When You Come To God

So Christ can save those who come to God through him. Christ can do this forever, because he always lives and is ready to help people when they come before God. (Hebrews 7:25 ERV)

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Jesus intercedes on our behalf. He talks to God about each of us and cares about where we are in our lives. When we come to Him He is sympathetic and caring like any good father would be towards his children. Sometimes  our  vision  is obscured by our insecurities or the pain of our past  but  He can literally renew our minds with His presence and assure us with the promises of His word. He never rejects us when we miss the mark but instead  He picks us up and moves us past the roadblocks in our lives in  such  a  way that  we  grow stronger. God is faithful and there is no one like Him and with Him at the head of your  life it's guaranteed that your life will never be the same!



Love,

You Are Loved

 I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord Romans 8:38 (CEB)

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So often we  have this image of  God  being  disappointed in us.  You may be thinking  that  you haven't been  perfect  and  that you've made too many  mistakes.  How can  God possibly  see  past all of my short comings and  still love me  as I am?  What we  must keep in mind that God is  the author of our life and we were created by His hands.  Nothing you've done or will do  takes  Him  by surprise. Remember, God is not like man, people are fickle  and as quickly as you are  loved the next moment you can be rejected.  This is not the case with  God  He  has loved you longer than anyone, and deeper than you could even begin to wrap your mind around. So whenever a defeating, condemning  thought pops into your mind  make it submit to  God's declaration of  love for you.   "Nothing can separate us (you) from God's  love!"

Love,

No Ordinary Love

Consider the kind of extravagant love the Father has lavished on us—He calls us children of God! It’s true; we are His beloved children.1 John 3:1 (VOICE)

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With Valentines  day quickly approaching  as a  single  you may feel  a  bit sour about the whole day. But  what we must  understand that  being single isn't a  disease.  It's  a important season of your life we must look at it from a  different  perspective. Think of it this way, with this time  we are  able to  to really  cultivate our  relationship with Christ and absorb wisdom from Him.  Time spent with  Christ will fill your  heart in  a way that cannot be compared to  anything else.  His love is  extravagant, it  fills every void.

 So instead of feeling  like you're missing out  trust that  God is aware of where you are and what you need in the season you are in.   So  when the time does  come to connect with a  significant other  you'll really  be ready  because  of the time you have  spent with God and allowing Him to fill your  life.    When time comes you wont just   jump head first into a relationship out of  urgency but  you'll move  forward with clear thinking because  God has already  filled the gaps in your life.  You'll truly be able to connect on the basis of love and because you  compliment each other.


Love,

Surviving Depression

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:17(NIV)

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Depression  and other  mental health issues is a subject that  too  often goes unaddressed.  It's can be  an  uncomfortable   subject to talk about especially if you're personally  battling any form of depression.   Just admitting that  there is something that  sets you  apart in that  way.  So many  are walking  around with their   guard up in an effort to  protect themselves  from  the judgement of others.  Carrying this  burden on your own is not only  exhausting because you  have to fake happiness but  it  also  keeps  you isolated in  your pain.


But there is HOPE!

Today,  if there is one thing that I  really want you  to walk away with is  that   there  is  HOPE! Speaking from experience I know what it's like to  go through bouts  of  depression  for weeks and not being able to see the light at the  end of my pain.  But in the midst of  all of my  pain God reached down and  gave  light to  the path of  my recovery. What you  need to know is that  what  you are  going through is  valid and most importantly  what you are going through  matters  to God. You matter  to  God!  He understand and He want to  pull you through your circumstances.


 So  today I want to briefly share with you  a few steps that  helped me   survive  depression.

• Time with God: This is your first and most important on the road to recovery
• Create  Pinterest board with  bible verses that  uplift you and read them as often! (Click on the word pinterest for my personal  helpful collection of  verses and  quotes.)
• Get help! Ask God to  lead you to someone  that you can trust to walk you through this time in your life.

Let's  connect you can  find LesliAllynBlog on most social platforms.

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,

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)

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. 

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)

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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,

You are A Walking Miracle

 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart.I will tell all the miracles you have done. Psalm 9:1 (NCV)

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Your life  is  a miracle, you may  not  have  ever  thought of your  life as a  miracle  but it is. Every day that  we wake up,   every breath  that  we    take  even  when  we  take His provision  for granted, the Lord remains the  same  and  never changes  who He is.  It is   a  testament to  his   goodness   and  the depth of his  love for us.  It is  a blessing to be  called his. God  looks at  us  and  see's  our purpose and we  are  valuable in His  eye's.

Think about it  this way,  without  the Lords  hand on our  lives  where would we  be , how  would  we  even  begin to survive the  storms in our lives?  I'm  sure if you took  a  moment  to  look over events in your life   you will   find   that  there where times  where  you were  unsure of how   things would  come together but  God  opened a  door,  set up  the right meetings  and  things worked out.  

We all have  story to tell  and our  story is  worth sharing  with others.    It  vital to the growth of the  body  of Christ to  be transparent  and share  our  testimonies. Your  testimony  can  give hope to someone  who  is  going through something that you've  experienced or  it  could be  the  nudge  that  someone needs to   accept  Christ. 



God  has  been  more than   amazing to me  and I know that   many  can  say the  same thing about  God in their  lives.  If  you haven't  already today, take the  time to   thank  God  for   loving you as  you are  and  for  never  leaving  you  to sort  through your  own issues and   hangup's   alone.   God has  been  so faithful even  as  we  fall short  the  Lord hasn't  lost  sight of  us for one moment.  We  are  all walking miracles.  Share your  story with someone today,  in  person or  over social  media.  It  doesn't matter how you do it just  take  advantage of  the moment  and  share  the  goodness of  God today.

Love,

Can you Relate?

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (MSG)

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

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

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

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

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

#relationshipsstatus: Knowing where you Stand

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18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because He first loved us. -1 John 4:18 (HCSB)

So what is  real love?

Well let me start with what  love isn't; Love  doesn't require you to  compromise who you are and  your  core values.  If anything the  your significant  other  should  push  you closer to  Christ  not further  away. This is why it is  so important to  first of all make sure the two of you are on the same page and that  your  values line  up;  Diving into a  relationship and hoping down the line that they will change is a  waste of time and  will eventually  leave you frustrated.


A healthy relationship  requires that you  two  are  working towards a  common goal;  Trust plays a  major role; You need to know that  you can take them at their  word.  If  you  cannot  seem to get a  straight answer out of them  and you've  resorted  to  playing  investor gadget on their social  media this should be a read flag that you need to move on.

 Also , building a  foundation on Gods word, using  it as guidebook for your relationship and  creating a safe place for open communication is key. You should be able to freely  discuss how you feel, what you want out this relationship and if  you both  agree on the  end goal.  Do you see your relationship as something  long term leading to  marriage or  are you content  in just dating?  You need to  know if  the two of you  have the  same expectations.


Young love is  fun and exciting!  It's easy  to get  caught  up in the warm and fuzzy stage  but  don't be fooled into thinking that being a relationship is cure  all and that if you gloss over your  issues they will just  go away.  Relationships  take  a lot of  hard work and commitment so make sure  that you're  up for the task, that you two are on the same  page and that what you have is  real love and not fleeting emotions.

Love,

Are you All In?

Luke 8:14-15(NIV) 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

With anything that you desire to  grow  stronger  and  more  knowledgeable  in  you must  practice  consistency. Often times we  will pick and   choose from the  bible what makes us comfortable and fits our lifestyle.   The  word of God is not a  to go menu for you  choose a combo meal and a  drink then  be on your merry way. 

 The truth  is  following  God  isn't  always  easy and you won't be  comfortable with everything that God expects from us; But there is  great reward in being  all in  and  following the leading  of  holy spirit.   You'll find  that    the outcome of  trusting  God  far  out weighs  the  pain of  being moved out of your comfort zone. 

Trust me I know how easy it is  to  get  caught up with what's  popular  opinion.  Social  media and  the entertainment industry  for example    definitely  have  given  some folks  a  platform to project their  philosophies and so many of us  are  drinking up their  watered  down  gospel.  Let's  be clear anything  that includes sin does not rep Christ so  be careful  of  what you digest.

 What feels  good to  you  isn't always good for  you, this  is   why  it  is  so important to your  faith is  firmly    rooted in what  the word  says so you won't be another  sheep being lead  by a pack of  wolves.  Understand that you where meant to  stand  out  Matthew 5:14  says this:

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

Don't allow your light  to be dimmed  to  adapt to the worlds  view; You were created to be so much more! Remember life is too short to live like everyone  projecting  anything less than the   authentic  you.   If you lose  friends or  a significant other  count it as  a blessing  because they would've  been a distraction anyway,  Move  forward life to your full potential  on purpose! 

Are you all in?

If  you haven't received  Jesus as your personal savior I  would like  to invite you to make the BEST  decision  of your life.    Pray this simple prayer..

Lord I want to be  all in    I accept you as  my  personal savior, I believe that you died on the cross and rose again.  Write my name in the book of life and teach me how to fully live for  you.  In Jesus's name -Amen

Welcome to the family!

Love, 

Remember I am  @lesliallynblogs EVERYWHERE  let's connect!
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What I've Learned in 32yrs .

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24(MSG)23-24 May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!

Yesterday I celebrated my  32nd  birthday I  had a  great  day.  My mom and I   spent some time together and she treated me to lunch. So that's why  there  was  no  post yesterday. I took advantage of the day to  just "be". The older I get  the more I find that  I  spend  a  lot  more time  thinking about  my life and  where I want to be.  The  night before my birthday  I made  sure I   poured  my heart out to  God because  moving forward I don't  remain the  same , I want to grow and live out my   purpose to the fullest. 

So with  that  said   here are  a few  things   I that  I've learned  in my  in my 32 years:

1. You cannot look to  someone/something to make you whole.

Only  God can make you  whole; You will always come up empty handed if your  measure of happiness is  based on the people in your life or the things you acquire.  God is the only   one that   can  fill the voids in your life. Seeking  God  first will  make  room for the desires of your heart.

    2. Don't be afraid of making mistakes

Be more  concerned with  your  life becoming stagnant vs. being  afraid of  stepping out of your comfort zone.  That  little  bubble you've created will only  be  "safe"  for  so  long so It's better  to try  new  things and  fail than to look back years from now wondering what  you could  have accomplished . Growth comes from trial and error  standing in one  spot all your  life will leave you full of regret. 

    3. Dream BIG!

Taking  a leap of  faith is  scary I know  in my case I  am the type of person that doesn't like surprises I want to  know what the next step is  before I move ahead.  But  faith doesn't work that way you must  trust God and that know that if you  come to  God  sincerely  He   has heard your  request  and prepared the  path ahead of you.  In  His timing the desire of your heart   will be met and those dreams  will come to fruition . 

Philippians 4:6The Message (MSG)6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Thank you for reading  and know that I love you !  I'd love to connect with you can find me  on just about every social media  outlet under the name  @lesliallynblogs or by email  lesliallynblogs@gmail.com

Love,