Tag: life

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Seasons

As the weather has seasons, so does life.  About a year ago, I realized a season of my life was turning…it was painful because I wouldn’t let go when I needed to.  God was wanting me to move into something new, but first I had to let go.  When I did, great things happened.

Solomon had some wise words:

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There is a season for everything.  Seasons are meant to change. Just like summer to fall, seasons look and feel different.  When you feel like a season is turning in your life, remember to let go and allow God to move you into that next season.  You may find exactly what you are praying for.

  

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Face it

Stand up and face that shadow!

  
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He. ”

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.”

‭‭John‬ ‭4:15-26, 28-30, 39-41‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

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Surrender

I am a super control freak and want to know everything that is going on in my life.  Unfortunately, reality says that there is no way I could control everything.  It has been a major point of anxiety for me throughout the years.  

To be slightly transparent, this past years has been filled with some ups and some downs – more than some of my 29.5 years on this earth.  I tried to handle it like I had in the past, but I failed.  It got too hard and I was ready to give up.

Thankfully, through wise counsel, I decided to give it all up and put it in God’s hands.  Relief came swiftly. The highs were higher and the lows not that bad.  I no need to wonder or worry – He had my back.

Did you know that this FREEDOM is available to you too?  Go ahead and try it.  It doesn’t matter what you are facing right now, it isn’t too big for Him.  See what happens when you surrender all to the Creator.  

Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (‭Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭33‬ NKJV)

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ‭(‭I Peter‬ ‭5:6-7‬ ‭NKJV‬)

  

  

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The molding of us

We all go through things – big and small.  Even the small things seem to get under our skin.  It’s life.  For instance, right now, I am still training for a job I have had for 3 months now. It is starting to get exhausting and become really old.  But I also know that it is making me better – a better employee and a more well-rounded person.  When I understand the end result, the journey isn’t so hard.

But then, I’ve had times when there wasn’t such small things and life got almost unbearable.  Those times when so felt like giving up, not caring about life anymore. But, in reality, it was in those times I learned my strength. 

I am sure that I am going to have more unbearable moments in my lifetime.  Each time, I hope and pray that I handle it better than the last.  

You must understand that all trails do not come from the evil of this world.  Some trials we face are things that God allows in our path to remove a certain thing from us.  We may have an attitude, a problem with anger, avoidance, bitterness, or unforgiveness.  God will, essentially, make us walk around the wilderness one more time until we finally get it (see Numbers 14).  

Take this word from James to heart and hold onto these words the next time you walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Live fearlessly and be blessed!!!

  

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Emotions

I have had a lot of days lately where I am stuck in my emotions.  Do you know what I am talking about?  The times when I just cannot shake the feelings this earthly, human, finite brain keeps rolling around as I try to go about my day.  It is sometimes maddening.  Maybe someone did something, something happened at work, or just life is crazy – regardless of why – it still knocks me off my game.

Being human and being a Child of God sometimes…often…conflicts with each other.  Philippians 4:6-7 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  And then, Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.”

To be the light of the world, we do not get to always act out how we feel.  Our goal on this earth, as His children, is to show people His love.  I vow to do this more, regardless of how I feel today, tomorrow, 10 years from now – will you take this vow with me?

Live fearlessly in Him, dear friends.  Be blessed!

light

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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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Success 101

What is success to you?  Is it money, education, family, what car you drive, or who you hang out with?  What is the trait that binds all of those things I just listed together?  Yep, they are all dealing with the what we look like on the outside.  

1 Samuel 16 describes the anointing of David, the shepherd boy king.  Samuel walks in, sees these big, strong sons of Jesse and assumed that one of them would be the next King of Israel.  Oh, how he was wrong.  David, the littlest of them all, was anointed that day.  Why?  Because, despite what he looked like on the outside, God knew David’s heart.

In the same way, God knows ours.  He understands our strengths and our weaknesses.  He sees who we are and who we can become.  He has a purpose and a plan for us even if we seem like the most unqualified of the bunch.

God’s unfailing love and consistent grace is why we can achieve success.  It is not by how well we know our craft, but how well we know our Saviour.  Not how long we spend at work, but how long we spend cultivating a relationship with Our Father.  Because it is in Him we find life.

My friends, success without God is nothing…worthless.  David needed God’s guidance in order to build the Kingdom.  We need His guidance to do the same.

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Live fearlessly in Him! Be blessed!

  

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Peacemaker

Have you ever stood on something and felt like it was about to crumble right under you?  I have.  It can be scary.  No one likes falling.  No one likes to have an uncertain foundation.

Life can be like that.  Are just trying to make it and you are not sure if the foundation you built will hold you.  As an adult, this aspect of life makes me want to be a kid again like nothing else.

Life has dealt me with some of those moments.  It can be super stressful to not know what your future holds – especially when your fate is held in others’ hands.  There is one thing that I know for certain – it is my foundation that never failed me.

Like the parable of the house on the rock versus the house on the sand – no matter what comes your way – if you allow God to be your foundation you will be okay.

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God? (‭Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭30-31‬ KJV)

Prayer: Lord, I ask you to help me trust you in everything.  Please help me understand that, no matter what life throws at me, you will always be there.  I thank you for being my foundation and the rock I can stand on no matter what.  I love you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Be blessed everyone!

  

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Speak

Speak life over yourself, your family, your finances, and your relationships today!

This was a common theme from church yesterday.  It is truly what we, as the body of Christ, need to continue to do.

Words are a powerful tool – use them to your advantage!

Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭20-21‬ NLT)

I challenge you right now to claim great things over your life…no matter how it looks right now!

  

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Letting it go

I have a new position at a job I’ve had for almost 3 years and, right now, learning all this new stuff is sucking the energy right out of me.  I have had moments where I lost track of days and hours where I knew nothing but insurance.  That is a far cry from what I was doing just a month ago.  

Oh how quickly life can change.  I will get used to my new job in time and will reap some great benefits from the long term of this move.  Thankfully, I can see the big picture and know my suffering will all pay off. 

There are many times where life throws us into new things…even catching us off guard.  It is a hard thing to handle on your own and dealing with life can become overwhelming.  We often feel in those times that we can’t handle it.  You want to know a secret?  We can’t…not on our own.

For me, realizing this was hard to do.  I want control and to know what is going on.  It stresses me out if I don’t.  You can imagine that there have been many days I’ve been over the top stressed.  That is one of my biggest flaws…trying to carry the world on my shoulders.  But that is too great a burden to bear for little ol’ me.  There is only One who withstood this flesh and carried our burdens for us so we never have to carry them again.

Check this word from Jesus:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28-30‬ NLT)

When we realize that God is ready and waiting for us to hand our problems over so He can give us rest, our lives will change forever.  Do it today and see how wonderful you feel afterwards.

Pray this with me: Lord, you know my temperament and how I handle stress.  You know the strain I have gone through and the burden I carry.  I ask you to take these from me righ now so that I may live free.  Fill me up with you, Lord, and help me learn to live a life of letting you lead.  I love you and thank you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Be blessed everyone!