Walking In Victory Over My Walking In Victory Blog!

Many have asked why I am no longer posting on my Walking In Victory Blog. Well, the truth of the matter is that I have not been "walking in victory" over my Walking In Victory Blog! :) Although it has been said that I may possibly have a gift of ministering to others through writing, it has NOT been prophesied by any stretch of the imagination that I have been given a gift of computer literacy or time management! Additionally, to be quite transparent, I have not been "walking in victory" over fear. It's been over a month ago that I launched this ministry and it's been about precisely that long since I have done much more than that - launched it!

As I began the set-up phase of this very much a work in progress blog, I decided that I wanted to have categories of topics that I would like to address and categorize each post under a life applicable topic for the benefit of my readers so that in the future, if one was looking for insight on a particular life topic, they could just click on that topic for specific related postings. I was having difficulty figuring out how to create those categories on this blog site, so after some research, I decided that perhaps I should set up a blog using a different reputable blog site. So I set up a new blog using a new site and was excited that I could figure out pretty easily how to categorize on this site, however after doing precisely just that and clicking 1 wrong option, I soon enough had that all messed up as well! :) I even employed the help of my teenage daughter who is pretty crafty with this sneaky little machine, however the 2 of us together messed the set up phase up to the point of no return! :) So, plan B - I called on my wonderful husband who agreed to sit with me one day in all of his spare time these days with a complex work project he is currently managing, however it doesn't seem that there is ever a good time to assign this task to him these days.

Then there's time management. I KNOW I am not the only mother on the face of planet Earth that cannot seemingly manage the never ending "to do" list in keeping up with being not only ordinary, but excelling in my jobs as wife, mother, teacher to my homeschooled children, volunteer in the class of my public school educated child, chef, maid, chauffuer, nurse, EMT, financial planner, veternarian, interior decorator, church ministries, personal ministries, author, etc. - I'm sure most of you can relate! As I have prayed about just HOW I would squeeze something else like a ministry into my already overscheduled life, I really felt like God told me that I could only "be a slave to so many masters" and that some things had to be laid down and that if I just set my alarm for 1 hr earlier each morning, He would give me that time to use for ministry. Both, concepts I have not "walked in victory" over! I have had great difficulty in laying down the things He has called me to lay down. Can anyone relate to how He calls you to lay down something (or to do something), you start to move forward in that direction, and then the enemy creeps in, in the form of doubt & fear, life circumstances begin to get in the way (or confirm the doubts), and before you even realize that you have fallen victim to this prey, a calling on your life has unraveled.

Well, and then there is the enemy of time management! I'm convinced that's what it is! There's never enough of it - time to manage! I've been pretty faithful to set my alarm an hour earlier each morning (most of the time), but the problem is that I have to actually get out of bed when it goes off! To my credit, 5:30 am is early, is it not?! Especially, when I have just gotten through most of the previous day's to do list and gone to bed at midnight the night before.

Then there is fear. How many of you know that anytime you are working for the Lord, in ANY area of ministry, (and by that I mean those of us actually called to ministry right down to the ministry of motherhood), that there is a bull's eye on the center or your back and you become the target of attack by a very real enemy who exists to seek, kill, and destroy any area that may minister to, encourage, or teach anyone how to "walk in victory" in precisely the areas of life he would have you to be a failure? He attacks the ministry (whatever it may be) and he attacks any area of life that would distract you from going forward, and begins to use the battle of your own heart and mind to instill fear and doubt until he has succeeded in putting the brakes on all that could have been accomplished if you had put on your armor and engaged in the battle and gone forward as called!

The anadote to these mentioned "set-backs?" And I am ministering to myself as much as I am to my readers. In whatever you have been called to in life, keep on keeping on! There's is no magical formulation. You have to just do it! Go forth! Keep being faithful! Even in my case of not succeeding in the set up of a blog (when the calling is...set up a blog), the solution is to just keep being faithful to write - daily! It doesn't matter if the blog site is "perfect" or if there isn't time on a particular day to write a full page. Write anyway. God will send wisdom or someone who can help me take the blog forward in the way He desires it to be set up and if I write one sentence or one page depending on the time I have on any given day or what's on my heart on any given day, if it's one word, that one word is intended to minister to someone! Think about it and ask yourself the same question in whatever manner it applies to you. Am I going to hinder what one word may speak into the life of one of God's children today because my categories aren't set up perfectly or because I don't have something more colorful and flowery to say today other than one word?! What is the one area of life you are being called to be faithful in and what is the one small hinderance that is limiting the very hands of God? How can you take one small step of faithfulness daily to unleash all that God has to be accomplished through your instrument?

In the area of time management...this is one category I will definitely focus on alot in this ministry (and when I get that category up and running, it will be so much easier for you the reader to say, "I need encouragement and wisdom in the area of time management. Oh, there it is, let me just click on that little time management category so I can begin to walk in victory in this area of my life!") Until then, however, how must I proceed? Just as I just mentioned above. I must continue to press on and be faithful regardless to share on time management regardless of where it may be found on my blog site! For now, let me encourage you to review your daily schedule with these priorities in place. God first, husband 2nd, children 3rd, ministry or career next (and yes, being a full time homemaker IS absolutely a career!) Now ask yourself, what slave(s) have I made master(s) in my life that are interfering in how I manage these priorities in my life? Does something need to be laid down? Is it ok to say, "No" to any area of life that God is not calling me to make a priority in this season? It doesn't necessarily mean, ever! It may very well be just for a season! And believe it or not, seasons come and seasons go. They are not "life sentences!" In this particular season, I am being called to focus on my husband and children and all of the areas of life that go along with being focused on those 2 priorities. Those are my 2 primary "ministries." This Walking in Victory Ministry is another area I am being called to in this season. So with those 3 areas at the forefront, what needs to be laid down to make those 3 areas my focus? With your focus in mind, it's much easier to say "no" to the things that would distract you from your mission in a particular season with joy and freedom rather than guilt and condemnation! Once you have determined these priorities, now ask God to show you how to arrange your schedule accordingly and ask him to show you where there may be small nuggets of time to do just what I suggested above - be faithful!

Good ole' faithful friend fear?! Well, you have GOT to go! You MUST flee! You are NOT welcome here! Consider yourself hereby, rebuked!! As crazy as that seems, it is necessary. You have to stand against the schemes of the devil! You literally have to put on your armor, engage in the battle and fight back! Definitely will be a future category and of great discussion on this blog because this is perhaps our biggest target to be conquered in the battle of Walking In Victory in ANY area of life!

For now, it's time to get the kids ready for school and it's my turn to volunteer in Belle's class in a short while so in keeping in line with my advice on priorities, time to switch gears! Likewise, it's time for you to do the same thing! So go put on your big girl (or big boy) panties and fulfill your callings in life today and ask God to help you to not be perfect but to just be faithful. Ask him to show you areas where you need to re-prioritize and what you need to say "no" to, to show you creative nuggets of time, and then friend, put your armor on and engage in the battle and fight, fight, fight and WALK IN VICTORY!!!