Excerpt from Transforming for a Purpose
You are a daughter of the King, and as such, your role is to act according to the customs of the royal family. How does a daughter of the King know how to act? She follows the example of others who have gone before her—the great heroes of the faith that we read about in Scripture. Every family has a code of behavior, and our royal family’s code can be found in the Bible. Throughout this book, you will be led to look into God’s Word to discover how to transform your emotions for God’s purpose, using His counsel and the experiences of His people. The Bible is how God has chosen to speak to us and reveal His character and purpose. The way God transforms your emotions is through practicing His Word, not just quoting it. My goal through this book is to give you a tangible way to apply God’s Word in your life so that you can respond to your own situations in a royal way. You will learn that a life of faith is not a mystical feeling but is the concrete application of God’s Word.
In my life, I have discovered that there are three main emotions that God has helped me overcome through His Word: loneliness, rejection, and fear. God, through his power and grace, transformed those emotions in my life into a passionate purpose to accomplish His dreams. Through this process, He shaped me into a suitable vessel for His purpose, and my prayer is that He will do the same for you.
Foreword by Jill Briscoe
I was on a flight last month and the air stewardess was trying to get people’s attention as she went through the pre-flight procedures. I am a million mile flyer and the temptation for me is to switch off knowing the drill by heart. I have learned however to put my book down and listen as I should, if for no other reason than to be a good example. As she demonstrated the use of the masks in case oxygen was a problem in an emergency, I heard with new ears, “Put your own mask on first before you assist a child.”
I thought about that. Everything in me would want to get life sustaining oxygen to that child sitting next to me. But the application is obvious. If I’m unconscious I can’t help my own child or any one else’s. I can’t even help myself!
This material that Anita Carman has written (coming from long experience based in the bedrock of the Word of God) helps you as a leader to put on your own mask first. It is life giving air. It will help you to get the spiritual oxygen that it is going to take to keep you healthy and thinking clearly in a crisis, acting on scripture and not responding only to your emotions. And this not only in crisis but in life service to Christ.
I remember hearing some bad news that literally took my breath away. In fact for days I was in such an emotional turmoil I could hardly breathe. I certainly had no breath for words that would comfort and encourage others around me in the same pain I was in. I had to use my will to review the facts. I knew the safety drill I had heard over and over again. Then I began to function as a leader whatever my emotions were doing to me.
As you work through these principles your heart rate should quiet and your faith should be able to “turn your eyes to the hills, from whence comes your help.” Happy studying then go out to be the blessing the world is waiting for.
In His life,
Jill Briscoe
Author, Bible Teacher & International Women’s Leader
About Anita Carman
At the age of 17, Anita Carman arrived in the free land of America after the tragic suicide of her mother. By God’s grace, He carried Anita on an incredible journey from bondage and fear to physical, emotional and spiritual freedom. Today, Anita is the Founder and President of Inspire Women, a 501(c) 3 non profit organization that inspires women across ethnicities, denominations, and economic levels to connect their lives to God’s purpose and funds biblical resources and scholarships to train women for missions and ministry.
After receiving her M.B.A. from the State University of New York, Anita pursued a successful management consulting career at Exxon and Booz, Allen, and Hamilton. In 1986, God called Anita out of corporate America to serve His purpose. She served as a leader in Beth Moore’s Sunday School class for seven years and prepared for ministry at Dallas Theological Seminary where she graduated at the top of her class. She also rose from Director of Women’s Ministry to Vice President of Special Programs and Special Assistant to the President at the largest multi-ethnic Bible College in the country. To answer God’s call, she walked away from an executive position that few women have attained at an established institution, to birth Inspire Women.
Anita’s leadership is recognized by the business community and ministry leaders. She was given the Professional Women’s Fellowship Community award, the Chinese Community Center “Asian American All-Star” award, the Daughters of the American Revolution “Americanism” award for leadership and community impact. She is on the Gifted for Leadership advisory panel for Christianity Today International. Her leadership was highlighted in front cover stories of Inspire Women in the Houston Chronicle religious section, Just Between Us magazine, Houston Woman’s Magazine and stories in the Memorial Villages newspaper, the Memorial Buzz, and on WB-39 and Fox 26 television. She writes a regular devotion that reaches thousands who signed up for her weekly teaching. She is married to Robert Carman and has two sons who both tower over her at 6’ 3”. They encourage their mother in supporting the ministry of Inspire Women.
