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Month: January 2022

I’m Learning to be Content

I’m Learning to be Content

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Winter is definitely not giving up without a fight…

I have a new appreciation for those workers who have to work outside. But, even with all of the cold we are having, and as tired as I am feeling right now…I am still so grateful for every single day God allows me to be on the face of this earth.

This morning I woke up feeling God’s hand holding me. I just felt secure…safe. I know that He ministers to my spirit as I sleep (that’s probably the only time my mind is at rest). That’s one of the things I love about Him. He never stops coming after us. So, I have to believe that whatever was on my mind when I went to bed last night is being taken care of by the Master. I have been striving to be more like Paul when he says he has learned to be “content” in whatever situation he finds himself in (Philippians 4:11).

There is a beauty in being content. It says that I trust the providence of God.

When we believe that everything is in God’s hands it makes it easier to let go. I believe that as long as we hold on to people, and things, it blocks the flow of God’s plan in our lives. He wants to do big things through us. But, we often get in the way.

Our little finite minds still think we have control. I guess in some things we do. We have the power of choice, and we can choose to believe or not believe—to follow Him, or not follow Him. I want to follow Him. I want my life to reflect the love of Jesus Christ, but for some reason I keep going left when I should be going right. I sit down when I should be standing up, and I watch way too much television…especially when there are plenty of things I should be doing. 

In spite of all of that, I know that God loves me more than anything. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me. Just for me. And if there was no one else in the world, God still would have send Jesus for me. If I didn’t believe that, I don’t know what my life would be like. And to be honest…I don’t want to know. I love Him. He loves me. And that’s enough.

I pray that for each of us. I pray that we continue to walk in the newness that comes from a life that is sold out to God. I pray that His strength will help carry us through those times when we want to quit. 

And I pray that we all begin to appreciate the gift that is Jesus Christ just a little bit more.

Until next time…

Be blessed

When The Unexpected Happens

When The Unexpected Happens

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I came into this year so excited about what God would be doing. This year, I had plans to move forward into my purpose; claiming all the promises of God. I was thinking that if God could take time to breathe the word of life into His prophets for me…the least I could do is walk in them. I still think that’s true, but God didn’t do it the way I thought He would. 

Last week, my sister went home to be with the Lord. I didn’t see that coming. Nobody saw that coming. It knocked the wind out of me. There was no warning. God didn’t check in with me to see if that was part of my plan. What He did was what He had planned even before He breathed life into her lungs. He already knew when He would come to claim that same breath back. 

I thought the last few years were the worst, but I didn’t know about this. I didn’t plan for this. I didn’t know that having to endure the passing of my sister would be part of what I would be doing this year. But here’s the thing, God didn’t have to ask my permission. He is God. And even though I don’t like it; even though I would rather be doing just about anything else…I trust His plan. 

One of my favorite scriptures is from the Book of Romans, and it says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

I know that whenever the unexpected happens, whatever we have to go through, God has already worked it out. This scripture says that nothing…no problem, no situation, not even death can come between the relationship that we have with the Lord. He has to be number one, because when He has first place in our lives, we never have to worry about the outcome, because God holds the outcome in His hands.  

Until next time…

Be blessed

We Will Overcome

We Will Overcome

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Can I just say how grateful I am that God loves us so much. Without Him our lives would be so pitiful. And I am even more grateful that He works it all out so that in some way everything we go through will be used for our good. I love knowing that the trials of this world have a purpose…it makes it all a little easier to bear.

The promise I want to focus on this time is the promise of  joy. The Bible says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

God planned our ending before our beginning. Knowing every single thing we would encounter. Somehow, that makes me feel better. Because it doesn’t matter if we could have just gone to the doctor one day earlier, or if we hadn’t eaten junk food every day of our lives we could have maybe extended our lives a little longer (Although, there is no doubt that eating healthy and going to the doctor regularly will definitely extend the quality of our lives). The trials we go through; the exercise we never get around to; even the times we miss church because we just want one day to sleep in…won’t change anything. God knows who we are, the struggles we face, and guess what? He still loves us. 

None of it matters. He has a plan for our lives, and nothing we do or don’t do is going to change that. Every now and then, He even gives us a glimpse of the plan He has for us. I think He does that to encourage us…to let us know that all of this is leading to something greater. God promises that at His right hand are “pleasures forevermore.”

His promise is that…if we stay close to Him, not only will we overcome, but we will have some joy in the process.

Until next time…

Be blessed

I Don’t Want to Follow Tradition Anymore!

I Don’t Want to Follow Tradition Anymore!

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Ok. First, I want to apologize for the last two posts. I know it looks like I might be confused, especially since one post said I wouldn’t make any New Year resolutions. And in the next post I said I made five (sigh). But bear with me it will all make sense….

Making New Year resolutions is typically what I always do, and I usually end up abandoning most of the things on my list before I can even get started. This year I didn’t want to do what I have always done. The thing is, I realized that when we don’t set any goals for ourselves there is nothing to shoot for. It’s like, even though we sometimes don’t reach the mark…at least there was an attempt. And if we keep trying, keep striving, maybe one day it will happen. What I know for sure though is that our goals (resolutions) will never happen if we don’t try. That’s definitely not what I wanted.

I just didn’t want tradition to dictate how I live. We sometimes follow along blindly not really understanding why we do things. We just do them because that’s the way it’s always been. I have heard of folks who went through four years of college to get a job they hate, because that’s what their parents, and grandparents did. That’s not living the kind of life God wants for us. He has a special plan just for us, and it may not look like anything anybody else around us has ever done. 

That’s what I want. To leave myself open to God. And if it strays from my list…that’s perfectly okay. That doesn’t mean that I will never have those things, it just means I want to follow God more than I want to follow my list. And the five things that I listed…well, they will all help me be a better servant for the Lord.

I think this time He will help me get there.

Until next time…

Be blessed!

No More Distractions!

No More Distractions!

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Last year I didn’t really make any New Year resolutions, and it felt great. There was no way I could be disappointed for not living up to them if I didn’t make any. That really took the pressure off. But what I also realized is that I had no expectations of…anything. I definitely didn’t like that feeling. So I determined that this year I would make at least one resolution (I actually ended up with five).

The biggest one on my list was avoiding distractions. I am determined that this year will be the beginning of deleting people and things that distract me from my goals. The ones I have, and definitely the ones God has for me. What I realized too is that distractions were my way of procrastinating. If I did not have everything just right I would use that as an excuse to watch television, talk on the phone, or scroll the internet. Anything to keep from doing what I know I should have been doing. 

I know that it won’t be easy, but I trust in the promises of God. The Bible says that I am more than a conqueror, and I believe that. I want to complete some projects this year that have fallen by the wayside. And I want to enjoy everyday…even the ones that cause me to say scriptures out loud…lol. 

I love the Lord, and I know that He hears my prayers. He has put in me everything that I need to be the woman of God He has called me to be. I know that I have the power of the Lord within me, and that gives me strength for the journey. God is opening up new ways for me, and little by little, I am beginning to see the vision. I just have to stay the course.

I know that everything the world has gone through the last couple of  years has brought me to a new place in Him. He is my Comforter, my Hero, my Father, my Friend…and although His teaching is sometimes hard, I know that He is the best, most loving Teacher I have ever had. I am so grateful for always being so patient with me. 

I’m looking forward to 2022, because I know that God will be with me every step of the way. And one way or another, He will help make all those distractions from last year work out for my good this year. 

Until next time…

Be blessed!