How to Steer Your Life

Drendra Keesee, family, Happy Life, marriage, Parenting, The Laundry Moms, The New Vintage Family

How to Steer Your Life

by Drenda Keesee

“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” (James 3:3–5).

I encounter so many Christians who don’t understand how they could aim for somewhere great in life and still end up shipwrecked.

It’s because they…

…set in motion the law to go there. They wanted to end up prosperous and successful, but they spoke poor words over their lives.

Your words are the rudder for your life, and they steer you toward your future. Even when there is wind pushing against the boat, your words can steer you toward your goal, and they can steer your marriage and family toward safety.

When you begin to understand the laws working behind strife, you see how it is detrimental to your life. We should constantly examine our words and make sure they are steering us in the right direction.

Satan does not want your mouth to be in agreement with heaven. The Bible says if you speak it and believe it in your heart, you can move mountains (Mark 11:23). Satan doesn’t want mountains moved. He doesn’t want to lose territory. He doesn’t want to see your family whole.

You may say, “Well, my family knows what we’re believing for.” Really? Check out your words. If your words don’t line up with what you believe, you aren’t going to receive it.

When you’re tempted to fall into strife, you need to say, “Let the winds and waves blow against us, but we’re not changing course.” Communication is a vital part of walking in unity.

You have to talk about things with your spouse and family, and the good news is you can do it without strife! If there is a topic that a husband and wife don’t talk about because it’s a sore spot, Satan can throw that up to you whenever he wants to get you in strife.

You need to talk out those sore spots and put an end to them once and for all. The Bible says you’re one with your spouse. It’s not about you anymore. It’s about the two of you, and the sooner you learn to communicate and come to an agreement with each other, things are going to begin to flow in your life and in your family life.

Jesus cursed a fig tree and caused it to die with His words (Matthew 21). The law of words works both ways. Be careful not to curse the people in your life.

I cringe when I hear mothers make statements such as, “Well, you’re just a brat. You’ll never amount to anything.” They’re releasing the power of their words into that situation, and it’s going to lock that thing in place and hinder the child’s ability to see past it.

The Bible says we speak blessings and curses (James 3:10). Even the world’s philosophies recognize this principle as a “self-fulfilling prophesy.”

What you speak to your family member derives an expectation that they either rise to or fall with. Words of encouragement are crucial to strong families.

~Drenda

ps…Are you looking for a good church? Be sure and listen on Saturday evening or catch the 3 services on Sunday for Faith Life Church!

*Excerpt From The Book “The New Vintage Family.” By Drenda Keesee

Drenda Keesee’s contagious zeal and humorous personal experiences help make her ministry of spiritual, emotional, and relational wholeness one that will bless your life and spark a new fire in your spirit.

A wife of over 30 years and a mother of five children, Drenda has ministered at churches, seminars, and conferences, and through the mediums of television and radio, for more than 20 years.

Her books, The New Vintage Family, Better Than You Think, and She Gets It are available wherever books are sold. In these heartfelt books, Drenda shares her personal journey and the life lessons that have brought her to where she is today, as well as practical answers that all people need to live a joyful life.

Drenda and her husband Gary founded Faith Life Now, a ministry designed to spread the message of freedom in the areas of finances, faith, marriage, and family. Tune in for their weekly messages here. Faith Life Now hosts conferences worldwide and sponsors both Fixing the Money Thing, which Drenda co-hosts with her husband Gary and Drenda.

Through their own life experiences, the Keesee’s have found the principles from God’s Word to be powerful and effective. At one point, Drenda was a young, suicidal feminist with no hope of ever being “good enough” for her own standards of perfection. She never wanted the “inconvenience” of a husband or children, and she was on her own path to success. But the stress of trying to achieve perfection and perform for love left her broken and used. She had success, but it was nothing compared to the pain and loneliness it had also brought.

That’s when God got a hold of her heart. It was there—at her lowest point—that she found the One who accepted and loved her, faults and all. Since that transformation, Drenda has had a passion to reach women who find themselves where she once was.

She married Gary after attending college, and there she found herself in a personal boot camp of sorts. She says, “I cried and told God, ‘I can do anything but be a wife and mother.’” She committed to learning how to do it God’s way. Through the many years of raising their children and struggling to make ends meet, Drenda learned from their mistakes. “I didn’t know how to be a wife and mother, but God saved our marriage, taught us how to parent our children for success, showed us how to have financial success, and then the irony of all ironies, He called us to ministry.” It’s truly because of these life experiences that Drenda can now share so many insightful principles for people who are now going through the same struggles.

Gary and Drenda pastor Faith Life Church at The Now Center in New Albany, Ohio, and also are the CEOs of Forward Financial Group.