A Prayer for You and I

Father in the name of Jesus, I come before You today giving You praise and thanking You for being my God. For Your help, protection, blessing, mercy and grace.  Without You I am nothing and I thank You for never leaving or forsaking me.  Lord I ask that You forgive sin and iniquity in my life, known and unknown.  I ask that You bless the people that come across this post, that You help them in the way they need help. Only You know what we all truly need and I submit my will to Your will right now.

Lord help us all to know You better, to quiet the voices that tell us no, that say we won't be anything, that speak against our purpose, teach us to war in the spirit instead of the flesh.  Teach us to speak life into our situations and to shun evil.  Above all draw us closer to You, let us have the like mindset of Christ, let us love what You love, and hate what You hate.  Let us be anxious for nothing, but by all things in prayer let our request be made known unto You.  In your mighty Son Jesus Name, Thank you Father, -Amen.

Don't Despise the Battle

🎶 🎶" Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so,

Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is Strong"🎶 🎶

 

 

 

This is the first song I sung in the choir when I was a kid.  I was so happy to do it.  I had watched my grandmother sing and direct the choir for many years and now I was getting my turn.  Look out Anna Mae Bullock, here I come!  Needless to say my moment came and I was so scared, I froze up.  The whole church was looking at me and I couldn't say a word.  My grandmother calmly walked up to me and said "what does the first few words say", I said those very words back to her and she looked me in my eye and told me "we can't do it on our own, we're not strong enough, but Jesus can". One of my grandmother's favorite saying was that we were soldiers on the battlefield for the Lord, so I knew exactly what she was getting at. I nodded, and she stepped back in place.  The music started again and I started to sing.  No, stop... What I really mean is I sang!!!  I was so glad my granny gave me an extra run, cause I worked that song out! Just don't ask me to do it now. lol  It's one of my fondest memories I have of her and I.   

 

As I think about that now, I realize that something rose up in me that day.  That it was not only those dutiful words of my Grandmother, but that it was the Holy Spirit, the very strength of God.  The very hand of God that comes to strengthen all of us to do His Will.  As my Grandmother said we are soldiers on the battlefield. What I found out is that a soldier that performs well in battles, comes to be known as a warrior in times of war. Their name goes out into the land and a mighty man/woman of valor.  They are considered blessed and favored in their land.  That sounds like something God would do for His children. So I want to encourage you today not to despise the battles in your life, they come to fashion you into what God has called you to be. 

 

 

Not only that, but there are some things in our lives that we need to slay and utterly destroy.  We also need to know who we are and the power of God in us.  Ephesians 6:10-11 says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."   The Apostle Paul reminds us to wear our armour daily, so that we are not caught unprotected against the enemy and  so that we can take what is thrown at us.  We are warriors, so we must be disciplined and fierce as we go into battle.  Bad covenants are erased on the battlefield, possessions are taken back, homes are saved, and most importantly victories are won on the battlefield  Go with God, and conquer all that is yours!

 

 

~God Bless U

Joy Everlasting

I wanted to quickly encourage you today to be happy on purpose. No matter what's going on around you, or what's going wrong in your life, choose how you decide to look at it.  There are so many negative things that happen in the world, but we get to make the decision on how it affects us.  I received some troubling news today, and usually it would have been enough to keep me sour all day.  But, I remembered the scripture that says "speak those things that are not as though they are". So I decided to speak life to a dying situation. And what I found was I was encouraged to look at that situation differently. Instead of being in despair, I was empowered by the Word of God and the joy and peace it brings. It wasn't necessarily that the outcome changed, but my mindset did. I remembered that all things work out for my good and that God will supply my every need. 

I chose to keep my joy. I chose to stay in the light instead of being pulled down to darkness.  I don't believe life is about being happy all the time, but God does wants us to be happy. So much so that He gives us a greater gift than happiness... JOY!  Joy is what we have, when happiness just won't do. I'm happy when I get to the beach, or when I recieve something I've been praying for.  I have joy when I'm at the beach, and when I can't get there because of circumstances and life. I have joy when things are not going great, but I'm sure God has my back. 

 

What I've found is that joy is everlasting.  When we say to God I want to be happy, he gives us a measure of joy to sustain us between those times and  during.  So I encourage you to be happy on purpose, because God has something so much better in store.

 



~God Bless U

Don't Give Up

I just want to quickly encourage you all to not give up.  So many times we are right on the edge of our breakthrough and because we loose steam, loose the fight, or stop pressing, we never get what God has right around the corner for us.  Ecclesiastes 9:11 says:
 "The race is not given to the swift nor the strong but he who endures until the end."

God would not admonish us to have endurance if we didn't need it.  He doesn't want us to give up!  If you just hold on a little longer, the blessing of the Lord is sure to overtake you.

Here's what I want to share with you today.  Do you know that the enemy gets busier as you get closer to God and what He has for you?  His number one priority is to keep you from getting there.  He wants to keep you depressed, oppressed, discouraged, downtrodden, impoverished, and useless. This keeps you from realizing who you are in Christ, who you are to God, and who God is to you.  Don't let him win.  Keep fighting! Keep believing!  Keep striving!  Don't give up!!!

Think of what would have happened if Abraham had given up, or King David, or Elijah, or most of all Jesus.  But they did not.  Jesus did not throw the baby out with the bath water, He suffered and endured for us.  As a matter of fact, He did it just for YOU!  So I encourage you to endure the sufferings and persecutions a little longer. Withstand the attacks of the enemy.  The Apostle Paul said  ^"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us", in Romans 8:18.  In other words nothing can compare to what God has coming up for you.  Believe that, stand on that, proclaim that, and don't give up!

~God Bless U

Trust God

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. 

I was up early this morning working on a chapter of my book and this is one of the scriptures God gave me.  At a time like this I find it to be great comfort and encouragement that He has my life in His hands and that He's just as concerned about what I'm concerned about.  Thank you Jesus, for covering me, for strengthening me, and for loving me. 

I want to remind you all the there is no better place to be than in the Will of God.  You can be sure that He has mapped out ever contingency, ever turn, and every road for you.  He wants us to believe in Him and know that He has the best plan. Don't waste your days worrying and questioning God about your life.  Just trust Him to lead and guide you to greener and more fruitful pastures.  Remember the wilderness experience with the children of Israel?  Joshua 5:6 and Numbers 32:13 tells us they moved about in the wilderness for 40 years  because of their murmuring and complaining, and their unbelief which caused God's anger. Don't be like them! Trust that God will lead you, and trust Him to prosper you, and trust Him to strengthen you and to be with you always. 

I encourage you today in this,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. 
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

God Bless U

Count it All Joy

I attended a funeral today and found I had a few things on my mind.  I didn't know the deceased very well, but some members of her family are very near and dear to me.  I found myself sitting among those grieving and asking God to just help them. Help them get through this day, help them get through their grief, and to help them heal in every part of their lives.  In asking God to help them it made me take account of just how helpless I was feeling in the situation.  I was among these hurting people and there was nothing I could do to take their pain away, after all there is no real humanly comfort in death.  That kind of comfort is spiritual and it comes from God. I really started to pray and ask God to reveal His Word to me in this and it wasn't until I sat down to share with you all that I caught it real good.  The scripture of James 1:5 keeps coming to my mind, "Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."  The part that really resonates with me is the count it ALL joy.  In other words not just the good times, or happy times, but all times. 

 

As I started to meditate on this I began to ask God how can I find joy in a funeral and people's grief?  Then He began to show me that many things take place during these sad occasions.  Often times funerals and births have a way of healing rifts in the family. They bring people closer.  They also remind us of our humanness.  If we have distorted our focus to the world these occasions serve to put our focus back where it belongs. On GOD.  People rededicate themselves to God , so that they are found ready when their departure comes and some just come to realize that death is not something to fear, but to learn that it too is part of the plan in God's will.    Grief certainly has it's place, but God wants us to lean on Him for strength and healing.  Also lend your ear to what He may be speaking in these types of seasons.  Remember that all things work for the good of those that love God and that are the called to His purpose. 

 

God Bless U

Too Important to Wait!

I want to apologize.  I apologize because I have not kept my commitment to this blog.  Which really means I haven't kept my commitment to God.  I got so busy in the beginning of the year and I started telling myself that I would get back to blogging as soon as I could clear some things up, as soon as I got some things out of the way, as soon as my life settled down, etc.  Then I was listening to a sermon by Bishop TD. Jakes and something he said came to convict me and push me into action.  He said "you will die waiting on the right time/the right conditions to do sometthing"!  He used the Apostle Paul as an example. Bishop Jakes spoke of how he (Paul) was being punched in the face while he was making a difference in the churches and cities he went to.  He didn't get to wait for things to calm down or for the optimum conditions, he worked to the glory of God in whatever state he found himself in.  And that's what got me back on the street called Straight!   I was so busy thinking if I could just make it through one thing I could get to another.  Soon a week became two weeks, two weeks four, and so on.  

So now that I have received my deliverance, I want you to receive yours!  Don't miss the blessing in the messing!  God blesses us through our experiences, labors, and deeds.  Just think of the rich lessons I could have shared if I would have been writing for these last couple of weeks. Imagine what would have happened if Jesus would have put off going through Samaria for a more favorable time.  Or Jerusalem for that matter!  When God has ordained you to do something, when it's the season, do it without delay.  It is the enemy's plan to keep you from your destiny and I'm here to tell you that one of the biggest tricks is to get you so busy that you start putting God's business on the back burner!

Proverbs 10:4 says "A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich".  We should be found doing.  Doin what?  Doing all that God has called us to do.  What have you dreamed about, what are you believing for God to bring to pass in your life?  Did you know it starts with you???  God is ready, willing, and able to act on your behalf, but you have to be ready to move.  The Word says in Phillipians,  " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  The first word is the key-word; I.  If I (YOU) will do it (actively get up; get ready, start moving) God will provide the strength (grace, favor, and mercy) to bring it to pass in your life.

So be encouraged my sisters and brothers, God has a plan for us.  He wants you to try new things, experience what's out there, and take on new challenges.  Never let the busyness of life keep you from the life God intended you to live. Go be bold, tell the Lord yes, and start running! I promise nothing can stop you with God on your side.  The thins God has for you to do is too important to wait!!!


~God Bless You

It's Okay...

God if You say it then it is so.  Say what? Say anything.  This is how I feel and hope you feel too. My heart like many of us, overflows with cares and circumstances.  So much so that my mind doesn't get to process one single thought. No, one thought leads to another thought, to another thought, which leads to an overwhelming feeling and heartache.  Not necessarily because something is gravely bad, but just that it's a lot to bear.

I know better than to think I can sort out everything myself.  I'm not that great. But God!  God can tell me if everything is okay. He can tell me that my husband is doing fine, that my son is just experiencing growing pains, that this is just a sensitive day for my oldest daughter, that it's okay to feel worn out by my youngest two children, that my family will survive this hard time that has befallen us, and that my granddad is flourishing.  Yes, He makes all of that and then some okay.

It's not okay because God has promised this great miracle or that I know some inside secret.  That's not at all the case, but what I know is this.  With God anything is possible. As long as God is with me everything is okay.  So, with all that is on my heart and mind, I lay it at the altar with one simple note... Whatever You decide on each of my situations - if You say it, then it is so.

I truly believe that. It's what makes unbearable things, bearable.  Please remember God is there.  Let Him guide you through.  If you do, I guarantee you'll come out alright.

May God Bless U & Keep U