Tag: life

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Road to You Accepting You, Pt. 2

Have you ever been lied to?  I’m pretty sure you have been…a lot.  If not by people in your life, just turn on the news & listen to someone in politics promise you something.  Good chance, at least one of their promises they have no desire to see it through.  I kid, but really, people lie all the time.

It was the first act if Lucifer did when he met Eve…he lied to her.  His lie caused her to believe something that she knew as truth to be exactly the opposite.  The snake convinced her that God was not telling the truth…that Our Father doesn’t have our best interest at heart.

Deception is Satan’s greatest weapon.  He uses it over and over on us humans and we all too often fall for it.  It’s because we are not exactly sure of who we truly are.  Satan knows this and uses it against us.

The question we all must ask ourselves is – how many things that we inherently believe about ourselves is actually a lie?  Some of the very things we are told by our family, friends, and society actually are  not true.

If you were ever told you aren’t good, you’re not enough, you’re not beautiful, you aren’t important or you’re not smart enough – you were lied to.  You were created for a purpose, a plan and a destiny.  You are hand crafted by the God of the universe.

It’s time to start walking in who you truly are – a Child of the Most High God.  Made for a reason and loved unconditionally.  Anyone who tells you differently is a lair.

Start walking in the authority God has given you.  First step to do that is declare that you are enough & denounce any lie you have been told.  Go to God in prayer and ask Him to heal the parts of your life that were wounded by these lies.

Let’s look at some scripture about how to handle the Lie-maker of the world:

 “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

‭‭James‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s humble ourselves before God so He can continue to do great work through us.  In doing that, God will give us authority & power to walk through snakes and not be harmed.

Be blessed my friends!  Remember who & whose you are!!

Prayer: Lord, help me decern the lies from the truth, even from my past.  Start to cleanse me of the scars I carry from the lies I once believed.  Help me understand who you truly made me to be.  I love you.  Thank you.  Amen.

  

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Road to You Accepting You, Pt. 1

In 30 years of life, I’ve struggled quite a bit with self worth.  I know I am not alone.  In fact,  I am pretty sure you are someone or you know someone who are struggling/has struggled with it.  It is a hard thing to overcome, but to live a bold life in the Kingdom, we must overcome.  We must understand who we are in Him.

No, not being prideful or boasting about how you are better than everyone.  But understanding the power God has placed in and on your life.  Understanding that He has a purpose and a plan that no one can take from you.  YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD.

To do this, to accept yourself as a worthy son or daughter of God, one must go on a journey.  It isn’t something you can just do one day because you are bored.  There are steps to this that may take time and effort. Change never happens overnight.

The first step may not be what you think it is.  It may not be what the world says is the right way to accept yourself.  But this must be your first step in any journey in the Kingdom.  Be humble before God and acknowledge that you are not perfect and in desperate need of Him.

Have you ever tried to be perfect?  Ever tried to never get anything wrong?  It’s hard and discouraging.  But why is it that way?  It’s simple – because we are sinful creatures, being born into sin and have to fight our flesh on a daily basis.  God is our source, our savior, our keeper.  He is the one who is perfect. We need His presence everyday to combat this awful flesh of ours.

As we all know, Lucifer believed that He was perfect and, subsequently, was sent to Hell.  As humans, created in His image, we have the wonderful Grace that God provided through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, we can now live a new life if we are born again.  But we must practice humility.

1 John 1:8-9 says: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

He is faithful and He is all we need!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says: ” 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.”

When we are weak, then we are strong!  Be humble before God and confess you need Him daily!  How do you start this journey – designating a time to pray every day, reading His word every day, fasting, cutting the things of the world out of your life.  In doing this, great things will happen.

Live boldly, dear friends.  Many blessings!

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A NEW SEASON

I live in Texas.  Rarely do we ever see a full season here with the exception of summer.  Even then, we have those crazy moments.  Like a few years ago, in the middle of July, we are outside in sweaters and coats because it is 40 degrees.  The next day, hot and steamy again.

I’ve recently turned 30.  That was one big birthday!  Kind of hit me a little hard.  But I’ve looked back over my last 29 years of my life and I saw that I’ve dealt with life like Texas handles it’s seasons.  Sporadic, crazy, chaotic.  For me, that is no more.

1 Corinthians 13:11 says: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

Will you take this journey with me?  Will you decide to lay down the childish ways of your past and move into a new season of maturity?  Let’s start a new season.  Not just because it is a new year, but because we have only a small time on Earth.  Let’s make it count!

Be blessed everyone!  It’s a new season!  Step boldly into it.

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He Is My Stength

There are days when I try to carry everything on my shoulders. Often I grow weary and fail. It is my inability to remember where my help comes from. My strength is in Him, not in me. Psalm 28:7  

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Lay it down

A new year is quickly approaching!  It is always an exciting season of new things awaiting us.  In preparation – many decide to make goals, resolutions, and plans for great things in the new year. It is a great practice that I plan on participating in.  But that is not what is on my heart right now.  

There are only a few more days left in 2015 and in these next few days, I am starting to prepare my heart for the things God has for me in 2016.  This entailes laying some thoughts, insecurities, and doubts down.  I don’t want the things I plan for my new year to fall by the wayside because I held onto my old insecurities.

It’s time to kill off some adverse things that I allowed in my mind and heart that I know will not allow me to go on to new, better things.  Just as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says,  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Old things must pass before new things can come.  I encourage you to search your heart & pray that God not only reveals the thoughts, doubts, and insecurities that have held you back, but that He takes those things away.  That will require you to lay those things down.

Prepare & guard your heart for a great & wonderful new season!  Great things are ahead of us all.  God is so very faithful!

“Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭24:27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Be blessed, dear friends.  Our best is yet to come!  

 Prayer: Lord, help me to lay down the thoughts, doubts, and insecurities that I have held onto for too long.  The things that hinder growth and keep me from better things.  Take these things from me and heal my brokenness so they will not come back.  Thank you for always being faithful. In Jesus’ precious name, amen!

 

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Walk into your future

Growing up – most if not all of us spent some of our time on the playground and I am going to assume that most playgrounds had Monkey Bars.  The things that looked like ladders, but you had to go across by swinging from rung to rung with your hands and arms…I personally hated them.  I avoided them at all cost.  If I ever did get on them, I would just hang there until I couldn’t feel my hands any longer and had to let go.  I cannot think of a moment where I actually scaled this contraption successfully by my self.  Sad, I know.

But what can Monkey Bars tell us about our now?  About who we are as adults?  A lot actually.  C.S. Lewis, the late Christian scholar, who I admire tremendously – had a great quote: “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars.  You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”

When I read that, it hits me…there have been many times I’ve dealt with pain in life like I dealt with those stupid Monkey Bars.  I held on and wouldn’t let go until I couldn’t bear the sting any more.  Is that really the way to deal with it?  Am I supposed to harbor pain, anger, frustration, bitterness, sadness, malice, etc., etc. like that?  No!  YOU AND I are not supposed to walk through life like that.  We are supposed to let things go.

In Ephesians, Paul speaks on this: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away for you with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (4:31-32).  This principle is hard to swallow.  It is so easy to sit in our anger, bitterness and evil speaking (gossip) when someone hurts us – because most of the time pain comes from what others have done to us.  But we must forgive, let go, and be kind to one another.

We are quickly approaching the New Year – 2016!  I, personally, take new seasons seriously.  I believe that there are things that I have held onto in 2015 that shouldn’t go into 2016.  I encourage you to let some things go as well.  Forgive, be kind, stop the negative emotions from forming inside you.  Let go of that first rung of the Monkey Bars and move to the next one before your hands start to sting.  Before you know it, you will have successfully scaled the Monkey Bars!

Be blessed everyone.  Have a very Merry Christmas!

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Weight of it All

Life can become so crazy!  There is always something to do, somewhere to go, people to see.  It is never ending.  At some point, you may even find yourself weary.

Weariness isn’t good, but it seems to be a quality of this technology-ridden, “we need it now” world.  When we are employees, parents, brothers, sisters, friends, people in a world that never seems to stop – things can become overwhelming.  We try to do it all and expect to survive.  The fact we are weary indicates that we can’t.

Look at this situation in Moses’ life when he was the one who dealt with ALL the Israelite issues by himself:

“So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, 

“The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.

 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 

Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. 

So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭18:17-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We all need someone to help us bear our burdens.  We cannot handle it on our own.  Yes, we can cast all our cares on God (1 Peter 5:7).  He can bear them all without any effort.  What a great blessing! But we also need each other.  We need to find people around us to help us and find people we can help.  This is the only way to survive in this world.

I encourage you to pray about the areas you carry on your shoulders…the things that you bear all or most of the burden and let God put people in your life to help you carry these things.  Also, pray that God sends you someone to help carry a burden they can no longer bear.  In doing this, we will become more like Christ.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

  

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The Secret Place

Have you wondered if you are making a difference?  Wondered if who you are enough?  Wondered if you are being the best you, you can be?  I just went through a period of time where I started to wonder if what I was doing was enough…if I was enough.

No, I wasn’t depressed, upset, or even confused.  You don’t have to allow yourself to become despondent to start to wonder if you are doing enough…you just have to allow doubt to enter your mind.

How should we combat this doubt?  We find a secret place, a quiet space, to spend some time with God.  All problems can be solved by spending one on one time with the Father.  It seems too simple to be true…  For anyone like me – a control freak – trusting anyone with your life beside yourself can be scary.  Face that fear and give it over…your life will be better for it.

Whenever you find yourself in that “dry place” – find some one on one time with the Creator.  Get into the word, pray in a secluded place, share your heart with Him.  Allow the precious Holy Spirit love on you & fight for you.  There is nothing too big or too small for Him to handle.  Abide in His shadow and watch what He does!

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

  

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Choices, Choices

Choices…they are what life is made up of.  We choose to get out of bed, we choose what we eat, we choose who we spend time with.  We choose…that is what we get to do. We are not robots.  God has given us the ability to decern the best path for our lives.

I know that our world is not simple and choices are at times very complex.  For instance, there are those living in oppression, either in a relationship or under a form of tyrannical government – that are basically given two choices – do this and live or do that and die/suffer.  Most of us do not have to live in that type of world, but we still may have hard decisions to make.

Our ability to make these choices center around how our lives turn out.  Everyone has a chance to change their destiny. We can choose a good path or a bad path.  The bad path leads us to failure. The good, success.  

As adults, we have to hold the responsibility for how our lives turn out.  You choose to spend a life of drugs, anger, alcohol, bitterness – your life will be filled with pain.  You choose to spend your life in joy, peace, and love in spite of what you have endured, your life will be filled with greatness.  

I am speaking to anyone out there who believe that your life is out of your hands and you are going down a wrong path – you can change this!  You can turn it around!  How?  Choose life!  Choose God – press into Him.  Ask Him to help you find joy, love, and forgiveness.  Let Him lead you into  new destiny!

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15:4-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Be blessed everyone!  Live fearlessly!  

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Pursue Peace

There is a song I loved that we sang in church growing up.  My favorite line: “I know the Peacespeaker.  I know Him by name.”  I can still hear it being sung.  It depicts a part of the character of God so perfectly – the Peacespeaker.  The one who knows how to bring peace to this world by just a word, a touch, a breathe…how awesome it is to know Him!

It is awesome because this world is in need of peace!   Life gets crazy quick.  Things happen.  There are very few good news stories.  Sickness, pain, depression, anger and strife surround us.  People go hungry, homeless, are sold into slavery, or feel so alone they decide to take their own lives.  What a world in need of a Savior!  

Christ is what the world needs!  Since we are followers of Christ – aren’t we His examples on Earth? He is the Peacespeaker – therefore, shouldn’t we try to emulate Him? 

Start a journey with me – a journey to pursue peace.  In everything we do – try to speak & do in a way that brings about connection rather than division.  No more harmful, unnecessary or mean judgement.  I, personally, have had to clean up some messes because I decided to place judgement when it wasn’t my place.  

I am starting this journey – a journey towards speaking peace over my life, my family, my friends, my job, my church, my country, and our world.  Join me!!  Let’s show everyone who God is.  Not some judge with a mallet, but a good, kind  Father who loves everyone…even in the midst of our sins.

“Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:14‬ ‭NKJV‬

Be blessed my dear friends!