5 Signs You May Be Limping Into Your Destiny- Week 6

Okay !!!! Back in the On-line Biblical Counseling Saddle and glad about it!!!!

Our TORCHBEARER for these past few weeks on this CLIMB/ Bible Study has been Jacob. We have been looking at some events in Jacob's life that could bring some encouragement to those of us who have had some questions about what we may be destined to do  (or not do!), about G-d's Timing, and /or  our purposes aligning with His Purpose for our lives , and how He may  very well change the way we walk with Him  forever. The Scriptural basis for this CLIMB has come from the Book of Genesis, Chapters 30 & 31.
 In Part 1 of this series we look at 5 hallmarks of change. We will save the last - the Life and Death experience for Pt. 2 of the series , which will broadcast on our Live Internet Christian Talk Show(www.blogtalkradio.com/ahigherplace) at a later date.  As you may know , our show is on hiatus , but we continue with this branch of Christian Ministry in order to Evangelize and encourage those who may need to know that the Wisdom of the Bible is pure and is to be sought and followed daily.

In Week # 1- So What's Keeping You?Narcissism- Are you  perceiving  how people look at you as being more important than your obedience to G-d's Directive? When G-d says go , do it! And, leave in love, not confusion (Gen 31:3-19)
    Week #2- Helping G-d Out- Frustration-This is an area of unbelief or a lack of faith. Do you think that G-d  is not All Powerful ? Be very careful to repent  if you discover this on your way to your G-d Ordained Destiny. This is a form of idolatry. Don't try to help G-d out. Realize this is an area where you will need to lean on His Stregnth, and not your own. (Gen 30:37-43)
     Week # 3 - G-d silences your influencers- Loneliness - He wants you to be fully accountable and not living in someone else's reality. When its time to make important decisions, embrace the loneliness- at least you have relief from your haters!!!!( Gen. 31:22-31)
     Week # 4-Crisis- when new threats arise , or old , unfinished issues cause some insecurity, how do you respond? Remember , whatever G-d has directed you to do , He has already provided a way for you to do it, and He knows past, present & future. You don't always need to be "pro-active".  the same g-d working in your life is at work in everyone else's  as well.( Gen 32:7)

     Week #5 - Life or Death Experience- This is where Pt 2 of this series will pick up , but if you like, you can read ahead and be ready when we resume.-(Gen 32-33).

I hope Pt 1 of  5 Signs you May Be Limping Into Your Destiny has been an enlightening study for you and that you have learned some very interesting lessons about walking into the Place that G-d has prepared for you. I  know I  certainly have: this CLIMB  has been a challenge and many Points of Light have been revealed to me as I prepared this study of some of the events in Jacob's Life.
On your way to your Destiny , G-d will reveal many stregnths and weaknesses to you about you. Some losses and even some gains may surprise you . As you begin realize that G-d  is never caught unaware,  don't be surprised at how He changes the way you walk with Him forever. You may strut into your destiny , or you may limp.
Please post your comments below  & let us know how this study has impacted your life. Looking to hear from you soon. Be encouraged!!!!!!!

5 signs you May be Limping Into Your Destiny - Week 5

I am apologizing for such a long time between posts. There is a health issue that has kept me out of commission for a bit , but we are back in the saddle now!!!! Stay tuned for our summary of "5 Signs You May Be Limping Into Your Destiny". Have you been reading  and applying this wisdom ? Have you been recognizing some of these issues in your own life that were showing up in Jacob's life??? I hope so!!!!! Share your comments with us . A. . . N. . D. . . . .  Stay tuned, there is more to come! Be Encouraged, Pastor Norma

5 Signs You May Be Limping Into Your Destiny - Week 4

Crisis is a clear hallmark that you may be limping into your destiny. One action closely associated with crisis is looking back over your life to see if anything , any old bills, unresolved arguments, remaining debts could possibly loom on your new , suddenly rosy horizon. Once you discover that one loose thread,  your effort  to weave it  into your destiny fabric can put you in a crisis. This is not to say that new threats will not appear, but often it is old stuff that rears its head  to throw you in a tizzy.
And in a tizzy , we go!!!! In our attempts to be "proactive", we often  overlook the fact that as G-d has changed us , so has He changed the situation or the people we are fearing to face!!!!! Time has passed and situations are just not the same as we remember them. We often forget that G-d is in the blessing business (if I may slide in a cliche here!) and the same G-d at work in your life has the Power to work in other lives as well. You do realize this ,don't you?
 In the case of new threats to our  security, we  need to let go and let G-d!!!! ( sorry , another cliche!) I know  that it does not seem that simple but the more we try to fight , the less we are allowing Him to fight for us. Believe me , His resources for battle fa r r r r r outweigh ours, and His Point of View sees  past, present, and future . We only see  in the immediate. Be obedient. Don't let a crisis , perceived or actual keep you from your destiny.

The crisis Jacob faced was meeting his deceived brother , Esau. Jacob knew he had cheated Esau and when ,in his obedience to what G-d told him to do , Jacob set out for home, he did so under a cloud of fear . Here was ( Jacob thought!!) and unresolved argument, an unpaid debt. In making his "proactive' decision to present Esau with a large gift of livestock and other riches  in order to appease Esau,( Gen. 32)  Jacob forgot that the same G-d he had been encountering throughout his life had also been at work in Esau's life. The only thing Esau required from Jacob was . .   the chance to hug his brother after all those years. ( Gen. 33:4) (but we are skipping ahead a bit!!!)
 Proactive??? Actually anticlimactic. And so are the crises that loom in your mind as a threat to your  arrival at your destiny. If G-d tells you to do it , belive me He has ALL the details worked out , including those we see as a crisis.

 Be a part of our on-line community!! Share your  experience or your questions and comments below.Click right where it reads "comments", because just thinking about how G-d has brought you through gives you a whole, new Praise!!!! Be Encouraged!!!!!! Pastor Norma

5 Signs You May Be Limping Into Your Destiny- Week 3

Okay, all the signs are pointing that you are just about there!!!! you can feel it!!! All right!!!!! the decision has been made , gonna do it, gotta  do it!!!!
"All right! All right!  I just gotta talk to somebody!! Let me just pray with some body . Am I sure this is what is right??? Let me call my . . . .
Wow, my mom has been in a meeting for the last 3 hours. My sister  is on a class trip with one of her kids. I can't even get my Pastor on the phone. Why is my best friend acting like suddenly he has no opinions about anything?  Where is everybody? I can't even find one of my haters. Here I am on the edge of a major decision in my life and there is no one to talk to . Why?????????????????"

I'll bet you have been here , haven't you? Right on the eve of a breakthrough and suddenly; SILENCE. No one to say anything good or anything bad.  Plenty of people up to now expressing their opinions and thoughts (whether you wanted them or not!) , about what you should or should not do , say , think, try , go , stay , lead , follow. Now , at the 11th hour- nada. And you never felt so lonely in all your life.

G-d has a way of silencing your influencers . While you' re on the way to your destiny , He wants the choice to be all yours. He wants to make sure you are counting the costs , and not living in someone else's reality. So ,very often, all those people who have been speaking into your life become unavailable to you because they have the power to influence your decision.

Jacob had loaded up his family and posessions and was on the road fleeing from Laban when Laban got the news. (  Gen. 31:22  ) Immediately , Laban  overtook Jacob in the mountains of Gilead. However, the night before , G-d had appeared to Laban in a dream and cautioned Laban to say nothing to Jacob, neither good nor bad. (Gen. 31:24)  Laban  asked Jacob why did he steal away, reminding Jacob that he, Laban had the power to kill Jacob (Gen.21:29)  Jacob replied (Gen31:31) that he thought Laban would take away his wives by force if Laban knew Jacob wanted to go.  Now ,that would certainly be a powerful influence to induce Jacob not to leave would n't it?  So powerful that it may have influenced Jacob right off the path to his destiny!!!!!!!
Share your experiences  here where you have found yourself very lonely , just when you thought you needed company the most. Post your experiences because your voice gives stregnth to someone else.

Please enjoy yourselves on this Fourth of July week-end. It is my prayer that  everyone will  have fun and stay safe. We live in a country where we are free to worship whenever and however we choose. Not all Christians have this freedom. G-d bless America!!! Be encouraged- Pastor Norma

5 Signs You May Be Limping Into Your Destiny- Week 2

A hall mark that you could be limping into your destiny is frustration. Either it seems so close , or it appears impossibly far away. So, what do we do? We try to help G-d out a bit, usually with disastrous results!

Laban & Jacob had already agreed the the spotted , striped & black lambs would be Jacob's wages from Laban, so, why would Jacob place striped , spotted branches where the sheep would see them? (Gen.31:41) Jacob was helping G-d out!!!! You see , it was commonly believed that  whatever sheep & goats saw at the time of breeding would influence the color of the young. Jacob was trying to rapidly increase his wealth: trying to speed up the Promised Blessingof G-d because he was frustrated and wanted to quickly get away from Laban and back to the place of his ancestors.Leaving Laban was SO close and yet seemed SO far away!!!

When you feel yourself becoming frustrated, do you behave as Jacob did ?Do you openly handle problems and ask G-d's help or do you avoid His Revealed Will and try to help G-d?

This happened to me just last week !I  prayed and asked G-d to make a way for me in a long standing frustrating situation. Suddenly,a sliver of an opening that I KNEW had to be a Move of G-d!!!!What did I do ? Instead of trusting G-d for His Promise, I planned to "dramatize " things a  bit!! Happily, I  caught myself and repented before I actually did resort to scheming and conniving .Happily , G-d  quickly forgave me and worked it out just as He had planned.

How many times have you seen this happen in your life or how have you been able to identify this behavior in another experience? Were there disastrous results or was there repentance and forgiveness? Please post your comments- Be encouraged, Pastor Norma

5 Signs you

So, What 's Keeping You?

We are still in Week #1 of our discussion . A question was : when G-d says its time to go , what should be your response.  In other words , how do you leave a situation : ministry , workplace, personal relationship, etc. that is no longer beneficial to your experience.

Gen 31: 3 - G-d said to Jacob " go back to your relatives in the land of your ancestors and I will bless You."
 Gen. 31: 4 - Jacob call his wives out to the fields for a family meeting and creates an attitude of dissention between the daughters and their father,Laban. " He treats us like foreigners and has even cheated us out of the bride price that should be ours" (Gen .31:14-16) Rachel even stole the household items from Laban , although Jacob did not know it. (Gen 31:19) . The family left secretly while Laban was away shearing his sheep.(Gen.31:19-20)  Later on the story line , Laban catches up with Jacob and questions Jacob as to why he left without allowing Laban to say goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren.

This is an example of how you do not want to leave : in anger or with a feeling of entitlement so bitterly strong that you or your group feels the need to steal or engage in some other sinful behavior: Lying , gossiping , creating dissention , belittling the purposes, or, waiting around for an opportunity to be vengeful. Before these things can kick in , Our Proactive Father will step in and direct  you. When He does , trust Him no matter how difficult or strange what He tells you to do may appear.

So, what is keeping you? When you know that G-d has told you to go and He will bless you- why are you still waiting around?

As a Counselor, I am always amazed at the reasons people express when I ask "why are you  still in this place or that  situation?" It always boils down to one thing- the way people believe that others see them is what governs their response: " this is MY HOUSE" or " No body is chasing me out of MY ministry, what would that look like if I just let that happen?"  " What will people think if I just let her disrespect me like that ?" This is a form of narcissism that leads us away from G-d 's Voice and into a wilderness . How can He bless you if He can not direct you?
When G-d tells you to go and He will bless you, and you know that it is His Voice you heard and not just your anger or your entitlement speaking,be mindful of how you leave . Don't slink away in secrecy- that gives more importance to what or who you are leaving than you are giving to G-d. Be upfront and celebratory about what you are doing. What would you rather see : people waving and blessing you as you go ,  or people celebrating because you are gone?

On your way to your destiny, realize that G-d has already charted your path . You will have to walk it.Just don't be surprised if He changes your walk.
Please , feel free to ask questions , add comments and share your destiny experiences here. Be Encouraged , Pastor Norma

Our BTR  CLIMB on June 12 focused on a portion of the life of Jacob, the 3rd Jewish and Christian Patriarch On his way to his destiny , Jacob had an all night wrestling match with G-d that caused him to walk with a limp for the rest of his life. Although Jacob has 11 sons, 2 wives , countless wealth, his destiny was not complete.He still had a LOT of living to do, but Jacob did not even know it!!! I'll bet he thought his sons and his wealth were all that was destined for him- until that night  on the banks of the Jabbok River when his name chaged from Jacob to Israel.This part of jacob's Story can be found in Genesis Chapters 31 & 32. For the next few days, lets look at Jacob's FOOTSTEPS and see how this Biblical Wisdom applies to us.
5 Signs That You May Be Limping Into Your Destiny
1. Gen. 31:11-13- G-d tells you its time
In Jacob's case , he wanted to establish his own household. Laban had been a difficult and deceptive father-in-law, even more treacherous than Jacob had been in the past.Treachery may not play a part in your reasons for starting out , but when G-d tells you to go and He will bless you , what should be your response? Do you realize that even though it may seem difficult or even impossible for you to do what He says, G-d has already charted your course because He knows what he has planned for you even when you don't? This is one of the most intriguing things about G-d Ordained Destiny: you may be increasing in power so much that you can not be contained in your present surroundings, and you've got to go!!! You may think you are the least , but because G-d has His Hand upon your life , you are actually on your way to becoming much more than you could ever expect .
Jacob surely could not have thought he had any win at all in Laban's house among Laban's  many sons , who probably laughed at the way Jacob had been exploited . . .
Does any of this ring a bell with you about your destiny? Can you share some experiences you may have had or are having about the path your are on? Could you be about to limp or even strut into your destiny?

Get Ready For Something New And Exciting!!!!!!!!!

Very shortly we will be launching our  monthly newsletter - The Climb. In addition to valuable health and finance updates, The CLIMB will be a great way for our audience to interact with our Live Internet Talk Show- A Higher Place. Subscribers to THE CLIMB will have advance and detailed notice of the show information, the chance to enter contests and win prizes, and of course by following this blog , our susbscribers will be able to participate in the show discussions by adding  their comments and getting answers to what questions they may have about  the guests , the TORCHBEARER , or the MOUNTAIN.
We beleive THE CLIMB is going to be a great addition to our already informative & challenging Biblical Counseling Ministry, and we are convinced you will think so , too. To subscribe , just leave an e-mail address  so that we can reach you. Be encouraged! Pastor Norma

Welcome To A Higher Place

Welcome to the blog for A HIGHER PLACE Live Internet Christian Talk Show. We are in our 3rd season of producing challenging, informative , and spiritually empowering segments.The Purpose of A HIGHER PLACE is to demonstrate the relevance of Biblical Wisdom to modern , everyday life. Our Show is a Biblical Counseling Initiative promoting encouragement, healing, and restoration by revealing that no matter the challenge you are facing, you are not the first to
encounter it and G-d has already provided the Way out. That is
Good News, isn't it?
This blog is a way that our listeners can connect with us even more. Here we will be able to post links to information about our guests, we can post data about our give-aways and incentives and detailed information about the subject of our show. Listed below is the contact information for the Live Broadcast as well as a brief outline for the format of A HIGHER PLACE.
Join us live at www.blogtalkradio/ahigherplace the 2nd Saturday of every month at 6PM. Guest call in # is 646-200-3696. You can leave comments here or on the BTR show page.

GLOSSARY

Each Segment is called a CLIMB-

TORCHBEARER- a Character from the Bible who faced a specific challenge

MOUNTAIN- the challenge the TORCHBEARER faced - FOOTSTEPS- where we can find the TORCHBEARER'S story, TORCHLIGHTS- Scriptures used to navigate the MOUNTAIN in your life - CAMPGROUND- where we apply the Biblical Knowledge to a modern situation- this is usually where a guest joins the broadcast - CAMPFIRE- an affirmation to keep you strong as you navigate your MOUNTAIN.

I am excited about this new expansion in our Counseling Initiative . I hope you are too and will visit us often - Be Encouraged!