Opportunity and Opposition

James 1:2-4  The Message (MSG)
2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

In the pursuit of any goal, we must recognize opportunities and withstand opposition.  There are roads that we travel in the pursuit of a goal that are not pleasant, but we recognize they are necessary paths on our journey – and that we must walk them out.  These opportunities are often masked by the lenses of our own experiences and then met with thoughts of, “I don’t’ want to go through all that" or "it does not take all that,” or even the  “Not again, you mean I have to go through that again?”

Opposition is part of the process, and there are just some things we must go through for the purpose of strengthening and equipping us to stand under the weight of our Destiny!  Blessings come with persecution, and there is no conquest, without conflict.  We have to leave the mindset behind that leads us to believe that if we have to fight for it, it is not meant to be.  That is often far from the truth.

Yes, we must fight; and interestingly enough, our battle is often an internal one, fighting with our own feelings, beliefs, insecurities, fears, and remnants of our past that we have not yet released.

This week,I encourage each of you to stand strong in the midst of opposition and trials, for your Blessing is on the other side of “through!”

Copyright 2012 - Victoria L. Burse, Queens of the Kingdom

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Victoria Burse

Victoria Burse

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Your perception is your reality...

Do you ever feel like you're being twisted and turned, “every which way but loose?” You know your areas of weakness, those “buttons” if you will; and so does the enemy. Do you ever feel like he is just leaning on your button? We all do at times, and yes, we have a real enemy, who is never ever pleased with our progress. In fact, we know when we are breaking through to new levels, this is a prime opportunity for the enemy to turn up the heat.

However, we should not forget that the mind is the real battleground, and so the issue is not what happened, but how we perceive or think about what happened - what we THINK about a thing then determines how we react and how we react then determines the impact on our lives.

Listen. The devil is a LIAR. He will always seek to make you feel hopeless, stressed, anxious, and afraid. He is not the giver of life, but the bearer of death. If on today, you find yourself engaged with the enemy of our souls, and in your weariness you are on the border of self-pity, doubt and defeat…May God EMPOWER YOU by His Holy Spirit and enable you this very moment to...


1. Stand Up. Gather yourself. Get ready to move higher!
Habakkuk 3:17-19 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer and enables me to go on the heights."

2. Find the truth about your situation in the word of God, then read it aloud so that you can hear it. Romans 10:17 Amplified Bible (AMP) "So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself)."

3. Remember that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17 New Living Translation (©2007) "But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!"

4. Know that when the enemy comes in like a flood the Lord will raise up a standard against him. Isaiah 59:19 Amplified Bible (AMP) "So [as the result of the Messiah's intervention] they shall [reverently] fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives]." Remember, the Spirit of the Lord resides in you. You have what it takes on the inside of you to stand against the enemy and cause him to flee. GLORY!

5. Gather your thoughts. Don’t let them run rampant.
2 Corinthians 10:5-6 ESV "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete."


Now… receive the Peace of God, and go on about your day! AMEN
John 14: 27 New Living Translation (©2007) "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid."

Copyright 2012 - Victoria L. Burse

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Leadership Lesson 5

Are you trying to build a team?

Ephesians 4:11-12

   ¹¹ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 

I challenge each of you this week, to come alongside me as I purposely focus on the leadership attribute of Empowerment.

      1.  Make the conscious decision to Empower those around you.  

      2. Inquire of others so that you are aware of and understand their personal goals and dreams.

      3.  Commit to creating, or referring others to opportunities for training, and skill development through practice or mentorship.

Here’s why!

As Leaders, it is our responsibility to equip God’s people. We teach, we model, we guide, we direct. As the Holy Spirit empowers us, it is our responsibility to empower others. The World English Dictionary defines the word Empowerment as follows:  “the giving of an ability; enablement or permission.”

When we provide guidance and opportunities for growth and learning, we empower others to reach their personal goals.  However, in the mist of this, not only can personal goals be met, but each individual then becomes better able to contribute to the goals of a team.  You see, one of the results of empowering others, is the formation of a team.  When you empower, or pour into someone else in practical and spiritual ways, a unity develops.  The word of God refers to this as a “unity of Love.”  As these relationships mature, the team is now well able to accomplish many things.  All members walking in love, God-confidence, prosperity (far above financial wealth), creativity, and faith, this team becomes a force within the Kingdom of God.  Fear, jealousy, insecurity, intimidation, and the like have no place in this team, as empowered individuals..they are secure in God, secure in themselves, secure in one another, and secure in their ability as a team to do a great work.

Who then, is a part of your team?  Who are you empowering?  As you lead the people God has assigned to you, are you conscious of their needs and desires to fulfill their personal goals? Have you sought God so that you might understand how all of your destinies intersect, and for His way in leading this team so that everyone’s vision is realized?

Copyright 2012  Victoria L. Burse

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If it is not in Writing, it does not exist!

Leadership Lesson #4 -Visioneering


Habakkuk 2:2 
[ The Message Bible ] And then God answered: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time.

I know this phrase is familiar to many of us.  If it is not in Writing, it does not exist!  I'd like to attach this phrase to this weeks Leadership Lesson - as I briefly introduce Visioneering.

Visioneering. I first heard this term as I picked up, and subsequently purchased a book of this same title by Pastor and Teacher, Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, GA. Visoneering is the process of developing and recording a vision for a particular project or an area of your life.

Pastor Stanley teaches, that we should have a vision for every area of our lives; for our family, for our ministry, for our career…whatever your particular life consists of. Your Vision should be put in writing. It is a fact, that a vision will never be more than a dream if we don’t record it, and it really helps to be able to have some mental and practical image of what our goal looks like completed. Don’t expect to be able to map out the entire process or the path all at once, for we must constantly be in touch with our Heavenly Father for those next steps, and to take heed as He lovingly alerts us of detours or roadblocks that may lay ahead.

I think you already know what my challenge is to you this week. Yes, I am challenging you to take one goal, only one goal, and write it down, along with some of the steps you believe you will take in order to accomplish your goal. It is interesting that even when we know we should do something, we don't necessarily do it. We take shortcuts, and then wonder how it is we end up off track. So, I know you have your goal in your mind, some of you will even talk about how it is engraved... in your heart. That is excellent, but once placed in writing, it will take on a life of its own, because words themselves - have life.

Next, with your goal in writing in front of you, take some time to pray over what you have written, submitting it to the Lord. Be honest with Him about your desires. After all, He already knows your heart. Just be sure to give Him complete permission to change anything that you have written, that does not line up with His will for you life. Follow His leading, grab hold of your first step….and get moving!

Copyright 2012 - Victoria L. Burse

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Leadership Lesson #3

Making Something out of Nothing:  the Creative Power of God!

Genesis 1:1 New International Version (NIV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Acts 1:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

A Leader must understand, embrace, and utilize the Creative Power of God to fashion an environment in which people, are inspired, and encouraged to accomplish more than they ever dreamed possible.

The Creative Power of God.  That same Creative Power that was there in the very beginning, in Genesis 1:1, the power that created the heavens and the earth.  That very same Creative Power that called the light into being, and that separated the waters from the dry land, that Creative Power that was the beginning of mankind itself.

To Create means; "to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes."  In the book of Isaiah, chapter 48 and verse 7,  the Amplified Bible defines the word create as "called into being by the prophetic word"

As a Leader you will often be called upon to make something out of what appears to be nothing. Because there are so many things that influence state of mind, internal drive, and even the physical energy of an individual, you may find yourself called upon to "raise up an army" out of those that have been beat down, and are disheartened.

How is this done?  This is accomplished by using the Creative Power of God.

1. Calling the things that are not, as though they are, (Romans 4:17).
2. Casting the vision God has given you, and keeping the vision before the people. (Habakkuk 2:2)
3. Speaking life into dry bones and dry situations. (Ezekiel 37:3-14)
4. Speaking the truth and being the light that we are called to be. (Mathew 5:13-16)

I call on each of you today to be the Creator that you are in His image, and to radiate the Power of God so that you are EFFECTIVE in achieving the purposes of God for His Kingdom.

Copyright 2011 - Victoria L. Burse

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Character and Integrity - Don't just talk about it, Be about it!

Leadership Lesson #2


II Corinthians 5:11 (The Amplified Bible)
11 Therefore, being conscious of fearing the Lord with respect and reverence, we seek to win people over [to persuade them]. But what sort of persons we are is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood by God, and I hope that it is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood also by your consciences (your inborn discernment).

Titus 2: 7-8 (The Amplified Bible)
7 And show your own self in all respects to be a pattern and a model of good deeds and works, teaching what is unadulterated, showing gravity [having the strictest regard for truth and purity of motive], with dignity and seriousness.

8 And let your instruction be sound and fit and wise and wholesome, vigorous and [b]irrefutable and above censure, so that the opponent may be put to shame, finding nothing discrediting or evil to say about us.

Character and Integrity.  My pastor has taught my church family for years;  "Your gifts can take you somewhere that your Character and Integrity cannot keep you."  We spend so much time sharpening our gifts and our skills, and we neglect Character Development.  Are we people of our word?  Do we live the lives that we speak about?   Are we Authentic people?

Character is the sum total of the features and traits that form the individual nature of a person.  It is who you are, when no one else is looking.  I believe that it was the process of people holding me accountable, that helped me to build character.  At first, it was others holding me accountable.  Then, I learned I had to be accountable to God.  Finally, I developed the habit of holding myself accountable.  I never wanted to be a public success and a private failure.  Integrity relates to moral principles and honesty; honesty with others, and with ourselves. Integrity answers the question of “what we will, and what we won’t do” the lines that we won’t cross. These two go hand in hand and become the basis of the respect that others have for you, and that you have for yourself.

Copyright 2011 - Victoria L. Burse

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Your Attitude, Your Choice!

Leadership Lesson - 1

ATTITUDE
James 1:1-27 ESV
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ...

Attitude relates to your “manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; group attitudes.”  Your attitude can affect your actions or lack thereof and consequently has a tremendous affect on the outcome of any given situation.  Attitude is key, but the key is to not let the attitude choose you, but you, should choose the attitude.  Yes, you can decide how you will think, perceive, and receive anything that comes at you.  You decide whether it is welcomed, or pushed away.  You can decide whether or not to be fearful, or faithful.

Truly, it is your choice…choose Wisely!

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