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

It's Worth It

IT IS WORTH IT!!!

 All that you are going through, the long days, the sleepless nights, the endless prayers, and the pressing.  It's all going to pay off.  Even the disappointments are designed for your good in the end. Just because things don't work out as you would like, does not mean it won't work out.  But according to God's Will it shall be so. Wherever you may find yourself, be encouraged, God is on your side!

Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

Job 8:7 (KJV)

  I just want to encourage you all today and everyday that the hardships in life that you go through, the test and trials that come, and anything that you have to work for is worth it.  God wants what is best for you, He's not going to deny you unless it's for your own good, and He will bring you into the fullness of His blessings. 

Just hold on a little longer, be like Jacob, and don't let go until your blessing comes.  I can tell you from experience that when it does you won't have room enough to receive it.  That it will be better than you ever imagined.  And I'll tell you something else, He's not done yet!  He can, will, and always does exceedingly above anything we can expect or fathom.  So my prayer for you today is that you hold on, stand strong, and that the blessings of the Lord overtake you!

~God Bless U

There is Beauty in the Storm

Across town the snow is falling and the roads are getting slick, Mary begins to look out the window and worry.  Over the last hour the snow started to really come down and the newscaster is predicting over 4 inches in the new few hours.  Mary said to no one in particular, "storms come for no reason but to bring trouble". She starts hoping and praying her boss tells everyone to pack it up.  She can just see the traffic at a stand still.  Mary wants to get home to the kids, the school already said they would be dismissing early.  Soon the announcement comes that everyone can go, and to get home as soon as possible, it going to be a blizzard.  Mary becomes worried and fearful, the last time she drove in the snow someone almost hit her car and she knows today will probably be no better.  Curse this snow, Mary thought.

 

Now the snow begins to fall in the neighborhood and Alex and Hailey can't wait to get off of the school bus.  They hurry into the house and their Dad, Michael has just arrived home too.  They greet their Dad and inquire as to when Mary, their Mom will be home.  Michael reports that he just spoke with her and that she's on her way.  The kids get giddy with excitement and run toward the garage.  Michael continues into the living room.

 

Mary makes it home after a grueling bout with traffic. She walks in the house as the wind picks up and again curses the snow under her breath.  As she walks in the house she's greeted with warmth from the fire place and immediately feels warmth all the way down to her toes.  She come to the living room where she sees the window covering spread and open to reveal the shovels in the back yard and all the fixings to sled and make snow men. The snow is falling and its a beautiful sight! She also find Michael, Alex and Hailey gathered around the fire with mugs of hot chocolate. One is sitting to the side for her. Hailey exclaims they've been waiting for her to get home!  Alex explains how they were super excited to get out of school early and how they got everything ready to play in the snow later!  Michael holds his arms out so that she can come get comfortable with them and enjoy the rest of the day.  As she sits down he whispers into her ear "thank God for blizzards".

Mary considered her earlier feelings regarding the snow, about how it was such a hassle and just made for a miserable time.  As she thought to herself, she looked at her family and considered their outlook on the snow, she quickly realized that perception is everything.  That though snow and blizzards can bring about some ugly conditions in some circumstances,  they can also bring some awesome moments too. She realized there is beauty in the storm.

I pray this touched your heart today and that you will consider every side of  the situations you find yourself in.  Look for the beauty, if you happen to not be able to find it, look directly to God because He has purpose in everything.

~God Bless U

God is FAITHFUL

Let me encourage you today that God is faithful!  He will not fail you, nor leave you, nor forsake you. Some of us are struggling with life; whether it be home, relationships, work, finances, spiritual health, physical health, mental health, or a combination thereof, God will see you through.  The scripture says:

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  1Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)

So how do we make it?  When does it get better?  When will the pain stop?  When will the drought leave?  I believe these answers are not external but internal.  Things change when we decide to change our mindset about them.  Instead of feelings of despair encourage yourself in the Lord.  Proclaim victory over those issues and start doing things in your daily life to move past them.  There are some things that no matter how we try to out think them we need the Hand of God to come in and change  them.  God knows this too, and a can do mindset tells God you are still in the fight and you are not giving up.  That you are waiting on Him for your help. Our faith moves God into action.  He is there ready willing, able and waiting, to move on your behalf.  Ask Him and watch and see how He transforms your life right before your eyes. 

I had to ask God for help recently and I knew God was waiting on me to have the mindset needed to overcome the obstacle. One of my struggles is with being very tired after work, but still needing to come home and be a parent, cook a meal, and not spend my evenings trying to get rest that truly never comes because everybody still needs me.  There is no point in laying down to take a nap if your six year old will be on your side tapping you for a snack, or your seven year old wants to tell you about something funny that happened at school. Then its the middle child's turn, and then when you think you've gotten that out of the way here come the oldest to tell you about something he needs for school tomorrow.  Then an hour has passed, everyone has said what they had to say and they leave you to said nap, but you still don't get it because now your husband has made it home an you need to be mentally present to hear about his day.  In the end, it's like "what nap??? 

So I needed God's help to overcome the fatigue I felt after work and be productive for my household. One thing I decided to do is not go into my bedroom when I get home.  I stop at the table and take any questions from the kids, ask about homework, have snack, heat the over, etc.  Whatever I can do to break the monotony and keep going.  I'm training my mind that off of work does not mean off of life.  This has helped me so much that I now can go in the house, help with homework, start dinner, then run downstairs and hop on the treadmill for a few.  What has not changed is that I'm tired and that I would still rather be in my bed sleeping by 7pm.  But with God's help and a change in my mindset I am learning to do what is better and more profitable for me. 

With God nothing is impossible!  Now I do have some more pressing things that I need God's help with than my evening routine, but I wanted to give you an example of how God is faithful over the everyday things of your life.  Trust Him warriors. Try Him at His word and watch your mindset change and your circumstances improve!

God Bless U

In the Paths of God

Good morning!  I pray all is going well with you today and if it's not I pray God's grace and mercy upon you right now.  (Agree with me in Jesus Name, Amen.)  I was praying this morning and I want to share with you one of the last parts of my prayer.  My words to God was "let me walk safely in your paths".  Right then and there I received a revelation that God has a path He has set out just for us.  we all know that we have individual walks, but did you ever think God has some avenues He has set up just for us to walk down.  For instance, we may be believing God for the better job. But what if you get the job offer and God tells you to stay where you are?  It seems you should take the "better job", but what if God is saying He has a work for you to do right where you are and the real "better: is coming later!  Or perhaps you think you should do a certain thing, but God nudges you in a different direction.  Because He knows what's best for us, and how our tomorrows will work out while we are still dealing with our yesterdays, we have to trust Him and the paths He has for us. Your path is not mine, and mine isn't yours. We may cross each other's paths from time to time, they may even run parallel for a season or even a lifetime, but these paths are just for you and the Father. The bible has much to say about our paths.  One scripture says,

 "Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established."  Proverbs 4:26

another says,

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" Psalms 119:105

There are many roads that lead to a lot of places, but the safest and most prosperous one is the one God Himself puts you on.  I encourage all of you to stop and say a quick prayer right now, and simply ask God to direct you in HIS paths.

God Bless U

Wise Words from CS Lewis

Don't ask God to remove the hard parts, they are for your making. Ask God to help you through them, to mold you along the way, and to reveal His heart in the process.
-Christina

You Said It

Speak it and it shall be so. 

 Do you believe that?

  If you don't, you should. 

 

 

 

 

I know you have heard the saying " what you say is what you will have".  A lot of times people relate that to financial situations or hopes of getting what they want.  But really that goes for everything. Every aspect of our lives can be determined by what we say about it.  If you've followed my writings then you know one of my favorite things to encourage is "speak life".  I mention this over and over again for a reason.  We have to be careful, meaning take CARE regarding the things we say.  The bible tells us that out the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).  In other words what we care about, what means the most to us, is what we talk about. 

 

Going further; not only what we speak is of importance, but also what we say about it. Negative people always produce negative situations. People who make a choice to speak positively, even in less favorable situations, have better outcomes. The things we say matter.  God is listening, He hears every word. More importantly he has read what your heart holds regarding that situation before you even open your mouth.  It's important to speak positive, to speak life.  I often think of the account of Ezekiel and how God demonstrated the power of words.  Of course there are other lessons in this passage of scripture, but let's focus on what effect speaking life (positivity) has.

 

" The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.  He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry.  He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.  I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.  Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”’”  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.   (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

This passage of scripture has a lot of good teaching in it.  But again what we are focusing on is what God tells Ezekiel to do, and then what happens when he does it.  God told Ezekiel to prophesy.  He was basically telling him to speak to the bones and to speak breath.  God told Ezekiel to SPEAK LIFE!!!   Ezekiel did what he was told to do in the vision and as a result God would restore Israel.  This is the same thing for us today.  If we would prophesy, speak life to every aspect of our lives, then God will listen, restore,and bless.

I want to mention one more scripture to help you start to care more about what you say.  Mark 11:23 says, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith”.  So be encouraged to throw away the negativity.  Don't think your words don't have consequences.  Parents speak into your children's lives.  If you say mean things in the heat of the moment it matters.  If you've ever spitefully called your children lazy, stupid, dumb, ignorant, selfish, etc.  That matters.  If you've said those same things about yourself or others, it matters.  Those words don't just go away.  The pile up and become great big road blocks in your lives and the lives of those you spoke them about.

Being aware of the things we say can be one of the best things we can do for ourselves in this Christian walk.  For me, I've noticed how much better my outlook and attitude is throughout the day.  I encourage you to speak positivity, because what we speak we shall have.

~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

1st Sunday 2016

Happy New Year All!!!

With the arrival of the New Year we have an opportunity.   We can decide to do it better this time.  What is "it"?   Whatever you feel can be done better than you did it before.   In my case, "it" to me is everything!   I plan to do a lot of things better. I endeavor to be a better wife, mother, friend, sister, laborer, minister, etc. 

There is no need for new years resolutions,  when God gives you a new mercy every morning.  What the new year brings is an opportunity to mark a reference point on your progress chart.   You have the opportunity to look back on 2015 and  assess where you've been, what you've done, how you've grown, and the areas that could use more growth.  The important thing,  is that you are continually growing in Jesus. 

A great scripture to meditate on is Luke 22:42.
"Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

In this passage Jesus is praying to God about the gigantic task before Him... the Cross. Though He is completely divine, His human nature doesn't want to have to go through the devastation, pain, and turmoil He's about to endure on humanity's behalf.  He prays about it,  asking to be relieved, but in the end He boldy and bravely proclaims (*one of my favorite references and mantras of scripture) Nevertheless!!!  Not my will but your will be done! 

How awesome, how glorious, and what an example! Jesus, knew that He was the only One that was fit for the job.  So, though He, like any other person, would have rather not had to go through the unthinkable, He was so devoted to God that He
forsook what He most wanted and desired for what God wanted.  This is the same kind of devotion we should be pressing toward!

And then comes the reward...
When you reevaluate and start to pinpoint the areas to grow in, God is pleased. The Word of God says He's a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  When we try harder in God, He helps us and rewards us for our diligence.  Looking back on my own list,  I've found that the greatest reward is realizing that I'm not the person I used to be.  It signifies that I'm getting closer to the person God has called me to be.

May 2016 bring you closer to who God had called you to be,  to who and what He has called you to, and from what He had called you from!

~GOD Bless U

What Are You?...

What are you?... I truly can't get over when  people ask me that question. And it all together saddens me.  In other words they're saying; "what is the difference between us.  What do or don't we have in common.  Are you a Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Apostolic, Pentecostal, COGIC, etc?"  My question to them is why? Why does it even matter to you?  Will it make you like or love me any less? Or will you decide depending on my answer if I truly love the Lord, if I have enough faith, if I'm real enough, or if you will ever speak to me again?

I know this isn't a popular topic and many will disagree with me.  I'm okay with that though. I am ready to cut beyond the religious tape and get to the meat and potatoes of things.  I don't and I'm sure others don't need the extra.  Our plate is full.  We are mothers, wives, daughters, workers, coaches, husbands, brothers fathers and christians, among the many other hats we wear.  I don't need to have one more title put on me.  I don't believe the christian organization determines right or wrong. ( I am not venturing into Catholisism, Scientology, Muslims, Mormanism, or those others.) Iwant to be clear that I am only speaking about the organizations that cosider Jesus Christ in His full Glory their core belief system. I consider those, different sections of the body of Christ.  We all have one thing in common for sure and I'm sure if you look deep enough a few others also; we love God, we believe that Jesus came and died for our sins, that He is the son of God and that through Him we can obtain eternal salvation.

I don't discount the ways of any of the bodies of Christ listed above.  But my thought is this; know that we are all part of the body and our congregations and those identical to us don't make up the body as a whole.  In other words, one organizations ways are not the only way to go. (whew, I'm in trouble now!, lol)  Are there some very distinct core things you should have under your belt? Yes, there is. But what religious organization you belong to is not one of them.

Here is my point. The word of God says in 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14:

 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.  Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. (NIV)

For the sake of a mental picture imagine this. A picture of a body , I call it Christian.  As I start to name my body parts I start with the Head.  I name is Jesus Christ, because the word says He is our head.  But then I label my  left hand - baptist, and my my other hand -apostolic, and my right foot -cogic, and my left foot - methodist, and so on and so on.  We are all one body under the head of Christ, just different parts.  

And I believe that is okay.  I have sat under some of these organizations and I find for the most part no fault with any of them.  Except some in the faith have no tolerance for other organizations that differ in doctrines.  We should have but one doctrine, and that is the doctrine of Christ.  Love, charity, patience, peace, long suffering, righteousness, holiness, sanctification all under our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Those should be the things we live by.  The word of God is true and I believe God never intended us to be so separate in our thinking.

So where do I stand?  I stand with my feet firmly planted in Jesus. I do believe in the Apostolic way, the way the apostles went and the very words in the book of Acts.  I also believe the Methodist.  There is a method to the Christian life, you can not come to God any kind of way. I also believe in the Baptist.  If Jesus was baptized before the people as an outward show of His devotion to the Heavenly Father, then who are we to disagree.  And so on with the other organizations.  But that is as far as I go. 

It doesn't matter to me the doctrine and dogma of others as long as the core principles line up with the Word of God.  We need to have one very important thing in common, no wavering, and no variances:  Jesus Christ!  Not that He was just a prophet, or a very important historical figure, or that He is one of many gods. But that He is the Savior of this world. That He died on Calvary's Cross.  That He Was, and Is, and Is to Come. That He is the One True Living God. That He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us, and that He will one day come again and we will reign with Him in Heaven.  That is what I'm about.  I mean people that mean Jesus. And if we have that in common, then God can work out everything else.

I pray this has helped someone.  Let's not get caught up in religion and tradition as the Pharisees and Sadducees did in the days of Jesus.  People are hurting and they are in need of a Savior not our  own opinions and doctrines. We are to introduce them to Jesus and preach the Good News.  He is the only one that can clean us up and put us on the right path.  I would sit with any one of the Christian organizations as long as they had a good solid foundation and the true Word of God was going forth.  That's all it takes. But, I am not a babe in Christ and I can rightly divide the Word for myself.  Many can't and are unsure and  don't know which way to go.  Help them go the way God planned, not how we think they should go.  I have seen people not fellowship or speak to others because they differed in organizations.  But that is wrong, and a trick of the enemy to keep us divided.  

The above scripture goes on to talk about the members of the body not being fully functional  if it was all the same.  This is true for us too.  We may be different parts but we are one body with one Head, again  that is Jesus.  When someone asks you that question; What are you? Your answer should be, A follower of Christ. That is enough!

I pray no one is offended and that my words and thoughts are received in love. That I am a helper to my bretheren.  God Bless you.

When in doubt... Simply Jesus.

When starting a sunday school, bible study, blog, things like that, there is always the question of where to begin.  Whenever a situation or any problem presents itself, I simply start with Jesus!

He is the beginning and end of everything. The Word says, "enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise". (Psalms 100:4) So, I'll do just that. Thank you Lord for all that you have done, are doing, and will do in my life and the lives of your people. For you are the King of kings and Lord of lords, all things belong to You. For that, I honor and bless your Holy Name. ~Amen

Jesus is the answer to all that is going on in your life.  Without Jesus, we would still be seperated from God. It was the work on the Cross that brings us into the Kingdom of God. Without Jesus dying on the Cross for our sins we would be lost. John 14:6 says: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Thank God for sending His Son. Because through His perfect work everything that we could possibly go through has been overcome by Jesus Christ. The Word also tells us that Jesus personally understands.

Hebrews 4:15 in the NIV reads:

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin." 

So, know this, in all the things you could be going through, pray to God. He understands and is the only One that provides real relief and comfort. Let Him in, give it over to Him to work it out for you.

For the seasoned saints hang in there. All things work for the good of those that love God and are called according to His purpose. To the babes in Christ, let the Word of God lead you and keep you.

Remember, whatever may come or has come to try you, envoke the power of the Lord.

~ In all things... Simply Jesus.