Tag: bible

  • 5 Steps to Obey God

    5 Steps to Obey God

    The idea of obeying God sounds like a fairytale, but if I can be honest, obeying God isn’t fun.

    Obedience requires you to change your mind, actions, and beliefs. It requires you to start something new and stop something old. It’s uncomfortable, awkward, and a struggle.

    The good news is that God does not expect us to be perfect in our obedience. Instead, God wants to see progression. In this blog, we will talk about five steps you can consistently take in your obedience journey.

    1. Get Clear

    One of the biggest challenges in obeying God is overcoming your doubt.

    Doubt may sound like:

    • Did I really hear from God?
    • Did I make the right decision?
    • What if I’m wrong?

    🚨 Unchecked doubt will always lead to disobedience.

    Getting clear on what God is calling you to do will help you to overcome your doubts.

    ✨ FYI: Being confident you heard from God is not the same as being confident in your actions. Obedience will always require faith, but knowing that you heard from God will give you confidence to obey.

    Blog ➡️ Hearing God’s Voice

    2. Overcome Resistance

    Next, you have to identify and fight against what’s stopping you from obeying God. There will always be a natural resistance to obeying God because obedience requires you to go against that grain. That grain may be social norms, your mindset, or habits.

    By identifying the issue, you’re able to recognize and fight against anything that comes against your obedience. This step is really important because you cannot fight something you do not identify.

    ✨ So, what’s stopping you from obeying? Fear, insecurity, the opinion of others, doubt, etc.?

    3. Ask God For Help

    Obedience is meant to be done in partnership with God, not through human strength. 💪

    When God calls us to obey him, he’s calling us to take his hand and walk with him, day by day and moment by moment. Your strength is not strong enough, but you + God will always be enough.

    🚨To obey God, you must ask God for help.

    Prayer to welcome God in: “God, I desire to obey you. Please help me obey, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

    “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13 NKJV.

    4. Stay Connected To God

    To consistently obey God, you have to stay connected with him. He is the only person who can keep you on track.

    ✨ God will give you the power, discipline, and mindset to obey him, but you have to stay connected with him.

    Ways to connect with God include:

    • Obeying
    • Reading your bible
    • Praying & talking to God

    5. Restart

    Sometimes we mess up. Obedience isn’t a linear journey. It’s full of ups and downs. And, the good news is that God doesn’t expect or require perfection.

    😌 When you mess up, he is there, waiting for you. All, you have to do is pray, “God, I’m sorry, please help me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

    Receive God’s grace and love. Then start over! You can do this! 💖

    A graph that shows that obedience happens over time.

    That’s A Wrap 💗

    Today, I want to encourage you to start or continue your obedience journey. I know that obeying God is hard, but you are capable of doing hard things with God! It will get easier! 💖

    Encouraging Scriptures ↓

    Here are a few scriptures that can help you as you obey God:

    • “…If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NIV)
    • “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37 NKJV)
    • “The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.” (Deuteronomy 28:7 NIV)

  • 5 Ways to Hear God’s Voice Clearly

    5 Ways to Hear God’s Voice Clearly

    A lot of times, the reason we are paralyzed, overwhelmed, or disobedient is because we are constantly questioning whether we are really hearing from God. I want to encourage you that you do not have to stay paralyzed and questioning.

    Instead, we can boldly approach God with the mindset that:

    • God wants to speak to you 
    • God has an answer 
    • You will find your answer

    In this blog, we will talk about five ways to find answers from God. You can use the methods independently and together. I recommend choosing 2-3 options and asking the Lord to help.

    Ask God

    Asking God seems so simple, yet we often skip over God and run to people or the internet. I want to encourage you to ask God for wisdom today.

    Example prayer: God, please help me to make the right decision about _. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

    Read Your Bible

    The Bible is not a history book. It is the word of God. It is a living entity that God wants to speak to you through (Hebrews 4:12). When you read your Bible with the intention of finding an answer, the Holy Spirit has a way of getting you exactly where you need to be. 

    Side Note: God will never tell you to do something that does NOT align with his word. 😌

    👀 Blog Post: What is the Bible?

    Quiet the Noise In Your Mind

    God’s voice is sometimes quiet and subtle, sometimes making it hard to hear him, especially when our thoughts are so loud. In 1 Kings 19:21, as Elijah is at the top of the mountain, God speaks to him in a gentle whisper. One of the best ways to hear God’s voice is to quiet your voice so that you can hear his whispers.

    🧠 Brain Dump

    One way to quiet your thoughts and slow down your mind is by brain dumping. Brain dumping is writing down all the thoughts, ideas, and feelings without censoring or trying to organize them.

    Brain dumping allows your brain to breathe and think more clearly, which results in mental peace and allows you to have the mental space to hear from God. Brain dumping is a method I use almost every week.  

    Steps to take:

    1. Get a blank paper and write down all your thoughts
    2. Organize your thoughts
    3. Ask God for direction on where to focus

    🥴 It’s tempting to do all the steps together but do them one by one.

    🎙SPEAK OUT LOUD

    Another way to quiet your thoughts is by speaking all of your thoughts out loud. Hearing your thoughts out loud will help you sort through all your thoughts, quieting them down. This is a great method if you enjoy talking your thoughts out. However, in this method, you are to yourself and God.

    Talking your thoughts out will help you to see the lies you are holding on to and will be an opportunity to hear from the Holy Spirit. If you struggle with hearing God’s voice, I recommend asking God to make his voice sound differently than yours so that when he speaks, you know it is him and not your thoughts.

    Find Wise Counsel

    God did not make us do life alone. Wise counsel is critical to making wise decisions. Throughout the Bible, we both see the power of wise counsel.

    📖 For example, we find the following scriptures:

    • “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers,” (Proverbs 11:14).
    • “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice,” (Proverbs 12:15).
    • “Plans fail for a lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed,” (Proverbs 15:22).

    Tip: Everyone is NOT wise counsel. Your parents or friends may not always be wise counsel. Ask God who you should talk to. You can pray, “God, please guide me to the right person to talk to.” 

    When you are looking for wise counsel, look for the following characteristics: 

    • Trustworthy
    • Hear God’s voice
    • Personally submitted to God’s will in both words and actions!

    Fasting 

    Lastly, I recommend fasting to hear God’s voice. Fasting allows us to take our eyes off of ourselves and focus our eyes on Jesus. It is an opportunity to weaken our flesh, get out of our feelings, and obey God.

    When fasting to hear God, I recommend giving up things that:

    • Unnecessarily take your time or attention
    • Unaligned with God’s words or your convictions
    • Numb or distracts you

    🍷 For example, social media, TV, books, hanging out with friends, drinking wine, eating sugar, etc.

    Be careful not to replace the open time with other things that distract you. Instead, spend some of the time with God.

    Before fasting, take the following steps:

    1. Ask God to help you. Do it with God!
    2. Get clear on what you are fasting for.
    3. Set a timetable for how long you are fasting.
    4. Get clear on why you are fasting.

    Hint: The things you don’t want to fast are often the things you should fast.

    🏃‍♀️Blog Post: Running Back To Jesus

    Encouragement:

    Finally, I want to encourage you in the fact that:

    • God loves you so much
    • God is already speaking.
    • God wants you to hear his voice.

    I hope this blog helps you boldly search for God’s voice with the expectation that he is speaking. Today, take a moment to hear God’s voice.  💖

  • Jesus Our Shepherd

    Jesus Our Shepherd

    Sometimes, we think we are too dirty, messed up, or broken to be loved by Jesus. But that is the furthest from the truth. Jesus is our shepherd, which means he is qualified, willing, and desires to sit in the mess with us. 

    Before writing this blog, I’ve always associated biblical shepherding with farming. I had a picture of a farmer who worked in the day, checked on the animals, worked the land, and then went back home at night. 

    Biblical Shepherds

    Historically, shepherds did not live like farmers. They lived off the land with their sheep. For months, they slept outside, on the dirt, covered by filth. Shepherds were often muddy, bloody, and smelled like animals and poop. 

    Their days and nights looked like this:

    • Caring for and protecting the flock.
    • Fighting off other animals.
    • Healing the wounded sheep.
    • Rescuing stray sheep.
    • Directing sheep to the right paths.

    A shepherd was willing to sacrifice time, get in the dirt, and chase after their flock. This is an image of our God. 

    OUR Shepherd

    Our God loves us deeply in the middle of our storms, shame, and fear. When he looks at us, he doesn’t judge our current state but sees who we will be. He’s not afraid to get in the mud with us. He is willing to get dirty so that we can get clean. He isn’t disgusted by the mud, manure, or blood. He doesn’t belittle, beat, or judge us.

    Instead, he embraces us, longs for us, and chases after us when we are far away. You will never be too broken, too messed up, or too dirty for God. He is a good shepherd. 

    So, today, I want to encourage you to let God shepherd you. Let him be who he is, a good shepherd. 

    Let God Shepherd You.

    Let God be what you need him to be.

    • Let God be a protector if you feel unsafe.
    • Let him be a fighter if you need to fight.
    • Let him be a healer if you feel broken. Let him be a cleaner if you feel dirty.
    • Let him be a shame remover if you feel shameful.

    And finally, let him be your sacrificial lamb if you feel like a sinner because He’s already paid the price. Receive it. 

    God is a good shepherd and trustworthy. 

    The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am a good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

    John 10:10-11 NIV

    Did this blog touch your heart? I wanna know. Please like, share, and comment. Thank you for being here! 💖

  • What is the Bible?

    What is the Bible?

    The Bible is the truth, the way, and the light. 

    The Bible provides us with a way to see, experience, and live a godly life. The Bible is a template from God so we can be more Christ-like. 

    More specifically, the Bible is:

    • the Word of God
    • the Truth of God
    • God in Word form

    Think about it like this: I am Dohna Dudley, my name (word form) is Dohna Dudley, and the truth is I am Dohna Dudley. 

    The Bible says it like this:

    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” (John 1:1 NIV).

    🌟The Bible Is The Passageway to Be Christ-Like

    Most Christians have an innate thought or desire to follow God and be more Christ-like. Well, the only way you become Christ-like is by learning more about how Jesus lived by reading your Bible.

    A lot of times, we try to skip over the Bible, but the Bible is the only way to become like Christ. Without reading your Bible, you cannot really know or understand Jesus. 

    You may have grown up hearing about Jesus or had an experience with Jesus, but the only way to follow his light is by reading his Bible to learn how to live like him. 💖

    “The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory of the one and only son, who came down from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

    John 1:14. 

    🗡The Bible Helps Cut Through Lies 

    In Scripture, we see Jesus quoting the Bible and using the Bible to cut through the lies of the enemy.

    When the Spirit of God leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, Jesus uses the WORD of God as a weapon to fight against the schemes of the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Scripture, aka the Words of God in the Bible, is a sword to fight the devil.

    “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

    Ephesians 6:17 NIV

    🚗The Bible Leads Us In the Right Direction

    The Bible is:

    • A guide, not a history book
    • A teacher that leads us to the truth, not an opinion

    The Bible lights a path and teaches us how to live.

    The Bible literally is a light in the darkness that leads us exactly where we are supposed to be. 

    1. “Your word is the lamp for my feet, a light on my path,” (Psalm 119:105).
    2. “The unfolding of your word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple,” (Psalms 119:130). 
    3. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies, (Psalms 119:98). 

    🔈The Bible Teaches Us God’s Voice

    The Bible teaches us God’s character, voice, and heart so that we can discern if we are actually hearing from God.

    ✨ The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to lead you into truth, but if you can’t hear the Holy Spirit because you don’t know God’s voice, you can get trapped by the devil.

    ✨Think about it like this: In Matthew 4:1-11 when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Jesus knew that the voice that was speaking to him was not God, but the devil because he studied the Bible. 

    ✨As a result of studying the word, he knew the voice speaking to him did not align with the character of God, so he was able to cast the devil out with the word of truth.  

    “The tempter came to him and said, “ If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

    Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

    Matthew 4:3-4 NIV 

    💪The Bible Equips & Strengthens Us

    In the story of Jesus, we see so many trials and tribulations. We see Jesus doing great things but also doing hard things. We see Jesus crying, mourning, and rejoicing.

    More importantly, we see Jesus live out his purpose regardless of his feelings, experiences, or the opinions of others. 💖

    By reading the Bible we learn, gather the tools and resources, and get equipped to live out our Jesus-given purpose when things are great but also when things are hard. 

    “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

    2 Timothy 3:16 NIV

    Encouragement For You

    I wanna encourage you. Your breakthrough starts with your decision to study your Bible. 💖

    Signs you need to read your Bible include:

    • feeling double-minded (constantly changing your mind)
    • feeling confused,
    • feeling lost

    🔑 The Bible is the truth and helps you find the truth.

    🔑 One of the simplest ways to learn the truth is to spend time resting in the truth, which is the Bible.

    🔑 One of the simplest ways to get answers is to read your Bible because God rests in it.  

    God wants to breathe his truth onto you, but he needs your participation.

    👀Without reading your Bible, you will not find certain answers.

    God loves your prayers. He loves that you seek him and ask him questions. But God also wants your time and attention. He wants to breathe his truth over you, correct your mindset, and lead you onto the right path, but he needs your participation.

    It’s time to read your Bible. 

    📖 SCRIPTURE

    “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, “ Jeremiah 29:13.

    ✍️ ACTIVITY

    Write it Out: Today, I challenge you to spend five minutes looking for three scriptures with the word seek. Then, ask God, what are you trying to show me? 

    🙏 PRAYER

    God, I desire to know you on a deeper level. Please, teach me how to seek you. I need you, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen. 

    OTHER RESOURCES

    • Matthew 4:1-11
    • John 1:1
    • John 1:14
    • Spirit of Truth 
    • John 14:16 -17 
    • John 14:26
    • John 15:26-27, John 16:13
    • Ephesians 6:17
    • 2 Timothy 3:16

  • 🗻Unaligned to Glory

    Feeling unaligned is a part of the process. Let me repeat myself- feeling unaligned is a part of the process.

    The uncomfortable feeling of being behind, being afraid, and something just not being right is a part of the process.

    It sucks, but it’s a part of the process. 

    The biggest lies of the enemy when you are going through a process of realigning is:

    • You’ve messed up
    • You’re stuck
    • You’re always going to be stuck 
    • You’re always going to keep messing up.

    🧠 But what if I told you that feeling unaligned is less about you and more about God calling you to a higher level?

    The uncomfortable feeling is the birthplace of a new level.

    Today, I dare you to start seeing the uncomfortable differently, not as a reason to run and hide but as a starting point for development and growth.

    🗻God is not punishing you. He’s taking you up.

    So how do you realign?

    You eliminate distractions, seek God, give yourself grace, and slow down.

    Here is what I am doing as I realign:

    😌 Eliminating distractions:

    It’s hard to hear God’s voice when you’re focused on the voices of others and drowning in your mind, fears, and anxiety

    ✨Seeking God:

    I can’t do this without God. I need his vision to go forth.

    💖Giving myself grace:

    I am in a sensitive spot, so I am treating myself that way, which may look like a little less or more sleep, giving myself space to cry and grace to be less together.

    💐Slowing Down:

    It’s hard to lead when you don’t know where you’re going. I am refraining from making big decisions and giving myself space to hear from God before I lead my team forward. 

    welcome to a new level of glory!💖

    I know you currently feel like you’re in a barren and hopeless place, but I am here to tell you that you’re standing in the birthplace of God’s glory in this chapter of your life.

    You will survive here. I will survive here. But more importantly, we will seek and depend on God like never before, because he is here, ready, and waiting to take us to a new level of glory.

    In the meantime here is a prayer for you 💖:

    God, I thank you that you are a good guide. I thank you that I can have confidence that this is working for my good. Please lead, guide, and comfort me, Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

    I’ll talk with you soon,

    Dohna xxo

  • Running Back To Jesus

    A lot of times, when we are struggling in life, we hear things like:

    • God is close to the brokenhearted.
    • Lay your head at the feet of Jesus.
    • Cast your anxiety on Jesus because he cares about you.

    Yet, when we need God the most, we often feel so alone, broken, and far from God. 😩

    Instead of God being our resting place, we reside in brokenness, fear, and depression because we fail to go to God.😩

    Instead, we go to things that promise peace and rest but really elevate our stress. 

    📱We run to things that numb our emotions like: 

    • social media 🎥
    • sex/porn
    • shopping 🛍
    • comfort food
    • wine or weed 🍷
    • gaming, books, etc.
    • overworking & cleaning 🧼
    • gossiping, talking to others, etc.

    They give us hits of dopamine in the moment, but unresolved things will ALWAYS resurface. 

    🌑✨Que, my Grandma Hazel, “What’s done in the dark will always come to the light.” In this case, what you try to shove down will always come back times 10. 

    ✍️ Write it Out: What do you use to numb your emotions?

    A Meeting Place With Jesus

    But let me tell you something: God intentionally wired us to feel deeply and have emotions because our emotions are a meeting place with him. 

    God IS near to the brokenhearted. He is literally there waiting for us to tap him in so that he can give us revelation and victory. 💖

    Distractions feel so good at the moment but often steal our victories. 

    ✨ God intentionally wired us to feel deeply!

    👀So, what happens when we run to distractions (social media, gossip, sex, weed, wine, and other things) that numb our emotions instead of running to Jesus?

    • RULED BY UNHAPPINESS: We struggle with gratitude and feeling discontent. So, we wander the earth aimlessly. 
    • CAN’T HEAR GOD 🎧: God’s voice gets smaller and smaller until we can barely hear him, while the voices of social media and naysayers get louder.
    • MENTAL STRUGGLES: We wrestle with depression, paralyzing anxiety, and make bad decisions. 
    • HEALTH ISSUES: 😴We struggle with sleeping, fatigue, and other health issues.

    See, God wants to be the place you run to. Yet, a lot of times we struggle to hear from God because we’re not going under his wing. 

    🏃‍♀️You will not hear from God by running in the opposite direction.

    By eliminating distractions, aka the things you run to when you’re struggling, you literally create space to hear from God. 

    ✨You will not hear from God by running in the opposite direction.

    LIVING IT OUT

    Today, I would encourage you to:

    1. Think about the things you’re running to.
    2. Intentionally create boundaries so you won’t run to them. 
    3. Trust that when you’re at your weakest, God is close and ready to speak. 

    ✨ EXAMPLES:

    • I do not drink wine when I am sad, struggling emotionally, or stressed. I will not use liquor to numb my emotions.
    • I try to be aware of my mind and set boundaries around what I do when my emotions are high.
    • In high-stress weeks/months, I limit social media, TV, books, and other things I will use to numb instead of handling my business. 

    ✍️Write it Out: What do you run to instead of running to God? How are you going to intentionally run to God instead?