The eternal God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you.
Deuteronomy 33:23
As a life coach and speaker, I regularly keep my eyes open for effective tools to put into client tool chests!
My goal for each client or group with whom I have the privilege to share, is to leave them stronger for life, and inspired to strengthen those around them.
A well-equipped woman is not caught set back on her heels, because she takes her seat at the divine table. There she is fed the Bread of Life and drinks the Living Water found only in Jesus Christ. She is equipped with fresh wisdom and the assurance that God will supply her every need.
Because of my humanness, I am affected by things I experience. To protect the work I do with my clients, the Lord often directs me to open my own tool chest for His careful examination. In those moments, He sifts out the things belonging to the world that I have inadvertently added. I am, after all, accountable for the words I speak and write. Each word is to bring honor to His name and be edifying to the hearers. May I be found faithful to please Him.
The child of God who desires to live a “sold out life” for Christ must consider the source of every teaching she hears. This morning, the Lord brought to my mind a mantra that I have used, and which is shared liberally by so many: “You got this!”, or “I got this.”
For some people, this is an innocuous little phrase, but for a strong-willed, self-reliant woman like me, it may signal the difference between relying on my own strength and relying on the Lord to direct my steps and bring about an outcome according to His divine plan. This is not to say that others who use this phrase are in sin, but to suggest that it is possible for some to turn toward the world’s self-help playbook for strength and answers. This playbook of self-help, my friends, does not follow the excellent call that God has placed upon my life.
I count it a privilege to speak any word that will encourage clients and friends. I take seriously determining ahead of time, whether what I offer directs those listening back to the throne of God or if it sets them on the path to independence from God.
That path of independence eventually comes to an end, and then what? What happens on the day when “You got this – I got this!” fails, or when a woman has exhausted every human tool and despair is knocking at her door? At that moment, no worldly mantra or self-help slogan will answer in defense. So, while I have a client’s attention, it is best to direct her to the tools that are blessed by the supernatural power of God; His Word and His counsel - His presence as a shield.
We are surrounded by a world that shouts, “You got this!” At face value, it seems like good encouragement, worthy of tucking away and sharing with a friend in need. However, the Lord has revealed to me that the wise woman will remove it from her tool chest for something far superior. Instead, she can turn her face toward Him and find a strength that never fails.
Perhaps in those moments when despair knocks or fear hovers, she will fall into the everlasting arms which are under her, and hear the voice of God say, “I’ve got this, and I’ve got you!”
