About the Author
Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith, PhD, MBAA, MA, BPS, is an Empowerment Advocate, personal life coach, motivational speaker & leadership expert. She knows that in order for anyone to experience success in their personal or professional lives, there must be a fundamental change in attitude. One cannot be or think negatively and expect positive results. In addition, she loves to interact where she can encourage, enable, empower and energize others. She is a retired executive of more than 26 years with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. She retired as Vice President of Eastern Operations. She is currently a Professor in the School of Management at Texas Woman’s University. She is an author and talk show host. Her new book, When You're Happy With You focuses on helping others find value, build self confidence, self-esteem and confront issues that may be holding them back and is currently available online through Xulonpress.com/bookstore, Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Her radio talk show “Living Happy Every Day with Dr. LaSharnda” can be heard on www.LATalkradio.com, channel 1.
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Do You Know Him?
Do you know the number one reason why we see ourselves as failures, as less than others, as not valuable? It’s simple; we don’t know what God says about us. Oh yes, we hear things like God loves us and He will bless us, but is that really true? And more importantly, you wonder if that is really true for you? I tell you that the only real way to find out if it is true is to ask Him. I don’t mean a “drive-by” ask, but ask with a deep and intimate talk with Him.
I think that a lot of people imagine God as some big person in the sky that can only be bothered with us when something wild is happening to us. And for some Believers, it seems that they have compartmentalized their spiritual lives as being separate and distinct from their everyday lives. But it is not separate; we are holistic beings made up of mind, body and spirit and every piece affects the other. Our bodies can affect our emotions and our emotions can affect our spirit; a lack of connection to God affects all of us. When things happen in our lives we sometimes get depressed and we disconnect from the world because we feel inadequate. Before long we begin attracting negativity to ourselves like a magnet that attracts any other piece of metal that it comes in contact with.
How do you change that? How do you change your negative opinion of yourself? How do you see the beauty in you that God sees? You really want to know?
Get serious about Him.
If you are serious about changing your life and becoming more positive, start each day in prayer. Taking the step to get up early each morning and spend time with God, without any distractions, will change you. It’s in the quiet time that you can really connect with Him & you can talk to Him about what you feel about yourself. I stress spending time with God because during that time of intimacy with Him, He can show you what kind of person you really are.
You may not be as bad as you think when you begin to listen to what He has to say about you rather than what your critics have to say. Remember His Grace is sufficient; His power is made perfect in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9).
(c) May 2013 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Be Grateful & Thankful Always…
There are days that I struggle and fight and struggle some more to get closer to my personal goals. I wonder when I am going to see a break through. I go back and look at them and I refine them. I put on my positive CDs so that I can listen to positive thought leaders. I read everything positive that I can find; anything encouraging. At times I feel desperation setting in and my blood pressure rising because it seems that I am not making inroads at all. I go talk to God again and ask when will I see a break through? I ask Him to show me that I am on the right track and I “think” I wait for an answer, yet no answer comes.
Here’s the thing, He may be showing me and I am not seeing it. He may be saying to me, to just wait a little longer. He may be telling me that what I want has to be a miracle because if it happened easily I would think that it was me that did it. There are a lot of “maybes” in there that only causes me more anxiety because I can’t figure it out.
Are you anything like me? Do you have those days that you just feel like giving up because you can’t seem to break-through? Do you feel anxious and defeated at times? Do you say to God that you thought you were guided by Him because you got to where you are because of Him? Do you know that He is listening to you? Well He is. You might think that your prayers and cries are falling on deaf ears, but they are not. He is taking in every moan, every groan, and every cry. He hears you and cares for you.
In all things, give thanks. That is something I say to myself and remind myself of regularly. In all things, give thanks. In all things, be grateful. Having positive faith means to stay positive even when you don’t see things happening. You might say that faith is positive. I would argue that if it is, why do we get so mad at God when we think He isn’t doing something that we want Him to do? Why do we give up so easily?
Faith is to believe that He will do it when we can’t see how it will be done! Positive faith is to hold on and claim His promises in spite of what is going on in our lives. Positive faith is to stand up, walk and claim victory when we want to sit quietly and sulk. In the book, Jesus Calling, one section read:
I do my greatest works through people with grateful, trusting hearts. Rather than planning and evaluating, practice trusting and thanking Me continually. This is a paradigm shift that will revolutionize your life. (2004)
When I read this I could not help but to snap back into a mindset that depicts gratefulness, thanksgiving and positive faith. Psalm 9:10 says “Those of us who know His name will trust Him; for He is Lord and He will never forsake those of us who seek Him.”
Are you a seeker? If you are, don’t worry about your goals; He knows that they are important to you. He just wants you and me to think of Him first and trust that those other things will happen (Matt.6:33).
(c) April 2013 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Do You Want to be Successful?
Everyone wants success; I sure do! We may not be willing to admit that we want it, but we want it. However, I do not believe that we all are willing to do what it takes to succeed. I know you probably think that I am crazy to ask you if you really want it, but I am going to ask anyway. The reason I ask is because some say that they want success, but they do very little to achieve it. It’s almost as if they think that it will just fall out of the sky! But to be successful in anything, life, marriage, relationships, career, you have to believe that you are worthy of succeeding.
So I ask again, do you really want to be successful? You see, I believe we can succeed but we either make excuses for not succeeding or we sabotage ourselves in the process. Here’s what I mean, as much as we hear or read about the impact of positive words, positive people and positive mindsets, many still do not understand the concept of positive speech, positive actions or positive state of mind. Many still can’t see that when they have a negative mindset, their speech and behaviors will follow. Many still can’t see the benefit in shedding off those things that weigh them down; that includes friends and family members that may make them question their abilities. In fact, I am always baffled to see how others cannot see the impact negativity has on their lives. Oftentimes we don’t even recognize our own negatives voices that circles around in our heads that continue to tell us that we can’t.
Other than negative voices & people there are things we have to consider if we really want to be successful. We have to take some responsibility for our own actions or in-actions. Success does not and has never come easy! You’ve heard the phrase “only the strong survive?” Well think about it like this, being successful requires one to be strong in their pursuits; staying positive, disciplined & focused. Those who have had successful marriages will be the first to tell you that they did not have it easy every single day of their many years together. Those who have climbed the corporate ladder will most likely tell you that every day was not roses and those who have built successful businesses will tell you all of the above. So if you want to be successfully married, successful at work or have a strong friendship or relationship you must first realize that all of these take patience, time, work & lots of effort. Success is something we can all achieve but we first have to look at our lives and deal with all of the negative junk. Then and only then will we be truly ready to move closer to our destiny.
On a final note, I am convinced that what we need to succeed is inside of us. We most often look to others to help us but I have learned the hard way that isn't a good strategy. We must learn to rely on God and ourselves; even the most supportive people in your circle will let you down. God will not. You want success in any area of your life? Stay the course, dig your heels in & don’t give up so easily. Tell yourself “if it were easy, everyone would be doing it” and then ask God for His help. You say that this is your dream; so prove it and work for it. Most often the things we have achieved in life did not just happen overnight and success will not just fall into our laps. Have I ever experienced miracles? You bet I have, but in most cases I prayed a lot before I saw my miracle happen.
(c) March 2013 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Well Exercised Minds = Positive Faith
I don't know about you, but I have a "love/hate" relationship with exercising. I love to exercise but I hate getting up on cold mornings and going out to do it. I love exercising and I am one of those that you will see outside on those 100+ degree days in Texas. But as much as I love to exercise, it is still difficult for me to get going at times. I think for those who really enjoy it understand where I am coming from. Yes, those who exercise may have days that they say to themselves, “I don’t feel it today”.
The good news is every time I push pass my desire to stay away from the gym, I feel better! Every time I exercise I feel proud, self-confident and I feel a sense of exhilaration. You know why? I did not allow my mind to win over; I did not allow my physical desire override what I know to be right and good for me. Each time that happens I become more disciplined.
I believe the mind works the same as the body; it needs nutrition and exercise. That’s why we must work on discipline; not just for the body but for the mind also.
Exercising the mind is to take the time to pray; to meditate. The more we pray, the more time we get to spend alone in His presence is good for us! Feeding our minds is just as important as feeding our bodies. We feed our minds with God’s word. That’s why we must exercise discipline in reading the Bible. If we begin to take time to read His word, the more we will want to do it. The more we want to do it, the more we will do it.
Haven’t you seen people who exercise but you don’t see physical change? I have. It’s because they are exercising their bodies but they are not eating right. When we exercise but don’t watch what we eat, sometimes we end up in an even worst position than when we first started. Our minds work just like our bodies.
What is in our minds will spill out into our lives. Feeding our minds with God’s word should result in positive faith; should result in positive speech and should result in positive actions. Its takes real effort to learn to push past the voices that would have us believe that we aren’t good enough to accomplish what He has put us on this earth to do, but I am convinced that when we feed and exercise our minds continually, we will see the results of that discipline. We will see our lives transformed. You know that Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that we are not to conform to this world; but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and then we will know the perfect will of God. I really want to know His will; don’t you?
(c) Feb. 2013 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
The good news is every time I push pass my desire to stay away from the gym, I feel better! Every time I exercise I feel proud, self-confident and I feel a sense of exhilaration. You know why? I did not allow my mind to win over; I did not allow my physical desire override what I know to be right and good for me. Each time that happens I become more disciplined.
I believe the mind works the same as the body; it needs nutrition and exercise. That’s why we must work on discipline; not just for the body but for the mind also.
Exercising the mind is to take the time to pray; to meditate. The more we pray, the more time we get to spend alone in His presence is good for us! Feeding our minds is just as important as feeding our bodies. We feed our minds with God’s word. That’s why we must exercise discipline in reading the Bible. If we begin to take time to read His word, the more we will want to do it. The more we want to do it, the more we will do it.
Haven’t you seen people who exercise but you don’t see physical change? I have. It’s because they are exercising their bodies but they are not eating right. When we exercise but don’t watch what we eat, sometimes we end up in an even worst position than when we first started. Our minds work just like our bodies.
What is in our minds will spill out into our lives. Feeding our minds with God’s word should result in positive faith; should result in positive speech and should result in positive actions. Its takes real effort to learn to push past the voices that would have us believe that we aren’t good enough to accomplish what He has put us on this earth to do, but I am convinced that when we feed and exercise our minds continually, we will see the results of that discipline. We will see our lives transformed. You know that Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that we are not to conform to this world; but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and then we will know the perfect will of God. I really want to know His will; don’t you?
(c) Feb. 2013 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
You are God’s Masterpiece…
The reason I stress Positive Faith rather than using the term faith is because we can have faith in so many things that are not positive. There are two types; optimistic and pessimistic. The optimist says that “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” and the pessimist says “If anybody was destined for bad luck, it’s me” See the difference?
Did you know that who we are now is the result of how you see yourself? A lot of how we see ourselves started a long time ago when we were learning about the world. If we were told that no one wanted us or that we should have been a boy rather than the girl or if we were told that we were ugly and that no one wanted us, all of those hurtful words can consume us and can become who we are and what we believe today.
Sometimes we allow hurtful words to become a live recording playing over and over in our heads. When I say that you are special and you want to believe it, that recording is designed to remind you that you are not. When I say that you are unique, that recording begins playing again, reminding you that you are fooling yourself to believe that.
Many times we don’t know how to decipher the different messages we receive about ourselves; thus the negative voices rings louder than the positive ones. How do you overcome those negative voices? Don’t go into isolation or seclusion when you hear them; confront them. Say something positive about yourself out loud so that you hear it. Begin to allow what you say to override that recording. Say, I am God’s masterpiece; that’s positive! Believe it; that’s faith! Practice saying it so that what you say becomes a habit. Your belief in yourself will explode and so will your faith. I am not lying to you when I tell you that you are worthwhile, you are special and that you are a masterpiece; the Bible says that you are (Ephesians 2:10). Now will you believe it too?
(c) Jan. 2013 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Did you know that who we are now is the result of how you see yourself? A lot of how we see ourselves started a long time ago when we were learning about the world. If we were told that no one wanted us or that we should have been a boy rather than the girl or if we were told that we were ugly and that no one wanted us, all of those hurtful words can consume us and can become who we are and what we believe today.
Sometimes we allow hurtful words to become a live recording playing over and over in our heads. When I say that you are special and you want to believe it, that recording is designed to remind you that you are not. When I say that you are unique, that recording begins playing again, reminding you that you are fooling yourself to believe that.
Many times we don’t know how to decipher the different messages we receive about ourselves; thus the negative voices rings louder than the positive ones. How do you overcome those negative voices? Don’t go into isolation or seclusion when you hear them; confront them. Say something positive about yourself out loud so that you hear it. Begin to allow what you say to override that recording. Say, I am God’s masterpiece; that’s positive! Believe it; that’s faith! Practice saying it so that what you say becomes a habit. Your belief in yourself will explode and so will your faith. I am not lying to you when I tell you that you are worthwhile, you are special and that you are a masterpiece; the Bible says that you are (Ephesians 2:10). Now will you believe it too?
(c) Jan. 2013 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
We are Intricately Woven Together…
“I love the Lord because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalms 139:14). That sounds so holy and so arrogant at the same time. The truth is that it is kind of scary to think of how complex the human body is; so intricately woven together. The statement that we are wonderful is scary too; some can’t imagine saying anything positive about themselves, so God said it instead.
Most days you can find me at my local YMCA around 530 in the morning. I am a routine cat that follows certain patterns of behavior. I think that’s because I “think” I am in control when I have structure. I run with my ear bugs in my ear listening to Praise and Worship music knowing that soon my mind will tell me to stop running because I am tired, so I tell myself to rely on God to tell me that I can do it and I do! I wore my bright lime green ActiveFaith shirt today and the front simply says “I am” and yes, you guessed it, the back says “fearfully and wonderfully made!” As I finished up my workout and was walking over to the side to wipe down my machine a woman said, “Hey, you know I like that shirt!” I said thank you and we graciously acknowledged each other and went on our way.
I was thinking, can we really grasp the concept of how powerful God is and how much He loved and continues to love us? The Bible reminds us that we were thought about even before we were conceived. In fact, I believe that He thought through how we would look, how we would behave, how we would handle success and failure, and how we could withstand disappointments. Yet, out of all of that, I never seem to be satisfied with how I look; talk about vanity! I know He is satisfied with me, but I never seem to be satisfied with myself. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy and grateful, but I am always watching what I eat, exercising and even thinking of what kind of cosmetic surgery I should have so that I can look better. No joke!
I will tell you the same that I tell myself, get over it. Before I went to the gym this morning I was reminded of how God saw me. When I put of that shirt and walked out of the house not thinking about it at all; God was still thinking about how wonderful I am. As I met that lady in the gym, her minor comment reminded me that God had made a masterpiece with me. Before the makeup, shower or comb, I was gently reminded that I am intricately woven together; not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
All of us are masterpieces that are carefully orchestrated by God. By design we are suppose to impact each other and impact the world. Yes, we have flaws, but He knew our flaws before someone else could point them out. They don’t matter. He knew about our good decisions and those that would create more chaos in our lives than comfort, but He still loved us & wanted us here. I guess I am cautioning you to stop looking at the outside, superficial piece; that fades. As Judge Judy says, “beauty fades, but dumb is forever”. Don’t be so hard on yourself because of looks, size or the amount of education you have. You are still fearfully & wonderfully made. Now some will make you think that you cannot get ahead in life for whatever superficial reason. You may feel that you can’t run another mile, but put on your Praise and Worship music and rely on God to tell you that you can; and you will. Listen to Him when He says how wonderful you are; because you are! Tell yourself that you are fearfully and wonderfully made and tell yourself often. It takes practice to begin to believe it.
(c) Dec. 2012 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Most days you can find me at my local YMCA around 530 in the morning. I am a routine cat that follows certain patterns of behavior. I think that’s because I “think” I am in control when I have structure. I run with my ear bugs in my ear listening to Praise and Worship music knowing that soon my mind will tell me to stop running because I am tired, so I tell myself to rely on God to tell me that I can do it and I do! I wore my bright lime green ActiveFaith shirt today and the front simply says “I am” and yes, you guessed it, the back says “fearfully and wonderfully made!” As I finished up my workout and was walking over to the side to wipe down my machine a woman said, “Hey, you know I like that shirt!” I said thank you and we graciously acknowledged each other and went on our way.
I was thinking, can we really grasp the concept of how powerful God is and how much He loved and continues to love us? The Bible reminds us that we were thought about even before we were conceived. In fact, I believe that He thought through how we would look, how we would behave, how we would handle success and failure, and how we could withstand disappointments. Yet, out of all of that, I never seem to be satisfied with how I look; talk about vanity! I know He is satisfied with me, but I never seem to be satisfied with myself. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy and grateful, but I am always watching what I eat, exercising and even thinking of what kind of cosmetic surgery I should have so that I can look better. No joke!
I will tell you the same that I tell myself, get over it. Before I went to the gym this morning I was reminded of how God saw me. When I put of that shirt and walked out of the house not thinking about it at all; God was still thinking about how wonderful I am. As I met that lady in the gym, her minor comment reminded me that God had made a masterpiece with me. Before the makeup, shower or comb, I was gently reminded that I am intricately woven together; not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
All of us are masterpieces that are carefully orchestrated by God. By design we are suppose to impact each other and impact the world. Yes, we have flaws, but He knew our flaws before someone else could point them out. They don’t matter. He knew about our good decisions and those that would create more chaos in our lives than comfort, but He still loved us & wanted us here. I guess I am cautioning you to stop looking at the outside, superficial piece; that fades. As Judge Judy says, “beauty fades, but dumb is forever”. Don’t be so hard on yourself because of looks, size or the amount of education you have. You are still fearfully & wonderfully made. Now some will make you think that you cannot get ahead in life for whatever superficial reason. You may feel that you can’t run another mile, but put on your Praise and Worship music and rely on God to tell you that you can; and you will. Listen to Him when He says how wonderful you are; because you are! Tell yourself that you are fearfully and wonderfully made and tell yourself often. It takes practice to begin to believe it.
(c) Dec. 2012 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Attitude of Gratitude
I want to challenge you this month. It’s the month we celebrate Thanksgiving so I challenge you to think of one thing you are thankful for and write it down every day of this month. I want you to think of the “new things” God is doing for you and around you. I would like you to encourage yourself when things become a challenge for you and don’t think of past hurts this month.
Most times we become discouraged because we look back over our lives with regret. We wonder why this didn’t happen or that didn’t happen; we wonder why something happened and why we did not make better decisions back then. We regret that we made wrong decisions and then we live with the agony of asking ourselves why. If we are not careful we will find ourselves always living in the past and having regrets.
Living in the past does us no good. Seriously! Wake Up! God is doing something new and you are a part of it. Our greatest failure is to allow our minds to be used negatively. How do we do that? When things aren’t working out the way we would like, our thoughts about ourselves tend to automatically default to the negative. We blame ourselves, sometimes saying such things as “why did I ever do that” “I am so stupid” and I could go on and on. This month tell yourself that you are the apple of God’s eye; say it every single day if you have to.
You see when we default to the negatives of our past, if we are not careful, we can get stuck there. The past can hold really great memories, but it’s still the past; be thankful for today. We cannot go back and relive our lives, we can only live today and try to move forward or we can allow ourselves to get stuck where we are. One scripture in the Bible that can help you live with new purpose and with positive anticipation is found in Isaiah 43:19 it says “Hey I am doing a new thing, as it springs forward, can you not see it?”
See, if you insist on holding onto the past, you might miss the new thing God is doing all around you. You might miss the part you should be playing in it. Holding on to a hurt or a disappointment that happened yesterday, last month or years ago is negative and it can affect your ability to be thankful and ultimately to succeed. It can create a dark spot in your heart. Things that we have held on to and have become grudges will pop us to affect us at times when we are trying to do something positive and productive. That dark spot is negativity. Be aware of triggers that may cause negativity to infiltrate your life. Old hurts and old disappointments may be those triggers. It’s time to let go of them.
God is doing a new thing, can’t you see it? I bet you can if you are thankful and if you put on positive filters and watch for it. God is doing a new thing, watch it spring forth and be determined to be a part of it.
(c) Nov 2012~Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Take the First Step
Sometimes we sit back and wonder when it will happen. We wonder when our lives will change. We don’t have to sit back and wonder about that; our lives will change when we make the effort to change it. Let’s be honest; sometimes we take too long to do anything; especially about life changes. We see that things aren’t quite the way we want them to be and yet we live accepting what we have.” Why” is the question?
I think that sometimes we just don’t know how to make the changes we know we need to in our lives, or is it that we have become so comfortable or complacent that we don’t even bother? The problem with that is that what’s bothering us about where we are will always come back to bother us. We say we want to live in freedom; freedom from debt, freedom from addictions, freedom from always finding ourselves in the wrong type of relationship, but there is nothing done to move out of that situation. We find ourselves on the wheel of life, running and running but getting nowhere? So stop! Regroup, redirect, & refocus. The only way to live better and to be better is to do the things necessary for either of those.
Abraham had to make a real life change to realize God’s blessings. In fact he had to leave the comfort of what he already knew. “Now the Lord said unto Abram, Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify diving blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2). We all know when it’s time to do something different, don’t we? Some do something about it right away and others procrastinate, doing nothing until they can’t do “nothing” any longer. Which are you? If you don’t take the steps now, one day you may look back with regret. . One day you might wake up as I did and say, “Wow! Thank you God for giving me the strength to move out from where I was.” Those who really want better will do something to move toward that end. The question is do you REALLY want to do better?
If you do, TAKE THE FIRST STEP….
(c) Oct. 2012~Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
I think that sometimes we just don’t know how to make the changes we know we need to in our lives, or is it that we have become so comfortable or complacent that we don’t even bother? The problem with that is that what’s bothering us about where we are will always come back to bother us. We say we want to live in freedom; freedom from debt, freedom from addictions, freedom from always finding ourselves in the wrong type of relationship, but there is nothing done to move out of that situation. We find ourselves on the wheel of life, running and running but getting nowhere? So stop! Regroup, redirect, & refocus. The only way to live better and to be better is to do the things necessary for either of those.
Abraham had to make a real life change to realize God’s blessings. In fact he had to leave the comfort of what he already knew. “Now the Lord said unto Abram, Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify diving blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2). We all know when it’s time to do something different, don’t we? Some do something about it right away and others procrastinate, doing nothing until they can’t do “nothing” any longer. Which are you? If you don’t take the steps now, one day you may look back with regret. . One day you might wake up as I did and say, “Wow! Thank you God for giving me the strength to move out from where I was.” Those who really want better will do something to move toward that end. The question is do you REALLY want to do better?
If you do, TAKE THE FIRST STEP….
(c) Oct. 2012~Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Life Isn’t Always Wonderful, but Our Attitudes Can…
Are you the type person that always seems to think the worst? I mean when things are going great, are you always waiting for the other shoe to drop? You say “Yes” you do because that’s how things seem to happen in your life; nothing ever goes right and when it does go right, BAMM!!!! You get hit in the face out of nowhere! Hey I get the frustration you may feel yet I recently watched this happen to a person as she went from one bad thing happening in her life to another. She was hit with bad all around. She had no idea why this was happening to her but I never heard her blame anyone. She did ask the question, “When will I get a break-through?” She said “this is getting to me and some days I feel really bad.”
Yet I noticed that she kept smiling even when she was ready to give up! I am sure she heard all the Christian comments, “wait on the Lord; trust the Lord; give and it will be given back to you; God is getting ready to bless you”? And then there were the other comments: “why did you do this?” or “why didn’t you do that?” only to make her feel worse than she already felt. Yet every time I saw her, she maintained a positive attitude even when she wanted to fall apart.
I learned from watching her. We can all learn from watching her. When we face our seasons of turmoil it is very easy to get negative; we can easily become discouraged and wonder why we have been put into these unfavorable situations. We think that God is mad at us or that we are being punished; No He’s not and no you’re not. Life happens. If someone tries to convince you otherwise, don’t buy it. Now is the time to watch yourself so that you don’t become negative and cynical. 1 Peter 3 tells us to “Be sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble. Do not repay insult with insult---bless those who hurt you & you will be truly blessed.” We’re all human and we all, at one time or another, have said the wrong thing. When that happens to you, forgive and find a way of drawing positive energy to yourself. This season will past, just like all the other seasons you have experienced in your life.
Life isn’t always great; it isn’t always wonderful like in the movies, but in spite of our challenges, disappointments and setbacks, our attitudes can be. Who we believe in isn’t just the flavor of the month; He is real and He says that He will never leave us alone. I take comfort in that each and every day. When I think of God’s grace, mercy and goodness my attitude changes; I think that’s the key. When we face trouble, if we focus on Him rather than the obstacle, the obstacle becomes so much smaller. It may still be there, but we now know with certainty that “Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world” (John 4:4).
(c) Sept. 2012~Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Yet I noticed that she kept smiling even when she was ready to give up! I am sure she heard all the Christian comments, “wait on the Lord; trust the Lord; give and it will be given back to you; God is getting ready to bless you”? And then there were the other comments: “why did you do this?” or “why didn’t you do that?” only to make her feel worse than she already felt. Yet every time I saw her, she maintained a positive attitude even when she wanted to fall apart.
I learned from watching her. We can all learn from watching her. When we face our seasons of turmoil it is very easy to get negative; we can easily become discouraged and wonder why we have been put into these unfavorable situations. We think that God is mad at us or that we are being punished; No He’s not and no you’re not. Life happens. If someone tries to convince you otherwise, don’t buy it. Now is the time to watch yourself so that you don’t become negative and cynical. 1 Peter 3 tells us to “Be sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble. Do not repay insult with insult---bless those who hurt you & you will be truly blessed.” We’re all human and we all, at one time or another, have said the wrong thing. When that happens to you, forgive and find a way of drawing positive energy to yourself. This season will past, just like all the other seasons you have experienced in your life.
Life isn’t always great; it isn’t always wonderful like in the movies, but in spite of our challenges, disappointments and setbacks, our attitudes can be. Who we believe in isn’t just the flavor of the month; He is real and He says that He will never leave us alone. I take comfort in that each and every day. When I think of God’s grace, mercy and goodness my attitude changes; I think that’s the key. When we face trouble, if we focus on Him rather than the obstacle, the obstacle becomes so much smaller. It may still be there, but we now know with certainty that “Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world” (John 4:4).
(c) Sept. 2012~Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Do You Know that God Loves Every Single One of Us?
Sometimes we have to think back on scriptures that we heard about and learned as children. They help us stay grounded; don’t you think? I grew up hearing stories of the parables Jesus told. Those stories are ones I have heard over & over again.
For example, the story of the lost sheep is one that is familiar; I can hear it & say, yeah, ok & move right beyond it if I am not careful. But I don’t know that’s what God wants me to do; move right beyond it. I believe that He wants me to really understand what He is trying to convey and not take these scriptures for granted. These scriptures are so important to our walk of faith and if we are not careful, we can lose sight of why they are there & what we should be doing every day as we seek to live a positive life of faith. That story of the lost sheep is really important and it reminds us that every single person in this world is a person with value & worth.
We are only told to love them, tell them about Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to draw them.
Why do we as Believers behave in a manner we have been cautioned how not to behave? Why do we still determine a person’s value based on their status or lack of it? We look at their clothes and the material things they have acquired and say, Yeah they fit. If our attitudes are such, shame on us. Remember the Pharisee who stood and prayed? “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: “I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector!” (Luke 18:11).
Just think about it, the Bible clearly tells us...“It does not matter who people are, where they came from or what lifestyle they have that we may not approve of. It matters not what their political views are, what skin color or what religion; God loves us all."
I think sometimes we get real high-minded like the Pharisee and forget that the Bible says, “…See that you do not look down on one of these little ones” (Matthew 18:10).
You do know that “one of these little ones" is hyperbole, right? Love everyone even when they may not be lovable.
Trust me, that’s a command.
(c) August 2012 Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
For example, the story of the lost sheep is one that is familiar; I can hear it & say, yeah, ok & move right beyond it if I am not careful. But I don’t know that’s what God wants me to do; move right beyond it. I believe that He wants me to really understand what He is trying to convey and not take these scriptures for granted. These scriptures are so important to our walk of faith and if we are not careful, we can lose sight of why they are there & what we should be doing every day as we seek to live a positive life of faith. That story of the lost sheep is really important and it reminds us that every single person in this world is a person with value & worth.
We are only told to love them, tell them about Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to draw them.
Why do we as Believers behave in a manner we have been cautioned how not to behave? Why do we still determine a person’s value based on their status or lack of it? We look at their clothes and the material things they have acquired and say, Yeah they fit. If our attitudes are such, shame on us. Remember the Pharisee who stood and prayed? “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: “I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector!” (Luke 18:11).
Just think about it, the Bible clearly tells us...“It does not matter who people are, where they came from or what lifestyle they have that we may not approve of. It matters not what their political views are, what skin color or what religion; God loves us all."
I think sometimes we get real high-minded like the Pharisee and forget that the Bible says, “…See that you do not look down on one of these little ones” (Matthew 18:10).
You do know that “one of these little ones" is hyperbole, right? Love everyone even when they may not be lovable.
Trust me, that’s a command.
(c) August 2012 Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
Choices/Consequences
Positive faith includes making positive decisions.
It is so important to remember that our decisions, our choices, good or bad, will result in some type of consequence. We cannot point our fingers at someone else or blame someone else when things go wrong. We cannot make excuses for our own negligent acts. Yet that's exactly what happens so many times. Too many times our actions or inaction do not represent Christ well. Remember others are always watching and we may be the only Bible they will ever read. So don't justify or rationalize wrong choices and decisions; accept that they are wrong , and seek to do better.
We cannot compartmentalize our lives. We cannot say our decisions in an area have no bearing on another. Yes you're right if you say these do not determine salvation, but as Believers, have we forgotten about "the fruits of the Spirit"? Galatians 5:22 tells us that Goodness is one of them. The others are love, faithfulness, gentleness, patience and kindness.
How do we decide on what choices we will make? Or what is right? Look at what Proverbs 14:12 & Philippians 4:8 says
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."
"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is
Lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything
Worthy of praise, think about these things"
The key is to practice "thinking". We are to think before we act or think before we decide to do nothing (which in itself is an action). We should always ask ourselves "what if?" What if I do something crazy? What are the consequences? Positive? Negative? What if I don't pay my tithes? What if I don't pay my bills? What if I don't pay those traffic tickets? What if I tell that person off? You get the point!
I believe if we take the time to think, the right answer is always there. Or if we choose to risk it; to play the odds, we need to be ready to face the consequences; it's our choice! Ours alone. No one makes us do anything. So stop the finger pointing and stop blaming others.
Try to make good and sound decisions so you will experience positive results. Then and only then. Will we not have to worry about them coming back to haunt us.
Remember in all cases if we do what's right, we will experience positive consequences.
(c) July 2012 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
It is so important to remember that our decisions, our choices, good or bad, will result in some type of consequence. We cannot point our fingers at someone else or blame someone else when things go wrong. We cannot make excuses for our own negligent acts. Yet that's exactly what happens so many times. Too many times our actions or inaction do not represent Christ well. Remember others are always watching and we may be the only Bible they will ever read. So don't justify or rationalize wrong choices and decisions; accept that they are wrong , and seek to do better.
We cannot compartmentalize our lives. We cannot say our decisions in an area have no bearing on another. Yes you're right if you say these do not determine salvation, but as Believers, have we forgotten about "the fruits of the Spirit"? Galatians 5:22 tells us that Goodness is one of them. The others are love, faithfulness, gentleness, patience and kindness.
How do we decide on what choices we will make? Or what is right? Look at what Proverbs 14:12 & Philippians 4:8 says
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."
"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is
Lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything
Worthy of praise, think about these things"
The key is to practice "thinking". We are to think before we act or think before we decide to do nothing (which in itself is an action). We should always ask ourselves "what if?" What if I do something crazy? What are the consequences? Positive? Negative? What if I don't pay my tithes? What if I don't pay my bills? What if I don't pay those traffic tickets? What if I tell that person off? You get the point!
I believe if we take the time to think, the right answer is always there. Or if we choose to risk it; to play the odds, we need to be ready to face the consequences; it's our choice! Ours alone. No one makes us do anything. So stop the finger pointing and stop blaming others.
Try to make good and sound decisions so you will experience positive results. Then and only then. Will we not have to worry about them coming back to haunt us.
Remember in all cases if we do what's right, we will experience positive consequences.
(c) July 2012 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
You May Not Believe this...
Sometimes it is impossible to be thankful for believing parents or grandparents. I know that there are those who will read this and say that they were not fortunate enough to have parents or grandparents who were Believers; they did not grow up in homes where faith was important or even an issue. That’s okay. God still has a plan and purpose for you too that’s why you are a Believer today. So you may say that you are not a Believer, well you are curious and that’s good too; it’s His Holy Spirit drawing you to Him. Why not just trust Him; why not try positive faith?
When I was little, I hated living with my grandparents. I wondered why God took my mother so young and I resented that I had to grow up in that Holy Roller environment. I grew up Pentecostal; have been Pentecostal since the day I was born and I hated that too. As I grew older you could tell those who wondered why since I was such an educated executive, none of my friends were Pentecostals; they were Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Unitarian, Lutheran or one of those more sophisticated denominations. As I look back over my life my comment is: so what? I am a Believer. I love God, I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit; I believe in miracles ---look at me! I am the result of the Believers that laid the foundation early in my life. Like me, if you had Believers in your family as you grew up, you may not have appreciated them or their faith back then. In fact I think back on how embarrassed I was about how my grandma & grandpa spoke and how they acted; really weird! All of a sudden I grew up and I was them! The things that have made me the woman I am; the determined, disciplined, positive and yes even the successful woman, are all attributed to them. They were people of faith. I would hear my grandpa sing to himself "I'm going to trust in the Lord until I die." I think of those words now and I think that I never knew how deeply those words would mean to me one day. Yet I hold onto them. In sickness, I will trust; during times of chaos, I will trust; in hard times, I will trust; when I face extreme challenges, I will trust; when I feel lonely and afraid, I will trust.
There were other things planted in me; the song, I know it was the Blood, I know it was the blood; I know it was the blood that saved me. Yeah, I know this sounds so weird to you, but these songs and this type of positive faith of my grandparents to trust Jesus and to trust the power of the blood of Jesus made me the woman I am today
Go ahead, laugh if you will; but faith is built by learning to trust God one day at a time. So I am going to trust in the Lord no matter what; no matter what others say or try and judge. I have learned to trust Him at work, at home, for healing, for promotion, for challenges & for opportunities, I am going to trust in the Lord, no matter how hard it gets. So what’s the problem? Us. We have grown to believe that this old-time thinking is too weird and too old-fashioned. Okay. You want to build your faith? Try it anyway…
(c) June 2012 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
When I was little, I hated living with my grandparents. I wondered why God took my mother so young and I resented that I had to grow up in that Holy Roller environment. I grew up Pentecostal; have been Pentecostal since the day I was born and I hated that too. As I grew older you could tell those who wondered why since I was such an educated executive, none of my friends were Pentecostals; they were Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Unitarian, Lutheran or one of those more sophisticated denominations. As I look back over my life my comment is: so what? I am a Believer. I love God, I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit; I believe in miracles ---look at me! I am the result of the Believers that laid the foundation early in my life. Like me, if you had Believers in your family as you grew up, you may not have appreciated them or their faith back then. In fact I think back on how embarrassed I was about how my grandma & grandpa spoke and how they acted; really weird! All of a sudden I grew up and I was them! The things that have made me the woman I am; the determined, disciplined, positive and yes even the successful woman, are all attributed to them. They were people of faith. I would hear my grandpa sing to himself "I'm going to trust in the Lord until I die." I think of those words now and I think that I never knew how deeply those words would mean to me one day. Yet I hold onto them. In sickness, I will trust; during times of chaos, I will trust; in hard times, I will trust; when I face extreme challenges, I will trust; when I feel lonely and afraid, I will trust.
There were other things planted in me; the song, I know it was the Blood, I know it was the blood; I know it was the blood that saved me. Yeah, I know this sounds so weird to you, but these songs and this type of positive faith of my grandparents to trust Jesus and to trust the power of the blood of Jesus made me the woman I am today
Go ahead, laugh if you will; but faith is built by learning to trust God one day at a time. So I am going to trust in the Lord no matter what; no matter what others say or try and judge. I have learned to trust Him at work, at home, for healing, for promotion, for challenges & for opportunities, I am going to trust in the Lord, no matter how hard it gets. So what’s the problem? Us. We have grown to believe that this old-time thinking is too weird and too old-fashioned. Okay. You want to build your faith? Try it anyway…
(c) June 2012 ~ Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
You are the Apple of His Eye
It is so easy to question ourselves; isn’t it? Even the most confident, the most poised, and the most knowledgeable of us all question whether we matter. We know that we are special, but at times our thinking is so messed up, we even eject that we are special and unique.
When we allow ourselves to think that way it is important to snap out of it right away! We cannot stay there. We have to be intentional in our goals of eliminating negativity. When we allow ourselves to live in negativity land we soon forget just how special we are and how important our goals are to go into the entire world doing what we were directed to do!
Allowing negativity gives room to our thoughts becoming prey stopping us from achieving the goals we have set forth because we simply can’t see them. Before long and if we are not careful, we get off point and continue to allow our minds to be fed with negativity.
My question to you today is are your thoughts intentional and are they good? Are they uplifting and edifying? Because that’s what we all need to succeed.
Think about it, the prettiest of people; do not feel pretty. The most competent leaders question their ability to lead. And Those who typically have high self esteem and great self-confidence begin to question who they are and what they are suppose to be doing on this earth. All because they have allowed negativity to affect the picture of the person they see in the mirror.
My recommendation? Read your Bible so that you know what God says about you. Then you have to do something with what you read. What do you do? You say those things about yourself out loud until you break that funk of listening, hearing and believing those negative thoughts bombarding your brain.
Keep in mind that we are not simply dealing with physical forces; I think we have somehow forgotten that the Bible says that “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;” Ephesians 6:12.
That's a spiritual battle going on, trying to take control of your thoughts and trying hard to push you down. Don’t let it happen. If you decide to allow stinking thinking to live in your mind, the first thing impacted will be your self-confidence; ultimately also your self-esteem. Now erase those thoughts and think about one phrase "You are the Apple of someone’s eye". Psalms 17:9 says so and that's good enough for me!
Let it be good enough for you too especially as thoughts enter your mind telling you otherwise.
The Bible says, “Whoever touches you touches the apple of God's eye and they may encounter a problem;” Zechariah 2:8
Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
(C) May 2012
When we allow ourselves to think that way it is important to snap out of it right away! We cannot stay there. We have to be intentional in our goals of eliminating negativity. When we allow ourselves to live in negativity land we soon forget just how special we are and how important our goals are to go into the entire world doing what we were directed to do!
Allowing negativity gives room to our thoughts becoming prey stopping us from achieving the goals we have set forth because we simply can’t see them. Before long and if we are not careful, we get off point and continue to allow our minds to be fed with negativity.
My question to you today is are your thoughts intentional and are they good? Are they uplifting and edifying? Because that’s what we all need to succeed.
Think about it, the prettiest of people; do not feel pretty. The most competent leaders question their ability to lead. And Those who typically have high self esteem and great self-confidence begin to question who they are and what they are suppose to be doing on this earth. All because they have allowed negativity to affect the picture of the person they see in the mirror.
My recommendation? Read your Bible so that you know what God says about you. Then you have to do something with what you read. What do you do? You say those things about yourself out loud until you break that funk of listening, hearing and believing those negative thoughts bombarding your brain.
Keep in mind that we are not simply dealing with physical forces; I think we have somehow forgotten that the Bible says that “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;” Ephesians 6:12.
That's a spiritual battle going on, trying to take control of your thoughts and trying hard to push you down. Don’t let it happen. If you decide to allow stinking thinking to live in your mind, the first thing impacted will be your self-confidence; ultimately also your self-esteem. Now erase those thoughts and think about one phrase "You are the Apple of someone’s eye". Psalms 17:9 says so and that's good enough for me!
Let it be good enough for you too especially as thoughts enter your mind telling you otherwise.
The Bible says, “Whoever touches you touches the apple of God's eye and they may encounter a problem;” Zechariah 2:8
Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
(C) May 2012
Don't Question your Faith; Just Trust God
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” ( Hebrews 11:1)
Do you have faith? Do you ever question your faith? I have strong faith is something I say to myself all the time! Then all of a sudden, life happened. I was experiencing one physical challenge after another. At one point, I found myself crying in my closest asking God why and pleading with Him to take away my pain. I was happy to receive every prayer offered to me and I was reading every scripture I could find to stand on to reinforce my beliefs. I had friends and family speaking faith into my life and I was speaking encouragement to myself everyday also. But then I would find myself feeling sorry for myself again the thus the cycle would start all over again.
My point is this; I do have faith even when I feel that my desperation during times of challenge makes me wonder. Joel Osteen said “everyone goes through seasons when the challenges of life feel overwhelming.” I say, Amen. You see it is during these times that our faith is questioned, not by others but by us. The enemy will put all sorts of ideas and images in our brains to keep us from trusting God; to keep us from having faith; and to keep us in a state of panic and desperation rather than reminding ourselves of God’s promises to each of us who believe. The scripture says,
“And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done”! (Matthew 21:21, AMP)
Maybe you think that what you are going through right now is impossible; but God’s word says “if we would have faith the size of a mustard seed we can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” (Luke 17:6). God’s word says that “He has a plan and purpose for each of us; plans to prosper us and not harm us; plans to give us hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). So don’t get discouraged when things are not going the way you would like; God has it all under His control.
I continue to learn how important it is to look to God and focus on Him when we face trials. Why? Because if we don’t we will listen to the voice of doubt. Let’s not talk to God about how big our problems are, but rather let’s tell our problems how big our God is. The word says, “As a man thinks, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7). Now join me as I make it my intention everyday to thank God for changing my situation. Start thanking Him for His healing power; for the power of restoration; and for the power of His Holy Spirit that sustains us. I realize that sometimes life can be so upsetting and confusing that we don’t know what to pray; remember when we don’t know what to pray or say to God, the Holy Spirit speaks to Him on our behalf. (Romans 8:26-27).
Father, I thank you right now in Jesus name for each person reading this article. Lord thank you for restoring each of us; for making a way out of no way. Lord, help us to trust you and to remember to believe in miracles, because we are one.
Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
(C) April 2012
Do you have faith? Do you ever question your faith? I have strong faith is something I say to myself all the time! Then all of a sudden, life happened. I was experiencing one physical challenge after another. At one point, I found myself crying in my closest asking God why and pleading with Him to take away my pain. I was happy to receive every prayer offered to me and I was reading every scripture I could find to stand on to reinforce my beliefs. I had friends and family speaking faith into my life and I was speaking encouragement to myself everyday also. But then I would find myself feeling sorry for myself again the thus the cycle would start all over again.
My point is this; I do have faith even when I feel that my desperation during times of challenge makes me wonder. Joel Osteen said “everyone goes through seasons when the challenges of life feel overwhelming.” I say, Amen. You see it is during these times that our faith is questioned, not by others but by us. The enemy will put all sorts of ideas and images in our brains to keep us from trusting God; to keep us from having faith; and to keep us in a state of panic and desperation rather than reminding ourselves of God’s promises to each of us who believe. The scripture says,
“And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done”! (Matthew 21:21, AMP)
Maybe you think that what you are going through right now is impossible; but God’s word says “if we would have faith the size of a mustard seed we can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” (Luke 17:6). God’s word says that “He has a plan and purpose for each of us; plans to prosper us and not harm us; plans to give us hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). So don’t get discouraged when things are not going the way you would like; God has it all under His control.
I continue to learn how important it is to look to God and focus on Him when we face trials. Why? Because if we don’t we will listen to the voice of doubt. Let’s not talk to God about how big our problems are, but rather let’s tell our problems how big our God is. The word says, “As a man thinks, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7). Now join me as I make it my intention everyday to thank God for changing my situation. Start thanking Him for His healing power; for the power of restoration; and for the power of His Holy Spirit that sustains us. I realize that sometimes life can be so upsetting and confusing that we don’t know what to pray; remember when we don’t know what to pray or say to God, the Holy Spirit speaks to Him on our behalf. (Romans 8:26-27).
Father, I thank you right now in Jesus name for each person reading this article. Lord thank you for restoring each of us; for making a way out of no way. Lord, help us to trust you and to remember to believe in miracles, because we are one.
Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith
(C) April 2012
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Our goal at The Wordsmith Journal Magazine is to introduce readers to authors of books with a strong moral message. Primarily Christian based, we do not adhere to any particular denomination, nor do we question the integrity or worship of our readers, interview candidates, sponsors, columnists, reviewers, or authors who advertise with us. We understand reading is subjective and what one person deems sweet, clean, cozy or inspirational, another will not. Please know we do not read nor endorse every book advertised in our magazine but trust that the author understands our goal and his or her work fits the desires of our readers.
