5 DAY FAITH ZONE CHALLENGE Leaving Your Comfort Zone To Enter The Faith Zone Tracie Miles Proverbs

31 Ministries

Introduction Last night around 9pm, my son, little Michael as we call him, came home from his second football practice of the season. I could tell when he walked (or should I say hobbled) into the door, that he was hurting. He had that look on his face that said, "I really want to flop down in your lap and bawl my little eyes out, but that would not be very manly so I wont do that". Instead, he gradually made his way to the couch, winced as he slowly sunk into the cushions, and a pitiful little boy voice, began to tell me his every ailment. He had a bad headache. He was congested. His back hurt. He had turned both of his ankles and they hurt. His foot hurt where he had fractured it earlier in the summer and it actually looked a little swollen. His thighs were hurting, front and back. His arms were too sore to pull himself up. Then his eyes fell to the floor, as he pleaded for an Advil, some chocolate milk and a cookie. Even at the tender age of 9 years old, football is hard. Football consists of relentless drills, running, lunges, hitting, pushups, throwing, leg lifts, and falling. Although football is my very favorite sport to watch, I do have to feel sympathy for those that actually hit the field - especially when my sweet little man is one of them. As Michael continued to complain, which worsened as the evening went on, I couldnt help but console him. My motherly instinct kicked in as I doted on him, and waited on him hand and foot so he didnt have to experience any more soreness than necessary. This behavior, of course, resulted in a scolding from my husband (one of his football coaches I might add), as he instructed me to quit babying him. (but I couldnt help myself!) In the midst of my husband/coach reminding me that my son is a football player, not a baby, he reminded me that football was expected to be hard, and If it were easy, everybody would do it". I have to admit, that even though my hubby is not known for his overwhelming sense of sympathy, his words rang true in my heart. Although I desperately want to keep my little boy safe from harm, I do admire him for wanting to play such a tough sport, for not taking the easy way out, and for being willing to persevere and continue doing something he loves, even when the going gets tough. Even when it hurts. Even when its painful. Even when he gets hit hard... time and time again. I thought about my husbands statement all day. For some reason, it just stuck with me, and I

found myself pondering how much I need to remember this simple truth in my own life, because just like football, life can hit hard too sometimes. We might get knocked down, even when we didnt see it coming. It might be a little punch, a painful hit, or a glancing blow that brings us to our knees. But the truth is, it is not about how hard we get hit, but about still finding the strength through Christ to get up and move forward. If faith were easy, everybody would be walking around on mountaintops all the time. If life were easy, we wouldnt need a Savior to lean on. Instead we have to trust in Gods sovereignty, even when we dont like what is happening in our life. We have to depend on His Word to hold us up during hard times, to encourage us when we are down, and to help us persevere when we want to quit. If marriage were easy, everybody would be happily married. But statistics prove that divorce is at an all time high, even among Christian marriages. Instead, we have to walk in love, even when we dont want to. We have to forgive, even when it may not be deserved. We have to hold our tongues from responding in anger, even if what we have to say is valid and right. We have to persevere when we want to quit. If parenting were easy, everybody would have perfect children, with no worries of drugs, sex, abortion and alcohol. No worries of our children walking away from the Lord and making bad decisions that will affect them for a life time. Parenting is hard work, every minute of every day. Some parents grow so weary of trying to be a good parent, and not seeing positive immediate results, that they give up and unassumingly grant the child too much freedom, offering them an open invitation to complete despair. Parents have to persevere, even when we feel like quitting. If dealing with the illness of a loved one, or our own illness were easy, we would not need to depend on God. We would not need to seek His face and desperately pray for His strength, wisdom, and healing. Coping with illness through extreme faith takes hard work; a commitment to Christ; a dependence on Him; a complete surrender to His will, even when it does not line up with our will. We have to persevere in trusting Gods plan, even when we dont understand the plan. Life is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But not everybody does do it, if you really think about it. You see, some people are alive physically, without being alive spiritually. Some are married, without being engaged or committed to the marriage. Some are parents, without being willing to be the parent God called them to be. Some are sick, without believing in the hope of healing or the promise of eternal life. God does not only exist in the easy places of life, where everybody makes sense, where everybody agrees with us, where everybody treats us kindly, where everybody follows the rules and makes good choices. A life where everything is good and pleasant, where problems belong

to someone else and where heartbreak lives in other peoples hearts. God lives in the hard places too. Life is hard. Faith is hard. Its not easy to have faith when life is hard. But that is why it is called faith - believing in the unseen, and trusting an invisible God. Have you gotten hit with life lately? Have you been knocked down to your knees? If you are like most of us, your answer is yes. Small hits, or big hits, they are hits just the same. But how long do you stay down? Do you wallow in self pity and stay stuck in the pit that you fell into, or do you reach somewhere deep inside of you and pull out every ounce of faithful courage within you that can lift you back on your feet? Are you trusting God, or blaming God? Do you quit, or persevere? Lets commit together today to be the exception. To be the ones that keep going, even when the hits are hard. The rewards of perseverance through Christ will far outweigh the temporary benefits of taking the easy way out. Its not easy, but through our God, we can do it. Prayer is asking for rain and faith is carrying the umbrella. (Barbara Johnson) Faith is not an easy virtue; but, in the broad world of a person's total voyage through time to eternity, faith is not only a gracious companion, but an essential guide. (Theodore M. Hesburgh) It need not discourage us if we are full of doubts. Healthy questions keep faith dynamic. In fact, unless we start with doubts we cannot have a deep-rooted faith. One who believes lightly and unthinkingly has not much of a belief. One who has a faith which is not to be shaken has won it through blood and tears--has worked his or her way from doubt to truth as one who reaches a clearing through a thicket of brambles and thorns. (Helen Keller) Introduction Part 2 Part 1 on the Faith Zone Challenge talked about how important it is that we persevere with things that are hard. Things that hurt. Things that knock us off our feet. I mentioned things like marriage, parenting, illness and life in general. All of these things take huge commitment if we ever hope to be happy and fulfilled. Sometimes the things that take the most work, are the things that bring the most happiness. On that note, what about ministry? When I first quit my executive job to serve in ministry, most people thought I was taking the easy road. Most people thought....how could working in ministry even remotely compare to the stress, chaos, rewards and gains of the corporate world? How could serving a God you couldnt see, possibly be as rewarding as serving a high powered man (or woman) in a suit? Oh how little they knew about ministry! And come to think of it, how little I knew about ministry at the time. How uneducated and unaware I was, of the sacrifices that would be required of me; of the surrender that would be expected of me; of the transparency that would be demanded of me; and of the battle that would be waged against me.

People who say ministry is easy, must have never served in ministry, because ministry is hard work. When I say ministry, I dont just mean public speaking, published writing, or becoming a pastor. I mean being a leader in whatever way God has called you to do - whether it be feeding the poor, helping post-abortive women find forgiveness in Christ, raising children who love the Lord, being a good provider for your family, being the spiritual leader of your home, giving Gods love and grace to your spouse, serving on a committee at church, being a womens ministry leader, helping a neighbor, or witnessing to people in your office. The definition of ministry is: "something that serves as an agency, instrument, or means." Ministry is simply helping people, in Gods name. Sharing love and grace, in Gods name. Impacting the kingdom of Christ, in Gods name. Being devoted to being the best husband or wife you can be, in Gods name. Being the best mom or dad you can be, in Gods name. Being loving and kind and compassionate, even if is it not your inherent nature, in Gods name. It means willingly allowing God to change us, so we can help others change. Ministry means being an instrument for God, an authorized agency to do His work, a means for Him to speak to peoples hearts, through us. Ministry is a call to unequalled privilege and unequalled blessing. However, it can also be a call to unequalled discouragement and fear, as Satan wages war against those who are a threat. Think about this - why would the devil waste time trying to trip people up who are already living in a pit of despair, far from God? He will use his time wisely, and cause Gods people to stumble -those who are committed enough to persevere in Christ. Not to scare you at all, but I am a full fledged believer now in spiritual warfare. Maybe that sounds like silly-overly-religious-holy-roller-ghostly-talk to you, but as for me, I believe it. Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. We are not at war with the world, but with the one who desires to bring the world down to his level. When we take that first step to serving God with our whole hearts, the devil takes notice. That is why God's Word instructs us to put on His full armor. We might be able to protect ourselves from an attack by another person, but an attack by the devil can only be fought off through prayer, fasting, trust, and an unshakable devotion to Christ. Every year prior to She Speaks, I see the war gaining momentum. All aresenals on go, and targets in place. Everyone on our speaker team, myself included, seems to get hit with new problems in the spring and summer months prior to the conference. Not that problems dont occur throughout our life all the time, but you can see the warfare happening when you witness it in full force against a team of people eagerly awaiting to be used as vessels by God. So many issues, for so many people, all around the same time of year, and year after year - that is not a

coincidence. It is war. The same story can be told about the attendees of She Speaks year. Their emails flood in every year with an outpouring of requests for prayer over difficult issues in their life, some that may even prevent them from attending the conference. Coincidence? Absolutely not. Spiritual warfare? Most definitely. If ministry were easy, everybody would do it. So lets face it - it is not easy. Serving God is not always an easy street, lined with ever-fragrant flowers, birds chirping, butterflies swarming, and sunshine glowing. It is a not a career choice that we make after a lot of positive research backs up our suspicions of imminent success. It is not a carefree life, free from stress, tears, worries or problems. But is anything in life that way? Sometimes, ministry can be a hard road. Something that one has to pour their whole heart into, even when their heart is breaking. Something that one has to commit to doing, even if it means being transparent with others, or sharing a past mistake that they are not proud of. Something that may require financial sacrifice, and a willingness to change a habit of spending. Something that may solicit ridicule, but requires perseverance nonetheless. Something that calls us so far out of our comfort zone that we feel as if we are hanging off of a steep cliff, with only one tiny, flimsy branch keeping us from falling to a canyon of fear. However, despite the hard things, ministry is a call to amazing unequalled privilege. It is a call to unfounded and unequalled blessing. It is a call to develop a relationship with a God so mighty, that He doesnt need us to impact His kingdom, but gives us the opportunity to do so because of His ever lasting love for us. Ministry is fun, and exciting; rewarding and amazing; miraculous and fulfilling..... but not always easy. If it were, everybody would do it. Many people trust God, but not enough to step out of their comfort zones. Many people know Gods Word, but dont have it tucked away in their heart. Many people love God, but not all love Him enough to do what He calls them to do. So if God has called you to do something for Him, dont expect it to be easy. If it were easy, it would not be a call, but simply a task. But rest in confidence, believing that when times get tough, you will have a God so strong to hold you up; a God so smart to guide you; a God so allknowing to teach you; and a God so powerful to control your future.... that you will soon begin to stand on His strength, instead of your own. You will become more aware of when you are being pulled into war, and sense the immediate need to put on the armor that God has prepared for you. Ephesians 6:13-17 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in

place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Many are called, but few are chosen. We are told this truth in Matthew 22:14. This does not mean that God picks over all the people, and chooses who He deems worthy, because no one is worthy. Instead, this verse means that those who are chosen, are the ones who step forward, out of their comfort zone, to fight the good fight. The "chosen ones" are simply the ones that say "yes" to God, even when everything in their entire being screams no. If it were easy, everybody would do it. What is God calling you to do today? Introduction Part 3- Preparing to Embrace Gods Plan God desires that we embrace whatever He calls us to do, even if it is hard. Even if we do not like His plan. Even if we do not want to follow His call. These two devotions are so applicable to todays devotion, that I decided to make them the focus today, instead of writing something new. I want to first encourage you to read them below, and pray about what it is that God is calling you to do today, this Part, this year, or with your life in general. Ask God for open spiritual ears to hear His voice clear as a bell this Part, and to guide your thoughts to an understanding of what His will is for you. Also, before you say Amen, ask for the strength and peace to embrace His will, even if it seems outside of your capabilities, or way outside of your comfort zone. Secondly, I want to encourage you to come back to my blog for the next five days and take the Faith Zone Challenge. I ran this challenge one year ago, and God used it so mightily in the lives of people who were serious about hearing Gods voice, seeking His face and His direction, and finding the courage that can only come through Him to step out in faith. My prayer this Part is that it will do the same for many of you, who may be in a place in life where you feel that something is missing; or you feel there has to be more to your faith than what you are living; or you feel that God has been pulling you into obedience, or calling you to a specific ministry or task that will glorify Him, but your fears have prevented you from taking that first step down the journey that He has destined specifically for you. If you have ever thought any of those thoughts, or are simply looking for a closer relationship with the Savior that has promised you life, then I want to encourage you to get on board with this upcoming challenge. I can already feel it - God is going to do great things in some hearts this Part! I cant wait to see how God is going to move! As you participate in the challenge, it would bless me and the other readers to hear how God has spoken to you each day, so please share!

Be sure to come back and visit for the next five days! From everyone who comments each day, I will have a drawing over the Partend for a free copy of my book, Reinventing Your Rainbow. (A little incentive always helps doesnt it?!) May God bless you as you draw closer to Him this Part. Faith Zone Challenge Kickoff- Day 1 I am so excited and so glad you have come back to visit me today and that you are interested in taking the Faith Zone Challenge. Even if you did the challenge last year, dont expect the same results! God speaks to us differently and about different things in each season of our life, so I have no doubts that you will feel His presence and hear His voice as you spend time pondering His will and anxiously listening for His voice and direction over the next five days. The challenge is not hard and I promise it will not hurt, but it will take some time, and a personal devotion to truly letting God move in your hearts this Part. Ready to get started? Lets go! __________________________________________________________ Several years ago, God called me out of my comfort zone and into the unknown zone. God, of course, knew where I was headed, I just had to put my trust in Him and watch His plan unfold. And guess what? His plan was amazing! As a result of seeing firsthand the miracles that God can do in someones life simply by trusting God and being willing to say yes to His call, I now have a passion for encouraging others to experience that same excitement. I want everyone to experience the joy that can be found from stepping out in obedience, despite sacrifices, fears, shame and doubts. So..... for the next five days, I want to make you think. I pray that God will speak through me to inspire you to take some time and do things that would normally be out of your comfort zone. "But why should I?", you may ask. "What's in it for me?" Let's look at it this way - when you are sitting in your favorite recliner, remote in hand, focused on the TV; all snuggled up and comfy with your pillow and throw blanket, a few magazines on your lap or a good book; a soda in your hand and a popcorn bowl on your knee, and maybe a few kids - is there room for anything else? I doubt it. That recliner is probably getting rather crowded. Comfortable, but very crowded nonetheless. In the same way, when we get so comfortable with our life the way it is, and with the things that are filling our life, then there is no room for God to introduce anything new. He desperately yearns to give us new things, but there simply is no room for them! While we think we are safely sitting in our comfort zone, we are actually sinking into a dead

zone. A zone where we dont see God working, because we are focused on life itself. A zone where we dont hear God speaking, because our ears are full of earthly noise. A zone where God cannot be felt, because we are too comfortable to make room for Him. The result: we stay stuck in our recliner, a.k.a LIFE, all alone, uninspired, unchallenged and unfulfilled. God calls us to be all we can be, and more than we think we can be - through Him. However, our doubts, busyness, insecurities, lack of faith and attempts to fill our hearts with earthly pleasures, often prevent us from fulfilling our true purposes. This five day challenge is certainly not the answer to all our problems, but my prayer is that it will motivate someone to take that first step of faith towards a stronger relationship with Christ, help them begin to build a habit of listening for God's voice, and maybe even empower someone to jump right into God's will for their life, which they may have been hesitant to do before. Consider Hebrews 11:6, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. It takes great faith to do amazing things - it takes God sitting in the chair with us. It takes us being willing to make room for Him, maybe even sit in His lap, and ask Him to begin reading us the beautiful story that He has laid out for our lives. If you believe that He is calling me, and you, to trust Him, leave our comfort zones of our daily lives and enter THE FAITH ZONE, then this challenge is for you. For everyone who is willing to take a chance, and commit to the challenge, please make a quick comment in the comments section. If you feel led to do so, post your commitment to this challenge on your own blog and challenge your readers to not only hold you accountable, but also get involved themselves! (note: you do not have to have a blog to get involved, you can simply leave a post that you want to participate, or just do it on your own!) I pray that when the 5 days are up, many of you will leave me a comment about how the challenges worked for you personally and spiritually, or what struggles you encountered, as God changed your heart and mind, and maybe your life, as a result. Oooooh, Im excited! So... are you ready to take the challenge? ___________________________________________________________ Challenge 1: Spend 30 minutes a day in quiet time with God for the next 5 days. Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Okay, okay - I know what you are thinking - 30 minutes??!! I barely have time to brush my teeth, get dressed or even breathe! Much less spend 30 minutes alone in quiet time every day, for five days straight?! (I realize for some of you, this may be an every day habit, but please extend

grace to the rest of us.) Your next thought may be this - "how is quiet time stepping outside of my comfort zone?" Most Christians understand how important daily quiet time with God is, however, I dare say that most of us do not do it on a consistent basis - myself included! Life gets noisy, daily tasks take priority, and quiet times seem impossible. That is exactly why it is a challenge !! If you are willing, turn down the noise today. Carve out thirty minutes some time today, and try to get up earlier than normal for the next 5 days, find a place of solace, and spend time with your heavenly Daddy. Pick a Bible chapter or use a devotional book. Breathe, slowly, deeply, using your diaphragm, focusing only on Gods word. Your body will react to this relaxation, including muscle tension fading and even blood pressure dropping. Your mind will ease too, leaving you free to hear Gods whispers. Quiet time is more than just a daily appointment with God. It's more like a visit with your closest friend. Just like a friendship cant flourish if you never spend time together, neither can our relationship with Christ. The more time we let pass by before we call a friend to chat, the deeper the separation and the awkwardness becomes. The same thing can be said for our Friend in heaven. The more dedication and time we devote to our faith walk, the closer we will feel to Jesus. The closer you are, the more likely you are to hear Him speak, see Him move, and feel Him near. So to kick off the challenge, lets get back to basics. The basics of time with Jesus. Prayer for today: Dear Lord, please forgive me for not making you a priority in my every day life. Forgive me for getting so busy with life, and so bogged down by earthy noises, that I forget to spend quiet time with you. I earnest ask that you call me into Your Presence, and give me a burning thirst for your Word that can only be quenched during our quiet time. Grant me perseverance over these next five days, despite the hurdles that the enemy tries to throw my way to prevent me from keeping my commitment. Lord, help me make a permanent habit when this challenge is done. In your name I pray, Jesus, Amen.

PS - if this sounds easy today, dont get too comfortable just yet.....the best (and most challenging) is yet to come!

Faith Zone Challenge Day 2: Change Your Attitude

"If he/she would just stop doing (xxxxxx), then we would not have these problems anymore." "If he would learn how to treat me better, then we could get along just fine." "If I just made more money or got a different job, then I could be happy." "If I did not have this health problem, then I could serve in my church." "If he/she had a better attitude, then I could have one too." "If I wasn't so depressed, I would try to have more faith". "If only I could (xxxxx), then everything would be okay." Have you ever found yourself saying these types of things? Have you ever been pulled into a game of mental chatter that convinces you that your happiness, joy, contentment and enthusiasm for life hinges on everything going your way, material items coming into your possession, and/or major changes taking place in your life and the people in it? Have you ever found yourself putting God to the test - if He answers your prayers just right, then you will love Him more? Most of us have lots of "ifs, ands, and buts" for why all of our problems are someone elses fault, why our negativity and pessimism are justified, why our faith is lacking, and why we have every right to continue living in a perpetual poor-me pity party. Unfortunately, this type of attitude only digs our hole a little deeper, and further separates us from God. So why do we keep doing it? The only logical reason I can come up with, is because people either simply do not know how to change, or do not believe that they can change. Great news! God gave us an amazing gift - the gift of free will....not just free will in our actions, but also in our thoughts. We may not have the power to change our circumstances or the people in our lives, but we ALWAYS have the power to change our own attitudes. My mom always reminds me of the serenity prayer when I start grumbling about something that is outside of my power to change. It says, "Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." That always helps me keep things in perspective.For the sake of today's challenge, I'd like to put a different spin on that prayer. What if it went something like this, "Lord, help me to accept the people I cannot change, to change the ones I can, and to know that one is ME." No matter how many great things may happen in our lives, there will always be something that can steal our joy, whether it be people or circumstances. Trust me friend, the devil will make sure of it. That ol devil is the master of self-condemnation, ridicule, shame, guilt, blame, finger

pointing, rudeness, bitterness, discontent, discouragement, and joylessness. He spends a great deal of time and effort trying to win us over to his way of thinking. The devil is not after our wealth, health, family, security or homes - he is after our attitude. After all, when we have a bad attitude, we are no longer a threat. If we live in a state of bitterness, he no longer needs to worry about us sharing Gods love with others, reaching out to those in need, and building God's kingdom. Yep, he can move on to some other poor soul who is teetering on the edge of discouragement and separation from God. Let's face it: -It is so much easier to be mean to a person who has been mean to you, than it is to pray for them, forgive them, and maintain a smile and joyful heart. -It is much easier to fall into the unethical practices of the corporate world, than it is to stand up for what is right despite the costs. -It is much easier to join in the gossip session, than make it known that you want no part of it. -It is much easier to criticize your husband and hold a well tallied list of all of his flaws, than to forgive him. -It is much easier to yell at your kids, than exercise patience and respond in love. -It is much easier to resent the mother who has seven kids, when you cant even have one baby, than it is to thank God for blessing her with a family. -It is so much easier to be bitter, than it is to choose joy despite our circumstances. Do we really want the easy way? Is it truly easier? If we constantly travel the easy road - what is setting us apart from the rest of the world? I dare say - nothing at all. Our outward attitude is a reflection of our inward heart. Our outward actions are a reflection of our inward beliefs. Our life is a reflection of our spiritual heartbeat. A heartbeat that beats for God, is one fueled by unbreakable, unshakable joy. The type of joy that is unaffected by circumstances. A positive state of mind. A deep joy, fueled by contentment, confidence and hope. Spending time with Christ builds a desire in us to be more like Him. Having an attitude of joy, gratefulness, faith and hope - despite and regardless of our circumstances - prepares our hearts to really begin hearing Him speak. Move over sister, God still needs a little more room today. ________________________________________________________________

Challenge #2: Let God's light shine brightly through you today - even if someone licks the red off of your sucker. Be kind to those who are unkind. Be giving to those who dont give. Look for the positive in every situation you encounter. 1 Peter 1:13-16 So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy." (The Message) Prayer For Today: Dear Jesus, this is a hard challenge! I try to be positive, but things happen in my life that steal the joy right out from under me. You know the situations I am dealing with; you know the pain in my heart; you know the battles that I am facing, and the ones to come that I am unaware of. I pray that you will be with me Lord every step of the way, today and every day, to help me break the bondage of negativity in my heart and seek out joy and hope in you. I am so desperate for the type of joy that you tell us about in your Word. I seek out that joy and ask that you pour your love into my heart so that thoughts of you and wisdom of your sovereignty will control my actions throughout each day. Prepare my heart Lord, for a mighty work. In Jesus name, Amen.

Faith zone Challenge Day 3: Forgiveness I feel pretty sure that many of you were hoping that we could attack this faith zone challenge without actually talking about that ugly word -"forgive". I learned about nine years ago that forgiveness is a two-step process. I realized that before I could have a heart that was equipped to forgive others, I had to have a heart that accepted forgiveness from God for my own sins. For many years, I knew that God loved me because the Bible told me so, but I really didnt accept that He would forgive me for my sins, much less forget about them. Why would He? I had created this visual picture in my mind of what God probably looked like when I prayed or asked for forgiveness for the same past sin over and over, or new sins... again. I envisioned Him sitting on His throne, looking down on me, with a solemn look on His holy face, head resting in His hands, and a heavy sigh leaving His almighty chest, as He uttered the words, "Tisk, tisk. Poor child, she just cant get her act together. What is wrong with her? How many times do I need to forgive her? Geeesh." But one day, something was different. Like the light bulb suddenly clicked on. My vision changed to seeing a God who was disgusted with me, to seeing a God who was smiling at me,

with a tender heart, a gentle face, and a forgiving attitude. As I listened to the speakers testimony at a womens event, it sounded remarkably similar to my own. I learned how she had spent years in the bondage of guilt, but found amazing freedom in the sufficient grace and mercy of Lord Jesus. That day, I found that same freedom. For the first time ever, I accepted with my entire being that God truly did forgive me once and for all, and there was no need for me to continue to plea for His forgiveness for the same sins over and over. I finally understood what the verse meant in Psalm 130:3, when it read "If you, O Lord, kept a record of my sins, O Lord, who could stand?" God had forgiven and forgotten my sins, and I was cleansed. I fully grasped and understood that I no longer needed to live in captivity of the devil, who had spent years filling my head with lies. I was free. Truly free. And my heart was changed forever. Since that time, my faith has grown by leaps and bounds, but nonetheless, granting others that same mercy that I received from God is not near as easy! Receiving forgiveness is one thing, but giving it is a whole other ballgame. A game I had to learn how to play, and am still continually working at getting good at. To give you an example, a couple years ago, I was faced with some very difficult circumstances, which involved some very difficult people. Sandpaper people you might call them - except this was the toughest sandpaper I had ever come in contact with! A small handful of these people stepped all over my feelings, treated me rudely, went out of their way to be mean, and even made me cry at times. After a while, I just got fuming mad! I was fed up with being treated ugly, and fed up with their mean attitudes. I was tired of feeling like a punching bag. As the months drug slowly by, I became more and more upset, angry and resentful by the minute. For months those feelings grew and grew, and although I never acted out in revenge in any way, I must admit that I did entertain some ungodly thoughts. But one day, I finally admitted the cold hard truth that I was simply making myself miserable by obsessing over how these people had treated me and being mad about it. It was getting to where I dreaded getting up in the morning, because I would think about the problem, talk about the problem, worry about the problem, hurt about the problem, and literally obsess about the problem! I broke down and got on my knees, and asked God to forgive me for carrying this burden and for harboring this unforgiveness towards these people. I realized that the unforgiveness was like poison to my heart. I was ingesting this poison every day, but then expecting the other person(s) to suffer. But guess what?! They were still going about their normal lives without a care in the world, as I was drowning in my all consuming emotions! I became addicted to wishing they would change, hoping that they would realize the error of their ways and ask for my forgiveness, desiring that we could be friends, or that maybe someone would give them the same treatment as they had

given me, so they would know how they made me feel (see what I mean? Not a very Godly thought.) Honestly, I was just plum tired of feeling down and discouraged - so after months of bondage to this anger and hurt, I simply chose to forgive. It wasnt easy, but I knew it was necessary. Not because they deserved it; not because I wanted to; not because I liked it! But because God commanded it. I threw away that poison, and boy did I feel better! The problem was still there, but the poison was not. As I look back, I can see how God used that situation to bring me closer to Him, but in the midst of the crisis, it was still difficult. One of those important lessons that I learned from that experience was the fact that I could not change other people, no matter how badly I wanted to. I could not change their actions and behaviors. I could not change their hearts......but I could most certainly change mine. I wanted my heart to be one full of God, not one full of anger. I wanted my love for the Lord to grow in my heart, not weeds of bitterness that would eventually wrap its way around my entire life. Forgiveness is like art - it takes practice, it takes perfecting, it takes patience. I guess you could say these are the three Ps to forgiveness. Now I want you to take a moment to think - do you need to put the three Ps into action in your life? Has someone wronged you? Has someone hurt you? Abused you in some way? Neglected you? Lied to you? Manipulated you? Been unfaithful to you? Stole from you? Harmed you? Wounded you? Friend - forgive them. They probably do not deserve it, wont appreciate it and may not even realize it. But do it anyway - for YOU. What does God do when we commit wrongs against Him? He forgives, and even forgets. Granted, we may never forget, but we can still forgive, through His strength. It is hard - but all things are possible with our God. Max Lucado put it this way: "Quit focusing on what someone did TO you, and start focusing on what God did FOR you." You can do it. Throw out that poison today. ________________________________________________________________ Challenge #3: The challenge for today is two-fold: 1. Forgive yourself. Let go of the shame, guilt and regrets that may have held you hostage for years. If you have repented, God has already forgiven you. God has already forgotten that sin and loves you for your repentance. Please do not allow any past sin, big or small, to keep you from realizing your incredible value to God. He loves you, and is ready and willing to extend His grace and mercy to you, if you are willing to accept it. Today could be the first day of total freedom. Embrace it.

2. Forgive that person whom you have been holding a grudge against for days, Parts, months, maybe years. Bask in the freedom that you will gain from being obedient to God in this way. Your rewards will be great. Psalm 103:2-4 Praise the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Prayer for Today: Jesus, I ask for your forgiveness, plead for you to cleanse me, and wash in the blood in the lamb. Help me to never pick up that sin again, and to be free from any shame that the devil tries to heap upon me. Lord, You know my heart, and you must know that there is nothing in me that wants to forgive this person who has hurt me. There is nothing in me that wants to pray for this person. But Lord, I know it is your will. I am tired, exhausted actually, of being weighted down by carrying this bitterness in my heart. I am afraid that this bitterness towards them will seep out into other areas of my life, and I am seeking your forgiveness for my refusal to forgive. I accept that you are the healer of hearts, and that you truly have forgiven me for all my sins. In the same way, please give me the strength and courage and supernatural ability if needed, to forgive the person(s) who have wounded me. I pray that they will one day see how they have hurt me, and maybe even apologize, but if I never receive that apology, I will still love you Lord, and trust in all your ways. I want to sleep peacefully tonight knowing that my heart is free from poison. In Jesus name, Amen. Faith Zone Challenge Day 4: Stand Proud As Christians, the two immediate things we can do to stand up for Christ are to live according to His Word and grow our own knowledge of Him. In Matthew 5:16, Christ said, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven". This means that we should live and act in a way that is indicative of God's Word. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that we should have the conviction to stand up for our faith, while at the same time, practice showing love and wisdom and making sure that our personal example backs up our words. Letting others seeing Jesus in us is the most amazing witness ever. People may not always believe in our Jesus, but they cannot deny seeing Jesus at work in us. That, in itself, is a witness. This past Christmas, I was standing in front of a large group of women at the corporate offices of a major bank. I had been contracted to teach a secular class about Holiday Stress Management.

Most of the class content focused on simple life/holiday balancing tips, but soon we came to a Partof the material that discussed tolerance of religions during the holidays. Although I had studied the material ahead of time, I felt my temperature rise when I neared this discussion. I presented some basic information that was included in the curriculum, and then allowed time for discussion. Many women talked amongst themselves and some offered some feedback for the group, but the big question finally came. One woman raised her hand and asked, "as a Christian, what should I do when my employer tells me that I cannot have a "Christmas" party, but only a holiday party. What do I do when I am told not to display manger scenes in my cubicle, because it might offend someone?" I could feel my face getting hot. Actually I was sweating all over. Thoughts raced through my mind as I considered that my job could be on the line, depending on how I answered that question. But what was truly being impressed upon my heart, was that my faith was on the line. Who would I stand for? Jesus or political correctness? Who would I aim to please? Jesus or a big wig manager sitting in his leather chair? I knew the politically correct answer. I knew the corporately correct answer. I knew the answer that this organization would expect me to provide on their behalf, to support their politically correct, non-religious,-non-discriminative, overly-tolerant policies of everyones varying beliefs. And I understand why corporations feel pressured to be so neutral. I knew that from a business standpoint, I should straddle the fence, skirt the real issue, and give an answer that would appeal to everyone in the room. What seemed like eternity was really only a few seconds, as I struggled with which road to travel. Im proud to say that in this situation, I chose the road less traveled. I expressed my Christian beliefs in a non-judgemental way, and explained what I believed Christmas to be all about - based on my God sending His son Jesus to be born in a manger, eventually to die on a cross for me, so that I could be forgiven, enjoy my earthly life by striving for things that would please Him, and spend eternal life with Him when my time here is over. I also expressed my overwhelming sadness for our societys attempt to remove Christ from Christmas, and how I wanted to encourage every Christian in that room to stand up with confidence for their beliefs, at work, at the mall, and in their homes. I reminded them that Christianity is normally the religion that gets pushed to the back burner, while other religions are given much more tolerance. I encouraged them to hang Merry CHRISTmas signs in their cubicles, regardless of the political stigmas. I sensed my rational mind saying "whooooaaaa nelly!", but my words just flowed out from the depths of my heart. It was an opportunity that I had prayed for, and when the time arose, it was as if a dam broke, the flood waters rose, and the nothing could hold the words back! I received some supportive applause, an Amen or two, a few cold glares, and to my surprise, a few looks of intrigue. Whether or not my words were ever discussed among that group after I left, I will never know. But I do know that I stood up for Christ, and possibly planted a seed that

needed to be strown on good soil, to a persons heart who needed to hear or be reminded of the real meaning of Christmas that the world tries so hard to keep secret. This was a mountaintop experience for me, and I felt really good about it. But unfortunately, there have been other times, when I was not so bold. Times when I felt that the potential consequences of standing up for my faith were too great. Times when I worried about what people would think, and didnt trust God to guide my words and control the outcome. As a result, I hid my light under a bushel, just to fit in. Today I am certainly much more bold in my faith than I was in the past. I feel much more confident in living out loud for Christ.....but I wonder....what if I was truly put to the test today to stand up for Christ? What if I had to make the choice to deny Christ and live, or speak for Christ and die? What if I was faced with a situation like Cassie Ren Bernall, from Columbine High School, who when asked if she loved her Jesus, she said yes - at all costs. Cassie didnt lose a job for standing up for her faith, she lost her life. Would I really be willing to do that? Jesus never intended for sharing His word to be a scary, impossible, sweat-inducing burden. After all, it is a message of love and salvation, but the world has made transparency, especially when it comes to having bold faith, a scary undertaking at times. God meant for us to be witnesses of Jesus Christ through the natural outcome of living our lives with Him, through Him, and for Him. Sometimes it is easy, other times it is hard. But He presents opportunities to share the good news each day, and I have to wonder, how often are we too preoccupied with life and our own personal inhibitions to grasp those opportunities? If we want to be bold for Christ, which in the long run causes our faith to grow, here are a few suggestions that might help us take those first little steps towards being a light for Him: 1) Try to start seeing people through Gods eyes, not your own. 2) Write out your testimony, or any story where God has moved in your life, and study it. Be ready to talk about it whenever the opportunity presents itself. 3) Dont try to impress people with Christian lingo, just tell the easy to understand facts. 4) Build relationships. Once someone believes that you care about them as a person, they are all ears, ready to listen to whatever it is you have to say. 5) Pray for God to bring someone into your path whom you can witness to. 6) Study Gods word so you will be knowledgeable about discussing it. These are merely a few ideas, but it might help us jump start the action! Sharing your faith is kind of like riding a bike - once you take off the training wheels, you feel more confident than ever! And remember, our God is something to be proud of. ___________________________________________________________ Challege #4: Share your faith with three people today. Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Psalm 66:16 Come and listen, all you who fear God;let me tell you what he has done for me

Prayer for today: Dear Jesus, I know I need to share your Word, so forgive me for not always doing that. Sometimes I just worry about public opinion or negative consequences, but I know that my trust is in you, you are my shield and my protection, and that you will always reign over everything. Sometimes, I simply get so bogged down with life, that I forget to allow you to use me to minister to others. Sometimes I just get stuck in my own agenda, and forget. Forgive me. Lord, I ask that you bring 3 people into my path who need to hear a Word from you, who need a pat on the back, a hug or some simply encouragement; or who need to hear that You love them. Convict my heart as to who I am to minister to. Fill my mouth with words of wisdom for this person. Help me Lord. I know that once I get started, it will become a beautiful habit that I will no longer be hesitant to do. I cant wait to see how you are going to impact lives today through me! In Jesus name, Amen Faith Zone Challenge Day 5: This has been an amazing Part! If there is anyone who has not had time to read through the comments each day, I encourage you to do so! They are wonderful, profound and very meaningful. I dont know about you, but nothing is more motivating to me than hearing about all the wonderful things that God is doing in the lives of His children, and how He so miraculously ordains our experiences each and every day. Thank you all for being so open and honest this Part! Over the past four days, we have spent more time with God, and hopefully grown just a little closer to Him as a result. We have been challenged to face any unforgiveness issues that we were hiding in our hearts. We have been challenged to consider our attitudes and whether or not our minds were a reflection of Christ. And yesterday, God's love was shared and spread throughout the US as we each put aside our fears and hesitations, and sought out opportunities to spread the gospel in some way, either through our words or our actions. My prayer, and challenge, for you today, is that you are ready to take an extravagant leap of faith. If you have taken this challenge seriously so far, then your heart should be more prepared to take a leap of faith than it may have been before! Let me give you a little bit of background on me, so you will understand why I believe with all my heart that taking a leap of faith and embracing whatever God has called us to do is so important, if we want to see God begin doing miracles in our lives. It all started during a womens seminar at my church nine years ago, where I can honestly say that I heard Gods audible voice, or so it seemed to me. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God had impressed upon my heart that He desired that I share my story, shed my hypocrisy, and become transparent for His glory, but at the time I was not quite sure what that meant. My fear of obedience became overwhelming, because I was

completely unaware of what "obedience" meant. I was acutely confused at how God could use me. In addition, I was scared of drastic change, or any change for that matter. I was fearful of leaving my comfort zone. I was terrified of what other people might say or think about me if I shared my testimony. I was not willing to make the necessary sacrifices to follow Gods plan. I was gripped with fear, and paralyzed by the unknown future that would follow. So I said no to God that day. Sadly, as a result, I walked in complete disobedience to Gods will for my life for five years. Instead of giving in to Him, I gave into my fears, and stayed firmly put in my uncomfortable comfort zone. However, the entire time that I was treading down my own pitiful path, the more God worked on my heart. In fact, the farther I walked away from His call, the more I became convinced that He was stalking me with a bible verse! It seemed to be in my face every time I turned around, so much so, that it actually got a little spooky. Seriously, this verse just kept popping up everywhere I went for months, even years! I would see it on TV; in my bible studies; in sermons; my friends would mention it in conversation; it would be on a piece of mail I received; I would overhear a stranger talking about it; it would be scripted on a card from from a church member; it would be on an interstate billboard; my bible could fall off the table and the pages would miraculously flip open to the chapter containing that verse! To think that God was divinely intervening in my life with something as simple as a repetitive bible verse, seriously grabbed my attention. This verse I am speaking of is Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not harm, plans for a hope and a future." Thank goodness that our God is such a patient God. Thank goodness that He does not give up on us, even when we give up on ourselves. He continued to work in my heart over those years, and my confidence in Christ gradually grew, as I watched God continue to stalk, I mean call, me with Jeremiah 29:11. After all those years of trying to ignore the plans that I knew I had heard, and falsely believing that my life was going along just dandy the way it was, I finally, but hesitantly, surrendered. I asked God to forgive me for my blatant refusal to trust Him, and I surrendered my fears, my life, and my future to Him. It was not easy, and I still had concerns, but I realized that all those years, He had been reassuring me that He did have a plan! I finally came to a point where I wanted to see what His plan was! Months later, after God had orchestrated various events that led me to resign from my job and begin working towards becoming a speaker, to my surprise, a church actually booked me to

come speak. Why? I have no idea. But they did. The day finally came, and I began driving toward this very first speaking engagement practically in tears, feeling sick to my stomach. What was I thinking?! What in the world made me think I could stand up in front a big room of people, Christians in fact, who were all staring at me in anticipation of hearing my feeble attempt to share some wonderful gospel truth? I was a nervous wreck, so full of insecurities that I could barely breathe. I began to question Gods call on my life, and also questioned my sanity for taking this crazy step out of my comfort zone. I spent a lot of time beating myself up with all the justifications for why I must have lost my mind somewhere along the path of decision making that I had been traveling. But the event was now, and I had no choice but to push past my fears. I arrived to the church, and sat in my car for a few minutes, staring out at the rain pouring down and beating loudly on my windshield. Why did it have to rain today? It just seemed like one more thing to make me stumble. I breathed deeply, and tightly closed my eyes, wondering if maybe no one had seen me yet and I could make a clean getaway. I knew I could not really do that, so what did I do? I prayed. Hard. Earnestly. With passion. Through tears. With a desperate plea for God to show up in my place. I talked honestly with God. I told Him that I was not capable, but that I trusted Him to give me the right words. I told God that I was afraid, but that I trusted Him to calm my fears. I told God that I was not worthy to be His voice, but I trusted Him to speak through me. I told God that my legs were weak, but that I trusted Him to be my strength. Then I said amen, and mustered up enough courage to walk towards the entrance. Then something amazing happened - God took over. I was merely the vessel - He was the deliverer. Since that experience years ago, I have spoken at many, many events at many, many churches and organizations - but you know what? Those same insecurities always creep back into my heart. And I have made it a practice to say that same simple prayer before each event - simply asking for God to show up and take over - and God never ceases to come through, time and time again. I tell you all this not to toot my horn, because if you think about it, the timeliness of our response to God is a true measure of our faith. My timeliness was not impressive at all. But I hope that encourages you, and helps you undersand that we all have fears and insecurities and lack of understanding. But it is okay. God can do miracles if we give Him something to work with. It is never too late to say yes to God. And when we finally do, the rewards will far outweigh the

costs. The blessings will far outweigh the sacrifices. And a new life in the center of His will, far exceeds any life we could create for ourselves. What about you? Has God called you to do something that you feel is completely out of your reach? Out of your comfort zone? Outside of your qualifications? Has God called you to go in an entirely new direction in your life, but so far you have been paralyzed due to fears and insecurities? Has God called you to minister to others in a way that you feel incapable of doing? Are you afraid to move forward with a dream that God has planted in your heart, because you do not feel worthy to be His servant due to sins in your past or present? Are you hesitating in your obedience, due to excuses that seem valid, such as a lack of tools, resources, time, money, etc? Are you willing to do something extravagant for God? Is God calling you to leave your comfort zone and enter the faith zone? No excuse is good enough for disobedience. I learned that the hard way. The strength of our powerful and almighty God is awesome enough to lead us into extravagant obedience. And just as a special perk for obeying - you will be extravagantly blessed. ____________________________________________________________________________ Challenge #5: Take an extravagant LEAP OF FAITH - embrace the call that God has impressed upon your heart. Listen to the right voice, and forget the excuses. John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and then appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.Galatians 1:15 God, in His grace, chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve Him. Prayer for today: Oh God, I am humbled by your unfathomable grace upon my life, and your infinite mercy upon me. I can never express the amount of gratitude I have in my heart, not just for what You did by sending your Son to die for me the cross, but for coming into my life and for not giving up on me. Please pour your strength into my soul, and your courage into my inner most being so that I will step out in faith for YOU - with no excuses. Forgive me for my untimely responses to your call. I praise you for continuing to love me and bless me, despite my hesitations, fears and disbelief that You truly are in control of all things and have an amazing plan for my life. Thank you for preparing that plan for my life, and for leading down the path that leads me

closest to you. Continue to walk beside me Lord, and show me your plan. Lead me Lord. I am willing to do something extravagant for you, because I love you. In Jesus name, Amen.

I hope you have embraced this Faith Zone Challenge and that it has had an impact on your heart and your faith walk! In His name,

Tracie
Copyright. 2011. Tracie W. Miles, Proverbs 31 Ministries. All Rights Reserved