Ask Pastor Joie!
Hey everyone! Thanks for the great questions! I can’t wait to do these periodically on my Instagram for a fun change!
Q: How do you practically work on your character in area the Holy Spirit is revealing to you?
A: Simply and quickly obey! God’s grace is on you to empower you to change. Any area that Holy Spirit is putting His figure on in your life, He also gives you the power to make that change. Sometimes, that process is quick and drastic—especially in areas of sin—flee from sin (2 Tim 2:22). Just make a definitive decision not to do it anymore. Sometimes, that change is daily to consistently take off your old nature and put on your new (Eph 4:22). Whatever you do, don’t ignore His promptings! God matures us and corrects us for our benefit. Growth often comes in the form of opportunity to make the right decisions! Holy Spirit will show you how to change in those areas! When our hearts are to obey, He won’t let you miss it.
Q: How to respond if your husband is “flirty”?
A: If your husband comes off flirty and it consistently makes you uncomfortable, I would have a calm conversation—maybe not in the moment—about how it makes you feel and the value in protecting your marriage. You may need to explain to him that, even if he isn’t meaning to flirt, women take things differently than men do. You can also reverse the roles; ask him if you interacted with men that particular way how it would make him feel—offer perspective. Keep the motive love, be transparent, and talk it out. Establish boundaries between the opposite sex that you’re both comfortable with. My husband and I have unspoken rules we both understand and honor when it comes to the opposite sex. These boundaries provide protection (especially in ministry). Protect that marriage!
Q: Who is the most competitive?
A: My husband is much more competitive than I am! In fact, my kids get their competitiveness from him. We can barely play a family game together because someone usually ends up mad. Me, on the other hand, I could care less who wins, and I just like peace!
Q: Why don’t prayers get answered when we’ve done everything right?
A: This is a great question. Many times, we either let unanswered prayer change our theology, or we start to walk in self condemnation—that maybe we did something wrong. In my life, I have believed God for things and have seen Him move in miraculous ways. I have also experienced times where I did everything I knew to do Biblically and that prayer didn’t get answered. It’s times like this that I lean into the character of God. I know God is good and all that He does is good, so even when I don’t understand, the position of my heart still chooses faith. I try not to linger in the why but I press into the Who—who God is doesn’t change no matter what happens through my prayers, nor does His will change. When I deal with disappointment from unanswered prayer, I remind myself of the God I serve is the one who turns everything around for my good and isn’t finished writing my story. It’s in the times where I could have lost faith or gotten mad at God, but instead pressed into Him, that I saw Him bring beauty from ashes. He still worked, even in the midst of what I thought looked like an unanswered prayer. Remember, if your story isn’t good, it isn’t over!
Q: Other than time with the lord, one thing you do EVERY day?
A: There are lots of habits that make it into my every day, but if I had to narrow it down, I would say planning. My planner is always right next to my Bible. After I spend time with the Lord, I review my day and week along with creating task lists for the day—those lists include everything from what’s for dinner to meetings and goals for the day. Lastly, I flip to the back of my planner where I have my goals for the year listed in the form of declarations. I declare them out loud everyday and then I get going with my day!
Q: Can you address the concerns Christians have with bringing children into the world given the state of things?
A: The world is definitely a crazy place! We believe that our children are born with specific purpose to fulfill that will impact their generation. Even though darkness is abounding, the light abounds all the more. Your children are that light! God will use them in this crazy world. They have come into the kingdom for such a time as this. Even though my “mom instinct” is to protect them from evil and harm—I realize they are a gift, and they will be the change for good. My purpose is as Hannah did in the Bible, to give my children back to the Lord for His purpose knowing that He will take better care of them than I ever could. My responsibility then becomes to equip them and train them in the things of God. Even when it comes to our children, fear should never be our motivation. We’re believing our kids are going to make eternal impact and will experience the greatest move of God to ever hit the earth—honestly, I’m excited they get to be a part of it!
Q: How do you navigate conflict in leadership
A: Leaders will always have to deal with conflict. First of all, keep your motivation love. Especially when dealing with God’s people. It is a great honor to lead in God’s House and God watches how leaders tend to their flock. Whenever you deal with conflict, take it through the filter of love. Always examine your own heart. The best leaders always keep their motive pure. If there’s junk in your heart, it will come out in the conflict. Don’t get emotional. Stay calm and collected. Leaders don’t have the right to get emotional when it comes to conflict. Even if you are really mad or offended, rely on the fruit of the spirit to get you through! (Haha) Remember, you’re the leader. Don’t engage in foolish arguments! Refer to the Bible for references; the Bible is actually the best book ever written on leadership & there are many verses about resolving conflict God’s way! Rely on Holy Spirit wisdom! The Holy Spirit will guide you towards resolution. He will reveal things to you, and He will tell you when to speak and when to hold your tongue. If you learn to stay in the Spirit rather than the flesh, conflict resolution stays Holy Spirit-guided and ends much better! Resolution is always the goal, but that doesn’t mean people will always be correctable. As a leader, you have to know when its okay to let people go. You can still love them and walk in resolution even when you decide to part ways.
Stay connected with me through Instagram so you don’t miss our next Q and A session!
-XOXO