TAKEAWAYS FROM COLOUR ME LADIES CONFERENCE 2019

By Tara Tricia Merced – Bontol

Hello Mommas! How’s it going? Like me, I’m pretty sure you look forward to the times when you can go out, have coffee with your friends, eat out, go to the movie house, to some, read a book or probably just stare at the skies… a time out, if you know what I mean. So I will be sharing some of those moments with you! Starting off with my takeaways from Colour Me Ladies Conference.

Last week I had my MTO (Mom’s Time Out), spent a day together with about 2,000 women for the annual Colour Me Ladies Conference. Every year I block off my schedule for this event because it’s such a powerful thing to get together with women more so, women who speak life & empower. This is the company you want to be in! YAAAAAAAAAS!

This year was no exception of a vibrant day with guest speakers Christine Kairuz, Venus Raj & Maricar & Richard Poon. The theme of this year’s conference was Colour Me White (Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8). With that, sharing some of my notes from the event.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4:23

Emphasis on ABOVE ALL ELSE & EVERYTHING… This clearly tells us the importance of our hearts. It says ABOVE & ALL ELSE, top priority, why? For EVERYTHING, not just ‘some’ but everything we do flows FROM IT. Everything we do is dictated by the heart. And if God has our hearts, He’s definitely got us. Question is, does He have your heart?

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9-10

…and a right heart, produces a right life. What is a right heart? Honestly, NOBODY has the capacity to have a right heart. As it says in the bible, our hearts are deceitful, beyond cure & nobody, even ourselves, understands it. Many times, if not all the time, the moment we feel we understand our hearts, is the moment it jumps to another emotion. Right? So what do we do? We give it to the one who is able to make things right for us. Why? Because a wrong heart, produces a wrong life.

The condition of your heart determines the course of your life.

The course of your life will lead you to the choices you make.

The choices you make determine your consequences.

III

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”–but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”–but not everything is beneficial.

1 Corinthians 10:23

Not every opportunity is for your benefit & not all ‘seemingly’ good thing is from the Lord. I always remember the White Witch from Narnia with this principle. Beautiful, isn’t she? On the outside, that is. The enemy comes to steal, kill & destroy & he’ll do everything- quote scripture, present himself beautiful or delicious as cake, to do just that. And we ought to be reminded to not go after everything we deem beautiful. How do you know if it’s from God? Besides praying & reading His word, pause & try to see the big picture or look many steps ahead to project the outcome of the opportunity that is presented to you. And if it doesn’t hurt, seek counsel from the right people.

You have to stop fooling yourself with something you can’t control. In other words, stop playing with fire. The only way to change is through total surrender. You might say, easy for me to say right? The principle doesn’t change just because it’s hard. You also have to understand that though not everybody understands you or what you’re going through, everybody has a battle of their own. In that perspective, you really can’t say it’s easy for me to say.

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Hebrews 12:11

It’s hard because you’re worth it.

Nobody is perfect therefore purity doesn’t just happen, it is a direction we take, a journey we go through. How do you know you’re on the right way or if you’re moving forward with it? Purity is never stagnant. Like faith, it grows.

The fruits of the holy spirit- love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These fruits we posses, not for anything else but by abiding in Him. Truly we are who we are because of who God is & everything He’s done for us. Which means the glory goes to Him especially when these fruits are expressed. Also, do a self check, are these fruits being expressed lately? If yes, give back the glory to Him. If not, go back to your first Love- Jesus.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:4

VII

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God Matthew 5:8

Picture a blind man walking in a maze. Hard, right? Going through a maze is hard, more so, going through it blind? Our lives are like different levels of mazes. We go through so many decision-making that it is vital to SEE where we’re headed in every decision or step we make. And when our hearts are impure, they affect our vision. Which means, we may go to the wrong direction & end up trapped, not able to move forward, really. Again, it is only through Him that our hearts are purified. Give you hearts to God & He will be your eyes through the maze. We don’t need to fret, He’s up above, He sees everything, he’ll take you to the next level!

VIII

You know God loves you right? You know He’s on your side & that He wants the best for you, right? And yet we receive a lot of discipline & correction from Him. Now that I’ve mentioned that, do you still think He loves you? As what Christine Kairuz said “He loves you too much to for you to stay the same”. Tough love, but it is love, still. God did not only send us the bible to correct us, he also sent us people to do that. Appreciate those people who do the hard thing of correcting you just so you live your best life.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 12:1

The reason for your joy shouldn’t be because of men, because that only means they can take it away. I am not saying you don’t celebrate when people appreciate you but at the crossroads, you ought to be reminded that this life is His & that we live for His glory alone. Because if you go the other way, you will always end up getting hurt & stuck. Choose Jesus, choose, life- life to the full.

After receiving & acknowledging God, you don’t automatically know everything. In fact, it is the ‘start’, not the ‘end’ of a beautiful journey. From glory to glory, He will take you to unchartered waters for you to experience Him. May this also be a reminder for everyone to look at others with fresh eyes & grace, for we are ALL a work in progress, we are all in a process.

There you go! Some you may know already but it’s good to be reminded right? And some may be new to you. Let’s talk! Drop a comment &/or see you on my socials.

Here are a few snaps from the event. Credits to the husband for these! You can check out his shots on instagram @docreeltravels.