Are you a Flip Flop Goddess or a Stiletto Diva?

Good Morning GRITS Girls!

I pray that every week you are becoming a little wiser and a lot stronger !

Balance is such a key component in standing firm and fighting against the enemy's schemes, BUT you can only do that if you are getting dressed today with the full Armor of God! 

Check out today’s “Word to the Wise” quick video from Ephesians 6. There I share with you how important it is to “PUT ON” your shoes so you can STAND YOUR GROUND!

Bottom Line Sisterhood:
Balance is what makes the world go around and Balance is the Key to standing firm in the battle!
It’s for real ya’ll!

Be encouraged today by the power of God's Word and some Spirit-filled common sense!

Keep Pressing ,
Pastor Laura

Righteous or Right?

You Dressed Yet? 
Got your Girdle on or maybe your Spanx?
Well, you know what I mean🤩 - The Belt of Truth! 

 In todays Word to the Wise Blog I continue my breakdown of Ephesians 6 and remind you of the importance of the second piece of the armor  of God that Paul tells us to “PUT ON” to protect your vitals! 
YEP…. It is what keeps you ticking girls! YOUR HEART!

Bottom Line Sisterhood:
Guard out Heart Girl!
When you guard your heart - you guard your life!

Be encouraged today by the power of God's Word and some Spirit-filled common sense!

Keep Pressing ,
Pastor Laura

Girdle Up and Get Ready!

Good Morning GRITS Girls!

Happy Wisdom Wednesday .
I pray that you walked out of your house today fully dressed with the Armor of God! Did you forget? Don’t Worry, It’s Not too late! 

Check out today’s “Word to the Wise” quick video on Ephesians 6 where I share with you how important it is to “PUT ON” the Belt of Truth!

Bottom Line Sisterhood:
Girdle Up and Get Ready today to protect and prepare against the devil’s schemes!

Be encouraged today by the power of God's Word and some Spirit-filled common sense!

Keep Pressing ,
Pastor Laura

Suit Up

Good Morning GRITS Girls!

After you Show Up & Step Up, it’s now time to Suit Up! Get Dressed today with the Armor of God! 
Join me over the next several weeks as we breakdown Ephesians 6!

Keep Pressing!

Pastor Laura

Step Up!

Hey Sister- Friends,

Thanks for joining me on this Wisdom Wednesday!

Are you ready to Step Up and Step into all that God has for you today as a GRITS Girl?

Word to the Wise

Bottom Line Sisterhood:

Spirit –led Living produces Spirit –filled Giving! 

CLICK HERE to WATCH today's WORD TO THE WISE BLOG !

Keep Pressing,

Pastor Laura

Grits Girls!

Hey Sister- Friends,

Thanks for joining me on this Wisdom Wednesday!

 Last week I shared with you the four strategic keys to becoming a GRITS GIRL:

1.SHOW UP
2.STEP UP
3.SUIT UP
4.STAND UP

Today, is all about SHOWING UP!

Word to the Wise

Bottom Line Sisterhood:

Show Up.. in your pain

Show Up … with your promise

Show Up … for your purpose!

Because all that GOD NEEDS is all that I HAVE - TODAY!

CLICK HERE to WATCH today's WORD TO THE WISE BLOG!

Keep Pressing,

Pastor Laura

Girls Raised In The Spirit!

Hey Sister- Friends,

Thanks for joining me this Wisdom Wednesday!

I am super excited for us to dig a little deeper the next few weeks as a GRITS GIRL!

CLICK HERE to WATCH today's WORD TO THE WISE BLOG!

Keep Pressing,

Pastor Laura

Strength and Dignity

It’s Wisdom Wednesday and we are only two days away from Friday!

WOOHOO!

I am so proud of you girl and now that you have made the decision to become strong by showing up to your LIFE and our GRITS (Girls Raised in the Spirit) Spiritual Conditioning Class every day, we can get even a little GRITTIER with it, Sister-friend!  Remember, I call this Spirit – filled common sense!

Let’s get honest, Sister-friends! In different seasons of our lives, we encounter pain in many different forms including loss, death, betrayal, hurt, disease and _____________ (whatever your pain is, place it in the blank by saying it out loud girl). What happens is we begin to slowly lose pieces of our hearts where hope, courage, love and laughter live. Again, another tactic of the enemy to strip our strength!

But when we show up each day, in every season of our Grits class – we draw our strength from HIM – remember, Solomon breaks it down like this in Proverbs 31:17 to remind us of the importance of our God- given task.

Proverbs 31:17 (Amplified):

"She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] And makes her arms strong."

Just a few verses down in Proverbs 31:25, he tells us that not only should we equip ourselves with strength, but we should clothe ourselves in His strength and dignity. 

PROVERBS 31:25- (Amplified):

"Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared]."

Then and only then will we be able to stand strong and secure and be able to laugh at whatever come our way!

I know what you are thinking … “How can that lady possibly smile at the future? I can’t smile at the future. In fact, I haven’t smiled in years because I live in constant fear about today.

Sister – friend, I personally don’t make a lot of promises to anyone. BUT, what I can promise you TODAY is, as you equip yourselves with HIS Strength and HIS Spirit you can laugh again.

It’s not always fuzzy feelings and goosebumps! It is a decision on our parts to do something with what we know to be true and the discipline to SHOW UP to our LIVES. The laughter may only start with a giggle, but it will soon turn to that deep belly laugh! There is no greater medicine for our souls, sisterhood, than a good dose of laughter with friends!

Word to the Wise:

Bottom Line Sisterhood..

There is no such thing as a pain – free life! But God gives us a fantastic formula to follow in equipping ourselves with His strength for each season of our lives. But remember, it’s not a magic formula; it is a written formula!

More Next Week Sister-friends! 

Are you ready to get G-R-I-T-T-Y with it?

Keep Pressing,

Pastor Laura 

Spirit Filled Common Sense

Hey Girls! It’s Wisdom Wednesday!

Last week, I shared with you how Fear is a spirit and not from God!  When we allow fear to grip our minds it will strip us of His strength.

The Power of the Holy Spirit will strengthen and equip us as we exchange our insecurities, weaknesses and fears for His Strength and Power!

So, what now? What do you do next!

You begin the process of BECOMING STRONG!

Just like the importance physical strength and endurance play in our everyday life, we must be equally as concerned with strengthening ourselves spiritually!

I call this our GRITS (Girls Raised in the Spirit) sisterhood spiritual conditioning class!  Girls, we show up to this class every day whether we realize it or not. In fact, we show up even when we don’t wish to.  IT’S CALLED LIFE!

Proverbs 31:17 (Amplified):

"She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] And makes her arms strong."

You and I both help redeem the world’s definition of strong when we begin to equip ourselves through this great exchange with His strength!

Remember, we are made strong through our weaknesses! I can assure you that is not how the world would define strong!  

Strengthening ourselves takes work, practice, EXERCISE and DISCIPLINE (I know, quit rolling your eyes friend, I said the D word) and then more practice on our parts in developing stronger endurance as we become GRITS!

No, not a girl raised in the south and I am not talking about something you eat! LOL

GRITS…. GIRLS RAISED IN THE SPIRIT!

GOD WANTS HIS GIRLS TO BE STRONG IN SPIRIT but even STRONGER BY HIS SPIRIT!

Hold up, Pastor Laura –WAIT A MINUTE!

You’re talking about the Spirit today and for me the Holy Spirit can be so complicated and so confusing!

YES SISTER – FRIEND! I am talking about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is one of the most abused, mis-used and mis- represented parts of the Trinity.

The Trinity is the God- Head. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! Unfortunately, the church is one of the biggest violators of this abuse, mis-use and mis- representation and for this, I humbly apologize!

Ya’ll… Spirit-filled common sense can be a part of your everyday life as GRITS!

Strengthening ourselves by the ever- present power of the Holy Spirit is VITAL in living a strong and secure life!

In fact, God desires for us to clothe ourselves every day with His strength and by His Spirit according to Proverbs 31!

PROVERBS 31:25(Amplified): "Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared]."

Smiling at the future?  Just hang on! Se will talk more next week about the future…and SOOO much more about the Holy Spirit and being a part of the GRITS Sisterhood so, make sure you check your inbox!

WORD TO THE WISE

Bottom-line Sisterhood….

Show up to your life today. Show up to your GRITS spiritual conditioning class today! Become equipped by His strength for your God – given task. The God- given task for today and every day!

Let’s redeem the word STRONG!

Strong Women.

May We Know Them. 

May We Be Them. 

May We Raise Them. 

(Author Unknown) 
 

Keep Pressing,

Pastor Laura

Hey Strong Girl!
 
Yes! I am talking to you this morning!  Remember you are stronger than you think when you make that great exchange! This exchange happens by offering your insecurities and replacing them with His strength!
 
If you did not catch last week’s kick off blog to learn more about this Great Exchange- Click Here: https://www.churchaliveag.org/sermons/
 
Today, I want to talk about FEAR! Fear is something you and I both struggle with at different seasons of our lives! In fact, many of you reading today feel like you struggle with paralyzing fear every day!
 
Girls, fear will grip your mind and strip you from your strength!
 
Let’s revisit Psalm 46 for just a few minutes!
 
Psalm 46:1-5 NKJV
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
 
Girls, in reality if we are not allowing God to be our strength and refuge in times of trouble, then we will live our lives fearing not only the present but also our future!
 
I love how bold and encouraging the Psalmist is when he says, “WE WILL NOT FEAR” even when the mountains fall into the sea. Basically, life can be falling apart around you, but live life with No Fear!
 
 I recently heard a speaker share this truth, “Fear is a demonic kind of faith”. WOW! Ya’ll this is such a powerful statement! How often do we elevate our fears above His strength?
 
Fear is addressed 365 times in the Bible!
Friend, you have a FEAR NOT for everyday of the year!
 
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
 
Word to the Wise:
Bottom Line Sisterhood…
Fear grips and strips!
The Holy Spirit strengthens and equips!
 
REMEMBER!
Fear is a Spirit and not from God! Fear will grip your mind and strip you of His strength.
 
The Power of the Holy Spirit strengthens and equips you.
As you make the great exchange and allow God to be your Center, your inward parts (verse 5), there will be no room for fear to take up residence! Fear and faith cannot reside and live in the same place.
  
Strong Women.
May We Know Them. 
May We Be Them. 
May We Raise Them. 
(Author Unknown) 
 
No Fear,
Pastor Laura
 
Last Week I had the privilege of speaking on Fear as we finished our Overcomer Series @ Church Alive!
Want to check it out? Click Here: https://www.churchaliveag.org/sermons/