Aspiring to Be Fall 2017

THIS WORD GRACE By: Christy Henderson

ATTRACTION TO DISTRACTION By: Ashley Chambers

DO NOT BE ANXIOUS

By: Dianna Auton

ASPIRING TO BE

magazine

ASPIRINGTOBEMAG.WORDPRESS.COM | FALL 2017 | ISSUE 7

TABLE OF

contents 02

03

06

Letter from the Editor

This Word Grace By : Christy Henderson

The Attraction to Distraction By: Ashley Chambers

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13

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Finding God's Direction By: Christy Henderson

Do Not Be Anxious By: Dianna Auton

Forgiveness By: Christy Henderson

WWW.ASPIRINGTOBEMAG.WORDPRESS.COM | FALL 2017 ISSUE 7

LETTER FROM

the editor Dear readers, Here we are yet again at the beginning of another Autumn season. This season is always my favorite. It's the beginning of the holiday season, the cooler temperatures after the heat of summer. It's also sweater weather, which I am beginning to enjoy. It's not quite cool enough to pull out those sweaters in the South. But we are seeing hints of the changing colors in the trees.

As we are coming into a new season this year some of you may be starting a new season of life. If you are, I hope you find this magazine a great resource and encouragement to you.

We would love to hear from you. Let us know how God is using our words to bless you. You can contact us by posting on our social media channels or you can email us at: aspiringtobemag@gmail.com .

We look forward to hearing from you.

WWW.ASPIRINGTOBEMAG.WORDPRESS.COM | FALL 2017 ISSUE 7

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CHRISTY HENDERSON

This Word Grace short cut, you can laugh now.

So I asked the interim pastor on one of my jobs what he thought the word grace meant. I told him that I found in some translations it was replaced with the word favor.

He said he would have to read the chapter to gain its full meaning and continued with a wonderful expression of love for the Father to explain how grace related to salvation.

As a general rule when I sit down to write the words just flow, but not this time.

Every time I started to write the Lord would say dig a little deeper into the word grace in Exodus 33. Over the course of the next few weeks the meaning of the word grace was revealed to me in ways I didn’t expect. He used my job, a song and of all places

google to let me know how important it was to get the full meaning.

Unfortunately, my study time was cut short as I started looking up the meaning of the word grace for this particular chapter. I was hoping for a

Again, the word grace was related to salvation when my family and I recently visited a church we had attended when my girls were small. I always loved the fact the word united is in the name of the church, Ridgeview United Church. It was like a family reunion getting caught up on all the changes in everyone’s lives. The service started with Pastor Danny Cox, looking over the congregation as he entered the sanctuary with that familiar look I used to see as he listened intently to the Holy Spirit. He immediately led the congregation into

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praise and worship with the song Amazing Grace. Over the course of my 58 years I have heard and sang this song a bazillion times, always linking it to salvation. I never thought anything more until the anointing of the Holy Spirit settled on the words of the third verse.

“Through many dangers toils and snares, We have already come.

T’was grace that brought us safe thus far, And grace will lead us home, And grace will lead us home.”

The anointing was so sweet and full of love. It was like in those few moments mountains could be moved with ease.

The Lord was saying to me, "you have gone through so many difficulties in your past, some had potential to harm you permanently, but you chose to believe in my grace to get you through."

Was it easy to choose His grace and not give up? No, but in the end the power in the love that grace produced won.

In my research for this article I read an excerpt titled "time to grow up" “The Israelites did not want to take responsibility for their own actions.

Moses sought God for them; he did their praying for them, and even tried to do their repenting when they got themselves into trouble (see Exodus

32:30-32). However, this eventually came to an end, and the Israelites had to become responsible.” (Joyce Meyer’s study bible “The Everyday Life Bible” Amplified Version). In doing this Moses spent a lot of time talking to the Lord creating a strong personal friendship.

Through this friendship Moses found grace in the sight of the Lord, Exodus 33:17 So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in my sight, and I know you by name.” (NKJV). It was more than a relationship it was a personal friendship.

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It was a bit unsettling to me to find the word grace replaced here with the word favor. It was like the writer was diminishing the word in some way.

Surprisingly, to my eyes, the meaning of the word grace in this chapter did mean favor. The Strong’s definition: chen khane, from H2603; graciousness, i.e. subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty):- favor, grace (- ious), pleasant, precious, (well-) favored. In other verses like Acts 15:11 “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they” (KJV) it means mercy relating to salvation. In the Strong’s G5485 A. of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues. Out of curiosity I typed the word grace into Google’s search engine.

This is what the world’s definition for the word grace is: noun:1. Simple elegance or refinement of movement.

Synonyms: elegance, poise, gracefulness, finesse. 2. (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. I was pleasantly surprised to see meaning number 2 in the scenario.

Christy Henderson is a wife and mother of two grown daughters living in South Carolina. Patiently awaiting grand-children.

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So, what came to mind when you thought of the word grace? How does it apply to you now after salvation has become a serious part of your life? To be honest I never gave the word much thought after my salvation experience.

It had meaning of course but never stood out in the crowd so to speak, until now. We should be more like Moses and have more than a starchy relationship with God that we plug into when we need something fixed, but have a strong friendship with Him. The same way we have strong loving relationships with our favorite family members and close friends. We show grace to our friends all the time in the form of favor and mercy because we choose to love them and hold them dear to our hearts. The main factor in developing a strong friendship is time. Weather it is in person or through our electronic devices due to the busyness of our lives or the miles that separate us.

Short version, Grace is favor and mercy that stems out of love, God’s love for us, which produces an avenue through Jesus Christ for salvation.

Happy chat time with a huge friend that loves you.

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ASHLEY CHAMBERS

The Attraction to Distraction "Those who are planted (positioned, situated) in the house of the Lord shall flourish (thrive, prosper, do well)" Psalm 92:13

Overwhelmed, confused, weighted all have been words that I had added to the frequently used word list. My children were constantly asking me “what’s wrong?’. Several times my husband had to have a discussion with me about my phone usage and that ultimately led me to being put on a phone timeout. I forgot names and common things that I should have not been forgetting. I finally got fed up with always feeling like I was walking around with a cloud around my head and constantly being exhausted. My confession had become “I can’t think”.

Even knowing how important our

Tina K Baker is the pastor of International House of Fire in Cleveland, Tennessee. words are, I had allowed myself to go there. After hearing the word “distraction” over and over in my spirit and in my conversations with others, it hit me. I AM DISTRACTED. Distractions had completely overtaken me in my natural and spiritual life. I had become neglectful in my duties and responsibilities.

When we get distracted, we pay a price along with everyone else around us!.

Our children, husband, and those we are supposed to serve are all affected. Have you ever noticed how distractions are

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attractive? They are things that aren’t bad but they can become sin when they get prioritized in the improper order.

They cause us to start looking to what pleases us and we begin to say yes to things we should say no to. I had become Martha instead of being a balance of her and Mary. My focus took me far away from where I needed to be (Luke 10:38-42). I was carried away by my own lack of attention and focus. I didn’t want to be walking in the wrong direction and missing my blessings or opportunities but I found myself being overtaken. I had been overtaken by worry, fear, and I had become anxious when certain circumstances arose.

Instead of calling on God, which had always been my first reaction, I found myself trying to figure everything out on my own. I wasn’t ever at peace or relaxed.

We aren’t called or meant to be distracted. We need to use our phones and apps as tools and not as lifelines.

They are addictions and anymore we cannot be places like a bathroom without hearing conversations or seeing selfiies being taken and posted! I think it is vitally important to retreat and pivot! Learn to say no more and put God back in His number one place. The world will keep us distracted from hearing the voice of the Lord, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and doing work that is needed. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that He is faithful and provides a way out. Romans 12:2 and 1

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"Learn to say no more and put God back in His number one place."

John 2:15 are reminders when we are enticed by the world. To remain focused on Christ Hebrews 12:2, Colossians 3:1-2, Proverbs 4:25 and Isaiah 45:22 are our reminders to eliminate the dangers of taking our eyes off Christ, Matthew 14:28-31.

I want to provide you with some scriptures to assist you in breaking free from the attraction to distraction.

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I encourage you to do as I have and apply the elimination process even saying no to the temptation to scroll Facebook, Pinterest, or any of the other social media outlets. Instead, replace those temptations with the things of importance, prioritize, and remain focused. 1 Peter 5:8, James 4:7, Mark 6:31, Ephesians 5:15-16, Mark 1:35, Matthew 6:19-21, Matthew 6:3133, Revelation 2:3-4, Joshua 1:8, Galatians 1:10, Ephesians 6:11, Proverbs 3:6, and 1 John 5:21.

Ashley Chambers is a wife and mother to 5. She is founder of Count It All Joy Ministry on Facebook.

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CHRISTY HENDERSON

Finding God's Direction

What do you do when you don’t have a clue what to do? You know if you take the wrong direction things will get worse and

people you love will get hurt.

If you take the right direction all is well in the world again.It is hard to discern what to do when everything in you wants it fixed or to just make it go away. As the Lord prompted me to write about direction I wondered is there something I’m missing. Could the trials

in my life been avoided or at least been easier? Is there more I could be doing now?

So what do you do when you don’t know what to do? Here is what I’ve learned and I hope it ministers to you as much as it has to me.

First and foremost is prayer.

Open the lines of communication between you and the Lord. Be serious in your prayers when you talk to him. I know we pray out of desperation the “oh help me God” prayers when we are stressed to the max and can’t hardly hear ourselves think.

But when you pray be confident and painfully honest, tell him you’ve done all you know to do and desperately need his help. If it seems like you are getting the silent treatment you’re not because Acts 10:14 says our prayers are a memorial to God, he doesn’t forget or ignore them.

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The answer comes when you are ready to hear Him. God is always willing and ready to hear us 1Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers." Remember to always pray and keep those lines of communication open to Him, He is eagerly waiting to hear and to help.

Secondly stay in peace, do not fear. This brief statement will help with all the decisions you will ever have to make in your whole life. God knows we need a sure fire way of knowing we are going in the right direction. He made it simple, stay in peace. Jesus said in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. NIV. Fear opens the door to confusion and chaos. This makes it impossible to choose the right direction in any scenario. This may seem impossible when your whole world is crashing to the ground, but it’s not. You have to make a conscious decision to do this because it doesn’t come natural.

I have trained myself to automatically revert to peace when I start feeling the panic in my emotions rising.

It is a choice I have to make. I don’t always make the right choice especially when it comes to my girls.But I have noticed people who live in fear take forever to resolve situations, if ever.

Comparing those people to the ones who stay in peace made me realize how much I needed that method to stay in

"At the end of the day make the choice to stay in peace and not to fear." peace. At the end of the day make the choice to stay in peace and not to fear. The difficulties of life will get resolved easier and faster.

Ok great pray, choose peace over fear, simple until we start thinking about all the “what ifs.”

What if I choose peace and down the road somewhere the “what ifs” jump in my car and I find myself out of the will of God. As far as I know there are only two ways to get out of his will. One, you know for fact God told you to do something and you say no because the “what ifs” hash-tag

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we do keep going when He says stop He is big enough to get us back on track and moving in the right direction. We can be confident in knowing God will guide us forever. Ps 48:14.

fear held you back. What if they don’t like me after I tell them what God told me to tell them?

Two, He told you not to do something and you do it anyway because your way seems better. Like going on a shopping spree on the tax free weekend when He said not to because He knows your car is going to break down next week. Be aware of the “what ifs” fear and know He can fix everything as long as you pray and stay in peace.

What do you do when you find yourself in a place where you are not sure if the direction you’ve taken is the right one? Just stop and think about where peace stopped and fear started. God will make a way for you to go back to that place and start from there. One way to check to make sure it’s the right way move forward a little bit and stop if you have peace keep going, if something seems a little off, stop. The best thing about all this is if

This next subject is one of the hardest ones for me to overcome, overanalyzing. It’s worse than the “what ifs.”

I recently heard a pastor say “Over analysis brings paralysis.” Boy was she right. I over-analyze things to the point that I have almost gone in a complete circle. That sounds funny now that I’m thinking about it. Ta-da! I have found myself. But seriously I sit and overanalyze everything or in other words over think things. Don’t get me wrong thinking things through until you have peace about it is a good thing. But I process every single scenario and get stuck there because everything has to be as perfect as it can possibly be. Overanalyzing is so ineffective and wastes so much time. It is another type of fear.

The fear of something being wrong with the choices made. I always wind up going back to the one I had peace about to begin with. Just remember when God gives you peace about something it’s already perfect.

If you notice every time you go through a battle people jump out of the woodwork anxious to give free advice adding stuff to the pile that is already overwhelming. Keep it simple. When you add people and stuff to Gods plan it becomes your plan not His and the direction becomes fuzzy at best..

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Stop. Return to the place you know things went south and listen. Too many, things and people crowd out God’s voice. Be like Mary in Luke 10:39 ,42 choose to sit at His feet and listen, for He will make your path straight. Isaiah 26:7 "The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight." NET

answers our prayers brings peace. Stay in that place of peace so you can hear God, it makes fear disappear.

When life gets crazy the first thing to do is pray.

Psalms 120:1 "I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer."

NLT After you pray move in the direction He tells you to go. Isaiah 48:17 … “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. NIV After you pray and receive your answer stay in that place of peace. Psalms 34:14 "Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." Knowing He

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DIANNA AUTON

Do Not Be Anxious "Anxiousness and worry are nothing more than a form of fear."

I’ve noticed lately that I have been fearful and anxious over things. Of course if you had known me personally and everything that I have gone through in the past few years you would probably say that it is understandable.

However, the Bible clearly states that we are not to be anxious for anything.

Philippians 4:6 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” .

Anxiousness and worry are nothing more than a form of fear. I remember

as a little girl when I would get scared at night my dad would pray with me and tell me to repeat 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” I remember I would have my eyes squeezed shut and mumbling this verse over and over and over. In recent days I have found myself repeating it over and over again and again. I have found myself praying with my girls and speaking it over their lives. I don’t want them to live in fear.

As I began to meditate on this verse

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the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

What does that say to me? It says that when I give God all my anxiousness and worry through prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving that he will give me that peace that passes all understanding. That peace that is there even when things are going wrong and the world seems like its falling apart.

That peace that tells me that I am being held in the Father’s arms and everything will be okay.

That is the peace we all long for. That unknowing peace that no matter what happens in this world God has us in his hands. the part about having a sound mind just really began to jump out at me. The Lord then dropped the verse into my spirit that talks about the peace of God surpasses all understanding.

If I wanted to have a sound mind, then I needed that peace. And wouldn’t you know that verse falls right after the verse that talks about being anxious for nothing. In fact lets read the two verses together the way they were written.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and

Philippians 4 is a great chapter to read.

Especially if you have anxious issues or things that make you worry because each verse works together to keep your mind at peace. As you continue to read after verse 7 and go in to verse 8 Paul specifically tells the Philippian church how to keep that peace by thinking on good things. By meditating on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report and praiseworthy.

When we think and focus on these things then we can keep that peace that we long for. We find we are no longer anxious and worried.

Now, I’m not saying we ignore reality.

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What is happening around us is real, but we focus on what God’s word says about the situation and meditate on that Word and you will find that fear, anxiety and worry have no place to dwell.

Here is an example: If you have a financial need, you do what you know to do and you meditate on the word of God that says “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:19) You don’t meditate on the problem as that just causes worry and fear.

I explained to my husband what the Lord showed me by saying it this way. In order to get verse 7 we must do verse 6. In order to keep verse 7 we must constantly do verse 8. It all works hand in hand.

So remember when you feel anxious read Phil 4:6-8 and then don’t stop by just reading it actually follow through and do it. You will find that you will get that peace.

Dianna Auton holds a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education and grew up in the home of a minister that taught her the importance of ministering where you are at. Her personal ministry is to encourage women of all walks of life to serve God. She lives with her husband of 18+ years, Andy, and daughters in East Tennessee, where she serves in her local church. You can connect with her on her personal blog, "A Little Bit of Everything" at: diannaauton.wordpress.com

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CHRISTY HENDERSON

Forgiveness with yet.

Ugh, why did I have to read this especially now when I’m still miffed at my hubby. God does use unexpected things and moments to get our attention. Now in this moment I have to deal with those issues and forgive.

The idea for this article came from a friend of mine. She has this quote about forgiveness pinned to the bulletin board in her office.

She doesn’t know who the author is so I couldn’t find out what inspired them to write it. “Forgiveness, Anyone can hold a grudge, but it takes a person with character to forgive. When you forgive, you release yourself from a painful burden. Forgiveness doesn’t mean what happened

was OK, and it doesn’t mean that person should still be welcome in your life. It just means you have made peace with the pain, and are ready to let it go.” As I stood there reading this quote, reality hit me in-between the eyes.

There are issues from the past two years I haven’t dealt

Now I have been challenged by this word forgiveness due to some negative actions of people I’m supposed to be able to trust. Just to let you know here at the beginning I haven’t totally got it mastered yet.

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Secret parts of me doesn’t want it to be mastered. If I do submit to this word forgiveness I have to give all this wrongful, hurtful, stupid stuff to the Lord and take my hands off. But then that’s the point isn’t it? So I can live in peace?

So how do you forgive and make it stick?

I’ve read articles that two of my favorite pastors wrote about forgiveness and both of them say it’s simple. I have to say I did laugh a tiny bit when I read this.

Reality is you need to apply forgiveness to your life so you can move forward. If you do not forgive it is a sin and sin makes moving forward in life impossible.

Simple yes, easy no. But necessary so it will stick and be replaced with peace.

First of all, admit there is a problem like I did standing in front of that bulletin board. Let me warn you now this can be painful. All the memories of the pain, anger, resentment will come flooding back so you have to be determined to do it.

Once you’ve admitted a problem exists, say out loud “I choose to forgive Tom and Harry through Christ which strengthens me. Amen." Give this pain to God, just release it to Him. When the wrongs in your life are so painful everything in you will scream I can’t do this, but you can. Philippians 4:13 says I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me[to fulfill His purposeI am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who

infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]" AMP It’s a hard choice to do this but VERY necessary. You have to get rid of all the bad stuff and replace it with good to be able to move forward. Ephesians 4:31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” In a nutshell forgiveness is releasing the pain to Him so you will have the ability to move forward and live a life in peace. Like the quote says you don’t have to let that person back into your life you just have to forgive them.

Then Satan comes up with this battle strategy to still your peace and make you think you went through all this forgiveness stuff for nothing. His strategy is bringing to mind the bad stuff that caused you pain. For example, out of nowhere while driving to work Satan says "remember Tom

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and Harry, they worked together to reek all kind of havoc to discredit your good name, and got a raise while doing it." Stop. Take a breath, don’t let any accusations from Satan rattle you. Say out loud “NO” and remind him of Matthew 18:21-22 “Then Peter came to him and asked, “‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?

Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times, ‘Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” Then continue to pray "in the name of Jesus, I have already forgiven Tom, Dale and Harry for all the bad stuff they did and I will forgive them now for anything they may do in the future. I choose to continue to keep them on the forgiveness page of my heart. And I thank you Lord for giving me the ability to do this like Philippians 4:13 says, I can do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens and empowers me to do so.

Now Satan I replace you with the Holy Spirit and give him the permission to do a good work in all three of us. Amen!"

Then here is where I would continue on praying in the spirit and sing whatever song the Lord brings to mind. If you have this gift I encourage you to use it often especially when Satan tries to steal your peace about painful situations. I assure you as time passes and you practice what Gods Word says Satan becomes weaker as you become stronger. If you entertain the thoughts he plants into your mind his battle strategy worked and you are dealing with old pain that has already been covered. So quickly say “No” remind him of the power that

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God’s word gives you and continue to pray and sing.

When my favorite pastors said it was simple they were right. Say “No”, forgive quickly, and don’t hold a grudge when Satan tries to put ugly thoughts in your mind. This produces a place of peace. When you do this God will give you robes of forgiveness. Zechariah 3:4" …He said to Joshua, “See, I have caused your wickedness to be taken away from you, and I will clothe and beautify you with rich robes [of forgiveness].” The wickedness in our case is unforgiveness. So more forgiveness, less Satan, peace for us, I like the sound of that how about you?

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