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Author: Sharon Ricks

God Will Meet Our Needs

God Will Meet Our Needs

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Last week I posted about God’s favor, and how his promises cause us to be more than conquerors. And His favor belongs to all of us for no other reason than His love and compassion for us. 

The awesome thing is that we don’t have to earn it. We couldn’t even if we wanted to. He gives it to us freely…without hesitation. And no matter how many times I write about it, think about it, or  speak it over the lives of others, it still amazes me that God is mindful of us.

The one thing the Lord has shown me is that when I begin to speak His word into the atmosphere…things change. It’s no longer about my issue—it’s about my God. He is God, and He can do exceedingly and abundantly above all we can even ask or think. My mission this year is to press in until His promises are so real in my life that I can’t breathe without calling one to mind.

This week the promise God is showing me is the one that says God will meet all of our needs. In Philippians 4:19 it says, “And, my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” This scripture says to me that if we have Christ Jesus…we never have to worry about ANYTHING. God will take care of our needs…all of them. Not because we have been so good, but because He is just that good. 

God loves us, and He has given us grace enough to handle whatever we go through. As hard as it may be, we have to take our hands off our situation and trust our God to fix it. Then praise God for the victory, because in the end…we win.

Until next time…

Be blessed

God’s Favor

God’s Favor

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Living in God’s favor is amazing. I am so excited about what God is doing. I am determined to claim all of the promises that belong to us. Everything that has happened over this past year is behind us, and a new day is on the way. God is in the blessing business, and I want everything that He wants for me. We have been given the opportunity to begin again as many times as we need to, and I don’t want to blow it by dwelling on what could have been. For me, living in God’s favor means that I am in the center of His will, and that I not only know His promises, but I am also living His promises.

This week, I want to focus on the promise that says we are more than conquerors. 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).

God’s favor says that being more than conquerors is knowing that whatever happens; God has already worked it out. It says that nothing…no problem, no situation, and no concern can come between the relationship that we have with Him. He has to be number one, because when He has first place in our lives…we never have to worry about what place we are in His.  

Until next time…

Be blessed

A Heart Full of Thanksgiving

A Heart Full of Thanksgiving

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It’s hard to believe that this past Thursday was Thanksgiving. In some ways it seems like this year has gone by so quickly, and in other ways it seems like the longest year ever.

Navigating this new life has not been easy. There have been so many trials and times of testing that I have actually lost count. So many times I felt like I wanted to give up. In the past I have always been able to praise my way through any situation, but not this time. Many days I found myself struggling to get out of that dark place. Some days, I would be so low that I couldn’t even pray, and God would have someone send me a text or an email that would give me enough strength to make it one more day. And I thank Him from the bottom of my heart for that.

God saw that I was sinking fast, and He reached down and held on to me until I could get my footing. The Bible says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. And this is what I know…He will always stand by His word. He not only held onto me, He gave me a new purpose, and I am so grateful.

So, in this season of thanksgiving, with all of its ups and downs, ins and outs…I wanted to take time to just thank God for being so good, so kind, and so loving. I thank Him for being my help in times of trouble. I thank Him for giving me a test so that I could have a testimony. I thank Him for sending people who spoke life into my life. 

“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth…” (Psalm 34:1).

Until next time…

Be blessed 

You Don’t Have to Struggle

You Don’t Have to Struggle

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We are right at the cusp of a new day….a new year…a new season, and I am so grateful…not for the end—but for the new beginning…

I remember writing my first blog post in 2009 after the publication of my book, “Let My Life Be A Testimony.”  I was so excited and amazed at how God had held my hand through that whole process. He gave me each word, and then held my hand when I set those words free. I was so afraid of rejection that it was almost paralyzing—but God. He never left me…not once. That act of faithfulness changed my life, because now I know that no matter what happens…He will always be by my side. He did not have to prove Himself to me, but He did, and He did for no other reason than His love for me.  

Over the last twelve years I have been stretched in ways I never thought possible. I have made mistakes, and learned that those mistakes don’t define me…instead…they have empowered me.  Through these “lessons,” I have learned that the only enemy that can stop me from pursuing all that God has for me is…me.

If you are struggling to be all that God is calling you to be…stop struggling. Nothing will keep you from the blessings God has for you. Deuteronomy 31:8 says that “God goes before you.” That means that we do not have to fear loss of any kind. All we have to do is stay close, and listen for His voice. It’s so much easier to follow His plan anyway.

To close this post today, I want to leave you with this prayer from Ephesians 1:18-20, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.“

Let that scripture strengthen you.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Be Encouraged

Be Encouraged

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I know I’ve said it before, but our God never leaves anything undone. He is in the smallest detail. There is nothing that He will not do for us. He loves us in a way that is hard to put into words, and when you feel like you cannot go any further, He sends someone or something to let you know you can.

As I go through life, I make it a practice to encourage somebody every day, and it never fails that when I do that, someone will always bless me. I had a conversation with a young woman in a store who said that she was so upset that God had not heard her prayers. She had been praying, but things were not getting any better, and that they actually appeared to be getting worse. God allowed me to say some things to her that prayerfully encouraged her. He always seems to show up in places where we least expect. Like when we are at our lowest…He will give us a reason to take our minds off of ourselves, and be a blessing to someone else.

Like the time I met this woman who was in a wheelchair because of a stroke. I was feeling some kind of way about something that probably didn’t matter that much. When I asked her how she was doing, she said, “Blessed and highly favored.” That just made my day. It turned my whole attitude around. If she could feel like that in the midst of her current situation, so could I.

Know that whatever situation you are facing today…whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual, our God is able. He knows everything that is going on, and either He is allowing it to purify your faith, or let your faith encourage someone else. Either way, there is always purpose in everything. And we can trust that at the right time He will make it all better.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Sustained

Sustained

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I was reading some of God’s promises, and I came across this one in Isaiah that says, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4). Wow! There is no way we can read that and not believe that we have the victory in every stage of our lives. Nothing can stand in the way of what God has purposed for us. He is the Great I AM, and nothing is too hard for Him. The more I meditate on that word, the stronger it makes me feel. There is no mistake so big that God can’t forgive, and this scripture proves it.

For years, I have tried to make things happen. I really felt like I had to be somebody for God, that He couldn’t possibly be pleased with me…not as much as I messed up. But I had it all wrong. I didn’t have to be somebody FOR God…I am already somebody TO God. God loves all of us even as crazy as we sometimes can be. 

The promise I want to focus on this week is the promise that says God will strengthen us. We may feel like our problems or situations are going to overtake us, but if we don’t give up…if we hold on to God’s promise that He will sustain us…that He will rescue us….then God will use those times to grow us through whatever it is we have to face. God uses every opportunity to show us who we can be in Him. We can trust The Creator who created us. He will never relax His hold on us, and I am so grateful about it.

Let me tell you…praying and focusing on God’s promises is a powerful weapon against the enemy. I pray that you embrace God’s promises, and claim them as your own. 

Until next time…

Be blessed

I Lack Nothing

I Lack Nothing

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This week, our promise is found in Psalm 23:1,  “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” The part I want to focus on is the part that says,” I shall not want.” Some versions say, “I lack nothing.” I think I like that better, because when we make the Lord the head of our lives, we lack nothing. We may “want” some things…but nothing we really need will He withhold from us.

For some reason, thinking about this promise made me think about friendships, and how even though the Lord is a friend “at all times,” He has made us to need each other. The Bible says, “A threefold cord is not easily broken.” We can’t handle this world alone, and we weren’t meant to. We grow, and are strengthened through our relationships with one another.

I thank God for the people He has placed on my path. The people who hold me up, and pray for me. The people I can lean on in good times and in bad times. I think God has given everyone at least one “ride or die” friend. That friend that won’t co-sign your foolishness, but will be there when you need them no matter what. I believe that is one of God’s gifts to us.

I thank Him also because He leads us, and guides us, and sometimes even hides us when we need it. He keeps us safe, and in spite of all the left turns we make, He makes sure that we lack nothing.  I’m so happy that God loves us, and that every day He gives us new mercy, new hope, new grace, and a new beginning…

Until next time…

Be blessed

Praise Him Like It’s Already Done

Praise Him Like It’s Already Done

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Although I know in my heart that God’s promises belong to all of us, I haven’t been living as if I believe it. I have been writing about it, thinking about it, and speaking it to others, but I have been living like I believe. And, I think God is saying enough is enough. The one thing the Lord has shown me is that when I begin to speak His word into the atmosphere…things change. It’s no longer about my issue—it’s about my God. He is God, and He can move mountains, but I have to first believe it myself.

So, I am going to press in until His promises are so real in my life that I can’t breathe without calling one to mind.

This week the promise He is showing me is the one that says God will meet all of our needs. In Philippians 4:19 it says, “And, my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” This scripture says to me that if we have Christ Jesus…we never have to worry about ANYTHING else. God will take care of our needs…all of them. Not because we have been so good, but because if we have the Son…He has us.

God loves us, and He has given us grace enough to handle whatever we go through. As hard as it may be, we have to take our hands off our situation and trust our God to fix it…whatever way He thinks is best. Our job is to just praise Him like it’s already done.

Until next time…

Be blessed

In This Season

In This Season

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The season that we have been going through…and I emphasize “going through,” because I believe that God is about to bring us out, is strengthening our inner man. What I mean is that I think we are stronger than we have been in a long time, and it’s not from anything that we have done…it has all been God’s doing. He is teaching us that we can’t continue to depend on our natural ability. Some things are going to just take faith.

The “seasons” in our lives are similar to the earth’s seasons. There is a cycle to everything. Just as spring follows winter, we will have good days, and bad days. The thing is that we need to hold on to the good days as long as possible, because our thoughts tend to lean to the negative. I don’t know why, but we seem to remember the thing that hurt us way faster than we do the thing that blessed us.

It can sometimes feel like being in a boxing match. Although I have never been in an actual boxing match, I have seen one, and I imagine that it must feel a lot like this. Some days we are so strong that we feel like we could take on the world, and the next day it’s like the weight of the world are on our shoulders. But don’t get tired. Don’t get discouraged. We have an Advocate, and His name is Jesus. In John 10:10 it says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” But, I love what it says next, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” That statement right there cancels everything said before it. 

If we stay connected to the source of our strength, and keep our focus on Him…nothing will be able to stop us.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Open Mind

Open Mind

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The days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting colder. It’s starting to feel a lot like winter is coming. This time of year always reminds me that the holidays are fast approaching. 

I have always loved Christmas. I even love the tired and frustrated cashiers…because, I know that at the end of the day…they are trying to get it done just like everybody else. As followers of Christ, we have to be able to represent Him wherever we go…even when we are standing in long lines!

But, for the last couple of years it hasn’t been the same, and what I used to enjoy is now becoming more of a chore. We have had so many losses, and changes in my family that I am beginning to struggle with the thought of the holidays coming. On the one hand, I love everything about the holidays…especially Christmas. I have always loved watching Christmas movies, singing Christmas  songs, and even baking Christmas cookies. Now, it all just makes me realize how much we have lost, and how different everything will be from now on.

But even with feeling the way I do, I still believe the words in Nehemiah 8:10  when it says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” We will get our joy back. We will get our peace back. We will get back everything the enemy has tried to take from us, because that’s how our God works. Nobody can take what God has decreed belongs to us.

Although change is hard, especially when it involves a loss, we can trust that God has a blessing right in the midst of it. Even knowing that, coming to terms with it is still not easy. Trying to pick up our lives, and move on knowing that nothing in our lives will ever be the same is difficult. But, this year I will be working hard to embrace this new chapter with an open mind knowing that with God’s help I can do anything.

Until next time…

Be blessed