It's in the House

Lessons from a Widow Woman for Everyone

Getting What You Need & More!

By Michelle Word Hollis

Copyright © 2014 by Michelle Word Hollis

Visit my website and blog at:  www.MichelleWordHollis.com

Table of Contents

About this Book

Introduction

1.  Promises and Provisions

2.  Problems

3.  Blame Game

4.  Divide and Conquer

5.  Pillar of Salt

6.  Let it Go

7.  Run Your Own Race

8.  Fight

9.  Desperate People

10.  The Doorman

11.  Think!

12.  Quality Thoughts

13.  Making Good Decisions

14.  Empowered

15.  Crossing the Threshold

16.  Delays

17.  Your Words, Belief, and Reality

18.  Perspective

19.  Co-creator and Change Agent

20.  The Father of the Big 'L'

21.  Limitations

22.  ASK Principle

23.  The Plan

24.  Transformed

25.  Abundance, No Lack

Conclusion - A Thought in the Mind of God!

About this Book

First, thank you for downloading this book! It is my sincere desire that you find this book to be inspirational.

The purpose of this book is to share thought provoking lessons that will hopefully encourage, enlighten, and educate you. The lessons are based upon Biblical principles that you can use daily for successful living. God has given us a blueprint in His Word that will help us build a grand life no matter where we are currently in life.

The principles contained in these pages have withstood the test of time; they are universal truths! The lessons and principles are simple to understand, as well as, implement for those who would dare try and keep trying. Making a lasting permanent change does take time, practice, and patience, but you can do it!

At the end of each section is the following:

Lesson

This is where you will find a summary for the section you have just read. It allows you to have a quick overview of each section. You can skip to the Lesson, if you just want a fast inspirational boast.

Actions to Take

This section is all about you taking action. It is important to immediately implement what you have just learned, in order for the principles to take root and have a positive impact in your life. Some of the suggestions are purely thought provoking, while others ask you to actually perform a task.

Pearlables

This section contains the pearls of wisdoms extracted from the text that I like to call Pearlables! I like to think of a Pearlable as something that you take away and think about all day. You can even repeat them to yourself at different times throughout your day. Similar to affirmations, Pearlables are reminders of universal truth.

Please enjoy your reading and be blessed!!

Introduction

"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18-19)

How does one woman go from being an impoverished widow to a prosperous business woman? She successfully effected a change in her life, in the lives of her children, and in her community. The story of this unnamed widow woman is truly miraculous. It is a precious gem of a story - a pearl.  And like a beautiful pearl is composed of layers of nacre, I would like to examine this story layer by precious layer to reveal its beautiful, but powerful principles.

What ideas, gifts, and abilities has God placed within you? What is in you that is anointed but you have labeled it as insignificant or not enough? If you obey the voice of God, He will multiply that idea, gift, or ability and give you the increase. The uncovering of that gift will be the catalyst for your change. Let your God-given gift be poured out of you and be set-free!

2 Kings 4:1-7 (The Voice) (emphasis mine)

The wife of one of the prophets' disciples pleaded with Elisha. Imagine their conversation:

Widow: "My husband, who served you, is now dead. He greatly feared the eternal God and you know this to be true. The creditor is now trying to take away my only two children- my sons- and make them into slaves."

Elisha: "What is it that you want me to do? Do you have anything of value in your house?"

Widow: "I don't really have much of anything. The only thing I have in my house that might be of any worth is a jar of oil."

Elisha: "Borrow as many large empty containers as you can. Ask your neighbors for anything they can give to you. Be sure to collect a lot of them. Then enclose you and your sons in a room. Pour the oil from your jar into all the containers you collected from your neighbors. Set aside the full ones."

The widow left Elisha and did as he had instructed her. She enclosed herself in a room with her sons. One at a time, her sons held a container before her, and she poured. Soon all of the containers were filled.

Widow: "Bring me another container."

Son: "I can't. There aren't any left."

At that precise time, the oil from her jar stopped flowing. The widow then went back to Elisha, the man of God.

Elisha: "Now go and sell the oil and pay the creditor what you owe. Then your children won't be made into slaves, and you and your sons can live on the remaining money."

1. Promises and Provisions

It's all about perspective! Yes, the widow woman had some problems, but she realized that she also has some promises. And I declare that the "P" in God's promises are way bigger than the "p" in any problems. This widow who sought Elisha's help had some big problems; however, she knew she could not allow her problems to imprison her promises. So she spoke with, Elisha, the man of God, and he asked, "What is in the house?"

You see, the man of God knew without a doubt that God could use something in her house. He also knew that she had a miracle waiting in her house, but the Widow was incapable of seeing that miracle for herself. Her desperation caused her to see nothing of value - except perhaps a small jar of oil. To her, the jar of oil was insignificant. Isn't it just like God to take that seemingly insignificant thing and do great things with it; miraculous things?! Don't ever underestimate the resourcefulness of God. He is the Creator and he has infinite resources. His creative powers can never be exhausted.

God used that seemingly insignificant, inexpensive, unimpressive jar of oil to preserve and protect her promises. You see, in her house was the provision for her promises! Every promise has a corresponding provision. That provision might well be the very thing that maybe no one else wanted. Perhaps you noticed that the widow did not say, "I have a house full of fine furniture.” More than likely, any furniture she did have was probably re-possessed or sold and the money was used to pay other debts. Neither did she say that she had a prized donkey or some heirloom jewelry. Her possessions were all gone! I imagine that her house was nearly bare because she used everything to pay her other creditors. And even after all of her material possessions were gone, her debt still had not been paid in full. But God! God knew her situation was temporary. He already had a plan of restoration for her. The situation was temporary because God always leaves a way of escape or deliverance.

The widow's sons were, in a sense, her promises. They were the physical representation of (some of) her God given promises. Can you imagine the promises which she had been pregnant with, the promises that she carried within her, the promises that were birthed through her? These were the promises that she watched over, the promises that she nourished, the promises that she sacrificed for, the promises that were yet developing, those precious promises that God had given her.

They were also the promises that the enemy wanted to seize. The Evil One wanted to enslave her promises. He wanted to rob her of her promises. He wanted to enslave her promises of joy, peace, wholeness, and hope. He wanted to steal her future! The same Enemy who wanted to enslave this poor widow's promises also wants to enslave your promises too!

My friend, never let a temporary situation cause you to make a wrong permanent decision. Please understand that you already have a Provision for your promise, and it is in the house! This widow woman came to herself. I can imagine that she said to herself, "I may not know the answer to my problems, but I still have my promises - they are not gone yet. I believe I will arise and go and inquire of God, through the man of God. I will seek His help." You see, God does not require you to have all the answers to your problems. You must trust God. Ask Him to help you. God will give you solutions for your problems. He is the source of the solution. God just wants you to hold onto your promises, so hold onto them! You and those around you, may not understand how everything will work out but hold onto your promises; your answer is in the house!

The enemy makes it his job to try to steal your promises. John 10:10 states that, "The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy but I come that you may have life and that more abundantly." The Enemy will tell you that you don't deserve your promises and that the promises were never really yours. But I am here to tell you that what God has promised you is yours. You need to tell the Devil, "What God has for me is for me and I know without a doubt God will bring me out. After all, I have something left in the house." Don't believe the Enemy's lies that you have nothing left! Something is in the house for you. God will never give you something and then not properly equip you to use it. I don't care how hopeless or how bleak your situation looks. I don't care how lonely, desperate, or bad you may feel; something is left in the house for you. Just hold on tightly to your promises.

You have to take a stand against the enemy. How can you stand when you feel hopeless and everything seems to be gone? Ask God to help you. Listen to what he is telling you and then act on what you've heard. God will strengthen you. You must not give up! If you persevere, God will help you. God will provide for you. God will heal you. He will instruct and guide you. What is in the house? What can God use to sustain, protect, and preserve your promises? Seek God even in your problems and He will reveal to you what is in the house.

Lesson

Everyone has experienced problems at some point in their lives. Problems are a common occurrence of the human condition. Never let a problem become so big in your life that you allow it to eclipse your God given promises. Your promise serves as solutions to your problems. Know that every problem has a corresponding promise.

Actions to Take

1. The next time you experience a problem find a corresponding promise and focus on the promise more than the problem.

2. Write and/or say the promise(s) repeatedly to reinforce it and activate it in your life.

Pearlables

- Never let a temporary situation cause you to make a wrong permanent decision.

- Every promise has a corresponding provision.

- Don't ever underestimate the resourcefulness of God.

2.  Problems

What is your problem? Could your problem be how you perceive the problem? The presence of the problem, by its very nature, presents an opportunity. You may ask, "An opportunity for what?" Well to name a few: exploration, insight, wisdom, experience, challenge, change, and growth! Could it be that your promotion is disguised as your problem? Selah! Just think about the question for a moment. When you have a problem don't be so quick to see it as something that will harm you. If you change your perspective, you will begin to see the potential for your progress and hence your promotion.

A problem indicates that a solution is in progress. Now the solution may be discovered in a short time or it may take years for a solution to be discovered. The point is that a problem signifies that someone needs to work on finding a solution. If you look at the really big problems that have faced mankind a solution or progress towards the solution has helped improve the quality of life for mankind because someone decided to change their perspective about the problem.

How different would your life be if you renamed or re-framed every problem in your life as "My Potential for Progress and Promotion?" So the next time you face a problem, instead of being fearful, get excited because you understand that you are facing progress and possibly a promotion.

Lesson

Problems are not necessarily bad. Working through a problem can be an opportunity to grow and learn. The challenge of a problem can help you become stronger and better. Some of the most successful people in the world are those who had a really big problem and developed a product or service that solved it.

Actions to Take

1. Change the way you view problems. When you change your perception, about the problem, then you allow yourself to see the opportunities it presents.

2. Think about a problem you currently have and write down all of the potential benefits or opportunities that the problem presents.

Pearlables

- Your progress and promotion are disguised as your problem.

- The presence of the problem, by its very nature, presents an opportunity.

3.  Blame Game

What I like about the widow woman is that she didn't play the blame game. It is not recorded that she said anything negative about her deceased husband. She is not recorded as blaming her husband for leaving her with overwhelming debt and two sons to raise on her own. She is not blaming the economy or government. When she goes to see Elisha and speaks with him, she is not even blaming Elisha for her current situation and just as importantly, she is not blaming herself. Instead she is taking ownership by seeking a solution for her predicament. Blaming is a disempowering activity. It causes you to focus more on the problem than on the solution. It is an old game that is counter-productive and can have devastating consequences. Read Genesis 3:9-19 in the Bible, where the blame game was first played by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The widow woman had to take responsibility if she ever hoped to get out of her situation. Instead of blaming someone else for the problem, the widow took ownership and probably asked herself, "How can I find a solution for the problem I am facing?" To take responsibility for your life is actually empowering. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have all of the answers, but it means you are willing to seek the answers and then make your own decisions. Part of taking ownership is coming to the realization that you are the only one that can change your life. It starts with a sincere desire to change and then taking the necessary steps to make the change happen.

When you play the 'blame game' you will always lose; because you see yourself as a victim. People who overcome adversity in life don't identify themselves as victims. They see themselves as overcomers and therefore they see themselves as victorious! Overcomers play to win and they get the victory! It is their expectation. Often, to others, it appears that these people are always destined to win. Do bad things happen to these people? Certainly! They have their fair share of problems too. However, it is their reaction to the problem that determines their destiny.

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45)

We are reminded in the following passage:

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Time and chance happens to us all. Life happens to everyone that is alive. Sometimes circumstances occur in our lives that we have no control over. Overcomers can't control certain circumstances any more than anyone else. The primary difference is the way each individual thinks about the negative circumstances they are facing. The overcomers’ thoughts are that the problem will not defeat them.

This widow knows that there is a solution. She uses her power of thought to remain optimistic about the outcome. Her attitude is positive even when the external forces are negative. She maintains control of internal dialog and emotions.

The widow is not focused on the issue as much as her thoughts. The key is to not let the darkness of the external, force itself on the light of truth that is within you. You control the light and the light within is greater than the darkness without.

Lesson

Bad things can happen to anyone at any time. And by the way, good things can happen to you at any time. Life does present its challenges but you must never blame life, other people, or things for how you choose to respond. You are in control of your response, actions, and attitudes regarding anything and everything that happens to you -- good, bad, or indifferent.

Actions to Take

1. Take ownership of where you currently are in life.

2. List the top three areas of your life that you would like to improve.

3. Examine the list to see if you are blaming anyone (or thing) other than yourself for the lack of improvement in any of the three areas.

4. If you are blaming someone, something, or even yourself for any reason -- stop!

Pearlables

- Don't play the blame game.

- Take ownership for your predicament.

- Only you can change your life.

4.  Divide and Conquer

The Enemy's job is to make you think, believe, and act as if you are powerless. But the truth is the Enemy resides under your feet; read Luke 10:19. "God has not given us a spirit of fear but He has given us power, love, and a sound mind." (2 Tim 1:7) We have the power of God's Spirit within us. The enemy wants to make you believe that you are powerless over the circumstances of life, that God or no one else loves you and that you are all alone, you are going to lose your mind, or that you are not smart enough to get out of this one. But they are all lies!

One of the Enemy's chief lies is that you are alone. He wants you to believe that you are the only one suffering and that no one cares for you. The Enemy wants you to feel alone and isolated!

I call this the Divide and Conquer Strategy; I believe this is one of the enemy's most successful strategies. Simply because, if he can make you feel and believe that you are unloved, not needed, and alone; you become hopeless! I have a long held belief that the enemy has an arsenal of weapons, strategies, and tactics to deceive and defeat us.

I first learned about the Divide and Conquer strategy in college while taking a Computer Science course. My professor explained to the class how you can use the strategy to break a big problem into smaller parts until you find the solution - in other words you isolate the problem by dividing it into smaller and smaller parts; to the point that you can solve or conquer the problem. If you are not a part of the Enemy's team then he sees you as his problem.

I believe the Enemy uses the Divide and Conquer Strategy masterfully through deception. The deception is that you are alone - isolated. The Enemy particularly uses this strategy when you are going through a really tough period. He wants to you to believe that you are alone and that there is no one to help you, no one who identifies with you, no one who loves you, or cares about your struggle. The Enemy wants you to believe you are helpless and powerless to overcome your problems. If the Enemy is successful in getting you to believe these lies then his next step is to conquer you. The Enemy's overall goal is to steal from you, kill you, and utterly destroy you!

You should declare today and forever more that you have the victory over every negative opposing situation; every ungodly opposing force, over every fear, every torment, every hindrance, every sickness, every untimely setback, and every obstacle, in Jesus name!

Take your attention off the adverse, negative, opposing situation, or event and put your attention on God - all your thoughts, all of your focus. God is your help and He will never leave you or forsake you. Remember, it is the Enemy's goal to make you believe that you are all alone and therefore helpless. But you should look to the Lord; He will give you insight and wisdom. He will reveal the deceptions to you.

Your thoughts are very powerful; they either work for you or against you. Only you can control your thoughts. Only you can change your thoughts. This is why the Enemy battles you in your mind. The enemy tries to plant lies in your mind by manufacturing negative external events that will support his lies and perpetuate the deception. This is why 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us, "We walk by faith and not by sight." And Hebrews 11:1 states, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." Remember, the enemy wants you to be hopeless.

Let's look at three definitions from Dictionary.com; so, that we can understand the principle better.

Substance - (n) -the subject matter of thought, discourse, study, etc.

Discourse- (n) - communication of thought by words; talk; conversation.

Hope -(n) - the feeling (belief) that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

If you become hopeless then you have lost the substance or feeling activated by your thought process and communicated through your words, that what you want will happen or that events will turn out for the best. Therefore, substance is composed of three essential components: your thoughts, words, and corresponding feelings. So, if we go back to the scripture and substitute 'thoughts, words, and feelings' for 'substance' the scripture would read as follows: Now faith is your thoughts, words, and feelings regarding the things hoped for and the evidence of those things not (yet) seen. We don't have a natural ability to see thoughts, words, or feelings. But we do understand that any crafted, manufactured, or constructed object in the physical realm started as a thought; that is yet unseen by others while it is in the mind of its creator.

It is only in the mind of the object's creator that the object is seen first and thus the object can only be communicated in words, pictures, or images by the creator of the object to others.

The word sight refers to our natural senses and emotions. The Enemy will try to influence our senses and emotions in order to impact our thought process. He wants to plant the seeds of fear and cause us to doubt the Word of God. The Enemy knows that he can't change your mind or thoughts, for you, so he tries to pressure you to do it for him. The Enemy knows that you will move in the direction of your most dominant thoughts. And since his ultimate goal is to destroy you, he wants you to stagnate and not grow or go in a positive direction.

Lesson

The enemy has a strategy to take everything that you value in life. His goal is to deceive you and make you believe that you are alone and there is no help for you. If he can make you believe this, then you will begin to isolate yourself from your Source of Help. Once this happens then the enemy will cripple and defeat you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Remember, with God you are more than a conqueror over every opposing force that rallies against you!

Actions to Take

1. The next time you feel pressed by the pressure of life; lean on God.

2. Ask God to give you wisdom.

3. Ask God to give you a counter-strategy against the  strategy of the enemy. Write it down.

Pearlable

- Your thoughts are very powerful; they either work for you or against you.

- You are victor not a victim!

- You are not alone!

5.  Pillar of Salt

What happens when you can't let the past go? And by the past, I mean any event during any period of time that is not current; any elapsed time from a second ago to centuries ago. When you focus on past failures, mistakes, hurts, and pains - you get stuck! Many of us have experienced loss, disappointment, regret, or sorrow of some sort. Usually this means something happened that we didn't want to happen. If we are not careful, when we rehearse painful memories over and over in our minds, we can get stuck in the past. It becomes nearly impossible to move forward successfully; because, so much of our energies are wasted dwelling or diverted on what no longer exists and what can no longer be experienced except, in our minds. We are not using our creative mental powers in a way that works for our benefit. We get so wrapped up in what should have, would have, and could have happened until we lose focus on the present. There is no sustained power in the past. We can't change the past; it's gone and the future is before us. However, in the present, in this very moment, is where you have tremendous power.

In the Bible story of Sodom and Gomorrah found in Genesis 19:12-26, we see that Lot and his family were given very specific instructions not to look back at the city. Their home and community was being destroyed by God because of the citizen's extreme wickedness. But Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. She turned to look back. The city was being destroyed and because she was unable to release from her thoughts the hold of what was now behind her - her past - her thought process caused her to make the wrong choice which led to the action of her looking back. As a result, she was turned into a pillar of salt. She was stuck, permanently looking back at the past; a city that no longer existed. She would forever be held hostage by something that no longer existed; because of her inability to let go of the past.

Notice something interesting about Lot's wife; although her husband and two daughters were escaping Sodom and Gomorrah with her, none of the others looked back at the cities. They did as they were instructed. Her husband didn't look back; neither did her two daughters. This indicates that you don't have to let anyone, including family members, hold you back. No one can make you dwell on the past -- you can move forward with or without them! I am not advocating division in families, but you should never prevent someone from moving forward in life.

I have been in situations where I was thoroughly disappointed in my own reaction or performance. Other people have disappointed and hurt me. Sometimes, I have rehearsed the disappointment over and over again in my mind, even talking about the disappointment over and over again with friends and family. It is such a depressing and exhausting activity! And it doesn't move you forward in the right direction! I am reliving the disappointment over again; whenever I dwell on it in my thoughts or talk about it with others. It is like surviving an accident; your car is in the ditch, totally mangled. You have been safely pulled from the wreckage, but you won't move on because you can't stop looking at your ruined car. Those that helped pull you out of the wreckage console and support you for a while but they want you to move on so they can move on too. If they can't convince you to stop obsessing over the wreckage, they may have to move on without you. In this scenario, life is moving on but you are stuck because you won't allow yourself to move on. What a pity!

The repetitive replay of disappointing events in your thoughts or speech is destructive. However, sometimes we all need to reflect or ask others for feedback, so as not to repeat the same disappointing activity; this is much more constructive. This is what I believe the widow woman did; she reflected on her current state of affairs; moved forward and sought help from Elisha.

Lesson

Don't let your past trap you. Let go of the past. No one can hold you in the past but you. Live in the present. There is tremendous power in the present. Active change happens in the present moments of your life.

Actions to Take

1. Are you holding on to the past? If so, why?

2. What one thing can you change now to make your future better?

Pearlables

- Don't doubt the Word of God!

- You can't change the past; you can only relive it in your mind.

- Don't be held hostage by something that no longer exists.

- When you focus too long on the past you get stuck.

6.  Let it Go

Let it Go!

That was then and this is now.

I am not chained to my past.

So, I leave it behind.

The chains are broken.

I move freely into my future.

On the surface this statement may seems too generalized but hear me out. Of course, if your past holds painful memories for you, you don't want to carry it around like a 'ball and chain'.

But what if your past is full of wonderful and joyful experiences? Although you should be grateful and cherish the gift of those experiences; could it be that they too are chaining you to the past? My point is whether your past was pleasant or painful- you don't have to be chained, limited, or held hostage to your past.

The past is a reference point along the highway of your life's journey. When you get stuck at one of the 'mile markers', you are allowing (yes allowing) yourself to be broken down on the shoulder of life. This may sound harsh but it is the truth- your past really is just vapors of yesterday. You have the ability to break free- to get unstuck, to getting running again anytime you desire. Although you may have some consequences as a result of your past thoughts and actions there is a redemptive quality about each new day and I dare say each new minute of your life. This is the grace of God! At any moment you can decide to change for the better no matter how good or bad your life has been up to this point. You may need the help of others, but the decision - thought starts with you and only you!

We've heard people use the expression, "Those were the best years of my life."  It is as if they feel the best that life has to offer them is in their past; how sad! It really is tragic to think that your best days are behind you- to allow yourself to be limited by your past. Each new day presents new opportunities, if we are open to receive them.

Every day is an opportunity to move forward in some aspect, even if it is measured in inches. It is a day to share, to live, to evolve, to think, to teach, to be! But if you limit yourself to the best or worst of your past; you are binding yourself to the past and blinding yourself to your future best self. You have to think differently about yourself and the potential that lies within you for your tomorrow. There are limitless possibilities available to each of us. The world, even maybe your neighbor, is waiting for you to share the best of yourself each day. Decide today to break free of your past, if it hinders, limits or binds you in any way. Be like the Apostle Paul, who said in Philippians 3:13-14; "I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own yet; but one thing I do it is my one aspiration: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the supreme and heavenly prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward."

You may be like the widow woman, stuck in debt. You may be stuck in a bad relationship, stuck with a poor self- image and low self-esteem, stuck in fear and shame, stuck in bad health, a terrible neighborhood, unfulfilling job, etc. How do you break free when you feel stuck?

Step 1: Acknowledge that you are stuck.

Step 2: Commit yourself to breaking free.

Step 3: Ask for help.

Step 4: Take action.

Step 5: Do not give up!

Acknowledge that you are stuck. This is an important first step. You may have tried to break free over and over again with little or no success. Don’t give up! Be truthful with yourself and…

Don't let your disappointment define you!

My 16 year old son said, "My disappointments don't define me." What a phenomenal revelation! Just think of all the inner turmoil and sheer time he will save himself, if he will live the rest of his life by that powerful affirmation. I believe that the widow woman didn't allow the disappointment of life to define her. She modeled for her sons that they too should not let life's disappointment define them either; but instead defy the disappointments and live the life divinely appointed for them.

Regarding past mistakes:

1.        Reflect

2.       Correct

3.       Move on

You have survived! Be grateful about your survival and move forward!!

Lesson

Your past is a reference point along the journey of your life. No matter how good or how bad your past is you have to believe your future is going to be better. God didn’t create you to be bound to your past. Life is a forward moving progressive force! Move forward and progress!

Actions to Take

Are you struggling to let go or break free of something? If so, what is it?  What steps are you taking to get free of it? Explore sources of help through community, church, and government agencies. Don't stop seeking help until you get it!

Pearlables

- Don't let your past hold you hostage.

- Don't let your past blind you to your future.

- There is a redemptive quality about each new moment of your   life.

7. Run Your Own Race

You have to run your own race! Victory is assured, if you finish the course. There are no pre-qualifications; if you are alive, then you are already qualified to run the race that has been prepared for you. That is why it does not matter how you start in life; it doesn't matter if you start fast or slow. It doesn't matter if you are are strong or weak, rich or poor, attractive or unattractive, above average or below average; all that matters is that you finish your race.  Notice in the scripture there is no mention of how the race is started; it only addresses finishing the race. The truth is that you are uniquely qualified to finish your own race. Your genealogy, your demographics, your personality, your physiology, etc. everything that makes you unique, was prepared by God as attributes you need to qualify, endure, and finish the life He has designed for you. Another way of saying it is that God uniquely equipped you to be a champion! Your race is 'fixed' by God, for you to win! This is why no one can live your life better than you. No one can beat you --being you! Consequently, you can't live someone else's life better than them. So, no matter what happens in life you are more than able to conquer any difficulties that occur in your life.

Some people have a false perception that they are in competition with everyone else in the world. It is a false perception because it opposes the instructions of God and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Word Of God tells us that it is unwise to compare ourselves against others. Why? When we enter this false perception of competition our focus is on comparing and evaluating our weakness and strengths against those we are competing against. This is really an evil practice because it opens the door for the enemy to come in and distort the truth. It allows sin, a destructive force, to enter your life; like envy, jealousy, fear, hatred, malice, shame, guilt, lust, deceit, greed, strife, and pride.

"... let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12)

"We're not, understand, putting ourselves in a league with those who boast that they're our superiors. We wouldn't dare do that. But in all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point."  (2 Corinthians 10:12 The Message)

"For we would never dare to compare ourselves with people who have based their worth on self-commendation. They check themselves against and compare themselves with one another. It just shows that they don't have any sense!" (2 Corinthians 10:12 The Voice)

The race or life that God has uniquely designed for you is not about competition; instead it’s about completeness! God has designed the course of your life to develop the very best you possible. Every obstacle, every detour, every hurdle, every bend and curve in your life was designed, permitted, or orchestrated by God for a specific purpose. The purpose is for you to reach the goal and bring Him glory.  The Apostle Paul said it like this, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which The Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." 2 Tim 4: 7-8.

If Paul could make this declaration or affirmation, then so should we before, during, or after an assignment is completed. Obviously, he was still alive when he conveyed those lines; they are in first person, past tense.  We as Believers should declare every day over our lives and the lives of our loved ones who are Believers that: "I fight the good fight; I finish my course, I keep the faith. There is a crown of righteous that, the Lord God, the righteous judge will give me and my love ones who believe."

Lesson

Your life is uniquely crafted by God. He knows every bend, curve, and obstacle you will confront during the course of your life. And guess what? God has fixed the race of life for you to win!! Although, we live in a competitive world, understand - you are not in competition with anyone else!! No one can beat you at being you!!

Actions to Take

1. Who are you competing with? Why? How can you focus more on completion and less on competition?

2. What is unique about you? What unique perspective or creativity do you have to offer?

Pearlables

- The race or life that God has uniquely designed for you is not about competition; but instead it’s about completeness!

- You are uniquely equipped to be a champion!

- No one can beat you being you!

8.  Fight

It is important to start by defining what I mean by 'fight'. I am not talking about physical altercations with another person. I think sometimes we get it confused. The fight is not with flesh and blood. It is devised to look like it is the person (or thing) that is causing the conflict; so that we will exhaust our valuable resources like: time, energy, emotion, and money fighting against the wrong entity. The real culprit is the evil force that influences the person. The fight is not with a person but instead the principalities of evil.

The more spiritually mature you are the more adept you are with identifying your true enemy. A spiritually mature person, like Elisha, could identify that the battle was not with the creditor but poverty. Poverty is an evil entity. It is pervasive and voracious. Poverty doesn't just affect a person economically, but socially, physically, and psychologically. The effects of poverty are quite damaging. The widow woman had to defeat the poverty in her life. Her crisis went far beyond just paying off one more creditor; that would only be a temporary fix- a surface solution. The poverty in her life threatened to extend generationally; not to just one son but both sons; a double whammy! This meant that the future generations of each of her sons would potentially be impacted by their enslavement due to poverty. Thus, creating a vicious cycle of poverty for this family; this would have a long term impact.

Poverty even has harsh effects on our current culture. The official poverty line is $11,484 for an individual or $23,021 for a family of four. And more and more American workers are falling below that line (1). According to the American Psychological Association:

“Psychological research has demonstrated that living in poverty has a wide range of negative effects on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our nation's children. Poverty impacts children within their various contexts at home, in school, and in their neighborhoods and communities.

Poverty is linked with negative conditions such as substandard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, unsafe neighborhoods, and under-resourced schools which adversely impact our nation's children. Poorer children and teens are also at greater risk for several negative outcomes such as poor academic achievement, school dropout, abuse and neglect, behavioral and socioemotional problems, physical health problems, and developmental delays.”  http://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.aspx#

Additionally, if we examine the impact of poverty on women, households headed by females are poorer than other households. One reason is that the woman's job is the only primary source of income in the home. Unfortunately, even today, women earn less than men for similarly situated jobs. According to an analysis of U.S. Census data by the National Women's Law Center:

●    The poverty rate for women was 14.5 percent in 2012, the highest rate in 20 years.

●    17.8 million women were living in poverty in 2012.

●    Among women who head families, 4 in 10 (40.9%) lived in poverty in 2012.

●    More than half (56.1 percent) of poor children lived in female-headed families in 2012.

http://www.nwlc.org/nwlc-analysis-2012-census-poverty-data

For women in some developing countries the statistics are even grimmer! The problem of poverty goes far beyond income. There is a lack of opportunity for women to improve their status due to social, cultural, religious, and political oppositions based on gender.

But how do you combat an enemy that you can't touch? Well, God has already given us everything we need to be victorious in every area of our lives. Education is an important tool to help break poverty! Also, studying the Word of God is imperative. You need to learn what resources are available to you. It starts with a change in the way we think.

In many cases where there are low skilled, low income workers this is due to poor education- a lack of knowledge. The fact is that the better educated - formal or informal- an individual is the potential for economic wealth significantly improves. But it is not just education alone it takes opportunity and a willingness to improve. You have to think! You have to take proper actions! We will explore this more in upcoming chapters.

Back to the widow woman, her husband was dead. He was the head of the family. Her visible means of support was gone. Her mate, partner, lover, the father of her children, her companion, and head of the household was gone. Her husband was someone she could lean on and depend on. As a result there was a void, there is no one to help her, to bear the burdens of life, or rejoice with. Her husband was not just gone, as in a temporary situation. He was dead as in a permanent situation.  And now that her covering and visible protection was gone; the Enemy wants to come in and enslave her two sons.

Her situation looks fairly hopeless. I am sure the enemy thought he had her just where he wanted her, poor, defenseless, tired, hurt, and sad. I am sure the Enemy was telling her that she was not going to make it, that there was no way that she was going to get out of this one. He told her that she had nothing left and tried to convince her to just accept defeat. He wanted her to believe there would be no one to rescue her. But she didn't need anyone to rescue her because there was something left within the house. She still had some fight left in her. The Enemy had another thing coming if he thought that she would just let him take her sons without a fight!!

The Enemy tried to bury her under the mental and emotional weight of grief, poverty, and hopelessness.  But she wasn't ready to surrender. Question: Aren't you tired of the Enemy taking your stuff? Aren't you tired of him trying to lay claim to what has been promised to you? Tired of him trying to enslave or steal your blessings? This is not to say that your creditors are the Devil incarnate or that creditors are necessarily evil. If the terms are fair, creditors can provide a useful service for one to acquire needed or desired items quickly. However, it is never advisable to take on more debt than you can comfortably manage financially.

You have to fight for what you want. Fight to keep what belongs to you. Because the Enemy doesn't care about what was promised to you or what belongs to you. He doesn't care! He is going to try and steal your stuff! So you have to fight for it!

Lesson

Most of us love a good fight. We find shows like The Real Wives of Atlanta and Beverly Hills very entertaining. However, the spiritually mature person understands that the real fight with our enemy is a mental, emotional, and spiritual fight. A lack of knowledge, skills, and resources are what we should be combating; not each other.

Actions to Take

1. Identify your real enemy.

2. List the tools, knowledge, or resources you need to combat the real enemy in your life?

3. Now take your list and develop a plan to get what you need  to defeat your enemy. Seek help now, if you need it!

Pearlable

- The fight is not with flesh and blood.

- Don't waste valuable energy and resources fighting the wrong enemy.

- There is more than one way to fight!

- Learn to pick your battles.

9.  Desperate People

When the widow approaches Elisha she immediately identifies herself. She establishes her right or authority to be before Elisha to seek help. I can image she is saying to herself, "I know I don't look like much, I don't sound like much, I sure don't have much. And I know that my husband was not a recognized famous prophet like you Elisha. But we served The Lord! I come boldly but with a humble heart because I need help and I need it now! I don't have time to waste with appearances and superficial credentials. However, I know that I have a right to be and the privilege to inquire of The Lord. So you see I didn't come to cause you a problem or create drama! But I do need and expect to get help!"

You see when you get really desperate you start not to care about some trivial stuff. You might not care about how your makeup looks or care to take the time to even put on makeup. When you really get desperate, you may walk out the house without your outfit matching. Your nail polish might be chipped but you don't care because you are desperate. But don't let appearances fool you. Perhaps you look like you have it all together. Your hair is perfect, your suit is tailor made and you're driving a luxury car. Your smile is bright and extra white but on the inside you are falling apart. Don't make a snap judgment about anyone based on what you see on the surface. Take a deeper look and you may see a person that needs help desperately!

A desperate person may have the mindset, “If you can't help me then don't play with me! Move out of my way, so that I can find the help I need. If you can't help me, then don't block those who can. Tell me who I need to make an appointment with, tell me where I need to go or what I need to do to get the help: if it's not you and you can't contribute to me getting the urgent help I need then get out of my way! I don't have time for you right now. We can talk but right now I don't have the time. I'm sorry I am not trying to be uppity. I'm not trying to ignore you, but I have a situation that needs my immediate attention and time is of the essence. I have to go, move on because I don't have time to play around.”

Don't let people waste your time and don't waste their time. The time is too short. This is why you don't have time for getting offended. It's is a distraction. The Enemy is trying to distract you long enough to steal your stuff! Don't let him!

Desperate people can be dangerous people! Desperate people can become violent people. That's why if you can't help a desperate person it is best to just get out of their way! Have you ever been desperate? So desperate for help, for deliverance, that you don't care how you look or sound; you don't care that you were getting too loud or creating a scene because you are / were desperate. If anything or anyone stood in your way, they had to pay. If you need something, some peace, some deliverance, some answers, or anything and you still care about what people think or your reputation - then you, my friend are not desperate enough yet! When you get really desperate for deliverance; you will let go of the ungodly behavior and ungodly lifestyle because you are desperate for deliverance.

Are you a desperate person? Some signs of desperation:

○    Are you desperate enough to do whatever God tells you to do? Even if you have to do it alone, even if it costs you your name- your reputation because it's His name that is to be exalted above all names!

○    Are you desperate enough to leave your little box, your comfort zone? Are you desperate enough to launch out into the deep, to step out of your boat and onto His Word?

○    Even if living for God causes you to lose all you own, are you desperate enough to live for Him?

○    Are you desperate enough to separate yourself from that ungodly union? Are you desperate?

This widow woman was desperate! But her desperation was the path to her deliverance. Let your desperation lead you to your deliverance.

Not only does desperation lead to your deliverance but it leads you to your destination. God foreknew you before the foundation of the world. He knows your ending at the beginning - God has a grand destination for you and it is a destination that begins and ends in Him for He is the author and the finisher of our faith. The work that He began in you He will finish. Ephesians 3:18, speaks about us understanding the depth, the breadth, and the width of the love of God which describes a progressive destination in Him.

Lesson

When you believe that your situation is hopeless, it can cause you to become desperate. A desperate person can be frantic or despondent with despair. However, desperation can lead to deliverance.

Actions to Take

1. Don't despair! Don't give up!

2. Work your plan! Actively move toward your goal.

3. Stay focused!

Pearlables

- Desperate people can be dangerous people.

- Desperation can lead to your deliverance and destiny.

- Get out of debt!

10.  The Doorman

Elisha's instructions to the widow were, "When you come in, shut the door upon you and your sons."

Close out the external. You control who you welcome into your home. You control what or who you are allowing into your life. Just because the widow's neighbors helped her didn't mean they were privy to her private life and this special miracle. It was a personal and internal job.

Sometimes you need to close out the external noises, voices, and influences. Shut out the external hustle and bustle of the day to present yourself as an empty vessel before God; so, that God might impart wisdom and power into you. This is not the time to have others gathering around as spectators.

It's not anyone's business what is happening on the inside. Now is not the time to try to explain to anyone what God has told you to do. You don't have time to convince the doubter, to play with the haters and the prognosticators. The vision is yours and it may seem too ridiculous to the observers. They may think you're crazy. They may think that what God has told you to do is irrational, impossible, unbelievable, foolish, or ridiculous. They may discourage you. So shut them out. Don't make room for them. You don't have time for their drama. You are working on something. Sometimes you just have to pound it in your heart- safeguard it there. Because if you were to reveal the thing that God has shown you, instructed you to do, they wouldn't understand it or appreciate it anyway. Share your vision only with people you trust or advisers that God has instructed you to go to. Otherwise you are wasting your time and you don't have time to waste. Truth be told, sometimes the things God has said to you or shown you doesn't even make sense to you! You don't even understand it yourself. But you know it is from God. So you've made the choice to believe Him to trust Him even though you don't understand Him.

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 The Living Translation)

It is amazing just how much power we have to create! It is an undeniable birthright. Observe any child, old enough to play, and you will see what I mean. Children have an amazing ability to use their minds to create entire new imaginary worlds. They can transform an ordinary plain cardboard box into a magnificent castle complete with a mote, knights, and servants through the power of imagination. Children are natural born masters in the art of make believe! That extraordinary and powerful ability to imagine and create resides in us but as we mature into adulthood, unfortunately (for many of us) we lose our courage to believe. Nothing is impossible to him that believes.

Jesus said unto him, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23

Lesson

Just because someone rings your doorbell doesn't mean you have to let them in. Everyone is not entitled to know every aspect of your life. You can be selective about what you tell and who you tell regarding personal aspects of your lift.

Actions to Take

1. Be aware of what people's intention are before you allow them into your life. Ask pertinent questions and watch people's' reactions /actions.

2. If you are uncertain of someone’s motive, make a list of the cons and pros of allowing them to enter or to stay in your life?

Pearlables

- Don't share everything; keep some things to yourself.

- Everyone is not going to appreciate your progress.

- You should be selective about who you allow in your house and your life.

11.  Think!

Although the Bible doesn't explicitly describe what went on before the widow woman left her house to go and speak with Elisha, it is implied. This woman had been thinking!

She began to think about how faithful her husband and household had been to God. She began to think about all that her family has suffered and sacrificed. She began to contemplate on the faithfulness of God to His servants.

You have to think! Remember, nothing is created without first going through a thought process. The thought process is where change begins and creativity is birthed.

The question Elisha asked caused a shift in her thinking toward the possibilities of 'something' - a new thought pattern verses 'nothing' - the old thought pattern. Her perspective was changed! A shift occurred in her thinking from lack to abundance. The widow's simple dialog with Elisha opened her mind; it caused her to think and to take a mental inventory of what she had instead of what she didn't have. The question challenged her to think about what was left in her house!

It took faith, boldness, and courage to follow Elisha's plan. Isn't it ironic how Elisha’s first set of instructions didn't immediately solve her problem? And in Elisha's first set of instructions there is no evidence that his instruction will eliminate her debt. Actually, he was asking her to borrow jars, which on the surface would have seemed counterintuitive to the widow getting out of debt. Nevertheless, the widow woman was immediately obedient.

It is interesting that she still had the original jar of oil because God didn't take away the thing of value she already possessed. He just added to it! God doesn't minimize what you already have inside you. Instead, God will use what you already have to maximize your opportunities!

It is easy to get caught up in focusing on what you don't have when you are believing for something specific or increase. Actually focusing on what you don't have is counterproductive because you are thinking about what you are lacking which will bring only more lack. You have to be deliberate and seek the increase by first recognizing and being grateful for what you already have available to you. The more you seek for it the more of it you will find.

So often it takes an eternal force to push us to change the way we are currently thinking -good or bad. Newton's Law of Inertia states: A body will preserve its velocity and direction so long as no force in its motion's direction acts on it. In other words, you will continue to move in the direction of your current thought processes unless something causes you to think differently thus behave differently.

Our world is in a constant state of change. Change is inevitable. However, not all change is good. There may be negative situations that impact your life that would shift your thoughts on a negative trajectory. Your personal world may be spinning out of control but you have to exert an equal or greater force that will cause you to stay in proper alignment. This is why you should meditate on the Word of God, daily speaking affirmations and prayers that are aligned with God's Word concerning your life.

Lesson

God gave you a brain, use it to think! God created you to be a thinking being. The ability to think for your self is powerful. You possess the power to create. Any change or creation begins with a thought.

Actions to Take

1. Make an inventory of everything you own. The challenge is to make a full complete list--if you can. Hopefully, you will begin to see the abundance that you already possess.

2. Think on the goodness of God. Meditate!

3. Learn something new.

Pearlable

- Nothing is created without first going through a thought process.

- Change is inevitable.

- You are created in the image of God!

12.  Quality Thoughts

The quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life. Right thinking equals right living. Your thoughts are an indicator of how you will feel and how you will live. If you don't like what is being projected on the screen of your life, then change the movie playing on the projector of your mind. I know, I have given you a   lot of one-liners but hopefully you get my point! You can change your life by changing your thoughts and better thoughts lead to a better life -- okay!

The Word of God gives us some guidance on how our thoughts should be.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8)

Put your thoughts through the wringer. This process is vitally important. Ultimately, it is a process of filtration. By filtering your thoughts of things that do not benefit you, the world, or glorify God; you are renewing your mind and therefore transforming yourself from the conformity of this world. We allow our minds to be renewed with the Word of God which is a sword that strategically cuts away every vain imagination or false thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of the Son of God, regarding you; because, He had foreknowledge of us before we were born -when we were but a thought in His Mind - complete in Him. So, He instructs us how to qualify and align our thoughts to His Divine Mind which enables us to live according to His Vision or original blueprint for us. God has a grand divine design for your life. He has already equipped us, with the help of His Spirit, to perform this process. It then becomes our responsibility to make sure that we do it on a moment by moment basis. You have to keep the waters of your mind clean, flushing out impurities, so that your thoughts are pure.  Why? Because the thoughts that sticks around in your mind are the thoughts that get focused on and what you focus on grows in strength. Those thoughts become firmly rooted in your mind and become part of your belief or value system, which then is used to evaluate all incoming information. If the impure thoughts are not flushed out then stagnation occurs and dams up the mind with falsehoods, lies of the Enemy, which opposes the knowledge of God’s truth concerning you. This is how strongholds are developed!

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;

Casting down vain imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Lesson

Your thoughts determine your value or belief system. Your thoughts determine the kind of life you will have and who you will become. It is vitally important that you think right. You must carefully examine your thoughts. Eradicate any negative thoughts.

Actions to Take

1. Take your thoughts through the wringer. Use the diagram below and give your dominant thoughts a thorough going over. For example, if one of your dominant thoughts is that "I always mess up", run it through the wringer by examining if the thought is true or false? Is the thought honest or dishonest, pure or impure etc.? Mark your choices. Continue this process until you get to the end (praise or complaint).

2. Now determine if you have more marks under the Positive Roller column or the Negative Roller column. Whichever column has the most marks indicates whether your thought is positive or negative. If your dominant thought is positive, hurrah! If it is negative; then replace it with a positive thought.

Pearlables

- The quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life.

- Put your thoughts through the wringer.

- You can change your life by changing your thoughts.

13. Making Good Decisions

What qualifies as a good decision? What makes a decision good or bad? You need quality thoughts in order to make quality decisions.

I believe we have the ability to consistently make excellent decisions when:

1. We have quality thoughts.

2. Understand God's plan and our purpose.

3. Accept God's plan and purpose for your life.

4. Act on God's plan thereby fulfilling His Plan for us.

And by the way, God's plans never fail! We may fail to execute God's plans accurately but God never fails to execute His plans. He is a gracious and forgiving Father. We have to learn to follow God's plan precisely---being disciplined in our execution; thus, His disciples. If you stumble or fall, you should get up and not wallow; ask God to forgive you. He is always ready, willing, and available to immediately help you; when we ask Him.

I'm not sure what caused the widow to be in debt. Were she and her husband in debt before his death? Was it his death, loss of income, or burial expenses that caused the debt? We do not know the answers to these questions. What we know is that she made a decision. She decided to get up and speak with Elisha.

Whatever the cause, there was a deficit in her life - not enough to meet her needs- lack. And as a result, the creditor was coming to take her sons and make them slaves.

The change in her situation began with her thought process. She began to think differently - her desperate situation was the catalyst - the thing that motivated her to think differently. At this point she still does not have the answer to her problem. But she has by her decision, begun to create an environment that is conducive to change. She made a decision and then took action by moving in the direction of her decision. What will Elisha say to her? She doesn't know.  What can Elisha do to help her? She doesn't know. What will she say to Elisha? At the point that she made the decision to go to him she may not have thought of everything that she would say or do. Sure she knew the essence of her request but probably not much more. Despite the uncertainty, she preceded. She was incapable of controlling all of these external factors. She could not stop the creditor without paying him. She could not control Elisha's response to her presence or his answer to her request. But her lack of control over others did not mean that she had no power. She controlled what she had power over -- herself. She had power over her own thoughts and her own actions. She took ownership. She took responsibility because it was hers to take.

Sometimes in life circumstances beyond our control are hurled upon us; we didn't want the cancer, we didn't want to get laid off, we didn't want the divorce; but it came anyway. Why? Maybe you contributed to the unfortunate events or maybe you didn't. It is a moot point now. Work on getting a solution and reflect later to correct the contributing behavior.

I don't know whether she contributed to the decision that caused the debt or not. I don't believe that the debt that this woman was in was due to her own decisions. The first thing Elisha tells her is go borrow vessels abroad from all your neighbors, even empty vessels, and not a few. Why would you tell someone who had a problem with debt to go borrow; only to be in debt to even more people? One person would be enough but to be in debt to all your neighbors - wow! Granted she was not borrowing money only vessels. Yet the principle is that she had to ask others to give -  loan to her items that she would be obligated to return and not just a few but a lot.  Elisha’s instructions appear almost irresponsible on the surface. Why have a poor widow woman go around asking everyone on her street, in her neighborhood, in her community, and beyond to let her borrow vessels. Especially when Proverbs 22:7 states that, “The borrower is servant to the lender.” Everyone probably already knew that she was in debt. So, why have the widow borrow the vessels? The act of borrowing the vessels had a different and deeper purpose. Borrowing this time would break her bondage instead of binding her to bondage! She would move from lack to abundance.

The borrowing of the vessel did the following:

1. Enforced the Hebraic law regarding widows

2. Killed fear in the widow:

Fear of shame

Fear of humiliation

Fear of people

Fear of lack

Fear of rejection

Fear of stigma

3. Activated the widow’s obedience - obedience to God's word always leads to victory

So the borrowing of the vessels was not only an act of obedience but also an act of deliverance! God wanted total and complete deliverance for her and her sons!!  Their deliverance was from fears, lack, and attack.

Think about the courage and faith it must have taken for the widow to trust the instructions of Elisha. Think about how she had to humble herself. The widow had to open herself to rejection and possible ridicule. Surely everyone she asked didn't give her a vessel; surely everyone was not sympathetic to her cause. These were face-to-face interactions. She couldn't hide behind an advertisement that read, “Come bring all your unwanted vessels to 235 Poor Widow Lane.”  She couldn't hire someone to do this task for her---she was broke! No! There was no place to hide. She was the face! She was the voice! The person going door to door, neighbor to neighbor - asking for a vessel and then having to accept the vessel others chose to give. Elisha's instructions were to get not a few vessels - meaning she needed to get as many vessels as possible. I can imagine that this was obedience beyond her comfort zone. Launching her into a new reality- these same individuals, the vessel lenders - would eventually be her new customers; only, she didn't know it and neither did they.

She needed to break free of the bondage or stigma of being broke, of being poor, of being in debt. The accumulation of vessels was creating an image for her of incoming increase or abundance. Instead of things being taken out of her home -deleted from her - now there was active movement of vessels being added unto her. This was important for her to experience, as well as her sons, for preparation of the transformation that would impact their lives. They had seen practically all that they owned taken away from them but now they were seeing increase because of the incoming vessels.

Lesson

You can't control everything that happens to you. But, you can control how you respond to what happens to you. When something you perceive as bad happens to you don't just accept it. Get to work and figure out what lesson(s)you are to learn and what actions you need to take to turn the bad into something good.

Actions to Take

If you are experiencing any challenges in your life, think about what lesson(s) you are to learn from the experience. List the lesson(s) you came up with. Make note of anything that stands out to you.

Pearlables

- God's plans never fail.

- Create a sense of the condition you are expecting.

- You can't control every external factor but manage what you can control.

14.  Empowered

Empowerment comes from an internal acknowledgment that you have the required tools, skills, authority, and knowledge - or the ability to obtain these things; to handle WHATEVER comes your way!

Authentically empowered people know that they must always take ownership of their own lives. They hold themselves accountable. They don't just bury their heads in the sand. They manage their responses to life. It is not always easy, fun, or even immediately self-gratifying but it is necessary; if you want to live your best life.

Isn't it ironic that the widow seemed to have such a great sense of empowerment? This was demonstrated by her actions. If one were to look at the external circumstances and the limited resources she possessed it would seem counter intuitive for her to act in the manner that she did. She was a woman, living in a society that didn't place a high value on females, outside of producing a male child; actually she would have been seen as her husband's property.  She was a poor widow woman. She had no financial security and no visible means of obtaining it - which brings us to her current situation. Her creditor is going to enslave her sons unless she is able to pay her debt. Again, on the surface it appears hopeless; it would appear that she is defeated. You would think that she would have a defeated and depressed attitude but this is not the case. She is a fighter! She has an internal power driving her to get back up. She  refuses to lie down quietly in the dark shadow of defeat. She doesn't have to; so why should she? It is not over until God says it is over.

Faith is an internal belief. Sight represents the appearance of external things that oppose the internal belief. Being empowered is utilizing the power within you. It is a result of knowing the source of your power- really understanding who and whose you are. It is not a source that comes from the external - not another human, not society, not a job. Each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator. He has embedded within us an internal power source. Don't allow the opposing external forces of life to come in and diminish the greater power within you. Don't allow weakness and defeat in!

Lesson

You have tremendous power! Each one of us is responsible for exploring, acknowledging, utilizing, and optimizing the power within us. Never give your power away. In other words, don't under-utilize your power. Choose to take charge of each area of your life! Don't just let circumstances or other people make decisions for you. Make your own decisions or at the very least have significant input about the decisions of your life.

Action to Take

1. Decide today (if you haven't already) that you are fully capable of handling your own life.

2. What areas of your life do you feel that you have little or no control? List the areas.

3. Using the list, from question #2, examine why you are not taking control over the listed area(s) of your life? What actions will you take or what behaviors will you change in order to take control of the area(s) identified?

Pearlables

- Being empowered is utilizing the power within you.

- You have the authority to take ownership of your own life.

- You are fully capable of handling WHATEVER comes in your life.

15. Crossing the Threshold

The widow had to cross the threshold of her house to go meet with Elisha and later to bring the vessels into her house. The threshold, for the purposes of this book, is a point of transition for new beginnings. Transitioning is the act or the fact of passing across or through a passage from one place to another. She came to the realization that she could not stay or remain in the state that she was in. She had to move in a new direction. I don't believe that this woman knew with 100% certainty that Elisha would help her. But she had a spark of hope. A mustard seed of faith that caused her to arise and move in the direction of what she had been thinking or hoping would be the solution for her problem. Think for a moment what a bold and courageous act this was given her circumstances, as a woman in her culture; she had little to no resources. Additionally, it appears that she had no male relatives to go to, who were in a position to assist her.

By going to Elisha,in essence, she was going to her family's pastor or seeing it in the secular sense her husband's employer. There is no mention that her husband had approached Elisha about their financial situation. Why hadn't her husband gone to Elisha himself to seek an answer to their debt situation? Had she encouraged her husband to speak with Elisha prior to his death? Did her husband refuse to seek help or forbid her from seeking the help? Was the debt manageable but the burial expenses and loss of income became too great. Had she pleaded, encouraged, or admonished her husband to speak with Elisha before things got so bad, only to be ignored or denied? We don't know, but we do know that she had to change her position in order to change her situation.

The other transition is from poverty to financial freedom. She is not only getting herself free from the bondage of debt but also her sons. It is generational deliverance. Her sons participated in this miracle.  Now, they have a family owned business. The sons' threat would not be their children's. Deliverance came to this family and it can come to yours! What God does for another He is able to do for you.

Lesson

If you don't like where you are or you want to improve; you don't have to stay there. You can transition and cross the threshold of one state of living into another. It starts with the way you think and then you have to take the proper action. Leave behind the doubts and fears. Pursue your dreams, visions, and/or goals.

Actions to Take

1. Do you believe there are barriers to achieving what you want in life? If so, why and what are they?

2. Barriers are made to be broken. How are you going to break yours? Go back to your list of tools, skills, and resources; what can you use from that list to help you break your barriers?

Pearlable

- Begin to move in the direction that you want to go.

- You don't have to have all the answers.

- Do what is good for you and others too.

16.  Delays

Delays are kind of like a traffic cop at a busy intersection. It is the traffic cop's job to direct the flow of traffic at the intersection. God will direct the flow of your life. Sometimes God has to signal you to stop to avoid a life collision. But stopping you is not a denial. It is only a temporary delay. See it as God "running interference" for you. He knows what he is doing. He is in control! Could it be that the delays that you experience in life are a result of the deviations or detour you have taken? Don't ever deviate from God's plan?  Stick to God's plan! We always get in trouble when we foolishly believe that we have a better plan than God's (the sheer arrogance)! We are deceived when we think that we can execute the plan differently than what God instructed and still have divine success. The minute that we start to deviate from God's plan we are settling for something less than the best He had planned for us. God knows our future and His plan directs us in pathways that will not bring destruction; if we would only obey Him. When we follow God's plan, any discomfort we experience is actually being used to develop us. God is a gracious God. So if you have deviated from His plan intentionally or unintentionally, all is not lost. God knows that we are going to falter; we by nature are prone to make mistakes even when we don't want to. His word promises that no weapons formed against us shall prosper; even weapons that you have formed against yourself -- self-sabotage!

Lesson

Delays can be beneficial. Delays can be useful to help us avoid potentially detrimental situations in life. They can give us time to take a break, slow down and reflect on actions and/or direction. Could it be possible that the delays in your life are necessary blessings?

Actions to Take

1. Recognize the delays in your life as something that is potentially working for you instead of against you?

2. If you have a plan that you believe is from God then please  don't deviate from it.

Pearlables

- Don't ever deviate from God's plan.

- Let God have control over the direction for your life.

- Delays are not denials.

17.  Your Words, Belief, and Reality

Your words are by-products of your thoughts. As a man thinks so is he and by your words is a man condemned. Life and death are in the power of your own tongue. Words are formed through your thought process. In your mind is where your words are manufactured.

Your reality is in you! Your thoughts plus your spoken words plus your actions create your reality. Your thoughts originate within your mind. Your words come from your thoughts. Your actions are direct result of your thoughts.

Belief is a powerful component of the reality that we experience on a daily basis. My world is a direct reflection of what I believe. What I believe is so interconnected to what I think that the two can be indistinguishable. This is because my belief system is birthed from my thoughts and conversely my thoughts impact my belief system.

Your life moves in the direction of what you believe or think. If you believe you deserve an abundant life, then abundance will be in your life. Your thoughts will be aligned with abundance and abundance will show up in your life because you move in the direction of what you think and believe to be true. If something happens that is contradictory to what you believe - your inclination will be to reject it. However, if the contradiction is compelling enough, you might entertain thinking about the relevance and validity of the conviction and as a result; you will reject or accept the contradiction based on your concluding thoughts. If you accept the contradiction, it will become a part of your new belief system and thereby change your thought process and alter the direction of your life. This is the act of creation.

Be careful of telling others your ideas, goals, and/or plans. Studies suggest that if you tell others about your uncompleted goals often you can get the same gratification, as if you had already completed the task which can actually cause you to lose momentum.

Lesson

The words that we speak are a by-product of our thoughts. If you listen to what others are saying; you will know what they are thinking. If you know what they are thinking, then you can predict what they may eventually do. Once you get the vision and/or formulate a plan focus on executing it. Don't allow people who are not aligned with your vision to intrude upon you. Believe that what you are focused on and working towards will happen.

Actions to Take

1. Write the vision for your life or make a list of everything you want to do or have in life. Be specific! Have fun!!

2. Notice what you say for one week. Are your words aligned with your vision? What kind of things are your friends and family saying? Is what you are saying aligned with what they are saying?

Pearlables

- Your words are by-products of your thoughts.

- Your thoughts plus your spoken words and directed action create your reality.

- You don't have time to convince the doubter.

18.  Perspective

Perspective is the visual capacity to interpret your possibilities in relation to your current position- your frame of reference is based on your current positioning. Your perspective depends on your vantage point; it determines what you see and what options you think are available to you.

The widow woman's house had not changed, her community had not changed. Her creditor had not changed but her perspective had changed. She saw herself and her situation differently; therefore she perceived that there was another option available to her. One thought lead her to make a decision which changed her circumstances, the course of her life and the lives of her sons. This demonstrates that you don't have to be dominated by external forces; the power within you is greater than the external power that is exerting force on you. The Bible scripture 1 John 4:4 states it like this, "... because greater is He that is within you, than he that is in the world." Therefore, any opposing external force that comes against you can't defeat you unless you allow it.

Rehearse your successes not your failures. Often a failure mentality and fear mindset acts as a filter distorting your perspective of what you can do and what you can have. You can have what you think and believe - it begins to happen/move/come to life when you speak/say it. You have to believe that you deserve to have what you say. The first chapter of Genesis is God's Blueprint for us. God thought, He believed, He spoke, and He saw! This is our pattern! We must do what the Father does and has done. Sometimes we don't receive what we desire, we think, and we say because we don't believe we deserve it. The three have to be in agreement.

So your disbelief stifles, distorts, and kills the thing that you think and say into being. Disbelief causes you to become misaligned with the creative power of God's Holy Spirit within you which can only say what he has heard God speak. Your disbelief causes you to doubt the Word of God concerning your life.

God's promises are yours. You have to trust God that you deserve His Promises, His Presence, His Protection, His Peace, and His Provisions.

Eve knew the Word of God and believed until a conflicting opposing voice contradicted and challenged the Voice of God's Word regarding her life. Her disobedience separated her from the best of what God had planned for her life. The Enemy will use others to dump on or challenge your ideas, dreams, and goals. So guard them and be careful who you share with.

We have all heard stories of individuals who have had tremendous success after extreme difficulties. These are the individuals who didn't allow the difficulties of life to destroy their desire, dream, or vision. They persevered despite the difficulties and achieved their victory!

Lesson

Perspective is about how you internally process information from your vantage point. It is your interpretation of what you are experiencing from your current position. Change your position and you may interpret the same information differently. This can be strategic when you are trying to evaluate all options.

Actions to Take

1. Temporarily, change your position regarding a situation you are dealing with. For example, instead of seeing the issue from your point of view; try to see it from the other person's point of view. What insight did you gain from the exercise?

2. Examine whether fear and/or disbelief is distorting your perception. If it is, then view your situation without the fear and disbelief. In other words, imagine your same situation without the fear and disbelief. What new options and possibilities can you imagine now? Begin to work from the standpoint of the new options and possibilities.

Pearlables

- Rehearse your successes not your failures.

- Your perspective depends on your vantage point.

- Don't allow the difficulties of life to destroy your desires and dreams.

19.  Co-creator and Change Agent

It was never God's intention to take away your authorization as a co-creator of your life. In Genesis chapter 1, God created the earth and everything in it. Read Genesis 1:26, you'll see that we are made in the image of our Creator. And we have dominion over animals and our environment. God made a special garden called Eden. He placed man, Adam, in Eden. In Genesis 2:15,it was Adam's responsibility to help design and cultivate the garden. In a real sense, Adam was in charge of Eden. God was giving man the chance to impact the environment in which he lived. In Genesis 2:19,God gave Adam the responsibility of naming each of the animals. Interestingly, God allowed man to name the animals whatever he wanted. Adam was allowed to use his intellectual creativity from the very beginning in shaping certain aspects of his life.

Back to the widow woman, you notice that Elisha didn't need to come into her home to bless the house or to place his hands in the oil or on the vessel that contained the oil. Elisha simply gave her instructions and she was given only part of the instructions but she was to obey, without deviation, the portion she was told. She was not given any more instructions until she had completed the first set of instructions.

Elisha was not constantly checking on her progress or micromanaging her. He didn't tell her how to ask for the vessels. He didn't tell her what section of her community to start; it was left up to her to start up the street from her house or three blocks over. He didn't say borrow 500 vessels- he only said "...not a few." Because she, herself set the limit. We will explore this further, later. Elisha didn't tell her to have her older son bring the empty vessel and the younger son stack the full vessels in the other room. And Elisha didn't even instruct her to return to him once all the vessels were full; she just used good old common sense—she used her ability to think.

My point is that she was able to make some decisions on her own within the set of instructions she was given. Just because the prophet gave her a 'word' her intellectual capacity to think, reason, or even create was not taken away from her or diminished in any fashion. She was in fact, empowered to be a co-creator in this life changing miracle.

At any point during your lifetime you can change your life by changing your thoughts which leads to a change in what you do. When we change our internal thought process there is a corresponding effect on our external environment that will be manifested at some future point in time. Your external world is a direct reflection of your internal world. If you don't like what you are seeing on the outside you should closely examine what is going on inside of you.

This is why the Bible uses the allegory of the seed so often. If you were to go outside and pick up an acorn you probably would not be thinking you are holding the potential of a great oak tree in your hands. But, in fact, the potential of a oak tree is inside the acorn. The oak tree that lies dormant in the acorn has to have the proper conditioning to manifest the mighty oak tree within. And to take the idea even further the acorn which contains the mighty oak tree contains the acorns of that mighty tree and that has the potential to manifest countless other mighty oaks. Likewise, your thoughts are like the seeds of your life! Your thoughts are like the acorn - they contain greatness, they are powerful. Given the right conditions your thoughts will produce the mighty oaks of your life.

If you begin to think of your thoughts as seeds that are being planted in the fertile soil of your mind that will eventually bear fruit in your life; would you be more careful about the type and quality of you thought?

Any new idea that you are trying to plant in your mind is fragile. Just as a seedling is fragile so are your new thought processes. You have to nourish your tender new ideas. You have to create an environment that's conducive to the growth and proper development of your idea. Your internal environment is your mental conditioning. Seeds need the proper soil or conditioning to grow.

The Genesis 1:2 states that the Holy Spirit of God brooded or hovered over the waters. To brood or hover is to persistently linger in thought about something (Dictionary.com); waiting for and/or creating the proper environment to manifest the thought. It requires work and diligence- you have to be vigilant over the thoughts that you want to take root. Likewise, any thoughts that you don't want you have to be just as diligent to uproot those bad thoughts.

What are you thinking? Thoughts produce mental pictures within your mind. What are you visualizing? Is the world within you dark and ugly? So it will be for you on the outside. If your thoughts and mental pictures are lovely and beautiful – calm and peaceful then your immediate environment will be the same for you externally. You get to decide how your world will be. It is up to you! You have control over your own thoughts.

See, God has given us the divine ability to co-create our world with Him. He set the model for us in Genesis 1 when the Word of God states in the beginning God created heaven and earth (external) and the Spirit of God (internal) moved upon the face of the waters.

Stop! God's internal self – Spirit- looked upon the external and He wanted to see something different than (what was there) what He saw (or didn't see) so...God said, "Let there be light." And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness. This is our pattern! God said and God saw!

Lesson

God has a plan for every aspect of your life; but he needs you to be a willing participant. He is not going to do everything for you. Although God will help you, He expects you to take a responsible active role in the development and creation of your life. So, God is not going to plan out every tiny detail of your life; He wants you to have some input. He has given you authority to create, change, and manage your life.

Actions to Take

1. Is there something in your physical environment that you have wanted to change? If yes, think about one small change that you can make right now that would move you closer to the larger or complete change you want to make. For example, if you want to remodel your home. What one wall can you paint or what one room can you change /rearrange right now?

2. If you have never tried visualization or visioning before; give it a try! Keep it simple and keep it short {5- 15 minutes)! Find a quiet spot.  Relax! Think about how you would like to see your life or what you would like to see in your life. Begin to see yourself in the desired setting or with the desired object. Mentally, incorporate as many of your senses as possible feeling, sound, taste etc. Make it as real of an experience as you can. For example, if you want to vacation at the beach with your family; imagine you and your family enjoying the warm sand and the beautiful blue water under your feet. Imagine the balmy salty breeze brushing across your face. Imagine everyone relaxing and enjoying themselves on the beach. See their smiles? Imagine the joy you feel from knowing that you and your family are having a wonderful and memorable time on the beach.

3. Repeat #2 at least 3 times a week. It gets easier with practice.

Pearlables

- Have good follow-up skills.

- Your thoughts are like the seeds of your life.

- Small changes can lead to bigger changes.

- God has given us the divine ability to co-create our world with Him.

20.  The Father of the Big 'L'

God is the Father of Lights-truth

Satan is the father of lies-darkness

Light expels darkness

Truth conquers lies

Light exposes truth

Darkness conceals lies

There is death in darkness

but Life is in the Light.

The Enemy wants you to be in the dark. He wants you to be clueless and helpless. But God wants you to be empowered and enlightened.

The widow woman was being bombarded. Her husband was dead, she was probably still in the grieving process because she recently buried her husband and she was on the verge of losing her sons. She was not out of one situation good before she was hit with something else. Have you ever experienced this? You are not out of one situation before something else happens. You feel as though you are fumbling in the darkness. You may be hurt and confused because you did not see that one coming but BLAM; you got hit where it hurt most!

We all have experienced moments in our lives where it seemed as though the breakthrough or promise would not come to pass. Whether it was a long awaited job promotion, a marriage proposal, the start of a new business / job or anything that you believed God for and it has not yet come into fruition. The enemy wants you to give up – he wants you to believe that you will never receive what you were promised or hoping for.

Lesson

You may experience moments in your life when you just don't understand why things are happening. You may not understand what to do. You may feel that you are in the dark regarding aspects of your own life. I believe that this is sometimes part of the human experience. However, you don't have to stay in the dark. Just like God spoke to the darkness in Genesis 1:3, we can speak to the darkness in our life. Ask God to bring enlightenment to you regarding what you are facing. Believe and He will!

Action to Take

1. Don't let confusion and uncertainties darken your life. Ask God to enlighten you! Ask Him to bring light into your situation.

2.Don't let yourself get overwhelmed or bombarded. When you begin to feel overwhelmed or bombarded, take a timeout and pray. Ask God for help. Share your concerns with God.

Pearlables

- Your thoughts are very powerful; they either work for you or against you.

- Focus more on your thoughts than things.

- Your external world is a direct reflection of your internal world.

21.  Limitations

Why did the oil stop flowing? What factor determined when the oil would stop flowing? The oil stopped flowing because there were no more vessels and all of the vessels were full. So, capacity is the factor that determined when the oil stopped flowing.

The parable in Matthew 25:14 - 30 deals with capacity. In this parable, before leaving for a long journey, a man gave each of his three servants' talents. Talents in this particular text refers to money; but it doesn't take much imagination to see how it could be a metaphor for literally one's talents such as in singing, drawing, writing etc. Besides, isn't it our talents or skills that we exchange for money?

The first servant received five talents, the second servant two, and the third servant one talent; according to their individual abilities. The first servant doubled his talents and the second servant did the same. These two servants increased their talents by investing, trading, and working. The third servant did not; instead he hid his only talent by burying it in the ground. The one thing he had of value, he foolishly and mistakenly buried it in the ground. If the talent was seed, I could understand the logic in his decision but it was money and he put all he had in the wrong place.

Now, after a long time the man returned from his journey and asked for a report from the three servants. The first servant reported that he was given five talents but he increased it to ten. The second servant gave a similar report; he was given two talents but now has four. The man praises the two servants for their increase, gave them greater responsibility, and invited them to share in his joyful celebration.

The third servant made excuses for why he didn't increase his talents. The master was furious with the servant. He didn't accept his excuses; instead he called him a wicked and lazy servant. He told the servant the very least he could have done was to put the money in the correct place, which was the bank to gain interest. He took away his one talent and gave it to the first servant who had ten talents. The master then proceeded to have the servant thrown out into darkness.

Interestingly, Matthew 25:29 reads:

For Those who have much will ·get [be given] more, and they will have ·much more than they need [an abundance]. But those who do not have much will have ·everything [even what they have] taken away from them.' EXB

God is not wasteful! If you don't use what you have been freely given you can lose it! God's mandate has always been to increase. Again, His command from the beginning was to be fruitful and multiple. So, it doesn't matter what quantity or ability you have been given, God's expectation is that you will increase and improve because He has given to everyone according to their capacity. No excuses will be acceptable because He knows your capabilities.

God used the one thing of value the widow woman had left in her house; a small jar of oil. From this one small jar of oil she was able to fill many vessels with oil; but first she had to increase her quantity of vessels and thus her capacity. The more vessels she had the greater her capacity for abundance and successful living. If we looked at the oil by total volume, the best scenario for her was to have many large vessels. The more oil she had the more she could sell.

Just like the servants in Matthew 25 she had to use what she was given to have increase in her life. I believe that the widow woman set the limit for her own capacity. I find it interesting that she asked for another vessel (or jar) and the reply was, "I can't. There aren't any left." I am sure after she filled a vessel each time she asked for another. The scripture doesn't tell us how many vessels she borrowed. But do you believe that she had capacity for even more than what she had borrowed?

What perceived imagined, or real limitations exist in your life? As you examine your limitations, I want you to examine if they are permanent - meaning ARE THEY REALLY LIMITATIONS? Can you do anything to remove or go around the limitation? We tend to think of limitations as obstacles - unmovable obstacles! Also, we tend to think of limitation as negative. Sometimes limitations can be simply your maximum capacity and that is not a bad thing- if you have maximized your potential.

Lessons

We all have been given, by our Creator, talents and abilities. It is our responsibility to use these talents and abilities properly. If we do, then surely we will have increase in our lives. Sometimes, we have limits in our lives because we have placed them there by not taking advantage of the opportunities that our talents would naturally create for us; if we utilized them.

Actions to Take

1. Are you limiting yourself? If so, how and what area(s) of your life?

2. List your talents (gifts, skills, accomplishments)? How are you utilizing them?

3. Using the areas identified in question #1, examine how you can use the talents (gifts, skills, accomplishments) in question #2 to break out of your areas of limitations.

Pearlable

- Don't waste or misplace your talent.

- God's mandate has always been to increase.

- Use what you got to get what you want.

22.  ASK Principle

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”(Luke 11:9-10, NIV)

The widow woman had to ask for the vessels; not once but over and over again, until she had acquired a large quantity of vessels. I see another principle at work with the borrowing of the vessels-- The A.S.K Principle.

This is a principle that is being taught by the, Master Teacher, Jesus in Luke 11. It is a principle based upon making your request, need, or desire known; and pursuing the request, need, or object of desire until you have it. Jesus teaches that you should not only be persistent but bold and shameless! You should not be afraid to break the rules of propriety or convention; as long as you do not sin.

It is your God-given right to ask boldly and shamelessly for what you need and want in life. But to just simply ask is not enough, you have to be persistent in your endeavor. You may be told that it is impossible, you may be rebuffed, or simply told no; but you must not be deterred. Jesus' promise is if you keep asking you will receive, if you keep seeking you will find, and if you keep knocking a door will be opened for you. It is a divine promise, given by Jesus, that can't be broken!

So often we forego the blessed promises that would be ours because we feel they are too difficult to pursue. The difficulties come to make us better, not bitter. Perhaps we fear the ridicule, embarrassment, disappointment, or negative labels. So we never ask or we asked but stopped. And if we never ask or stopped asking, we will never pursue thus never receive.

It takes courage to keep asking, to keep moving in the direction of what you are asking. Some people are opposed to asking for help when they really need it. For them the act of asking for help is too close to begging. And begging for them is disrespectful and shameful. They allow it to become a humiliating experience. It is likely that these same people are living below their privilege. They may be living a life of regret which can lead to bitterness.

Asking for help can make you vulnerable. It puts one at the mercy of others to some degree. But what is the intent behind the asking? Are you asking for a handout or a hand up? If it is a hand up then there should be no shame.

This scriptural principle that Jesus taught in Luke 11: 5-13 is worth reading for a fuller understanding but for the purpose of the A.S.K. Principle we will focus on Luke 11:7-13.

●     Ask

●     Seek

●     Knock

In this parable Jesus tells the story of how a man had a friend arrive, during a long journey, unexpectedly at midnight for a visit. The man had no bread for his friend so the man went to a neighbor to ask for some bread to give to his visitor. But the neighbor refused and told him to go away because it was late; he and his children were already in bed. However, this did not deter the man because he just kept knocking and calling out for his neighbor to open up and give him some bread. The neighbor finally got up out of his bed and gave the man what he requested; not because he was his neighbor but because of his sheer boldness and persistence.

You have to speak up! There is a saying, “Closed mouths don't get fed." This is something that I am still working on. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in grinning and bearing it. We don't want to burden anyone. We always want to be thought of as nice, thoughtful, and polite. We want to be independent. We don't want to be dependent on others for what we need and want. For me, to inconvenience someone else for something that I want or need is the last thing I want to do. To be the person pounding on my neighbor's door at midnight for any reason other than an absolute bona fide emergency---call the ambulance or police kind of emergency--is horrifying. I don't want to be rude. Unlike the man in the parable, if my neighbor had told me to go away because he was already in the bed; I would have simply gone away.  I would be hurt and upset because my neighbor would not assist me, but I would have gone away--empty handed! I would be concerned that if I continued to ask my neighbor after he had already said no, continuing to seek his assistance, continuing to knock on his door that my neighbor would get angry with me. I would fear the criticism from my neighbor for my actions. I would fear the potential rebuff and rejection of my neighbor. I know that I am not alone. Someone reading this book (perhaps you) would fear the same thing. I am not the only one who would have walked away empty handed!

However, in this parable, we see Jesus teaching us to not give up so easily on what we want. He is telling us to toughen up! To not be overly concerned about what people think or what they might say. To endure the discomfort, the embarrassment, to resist the fear, and to go after what we want! To be bold! His promise is, if we will only speak up, ask, seek, knock, and persist we will receive what we need. It may not always come when or even how we expect it. But it will come, if we don't faint.

Ultimately, our faith needs to be rooted in God. We should look to Him to fulfill our request. We should make our request known to Him (Philippians 4:6). Believe that God will direct your path. Take action!  Do something! He will reveal to you where to go, who to see, how to proceed or to simply to be still. You have to believe that you will understand what to do and when to do it. You have to be open and willing to receive His prompting. Be courageous!

Notice that the widow woman was open to receive! She didn't come to Elisha with a long list of requests. She didn't state how she wanted to be delivered from her problem. Oftentimes, we limit the Hand of God to work on our behalf because we are not open to the infinite ways in which He can work. Our own thinking is too finite to relegate the mind or hand of God! She came looking for a resolution and was open to receive the solution.

The widow woman was very courageous! She boldly went to Elisha. She was shameless as she explained her plight to Elisha. She sought help and got it! She did as she was instructed. The widow woman knocked on the doors and they were opened. She received many vessels. She didn't go away empty handed!

Lesson

You have to ask for what you need and/or want. But you have to do more than simply ask. You have to have a level of persistence in your asking. You have to take some action and seek what you want. You may have to knock on some doors. Although no one likes rejection, you can't give up just because someone rejects you. You have to try again! You certainly won't get anything if you give up! And you might be pleasantly surprised by what you get if you persist!

Actions to Take

1. What do you need but don't have because you are afraid to ask for it? It doesn't just have to be material things; perhaps it is respect, boundaries, feedback, or a promotion.

2. With question number 1 in mind, think about how you might ask for what need or want? First, pray about it. Ask God to help you. Ask for wisdom. Then take courage and ask for it.

Pearlable

- Be bold!

- Ask for what you want.  You might just get it.

- Ask again. You might get it this time.

- Courage is not the absence of fear but acting despite the fear.

23.  The Plan

You've heard the saying, “Fail to plan and you are planning to fail.” Well for the believer, God has an awesome plan for you! What do you do with the plan once it has been given to you? What you do with the plan is vitally important. Act promptly, act quickly!

The widow woman was under a covenant. The covenant is abundant with promises. This covenant outlined in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 states:

“If you listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God being careful to observe all his Commandments which I command you today that the Lord your God, will sit you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Bless you will be in the city

Bless you will be in the country

The fruit of your womb will be blessed --that's your children

The point of your ground, you're herd, your cattle, and the offspring of your flock

Your basket and your kneading bowl is blessed

You're blessed coming in and going out

Your enemies that come against you will be defeated before your face, they will come against you one way and flee before you seven ways, they will be disbursed, confused, and defeated

The Lord, himself, will command the blessing on you in your storehouse And all to which you set your hand to

God will bless all the works of your hands, your projects

The Lord will establish you as a holy people

The Lord will grant you plenty of good, and the fruit of your body, an increase of your livestock, it in the produce of your ground, in the Land promises which is the Lord swore to your fathers, mothers, grandma almost, and dictating to give to you.

You will lend and not borrow. He will make you the head and not the tail, you will be above only and not beneath, if you heed the commandment of the Lord your God.”

You need to know your promises! Learn this covenant. Meditate on it, rehearse it daily. And when the Enemy begins to tell you what you can't have and can't do, you declare to him what is already yours!

This woman's husband was dead and the enemy showed up to steal her promises. What has died in your life? What has the enemy come to steal in your life? Has your health died as a result of sickness and the devil has come to steal your promises for healing? Have your finances dried up and now lack is in your life? You have to know that God's promises are greater than your problems. God has already made provisions for your promises. You have to trust in the Lord, God with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding.

There may be negative situations that impact your life that would shift your thoughts on a negative trajectory. Your personal world may be spinning out of control but you have to exert an equal or greater force that would cause you to stay in proper alignment.

Lesson

The plan is fairly simply, it is to choose life! It is a life full of abundant living in Christ Jesus.

Actions to Take

1. Memorize Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Find this passage in a version of the Bible that you identify with most and learn the passage.

2. Once you learn the passage; recite it often. For example, I will recite certain verses of this passage as I am getting ready in the morning.

Pearlables

- Know what God has promised you.

- God has awesome promises for you!

- God has already made provisions for your promises.

24.  Transformed

The widow woman's life and the lives of her sons have been transformed. They have successfully transitioned from hopelessness to hopefulness. Imagine the joy each of them must have felt. They are in business for themselves. Instead of someone else profiting from their labor, they could channel valuable energy into their own enterprise.

The widow's sons brought the vessels to her and she kept pouring the oil until all the vessels were full.

Her son continued to bring her empty vessels and she kept pouring. This was a repetitive process. I am sure they had the perfect little assembly line going. Each individual had a task that was appropriate for them. The younger son probably brought her the lighter empty vessels, she poured the oil, and the older son set the oil filled vessels aside.

Process Filling Vessels:

Step 1:  Younger son Get an empty vessel

Step 2:  Younger son brings the empty vessel to Mom

Step 3:  Mom fills the empty vessel with oil

Step 4: Older son sets the filled vessels aside

Everyone had a job a responsibility in this life changing process.  Her sons were active participants. It is okay for children to have age appropriate duties within the family.  The duties should be within the child's mental, physical, and emotional capability. The assigned duties should not be too much of a burden where the child is robbed of free time or play time. Children are not servants, slaves, or free labor. They should help the family with the upkeep and care of the home and/or family business. It is good for children to learn responsibility. Often when they are very young they want to help. They get a real sense of pride and accomplishment when they help with a task. They seek the praise for a job well done.

As long as there was an empty vessel or a vessel that was not completely full, the oil continued to flow. The vessels had to have the capacity to hold the oil. How often do we pour our time, love, energy, and resources into people or projects that do not have the capacity to hold what we are pouring into it? It is a frustrating experience! You have to have the wisdom to determine which people or what projects are worthy of what you have to offer. Don't cast your pearls before swine was the warning Jesus gave in Matthew 7:6. We all have to give an account of what we have done while on this earth, so make it count.

Lesson

Real transformation is an internal process. It is a change that takes place first within and eventually exhibits itself externally. Personal transformation is a job that only you can do; no one else can do it for you.

Actions to Take

1. Examine if you are pouring your valuable resources into projects or relationships that you should not? If so, stop!

2. Do you want to start a business of your own? If yes, what are you doing to get started? What do you already have that you can use to start your business? Work on developing a business plan.

Pearlables

- Be hopeful not hopeless.

- Personal transformation is an internal job.

- Don't pour your time, love, energy, and resources into people or projects that do not have the capacity to hold what we are pouring into it.

25.  Abundance, No Lack

Everything that man needed to live successfully was in the Garden of Eden. There was no lack! Even when God noticed that there was no suitable mate for man God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man and from what was in man, one of his ribs, God pulled it out and used it to create woman. Interestingly, God decided to use what was already in the man to produce what was suitable for his sustained successful living - a woman- Eve, Adam's wife!

I want to examine the principle of 'within' - within God was the Earth, creation, and mankind. God called forth what was already with Him. Genesis 1:2 Amplified, states "...The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the water." Before God said anything; before He spoke creation into being, He hovered and brooded. I believe, He was thinking, imagining, and planning what His new creation, the Earth and the Universe, would be like. He saw or experienced it in Himself first and then called it forth.

Similarly, God has placed within each of us what we need for our own sustained successful living. However, we have to make a choice to use what he has already given us. We have to take some quiet time and take inventory of what is already available to us. There is more than enough available to each of us to meet every need in our lives. We must call forth what we need not simply with our words but also with our corresponding actions.

I can imagine the poor widow woman sitting in her dimly lit house thinking and thinking. I believe that she envisioned her life having a different outcome than the one that was looming before her. Although she couldn't see what was left in the house, she could see that she had a resource available to her.

Why should the children of God be sick, scared, disgusted, and busted? Do you think that God really wants you or any of His beloved children to live that way? Nothing about God the Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, indicates that He is stingy, uncaring, or selfish! He is a loving, caring, and generous God. He wants you and your children's children to live in abundant health, peace, and wealth! He really does! Remember that He placed the first man and woman in a very lush and plenteous garden. They had an abundance of everything they needed. Abundance was God's original plan for mankind and since He is a God that never changes, it is still His plan for mankind today.

When the widow began to pour the oil out, it flowed freely until all the vessels were filled. She was able to sell some of the oil and pay off all her debts; plus live off what remained.

Do you have enough financially to meet your needs? Where are you living, in the Land of 'Not Enough', 'Just Enough', or 'More Than Enough'? I truly believe that God's Divine plan for each of us is to live in the Land of More Than Enough! Our God is a God of Abundance! It is the nature of The Father to generously give to His children all things necessary to live the life He purposes for us.  Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, God consistently displays His generous nature. In Genesis, the Garden of Eden was lavish. The Garden of Eden was plenteous with various grasses, herbs, and fruit trees that were beautiful and good for food. It contained numerous cattle and land animals. The sky was abundant with feathered creatures. The waters were abundant with fish and life. There was a river with four branches in the Garden of Eden.  Also, there were gold and precious gems.

If you examine the nature of God you will discover that He is a generous God! We are first introduced to God in Genesis; this is the first glimpse we see of His abundant generous nature. Everything that He made was created with the ability to be fruitful; producing after its own kind. It is not happenstance, it is by design.  All of creation was designed with the purpose for increase in mind. To this point, God commands everything that he created to be fruitful and multiply.

Jesus came that we might have life and that more abundantly. It is God that gave His only begotten Son- a lovingly generous sacrifice. The sacrifice was so we might be redeemed back to the Father. Why the need for redemption? Because, in the Garden of Eden, when man sinned against God he fell from Grace.

Abundance occurs when there is a surplus of every good and perfect gift that comes from God above. God is the source and supply. In the Garden of Eden, man's labor was lightweight. God supplied abundantly everything that Adam and Eve needed. God's provisions are bountiful and not labor intensive. If you notice the most labor the widow woman had to exert was the borrowing of the vessels. After she had the vessels all she needed to do was simply fill the vessel with the oil and sell it to people who were already in the market for her product.

Lesson

You were created to have a life of increase. You are wired for increase by the Creator. You were never created for a life of lack. I hope you believe this because it is a truth of the Universe. The whole plan of salvation is that you would not just have life but a life of abundance. Nowhere in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation has it ever been God's ultimate plan for His people be in want for anything good!

Action to Take

1. What do you see yourself having?

2. What do you believe you deserve?

Pearlables

- You were designed for increase.

- You must see yourself with it before you can have it.

- Choose to use what he has already given you.

Conclusion - A Thought in the Mind of God!

God knew you before you were conceived in your mother's womb. Before your parents knew each other, even before your grandparents knew of each other; you were a beautiful thought in the Mind of God. He kept you in the safety of His own Mind.   He knew you intimately – He knew your ending from the beginning. You were a thought in the Mind of God and all of His thoughts towards you are peace and not evil to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

The same Mind of God, that created the Universe and the fullness thereof, created it with each of you in mind. God doesn't do anything happenstance. He is a God of purpose! Each of us was created for a specific purpose. So God created the earth and filled it with His goodness then He created male and female and blew His breath into them.

He blew-out or exhaled into man what was 'held-in' Him – giving man life. Thus, we became a living soul. God truly made us in His image.

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7, New King James Version)

You were a thought in the Mind of God, directed through His breath; manifested as a living soul in the image of your Creator- God! Therefore, you must entrust yourself to God. He loves you and cares for you. No matter what your status in life; God longs to meet your needs. You should look to Him to supply your needs. People may not always treat you well or regard you highly but God is constant in His esteem for you! Therefore, you should look to Him for what you need and Him alone. He is the Source! Allow Him to reveal the people and things that you need.

Your focus should be on God and pleasing Him. When your focus is on God, then everything else works out for your good.  His goodness flows to you. The wisdom that is required to maneuver the course of life will be supplied. Quietly await the guidance of God and He will not fail to instruct you. God is not like mankind.  God never fails! He is not selfish, looking out for His own self interest.  God is just and generous.  You must trust His timing! Allow Him to have control of your life.

By surrendering yourself to Him you will allow yourself to be saved. When you place yourself under His protection God is obligated by His own word to be responsible for your well being! God knows what He has placed in your house! It’s in the House!

Thank your for reading my book!

Michelle Word Hollis

Please check out my other books:

- It’s in the House: Workbook

- The Book of Pearlables

Website and Blog: www.MichelleWordHollis@gmail.com

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Table of Contents

About this Book

Introduction

1. Promises and Provisions

2. Problems

3. Blame Game

4. Divide and Conquer

6. Let it Go

7. Run Your Own Race

8. Fight

9. Desperate People

10. The Doorman

11. Think!

12. Quality Thoughts

13. Making Good Decisions

14. Empowered

15. Crossing the Threshold

16. Delays

17. Your Words, Belief, and Reality

18. Perspective

19. Co-creator and Change Agent

20. The Father of the Big 'L'

21. Limitations

22. ASK Principle

23. The Plan

24. Transformed

25. Abundance, No Lack

Conclusion - A Thought in the Mind of God!

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