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Be Confident That Your Relationship with God is Satisfying Both of You

Faith, Ministry, Prayer, Purpose, Worship

How can you be confident that your relationship with God is satisfying both of you? God took desperate measures through the work of the cross to reinstate our ability to be connected to Him. He also created us with an innate desire for intimate connection with Him? So how can we be assured that the relationship is “doing what it’s supposed to do?”

Well, as I said in last week’s blog post, Don’t Settle for Someone Else’s Word, Get Your Own,

Communion with God is all about an exchange.

“We should never feel as though we’re doing all the talking. The truth is that we need to be emptying ourselves of our own thoughts, preoccupations, and agendas so that we can make room mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for God to fill us up with His wisdom, His power, His plans, and His glory”.

Ask yourself, whether your conversation with God is one-sided. Are you doing all the talking? If so, then it’s time go deeper into your practice of connecting with God. The ultimate goal is to clearly hear from God. When you can, you can be confident that your relationship with God is satisfying both of you.

One thing that God is pointing out is that it’s all too easy to settle for someone else’s word.

Yup, someone else’s opinions, points of views, and advice to sustain what should be your own intimate relationship with God. But God ain’t having that. He’s jealous and He wants less of the middle man and more of you!

We’re in a love triangle with God and the world. But now, God wants us to narrow our options so He can draw more out of us.

Through the volume of drama in the world, God is stirring up the need for us to seek His face like never before. “Seeking” is a journey, a practice, a discipline that requires us to dwell with God the best way we know how. Whether we’re engaging with worship music, meditating on His word, praying or journaling our sweet nothings to God, it shows that we’re investing time in the most important relationship we could ever be in.

And when cut cut out the middle man and ease up from your dependency on the world, you can be confident that your relationship with God is satisfying both of you.

The mandate for social distancing is highlighting extreme dependencies that we have on our social lives at work, church, family, friends, and etc.

There’s nothing wrong with our need and desire to connect with other human beings. God created us to be relational beings so it’s natural. But as the Body of Christ we profess and sing, “I want to be where You are. I’ve got to be where You are”. We say it with our lips, but the level of our priority to spend ample time with God in solitude shows otherwise.

I certainly have my highs and lows due to the quarantine. My flesh bucks up often due to the Rona fast. But lately, I’ve noticed that my heart is more receptible and inclined to listen to what God is whispering in my ear concerning the recent turn of events in our world’s history.

Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear?

In last week’s blog, Don’t Settle for Someone Else’s Word, Get Your Own!” I encourage you to practice getting quiet before God so that you can hear God for yourself as well.

Seeking is dwelling and dwelling is seeking and it looks different for all of us. But the thing I want to point out is that God wants to thoroughly establish our love relationship with Him.

Once that love relationship is solidified, we can get down to business during our quiet time.

Well, God does most of the work. He’s on His business to develop our spiritual senses. Our spiritual senses need to be on point. Because when they are, we can operate effectively in the spiritual gifts that God has given each of us.

Let’s not forget that God created us to live a purpose driven life no matter what crisis is going on in the world. In fact, the reality of the global crisis goes to show us that the world needs to Body of Christ to shine forth in the glory of God through our spiritual gifts.

The key to operate effectively in our gifts to carry out the agenda of our sovereign God is to master the art of dwelling with and seeking God.

Because when we meet Him in prayer, worship, and Bible meditation, He characterizes us with His divine nature. He personifies His glory through us. He glorifies Himself through the purposes that we fulfill by His grace.

So let me ask you… What have you been dwelling on?What are the spiritual advantages that you’ve been reaping as a result of the quarantine?

While other people are scaring themselves silly or being silly by taking this all too lightly, as the Body of Christ, God calls us to so much more.

He’s calling us higher. He’s challenging us to quiet the world around us to tune into His news, the good news.

We don’t have to be lost, panicked, and confused. We don’t have to settle for the crumbs from someone else’s table.

God is speaking, He’s live, and He’s inviting us to dine with Him.

The entire world has slowed down so that you can catch up.

Let’s not lose this moment to draw closer to God. Let’s avail ourselves to Him so that he can develop us for radical ministry for such a time as this. We need to rise up and be the salt and the light that the world needs. Let’s make God proud and be confident that our relationship with God satisfies Him most!

Don’t Settle for Someone else’s Word. Get Your Own!

Faith, life, Prayer, Purpose, Worship

Let’s be honest. We can get so worked up from all the people, places, and things that we’ve encountered during the day that there’s little to no time for God. And when we do have time, it can seem so awkwardly difficult to wind down and quiet ourselves long enough to get spiritually in tune to have a meaningful, quality conversation with God. 

At times I get hung up on my racing thoughts and it seems like my thoughts are actually fighting for my attention. Sometimes I get distracted so easily that eventually, I’m tired of trying to focus on God and I find it much easier and appealing to simply fall asleep and hope for a better connection next time.

What makes things worse is that life is so fast faced that it could be awhile before we get that “next time” to attempt connecting again. Or the cycle of trying, getting discouraged and resorting to sleeping repeats.

This whole scenario is why I believe that God is stirring up something amazing during this time of quarantine due to the Corona virus.

Our lives have slowed down significantly.

Lots of us are working remotely or not working at all.

It has been mandated by many governments around the world to stay home unless there’s a good reason to go outside.

Reports of people we personally know are coming down with the virus.

The majority of what we see and hear is related to the global pandemic.

Do you realize what this means?

Something is stirring in the spiritual realm.

While giants are surfacing, God is very intentional!

We not only have even more reason to turn to God, but we also have the slowed pace of life (as we’re quarantined in our homes) to make a more meaningful connection with God.

Through this crisis, God is expressing the need for us to make Him and His voice our priority!

Through this elevated need for connection our primary motive should be shifting ourselves to consistently and intimately dwell in the secret place of our Most High God.

Because God is up to something!

He is preparing our all of our spiritual senses for such as time as this.

So I want to encourage you…

Don’t give up the practice of seeking God’s face and beholding the beauty of His glory.

Struggle with the racing thoughts of your mind. Shutdown the thoughts of fear, panic and anxiety as you vent them out at Jesus’ feet…

Struggle with God Himself… Be relentless about boldly entering the throne room. Tell God that you won’t give up until He blesses your soul with His presence and a word that He personally speaks to your heart.

Don’t settle for someone else’s word!

Go get your word!

We’re going to need it, not just to get through this global crisis, but for our lifetime of fulfilling God’s purpose.

We need everything we can get during our intimate time with God so soak it all up because the exchange we make in His presence is everything we need to walk into our God-given destiny and experience the promises and presence of God like never before!

Here are some suggestions for practicing the art of dwelling in the secret place with God.

  1. Start with worship music to help you get into zone if you find it difficult to do so. Music can help quiet your thoughts.
  2. Find a scripture passage to meditate on. I like to break scriptures down by words and phrases to draw out more meaning and context. I also like to expand on scriptures in my prayer journal as thoughts come to my heart.
  3. Read the scripture out loud or verbally express gratitude and worship as something strikes your heart. We have to release a sound in the earth’s atmosphere to break up the enemy’s noise and territory.
  4. Pray over specific things that come to mind that need to align with the truths that you’re covering in your scripture meditations.
  5. Work your way into a quiet, meditative silence before God and practice tuning your ear to His voice to hear what He has to say concerning your life and the world around you.

Communion with God is all about an exchange.

We should never feel as though we’re doing all the talking. The truth is that we need to be emptying ourselves of our own thoughts, preoccupations, and agendas so that we can make room mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for God to fill us up with His wisdom, His power, His plans, and His glory.

Giants are Surfacing

Faith, life, Prayer, Purpose, Spiritual Warfare

The state of our world is unbelievable.

I never would’ve guessed that we’d be experiencing what we are today.

Just last week Wednesday, the company I work for announced that we would be testing the systems environment as we work from home Friday through Tuesday, but then on Friday things turned quickly and they announced that we’re mandated to work remotely at least until April 6th.

In a matter of days major events have been cancelled and schools have closed. As of today, restaurants and bars are closed in Illinois. When we log onto social media people are passing along jokes (especially about the shortage of toilet tissue), news articles, and scriptures that seem most fitting for the moment in the world of fear.

There’s no shortage of online debates and arguments of whether churches should follow suit and close. Text messages of supposed leaked governmental decisions and speculations of these events previously predicted are circulating all surrounding the Coronavirus epidemic.

Click the quote’s image to read the blog!

If we don’t step away from it all…

We will find ourselves as believers feeling afraid, panicked, and suckered into the intimidation schemes of the spirit of fear.

In the state of shock, we mindlessly head to news blogs and social media to be inundated with messages filled with the undercurrent of anxiety.

I have personally made the decision to limit the amount of exposure to all of this. No matter how spiritual we think we are, we’ll soon find ourselves subjected to the fear of uncertainty just like everyone else, rather than giving God His space to say what He wants to say.

We can recite scriptures, pray for it all to end, and assume the most spiritual thing to say, but at the end of the day, I think this should spark our curiosity to hear God’s perspective.

He is a living, moving, and intentional God, so…

What is God doing amid all the noise?

What qualities is He trying to bring out of His people during this time?

Which leaders is He looking for to stand up and speak His word over the situation?

What glory is He going to get?

 How is He going to turn it all around for the true believers that don’t just talk about God, but know Him enough to seek His face, His comfort, His voice, His direction, and His timing?

We don’t know how this will all end.

We don’t know if the chaos will dissipate over the next few months or if it will worsen. This crisis could cause major unemployment, unforeseeable deaths because of the influx of those visiting the hospitals, scarcity of necessitates beyond toiletries to even food and water. Next to scarcity is even more fear, panic and the resulting crime. We don’t know all the residual effects…

Here’s the thing though, giants are surfacing…

Recession, inflation, grief, depression and many more are trying to threaten us.

My stance is to seek God now rather than waiting for things to worsen.

Limit the amount of scare tactics you expose yourself to.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking a deep dive into the scriptures to face, fight, and annihilate the spirit of fear and all the masks fear puts on to disguise himself.

Join me on Instagram and Facebook for daily content as I dig into Psalms 91 and others, word by word, phrase by phrase, scripture by scripture to get the life and perspective that we should hold as believers.

Feel free to share any scripture that you find powerful and impactful during this time as well.

In addition to this, I’ll be practicing the art of quieting myself to tune in to heaven. I hope you’re doing the same.

May God bless you, keep you and protect you…

Love,

Natalia Shelton

Move Over, Give God Space

Ministry, Prayer, Purpose

(Hey, Hey! I’m trying something different… Rather than making you read 100’s of words – lol, I’ve decided to post a podcast here… Tell me what you think about the new format and of course the topic at hand in the comments below! I hope the podcast entitled “Move Over, Give God Space”, “When the Stride for Perfection Goes Wrong”

I’VE BEEN UNDER THE KNIFE 🔪


The DI theme for February is pruning because that’s exactly what I’ve been going through.

It’s like, the moment I think I’ve got a good thing growing, some weeds sprout up and try to choke the life out of me.

I’m on a roll, taking care of business, building momentum, going hard after my God-Given destiny, but then I start feeling this snip ✂️ snip ✂️ snip ✂️…


It was nothing but God’s love slowing me down to cut away some unwanted growth.


Yup, among some good things happening in me, some ugly stuff started squeezing into the mix…

(Don’t leave me alone on this limb by myself 😂. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m not perfect).

Anyways, my heart tried to get me all twisted up.

Thankfully, God knows how fragile our frame is. He had mercy and intervened.


I had to realign with the foundational prerequisites to godly success. I bet these same prerequisites apply to you too!

In this video, I share my pruning experience and I believe that my transparency will speak to you as well.

Let this be a reminder to allow the Word and God’s presence to continually penetrate our hearts so that it can snip ✂️ clean, and cut away anything that’s not like Him.

It certainly takes a lot of humility to endure the pain of it all… but in the end, it’s worth it!!

John 15:1-3 AMP
I am the True Vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit].

Love,
Natalia Shelton

I have some exciting news!!

Check it out below!

A-Game for Lasting Change Conference Flyer

I’m sooooo excited to be hosting the very first ever, Destined Initiatives LLC Conference on August 31st, 2019!

It will take place in the Chi-Town neck of the woods in Oak Brook, IL from 9-4pm.

Here’s your chance to go live with our community and experience the power of what God is doing through Destined Initiatives!

Destined Initiatives is the brand that cares for you from the inside out. That’s why during the A-Game for Lasting Change conference we’ll delve into real talk on the following topics. So, not only are we going to church you, but you’ll walk away with real tools to carry throughout your entire life!

  1. Unforced Rhythms of Intimacy & Consistency With God
  2. The Power & Practice of Self-Awareness & How to Build Habits for Holistic Health
  3. Thriving in Relationships
  4. Developing Financial Stability & Freedom
  5. Prospering in Ministry, Career, & Business

This conference is destined to be a life-changing experience, so you don’t want to miss it!

The early bird discount code is DI2019 for 25% off. This discount ends on February 23rd, 2019.

Get more details and register today at: www.nashelton.com/register

Why the Stagnate Believer is an Oxymoron

Faith, Prayer, Purpose, Spiritual Warfare

I get extremely uncomfortable when I notice that things aren’t moving and progressing forward within a given time. I’ll be honest, impatience is a constant battle for me, but I’m not talking about the need for patience here. I’m talking about the phenomenon of individuals, marriages, relationships, businesses, and even church organizations being stuck at the same level of development for weeks, months, and even years. A stagnate believer is an oxymoron and it doesn’t make sense!

continue reading

Purpose is our Glue to God & His Promises

Faith, Purpose

I’ve got some goods coming soon!

Let me tell you the motivation behind it all..Anyone that knows me knows how passionate I am, not only about Jesus and the about the Word of God, but also about change and real results in our lives as a result of our faith in Him!

 

This is why I’m so vested in this thing I call Destined Initiatives.

It’s manifest evidence of me taking initiative to fulfill my calling to share with the world what God gives me to edify the Body of Christ.

I want to push whoever I can to take their own initiatives to reach their expected end in God too! continue reading

How to manage the cycles of highs and lows

Prayer, Purpose, Spiritual Warfare

I launched Destined Initiatives 5 months ago. Since then I’ve had a mixture of feelings ranging from as high as the mountain top to descending down deep to the valley low. It’s been an enriching experience to say the least, but let me be honest, the ride has had its share of bumps and potholes! I want to discuss what I’ve observed from it all and hopefully you can leverage this insight into your own pursuits! So let’s dive into how to manage the cycles of highs and lows in walking out your purpose… But first let me share some points from my own highs and lows. continue reading

Woke to the War

Purpose, Spiritual Warfare

Imagine suddenly waking up in the middle of a war zone. You don’t know how or why you’re there and you aren’t aware of the reason for the war. All you know is that you’re afraid because arrows are being shot on every side of you and you think that maybe you’re going to be struck by one or more of them. Your first reaction is to get on your knees and crawl low in an effort to get out of the line of fire and into some sort of safety. continue reading

Power Up With Purity

Faith, life, Purpose

Over the years, I’ve learned that purity is not just about abstaining from sex. Purity is not a prescription of a list of rules and regulations to keep people in line with the will of God… Purity is beautiful, empowering, and liberating! Chasing purity can’t be forced; otherwise, it’s tainted and oppressive… It’s about trading in our own ways for the perfection of God. His perfection is derived from His holiness and righteousness, so we represent Him like He should be rep’d by being of reflection of His nature out of pure love for Him. continue reading

There is Power in Purity

Faith, life, Prayer, Purpose, Worship

Everything that we go through has some type of an effect/influence on us whether we realize it or not. The way experiences affect us depends on what we carry on the inside of us. The Bible describes us as earthen vessels. Why the word choice “earthen”? because our physical outer shells are made of dust. We’re called vessels because our earthly flesh holds eternal things such as our souls, human spirits, and other spirits that have influence over us. continue reading