Strategic Faith: Living Beyond Limitations

By Lucy Ann Costa-Quattrone

YOUR WERE CREATED FOR GREATNESS . . .

WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK?

Are you coasting through life on autopilot without a clear sense of direction? Has society’s definition of success left you empty and striving for more? Maybe religion has blindsided you, leaving you to question who God is and if His Word is applicable to your

• Language: English
• Publisher: Author Academy Elite
• Release date: May 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781647460761

Book preview

Praise For Strategic Faith

This book presents a timely message of the transformational power of faith in action. It will stir you at the core of your being; challenging your beliefs, thoughts, and lifestyle. Sitting with this book gives you the opportunity to uncover your inner greatness.

—Niccie Kliegl CLC, RN,

owner of Fulfill Your Legacy,

author of Embracing the Loving Legacy

Lucy Ann presents wisdom and insight for tackling everyday challenges with confidence and authority. Working through each strategy brings hope for a better tomorrow. Strategic Faith is a game changer for anyone seeking true-life transformation.

—Kary Oberbrunner,

author of Your Secret Name and Elixir Project

Throughout the pages of this book you will find principles that will encourage your growth, empower your service, and free your heart, mind, body, and soul. You will be freed to receive and release God’s love and compassion without natural restraints, while leaving behind a trail of light that reflects and glorifies Christ.

—Lauralyn Hundley, Ph.D., Chaplain

I have long believed men and women rooted in Scripture, passionate about the gospel, and sensitive to the Holy Spirit can enter the realm of possibilities to win and impact the world. Lucy Ann’s book, Strategic Faith, will help equip you to do it! God is raising up many influencers from among this generation who powerfully and effectively share their faith. If you want to uncover who you were created to be, access inner strength, and create a purposeful life, this book is for you.

—Ray Kirkland,

Senior Pastor at Harvest Church

Strategic Faith © 2020 Lucy Ann Costa-Quattrone

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the author.

Published by Author Academy Elite

P.O. Box 43, Powell, Ohio.43065

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Author’s Bio Picture Credit: Luanne Dietz

Library of Congress Cataloging: 2019919991

ISBN: 978-1-64746-074-7 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-64746-075-4 (hardback)

ISBN: 978-1-64746-076-1 (eBook)

Available in paperback, hardback, e-book, and audiobook

Printed in the United States of America

DEDICATION

With love and adoration, I dedicate this book to my mom and dad, Ann Marie and Peter Costa. You are and have always been a solid rock from which I could spread my wings and fly. No matter if I stumbled, failed, or soared—you remained my #1 fans.

Your love and support have been a continual source of strength for me.

Thank you for teaching me to always honor God, to keep dreaming without limits, and believe I can accomplish anything—no matter how difficult the endeavor appears.

After all . . .

If it were easy everyone would do it!

Contents

Faith Is the Pathway to Greatness

Part One: The Struggle

Chapter 1 Ignorance Devours

Chapter 2 Yesterday’s Pain Is a Trap

Chapter 3 Doubt and Unbelief Are Ambushes

Chapter 4 Battle Fatigue Is Real

Part Two: The Shift

Chapter 5 A Heart Surrendered

Chapter 6 A Mind Renewed

Chapter 7 An Eternal Perspective

Part Three: The Strategy

Chapter 8 Step One: Drink from the Well

Chapter 9 Step Two: Live to Love

Chapter 10 Step Three: Who Told You That?

Chapter 11 Step Four: Forgiveness Is the Way Forward

Chapter 12 Step Five: It’s a New Day

Chapter 13 Step Six: Rest Is a Weapon

Chapter 14 Step Seven: Dreaming beyond Limits

Chapter 15 No More Excuses

Afterword

Note from the Author

Acknowledgments

Meet the Author

Take the Next Step

Stay Connected

Faith Is the Pathway to Greatness

Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.

—Hebrews 11:1 (TPT)

Everything God created and everything about God’s character reflects greatness. This includes you. You weren’t created to live a good life; you were created to live an abundant life. You have within you the God-given ability to live on a level above the norm. Your life should radiate with greatness in every area. In doing so, you mirror God’s image to the world around you.

Uncovering the pathway to greatness is not as mysterious as some might have you believe. God has provided everything you need. His Word is the ultimate roadmap and faith is the light illuminating your steps. His Word provides detailed instructions, complete with the voice of the Holy Spirit, which will redirect you when you purposely or accidentally take a detour.

If you feel as though life is leading you on an ambiguous path, take heart for God is with you. Life can, at times, direct you down unknown and sometimes twisting trails, but it is in these unknown or unrecognizable places where you will discover the intimacy, love, and power of God. He is personally handcrafting your life into a beautiful masterpiece.

The journey begins on the pathway marked faith. Faith is God’s strategic design to give you an upgrade in every area of life. Active and always growing in value, it’s an upgrade that never expires and keeps on giving. You don’t have to earn it; you only have to receive it.

The need for faith will never be exhausted. Faith is constantly in motion and will lead you through valleys and over steep mountaintops, the views varying with the changing seasons. You are invited to experience all it is capable of accomplishing (James 2:14). In spite of human limitations, there exists a pathway of faith that leads to greatness.

If your heart is full of regret, insecurity, shame,

or disappointment, on the pathway marked faith,

you will uncover your true identity.

If your life is filled with unanswered questions

and circumstances you do not understand,

on the pathway marked faith, you will discover love.

If you feel trapped by cultural norms

and religious hypocrisy,

on the pathway marked faith, you will

uncover the truth.

If you are feeling weak from the wounds of the past,

on the pathway marked faith, you will

discover forgiveness.

If you find yourself feeling powerless,

on the pathway marked faith, you will discover hope.

If you are struggling with the why

surrounding unforeseen circumstances,

on the pathway marked faith, you will find rest.

If you are overwhelmed with responsibility and

concerns about your future,

on the pathway marked faith, you will

discover how to dream.

If you feel as though your life doesn’t matter,

on the pathway marked faith, you will realize

you have a divine purpose.

Living a life of greatness guided by faith is not for the weak, but rather for the courageous of heart. Strategic faith will require you to dig deep wells of honesty with yourself and with God. You will struggle with hard questions while uncovering the truth and taking ownership of all God has provided for you. But know—you were designed to be a warrior.

Victorious warriors fight with a strategic plan. Together, we will trample on the limitations that have been blindsiding you, and learn to live connected to God while applying His Word to your everyday life.

If Jesus were here in the flesh, walking beside you right now, would you alter your daily routine? The answer to this question will guide you to the areas of your heart that you haven’t yet allowed God to occupy. God will not force himself into the rooms of your heart that are locked shut.

The mindsets tolerated in order to fit in with mainstream society are the very things that are keeping you from living the abundant life God has prepared for you (John 10:10b). Often, it’s easy to rationalize behavior and think it’s no big deal; after all, everyone is thinking or doing it. But God hasn’t called you to fit in . . . He has designed you to be set apart for greatness.

When God awakened my heart to this truth, it was as though an unbridled fire was ignited deep within my being. I knew instantly that I needed to partner with God and accept His call to a higher way of living. Partnering with God, embracing my true identity, and standing boldly in my authority have transformed my every day into purposeful living.

He is calling you as well. Can you hear His still small voice speaking to you? Come closer.

A life of greatness is marked with peace and purpose and is uncovered as you walk with God by faith. There is no time to waste. Your life is valuable.

Where are you on the pathway marked faith? Are you just starting out? Or perhaps, you’re already a good distance down the road. In whatever place you find yourself, the strategic steps outlined in this book will help guide your path. The declaration prayers are intentionally designed to show you how to pray authoritatively in accordance with God’s Word to bring about God-sized results. Together, the strategies and prayers will propel you into a deeper understanding of the Father’s love and His plans for your destiny.

Come, there is much to explore . . .

Part One

The Struggle

Chapter One

Ignorance Devours

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

—Hosea 4:6a ESV

Have you ever heard anyone say, What you don’t know won’t hurt you? Anyone who thinks ignorance is a good defense strategy for life is not paying attention to the Word of God. Information is designed to be empowering, whereas the lack of knowledge is destructive. This principle