Is He Really Enough?

"But you shouldn't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Son of Man, can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose." John 6:27


If you were stripped of everything, would Christ be enough? Is Christ enough? Do you spend more time on things of this world than you do seeking the Kingdom of God? In Heaven there is only Christ, is that enough for you? There will be no shopping, no money, or anything else that the world offers.

Prayer: Lord show us every area of our lives where we have needed more from the things that perish than from You. Lord let Your word resonate within us changing our hearts and minds to be IN love with You and be completely satisfied with the true bread of life.

The Importance of Words!

“And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37


I sat in church Wednesday night listening to a man I admire and could listen to for hours. I am always so amazed by the immeasurable amount of wisdom that pours forth from his mouth. I try to capture every word the Lord speaks through him knowing I will be blessed and walk away with a little more understanding of Christ than before. His passion and fire for the Lord is so contagious and I love that he is not afraid to make you squirm.

This is the very thing he did Wednesday night! As I sat absorbing all that God was saying through him it was as though God himself was standing there before me face to face teaching me and warning me of what was to come. Wednesday night the Lord began preparing me for the Day of Judgment when I will stand before the throne seat of God and give account of EVERY word I have ever spoken. Good, bad, mean, hurtful, uplifting, selfish, loving, not so loving, etc. In my head I envisioned that moment standing before the most Holy God and before my eyes I see Him pull out a record that contains every word I have said and the next thing I know He begins reading each one back to me asking, “ Kristi why did you speak this way? Why did you speak out of anger, why did you say this in the moment when you should have been quiet? Why did you allow ugliness to come out towards those who hurt you?”

The sadness that fills my heart is devastating, the fear of answering to God for my words overwhelms me, and the thought of the disappointment my Father in heaven felt every time I spoke those words kills me. But I know that I cannot let all those emotions consume me. I know the blood of Christ covers me and I am given the opportunity from this point on to begin being more aware and conscious of what I say. I know it is better to be quieter and less talkative. I am reminded that I must do more than just clean up my speech I must clean out my heart. And the greatest of all is knowing that I receive forgiveness when I confess by name the words and sins I have said and committed and that I am given mercy and grace daily.

I am thankful for Brother Collins and the heart he has for his brothers and sisters in Christ and for all those who are lost. I am thankful for the wisdom he is so willing to share so that all people can come to know Christ in a deeper more personal way. Most of all I am thankful that he sticks close to the word of God and speaks boldly in His name allowing the Holy Spirit to work in my life and the lives of those who are blessed to hear him. I am thankful that he keeps me accountable with the word of God and that he wants each of us to have the same love for Christ that he does.

Are you ready to stand before the throne seat of God and give an account for every word you have spoke and will speak? Turn to God and let Him take your thoughts and words captive. Ask Him to take control of what you say and keep your lips sealed only allowing words that are kind, encouraging and loving to come out. And remember the only way for your speech to be cleaned up is by cleaning up your heart first.

Prayer: Lord there is a very good reason You tell us about the power of our tongues. I ask Lord that You take control of my tongue only allowing words to be spoken that will lead others to You. Lord I thank You for Brother Collins and the love that he has for You. Thank You for blessing us with a man who is so passionate and in love with You. Our lives are truly enriched by his presence and ministry. Amen

Make Me

“Teach me, O Lord, to follow every one of your principles. Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.” Psalm 119:33-35


There is no greater request to be presented to the Lord than the one that is done by the Author in this Psalm. His heart to please God oozes out of this verse. He was not satisfied with just the basic knowledge of God and we should not be either. He also knew that the only way to know God better and to live a life that was pleasing to Him was to ask the only one who could help Him-God.

The Author requests three things from the Lord; to teach, give, and make. We too should request these three things every day when we enter into the most Holy Place where our Father dwells.

Teach- The Author does not just say teach me, O Lord, he is very specific in what he wants to be taught. He says teach me to follow EVERY one of your principles. We can only learn as much as we are willing to put into studying. If we never open His word we will not know what principles He wants us to follow.

Give-The Author does not ask to be given health, wealth, or power, he asks to be given understanding of God’s law. We receive so much in life when we understand God’s word, joy, hope, protection, and eternal life. Once understanding is given it must then be put into practice and done with all of our heart. Just like God says love me with ALL of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. He also wants us to obey Him with all of our hearts. Every day you get in the word of God ask the Lord to give you understanding so you will know what He wants you to do.

Make-I love this final request, He is bold in his asking. He does not say help me or guide me, he says MAKE me. Make me walk along the path of your commands because Lord that is where all my happiness is found. True happiness comes from following the ways of the Lord and having an intimate relationship with Him.

Do-This is a scripture that should be written and placed all over our hearts, homes, cars, and minds. We should cry out to the Lord to be taught, given and made to know, understand, and walk in the happiness of His word and love.

Prayer: Lord I love this beautiful scripture and the heart of the Author who is requesting to be more intimate and pleasing to You. Lord teach me to follow all of Your principles, give me understanding of Your word that I can obey all of Your commands and live them out in my daily life. Lord make me walk alongside You and Your word because I desire to have the happiness that is found in You. Amen

Things Unseen

“Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy-full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?” Luke 11:39-40


When it comes to cleaning our house my husband and I have differing opinions, but we do complement each other well. Garrett believes in cleaning everything that can be seen and anything that is behind closed doors is not a big deal. Even Avery our three year has that mind set. Avery loves to have a clean room. Every day he gets home from school he goes straight to his room to see if I have picked it up or not. I will never forget the first time Avery got upset because his room was a mess. He came home from school went to his room saw that it had toys on the floor and he put his hands on his hips and said “Mommy, you did not clean my room, and let out the biggest ugh.” The next thing I knew he was in there cleaning it up.

When he had finished he came and found Garrett and I and said, “Mommy, daddy come look.” So Garrett and I went into his room and Avery threw up his hands and said, “Surprise!” Garrett and I could not believe how well he did. All he lacked was vacuuming and he would have if he could push the vacuum and was not afraid of it.

As much as Garrett and Avery love things being clean they both only believe in cleaning things that can be seen and anything behind closed doors is not a big deal. Thus throwing things in closets, drawers and cabinets and closing the doors. That is exactly what Avery did the first day and still does to this day with his toys. I remember thinking oh my goodness this is great he actually put all of his toys in his toy box and everything. So I walked over opened the closet doors to find he had just thrown everything in there and shut the doors, out of sight out of mind, for them anyway.

For me as happy as I am to have two men in my house that like things clean and will help clean. I am also a little OCD about things being clean that are unseen. Garrett has never understood this but he also never complains about it either, I think after six years he has even become a little OCD about it or he just has gotten smarter and tired of being yelled out.

Whether it is color-coding clothes in closets or folding clothes a specific way so when put up will be neat in the drawers, to dishes being put up a particular way and not just thrown in wherever they fit, and to our junk drawer being organized in a neat orderly fashion. I love knowing that even the things unseen are neat and in order. Crazy, I know and I try not to be so bad about it but it nag’s at me if I know things are out of order or just thrown somewhere.

Though Garrett and I differ in the area of cleaning to an extent there is one area we both agree on, the cleanliness of our hearts. Garrett and I know and want to live our lives in a way that reflects Christ, in and outside of our home. We know that when we just throw things in our hearts and we don’t clean it out it begins to show on the outside, through our arguments, behavior, etc. If Garrett and I were to live as the Pharisees did who failed to understand until they cleaned the inside of their hearts their dirtiness would never go away, we would be of no use or value to the ministry God has called us to. We would be just as hypocritical as the Pharisees were who were more concerned with their outward appearance that everything they did was a show. They lived two different lives. An outward life full of acting as though they were good and obeyed all of the law, and an inward life that was crooked, greedy, jealous and self absorbed.

I wonder how many of us live the same way. We live one way on Sunday’s and when we are around certain people, but on the inside and around others we live completely different. Jesus says we must clean the inside first in order for the outside of us to be clean. Do you have things unseen within you that you know need to be cleaned out?

Prayer: Lord forgive Garrett and I when we fail to clean out the place that matters the most-our hearts. Help us to never fill the inside of our hearts with selfishness, trash, and worldly pleasure. May we live our lives inside out showing You within us. Amen

A whole lot of fakeness

“They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have not self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.”
2 Timothy 3:3-5


There are two kinds of things that are fake; the first kind of fake is an object which is made to look real or valuable in order to deceive people. This includes; fake nails, fake hair, fake hair color, fake body parts, fake tans, fake jewelry, and any other materialistic thing that looks real but is not.

Our second kind of fake comes in the form of people. These people claim to be someone who is not who or what they say they are and it is shown through their actions. Some of these people are such pros at displaying this type of fakeness it is very easy to be deceived. There were many people throughout the Bible who claimed to love God but were found fake when exposed to the light of Christ. There are many of us who have learned and mastered the act of being fake, even to the point of believing that we are sincere. We have learned how to display fake kindness, fake smiles, fake love, fake sincerity, fake obedience, fake trust, fake loyalty and the worst kind of fakeness, fake Christianity.

The harm in clothing ourselves with such fakeness can and will lead others astray, it brings confusion among the new believers, can be hurtful, and when the light of Christ is put upon us it will remove the fakeness and expose us for who we really are. Another thing we fail to realize is that when we continue to live this fake life we continue to harden our hearts, and we continue to bring sorrow and shame to the heart of God. Which for me is more devastating than anything, I never want to be more than what I really am, and I never want to be fake in my walk and love for God and His people. I want people to see the Jesus in me and not someone who claims to have Jesus but chooses to be a gossip, a person who compromises my faith, or display’s fake love, fake sincerity, or is a straddler of both God and the world.

Paul tells us in Titus that people who claim they know God, but deny Him by the way they live are despicable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. (Titus 1:16)

So how can we be sure we are not living a life of fakeness? God tells us two ways, one comes from the book of Romans, “Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.” Romans 12:9 Invest your time in helping others become better people. The second way is found in the book of 1 John, “If someone says, “I belong to God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth. But those who obey God’s word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.” 1 John 2:4-6

There will come a point in our lives when wearing all this fakeness will become heavy, detrimental to our health and our relationship with Christ and others. There is no fakeness in Christ so if we have Christ living in us than we should have no fakeness within us. We should find beauty in who we are in Christ, we should not put on fakeness because we are afraid to stand alone or because we want the attention and praise of man. True followers of Christ put aside their selfish ambitions shoulder there cross daily and follow Him. They know that they never stand alone because Christ stands with them, and it is the praise of Him that matters the most.

Do you have a whole lot of fakeness going on?

Prayer: Lord strip me of any fakeness that I might be wearing so that I will not lead any of Your children astray. Forgive me if I have ever tried to be someone I am not. Amen

What Kind of Friend are You?

“Disregarding another person’s faults preserves love; telling about them separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9


Friendships whether broken, mended, just starting up, or have been there for years are very important. The broken friendship teaches us and tests our loyalty and faith to the Lord. They teach us the meaning of love; they teach us how to forgive, how to have self-control, and how to be the hands and feet of Jesus when you are around them. The mended friendship reveals a true friend, a friend who doesn’t harbor hurt and anger in their hearts, they make allowance for each other’s faults, and they understand the meaning of forgiveness, because they too have been forgiven. A new friendship allows us the opportunity to share God’s love, to be encouraging and to encourage, and to be the loyal friend God has called us to be. The friendship that has been there for years, well it speaks for itself.

The Lord knows and understands the importance of friendships. Let’s look at two key passages that will help us be the type of friend God calls us to be.

“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” Proverbs 17:17

There is a difference between being a true friend and just knowing someone well. A true friend is loyal no matter what conflict arises between the two of you. A true friend is a friend who builds you up, encourages you, keeps you accountable even if you feel their timing is off, they stick by you when times are bad, and they are honest even when it hurts.

A friend that just knows you well can become a friend of convenience. They are there when it is convenient for them, when they hear what they want to hear, and when they get hurt they leave or harbor anger and bitterness towards you. This type of friend might even just say what others want to hear and then turn and curse them behind their back.

Which friend are you? Think about your friendships the ones you have and the ones you no longer have, were you loyal? Are you loyal?

“There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

Do you seek to have lots of friends and be the stand out in the crowd? Sometimes when we try to be those types of people we realize just how few “real friends” we have. It is better to try to be a “real friend” than to seek to have them. Are you the friend that joins along in the gossip of others, are you a friend that when hurt sets out to destroy the other person with your speech, your actions, and even your thoughts? Do you seek revenge, do you charge at them? Or are you the friend that sticks by that person regardless how you were treated. There is something to say about this real friend.

You can tell a lot about what type of friend you are by how you have handled the broken friendships.

Be the friend you want others to be to you, be a peacemaker not a dissension maker. Be understanding and don’t read more into a situation than you should. Be forgiving and make allowance for each other’s faults. Find joy in the friend who loves you enough to keep you accountable. Be the friend Jesus is to you.

Most importantly remember to not harbor any bitterness or anger towards others. Jesus tells us very clearly that before we can bring a sacrifice to the Lord we must make amends with those who have something against us. So swallow your pride and make things right even if they refuse to accept it, for then you will have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord and can return to the altar and offer your sacrifice up to God. (Matthew 5:23-26)

Prayer: Lord help me to be the loyal friend to others that You are to me. May I show love, forgiveness and kindness just as You have shown me. Take my thoughts and my words captive only allowing encouragement and kindness to come out. Amen

I don’t want to just exist!

“He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone.” John 1:3-4

It is this overwhelming feeling that arises up within me. One that leaves me thinking I want to do more than just merely exist. I want to nurture and be nurtured, I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus that brings comfort, love and hope to those in need. I don’t want to be a dull light in this dark forsaken world; I want the Jesus in me to shine so brightly the darkness is shattered by His brilliancy.

This thought of just existing whether as a mother, wife, friend, or daughter leaves me sad, frustrated, empty and feeling worthless. I want to do more than just blend in and fit in. I want the Jesus in me to stand out. I want Him to be seen, be known, and be loved. Because this Jesus in me, He does more than just exist.

So why do I feel as though I just exist with no purpose or meaning? It is because of this man named Satan who wants to rob me of my joy. He wants me to give up, doubt myself, and feel sorry for myself. He wants me to think that I am of no value, I have no gifts, and that I do more harm than good. But little does this destructive, rip your heart out, fill you with doubt, fear, worthlessness, shame, and whatever else this man tries to use know, is that the Jesus in me is the Mighty Son of God who has marked me and covered me with His blood. And with Him in me I do more than just exist, I am of value, I am loved, I am someone who can and will be used by the Son of God to carry out His will and purpose for my life. I am unique, I am important, and my life is meaningful to the Lord that is why He created me. It is living without Christ that I would just merely exist.

For the “me” part of it, I have to do more than just know and say it, I have to live it and believe it. I have to take my thoughts off of what others think and what my flesh thinks and put them on Jesus. I have to fill my heart with the love of Christ and His word and draw from it. I have to stop getting caught up in “me” and start getting caught up in Jesus and His purpose for me, which is way more than just existing.

Prayer: Lord You created me for Your enjoyment, for Your pleasure, and You tell me that I am of importance to You and Your Kingdom. Lord help me to overcome “me” and start existing for You. Amen

Have you wandered south?

“My dear brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again, you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save the sinner from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” James 5:19-20


I can tell you that growing up I was not always the best child. I would like to say throughout my high school years I was good, but when I went to college and did not have the daily guidance of my parent’s things went a little south. My doing!

While living in the south for awhile I did some pretty stupid things all of which left my family broken including me. However, what probably felt like centuries to my family and me was only a season that did come to pass but only by the grace of God. I can tell you that while living in the south I was taught some very important lessons.

One, I figured out that I determine the outcome how I live my life and it can either be pleasing my flesh, of which I did, or it can be pleasing my heavenly and earthly parents. Two, every choice that I made affected not only me but everyone involved. Because I was so caught up in the sins I was living in I was too blind and stubborn to see it at the time. To see now the hurt I put those people who loved me through was and is something I never want to do again. No matter how old I am. Third, to actually think that I could throw God into the mix of my sinfulness and try to convince everyone that what I was doing was okay was absurd. I mean who was I to think I could straddle both God and the world? Fourth, not only did God remove the veil, but He opened my eyes to see the path of destruction I was going down and the consequences if I kept going. He showed me how much I was loved by my earthly parents I how much I was loved by Him. It was then and there after hitting rock bottom that I realized my need to repent and run to God and I mean run not walk, run!

In Proverbs 22:6, “Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.” I was taught the right path and had two examples that lived out that right path of living before me everyday. And though I veered off that path for a while I did return and I returned a lot wiser, more hungry, and driven to help others get back on the path.

Do you know what helped me the most throughout this period in my life? The prayers my family lifted up on my behalf, the love that they showed even if it was tough love, the support and the times they knew they needed to step back and let God deal with me.

Do you have people in your life who have wandered away; maybe you have wandered from the truth? Maybe you are living in the south like I did and are thinking to yourself that what you are doing is okay, maybe Satan has you blinded folded and you can’t see the hurt you are causing yourself, your family and God. Maybe Satan even has you so convinced that God is okay with your decisions when you know deep down and when you read His word that He is not okay with it. As a matter of fact you don’t even want to read the word of God because you don’t want to hear that what you are doing is wrong and you need to stop. I went through that and believe me the Creator of this universe knows a lot more than we do and He determines the outcome.

To my families and parents who are living in this season right now, pray, pray until it hurts. Don’t blame yourselves and wonder where you went wrong, just pray, give your burdens to the Lord, give the brokenness of your hearts to the Lord. Show love to these people even if it is tough love and even if your heart hurts. Get into the word of God and look steadily into His perfect law and let Him tell you when to act or when to step back and let Him deal with them. Do not abandon them, give up on them, or mistreat them. Jesus never did that to you and you should never do that to your child or your loved ones.

Never discipline them out of frustration or anger, don’t let bitterness take root within you, and DO NOT ever question or curse God. He is the only one who can help.

We have too many quitters in the world, don’t be one of them. Don’t have the mindset that these people can’t be saved or return. There is nothing impossible to the Great Jehovah. You are the hands and feet of Jesus let them see and feel that. Don’t try and handle the situation yourself, you will never succeed. You just be God’s helper and do what He says. Don’t be their enabler because you think that kind of love will help them.

Stay hopeful and joyful because out of this season will come something greater than you would ever have imagined. Look forward to that, look forward to each day knowing that God is working in their lives and in your life.

Prayer: Lord there are so many broken hearts today and so many tired and weary parents. Lord show them Your amazing love and let them feel the warmth of Your embrace today. Bring hope, healing and restoration to the hearts and homes of all these people. Most of all Lord let them find rest in knowing that You are at work within the lives of those who have wandered. Amen

It is not What Your Ears Hear That Matters.

“Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! And be sure to pay attention to what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand-and even more, besides. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.” Mark 4:23-25

We hear the word of God but do we listen and understand the word of God? The Pharisees and Sadducees heard the law, obeyed the law, and demanded the law be lived out. But when Jesus came and changed things up they became angry, angry because they didn’t want to hear what Jesus had to say and to offer. They were so stubborn they never let the words of Jesus go any deeper. They never listened and understood from their hearts and their minds. And when we do the same thing we too can become complacent, confused, and led in the wrong direction. We even miss out on all that God wants to teach us and give us.

When Jesus spoke in parables he did it to seek out those who were sincerely searching for the truth. He did it to challenge us to keep digging, searching and looking to Him for understanding.

He wants us to do more than just hear His message; He wants us to listen to it like we do a best friend. He wants us to understand the meaning of what He is saying so that we will benefit from it in the long run.

I have noticed that in my own relationship with Christ when I am listening with my heart the understanding He fills me with is limitless but the days I only listen with my ears I get frustrated, doubtful and confused about everything. I have to be very careful not to limit myself to only hearing what I want to hear from God. I know I have to be open to anything and everything He wants me to hear. That is how I grow, how I gain more understanding of whom He is and His word and how He and I become closer.

Hearing is important but listening and understanding from my heart is even more important.

Don’t get caught up in just hearing God’s word listen with your heart so more understanding will be given to you.

Prayer: Lord forgive me for not listening with the part of me that matters the most, my heart. I do so desperately want to understand Your word, so I ask that You continually remind me when I am only hearing with my ears and not my heart. Amen

What's Stopping You?

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” Acts 13:2-3

• What if you shared God’s word with one person each day?
• What if you showered others with God’s love?
• What if you passed out Bible’s to the homeless?
• What if you prayed for ten minutes every day for those who are lost?
• What if you sent a letter to encourage missionaries all over the world?
• What if you spent more time helping those in need instead of tending to yourself or watching T.V.?
• What if you slowed down enough to listen to a friend in need?
• What if you reached out to your enemy instead of turning away from them?

Instead of saying what if, what if we actually did it? How much more would God’s word spread? Paul and Barnabas were two men who lived out their what if’s and because they did we have had the opportunity to hear the Good News.

God wants to use every one of us to share the message of His love. He does not expect or even ask us to be anything other than ourselves. He can and will use us if we are willing, ready, and obedient.

• How can you be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life?
• How can you begin today sharing the message of God’s love?
• What are some important tools to have as you go out share the word of God?

Take a few minutes and spend time in prayer asking the Lord to equip you and use for His service. Ask Him to set up meetings with other colleagues or even family members that might not know Him. Then ask Him to speak through you and directly into the heart of that person.

Are your Roots Showing?

Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.” Colossians 2:7


My husband and his dad have a very nurturing nature about them when it comes to their yards. They can make anything dead come alive and are so patient in the process. Everyday (well everyday they get a chance) they are outside trimming bushes, watering, picking the weeds, mowing, so on. It is a full time job with amazing results. But it only gets that way because of the time they have put into nurturing it. And it is what they are actually nurturing that is so amazing, the roots.

We often tend to just see what is above the surface and think that is what we are taking care of. Which it is but it is what is below the surface that is the most important. The roots, roots are the source of life and are to be firmly established in order to be fruitful. They do all the work but it is the flower that gets all the credit. You can also tell how much character a root has by what it produces.

It is the same with our spiritual walks. You can tell a lot about yourself by what roots you are watering because they show on the outside. Yard guys like Garrett and Jerry don’t set out to water and nurture the weeds, we should not set out to water and nurture the roots of our flesh, or pleasure, anger, greed, bitterness, jealousy, etc. We have to stop watering those roots and start watering the roots of Christ. Paul tells us in our passage that we must let the roots of Christ’s seed grow down deep into Him so we can draw up the nourishment of strength, faith, and truth.

In order to do that we must grab the word of God and let it water our roots just as Ephesians 3:17 says, “May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.” His love is Jesus Christ and His word! It is the only place your roots will ever find nourishment that will allow you to grow and become beautiful from the root up.

If you neglect to take care of your roots then they will begin to come up to find nourishment and they will start to show, and if neglected to long not only will your flower wither and die so will your roots.(Matthew 13:5-6)

What roots are you watering, the weeds (sin) or the roots of Christ’s seed? Don’t wait to begin nurturing the seed of Christ when trouble, sickness, or hurt comes, start nurturing it today so that when they do come those roots can grow deeper into Him for the nourishment of strength, hope, healing, and power.

Prayer: Lord help us to become more rooted in You everyday. Forgive us for when we neglect to nurture and tend to the most important seed within us. Thank You for giving us everlasting nourishment that is found in You and Your word. Amen

Before and After

“No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.” Romans 2:29


We all have before and after pictures, from High School, to weight loss, to age and isn’t it fun even rewarding to see the changes that have been made over time. Not just to yourself but even with friends and family you have not seen in awhile. I do understand some changes might not be so good, but the point is the change a real change one that is obvious and noticeable-not fake.

Other than the most obvious there is an even greater before and after picture, it is the picture of our new life with Christ. This change begins from within that is so radical everyone can see it. It is a process that must occur daily but is very rewarding and satisfying.

Did you know that your change becomes contagious even curious to those who knew what your old life was like. When people can see and relate to your story and hear how Christ began to change you for the better, it leaves a deep impression on their hearts. An impression that lingers and tugs at them until they can’t stand it anymore and they come to you wanting to know more about Jesus and how to get what you now have.

We should celebrate these changes everyday because they show us how for far the Lord has brought us. We should shout with joy for the battles that we have overcome and praise God for the progress we make everyday and we should want to share these changes with all who are in desperate need of a makeover. And we should always remember the greatest thing about these after pictures, is they just keep getting better and better.

What do your before and after pictures look like? Has there been a change that has taken place within you? If not start your makeover today, open the word of God, place Him inside of You and let the Master of makeover do His work.

Prayer: Lord thank You, thank You for the amazing changes that You have made in my life and in the lives of all my brothers and sisters. Lord I pray for those who are still looking at their before pictures wondering when they will change. Show them through someone or something that their change can start today! Lord help us use our changes to glorify You and bring others to know You. We love You Lord and we praise You for every change that makes us become more like You. Amen

What Makes you Different?

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5


To a non-believer looking at you, what makes you different than the others they look at?

You might have the immediate response, “I have Jesus” but does that show to the non-believer? Does it show to your brothers and sisters in Christ? Let’s just say you have two friends who are kind, have good morals, love, listen, they both talk about doing what’s right, their speech is clean, and so on. But one of those friends has the seed of Christ in them and the other does not. How is the Christian different, what stands out to you the most about the one who is saved? How do you stand out as a Christian? Are you a Christian?

And how can we claim to be followers of Christ but then miss-represent Him by our lifestyle? And if we are miss-representing Him than are we sure the seed has truly been planted? (Just a thought)

In our passage today Jesus says, that all those who remain in Him will bear much fruit, and any of those who are not apart of Him can do nothing. That my sweet friend is how we and others can see and know the difference, by the fruit we produce.

When we allow Christ to plant that seed and then we water it with the word of God it begins to sprout and produce fruit, fruit that is joyful, prayerful, hopeful, kind, patient, loving, and good. It is the fruit that represents all the amazing character qualities of Christ that gives us a distinct appearance. An appearance that reflects Christ and not us, an appearance that when seen stands out and does not blend in.

A follower of Christ is one who is willing to die to themselves daily, pick up their cross and follow Jesus. They bury their sinful desires and put on the righteousness of Christ and His word.

Just like Brother Collins put it, “we are a walking talking advertisement” and we can either advertise for Christ by the fruit we produce or we can advertise for the World which belongs to Satan.

Do you just say you are a Christian or does your fruit show it?

Prayer: Lord as apart of Your branch produce in me the fruit that will lead others to You. May all eyes look past me and straight to You. I want nothing more than for You to receive all the honor and glory. Amen

Jesus Take the Wheel

“The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Psalm 37:23-24


God has given me the choice today to choose whether or not this will be a good or bad day. He already knows the outcome of this day and He knows every thought I will have and every decision I will make. So before I even step down from my bed I know I need to begin getting my mind right, and I can only do that by speaking to the One who can guide me.

Prayer: Lord I know that today I determine how well things will go by my attitude, my thoughts, and my actions. So that is why I am giving this day to You and asking You to take complete control of my heart. Lord will You take my thoughts captive and filter out any trash that might enter in. Help me be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading that with every idle word or action that takes place will only be a reflection of You and Your word. Lord take Your word that I have meditated on and place it within every single part of me. I commit this day to You and I praise You because I know that whatever the outcome of today is You will be there to guide me through. Amen

If I allow myself to start my day off without truly turning it over to the Lord than I am just giving Satan the opportunity to slip in and feed me garbage. But if I fill every square inch of my heart and my mind with the Word of God and prayer he has no room. And though he tries he can’t succeed because he has been defeated.

When we commit our days to the Lord first thing and allow Him to have the control then we are choosing to have a great day. We are allowing Christ the light within us to lead us, and we know when we are led by Christ all things will work out for His glory and for us.

It is really just that simple we are the ones that make it hard!

Why are You Here?

“…For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.” John 6:38


“I know there is a reason for me being here, Lord please show me! I have let Satan convince me that I am not good at anything; I am too sinful to even be used by you. What reason did you have for creating me? Lord please just show me what you want me to do, where you want me.”

“My sweet child, as I began knitting you together with my own two hands I knew how special you were to Me, and I knew exactly what I wanted to use you for! You are created in the image of Me, there is no two people created the same. You are unique and beautiful and I have placed you on earth not to fulfill your purpose but to fulfill My purpose. I knew before the world began that I would be able to do the work I want done through you. You will never be good at anything on your own. It is Me that is within you that will be great at the very thing I have created you for.”

How could I be so selfish to think that I was sent here to earth to fulfill my purpose? I have no purpose without Christ.

Jesus could not have said it any better than when He said, “… For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.”

You and I too have been sent down from heaven to do the will of God who sent us, not to do what we want. It is so easy and goodness do I know how easy it is to get caught up in wanting and trying to fulfill our own purpose.

How can we fulfill His purpose? We start by putting our complete trust and faith in Jesus Christ. We seek out His will by meditating on the His word and spending time in prayer. We wait patiently for Him to act and then we obediently react. We take each thought and decision to Him first and ask that He reveal to us if we are making it about us or Him.

We serve Him by serving others, we love like He loves us, we keep our eyes focused on Him and Heaven and we remember that every decision we make, every word we speak, every place we are in is for Him and His glory.

Sound like a lot to fulfill? When we try to do it on our own it is SO much and that is where I went wrong and why I prayed that prayer so many times, but when I let Christ in me do it I found it to be so much easier and enjoyable.

We have no greater job than the one we are called to and that is fulfilling His purpose!

Prayer: Jesus forgive us when we get caught up in trying to make it about us and our purpose. May we take our eyes off of the world and place it on You. In Jesus name, Amen.

Your Diagnosis

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

You have been sick for sometime now and no one has figured out what is wrong with you. After years of searching for some answers you finally turn to a physician who understands you, who listens, and who stops and takes the time to find an answer.

He begins having you fill out a form of your symptoms and history. You sit down and begin looking over the form. The very first section asks for some history which you find to be very personal, but precede to answer anyway, in hopes it will help your physician find some answers.

Why are you here seeing me today?
How did you hear about me?
Do you believe that I can help you?
Are you going to follow all my instructions?
Are you prepared to go through some testing?
Will you stick by me and trust me no matter the results?
Are you willing to do your part and let me do mine?

If you believe in me and will commit yourself to me than I know we can find out your illness and I can guarantee you that I will have an answer and a cure.

Before you proceed it is important that I know what your blood type is, this will give me a better understanding of why you suffer from what you do. Please circle your blood type. Christ’s blood or your sinful blood.

If you have answered your sinful blood I can tell you that until you accept me and receive my blood we will never be able to move on with this process. But if your blood type is that of mine than I can assure you we will be good to go.

Being that you have my blood let’s move on, I will now need you to openly answer the following questions that pertain to the condition of your heart.

Please place a check by the things you have been filling your heart with?
__ Self ___Anger ___Joy

__ Hate ___ Pride ___Patience

__ Lust ___ Slander ___My word

__ Greed ___ Love ___the World

__ Jealousy      ___ Kindness

Do your symptoms worsen the more you choose to please you?
Has there been anything you have done that has helped your symptoms get better?

If not here is something I want you to try. I want you to begin getting in My word everyday for at least 20 to 30 minutes and begin meditating on it. Once you do this you will start to feel the medicine that comes out of it. This medicine once absorbed will begin to reveal what is wrong with you and when it reaches those areas of pain, hurt, etc it will begin to heal them and guide you in the direction you will need to go to stay healthy.

After you have completed this form I want you to go home and begin the medicine the minute it enters I will be right in to see you and go over all that I have found and what actions we will need to take from there.

If you are serious about being better, like I believe you are than you must be sure to take this medicine everyday.

Starving

"People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God." Matthew 4:4

These words spoken by Jesus stir within me as I lay next to my one year old who is crying out for a drink and something to eat. As I begin praying for the Lord to remove these thoughts from his mind, my amazing Father leans down and whispers, "Fill him with my word." So I began singing scripture to him and before I knew it he had fallen back asleep.

It took a good full hour of off and on singing, because as we all know just one dose of Gods word is just not enough. But to my amazement after an hour of pulling from my resources within my sweet baby boy finally became full. For the first time this scripture came alive within my baby Dax and within me. 

Our God's fulfillment is so much more satisfying. Open up wide my friends and let the words of our Mighty God fill you up.

Are you Surrounded?

"Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you
alone." Psalm 33:22

 It is the only thing that gets us through each day. It is the security, comfort, and peace that fills our hearts and gives our weak and weary souls rest.

It is the unfailing love of the Lord. My sweet friends there is nothing greater than the mighty arms of Jesus wrapped around you. And the instant you feel that embrace, it is as though all of His love begins to go out of Him and into the very depths of your hurt, worry, and fears bringing you a new hope that can only be found in Him.

How great it is to know that our Father's love surrounds us every second and that no one, no news, nothing can every take it away.

Are you searching for love today? Choose God and let His unfailing, never ending love surround you.

Does Your Mirror Need Some Cleaning?

"I show this unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so I do not leave sin unpunished, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34:7

How easily we forget about those little eyes that watch our every move, how easily we forget about those little ears that hear everything we say and how easily we forget how our sins can affect the very hearts and lives of our children.

God has given us these precious gifts not for our pleasure but for His. We are not to hinder, enable, mistreat, or cause them to stumble. And we should never assume that it is just the obvious sins like addictions, abuse, and adultery that will and can affect them. It even includes selfishness, greed, jealousy, lust, hate, pride, self-pity, etc.

What do you think would happen if we as parents actually stopped and asked ourselves how these choices, words, and actions would affect them? And I don’t mean just run it through your head and make excuses or justifications for why it would be okay. I mean actually think about it from God’s perspective, black and white, right or wrong and then not do it if you know it will steer them away from God. Could you imagine how different things would be?

We are the mirror our children look into for knowledge, wisdom, example, everything. So as that mirror what are we reflecting back, Christ and His word or the world and self?

Don’t be afraid to let your children see you confess your sins, show them what repentance looks like and let them see how merciful, loving and forgiving their Creator is.

Remember that just because your sin might have only caused you little pain, it could cause even greater pain later in the life of your child.

Prayer: Lord help us as parents become the type of mirror that only and always reflects You.

It’s Raining Trials!

No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” Romans 7:18-19

When I looked up the weather report for last week and this week the forecast showed clear skies with 0% chance of rain. So why in the world is it raining and why am I the only one getting wet? What started out as a light rain has now ended up being a down pour with dime size hail.

I am not talking about the rain that falls, I am talking about the rain of trials. The first day of my rain began when my one year got put in the hospital for two days and all four of us stayed in that tiny room with one bed. With that came my first opportunity to put patience into practice. Of course instead of being patient and reminding myself Garrett was just as tired as I was, he wanted to be there just as much as I did, and he was just as worried, I did the complete opposite. I allowed my feelings to take over because it just seemed easier at the time and I became annoyed with any and everything He did. Avery my poor baby had no clue what was going on and because of that he was scared and only wanted to be with Garrett and I. And as we all know to contain a three year old in a hospital room for two days is just not fun for him or for us. I again ignored that and got frustrated at him for being frustrated. Then between keeping Dax from ripping out his IV, holding him down for his blood to be taken, and his persistence to get into any and everything he could tested my patience even more. Patience test-failed.

My heavier rain came when we got home and our baby was still not better and all the tests results came back leaving us empty handed. On top of that I have a writing assignment due by May 15 and I realized I only had one week left to get 4 lessons done. That brought on my lack to show and express love. Instead I have expressed frustration, stress, and oh so much anger. Leaving my husband grumpy my babies upset and me even more upset with myself for acting the very way I do not and did not want to act. Love test-failed

Now for the hail-Garrett left early for his track meet in Houston because he couldn’t stand being around my grumpy self when little does he know I can’t stand being around my grumpy self either. I have let the house become a complete junk hole because I have been trying to write, tend to the boys and all the other jobs I have. Last night I went to put my boys in the tub and there was no hot water, so in and out as quickly.  I do have to say at this point God was and is trying to get my attention and give me the opportunity to reflect Him.

So I wake up this morning turn on the hot water-none. Hot water heater broke. Then I go to clean out the sink turn on the garbage disposal and it’s broke, so I lean down to look under the sink and when I opened the door an awful metal smell shot up my nose-garbage disposal burnt up and now the sink won’t drain. At this point I laugh all while losing my self-control. I pick up the phone and out come the Niagara Falls of complaining. Self Control with my words-failed

I open the word of God seeking the great Counselor for help when He takes me to Romans 6:14-25. As I read over the words of Paul my head begins to nod up and down and my heart begins to cry out a loud Amen. Paul could not have expressed how I felt any better. And the great thing from reading about his struggle reminded me that it is Jesus within me that will set me free and help me posses the qualities of His that I so desire to posses. But the greatest thing out of all of this is that I became attentive to the opportunities I was given and that even though I failed I did and am walking through this rain storm being more conscious and prepared how to handle the next rain storm that approaches whether the forecast calls for it or not.

Are you facing some rain trials today?

On Three

“So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

 Would you walk out to the edge of the cliff with me today? And on the count of three we are going to step off…. and out on faith. As you read that first sentence you were thinking she is crazy, who would do that? Well that is exactly my point, not to many of us do and that is why our faith has become stagnant. We are not letting God use us to our full potential!

I would venture to say that some of us are close to the edge of the cliff, but are stuck and have become very comfortable right where we are at. We even have friends that have joined us and we now have made a comfortable little home right there close to the edge but far enough back to not fall off.

But we are forgetting that there is no falling when we are wrapped up in Christ. Imagine it this way, remember when Peter said Lord if it is really you tell me to come to you. So the Lord did and the first few minutes Peter’s eyes were fixed on Jesus alone, but the minute he looked down what happened? Fear set in. That is us, we get to the edge of our cliff and are ready to take the next step with Christ, but instead of just going we stop and look down and immediately fear, and doubt set in.

It never fails just when I start feeling comfortable God pushes me closer to the edge of my cliff, and for four years I have dug my feet in the ground as He pushed me. It was a slow push because He taught me each nudge at a time, but of course I was not strong enough, I could not resist Him any longer, and on February 7, 2010 I surrendered to the Lord and stepped off. Since then the Lord has been opening up doors, challenging me, guiding me, and carrying me. He not only is my strength but He has surrounded me with others who are counseling and encouraging me as I set out to do His work.

Where does your faith have you? Have you even stepped out on to the cliff yet? What I mean by that is do you have the confident assurance that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and you believe without a shadow of doubt that He will do all that He says He will?

Maybe you are not sure what faith is, maybe you are sure but you waiver in it. It is “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”Hebrews 11:3 It is also the “confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” Hebrews 11:1 Like stepping off the cliff! When we get to the edge we can’t look down we have to look up and out at Jesus and then step, keeping our eyes focused on Him alone.

What are some areas that are keeping you from having complete faith, and I mean true, real, genuine faith that pushes you off the cliff?