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Before you use your breath to complain READ THIS

Morning Revelation…
there’s ALWAYS competition to get you to focus on what you lack for this day. It’s a trap the enemy loves to create for achievers.  Focus on “getting there”  and then TODAY…the TODAY where you have the promises of GODS ALL SUFFICIENT GRACE becomes an inconvenience.  And once TODAY becomes inconvenient to you then if you’re like most people you start to complain. 
Complaining if you think about it is coming into agreement with the father of lies. It’s essentially saying…no I don’t believe God’s timing is best, no I don’t believe God will finish what he started in my life, no I don’t believe what it says in the word that all things work for my good and the list goes on and on of how your complaining is a declaration that the one who holds the future has somehow made a mistake about your today.
This trap shows up in SO MANY areas of our society.  Making TODAY AN ENEMY shifts our time, energy and attention to speed and disrespect for PROCESS.
We live in a culture that doesn’t want to respect process.
The process of growing natural vegetables…let’s speed it up by spraying them with man made chemicals.
The process of growing fruits naturally…let’s create artificial environments to make them grow faster, larger, and out of season.
The process of healthy poultry…let’s inject them with hormones so they can mature out of season and we can have larger chickens in less time
The process of weight loss…let’s obsess about a number instead of a life, compare ourselves to a man made standard of beauty, and totally disregard the process of presenting our body as a LIVING sacrifice. 
The process of wealth…let’s “go get it” and dismiss HOW we treat others in the process
 
The process as GOD INTENDED requires DAILY INTENTION, DAILY TARGET GOALS, DAILY RESPECT for GODS TIMING.
 
When we fight against process it makes “today” inconvenient. It makes “today” a stepping stone. It makes “today” something we wish away all for a “tomorrow” that isn’t promised.
I see this all too often working with clients for weight loss.
Maybe you can relate…
“Cledra this is taking too long”
“I can’t believe I ONLY lost a pound”
“I just need to get this weight off NOW”
“I don’t have time to work on my thinking Cledra I want this weight G-O-N-E”
All of these have one thing in common…a focus on lack and dismissal of who you get to become in the process.
 
Enduring THE PROCESS changes us from the INSIDE OUT and GOD is more concerned with how well WE REFLECT CHRIST than checking off our wish list to free us from having to endure the discomfort that is inevitable in…PROCESS. 
 
NOT enduring the process makes us think we can change it and so we complain….this should be happening faster, this shouldn’t have happened in my life, I don’t know why I have to go through this.
We turn from all that GOD promises for THIS DAY and we get in agreement with the father of lies about how THIS DAY is full of lack.
 
So if you find yourself frustrated,worried, anxious, and distracted in THIS NEW DAY it’s because you have been conditioned to believe THE PROCESS is the enemy when really it’s the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT that can ONLY be developed in THE PROCESS that’s really under attack BY the enemy.
Robbing you of your cultivation of the fruit of the spirit in your life…robs you literally of your birthright for an abundant life.
 
Because of witnessing this focus on making today inconvenient I have been led to create a new playbook
 “Achieve your Goal Life with DAILY Target Practice”
I invite you to download the playbook for free and attend my complimentary coaching call that will go deeper into THE PROCESS of cultivating fruit that really matters AND the SIDE EFFECT I promise is incredible weight loss both for your MIND & BODY!!
 complimentary registration & playbook download  CLICK HERE
 
 
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How to get over “I don’t FEEL like it”

Do you have a pattern of following your feelings?
 
Examples:
you don’t FEEL like working out …so you don’t
you don’t FEEL like disciplining your thoughts…so you don’t
you don’t FEEL like fueling your body with healthy food…so you don’t
you don’t FEEL like taking the time to plan …so you don’t
 
the result…you get MORE of what you don’t FEEL like dealing with
more time frustrated 
more time fatigued 
more time battling the extra pounds 
more time feeling unorganized
more time in regret
 
So how do you get over those moments when you don’t feel like it:
 
First recognize this…OF COURSE you don’t FEEL like it! With change comes NOT feeling like it and  that’s why it’s a sacrifice to present our bodies to the Lord every single day. A “sacrifice” literally means to give up something and often times that “something” is how we FEEL
 
Second recognize that this is a pattern.  You have a pattern of honoring your feelings and so just like a child who has to be taught to NOT have the pacifier there’s a period of “screaming” for the comfort of what’s familiar.  Your pattern of honoring your feelings is what’s fighting you in the moment of decision to push past needing your “pacifier”
Last thing…Keep your mind on the other side. The other side of  that great workout, the other side of stringing several days of healthy eating together, the other side of  a well planned week getting your top priorities done. Everything you want is on the other side of what you up to this point have been unwilling to do…so push to the other side. 
Honoring GOD’s word, way, and will for your life today must be what leads…NOT your feelings and the result…all of GODs promises!
 
If you’re struggling with pressing past feelings get your complimentary  “Press Through to your Breakthrough” class and worksheet by CLICKING HERE
Remember…there’s a plan for you to prosper but feelings not added until later!
Enjoy this new day!!
Cledra
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What my favorite Pastor said…life changing

You ever felt like your Pastor was talking directly to you?

Ever felt like…now HOW did HE know that was what I was dealing with?

Well that’s what happened to me when my FAVORITE Pastor was talking about the power of GOD’s deliverance.

First let me give you a quick back drop to what was going on in my head…

I’ve been very transparent about the impact losing my father suddenly has had on my weight and how I’ve had to hire at one point someone who specializes in grief to help me cope and heal at the level I craved healing but in the process of all of that some of my VERY OLD eating habits resurrected.  For instance, in moments of really difficult heartache I would go to the drive thru at McDonalds and get sausage (you know they have that “have breakfast all day” marketing going on) and my Daddy and I used to have breakfast “all day” meaning at night sometimes and so in some way it connected me to him BUT it also connected me to a larger pair of pants and THAT…THAT was a DISCONNECTION that needed to take place!

ANYWAY…that’s the struggle and honestly it was a struggle that I had been praying about and yes…you could say asking for GOD’s deliverance.

AND THAT’s when my Pastor had the nerve to say something that hit me SO HARD I honestly wanted to walk out. Not because I didn’t like what was said but because the impact was SO deep I just needed some time to process …so he goes

People come up to me all the time and say Pastor I asked the Lord to deliver me from “so and so” but I still can’t help doing “so and so”. I don’t know what the Lord is doing in my life because I’m not delivered. (that’s my paraphrase of his setup)

 

AND THEN…OMG…he said the life changing comment

 

GOD WILL NOT DELIVER YOU FROM WHAT YOU STILL WANT TO DO

GOD WILL NOT DELIVER YOU FROM WHAT YOU STILL WANT TO DO

 

Hold up…STOP the PRESS…“what you STILL want to do”

 

Real talk…on some level with my YEARS of being in this space of weight loss and wellness I had to admit that on some level I still wanted to indulge I just didn’t want the consequences of the indulgence. Can you relate? You know you wanna still have a LITTLE but have A LOT of progress?

Was it possible that my heart wasn’t turned to GOD for COMPLETE DELIVERANCE ?

COMPLETE DELIVERANCE as defined as Lord destroy my DESIRE and WILL for ANYTHING(including that sausage) separating me from the Cledra YOU had in mind?

I’m convinced that when it comes to at least weight loss we want the Lord to help us with being disciplined TO A POINT.  Help us TO A POINT where we can see PHYSICAL RESULTS(smaller clothes and a lower number on the scale) but GOD is interested in SPIRITUAL RESULTS.

Numbers like the number of times we look to HIM for comfort instead of a cookie,  the number of minutes we study HIS WORD, the size of our faith, the willingness to drop the “scales” of judgment and offer grace.

GOD looks at the heart and I was convicted so much by what my Pastor said that I was led to go before God and admit that I wanted to change consequences more than I wanted deliverance and to search my heart , break my will, replace it with YOUR purpose, and renew my mind.

Can’t wait to tell you what happened next but I will say it has changed my life AND my body,  but for now…I wanna invite you to go to GOD and get real about your position.

Have you been asking for deliverance from something that on some level you still really wanna do? Do you want deliverance more from the consequences than a true break from ever having the desire?

I also invite you to Relevant Life Ministries to hear my favorite Pastor…Pastor Eddie Gross. 

Worship is at 10:30 am on Sundays at 1860 Sandy Plains Road Marietta, GA 30066

Leave me a comment and let me know …have you asked for deliverance? Do you have it? Do you still on some level still want to do what you asked to be delivered from ?

Post below OR come tell me in person because I’ll be up front with my favorite Pastor at the end of service to greet and welcome you!

LOL,

Cledra Gross

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The struggle to make sense of what doesn’t make sense

Struggle comes with trying to make sense out of what  just doesn’t make sense

When we’re going through difficulties, the enemy loves to draw us into a logical discussion.  The reason a “logical discussion” is a sign of temptation is because GOD cannot be reduced to our logic.  There are countless examples of how a “logical discussion” comes before sin.  We can start in Genesis with Eve.  Everything the serpent said seemed “logical”.  We can look at Samson. Everything Delilah said seemed “logical”.  We can look at Sarah. I mean she had waited a VERY long time for that baby and so getting another women to sleep with her husband seemed “logical” at the time.

So how do we protect ourselves from “logic” when logic is what so many of us use to be successful in this world?  If you’re reading this you’re most likely a very accomplished individual with a long list of things you’ve been very successful doing and I bet almost all of them required you to be…LOGICAL.

Today I want to invite you into an ILLOGICAL walk with our GOD and here are some strategies:

  1. Ask GOD to give you HIS vision about the situation. Resist the need to take YOUR vision of the situation to GOD and ask for clarification.
    my real life example
    Logic prayer:  Lord I don’t understand why my first husband found love and marriage again before I did. It’s not fair.
    ILLOGICAL prayer:  Lord, I surrender my desire to be married to you. Give me YOUR VISION for this day about me getting married again
  2. Ask GOD to show you WHO YOU NEED TO BE. Resist the need to talk about changing your circumstances and shift to changing your character
    continuing the real life example
    ILLOGICAL PRAYER: Lord, what skills and what character traits do I need to develop to become the wife for the man you are preparing for me
  3. Ask GOD to give you the STRENGTH for THIS DAY for HIS WILL alone. Resist the need to tell the Lord how you feel like you can’t make it.
    ILLOGICAL PRAYER: Lord, give me the strength to celebrate love with others as I patiently(fruit of the spirit) wait for the love you have for me.
  4. Last step…THANK the LORD in advance
    ILLOGICAL PRAYER: Lord I just thank you for giving me YOUR vision over my situation, I thank you for showing me who I need to be, and Lord I magnify you and praise your name for the gift of another day to grow in you.

BONUS strategy….start with a PRAYER OF SURRENDER(click to download) 

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but this just doesn’t make sense

 

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I almost quit but then I heard… declare VICTORY

Declare Victory…no matter what!

For the first time in 5 years of my coaching I actually had thoughts of quitting. This past year I have had the largest weight gain I’ve had in 6 years, I’ve had some of the darkest nights of my soul since the season of losing my baby, and the enemy started whispering…

who will listen to you now?

how are you gonna talk about weight loss I mean look at you…you’re not a size 8 anymore you’ve gone up 2 sizes maybe 3?

how can you talk about emotional mastery when you cry almost everyday?

what story are you gonna “rewrite” now?

Can you relate? Has life ever hit you so hard it makes you question your direction? Maybe for you it wasn’t as extreme as losing a parent but maybe you lost the dream of what life would be like for you by now…married, 2.5 kids, a dog, and a big house? Better off financially or wished your kids had turned out better?

I don’t know what it may have been for you OR maybe you’re reading this and you’re like “Cledra life right now for me is better than ever” and PRAISE GOD if that is you(save this for later & forward to a friend).

My point is when darkness comes to our lives the enemy tries to disqualify us for what GOD qualified us to do.

I heard the LORD say…”I didn’t call you because I thought you’d be perfect. I called you because your life would show what’s possible”

I wanna give you the reason my mind is made up to serve you, get this weight off, and BOLDLY teach about emotional mastery. I wanna show you what’s POSSIBLE IN YOUR LIFE and how YOU CAN BE happy EVEN after…after “whatever your fill in the blank” is

1. Wake up and realize there is competition for your thought life & you cannot afford or allow the enemies lies to have real-estate in your mind. CRUSH those thoughts with the word of GOD

2. Your challenge will serve as a stepping stone for God’s glory

3. Trust that GOD is working on your behalf. Trust the heart of GOD even if in this moment you can’t see the hand of GOD moving.

4. Know that the enemy doesn’t challenge people walking in his direction so PRAISE GOD for the challenge and know that YOU DO HAVE WHAT IT TAKES

5. Renew your mind EVERY SINGLE DAY

6. Dress for your SOUL success. Our “soul” is our mind, will, and emotions. Don’t leave the house without dressing your SOUL for success

I wanna share the prayer I wrote in the midst of this battle but I want YOU to commit to sharing it as well, so can you forward this to AT LEAST 1 girlfriend who may need to know that it is her BIRTHRIGHT TO DECLARE VICTORY?

Your PRAYER TO SHARE and I also want to gift you with my “press through to breakthrough” class.  It’s not only what I coached but it’s what I listen to OVER & OVER to continue my own press.  EVERYONE needs DAILY mind renewal…that’s not from me that’s from the word.

Whatever you’re going through…I want you to hold that in your mind and then say…I DECLARE VICTORY(say it) I DECLARE VICTORY…I DECLARE VICTORY…I DECLARE VICTORY

LOL

Cledra

IdeclareVICTORY