LIVE The Truth In Your Heart
Make a Bold Move Toward Living Your Purpose
Linda Taylor
Copyright © 2012, 2013 Linda Taylor. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this book is for encouragement and education purposes only. The author or publisher does not guarantee that anyone following the suggestions and strategies contained in this book will become successful. The author and the publisher shall have neither liability or responsibility to anyone with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
LIVE The Truth in Your Heart: Make a BOLD Move Toward Living Your Purpose
Photos by Christin McQueen, © Christin McQueen Photography. www.christinshootspeople.com
Cover design by Mandy Loughman - [email protected]
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Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved world-wide.
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2013-05-15
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my dear mother and my inspiration, my Ray of Hope, Jneather ‘Jenny’ Ray. Mother, although you are now an Angel in heaven with our heavenly Father, I know you are sending down your blessings for this dream I have embraced. I think of you daily, and even still, you inspire me to challenge my potential, to believe in the impossible, and to work as if I cannot fail. It is because of your life and the example you set that I can be certain that my circumstances do not have to define me - they will not define me. And, through Christ, I know that I am more than a conqueror! Because of your love that is instilled in me, I am assured that my tomorrow will be brighter than my yesterday. You are my hope today. You are my joy forever. I love you.
- Your baby girl, Linda
Acknowledgments
The joy I have found in my journey has been made possible by so many:
To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I marvel at the work you continue to do in my life. You are indeed a miracle worker! Thank you for the opportunities you have given me to learn and to grow into the person you have called me to be. I pray you continue to use me to make a difference in the lives of others so that they might experience you and your blessings. Expand my territory so that I can do great things, and so you can receive the glory!
To my husband Otis, thank you for being my rock and for supporting me unconditionally as I work toward living on purpose. I could not do this without your love and encouragement. Because of our faithfulness, God has blessed us tremendously since this journey began, and I know He is poised to deliver more!
To my beautiful daughters, Kayla and Kimberlyn, you are my inspiration and my motivation to push the limits of my potential. Everyday I wake and I dedicate countless hours to my dream, I think of you. I hope I have shown you that true happiness is found by following your passions, living your dreams, and faithfully seeking God’s will for your life.
To my mother-in-law Jeannie, my #1 accountability partner, thank you both for your daily encouragement and for encouraging me to push through so I can deliver what is in my heart!
To my friends and family who have offered advice, prayers, or support of any kind as I worked toward this project, thank you. Your presence in my life means more than you can imagine.
To my coaching clients, thank you for opening your heart to me and sharing your dreams, your fears, and your blessings. Thank you for trusting me and believing in me enough to know that my primary goal is to see you live your absolute best life!
The Promise: Greater Things to Come
What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him. - I Corinthians 2:9
What I know for sure is that my life today is good, but my future is destined to be so much greater than I can even begin to imagine! I know that as blessed as I am, my best days are yet to come. As a child of God, I believe His word, and I am confident He wants to see me reach the high calling He has placed on my life. In fact, God wants us all to go beyond a life of simple existence and into a life of significance. He is qualified and ready to take us to new heights. When we are faithful, and we commit to loving Him the way He deserves to be loved, He will pour down His blessings upon us; beyond what we can ever think or imagine. So I urge you to love Him with all your heart, then be prepared for a flood of God’s favor, a tsunami of God’s goodness!
While I did not fully appreciate what was happening at the time, my experiences and the lessons taught to me during my childhood so many years ago have molded me into the mom, the wife, and the woman of God I am today. Although reserved and a woman of few words, my mother, Jenny, was a symbol of strength to all who knew her. Her life was a testament to the power of prayer and unwavering faith that God the Father can be who ever you need Him to be, whenever you need him. The lessons she shared were profound, and the life she lived, even in the face of challenges, was truly inspirational. Her words of wisdom remain with me today, living in my heart and flowing richly through my spirit. Of all the lessons learned, the lesson that has served as the foundation for the person I am today is the idea that just as I am, I am blessed. And just as you are, you are blessed, as well.
As a poor young child growing up in the inner city, it was very difficult to expand my thinking, to set goals and have dreams that took me beyond my current situation. My view was limited, and so was my ability to understand what was to come in my life. At a very young age, I was taught to love my God with all my heart, mind, and soul. Even still, it was difficult to imagine that God wanted to take me higher, and that He had much greater things prepared for my life. I learned that although I lived in the struggle, I did not have to allow the struggle to define me. I learned to have faith that He would provide everything we needed, that He would protect us, and He would comfort us just when we needed Him most. It became quite evident in my heart that my God was a God of love, grace and mercy. He was a God of magnificence. Thankfully, He was a God of abundance and unmerited favor!
This was my yesterday. It is where my roots were planted and where I learned my most valuable lessons. It is where I learned that despite what I could see as a possibility for my life, God had something greater planned; much greater than I could have ever imagined. He was preparing me so that I would be thoroughly equipped to do His work in the future. Because of my willingness to love Him and have faith in His plans for my life, I was given permission to move past my temporary situation. I was given permission to live my life with purpose. I was not bound to the issues and the trials around me because I knew, even as a young child, God had my world in his hands. Little did I know that my growing love for the Lord was the first step toward living my most blessed life.
Today, my past is my footstool. It is what I stand upon to gain motivation and to expand my potential every day. I will use my past as a platform to share my story, and to live out God’s vision for my life. It is what I will use to encourage you to expand your vision for your life and to exercise faith daily. It is what I will use to encourage you to think without limits, and to take the limits off of our God. He is capable of more than you can ever imagine! My past will be used to motivate you to submit bold prayers and