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Love All Year Long

Love All Year Long

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Tomorrow many of us will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. It is the only day specifically set aside to celebrate lovers. Just about everyone will be sharing love in some form or another. Hopefully we are not waiting until February 14th to do that. Because that should be what we do everyday, right?

Although I have always celebrated this holiday, the older I get the more I realize how important it is not to wait for that one day of the year. If I want to give flowers, candy, or go out to dinner, I shouldn’t have to wait for Valentine’s Day to do that. Time is a precious commodity. We only have a certain number of days designated to us, and God is the only one that knows that information. Mark 13:32 proves it when it says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” And since God is the only One who knows, it behooves us to make the most of our time. 

That means we need to let go of offenses, and stop living angry lives waiting for the opportunity to give someone a piece of our minds. We may have good reasons to be upset, but if what happened is keeping us from enjoying every bit of our lives…it’s not worth it. Let it go. 

Love like there is no tomorrow. Love until the pain goes away. Love everyone, even the people we don’t like so much. If we do that, God will handle the rest. The Bible says that God will contend with those who contend with us. That means that He will handle any difficulties, any struggles, or anybody that causes us problems. All we have to do is be obedient to His commandment to love one another. And here’s a news flash…it doesn’t say only love those who love us. Yikes!

Join me in working towards letting our love shine all over everyone we meet. And don’t let their willingness to receive or not receive it determine if we give it. Give it anyway. Even if we have to give it from a distance. 

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

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

By Faith

By Faith

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“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”  –Hebrews 11:8 (NIV)

The scripture above says, “By faith” Abraham believed.  He didn’t know where God was sending him, but He went anyway. That is what faith is all about. It believes without seeing. How many of us would do the same? 

I believe that I am heading in the right direction…but, I am definitely not there yet. My prayer is that my faith is growing to the place where I no longer question the things God is leading me to do. Of course, I usually only question Him when what He is calling me to do is something I don’t want to do, something I have never done, or something that takes me so far out of my comfort zone that it frightens me a little. But how do we get that kind of faith? 

I believe that we get that kind of faith from trusting what we know about Him. Remembering what He has done in the past. And believing what He will do in the future. But before we can do any of that, we have to first believe that He is. Once we believe that God is who He says He is…we have to then believe that He will do what He says He will do. That only comes through strengthening our relationship with Him. And that only comes through reading His word.

Because of God’s word,  my relationship with Him is so much stronger than it has ever been. I have learned how to really let Him have control of my life. He had to show me…sometimes over and over again that I was valuable to Him, and to the Kingdom of God. He had to show me that he made me on purpose…for His purpose. He let me know that my presence on the earth was not only relevant—but necessary. His love for me helped strengthen my faith in Him.

Sometimes we may have to trust Him on shaky faith, but the word says that we only have to have faith the size of a mustard seed. He is an all-knowing, all-powerful God, and because He loves us so much, He will never call us to do something that He has not prepared us for. By faith…believe, and watch Him work.

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Let’s Finish Strong

Let’s Finish Strong

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We are in the last quarter of 2020. It’s crazy how fast time seems to be going. But it always feels like that when it gets close to the end of the year. Many of us will begin to go back over the year to see what we did, and didn’t do. Of course, with all that has gone on this year that task is going to be a lot different. But, because God loves us so much, He has given all of us a road map in His word. We just have to take the time to read it. 

I love looking deeper into God’s word, and finding new revelation. When we do that God reveals to us what He expects from us. The Book of Esther in particular is so good. It shows how we can overcome any obstacle when we take our minds off our own comfort and do what God is calling us to do. Here was a woman who had it all. She was young, beautiful, and she had the favor of the king—and she was willing to put it all on the line to save her people. She could have kept quiet. She could have, but she didn’t. Why would she jeopardize her own life for the life of others?

She did it—because it was her destiny. She was the one. She was chosen.

What has God chosen you for? What is it that you have been sitting on that God wants to use? 

What God helped me see, was that every time we don’t do what He is calling us to…we short-circuit our destiny. That revelation was huge. The one thing we don’t want at the end of our lives is to look back and see what could have been.

It is not too late. Let’s finish strong! 

So, for the next couple of weeks I will share with you what God shares with me in hopes that together we learn how to avoid doing those things that tend to keep us from the place God needs us to be. 

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Who is on your front row?

Who is on your front row?

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I recently heard a preacher ask that question, and it really made me think about my own life. Who do I look to for confirmation, validation, or inspiration? And what will I do if the person I count on leaves? When the person I depended on can no longer be depended on. Why am I so connected to people that they have the power to command not only my attention, but also my day? Why does his/her opinion matter so much?

I know I have been freed from people-pleasing, but there is this place in me, and in many of us, that needs to know that somebody somewhere will be on our side no matter what. We were created for connection. It’s in our nature to desire kinship. It’s deeper than just wanting approval. It’s about relationships. God-centered relationships. He created us to have a relationship with Him, and with one another. But our expectations are so high sometimes that we can’t even live up to them, and yet we expect others to be able to. It’s actually a little unfair when you think about it.

God had to show me that I was putting the wrong people on my front row. We bear the image of God, but we can’t expect them to BE God. No one will ever be able to give us what can only be found in Him. He is the One who will ALWAYS be there even without being asked. He is the One that knows what we need even before we do. And He is the One who loves us even when we’re not so lovable. So, check your front row. Make sure you have the right person sitting front and center, and let everyone else off the hook.

Until next time…

Be blessed 

This new way of living

This new way of living

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I think that I am settling into this new way of living a little too much, and my old life is beginning to feel like a distant memory. I have always loved being around people. I mean I like having alone time, but there is something energizing for me about being with people. I believe I am an extrovert with introvert tendencies. That combination is typically a plus for me, but COVID-19 kinda put a stop to everything I knew as “normal” (Whatever that means). 

I am learning to be a little more creative, and a lot more adventurous, and even though loneliness stops by every now and then, I still love having my alone time. I find myself using this time to try things that I have never tried before. I am making decisions without checking with 10 people first. I am learning to depend on God more, and not so much on other people. I realized that it puts an unfair burden on folks to expect them to solve my problems and theirs too. Besides, I love learning new things. I always have, and those feelings are beginning to come back again…like an old lost friend. It feels good to spend time reading, or writing, or praying without feeling like there is something I need to do, or some place I need to be. It feels good to go to bed late, and sleep even later or not. It just feels good to be free, and I want to hold onto this feeling as long as I can.

My goal for this new season that we have all been catapulted into is to live according to God’s plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” He also says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” I love those verses, and I really am loving this new way of living. Because it’s not about my plan, or anyone else’s. It’s all about Him, and that’s more than enough for me. 

Until next time…

Be blessed 

Just Open the Door

Just Open the Door

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Ok. Last week, I painted a whole room for the first time in my life. I know it doesn’t sound like much to you, but for me…it was everything. 

Now, I must admit. It’s not the best paint job I have ever seen, and I definitely wouldn’t have paid the painter who did that job. But, I am so proud of myself. I didn’t give up (Even though I thought about it…hard). I never knew there was so much stuff in that room. Once I started moving things around I could see how much was really there, and some of the items were so heavy that I could only move them to the middle of the floor. But, here is where it gets interesting. God was clearly in the midst of this whole thing. He always has a lesson for us…even while simply painting a room. 

As I was standing there looking at all the furniture, and paper, and miscellaneous items in that room, God showed me what my life was like (Believe me, I had no idea that was coming). I wanted to quit before I even got started. The thought of getting that room cleared out was a little overwhelming. But that’s how  life is sometimes. I was perfectly happy with just shutting the door, and not seeing the mess the room had become. What God showed me was that I was doing that exact thing with my life. Anything that was too hard, I ignored. I didn’t pray about it. I didn’t seek God about it. And I surely didn’t do anything about it. I had compartmentalized my life to only deal with what I had to, and when I couldn’t, and things got too cluttered…I left it for later.

God let me see that nothing was hidden from Him. I could shut the door, but it didn’t make the mess go away…it just temporarily hid it. He let me know that there was nothing that I couldn’t accomplish when I had faith enough to believe. That sooner or later, I would have to open the door. And when I did…He would be right there.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Spending time with God

Spending time with God

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God is so brilliant. I use the word “brilliant” only because my vocabulary is inadequate to express what my heart wants to say. Even though this is a very chaotic time for us, God is bringing order out of all the chaos. 

I believe that minds are being renewed during this time. What I mean by that is, we are beginning to recognize what really is important. We are realizing that we don’t have to go full-speed all the time. That it’s okay to say no, and not have the world fall apart. That it’s okay if we don’t go to every program at church or school, and that our families will live if we take a weekend for ourselves every now and then. 

I know it may sound trite, but we really do need to make God our priority. He deserves to be first in our lives. We get angry with Him when it doesn’t seem like He puts us first, but we do that to Him all the time. We keep making our own plans…without consulting Him, and then when it doesn’t work out, we feel like He has let us down. We keep going when He clearly tells us to stop, and sometimes we even try to tell Him what He needs to do for us.

[OK, so I may have been just talking about myself back there…]

Seriously though, we should take advantage of this time to renew our relationship with our Father. To just get alone with Him, and talk to Him about everything. I know that some of us may find it hard to spend uninterrupted time with God…especially if we are shut in with a full house, or still working outside of the home. But when we do, God honors our sacrifice, and strengthens us for the journey ahead.

Until next time…

Be blessed