A Friend of God

So the attitude that comes from selfishness is hostile to God. It doesn't submit to God’s Law, because it can’t.  People who are self-centered aren't able to please God. Romans 8:7-8(CEB)

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Ever  been a  one-sided  friendship where you  felt  like you where giving  100% and  the other person  was  barely  giving  10% .  I'm sure it's  safe to say that we wouldn't willingly  stick around with someone  who  drains your  resources and your  time without any regard for your feelings. So you can imagine how  God feels when we  only seek Him to submit our prayer  request but never  spend any quality time with Him?  Sounds  pretty  selfish  huh? The Lord is  so much  more than  a  ATM to draw from and  He deserves much more than bits and  pieces of our life.   He  loves  us and longs to be apart of  daily lives  not just when  we are in need.   

John 15:15  say this

15 I don’t call you servants any longer, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 (CEB)

The Lord  wants us to know  Him not  just for  what He  does for us   but  also  for who  He is.  This means  that  through out the day we  should take out the time not only to  talk to God  but also to listen.  Just think of  all that you would  gain  by  seeking God more  for His wisdom,  think of how  happy  the Lord would be  if you took  the time to  tell him   how much you love and appreciate Him.  Today  don't miss out on  your  opportunity to   know the Lord more intimately.  I guarantee you that   your life will never be the same.

Love,

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Lost and Found

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9(KJV)

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Have you ever  felt  that with the stresses of life and responsibilities on  your shoulders that  you have lost yourself? Trying to be everything to everyone is  truly a   exhausting burden to carry. You will  begin to lose the heart for the  good things you are doing and feel more drained than fulfilled.  So how do  we restore the  heart to  serve  others without  losing ourselves in the process? First set  realistic  expectations.  We all have  limitations. If we spread ourselves  too thin, even  with the best of intentions  our efforts in one way or another  will  suffer;We must know when to say no.

Second, in order to  be  effective in  service  we  must take the time  to allow  God to  replenish us.  A car  cannot  run on a  empty  tank  and you cannot run on  just  good  intentions.  You need  Gods power  to fuel you to serve and  to supercharge  your drive to remain  excited  about your purpose. So everyday you need to  read  Gods  word, sit  before Him in  prayer and  just  allow  God to  fill you with what you need to serve and renew your heart  so that you are able to  remain passionate  about  where He has placed you to serve in the body of Christ. 

Love,

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There is No One Like Him

“Who is like you among the gods, O Lord?Who is like you? You are glorious because of your holiness and awe-inspiring because of your splendor.You perform miracles. Exodus 15:11 (GW)

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I believe it's safe to say that each one of can look back and think of times where God  has bailed us out. In fact, I know for sure that I can think of  several instances where the Lord has stepped in and

rescued me from bouts of depression  or   messy situations that I've  gotten myself into. What I love about the  Lord is that no matter  how far we've  fallen, no matter what  state  we find ourselves in, God without  hesitation  reaches out His hand  to pull us through anything we are  facing. He doesn't condemn or reject us  He simply loves us back to life.

There is no one like the Lord and no one that will love you  as much  as He does.  He  can take our  broken  pieces down to  the  smallest  detail, no matter  how in spite of how damaged we think we  are the  Lord can turn our situation completely around and use our lives to glory .  Remember in spite of what things look like  or how you feel  you matter to God. He created you and  He  knows that there is still purpose in your life and that  you are  a  valuable  piece  to  His plan. Today take  a few moments to  think about  how God has  come  through in your life and   praise Him for His provision.



Love,

What to Do With Your Worries

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7(ESV)

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Life  happens and  we  all  face things in our lives that   makes us  anxious  especially when we  don't have  all the  answer to fix the  situation ourselves. This is when we  must  look beyond ourselves and  our  abilities and  seek  Christ and His abilities. Worry  distracts us  from  trusting  God  fully and it  keeps us  stuck in our emotions. The  tricky  thing  about our emotions is that they aren't  reliable and the enemy  will feed your anxiety with  all sorts of  lies to keep you  stuck in one place.  God  never intended for you to carry all your burdens, in fact  Matthew 11: 28-30 say this.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest.  Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest. Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 (ERV)

So what  should we do with our worries and the  anxiety?   Give them to  the Lord  because  He cares  for you, give it to the  Lord because   He  promises to  give you rest and  relieve you  of all the things that are weighing you down.  God   has given  you His  word but  you must  be  willing to  first admit that you need His help. You don't  have to spend  anymore time  trying to figure things out on your own because  when  you let go  God  will  release from your burdens and replace them with a peace that only He  can give.  When we  are  receptive to His  grace He will fill us with exactly what we need to move forward and win the battle over  anxiety and  worry.

Love,

What Will I Have to Give Up?

 If any of us confess that Jesus is God’s Son, God remains in us and we remain in God. 1 John 4:15 (CEB)

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Do you  feel that  God is tugging on your heart to accept Jesus as your personal savior but  feel a  bit hesitant? Feeling this way isn't uncommon and everyone's reason  vary. For some it  may be their family background  and not being brought  up attending church or encountering believers who where more rigid and more judgmental than compassionate.  What those who may identify with those two examples have in common is that they are apprehensive because of what they think they may have to give up. 

 The truth is some things  will  change but they will change for the better! Choosing  Christ  requires  a  change in  our  hearts and a  shift in your thinking.  We  don't have to  fit  a  certain mold or wait until the time is  right. God  will receive you  just  as you   are  in whatever  condition you're in. Salvation is a  free gift  that  God has  graciously  offered to everyone  who  will receive it.  As  we  cling  to him  God  promises to  remain in us, this  means that we  don't have figure things out on our  own because  with Him we have everything that we  need to grow and  live  life to the fullest. Things will not always be perfect, but with  God living on the inside of you the circumstances of life won't break you.

Today  I want to  invite you say this  simple  brief  prayer.   Dear Lord I  have tried things on my own but  I  know now that I need you.  So  please  come live in my  heart.  I believe  that  Christ  died for my sins and I accept  Jesus as   my  Lord and savior. I believe that I am  saved and that you  now live in my  heart.  In  Jesus' name -Amen

If you prayed this prayer  welcome to the family.The creator of the  universe now lives within you! 

Love,

Love Them Anyway

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.  You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Luke 6:35-36 (NLT)

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I believe that God places certain people in our  lives for  a reason.  There is  always  something that we can  learn about  ourselves  by interacting with each other.  Inevitably  there will be people in your life that not   only  knows how to push your buttons  but  they seem to  enjoy  getting under  your  skin.  So  how  do you love  someone  who  is  awful to you?  You start  by mirroring  God:   Show the  same  compassion  and grace  to  them that   God  has   shown you over the years. Be intentional  about  being God's representative  in those  difficult  instances.  Forget about  being  "right"  or  winning  an  argument but  show them Christ through your ability to  guard your words ,emotions  and love them anyway!

Remember  in spite of what they  think or say about you their  opinion  of you has nothing to do with you  and   what they think  does not  define you.  They are dealing with some things within themselves and using you as a distraction. When someone  has made the choice to allow  their  perception of you to be the burden that they  carry around,more than  anything they  need your  prayers.  As  difficult as it may seem, what you need to  do in this  instance is   ask  God  to   guard your heart so you  won't be emotionally led to be  vengeful.  Ask that  the Lord would  show you  what you need to  learn from this  situation and how to  be  a blessing to them. Lastly below  is  Ephesians 6:12,  it's our reminder of  who the enemy  really  is. So stay focused on  God  and He will  cover you in this season of your life.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)

Count Your Blessings

11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. Philippians 4:11 (NLT)

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If you where to  sit  and think  honestly, would  you find that you spend more time complaining rather than  counting your  blessings? We  have  all  had  instances in our live where we couldn't  take  our eye's off of   ourselves and  what we are lacking. The  danger in  complaining is that   we  begin to lose  sight of  what God is  doing right now in this moment and we  fall into  the trap of  discontentment. The thing is,  we may   never have everything  fall into place the way we would like or have all the things we desire, but keep in mind that the very thing you are  complaining about someone somewhere would love to have  a portion of what you have.


Today I challenge you   to  purposefully  count all the blessings  in your life  as well as how God has blessed you over the years. Nothing is too small  to list. Keep  this list where you see it often and  throughout the day  add more things as you think of them .You can keep this  list on your phone , office  or  posted around the house. What this will do is  build  a heart of gratitude and  worship. We  will begin to  look back at our list and pin point  where His  love  towards us kept us from being discourage  by our circumstance and how He   graciously  reached His hand down to us and gave us the ability  to  keep  going. Let this act of worship shift your thinking and  heal your heart.




Love,

Are You Too Busy?

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

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Some of us  have  way too much going on. We are  so   busy  being busy that  life  is exhausting us.  The  problem with having so much on our  plates  at one time is that  eventually what we are filling our  schedule with begins to weigh us down. We  begin to  do things out of  obligation as opposed to  having a passion for the project we've started.   Putting   so much pressure on ourselves to reach perfection can lead us to fall out of love with what  use to be  our passion.  

So you'll  have to ask yourself what's the point of  working yourself into oblivion  for something  that  is  draining  your peace? It's  important to take time to  unplug and   do a serious  self-inventory  of   where  our heart and mind  is. Today   let's take some time to  answer the  following question honestly.  Am  I   filling my   life with projects or things in order to mask my  pain? If the answer is yes then  I encourage you to go before the Lord and spend some  quality  time with Him  today.  

When your  mind is so  cluttered odds are   that you haven't  spent  enough time pouring  your   heart  out  to God . We  all need  time  with God   each day so that  He  can renew you through His word and His presence not just  when things slow  down or are convenient.  Today be intentional  about  giving God your  time and He will be  faithful in carrying you through anything that  life throws your way. 

Love,

We All Need Grace

 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Matthew 7:2(NLT) 

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For you will be treated  as you   treat  others; Wow,with that  in mind it  should  make you  think twice  about your approach  with the people in your life.  So many seek their  own  advantage  and  toss humility  out the window.   But what we  must not lose  sight of  is  our  capacity to think about the feeling of others and  the  lasting  affect of our  actions.   I don't know about you but knowing that I set the standard of  what I receive  back by how  I treat others definitely  makes me   more  careful of what  I say and   how  I show compassion to others. 

No one is perfect and we all need   Gods grace each and everyday.  So we must be  intentional  about lifting each other  up and  asking the Lord  to grant us  discretion in interaction with others.   I realize that  some people are  just purposefully  difficult to deal with and  it seems  easier  just to  reciprocate the same  sour attitude.  But what I want you to think about before you react is that people who are truly happy with themselves and their  lives don't  intentionally make others life difficult.  But those who are hurting  tend to misplace their frustration on others.  So  instead pray for them  and  move on. 

We are  called to be salt and  light in the  world. This means that  we  should reflect our  love of  Christ  where  ever we go.  Think about the last time you were  going through some frustrating circumstance and   someone  extended compassion toward you   when you really needed it.  Remember  how  having someone to really  listen to you  and  care about what you were going through  lifted some of the pressure  you where  experiencing at that  time.  In that  same manner we  should examine  our intentions   show  others the grace we would like to receive  and be  Christ led  and  allow Him to use us  to  bring light when others  need to  see a  glimmer of  hope.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)

Love,

Receive Gods Love

For God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you—be reconciled to God.2 Corinthians 5:19-20 TLB

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Have you really  accepted God's  love?  That  seems like a simple  question to answer, Right? But often times  we  feel like  we are so far from where  God wants us to be that somehow His  love for us has diminished. Thankfully, this is not the case.  God is not like man  and  there is nothing that  we  could  do to weaken His  love  for us.

For many of  us  the concept of  unconditional  love  is  hard to wrap our minds  around. We  base  Gods  love on  the  relationships that we've  encountered in our life. But the   thing about  people is   that even with the best  intentions  we have the tendency to have  conditions  for  our  love.  We have these  check list   and  boxes to check off and  at times  unattainable  requirements. But the good news is that  God  isn't  that way.


Gods love  isn't dependent on  us  at all.  As a  loving  Father  He reconciled us  back to Him through  Christ, so  His love has  already been  established.   What  we must do is  broaden what we  think about  God  and  accept  the love that He has offered to us.  There  are no hoops to  jump through or level of perfection in our  walk  to attain with God . God  is literally love and  He has  graciously  given  us  His love as a gift  that  will never  run dry.


 So don't wait for the perfect  time  or  circumstance to reach out  to  God.  There is  no better  time than right now  to   seek Him.  The best  decision  you  will ever  make is  to   cling to  the  one  who  created you, loves  you with an unwavering  love   and   will walk  with you  and  guide  you every   single  day  of your life without fail.  Think about it this way the one who created  us all, the universe and  so much more  believes that  we matter and that  we are  valuable  in his  eye's.  Don't wait another  moment  accept God He is waiting with open arms.


Love,

Finding Your Purpose

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.Do not forsake the work of your hands. Psalm 138:8 (ESV)

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I  believe  that we  all  have  the desire to  better ourselves.  There is  a  desire in all of us to grow and find what  our purpose is.  Sometimes  we  get caught up in our own routines and get set in  our ways that we   settle in to  a  stagnant  life.  If this sounds familiar then you recognize   the need to  break out  of  your comfort zone.



But what  if you  are unsure  of where you fit in  or  what your purpose  is?  It  can be  frustrating  to have the desire to   do    amazing things but  have  no clue where to   start.  A  good  place to  begin is to  start being  intentional about  spending  some  quiet time  before the  Lord in order to  find ourselves.  Then we  must  find  the  Lord and  absorb  His  wisdom.  Prayer  is  a  direct connections with   the Lord and it is  vital  in our  journey to a  better us.


We must  develop a  mindset that declares  that  God  will fulfill His  purpose  in our lives.  When  we  don't  believe that God can  use  us  we tend  to shy away from digging deeper  in  our pursuit  to  find our  purpose.  But  we  must do  the  complete  opposite we  must  pursue  Gods  plans for our  lives  so that  we  can  live to our  full potential.   Why live with a  stack of regrets  over things you could have done   when you  have the privilege to  tap  into  Gods endless resources?


We  can  live  life to the  fullest; Keep chasing after the will of  God and  you will  find  your  place in His  plan.   Everything that  you are  going through or  have gone through  play  a part in reaching your full potential. Remain focused ,keep  praying  and  keep  worshiping  God  because He is  faithful. Your story doesn't end with where you've fallen short  but it continues  where  your faith  meets the Lords  power.


Love,

Your Pain Matters to God

 He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him. For he knows we are but dust.  Psalm 103:13-14(TLB)

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There are  times when  all we  need to hear that   someone  understands and that    what  we are  going  through matters. Sometimes when we  hear someone's  issues we  reject the pain attached to the  circumstance and   try to  fix the  circumstance without  addressing  what's going on  in the heart. The  truth is without  sorting  out  what's going on in your  heart,  attempting to change the circumstance will be ineffective.


 With God  we  are  able to  not only   communicate   our  concerns to   Him but we  are  also  able to  express the  pain in our hearts.   The  Lord is  amazing at taking  all that we are  feeling in the moment, sort out our pain and  restore  our minds  by giving  us  the clarity to  recognize that He is  with us and  that He  always  has been.  Being the  loving  and caring God that He is  He  longs  to  lift heads back up  with His  love and set us  on the right  path again.



The enemies  objective is to  fill our  minds with  stress and  keep us  anxious about everything we  are  facing.   Our  issues don't  define us but God  does, we  don't have to  be bound by our pain.  We are  Gods  creation, He is  aware of where we are  and the condition of our  heart. Things   will always  work out in our  favor when  we stand on His promises. Your  pain  matters to God ,  your  broken heart  matters to  God  and  the  truth is  that  your are  precious  in His sight, No matter how deep your pain is or  how  overwhelming  your circumstances are He is  present.


So when  you begin  to  feel like you've exhausted all of  your  abilities   this   is  the  perfect  moment  to lean  on   the Lord for  total  restoration.  Independent  of  God  we  ultimately  struggle to  keep our  head above  water but   when cling  to  Him there is nothing that  we  face that  will keep us  from  overcoming our pain.  Being    honest about  our pain  allows God to rebuild our  broken pieces so that we  become wiser and stronger.

How to Be a Accountability Partner.

 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13 (NASB)

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Having someone in your  life that  you can  be open and honest with  and  who will also  keep you accountable is important.  We all need someone that  we  talk to about what's  going on in our lives and it  plays  a key role in our recovery from  the sin that weighs us down. Today I want to share three ways  to be   a  accountability partner.

1.Listen  First, then  respond:

An immediate  response  isn't always  required.  Often times having  someone  that  is willing to just listen is  really helpful.  From there  really think about  all that you've heard. There is nothing worse than receiving  empty  advice from someone who  hasn't  really  taken the time to think about  what they were saying.  Instead  pray with them and  when the  Lord  gives you words of encouragement then  share it  with them. 

2.Create A  Judgement Free Zone:

When  you are   sharing  your issues with  sin or  a painful    circumstance  you  feel  really vulnerable.The last thing you need is  someone to  make you feel  worse.  So  keep in mind that there is a difference between  condemnation which does more damage than  good.  Being there to hold someone accountable means you don't  excuse or  gloss over  the sin but  you partner with your friend or loved one   to be  free from the  sin  and move  forward.

3.  Trust:

Trust is  a  very  important  foundation to build upon when  being an accountability  partner. The  information  that  someone  is  sharing with is   not  to be taken lightly or broadcast to everyone you know.  Remember  you are  being  trusted  with   sensitive  information and sharing information like can break  the bonds of your relationship.  Now in cases  where  the information you've heard includes  issues where they are  harming themselves , or  harming   then it's  a good idea to get some help with the situation.

In the  body of  Christ it  is important to form these relationships in order to  grow. The  benefits of  having or  being  someone's  accountability partner  are  incredible. You are able to pray together, and  you will  have the support system  that you need in your walk with Christ . 

Love,

Living Water

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38 (NASB)

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

 We are  all seeking something to believe in or  cling to whether  we  are aware of it or not.  We  all  want to feel  a part of something. Sometimes In our quest to "belong"    we  reach out to  a  certain circle of  friends or  a relationship.   There is  nothing wrong with surrounding yourself with  people that  love and   support you  but there is so  much more to gain by  clinging to Christ .  


The Lord makes a  promise to us in  John  7:37-38. Jesus  says  If anyone  is thirsty, let them come to   Me  and drink.  This  means  that He  will never  leave  us  empty and He will always  pour  into those  who  seek him with  all their  heart. The question is  will you   believe  for   Christ  to  fill you  with   living water?  There  is nothing that  will  refresh a  broken heart or   a  broken  spirit  like  the Lord.


Jesus' resources  will never  run dry,  we  can  always   come to  Him and  be  renewed  from the inside out.  No one  has  heart  a for  us  like Lord , or  has the  depth  of  love that pours  out  to us on a daily  basis like Him.   The  Lord  desires to  see  you reach your  full potential  and that  can only   happen with time spent Him.  There  is  no  better  friend than the one  we have in Christ  Jesus.  He  is never too busy, we have constant   access to His  presence and when we  focus on Him  it  is guaranteed  that we  will never  be the same.



Today  I  encourage you  to  sit  before   God  and  allow the hands that  crafted you to  fill you up again.  Study His  word ,  absorb what you've learned  and apply  it  to your  life.  There is  no better  life  manual than  the bible.  There are  tons  of self  help  books  but the   problem with relying on yourself is that eventually your  resources will  be  depleted . The  good  news is that  the  Lords resources   will never  run dry.  So   today  make the  Lord your  first  choice and  be intentional  about  seeking  Him to fill your needs.


Love,