You Must Come Out...In Order to Go In

The Bible is the only book written that can fit into any generation – it never gets outdated.  Well God said that He changes not and Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever more.  So regardless of what situation you face, you will always be able to go into the word and find your solution.

With that being said, God has painted the picture for us in so many people’s lives the truth that in order to go into a new place in your life or business, you must be willing to come out of where you presently are.  Doors either (1) bring you into something, (2) give you access out or (3) transition you from one room to the next. 

From Moses to David to Paul to Joseph, to Abraham to the children of Israel, to Peter to Jesus, they all had to come out of something, in order to go into the next stage of their life.  For the sake of this blog, I’m going to talk about David.

David was the youngest of his brothers, a shepherd boy, and a worshipper.  He spent most of his time alone with the sheep and talking to God.  When God was ready to elevate his life, He sent a prophet named Samuel to anoint him.  Shortly afterwards, King Saul needed something that David could supply and that was his anointing to worship.  This began the process of David’s multiple transitions into God’s ultimate purpose.  David went thru a series of changes and challenges, but God was with him and ultimately it was David’s training ground for His assignment.  God transformed David from being a shepherd boy into a mighty skilled warrior that led Israel into many victories.

Today, so many people sense and know that there is ministry or something greater than what they are doing in them but do not allow God to transition them into the different training grounds needed for them to fulfill their ultimate assignment.  So we have people doing ministry in their church or maybe something on the side, without ever reaching their full potential and without making maximum impact.  We also have many people who are frustrated, confused and disgruntled about where they are physically, emotionally and/or spiritually.

When David came to Saul to meet a need, it was a door that God provided.  When David killed Goliath, it was a door that God provided.  When Saul asked David to be captain over his army, it was a door that God provided.  When Saul turned on David and forced him to run, it was still a door that God provided.  God provide the door, but it was still up to David to go through the door.  Remember, doors either bring you into something, gives you access out or transition you from one room to the next.  Every door was not favorable to David’s flesh, but it brought about favor and increase to David’s life.

You will never come into the next season of training, if you are not willing to come out of where you presently are.  We are too settled and comfortable where we are and that is hindering our mobility in life.  God is giving us doors of opportunity that we are not walking through, because it requires you to leave something and that is where the fear comes in.

You may have to come out of a physical location to get to the next level training that God has for.  You may have to come out of an old way of thinking in your soul to get to the next level that God is trying to take you.  You may have to let go of the emotional baggage you have been holding onto for year to get to the next place that God is taking you into.  You will never operate beyond the information and knowledge that you are being taught and trained. 

David was a worshipper, but it was in the different stages in his life that God was making him a warrior.  David left what was comfortable and familiar to go into the unfamiliar and uncomfortable with God and it was those seasons that made him still a talked about name in our generation.

What are you afraid to let go of?  In order for you to be, do and have all that God has called you to be, do and have – you must be willing to go through the door of opportunity and leave where you presently are.  God and all that you have been praying for is on the other side of your obedience.  Just like God sent the prophet Samuel to David to shift his life, God will send someone into your life to shift you. 

I know that God has released me as a prophet in this generation to shift people’s lives and bring them into the fullness of what God has for them.  Go to: www.karenpresley.org and view the many resources and ways that I can assist you in your journey.

Next episode on Blog Talk Radio - Friday, March 15, 2013 at 8:30 am... Listen live or listen to the recording at your leisure www.blogtalkradio.com/karenpresleymin or call in live ?

Preparing a Winning Mindset in 2013

As we approach a brand new year, I first extend Happy New Year greetings to you.

Many times when we go into a New Year, some people can have mixed emotions about what the New Year will bring.  Depending on how the last year ended, sometimes determines how a person goes into a New Year.  I want to encourage you on developing a “winning mindset” for 2013, no matter what happened in 2012.

Our mind is like the steering wheel of the car; in the sense that it controls the direction of where we are going.  If your mind turns you to the left, then your body and emotions will follow suit, just like the steering wheel in a car.  In order to prepare you mindset to “win” and “overcome,” you must have an understanding about the subconscious part of you.

The subconscious mind is where your memory is housed.  It controls approximately 86% of your behavior and how you react and respond to life.  It is like being on auto pilot in an airplane.  Let me give you an example:  you can drive to and from work every day while putting on make-up, talking on the phone, eating, listening to the radio, etc.  You can get home automatically because you know where you live, so you do not have to think to get there.

However, if you were to go somewhere for the first time; you would get off the phone, turn off the radio and pay close attention to the directions because you are going somewhere you have never been before.  Well that is what you will have to do in order to prepare for a “winning mindset” in 2013.  You are about to go somewhere that you never been before and it will take your focus to get there.

1)      You must identify your beliefs that are negative, fearful and limiting you.  I always say that you can’t confront what you don’t first identify.  Your subconscious mind will automatically react and have you going in the direction that you are accustomed to; however you must pay attention to the thoughts that are playing in your mind.  Pay attention to how you respond to your circumstances and pay attention to what is coming out of your mouth.

 

2)      Confront and challenge yourself to get beyond what you are feeling.  You need to ask yourself, “Why do I feel like this?”  “Why does this get to me?” “Where did this come from?” What is really going on in me?  If you do not begin to confront yourself, you will always repeat the same patterns.  You cannot go in a different direction in life, if you continue to do the same as before.  So many times, people want change but they are not willing to pay the price for change. 

 

3)      Make declarations over your life to develop a “winning mentality” for 2013.  In order to change your subconscious, you must feed it new information.  Making winning, faith, and overcoming declarations will begin to fuel your new journey in 2013.  Do not just do it once or twice a week; but do it until you feel change.  Confess it until you begin to see results in how you respond to the circumstances in life.  Many times we start stuff but are not persistent, so we do not see the desired results.

I challenge you to change the level of your thinking as we go into this New Year.  God has things with your name on it waiting for you to get into the right position and posture to receive what He has already promised you.

Please join us starting February 26, 2013 for our award winning class, “7 Steps to Wholeness & Completeness.”  It is a 22 week course that is changing the lives of many people.  For more information or to register go to: www.dzec.org.  This class is every Tuesday from 7:00 – 8:30 pm and held in Clinton, MD.

Next Blog Talk Radio - January 11, 2013 at 8:30am

+raenea givens +Pastor Paige Harris +GPN Johnson +Alicia Horn-Waters +Jonathan Byus +Cheryl Wood +Velma Crawford 

Learn to be Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

Nobody likes pressure; whether it is on the job, your business, your ministry, with family, relationships or within yourself.  Imagine something pressing against your leg; it was tight, hard and heavy.  Immediately you are looking around to get something to relieve the pressure.  That would only be common sense; however, when the pressures of life hit us God wants us to trust Him in the process.  When we learn to trust God even when you can’t trace God; you will begin to see your faith, strength and relationship grow.  God is always stretching us to the next level.

We understand this process in the education arena.  Teachers instruct us, give us pop quiz, test, exams and homework all to expand us and stretch our ability to put more in us.  So my question is, why do we not apply this same principle to how God stretches us?  God never expected us to stay babies in the body of Christ; He always desired for us to grow and mature to be sons of God.  Just like your business or ministry; God never expected it to be a hobby, but to flourish and expand in the earth realm.  This same principle applies to your family, relationships and within.

When we start a business or a ministry or just get saved; we all start at ground zero or let me say, first grade.  However, if we do not learn how to be comfortable in this place called uncomfortable, we will never grow or our business/ministry will never to expand to the next level.  See diagram below:

  The shaded box in the middle is where you live and where you do business, ministry and relationships.  It is called the place of “comfortable”.  It is a familiar place, and a place where you know how to maneuver.  It is also a place where you do not have to trust God because you know how to make things happen.  However the outer box represents the next level living, next level provision, next level business/ministry, next level relationships, and next level fulfillment and contentment within you.  In order to get to the outer box, you must go through the white area and that is the place called “uncomfortable.”

As long as you run from things that are uncomfortable to you and as long as you keep relieving your own pressure when things get tight; you will never see the next level that God wants to bring you into in every area of your life.  Recognize that everything you are uncomfortable, God is stretching you and enlarging your tent.  It is never designed to kill you but only to increase you. 

Listen to our next blog on “Living in the Place called Uncomfortable” Friday, August 17, 2012 at 8:30am www.blogtalkradio.com/karenpresleymin

CONNECT WITH US on FB @anointedpressgraphics and Twitter @karenpresleymin

Navigating Your Dreams

When you hear the word navigation system, what comes to your mind?  Would it be a small device that sits in your car or the app that is in your phone that gives you step by step directions to your destination?  That is what I want to talk about today, your navigation system.  Are you navigating from the driver’s seat or the passenger’s seat to your destiny?

I want to compare the navigation system to our minds.  It is where all decisions are made, it is where we contemplate what we are going to do, it is where we rationalize over things we must do, etc.  The Bible says we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  Can you believe that?  We can be totally transformed just by renewing how we think and how we process?

The navigation system also has to be renewed by making sure they have the up-to-date software that has all the new streets and routes downloaded in it.  Could you imagine having a navigation system that you depended on to get you to your destination and it was not up to date.  So in the middle of your journey you found yourself lost and confused; too far to go back home and not close enough to ask for directions.

That is how many of us find ourselves in life sometimes.  We stepped out on God and what we believed God led us to do only to find that along this journey our mind hasn’t been renewed for this new faith walk.  What!  This new walk God has me on isn’t familiar to me.  I’m not comfortable on this journey because I am no longer in control like I want to be.  Isaiah 42:16 says, “I will lead the blind by a way they knew not and down paths they have not known; I’ll make darkness light before them and crooked places straight and these things will I do and not forsake them.”

When you are navigating from the driver’s seat it means you are listening to Holy Spirit daily for His leadership and step by step directions.  You are attentive to His small voice and the way He impresses upon your spirit to do.  Remember, your mind must be in agreement with your spirit and not oppose what Holy Spirit says to you.  If your mind is not renewed, there will always be a constant battle and reasoning which only brings frustration and confusion.  Command your mind to be in agreement with your spirit man and stay in the driver’s seat to your destiny and your dreams.

To hear more of what Holy Spirit wants to say on navigating your dreams, tune in to my next Blog Talk Radio broadcast, July 20, 2012 at 8:30am.  You don’t want to miss this airing. - www.blogtalkradio.com/karenpresleymin

Leaving a Legacy, It Is More Than Talk

I remember going to this ladies home going service that was tragically killed in a car accident.  I did not know her but she was the wife of one of my customers.  For the first time I witnessed a person who left a mark on so many people.  I have never been to a home going service where I witnessed the impact a person made on others.  People talked about this person’s life and how she lived and what she did and how she impacted people – that touched my heart tremendously.  I mentioned this because I realize that how we live is speaking volume to the people around us.

The word legacy is defined as anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.  God has called all of us to produce in His kingdom.  He put gifts, talents, assignment, vision, purpose, dream, and destiny on the inside of us.  God knew us before the foundation of the world and when we were born, we were born with a purpose to fulfill and a legacy to leave.

Some of us have started organizations, prayer groups, ministries, book clubs, networking groups, businesses, social groups, and/or have written books; however, my questions to you would be, “where do you see yourself going?”  Is it a hobby?  Is it for the moment?  Is this something to pass the time away or are you trying to build something that will outlast you? 

Whatever it is that you have started, it wasn’t a thought that popped into your head; but the very purpose of God downloaded in you.  With that in mind, we must consult God to give us the strategies that will bring the business or ministry into full fruition the way He originally intended it to be.  Mark 4:26-29, talks about a parable on how the kingdom of God operates.  We see from this parable that the growth of our harvest is in stages; first the blade, then the ear after that the full corn in the ear (vs 28).

When God releases His glory through our lives, it will always grow in stages.  We are not to get discouraged in the different stages, because God is always teaching and developing us to bring forth more fruit or shall I say more aspects in the business/ministry.  You must develop a mind that says, “I’m building something that will outlast me.”  When you recognize that you are building something greater than what you can see today, it will cause you to make the necessary adjustments and sacrifices one must do for that purpose. 

It is like having a baby that needs your attention, and your care.  You must nurture and give attention to your business/ministry/organization like you would a baby.  Your attention and time and effort that you give into your business will shift as your business/ministry begins to take off, like the baby grows into different stages of childhood to young adult.  Remember, ultimately you want the business/ministry to grow to the point where it can take care of you, run without you and expand to the other components.

You only see today, but God who put the vision in you sees the end and He will guide you through the process and the different stages, if you allow Him to be the CEO and take the helm of the business.  Leaving a legacy means that when you die, the business or ministry doesn’t die with you.  For example, fast food places like Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s, etc., all started by one person who had an idea.  I believe they have all past away or at least very old, but they all left a legacy that has grown past the very idea that they started with.  Who says, God desire for you isn’t to make a mark like that on the earth.  We must first believe that all things are possible to them who believe and then we must roll our sleeves up and begin to treat our business/ministry with the care and attention it needs at the stage that is in right now. 

Begin to ask God for the strategies that will cause your business/ministry to catapult to the next level.  Be faithful and be consistent.  Remember your business/ministry can’t grow pass your own personal development because you bring you to the table, no matter what you are building.

Listen to my next blog talk radio program where I can go in depth about this:  Next episode, Friday, June 15, 2012 at 8:30am – Remember to FOLLOW US so you can stay abreast of the upcoming episodes.

I have two powerful books that would be great tool to building your business/ministry and to your personal development.  "It is Time 2 Unmask the Real You" and "The Wonders of His Grace" - for more details go to: www.karenpresley.org

Realigning Your Focus

There are many definitions to the word “focus,” but I would like to highlight the following meanings.  To adjust the focal length of the eye so as to produce a clear image; an adjustment of this to make a clear image / bring a lens into focus; any center of activity, attention; and to concentrate.

I look at life like a game of Spades; you never know from game to game what kind of cards you will be dealt.  But like the game of Spades, you play the best that you can with the cards you have been dealt.  There have been times where I felt like I had the worst hand base on what I perceived and won the game; and likewise I have had a fairly good hand and still lost the game.

We cannot perceive based on what is in front of us how something is going to turn out; however, we must begin to realign our focus, making adjustments so we can see life with a clear image.  Negativity doesn’t just fall off of a person; you must begin to see life through a new set of lenses.

The Bible says that what the enemy meant for evil, God can turn it around for good.  The reason why that is true is because God’s scope is much bigger than our scope of things.  We see life and things that have taken place from a limited point of view.  It is like trying to see the entire parade through a telescope.  It is impossible to see and connect all the dots in the beginning of the parade to the end of the parade.  You only see what is in front of you at that time.

I think about Jacob in the Bible when he set out to get a wife and he saw Rachel.  He loved Rachel and was willing to work 7 years for the father to marry Rachel.  After 7 years, the father duped Jacob and gave him Leah.  Ugly duckling Leah.  Can you imagine how Jacob could have been feeling?  I think he was pissed off. LOL!  However, he worked another 7 years to get the love of his life, Rachel. 

In the meantime, Rachel could not have children and Leah thought she could buy Jacob’s love with bearing him children.  Long story short, Leah and both Leah and Rachel’s handmaidens were all baring Jacob children because the women were trying to buy his love and affection.  Jacob was going through the motion and sexing everyone, but only had a heart for Rachel.  He could have been disgruntled, angry, feelings of betrayal by the father, disappointed that Rachel could not bare children or anything could have set in his heart. 

He could only see what was in front of him; but God was looking at the bigger picture.  God promised Abraham that out of him would be a great nation.  At the time Abraham had NO children.  A nation is considered a company of people; so God was working His word and plan and will in Jacob’s life bringing about the origin of this soon to be the children of Israel.  Jacob didn’t know what was going on, but he vowed to God in Genesis 28 that he was going to be his God.  Jacob had relationship with God.  Could you imagine Jacob getting mad after he was duped and said forget it; I’m out!

God always has a bigger picture that He is looking at and not just our circumstances.  Look at Joseph and how everything in Joseph life was negative from the pit, being sold as a slave, lied on and left in jail; but the bigger picture was God had to put him in position ahead of time because He knew that he was going to be 2^nd in command to Pharaoh.  The Bible said that no matter where Joseph was, God was with him.  That means he kept his heart right.

Readjust your focus and keep your heart right, press into God so He can begin to show you that all things are working together for the good of them who love the Lord.  Keeping your heart right and your focus on God will enable you to rise above the obstacles instead of succumbing and allowing the obstacle to drown you.  Drowning, frustration, anger, disgruntled, complaining, etc. is all an indicator that your focus needs adjusting.  God has so much in store for you, but you must allow Him to work His plan and purpose in your life.  The ways of God is how God brings you into His purposes for your life. 

Pastor Karen | www.karenpresley.org

The Early Years are Building a Strong Foundation

No matter what a person is going to build, they must always spend time in the foundation stage, before building can take place.  The strength or weakness of your foundation can make or break any project, business, ministry, church, or family you are investing in.   Luke 14:28 says, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”  There are many things we can look at that we enjoy in our everyday lives, which someone had to invest hours in the foundation stage, so we can still enjoy these things today.  For the sake of the blog, let us look at the involvement of the airplane.

In 1899, the Wright Brothers designed their first aircraft: a small, biplane glider flown as a kite to test their solution for controlling the craft by wing warping.   In 1903 the Wright Brothers achieved history by having the First Flight of a True Airplane; which ushered in the age of aviation.   The Wright brothers perfected their design to the point where they could sustain flights of 24 miles in which they could bank, turn and do "figure eights." But in 1905, when the Wright brothers offered their invention to the United States Army, it was rejected without any consideration. Even the patent office was skeptical; an application filed in 1903 was finally approved and granted in 1906 for a "flying machine."

In 1909, the first great international aviation meet was held in Rheims, France. Sure of victory, the Wright brothers entered three planes in hopes of dominating the event.  A young unknown won the competition. His name was Glenn Curtiss.  As a result of Glenn Curtiss' early success, The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company became the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world during World War I and went public in 1916 with Curtiss as president. Curtiss had become the world's largest aviation company.  The Wright Brothers and Glenn Curtiss were on to something great; but it wasn’t until the year 1929, that the two American companies combined to form the Curtis-Wright Corporation with stock worth $220M. Both Orville Wright and Glenn Curtis had stepped down from any control.

The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is still around today and has branched out into other areas than just aviation.  They are a successful company that now market to the defense, power generation, oil and gas, commercial aerospace and the general industry.

What we know today as the Boeing 757 or 747 that we fly so comfortably on to take us wherever we want to go, started in 1916 by a man named William Boeing, who got his big break in 1917, when he got his first contract with the military for the Boeing aircraft line. 

Like Glenn Curtiss, the Wright Brothers and William Boeing; they all built a legacy that outlasted them.  They laid the ground work, they kept at the drawing board, and they kept perfecting their craft until that craft was able to take off without them. 

Your early years in your business and in your ministry and in your church and in your relationships are the MOST crucial years to the success of what you are building.  The foundation of a 4 story building is not as deep as the foundation of a 50 story building.  Only God knows what He is building through you.  You must submit yourself to the Master’s will and trust that He that started a work knows how to finish it.  Don’t fight the teething stage of trial and error.  Just like a baby whose teeth are growing in; it doesn’t feel good, but when the process is complete you will have a full set of teeth.

God is building something GREAT THROUGH YOU.  Learn what you need to learn, make the necessary adjustments now and watch God bring about a masterpiece that will outlast you.

Pastor Karen Presley, CEO

Anointed Press Graphics, Inc. | Church of Zion Deliverance Ministries, Inc. | Daughters of Zion Empowerment Center, Inc. | Karen Presley Enterprises, LLC.

 

Courtesy from: http://www.curtisswright.com/history.asp and From Wikipedia, “List of Airplanes”