Mistakes, do you know anyone who hasn't made mistakes? I don't. Some people seem like they naturally have a sixth sense about decision making and things seem to work out just fine for them. But on the other hand some people have a tendency to end up making wrong choices and suffer many consequences because of them. As I think back about some of the worst decisions I made that blew-up in my face I recall having a gut feeling at that particular time that told me "Don't Do It!" My selfish side overrode and I did it anyway. Now, as I look back if I had used that gut feeling and resisted my selfish impulses I would have come through life so much smoother. As a christian that gut feeling is the Holy Spirit helping my direction and if I had only been smart enough to heed the warning I could have eliminated so many wrong choices.
It's time to change the poor decisions that many of us women make, but we don't have to be haunted by our past mistakes we can use them to grow into a woman with confidence. Using that gut feeling overriding our own self-destruction and lack of confidence and pursuing common sense will help us as women to grow spiritually and confidently.
Women lacking confidence have a tendency to go along with others not expressing their own wants and desires, they tend to be people-pleasers. They live in the past spending quality time with unproductive thinking and self-sabotaging. They deprive themselves of having a happy quality and fulfilling life that they want and deserve. If you lack confidence you may very well be involved in a relationship that is toxic to your well-being. Low confidence causes women to choose men who are not right for them usually someone with problems of their own that pour over into her quality of life. Sometimes a man who is verbally, physically or mentally abusive. Someone who reminds her that she is nothing, of no value, convincing her that no one else would want her and because her confidence is so low, she believes everything he has to say. He sometimes will isolate her from friends and family making her feel guilty if he is not her only interest. There are many other scenerios but you get the gist of what I'm talking about.
What I'm saying is you are worth it! You are wonderful, special and you deserve to have happiness in your life and even if you feel you are at your lowest point, you can get your strength and confidence back. The first thing you need to do is make some decisions about your current circumstances. Pray for God's guidance. He will rescue you if you want Him to. But be patient, things don't always work out right away.
If your lack of confidence is rooted from something else, then you need to face up to it. A woman building her confidence has to realize that she is loved by God and many others in her life. Just because you don't feel loved doesn't mean that you're not. Think about the ones who really care and are concerned for you. They are the ones who love you. A woman with confidence needs to quit thinking negatively and have a positive attitude. Don't play pitty party, think about all the good in your life and all the positive things that have happened to you. Growing confidence in yourself won't allow you to beat yourself up emotionally either. When negativity comes your way, just refuse to fall into the trap. Mentally say, "I'm not falling for it." A confident woman smiles and shows she is very approachable. She considers the feelings of others and does nice things for them without demeaning herself. This woman stands up for herself and others, she not only doesn't allow bulling towards herself but she protects her children and others who are weak. A woman with confidence does not feel intimidated by others. She knows who she is and what she wants to do. She doesn't need to compare herself to others she appreciates her own talents and gifts. Her age, weight, looks doesn't matter. She can stand on her own two feet and does not have the fear of being alone. Her confidence is not defined by the man she is with. She can be a great mate and mother without losing herself.
Remember that we do teach people how to treat us. Even though we subconciously don't realize that we are saying "go ahead and mistreat me I deserve it, I'm nothing." Unless we become confident through God and his love for us we will continually create environments that are hostile to our well-being.
Use the Word of God as your text book in becoming confident. When you read about how much He loves you and wants you to be happy you won't want to put your bible down. You'll see that women are very special and God used them to fulfill his purpose. He wants you to be respected and you should never look down on yourself. Confidence doesn't get built overnight but if you're patient and work with Him little by little you will see positive results. Grow each day nurturing yourself in His Word you will be amazed at where your life will go if you seek God's will. His will is for you to be confident and loved. Your confidence will flow into the lives of others as your love will also. Use your confidence to serve God and He will use your life in wonderful ways.
Ephesians 3: 11, 12 . . .11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. NKJV
He gives us access to Him because we are important in His eyes. And access to Him shows us His love.
Put your faith in the Lord, He has confidence in you. Create the life you want by believing that it is possible. Prepare yourself for your new thinking and new way of life and enjoy the real you! Confidently!!!!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Morning Walk
Tic toc, tic toc, tic toc goes the clock on the wall. I hear the coos of the morning doves just outside my window, a gentle breeze gives me a peaceful feeling as the bamboo windchimes lightly clank outside on my porch, then the other chimes join in. My cats are content happily watching the birds outside the window. As I sit on the couch while slipping on my walking shoes I take a moment to thank God for where He has brought me in my life. Feeling peace and contentment that I have not felt in the past.
As I walk around the small riverside town of Stockport, Ohio my mind wonders back to a time in my life that wasn't so peaceful. Just a few years ago there seemed to be no hope in sight for peace in my life. I remember wondering if this was the life I was supposed to lead. I think about my past and the poor decisions I made because of how I felt about myself. Having that all too often feeling that I am not complete unless I have a man in my life. Not knowing who I was as a woman, feeling scared to figure that all out. When I was accepted and approved by others I was happy and content, but when something was said negatively about me, I fell apart feeling like a failure. And don't get me wrong, I'm not cured of this yet, but I am making huge improvements towards decision making and my thinking. Feeling ok as a woman with or without a man in my life. In my daily life I now insist on respect from people or they can move right along because I don't need or want negativity in my life anymore!
I am a person who can have fun with just about anyone in almost any circumstance and I truly enjoy people! I like to do things for people and help them without them being suspicious of my motives. Because I don't expect anything in return. I can be friends with almost anyone man or woman and it makes me very sad that (the person's sex) has to get in the way of friendship. I do understand though, our society has created this so therefore we must be very cautious. I believe this is why we will be neither male nor female in heaven so we can all equally share in the fellowship and friendship that we all so desire here on earth.
With all that said, the journey of my life though a few rocky places in my path has brought me to this place of contentment. Because of my tramatic past and a job dealing with people I have been able to use my abilities to reach out and be very approachable. Able to listen, understand and have compassion for women with similar stories. My illness, yet very humbling has slowed me down more than I wish, but the time is spent studying the bible, reading quality christian material and learning more about who I am and focus on what I want to do with the rest of my life. God is truly humbling me slowly and I'm not always happy about it, but after the fact, I am thankful for the journey and my thinking is different. Humbling experiences can and will make us stronger if we will allow it.
There is nothing special about me, nothing wonderful, but evidently unique. We are all unique and we all have different gifts and paths to take.
One thing that I have truly learned is that if I want things to work for the good in my life I need to quit making hasty decisions on my own! I need to pray and let the Holy Spirit guide my paths and decisions. If I make a mistake and I honor God he will make something good come from it. If you will use this awesome resource you will get your answers on your journey. Always know that God has your best interest at heart. He never wants us to fail, but He won't force us to use Him as our own personal confidant. But if you ask, He'll be thrilled to help you on your way.
As I finish up my morning walk and stand at the Stockport Mill overlooking the river I feel the mighty strength of God's power and I realize if He has the power to bring forth the mighty waters, the beauty of the landscape and the balance of the climate, He can surely love me enough to give me the ability to conquer the difficulties in my life.
Our journey in life is our resume'. Our life experiences though sometimes very difficult can be a blessing. If we learn from our mistakes and move on to a better place something good will always come from it. Examine your own life and don't make hasty decisions. If you're married but not very happy, think about what you could do to make your spouse happy, come together and discuss what you want to accomplish as a couple and spend prayer time together you WILL draw closer to each other and God. If you're not currently going to church, start going your local churches have many resources to help you get on your new journey together. Life is not ever going to be perfect but if you have christian direction then you will always have the resources needed to get you throught any difficulty in your life.
As I close today I want to share a quote with you that I have taped by my bathroom mirror to remind me of who I am.
BEING ROOTED IN OUR IDENTITY IN HIM WILL KEEP US FROM THE FEAR OF FAILURE, FROM EXCESSIVESY TRYING TO PLEASE OTHERS, AND FROM BEING CAUGHT IN THE CYCLE OF TRYING TO PERFORM SO OTHERS WILL ACCEPT US. I forget who wrote this but it was a quote from a book I read a while back.
This quote makes me examine myself everytime I look in the mirror and that is a good thing. We should all examine ourselves everyday and try to change those bad habits into good ones. Try to put on love and concern for others it will change your life.
As I head back home from my prayer walk I can start my day with the right thoughts and more closeness with God. I can return with peace and contentment in my heart from a very long difficult journey.
As I walk around the small riverside town of Stockport, Ohio my mind wonders back to a time in my life that wasn't so peaceful. Just a few years ago there seemed to be no hope in sight for peace in my life. I remember wondering if this was the life I was supposed to lead. I think about my past and the poor decisions I made because of how I felt about myself. Having that all too often feeling that I am not complete unless I have a man in my life. Not knowing who I was as a woman, feeling scared to figure that all out. When I was accepted and approved by others I was happy and content, but when something was said negatively about me, I fell apart feeling like a failure. And don't get me wrong, I'm not cured of this yet, but I am making huge improvements towards decision making and my thinking. Feeling ok as a woman with or without a man in my life. In my daily life I now insist on respect from people or they can move right along because I don't need or want negativity in my life anymore!
I am a person who can have fun with just about anyone in almost any circumstance and I truly enjoy people! I like to do things for people and help them without them being suspicious of my motives. Because I don't expect anything in return. I can be friends with almost anyone man or woman and it makes me very sad that (the person's sex) has to get in the way of friendship. I do understand though, our society has created this so therefore we must be very cautious. I believe this is why we will be neither male nor female in heaven so we can all equally share in the fellowship and friendship that we all so desire here on earth.
With all that said, the journey of my life though a few rocky places in my path has brought me to this place of contentment. Because of my tramatic past and a job dealing with people I have been able to use my abilities to reach out and be very approachable. Able to listen, understand and have compassion for women with similar stories. My illness, yet very humbling has slowed me down more than I wish, but the time is spent studying the bible, reading quality christian material and learning more about who I am and focus on what I want to do with the rest of my life. God is truly humbling me slowly and I'm not always happy about it, but after the fact, I am thankful for the journey and my thinking is different. Humbling experiences can and will make us stronger if we will allow it.
There is nothing special about me, nothing wonderful, but evidently unique. We are all unique and we all have different gifts and paths to take.
One thing that I have truly learned is that if I want things to work for the good in my life I need to quit making hasty decisions on my own! I need to pray and let the Holy Spirit guide my paths and decisions. If I make a mistake and I honor God he will make something good come from it. If you will use this awesome resource you will get your answers on your journey. Always know that God has your best interest at heart. He never wants us to fail, but He won't force us to use Him as our own personal confidant. But if you ask, He'll be thrilled to help you on your way.
As I finish up my morning walk and stand at the Stockport Mill overlooking the river I feel the mighty strength of God's power and I realize if He has the power to bring forth the mighty waters, the beauty of the landscape and the balance of the climate, He can surely love me enough to give me the ability to conquer the difficulties in my life.
Our journey in life is our resume'. Our life experiences though sometimes very difficult can be a blessing. If we learn from our mistakes and move on to a better place something good will always come from it. Examine your own life and don't make hasty decisions. If you're married but not very happy, think about what you could do to make your spouse happy, come together and discuss what you want to accomplish as a couple and spend prayer time together you WILL draw closer to each other and God. If you're not currently going to church, start going your local churches have many resources to help you get on your new journey together. Life is not ever going to be perfect but if you have christian direction then you will always have the resources needed to get you throught any difficulty in your life.
As I close today I want to share a quote with you that I have taped by my bathroom mirror to remind me of who I am.
BEING ROOTED IN OUR IDENTITY IN HIM WILL KEEP US FROM THE FEAR OF FAILURE, FROM EXCESSIVESY TRYING TO PLEASE OTHERS, AND FROM BEING CAUGHT IN THE CYCLE OF TRYING TO PERFORM SO OTHERS WILL ACCEPT US. I forget who wrote this but it was a quote from a book I read a while back.
This quote makes me examine myself everytime I look in the mirror and that is a good thing. We should all examine ourselves everyday and try to change those bad habits into good ones. Try to put on love and concern for others it will change your life.
As I head back home from my prayer walk I can start my day with the right thoughts and more closeness with God. I can return with peace and contentment in my heart from a very long difficult journey.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
How Is Your Self-esteem?
Self-esteem is a term that defines who we think we are. High self-esteem means your are confident in who you are and you probably don't allow people to run over you with disrespect. You probably feel secure and don't care about what people think of you as a person. High or good self-esteem probably shouts that you had a good childhood and you have probably not had too many bumps in your road. If you fit into this category, "hats off to you", life is probably pretty good. If, on the other hand, you happen to be on the complete opposite spectrum, you may have low self-esteem which could mean you allow people to run over you because you internally feel like you are not worthy to expect respect from others. Sometimes circumstances in your life cause this low self-esteem. It's a very sad thing that causes this but things can change. Low self-esteem could come from a disturbing childhood, bulleying, living in a bad environment or having a mate or boyfriend who does not treat you with respect. I know many women who take the cheating, verbal abuse, control and physical abuse from a spouse or significant other and people say "Why does she stay with him?" The reason is she doesn't feel that she deserves anything better. She feels she made a committment with this man and there may be children involved and she doesn't want her family broke up so she "hopes" things will get better.
It's a sad state but don't judge this woman. She undoubtedly has low self-esteem and her mate thrives off of that. His own low self-esteem causes him to be abusive to put her lower than him so he has her right where he wants her "feeling like a nothing" he has created a web of destruction for the both of them. The best thing you can do for this woman is support her with love and consideration. Show her that she is important. She probably doesn't know what to do, maybe you could help her find a good christian counselor to talk to. Keep the both of them in your prayers, and most of all, be her friend. She needs someone to lean on and your friendship will be very important to her. Listen to her troubles confidentally that alone can be a wonderful gift to her. Sometimes when you speak it, you see your issues from a different perspective. Let her know that God loves her and he only wants the best for her.
Statement: When we have our identity in Him, we will feel secure. We will no longer have the fear of failure. We will stop trying to always please others at our expense, and we will stop excessively trying to perform so others will accept us!
I want to quote Galatians 5:10 (This is Paul speaking to the Galatians, but it can relate to self-esteem). . .I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. NKJV
This week I have been studying deeply the books of Galatians, Ephesians, and Phillipians. These books were written by Paul (inspired by God) to the early churches of the Christian Age. I have read each book three to four times and each time I see something new to add to my knowledge of the scriptures. I didn't realize how much confidence I can have in my own christian life that I have the confidence of Jesus' love. It makes me realize that to have relationship with Him on a daily basis I must quit living carnally (in the flesh) but spiritually. I am realizing more and more that the THINGS of this world are not that important but people definitely are and my spiritual walk with God is of utmost importance. His confidence in me is most important! What others think really doesn't matter!
Everyone ever born is seeking the confidence in God, but most people don't realize it. God put in each and every one of us the desire to seek and serve Him. Most people (maybe you) have an emptiness that can't be filled in their life. They seek new jobs, new mates, money, adventures, importance and still don't have the completion in their life that they desire. I can tell you with complete confidence of the scriptures that you are internally seeking Jesus. You can deny it because you were love so much that God gave you free will to choose, but nevertheless, until you accept Him, you WILL NEVER find complete happiness and peace in your life (and I mean in your heart, life struggles will still be there). Jesus wants you to have high self-esteem in Him and He will never disappoint you. I personally look back over my own life and remember the unhappiness I lived when I wasn't right with God. Yes, I still sin and make plenty of mistakes, but Jesus is always there to pick me back up and dust me off and encourage me to press on towards my goal. He reminds me as a christian in 1 John:1,2. . .My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, And He Himself is the propitiation (He became our sin) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Does that `give you confidence or high self-esteem in yourself through Him? It does me. He wants us to have confidence in Him and with that confidence He wants us to love Him with all our hearts and to love others even more than ourselves, because our confidence is in Him. God's inspired word is the best therapy session anyone could ask for and it is free for the taking. I wish I could climb the highest mountaintop and shout it around the world how wonderful God is and His Great Love for everyone is. God's mysteries are revealed to us through His word for everyone to read. Who does not love a good mystery?
If you're new at this, start reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you can read about the life of Christ. Acts will show you the beginning of the Original Church and will prove by all the conversions in Acts that baptism is essential. Romans through Jude are mostly letters to some of the early churches and they are a pattern for our lives. Also remember when you read in these books and it talks about faith and you think it doesn't say anything about baptism, remember these are already established churches who have already obeyed through baptism. Revelation is our promise, our prize, it is very deep and hard to understand and there are many views on how it is interpreted, but just remember that it is going to be wonderful and all the hard interpretations aren't that big a deal. Let God speak to you through His Word. You do not have to wait for a preacher or interpreter to reveal God's Word. God revealed it through Paul so we could know what we need to do. We have all been called to receive eternal life, it's your choice whether you accept it or not. When you have confidence in Him and know who you are in Him you will be able to start your journey knowing that He always has your back.
Confidence is a choice. Don't allow anyone to steal your confidence. You are loved and will always be loved. God never fails!
It's a sad state but don't judge this woman. She undoubtedly has low self-esteem and her mate thrives off of that. His own low self-esteem causes him to be abusive to put her lower than him so he has her right where he wants her "feeling like a nothing" he has created a web of destruction for the both of them. The best thing you can do for this woman is support her with love and consideration. Show her that she is important. She probably doesn't know what to do, maybe you could help her find a good christian counselor to talk to. Keep the both of them in your prayers, and most of all, be her friend. She needs someone to lean on and your friendship will be very important to her. Listen to her troubles confidentally that alone can be a wonderful gift to her. Sometimes when you speak it, you see your issues from a different perspective. Let her know that God loves her and he only wants the best for her.
Statement: When we have our identity in Him, we will feel secure. We will no longer have the fear of failure. We will stop trying to always please others at our expense, and we will stop excessively trying to perform so others will accept us!
I want to quote Galatians 5:10 (This is Paul speaking to the Galatians, but it can relate to self-esteem). . .I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. NKJV
This week I have been studying deeply the books of Galatians, Ephesians, and Phillipians. These books were written by Paul (inspired by God) to the early churches of the Christian Age. I have read each book three to four times and each time I see something new to add to my knowledge of the scriptures. I didn't realize how much confidence I can have in my own christian life that I have the confidence of Jesus' love. It makes me realize that to have relationship with Him on a daily basis I must quit living carnally (in the flesh) but spiritually. I am realizing more and more that the THINGS of this world are not that important but people definitely are and my spiritual walk with God is of utmost importance. His confidence in me is most important! What others think really doesn't matter!
Everyone ever born is seeking the confidence in God, but most people don't realize it. God put in each and every one of us the desire to seek and serve Him. Most people (maybe you) have an emptiness that can't be filled in their life. They seek new jobs, new mates, money, adventures, importance and still don't have the completion in their life that they desire. I can tell you with complete confidence of the scriptures that you are internally seeking Jesus. You can deny it because you were love so much that God gave you free will to choose, but nevertheless, until you accept Him, you WILL NEVER find complete happiness and peace in your life (and I mean in your heart, life struggles will still be there). Jesus wants you to have high self-esteem in Him and He will never disappoint you. I personally look back over my own life and remember the unhappiness I lived when I wasn't right with God. Yes, I still sin and make plenty of mistakes, but Jesus is always there to pick me back up and dust me off and encourage me to press on towards my goal. He reminds me as a christian in 1 John:1,2. . .My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, And He Himself is the propitiation (He became our sin) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Does that `give you confidence or high self-esteem in yourself through Him? It does me. He wants us to have confidence in Him and with that confidence He wants us to love Him with all our hearts and to love others even more than ourselves, because our confidence is in Him. God's inspired word is the best therapy session anyone could ask for and it is free for the taking. I wish I could climb the highest mountaintop and shout it around the world how wonderful God is and His Great Love for everyone is. God's mysteries are revealed to us through His word for everyone to read. Who does not love a good mystery?
If you're new at this, start reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you can read about the life of Christ. Acts will show you the beginning of the Original Church and will prove by all the conversions in Acts that baptism is essential. Romans through Jude are mostly letters to some of the early churches and they are a pattern for our lives. Also remember when you read in these books and it talks about faith and you think it doesn't say anything about baptism, remember these are already established churches who have already obeyed through baptism. Revelation is our promise, our prize, it is very deep and hard to understand and there are many views on how it is interpreted, but just remember that it is going to be wonderful and all the hard interpretations aren't that big a deal. Let God speak to you through His Word. You do not have to wait for a preacher or interpreter to reveal God's Word. God revealed it through Paul so we could know what we need to do. We have all been called to receive eternal life, it's your choice whether you accept it or not. When you have confidence in Him and know who you are in Him you will be able to start your journey knowing that He always has your back.
Confidence is a choice. Don't allow anyone to steal your confidence. You are loved and will always be loved. God never fails!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Christians Will Struggle!!!!!
Colossians 1:10-13 NKJV 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might according to His glorious power for all patience, and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
As I read these scriptures and apply them to my personal walk with God, I marvel at Paul, who was suffering in prison as he wrote these beautiful words. His strength and perseverance is amazing! His fire and zeal for the Lord never wavers. The more hardship and punishment that he endured brought his relationship with his Heavenly Father closer. He even went so far in other passages to sing and praise God during his prison stay. In my heart, I believe that Paul actually enjoyed his hardship because he truly respected what his Lord and Savior suffered on his behalf. I think he felt this was the least he could do!
You know, I admire Paul so much! He started as Saul, a jew who persecuted the christians and ended up Paul protector of the Lord's Church. He considered himself least in the kingdom because of the wrong he had done against Christ. You can read a little about his personal journey from Saul to Paul in the book of Acts chapters 7 and 8 and then throughout his writings in the New Testament. Paul may have at one time been against Christ, but he eventually became very important to us today. Paul was chosen by God to see a glimpse into heaven so he could give us a peek of what we could hope for. He also wrote many books in the New Testament sharing with the churches what God wanted them to do to be in proper perspective with Him. And we use them as a pattern for our lives today. If God can change someone like Saul into Paul and turn him from destroyer of the church into protector of the church, then what is God able to do with you and me?
I think we all struggle in our own day to day prisons. Chains of sin, wrongful thinking, struggles with making proper decisions, and how we treat others. When I am hurt, I think of Paul. He did not allow anything to draw him away from the Love of God. And the more Paul did for the Kingdom, the more problems he incurred. In parallel to Paul and his struggles, we will probably never face anything even remotely close to what he had to deal with, but satan is still battling us regardless of how big the situation.
My life goal is to draw closer to God. I'm going to do my best to achieve it, will you? It reminds me of Paul's words that are so fitting: Romans 7:18-25 (New King James Version) 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Go on to Romans 8:1,2 - There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Does that mean that we as christians can look forward to death because death to the flesh means life only in the spirit. There will be no more struggles with worldly sin, only love and worship of our Heavenly Savior. These scriptures give me so much comfort to know that as long as we are in flesh, there will be struggles and that is normal. But, on the other side, we will be free at last. Use these words in perspective to your life. Grow a spiritual life with God. Live in the Spirit! God provides that connection if we are willing to accept Him.
The bible says we must hear the word - Romans 10:17, We must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and that he died, resurrected and is alive awaiting us to accept Him. John 3:16, 8:24, We must repent of our sins (turn away from) Acts 17:30, Confess Christ, Matthew 10:32, be baptized for the forgiveness of sin (washing away, new birth in Christ) Acts 2:38, 22:16, then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you to guide you on your journey. Be faithful - James 1:12, Revelations 2:10. Through life's struggles always keeping hope and faith in Christ. I John 2- Christ is our advocate (defense attorney) to God the Father, he loves us and died for us. He is pleading our case! Live for Him, he will never cease loving you! BE STRONG IN THE LORD!
As I read these scriptures and apply them to my personal walk with God, I marvel at Paul, who was suffering in prison as he wrote these beautiful words. His strength and perseverance is amazing! His fire and zeal for the Lord never wavers. The more hardship and punishment that he endured brought his relationship with his Heavenly Father closer. He even went so far in other passages to sing and praise God during his prison stay. In my heart, I believe that Paul actually enjoyed his hardship because he truly respected what his Lord and Savior suffered on his behalf. I think he felt this was the least he could do!
You know, I admire Paul so much! He started as Saul, a jew who persecuted the christians and ended up Paul protector of the Lord's Church. He considered himself least in the kingdom because of the wrong he had done against Christ. You can read a little about his personal journey from Saul to Paul in the book of Acts chapters 7 and 8 and then throughout his writings in the New Testament. Paul may have at one time been against Christ, but he eventually became very important to us today. Paul was chosen by God to see a glimpse into heaven so he could give us a peek of what we could hope for. He also wrote many books in the New Testament sharing with the churches what God wanted them to do to be in proper perspective with Him. And we use them as a pattern for our lives today. If God can change someone like Saul into Paul and turn him from destroyer of the church into protector of the church, then what is God able to do with you and me?
I think we all struggle in our own day to day prisons. Chains of sin, wrongful thinking, struggles with making proper decisions, and how we treat others. When I am hurt, I think of Paul. He did not allow anything to draw him away from the Love of God. And the more Paul did for the Kingdom, the more problems he incurred. In parallel to Paul and his struggles, we will probably never face anything even remotely close to what he had to deal with, but satan is still battling us regardless of how big the situation.
My life goal is to draw closer to God. I'm going to do my best to achieve it, will you? It reminds me of Paul's words that are so fitting: Romans 7:18-25 (New King James Version) 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Go on to Romans 8:1,2 - There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Does that mean that we as christians can look forward to death because death to the flesh means life only in the spirit. There will be no more struggles with worldly sin, only love and worship of our Heavenly Savior. These scriptures give me so much comfort to know that as long as we are in flesh, there will be struggles and that is normal. But, on the other side, we will be free at last. Use these words in perspective to your life. Grow a spiritual life with God. Live in the Spirit! God provides that connection if we are willing to accept Him.
The bible says we must hear the word - Romans 10:17, We must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and that he died, resurrected and is alive awaiting us to accept Him. John 3:16, 8:24, We must repent of our sins (turn away from) Acts 17:30, Confess Christ, Matthew 10:32, be baptized for the forgiveness of sin (washing away, new birth in Christ) Acts 2:38, 22:16, then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you to guide you on your journey. Be faithful - James 1:12, Revelations 2:10. Through life's struggles always keeping hope and faith in Christ. I John 2- Christ is our advocate (defense attorney) to God the Father, he loves us and died for us. He is pleading our case! Live for Him, he will never cease loving you! BE STRONG IN THE LORD!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sharing My Favorites
Today I am not writing, I am sharing some of my favorite quotes and scriptures that help me in my life when things get difficult. I hope they comfort you!
"Prayer is essential!" When we pray, we are working with God to determine our future. History was determined by prayer and history can change tomorrow because of prayers today! So please pray!
"You are a stronger person today than you have ever been before. You are smarter and wiser. You are fully prepared to defeat any obstacles in your life. Look back over your life and see how far you have come. You have what it takes and your best days are right out in front of you. Embrace them! And show the world what you're made of!!!!!
"When God is going to do something wonderful He begins with a difficulty, If He is going to do something very wonderful, He begins with a mess."
"Preparation today gives confidence tomorrow. Preparation today gives success tomorrow."
"The world will believe in you and respond to your wishes when you first believe in yourself."
Proverbs 31:30
"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vein, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
"Every change no matter how tragic, always opens the door to more."
Some important things to remember if you are a positive person:
l. A positive person attracts negative energy like a magnet.
2. Being around negative people can make you physically, mentally, and spiritually sick.
3. When you are a person who has positive energy, you sometimes don't notice that you are absorbing negative energy and being drained emotionally.
4. If you reject what you need, you will have a tendency to want what you can't have or don't need!
5. Since sacrafice is associated with love, loving or being loved, many people will self-sacrafice their own wants and needs until they are completely spent.
6. Learn how to feel your own wants and desires. Your positive desires will begin to open up your life to attract and create everything you want. Only you have the power to make your dreams come true! And with God's help through prayer!
Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Phillippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Proverbs 3:5,6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding: In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Titus 2:7,8 - in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctring, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say to you!
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 8:51 - "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." (and that means spiritual death)
Quote: "Stars are the pinholes in the curtains of heaven."
"You are either moving forward or backward."
"Are you living in the past or are you pressing forwards to a positive future?"
I hope these quotes and scriptures encourage you as they do me. I find myself reaching for my journal of encouragement when things are difficult. I always remember that people will let you down, but God never will!
"Prayer is essential!" When we pray, we are working with God to determine our future. History was determined by prayer and history can change tomorrow because of prayers today! So please pray!
"You are a stronger person today than you have ever been before. You are smarter and wiser. You are fully prepared to defeat any obstacles in your life. Look back over your life and see how far you have come. You have what it takes and your best days are right out in front of you. Embrace them! And show the world what you're made of!!!!!
"When God is going to do something wonderful He begins with a difficulty, If He is going to do something very wonderful, He begins with a mess."
"Preparation today gives confidence tomorrow. Preparation today gives success tomorrow."
"The world will believe in you and respond to your wishes when you first believe in yourself."
Proverbs 31:30
"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vein, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
"Every change no matter how tragic, always opens the door to more."
Some important things to remember if you are a positive person:
l. A positive person attracts negative energy like a magnet.
2. Being around negative people can make you physically, mentally, and spiritually sick.
3. When you are a person who has positive energy, you sometimes don't notice that you are absorbing negative energy and being drained emotionally.
4. If you reject what you need, you will have a tendency to want what you can't have or don't need!
5. Since sacrafice is associated with love, loving or being loved, many people will self-sacrafice their own wants and needs until they are completely spent.
6. Learn how to feel your own wants and desires. Your positive desires will begin to open up your life to attract and create everything you want. Only you have the power to make your dreams come true! And with God's help through prayer!
Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Phillippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Proverbs 3:5,6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding: In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Titus 2:7,8 - in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctring, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say to you!
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 8:51 - "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." (and that means spiritual death)
Quote: "Stars are the pinholes in the curtains of heaven."
"You are either moving forward or backward."
"Are you living in the past or are you pressing forwards to a positive future?"
I hope these quotes and scriptures encourage you as they do me. I find myself reaching for my journal of encouragement when things are difficult. I always remember that people will let you down, but God never will!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
God Bless America!
What is it about Americans? Why do we get so caught up in all the stuff? We don't realize it but the stuff can be our own worst enemy. America was founded on having freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom to bear arms and freedom to make a living. But, are we free? We may have taken freedom to a far extreme level, so far, that we really don't have freedom anymore. Are we really free?
Since we have been allowed to make our own rules, I sometimes feel that we as Americans feel entitled to everything. We feel because we have a job, we should reward ourselves with a new house, new car, boat, pool, vacation so that means we have to go into debt for them. With that, the company cuts your hours or you get laid-off so your income drops, budget's getting tight, and now the kids need clothes or money for something, and stress is setting in. Now you're hearing your company may be closing and going to Mexico, "Oh my, what am I going to do?" Is this the American Freedom our ancestors fought for? Hardly, I think our forefathers would roll- over in their graves if they could see what a mockery we have made of our constitution and our freedoms.
We should be making sure that our constitution is not "tainted". We should fight to keep our religious freedoms and not allow them to be slowly taken away from us. We should be a loving country with God as our foundation as our Original American Hero's intended! We should help each other, be kind and considerate because of all God's blessings that have been bestowed on this country. He was our original foundation and He must stay our foundation if this country is going to continue to prosper!
You may disagree with me, and that's ok, but I believe the United States of America has been so successful thus far because of our firm foundation and beliefs in God. And, I believe that if we allow this country to erase God from it's foundation, I see disaster emerging from all around! Things will get bad. I don't want to see that as I am sure you don't either. I want my children and grand-children to know this country the way I did. And be PROUD of our Godly roots!
We, as a Christian Nation, need to stand-up and be strong! Supporting our nation as Christians. And we as individuals need to teach our children that we haven't been the best examples by buying too many luxury items on credit. Trying to impress our neighbors is not the way to go. Many families around the world would love to sit their families down to just "one" American meal. Instead of watching their sweet little children waste away from hunger. We are such a wasteful society, me included. Let's try to make improvements in our lives in a positive way. We can start making small changes in our families today. Get some good books at your local library on American History and use them to teach your kids what a wonderful country we have and don't want to change. There are so many exciting adventures in our American History that it can be an exciting adventure! I can say that because I am a History buff and collector of American History. I am proud to be a Christian American! Help your kids understand that we need to keep this great country great. Stress the importance of supporting the troops in any way you can because our future partially lies in their hands. You know, everyone loves using the internet. Have your children do some research on their American Heritage and give a report to the family on what they have found. Make a family scrapbook about your research, take an American History vacation and learn about this great country. When I was a teenager, mom and dad informed my sister Terri and I that instead of going to the ocean for a vacation, we were going to Gettysburg, PA. We both protested, whined around, complained because we wanted to lay-out on the beach. But, thankfully, dad was the boss and we went. It was the most exciting experience I had ever had on a vacation. I was addicted to American History and the Civil War and still am to this day! Oh, and guess what, we stayed at a campground that had a pool so we got the best of both worlds! I credit my better understanding of what America is because my parents cared enough about us girls to want to expose us to what this country is all about. We later visited Washington D.C. and many other historical sites as my husband and I took our children to experience this great American that we live in. The Smithsonian is a breath-taking experience. Talk about a high! American History gives me a proud rush of what this country is all about.
We need to quit thinking about all the stuff and ourselves and start thinking about what we can do to help others. You know the bible says . . . it is more blessed to give than to receive. Do you believe that? I do. I am at my most happiest when I'm not thinking about myself, but others. How about you? Are you happy with all the stuff? Debt, high expectations? Probably not.
One of my favorite things to do is SMILE. I find a big smile breaks down barriers. People tend to open up to you and are more trusting of you when you smile. A smile doesn't cost a thing and it definitely makes you feel better. Evaluate the stuff, does it make you happy? Evaluate a smile, kindness, concern, love, patience, gentleness, friendship, does that make you happy? It does me and it doesn't cost a thing! The bible is right in the Love Chapter. I Corinthians 13, read it. This is a gift to you from God to help you find your happiness. You can find happiness without all the stuff. Your life will be more fulfilling and successful than you could ever imagine and by living according to "The Love Chapter" (I Corinthians 13), our country will change for the good! Love does conquer all, and with love to all, God Will Bless America!
Let me hear your thoughts on this subject whether you agree with me or not. I welcome your comments. Have a great day and SMILE!
Since we have been allowed to make our own rules, I sometimes feel that we as Americans feel entitled to everything. We feel because we have a job, we should reward ourselves with a new house, new car, boat, pool, vacation so that means we have to go into debt for them. With that, the company cuts your hours or you get laid-off so your income drops, budget's getting tight, and now the kids need clothes or money for something, and stress is setting in. Now you're hearing your company may be closing and going to Mexico, "Oh my, what am I going to do?" Is this the American Freedom our ancestors fought for? Hardly, I think our forefathers would roll- over in their graves if they could see what a mockery we have made of our constitution and our freedoms.
We should be making sure that our constitution is not "tainted". We should fight to keep our religious freedoms and not allow them to be slowly taken away from us. We should be a loving country with God as our foundation as our Original American Hero's intended! We should help each other, be kind and considerate because of all God's blessings that have been bestowed on this country. He was our original foundation and He must stay our foundation if this country is going to continue to prosper!
You may disagree with me, and that's ok, but I believe the United States of America has been so successful thus far because of our firm foundation and beliefs in God. And, I believe that if we allow this country to erase God from it's foundation, I see disaster emerging from all around! Things will get bad. I don't want to see that as I am sure you don't either. I want my children and grand-children to know this country the way I did. And be PROUD of our Godly roots!
We, as a Christian Nation, need to stand-up and be strong! Supporting our nation as Christians. And we as individuals need to teach our children that we haven't been the best examples by buying too many luxury items on credit. Trying to impress our neighbors is not the way to go. Many families around the world would love to sit their families down to just "one" American meal. Instead of watching their sweet little children waste away from hunger. We are such a wasteful society, me included. Let's try to make improvements in our lives in a positive way. We can start making small changes in our families today. Get some good books at your local library on American History and use them to teach your kids what a wonderful country we have and don't want to change. There are so many exciting adventures in our American History that it can be an exciting adventure! I can say that because I am a History buff and collector of American History. I am proud to be a Christian American! Help your kids understand that we need to keep this great country great. Stress the importance of supporting the troops in any way you can because our future partially lies in their hands. You know, everyone loves using the internet. Have your children do some research on their American Heritage and give a report to the family on what they have found. Make a family scrapbook about your research, take an American History vacation and learn about this great country. When I was a teenager, mom and dad informed my sister Terri and I that instead of going to the ocean for a vacation, we were going to Gettysburg, PA. We both protested, whined around, complained because we wanted to lay-out on the beach. But, thankfully, dad was the boss and we went. It was the most exciting experience I had ever had on a vacation. I was addicted to American History and the Civil War and still am to this day! Oh, and guess what, we stayed at a campground that had a pool so we got the best of both worlds! I credit my better understanding of what America is because my parents cared enough about us girls to want to expose us to what this country is all about. We later visited Washington D.C. and many other historical sites as my husband and I took our children to experience this great American that we live in. The Smithsonian is a breath-taking experience. Talk about a high! American History gives me a proud rush of what this country is all about.
We need to quit thinking about all the stuff and ourselves and start thinking about what we can do to help others. You know the bible says . . . it is more blessed to give than to receive. Do you believe that? I do. I am at my most happiest when I'm not thinking about myself, but others. How about you? Are you happy with all the stuff? Debt, high expectations? Probably not.
One of my favorite things to do is SMILE. I find a big smile breaks down barriers. People tend to open up to you and are more trusting of you when you smile. A smile doesn't cost a thing and it definitely makes you feel better. Evaluate the stuff, does it make you happy? Evaluate a smile, kindness, concern, love, patience, gentleness, friendship, does that make you happy? It does me and it doesn't cost a thing! The bible is right in the Love Chapter. I Corinthians 13, read it. This is a gift to you from God to help you find your happiness. You can find happiness without all the stuff. Your life will be more fulfilling and successful than you could ever imagine and by living according to "The Love Chapter" (I Corinthians 13), our country will change for the good! Love does conquer all, and with love to all, God Will Bless America!
Let me hear your thoughts on this subject whether you agree with me or not. I welcome your comments. Have a great day and SMILE!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Are You Living With Passion?
Meaningless work is exhausting! Are you just going through the motions day end and day out? Do you wake up every morning hating going to a not so exciting job?
Do you have passion? To have passion means to risk, dream, live with enthusiasm, and feel uplifted. Do you fall into this category? We only get one chance to live on this earth and the window of life is very small. Are you going to waste your short time miserable?
You have abilities that God has instilled in you that no one else has. There is no one else quite like you so go ahead, pat yourself on the back, You're Special! If you are special then why are you wasting all your precious talents? I bet you have many talents you don't even know you have. Have you ever thought about that? Sometimes we don't find out our talents until we try doing something we love.
You know, God blessed us with passion, talent and drive but sometimes we get caught up in life and forget about passion. God created us to enjoy our lives and I know He feels sad when He watches us waste our lives away not doing anything special with our gifts.
If you don't have any idea what some of your talents are, ask someone around you. People in your life can probably help you with your perspective.
I know I had a very special friend named Tina in college who showed me how to cut items from wood with a jigsaw and her encouragement and drive inspired me to design my own line and show my work nationally. Who would have known? This can be inspiration to you that you can start very small and with proper vision, support and lots of dreaming and planning you can be able to accomplish anything!
You know, you don't have to quit your job and take a complete risk, but you can try something in your spare time. A great way to get vision and I find this helpful in my own life is to bounce ideas off of a friend or family member who you know will give you an honest opinion. Sometimes they can help you go in a totally different direction that is even better than what you had originally considered. My adult children and I do this often, the brain-storming helps give confidence. My daughters have not been afraid to try business on their own and do not look at anything as an obstacle. That makes me feel successful as a mother that I instilled challenge and passion in them. My daughter Taisha and I are currently working on a wonderful brainstorm and project that will make her be more successful, fulfilling, and allow her more time to be the mother she so desires to be.
If you have friends that you hang out with, get a group together and brainstorm. Get real with each other and discuss what is good in your life and what you don't like about your life. Talk about your dreams and desires, get input and then make a plan. Don't feel foolish. Most of our famous forefathers of inventions had so-called "outrageous ideas", but ended up in our history books as contributors to inventions that changed the world. Maybe getting a group together periodically could help give you the confidence you need to proceed with your dreams. Maybe you could get some of your friends involved in a new adventure with you.. It's always great to have people you care about around when you work! And remember to have fun. I remember when I worked for Longaberger as many of my facebook friends remember what Dave Longaberger's moto was for his employees. He said we should have 25% of our day as fun. And you know, we lived it! Most of the employees loved working for him. We built relationships with co-workers, production was high and quality was top-notch. I left the factory everyday worn out but feeling good and fulfilled inside.
Are you having 25% fun in your day? If not, try it and if you're not able to do it, maybe you're not in the job you need to be in. If you're a boss I challenge you to allow your employees to have some fun. Productivity will go through the roof and quality will improve. Oh and don't forget, happy employees. With life being so difficult with gas prices, soaring food prices and just everything in general costing more, something has got to change or everyone is going to be dealing with the consequences of stress. And that is no fun!!!!
Find your niche'. Don't be afraid to move forward and take the challenge. You deserve to get out of bed in the morning with a smile knowing that you are living YOUR dream and not someone else's.
And don't forget to teach your children and grand-children about passion and drive. In this society of electronic media, everything is right in front of us, already done. No one has passion to create or think anymore or even communicate face to face. When my son was 2 years old and my daughters we're helping me sand wood and stain for my business, I gave him a hammer, I put nails in it and let him drive the nails in the board. He loved it and thought he was such a big boy. He felt satisfaction in his work. Something simple as that can teach kids how to be productive. What do you do and what can you do to challenge your family? Do it! You will do them a big favor and will improve the way you feel about your relationship with them. Time spent involving them will send your relationship with them to a new level. Live Strong, Be Happy and Fulfilled!
Do you have passion? To have passion means to risk, dream, live with enthusiasm, and feel uplifted. Do you fall into this category? We only get one chance to live on this earth and the window of life is very small. Are you going to waste your short time miserable?
You have abilities that God has instilled in you that no one else has. There is no one else quite like you so go ahead, pat yourself on the back, You're Special! If you are special then why are you wasting all your precious talents? I bet you have many talents you don't even know you have. Have you ever thought about that? Sometimes we don't find out our talents until we try doing something we love.
You know, God blessed us with passion, talent and drive but sometimes we get caught up in life and forget about passion. God created us to enjoy our lives and I know He feels sad when He watches us waste our lives away not doing anything special with our gifts.
If you don't have any idea what some of your talents are, ask someone around you. People in your life can probably help you with your perspective.
I know I had a very special friend named Tina in college who showed me how to cut items from wood with a jigsaw and her encouragement and drive inspired me to design my own line and show my work nationally. Who would have known? This can be inspiration to you that you can start very small and with proper vision, support and lots of dreaming and planning you can be able to accomplish anything!
You know, you don't have to quit your job and take a complete risk, but you can try something in your spare time. A great way to get vision and I find this helpful in my own life is to bounce ideas off of a friend or family member who you know will give you an honest opinion. Sometimes they can help you go in a totally different direction that is even better than what you had originally considered. My adult children and I do this often, the brain-storming helps give confidence. My daughters have not been afraid to try business on their own and do not look at anything as an obstacle. That makes me feel successful as a mother that I instilled challenge and passion in them. My daughter Taisha and I are currently working on a wonderful brainstorm and project that will make her be more successful, fulfilling, and allow her more time to be the mother she so desires to be.
If you have friends that you hang out with, get a group together and brainstorm. Get real with each other and discuss what is good in your life and what you don't like about your life. Talk about your dreams and desires, get input and then make a plan. Don't feel foolish. Most of our famous forefathers of inventions had so-called "outrageous ideas", but ended up in our history books as contributors to inventions that changed the world. Maybe getting a group together periodically could help give you the confidence you need to proceed with your dreams. Maybe you could get some of your friends involved in a new adventure with you.. It's always great to have people you care about around when you work! And remember to have fun. I remember when I worked for Longaberger as many of my facebook friends remember what Dave Longaberger's moto was for his employees. He said we should have 25% of our day as fun. And you know, we lived it! Most of the employees loved working for him. We built relationships with co-workers, production was high and quality was top-notch. I left the factory everyday worn out but feeling good and fulfilled inside.
Are you having 25% fun in your day? If not, try it and if you're not able to do it, maybe you're not in the job you need to be in. If you're a boss I challenge you to allow your employees to have some fun. Productivity will go through the roof and quality will improve. Oh and don't forget, happy employees. With life being so difficult with gas prices, soaring food prices and just everything in general costing more, something has got to change or everyone is going to be dealing with the consequences of stress. And that is no fun!!!!
Find your niche'. Don't be afraid to move forward and take the challenge. You deserve to get out of bed in the morning with a smile knowing that you are living YOUR dream and not someone else's.
And don't forget to teach your children and grand-children about passion and drive. In this society of electronic media, everything is right in front of us, already done. No one has passion to create or think anymore or even communicate face to face. When my son was 2 years old and my daughters we're helping me sand wood and stain for my business, I gave him a hammer, I put nails in it and let him drive the nails in the board. He loved it and thought he was such a big boy. He felt satisfaction in his work. Something simple as that can teach kids how to be productive. What do you do and what can you do to challenge your family? Do it! You will do them a big favor and will improve the way you feel about your relationship with them. Time spent involving them will send your relationship with them to a new level. Live Strong, Be Happy and Fulfilled!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Dare To Do What You Love!
Are you doing what you want to do with your life? Are you happy in your position at work? Are you doing the job that fulfills your PASSION? Or, are you working your job because the pay is good and it's nice to have the extra money? Sometimes we do the job we have just because we need a job to support our families and we don't have a choice in the moment.
What is your passion? There is nothing more energizing in life than to be doing what you love! Sometimes we find ourselves stuck in a job that we absolutely hate. We feel worn out, discouraged, regretful, short-tempered, depressed and empty. Money is such a motivator in our society today and we become slaves to it. We feel that we have to be and look successful with our homes, cars, boats, pools, and vacations, but at the end of the day, after getting everything we thought we wanted, for some reason, we're not satisfied.
Take some time out and evaluate your current situation. Does all the stuff make you and your family happy? It didn't me! The big income and all the stuff just trapped me more in my life. I felt like I had to work even harder (and working on piece rate tends to make you work faster and harder and makes you greedy for more). I was required to weave 17 baskets a day, but I thought 80 sounded better. I worked my body into the ground and for what? MONEY! And now, I pay the price physically every day with pain, stiffness and only a fraction of use of my hands as before. If I could only go back and live a more fulfilling life! Something that I could say made a difference in the world. Oh, I'm sure many people are enjoying their baskets, but it's just STUFF. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the challenge of the job and the people, but I was too dedicated to the big paychecks.
If I could do it over, I would have spent more time and energy on my family and my church and quit focusing on ME. When I am on my death bed, I want to be happy with the choices I made in my life with the short time I was given on this earth. I can't change my past, but I sure can change the future! Like I said previously, I now live a simple life with not much money, but God seems to supply all my needs and adventures. I find myself content with what I do. I never thought I could be content without all the stuff, I have also been able to be ok with being alone. Now, if a gentleman comes into my life, I'll be able to like him for who he is and not because I need someone (and that sure feels good)!
Getting back to doing what you love. Don't wait for something bad to happen in your life before you get your wake-up call. Think about what you would really love to do and start making plans to move in that direction. You know, nothing is impossible! We usually defeat ourselves out of fear, but I challenge you to turn your back on your fears, step forward and DREAM! Live your dreams and your desires. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND AND ACTIONS INTO! Don't even consider failure. Start telling yourself that you are going to live with passionate expectations and that something good is going to happen to you! You can do it, I'm cheering you on! Be happy and fulfilled in your life and your possibilities will be endless. Start Now!
Live Life With Passionate Expectations!!!!!!!!! Let me know how things are going!
What is your passion? There is nothing more energizing in life than to be doing what you love! Sometimes we find ourselves stuck in a job that we absolutely hate. We feel worn out, discouraged, regretful, short-tempered, depressed and empty. Money is such a motivator in our society today and we become slaves to it. We feel that we have to be and look successful with our homes, cars, boats, pools, and vacations, but at the end of the day, after getting everything we thought we wanted, for some reason, we're not satisfied.
Take some time out and evaluate your current situation. Does all the stuff make you and your family happy? It didn't me! The big income and all the stuff just trapped me more in my life. I felt like I had to work even harder (and working on piece rate tends to make you work faster and harder and makes you greedy for more). I was required to weave 17 baskets a day, but I thought 80 sounded better. I worked my body into the ground and for what? MONEY! And now, I pay the price physically every day with pain, stiffness and only a fraction of use of my hands as before. If I could only go back and live a more fulfilling life! Something that I could say made a difference in the world. Oh, I'm sure many people are enjoying their baskets, but it's just STUFF. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the challenge of the job and the people, but I was too dedicated to the big paychecks.
If I could do it over, I would have spent more time and energy on my family and my church and quit focusing on ME. When I am on my death bed, I want to be happy with the choices I made in my life with the short time I was given on this earth. I can't change my past, but I sure can change the future! Like I said previously, I now live a simple life with not much money, but God seems to supply all my needs and adventures. I find myself content with what I do. I never thought I could be content without all the stuff, I have also been able to be ok with being alone. Now, if a gentleman comes into my life, I'll be able to like him for who he is and not because I need someone (and that sure feels good)!
Getting back to doing what you love. Don't wait for something bad to happen in your life before you get your wake-up call. Think about what you would really love to do and start making plans to move in that direction. You know, nothing is impossible! We usually defeat ourselves out of fear, but I challenge you to turn your back on your fears, step forward and DREAM! Live your dreams and your desires. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND AND ACTIONS INTO! Don't even consider failure. Start telling yourself that you are going to live with passionate expectations and that something good is going to happen to you! You can do it, I'm cheering you on! Be happy and fulfilled in your life and your possibilities will be endless. Start Now!
Live Life With Passionate Expectations!!!!!!!!! Let me know how things are going!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
What Is The Cross To You?
I Cor 1:18 . . . For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
During this Easter season have you thought about what the cross means to you personally? Does it have any meaning whatsoever in your life? What is so important about the cross and the resurrection?
Did you realize that if Jesus had not come to earth, lived, died and resurrected no one would have the opportunity to have eternal life?
Romans 6:1-10 says . . .1 What shall we say then? "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were "buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more, Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once and for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. NKJV
I think Romans 6 sums it up. Christ became our sin so through obedience we can become dead to sin by His wonderful sacrafice. We now, because of the cross have free will to accept the message of the cross or consider it foolishness, the choice is up to each of us as individuals. I pray that you accept the message of the cross and honor it with our life. Share it with others.
God's Plan can be our plan of receiving the inheritance set aside for us through Jesus Christ:
Hear - Romans 10:17
Believe - John 3:16, 8:24
Repent of our sins (turn away from) - Acts 17:30
Confess Christ - Matthew 10:32
Be Baptized for the forgiveness of sins -Acts 2:38, 22:16
Be Faithful - James 1:12, Revelations 2:10
If you can take about an hour out of your schedule and read chapters 12-20 of John for the historical event leading up to the possibility of everlasting life. Remember this is the year 2011 which is a fact of 2,011 years after the death of Christ. If that isn't historical proof of the facts, then I don't know what is. Consider all the facts and open up happier opportunities in your life. Consider the cross and the suffering that Christ made on our behalf. He wants YOU to become part of His Kingdom! Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity.
During this Easter season have you thought about what the cross means to you personally? Does it have any meaning whatsoever in your life? What is so important about the cross and the resurrection?
Did you realize that if Jesus had not come to earth, lived, died and resurrected no one would have the opportunity to have eternal life?
Romans 6:1-10 says . . .1 What shall we say then? "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were "buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more, Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once and for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. NKJV
I think Romans 6 sums it up. Christ became our sin so through obedience we can become dead to sin by His wonderful sacrafice. We now, because of the cross have free will to accept the message of the cross or consider it foolishness, the choice is up to each of us as individuals. I pray that you accept the message of the cross and honor it with our life. Share it with others.
God's Plan can be our plan of receiving the inheritance set aside for us through Jesus Christ:
Hear - Romans 10:17
Believe - John 3:16, 8:24
Repent of our sins (turn away from) - Acts 17:30
Confess Christ - Matthew 10:32
Be Baptized for the forgiveness of sins -Acts 2:38, 22:16
Be Faithful - James 1:12, Revelations 2:10
If you can take about an hour out of your schedule and read chapters 12-20 of John for the historical event leading up to the possibility of everlasting life. Remember this is the year 2011 which is a fact of 2,011 years after the death of Christ. If that isn't historical proof of the facts, then I don't know what is. Consider all the facts and open up happier opportunities in your life. Consider the cross and the suffering that Christ made on our behalf. He wants YOU to become part of His Kingdom! Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity.
REMEMBER
My writings today are going to be direct quotes from Romans 12:9-21. This is quoted from The New Testament, Nelson's Bible New King James Version NKJV. As I did my morning bible study I ran across my hand-writing above these verses that said REMEMBER. I want to share them with you. As a christian which means "little christ"the books of Romans - Jude (21 books) show christians how to live. This needs to be a way of life. As you read them, think about God's commandment to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Think about these scriptures throughout your day and try to "REMEMBER" their importance!
Romans 12:9-21. . .9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality, 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengenance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
You know if you are someone who has been wronged in the past, these scriptures can give you comfort. If you will read, re-read, and research these scriptures, and live according, think about how much easier it will be to put the past behind you and by taking the advice of Romans 12: 9-21 and trying to live by them, you WILL be a happier person because you are not thinking about yourself but others. I hope this gives you comfort as it has me. If you are looking for a place to start reading about your christian life, Romans can give you great insight into your future of dealing with life day to day. People suffer from day to day problems and a few minutes a day of reading can bring so much comfort and puts your mind in the place it should be.
I hope you find comfort in these scriptures and have peace in your life.
Romans 12:9-21. . .9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality, 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengenance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
You know if you are someone who has been wronged in the past, these scriptures can give you comfort. If you will read, re-read, and research these scriptures, and live according, think about how much easier it will be to put the past behind you and by taking the advice of Romans 12: 9-21 and trying to live by them, you WILL be a happier person because you are not thinking about yourself but others. I hope this gives you comfort as it has me. If you are looking for a place to start reading about your christian life, Romans can give you great insight into your future of dealing with life day to day. People suffer from day to day problems and a few minutes a day of reading can bring so much comfort and puts your mind in the place it should be.
I hope you find comfort in these scriptures and have peace in your life.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Our Children's Success Is Our Success!
Are you at peace with who you are? When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Who do you see? Are you happy with the way you look? Who you've become?
With our society today and the way women are expected to meet a certain criteria to be acceptable, we find many women insecure with themselves. I would venture to say that over 80% of girls and women don't like themselves. If you're not stick skinny with large breasts, you are "nothing". You just exist (blending in with everyone else) of not much value because of all your flaws. It is such a shame that it has come to this because we have a large group of sad women who are not feeling very good about who they are. And flipping the other side of the coin you have the "perfect looking" women who are miserable. They are constantly starving themselves, anorexic, bulemic, or popping some kind of diet pill so they won't want to eat. And of course, surgeries are necessary. Perfect breasts, hips, nose, and legs don't usually come naturally so surgery is a necessity.
How did it ever come to this? You find old men dating young girls and middle age women with not too many options. When is our society going to get back to reality? If we keep going down the path we are currently on, I don't think life is going to be much fun for anyone.
We need to teach our little girls how important they are while they are little (and little boys too). Teach them that "looking perfect" isn't achievable and it's ok to be who you are. Fathers need to quit being afraid to love their daughters. Holding, kissing, hugging and saying that their daughters are beautiful. We need to re-instate a Father and daughter's love. You see so many young girls dating old men and why would that be? Are they physically attracted to them? Probably not. Or could it be that they are looking for a father figure to love them? (but they confuse sex with love) They look for someone who is financially stable so they can feel safe and safe is where they should have been in their father's arms as a child.
You know were not going to be able to change the past as far as raising our children are concerned, but young families can start now and learn how to be affectionate with both boys and girls in the family. We need a lot of loving going on in our families today!
I understand the fears of child abuse and being afraid to touch, but it is easily identifiable the difference. I don't know about you, but I have always loved on my children and grand-children and everyone else's kids. I find it becomes infectious, the kids open up and tell me all types of things. They feel safe and secure with me and feel worthy of being cared about. They feel worthy of love. It pleases me when I hear the kids running towards me yelling my name and smiling because they know that I genuinely care about their lives and who they are only in a good way.
Let's try to change this scarey world of "no touch" "no compassion" and let's work on raising a new generation of safe and secure children. If you will have a new outlook and show love to the children, we may be able to help kids realize that they are important and that they are "perfect" in the shape, size, or disability they are.
God commands us to love one another as we love ourselves. But first, we need to learn to love ourselves better then pass it on to the children. Remember the bible story about Jesus saying to allow the children to come to Him? Why? He wanted to show them His love and their importance. Children didn't have a great importance in that day, but Jesus took time out of His busy schedule to spend some time with them. Matthew 19:l4,15 says. . .But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. NKJV
Let's take some time from our busy schedules. Turn off the computers, TV's, or whatever distractions you may have. Talk to and listen to what your children have to say. Quit yelling! Hold them in your arms, kiss on them, tell them how much you love them and that you are proud of who they are! I guarantee you, and I mean guarantee that if you are willing to do this, you will start to see a positive change in their lives. Don't forget to keep it up! Once is not going to be enough! It's going to be a new way of life. Maybe we're not so happy with who we see in the mirror because we aren't secure in our lives, bu we can help our children succeed in being secure in their future. And as they grow, you will feel security from them to you. If you're like me, their success is my success, and our success is God's success. Raise your kids in a loving christian home and it will be one christian family closer to a better world!
With our society today and the way women are expected to meet a certain criteria to be acceptable, we find many women insecure with themselves. I would venture to say that over 80% of girls and women don't like themselves. If you're not stick skinny with large breasts, you are "nothing". You just exist (blending in with everyone else) of not much value because of all your flaws. It is such a shame that it has come to this because we have a large group of sad women who are not feeling very good about who they are. And flipping the other side of the coin you have the "perfect looking" women who are miserable. They are constantly starving themselves, anorexic, bulemic, or popping some kind of diet pill so they won't want to eat. And of course, surgeries are necessary. Perfect breasts, hips, nose, and legs don't usually come naturally so surgery is a necessity.
How did it ever come to this? You find old men dating young girls and middle age women with not too many options. When is our society going to get back to reality? If we keep going down the path we are currently on, I don't think life is going to be much fun for anyone.
We need to teach our little girls how important they are while they are little (and little boys too). Teach them that "looking perfect" isn't achievable and it's ok to be who you are. Fathers need to quit being afraid to love their daughters. Holding, kissing, hugging and saying that their daughters are beautiful. We need to re-instate a Father and daughter's love. You see so many young girls dating old men and why would that be? Are they physically attracted to them? Probably not. Or could it be that they are looking for a father figure to love them? (but they confuse sex with love) They look for someone who is financially stable so they can feel safe and safe is where they should have been in their father's arms as a child.
You know were not going to be able to change the past as far as raising our children are concerned, but young families can start now and learn how to be affectionate with both boys and girls in the family. We need a lot of loving going on in our families today!
I understand the fears of child abuse and being afraid to touch, but it is easily identifiable the difference. I don't know about you, but I have always loved on my children and grand-children and everyone else's kids. I find it becomes infectious, the kids open up and tell me all types of things. They feel safe and secure with me and feel worthy of being cared about. They feel worthy of love. It pleases me when I hear the kids running towards me yelling my name and smiling because they know that I genuinely care about their lives and who they are only in a good way.
Let's try to change this scarey world of "no touch" "no compassion" and let's work on raising a new generation of safe and secure children. If you will have a new outlook and show love to the children, we may be able to help kids realize that they are important and that they are "perfect" in the shape, size, or disability they are.
God commands us to love one another as we love ourselves. But first, we need to learn to love ourselves better then pass it on to the children. Remember the bible story about Jesus saying to allow the children to come to Him? Why? He wanted to show them His love and their importance. Children didn't have a great importance in that day, but Jesus took time out of His busy schedule to spend some time with them. Matthew 19:l4,15 says. . .But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. NKJV
Let's take some time from our busy schedules. Turn off the computers, TV's, or whatever distractions you may have. Talk to and listen to what your children have to say. Quit yelling! Hold them in your arms, kiss on them, tell them how much you love them and that you are proud of who they are! I guarantee you, and I mean guarantee that if you are willing to do this, you will start to see a positive change in their lives. Don't forget to keep it up! Once is not going to be enough! It's going to be a new way of life. Maybe we're not so happy with who we see in the mirror because we aren't secure in our lives, bu we can help our children succeed in being secure in their future. And as they grow, you will feel security from them to you. If you're like me, their success is my success, and our success is God's success. Raise your kids in a loving christian home and it will be one christian family closer to a better world!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Take Your Life Back!
Are you the person who feels like you have to make everyone around you happy? That means your family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances? Well, you have permission to stop feeling that way! If you continue living a life imprisoned by everyone else's happiness, you're not going to have a chance to live your life with any type of fulfillment.
If you're one of those type people (and I know from personal experience) your emotions are constantly up and down. Your emotions are up when people are happy with your performance, but when you're not pleasing them, your emotions are down because you haven't fulfilled "their happiness". And don't get me wrong, we are to respect people in our lives and listen to their advice; but ultimately, we have to make our own choices.
One way to tell if you are on of those type people is when you neglect yourself (wants and needs) and if you're asked "what do you want to do in your life?" you don't have an answer because you really don't know what you want. When you focus all your time and energy on others you don't know what makes you "happy". In the end you have others running your life and telling you what to do. And by allowing that, people will draw all your time and energy and leave you with nothing. Having "nothing left" is a very sad and depressing place to be.
If you take charge of your life and confront those people in a living way and make it known to them that they have to find their own happiness and you are going to find your own happiness then you will be able to start making positive changes in your life. Your friends and family may be upset with you at first, but they'll get over it and you will be able to start "feeling" again. As long as you aproach everything with love, kindness and respect while being firm, you WILL succeed!
If you're like me and have been one of those people all of your life, it's very hard to change but not impossible! Stay focused on what you want your outcome to be and what you want to do with your life and your desires will help you stay focused.
If you have been focused on trying to fix everything and keep everybody happy, make this a turning point and rid yourself of that false sense of responsibility. There is nothing wrong with contributing to someone's happiness as long as you don't take on the task of making it your responsibility for their happiness. If you rid yourself of this, you will have less stress and you will have more time to fulfill God's plan for your life.
If you're one of those type people (and I know from personal experience) your emotions are constantly up and down. Your emotions are up when people are happy with your performance, but when you're not pleasing them, your emotions are down because you haven't fulfilled "their happiness". And don't get me wrong, we are to respect people in our lives and listen to their advice; but ultimately, we have to make our own choices.
One way to tell if you are on of those type people is when you neglect yourself (wants and needs) and if you're asked "what do you want to do in your life?" you don't have an answer because you really don't know what you want. When you focus all your time and energy on others you don't know what makes you "happy". In the end you have others running your life and telling you what to do. And by allowing that, people will draw all your time and energy and leave you with nothing. Having "nothing left" is a very sad and depressing place to be.
If you take charge of your life and confront those people in a living way and make it known to them that they have to find their own happiness and you are going to find your own happiness then you will be able to start making positive changes in your life. Your friends and family may be upset with you at first, but they'll get over it and you will be able to start "feeling" again. As long as you aproach everything with love, kindness and respect while being firm, you WILL succeed!
If you're like me and have been one of those people all of your life, it's very hard to change but not impossible! Stay focused on what you want your outcome to be and what you want to do with your life and your desires will help you stay focused.
If you have been focused on trying to fix everything and keep everybody happy, make this a turning point and rid yourself of that false sense of responsibility. There is nothing wrong with contributing to someone's happiness as long as you don't take on the task of making it your responsibility for their happiness. If you rid yourself of this, you will have less stress and you will have more time to fulfill God's plan for your life.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Cinderella Fantasy
Are you a person who had your life all planned out? Who your Prince Charming would be, what castle you would live in, and how many perfect children you would have? Well, you're not alone! How many of s do live in a dream world of fantasy and don't take the time to live in the real world?
If you're living the Cinderella Fantasy, you are probably upset and depressed about your daily life and circumstances. Are you saying "Oh, my husband doesn't pay enough attention to me, nobody appreciates me, nobody will listen to what I think, and I want them to do things the way I want it done". You know, so many women live sad and unfulfilled lives because their focus is in self-fulfillment through the behavior of others. If people in their lives upset things, "Cinderella" is totally devastated and unable to function. When this happens, she focuses all the blame on other people like: "Oh, I had a bad childhood, or I am unhappy in my job, or my husband doesn't appreciate me or I don't like the things that go on at church". But the real problems lie in our own distorted view of life because we don't know how to live in the "real" world. It's so much easier to put the blame on everyone else because face it, "I'm Cinderella" and it couldn't possibly be me. Cinderella needs to quit blaming the "Wicked Step-mother" and face the fact that only she can find happiness for herself!
Cinderella needs to quit living in fantasyland and live in the moment. She needs to quit bringing up the past by saying "If I only did this, or I didn't do that, I would be happy". NOT Wake-up Cinderella,YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST! But you can live in today and create a better past for the future.
One way to start is to appreciate the good things in your life today, and realize that everyone in your family or life is an individual with different habits and needs. Instead of being critical, learn to like their unique personality. If your husband isn't giving you the attention you want, quit focusing on your needs and focus on acknowledging the good in him. If you quit focusing on "me" all the time and focus on the needs of those around you, they will see you differently and you will start to grow an inner happiness for yourself. You've heard the expression "give until it hurts"? Well, I say "give until your heart is full of joy"!
One of the reasons I am writing on this topic is I have been a "Cinderella" for way too long and with the study of God's word I've realized that all the sadness and frustration of my past was because I didn't see things for what they really were, I lived in a fantasy world of expectations. Finding my way out of this thinking has helped me put the past completely behind me and to be happy in the present. I choose to stop chasing the "fantasy" and enjoy my life today and the people in it for who they are. No more trying to change people, no more judging other's lives. I choose to put my faith in God, living and loving everyone I come in contact with and I MEAN EVERYONE! God puts opportunities in our lives and it is up to us to take them or let them pass by. I choose to embrace every opportunity to share God's love and commitment to us.
Well, enough on that subject, I hope this article helps you examine yourself and your way of thinking. I am using every opportunity to learn and grow as a better person as I hope you will join me on this journey. Don't waste another day, live and be happy in the small things not fantasies. Be thankful for everything and remember to treat others the way you want to be treated. There will never be any regrets in that!
If you're living the Cinderella Fantasy, you are probably upset and depressed about your daily life and circumstances. Are you saying "Oh, my husband doesn't pay enough attention to me, nobody appreciates me, nobody will listen to what I think, and I want them to do things the way I want it done". You know, so many women live sad and unfulfilled lives because their focus is in self-fulfillment through the behavior of others. If people in their lives upset things, "Cinderella" is totally devastated and unable to function. When this happens, she focuses all the blame on other people like: "Oh, I had a bad childhood, or I am unhappy in my job, or my husband doesn't appreciate me or I don't like the things that go on at church". But the real problems lie in our own distorted view of life because we don't know how to live in the "real" world. It's so much easier to put the blame on everyone else because face it, "I'm Cinderella" and it couldn't possibly be me. Cinderella needs to quit blaming the "Wicked Step-mother" and face the fact that only she can find happiness for herself!
Cinderella needs to quit living in fantasyland and live in the moment. She needs to quit bringing up the past by saying "If I only did this, or I didn't do that, I would be happy". NOT Wake-up Cinderella,YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST! But you can live in today and create a better past for the future.
One way to start is to appreciate the good things in your life today, and realize that everyone in your family or life is an individual with different habits and needs. Instead of being critical, learn to like their unique personality. If your husband isn't giving you the attention you want, quit focusing on your needs and focus on acknowledging the good in him. If you quit focusing on "me" all the time and focus on the needs of those around you, they will see you differently and you will start to grow an inner happiness for yourself. You've heard the expression "give until it hurts"? Well, I say "give until your heart is full of joy"!
One of the reasons I am writing on this topic is I have been a "Cinderella" for way too long and with the study of God's word I've realized that all the sadness and frustration of my past was because I didn't see things for what they really were, I lived in a fantasy world of expectations. Finding my way out of this thinking has helped me put the past completely behind me and to be happy in the present. I choose to stop chasing the "fantasy" and enjoy my life today and the people in it for who they are. No more trying to change people, no more judging other's lives. I choose to put my faith in God, living and loving everyone I come in contact with and I MEAN EVERYONE! God puts opportunities in our lives and it is up to us to take them or let them pass by. I choose to embrace every opportunity to share God's love and commitment to us.
Well, enough on that subject, I hope this article helps you examine yourself and your way of thinking. I am using every opportunity to learn and grow as a better person as I hope you will join me on this journey. Don't waste another day, live and be happy in the small things not fantasies. Be thankful for everything and remember to treat others the way you want to be treated. There will never be any regrets in that!
Monday, March 7, 2011
God's Plan, Not Ours
As I share my writings, I want you to realize that I am writing to myself! My goal is to transform myself with the help of my Heavenly Father into a more pleasing person to Him. As I go through my transformation, I want to share it with you. Maybe something I write will help you in your own life. Let's transform together!
So many times christians go to church and say . . ."so and so did this and so and so didn't do that and can you believe that person was wearing that?" You know, if we're going to get any spiritual growth in our own lives, we are going to have to come to the realization that God ministers to each and every one of us differently. Now don't get me wrong, if there is false teaching or discipline problems, there are elders to deal with that, but so many times we are so caught up in ourselves as christians that we think we have "divine power" to cast all of our judgments and beliefs upon other christians around us whether it is scriptural or not. That is pure "pride" and we all know the scripture about pride. Proverbs 16:18-20 says. . .Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. NKJV
God has individual plans for those who seek His will, we need to quit focusing on the flaws of others because God uses weakness to build strength for His kingdom and if someone appears weak to you, how do you know that it is not the purpose of God to help teach that person to grow from within themselves? Now I know the scriptures say that God hates spiritual weakness, but he can grow a person in the Lord from a weak position to learn to be strong (I am one of those people). I have been in the church all my life and even as a child, I could never understand how someone is able to serve the Lord without fear as long as so many others were putting judgment on them. Why do so many christians just watch and wait for someone else to make a mistake? Well, I think I can tell you from personal experience. It is because if we are focused on someone else's faults, then we don't have to deal with our own sins. If we take the focus off of God and our own personal growth, then we get nowhere, which is exactly where satan wants us to be.
Think about this, if you're focused on every one else, you'll never have the ability to have peace in your own life, there will always be drama, and if there is constant drama then we will never have the time to do the "will of God".
Another thing, your personal ministry to others will not grow! We are commanded to love and spread the good news. If we waste all of our energy on criticism, then what is the point of even being a christian?
You know, the bible speaks of harsh judgments on us for judging others, if the world sees us in our "judging state" they will never want to be a part of God's kingdom. We are His representatives, so watch yourselves, judge yourself as I will and hopefully in that we will find peace, contentment, love and joy in our lives. Christian means "little Christ" so do the word justice or don't do it at all.
We all have the choice to change our bad habits and move forward. Pray and ask for forgiveness and move forward to a new day.
Life is there to live it fully, it is up to us how we choose to do that. Live it with love and compassion and with that comes peace and fulfillment. Grow yourself through Jesus! Matthew 7:1,2 says . . . judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Let's get over this judging, let's show love and compassion and help others overcome some of the obstacles in their lives by being there for them not their judge. Love and you will draw people closer to you and that will be your opportunity to share Jesus with them.
Just a reminder: Main Street Church of Christ, McConnelsville is having revival this week at 7:00pm with refreshments following, hope to see you there. Look for me, I'll be the one smiling!
So many times christians go to church and say . . ."so and so did this and so and so didn't do that and can you believe that person was wearing that?" You know, if we're going to get any spiritual growth in our own lives, we are going to have to come to the realization that God ministers to each and every one of us differently. Now don't get me wrong, if there is false teaching or discipline problems, there are elders to deal with that, but so many times we are so caught up in ourselves as christians that we think we have "divine power" to cast all of our judgments and beliefs upon other christians around us whether it is scriptural or not. That is pure "pride" and we all know the scripture about pride. Proverbs 16:18-20 says. . .Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. NKJV
God has individual plans for those who seek His will, we need to quit focusing on the flaws of others because God uses weakness to build strength for His kingdom and if someone appears weak to you, how do you know that it is not the purpose of God to help teach that person to grow from within themselves? Now I know the scriptures say that God hates spiritual weakness, but he can grow a person in the Lord from a weak position to learn to be strong (I am one of those people). I have been in the church all my life and even as a child, I could never understand how someone is able to serve the Lord without fear as long as so many others were putting judgment on them. Why do so many christians just watch and wait for someone else to make a mistake? Well, I think I can tell you from personal experience. It is because if we are focused on someone else's faults, then we don't have to deal with our own sins. If we take the focus off of God and our own personal growth, then we get nowhere, which is exactly where satan wants us to be.
Think about this, if you're focused on every one else, you'll never have the ability to have peace in your own life, there will always be drama, and if there is constant drama then we will never have the time to do the "will of God".
Another thing, your personal ministry to others will not grow! We are commanded to love and spread the good news. If we waste all of our energy on criticism, then what is the point of even being a christian?
You know, the bible speaks of harsh judgments on us for judging others, if the world sees us in our "judging state" they will never want to be a part of God's kingdom. We are His representatives, so watch yourselves, judge yourself as I will and hopefully in that we will find peace, contentment, love and joy in our lives. Christian means "little Christ" so do the word justice or don't do it at all.
We all have the choice to change our bad habits and move forward. Pray and ask for forgiveness and move forward to a new day.
Life is there to live it fully, it is up to us how we choose to do that. Live it with love and compassion and with that comes peace and fulfillment. Grow yourself through Jesus! Matthew 7:1,2 says . . . judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Let's get over this judging, let's show love and compassion and help others overcome some of the obstacles in their lives by being there for them not their judge. Love and you will draw people closer to you and that will be your opportunity to share Jesus with them.
Just a reminder: Main Street Church of Christ, McConnelsville is having revival this week at 7:00pm with refreshments following, hope to see you there. Look for me, I'll be the one smiling!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Facing The Scales
I woke up this morning with an unusual urge to face the scales. I used to get on them every morning with ease, but when I stop, I'm in denial. As I wrote before, I am an emotional eater and with that struggle, wouldn't you know, my life has been in an emotional roller coaster for the past 2 months. And with all the emotional trials, of course, I've put weight back on.
I spend quite a bit of time in prayer each day and because of that, I have seen (blessings) happen in my life and one of them was losing all my added weight from the break-up of my marriage. I have learned that by tithing (giving the first portion of my income to God) that even if there is not enough money in my checkbook to live on the rest of the month, God always blesses me in the most unusual way and I always have what I need when I need it. I have also learned that I can't fix everything in my life and that I can live in peace if I am willing to let it go and allow God to have complete control of the situation. I've learned that I don't have to be perfect to be loved by God, He loves me just the way I am and that He is a loving God and wants a relationship with me. He's not looking at us angrily waiting for us to mess up so we can go to hell. He's our biggest cheering fan rooting us on to fight the fight and finish the race a wiinner. I have also learned that God doesn't expect us to do big wonderful things, He's happy with the small things we can do to help and love others, He is happy when we respect Him by being around the Lord's Table to say. . ."Thsi bread represents your sweet body and the fruit of the vine represents the blood you shed as a peerfect sacrafice for my sins." The biggest thing I think I have learned is how to properly talk to God through prayer. I talk to him like you would talk to your best friend, discussing everything, making plans, asking advice, and praising Him for His Awesomeness and can I say, without you thinking I'm a nut, I can feel His presence. As I wrote before, I've always been a wife and mother, and even though my son is currently with me, it's been a big adjustment being alone. But I have never felt alone. God's presence is always with me.
Back to the scales, as I scould myself for putting back on some weight I say . . . "God has taught you so much about yourself and brought you so far, why haven't you allowed Him to have control of this area in your life? And you know, it's a lack of faith, I'm being selfish expecting that I can take care of that area myself, but for some reason, I still am hanging on to my self-protection of rejection by my weight. I'm disappointed in myself because I really do want to be freed in this area. There are so many things I want to do for His kingdom and I don't need any baggage, that way I have both hands free to do His "destiny for me". I've been praying about this area for a while now and yesterday, I spent some very long and deep prayer asking God to help me let go of this area of my life and I don't know if I will be successful letting go, but I will keep praying until I do. Something happened this morning that is promising. When I usually wake up in the morning I say . . ."Good morning Lord, what are we going to do today". And this morning I woke up with (get on the scales) on my mind, today we are going to start our new journey of faith. And of course, I could not believe that I was actually happy about it. So now, God and I are going to be in bootcamp for a while, he's going to run me through the obstacle course of faith, He's going to show me that I have the ability to make it over the hurdles, through the mazes, through the waters of life and when I cross the "finish line" with His help, I'll be ready to move on to my assignment, I'll have my diploma that says I have succeeded and am ready for my new assignment from Him. You know, life is difficult and we all have many obstacles that we have to face daily. The only way to really work for the "finish line" is to work on one area at a time and don't take it on yourself, things go so much better if you have a partner who cannot fail, and it goes better when your (partner or captain) is cheering you on, knowing that He loves you unconditionally and He's always on your side.
What are the things in your life that are dragging you down, are you tired of dealing with them? I am! Let's get started on freeing up our lives one thing at a time. If you are willing to do that, you will gradually feel successful and have peace in your heart (maybe not in your life) but your heart.
I know if I can truly have faith that God will help me deal with this area, I'll be free, and freedom is a great place to be.
Matthew 9:20-22 says.. .And suddenly a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer daughter, your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.
You know re-reading this scripture enlightened me more about the story, it wasn't the touch, it was the faith of the touch. We don't have Jesus here physically to make us well, but we don't need that anyway, the faith is what we need. He will heal us through our faith in believing He will heal us.
We have exactly the same opportunities for healing as they did back then with a couple exceptions, she didn't have salvations yet because Jesus had not gone to the cross yet, we have the opportunity of salvation now along with the word, and prayer so we have it made!
Faith can make us whole! It was her faith that healed her and my faith can also heal me. He is patient with us because He knows us, He understands our struggles and wants to help us with them. Examine faith in your own lives and reach out and touch the hem (HIM) and He will heal you and help you be on your way, living your most authentic life!
I spend quite a bit of time in prayer each day and because of that, I have seen (blessings) happen in my life and one of them was losing all my added weight from the break-up of my marriage. I have learned that by tithing (giving the first portion of my income to God) that even if there is not enough money in my checkbook to live on the rest of the month, God always blesses me in the most unusual way and I always have what I need when I need it. I have also learned that I can't fix everything in my life and that I can live in peace if I am willing to let it go and allow God to have complete control of the situation. I've learned that I don't have to be perfect to be loved by God, He loves me just the way I am and that He is a loving God and wants a relationship with me. He's not looking at us angrily waiting for us to mess up so we can go to hell. He's our biggest cheering fan rooting us on to fight the fight and finish the race a wiinner. I have also learned that God doesn't expect us to do big wonderful things, He's happy with the small things we can do to help and love others, He is happy when we respect Him by being around the Lord's Table to say. . ."Thsi bread represents your sweet body and the fruit of the vine represents the blood you shed as a peerfect sacrafice for my sins." The biggest thing I think I have learned is how to properly talk to God through prayer. I talk to him like you would talk to your best friend, discussing everything, making plans, asking advice, and praising Him for His Awesomeness and can I say, without you thinking I'm a nut, I can feel His presence. As I wrote before, I've always been a wife and mother, and even though my son is currently with me, it's been a big adjustment being alone. But I have never felt alone. God's presence is always with me.
Back to the scales, as I scould myself for putting back on some weight I say . . . "God has taught you so much about yourself and brought you so far, why haven't you allowed Him to have control of this area in your life? And you know, it's a lack of faith, I'm being selfish expecting that I can take care of that area myself, but for some reason, I still am hanging on to my self-protection of rejection by my weight. I'm disappointed in myself because I really do want to be freed in this area. There are so many things I want to do for His kingdom and I don't need any baggage, that way I have both hands free to do His "destiny for me". I've been praying about this area for a while now and yesterday, I spent some very long and deep prayer asking God to help me let go of this area of my life and I don't know if I will be successful letting go, but I will keep praying until I do. Something happened this morning that is promising. When I usually wake up in the morning I say . . ."Good morning Lord, what are we going to do today". And this morning I woke up with (get on the scales) on my mind, today we are going to start our new journey of faith. And of course, I could not believe that I was actually happy about it. So now, God and I are going to be in bootcamp for a while, he's going to run me through the obstacle course of faith, He's going to show me that I have the ability to make it over the hurdles, through the mazes, through the waters of life and when I cross the "finish line" with His help, I'll be ready to move on to my assignment, I'll have my diploma that says I have succeeded and am ready for my new assignment from Him. You know, life is difficult and we all have many obstacles that we have to face daily. The only way to really work for the "finish line" is to work on one area at a time and don't take it on yourself, things go so much better if you have a partner who cannot fail, and it goes better when your (partner or captain) is cheering you on, knowing that He loves you unconditionally and He's always on your side.
What are the things in your life that are dragging you down, are you tired of dealing with them? I am! Let's get started on freeing up our lives one thing at a time. If you are willing to do that, you will gradually feel successful and have peace in your heart (maybe not in your life) but your heart.
I know if I can truly have faith that God will help me deal with this area, I'll be free, and freedom is a great place to be.
Matthew 9:20-22 says.. .And suddenly a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer daughter, your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.
You know re-reading this scripture enlightened me more about the story, it wasn't the touch, it was the faith of the touch. We don't have Jesus here physically to make us well, but we don't need that anyway, the faith is what we need. He will heal us through our faith in believing He will heal us.
We have exactly the same opportunities for healing as they did back then with a couple exceptions, she didn't have salvations yet because Jesus had not gone to the cross yet, we have the opportunity of salvation now along with the word, and prayer so we have it made!
Faith can make us whole! It was her faith that healed her and my faith can also heal me. He is patient with us because He knows us, He understands our struggles and wants to help us with them. Examine faith in your own lives and reach out and touch the hem (HIM) and He will heal you and help you be on your way, living your most authentic life!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Bible Divided
Patriarcal Age - Begins with Genesis 1 and goes to Exodus 20 (during this time God spoke directly to man (the father of the house)
Mosiac Age - (Jews) Begins with Exodus 20 and goes to Acts 2 (They lived by the 10 commandments and other jewish laws. (God spoke through dreams and prophets)
Christian Age - Begins with Acts 2 and goes through Revelations (God speaks to us through the word)
The New Testament Divided
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John -Teaches us the life of Christ.
Acts - Teaches us how to become a Christian.
Romans - Jude Teaches us how to live a Christian Life.
Revelations - Teaches us our reward if we obey the book of Acts and live faithfully.
If you would like help in studying, understanding or have any questions, feel free to contact me.
I'm sorry I'm writing sooner than said, I had to come to the library as I don't have access at home so I may not be on here as much. This morning I told you that all of the conversions in Acts required baptism. Here are some of the scriptures you can use to verify this truth:
Acts 2, Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the eunuch; Acts 9:1-19 Saul's conversion who became (Paul); Acts 16:11-15 Lydia's conversion; Acts 16:25-34 Jailor's conversion; Acts 17:22-34 Paul's preaching in the synagogue proclaiming salvation; Acts 18:7,8 Titus and Justus converted; Acts 19:1-7 baptism essential
You still have the right to your own opinions about salvation, but my conscious says to make you aware of these scriptures, and I am sure after you check it out for yourself, you will no doubtedly have any doubts. I hope this is helpful to you in your studies.
I want to share a very cool scripture with you as I was reading it today: Hebrews 13:1,2. . .Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
How cool is that! Don't prejudge people standing by the road, just go ahead and assume they are angels! If they are not, you will be rewarded for showing love!
Mosiac Age - (Jews) Begins with Exodus 20 and goes to Acts 2 (They lived by the 10 commandments and other jewish laws. (God spoke through dreams and prophets)
Christian Age - Begins with Acts 2 and goes through Revelations (God speaks to us through the word)
The New Testament Divided
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John -Teaches us the life of Christ.
Acts - Teaches us how to become a Christian.
Romans - Jude Teaches us how to live a Christian Life.
Revelations - Teaches us our reward if we obey the book of Acts and live faithfully.
If you would like help in studying, understanding or have any questions, feel free to contact me.
I'm sorry I'm writing sooner than said, I had to come to the library as I don't have access at home so I may not be on here as much. This morning I told you that all of the conversions in Acts required baptism. Here are some of the scriptures you can use to verify this truth:
Acts 2, Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the eunuch; Acts 9:1-19 Saul's conversion who became (Paul); Acts 16:11-15 Lydia's conversion; Acts 16:25-34 Jailor's conversion; Acts 17:22-34 Paul's preaching in the synagogue proclaiming salvation; Acts 18:7,8 Titus and Justus converted; Acts 19:1-7 baptism essential
You still have the right to your own opinions about salvation, but my conscious says to make you aware of these scriptures, and I am sure after you check it out for yourself, you will no doubtedly have any doubts. I hope this is helpful to you in your studies.
I want to share a very cool scripture with you as I was reading it today: Hebrews 13:1,2. . .Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
How cool is that! Don't prejudge people standing by the road, just go ahead and assume they are angels! If they are not, you will be rewarded for showing love!
Are You A Copy Or An Original?
Think about this: Do you follow people rather than God? If we follow people, we tend to be a carbon copy of someone else which usually takes us down the wrong path. It's not always easy when we don't go with the flow, following the guidance of others, but if we are willing to stand up for what we really believe in then we can be who we "originally" are.
God wants "originals" he wants people who are not afraid to speak on His behalf. I've always been "different". Even when I was in school I was different and sometimes suffered the consequences of it, but in the end I am pleased with who I am for not being afraid of being a "Christian". Don't get me wrong, I haven't always acted like a christian, I've made many mistakes in my life, but I have always remained an "original". I am like no one else and I hope that will never change! If we compare ourselves to others, we will constantly be insecure and confused. That's enough of a reason why we shouldn't compare ourselves to others.
God creates us all different with the hopes of us using our uniqueness to serve Him. Being an "original" is a good thing and people in the long run will admire you for it.
You know, I never really had the desire to write in my life, I would rather do art, crafts or gardening, but in the last two years my first interest has changed to writing. I have journals everywhere in my house. I know my skills aren't that good as it's been a long time since I was in school, and I was worried about what people would think of me, but I am wholeheartedly convicted to do so. I am thankful to a friend who introduced me to this outlet.
If I am able to touch one person's heart in my writings, then it's completely been worth it! This also shows my love to God that I am not afraid to proclaim Him and try to help others seek Him. I know I have personally faced several skeletons in my closet by different articles I felt compelled to write, but it has made me face the changes in my own life that have been neglected. Being an "original" is where I must be! I hope you decide to be "original in Christ" and use your own personal characteristics to help improve your own life along with the lives of others.
You know I buy and sell art and antiques and do you know what is the most valuable? Well I can guarantee you it is not the copies, reproductions or prints, it's always the originals. So that's why God needs us to be "originals" so we will be more valuable to Him and His purpose.
You Are An Original, Now Just Prove It!
God wants "originals" he wants people who are not afraid to speak on His behalf. I've always been "different". Even when I was in school I was different and sometimes suffered the consequences of it, but in the end I am pleased with who I am for not being afraid of being a "Christian". Don't get me wrong, I haven't always acted like a christian, I've made many mistakes in my life, but I have always remained an "original". I am like no one else and I hope that will never change! If we compare ourselves to others, we will constantly be insecure and confused. That's enough of a reason why we shouldn't compare ourselves to others.
God creates us all different with the hopes of us using our uniqueness to serve Him. Being an "original" is a good thing and people in the long run will admire you for it.
You know, I never really had the desire to write in my life, I would rather do art, crafts or gardening, but in the last two years my first interest has changed to writing. I have journals everywhere in my house. I know my skills aren't that good as it's been a long time since I was in school, and I was worried about what people would think of me, but I am wholeheartedly convicted to do so. I am thankful to a friend who introduced me to this outlet.
If I am able to touch one person's heart in my writings, then it's completely been worth it! This also shows my love to God that I am not afraid to proclaim Him and try to help others seek Him. I know I have personally faced several skeletons in my closet by different articles I felt compelled to write, but it has made me face the changes in my own life that have been neglected. Being an "original" is where I must be! I hope you decide to be "original in Christ" and use your own personal characteristics to help improve your own life along with the lives of others.
You know I buy and sell art and antiques and do you know what is the most valuable? Well I can guarantee you it is not the copies, reproductions or prints, it's always the originals. So that's why God needs us to be "originals" so we will be more valuable to Him and His purpose.
You Are An Original, Now Just Prove It!
God's Plan of Salvation
We have to HEAR the word - Romans 10:17
We have to BELIEVE - John 3:16, 8:24
We have to REPENT (be sorry) - Acts 17:30
CONFESS CHRIST AS LORD - Matthew 10:32
Be BAPTIZED - Acts 2:38, 22:16 (Don't be deceived that this step isn't important, if you rear the complete book of Acts you will see for yourself, without question, that every conversion required baptism, so PLEASE don't leave out this most important step!)
Be FAITHFUL - James 1:12, Revelations 2:10
Don't think that if you're not perfect that you might as well give up, no one can ever be perfect!!!!! Jesus died to become all of our sin so that if we would accept Him it would be like we have not sinned at all. Yes we are going to make many mistakes in our lives, but as long as you keep trudging along, loving people, staying in close communication with God through prayer, fellowshipping with other believers around the Lord's Table partaking in communion in remembrance of Christ's sacrafice for us and spreading the good news to others, you will have all the security you need to handle anything life has to offer you. Just don't give up! There will be obsticles but you can handle. God won't allow anymore than you can handle if you are a christian!!!!! Remember to pray to God for forgiveness of new sins and have faith that you can make it to your great reward. Tomorrow, I will divide the bible for you so you will understand how to study it properly and it won't be confusing to you at alI.
I would like to welcome you to the Churches of Christ/Christian Churches in your area.
I attend the Lowell Christian Church in Lowell, Ohio we welcome you! Sunday 9:00 a.m., Wednesday 6:30 p.m. Family Ties (potluck at 6:30, study at 7:00) We welcome you with open arms!
We have to BELIEVE - John 3:16, 8:24
We have to REPENT (be sorry) - Acts 17:30
CONFESS CHRIST AS LORD - Matthew 10:32
Be BAPTIZED - Acts 2:38, 22:16 (Don't be deceived that this step isn't important, if you rear the complete book of Acts you will see for yourself, without question, that every conversion required baptism, so PLEASE don't leave out this most important step!)
Be FAITHFUL - James 1:12, Revelations 2:10
Don't think that if you're not perfect that you might as well give up, no one can ever be perfect!!!!! Jesus died to become all of our sin so that if we would accept Him it would be like we have not sinned at all. Yes we are going to make many mistakes in our lives, but as long as you keep trudging along, loving people, staying in close communication with God through prayer, fellowshipping with other believers around the Lord's Table partaking in communion in remembrance of Christ's sacrafice for us and spreading the good news to others, you will have all the security you need to handle anything life has to offer you. Just don't give up! There will be obsticles but you can handle. God won't allow anymore than you can handle if you are a christian!!!!! Remember to pray to God for forgiveness of new sins and have faith that you can make it to your great reward. Tomorrow, I will divide the bible for you so you will understand how to study it properly and it won't be confusing to you at alI.
I would like to welcome you to the Churches of Christ/Christian Churches in your area.
I attend the Lowell Christian Church in Lowell, Ohio we welcome you! Sunday 9:00 a.m., Wednesday 6:30 p.m. Family Ties (potluck at 6:30, study at 7:00) We welcome you with open arms!
Monday, February 28, 2011
My Sweet Little Letter
I woke up this morning to the most wonderful letter I have ever received. I got a letter from my son who has been staying with me for the past two months. He has had a very difficult life and two months ago, something devastating happened to him that no person should ever have to go through. After the incident, he came to stay with me. He felt very hurt, scared and rejected, I wasn't sure what I could do to help him because the circumstances were totally out of my control. I decided just to love!
We had both suffered at the hands of the same person at different times in our lives so I understood where he was coming from so I knew neither of us were going to be able to change things.
As I thought about things I remembered the scriptures from Romans 12:10-12. . .10Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12rejoicing in hope, patients in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; NKJV
Everything is out of my control, I hate to see my son suffer, but I can only show him love, pray for and comfort him through his trials. And remember to give it completely to God. I have tried to fix so many things in my life only to have them explode up in my face. From now on, God has complete control, I'm not going to take it from him out of "prideful thinking". Who am I to actually think I can fix things?
I am going to have peace in my life, I'm going to quit feeling guilty about everything that doesn't go well. "Why do I think everything that goes wrong is all my fault?" It isn't, satan puts that burden on me because he knows he can. I'm not allowing it anymore! Let things be as they may.
Love, prayer, peace, that sounds good to me. I know Brandon and I together are healing and loving each other. We are not falling back into the traps of the past. We love our family, but we can't force things to change. It's completely in God's hands and that now gives me the peace I have needed for so many years.
The sweetest little letter from my son has given me the peace to know I am doing the "right" things. Remember: Love, Prayer, Peace! Give your issues to God, he'll do you good by them!
My sweet little letter is very personal so I will give you a simple summation: Thank you mom for loving me the way I am and making me feel safe and secure.
God loves me the way I am so that is the least I can do! Remember in your own lives to "accept" people just as they are and love them unconditionally, if you are willing to do that, you will reap the sweetest rewards!
We had both suffered at the hands of the same person at different times in our lives so I understood where he was coming from so I knew neither of us were going to be able to change things.
As I thought about things I remembered the scriptures from Romans 12:10-12. . .10Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12rejoicing in hope, patients in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; NKJV
Everything is out of my control, I hate to see my son suffer, but I can only show him love, pray for and comfort him through his trials. And remember to give it completely to God. I have tried to fix so many things in my life only to have them explode up in my face. From now on, God has complete control, I'm not going to take it from him out of "prideful thinking". Who am I to actually think I can fix things?
I am going to have peace in my life, I'm going to quit feeling guilty about everything that doesn't go well. "Why do I think everything that goes wrong is all my fault?" It isn't, satan puts that burden on me because he knows he can. I'm not allowing it anymore! Let things be as they may.
Love, prayer, peace, that sounds good to me. I know Brandon and I together are healing and loving each other. We are not falling back into the traps of the past. We love our family, but we can't force things to change. It's completely in God's hands and that now gives me the peace I have needed for so many years.
The sweetest little letter from my son has given me the peace to know I am doing the "right" things. Remember: Love, Prayer, Peace! Give your issues to God, he'll do you good by them!
My sweet little letter is very personal so I will give you a simple summation: Thank you mom for loving me the way I am and making me feel safe and secure.
God loves me the way I am so that is the least I can do! Remember in your own lives to "accept" people just as they are and love them unconditionally, if you are willing to do that, you will reap the sweetest rewards!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Fear To Surrender
Do you have fear to surrender your life? Surrender can bring good change to your life, it can open the door to your "wildest dreams". We constantly try to set out own paths and we waste so much energy trying to create our own plans.
If we are able to be obedient and surrender ourselves we will open our lives up to unlimited blessings. Remember that fear comes from satan to restrict your life so you will be afraid to move closer to God's plan for you. He will use fear so we will self-doubt ourselves and be unable to have positive progress. And when you have a positive attitude about living a good life, he will create doubt from every direction so you will be too overwhelmed to move forward.
I have found that when this overwhelmed feeling comes over me, I need to step back, smile and say to myself, "No, I'm one step ahead of of you satan and I put my trust in Christ, He will pull me through any obstacle." Fear used to be my middle name. I have missed so many opportunities in my life because I was a slave to fear. But just because I have been a slave to fear in the past doesn't mean I have to keep repeating this weakness.
Fear is a small word with large penalties. It is capable of controlling every aspect of our lives if we allow it to. God doesn't want us to have any type of fear in our life. We are not able to be our "best" self if we allow fear to keep us from "living". Satan is going to use fear to keep you from "surrendering" your life. He will constantly throw problems and scare tactics into your life so you will re-consider your surrender. As long as he is able to give you fear and self-doubt you will not be able to be free in Christ. Don't allow him to rob you of all the wonderful opportunities God has for your life. As long as God is in our life, satan can never defeat us! Satan is going to trip us up, but get right back up, dust yourself, smile and say . . ."you're not going to stop me, God's plans are my plans".
Matthew 10:28-31 Jesus says. . .28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will." 30"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." 31"Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
Jesus says - you need to fear satan only, he is the only one who can kill your soul.
Let's learn to fear the right thing and have no fear in life. Give God the respect He deserves by allowing Him to handle life's fears. Don't give satan any respect by having fear. Jesus died for you because He loves you, He is going to protect you if you are willing to trust Him. Have No Fear!
If we are able to be obedient and surrender ourselves we will open our lives up to unlimited blessings. Remember that fear comes from satan to restrict your life so you will be afraid to move closer to God's plan for you. He will use fear so we will self-doubt ourselves and be unable to have positive progress. And when you have a positive attitude about living a good life, he will create doubt from every direction so you will be too overwhelmed to move forward.
I have found that when this overwhelmed feeling comes over me, I need to step back, smile and say to myself, "No, I'm one step ahead of of you satan and I put my trust in Christ, He will pull me through any obstacle." Fear used to be my middle name. I have missed so many opportunities in my life because I was a slave to fear. But just because I have been a slave to fear in the past doesn't mean I have to keep repeating this weakness.
Fear is a small word with large penalties. It is capable of controlling every aspect of our lives if we allow it to. God doesn't want us to have any type of fear in our life. We are not able to be our "best" self if we allow fear to keep us from "living". Satan is going to use fear to keep you from "surrendering" your life. He will constantly throw problems and scare tactics into your life so you will re-consider your surrender. As long as he is able to give you fear and self-doubt you will not be able to be free in Christ. Don't allow him to rob you of all the wonderful opportunities God has for your life. As long as God is in our life, satan can never defeat us! Satan is going to trip us up, but get right back up, dust yourself, smile and say . . ."you're not going to stop me, God's plans are my plans".
Matthew 10:28-31 Jesus says. . .28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will." 30"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." 31"Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
Jesus says - you need to fear satan only, he is the only one who can kill your soul.
Let's learn to fear the right thing and have no fear in life. Give God the respect He deserves by allowing Him to handle life's fears. Don't give satan any respect by having fear. Jesus died for you because He loves you, He is going to protect you if you are willing to trust Him. Have No Fear!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Full Potential
Are you reaching your full potential in life? What is your potential, what is your personal goal?
Have you ever had a plan of what you would like to do with your life, where you want to live and who will be in your life only to find out that nothing is coming together? Well, don't lose heart! If you're putting forth effort to accomplish a goal and things just aren't working out, don't get frustrated. Just step back, take a deep breath and analyze the situation.
Did you realize that God has a specific rewarding plan for each and every one of us and more than likely, the reason your plans aren't working out is because God's plan is so much better for you. I know we have all done it, been upset that something didn't work out as planned, but later on we were very grateful it didn't.
I know I get certain ideas in my head of what I want to do in my life only to find out that that plan is not good for me. I know God has called me to do something special for Him and I am excited to try and develop myself through Him and as I allow Him to guide me, I am understanding that God has my best interests in order so I should not be afraid to attempt anything. I don't care what others think because the bible says it won't be easy and that you will have people putting you down and saying you are crazy, but, oh well, no one will think I am crazy on judgment day. That is the day I am waiting for, I have no fear. Are you able to say that? God needs me to totally rely on Him and work through all the obstacles placed before me. If I trust and grow as I go along than each day I will be a little better and move on to the next obstacle. With each hurdle we cross we genuinely do come across with more strength and less fear.
As I continue on, trusting Him completely and doing my best to live up to my full potential, then He will allow me to start my work for Him! Always remember to be humble and give Him all the glory, because if you don't, he will do the "humbling" for you and trust me, that's no fun. I still haven't always "learned my lesson".
I had a big life lesson a few years back. I got the news that I was very sick and would not be able to do the job that I loved for so many years. I became depressed, gained alot of weight, played a big "pitty party" for myself and didn't do much of anything. About two years ago, I made a decision in my life that has changed everything, God had another plan for my life and though it's been a big adjustment for me, I count it a blessing!
I had been a workaholic all my adult life thriving on few hours of sleep and what was it all for? Worldliness! Houses, cars, camper, motorcycles, furniture, clothes, you name it, everything worldly. What a waste? I spent all my energy on "things" and I am so ashamed! I definitely got "humbled" an oh, how grateful I am for that! I live a simple life now with God as the "driver" in my life. I have time to care, love, write, lead people to Christ, study, teach and be there for those in need. It don't get no better than that! As I reflect, I find the more I do for Him, the happier I find my life to be. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says. . .And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for my Strength is made perfect in weakness". Thank goodness for that! I pray that in my weakness, God can develop a successful obedient person who is focused on a more meaningful life. I hope you take a look at your life and decide whether you are satisfied with the way things are going. Don't be afraid to make better choices, you'll never regret it! God has a specific plan for you. Don't push your way, listen to Him and slowly fall into your destiny. We were put here on this earth not for ourselves, but to worship and please Him, he has allowed us to do everything for our enjoyment and our choices lead us to death. Prioritize your life according to Him and I know for a fact that you will be satisfied!
Have you ever had a plan of what you would like to do with your life, where you want to live and who will be in your life only to find out that nothing is coming together? Well, don't lose heart! If you're putting forth effort to accomplish a goal and things just aren't working out, don't get frustrated. Just step back, take a deep breath and analyze the situation.
Did you realize that God has a specific rewarding plan for each and every one of us and more than likely, the reason your plans aren't working out is because God's plan is so much better for you. I know we have all done it, been upset that something didn't work out as planned, but later on we were very grateful it didn't.
I know I get certain ideas in my head of what I want to do in my life only to find out that that plan is not good for me. I know God has called me to do something special for Him and I am excited to try and develop myself through Him and as I allow Him to guide me, I am understanding that God has my best interests in order so I should not be afraid to attempt anything. I don't care what others think because the bible says it won't be easy and that you will have people putting you down and saying you are crazy, but, oh well, no one will think I am crazy on judgment day. That is the day I am waiting for, I have no fear. Are you able to say that? God needs me to totally rely on Him and work through all the obstacles placed before me. If I trust and grow as I go along than each day I will be a little better and move on to the next obstacle. With each hurdle we cross we genuinely do come across with more strength and less fear.
As I continue on, trusting Him completely and doing my best to live up to my full potential, then He will allow me to start my work for Him! Always remember to be humble and give Him all the glory, because if you don't, he will do the "humbling" for you and trust me, that's no fun. I still haven't always "learned my lesson".
I had a big life lesson a few years back. I got the news that I was very sick and would not be able to do the job that I loved for so many years. I became depressed, gained alot of weight, played a big "pitty party" for myself and didn't do much of anything. About two years ago, I made a decision in my life that has changed everything, God had another plan for my life and though it's been a big adjustment for me, I count it a blessing!
I had been a workaholic all my adult life thriving on few hours of sleep and what was it all for? Worldliness! Houses, cars, camper, motorcycles, furniture, clothes, you name it, everything worldly. What a waste? I spent all my energy on "things" and I am so ashamed! I definitely got "humbled" an oh, how grateful I am for that! I live a simple life now with God as the "driver" in my life. I have time to care, love, write, lead people to Christ, study, teach and be there for those in need. It don't get no better than that! As I reflect, I find the more I do for Him, the happier I find my life to be. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says. . .And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for my Strength is made perfect in weakness". Thank goodness for that! I pray that in my weakness, God can develop a successful obedient person who is focused on a more meaningful life. I hope you take a look at your life and decide whether you are satisfied with the way things are going. Don't be afraid to make better choices, you'll never regret it! God has a specific plan for you. Don't push your way, listen to Him and slowly fall into your destiny. We were put here on this earth not for ourselves, but to worship and please Him, he has allowed us to do everything for our enjoyment and our choices lead us to death. Prioritize your life according to Him and I know for a fact that you will be satisfied!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
That's Not Good Enough!
Do you sometimes feel like you can not "do enough" to be "good enough"? I think christians sometimes forget that we don't live under the old law of the 10 commandments where when people made mistakes they had to make atonement with animal sacrafices. People of that day were constantly living in fear of doing wrong, they worked very hard day in and day out, but could never achieve perfection. They always felt that if they didn't live perfectly, they were in trouble with God. There were specific rules and regulations that they were expected to live by. God knew that this option wasn't working so He gave us the ultimate sacrafice of His Son to change all this. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says. . .Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
God needed us to achieve perfection so we could live with Him through eternity, but He knew we could never achieve that on our own so He gave us Jesus to be our "One and Only Perfect Sacrafice" so we wouldn't have to go crazy trying to be perfect. He gave us repentance through prayer to ask for our forgiveness, and if you have accepted Jesus through baptism, this is an "Ultimate Gift".
I sometimes wonder why some Christians try to take us back to the Old Testament Law days of demanding for perfection, making us terrified to live life. And having some stand back in judgment feeling "full of themselves" while destroying other's journey to be "happy in Christ". Ephesians 2:8.9says. . .For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, least anyone should boast.
We all make many many mistakes everyday and I am sure that is never going to change. It hurts me when I am told about someone's experience with church or a "so-called" christian has been cruely judgmental and how many christians are unapproachable. I hate to see that distorted view of most of us.
We all need to be more kind, if we offend others, how does God view us? I want to be a fulfilled Christian who knows she makes mistakes and that I can be forgiven by God, not by my "so-called" judges. I am spending my life serving God and I am not going to allow people's opinions to discourage me. I want people to see God as a loving, caring, easily approachable God, and I'm going to do my best to present Him that way!
Take a look at your own approach towards people. Don't make church seem boring and stuffy, it's not, it's an awesome experience with a great loving network of caring people that most people would love to be a part of. If church isn't rewarding to you, re-examine yourself, spend time in the word, go to God in prayer (and I don't me repetition, He wants you to talk to Him about everything, He can't help you get close to Him if you don't communicate, He can't help you with life if you don't approach Him, He is a wonderful untapped awesome resource and people go through their lives miserable because they have no direction. Ask Him, he'll surprise you on your journey). Let's remember that we are God's representatives, don't act like you are perfect, that's a mockery to God's precious Son who died because we are not perfect. Admit when you do wrong and let others know the reason you are a christian is because you know you are a sinner and need Jesus as your Savior. I hope this will stimulate "new thinking" which will lead to a "new attitude". Let's change the opinions of so many so we can do what we are told to do. "Go ye therefore into the world preaching the gospel (the good news) that we can be forgiven and spend eternity with Him. That is truly the GOOD NEWS!
God needed us to achieve perfection so we could live with Him through eternity, but He knew we could never achieve that on our own so He gave us Jesus to be our "One and Only Perfect Sacrafice" so we wouldn't have to go crazy trying to be perfect. He gave us repentance through prayer to ask for our forgiveness, and if you have accepted Jesus through baptism, this is an "Ultimate Gift".
I sometimes wonder why some Christians try to take us back to the Old Testament Law days of demanding for perfection, making us terrified to live life. And having some stand back in judgment feeling "full of themselves" while destroying other's journey to be "happy in Christ". Ephesians 2:8.9says. . .For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, least anyone should boast.
We all make many many mistakes everyday and I am sure that is never going to change. It hurts me when I am told about someone's experience with church or a "so-called" christian has been cruely judgmental and how many christians are unapproachable. I hate to see that distorted view of most of us.
We all need to be more kind, if we offend others, how does God view us? I want to be a fulfilled Christian who knows she makes mistakes and that I can be forgiven by God, not by my "so-called" judges. I am spending my life serving God and I am not going to allow people's opinions to discourage me. I want people to see God as a loving, caring, easily approachable God, and I'm going to do my best to present Him that way!
Take a look at your own approach towards people. Don't make church seem boring and stuffy, it's not, it's an awesome experience with a great loving network of caring people that most people would love to be a part of. If church isn't rewarding to you, re-examine yourself, spend time in the word, go to God in prayer (and I don't me repetition, He wants you to talk to Him about everything, He can't help you get close to Him if you don't communicate, He can't help you with life if you don't approach Him, He is a wonderful untapped awesome resource and people go through their lives miserable because they have no direction. Ask Him, he'll surprise you on your journey). Let's remember that we are God's representatives, don't act like you are perfect, that's a mockery to God's precious Son who died because we are not perfect. Admit when you do wrong and let others know the reason you are a christian is because you know you are a sinner and need Jesus as your Savior. I hope this will stimulate "new thinking" which will lead to a "new attitude". Let's change the opinions of so many so we can do what we are told to do. "Go ye therefore into the world preaching the gospel (the good news) that we can be forgiven and spend eternity with Him. That is truly the GOOD NEWS!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
How Could I Possibly Accept Myself?
When we feel insecure and worthless we have trouble processing that there are so many good qualities about ourselves. In Genesis l:31 it says. . .Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. . .
If God said everything was good then for sure you can believe that he made you GOOD! What we do with our lives is where the true self-worth comes from. The daily grind doesn't make life feel fulfilling and sometimes we burn out under daily pressures. One thing we want to realize is that if we reject ourselves, nothing changes, we just feel down on ourselves if we are accepting of ourselves, we will begin to be able to break down barriers and start to be able to deal with anything.
If we are going to change, we have to face the truth about ourselves. Think about how important you are to your family and friends, at work, school, church. We usually have a distorted opinion of ourselves, we usually look negatively on ourselves and that causes us not to be able to move forward.
Women have a tendency to over give of themselves, they feel like they need to always be a servant and if they want to do something special for themselves, it would be selfish. You can be a servant without draining everything from your being. You are specially made and you deserve happiness in your life. Stand-up for yourself, you are special and if you are more complete in yourself, you'll be more complete in your job, family, and church. Never allow abuse to overtake you-it will destroy your spirit! Don't think that you have to put up with it, God did not intend for you to be hurt!!!!!!! He will guide you if you will allow.
Proverbs 3:6 says. . .In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
HE WILL! He will use you if you allow. I know, I am one of the lucky ones who got a second chance. I have many opportunities to speak to ladies, help and love others. I thought my life was over two years ago from abuse but I looked up to God and begged him to help me from my circumstances. He did and I have never looked back. With faith, repentance and perseverance my life has blossomed into an unlimited opportunity. I love waking up every morning and asking. . ."Lord, what are we going to do today? And I wait in anticipation. I go to bed at night feeling fulfilled because He uses me in so many different ways.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says. . .And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My Strength is made PERFECT in weakness".
See, it doesn't matter if you're at the bottom of the barrel, He can still use you and wants to use you. Don't make your own plans, let Him lead the way. You will find that His way is much more exciting that your own. Today is the day!
If God said everything was good then for sure you can believe that he made you GOOD! What we do with our lives is where the true self-worth comes from. The daily grind doesn't make life feel fulfilling and sometimes we burn out under daily pressures. One thing we want to realize is that if we reject ourselves, nothing changes, we just feel down on ourselves if we are accepting of ourselves, we will begin to be able to break down barriers and start to be able to deal with anything.
If we are going to change, we have to face the truth about ourselves. Think about how important you are to your family and friends, at work, school, church. We usually have a distorted opinion of ourselves, we usually look negatively on ourselves and that causes us not to be able to move forward.
Women have a tendency to over give of themselves, they feel like they need to always be a servant and if they want to do something special for themselves, it would be selfish. You can be a servant without draining everything from your being. You are specially made and you deserve happiness in your life. Stand-up for yourself, you are special and if you are more complete in yourself, you'll be more complete in your job, family, and church. Never allow abuse to overtake you-it will destroy your spirit! Don't think that you have to put up with it, God did not intend for you to be hurt!!!!!!! He will guide you if you will allow.
Proverbs 3:6 says. . .In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
HE WILL! He will use you if you allow. I know, I am one of the lucky ones who got a second chance. I have many opportunities to speak to ladies, help and love others. I thought my life was over two years ago from abuse but I looked up to God and begged him to help me from my circumstances. He did and I have never looked back. With faith, repentance and perseverance my life has blossomed into an unlimited opportunity. I love waking up every morning and asking. . ."Lord, what are we going to do today? And I wait in anticipation. I go to bed at night feeling fulfilled because He uses me in so many different ways.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says. . .And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My Strength is made PERFECT in weakness".
See, it doesn't matter if you're at the bottom of the barrel, He can still use you and wants to use you. Don't make your own plans, let Him lead the way. You will find that His way is much more exciting that your own. Today is the day!
Monday, February 21, 2011
It's A New Day
Let's find contentment from life's struggles by using God's word. Where have you been in the past? How can we learn from our mistakes? And how can good come to our current lives from mistakes of the past? God gives us the tools in His word to equipt us for every struggle we may face. Researching His word can give us a proper direction. Life is too difficult on our own, we do need help.
Proverbs 3:1-4 says. . .My son, do not forget my teachings, but keep my commandments in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablets of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
It doesn't matter where you have been in your life, there is always a turning around point, you just have to be willing. Don't feel hopeless, it's going to get better! You are loved and wanted. It can be very difficult sometimes to understand the concept especially if you have never experienced love in your life, but there are many promises in the Word that He will always be there for you, love you and you can't go wrong with that!
Proverbs 3:1-4 says. . .My son, do not forget my teachings, but keep my commandments in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablets of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
It doesn't matter where you have been in your life, there is always a turning around point, you just have to be willing. Don't feel hopeless, it's going to get better! You are loved and wanted. It can be very difficult sometimes to understand the concept especially if you have never experienced love in your life, but there are many promises in the Word that He will always be there for you, love you and you can't go wrong with that!
Perfect Love
I understand how to love and care about others, but what about myself? I don't really know how to love and respect myself. Why should anything good happen to me I'm not deserving?
In Galatians 5:14. . .the law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself"! That command covers everything, the only problem I see is "what if we don't understand the concept or love ourselves"? That is one reason why we need to study the word and open ourselves up to a new understanding of God's love. There is no one who really understands love as God knows it so we have to trust Him. God may not like our behaviors but He separates himself from our mistakes while continuing His love for us. If you've experienced being loved in your life unconditionally, regardless of your mistakes then you can better understand the concept; but, if you have been shunned, ignored, attacked or criticized for your mistakes you may have difficulties expecting someone to have unconditional love for you.
I John 4:18, 19 says. . .There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
If we have true faith in God we can put people's shortcomings aside and allow God to show us what love should be if we allow it. He will protect us, give us comfort, and make us feel safe. We can learn love from Him then we will be more equipped to pass it on. We can begin to heal by opening our lives up to others. Let others see God through you.
Another important point to remember is that God is still working in us everyday and that we are not "perfect" we need to love ourselves as God loves us. We will not always be this way, but as we grow and mature in Him we will get better everyday. Remember to overlook judgmental people, they can be hurtful and cause us to stumble. They don't know your heart God does. Stand proud, do your best and God will do the rest!
In Galatians 5:14. . .the law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself"! That command covers everything, the only problem I see is "what if we don't understand the concept or love ourselves"? That is one reason why we need to study the word and open ourselves up to a new understanding of God's love. There is no one who really understands love as God knows it so we have to trust Him. God may not like our behaviors but He separates himself from our mistakes while continuing His love for us. If you've experienced being loved in your life unconditionally, regardless of your mistakes then you can better understand the concept; but, if you have been shunned, ignored, attacked or criticized for your mistakes you may have difficulties expecting someone to have unconditional love for you.
I John 4:18, 19 says. . .There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
If we have true faith in God we can put people's shortcomings aside and allow God to show us what love should be if we allow it. He will protect us, give us comfort, and make us feel safe. We can learn love from Him then we will be more equipped to pass it on. We can begin to heal by opening our lives up to others. Let others see God through you.
Another important point to remember is that God is still working in us everyday and that we are not "perfect" we need to love ourselves as God loves us. We will not always be this way, but as we grow and mature in Him we will get better everyday. Remember to overlook judgmental people, they can be hurtful and cause us to stumble. They don't know your heart God does. Stand proud, do your best and God will do the rest!
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