and design her interior life so she
can create major breakthroughs, achieve personal accountability, emotional clarity and inner
direction. Also a master lifedesign strategist, speaker, educator, blogger and award winning author,
Dr. Deana’s creative approach embraces techniques from interior design. She takes her 13 years’
experience as a certified interior designer and successfully applies it to the art of Interior Lifedesign,
blending in a focus on personal development and life improvement strategies from head to toe.
Clients work with Dr. Deana through private strategy sessions, workshops, group mentoring
programs, keynotes and retreats. Her mission: to elevate, educate and motivate the Kingdom woman
so she can master her confidence, soar in her freedom and design her best life.
Visit Dr. Deana at deanamurphyglobal.com
Email Deana:
dmurphy@eewmagazine.com
Connect on Facebook
Facebook.com
read that article, you may want to read it here before you continue reading on. This week’s article is
especially dedicated to the women who responded in transparency about their own personal stories,
and also to those who are facing intimidating challenges.
I wish there were words that I could put on this page that would immediately remove your challenges
as soon as your eyes and the words connect, but I can’t. I so desire to pray a prayer for you that will
instantly annihilate the situation, pain and suffering, but I can’t. But what I can do is share with you
what I know about life, our God, and the faith that he has given to each of us. You have the measure
of faith already within you and it is your responsibility to exercise it as you would a bodily muscle so
it can grow stronger day by day. I call this living by design.
Pain is a fact of life.
Pain is inevitable. It is the result of hurt or disappointment. Suffering comes from feeling powerless
to stop the pain and change it. But suffering is optional. What do I mean by this? You are not
powerless with regards to your suffering. You are powerful in easing the pain and problem through
your faith. God already knows how powerful and wonderfully designed you are to allow you to go
through this pain and problem understanding that even through it you will still expand and grow.
There is always a lesson learned in trials. God has a bigger plan in all of this. A plan for you to work,
grow and expand so there is more of you to give to those you love. You were put here for such a time
as this because you have in you more than enough.
And even though it may not look like your faith isn’t working or you feel you’re not where you should
be in life, if you can’t change your situation, you can design your model of the world. It was Paul who
put it this way,
- “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost
nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is
with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ
who gives me strength.” Phil. 4: 11-13
Paul’s contentment wasn’t in being a doormat or crying, “Woe is me.” You have to find the
empowering meaning. And your vibrancy and your gift will be your opportunity to step out of your
own pain. That doesn’t mean you won’t feel it. Instead, use the pain as your driver to design your
model of the world.
Remember satan’s aim is to cripple your faith and steal God’s plan from your heart. He wants you to
give up on God. He wants to use you to cast a bad light on the Gospel so that others will dismiss the
message. Situations, temptations and trials of life are inevitable, and they hurt and cause pain, but
you don’t have to be destroyed by them. You can be purified through them. Sticking to your faith in
God and what he says about your situation is part of walking by faith. I am not saying it is easy, but it’
s required. Don’t give up. Don’t give up on God’s plan because time is moving on and you don’t see
anything happening. Choose to give glory to God in the midst of trials and tribulations (Romans 4:
20). Choose to believe in hope and say what you want to happen instead of what you see happening
(Romans 4:17). Choose to be fully persuaded that God is able to perform what he has promised
(Romans 4:21).
Sometimes you’ll just have to encourage yourself.
When you’re standing in faith, there are times that no one understands but God. If your back is up
against the wall, if your mountain looks like its about to overtake you, stand up and say out loud, “I
don’t care what you throw at me devil, I know in Whom I have believed and I’m persuaded that my
times are in His hands. Whatever you throw at me devil, it won’t change my mind or destroy my faith
because I refuse to fear!” The Bible instructs us to speak to the mountain (Mark 11:23).
Oh how I know those fearful thoughts that run rampantly through the mind. Fearful thoughts and
feelings come to everybody. But a child of God who walks by faith and not by sight knows that in
order to succeed, you must fight to overcome the fear. If you don’t fight fear, it will run your life.
When fear comes, deal with it immediately. Don’t let it stop your faith. Go to God with your fear. Ask
Him for help. Allow His love to cast it out and be mindful that there is no risk with God. And
remember, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all ~
Psalm 34:19.
As I stated earlier, there is always a lesson learned in trials. When I talked with my cousin about her
situation, she admitted the many lessons she’d learned from almost losing her home. One was she
hadn’t been a good steward of what God had entrusted to her. She didn’t save money; she spent
aimlessly, and didn’t have a plan should she lose her job. She cared more about herself and being in
the moment than she did about anything else. The good news is she is extremely sincere and
dedicated to God and His work. She has great faith and was willing to go the distance and not give up,
which is what it takes to see results. Now, of course, she has repented and is putting a plan in place for
her future.
Ask God to reveal to you what caused the situation you are facing. Learn from what He reveals to
you. Get to the root of what He reveals and work on making any weakness a strength. Focus on the
strength. And also remember to do these three things:
- Do talk the solution, not the problem.
- Do walk in love, not cast blame.
- Do stand in faith, not in fear.
Pain is a part of life. The pain that digs inside of you, this deep, deep, deep pain opens up a well. Your
responsibility is to discover what you are going to fill it up with. Will it be with faith or fear? There’s
a faith inside of you which says, there’s a beautiful design that can come from this; there’s more
inside of me because of this, there has to be more.
The more you exercise your faith, the more power you’ll experience. Don’t let anything steal it from
you!
I enjoy hearing from you and would love to hear your story. Please contact me at
dmurphy@eewmagazine.com or leave me a comment here.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dr. Deana is a Marketplace Minister and founder and CEO of LivingDesigns360, a company that
mentors the kingdom-minded woman in creative ways to renovate and design her interior life so she
can create major breakthroughs, achieve personal accountability, emotional clarity and inner
direction. Also a master lifedesign strategist, speaker, educator, blogger and award winning author,
Dr. Deana’s creative approach embraces techniques from interior design. She takes her 13 years’
experience as a certified interior designer and successfully applies it to the art of Interior Lifedesign,
blending in a focus on personal development and life improvement strategies from head to toe.
Clients work with Dr. Deana through private strategy sessions, workshops, group mentoring
programs, keynotes and retreats. Her mission: to elevate, educate and motivate the Kingdom woman
so she can master her confidence, soar in her freedom and design her best life.
Visit Dr. Deana at deanamurphyglobal.com
Email Deana:
dmurphy@eewmagazine.com
Connect on Facebook
Facebook.com
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