Pastor Chad finished up the series Hope in Action this Sunday. This message, “Stay Frosty,” which he joked wasn’t prophetic since we had just had a major snowstorm come in and it is also not the yummy dessert you can get at your local Wendy’s fast food joint. Stay frosty means to keep alert! It is a military term to keep your cool and remain at ready.

The Points:

1. Do Not Engage: When the enemy and those things or people being used by the enemy come to distract you. Do not engage! Be single-minded in what the Lord has given you. There is something
2. Keep It At 10 & 2: Essentially, this is when you keep your hands on the wheel and keep doing what the Lord has asked of you to do. Where distraction may not catch your attention, inner turmoil might. Our sense of entitlement and prideful desire to get what we think we are owed kicks in. Instead of doing what the Lord has given for us to do, we look for the payoff or the perks, even when none have been promised! We still seem to think we deserve it. This ‘hand off the wheel’ kind of attitude has derailed and destroyed many. Don’t fall for it. Do the work!
3. Put it in writing: If you want to stay awake and aware of what you are to be doing. Get it down on paper. Write it out and make it plain! If you write something by hand, all that complex sensory information increases the chances the knowledge will be stored for later. In short, writing by hand forces your brain to process information in a more detailed way, which helps you successfully load that information into your memory. – Elyse Houser

Pastor Chad said, “Write what God has broken your heart for and then walk it out!”

I learned several years back something called NVC which means Non-Violent Communication. NVC is about speaking and listening from the heart based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg. While this kind of communication is good for times that you do engage the tool of listening this way allows me to detach myself from the words that people are speaking. Instead of taking them personally and then reacting. This kind of listening gives me ears to hear the words, see the pain or hurt behind them, and then respond rather than react. This is a very helpful tool to pause your reactions, slow your thought processes down when the enemy is attacking, and use discernment to determine if this is something you ought to respond to or can choose not to engage. Non-engagement is wise when dealing with social media of any kind. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” I have a much more difficult time with keeping my hands at 10 & 2 when my inner world is screaming. However, with the practice of again of listening, I can hear myself through the power of the Holy Spirit that was given to me by Jesus Christ can choose not to respond to the inner mess and rather walk by faith.

Through the power of God-given choice, I can let fear pass on by and walk by faith instead. I can trust that my God is ahead of me and knows what He is doing. Besides, if I get out in front, I may just get run over. I don’t think that would be any fun at all. As for writing, many of you already know I am an avid journaler. I love to write. I spend a little time almost every day just writing. What has the Lord broken my heart for helping others keep the lessons the Lord gives because He is always speaking. It’s why I write this blog. 

All is grace,

Starla