You Become What You Believe

September 2, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT

There’s a phrase that I have heard quite often: You live what you believe. What that means is that you can say that you believe something, but if your actions don’t line up with what you say, then you don’t really believe it. What you do is what you believe.

When it comes to faith, I’ve heard it said that you only believe the parts of the Bible that you actually do. Well, that could be pretty convicting! Am I doing what I know the Bible says? Am I living what I say I believe?

What do you believe about yourself? You may be able to quote Scriptures about being a child of God and more than a conqueror, but are you living out of those things? Think about how you reacted to a recent challenge. Did you behave like a confident child of God? Did you live like you are more than a conqueror?

Don’t be too hard on yourself, friend! None of us live up to what we know 100% of the time. However, if we become more aware of our responses and what they tell us about our beliefs we can begin to shift. We can become the person we want to be.

What do you really believe about yourself? Do you realize that what you believe is what you will become? What beliefs will set you free to become all that you were designed to be?

Paul told his friends in Rome to “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2 NLT) Where do you want to be transformed? What would you like to believe? How can you begin to become that new person and let God change what you think?

Here are some tips to get you started. Read on, friend!

You Are What You Think

August 26, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 NLT.

Even into my adult years, I saw myself as a scared little girl. I was terrified of making mistakes. I had a deep fear of failure. My mom told me I would practice saying words in my crib before I ever used them publicly. The desire for excellence was in me from infancy!

But a desire for excellence easily and quickly became a fear of failure and a drive for perfection. Is perfection even possible for humans? Of course not! What does that mean? Failure was part of every effort to achieve perfection instead of excellence. How does one avoid failure and making mistakes? By choosing not to choose. Be deciding not to try. And that is what I often did.

I became a hesitant and shy child. Although my heart longed to soar, I kept my feet on the ground and my wings safely tucked in. No flying, no failure. Or so I thought.

Those thoughts limited my ability to achieve the excellence I so desired. They kept me from becoming the person I wanted to become. They tied me down and made me a prisoner to my fears. That isn’t what I wanted for myself. And it isn’t what I want for you either.

So, where do we start to overcome the thoughts that hold us down? We start by accepting that you are what you think and to become who you want to be you must change the way you think. So, here’s why.

What you think determines your attitude. Do certain things irritate you, but you aren’t sure where the irritation originates? “Why does this bug me so much?” That is the question to ask yourself. Being willing to ask that question will help to reveal your underlying attitudes. Answering that question will help you unlock what you think about the situation and the people involved.

What is Your Highest Calling?

June 17, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

What would you say is your highest calling? Is it to evangelize or preach or provide for your family or raise your children? Are you sure that is your highest calling? Let me propose a higher one, and I admit it is as much of a challenge for me as I know it will be for you.

Whatever else God has called us to do and to be can be summed up in this: As believers we are called to be like Christ. Now that is a high calling! But what does that look like and how do we do it?

Are we called to speak with authority over demons because He has given us authority? Well, yes, but is that where you spend your life? Are we called to be like Christ in the working of miracles? Well, yes, but do you and I make miracles happen? Are we called to be like Christ in a life of self-sacrifice? Well, yes, but what does the cross look like in our lives?

What Defines Me?

May 27, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Ephesians 1:11 MSG

What criteria do you use to define your own existence? That’s a big question! Do you know the answer?

How do you find out who you are? What criteria do you use? Is it what other people say or have said about you? Is it public acclamation or your accomplishments? Is it the opportunities that you may have received or not received? Perhaps you define yourself by your good behavior or religious activity. I can say that was my story. Yet, none of those things are what God uses to define us.

In this grand adventure of life with God, we often think of our life with God as what we do FOR Him— our devotional activity, our acts of service. But what God really wants from us is to understand that our life WITH Him isn't really about those things. What it IS about is knowing and living in our identity in Christ.

Ephesians 1: 11 in The Message translation of the Bible says that "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for." God wants you and me to be defined by our relationship with Him rather than all the other things that we seek out to tell us who we are.

As you consider what defines you, ask yourself, “Am I finding out who I am in Christ?” What criteria are you using to define yourself?

Every Goal Needs A Tune-Up

April 15, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ' Philippians 3:13-14

You’re on the road and realize that the road signs and landmarks don’t line up with where you thought you were going. You don’t want to waste time and gas by heading in the wrong direction. What do you do? You pull over, figure out where in the world you are, and check your navigation to make sure you are on the right track! Then you fine-tune your directions and get back on the road.

So, where are you on your journey toward fulfilling your divine destiny? Where are you in fulfilling the goals you have set? One of the most important things you can do to keep making progress is to stop and re-evaluate your goals. Every goal needs a tune-up!

Here are some reasons why.

Celebration is Motivation!

April 1, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ' Philippians 3:13-14

You’ve taken the time to craft a compelling goal. You’ve created a system to remember your goals. You’ve thought about what you want to achieve. You’ve asked yourself some hard questions. Good work!

Now begins the task of working toward achieving that goal. Where are you at? It’s time to evaluate. Do you know what that means? More hard questions!

To evaluate where you are, take a good hard look at the reality that is right now. Why not start with an encouragement boost? Consider your goal, and ask yourself some questions.

What is working well? Start here.

Connected or Exhausted? What's Your Plan for Replenishment?

October 1, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

'They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. ' Colossians 2:19

On Sunday you take a look at your calendar for the week in order to mentally prepare for what is ahead. As you look at the week you see a lot of writing and hardly any white space. You sigh and shrug your shoulders. Here we go again!

On Monday you get up, get yourself ready, get the kids to school, go to work, pick up the kids, get dinner, then off you fly to a church activity. You get home and fall into bed. Then you get up and do the same thing all over again. If you get a shower in the morning, you are lucky!

How’s that going for you? How do you feel? I have been there and done that and I can sum up how you feel in one word: EXHAUSTED!

To be exhausted is to be “completely or almost completely depleted of resources.” It is to be drained of physical and mental energy. It means that you have got almost nothing left to give anyone. You haven’t cared for yourself properly, so you haven’t protected your resources or refilled your reservoir. The pool is just about empty.

You know it isn’t supposed to be this way. You know that Jesus has more to fill you with, but when do you even have time to connect with Him? If you did have white space in your calendar, what would you do with it?

I’ll bet you have one word in mind. SLEEP! Sleep is a holy thing. No joke! God has made us to need rest, so don’t deny yourself sleep. But rest and sleep are not exactly the same thing. Rest is a time of replenishment. In rest, you refill that reservoir. In rest, you re-establish your connections with yourself, with the people you are close to, and with Christ. How are you replenishing your reservoir? Are you staying connected to Christ?

All You Need Is Love?

May 21, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“All you need is love.” So sang the Beatles. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” Maybe you are too young to remember that one. I used to know every word of so many songs that were on the radio. Maybe you know a few, too! Popular songs are full of a desire for love, a recognition of the need for love. It’s true: Individuals need love; the world needs love. But, as many songs declare, finding love is illusive. We know we need it, but don't really know how to get it. And, if observation is accurate, we spend more energy trying to figure out how to get love than how to give it.

Yes, love is central to life, but love isn’t primarily something we are supposed to get. It’s something we are supposed to give. Jesus gave his disciples a command to love one another. He said that the world would know those who belong to Him by the way they love each other. (John 13:34-35) That’s a command to love. Not a command to search for love. The command to give love is the primary directive. Yet, it’s been twisted into the main thing everyone is searching for. What if we turned our focus to giving love rather than getting it? In the current culture wouldn’t that immediately establish us as different? In a world where everyone is looking for love (“in all the wrong places”, as a popular country song once said), what if the identifying factor of Christians was that we gave love away rather than seeking it for ourselves?

Are You An Example Worth Following?

November 20, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

"I want to be like you when I grow up." Those are some of the most gratifying and terrifying words that you and I might ever hear! Whether you are a parent or simply an important person in the life of a child, those words can lift you up and horrify you at the same time. You are encouraged that this little one sees something in you that they want to emulate, but you are suddenly aware of every bad decision, every wrong choice, every way that your example is not...well...exemplary. You start to question if being like you would be a good thing. You ask yourself, "Am I an example worth following?"

In a letter to his friends living in Phillipi, the apostle Paul has given them examples to follow. He starts with Jesus, our ultimate example, and moves on to some other people they know, but later on in the letter he appeals to their love for him and uses himself as an example. What a bold move! He believes that they will find the joy, peace, clarity and contentment they need as they let his priorities be a pattern for them. Can you imagine that?!

Take a moment to consider: Who in your life needs a godly example? Could you be the example they need? What would it take for you to be as bold as Paul and invite them to follow you? What do you need to do in order to be ready to make that invitation?

Let's start here.

How To Cut Through The Clutter

October 30, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 'Philippians 3: 8-9

Almost every day when I go to my mailbox there is a new piece of mail for a girl named Abigail. I don’t know how my address got attached to her name, but I do know that Abigail is most likely a high school senior because the mail she gets is from colleges inviting her to attend their campus. Multiple invitations have arrived, and that is just at the wrong address! I can’t imagine how much mail she gets at her own address. So many options! Abigail has a huge choice to make. How will she decide?

Like Abigail, every day you and I are bombarded with a myriad of options. A multitude of choices clamor for our attention and energy. From the food we eat to the money we spend, to the tasks on our calendar, we have decisions to make. All those choices create clutter, don’t they? School responsibilities, keeping up the home, the job, family obligations. So much demanding your attention and mine. In the midst of all that clamors for my attention, how do I know what the most important thing is? As I complete the tasks that take up my brain space how do I know that I am doing what matters most? How do I cut through the clutter?

Cutting through the clutter begins with clarifying your goal. What is the thing you want most? If we aren’t intentional, our goal becomes obscured by the chaos of everyday choices. We chose the urgent over the important. We chose what is right in front of us rather than the thing we long to move toward. I know that has been my experience. What about you?