Breaking Under Pressure

 Those who hide their sins won’t succeed,but those who confess and give them up will receive mercy. Proverbs 28:13 (CEB)

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We  put so much pressure on  ourselves to  lead  this  perfect  life as  Christians.   But the   truth  is  that perfectionism   will sabotage   your  faith  every time because we are  seeking a  standard within ourselves that we should be seeking  only in Christ.  What we  need to realize is that  God's  mercies  are new  each morning for   good  reason.   In  life  we  will  face  test  after test  and  our job isn't  to  come  up with our own  solutions but we  must  focus on God   and  seek  Him for  our   solution  and  follow  His lead.

Today  in Church my pastor  spoke about pinpointing the areas we  struggle in ,  confessing our sins and being  brave enough to  admit  that we need help.  For  many of  us   admitting that  there are  areas  of  our lives  that  we  are  unable to manage our own is  scary.    I have to admit  that I am  one of those  people who becomes uneasy when  it comes to  being open and honest about where I am and  I  can be  very guarded with  my  feelings.  But  what I am learning is that  carrying all of  my  own broken  pieces only  leaves  me  broken and confessing   my  issues enables me to move forward with Gods plan for my life.

We  don't have to  continue to break under the  pressures of life when  we are able to  give  God all that we  have and   trust Him to fill in the gaps in our lives.  Trusting Gods  plan takes  courage  but  ultimately  when we  give our problems to the Lord,   the weight  of our  circumstances won't crush us   and we  are then  able to  shift  our focus on  hearing from God  and  following His plan. So  we have to  resolve in our hearts  what we  will be  led  by.  Will we  allow  God  to navigate our lives or  are  we more content  to circle around the  same  old issues on our own?

Today I want you to remember that you  don't  have to be perfect but  what you must do is trust  Gods  perfect will for your  life. Continue to  pray  and spend time with  God  so that He can  fill you each day.  You will  find that  you will  be    better equipped to deal with  life's  ups and downs and you will  be less likely to buckle under the  pressure .

Love,

With God All Things Are Possible

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

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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) 

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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) 

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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,

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)

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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) 

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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,

God's Gift to You

16 Because he was full of grace and truth, from him we all received one gift after another. John 1:16(NCV) 

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Have you   taken the time lately  to  really   think about  the  gifts that Christ  has blessed  you with over the years?  I know  sometimes  we can   get   so  caught up in what  going  wrong   in our lives that  we  forget to acknowledge how  we  are  blessed beyond  measure on a  daily basis.  Unfortunately   sometimes it takes the  absence  of  our  gifts for  the vial  to be  taken off of  our eyes, so that  we   realize how   much God  sustains us each day. 

Think about it  this way,  your  life  is a  gift. Every ability that you have, every resource that you  have access to  is  only possible because of what  the Lord  has  spoken into  existence. Salvation is  a gift.  The fact  that   God was  willing  gave the life of His only son and  that  Jesus  saw  value in us so much so that He was  willing  to   give his life for  us speaks  volumes  about their  love for  us.

The  grace of  God  is  so  amazing.  He still  cover  us  even  when  we  don't  acknowledge  His hand on  our lives.  He  never  gives up on us  because  He loves  us  and wants us to succeed. He has given us purpose and  the  Lord   will  diligently  pursue  us  until   he  see's the  fruit  of  His   works bloom  in our lives.

So  when you are  tempted to complain I  challenge  you to shift your thinking  from  yourself  and place your  focus  on  God.  Begin to list  in your mind the  gifts   that  God has  given you over the years  and think  of  how  He has  impacted  your life through His   grace.  I  guarantee   that    you'll  lose  count.  

Listen,  I  know  that  life happens  and  we  all have trails that we have to face but  just take heart to that  He is  present in your life and He will never   allow   you to arrive  at  a  crossroad  that He isn't  willing  guide you through.  You are  covered  and  you will win  just  keep  going and keep your  eye's on   the Lord.

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,

What Is Your First Response?

Psalm 9:10 (NCV) 10 Those who know the Lord trust him,  because he will not leave those who come to him.

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When you are  going through trying  circumstances what is  you first  response? 

• Do you isolate yourself  from everyone  and  begin to internalize   how  you could have   done things  differently 
•  Lash out at others due to being  so overwhelmed and  frustrated
•   Or  do you    spill out  every thought or  concern to anyone that will sit  long enough to listen?

Your  response  to  difficult  circumstances is  an  indicator of  where your  faith  lies.   Knowing  the Lord  for yourself and trusting his  hand on your life means that  seeking Him first is  the  best  choice to  finding  a resolution and  moving forward.   If  coming before  God with your  concerns is  an afterthought it's  time to shift your perspective. 

I admit that  I  am definitely   one who isolates and  internalizes everything!  It's  hard  for me  to  immediately  express how I am feeling  in the moment . I've  always  admired those  who are  able to  express themselves  well under difficult  circumstances.  It  definitely   takes me a lot  longer to gather my thoughts together.

 I hadn't really thought about the way I dealt with things in life when I began to feel overwhelmed until recently.  I'm learning that sometime you have to take a  step back and ask yourself  if the Lord is willing to  take on   my  burdens and replace it  with  peace of mind , why would I waste so much   time  trying to figure things out on  my  own? He  wants me  to be free!

Having a  circle  of  friends to  confide in is  great and it is a very  important part of your spiritual  growth but don't overlook the  fact that  you need to hear   from the Lord first and  then  go to others for support as  God leads you.  When  you are  under pressure  don't allow it to weigh you down to the  point where you're  alienating  your  friends and loved  ones.  God is  more than capable of handling your  anger  as well as  your  pain so  vent to Him and receive His peace.


This week I encourage you  to  trust  God  and cling to Him when you are  faced with  difficult  situations or  difficult  people.  When you trust the  Lord , He promises never to leave you. He will  relieve   you  of   your  burdens and  grant you clear thinking so that you may move forward.  Surrender it  all to Him today! 

Love,

The Gift of Grace

 8 I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.  Ephesians 2:8-10 (NCV)

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

The  Gift  of  salvation is  something that   we  sometimes take  for  granted , the  depth  of  Christ love  for us is  truly  amazing.   It is   easy  to  be  disconnected from the  word  and gloss over key points that we  really need to digest but    I want to  encourage you to take the time to   really  think about   what  it  looked  like for  Christ  to put His  life  on the line  in order  to  save ours.

Wisdom is  recognizing  our  dependence on  God  for  everything in our lives; From our  next  meal to the  our next  breath, we  cannot  take  credit  for  anything that we  have. it's  because of   Lord  that we have  the privilege  to  walk out  our purpose.  Nothing  just happens   chance  the  Lord is always  actively  working   in our  lives and     pouring out  His  grace  to us  each and everyday.  I don't know about you but I need  His  grace each and every  day.

10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.  -Eph 2:10

Because of the  grace that  God  extended to us it   is  important for  us to mirror that  same  grace towards other that  haven't  quite  matured in their  walk with Christ.  I know that I have  been guilty  at  one point or another  of not  being understanding  of those  who were  struggling in areas  that  I  wasn't.  This is  why it  is  important to  surround yourself with other  believer  who   you can draw wisdom from  and  who will also hold you  accountable.  We  need  one another , we all need  a support system in  our lives to keep us  motivated. 

God  has  a plan and  a  purpose  for  each of our lives,  how  awesome is it to know that we are important enough to  the Lord  that  He  has  placed  a calling  on our lives.   There is assignment  that  only  we  can  walk out because  He has   chosen us .  You may  not understand   the purpose  for  every  twist and turn on the road  to your purpose but  what you can be sure of is  that God  will   complete the work that He  began in you .  Keep pushing forward , remain  humble  and  continue to trust His timing.

Love,