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| ISBN-13: | 9781490768892 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Trafford Publishing |
| Publication date: | 01/30/2016 |
| Pages: | 58 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.12(d) |
Read an Excerpt
Can Do Power
Embracing the Blessings of Philippians 4:13
By Raushanah N. Butler
Trafford Publishing
Copyright © 2016 Raushanah N. ButlerAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-6889-2
CHAPTER 1
What Is Your Superpower?
"Don't be afraid of your own power." By Debby Ryan
Growing up I was always fascinated by superheroes. Whenever Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman came on, I was glued to the television. Although I knew in the back of mind that all of what I saw was fictional, there was something in me that always wondered what it would be like to be a superhero or to possess superhero powers. Come on! I can't be the only person that has ever wanted to be invisible, or was able to teleport myself from one place to another (even if it was just going from the bedroom to the bathroom), or even being able to fly. There was something about being able to do something someone else couldn't do that was attractive to me. Especially since these superheroes were also regular people. Even as a child, I never understood it, but now as an adult I've come to understand that each one of us possess a superpower of sorts. No matter how many people can sing, I'm quite sure that there will never be another Whitney Houston or Luciano Pavarotti. No matter how many people can paint, I'm sure there will never be another Pablo Picasso or Georgia O'Keefe. No matter how many people can entertain, I'm sure there will never be another Elvis Pressley or Michael Jackson. And for you, no matter what, there will never be another you. So what if there is another person that makes potato salad, if you know you make the best potato salad, own that. To put it plainly there will never be another person that cooks like you do, laughs like you do, dances like you do, motivate people like you do, or write like you do (yep, I'm preaching to myself).
All too often we get caught up in comparing our gifts with the gifts of another, failing to realize that because we are different it automatically makes our gifts different. God was so intentional about making each and every one us unique that no matter what we did, nobody could do it like us ... whatever "it" is. So ponder this, what is your superpower? What are you created for, anointed for, appointed for, purposed for and gifted with to serve the world? What do you do so well, that you can do it with your eyes closed? 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 reminds us of this very thing:
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of serve, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
One Sunday evening while eating gelato, my then 11-year-old daughter told me that she didn't think that people knew the difference between talents and gifts. She went on to say that talents are what you do, but gifts are what you are to do; that what God is calling you to do is in the spiritual and not the physical. I was blown away by her wisdom at such a young age, but even more blown away at the revelation. When we truly think about it, our gifts are given to us to serve the world not ourselves. 1 Peter 4:10 reminds us of this very thing: "Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms". So, once again, what is your superpower? And are you using it to serve the world? We all know that Jesus is the original superhero, but know that there is someone somewhere that has a need for what you have to offer.
POWER PRINCIPLE: You have a superpower, so use it!
POWER PLAY:
† Pay attention to the things that you do well naturally.
† Use a spiritual gifts assessment tool to discover what your spiritual gift(s) is/are.
† Evaluate your life and determine if you are currently serving in your gift area.
1) If not, what changes will you make and how will you make them?
2) If so, what can you do to continue to hone in your gifts?
† Once you've discovered your gift(s), it's time to move forward and put it/them to use; whether at home, in church, at work or in school. Use your gifts to serve them to the world.
POWER PLAYBOOK:
† Romans 12:3-8 † Proverbs 20:5
† 1 Peter 4:10-11 † Jeremiah 1:5
† 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 † 1Timothy 4:14
† Proverbs 18:16 † 2 Timothy 1:6-7
POWER PRAYER:Most Wonderful and Wise God, I ask that You open my eyes, my ears and my heart so that it will be inexplicably known what I was created for, anointed for, appointed for, purposed for and gifted with. Your Word tells me in Psalm 139:13 that you created my inmost being and knitted me together in my mother's womb. You know everything about me and it is my prayer that I walk boldly in acceptance of what You created. Stir up the gifts within me Lord, that I may be used for the building up and edification of Your kingdom here on earth. I thank You for creating me to be a blessing to the world and I ask that you keep form any and every plot, plan, trick, trap, scheme or setup that they enemy has attempted to bring up against me to keep me from my purpose. It is so, in Jesus name ... AMEN
CHAPTER 2I: It's All about You
"To be yourself in a world that is trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment". By Ralph Waldo Emerson
"There is no me, without you", "I need you to be complete", "Teamwork makes the dream work" and other clichéd quotes has been society's way of broadcasting togetherness and brotherhood/sisterhood. The desire to be needed, appreciated or accepted in some way, shape or form has formed gray areas in our lives when it comes to individuality, uniqueness and authenticity. It is an innate desire to be supported, encouraged and loved by others outside of self and immediate family. And don't be introverted ... GEEZ! Truth is, when we accept who we are in God and start using the gifts He has given us, some of that "other" stuff won't even matter. Easier said than done right? Trust me, I get it. It wasn't until I was at a women's conference a few years back that it became a truth for me. Women were inspired, empowered and encouraged to embrace their gifts and talents and I was sitting there boo hoo crying like a baby. Not only was I in a funk, felt beat down and was totally discouraged; I suddenly felt like I didn't belong there. Here all of these beautiful women of different races, ages and backgrounds are pumping their imaginary fists in the air excited about the gift s they possess and ready to run with them. They held their heads high and had an air of confidence around them ready to take on the world. And silly me? I kept asking myself "Why am I here?"
It was hard for me to come to the full understanding that I too had something that the world needed (and wanted). More often than not, I was told that I wasn't good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough to amount to anything; and all of that kept replaying in my head at that very moment. Then this small woman came over to me and spoke something so incredibly powerful to me that it changed my life forever. Without missing a beat, she quietly said "You alone are enough because God is more than enough". It wasn't long before I went from crying over feeling sorry for myself, to lying snot-nosed on the floor and balling my eyes out over the fact that I doubted God. There's something I heard a long time ago that says that people don't have a Heaven or a Hell to put you in. And as it stood, I was in a private hell at the words of others, yet at the weaknesses of myself.
This is just a reminder that it is quite alright to be selfish at times when it comes to who are and Whose you are. I knew exactly what my gifts were and still felt beat down because I looked to others to validate me. If ever you felt like me, please understand that you are not a parking ticket; you don't need anyone to validate you. God put His stamp of approval on you the moment you came out of your mother's womb. You may have a quirky sense of style, a peculiar way of dancing, or always considered the "oddball" no matter who you're around ... be you. Or you may snort when you laugh, have a silly sense of humor, or like sugar instead of salt in your grits ... be you. You may even color outside the lines, have a unique way to decorate, or it might just be that you like to make loops at the end of your R's when writing your signature ... be you. All in all, those things make you who you are. As frustrating and disheartening it may be at times, we must remember that it is the enemy's job to steal, kill and destroy; to steal your ambition, to kill your confidence and destroy your dreams so that you will forfeit everything that God has created you to do and be. In the end, don't spend your life being someone else so much that when the real you shows up, nobody recognizes him/her ... not even you!
POWER PRINCIPLE: God made me fearfully and wonderfully, so it IS all good!
POWER PLAY:
† Who/What has you insecure?
1) Is it a spouse constantly telling you that you're doing something wrong?
2) A family member always bringing up your past?
3) A boss/coworker attempting to make you feel incompetent at your job?
† How do you combat your insecurities? Is it healthy or toxic?
† When you look in the mirror, what do you see? List them here:
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
† When you look in the mirror, what do you WANT to see? List them here:
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
POWER PLAYBOOK:
† 1 Samuel 16:7 † 1 Timothy 4:4
† Psalm 139:14-16 † 2 Timothy 1:5-14
† Romans 12:2 † Genesis 1:27
† Ephesians 2:10 † 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
POWER PRAYER:Hear the cries of your servant Lord that I may be heard. I've lived a life of hurt and shame due to me seeking validation and acceptance from others. I know your Word reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, so Lord help me to walk in that truth not just today, but every day. Put people in my life that are going to pray for me and with me, love on me, support me and encourage me when I find it hard to do those things for myself. Remind me that You are more than enough, and because of this, so am I. I thank You and praise You through it all. In Jesus name I pray ... AMEN!
CHAPTER 3CAN: Ordinarily Extraordinary
"If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right" attributed to Henry Ford and Mary Kay Ash
In most cases what we perceive our abilities to be is mind over matter; for we may need reminding that God created us to be ordinarily extraordinary. Dean Stanley sums it up by saying "The true call of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way." There are several Biblical examples that can be used to demonstrate this concept. But there is a woman that I'm sure we can all identify with, the Samaritan Woman (or more closely identified as "The Woman at the Well"), that I believe can assist us in becoming "Ordinarily Extraordinary".
Let us take a glance at her story in John, Chapter 4. In verse 7, Jesus opens up the wave of communication by asking her to draw him a drink from the well. The Samaritan woman's rebuttal came quick, but filled with truth. Because in that time, Jews did not associate with Samaritans in any way, shape or form. So her response was natural and more than likely a learned behavior. Let me stop right there. How many times do we respond to Jesus like this because of the behaviors we have learned in our childhood, though it has nothing to do with our salvation today? We're quick at professing the faith by which we have received Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, but at the same time responding based on an engrained part of us that apparently has not disappeared yet. Spiritual growth will not happen overnight, but let us be mindful in how we respond to Jesus.
(Okay, now back to the Samaritan woman at the well with Jesus.) After the initial rebuttal, Jesus in turn gives her a glimpse into who he really is by offering her living water. The Samaritan woman missed what was being offered altogether because she answered in the natural. It is my belief that because of her sins, her mistakes and her problems; she was not open to receive what he was offering to her at that moment. Her vision was blurry and her ears were stopped up. Let us think on this a moment. Think back to the time before you found Christ and how your mindset was. You knew that there was more that you should be doing with your life and still steadily caught up in sin. Not necessarily because the sin felt good, but that's all you knew and was comfortable in that. It is human nature to reject anything that threatens our comfort zone. So as quoted by David Cottrell, "Our comfort zones can be our greatest enemy to our potential".
Jesus didn't let up though; in verse 13 he ensures the woman that if she takes what he has to offer, it can quench her spiritual, emotional, mental and physical thirst. And for the third time, she answered him in the natural. It can be argued that the woman knew who he was and decided to pick his brain to see how he would respond to her. It can be argued that the woman wanted to run him off my displaying ignorance. It can also be argued that the woman was ashamed and was trying to keep Jesus at bay. Whatever her reasons, in many ways she represents most of us before we came to Christ.
At this point, Jesus decided to turn the tables and prove that she has no choice but to believe. When her business was put out there and she then finally discovered that the Son of Man was in her presence, she dropped everything to go tell the people in the town. We can imagine the powerful testimony that she must have told; with much passion, much conviction and much humility because there stood the Son of Man who personally ministered to her.
Many of us tend to become fixated on our imperfections instead of allowing God to use us how we are. The next time we feel like God can't use us, just remember: Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah was told she was ugly, Joseph was abused, Gideon was afraid, Samson was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David was an adulterer and a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, John the Baptist looked like a wild man, Peter denied Christ, the Disciples fell asleep while praying, Martha worried about everything, Mary Magdalene was demon possessed, the Samaritan woman was divorced ... more than once, Zacchaeus was too small, Paul was a persecutor of Christians, Timothy had an ulcer ... and Lazarus WAS dead!!!
POWER PRINCIPLE: God can use my ordinary self to do extraordinary things!
POWER PLAY:
† List at least 5 strengths you have:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
† List at least 5 weaknesses that you have:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
† What are some things from your past that you are still ashamed of?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
POWER PLAYBOOK:
† Romans 3:23
† Romans 10:9
† Romans 12:2
† Proverbs 3:5
† Story of Joseph – Genesis 37-47
POWER PRAYER:Most Wonderful and Wise God, I thank You for showing me that just like the woman at the well, You can use me for a mighty work. Thank You for showing me that just like the powerful testimony that she went to tell the townspeople, You have also given me a testimony that I should not be ashamed of. I thank You for my strengths, but it is my weaknesses that You desire to use to bring people into Your kingdom. I release my past and my weaknesses to You right now in the name of Jesus, and ask that You remove any guilt from me that will hinder me for doing the work in which You have created me for. I love You Lord and I magnify Your name with the fruit of my lips. And it is in the precious name of Jesus I pray ... AMEN.
CHAPTER 4DO: Fighting the Enemy of the 'Inner Me'
"Who needs enemies when you have yourself? by Anonymous"
Let me share a personal testimony. Beautiful. Pretty. Cute. Gorgeous. Nice looking. Attractive. These were words that were never used to describe me. Instead, I heard words such as Tar Baby. Blowfish. Smokey. Lil Black Sambo. Gremlin. Ugly Duckling and so on and so forth. I was always told that my skin was too dark, I was too fat, my hair wasn't nice enough, I was too ugly and I was downright unattractive overall. The only time I heard that I was beautiful growing up was when it rolled off the lips of molesters. You don't see me in many pictures related to my past and every time I spoke to someone from my past, after the initial "How are you doing?" the question was either "What size are you now?" or "How are you wearing your hair these days?" It seemed as if my physical appearance was more important to them than my well-being. I thought that when I began dating, that I was found to be attractive. That quickly became only a fantasy when the general consensus was "You're fine, but you're ugly". Even not that long ago, guys that I've dated would never compliment me, but were quick to laud over women that they had no physical, mental or emotional tie to; instead everyone else in their eyes were beautiful, pretty, super cute, gorgeous or even sexy. I often cried myself to sleep at night wondering "WHAT ABOUT ME?!?!?!" I was never affirmed, poured into or validated as a little girl. So when I became a woman, everything shifted and I looked for love in all the wrong places because of it. This journey left me distanced from friends, drained mentally, emotionally conflicted and spiritually dead. I was incapable of loving anyone else, because truth be told, I hated myself. The day that it shifted for me was when I began to reflect on some of these negative words that I heard so often as I was journaling after my wedding was called off and eventually the relationship dissipated. I sat and cried softly and asked God why. A striking calm came over me and I distinctly heard God whisper in my ear, "My daughter you are created in my image, and those that know me see your beauty far beyond the artistic achievement I produced specifically before you were born in your mother's womb". WOW GOD!!! I believed the lie for so long that it ultimately became my reality, and the enemy that I was wrestling with was inside of me. I was so consumed with the constant negativity that was spoken over me and poured into me that I believed that is all that I was. Proverbs 23:7 reminds us that "for as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (NKJV). The sad part about it was that I wasn't the only person that thought this. Those that spoke over me believed the lie too because they didn't understand God's word that told me that I was fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). They didn't understand that when God created me, He said it was good (Genesis 1:26-31). They didn't understand that when God created me, He said that I was already formed in my mother's womb and that He knew me and sanctified me (Jeremiah 1:5). God took His time with me, down to the dimple on my right cheek. So many family, friends, loved ones and enemies cultivated that seed of low self-esteem that was planted so many years ago. I honestly thought that the skin I was in was a sin and that I was cursed to live a life of isolation because I wasn't attractive enough to be accepted on any level ... friends, family or foe. NO LONGER!!! I am no longer bound by the insecurities of others and because I know God's Word, I know a lie when I hear one. And so it is for you as well, it really boils down to fully and wholeheartedly accepting God's love and in doing so, accepting that we are His masterpieces. No matter whether or not the world says no, if God says yes then you can DO it! I don't know what the "it" is, but we must first silence the enemy within before we can fully conquer the enemy on the outside. We can't do all that we were created to do if we only stand on the words of our naysayers. We can't do all that we desire to do if we consistently talk ourselves out of doing it because of what others might think. Let us not believe the lie of the enemy for so long that it is hard to accept that God has given us any of the gifts that we preach about to everyone else. Either way, it is my prayer that we silence the negative thoughts that have crept into our minds and take on the infamous slogan for Nike and "Just do it!"
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Can Do Power by Raushanah N. Butler. Copyright © 2016 Raushanah N. Butler. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction, ix,Chapter 1 What Is Your Superpower?, 1,
Chapter 2 I: It's All about You, 6,
Chapter 3 CAN: Ordinarily Extraordinary, 11,
Chapter 4 DO: Fighting the Enemy of the 'Inner Me', 17,
Chapter 5 ALL THIS: This AND That, 22,
Chapter 6 THROUGH HIM: I Got the Power, 27,
Chapter 7 WHO GIVES ME: It's Still Personal?, 32,
Chapter 8 STRENGTH: I Can't Be a Superhero ... All the Time, 36,
Chapter 9 PERIOD: It Is Finished, 41,