Tuesday, March 22, 2016

An excerpt from my book

Thoughts on what the Lord does for us, when I was going through a hard season in my life I was reminded of this, which lead me to look forward to what my day has in store for me with Him in it.

I lay it all at your feet Lord
The stress and burden from my life
I do not want to cry anymore Lord,
Because my eyes are tired.
Without you I am lost and confused
But with you I have peace
I love all you do for me,
And look forward to it day to day.

Friday, March 18, 2016

A piece from my book

Your Grace

Through your Grace we are saved

Through your Son our sins are wiped away

Your love is all we need

To live our life truly free

We need no other in our life

To take away all of our strife

All we need to do

Is look to you,

And our hearts will no longer feel

Heavy and confused

Our minds will also be clear

And we will truly see

What you have in store for us,

To be washed in your love, and grace

And to glorify your name.

His Love Endures Forever

Psalm 118

New International Version (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
² Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
³ Let the house of Aaron say:
“His love endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the LORD say:
“His love endures forever.”
⁵ When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;
he brought me into a spacious place.
⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
⁷ The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
⁸ It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in humans.
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
¹¹ They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
¹² They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
¹³ I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the LORD helped me.
¹⁴ The LORD is my strength and my defense^[a];
he has become my salvation.
¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶ The LORD’s right hand is lifted high;
the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
¹⁸ The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD
through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
²² The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
²³ the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The LORD has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
²⁵ LORD, save us!
LORD, grant us success!
²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.^[b]
²⁷ The LORD is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up^[c]to the horns of the altar.
²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
²⁹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever
.

A few days ago I had a mini melt down. I took my eyes off the Lord and focused on myself and what I could do to better my current situation. Well, I can do nothing in my own strength it has to be done through God. This is a lesson I have learned repetitively through out my life you would think that I would finely get it. Well no, I what the call a “hard learner”. I sometimes feel that God should give me a pass because of my childhood but he keeps molding me into an even stronger woman of Christ than I already am. He is my rock and my strength and I need to continually depend on Him. Today, I came upon Psalms 118. It has uplifted my spirit for the day reminding me that the Lord’s love endures forever, especially the portion in which the psalmist talks about when he is enduring hardships. I feel like my life has been nothing but hardships and valleys for a few years and a few days ago as I said I took my eyes off the one person that will never let me down in any way and who will always see me through those hardship and valleys. The Lord our God. He will carry me throughout these times and will love me all the way through them because His love endures forever, I just need to stay focused on Him everyday, every hour and every minute. And I will be able to rejoice and continue to rejoice no matter what the day holds.

God and His Love

                           Have you had a season (a day, week, month, year or years) that you just felt like the Lord was not there for you? Well I have and for a moment I have taken my eyes off the source of my strength. Which is the Lord himself. This makes you wallow and feel depressed and like there is no hope. The Lord is our strength and when we feel low or alone we need to go to Him and His word.
                             I can see your mind now, "Why would I go to the one who has left my side and allow this to happen?" Well the answer is in His word and though you may not feel it, going to Him and His word, will comfort you.
                           Romans 8:39 is a perfect example of God's love for us and how he will be there for us, it says, "Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
                            Did you catch that, nothing can separate us from God's love. No matter what we do how we feel, God is still there loving us. Just take it all to Him he already knows He just wants us to tell Him and to go to Him. To praise and rejoice in Him in the good and the bad times.
                           The Bible is full of examples of people that fell on hard times but still turned to the Lord. For just a few examples, David and the book of Psalms is a place to look for examples of how to cry out to the Lord about anything, and He will be there for you. After all David committed adultery and murder among other things and he still was a man after God's on heart. The other example can be found in the book of Job. Job lost everything and was God's faithful servant and remained so even when his own wife told him to curse God but he never did he turned God in everything that he went through and God was there every step of the way. The last example I use is my own life right now, for the past few years I have experienced many valley experiences, the failure of my marriage, the loss of income and the decline in my health and while I did not depend on the Lord everyday of these struggles on the days that I did it was amazing, glorious and the most peaceful days I have had in my life.
                          The point, take it to God anything and everything He can handle it He wants us to, that is the way we build that relationship with Him that we and He wants. No matter when it is, in your down seasons in the valley or on the mountain top when you have plenty. And also He will still love you no matter what.
                           God bless you through out your day, week, month and year. No matter where you are in your walk with Him, No matter what you are going through God bless you.

Devotion to God

What is devotion to the Lord? I mean true devotion. I used to think that it meant being good and kind to others and serving at my church but I was recently reminded that it is so much more than that. God has laid this on my heart so I have been on a search for what it means to be truly devoted to the Lord. So first I looked it up in the dictionary and this is what I found; 1.Ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person or principle. 2. Religious ardor or zeal; piety. 3. a.An act of religious observance or prayer, especially when private. Often used in the plural. b.devotions Prayers or religious texts: a book of devotions. 4. The act of devoting or the state of being devoted. OK, so now I understand what the word means but it still did not show me what true devotion to the Lord is. The definitions seemed to be missing something to me. So I looked to my bible, to find examples but before I got into the scriptures I came across something I had taped in the cover of my bible.

"My definition of devotion

is taking time to

sit at the feet of Jesus and to listen to His word

because I love Him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Living with a heart of devotion is about

giving Him the best of my

time and thoughts

so that as I go about my day,

my heart is centered on and

DEVOTED

to Christ"

This definition is what I felt in my heart to be what I was looking for, God wants the best of our time and thoughts not our sloppy seconds. He wants to be the first thing we think of, the first that we go to in time of need, and not just an after thought.

So after I found this I continued my search through the bible and the Lord lead me to the book of Ruth. In this book we meet a woman who is devoted to a God who was not originally her God but through her devotion to Christ she is devoted and completely loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi who taught Ruth about the living God. Isn't that awesome, the way God works! In this book we see what true devotion is, Ruth shows what a blessing true devotion can be.

So I leave you with this question in mind, are you giving God your true devotion or are you giving Him your sloppy seconds?

Boundries and Letting Go

I have always had trouble with keeping boundaries with people. In the sense that I let them use me until there is nothing left. Most of the people I let do this is my family. Why you ask, well I am a people pleasure by nature and due to abuses that started at the age of 5 until now really. I still allow them to use me. I guess it is because I want them to love me they say it but, they do not act like they mean it.
The latest episode is, I have been letting my sister to drive my car putting a lot of wear and tear on it driving back and forth on the highway (along with other things she does). Anyways, last night we had a tire blow out and it was on our way home from a long driving trip. So….three hours after I called AAA they finally show up to fix the tire. And at this point I am irritable and in pain, I was ready to snap at any moment. My emotions where so negative I could not hear God telling me it was going to be ok. But, He once again showed me how wonderful he is. As the AAA guy was getting ready to leave he says to me, “You know you are truly blessed, I am an ordained ministry and have been dealing with my wife who is dying due to alcohol issues and I feel the Lord telling me to tell you, you are blessed, have a good night.” As he walked off, I mumbled a weak God Bless you and thank you as I was in awe at the first part of his statement. “You know you are blessed”. I know this but I was not feeling it in my spirit at the time or here recently. Which is so human of me to want to ‘feel’ blessed. It should be enough to know I am blessed because I am a child of God.
As I got into to the car to drive home with my sisters, son and great-nephew awaiting the smart comments and negative attitudes that usual go with my family. The Lord made it quiet (which if you knew us you would know my family is never quiet) and laid on my heart that I need to let go and let Him handle all the details right now of my life. With so much going on I have found it hard to do this and have missed out on blessings that the Lord has had for me. He also said to my heart, What you do for the least of these you do for me, referring to my family but in this He also let me know I am allowed to say no. I do not always have to say yes to everything that everyone wants because it just is not possible for me to be or do all everyone asks me to be or do.
Then he put several things in my mind and deep in my heart ; First, Matt. 6:25 which tells us to not worry about our lives and what we will eat or drink (He is there to carry us through) this was because I am now needing a new tire but not working due to an injury makes it hard to jump up and buy a tire. Next, he told me that while I do not have to do everything my family asks that I should remember to extend mercy and grace to them. And finally He really hammered in that I need to let go and let Him handle things and that I will have peace. So we will see what comes of this, I am letting go God.

Prayer During Warfare at She Speaks

Well, I was going through some of the information that I had received at the She Speaks conference and came across this prayer I wrote to the Lord while I was there. It was after our first speaker evaluation group and though I did not get anything horrible said the enemy started his usually thing and started making me doubt myself and the fact that I was in pain from a back injury did not help. I had many things going on made it easy for the enemy to get his way but instead of sitting in despair I wrote and said the follow prayer to the Lord;

Lord,

My friend, my peace giver. Please help me get these thoughts out of my mind and under control. The thought that I am not good enough to speak on behalf of your kingdom. Help me to relax Lord, you got me here for a purpose and I do not want to miss ‘such a time as this’ and not obtain all the blessings that you have for me.

From this prayer God laid on my heart the following; My child I have it under control. Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10. And at that time I went to his word and had my time with Him and He calmed my spirit and eased my pain.

Lies We Believe About God

When I had once helped to co-facilitate a book/bible study on "The Lies Women Believe And The Truth That Sets Them Free By Nancy Leigh DeMoss". Having had lead these book/bible study before it resultrd in being a much deeper experience for me. I believe, no I know, that it was due to the fact that I had a deeper relationship with the Lord and had a softer heart than I did when I lead it the first time. Which takes me to the chapter that we covered, "The lies we believe about God". Many women especially christian women would (and probably do) think that they do not believe any lies about God. But, we may believe them and not realize it at all, which leads us to deeper bondage because we are unaware of these lies we may be believing. The only way to get rid of the bondage is to get to the root of the problem and not just the surface issues. I mean those deep (I hope I can stuff it forget about it problems). Going through these particular lies this time around made me go hmmmmm? Do I still have lies that I believe about God? Well, the answer was yes, not exactly the lies covered in the book but parts of them at any rate. There are 6 lies that Nancy lists her book that we believe about God. The two in which I identified with were God is Not Really Enough, which manifests itself in my life as me trying to help God along instead of letting Him work in my life. Nancy in this book also gives us the truth to combat the lies we believe and the truth for this lie is God is enough. If I have Him, I have all I need. The scriptures Nancy references for this truth are; The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need. Psalm 23:1 NLT, Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:23-26 NIV, and For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Colossians 2:9-10 NLT. The next lie I believed is God Should Fix My Problems which , manifests itself as me taking a victim mentality toward passed issues (abuses) and current ones. But I am reminded of the truth which is, Life is hard, that God is more concerned about glorifying Himself and changing me than about solving all my problems, that God has an eternal purpose He is fulfilling in the midst of my problems, that He wants to use my problems as part of His sanctifying process in my life, and that no matter what problem I am facing God's grace is sufficient for me. The scriptures that supports these truths are; the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:21-22 NLT, For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV, Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4 NIV, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 NIV, “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. Job 23:10 NLT, and even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. So what is the point to this my fellow woman (christian and non-christian)? First, I would like to recommend this book to you to explore what lies you may be believing that has you in the grips of bondage and second, ask the Lord to keep you heart soft and open and not like stone, so you can be set free from whatever lies that you believe and not be in bondage any longer. I have had such an eye opening experience leading this wonderful group of women and getting fresh insights from them that I may not have recognized due to my ~~hard headiness~~ no my ~~stubbornness~~
no I got it due to my pride. I thank the Lord for what He has shown me this time around that I was not ready to see two years ago. I pray that you take time (as if any of us have a lot of it) to read or reread this book and if your heart is open you will have an amazing experience. I would like to leave you with Galations 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Waiting on God

Waiting on God when we feel we need to have what we want right now, is hard to do. We are not very patient people us humans. Especially, those of us that live in America. We want our way and we do not want to wait.

I Want Everything My Way NOW!!

If Things Are Not Going Your Way & You Need Help We Are Here!

And of course Burger Kings "Have it Your Way!"

The above ads/headlines are just a few in the many that are out there about having things our way. Since March 20, 2011 (when I fell at worked and ended up with 2 herniated discs) I have had experience with having to wait. It is not an easy thing and it tests where your priorities are and your faith. You learn that it is not all about you and what is really important in life. I will admit at first I did not want to wait, I did not believe I should have to, it all was cut and dry to me. I fell at work, got injured and should be paid accordingly but that is not what happened which I am grateful for now but not then. Along with the injury there have many other difficulties that occured, but as long as I stayed focused on the Lord everything was great and was taken care of in God's timing.

Below you will find verses that deal with waiting and ones that helped me during this time in my life.

What does the Bible say about waiting on God?
Ps 52:9 I will give Thee thanks forever, because Thou hast done it, And I will wait on Thy name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy godly ones.
Isa 49:23 And you will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.
Ho 12:6 Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually.
Mic 7:7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
Zep 3:8 "Therefore, wait for Me," declares the LORD, "For the day when I rise up to the prey...
Ps 27:14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Ps 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
Ps 37:7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Ps 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Ps 37:34 Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Pr 20:22 Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.
Isa 8:17 And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him.
Isa 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

I still struggle with waiting, but the Lord has given me such hope for the future through His word. When I feel like I can wait no longer some of the above scriptures come to me and reminds me that God is in control and will take care of it all.

Made in His image

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

What do you think of when you read that we are created in the image of God? For me it is a WOW factor. I recently started reading a chronological bible and this verse has been running through my head since. This for me is God's first evidence of how much He loved us. He loved us so much that we were made in His image. No other thing/creation that He created did He esteem to the point that He made them in His image.

Then He goes on in Genesis 1:28 and He gives us dominion over His creation, telling us to be "Fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it.". That is how much He loved us, enough to allow us to take care of His creation that He had taken His time making. This is just wonderful to me and I am humbled and in awe of His gift. His first gift, the best gift He gave us was Jesus but that is for another time. I want to focus on the first gift He gave to us.

In reading this verse I decided to look up and see what comentators and theologians had to say about God creating us in His image and leaving us to have dominion over the earth. In doing so, I came across Barnes' Notes on the Bible and that is what I will leave you with today. Enjoy and bask in the gift that God first gave us and how He esteems us.

"The divine blessing is now pronounced upon man. It differs from that of the lower animals chiefly in the element of supremacy. Power is presumed to belong to man's nature, according to the counsel of the Maker's will Genesis 1:26. But without a special permission he cannot exercise any lawful authority. For the other creatures are as independent of him as he is of them. As creatures he and they are on an equal footing, and have no natural fight either over the other. Hence, it is necessary that he should receive from high heaven a formal charter of right over the things that were made for man. He is therefore authorized, by the word of the Creator, to exercise his power in subduing the earth and ruling over the animal kingdom. This is the meet sequel of his being created in the image of God. Being formed for dominion, the earth and its various products and inhabitants are assigned to him for the display of his powers. The subduing and ruling refer not to the mere supply of his natural needs, for which provision is made in the following verse, but to the accomplishment of his various purposes of science and beneficence, whether towards the inferior animals or his own race. It is the part of intellectual and moral reason to employ power for the ends of general no less than personal good. The sway of man ought to be beneficent."

Thursday, March 17, 2016

The Impossible

Today at church we started talking about the 'Mission Impossible' that we think that God has us on. Life its self can feel like an Impossible Mission for some of us. I used to think that and think that my life had no purpose but how God has changed so many things for the good in my life. He has taken me to places I did not want to go (because they seemed to hard to do and it seemed easier to keep following the well walked path.), lead me from the lie that I was a victim and freed me from my bondage.

Also during this sermon there were several verses that were shared that God has been bringing to my attention continually for awhile now. Those verses are Philippians 4:13 and Psalm 46:10. They remind me that I can do all things through Christ because He strengthens me and that all I need to do is be still and rely on Him and not me because He is God. As a reminder I have them tattooed on my leg and arm. These scriptures as they have been brought to me in many ways (through different sermons, people, articles, during quiet times etc...) I have obtained a deeper understanding of what they mean to me and my life.
I spent so long trying to do it all on my own that I did not know how to depend on anyone but myself. I also depended on my own strength and not God's and guess what? I failed every time. There would be temporary success and gratification but they were just that temporary. What God showed me and what I thought was impossible has actually been a life line to me and I am able to bring that into others' lives as well.
So yes life may seem impossible but God is a God is possibilities and so much more. He breathes life in things that seem to have no life. He also gives us the peace that surpasses all understanding. All we need to do is to be still and realize He is God and our strength is in Him.

Who am I in Christ

Who am I in Christ? This used to be a question I had and still have sometimes as I have developed and keep developing a personal and deeper relationship with the Lord. You see, I thought my sins were too horrible to be accepted by God or fellow Christians. Also, growing up I was told things that did not exactly boost my self esteem very much, but I was looking in the wrong places to find out who I was let alone who I was in Christ. I actually was looking to others and not God for who I was and that just resulted in greater shame and lower self esteem.

I have done many bible studies and thought I was getting to where God wanted me, but outside the bible studies I was not digging in the Lord's word. So I was not fulfilled, I still had a longing that was not being satisfied. I also felt that I was not "Who" God wanted me to be. He wanted me to be more than just someone who knew Him in bible studies. He wanted me to know Him up close and personal and wanted me to also know exactly "Who" I was in Christ.

So who am I? I am beautiful and flawless in the eyes of my God. Song of Songs 4:7, 5:2,
I am chosen by God. I Peter 2:9, I am "holy in His sight without blemish." Colossians 1:22, I am God's masterpiece. Ephesians 2:10, I am "fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14, I am "strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." Ephesians 6:10 and so many other things that I could not possible list them all.

The point...as long as I am in Christ and obedient I am who He wants me to be. As long as I give all of myself to Him and not just some of myself I am who He wants me to be. No need to look to others but look to God and His word because He has all the answers.

You are God's Sermon

     Made in God's image and we are His Sermon. What does that mean? A while back I had listened to Paula White speak on this topic and was intrigue as to what it means.

   On my search and through scriptures she lead us to I found that anything the enemy meant for bad God turns to good.


²⁰You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.

Genesis 50:20(CEV)

So what did this mean exactly? I have found on my journey to becoming 'A Woman After God's Own Heart' that all the things that I was mad at God for where the catalyst to me actually recommitting my life to Him. The abuse (all kinds), the broken relationships, and just all the hurt and shame from my past. These things, yes these things with all there hurt and sorrow. These things that I have cried about a hundred times or more and the pain never seemed to go away. They were what have brought me home to God's Kingdom, they are what makes me want to glorify Him with all I say and do. I realized as Paula was saying 'I am God's Sermon', little ole imperfect me. All my weaknesses, baggage, and all of my past, was God's sermon. Our lives, our story, our testimonies are God's sermon. That is how others will see the Kingdom of God at work and it may be the only Jesus they get to see, that doesn't mean we are perfect or that we are better than anyone else. We are human and falter but, our relationship with the Lord is the difference. It is a heart issue and us going to the Lord and laying our mistakes and sins at His feet with a humble and contrite heart. It is the fact we say I was wrong, that will be a testimony to the Lord's Kingdom.

God has a plan for our lives, and we are what represents who Christ is in our lives. We do not have to preach the gospel, all we have to do is live it. Nothing is greater than Victory through Jesus.

Loving Others

          Loving each other, is what the Lord calls us to do. Not an easy task. Especially, when the person you are called to love has hurt or wronged you.

          The Bible has several scriptures on this; Leviticus 19:18 says, "Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself...", Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Matthew 5:44 says, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,", and John 13:34 says, "I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another."

          The above scriptures tells us how we are to love each other (and be an example for the generations to come) and as I said before it is easier said than done. I believe most of our problem is that we want to 'feel' love but that is not what love is, after all we are all sinners and have more than likely been on the opposite end of being the one who has hurt or wronged someone. We tend to expect others to love us when we do wrong but are we able to do the same? It is a two way street. I for the longest time did this, I expected people to forgive my behavior and forgive and love me but I was not being very loving in return. I would act loving to those that were easy to love but those that drove me nuts or wronged me in my life I was "nice" to but not very loving. I even wished that they would "get what they deserved" which was not extending love, grace or mercy to them.

           I have learned through many of these relationships that I needed to extend love, grace, and mercy to them. It has been an amazing experience seeing the change in my relationships as I extended love (even when it is not deserved) without expecting anything in return. Also I have learned that love is not a 'feeling' but an action.

           As we live this way people and our younger generation sees this and learns through our example. We as humans will slip up but God offers us love, grace, and mercy which we do not deserve due to our sin nature. So we should extend this to each other being the example loving regardless of what we 'feel' or 'get' in return.

God in Our Life

God is so many things into our lives and always gives us what we need. The piece below came out of one of the times I was dwelling on God's prescence in our lives.

Through all the stress and turmoil,

all we have to do is call out to you,

Our Abba Father, Jehovah-Rophe, Jehovah-Shalom,

and Jehovah-Shamma.

So many things you are to us, you fill us,

soothe us, carry, provide for us,

heals us, and gives us great peace.

All we have to do is come to you and lay it all at your feet.

Being Still

Be still...how hard that is for us? To be still. Always on the go, from one activity to the next. And God just wants a little time with us and yet He is the last thing we get to sometimes or just a fleeting thought in or busy schedules.

With it being the beginning of the year most of us are going to make the dreaded "resolution" that the majority of us are going to fail at repetitively because we make some unobtainable and superficial goals. Ones that are self focused that do not hit the core of our being/soul. Ones that are based on what society thinks we should have or how we should be in this rat race of a world. Continually, trying to keep up with the newest trend/fad.

One thing I have learned is to slow down and not to be so hasty with my time. To look at this time of year to reflect on the past year and to learn from it. To not be quick to make a empty "resolution", but to Be Still and to listen for what God wants me to do for this year. To not focus on the world and self, but to focus on Him and others. To not let the crazy business of this world to take my focus off of Him and what He wants for me. Recently, I almost let this world devour me and actually contemplated suicide. All because I took my focus off of Him and focused on this world and my current circumstances, getting caught up in the craziness around me, instead of being still and focusing on my Abba daddy.

So for me, I am slowing down and making Christ first and letting everything else fall into place as He wants it for my life. And I will do this by being still and listening for His sweet sweet voice.

So I challenge you and myself to stay the course and Be Still this year and live a life full of Christ's desires for our lives this year and if you slip and get caught up in the rat race, step off and start over again.

Being what God wants us to be to draw others to Him and His kingdom

God made us different to draw others to Him and His kingdom.

We spend so much of our time in this world trying to fit in being and doing what others think we should be or do and as a result of this we spend our life unhappy because we are not doing what God wants us to be or do.

In a bible study I did entitled When women say yes to God. It was said "God made us different so we could draw others to Him and His kingdom."

This made me think about how long I have spent doing what I and others wanted or thought what God wanted me to do in my life. As a result I have missed many opportunities to bring others to HIs kingdom and have also missed out on the blessings God have had for me and others in my life.

The past few years have been showing me that I was not living and doing as He wanted for my life, which resulted in my inability to draw others to Him. And He also showed me that one of the main reasons that this was occurring was because I was hung up on pleasing the world by living the way that was accepted by others and doing what was the easy way out. During this time the Lord has been showing me through the following scriptures that I was not living as I should.

Galatians 1:10 ESV

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

.1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV

But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

Titus 2:7 ESV

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,

So what have I learned through all this? That pleasing others (seeking their approval) so I or yourself is not the easy way out. You end up missing out on blessings and you do not model yourself to bring others to His kingdom. So I have challenged myself and now challenge you as well when you think it would be easier to go with the flow, instead go the route the Lord would want you to go and be that example for others.

The folowing is a piece from my book, enjoy.

There are many times even now that my mind runs a million miles a minute and it never quiets until I spend time with the Lord. The following piece came out of one of those times.

My mind goes a million miles an hour.

Thoughts racing continually,

As if I will never have peace.

But then I go to you

And my spirit lightens

My thoughts calm down

And finally the peace and calmness I desire

Completely surrounds me

And I thank you Lord Jesus