Tag: acceptance

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Hello Refresh

Rest…that has been something God has wanted me to pursue this year. That is one thing I have a hard time doing – not being in control & in the middle of everything. One thing that is not “natural” for me. I know some of you can relate.

Busyness is a common place for me. It is my comfort zone and it helps me define my worth. Yes, that is right…without something to do, I have a hard time seeing myself as important in this world. Without doing something – will people love me as I am? Will God accept me?

Am I good enough to just be me without offering anything to the world? Is it enough for me to not have 5 things happen all at the same time? If I’m not drowning in stuff to do, am I doing it right?

Oh, but when God says to do something, you should do it. I’ve learned this the hard way this year. God is a good Father and will step in if His children are stubborn. That stubborn child is me. Lord, help me.

God had to shift things up so that I would pay attention. Let me just tell you this – it is much easier if you just listen to God. Remember this next time you – yourself- want to be stubborn.

Don’t get me wrong, the fact that God stepped in is a place of celebration for me. This is because I know He cares and that I am His. Hebrews 12:6 says: ““For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”” It is a blessing to be disciplined because it means He calls us His.

One thing God has helped me understand in this season is that He is in control. That He can be trusted. One of the reasons I was so busy was because I wanted to be in the middle of everything because I couldn’t trust that I would be cared for. I know, silly to think about how God won’t take care of me when He is so good however, that trust is not too easy to walk out.

Faith is a strange thing. When you don’t trust God with everything, you cannot have faith in Him with your whole heart. This is a problem for someone who lives for God – because your life contradicts itself. That was me. I was not allowing God to move in me like He wanted to.

So – now, after God got me alone, I had two choices. I could learn to lean into Him or walk away from Him. I chose to lean in. I wish I could say that it was easy, but it wasn’t. I could never imagine myself walking away from God, but it was still so hard to lean in and trust.

Let me tell you this – as I lean in closer, the more and more I see that He knows best. That His healing is not here today and gone tomorrow – it lasts. That whatever I face, He wants to fight for me (Exodus 14:14). And He can be trusted with everything – whatever it may be!

So if what I just described is something you have faced lately…know this – you can lean in and you can trust God. He will not leave you or abandon you!! Reach out to God, repent for not trusting Him and start following His lead.

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”

Psalms 91:1-4 NLT

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It’s time to move (on)

Have you ever done something stupid? Or hurt someone real bad? Or did something even worse…

We have all been there in some way. Each of us know what it’s like to feel guilt and shame. It’s part of this life. But this is also where we sometimes get caught up.

We even repent, ask God to forgive, make amends with others – and think we have fully moved on, but in the back of your mind, that thing is still there. It pops up in those late night thoughts and those lonely moments – making you feel hopeless.

Listen to me, friend, if it’s forgiven, move on. Stop beating yourself up. It’s time to forgive yourself and lay that guilt down.

If you haven’t repented or asked someone to forgive you, do it and don’t let it bother you any more. This life is far too fragile to allow yourself to be overridden with worry, regret, and shame.

Apologize to God and others (if needed) and keep going. Acknowledge that you cannot go back and change what happened in your past, but you can make sure it doesn’t happen in your future.

Remember that in Christ, you are a new creation. Tomorrow is a new day with new adventures. Hold your head up, shoulders back and show the Enemy he didn’t win!

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Prayer: Lord, you know that thing or things that hold me up & I cannot allow myself to forgive myself – help me let it go. If I have never asked you for repentance, please forgive me and help me do better in the future. Thank you for your Son Jesus and His sacrifice so I may ask for forgiveness and move on. You are so good! Amen.

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Unity

Unity – the state of not being multiple. That is what Christ wants for His church. If you consider yourself a Christ-follower, He is speaking about you & I. It is no secret that, in America, unity is not where we are in our country. So many of us are waiting for our government to unify us, make this country better. But we can’t depend on them to do that. It must start in the church…with us!
So many things could divide us if we let differences matter. I am very blessed to attend a church that is multiracial, multigenerational, and multi-socioeconomic. We aren’t a perfect church because that doesn’t exist. But the fact that we have many differences and yet we are one family says so much. It shows me that unity within the body of Christ is possible.

We are going to be different. We are going to have Democrats & Republicans, different races, some people wealthy and others that aren’t – and still work for the same goal. The Church should be where unity starts.  

Let’s show love to others regardless of how different someone is to us. Speak truth, yes. Preach the word, yes. Live righteously, yes. But love people like God loves. Seek justice for those who deserve it. Treat all people like they have value…because they do. Everyone is made in God’s image.  

Let’s start being the change we wish to see in the world & living boldly. Who is joining me?

““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””

‭‭John‬ ‭13:34-35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:1-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:12-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:26-29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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Accepted

When I was a child, I was afraid of God.  I am not speaking about a healthy fear of God, but a feeling of distress about the idea of God.  It was rooted in the idea that God was very legalistic – you do wrong and it’s over for you.  There was no grace in my idea of God.

Unfortunately, too many in the world see God as a legalistic, smoting, I will abandon you if you do wrong type of God.  It makes my heart hurt that so many believe God to be so cruel.

If we get down to it, yes, God deals with right or wrong actions/thoughts/etc. in black and white terms.  There are no blurred lines when classifying something a sin versus not a sin.  And, yes, Hell really exists.  But God is truly a loving, caring Father.  He does not classify the person based on their sin because we are all sinners. 

God’s love is eternal.  It existed long before we did. His love isn’t given to some and not given to others.  Thankfully, all we need to do to experience his grace is accept Jesus as our Savior.  Easy, simple, done.  

My favorite part of who God is that God loves you even before you accept him. He cares for you even before you accepted him.  He wanted you long before you wanted him.  That is grace and that is love.

Even if you are reading this and you have been a believer a long time – remember this!  Remember that you were known by God long before you knew him.  His grace was there before you needed it.  Accept it and move on.  He wants you to live your life in peace!

“He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:10-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:2-10‬ ‭NLT‬

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The wonder of it…

When I was younger – I used to wonder what God thought of me, why He made me, what my calling was. No matter how many church services I went to, I still had no idea. I even got discouraged at one point because I thought the reason I didn’t know these things was because of a lack of care He had for me. But I was wrong. It wasn’t God’s fault, but my own. I had been seeking in the wrong places.

Growing up, I thought access to God was difficult to come by. It was similar to Buckingham Palace – there is pomp and circumstance you must endure in order to have access. But our King is not an earthly king. Our God does not live by our rules. Our Father would never restrict us from Him because we didn’t bow a certain way or wear a certain style of clothing. Nope – His courts are easy to access and are available to all.

One day, I decided that I was done wondering. I was tired of worrying that I wasn’t good enough or that maybe there was something wrong with me. So I stood in front of my mirror and asked God to show me who I was to Him. Show me what He sees when He looks at me. God is a God of answered prayer, folks. He showed me who I was and it sincerely surprised me. I had no idea how much God loved me. I had no idea that a simple prayer was all it took. That simple prayer started a journey that changed my life.

It has been a few years now since I started this journey. I must admit there have been hardships and trials along with the great revelation. But the truth is that these hardships were just a way for God to heal some of the wounds I carried.  As I sought Him in prayer, reading the Bible, and worship (corporate and personal) – I gained more and more access to His courts and His Kingdom – realizing that I am His daughter and someone who He has plans for…plans that blew my mind…overwhelmed me with love.

To you, dear reader – I challenge you to stand in front of a mirror and pray that prayer. Let God show you who you are. I think you will be amazed at what you find. My prayer is that you will become stronger in Him and know that you are loved regardless of who anyone says you are. That you are a son or daughter of a king. That there are great plans for your life…plans that God Himself holds in His heart. Don’t ever think you are worthless…because He would have never created you if you were.

Pray this with me: Lord, please, help me see myself the way you see me. Help me understand the plans you have for my life. Show me the path that will lead me to the things you desire for my life. I seek your face – not your hand and want to know you more. Lord, I love you. Thank you for all that you have given me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Live fearlessly and be blessed!

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

Psalm 139:13-18

fearful

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The hazard of juggling

I have had seasons of my life where I had a lot on my plate.  It is a part of my personality to do things.  If someone isn’t doing something and I see that it needs to be done, often I will try to make sure it is covered – most of the time taking on the tasks myself.  This is a trait that I am proud of, but it is also a trait that gets me in trouble.

I have just left a season of my life where I had way too much up in the air and trying to juggle it all.  Eventually, I found myself lying on my back with everything falling down around me.  It got to be too much.  The sad part was that I knew it was too much, but I had an issue with giving something up.

Being needed made me feel so good.  Doing things made me feel like I was needed – like I made a difference.  I wanted to have a place in this world.  Now, as I pick up the pieces of the mess I made when taking on too much, I see that I do not need to do all things to be important or special.  I was made important and special before I was put in my mother’s womb.  This is a fact for us all.  As you read this, know that you were made important and special the moment you were first thought of – not by your parents, but by the Creator of the Universe.

Let’s look at two different scriptures:  Exodus 18:13-23 –

 The next day Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.  When Moses’ father-in-law saw all he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone and judge and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”  Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to learn God’s will.  When they argue, they come to me. And I judge between a man and his neighbor. I teach them the Laws of God.”  Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will become tired and weak. For the work is too much for you. You cannot do it alone.  Now listen to me. I will tell you what you should do, and God be with you. You speak for the people before God. Bring the troubles to God. Then teach them the Laws. Make them know the way they must walk and the work they must do. Also, you should choose from the people able men who fear God, men of truth who hate to get things by doing wrong. Have these men rule over the people, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. Let them judge the people at all times. Have all the big troubles brought to you. But have them judge the small troubles. So it will be easier for you. They will share the work with you.  If you do this and God tells you to do it, then you will be able to keep your strength. And all these people will go to their place in peace.”

and Psalm 139:13-14

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.

In Exodus, Moses is trying to juggle leading the Israelites all on his own.  It would eventually become too much and the system would crumble.  Jethro, his father-in-law and leader in his own right, saw the potential for disaster and decided to give him some advise.  I know that we do not all have that kind of authority in our own life, but we can take this lesson and apply it to our lives.  We can admit that we need people around us to help us with things.  We need to know our limitations.  We need to know that our worth is not found in doing things, but in who our Creator made us to be.

In the Psalm, David is explaining how God sees us no matter where we are (these scriptures are not included) and He will always be there.  Why, because we are His creation and we are created to be loved by Him (see verse 17 of the Psalm).  You don’t need to put yourself in harms way to prove your worth to people.  All you need to do is be you.  That is enough.  You are enough.

Be Blessed.

Juggling

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Same place, same boat

Oh how very different we all are. There are really no two people that are alike. God designed it that way. We are all his creation & masterpiece and sincerely valued by the God of Angel Armies.

How ironic that we ultimately are all the same? Maybe not in look, character, or personality…but in reality, there is one sure thing that binds us together as one body – our desperate need for a savior.

I don’t care how holy or evil one may seem, we need the Cross daily. No one is perfect or Devine except for the God-head. So many times, though, we get it mixed up.

One thing I discovered as a counselor is how deeply Our Father loves each of His children, no matter what they have done. It struck me speechless many times His deep, pure, unconditional love He has.

Thus, we must understand that we cannot treat those who do horrible things as second class citizens or as if those of us who are “good” are more deserving. Why? Because everything you do to people, you do to God. (Matthew 25:40)

Therefore, we must treat people well not because they deserve – we need to treat people well because we are doing it for God. Of course, we need to honor our own boundaries because we need to treat ourselves well, too. If we treat people the way they deserve to be treated, then no one, including ourselves, would ever be respected. Ultimately, without the Cross, we are all disgusting.

Remember that we are ALL in need of a savior every day, that God loves ALL His creation, and we must do to people what we want done to us. (Luke 6:31)

Take a peek at this scripture:

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8-10‬ NLT)

Remember that homeless man, the sketchy lady you run into, or the thug on the street…they were all created for a purpose by our creator, just like you!

Be blessed.

boat