What motivates you?

“Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.” Romans 13:9-10

What motivates you? Does Christ motivate you? Does His love motivate you?

When we are not motivated by love we can easily become negative in our attitudes, in the way we look at others and in our speech. We become self-absorbed, irritable, in patient, and a lot less merciful.

Paul says in Galatians 5:6 “What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” We can evaluate our faith by how much we love Christ and others.

Paul also says in Galatians 5:13-15 “For you have been called to live in freedom-not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command. Love your neighbor as yourself. But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.”

Love finds the positive in all things, love is considerate, love does not speak negatively of others, and it does not point out the flaws and faults of others. Christ does sit on His throne and point out all the negative in us, instead He looks and finds the goodness, the beauty, the positive in each of us. God and Jesus do not sit up in Heaven and talk badly about us, they do not hold grudges, they do not laugh and joke at our imperfections. Why do we? As children of the Most High God we must see all people including ourselves the same way our Heavenly Father sees us. We must think positively with loving thoughts towards all of God’s people just as our Father in Heaven thinks about us.

Next time you are quick to act out in anger, or speak ugly of others, stop and think how it makes you feel when you hear others speaking that way about you. Then stop and pray asking the Father to open your heart and eyes to see others as He does.

So again what motivates you? Fitting in, money, your job, blending in because you don’t want to stand out for Christ, or maybe it is the pleasures of the world which is all of Satan.

You can find out real quick what your motivation is by your lifestyle, speech, and the decisions you make.

Prayer: Lord forgive me for taking this amazing gift of freedom in You for granted. Forgive me for the times I have been motivated by “self.” I ask that You reveal to me any and all areas that are not pleasing to You. Lord I ask for the Holy Spirit to have and take complete control of my heart. Lord I am letting go, stepping aside, giving You full control of my heart, thoughts, and speech. May my motivation be to daily serve You, love You with ALL that I am and love others just as You have loved me. Amen

Who is your neighbor?

“Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.” Romans 13:9-10

I love the story found in Luke 10:25-37 when an expert in religious law stands up to test Jesus. He asks him the question, “Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?” Jesus replies, what does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?

The religious leader replies, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And, Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said, “Right do it and you will live.” The man goes on to say so who is my neighbor?

Jesus replies with the story of a Jewish man who was traveling to Jerusalem and got attacked. He was stripped of his clothes, robbed, beat up and left for dead. As this man was lying there a Jewish priest comes by sees him and moves to the other side and goes on. Then came a Temple assistant comes by looks at the man and also goes on by.

Then comes a despised Samaritan man, he saw the Jewish man lying there and felt pity for him. He bent down beside him and began to treat his wounds. He then picked him up put him on his donkey and carried him to an inn. Not only did he tend to him at the inn, but he paid for him to stay there until he was better.

Jesus finishes the story by asking, “Now which of these would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus replied, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

How often have I passed by those who were suffering because I didn’t want to take the time to extend mercy, love, and comfort, be a listening ear, or a shoulder for them to cry on? How often have I passed by those who I have been hurt by and have not shown mercy or love to them?

My heavenly Father has shown and given me more love and mercy than my feeble, mortal mind can comprehend. If I desire to posses the character quality of love, than I must show the same mercy that has been shown to me. And I will say it is so much easier said than done, especially when the “me” is in the way.

Our neighbors are not just those who are ill-ridden, battered, and beat and left for dead. They are not just close friends, or our brothers and sisters. Our neighbors include the lost, our enemies, those less fortunate, and any other human being that walks on the face of the earth. Because each of us have been created in the image of God and we each have been given the opportunity to receive the free gift of mercy and love from the Lord.

Prayer: Lord forgive me for getting so caught up in my own day to day living that I fail to extend mercy and love to those who are in need. Thank You for the mercy and love I receive daily from You. Amen

You determine the outcome

“Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.” Romans 13:9-10

Love does no wrong to anyone, including your husband. Yesterday started off great, ended great but the middle…not so great. Somewhere throughout the day I resorted back to the ugly part of me, filled up with selfishness, and demanded my own way. As a result of that I lashed out on my husband over a conversation I overheard. Satan being the ugly thing that he is, jumped all over that opportunity to cause some dissension between Garrett and I, and the worst part is, yes I am admitting, I let him.

I let him convince me of the stupidest things and he does it quite often, whether with my insecurities, Garrett, those who have hurt me, or my past.

So last night out of nowhere the Lord grabbed a hold of me and told me something that has never made more since in my life until last night.

Kristi it is you that makes your home become a place where love, kindness, joy, and peace resides. If you have chaos within you and you let it out it fills your home with chaos. Your kids feel it and so does Garrett. It starts with you! You determine the outcome of your home, your boys, your marriage, and your friendships.

When your life is filled with love and you set out to show that in spite of how bad things are, how others behave, God’s love will overpower it all. Everyone around you will feel that love, not only that but they will feel and see your joy, kindness and peace, because love does no wrong to anyone.

It is so amazing how the Lord always brings everything full circle. Last night it was not by my strength but it was by the strength of the Holy Spirit and the renewing of my heart, mind and thoughts that I put love into action. Remember I said the night ended great, well it did, it ended with peace, love, kindness, and joy all because I changed my attitude, my actions and my speech. I didn’t wait for Garrett to fix it or say what I felt he should say (which he did not even need to say anything) I fixed it, I put on my armor, looked straight in the face of Satan and hit him with the thing he hates the most, God’s word and love. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

The moment I did that there was calmness that came over our home, my boys (all three) and me.

I am and have always been a visual learner and my amazing Father, my Creator knows that and last night He opened my eyes and gave me the best visual of how true love works and how it overcomes all things.


Prayer: Lord You are the most precious Father! I praise You for showing me firsthand just how powerful love is. Thank You Lord for loving me, thank You for spending countless hours with me teaching me, being patient with me, and showing me Your word in ways that I can understand it. Amen

To see, to smell, to taste, to feel, and to touch!

“Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.” Romans 13:9-10

In order to ever be able to live out this passage I have to be able to understand, be filled with, and choose daily to show love. I want others to see love, smell love, taste love, feel love, and touch love. So what is love and how is love shown?

Love is

1. God

2. Jesus, the sacrifice, the blood, and the resurrection

3. A choice and an action

4. Holy, perfect, just, and pure

5. Patient

6. Kind

7. Not jealous

8. Not boastful

9. Not proud

10. Not rude

11. Does not demand its own way

12. Never loses faith

13. Always hopeful

14. Endures through ever circumstance

15. Not irritable

16. keeps no record of when it has been wronged

17. never glad about injustice

18. rejoices whenever the truth wins out

19. always and forever

To love means to possess all of these qualities not just a few, love means to be born of God who is love. Just as our passage says, “love does no wrong to anyone.” When the Holy Spirit lives within us it gives us the ability to love, it directs us, controls us, and teaches us. It is the Holy Spirit that fills us with love. Remember we have the stitching of Christ that was sown by the Holy Spirit, it is now up to us to do our part and show it, live it, breathe it, and obey it.

Do you understand God’s love for you?

Do you accept God’s love?

Are you returning that love to God and others?

Do you have the stitching of love sown within you?

Prayer: Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit may the love I have for You overflow onto the lives of others. Lord I believe in Your mighty name that I am able to obtain all these qualities of love through the Holy Spirit that lives within me. Lord place your eyes on top of mine so that I might see through Your vision, the vision of love for all things and all people. Amen

Sowing’ it in!

“Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.” Romans 13:9-10

Every day I wake up I have the opportunity to love the Lord and others more than I did the day before. I have the opportunity to express love the same way Jesus did because of the power of the Holy Spirit within me. And it is done by making the choice to do so.

When God sent Jesus He sent the needle and thread. When we make the choice to have Christ stitched within us (accepting Him as our personal Lord and Savior) the Holy Spirit who already has His needle threaded jumps in and begins stitching love inside our hearts.

With each stitch comes more love, a few pricks, areas of tugging together to make the layers fit, a little brokenness, lots of piecing together, discipline, and most of all a heart that is covered in the blood of Christ, filled with love.

It is through daily stitching that I; we can even come close to loving as Christ tells us to love. It is choosing daily to look at our own hearts and let the Lord remind us of the love He bestows upon each of us. We must always remember that we ourselves had to be stitched, have to be stitched and that we must help stitch the love of Christ into others by sharing and showing You and what You have sown within us.

Are you daily letting the Holy Spirit stitch the love of Christ within you?

Prayer: Lord remind me daily of the stitches that You have made within me. May I not only share the stitches of love with others but may I show them You the one who sows. Lord I want nothing more than to be stitched inside and out with Your love. Amen

Selfish love or Selfless love

“Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements.” Romans 13:9-10

Love, love, love one of the hardest most unnatural things to do. There is no way I could ever truly love others let alone myself without Christ. Love is His very character and to me there is no better word to describe God and Jesus than love. The whole Bible revolves around love, everything God did He did because He loved and loves. Everything we do we are to do out of love and with love for Christ.

God does not make us love Him, His Son, or anyone else. He gives us the choice, the choice between living for Him or living for ourselves. But He tells us if you choose me than you must first love me with all that you are and second you must love your neighbor as yourself.

I have often wondered why God said we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, but the closer I grow to the Lord, the more time I spend in His word, the more I understand the meaning of this passage. I am not in love with myself, but I love myself enough to take care of me, when I am sick I do what I need to help my body recover, when I am tired I sleep, when I am hungry I eat. I work to have a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, etc.

We all love ourselves and God knew that. Therefore He says you love yourselves enough to take care of your needs and wants then you must go beyond that and love your neighbors the same way. Make sure they are able to be tended to when sick, if they need rest provide a place for them, if they are hungry feed them, if they have no clothes, clothe them. If they need a place to stay open your home. Do for others what you would do for yourself. That is huge!

We would never neglect ourselves so why do we neglect showing love to our neighbors?

Prayer: Lord as I begin this new week I ask that You will continue to open my eyes not only to love but to ways that I can extend and express Your love towards others. Amen

Lessons learned-lessons learning!

“I said to myself, I will watch what I do and not in sin in what I say. I will curb my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” Psalm 39:1

The Lord has truly taught me so many amazing lessons over this last week. And the biggest one that I want to share with you is one that He has been pounding on my heart for quite some time. I know this will sound familiar to some of you but there is a point the Lord is trying to make.

“And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak.” Matthew 12:36

I don’t know about you, but to know that one day I will be held accountable for EVERY word I have spoken and will speak leaves me full of emotions. I just cannot imagine standing before the Lord and hearing those words being repeated back to me. The ugliness, the sadness, the hurt, the devastation overwhelms me. More so, the thought of what those words did to Jesus when I spoke them…

I have to start taking into account that all things said and done will one day be judged. That they all affect, reflect, and impact Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Lord I love You! Forgive me for often failing to remember that You are the one most affected by what I say and do. Amen

In EVERYTHING we do!

“I said to myself, I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will curb my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” Psalm 39:1

Have you yourself or anyone you know ever went a whole day without complaining?

“In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them.” Philippians 2:14-15

The Lord tells us in everything we do that we are to stay away from complaining and arguing. And yet for me it is sometimes as though I can find something to complain about in everything I do. As I let those words fill my thoughts I am reminded by the Lord that I have absolutely nothing to even complain about so why do I do it? SELF the very thing I can’t stand to be around.

Noah could have complained building the ark, Moses could have begun complaining along with the Israelites who were very good at complaining. David could have complained to anyone who would listen about his enemies, but instead he chose to go to the Lord. Paul could have complained about all the persecution he faced, the beatings he endured, starving, being tired, etc, and instead he praised God and encouraged all the more. Jesus could have complained about our ignorance, our lack of obedience, the beatings He endured, the mocking He had to listen to, the nails that were driven in His hands and feet, the spit that hit His face, the cross He had to carry, the cross He hung on, the pain and suffering He felt, and He could have complained about putting on the world’s sin, of which includes mine, but He DIDN’T, instead He did the very opposite, He loved, forgave, and covered us in His blood.

No matter what comes in this life, sickness, death, real persecution, beating, mocking, standing alone, and so on, I should still never complain because I have Christ Jesus in me who has promised to be with me always, give me life, rescue me, protect me, and deliver me. He has promised to love me, forgive me, and He shows me mercy and grace every second of my life.

He has left me His word, He has left and filled me with the greatest counselor-the Holy Spirit and for that I should spend every day rejoicing and praising God.

Prayer: Lord may I constantly be reminded of just how amazing my life is, because my life is with You and in You. I want to possess the same qualities and self-control that You possessed during Your time here on earth. Forgive me for complaining and arguing about unnecessary things. Amen

Because I love Him

"I said to myself, ‘I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will curb my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” Psalm 39:1

For no other reason I want to be able to live out this verse because of the love I have for Christ. I want to become more aware of my words and my actions making sure they always display Christ’s love and the love I have for Him.

“Jesus replied, All those who love me will do what I say.” John 14:23

Therefore we will;

“be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” James 1:19


“Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech.” Proverbs 4:24


“Then watch your tongue! Keep your lips from telling lies!” Psalm 34:13


“Those who refuse to slander others or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.” Psalm 15:3


“The godly think before speaking; the wicked spout evil words.” Proverbs 15:28


“Obscene stories, foolish talk, and course jokes-these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.” Ephesians 5:4

”Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.” Ephesians 4:29-30

Most of all we will;

“Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:16-17

I don’t want to just say I love God and then not back it up with my actions and speech. I want to truly be able to show, speak and say that I love God with every part of me and others see that love relationship we have for each other.

Prayer: Lord forgive me, I have so often said I loved You and have not showed it through my actions nor my speech. Lord thank You for removing the veil from over my eyes so that today I could truly grasp and see that true love is shown through obedience that is displayed through my actions and words. Lord I want everything I do and say to be a reflection of You, representing You in with the utmost respect and honor. Amen

RED ALERT!

“I said to myself, ‘I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will curb my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” Psalm 39:1

Over these last several days I have noticed something that I have come to greatly appreciate-the accountability I have been receiving from those who read Godly Gossip. Thank you! You have no idea how much being held accountable to the word of God and to you my brothers and sisters, has driven me, encouraged me, and inspired me. I am deeply grateful and I ask that you all will continue to hold me and all our other brothers and sisters accountable to become even more like Christ than the day before.

Do you know how much Scripture there is throughout the whole Bible that talks about speech, our words, our conversations, TONS! And it just goes to show how important it is that we control our tongue and do not sin in what we say. It might just be me, but I have noticed how easy it is to sin in what I say, whether it is complaining, being negative, grumpy, speaking out of anger, or being frustrated or annoyed. I have even noticed that my joking with others can be sinful. Which I must confess I did have a “why did I say that moment” the other night and the minute it came out I knew!

Through the help of my magnificent counselor that lives inside the control center of my heart-the Holy Spirit-Jesus, I am learning and becoming very aware of making wiser decisions in what I say. I like to look at it as though He pushes an aware alert button that shoots up to my brain warning me that He is not pleased with that thought and what so ever do not let it come out of my mouth. Isn’t God good?

He is so good that last night as I was studying He led me to a verse that spoke directly to my heart and reassured me that if I begin to speak in this way He will be pleased and there will be more goodness in my heart and in my words than sinful.

“Listen to me! For I have excellent things to tell you. Everything I say is right, for I speak the truth and hate every kind of deception. My advice is wholesome and good. There is nothing crooked or twisted in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those who want to learn.” Proverbs 8:6-9

When we study, meditate, learn, store, and apply God’s word, when we make His words become our words than our speech, our conversations, our thoughts will also be truthful, wholesome, good, plain, clear, encouraging, kind, loving, peacemaking, helpful, and sweet.

“From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.” Proverbs 16:23

- In other words if we are not studying the word of God seeking knowledge, wisdom and discernment we are not going to become very wise, therefore our minds and speech will lack wisdom and the things we say will not be persuasive.

“A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.” Proverbs 17:27

-I just love how all these verses flow together. Wisdom my friend is the key to not sinning in what we say and the key to gaining self-control.

Prayer: Lord do You know how awesome You are? Do you know how amazing Your word is? Thank You Father for giving us Your word so that we might know You and become more like You. Lord just as You did for Ezekiel I ask that You do the same for me and put my tongue to my roof until You release it for me to speak. Lord fill me with the wisdom of Your word so that my speech and conversations will bring You honor. Amen

How much control do you have?

“I said to myself, ‘I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will curb my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” Psalm 39:1

Is it just me or is the second part of this passage crazy hard? David says Lord not only am I going to watch what I do, but I am not going to sin in what I say. I am going to use self-control, and make sure to evaluate my thoughts before I speak. As for Kristi, it will be best to only speak when directed and prompted by the Holy Spirit, otherwise nothing good will come out. Now I am not saying that every time I speak it is just horrible at least I hope not, but I know my fleshly self and I also know that the place I struggle with what I say the most is at home with my husband.

I would also like to use the excuse of just being “woman” for the nonsense that sometimes pours out of my mouth, but the truth is I often lack self-control and I often find myself acting off of my feelings, which we all know for women is a major rollercoaster.

I cannot express the importance of taming the tongue, not in my own life let alone to anyone else, but I can share with you some wonderful powerful passages from the word of God that will be able to express just how important controlling our tongue is.

Importance number 1-“We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way.” James 3:2

-so know when to speak and when not to speak. When the urge to jump into a conversation arises be sure that what is going to come out will be helpful, useful, truthful, kind, and needed.

Importance number 2- “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.” James 1:26

-Examples of an uncontrolled tongue consist of; gossip, putting others down, bragging, manipulating, false teaching, exaggerating, complaining, flattering, lying (these were taken from my bible commentary) All of these come from a selfish heart.

For today I want to do two more importance’s that I find to be very useful and two that we should study, store, apply, live, share, and repeat over and over to ourselves.

Importance number 3- “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

-If we truly want to please the Lord than we will control our tongues and make sure that what we say and think will be pleasing to Him.

Importance number 4- “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed.” Psalm 141:3

-I have found this passage to be one of the most used prayers in my life. Most of the time before I begin a conversation I ask the Lord to take control of what I say only allowing things to be said that will honor and glorify Him. I will admit that I do fail quite often because I try and take control instead of letting the Holy Spirit be in control. But when I do step aside it is amazing just so amazing how much better a conversation is because I walk away knowing God was in control, pleased, and I don’t have a guilty feeling inside wishing and wondering why in the world I said the things I said.

Prayer: Lord today before I even begin to open my mouth I ask that You take complete control of what I say for when You are in control Lord I know that You will be pleased, honored and praised. Lord I ask that You will continue to convict me, teach me, and keep my lips sealed in all situations, through all my frustrations, and over any feeling that arises within me. Lord I want nothing more than to have a tongue that speaks with control, that is encouraging, uplifting, kind, and loving and I can only do that through You. Amen

Is my life representing what I claim to advertise?

“I said to myself, ‘I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will curb my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” Psalm 39:1

Do you know what a world of difference it makes when you put forth the effort to watch your actions, think before you speak, and pray during stressful or frustrating times? A HUGE DIFFERENCE!

Yesterday was a good day, I did stumble in my speech one time and just as I had asked the Lord yesterday to convict me, He did exactly that. I am so thankful for the discipline and love my Heavenly Father shows and has for me. I could not imagine being hardened to the convictions of the Holy Spirit, could you?

I also could not imagine leading others to believe that God is okay with me complaining or arguing, speaking wrongly of others, or having perverse speech. Not only that but I could not imagine causing others to stumble because I chose to take part in worldly things.

All of this leads me to this one question, is my life representing what I claim to advertise-which is being a follower of Christ?

David said, “I will watch what I do.” Why was it so important for David to watch what he did, why is it so important for me to watch what I do? “We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and so no one can find fault with our ministry. In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God.” 2 Corinthians 6:3-4 good enough reason? I thought so too.

We have to watch what we do because we are constantly being watched and our actions and words could be just enough excuse to cause someone to reject Christ. And I in no way want anyone to miss entering the Kingdom of Heaven nor do I want to be held accountable for causing them to stumble because I chose to please my flesh and ignore what effect my actions and words might have on others.

For me, I will watch what I do making sure that my actions, choices, and the places I am in, will reflect Christ and not myself or the world.

Prayer: Jesus thank You for teaching me just how important it is that I watch what I do. Show me all the areas in my life where my actions could cause others to stumble or cause them to reject You. May my actions be completely guided by the Holy Spirit. Amen

Curb it!

Week 2 June 8-14

“I said to myself, ‘I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will curb my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” Psalm 39:1

As I begin a new week I begin it with a heavy heart. A heart that is full of shame and sadness because of the lack of control I have with my tongue, especially in the area of complaining and arguing. I find it so amazing how quickly I can open my mouth and allow just ugliness to come out. I know this is going to be an extremely eye opening week for me, but one that I look forward to. I so desperately want to change in the area of my speech and I want to reach the point David did in this Psalm. He took all his complaints, his anger, his hurt, frustration directly to the Lord first, not man. And oh how I have failed in that area, there is no reason I can and should not vent to the Creator the one and only one who can bring calmness, reasoning and true Godly understanding to my heart and mind. He is even great about teaching me areas I need changing.

I also know that in order for me to not sin in what I say and do I have to clean up my heart first. “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” Luke 6:45 If I have a complaining, negative, angry heart my speech will reflect that, of which it has so much lately.

There are three words that stand out in this passage, watch, not, and curb. These three words will become the application part this week. I will watch my actions and my body language, I will NOT allow complaining or ugliness to come out in my speech, and I will curb my tongue, which to me means I will park it under my teeth where if need be they will use a little tough love towards my tongue if ugliness tries to seep out.

Prayer: Lord forgive me for having a heart that is full of selfishness. I know that all my speech comes from within. I ask that you cleanse me from the core of my soul. Lord may the Holy Spirit take complete control of my life especially in the area of my weakness. I ask that by the power of the Holy Spirit I will be under such conviction if I even think or murmur a word or thought that will be displeasing to You. Lord I want my words to be a reflection of You! Amen

The real-deal or imitation?

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

As I close out the first of my 52 weeks of S.S.A.L.S (study, store, apply, live and share) I must say how amazing this week has been, and if it is any inclination of how the next 51 weeks will be it is going to be a truly life changing experience. I say that because just this weekend I was faced with the choice to feed my disappointment, my frustration, and my selfishness or I could kill out all those hunger pains by feeding them the word of God. And guess what? I chose God’s word. As I heard each one growl at me from within I came back at them by quoting Matthew 4:4 and the other sister scriptures that I have studied this week. Then instead of trying to fight them on my own I used the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I have to say the peace, calmness, and the immediate relief that came over me was exhilarating. If you are doing this journey with me, I hope your week of feeding on every word of God has been as wonderful and heart changing as well.

Therefore as I wrap-up week one I want to share one more passage with you that is the true meat and potatoes of our passage this week. It is found in John 6:48-51, 53-57

“Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. However, the bread from heaven gives eternal life to everyone who eats it. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; this bread is my flesh, offered so the world may live…So Jesus said again, ‘I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them at the last day. For my flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. All who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me, and I in them. I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will love because of me. I am the true bread from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever and not die as your ancestors did, even though they ate the manna.”

My friends feeding on the physical bread and things of this world is temporary and leads to death, but feeding on the true bread of life-Jesus Christ is completely life giving, satisfying, and in no way leads to disappointment or just a temporary fix. It is permanent! Each day the Israelites would eat the manna and they would be satisfied for that day, but in order for them to eat everyday they had to keep going and getting the bread. God gave us something way better than manna; He gave us Jesus Christ the true bread that once gathered and placed within fulfills us for eternity. Have you received the real-deal, the real bread of life, or are you stuck on the imitation bread?

Prayer: Lord thank You for the opportunity to receive the bread of life that once taken satisfies for eternity. Lord I pray for each brother and sister that is taking this journey with me that they will daily feed on Your every word allowing their hearts to be softened and transformed. Amen

God burn-SON-tan

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

In preparing for the Lord’s College class tomorrow I came across one of the most amazing verses that just so happens to go right along with this week’s Bible verse.

“Moses was up on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he neither ate nor drank. At that time he wrote the terms of the covenant-the Ten Commandments-on the stone tablets. When Moses came down the mountain carrying the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face glowed because he had spoken to the Lord face to face. And when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him.” Exodus 34:28-30

Okay first of all the 40 days, 40 nights, 40 years (Israelites) is just a crazy long time, anyway…

There are a few things that really stick out at me in this passage.

ONE, how awesome it is to know that during those 40 days and 40 nights Moses was face to face with God (little jealous here).

SECOND, Moses neither ate nor drank that whole time, instead He got to feast on the word of God.

- I am so excited right now, because God is revealing so much to me and He is bringing Matthew 4:4 to life within me. He is giving me clarity and a deeper understanding of just how magnificent and satisfying His word really is. Oh I wish nothing more than for you to be able to experience the same thing as you walk with the Lord over these next 52 weeks; 365 days.

THIRD, as Moses was coming down from the mountain he had a glow on his face that scared Aaron and the people of Israel. Just envision that moment with me for a second. You know when you look up at the sun for the millisecond you can you are able to see a glow around it, that was what Moses’ face was like, just not as bright. I like to say he had a God burn!

When we are out in the sun for a long period of time, we become sunburned and it is obvious to those who see us that we have spent time outside. Well it should be the same way spiritually.

No we won’t receive an actual glow like Moses did, but we should have a visible God burn on us that is shown through our actions and our speech. And just like we only get sunburned from being in the sun, we can only get a God burn from being in the SON, the word, and prayer. Once we spend time with God like Moses it will not only make an impact on us but on others, because it will be obvious to them that we have just been with God.

How great is that? Feeding on every word of God not only fills you up, but it gives you a SON-tan that is beautiful, radiant and all from Christ Jesus within you. I would way rather have a membership with Christ's tanning salon than any other one, because there my tans have been paid for, they are a daily gift, I can use them anytime all year around and the tan lasts way longer-like forever longer!

Prayer: Lord may my SON-tan be so bright and radiant that every time I walk away people will notice that I have just been with You. Amen

Craving Cheesecake

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

Do you know what the word crave means? It means to have a consuming, intense desire or longing for something. You know that after 40 days and nights with no food Jesus had to have been craving something to eat? We know the Israelites craved to have the foods they did in Egypt because they began to complain to Moses about how hungry they were. And not only did the Lord hear their complaint he rained down manna from Heaven. All for the sole purpose of showing the Israelites that they needed more than bread for their life, they needed to feed on every word of God. (Deuteronomy 8:3) I think the time I really craved things the most was when I was pregnant, well...okay not just then, but I can tell you during my first pregnancy when I wasn't sicker than a dog I craved cheesecake from Johnny Carinos. And God love my husband he would go get it for me late at night because the intense craving was unbelievable and he knew his life would be miserable if he didn't. With that thought I wonder…when is the last time I truly craved Jesus with an intense, consuming desire?

It is so easy to crave certain foods, like my husband’s unbelievable Swiss mushroom turkey burgers, or an outfit I saw at the mall the other day, or the Garmin watch I have been dying to have. There are so many things that we crave that go way beyond food. Some people crave love so much that they set out to find in any way, shape or form, some people crave to be high, some people crave sports, alcohol, shopping, money, power, popularity, sex, attention, praise, food, control, and some people just crave themselves.

Do you know what God craves?

He craves for us to accept His Son as our personal Lord and Savior

He craves obedience

He craves for us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength,

He craves us to love our neighbors as we do ourselves

He craves for us to die to ourselves and follow Him

He craves our attention and time

He craves a personal relationship

He craves to be honored, respected, and adored

He craves for us to share His word with all who will hear

He craves to be praised

He craves hearts that are for Him and Him alone

He craves for us to know and believe that we are loved, forgiven and adored.

He craves for us to be covered in the blood of His Son

He craves for us to love Him and love others.

And He craves for us to serve only Him.

So how can I take those cravings God has and satisfy them? By doing each one of them and understanding that I can only do them with the help of the Holy Spirit within me. My goal is to begin craving the things of Christ-which will only lead to a more satisfying appetite.

What are some things you crave? Do you have cravings that are so strong and intense you will do whateve it takes to satisfy them? If anyone is out there, I would love to hear what some things are that you crave that have taken control over you.

Prayer: Jesus I do crave You but I want to crave You like You crave me. You never give up or ignore the craving You have for Your children and I never want to ignore the craving I have to know You more. Jesus forgive me for the times I have given into sinful, worldly cravings. Amen

Wasteful!

“People need more than bread for their life, they must feed on every of God.” Matthew 4:4

Instead of spending the free time that I had last night studying the word of God, I spent it watching cartoons, reading my email, and the yahoo news which is full of nonsense, and though none of that was bad it was in no way productive or even beneficial. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t think God was displeased but I was. Why, because instead of finding contentment in His word I used the T.V. and the internet, two of the worst things to fill my mind with and two very wasteful things!

Do you know the greatest lesson I learned from wasting such precious time, is that we really do have the time to spend with Jesus we just choose to spend our time on wasteful things that we find necessary. Or I should  that are self-pleasing. If I was to stop and take a minute to ask myself if what I was doing was beneficial to my spiritual growth or wasteful, maybe I would reconsider what I was doing. Maybe I would even stop making the excuse that there is just not enough time in the day because I would be more aware of what I was using my time for.

Jesus did not spend the 40 days in the wilderness for self-gratification, or to waste time. He did it so He could draw from the strength of His Father in Heaven. That, my friend, is what I should have been doing during my free time, drawing strength and wisdom from my Heavenly Father.

I mean isn’t that the very reason Lord, You spoke to my heart and told me to start this 52 week application?

When God called Paul to the ministry, He sent him away for three years in almost complete isolation so that he could be taught the word of God. I don’t think Paul spent his free time pleasing his flesh, or wasting it on things that were not necessary. I of course do not know that for sure, but I would assume he didn’t. He spent it learning and being equipped by the Father to preach the Good News.

I am in no way bashing myself I am simply making the point that I desire to use my free time getting to know the Lord and the word of God better, of which I did not do. When you put all that you do in the light of Christ and the word He will begin to show you areas that need to be changed and in this case it is using my time to feed on the word of God and not on my flesh.

Prayer: Lord thank You for revealing to me how important it is that I use my time to feast on Your word and not on the things of the world. Lord continue to convict me when I use my time in a wasteful manner. Amen

52 weeks, 365 days of S.S.A.L.S

Week 1-June 1-7

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

In my quest to be filled with more of Christ and His word I have decided over the next 52 weeks or 365 days I will begin to Study, Store, Apply, Live and Share the word of God which I will refer to as S.S.A.L.S. Each week as the Lord leads and picks Scripture for me I will focus on that one passage for the next 7 days. My prayer is that I will grow deeper in love with Christ, gain more understanding of Him and His word, develop and apply wisdom and have a heart that is completely transformed inside out.

I daily get into the word of God but I want more than just to read and walk away. I want to walk away wearing the word of God. I want to spend the next 365 days developing a love relationship with Christ that is full of intimacy, joy, fulfillment, contentment, excitement, passionate, and that leaves us both knowing more and more about each other. I want to be the bride that pleases my groom in every way and to do that I need to know everything there is to know about Him, what He likes and dislikes, what makes His heart full and what hurts His heart. I need to know how He likes and wants to be served, and how I can show Him the utmost respect, honor, and praise.

Throughout these next 52 weeks I hope to share with you all the good, not so good, the revelations, and the amazing insights and blessings that will come from this exciting journey with the Lord.

I would love to have you join me, if you are up for the challenge shoot me a comment, I would love to hear how the Lord is working and changing you inside and out.

Our first week begins with a verse we are all very familiar with Matthew 4:4, and what a great passage to start with. Physically we do need food to survive but spiritually it is God’s word that will leave us filling full and satisfied.

How can I get to the point in my life when I really begin feeding on the word of God? I want to get to a place where I run to God’s word to be fed when I feel the hunger pains strike. And I don’t mean actual hunger pains; I mean the type of hunger pains like anger, irritability, sadness, frustration, confusion, jealousy, and pride hunger pains, the ones that creep up and leave a sick feeling inside. The ones that grown so loud other people can hear them.

I want to feed those hunger pains with God’s word and not with what they want to be fed, which we all know they feed on more of themselves.

So this week as I S.S.A.L.S Matthew 4:4 I am going to run to the best home cooking food known to man-God’s word and feast on it until I can’t even function!

Prayer: Lord I come running to the table ready to sit and take in all that You have prepared for me. As I chew all that is on my plate I ask that my heart will digest all of this passage absorbing within every space, crook and nanny available pushing out all the junk food. Amen

Are you a walking Religion or are you IN love?

“You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me so that I can give you this eternal life. Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you.” John 5:39-42

Why do you serve God?

1. For His benefits

2. Afraid of Hell

3. Tradition and Ritual

4. A need for some form of religion to meet your spiritual needs.

5. A form of spirituality

6. Political gain

7. for the attention and praise of others

8. Following the crowd

9. Because you love Him

OR

10. Because you are IN love with Him

-Written by James Mejias

As I read these questions written by our good friend I could not help but to wonder what the true answer was in my own life. I believe it is easy for us to say we love Jesus but are we really IN love with Jesus or do we fall into the same category as the Pharisees and Sadducees did? Are we really just a bunch of walking religions? Last night as I thought about these questions, God revealed something to me that is so true. It is a lot of work to be a religious-law abider. It leaves you miserable, grumpy, angry at those who don’t follow the law, jealous of others, blind, greedy, self-righteous, and it leaves you plum worn out and hardened to the true meaning of why Christ came, died, and rose again.

But when we put aside the religion mess and just fall IN love with Christ it becomes freeing, satisfying, enjoyable, and brings a sense of peace, rest, and hopefulness. It opens our eyes to the meaning of mercy and grace and it softens our hearts. Think about it, when you are IN love with someone you love everything about them, you overlook the flaws, the annoyances, and you accept them for who they are and where they are, just like Christ does for us. So why is it so much easier and better to be IN love with Christ and not a walking religion?

Because Christ paid the price

He accepts us for who we are and where we are

He shows us undeserved mercy and grace everyday-when the walking religions condemn us.

He gives hope-when the walking religions fill us with fear

He gives us life-when the walking religions bring death

He adores us and His love is unconditional-where as the walking religions are concerned only with themselves and love only when they are benefited.

And finally just as the song says, Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, but His blood washed it white as snow! –the walking religions law could and will never do that.

So why do you serve God, because you are IN love with His Son, or because it is a part of your religion? Do others see the joy in your life that comes from being IN love with Christ or do they see you as someone who just goes through the motions and blends in with the all the other walking religions? God knows, you know and others now when you are truly IN love with Christ-you show through it through your obedience and your heart for Jesus and for others is genuine, consistent and sincere.

Prayer: Lord thank You for the amazing joy that comes from being IN love with Your Son. May we break the mold of being walking religions and show the world what serving You really is. Lord reveal to each of us areas in our lives that need to be changed. Amen

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.