Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The Fall temperatures have been warm enough on most mornings to spend my time outside, so outside I stepped with coffee and Bible in hand this morning to meet with my God. My thoughts were as scattered as the clouds in the sky but I was determined to focus on the Light to find my way. So I sat there and I sat there and every other minute my mind jumped to something besides meeting with Him, UNTIL I called out “Here I am, Lord!” and when I did; things became crystal clear for me. My mind is a big part of my Walk in Faith but sometimes my mind can get in my way when it gets filled with so many worthless things. When that happens I do whatever I can to redirect my heart toward the Living God. Isn’t that what you do to get your focus back too?

It’s not easy to find the balance between the mind and the heart. The mind is a big part of walking out our Faith but the heart is the key to it all. The mind can recall Scripture whenever it’s needed but it can do a good job to cloud our Purpose too if we aren’t careful. The mind can fill us with excitement about opportunities on the horizon, but the mind can squash out the excitement with just the wrong thought or two. The mind can conjure up plans or ministries that we’d like to venture into, but the mind can fill us with excuses for why it’s not the right time.The mind can engage in a sermon and the mind can inspire some note taking, but it’s that same disciplined mind that can rip apart the message with little effort at all. But when you combine the intellectual mind with the Christ-like heart….look out world! That’s when we become unstoppable and that’s when we comprehend Victory. That’s when we understand Purpose and that’s when we lay down our own will for His without a second thought. That’s when we eyewitness supernatural things and that when we love unconditionally. It’s that kind of combination that drives us to do all things in His Name and it’s that winning Combination that will hold the other accountable to get us back on Track to fulling our Purpose every time.

If there is anything that can make me uncomfortable it’s hearing about how “good” I am at something. I blush on the other side of the compliment because I feel embarrassed to be getting the credit when it’s all due to Him. That’s what happens when the mind and the heart understand that there is “no good thing in me apart from Him”. I haven’t lost sight of what my life was like without Him in it and I know what my limitations look like without Him behind my efforts. I’m just an ordinary woman who has been made Extraordinary by His Purpose…and so are you. My life is NOT extraordinary because of me or anything that I’ve done to make it that way. My Life is Extraordinary because I have surrendered to fulfilling His Purpose for me. I speak up with “Here I am, Lord” and I don’t argue His Plans or His Purpose for me. I am acutely aware that I’m still drawing breath ONLY because He isn’t finished with me and I have an Extraordinary job to do…and so do you! But it takes a sound mind and a willing Heart to accomplish the Purpose that we were Created to fulfill. The mind without the heart isn’t worth a whole lot and the heart without the mind can wander around aimlessly. The combination of these two is the key to Diligence in our Faith.

The sky had some scattered clouds at daybreak and my mind had scattered thoughts. But as surely as the sun broke through the clouds, all of me kicked into gear when I said “Here I am, Lord”. Now my mind is in motion and my heart has been made Ready by the King. I’m a powerful and unstoppable Vessel for the King and His Purpose for my Life has made me Extraordinary.

How about you?