Beth Jones International Speaker

What dream, big or small, do you have in your heart? Who or what has hindered or stopped it? God wants to help you make your dreams come true! In this episode, Beth M. Jones shares 5 dream stealers to be aware of --and that God can help you overcome.

1. Hurts, disappointments, and comparing yourself to others;

2. Finances;

3. Health issues;

4. Discouragement - other people who are jealous and envious of you and who sabotage you;

5. Fear.

"Always dream big and don't let anyone limit your dream because the possibilities are endless." (Coco Gauff)

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Beth M. Jones is an International Speaker, Author of 30 books, wife to fire chief-paramedic Ray, and mom of 3 beautiful daughters, Heather, Eden, and Leah. She also has two adorable cats, Natalya and Nichodemus. Beth's mission is encouraging others to use their gifts for God's glory, fulfilling their purpose, and living a life they love.

In this episode, I just do a "podcast chat," sharing about:

• the stray cats that I've been feeding and taking care of;
• God's miracle for Phil the stray cat;
• this week's blog post, Lessons From Stray Cats;
• my newest book, The Crying of Rachel: A Call to Repentance;
• my live event on Zoom this Thursday, November 30, at 11 am CST, The beautiful gift of repentance (please join us!);
• writing my story to apply to be a Stonecroft (not Stonecraft) speaker;
• the Christian Speakers' Bootcamp that I just joined;
• our family's Thanksgiving Day Italian food meal at our daughter Heather's new, pretty house.

Lessons From Stray Cats blog post

Are you using your spiritual gifts, talents, and skills for God's glory and to make the maximum impact on others? In this episode, I share 10 ways that writing books has changed my life. Do you want to write (or finish writing) a book?

Quotes:

"Let the word burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper." (Ray Bradbury, WD)

"After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world." (Philip Pulman)

"Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very pleasant careers." (Ray Bradbury, WD)

"There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never know where they'll take you." (Beatrix Potter)

"I write for the same reason I breathe - because if I don't, I would die." Isaac Asimov

Image source for podcast art cover: Super Snapper @Unsplash

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Beth Jones is an International Speaker, Author, and Coach, wife to fire chief/paramedic Ray, and mom of 3 beautiful daughters Heather, Eden, and Leah. She also has two cats, Natalya and Silas. Beth's mission is encouraging others to use their gifts for God's glory, fulfilling their purpose, and living a life they love.

Who are you accountable to in your life and in your business? Accountability and support are important. Accountability helps us to grow. One day we'll all stand before God to be accountable to Him for our lives. We also need to intentionally surround ourselves with people who can keep us accountable to help us succeed in our biz.

I'm leading a writers' Progress Pod for my writing coaches CJ and Shelley Hitz for accountability and support. The Progress Pod and software are the brainchild of Richard Ralston from New Zealand to help people take the Next Tiny Step to reach their dreams and goals faster.

Verses for today's episode:

Romans 14:12

2 Corinthians 5:10

Proverbs 27:17

Hebrews 10:24-25

Hebrews 5:14, NLT

Book: What if God wrote your bucket list? 52 Things You Don't Want To Miss, by Jay Payleitner, available for sale on Amazon.

It's back to school time, which is always exciting for kids buying new supplies. I feel the same way as a business owner, buying new office supplies. I'm like a kid in a candy shop when the stores have school supplies sales! My challenge and question for you this week is what are you learning?

I'm doing two new things lately: I recently began attending a new church and joined a ladies' Bible study, which is on Sally Clarkson's book, Own Your Life, and I'm leading a Progress Pod for my writing coaches CJ and Shelley Hitz's Christian Book Academy membership site for writers.

Richard Ralston created the idea and the software of Progress Pods, with the pod participants taking The Next Tiny Step to reach their dreams and goals and to be accountable to others.

God wants us to continually learn and grow, not stagnate, in our walk with Him. We're all "back in school," learning new things!

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Scriptures from today's episode:

Proverbs 1:5

Proverbs 18:15

1 John 2:27

Richard Ralston

Several years ago, I bought a beautiful sea glass necklace. I love the beach and ocean; it is my place of peace and refilling. Sea glass is created from broken bottles, tableware, or even shipwrecks, rolled and tumbled in the ocean until their edges are rounded off and the slickness of glass has been worn to a frosted appearance. God wastes no pain and uses it for the good and His glory. He is making you and me into beautiful sea glass - brokenness into unique beauty.

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Podcast cover image source: Joshua Sortino @ Unsplash

Recently we had severe weather here in the Kansas City, Missouri area. Our daughter Heather was caught in the storm. The power at the restaurant where she, her fiance Andy, and his kids went lost its power as they pulled up to eat supper there. They then went home and the power was out at their house, too. It was off for 7 hours! What do you do when problems arise and life's storms hit? Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. He is our Helper.

Verses for today's Episode are John 14:26, Acts 1:8, and Acts 2:1-5.

Image source for podcast image cover: Max LaRochelle @ Unsplash.

Do you need a miracle today? A miracle is a sign of the supernatural power of God. He still does them today! God has done many miracles in my life and in my family's lives. This is the topic of my new Kindle eBook, Miracles: God's extraordinary power in our everyday lives. It's about the miracles that God has done in my family and stories of miracles in the Bible. What miracle are you or a loved one needing right now? Hummingbirds fly in miraculous ways, and there will be a beautiful image of a hummingbird on the cover of this book.

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Have you been praying and praying for something and your prayer hasn't been answered? It feels as if there is a brass ceiling over your prayers. One reason that your prayer may not have been answered is sin. Isaiah 59:2, NKJV, says, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Psalm 66:18 says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear."

In the article 4 Things That Will Hinder Your Prayers (September 29, 2018), Greg Laurie writes, ""Regard" means to "cling to or hold on to." If you're practicing sin as a Christian, it will bring your prayer life to a screeching halt."

The good news is that God forgives sin. I'm living proof of this! You can read my story in my powerful book, available for sale on Amazon, Promises In The Dark: One Woman's Search for Authentic Love. God will forgive any sin that you've committed (other than blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - Matthew 12:31). God's mercies are new each morning, so we can get a fresh start with Him and others every day! (Lamentations 3:22-23)

If you have been praying and your prayer(s) hasn't been answered yet, I encourage you to repent and ask God's forgiveness. He will move Heaven and Earth to help you. He wants you to live a blessed, full, abundant life, empowered by His Holy Spirit. (John 10:10)

Did you know that your worship and praise of God is spiritual warfare against the enemy, Satan? Last night I had a dream about this. I was having (hosting) a women's conference. I was getting dressed and ready for the conference with makeup and lipgloss and looking into the mirror. I feel this part of the dream symbolizes our need to always be prepared and be ready to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others (1 Peter 3:15, NKJV). We also need to daily put on the armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18, NKJV)

The scene in the dream shifted. I and the women at the conference were walking down a dirt road. I could sense the spiritual warfare all around us. I began to worship and praise God, singing, and led the women with the worship and praise. Each day you and I face spiritual warfare as Christian believers, but we have the victory through our faith in Jesus. Worship and praise are powerful weapons against the enemy, Satan. That was the end of the dream.

The verses I shared in this podcast are Joshua Chapter 6 (about the wall of Jericho falling); 2 Chronicles 20:22, ESV; Acts 16:25-26, ESV; Psalm 95:6, ESV; and Psalm 100:4, ESV.

Podcast image cover art: Matt Botsford @ Unsplash

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Have you wondered why your prayer hasn't been answered? This may be just one reason. James 4:2-3, NKJV, says, "Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." The word "amiss" in the original language is kakos (Blue Letter Bible, Strong's #2560), which means "badly, diseased, evil, miserably, wrongly, revile, with bad intent."

Our heart's intentions may not be pure and holy as God is. How do we know that we're praying with the right intention?

When Jesus' disciples asked Him how they should pray, He answered with the LORD's prayer found in Matthew 6:9-15, NKJV, acknowledging God as His heavenly Father and praying for HIS Kingdom to come and HIS will to be done. As we pray, let's ask God for our desires to be alignment with His word and His will.

There are times that we are praying, such as for a prodigal spouse, child, sibling, parent, or other loved one, and it is taking years for the prayer to be answered. DON'T STOP PRAYING! God hears you when you pray!

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Podcast cover art by Samuel Martins @ Unsplash

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Did you know that God hears you when you pray? Whether you're praying for something big or small. As a Christian believer, you have God's authority and power when you pray and He WILL answer you! (Luke 10:19, ESV) I give two examples of this by God answering my prayers for me to travel to Destin beach, Florida, last year and a good, used car THIS year! However, God is not Santa Claus or a slot machine at a casino. God has given us a condition for His blessings, found in Deuteronomy Chapter 28 - obedience to His word. If we obey Him, He will shower us, our family, and our lives with His blessings. If we disobey, we will experience sorrow, destruction, and curses. But the good news is that if we seek His face, and obey Him, whatever we ask for in prayer, believing, we will receive! (Mark 11:24)

My book on prayer, Walking With God, is available for sale at Amazon at the link below:

Today when I looked out my office window, I saw that the garage door was open. My husband Ray had used the automatic door opener to close it when he left for work, but the last few days it hasn't been working right. He's going to check the circuit when he comes home from work today. An open door can be a great thing, such as you being invited to speak at a women's conference or a new job or ministry opportunity.

An open door can also be a bad thing, such as opening the door to the enemy Satan through sin. Today's verse is Ephesians 25:27, "...give no opportunity to the devil." The NLV version says, "Do not let the devil start working in your life."

We can do this in a number of ways. One way is through generational sin/curses. Another way is through your own sin. God wants us to be holy and our children and our grandchildren to be holy, also. Open the door to all God's blessings and goodness in your life. Close the door quickly to the enemy.

What legacy are you leaving here on Earth? Recently I watched the Gals On The Go podcast on YouTube. The topic was, "Are we ACTUALLY turning into our parents?" It was funny. The hosts, Brooke and Danielle Carolan and Brooke Miccio were chatting about things like their moms still carrying around checkbooks in their purses, the rule of having no phone at the table and eating together as a family, dessert or no dessert with dinner, and putting extra plastic liners in the trash can at the bottom of it. 

It got me to thinking how I was raised as a child and if I taught my children the way my family raised me. What kind of legacy do you and I want to leave when we die? How are we raising our children (or how did we raise them)? You can be the one to change your family's history by being on fire for Jesus and obeying God's word. The verse for today's podcast is Proverbs 22:6. 

Turkey and Syria had a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. According to news report at the time of this video, over 2,300 people have died and over 7.600 have been injured with numbers expected to be much higher. Buildings and homes have collapsed and 100's of people are believed to be buried under the rubble. Snow from a winter storm is hampering rescue efforts. I've been praying and felt led to do a Zoom prayer recording for the people of Turkey and Syria. The Scriptures I shared in this video are below:

"For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." (Romans 10:13, NKJV)

"He sent forth His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions." (Psalm 107:20)

"For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12)

The books I wrote on prayer and prophecy that I mentioned at the end of this video are Walking With God and Walking With God: In the Prophetic Lifestyle, available for sale at Amazon.

Walking With God (prayer)

At the beginning of each year, many people do a "Reset." This can be in any area of your life. Did you know that each new year, and even each new day or hour, you can "reset" with God - through prayer? I've been praying about what God has for me this new year in 2023 and encourage you to do the same. Our hearts and our lives can become in tune with God's will, just as our daughter Leah tunes her violin to produce the right sound and to play beautifully. What is out of tune in your life?

Did you know that your prayers to God have great authority and are powerful--even dangerous against the enemy, satan? And that you can make decrees over the nations of the Earth? You can also make decrees over your family, yourself, and others, with God radically changing lives for the glory of Jesus Christ. In this fascinating episode, Beth Jones interviews Pastor Barbara Miller of Australia about this topic of making decrees in prayer. Pastor Barbara Miller’s ministry has a strong focus on reconciliation, justice, prayer, worship and teaching on Israel. 

In an hourglass, the sands fall quickly and can never be retrieved. So it is with our time here on this earth. We need to use our time wisely, to live for the glory of God. In this episode, Beth M. Jones interviews Joey A. Perry, Sr., about his book, One Less Grain of Sand: Fulfill God's Purposes While You Have Time, available for sale at Amazon.

Joey A. Perry, Sr. has taught the Word of God since 1982. During that time, he has instructed students in the following areas: Sunday school (children and adults), Vacation Bible school (children), Men's Ministry, Youth Ministry, and the True Love Waits (sexual abstinence for teens) program. He believes God has called him to promote the spiritual growth and maturity of Christians through teaching and writing. He has published three books: Parenting Lessons from God, the Perfect Parent; Pressing on Toward Maturity: Seven Biblical Truths for Spiritual Growth; and One Less Grain of Sand: Fulfill God's Purposes While You Have Time! 

He lives in Texas and is active in his church's Men's Ministry, Marriage Ministry, and Sunday school. He is married, and he and his wife, Vanessa, have three adult sons. 

Do you have a career (or a J-O-B, working outside the home), but have dreams of having your own business? With 40+ years of ministry experience as well as being a registered nurse, Joycelynn Harrell is now making the exciting transition to being an entrepreneur. In this Women in Biz series interview episode, JoyceLynn speaks about the joys and the challenges of being an entrepreneur. She also shares about the intense heartache of losing her child to suicide, her veteran son Brandon, but how this loss has given her a deeper faith, message, and ministry.

Everyone has stories to tell. Jesus told parables (stories) to His disciples to teach truth, to inspire, and to give hope. Do you know your family's stories? Are they written down so they can be passed on? What is your own story? What life lessons and wisdom do you have to share in your story? You can leave a legacy that your children, your grandchildren, and others will treasure. In this episode, I interview Sharon Rose Gibson about the power of your story. Sharon's parents' stories and her own story living in the Congo in Africa are exciting, with them even facing gunpoint and God miraculously protecting their lives, while others were killed. 

She is the daughter of African missionaries in the Congo, was a student in Kenya, Africa, and graduated from a USA high school and the University of Kansas, with a degree in Speech Communications and Human Relations. Sharon has been published in books and magazines, is an author herself of four books, and is the creator of the online writing course, How to Write for Fun and Profit. 

Sharon's work experience includes election to the House of Representatives in a Midwestern State, a retail gift store owner, a teacher at a Ranch for men from Skid Row L.A., California, a product manager in the marketing department of a large greeting card company, and the Director of Communications for a non-profit ministry. She adopted seven teens from poverty backgrounds. At the present time, she serves as a substitute teacher, is an author, and teaches aspiring authors.