No Effort No Results

 Because of this, make every effort to add integrity to your faith; and to integrity add knowledge; 2 Peter 1:5 (GW)

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Have  you ever tried to cut  corners on a  project or  task only for it  to later  fall apart?  The same  happens when we  only  put  minimal  effort into our walk with Christ. Apart from Christ we  struggle with our  temporary  fixes and continually find ourselves unfulfilled.  We can never experience the  full picture of what   God  wants to do in our lives  if we are only  partially  invested in seeking  His presence, absorbing the wisdom that  comes from time spent with Him and studying the word. We  must  set our  priorities on  things  outside of  our  social and  professional ties and   give our time to the one who has the power to fill every  void in our lives.

Believe me I know how  easy it  is to fill your  life with things , people or  work.  Before you know it you realize that you  have used up all your  resources and  you've  finally reached the  end of yourself. This is  best place  you could be because it's the beginning of  recognizing that  you need the  Lord to sustain you.  No one of thing will fill  you  or connect to your heart the way the  Lord will.  Today ask God to help you let go of the things that distract you from  Him and  grant you  peace to move forward with.  I know it's hard to  let go of things that we  believed  worked at one time but  I assure that none  of the  things that you've tried  can   begin to compare with the works that  God can  do in  your life.

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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,

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,

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.

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)

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 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,

Changing Seasons

 I will pour out water for the thirsty land and make streams flow on dry land. I will pour out my Spirit into your children and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44:3 (NCV)

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At some  point in our lives we have  all experienced  a   dry season  where  we  feel like we  are in  a  cycle of  disappointment  and things   don't come together the way we would like them  to.  It can be hard to  imagine that  all the   hard things we have had to  deal with  has  a  purpose.  But in spite of  how  you feel in  this  moment  or what it looks like, every  obstacle that you've  faced  is a  vital   piece of  the puzzle  for where you are going.

Sometimes   God   allow  certain  things to unfold in our lives to get our attention , move  us to a point where we reevaluate  our  motives and   begin  to put our  hope back in  Him. What  we must  realize is that  God  never   promised that  our walk with Him would  be easy and that  once we  became  saved things would  just  automatically  flow into place.   What He  did  promise  is  to never  leave us nor  forsake us. So when  we really  begin to trust His   plan for our lives  we  will succeed. He will make a way in spite of  what  things  look like.

So when you find yourself  at a  crossroad don't begin to   despise  the path you're on   but  seek  God  relentlessly  and   pray your  way through  every obstacle.   God  is bigger than  anything that we will ever   face.  He  wants to  see us    succeed  but we  must be willing to  give  up our will in exchange  for His  because it is  the only way to  true  victory. When we  really  lean on the  Lord  He  will  pour into us in ways we  couldn't begin to  imagine.

O God, my God! How I search for you! How I thirst for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. How I long to find you! Psalm 63:1(TLB)

The test we  face are not  meant to  break you  down but  they are meant to build you up.   Change your  outlook  on   the  seasons of your  life as a  opportunity    to  pass the  test and  get that much closer to  your purpose. Don't  give up now. There  is so much more  ahead of you.  Ask that  God would replenish you as you become weary and  guide you along the   way and  He will  meet you at the point of your faith.

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)

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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,

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) 

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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) 

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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,

Test of Your Faith

 2 My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, 3 because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. James 1:2-3(NCV)

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When you read    James 1:2  it   can  be a  difficult  concept to wrap your mind around. I don't know about you but  when I  read this  I have  some questions.  How  can   I  find  joy  within my  troubles?  My  situation isn't  fun,  I am  uncomfortable  and  what I am dealing with  is hard.  When you get to  verse 3 it  makes  things   a bit more clear,  

"Troubles test your faith, and  this will give you  patience"

While you are  feeling  anxious and you don't know  how  or  when  things  will  work out  ask yourself ,  will you stand firm in your faith  and  trust  that the Lord will get you through it   will you pass the  test of faith?  When you are  going through  a  rough  time    it  forces you   out of your  comfort  zone   and  you must  decide that  your  problem isn't  bigger than    God's ability  to  sustain you.


Trusting  God's plan for  our lives   requires   a lot  patience  from us because  we must completely let go  of our own  logic and totally  rely  on  God's timing.  We  often  view  letting  go as   defeat   and  we  struggle with  not  being in  control.   The truth  is   that   we  can only  win when we  let go and  believe that  God is in the midst of your  trails  working things out on our  behalf.


Don't  be  mislead by  defeating thoughts that try to weigh you  down or the  things that  try to  distract you from moving forward.  God  would never  allow you to    go through a  trail  that  had  no  purpose.  Every things that you have gone through or  are  currently  going through is  a  stepping stone towards  and stronger  more  patient you.    Don't  despise  the process just  trust  God and He will take  care of  the  rest.

Love,

You'll Get Through It

 27 “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid. (John 14:27 GNT) 

 

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

The  peace that we have in Christ  Jesus  is unlike anything  you'll ever  experience .  There  is something so amazing  in the fact that  there is  no overwhelming  circumstance  where God is unable  to  calm us  and give us clear thinking.  In the midst of  dark situations God has the  ability to make things  better; With  a still  soft  voice  He assures us that He is present in this moment with us and we  don't have to have it all figured out.

Sometimes we have to step outside of ourselves to really  recognize that God is in control.   When  we  acknowledge our need for Christ we  create a  atmosphere for  the Lord to come in and pour in to us all that  we've lost and  as well as  the things we weren't aware that we  were missing. He can enable us to  stand   firm and get through whatever comes our way.

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,My glory and the One who lifts up my head.4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah (Psalm 3:3-4 NKJV)

 It's important to keep the line of  communication open with the Lord.  We  need   Gods  presence on a  daily basis, not just  when  things are falling apart.  Sitting  at the  foot of  the  Lord   is what will sustain us in our everyday lives so we don't fall to pieces when we  are faced with  trials.  Even when we  do fall apart we  won't  stay there because  of the foundation we're cultivating by  talking to God on a regular basis  and  meditating on His word. 

Whatever you're facing today  I encourage you to  tuck away some time to bring  all that is  on your mind and in your  heart to  God and ask that  He would relieve you and reassure you that His hand is on your life.  He will get you through  it!

Love,