Desperate Hope, Desperate Faith

What exactly is Hope? Webster dictionary defines it as, to desire with expectation of obtainment or to expect with confidence. Faith and trust are required in the hope process; it's impossible to hope without the two. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1). You trust God by faith that everything you've hoped for will be given to you.

There is hope in not knowing. For if we knew how everything would happen when it would happen, then what would be the purpose for hope's existence? I believe God gives us hope so we'll never forget how mighty He is. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20). In that power is hope. When we pray, we hope to see what we petition God for come into fruition. Even in our everyday lives, when someone promises to be there or do something for us, we remain hopeful that they keep their promise, right? Well God is sort of like that ....actually He's better! His promises are Yes and Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). When He says it, it WILL come to pass, without question, hesitation, doubt or second guessing....all in His timing of course.

If we aren't careful, fear will rob us of our hope and the things we've hope for. Fear has no place in our lives because it's not given to us by God. He has given us power and a sound mind. Don't allow fear to creep into your sound mind and become a derailment of your process. We also have to make sure we don't get weary. Oh, it's very easy to become discouraged and even doubtful but we have to hang on the Word of God. If that's the only thing that keeps us going, let it be. We know that His word will NEVER return to Him void.

When Jesus was on his way to heal Jairus' dying daughter, in the crowd He was touched by the woman with the issue of blood. He had to stop to find out exactly who touched Him. Now this is Jesus and I'm sure there were so many people around and they were all probably touching Him. But this touch was different. It was a touch of hope, faith and desperation. She'd been to the doctors, spent tons of money and had been shunned by the people because they deemed her legally unclean. But when she heard who was in town she didn't care about the people. Her Faith activated her Hope and her Desperation drove her to Jesus in a crowd that would've been hard to get through for someone without hope, faith or desperation...and she was healed. (Story can be found in Mark 5:25-34)

We should have that drive every time we are hoping for God to come through for us, it doesn't matter how small it may be. Hold tight to your faith, hope for better and be desperate in your search for God. He will come through!

"God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times. When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst." -Lamentations 3:25-30 NLT

Guilty, but Still Cooking!

I'm guilty. Guilty as charged. I confess! I, Sierra S. Folder, admits to partaking in reality television. Yep I watch Love and Hip Hop, not religiously, but if it's on I'll watch it. Why? I honestly find it entertaining. Is it feeding my spirit? ABSOLUTELY NOT; "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." (Corinthians 7:1 ESV). Yup, I gotta stop watching that one! Hey no judgment; I'm being transparent here!

On to my point of my transparency, while watching the episode where Tara found out Peter was married to his artist (okay you may not watch it but follow me, I'm going somewhere), I couldn't help but thank God that I know Him (God). She was with this man for 13 years, bore his children & put up with his indiscretions.....and he married someone he knew for only a year. Can you imagine the pain she felt? All I could say while watching was, "If I didn't know Jeeeesuuuus!!!! Lord if I didn't know Him, that could have been my "model" for 21st Century love." I could have thought that's how love was supposed to be!! Thankfully that's not the case.

I am so glad that God loves His daughters. We ARE the daughters of THE KING!! He wants His best for us....I mean what parent doesn't? We just have to want His best for ourselves. We have to stop wasting our time with meaningless PTTD's (Pass The Time Dudes) and guys that give us attention, because all attention isn't good attention. We really just have to quit trying to mend our own hearts and fix our lives and let God do it (and NO, Iyanla, cannot do it!). We have to hand every situation, our struggles and our heartaches over to God. "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7 ESV) It's easier said than done but it's so worth it.

There's a process we have to go through to get to our ready point and during that process we have to TRUST God and WAIT. He has to do us just like that Thanksgiving turkey. We have to be Cleaned from the inside out: from all things that are not like God; Washed: by the Blood of the Lamb;  Based: With His Holy Spirit; Seasoned: With the Fruits of the Spirit and clothed in His Righteousness; and Cooked: Ooooh the Process of being under pressure, going through storms, facing giants, resisting temptation, etc.....all to come out READY TO BE SERVED!! And if one of those steps are skipped or if it/we are removed prematurely, it/we won't turn out right and we'd have to go through the process again.

We all want to get it right the first time but sometimes it doesn't happen like that. The good thing about having a repeated cycle, is that it teaches us. We've learned right? If so, together, let's declare this time as the LAST time we will go through the same process!! No more cycles!! Okay now, you've made the enemy angry with your declaration, so be prepared for him to come at you strongly. Watch as well as pray, Clothe yourself in the Amour of God and show that sucka who your Father is when he tries to come for you!!

My sisters, let God do the cooking. He's the Head Chef and we're just the course that's being prepared to be served to the one He thinks is most deserving of us. We aren't the only ones being cooked. God is doing the same thing to our "Him". And oh how wonderful it will be when both sides are equally enjoying what's been prepared for them! Remember that it's VITAL to let the process do what the process is supposed to do! Process is the only way we will ever see progression in our lives. Process essentially prepares us for forward progression, and oh how we love moving forward! So stick it out, soon you'll be happy that you did!

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." 1 John 3:1 (ESV)

P.S. I haven't done this blog in 9 months! This year I have been in the oven cooking and I'm still there. And I cannot explain how much this was for me. I did not plan to write about all of this but my fingers just went to moving and I feel like I was all over the place but I pray that it touches someone. God Bless!

He's Such A Constant God!!

Yo, this weather is so crazy! During the day it's all nice and warm but at night, the temperature drops and it gets super cold. Although it's March, Spring isn't officially here yet but I'd really like for this weather to make up it's mind on whether it wants to be hot or cold because I'm ready to wear my maxi dresses again.

God wants us to do the same thing. He wants us to stand for Him and not be lukewarm, "But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:16). Trust me, He doesn't want to spit us out but if we are to walk worthy of the high calling, "Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God" (Ephesians 4:1), then we have to make a choice to live completely for Him and stick with it. Just as I'm ready for the weather to become constant so that I can wear my maxi dresses, God wants us to become constant with Him so that we can fulfill the work He has for us.

Sometimes we can be so topsy turvy...one day we say this and the next day we do that. We change worse than the weather does! I'm so glad that God doesn't change like we do; we would be so screwed if He did. His Word assures us that He remains the same. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8). He's the ONLY consistently constant thing in our lives. In the blink of an eye our whole world could change, as for me it did, but I find rest and peace in knowing my God never will.

Isn't it amazing to know that God will always be there, that He won't change and "flip the script" on you? It's so comforting to be assured that in world that changes constantly, Our God remains constant at NOT changing!!! Don't you just LOVE HIM?!?!?

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." -James 1:17

Give Thanks...In All Things

Those of you who know me personally, know that I've been dealing with a lot in this past week or so. Like, A LOT...it seemed like it was entirely too much for me to bear. I remember talking with my mom and she just kept telling me to "Give God the Glory in it all". I was listening to and hearing her but in my mind I was like "why??". The stuff that was happening wasn't good but it was beyond my control. I knew why I should praise and give Him glory but couldn't acknowledge that what was happening was for a bigger purpose and that it was going to get better in time. I was just in a funk, discouraged and so stubborn.

God owes us nothing, but He freely gives us an abundance of grace in spite of. He allows us to go through trials and tribulations to bring us closer to Him and gives us grace in that. In those moments we can't deliver ourselves so we have to depend completely on Him. "For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. " (1 Timothy 4:10). We have no other choice but to trust Him.

Yesterday, I finally thanked God for my current situation. I don't like what's going on nor do I know His plan or His purpose, but I know that I have to trust Him because He knows what He's doing. "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28).

I know I'm not the only one going through, so YOU my brother and/or sister please be encouraged. When God gets ready, what he does in your life will blow your mind!

"Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully." -1 Peter 5:7

My Broken Heart...

Let me start off by saying that I apologize for being selfish and not sharing a blog post with you all on Thursday and Friday. I really tried to find something to say to encourage you all and to encourage myself but I've been so blocked off, not really wanting to deal with life this week.

On Monday, you all were so kind to offer up prayers for my friend, not knowing him or his circumstance. I really appreciate it and I'm sure he did too. The friend I was referring to was Al, my boss of the last 6 years. Your prayers were effective, for he has been healed and restored...on the other side. He  is in a much better place now and has gone on to be with the Lord.

It all happened so fast. I remember hearing a few details about what was going on so I prayed and asked you all to pray too. Then I went on to an appointment and on the way back to the office I got the terrible news and didn't think it was true. When I finally got back into the office I could feel that it was indeed very true when I walked inside. My heart broke again that day. And it's still broken.

I'll never forget my first day working for Al.  Back in March 2007 in my senior year at USC, I was walking to one of my classes when I got a text message from Fran asking me if I knew of anyone that needed a part time job.  I texted her back and was like, "Uh Me!". She told me to come to the office the next day to start working, doing little administrative things. The next day, I went to the office and had an interview with Al. When it was over, I was sent home and I was so confused because I went there ready to work. Once I left Fran tried to figure out why I was sent home. When she figured it out, it was just a miscommunication, she told Al that I came ready to work that day so he told her to tell me to come on back. Then when I graduated from USC in May 2007, I was still employed there. I had been lazy and hadn't really applied for any other jobs but it God had a plan. I remember stopping by to pick up my check before heading out to Bike Week (my pre-saved days) and Al asked me if I'd like to be trained as a paralegal and of course I said yes!! I was forever grateful to him because He'd given me my first real job as a college graduate. I know this job was for me because I've learned A LOT and I've met some of the most memorable people and I have formed lifelong friendships/familyships with my coworkers, past and present.

Who would have known that I'd only get to know him for 6 years? I know people have to often dig to find nice things to say about people when they pass away, but I can assure you this is not the case. I know for a fact that I will never, ever, ever have another boss like him. He was the sweetest, most humble person I'd ever met. He didn't fuss nor did he complain. In the 6 years that I've worked for him, I never saw him angry or upset. His compassion for people grew deep and he was so loving. I remember when my dad passed away in 2010, he came all the way to the country town of Guyton, GA for the funeral, not because he felt obligated to but because he cared. There were many times when he'd catch me crying and he'd make me come in his office, even when I'd lie and say I was okay, so that he could give me words of encouragement. I could talk to him when I needed to vent and he'd give me sound wisdom. I could go to him for all kinds of advice, ESPECIALLY spiritual. He was a true man of God. I even could confide in him and not worry about being judged.

He was buried yesterday and it's still unreal. I know some people may say, "He was just your boss". But he wasn't just my boss, he was my family. Al told his staff that he loved us (and we loved him back) and he treated us like nothing short of family. Two of his nieces worked for him and they'd call him "Uncle Al", and sometimes I'd call him that too. He'd chuckle and say, "Ahh listen at you" and he really didn't mind. In fact, I could call any of his brothers and sisters "Aunt and Uncle" and they didn't mind. They are just that loving. He went above and beyond for us. No one will ever know the lengths he went to in order to help his staff. We will miss him tremendously.

My heart really aches but still goes out to his family, his friends and us, his staff. We did not expect this to happen so soon but we know that God makes no mistakes. It's going to be hard going to the office everyday knowing he won't be there ever again, but I know Heaven is smiling something big right now because a soldier has come home. I thank God and find peace and consolation in knowing that he is fully restored and no longer has to fight with physical infirmities. To Him be ALL Glory through it all!!!

"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." -Isaiah 35:10

"There indeed is NO sorrow that Heaven cannot heal."

Don't Be Deceived

The saying, "God doesn't give us the people we want, He gives us the people we need.", is so true. Many of us have come to realize as we've grown older that our friend circle is relatively small. We begin to value the word "friend" and we stop using it so loosely. Fortunately life has a way of "happening" and circumstances occur for the sole purpose of showing us who is for us and who's against us. Over time, life begins to reveal to us who our true friends are. "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." (Proverbs 17:17) Over time we learn this and it really begins to manifest as being true in our lives.

We all know this scripture, "Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33), but do we let the people who corrupt our thinking go, do we try to guide them towards Godliness? Oftentimes we'll say things like, "They do that, but I'm my own person" or "No one influences me to do anything I don't want to do". While this could be true in all it's entirety, it doesn't look true. We are supposed to "Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).  For instance, if we aren't stealing and doing drugs, why would our best friends whom we share everything with be doing it? How does that look to a sinner you're witnessing to? They'd be thinking that we can't even help our own best friend find Jesus and we still remain yoked up with them, so how can we help them. These are really things to think about. I understand that Jesus hung out with the sinners (Matthew and Luke elaborates on this), but I believe he did it to show them how to live like God wants them and to call them out of darkness. So if we are hanging with our friends who are corrupt and aren't seeing any fruit, maybe we need to start evaluating the soil, planting more seeds and watering it more often.

This isn't to condemn anyone, but it's to make us conscious of who we allow to get into our spirits. I've been there. I've allowed people and things to come into my life and deter me from God's course. I thought I had control but apparently I didn't. I've learned and I'm still learning this.

Also, be careful because believe it or not, there are people who profess to be Christians, who will corrupt your character too. So let the spirit of discernment be your judge when it comes to your close associations with people. 

One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. -Proverbs 12:26

Ahhh, Life...

Life. It sure has a way of knocking us off of our feet sometimes. We can plan every detail of our day/life and oftentimes are able to execute it without anything going wrong. Sometimes our plans are thrown off slightly causing us to make minor alterations, but there are times when our plans are completely demolished due to circumstances beyond our control.

It aggravates, angers and even saddens us but it's all God's plan. Most of the time it's hard for us to come to grips with His plan, especially when it interrupts ours. I can't completely figure God out but I do know that He sometimes has to throw us off of "our course" for 1) To remind us of Who He is and 2) To get us onto His course. 

Yesterday I tried (I'm still trying) to figure our God's plan for me in regards to something that happened to someone connected to me. I know He has a plan, because He's the only reason we were still connected. He hasn't shown me yet but what He has done, was block everything I tried to do for myself, in this particular area, for over a year. Everything was pretty much perfect and was in line to fall into place with perfect precision but that wasn't how it was going. I couldn't figure out for the life of me, why things weren't going the way I wanted or had planned but yesterday I learned why. Now, I need to know what to do next.

The story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16 encourages me to wait on God for an answer, a sign...to never lose hope and it reminds me of how perfect His timing is. For them, even when the foundation of the prison was shaken creating an escape route, they still waited on God's timing and for His perfect will to be done, and it was! Souls were saved...they accomplished what they were sent to do, no matter what they went through.

I like how God doesn't give us all of the answers when we want them but He gives them to us when we need them, so the only thing I can do is wait....patiently wait for His answer. Whatever answer you're waiting on, it may not be what you want to hear but it's His plan, I encourage you to wait patiently. WE CAN DO IT!! 

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." -Philippians 4:6

I Need Your Prayer Today

This morning, I was in for a brief scare. Someone fairly close to me has been sick for a while and something happened this morning. I didn't (and still don't) know all of the details but I was prompted to immediately pray for them and that prayer was so powerful to me. God heard the cry in my heart and didn't need to hear what happened because He already knew even before it happened. "You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord." (Psalm 139:4).

I was reminded this morning that we don't have to know all of the intricate details of a person's life or their situation to pray for them. What do we need to know every detail for? To tell God? News Flash, God is an All-Knowing, All-Seeing God. He already knows what's happening and he knows what we are thinking. He knows our intentions for wanting to know and all. "No thought can be withholden from thee." (Job 42:2); "For he knoweth the secrets of the heart. " (Psalm 44:21). We can reach God without a list of problems to tell Him.

I 'm sorry if I didn't have a mind-blowing post for you but their family needs prayers of the righteous today. I ask that you please lift my friend up in prayer. It doesn't have to be a long one. I believe that God hears our hearts before He hears our prayers. Pray for healing, restoration and comfort. Thank you. 



"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53 4-5)


 

Praying For One Another, For Real

"You're in my prayers" and "I'm praying for you"....Christians say this all the time, but are we doing it? Do we really mean it? I have been guilty of this myself, especially when you're consoling someone who has just lost a loved one. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe we do this purposely, but saying this in certain situations has become a habit for some of us. We'll say it and most of the time we intend to pray for the person but we often forget.

Lately I've been asking God to help me with this and He has! I love how He doesn't need us to say repetitive, loooooong, drawn out, big worded prayers to reach Him, "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again." (Matthew 6:7). It doesn't matter how long the prayer is, if you cry and/or drool....if you're praying in the Spirit God will hear you, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." (Ephesians 6:18). I don't want to just tell people that I'm praying for them to sound "deep" because being "deep" won't get me anywhere or help their situation. So in the quick moment of telling someone I'm going to pray for them, I say the prayer then and I know He hears me and sees the sincerity in my heart.

I encourage you to do the same. Let's genuinely and sincerely mean what we say when we say we're praying for one another. Sometimes people don't know how to pray for themselves and are counting on our effective prayers.

I pray (and I mean it) that everyone who reads this has a wonderful and safe weekend!!

"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." - James 5:16

Be Mindful of What You Say...

The phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me", is one of the biggest lies I've ever told and heard! I even remember sticking out my tongue and saying this when I was a little girl to whoever was bothering me, but I was lying! I'd often cry from the mean things people said because Words hurt! They have a way of piercing you deeper than any knife ever would and they stick with you forever. You may forget a person's name, what they look like and what they've done for you, but you will never forget what they've said to hurt you.

Some people feel they aren't being "real" or aren't being "one hundred" with others if they don't speak their mind, but everything thought should not be said. Our mind is the enemy, "the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so" (Romans 8:7)!! There are a million things that go through our minds that we have to cast down in the Name of Jesus so we don't fall into the enemy's trap, and most of the time, things we "think" we should say to others, is one of them.

As children, siblings, parents, friends and most importantly Christians, people are looking up to us. What we say to them and even around them, can set them in the direction of either success or failure.  Proverbs 15 teaches us how to be aware of the words we speak to others. It encourages us to speak words that are gentle and positive....words that give life, and that are wise.

Your Prayer Today:
Think about something you may have said to someone to hurt them. Ask God to forgive you, forgive yourself and ask that person for forgiveness.

"If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless."- James 1:26

Slow Down, You'll Get There...

Just about every morning on my way to work, I see a pedestrian trying to cross the street. I remember a few weeks ago, there was this man waving his hand, in the fashion of telling the oncoming traffic (who had the right away) to hurry up, so he could cross the street. He even attempted to dart across but realized that wouldn't be a good idea because he'd risk being hurt or killed. Regardless of the hurry he seemed to be in, he decided to wait until the way was clear.

Do you have an clue to where I'm going with this? Often in life we are always in a hurry to get somewhere (i.e. traveling, life goals, etc.). We sometimes don't even think about what could happen on the way there. God is so protective of us that even in our moments of impatience he protects us from danger. But we must learn to have Patience. It is VITAL for our survival. I know we want what we want, when we want it, but if it means dying prematurely then what's the purpose? Luke 21:19 says it best, "By your endurance (patience) you will save your life." So, slow down. Where you're going will ALWAYS be there. IF it's what God has for you, it isn't going anywhere....NO ONE can take it from you. We can't rush what He has predestined because He operates on His clock, and could care less about ours. He knows what's right for us, who's right for us and when it's right for us.

We must let God go before us to make the pathway clear because He knows everything that will try to stop us on our journey. I don't know about you, but I'd rather wait on God and be prepared, than to rush on my own and not be ready for what's coming.

Today's Prayer: 

Lord,  Please grant me the patience to wait on Your perfect timing for things to be manifested in my life. Thank You in Advance. I Love You. Amen. 


"You need endurance so that after you have done what God wants you to do, you can receive what he has promised." -Hebrews 10:36 

Filling the Void

Somehow between yesterday and the early hours of this morning, my Yahoo! email account was hacked and just about everyone on my contact list got a strange link from me. Now, I barely log on to my Yahoo! account from the desktop, but I would always check the box that says "keep me logged on to this computer". I'm the only one that uses that computer so I still don't know how I got hacked. The only way I caught it was because the "hacker" sent me a  spam link to my Gmail account. Needless to say, I had to change my password quickly.

If I hadn't left my account logged on to that computer that probably would not have happened. This incident made me think of the times we have allowed ourselves to remain "open" in areas we are supposed to allow God to fill. God delivers us from the struggles of bad relationships, situations and/or habits and instead of seeking Him and digging into His Word, we leave that space void giving the enemy the opportunity to come in seven times stronger than before. He took it from us so that we could take in more of Him. Matthew 12:43-45 tells us that, "When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to the home I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean, and in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself. They enter and take up permanent residence there. In the end the condition of that person is worse than it was before. That is what will happen to the evil people of this day.” Thinking of this happening is extremely frightening. It's not limited to a demon either. That man or woman you left can return, if the void they left isn't filled and it'll be harder to get rid of them and/or the urges to indulge in that bad habit you kicked, can resurface and it'll be even harder to kick it again. Old habits die hard and come back strong if we don't clean up right. This why it is so important that we allow God to fill every aspect of our life. 

While cleaning up your life, I encourage you to replace every dark hole with the Son. He's the only one that will fill and illuminate every dark area of your life.

Today's Prayer:

Lord help me do a clean sweep of my life. In every area that I have left the door open or cracked, please close it and fill it with nothing but You. Thank You in Advance. Amen.

“Just cleaning up one’s life without filling it with God leaves plenty of room for Satan to enter.  The book of Ezra records how the people rid themselves of idolatry but failed to replace it with love for God and obedience to him.  Ridding our life of sin is the first step.  We must also take the second step: filling our life with God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.  Unfilled and complacent people are easy targets for Satan.” -Bible Note

What Are You Afraid Of?

FEAR!!! If we give in to it, this word and everything that comes with it has superb power.

I wanted to start a blog a loooong time ago, but I was afraid. I was scared of running out of things to talk about, scared of how it would be received and I even doubted if I was even in a place (spiritually) to encourage other people. By the Word of God, I came to a few realizations that assured me everything would be fine as long as I "trust in Him and not be afraid" (Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 56:3; 11). As for running out of things to discuss, I know that God will always plant something in my heart, whether it's specifically for me or if it's just for me to share with you all...or both. I had to be reminded that this is a crazy world and everyone will not like what you are doing. I said that to say this, "People will always have something to say about something". Some do it because they are bitter, insecure, etc. (that's another topic, for another day), so I can only pray that it is received by those who need it. This last thing is very meaningful to me. I have come to understand that in Christ, even when you're at what you feel is your lowest point there is always something you can say to someone to encourage them. I've done it and I've also been on the receiving end of the encouraging line so I know it's possible.

Listen, fear had a hold on me and it set me back big time. Who knows where this blog could have been by now if I had realized these things earlier and let the love of Christ drive that fear out (1 John 4:18)?

So what are you afraid of? Is there something God placed in your heart but it's been sitting there because you're afraid of doing it? Some of us are so afraid to admit that we struggle with trusting God to help us do what He, Himself has given us. *Sigh* If only we'd understand that He will never abandon us and that He has equipped us with everything we need to accomplish the work requires of us, then there would be a whole lot more Kingdom work going on in the world.

Today's post is short and to the point. I encourage you to work on getting any fear that tries to consume you out of your heart. The enemy knows God has something for you to do. He knows your weaknesses and what frightens you, so he has become skillful and meticulous to hinder you. Understand that God has something to birth out of that belly of yours. His work for you is FAR bigger than ANY fear, failure, backlash or pain. Please don't let anything block your birth canal because I look forward to being blessed by the work he predestined to come from your hands!

*Today's Prayer is a "Self Prayer". Pray to God about the area you are struggling to trust Him in. Ask Him to help you trust Him more. If you aren't struggling in any area, I encourage you to please pray for your brothers and sisters that are. God Bless!!*

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies." -Romans 8:28-33

Note from The Blogger:
Please bear with me as I grow in this "blogging world". I'm still a "newbie" and I have a lot to learn! I am very appreciative of you and your prayers!

You Have Things To Do!

It's the weekend. It's still kind of early. It's been raining all night long. It's wet outside. I'm tired. You're tired. Reasons to put off whatever you're supposed to do today, huh? I'm sure we all would like to stay in the bed and not be bothered all day long. I even feel like this during the "work week", and I know I'm not the only one.

Umm yeah staying in, relaxing with no interruptions sounds lovely but for most of us that will never, ever happen. Maybe you have to work today, maybe you have children who won't let you sleep past 7 a.m., or maybe you have to travel somewhere far away today. Whatever it is, you're out of the bed and wide awake for it. Not because you want to be, but because you have to be.

The same applies to your Christian walk. I know this road gets tough and it seems like you're never going to reach where God is taking you but you HAVE to keep pressing because you have an ASSIGNMENT! Your assignment may not be something you want to do or something you think you're equipped for, but you have to do it. It was assigned to you before you came into the Earth. And it isn't something you can pass on to someone else, because it was designed specifically for you to accomplish. You don't know the people who are attached to your assignment. Their lives could depend on your courage to press on to fulfill it.

God's Word encourages us to "be not weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not"(Galations 6:9). So keep moving, keep pressing, even when it looks like (through the human eye) you aren't going anywhere. Trust me, you are.

Remember this is a process. Yes, God has all power and could get you to where He's taking you overnight if He wanted to, but you wouldn't have a story to tell if He did. Let Him work and take you on your remarkable journey. Your story will inspire someone and bring them to Christ.

PLEASE DON'T GET TIRED!!

Today's Prayer:

Lord, please help me to not become complacent on this journey. I want to please You by doing Your will for my life. I understand that You have a assignment for me and I accept whatever that may be. I WILL accomplish it in YOUR name. I Love You. Amen.

"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." - Philippians 3:14

Forgive, Your Relationship Depends On It

Okay, I’ll start this one off with a familiar incident that leads to anger…ROAD RAGE!! I must admit this made me laugh really hard because I used to struggle with this so badly. It used to erk the mess out of me….whether it be the slow drivers, the reckless drivers or the ones that annoy us all, the drivers that cut us off in heavy traffic. LAWD!! Yes. I admit. I used to get so angry with them. No, I don’t think you understand…I’d curse them, flick them the finger, ride their bumper and even find opportunities to cut them off just as they did me. I would literally allow it to set the mood for my day and how I’d treat people. Crazy right? I bet this has been you. Maybe it wasn’t road rage that set you off…but something or someone has gotten you there before.   

Thankfully for me, all of that happened in my sin, but I’ll be transparent enough to admit that I have slipped and hurled a few curse words out of a “road rage fit” as a Christian. BUT!! I thank God for covering me during those times. I cannot imagine the horror I would have had to endure if, in an instant, my life would have ended. THANK GOD FOR HIS GRACE!!!! It was and always has been sufficient for me! AND if you’re reading this….His Grace is sufficient for you too!

Now, on to my question: Who are you angry with? How long have you been angry with them? A week? A month? A year? More than that??? Don’t you know you’ve basically just handed that person the power to control you?? What could they have possibly done to anger you so? Yes, the Word tells us that we can “be angry and sin not” (Ephesians 4:26) but also it goes on to say; “don’t let the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26). Soooo, how can we abide in Christ, yet angrily hold grudges towards people for months and years? The longer we go on angry, the more opportunity we give the enemy to work in our hearts and in our minds…essentially making us angrier than we initially were. Trust me I have been SO GUILTY of this!  

Let’s briefly go back to the road rage incident, I know that it was pretty impossible for me to find the person I was angry at to explain my anger and ask for forgiveness. So I had to ask God to forgive me and I had to forgive myself.

There are people who have hurt you beyond what you believe is repairable. And it’s not always easy to just forgive someone when they have hurt you so badly, but it’s even harder to walk around angry all of the time, trying to remember why you are angry. Keeping that in your heart is not worth the stress, the sleepless nights or the headaches that come with it. God considers it “good and pleasant when we live together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live with a whole bunch of "united" angry folks. Realize that there is power in forgiveness and this power frees you! So whoever you are angry with, PLEASE forgive them!! Not for them, but for YOU….do it for YOU and God. Your relationship depends on your ability to forgive.

Let’s Pray…

Lord, I am so sorry that I have allowed anger to reside where You should be. Please forgive me being calloused and unforgiving. Help me to show others the same mercy that You have shown me. Thank You in advance. I Love You. Amen.

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.(attitude: loving and forgiving just like God forgave you)” –Ephesians 4:31-32

Releasing and Letting Go….

I love to talk! Hey, I come from a family of talkative people so it's only right that share that gene too, huh?? :-) Well I've decided to share my gift of talking via this blog with you all. Today I simply want to speak from my heart.

In life we all are faced with situations that seem entirely too hard to handle in our own strength. It may be a nagging spouse, an insensitive boss, financial problems or a physical/emotional insecurity. We’ve tried “quick fix solutions” to get the job done quickly but nothing “WE” do seems to work. That's why we have God. He tells us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corthinans 12:9). I truly believe that sometimes He simply takes things from us when we have the courage to give it to Him and other times, even in trying to give it to Him, He makes us “suffer” a little while longer. No, no, not because he wants to see us suffer, but because he wants to make sure we actually learn something in and from our suffering. He’s so smart!!! Like, seriously who wants to take the same test over and over and over and over (I can do this forever) again? Take it from a serial re-test-taker (like my word, huh?), it gets really old, extremely fast. Let’s make an effort to learn the first time.

I love the song by Tasha Cobbs that says, "There is power in the name of Jesus, to break every chain..." and it goes on to declare how you hear the chains falling off of you. This is such a powerful song, but I often wonder if we truly believe this. I ask this because I have seen so many people that I love, sing this song go into worship and declare how they see the chains falling of them but then they pick up links from those chains as mere "keepsakes". Don't they know that we don't need souvenirs to remind us that we were in bondage? We aren't to forget where we came from, but we don't need to tuck away things from our captivity as if they were treasures. They will only grow, causing us to be in bondage yet again.

We know that we serve an Almighty God that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20). He can do anything!! The question is...."Will we let Him?" Sometimes we can become so comfortable dealing with uncomfortable things that when it's time to give them over to God we can't even do it. Let Him release those chains....and when we think about it, the Cross has already done that for us. Over 2000 years ago, Christ's love for us destroyed every chain that was to come against us.  He will give you the strength to walk away with no reside of what you’ve gone through!

Let's Pray...

Lord, please forgive me for being an emotional hoarder. Please cleanse me from the inside out and help me to release everything that has kept me bound. Help me to understand and believe in Your Word. Thank you in advance. I Love You. Amen.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.- Romans 15:13