Maybe It's His Way of...

"Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:36

Sometimes when things get hard we seek to find the easiest way out,  whether by just walking away, leaving, ignoring the issue or just simply quitting. 

But it's in those times God wants to teach us, grow us, use us, and develop a strength in us we will need later. 

It's in these hard times, we have to keep our eyes on Christ and trust in His plan for our lives. We must listen to His voice of truth, hold on to His promises, look to Him for comfort and companionship and learn to rejoice even in our hardships. 

God has big plans for us. God has had a plan for each of us before we were even born. 

Sometimes our feeling of loneliness and struggle is God drawing us into Himself. He is simply removing some things and or people from our lives for a little while in order to get alone with us. His intentions are always sweet and always perfect, even if we can't see it at the time. 

His reaching out to us is His way of letting us know He desires us, wants us and loves us. 

As He reaches out, we should be grabbing on. Don't let this time of learning, growing and transforming slip away. 

"Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an oppurtunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." James 1:2-3

Just This

Jesus You have given me the greatest honor and role here on earth-mommy.

Thank You for the overwhelming amount of joy these babies bring to my life. 

I pray I live in such a way they see You at all times. I pray Your reflection in me leaves them desiring more of You.

May my words and my actions towards Garrett be ones that teach them to desire a woman who is submissive, respectful, kind, loving, encouraging and most of all God fearing. 

May I never take this role for granted. It is a gift from You that can be taken at any time. 

May I never waste time being selfish but selfless so they can learn to live a life just as You did. 

Jesus You gave me the greatest example to follow, my mama and I pray I become half the woman she is today. 

Thank You for the godly example she set for me. She not only taught it but she lives it. 

Jesus continue to teach me Your ways so I can teach them. Amen

Who Do You Choose?

Look around at those who you surround yourself with. Do they force you to be better for God or the world?

Do they challenge you to go deeper in your faith daily? 

Do they encourage you to fulfill the purpose God gave you?

Do they influence you according to His truths?

Do they commit to holding you accountable in your walk with Christ?

Do they live a life pleasing to The Lord or the world?

Do they live day in and day out God's Word?

Do their actions encourage you to align yours with His Word?

Do you pray together?

Do you serve together?

Who exactly do you choose, those who straddle both God and the world or those who choose to walk righteously? 

Which One Are You?

It's always interesting when I step back and evaluate my absolute joy and excitement for Jesus here on earth all to realize it doesn't even come close to what it will be like in heaven. 

I imagine I will be that crazy woman throwing myself all over the King of Kings, all while crying that hysterical woman cry as I literally place my entire being in his arms. 

What truly astonishes me is the mere fact that a lot of others will be doing the same thing and not one of us will have to compete or wait for His attention. 

With that thought it brings me to this astonishing realization that many of us forget. 

We don't have to compete or try to impress Christ. His love and affection is available to each of us at all times. 

Our minds have been warped with the lie that we have to earn His love, even salvation through our works. Therefore we actually live a life trying to EARN His love, His attention and salvation. So much so we even compete with one another, rather than uniting as one.

If it is about works alone than why did Jesus even need to come?

The most important thing and the one that will last forever is our relationship with Christ. 

If we focus on our own relationship with Him we will actually be investing our time in the one that matters the most and we will spend less time competeing or trying to earn His love and attention through works alone. 

Which one are you? Are you trying to earn your way or do you have a real, personal, and intimate relationship with Him? 

Altar Sunday

Jesus You deserve our absolute best. You gave up heaven and came to earth for us. You walked on this earth knowing You would have to die. You came anyway. I can't shake these thoughts from my mind. Your selflessness, Your mercy, Your willingness, Your love, all for us. All so we could everlasting life. 

You are more than amazing. Your love is overwhelming, captivating, marvelous. As we approach the Most Holy Place where You dwell, may we be prepared, willing, excited, and anxious to lay our lives at Your feet, giving You every part of us. 

Pride Accomplishes Nothing!

"Pride leads to arguments; those who take advice are wise." Proverbs 13:10

Jesus forgive me for being prideful at times. Keep me humble so I may be more of a peacemaker and reflection of You. Remind me of humility, especially in moments when pride creeps up and tries to be seen and heard. Pride accomplishes nothing! 

Teach me the difference between godly confidence and pride, they are often times confused. Jesus I am nothing without You. I can accomplish nothing on my own. I am in desperate need of You at all times. On my own I am foolish. 

Turn me into a listener, peacemaker and a woman of humility. I know humility leads to peace, growth and wisdom, all of which define and reflect who You are. Amen

He Never Takes Them Off of You

This truth is one of the most powerful, comforting, convicting, overwhelming, eye opening truth's there is.

Jesus NEVER takes His eyes off of you!!

Out of 7 billion people, Jesus always has His eyes on you. There is not a millisecond that goes by that He is not watching you.

He is so in love with you, He can't take His eyes off of you.

Find joy in that promise.

"I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!" Psalm 139:7

A New Phase

When God calls you to step out from behind the computer, you do it. You go and share, serve, meet face to face, disciple, encourage, and be available for His use. 

This is where I am today. This is the newest and most active phase of my life and ministry. 

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love and adore each of you precious readers. I also love and adore the precious faces I get to see in flesh. 

This is probably one of the best periods of fulfilling my purpose thus far, along with teaching. 

I am humbled and honored to be found somewhat worthy enough to be used by our Amazing King of Kings. 

He has opened the door for teaching not only in the Church, but outside the Church and even at some Women gatherings. 

For me, God reveled His purpose for me awhile back, but it has taken up to now for Him to be ready to send me out and use me in ways only He can. These oppurtunities thrill me to no end. 

I am a teacher not a speaker and when He taught me the difference and I understood it, my life changed radically. I learned the true meaning of Luke 9:23 and Titus 2 and how those passage look lived out. As a follower of Christ, who is carrying my cross daily, I am literally dragging it while on my knees. I am not worthy enough to carry it upright. Jesus is far to holy and amazing! 

I say all of this to reveal His amazing Grace. His Faithfulness. His purpose and to point others towards Him. 

I pray daily that He makes me invisible and Himself visible. I never want to be seen or heard. I always want Jesus to be seen and heard. 

I tell my ladies often, I have absolutely NOTHING to offer or give you, but Jesus does. 

I never want anyone to see more of me than I really am, and that is a sinner saved by grace and cleansed by His blood. 

So, if you find me absent at times, it's because Christ has called me to go and do and be and serve and teach. 

I truly am a humbled little speck on the face of this earth who is humbled beyond humbled to be used by Jesus. 

You are loved, prayed for and thought of, always!!

"Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God." Titus 2:3-5

Boundaries

Don't look at God's boundaries as restrictions. Look at them as your protection. The more you stay within them, the better off you will be. The more you obey Him, the less chaotic your life will be. 

His boundaries are for our good! Rejoice in them. 

"Godliness helps people all through life, while the evil are destroyed by their wickedness." Proverbs 13:6

He'll Blow Your Mind

When this...

And this...

And this...

take place within your home, your heart can't help but to overflow with joy. To hear and see these precious women study God's Word overwhelms me in the greatest way.

God is doing great big things through this Bible Study. 

It's amazing when we allow Him to have complete control and surrender to His calling, how He blows our minds with things as wonderful as this.

We are expecting big things to happen on Monday nights. Come join us and be apart of what God's doing. 

Altar Sunday

Approach the altar today for someone who is suffering, hurting, lost, or broken. 

If we all do it for one person, imagine what a difference it could make. 

The First Encounter

Jesus could Your presence be so known, so present, that when anyone crosses the threshold they encounter You first?

Learned Behaviors

Is it true many behaviors are learned? I don't know the exact answer to that question, but in my study of the book of Proverbs, I am learning many are. 

Selfishness is a learned behavior. The more we practice selfishness the more selfish we become. 

Gossip is a learned behavior. The more we partake in it, the more we do it. 

A negative attitude is a learned behavior. The more we hear it, think it and speak it, the more negative we become.

Foolishness is a learned behavior. The more foolish we act the more foolish we become.

Jealousy is a learned behavior. The more we compare ourselves to others, the more jealous we become.

Love is a learned behavior. The more we look to Christ and live like Christ, the more we will live out love.

Living in joy is a learned behavior. The more we understand the gift Christ gave us-everlasting life-the more joyful we become.

Obedience is a learned behavior. The more we study God's Word, practice it, obey it, and live it out, the more obedient we become.

Forgiveness is a learned behavior. The more we understand it, become aware of its importance, and grasp how much we have received it, the more forgiving we will be.

A postive attitude is a learned behavior. The more we focus on His promises and truths, the more postive our thoughts and speech will become.

Many of these might be taught, but most are learned through repetitive practice. 

Practice makes perfect, isn't that the saying? 

Think about it!

Only You

Only You oh God are Soverign. You alone are our healer. You restore, revive, renew, protect, comfort, provide, love and guide us.

You understand us better than we do ourselves. You know our fears, our doubts, our weaknesses, our hopes, and our dreams.

You know our future, you live with us in our present, and when confessed, you forget our past. 

Only You God. 

He Came Anyway

He knew what it would all entail before He came. He came anyway.

He knew many would reject Him, but He came anyway.

He knew it would be painful, but He came anyway.

He knew the weight He would bear, but He came and did it anyway.

He knew He would die, but He came anyway.

And then, on the third day, He did something He knew would change our lives forever. He over came death and rose. 

He did it for you and me.

Just Jesus

No man can display such beauty. No man can make Himself known like Christ does. No man can create something as marvelous as the sunrise and sunset. No man can count every star. No man can tell you the number of hair on your head. No man can tell the wind to blow or in which direction to blow. No man can save you from your sins. No man can wash you white as snow. 

Just Jesus! 

It's True!!

Do you know what He did?

To find out read this Matthew 28:5-7

Are You a Godly One or a Wicked One?

What type of friend are you, a godly friend or a wicked friend?

Most of us would never admit to being a wicked friend, but we must be careful. If we have encouraged gossip, lying, jealousy, bitterness, dishonesty, choosing sides, even wordly living, we might not be as godly of a friend as we think.

Let Jesus reveal to you what type of friend you really are.

"The godly give good advice to their friends, the wicked lead them astray." Proverbs 12:26

Warning!

"You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. They will betray 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 3:1-5

There is a reason Paul warned Timothy of the last days, and there is a reason this passage still applies to us today. We need to be warned, aware, and conscious.

These things can take root within us, our families, our homes and our Churches. For some, this may already be the case. So how do we rid our homes, our lives, our families from these things?

Three ways

1. Understand none of us are immune.
2. Go Straight to the Root.
3. Combat it with the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we think we are immune to the attacks of Satan, we have another thing coming. He is constantly planning and scheming, he waits until we are weak, and then he attacks. We are susceptible.

We need to learn, evaluate and get familiar with the root of what causes these actions-selfishness.
When we focus on ourselves, the desires of our flesh, and feelings we literally remove Christ from the center and place ourselves in the place He should be. This will always produce problems, stress, frustration, and more selfishness. In order to put Christ back in the center you must daily put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your Cross daily and follow Him. You literally have to wake up and run to the foot of the Cross and lay your selfishness down.

Then, you have to put on the armor of Christ and be completely on guard at all times. You need to tune your ears to His voice and listen. None of these things are easy, but if we choose to do them day in and day out, we will be able to look back and see how He has guided us, protected us, and helped us grow in perseverance, self-control and faith.

The greatest asset we have is His Word. We need to be storing it within us every second, constantly meditating on His promises, seeking it out like we would lost treasure or hidden money. The more we store His Word, the stronger the Holy Spirit is within us, and the less likely we are to give into our selfishness.

Jesus, uproot the selfishness within us and replace it with Your truths, Your promises, and selflessness. Take complete control of our lives in every area. Guard us from our own selfishness. Jesus bring healing to those who are living in the bondage of selfishness. Bring freedom and healing to the families who have allowed sin and selfishness to divide them. Amen

The Beauty in the Scars

It's easy to live in a way that hides the truth of who we really are. But to live in a way that shows the truth of who we really are, is hard in a world where there is constant judgement.

Those who are able to say, "I am sinner" and allow their sinfulness to be exposed, are the ones who speak and live the most powerful testimony.

They have realized their need for Jesus-their Saviour. It is through that realization they are able to stand firm. They understand the meaning of mercy.

They no longer live chained to their past, or in the fear of judgement. They live in the freedom of His forgiveness and grace.

Their scars become beautiful stories of redemption. 

They are able to fully grasp the purpose and meaning of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. 

They have been set free. 

"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 7:24-25