Don't Have to Believe Everything You Think

Ephesians 6:10-11(CEV) 10 Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks.

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Million of  thoughts  flow through our  minds within the course of a day and   most we are  able to brush off and  not give much thought to but then  one negative thought  creeps in and attempts  to change  our  perspective of ourselves. 

The truth is  that  the objective  of  the  enemy  is to feed you lies that will  diminish   your confidence.  Breaking your  confidence   slows down the journey to your  propose because now your  focus has  shifted to areas of  your life that you are insecure about; Pinpointing the   things that you're insecure about  is a  tactic to keep you  defeated.  He knows that the longer  that  he  can  distract you with negative  thoughts the longer the journey will take. 

Hears what  you need to know:  If you're life didn't matter and   your purpose wasn't  so important the  enemy would be trying  so  hard to  defeat you with  negative  thoughts.  The  TRUTH is that your life  does  matter and your  life  has  purpose!

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn.

Today I want to remember that you do not  have  to believe  everything that you hear.  Every thought that  flows through your mind isnt true.   A  way to gauge this is   to ask yourself  this   Does  this  thought  line up with what  God  says about me? If  not  discard those thoughts  and  replace it with Gods truth. Below are  few  verses that you can mediate on. 

Psalm 139:14(NKJV)14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Marvelous are Your works,And that my soul knows very well.

Matthew 5:14 (NKJV)14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Ephesians 4:24 (NKJV) 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

1 John 4:16 (ESV) 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Use  Gods truth as your ammunition  and  press forward the best is yet to come!

Love,

You Talk a Good Game But.....

1 John 1:5-6(GNT) 5 Now the message that we have heard from his Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him. 6 If, then, we say that we have fellowship with him, yet at the same time live in the darkness, we are lying both in our words and in our actions.

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Have you  noticed how through social media  we can   hype  ourselves up and  project any image of ourselves that we'd like.   You  really  never  know what's  authentic and  what   is the  reality behind  the computer or iPhone screen. 

The same  goes  for Christian  at times;  We we project an image that we  believe  other  believers  expect of  us but outside of those circles our actions contradict who we say we  are.  The truth is  you can  only keep up appearances  for  so long before  truth  peeks in.  Who we really are will eventually play out in  the company we keep, our lifestyle,  our temper and the   language we use  .

I don't know about you but  I want to be  the authentic to who I am   and more  importantly  I want to be  true to what  God expects of  me.   The truth is you maybe  able  to  put on a  good front  and fool a few people  but   you cannot  do  the  same  with God.  He knows where our heart is  at and where we really stand in our  convictions. 

So  take a honest inventory  of areas of your life where you've  wavered in your  convictions. Is it  the music that you listen to, a  TV show or  the  company you keep?   From there ask God to  further search your heart and point out the areas you may not be aware of.  God will take the blinders off  so that  moving forward  you won't  fall into the same patterns of  old  behaviors.  You won't have to talk a  good game because  you're  growing and becoming authentic to  who God created you to be.

There is No Fear in LOVE

1 John 4:18 (CEB) 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love. 

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Many of  us have experienced  defining moments  in our lives where we   can  pinpoint  the moment we were hurt  and how   it changed our  hearts  as well as  our perspective on love.  Let's be honest it can  be hard to recover from being hurt  by a significant other or a   family member especially when our  trust is  broken.

Sometimes we even convince  ourselves that the solution to avoid  being hurt again is to push others away.  The  truth is  isolating ourselves only makes  matters  worse because Instead of  trusting God to heal our broken heart we  choose to carry around  our broken pieces. 

Psalm 147:3 (NLT)3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

God never  intended  for us to  bare the weight  of  pain alone; Truly  depending on God  means letting go of our  pride and  giving everything   to God that  makes us feel vulnerable  and all the pain that has hardened  our hearts over the years.   There is no one in this world that loves and cares for as deeply as the  Lord does, you can trust Him with  your pain.  So I encourage you to  lay  your broken pieces before God  heal and  bandage your heart.

The Grass isn't Always Greener on The Other Side

Exodus 20:17 (NLT)17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

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     I'm   sure you've  heard the  saying  "The Grass is Always Greener on The Other side".  This point of  view often stems from   the feeling  of never being  satisfied with your  portion.  What someone  else has is  always  shiny, new  and  "better".  The truth is  that things aren't always what they appear and  what  we must take  under  consideration is   that everyone's  journey  comes with  a story and a process you know nothing about.

"You've only seen  the outcome  of  someones  blessings  but you don't know their story."

   We   reach  every milestone in  our lives  differently and at a different  pace.   We  all have our own  set of  circumstances   and have  experienced  hard lessons  and tests that we had to pass in order to reap the  blessing we have. 

     How  can we  expect God to bless us  with more when you disregard  how  He is  blessing us right now?    When we  continually  covet what our  neighbor has  we  begin to minimize  Gods provision over our  lives.  Remember  someone somewhere would love to have your portion, the portion  that you   take for granted or complain about. 

   Consider your life honestly;  Think about all that you've  gone through and  how  God has met  all of your needs,  notice that I didn't say   your  "wants" .    God in his infinite  wisdom  knows exactly   when and  how  to   bring  increase into your life He knows when  you're mature enough to handle more.

  So  today  when you find yourself  falling into the  trap of  discontentment, immediately  trash that  thought and  replace it with gratitude .  Trust  God  with  where you are right now and in His ability to move in your life at  the perfect time.  Remember;  God   is  author of your life.  His timing is perfect and  when its time to move  you  forward  He will.

   Love,

Can you Relate?

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (MSG)

19-23 Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!   

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When you develop  a   friendship with someone you begin by finding somethings that you  both  have in  common.  But  what do you do when you discover that they indulge in behaviors  that don't line up with  Gods  will?  In that moment  it is  easy to become judgmental and view them in a harsh light. 

When you  find yourself in this situation I  encourage you to fight the  urge  to  treat them differently  based on their  sin.  Take  a  step back  to remember  who you  where before you grew  closer  to Christ.  You didn't have it  all  together and  to be honest we all have areas that we still presently  struggle with.

Try compassion use this  common ground  we all have  in our  imperfections  and  encourage them.    If you are  led to   continue in the friendship  this is your assignment so take it seriously. Pray that God  will help you to support your friend without    encouraging or indulging in their habits.  We all need a support system , someone to  pray with us and  over us.  

By extending the same  grace  God  has  extended to us we  bridge that gap and we create a safe place for them  to  see Christ through us.   Keep lifting up your  friend,  that family member or coworker until they  find  Christ for themselves and remain   obedient and patient to  what  God is leading you to  do in this situation.

Transition isn't Easy

Jeremiah 1:5-8 (MSG) 5 “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you.Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you:A prophet to the nations—that’s what I had in mind for you.”6 But I said, “Hold it, Master God! Look at me. I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy!”7-8 God told me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m only a boy.’  I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there.I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it. Don’t be afraid of a soul. I’ll be right there, looking after you.” God’s Decree.

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I realize that  I am in   a season of  transition  I don't know  what my next steps are, I don't  know what  the outcome  of the sharing my heart through  this blog are .  To be  honest  for me  this is hard for me  to handle .   I know that this is  what I am  supposed to be doing but I want to know that things will work out  and how they will work out. With  all of these question marks  floating around in my  mind  I  find myself  over-thinking everything and becoming  overwhelmed. 

But in those  moments of  self doubt and feeling inadequate   God will  remind me that He has me  in the palm of His hand.

" Relax  long enough to know that  I am  steering your life in the direction that I've mapped out; Where you are  is where you need to be  in order   to  flourish and grow.  I will  put you in the path  of those who are  equipped to help you  but you must be open enough to receive help."

So  I must  check my  pride at the door, trust  God  and the confirmation that He is  present, He cares and He is in control even as I  feeling  a bit  out of control.   I don't need  know  all the  details, what I need to do is  trust God  fully  and  move  forward at His leading and not  out of  panic.  If you are  going through something  similar take this as your confirmation, breath and  know  that  God has   everything under  control. 

Love,

Saying NO...To yourself

24 Don’t you know that all the runners in the stadium run, but only one gets the prize? So run to win. 25 Everyone who competes practices self-discipline in everything. The runners do this to get a crown of leaves that shrivel up and die, but we do it to receive a crown that never dies. 26 So now this is how I run—not without a clear goal in sight. I fight like a boxer in the ring, not like someone who is shadowboxing. 27 Rather, I’m landing punches on my own body and subduing it like a slave. I do this to be sure that I myself won’t be disqualified after preaching to others. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (CEB)

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It  can be  pretty difficult to say  no to yourself at times.   I know personally  one of  my vices is  food and  boy oh boy when  a  craving hits all I can think about is the food that I'm craving .  I  rationalize and  weight out  all my options.  I  have this eternal  tug of war  and sometimes I win and   sometimes I lose. 

When I abstain from my   caving   I have to be honest initially  I am  unhappy because  discipline is  uncomfortable.  But in the long run I am  happier knowing that I didn't allow my  body to  dictate  my  actions .  When I give into my   cravings there is  a  immediate  although temporary moment  of satisfaction  but that is quickly  followed by regret and disappointment.

"When you have  a goal in mind  discipline   is key,  indulging in  every  whim  will never  be  as satisfying  as   reaching the finish  line of   a  goal ."

To begin  developing  discipline   begin by seeking   God in the area that you're struggling in,  ask Him  to  help you to reach  your  goal and  to remain  focused.   Next write out the things you want to  accomplish often times  a  visual  reminder   is  effective in keeping your goal to the forefront of your thoughts and seeing them through.  Lastly  don't beat yourself up when you fall short  don't  let  your mistake give you  license to give up;  Take time to  readjust your  approach and  pick yourself back up and   move  forward.

Think about   the long term  effects  being a  better  manger  of   what  God  has entrusted you with.  If  you are a better  steward over   your health, finances and  resources  it shows  God that  you can be  trusted with  more .  So hang in there,  keep pressing  forward  to the  completion of your goal then set another one you can  do  it!  

Love ,

What Are you Holding to ?

Psalm 18:31-32 (CEB)31 Now really, who is divine except the Lord?  And who is a rock but our God?32 Only God! The God who equips me with strength and makes my way perfect,

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Sometimes  you have to ask yourself  a few  question to  reevaluate where you are.   For example,  What  are some areas of your  life that you are  holding onto that you haven't fully surrendered  to God? (i,e money relationships, money, or bad habits) 

 A  method of  determining  what those things are  is  to  begin paying attention to   some of   the things you talk about  the most  and the  things that consume your thoughts.  Have you made these things bigger in your life than the power of  God to  conquer  them?  These  questions  can be  very  sobering  especially  when  you begin to recognize a pattern.

Sometimes we are  pick and choose  the things  we  keep and the things we are  willing  to  give over to  God   based on what  is  comfortable.  The  truth is  our  comfort zone does more harm than  good and  keeps us stale in  our walk  with God.  Holding onto  dead relationships, poor habits   will  never  fulfill your  life the way   Christ will.  There is absolutely  no  comparison and yet  many of  us will  hold on to these things that keep us  broken hoping somehow  for a  different outcome.  

Think honestly,  where would we  be without God, who is  like  our  God?  Sometimes we  become so distracted by ourselves that we  forget  how much   of life  depends on every word from God!   Through  our own  abilities  we  cannot  maintain   air in our  lungs  or our  hearts  beating in our  chest .  So It  seems   foolish   to give ourselves partially  to God when you  put things into perspective of  how our very being  depends on Him.

God  wants all of you  as  you are  right where you are.   You don't have to fix anything or  arrive at  a certain point in your life or talk to anyone else before talking to Him.  There is  no time like the  present  whatever it is , whatever you are  holding onto  that is  blocking you from trusting  God  fully  take  those things to  Him in prayer, ask for the courage to let  go and to reset your  focus on Him.

Love,

Beauty for Ashes

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3 (KJ21)

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We have  all at some point  experienced  an significant  point in our lives where  life has dealt you some  significant  blows; From  a loss of a  loved one,  financial issues or  the ending  of a  relationship. In these instances  it can feel like you're  just  standing there with your pieces wondering if you'll ever be whole again.

While you are  still hurting it can be hard to imagine  that things will get better  BUT they do  in fact get  better.  But there  is something you must do  to get this  point,  you must  trust  God with your  pain.  Often times  we  are carrying around the pain of our situations  that we can't see past it.  What we  need to understand is  that  God is ready and willing to   take on  all that is consuming us.  You don't have to solve every problem on your own , you don't have  live with that pain day in and  day out. 

Know that  for everything that you've  loss, every  tear you've  cried  , for  all the sleepless nights  you've experienced  God is  there to restore  all that  was  broken in  you and renew you  again.  Think  of    how much  of  a  relief it is  to turn  over all you're pain to  God and  in exchange  He gives  you His  peace  and healing.

Psalm 16:11 (ESV)You make known to me (A)the path of life in your presence there is (B)fullness of joy at your right hand are (C)pleasures forevermore.

What  a  wonderful gift  we have in Christ Jesus!  He  carries  us from our pain into his presence  and in His presence  is the FULLNESS of  joy!  Not  circumstantial   happiness that is   dependent on a person or thing but a  joy that is  everlasting.    God wants  you to have  joy but you must  surrender  all that  you've been carrying to Him.   Trust  Him . He will give you beauty for ashes. 

Love, 

Desensitized Culture

2 Do not conform(A) to the pattern of this world,(B) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.(C) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is(D)—his good, pleasing(E) and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)

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Desensitized -  to make emotionally insensitive or callous; specifically :  to extinguish an emotional response (as of fear, anxiety, or guilt) to stimuli that formerly induced it

I think it is  safe to say that  our  generation is one that has become increasingly desensitized.   The pause   button  just does not exist  any longer for some.  From the way  we project ourselves  on social media, what we  say,  what we  watch on TV  to  the music  we listen  to.

 Tell if this sounds  familiar: Have to ever been  scrolling  through your social feeds and see videos of people fighting or overly sexual  music videos  where women are being  objectified and instead of  ignoring it we either laugh or rationalize and indulge in it? Probably. If we aren't careful we  begin to accept  things that    wouldn't have previously and  comprise ourselves and what we know that God expects out of us.

Gods  Romans 12  says  don't conform  to the  patterns of this  world,  that  means we  must set ourselves apart from the culture . We are  meant to be   a light  and   Christ  led  within a  culture that is self led. 

14 “You are the light of the world.(A) A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.(B) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others,(C)that they may see your good deeds(D) and glorify(E) your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:14-16(NIV)

Don't dull down your convictions in order  to make others feel more comfortable. Stand firm  and set yourself  apart.  You could very well be  someones  first glimpse into  Christ.Think  about it this way perhaps by your example you could  totally  change someone's  perspective through your  convictions, you  could potentially  push  someone closer to Christ.  So moving  forward  practice  thinking before you post,  what  like and  promote  and  ask  God to  make you more sensitive  about what you digest daily. 

Love,

Do you Really Trust God?

 Trust in the Lord(A) with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths(B) straight.[a](C) Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) 

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Do you ever  find yourself  at crossroad of your  emotions vs.  fully trusting God?  It's  like  a  power struggle  between   what you  feel in that moment and  Gods truth.  We  often times become  blinded by our  on fleeting emotions and what we think we  know because we value  our  own "truth"  more than  Gods truth. 

 What we must understand is that  Gods truth is bullet  proof and in this instance when we are relying on ourselves more than  God  we  need to  take a  step back and realign ourselves with the him.   No  circumstance is  too big for  God and nothing takes Him by  surprise in Proverbs  3:5-6 God  says if we  submit all of our ways to Him he will make our paths straight. This means that God takes all the guess work out and  our responsibility is to take him at His word.

 Ah, Sovereign Lord,(A) you have made the heavens and the earth(B) by your great power and outstretched arm.(C) Nothing is too hard(D) for you. Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV)

Learning not to lean on our own understanding  begins with developing  a better understanding of  God  and  developing a  better understanding of God comes  through  studying his word.  That  means we  need to  purposely set aside time to draw from the endless resources that God has given us. 

Ask yourself this today Will I trust my ever  changing  emotions or our heavenly Father who never changes?  He  promises to never leave or forsake us and to  make  our paths  straight that  sounds like a win to me.  What ever is holding you back ask  God to remove it and increase your faith. We  fall short when we  try to figure out everything on our own so resolve to give  all of your concerns over to God  and stand in His  truth.

Love,