Our Destiny

My Destiny is tied to the Kingdom of God! My identity is tied to my Destiny!

Let’s establish our identity into who God created us to be…. Stay with me here…..

Gen.15:1-6. God says to Abram “do not be afraid, I’m your shield.” The kingdom of God is for His children.  It’s not for those who are slaves to sin. We are children of God, saved by Grace….We are the Righteousness of Christ… You see, the very moment you believe, the very moment you by Faith accept Jesus as your Lord & Savior, you are accredited with Righteousness…. The moment we believe, Righteousness comes on us… We are a new creation, saved by Grace…

Romans 4:13-16 Especially v.16.  So that the promise might be sure To ALL the seed, (that’s us)…
Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Celebrate and rejoice, be thankful for the Promises that are His children’s, peace, joy, prosperity, health, courage, boldness, strength, humility, forgiveness and most of all love.
Tell Jesus today how much you love Him and how grateful you are that He would sacrifice His life for us… Wow…

Advertisement

Courage comes From Faith

Joshua 1:9.  Be strong and if a good courage; be not afraid, neither be tho dismayed: for the Lord your God is with thee wherever you go…

Courage comes from trusting God. It can’t be mentally drummed up. It comes from believing what God says regardless of what the circumstances look like. Courage comes from faith!

Where does discouragement come from? From fear and unbelief. It comes when you listen to the enemies lies about what God is not going to do for you. As children of God, shake off discouragement and rise up with courage!  Quit looking at your own abilities and failures and limitations and start looking to God, the one who created you. We must rise up in the name of Jesus and the power of his spirit and establish the kingdom of heaven on earth.
Once we begin to realize who we are and what we’ve been given by the power of God, we will quit letting the enemy run over us. God didn’t suggest that we be strong and courageous. That is his command!

This message, this morning, goes out to the kingdom warriors of this family. We are blessed and favored and must never let the lies of the world interrupt what God has purposed got us….
I love my fam jam…

Become a Spiritual Athlete

Hebrews 5:14 says, we can train our senses to discern between good and evil. When you train, or practice, for something, you expose yourself daily to whatever it is you want to become. You practice it over and over until it becomes second nature to you.

Spending time with God is “spirit” practice. As we do this diligently, our spirit will grow stronger and we will start to overcome the habits of the flesh. We will also stop letting the worldly, or spiritual wickedness, toss us to and fro. We will put on the armor of God. We will walk, and talk and process the authority of a believer.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (must read)protected and equipped we are. God is so good.
Sooooo, let’s be the spiritual athletes we are purposed to be, and together we’ll stand in the winners circle.

Have a gear day, and see who you can bless.

Running with the Giants

I bet you think I’m going to talk about some male or man… No… Today I’m gonna talk about one of the Giants from the Bible… Her name is Mary…

Hebrews 12:1. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

You are equipped for this race, like Mary keep your eyes focused on the one who created you. Here’s our example, this amazing giant, a great woman of Faith.

So here’s Mary going about life and courting JOSEPH. When at age 14, GABRIEL, this angle appears to her and says. Luke 1:31-34 and, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy whom and bring forth a son, and you shalt call his name Jesus. This shalt be the messiah.
“Do you think she’s freaking out just a bit”

God moments often seem impossible. The barriers so big, you want to quit. Don’t let your brain reduce God to the size of you… Faith and Trust MUST override our emotions and limited knowledge.

1 John 4:4 greater is He who is in you, then he who is in the world.
Mark 10:27.  With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (Key word ALL things)

Let’s be like Mary, and when God moments come, which they do constantly, Just say Yes.
Like Mary, Luke 1:38, “Mary says I am the Lords servant.

This message goes out to the most amazing women in my and Teds life. You all have been called to do great and mighty things for the Kingdom of God. You are Giants beyond measure.
I thank the lord daily for each of you.
Have a fantastic day.

Don’t Let The Devil Put One Over On You

Ok I’m back… I had a brief Hiatus….

John 8:44.  When the devil speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, a deceiver, and the father of it.

Some people find it difficult to believe God’s promises because they’ve seen so many things in the natural world that seem to contradict God’s word; Christians who didn’t receive healing, faithful tithers go broke, marriages ending in divorce, families split up…

There is a deceiver at work in the world, a deceiver who is busy doing the same thing he’s been doing ever since the garden of Eden: tricking mankind into believing God’s word isn’t true. And, after working on it for thousands of years, he’s a master at it. Next time he tries to trick you. SAY,” I don’t care about appearances. I believe the word, and I refuse to doubt it!”

The word is our authority, and darkness can never overtake the light. The victory is ours, but you must take up your weapons and fight. The enemy will always run at the name of Jesus.

One more example, we have all been to a magic show where someone crawls inside of a box and then they saw it in half. You see it with your own two eyes, but you know that it was a trick. That is exactly the way you need to be when the word of God is concerned.

When someone tries to steal your peace, apply the word of God. When the lie comes regarding your family or the ones who love you, apply the word of God. When it comes to your character and integrity, don’t get distracted by what the world thinks is OK. Apply the word of God, “I’m just going to stick with the word.”

Ps.119: 89-104 this is so awesome, let the power and love of Christ arise in us. We are His ambassadors, and can do ALL Things through Christ our Father.
I love you all, I’m back…

DAY 21: Blessed to be a Blessing

On this final day of ShieldNation’s 21 days of prayer and fasting, we want to express our gratitude and appreciation for a team that understands the value of building a business God’s way. The richest man in all of history, King Solomon, got that way not by seeking God for money, but by seeking God for wisdom. The desire of his heart was to lead the people God’s way. He was motivated to serve others not to serve self. Shield Nation Leaders are successful because of that same principle.

As you go forward into 2016, remember God’s ways are counter-intuitive to the world’s ways. The world says the key to greatness is serving self. Live how you want, make yourself happy; it’s all about you. God’s says the key to greatness is serving the many. Live to bless others, serve them well, it’s all about them. People, who strive to have everything of material worth, usually have nothing of significance. On the other hand, if your focus is to serve, to give, to bless, then SO much more will come back to you. Luke 6:38 says, “Give and it shall be given to you, pressed down and shaken over, the measure that you GIVE, will be given back to you.”

Let that be the heartbeat of our team in 2016; to coach and develop leaders using eternal principles of integrity, commitment, faithfulness, discipline and servant leadership. Let your light shine in your community. Create satisfied customers. Become worth referring! Hold meetings and trainings that offer value to those who attend. Be an asset to your team, your customers, and your company accounts. Focus on Godly principles and watch how referrals, sales and new team members multiply. Why? Because the favor of God rests upon those who live as He purposed. God is for you not against you. When we follow His ways He will make us to prosper and have much success (Joshua 1:8). If you are diligent in the little things, He will trust you in the big things. Serve a family, then a small business, then a company, then a broker. Start small, develop mastery, and then expand. Recruit people because it is good for them, not for you, and then help them serve the many. Walk by faith, not by sight, which means to do what is right by faith, trusting in God’s promises, like 3 John 1:2. The promise says, “I wish above all things for you to prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.“

My prayer is that we ALL become better at serving others. We were the #1 team in sales growth in 2015 by being a blessing to individuals, families companies, employees, associations and brokers! If we all do business in a way to please God, we will be positioned to be #1 again and again. Here is what John and I did to transform our lives, our families and our business.

1. Renew your mind to think like God at your core by meditating on His Word and learning about His character and goodness.

2. Ask God to help you produce a principle-centered lifestyle so you can serve others with excellence.

3. Discipline yourself to operate in the right habits not for gain but to please God. You can’t go wrong, doing the right thing. Success will follow.

When you get better, your business will get bigger and we are here to help you along the way. See you at the top!

John, Darcy, Brielle and Brittany Hoffman
#‎SNL21daysofprayer‬

DAY 20: Releasing the Leader Within

Have you ever seen a tree grow half-way? No, because God made things to grow to their full potential. That includes us! You were designed and purposed to be a leader in your area of gifting. The world cries out for you to be the you God designed. Someone right now needs what is locked up inside you. We are all connected and when one of us does not release their gift, others suffer as a result. You are valuable! You are needed! You are designed to serve others! The world awaits you.

In Mark 4, there is a parable that explains what can block our leadership potential. It tells of a farmer that plants seeds in four types of soils, along the wayside, on stony ground, in a thorn bush and on good soil. Jesus says that if we do not understand this parable, we will not understand ANY parable. So hold on, this is very critical to your success in life.

The parable explains the world as a whole and what is happening in it. The farmer is God. The soil is your heart. The seed the farmer sows is the Word of God. God’s Word is alive and active. The purpose of the sowing is for the seed to take root and produce a harvest. A harvest would be when you live as God intended, releasing all that is within you, so that you bless God and bless others! Ahh, the joy and satisfaction of a purpose-driven life! When we allow the seed into our hearts, then cultivate and water the seed daily through meditation and prayer, it will produce a harvest! That is when God says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

According to the story, after the Word of God is sown (spoken to you), immediately the devil comes to steal the Word so it won’t take root. We have to ask ourselves a question here. What is the big deal about the Word of God and why does the enemy try to steal it immediately? What is he scared of happening? Well let me tell you. He is afraid of YOU becoming your God purposed productive and successful self!! If you release the wisdom, the gifting, the service, the love, the joy, the potential in you, you can change the world. The enemy seeks to kill, steal and destroy that seed in you. How? Let’s look further at the four types of soil.

The seed sown on the wayside would be like a person going to church and then a thought speaks to him like, “God isn’t real, this won’t help you, you aren’t worth loving, it is hopeless.” That is the stinkin’ devil stealing the Word. Do not listen to those lies.

The seed sown on the stony ground is like the person who hears the power of the living Word, is overflowing with joy, but when the first sign of persecution comes, they flee. They trust the feeling of comfort, fitting in, “being cool” more than they trust God. The seed was not able to take root and replace their ignorance with truth. Again, the enemy was able to steal the Word so no harvest.

The seed sown that is choked by the thorns is like a person that knows their life needs to change. They want to know this God and His son Jesus. They believe Jesus is the answer and begin to pursue a life of purpose, renewing their mind by the Word of God, but the busyness of life and the deceitfulness of wealth, fame, recognition, popularity etc chokes the Word. They never experience the fullness of living for God. Their worldly ambitions, which eternally speaking are so void, meaningless and empty, become their God and take first place in their life.

The seed sown into the good soil is like a person that understands the treasure is in the knowing. Nothing else on the planet has more value to them than a relationship with a living God, so they fight the good fight of faith. They hunger and thirst for righteousness, drawn to a love so captivating nothing can compare. The Word sown into them takes root and their faith moves mountains, their words speak life, their joy overflows, they become a light in a dark and dying world. The enemy is enraged, as he has conspired endlessly to steal the seed. Panic overtakes him knowing the fruit that will be created by a seed that takes root. As the seed releases transforming truths, they learn they are are forgiven, justified and totally redeemed. The captive is set free and an anointed parent, spouse, employee, entrepreneur, leader etc. emerges. Favor abounds and they are unstoppable! The devil failed and the victory is the Lord’s.

Which soil represents your heart now? Do you recognize times when the seed was stolen from you? How did it happen and how can you protect the seed in the future? Do you like what your life produces without the seed of God’s Word growing in your heart? You are designed to be fruitful and multiply. The fruit starts at the root. Plant the right seeds (God’s Word and love) into your heart, protect the seed from the enemy and soon you will experience a harvest exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all that you can ask or think. The World awaits YOU!
#‎SNL21daysofprayer‬

 

DAY 19: The Purpose of our Words

In Proverbs 6:2 it says, “you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth.” In other words, how we think is how we speak and those words create our world. When I didn’t like my world, God’s Word taught me I needed to change my words. I turned my heart towards the one who made me, the one who loves me, and got renewed in my mind about how I was designed to speak. I have never been the same.

In Genesis 1:26, the Word declares that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Wow! God designed YOU to look like him (image) and act like him (likeness). When we think, talk, believe and live according to His design, we reflect His image and become like him. Jesus said, “As I am, be ye also in THIS world.” That means right now, in this world, you can be as Jesus was while on earth! Today we are going to take a look at how God talked, so we learn how to talk.

In the first book of Genesis, it records how God created the universe. There is a lot to learn about ourselves, by learning about the God we were designed to be like. When God goes to create the world he wants, it says in Genesis 1:2 that “the earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.” Can you imagine if God saw that mess and started speaking about what he had, “I can’t believe how empty and dark my world is. It is so out of order and formless. I wish there was light, I wish there was order.” God did not speak about the formless, empty, dark mess; He spoke about what he wanted! God formed the world with His words by speaking out what He wanted. Let’s read his exact words…

To the formless, empty, darkness: He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:3

To the void of atmosphere: He said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7 And that is what happened. Genesis 1:6

To the vastness of water: He said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. Genesis 1:9

To the lack of order: He said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. Genesis 1:14

Do you see how God speaks? God spoke what he wanted and then that is what happened! Most people are speaking about what they HAVE that they don’t want, verses what the WANT that they don’t have. When we do this, we actually prophesy or speak into our lives the very thing we do not want.

The purpose of your mouth is to speak like God to create the world God wants for your life. That is how you reach your destiny. Think of every Word you speak, as a seed that when spoken, is planted into the harvest of your tomorrow. How we think is how we speak, so to learn how to think, God gave us, Philippians 4:8-9 as a guide.

Philippians 4:8-9 says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

As you go through your day, listen to what is coming out of your mouth and measure it against how God designed you to speak according to the 4:8 principles in Philippians. If God created you to talk like him, how would He answer the following questions about you or about others? That is how you want to speak about yourself and about others!

What is TRUE about you? What is HONORABLE about you? What is PURE about you? What is LOVELY about you? What is admirable about you? What is excellent about you? What is worthy of praise about you?
#‎SNL21daysofprayer‬

 

 

DAY 18: Joyful Faith Overcomes!

We all know that the enemy comes to steal rob and destroy (John 10:10) but I believe one of the things he wants most is our Joy. You see, if he steals our Joy, we are ineffective in attracting the lost to the Kingdom.

We had a guest speaker today at our church, Haazem, a Muslim who came to know Jesus in a very interesting way. His parents, along with 13 siblings, traveled back to Israel to move a way from the Christian culture they were exposed to in NY where they lived. But God had another plan. A Christian family rented an apartment from them. They just so happened to be missionaries. While Haazem was on a quest to become a better Muslim, he became inquisitive. He wondered why all of his friends and family never seemed happy or joyful, but his Christians neighbors were always joyful and loving toward him. As The Lord would have it, Haazem, through a series of events, put his trust in Jesus. But unlike most of us here in America, it came with a huge price. He had his “Garden of Gethsemane” moment. His family has disowned him and he is literally in danger. But it hasn’t stopped him from appearing on TV and traveling to share the good news. And he does so with the most amazing passion.

So I believe we need to have “Joyful Faith”, that flows out of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is an overcoming faith; a faith that triumphs. A Faith that overcomes the world and a mindset that is anti-God. It overcomes the Lust of the flesh (passions), lust of he the eyes (possessions), and the Pride of Life (positions/power). It is an enduring faith. (Hebrew 12:2). Endurance is the power to keep going year after year in the path of obedience with joy and passion. It is the power to wait on God for an answer. That in itself is a disciplined act. It is difficult to move forward when you are despairing.

It is a rejoicing Faith. (Acts 5:41). We serve, give and worship with joy.
–It is a mature faith. You know God is who He says He is……no re-thinking!
–You know God will do what He promises……..not double minded.
–You trust God even when you do not understand him. (Psalm 145:13)
–You fight the good fight of faith. (1Tim 6:12)
–Neh 8:10. the Joy of The Lord is our Strength. Nehemiah had joyful faith.
–He faced criticism, threats, and false accusations from without.
–He faced strife, discord, and betrayal from within. He faced financial hardships
–He faced a challenging building program.
–But he overcame, endured and rejoiced.

How about you? Do you have Joyful Faith? I hope so. Anyone can be happy when things are going well. But it is when we have struggles that the world is watching if we are different. And by being joyful amidst the storms, we can effectively share the love of Christ in the most meaningful way. So let’s do this family. There are eternities that depend on it!
Love and blessings!
Lisa Schiller
#‎SNL21daysofprayer‬

DAY 17: Do You Know Who You Are?

When I was asked to do a devotion for 21 days of prayer I will be honest my first response was not an overwhelmingly excited YES! It was more of an “okay ill do one if you really really need it.”. As I write this I am embarrassed at my lack of willingness to share such an amazing story of God’s work being done in my life. So now that I have asked for forgiveness for my lack of obedience here we go. Do you know who you are?

Since I was about 4 years old I always had a natural athletic ability. I was raised by John and Darcy Hoffman so obviously that natural athletic ability was trained up through habits and motivational speeches each morning to always be reaching for its full potential. Whether it was gymnastics, basketball, soccer, volleyball, or even golf, I always excelled. I didn’t have to think about it, I just did it.

When I got a little older around middle school, I realized that this athletic ability could draw attention and made it pretty easy to make friends. If I went to a new school and didn’t know anyone, I would do some gymnastics and flips at recess and within 15 minutes I had made friends and everything was good. I was the new girl that could flip around at recess and then go and play with the older team for basketball and was the leading scorer on the soccer team. And I was perfectly okay with being that girl, people looked up to her.

When I got to high school not much changed, and that’s exactly how I wanted it. I would not have considered myself a cocky or arrogant player or person, but I knew I was good and I liked being counted on by my teammates and known as the most athletic girl by my classmates. I was what I could do on the field or court and that was safe for me because what I could do was win.

Once high school ended and I had a scholarship to play college soccer at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, I was nervous for the first time in my athletic career. I was going to be playing at a whole different level. What if I wasn’t good enough? What if I wasn’t a starter? Once I got to Samford those fears were gone and I was playing some of my best soccer. It was our fourth game and I had already tallied a goal and an assist, things could not have been going better. Regulation time came to an end and the game was tied 2-2. My coach looked at me and 4 other freshmen that I had come in with and he started all 5 of us for the overtime. It was one of the best days of my life at that point.

Overtime started and about 2 minutes in I am going for a ball and a girl comes through and takes out my legs and something pops. I will never forget that sound or the feeling that I had when I realized I couldn’t get up. After they took me off the field my trainer did some tests and told me that she thought I tore my ACL. I had never had more than an ankle sprain so hearing this news crushed me. My plans for the perfect season had been stripped from me in a matter of seconds. We quickly got the MRI and it was definitely torn and I needed surgery right away. Once I had surgery I was going to be in a full leg brace for six weeks and then it was going to be another 4-6 months before I would be back to playing. I was terrified. It wasn’t that I was scared of the surgery, or even the recovery, I was scared because I did not know who to be anymore. School had not even started and I had no idea how I was going to make friends if they couldn’t see me play soccer. I didn’t want to be the ACL girl the first day of school. I didn’t want to be the girl that could have been really good but got hurt her freshmen year and just was never the same. These were the thoughts that attacked my mind for the first 3 months and it was the closest to depressed I have been in my life.

I couldn’t understand why this had happened to me. About 3 months after surgery the progress I was supposed to be making was not there. Doctors could not figure out why my knee did not want to bend. They went in and had to put me to sleep again and bend my knee to break up all the scar tissue that had build up so quickly. The doctor said it sounded like gunshots going off in the operating room because the scarring was so thick. After that I thought surely this is going to move quicker. It did not. I was right back to not being able to bend my knee. 2 hours a day of therapy and people pushing on my knee until I cried was doing absolutely nothing.

It was December 3rd and I had gone to a church service with some of my friends and we were in the back of the auditorium up in the seating that required you to go up stairs to get there. At the end of the sermon the pastor was praying and he made a call for people to come forward. This was not a give your life to Jesus alter call, I had done that a long time ago. This alter call was for people that had something they needed to give up to the Lord. As the pastor was praying and calling people forward I so badly was trying to fight it. I was having this inner battle with the Holy Spirit. It would take me forever just to get down the stairs with this stupid knee and then I would have to limp all the way to the front. Also if I went forward my friends might know that I was not doing okay. I kept telling myself ok if the pastor asks one more time then I’ll go. I did this about 3 times before I broke down. I couldn’t stop crying and I made my way out of the aisles, down the stairs, and up to the front.

I couldn’t tell you the words that were prayed over me once I got up there but I gave up control that day and promised myself and the Lord that I would have more faith and trust that God’s hand was on me and that I was going to make a full recovery because that is what God’s word promised. That night I looked up all the scripture on healing and on what God says about who I am in his eyes. I was no longer going to dwell on what was seen (pain and knee issues) but on what was unseen (healing).

• Jeremiah 33:6 “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”
• Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”
• Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
• Psalm 91:13-14 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him, I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”
• Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
• Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

I was so excited after I felt this change and I was ready to put my faith and trust 100% in Him. The next morning when I walked into the training room with my new positive attitude, my trainer came and said she needed to talk to me about something. She sat me down and said that the doctors thought that we were going to need to do another surgery. It was almost funny to me that the day after I felt stronger than ever the enemy attacked me where I was weakest.

Without freaking out I called my family and we prayed about it and decided that I was going to go home for Christmas break and trust God for healing and progress and then make a decision for surgery when I got back to school. When I went home I was surrounded by prayer and support and was completely trusting in Gods plan. When I returned to school my trainers and doctors were shocked. In the three weeks I was home I had more progress than the last 4 months combined.

After that it was a completely different recovery. I no longer wanted to recover for myself but I was wanting to get better so I could get back to playing a sport I loved and use the gift God had given me.

Through this journey I realized that I thought I knew who I was for a long time but who I thought I was was based on things that are not eternal. When I started looking for who I was in Gods word, I was so much more confident and things like how I performed on the soccer field were so insignificant. My prayer for you is that when you are not sure who you are, you look to what God has to say about you, and that you rest in his word and presence to truly hear what he wants to say because what he says about each of us is so powerful.
Brittany Hoffman
#‎SNL21daysofprayer‬