by Coach Tina | Aug 3, 2017 | Bible Challenge
Philippians 4:10-13
When I’m going through a struggle, Philippians 4:13, is my go to scripture. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” Over the years, I’ve learned I need His strength to get me through everything not just a struggle. I’ve learned to pray it. I’ve learned to quote it. I’ve learn to beg for it. In other words, I know the scripture well and have used it a lot.
I am also familiar with the scriptures before it. Where it speaks of being content. I have heard people misquote this scripture. It’s not talking about being happily poor or sadly rich. It’s not talking about being content with being hungry and accepting it as your plight. It’s saying whatever state you find yourself in, trust God. He will see you through. Strength comes from Him not from your circumstance.
So, when you feel like giving up because things around you seem more than you can handle, or when you think everything is going great, remember greater is He that is in you than He that’s in the world. God can turn any situation around in a blink of an eye. Don’t give up and don’t get complacent thinking you don’t need to go hard. In order to have the things you desire in life, you have to go get them. They will not fall out of the sky. The steps of a righteous man (woman) is ordered by the Lord. God will order steps that are moving!
What did you get out of the passage?
Until Next Time,
by Coach Tina | Aug 2, 2017 | Bible Challenge
2 Timothy 1:6-12
Today’s reading talks about fear. We’ve heard the verse before – God did not give us the spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mine. For years, I thought fear was bad. That we shouldn’t be afraid. That if I was afraid, I was out of the will of God. I, now, realize that being afraid means I’m human. Yes, it is an indication, to me, of something I need to face and ask God to help me with. But each time I have to face a fear, it reminds me that I’m growing. It reminds me that God has revealed something in me that I’m ready to deal with. It reminds me that God is moving me to a new level and that fear has to be dealt with or it will prevent me from moving forward.
I included verse 12 in this reading because we tend to stop at verse 7. But verse 12 says in the English Standard Version, but I am not ashamed, for I know who I believe and I am convinced that He is able to guard (me) until the day (I complete) what has been entrusted to me. So regardless of what battle I face. Regardless what challenge occurs. God will guard me, protect me, watch over me until I am able to accomplish what He has entrusted (assigned, put in my hand to accomplish, delegated) me to do.
So when I feel like giving up, I must remember that I have been entrusted with a task. God will never give us anything that He won’t equip us to accomplish. And on top of that He will guard you until it’s completed. So when fear does come up, remember the fear is not coming from God, it’s coming from the enemy knowing if you accomplish the task at hand he loses! But when you are able to push past that fear with a sound mind, with power from God and the love of what you’re doing God wins every time!.
So keep pushing. Keep persevering! And don’t you dare give up!
#dontgiveup #biblechallenge #sistertalk
Until Next Time,
by Coach Tina | Aug 1, 2017 | Gratitude, Growth
Nobody could have told me ten years ago, when I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom crying my eyes out that one day I would look back and declare it one of the best days of my life. NO ONE could have told me that! Yet here I am thanking God that “He worked it out for my good”.
Sitting on that floor I remember declaring “my life was over!” Those words couldn’t have been more prophetic if God himself had said them. I had just found out my husband was having another affair. My heart was broken. We had been down this road before and “I” was still trying to mend that pain. “I” was determined to move forward and put my family back together. “I” thought things were going pretty good and there we were again, in the same situation. I couldn’t understand it.
Didn’t “I” matter? Didn’t the kids matter? What would people say? How would “I” explain this? How would “I” cover this up? Why had God allowed this to happen to “me” again? He wouldn’t put more on me than I could bear, right? Then why did it feel like I was going to die under the pressure of all this pain. I didn’t know how to be a single parent. I didn’t want to be a single parent! But there I was looking at a picture 
of my family with tears rolling down my face knowing that was about to be my life.
That day was one of my rock bottom points (oh there were many and I’m sure there will be more as God molds me into what He wants me to be). I found myself in a place where all I could do was look up and call out to God. All I could do was depend on him. This was all new to me and not only did I not know what to do, I didn’t know who I could turn to for help.
But now I can look back and say “ALL things work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. You see that day “life as I knew it was over”. that was the day God started revealing my purpose to me – I just didn’t know it. That was the day He started removing the covers from my eyes. That was the day He opened my heart so I could draw closer to Him. That was the day I stopped looking for other’s to fulfill happiness in my life. Now if I had of been God, I would have handled it differently. I would have never put me through that kind of pain (who am I kidding, I had to go through it again before it finally registered). Thank God I’m not God!!!
So, when you find yourself in that place where all hell is breaking loose in your life and you feel like you can’t go any further, remember God has a way of turning it around. What you are going through is preparing you for your greater. It is just a line in your testimony. Watch God make it good. Watch God make you better because of it.
Until Next Time,
by Coach Tina | Jul 19, 2017 | Encouragement
My life is NOT perfect, far, far from it! But God has brought me through so much that I trust him with my life!
• Do I get scared sometimes? Heck yeah! But my fears come from wanting to please God and making sure my intentions are right.
• Do I ever feel like giving up? Yeap! And have! I remember telling God, “I’m not doing this anymore I quit!” I found myself sitting in front of my computer crying as He poured into me
• Do I ask “why me?” Not anymore LOL Oddly enough I’ve learned to trust it must be a purpose for it.
• Do I wish there could have been another way? YES I do! I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone!
• Was there warning signs? Yes! God showed me time after time and I was determined to have things my way. Well I learned you can’t say yes to God and do it your way.
• Do I cry at night? Sometimes! Big crocodile tears but God comforts me!
• Did I fail? Nope! I’m who I am because of it. I comfortably feel I gave everything I had to give.
• Would I do it again? HECK NO! I have learned my lesson and don’t have to take that test again.
• Would I change anything? Yes! I would have listened the first time!
• Do I blame myself? NO – I don’t blame anyone! Everything happens for a reason.
Best advice I would give: Stop looking for life to provide you the perfect environment. It’s not going to happen. But what you will find is as you walk on those difficult roads, your purpose will be revealed. It’s in those moments where you feel all alone that you can hear God the clearest (there’s no distractions). There is no perfection on this earth! Once you accept that, you will learn to embrace life and all that happens as you grow! You pick up the pieces that matter and move forward. Read all about it here (well sort of).
Until Next Time,
by Coach Tina | Jul 16, 2017 | Encouragement, Growth
Life can be jacked up at times!! I mean you think everything is going well and then suddenly, out of nowhere, the rug is pulled from under your feet. Stop fooling yourself! You might not want to admit it but I will – I felt when they started pulling the rug. I felt the small tugs and I felt the tugs that made me dizzy. I lost my balance a couple times but popped back up determined to ride it out. Then there were times, I fell so hard, it left scars. But I wasn’t going to let some scars keep me from what I wanted. I didn’t just ask for the rug, I begged for this rug. I asked God to fix this rug. I invested deep – lots of money and time into this rug. My whole life was centered around this rug. I went back on several occasions to get this rug. It was mine and I wanted it! At any cost, I was going to have it even if it killed me in the process!! Wow, haven’t I been here before?
I’ve thought long and hard about how to share my story or whether to share it at all. Because haven’t I already been down this road before – I mean I have a published book about it! Same thing different day! But I realized that was my shame speaking. That was me wanting to look good in the sight of others. That was me putting that darn mask back on and trying to hide. That was me trying to control everything.
I will say the shame and control won for a while. In fact, it really wasn’t a fight. I gave into it because I didn’t have any fight left in me. I decided to just continue and let what happens happen. I’d go on with life like all is well – no one will ever know. I can hide it. But when you have one of those relationships where you do everything together and then suddenly you are never together – well people start talking (and boy can people talk). The funny thing to me was when people started walking up to me on the street asking am I okay? I want to say “why what happen?” Or you hear lies and try to figure out did that happen and I just didn’t know about it. Or people start avoiding you because they don’t know what to say (okay all you’ve done is show me your shallowness – get over it – I have – well sort of). Or you have the super saints saying it’s gonna work out – I’m praying for you – (I be wanting to say what’s gonna work out? Or please don’t I’ve prayed enough – sorry but not sorry) Ya’ll keep praying for me – I’m a work in progress!
So, here’s the scoop! You can read in my 1st book (click here) about the infidelity, about my co-dependency and insecurity, our control issues, abuse blah blah so I’m not touching that. What I will say for purpose of my blog is during my last separation from my husband I grew up. I went from the naïve teenager portraying an adult that was insecure and seeking love by pleasing others to a woman who knew her purpose, understood her self-worth and was determined to continue to learn more about this new person. For four years, I walked around trying to juggle being the person I was and the person I was becoming. I was miserable! It wasn’t that I didn’t love my husband. I did and always will. But I was learning to love myself and wasn’t willing to get up every morning, put on a mask and act like life was perfect when it wasn’t. I didn’t want to walk on a carpet that was forever moving. I was tired of living in a home where the foundation wasn’t stable. I wanted to trust what I was being told and not second guess myself when I didn’t. I wanted to be proud of the person I saw in the mirror.
I wasn’t called to settle or to be mistreated and neither were you. I can’t tell you what to do in your situation I only knew what I had do in mine. So, if you are looking for me to tell you, you are looking in the wrong place. It took me 4 years and lots of therapy to figure out what was the best move for me and I’m still not sure every day. But I do know I’m at peace knowing I gave my very best. I do know I’m not looking over my shoulders to see who’s watching me. I do know I don’t worry about if I’m doing everything right. I will never do everything right and I’m okay with it. But that was the cross I had to carry. You must carry your own.
I don’t know what will transpire from this point on but I’m excited to see it. I invite you to join me for the ride as I settle into my new norm.
Until Next Time,
Philippians 4:10-13 
