He Makes All Things New!

18 “Remember not the former things,nor consider the things of old.Behold, I am doing a new thing;now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19(ESV)

All Pictures are  taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless  otherwise stated.

The  new  year is always  a time where we begin to  reevaluate  ourselves where we are  and where  we would like to  be.  We  come up with our   2015  game plan. We  join a  gym, we  begin to   clean up  our   diets and  we make  all these  plans to make  major moves in the new year. But as  soon as the   enthusiasm  begins to  diminish so does  our  motivation to see those plans through.  The truth is  nothing  will  change for the  better in our lives if  our heart hasn't changed.  

Real  change  can only  take place when we begin to allow  God to renew our  minds.  If we  are  holding on to  the very things that God wants to  free us  from we  become complacent  and  begin to fall back into old  habits. I  don't know about you but  I don't waste another year  going around and around   in the same  circle, with my own plans. I don't want to  get so comfortable in the  wilderness when I know that  God's intention for me is to reach the promise  land.

As  we move  forward into the new year I want to  encourage you  to leave  all the  toxic habits. friends and   relationships   from  2014 where they belong -behind you.  Moving forward    into 2015  resolve in your mind that  God is  doing  new things in your  life and  commit  to  allowing  Him to  change  your heart in the  areas that  are  keeping you  stagnant and  chase after  God  and His  propose  with  all that you have.

An Open Letter For  You:

I'd like to take   a  moment to thank  those who have  taken the time to  read and  share  my blog.  It really  does  means  the world to me. I've  posted   over  90+  blogs and I am excited about what  God is  doing in my life and being  able  to share what I've  learned with you.   I believe that everything  that  has  led  up to this point  in my life was  worth it and I am  honored that  God  is  pouring His wisdom into me.  My  desire is to  serve and move forward into my purpose and I know that  by the grace of  God  things will begin to fall into place.

I believe  that there  is  a  purpose for every  season  of our lives  and  I know that  where I am right now will prepare me  for  great things in the  future.  God  has  been so  faithful and I  cannot begin to thank Him enough but  I will spend my life  trying.  I  don't have everything  figured  out but I am going to trust  God for my  next steps.

This will be  my  last  post of  2014  I'm going to  celebrate and  ring in the New Year  with a grateful  heart and  a lot of  prayer. I hope that you  have a  safe and   happy time wherever you are  and that you will  be  blessed  beyond measure in 2015!  I'm  praying for  you and I love  you. 

 God  Bless!

Love,

Where Does Your Hope Lie?

31  but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength;they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired;they will walk and not be weary. Isaiah 40:31(CEB)

All picture are taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated.

When you read over today's  reference  verses  Isaiah 40:31 and  Lamentations 3:22-23 (CEB)  you'll   notice that   God  guarantees  us that  if we   put our  hope in  Him:


1.  He  Will Renew  your Strength: 

We don't have to rely on our  own strength  or  abilities to get through the seasons in our lives.  As we  begin to  be totally  dependent on  God we  can  trust that  the Lord will  fix all that  is  broken  within us and  set  us back  on our  feet again.


2.They  Will Fly on Wings Like Eagles:  

We  are  never  below  Gods  grace  we are right in the center of  His  mercy.  Every  morning   we  receive  new mercies.  So we  don't have to  carry the  burdens of  yesterday into today. There  is  no  circumstance that  God cannot   carry us  through because  He consistently meets our  needs.


3. They Will Run and Not  Be  Tired;  They Will  Walk and  Not Be Weary: 

No matter where you are ,  no  matter   if you  feel  like   you have nothing  more to offer, the  Lord will give you  just  what you need to   take  the  next  steps you need to  get through to the other side of  each difficult  circumstance.

 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

So you have  to ask yourself,  Where does my   hope  lie when I reach the end  of  my rope? Will I continue to seek my own  way or   will  I   finally  lay down  all that I have before  God and allow Him to fill me  with  his everlasting love and  wisdom? Trust me I know life happens and there  are  so  many  things that compete  for  our  attention  but  we  have to purposely choose  to  put  our  hope in God and not  what  we  see or  feel is going on  around us. Remember,  you are never  beyond  God's  reach.


The way that we can begin to shift  our  focus  is  through quality time spent  with God. Reading  His word and meditating on His promises  instead of   the things  that  leave of  anxious and cloud our judgement. The  bible is  our  life  manual  and our  best  tool to navigate through life. Friends are great,  a supportive  family  is amazing but  no one can restore you like  God.  So  today make sure that you  intentionally  give  God  your time  so that  He  can fill you up.  


Love,

Trusting God with Our Pain

 2 Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help, and you healed me.Psalm 30:2 (CEB)

All pictures are  taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated. 

So  many of  us are  walking around with so much anxiety   in our  heart .  We  walk around  day in and day out  carrying the burdens and all of our concerns  to the  point of exhaustion  and    depression. Even when we  pray our  mind tends to  wonder into  doubt.   We worry through  every request  made to God and instead of  cultivating a  atmosphere to  hear  from God and receive  peace  we  turn it into   a session of double minded prayer and   doubting  Gods abilities.



There  is  no faith in worry; With every  concern that we  have  we  must  submit it  to  God,  leave it there with Him and  wait to  hear  His  instructions  for  our  next steps. Often times we grow  impatient and  we want to  take things into our own hands because we  have  not yet  begun to  trust  Gods  timing.  One thing we have to  keep in mind is that  within our own power we would only exhaust ourselves.  But when we  give everything to  God , He  will ease our anxiety and  guide  us through every season of  our lives.  


With God we can  begin  to see the light at the end of the tunnel because through  His  peace  we  begin to see things  more clearly.  God is  able to reach our  hearts in ways that no  one else  can. He  knows  exactly  what  to  say, what  and who to remove from our lives that is distracting  us.  By His  hands we were  crafted and by those  same hands  He is  able to heal us from the inside out and restore us as we  cry out to Him.



There is  nothing more humbling than  when we  have truly  given our  worries to God and  He  not only  responds to our faith but  He   exceeds our  expectations.  It is  amazing how  the Lord can  use the very thing that  we  have been carrying around so  long  to  renew our  faith . Today I  encourage you to  give  God  access to  every  area  of your life and all the  things that  are keeping you anxious.  Continue to  pray  and  cast  down every  doubt with  the promises of  God.  If you cry  out to  God  He hears your prayers and He will Heal you! 





Love,

Merry Christmas: My Prayer

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:10-11 (NKJV)

All pictures and taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated.

Merry  Christmas  all!  I  hope that you all are  having a  fantastic  day with your  friends and loved  ones as  we celebrate the  birth of  our  Lord and savior  Jesus  Christ.What a  privilege it  is to be able to   celebrate    the  life of the  one  who has  overcome the world.(jhn 16:33)  

 I know  from my own experience  that this time can be very hard for those  who have  experienced the loss of  a loved one but I want to extend  hope to you.   As  you  rely on God  to sustain you through this season I assure you  that  He   will  mend  your   broken heart.  

You  will always miss the  loved ones that   have gone to be with the Lord but  through God we  have  access to His  peace.  The Lord  will restore you and free you  from your  heartache  and replace it with  His joy  which cannot  be shaken.  

 Dear  Lord   meet all who  may read this  at the point of their  needs and  guide them into your  purpose for their  lives.  I  pray that  every plan of the enemy will be destroyed  and your  hand would be  on them  guiding and protecting  them every step of the way. I  pray  we all  will experience   the  grace  and   love  of   God in a  brand  new way moving forward into the new year.

As we  spend  time  with our  friends and family help us not  forget the true  reason  for celebration which  is  you  dear Lord.  Gifts,  good  food and family  are  truly a blessings but none of these things compare to the  impact    you've  made  not just in our lives  but on the  world.  We  cannot  begin to list  all that  you have  done but  we are  grateful! We honor you  and praise you  for  who you are  Jesus, not  just  today but  everyday of  our lives. 

God  thank you  for  blessing the world with your  son.  Jesus is the best  gift that the world has  every  experienced and I am so grateful that  through your  love and sacrifice we have  a savior, a friend and someone to  confide  in with Jesus Christ.  In Jesus's name we honor you and praise you.

Merry CHRISTmas  All!

Love,

With God All Things Are Possible

13 I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13(NKJV)

All photos  belong to and are edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise  stated.

It's amazing how  God  can reach  each one of  us   in  a  completely  unique way that is suited  to our  individual needs.   He isn't  limited  by  where we are in our faith,  our  circumstances  or  any  plans of the enemy.    His   abilities  are limitless  and so  is  His  love.  There is nothing that  we  cannot  do when we are  open and  receptive  to  the Lords direction .

The Lord  loves us so much  and   He  desires to  see us walk  boldly in  His purpose  for our lives. He doesn't  just  leave us to  sort things out on our  ow. He  has given us the bible as our life manual and the  gift of the holy  spirit  to   coach us  through   life and   grant  us  discretion.  It  feels  good to know that we have  so much  support.  While we   begin to trust  the  Lord with  our  journey  He  meets us  every  step of the way making sure that  we   find success.

No matter where  we find ourselves in life  we can be assured that  His power  rest in  us.   We  must    be  willing to  tap into  His  resources. He can use  us  just  as we  are and meet us  at the point of  our faith.   His grace is   sufficient  and If we are  open to   His plan   the possibilities are  endless for us.   All we  have to  do is is  accept  His provision by offering our lives to Him so that  He  begin to  change our hearts  and   mold us.

Don't  be  discouraged by where  you are in  your walk with Christ because   you are in  a place that is  less than perfect. Don't  fall into  the trap of    comparing  your walk with  other  believer. Although we all are    walking   a  path towards our  purpose everyone's  journey is  different.  What is  important  moving forward is  that  we let  go of  our  own abilities and  rest in  Christ's capable  hands.   You may not understand how things  will  come together   but  today  resolve to   trust  Gods  plan.

Love,

Starting Over

15 What I say is true, and you should fully accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. 16 But I was given mercy so that in me, the worst of all sinners, Christ Jesus could show that he has patience without limit. His patience with me made me an example for those who would believe in him and have life forever. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NCV) 

All pictures are belong to and are edited  by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated

We have  all experienced  periods in our lives where we  felt like  we've  fallen too  far from the  will of God   and that there  are too many messy or  broken areas  in life to receive Gods grace.  But the  truth is  that  God  sent  Jesus to save  everyone ,we all  need  Christ on a  daily   basis to  sustain us. The  good news is that  the Lord is  not like man  His  patience is  something we  could never begin to measure  and I don't know about you but it  feels amazing to know that  with  Christ I will never  run out of  chances to get it  right.

God is  able  to   use  us  even when we  think  we have  nothing to offer.  It is  amazing how  He looks at us  and  see's a  useful vessel that He can pour into. In  spite of  how we feel  about ourselves  or  what  others  say about us, God  still chooses to  complete the works that  He has  started within us.  It is  such  a  privilege to serve a  God   that  will never  give up on us no  matter  where we are  in our walk ,  the  Lord  will never just  cast us aside.

6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”   Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV)

God  doesn't  seek  perfection in us,  He already  created perfection in  Christ.  What  the Lord  wants from us is to  seek Him with a  open heart , trust  Him  to  repair  any broken areas of  our lives.  Even as we fall  short  the    love and compassion  that  the Lord   has  for  us is  so  strong that there is nothing  that  we  can do  to lose His grace.  He  will  pick us  up and   dust us  off  and put us  back on the  right track.  

Think about it this way; Your  story could be the very thing that  gives  others  hope  in Christ.  They will see how   God  has changed your  heart  and   your  circumstances and  be inspired by your  testimony  to seek  the Lord  for themselves. So  don't despise the  test you  will face,everyone  has  their own set of  trials but with Christ you will never  be left  alone  to figure it  out  on your own.
 

Love,

Open Communication

In my trouble I called to the Lord.I cried out to my God for help.From his temple he heard my voice; my call for help reached his ears.                               Psalm  18:6 (NCV) 

All  pictures are edited and  taken by   Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated.

I  don't  believe in luck or   happenstance;  But   I do firmly  believe  in sincerely  seeking  God through  prayer  and  the Lords  ability to meet me  at the point  of  my needs.  We are   blessed beyond measure   because the Lord has opened a  line of  communication  with us through  prayer.  We  can confide in Him with our  deepest  concerns; we can  trust Him with our heart, our   pain as well as  our weaknesses  and His love remains the same.  



He  never views  us  any differently  because of the areas we fall short in. His  compassion  is simply amazing. When  we come before the  Lord and  pour  our  heart  out  there is  no  need  to  clean things  up and    project ourselves in  a certain light  because  we are  concerned about   how  God  will react  to our pain.    The  Lord  accepts us  just  as  a loving  and  kind Father  would and He  cares about the things are on our hearts.


One of the  great things  about  the Lord is  His  ability   to completely  turn things around  in our life: There are no   big  jobs in His eye's, the question  we should ask ourselves is   if  our  faith is too small?  Do we   trust  the  Lord  enough to  be really  honest about  where we are and admit  that  we  need   His help?  There is  no  weakness in  admitting  that   you need help so don't  allow your  pride to keep you stuck in one place when God is  more than willing to take on your issues and  move you forward.



Why  spend so much  time trying to sort through your own issues  when you could  be  spending that  time   at the  feet of  the Lord.  Give your worries to  the  God and leave them there in His capable hands.  Today I encourage you  to  receive   His  peace and His  joy which  will sustain you.  Remember  that  his  peace and his joy are  things that will never diminish and  you can   rest  knowing that He has everything   thing handled.


Love,

The Reality of Faith

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) 

All pictures are taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated.

The one thing that we  all have in common is  a   desire to  see the things that we  are  hoping for  come to fruition. But  when  we  submit  our  prayers to  the Lord  do  we  really  have faith  in  Gods  ability to  grant  the desires of  our heart?  I'm sure there have  been  instances in your life where  you've been  praying for  something and there seems to be a  delay between  when you've prayed and  when your prayers are answered.  In these cases we  often  mistake  Gods  timing in the matter   for a denial  of  our  request.

Hebrews 11:6 (NCV)6 Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him. 

The truth is when we  make  our request known to  God  we   must  first  start  by fully trusting that God  not  only  hears  us but  He  really cares.   If  you are praying for something but your faith is wavering ,   how can our  prayers possibly   be  effective? You must  be  all in  and begin to cast down any doubts that  attempt to distract you.   If you have  poured your  heart out to  the Lord in prayer then   trust He is  shifting things around and  creating a  perfect  moment   for things  to come together.

When we   seek  the  Lord  with all of our  heart we  can be  confident in the fact that  He will  meet us at the point of our needs.    Cultivating an  attitude of  expectancy in our  prayer  life  plays  a vital  part in   pleasing God  and our spiritual  growth. When the   hope  we have  in  God  meets  with His ability to  completely  change  our circumstances around  there  is  nothing that  we  cannot do.

So  your mission moving forward  is to pray earnestly, trust that  God  has heard you and  leave  all  your  request at His  feet.   For  your own  peace of  mind I encourage  you to get rid  of the   timetable that you've  created for your prayers to  be answered  and   just  trust the  Lords timing.

Love,

Your Praise Matters

46 Mary said,“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!47 In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior. Luke 1:46-47 (CEB)

All pictures are  taken and  edited  by Lesli Allyn Blogs  unless otherwise stated.

When  I think about  all the  things that  the Lord has done for me over the years,  even   up to this  point  I find  it is  impossible not  to be in  awe  of His  love  and  provision over  my life.    I've  come a long way and I  recognize that  I couldn't have  made  one  step forward without His  hand   guiding  me along the way. I am  far  from perfect  but  perfection  isn't my  goal. My   desire is  to  live for  God with the best of  my abilities  and  rely  solely  on Him to fill in the gaps in my walk with  Him.

 As  much  as we  appreciate  God  we  must  also take the time  out  to  actually  express to  Him how  grateful we  are .  We  can do this   through  worship, prayer,   the way we  live our lives and  how we serve  others.  In the same  manner that  we would like  to know that our works are  appreciated  we  should  also  extend  our  gratitude   to the Lord  and  give Him  the glory  that  He is  deserves.  

Have you  taken the time out to really think about  how  different your  life would be if  God hadn't  stepped in  at the  right time  and   shifted things around in your  favor?  Many of  us  aren't where we would like to  be in life but  on the  other side of that, things could be far worse and  the  Lord has never  for one moment  stopped being  faithful.  His  timing  is  incredible  and  there absolutely no one  who   has  such a  passion  to  see  us   live boldly  within your  purpose and thrive. 

With the   kind of support that we have  in  Jesus  we  should  never withhold  any   praise to Him. He has  been faithful   even  when  we  haven't  been nearly  as  faithful to Him . The  Lords  love is amazing , everlasting  and  deeper  than  we  could  ever begin to    imagine.  So I  encourage you reflect on  how  amazing  the Lord has been  to you  and  take  some time out   to   purposefully   express your  love and  appreciation for   God's works in your  life. 

His Grace is Enough

9 He said to me, “My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.” So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (CEB) 

All pictures are taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs  unless otherwise stated.

There is  wisdom in being  honest  with ourselves and admitting that  we need  help.   To  accomplish all that God  has  placed in our heart to  do  we need  His  grace  daily.  We  often  put  so much  pressure on ourselves to  figure things out that  we  weigh ourselves down with the  burdens  of life. God  never intended for us  to navigate through  our life  alone, and  the   sooner we  realize this the  sooner we  can  receive  the  freedom of  serving a  God that   partners with us   to  ensure that  we succeed.

Letting  go can  be difficult  especially  when  fear  begins to   clouds our   vision.  Sometimes  it  is  hard to see ourselves  breaking  through the cycles in  our  lives when we  cant   seem to see  beyond   our challenging  circumstances.   In these instances we  have to be determined  to    trust  God and really  submit  the burdens  in our  hearts  over to Him so  that  He can begin to restore us. 

You  may  not have  all the answers  right  away  and that's fine, but  you do have  to  be  willing  to  keep  moving  ahead  even when you don't understand.  Will you trust  God  with   your pain and the  areas in your life that  you are  insecure  about?  It's not easy to   expose the  areas of our life that  we are weak in but   2 Corinthians 12:9  say that    God's  grace  is  enough and  His power is  made  perfect within our  weakness.  The good news is that  He will  exchange  our  weakness with  His  power and  His   love.

So ask yourself,  what am I  holding onto and what do I need to   hand over the  Lord?  Will you make  room for Him to shift   your circumstances or will you  continue to   circle  around and  around with the same old  issue?  There is  no peace  in  having to  fight  every  battle  alone and to be honest I wouldn't  want  to  face  everything  with my  own  abilities.  When you fully trust  God and His  capable  hands it  is impossible to   lose.  Victory is  already   set in place.  Will your  receive it?

Love,

The Weight of Your Words

 29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. Ephesians 4:29 (CEB)

All pictures are taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated.

I believe that so many  relationships  could be saved if we were  more  careful with our  words. Harsh words can harm you far more than physical pain because   the  pain of  unkind  words tend to linger  longer in our hearts and within our thoughts.  Unkind words  leave  emotional  scars.  Most of us  can  think back to  a moment  where someone said  something  very  hurtful to us.  We can remember  how it  made us  feel  and how long it  took to  move  on.

Harsh  words kill potentially   amazing  relationships  everyday.   So I want to  encourage you  not  allow your pride and the need to be  "right"  begin to   alienate  the  people around you.  If  people are unable to communicate with you in fear of  your reaction you will begin to miss out  on   important connections .   Having a  good  circle  of  friends or a companion  is  a  beautiful thing but  in order for these relationships to grow the people in your  life  need to be  able to trust you  with their  thoughts and their  feelings.

We are  all wired  differently, some  hold things in  and then  explode  suddenly  without  warning  and  then others  just say the  first thing that  comes to mind; Neither  are  effective  in a  relationship. To be  effective in any  relationship  you should  always  choose  to give   grace to  others in the same  manner that God freely gives His  grace to you. This means   you should  think   things  through before you speak and  practice  not  reacting based  on  your emotions. 

Remember, every word  counts,   so    manage your emotions  wisely.  If  you have  been carrying around the  pain of  rejection, hurt or  bitterness towards someone  it will eventually manifest itself  through  your  words.  Ask  God to check your heart instead of carrying all those  negative emotions   day in and day out.  We  all need  a heart  check  from time to time  so  take an  honest  inventory  of yourself  and   present  it  to God  so that He can fill in those  gaps.

Lastly  remember this.  "Everything that you think doesn't need to be  expressed."  Take the  time  to  really  listen to  your loved ones, ask God  to   grant you discernment  when it  comes to  your  words and  allow the holy spirit  to guide you in  choosing  what's  appropriate to say and how to be more effective in  communicating with others.

Love,