Tag: peace

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Redeemed

Redemption – defined as “the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.”  A word used in the church, but I think not many truly understand.  That is because our human brains cannot fully wrap our heads (or hearts) around it.  In reality, our society has little space for such a concept.

Have you ever seen a celebrity “fall from grace” and then try to get their life right again – only to be reminded of their past transgressions over and over again? That is the goal of our advisory – who isn’t our neighbor, church member, friend or foe.  It is the work of Satan himself.  He makes it very difficult to walk in grace, if we give him power.

Do I believe there are consequences to every sin?  Yes, of course there is.  But grace says the consequences are not a death sentence.  Once you have given your life to Christ, accepted the gift of redemption through the Cross, and make amends with those you hurt – you should get up and move on.

Don’t allow anyone or anything working for the advisory tell you otherwise.  You are redeemed, made new, whole again.  Walk with your head held high.  Love those who remind you of your past.  Let God fight your battles.  Don’t let Satan win.

If you struggle with this – I encourage you to place these scriptures somewhere you can see them everyday:

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” Ephesians‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus‬ ‭2:11-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” I Corinthians‬ ‭7:23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians‬ ‭1:13-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Get the enemy out of your mind & put on the mind of Christ.

Live boldly, dear friends, and be blessed!

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Be still

“The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.””‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I went and saw War Room this weekend.  Great movie.  It speaks on the notion of prayer and how we need to do our battling in that realm rather than trying to do it ourselves.

It got me thinking so I wanted to encourage you because it encouraged me – go to God with your problems and let Him take care of it.  He is the only one who can make things right – I have learned this the hard way.

Have faith and trust in Him.  You only need to be still….

  

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Greatest of these….

Bold love changes the world.  Love those who can’t love you back, give grace to those who don’t deserve it, and forgive those who won’t change.  

“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.””

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

  

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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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Under grace

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Declare liberty over the wages of sin today.  Remember that Christ paid it all so that you can claim that freedom and walk in grace.  I am so thankful He did!

“Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭143:10‬ ‭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!