All-In Paragon
Living a Life by God's Design
by
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The Struggle is Real
1 Peter 5:8 (MSG) reminds us that the Devil is “a lion on the prowl” constantly searching for someone to devour. He will take a thought and run with it if we are not paying attention. Why do you think 2 Corinthians 10:5 (MSG) tells us to “take every thought captive”?
The struggle against good and bad, right, and wrong, light, and dark, etc. is real. It is not a myth or a scene from “The Lord of the Rings” or “Star Wars”. Free will is a powerful thing. We give in to impulses and self-satisfaction because it “feels good” in the moment. While we may know God and strive to be obedient, it does not mean that we will always choose Him.
The Devil is at work and unless we are intentional in asking God for wisdom in our decision making, we will struggle with our human desires. Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) states, “for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
The Devil seeks to destroy all that is good. He never rests in his efforts to turn us back to our sinful nature. He appeals to our flesh and our egos. He starts with subtle whispers and gets us to focus inward on self. “One drink isn’t going to hurt you”, “One look at that website isn’t going to affect you”, “You’ll feel better if you _________”, “your spouse won’t know” ...and “texting isn’t a sin…” “Do you see how ____________ always gets the attention?”, etc... Once the Devil has you paying more attention to how you feel and what you want, he will cause you to compare yourself to others and keep you centered on your own thoughts. The more you stay within your own mind, the more he can turn you against yourself. The “one drink” turns into an alcoholic. The “one look” becomes an addiction to pornography. The “texting isn’t a sin” leads to an adulterous affair. Giving in to one’s own desires to “feel better” transforms into addictions, divorce, job loss, financial ruin and more. Comparisons of others can lead to depression and despair, and for some, death.
I wish I could say that my life did not include any of the above, but the truth is that I have walked through all of it. Honestly, until I realized that the root cause of all of this is spiritual warfare, I did not battle against it correctly.
We blame the individual for the addiction. We condemn the adulterer/adulteress for having the affair. We criticize the employer, our spouse, or the situation for not making us happy. We look to find the reason behind depression and who/what is responsible for it.
This is exactly what the Devil hopes we will do. Blame the individual for the addiction and the addiction will increase in intensity, often leading to physical and verbal abuse. Condemn the adulterer/adulteress and it results in divorce and broken relationships. Make the employer, spouse, or situation responsible for unhappiness, and a search for happiness without success begins. Depression is a result of a life filled with these challenges. When I was at the lowest point in my life, I prayed for answers. Without going into details, in 2017 my current marriage was under attack and I was feeling destroyed. God revealed the answer in the following dream.
I found myself in a field, green grass all around and the mist of the morning rising over a small hill. I was dressed in Viking armor and was holding a sword and shield. Through the mist I could see my husband laying on the ground...unconscious. Standing over him was a huge warrior with his sword ready to administer the final blow. At that moment I realized that my battle was against the warrior, not against my husband. My husband was unable to fight. My husband was unable to understand. The Devil had completely overpowered him. Taking the Devil out was my primary objective.
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About the Book
Every day we make decisions that are primarily based on what we believe, have learned, or accept as truth from our personal experiences. At birth we begin to develop independent, problem-solving skills. Making decisions and taking control of things is normal and expected. No wonder God becomes more of a “resource” than “The Source” in our lives.
Most positions I held required me to be “all-in”, in both tangible and emotional ways. I accepted the advice and direction of my worldly mentors and coaches without ever considering God’s opinion. This attitude and action rarely created the success I desired. In fact, I took risks that turned into disasters personally, financially, and professionally. For years I jumped at every program, book or idea that promised I would be able to “manifest my desires”.
What I discovered is:
*I never quite succeeded the way I wanted and had a false sense of success
*I questioned and doubted every decision and often created more problems than solutions
*I was always left searching for my purpose and my “something more”
As I reflected on these experiences, I started to look at my relationship with God differently. I did not notice anything unusual until one morning God asked me if I was “all-in” with Him. “All-in” with God? Was I? As I began to pray for wisdom, God began to reveal to me various places where I was, in fact, not “all-in”.
By addressing these areas, getting obsessed with God and His opinion, and being obedient to His word, my life completely changed. This experience produced the “All-In Paragon”. A step-by-step strategy for making a faith-based paradigm shift resulting in quantum leap success and unstoppable flow.
About the Author
After more than 20 years of accomplishments in sales and education, Carole Mendoza realized that her passion is helping others to achieve their goals and discover their purpose. She founded IPD Coaching, LLC in 2019. Her focus is to serve God, serve others, make an impact and change lives. Her writing is easy to understand and will inspire so many to have a stronger relationship with God. Carole, who is also a wife, mother and grandmother, provides workshops for the All-In Paragon, as well as individual and group coaching from her home in Pooler, Ga.
Carole has a Masters Degree in Education, completed coursework for a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and has recently added to her Christian Coaching certifications as a member of the John Maxwell Team.
What Carole initially thought was a personal experience between herself and God, has turned into the All-In Paragon; a transformational process that not only changed her life, but is impacting the lives of others.
Carole says, “Your success, or lack thereof, is dependent on your obedience to the One who created you”.