The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World

When What You Want is Different from What God Wants

10/04/2023
There are times we’re called to do something and we’d prefer not to do it. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a parent, it may be changing another diaper. A person might wish they could stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the house. But only one person has known the great sacrifice of dying on the cross so the human race could be saved. Jesus asked His Father for a way other than the cross, but when it was the only way, He submitted His will to His Father. Is there something you don’t want to do or perhaps want to do that is different from God’s will? Will you trust your Heavenly Father and walk through it in His strength?

Lord Jesus, thank You for modeling being submissive and trusting in our Heavenly Father’s ultimate will. 

“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’” Matthew 26:39

The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World: What to Do When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan,  Available on Amazon

Friends, I’d love to have you join me any week on Wednesdays or Thursdays for our weekly Bible Study of John. Click here for more info.

Live outside of the Texas Hill Country? No problem! My weekly teachings and Listening Guides will be added HERE each week so you can follow along or use it for a group study. 

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A Sippy Cup Won’t Do

03/25/2022

When we come to God for a new life in Christ, we don’t come to a sippy cup of refreshing life. We come to an overflowing fountain of life. “Come to Me and drink!” Jesus invites us. (John 7:37) And don’t stop drinking. God’s fountain flows in the “innermost being” of the one who believes in Jesus.  From where does the living water originate? Psalm 36:9 tells us. “For with You is the FOUNTAIN of LIFE…” God is a FOUNTAIN of LIFE. During trying days, we can use our time to dive into the deep waters of Bible study. Why? We’ll refresh our soul that has been drained by the day’s trials and worries. There’s no better time than now to read or re-read “The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World.” Or if you prefer,  listen to the FREE audio.  Rather than let life drain you, drink in all God is and has for you.

Lord, You are the FOUNTAIN of LIFE! Thank You for Your Word, Spirit, and presence that fills us and flows in and through us when we drink richly of You.

 

 

 

 

 

The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World: Introduction

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When What You Want is Different from What God Wants

10/13/2021
There are times we’re called to do something we’d prefer not to do it. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a parent, it may be changing another diaper. A person might wish they could stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the house. But only one person has known the great sacrifice of dying on the cross so the human race could be saved. Jesus asked His Father for a way other than the cross, but when it was the only way, He submitted His will to His Father. Is there something you don’t want to do or perhaps want to do that is different from God’s will? Will you trust your Heavenly Father and walk through it in His strength?

Lord Jesus, thank You for modeling being submissive and trusting in our Heavenly Father’s ultimate will. 

“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’” Matthew 26:39

The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World: What to Do When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan,   Available on Amazon

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A Sippy Cup Won’t Do

04/09/2021

When we come to God for a new life in Christ, we don’t come to a sippy cup of refreshing life. We come to an overflowing fountain of life. “Come to Me and drink!” Jesus invites us. (John 7:37) And don’t stop drinking. God’s fountain flows in the “innermost being” of the one who believes in Jesus.  From where does the living water originate? Psalm 36:9 tells us. “For with You is the FOUNTAIN of LIFE…” God is a FOUNTAIN of LIFE. During trying days, we can use our time to dive into the deep waters of Bible study. Why? We’ll refresh our soul that has been drained by the day’s trials and worries. There’s no better time than now to read or re-read “The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World.” Or if you prefer,  listen to the FREE audio.  Rather than let life drain you, drink in all God is and has for you.

Lord, You are the FOUNTAIN of LIFE! Thank You for Your Word, Spirit, and presence that fills us and flows in and through us when we drink richly of You.

 

 

 

 

 

The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World: Introduction

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Two Tips When Fear Strikes

01/17/2021

The unexpected. The bad unexpected.  You name it. You didn’t expect it. But now it’s here. A common reaction is fear.  A second is for our imagination to run wild.  So how do we combat fear and a run away imagination?

Two Tips When Fear Strikes:

  1. Lean Up. Lean up to God immediately. As fast as the incidence happens, make it our practice to turn to our Heavenly Father and lean in on Him. Why? Psalm 46:1-3 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” The psalmist has listed things that would naturally cause fear yet he maintains, “we will not fear.” How can he say that? The answer is in his words, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help.” I don’t think the psalmist means there might not be a first reaction of fear, but rather that he has made the choice to not continue in fear, but rather to look to God. We can make the same choice. We can begin praying. We can focus on His presence. We can look to Him for help.
  2. Wisen Up.  In Luke 16:8 Jesus told a parable in which He said, “for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.” In Matthew 10:16,  Jesus told His disciples, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. The word “shrewd” in these verses means intelligent, wise, prudent, mindful of one’s interests. So, when the unexpected, the bad happens, yes, begin praying. But then, perhaps we need to step back and think. What is God teaching me? How should I prepare for the future in light of this?

Yes, the unexpected is around the corner, but what a blessing that so is our Heavenly Father and so is wisdom, all we need to do is ask for it. James 1:5

Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You that You are an ever present help. Thank You, also, for the reminder and instruction that we need to be wise and prudent, mindful of what we are doing. Help us be increasing mindful and ever grateful for You and the wisdom You provide. We love You. 

Find more in my chapter, “Illusive Imagination or Refreshing Reality” in The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World.”

(1) https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G5429&t=NASB

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When What You Want is Different from What God Wants

10/22/2020
There are times we’re called to do something we’d prefer not to do it. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a parent, it may be changing another diaper. An employee may wish they could stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the home. But, only one person has known the great sacrifice of dying on the cross so mankind could be saved. Jesus asked His Father for a way other than the cross, but when it was the only way, He submitted His will to His Father. Is there something you don’t want to do or perhaps want to do that is contrary to God’s will? Will you trust your Heavenly Father and walk through it in His strength?

Lord Jesus, thank You for modeling being submissive to our Heavenly Father and trusting in His ultimate will. 

“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’” Matthew 26:39

The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World: What to Do When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan,   Available on Amazon

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22 Degrees – The Importance of Clarifying Information

09/30/2020

22 Degrees. Winter Storm coming. How could that be, I wondered, glancing outside at the beautiful day. Double-checking the weather, I realized it was for a state where I’d spoken, not where I live. Contemplating my reaction to “22 degrees” was a reminder of how easy it is to draw wrong conclusions. Could that be why Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24 that if a Christian has something against us, we’re to go to them and be reconciled; why He says in Matthew 18:15 that if we think a Christian has done something wrong, we’re to go to them privately rather than gossip about them? “Go” is the keyword in both cases.  Rather than draw wrong conclusions, be a Christian who follows Christ’s counsel. Find more insights in my book, The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World at debbietaylorwilliams.

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Power Dressing

09/23/2020

A few days ago I had a reality check. Was the woman in the mirror really me?  What about you? Have you ever had a reality check about yourself, but rather than do something to correct a bad habit you continued in it? Is there help available to those of us who want to change?  Yes. In Luke 24:49 Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit who would clothe His followers with power from on high. Talk about power dressing that affects not only us but our relationship with God and others. God knew we needed supernatural power to live out our faith. If you’ve not liked something you’ve seen about yourself lately, read Galatians 5:13-26, a great spiritual mirror. Then, pray to God to fill you with power from on high to walk out your faith. Find more tips in The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World and The Plan A Mom in a Plan B World.

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Plan B

02/26/2020

Have you ever had a Plan B? You know, you had the best laid out plans and then something went wrong, perhaps even tragic. Plan B’s are never welcomed, whether our Plan B is a dead car battery, divorce, or death of a loved one. What do we do when our original plans don’t work out and discouragement, despair, anger, and hopeless pound on the door of our heart? We look to the cross where it would have appeared that God’s plan hadn’t gone right. Jesus was dead. Hope appeared to be gone. But it wasn’t. If you’re in the midst of a Plan B, look up in hope rather than get stuck in despair.  My book, The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World, will walk you through nine choices you can make when life doesn’t go according to plan so you can experience God’s blessings even in the midst of your Plan B.

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Pop Test!

03/02/2019

PRAYERS PLEASE: Tonight I’m keynoting at Calvary Baptist Lubbock, TX Women’s Spring Banquet. Lubbock is my where I was born and raised, so it will be special to be back there. It’s also the date we buried my mother, Bernice Taylor, 17 years ago. I’d appreciate your prayers for an outpouring of God’s Spirit. I so want to give back to the community that gave so much to me. Thank you. Topic: The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World. 

LISTEN

Do you know the answer to this question? Out of all of God’s teachings, what is the greatest of His commandments? and where is it found the Bible? You get extra points for knowing the Scripture reference.  According to Jesus in Matthew 2:37-38, the great and foremost commandment is, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Luke 10:27 includes, “And with all your strength.” As a physician, Dr. Luke would have picked up on that important aspect. We’re to love God with every fiber of our being!  Jesus quickly followed in Matthew 22:39-40 with a second great command and explanation, “The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” There we have it. Our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus are the commanders of the heavenly hosts and are our Commanders in Chief. As citizens of heaven we are to love and follow no one above them. How are we doing?

Lord, You who have given us Your COMMANDS, may we not be presumptuous or live contrary to Your ways, but rather live under Your commands in praise of You!

Can’t be at the banquet? Get the book HERE: The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World
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