A Brilliant Love

We all know the feeling. Like a deer stuck in the headlights, you stand frozen: completely aware of the crawling feeling in your neck, arms or stomach. You are afraid. Afraid of the people around you, afraid of speaking in front of the packed classroom, afraid of making that next move. Fear. Fear is that all so familiar feeling. Fear is the agent Satan uses to paralyze you, keeping you from your God-given calling in life. Everyone has been afraid, and fear can actually be used for good. You may sense danger ahead that prompts you to avoid an accident, a robbery, or a lurking predator.

Fear, in the sense that you are afraid of taking the next step into purpose in your life, keeps you from excelling. I believe that some people deal with this looming fear more than others. It just seems that some people more easily challenge themselves. Or maybe it’s that they more easily overcome the fear that taunts them.

I am one who feels fear often. I wrestle with it and take its clawing thoughts as my own. I am not a master at overcoming it, but I have made some moves in the past few years that I wouldn’t have before. I have had many milestones in the past ten years that have made me step outside of the fear that I have tolerated for too long. I got married, I became a step-mom, I joined a few different church communities (including Bible study groups), I’ve served in these churches, I’ve been through 3 challenging pregnancies (my oldest is nine now), I’ve been hospitalized with mental illness twice, I got my first job (and second, third and fourth), I’ve started (and failed at) a few different businesses, I learned to drive and got my driver’s license (as a 36 year old woman!). Even writing this, I am realizing how much I have overcome.

Yes, circumstances have in some way forced me into making some of these decisions, but I still had to step past the fear. So, what has worked for me? It has been a long road of overcoming, and I still have more to do. All of these instances of stepping past fear do not mean that I am done with it. I still fight. Prayer, Bible study (reading, memorizing, listening, writing, and reciting), fasting, and communing with those who have prayed for me and encouraged me (First and foremost, my husband) have been my lifeline.

If you are a Christian, and you do not have a prayer life and regular Bible reading time, you are failing. The enemy will eat you up. This walk is a fighting way. Yes, I was just saved a little less than 10 years ago. Yes, I struggled before I was saved; and I was losing big time. I was sucked into sin, desperate for love and an actual life and to live out a worthy purpose. I had nothing of my own.

I digress. I am not trying to give my whole testimony. I just wanted to give you a glimpse of what overcoming has looked like in my life. I do not have a solid routine written down on paper, but Jesus Christ is a part of my everyday life. I live for Him. I am not perfect, by any means. I just know I need my Creator; But He is the reason I have what I have and have pushed past a lot of fear that paralyzed me for half of my life.

Every day, I:

Acknowledge the Lord. This looks like, prayers asking for His help, thanking Him, telling Him I trust Him. Sometimes I get on my knees, sometimes I sit at my desk, sometimes I write a prayer in a prayer journal, sometimes I type in a prayer app I have… Always, I pray as I go about my day. But in some form or fashion, I pray every day. The Word of God says, “Acknowledge the Lord in all you do, and He will direct your path.” (See Proverbs 3:6). Sometimes I hear the Lord telling me, in my heart, what to do. Sometimes, I just feel the sense of peace I need to make my next move. But I know that prayer moves mountains (See Matthew 17:20) and whether I hear the Lord’s voice or not, He is working on my behalf, in the name of Jesus!

Read my Bible. In addition to having a love for the Lord, I am an avid reader, so you don’t need to pull my arm to get me to read my Bible. Some days I read more than others. Some days, I gain more understanding than others. But every day, I seek the Lord, in His Word.

Worship Him. I thank the Lord for His goodness, mercy, protection, provision, and sovereign rule every day. Some days I sing to Him, some days I don’t. But I always put on Worship music and treasure in my heart, the greatness of my God.

Reach out to other believers and/or share Christ with someone. This admittedly is not every day, but as often as I make myself. If you have been reading my blog, watching my YouTube videos, been on my Facebook page, or somehow know me in real life, you know I am not a people person. I just like being alone and have been known to be shy or timid. This is another thing I have had to overcome and still do. I have met so many beautiful sisters in Christ who have reached out to me, prayed with me, studied the Bible with me, just been with me during a lot of these hard times in my journey. I know how important people are. I don’t have many friends, but when I get to commune with a sister in Christ, it is a blessing and encouragement. I don’t talk to people every day, but every day I pray for at least one or two people.

These practices need to be a part of your every day. After doing all of these, move forward with this inside of you. You have to make the decision that no matter how you feel, you are going to do what you need to do. The feeling of fear will eventually wane as you move forward. But starting, initially being afraid is important. Move forward, despite the fear, not IN fear! Trusting the Word and knowing the Word will give you the confidence and gumption to make the moves you need to make.

I’m telling you, make Christ your life and He will make victory a part of yours!

Romans 8:31-37 says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

God’s promises are for real, and He will help you overcome the fear that grasps you if you will let Him!

Please check out the ministry of Prophet Dr, Owuor and the ministry of Repentance and Holiness:

Repent and Prepare The Way website

Repent and Prepare The Way on YouTube

Jesus Is Lord Radio

Get under the cloud and onto the Highway of Holiness!

Christians’ priorities should be different than those who haven’t inherited salvation yet.  We serve the Creator and God of the universe, and He has standards for us that are way different than those of people in the world. When you begin to really spend more time in the Word of God, you start to see the difference. Yes, God wants to save your soul. Yes, God wants you to prosper. Yes, He has good plans for you. He does not want you to get saved and be on your way to Heaven without reaching others and impacting the World for His kingdom. How we spend our time here on earth is important to the Lord. We should be living for His glory! We need to be about Kingdom business. That being said, I am going to talk about just four things Christians need to do more of.

Spend Time With The Lord

Being saved is about having a relationship with our Creator. Having a relationship is about being with the person you are in a relationship with. To be with them, you need to spend (quality) time with them! How do you spend time with them? Prayer (we’ll get to that next!), Bible reading, and worship. Prayer includes spending time on your knees communing with God; Or you could be sitting in a chair, standing, driving, etc. Whatever way, you need to come to the Lord openly and honestly.

Now, spending time in the Word of God should be much of our lives as believers. We should be reading the Word, studying the Word. reciting the Word, writing the Word, sharing the Word. It’s important to read the Word of God, but we should be doing more than reading; relishing it. The Word of God is life to our very being! We should be living it out!

Worship is essential in the life of believers in Jesus. When we come to know the Lord by reading the Word, we should worship Him. Why? Because He is God! He is all-powerful, He created all there is, and He is good! He deserves our worship, and it is required of us. When you come to know Him, you come to love Him, and why wouldn’t you WANT to worship Him?! Worship Him as you pray, worship Him as you sing, worship Him by living your life to please Him!

Pray

Prayer includes so much. As Christians, besides spending time in the Word, our lives should be lives of prayer! We should pray when we wake up, before we go to sleep at night, and everywhere in between. Prayer can be on your knees, yes; but also as you go about your day.

Prayer includes thanksgiving. When we come to the Lord, we should be ready to thank Him for all He is and all he’s done. Prayer includes requests, yes. He wants us to ask Him for things. God is a good Father and He wants to bless His people. He wants us to have more reasons to worship Him, and He wants us to have praise reports. This brings glory to His name!

Intercession is also a huge part of prayer and moves evil aside. We should be praying as situations come across to us. I know we all know someone who needs something. Finances, healing, restoration in a relationship, deliverance from some type of evil. Praying for the people you know (and know of) in the name of Jesus fights the forces of darkness in this world.

The world is just crazy right now. It may look like the enemy is winning, but read your Bible! Those who are on the Lord’s side will come out victorious!

Share Our Faith

We aren’t saved to keep the Gospel of Jesus Christ to ourselves. Our job is to make Jesus known! There are so many different ways to share Jesus. We all have different roles in life; different cultures, different occupations. Wherever the Lord has placed you, He wants you to use what you have and what you are doing to share Him with who you are around. Start with praying for the people in your life, and the Lord will give you ways to share Him with them. I am like, an extreme introvert. But I use what I have to get the Gospel to people. The Lord has guided me into these avenues of spreading His Word. We need to share the Gospel with our families, our coworkers, in the streets, and on the internet. Get creative and get excited! You are working for the King of Kings!

Help Other People

Read your Bible. People who are less privileged are important to God. Widows, homeless people, and orphans are people who are less privileged. Also, people who don’t have enough to eat, as well as people who are abused and/ or mistreated. You may know someone personally. If you have even a little more than these people, you should be willing to help. Even if you don’t know someone personally, there are numerous shelters, soup kitchens, girls’ homes, prisons, orphanages, and churches that can be donated to. You may also choose to volunteer at one of these places or donate money. Do what you can. Again, here, ask the Lord to guide you.

What other things do you think we should be doing more of as Believers in Christ? What creative ways are you serving the Lord?

Please check out the ministry of Prophet Dr, Owuor and the ministry of Repentance and Holiness:

Repent and Prepare The Way website

Repent and Prepare The Way on YouTube

Jesus Is Lord Radio

Get under the cloud and onto the Highway of Holiness!

I called a friend of mine one day, crying. I was rehashing something I had gone through that was hard for me to get over. I didn’t tell her what it was, and won’t go over it here, but she shared a Bible verse with me that sticks with me now, months later. I always go back to Romans 8:28 when I or someone else I know who is in a relationship with Jesus is going through something.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28, NIV)

That crying session and that verse on that day put me a step closer to getting over what was hurting me mentally and emotionally from my past. My friend didn’t know it, but that was just what I needed to hear at that moment. This promise of God helped me to see that no matter how that person used me, God has His own purpose for the pain I was going through. Knowing this helped me heal. I can now see, down the line, the good the Lord had planned for me out of everything that happened. I am on the other side of the pain!

Also, when going through circumstances with other people, we must learn to keep in mind that when they work against you, it is the enemy of your soul working through them. Keeping this perspective helps to keep our hearts free of bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness. Use that anger you have as fuel in your life of prayer against the enemy and his force of darkness.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.

The first half of this verse is specifically aimed toward those who love Jesus. The promise is that any and all circumstamces will turn into good (For those who love the Lord!) How amazing is this promise?! This is so encouraging. What a great God we serve! Only our creator and Master of the universe can promise us that all things work togeether for our good.

What are you going through right now? Is everything ok and dandy, or do you have something in your life that needs to be fixed? Everyone has something in their life that needs to be fixed at some point or another. My mom says that same ‘ol same ‘ol is sometimes the best thing you got going for you. That just means that when life seems hum drum, boring, nothing going on, that that is a good thing. If you can tell me that there’s no emergency in your life and that nothing is wrong, you should be thanking the Lord.

Romans 8:28 tells us that even when we are going through something and we can’t see our way out, or someone did something that hurt you, that circumstance will be used to work good for you. If you love God, this promise is for you! How do you know you love God? Loving God means that you have repented of your sins and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, number one. Second, you obey the Word of God. Now, who is perfect at obeying the Word of God? I don’t know if anyone is. But if you are praying and reading your bible daily, and staying away from sin, you know that you are making a good attempt, at least, to obey the Word of God.

“… who have been called according to his purpose.”

The second part of this verse is a little more targeted. Those who love God and are in a relatioship with his Son, Jesus are called according to his purpose! You were chosen to be in a relationship with our Creator before the world was formed! (See Ephesians 1:4) The end of Romans 8:28 tells us that as a Christ follower, you are called and that God has a purpose for you. This is such a confidence booster for me, and if we can just get into our minds, as Christians, this great truth, we can go through anything and come out on the other side.

I recently had a talk with my husband and he stated that when we get to Heaven, we will see things a lot differenty. I think this is true for most of life. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not like his thoughts. (See Isaiah 55:8) I believe that here on earth, we will not ever totally be sure of why the Lord chose us to be in the family we are in, where we live, our occupation or who our friends are. There is a bigger perspective than what we will ever see, this side of eternity.

So why is Romans 8:28  such an amazing life verse? If we can just get this truth instilled in our hearts, it will give us the perspective we need to overcome anything. If you know that everything that is happening is going to work for your good because you love the Lord, that is power right there!

Being in a relationship with Jesus is so amazing. I read this verse verse over and over for years and it never meant what it means to me now, until that phone call with my friend. The Bible is powerful because one can read it over and over and get new revelation years down the line. Old truths breathe new meaning into your life when you ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding. Also, really taking the time to really study and meditate on what you read instead of skipping over verses and chapters quickly helps the truths we read to become a part of us.

How has Romans 8:28 made a difference in your life? What is your life verse?

Please check out the ministry of Prophet Dr, Owuor and the ministry of Repentance and Holiness:

Repent and Prepare The Way website

Repent and Prepare The Way on YouTube

Jesus Is Lord Radio

Get under the cloud and onto the Highway of Holiness!

First comes faith, then comes salvation, then comes… ?

When I first repented of my sins and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I knew I was new. Then I came to the knowledge (through the Word of God, as well as other Christians) that I needed to serve in the Body of Christ. Was I scared? Yes. Was I hesitant? At first. But I did have the desire to please the Lord.

So I took the steps to get involved in ministry in the church I attended at the time. I taught Sunday school and I sang in the youth chapel. My husband sort of egged me on. I was hesitant and scared, as I stated. He said I needed to serve and I didn’t want to. I thought no one would listen to me.

Do you have hesitancy or fear about serving in the Body of Christ? Or maybe you don’t know what your calling is according to your talent. I believe that the Lord has at least one way for each believer to reach others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are just so many things you can do to let others know that Jesus saves, and not every position is within the four walls of the church building! See, we as believers in Christ are the Body of Christ and the Holy Spirit lives inside each of us! (See Colossians 12:12 and 1 Corinthians 6:19)

If you are scared and /or hesitant, like I was, I advise you to develop a prayer life and a routine of studying the Word of God. Stay in the bible! Make the Holy Spirit and that book your best friend! This will answer so many questions, quell fear and give you confidence in the Lord and direction from Him. As believers, we can not grow without the habits of prayer and Bible study and reading. When you are figuring out where to serve, this will be your counsel.

Also, you may want to find someone you can trust who has shown good fruit in their own spiritual life. Someone who will listen to you and give you good advice that they have gleaned from their walk in Christ. Go to your own prayer closet and get familiar with your own Bible before taking advice from another person, though. Make someone who you can trust secondary to the council of the Holy Spirit and the Word.

So, for me, I knew what one of my talents was. So I had it all figured out in my own brain that I wanted to be in the church choir because I have a singing voice. But the Lord was leading me to teach the youth first. I was scared but also stubborn about it. I am glad that I did what the Lord led me to, to this day.

So what if you don’t even know if you have talent? The Lord will equip you and qualify you for what He wants you to do. (See 2 Corinthians 12:9) Just be available for Him to teach you and lead you down the right path. Will this always mean classes or certification/training? Maybe not like you think. Remember, you need to stay in the Word and in your prayer closet. The Bible is living and brings knowledge, wisdom, and understanding! (See Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 19:7 and Proverbs 1:4)

Some of us know what our talents are and we want to get involved in that avenue of ministry first. PLEASE seek the Lord first before you get into ministry. Ask Him what He wants you to do for Him! He will let you know. Maybe He doesn’t even want you to get involved in service right after coming into the fold. Yeah, you should tell others about your decision for Christ, but sometimes the Lord wants one to grow in the knowledge of His Word and prayer before getting involved in a church ministry.

All this being said, what are some ways you can be involved in a church ministry or create your own avenue of ministry? As I mentioned, there are a lot of ways you can be involved in spreading the love of Christ through His Gospel. Here are some suggestions:

• Teaching Sunday school
• Choir or the praise team
• Leading a Bible study (either at church or in your own home)
• Go to school to become a pastor or Chaplain
• choose a spot on the street corner and preach
• go door to door with flyers and teach others about the Bible and the coming of Jesus
• Serve in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter
• Make a Facebook page for Jesus and post regularly
• Start a blog
• write letters to people you know, or use addresses in the phone book
• Start a YouTube channel for Jesus
• Teach your kids or nieces and nephews/ grandkids the Bible

This is just a beginner list of ways we, as Believers can spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Get creative. Get excited about the great commission of spreading the Gospel! This is your relationship with Christ, and your eternal reward on the line!

Each of us is equipped in Christ because His divine power has given us everything we need to live a life of godliness! (See 2 Peter 1:3)

In what ways are you already serving in the body of Christ? What do you want to do for Jesus, but may be scared or hesitant about?

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17

Every day should be a day of worship to the Lord! As you can see in Psalm 51, worship is to be from the heart. To worship the Lord with your heart, you need to be repentant of sin and submit to His will. To worship the Lord, you’ve got to have a genuine love for Him. The Word says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Also,” true worshippers will worship me in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23)

When you love the Lord, it should be a joy to worship Him. We should offer our whole lives to Him. How? The Word says to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice; This is a reasonable service! (Romans 12:1) The things we do each day should be by faith in God. If we do anything that doesn’t come from faith, that is sin to us! (Romans 14:23) By living in a way that we know pleases God, we are blameless. That is worship to the Lord!

Yes, singing praise to the Lord is worship. But even more so is the way we live day to day. Our lives, as believers, should be attractive to those who are not saved. We should be so filled with hope in our Savior that unbelievers want what we have!

“You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3

Living a life of worship also should mean that God is number one in your life. What does this mean? It means that the things you give your time to are God-oriented. The things you do are a part of His will for your life! I know the Bible does not tell you where to work, who to be friends with, how many children to have, or even where to live. That’s why we are filled with the Holy Spirit upon repenting of sin and professing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Living a life of prayer will keep you in communion with the Holy Spirit and He will show you His plan for your life. We should not be obsessing about what to do all of the time, but before making decisions, we should ask the Lord and trust that the steps we take are ordered by Him.

The Lord wants us to trust Him! Putting trust in your Lord and Savior pleases Him! It pleases Him to hear intercession, praise, and thanks from His children! He wants you to have a healthy prayer life! The Word says that when we pray to Him in private, He will reward us! (Matthew 6:6) It is a blessed thing to have a  healthy prayer life. You learn to hear the voice of God and discern when it is Him speaking. Also,  just spending time in the presence of the Lord is so comforting. It really helps build that trust in Him that He wants from us.

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:7-9)

We should fear the Lord! He is great and mighty! Not only should we worship Him in our daily activities and prayer, but we should set aside time to worship Him in songs of praise. We should also be telling others of His powerful hand in our lives.

It is good to have some worship songs to listen to that we love, but we should sing along to them so the Lord hears praise from our own lips. If you are creative at all, I’m sure the Lord would love for you to write a song of your own. Even if you don’t share it with anyone but Him!

Fear of the Lord doesn’t mean that we walk around afraid that the Lord is going to strike us. I believe that would displease the Lord. We should trust that He is protecting us always. Rather, fear of the Lord means that we are afraid to sin because sin will bring us under judgment.

So, what is worship, really? Submitting our whole lives to Jesus by trusting in His mighty hand and letting Him lead and guide us; Giving thanks in everything we do!

Jesus, I come to you and ask forgiveness for my sins. I repent of living life without you and I thank you for the blood and the cross. I ask you to come into my life and help me to live a holy life. Thank you for dying for me. I accept you as my Lord and Savior. Today, I am born again!

This is an example of a prayer of salvation. If you have prayed it, you are born again, right? I belive many people have prayed this prayer but are walking the wide road to hell. Some seemingly repent of their sins and go right back to the way they were living! The Bible makes it clear that changed behavior must follow repentance. The whole point in saying the prayer of salvation is to know our creator and make it into Heaven to be with Him forever.

So what does living in repentance mean, essentially? It means that as we become aware of sin in our life, we go to the Lord and repent of it, asking for forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness, but going back and doing the same thing is not true repentance. Yes, some sins seem to ‘stick’, but the Lord is able to deliver us from anything. If you are struggling with a sin that is hard to quit, it may be a stronghold in your life. Keep praying and don’t give up! The Lord is faithful to bring about  change.

When Jesus healed the man lying by the pool, He told him to go and sin no more or something worse would happen to him: John 5:1-14 reads in the NIV:

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. —and they waited for the moving of the waters. 4From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

When Jesus spoke this rebuke to the man he healed, it was for his protection. He did something great in his life, but did not want him to go back into sin and allow added demonic activity in his life. A lot of people give their lives to Christ, then keep going back to the same sins and wonder why God isn’t acting on their behalf. If you are walking in the enemy’s territory and entertaining him, don’t expect the blessings of the Lord.

Also, when we give our lives to Jesus, it is not so that we can go back into the same lifestyle we lived in sin. What, then is the point of saying you are a Christian? Living in repentance is about grieving over your sin to the point that you desire change and work toward it.

Psalm 51:17 says:

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

When we live in repentance, sin causes us heartache. As believers in Christ, we should not be comfortable living in sin! A lot of believers are living in sin and are unaware, too! The Word says in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destoyed from lack of knowledge.” If you are unaware that what you are doing is sinful, you will continue to do it, right? So many pastors and members of thir congregations say habitually, ” We want a revival in our church!” I am telling you that a great revival is happening right now, here on this earth! Elijah is here! The Word spoke of this prophet in Malachi 4:5-6,

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

He is here now, and is correcting sin in the church. I have written about him in a few recent blog posts, so I am not going to go in depth here. But if you feel you are lacking spiritually or are unsure of your salvation; Hey, if you are a person!… You should be listening to Prophet Dr. David Owuor. His teachings are available on his website and on YouTube. He is all over social media.

I mention him in this post about living in repentance because he is calling us all to repentance. For the many sins we have allowed in the church and in our nations, we need to be grieving! He preaches nothing but the blood and the cross of Christ, holiness and righteousness and repentance.

I pray this post spoke to you. I believe there is more I could’ve said, bur if you want to learn more about living in repentance, check out Prophet Dr. David Owuor. Ask the Lord to lead you.

To find Dr. Owuor’s teachings:

Website

Youtube 

He comes on live on YouTube Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Different times, but his videos showcase miracles that have happened and prophecies fulfilled before he preaches. You just need to keep watch.

Radio Station

Every believer in Christ should be devoted to the Lord. In order to make it into the Kingdom of God, we must live in devotion to Him, walking in holiness. “For without holiness, no one will see the Lord.” (See Hebrews 12:14). In order to love Jesus, we must obey Him. The Word makes this clear. ( See John 14:15) In fact, we are not true Christians if we don’t take up our cross and follow Him. (See Matthew 16:24). We should be walking on the narrow way if we have truly been born again. What other reason would you call yourself a Christian, if you are not following the Lord? I don’t want to get into who’s a Christian and who’s not. I do want to encourage every Christ-follower to be devoted to the Lord. Living in devotion to the Lord will gain blessing now and eternally. Here, I list a few Bible verses that speak of devotion to the Lord, expounding on them a bit. Open your heart to Him. Let Him speak to you and move your heart toward Him.

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

The love of money is the root of all evil. Most people count success as having a lot of money. When you’re paid, you have more options of what you can do, so the world will call that freedom. We can’t esteem our finances above our trust in the Lord. Being content with what you have doesn’t mean you have to be poor, but it does mean you shouldn’t fall in love with money and you shouldn’t strive for money to the point of not trusting the Lord to take care of you. Essentially, you shouldn’t get to the point that you are saying, “Look what I did,” versus “Thank you, Jesus.”

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (Matthew 6:21)

When we are truly devoted to the Lord, we will acknowledge that this world is not our home. If so, then we should be striving to gain eternal treasure in the Kingdom of God. If you don’t belong to this world, you shouldn’t attach yourself to the things of this world. If you are working for the Lord, not tiring of doing good and living a  life of prayer, your treasure is in Heaven! Learn to change your train of thought and think heavenly-minded.  Admittedly, this is not easy for me. I tend to think of what I need to do day to day. But I am working on it. I want to please the Lord, so I seek Him and do my best to make sure I am doing what pleases Him. We must let our minds be transformed by the Word! (Romans 12:2)

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14

The Word of God teaches us how to please the Lord and make it to Heaven. This includes pleasing Him with our attitudes and behavior. We must live in repentance (because we all exhibit sinful behavior at some point) and let the Word rule us. I mentioned being transformed by the renewing of your mind, pertaining to our thought life. This goes for our behavior as well. If we are able to change our thoughts, it will show in our behavior. When living in devotion to the Lord, we will become more like Him as we spend time in His presence. We must love others and show them compassion and mercy, the same way we want to be treated. If we don’t treat people with love, we can not claim to love God. (See 1 John 4:19-21)

Not one of us is perfect, apart from the sanctifying work of the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. We will not be made perfect until we get to Heaven and see Jesus.  1 John 3:2 says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” But here and now, we should be setting our minds on things above (See Colossians 3:2) and moving toward holiness (See 1 Peter 1:16). I pray that this post encouraged you to be more devoted in your relationship with the Lord and to seek His will for your life. The Lord wants your whole heart! I am praying for you.

Hi there, lovelies! It’s November! It hardly seems real. Time flies! Thanksgiving is around the corner. So, if you want, you can say we are in a season of thanks. But every day should be a day of Thanksgiving. We go through so many ups and downs here on this place called earth. Face it, some days we just do not feel thankful. But we should give thanks to the Lord every day as if it were our last. Here, I have compiled several Bible verses about giving thanks. Enjoy! Let’s prepare our hearts for this season of Thanksgiving and make every day a day of thanks!

1. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
2. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15
3. “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:4-5
4. “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2
5. “Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1
6. “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30
7. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
8. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
9. “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1
10. “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Ephesians 5:20
11. ” I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” Psalm 7:17
12. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Psalm 100:4
13. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
14. “But me, I will offer a sacrifice to you with a voice of thanks. That which I have promised, I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” Jonah 2:9
15. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s continue to express our gratitude. With this gratitude, let’s serve in a way that is pleasing to God with respect and awe.” Hebrews 12:28
16. “Offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving! Fulfill the promises you made to the Most High!” Psalm 50:14
17. “The one who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving is the one who honors me. And it is to the one who charts the correct path that I will show divine salvation.” Psalm 50:23
18. “And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” Ezra 3:11
19. “For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the Thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:15
20. “O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with Thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” Psalm 95:1-6
21. “Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.” Isaiah 12:5
22. “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,” 1 Timothy 2:1
23. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!” 1 Chronicles 16:8
24. “For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.” Nehemiah 12:46-47
25. ” To the Chief Musician. To the tune of ‘Death of the Son.’ A Psalm of David. I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.” Psalm 9:1

Father,

you are holy. You are good. You are awesome and true! I come to you and thank you for every blessing. I thank you that you are in control of every aspect of our lives. Please forgive us for trying to take control and do it our own way. We put our trust in you right now. Thank you for the blood of Jesus and the cross. Lord, there is no one like you. There is no sacrifice or offering equal to what you did on that cross! Thank you for sustaining us! I pray for those who have less than they need. The homeless, those without parents or someone to love them, those without food, those struggling financially: Please have mercy on them and bless them, Father. Supply their every need according to your riches in glory. We give you our whole hearts and we put you first my God,

In Jesus name, Amen

Too many of us don’t get good rest at night. Living a healthy lifestyle can help. There are some habits that can set you up for getting a good night’s sleep. A lot of them, I will talk about inn this post. If you are having a hard time getting good sleep at night, read on! And if you know someone who has this problem, please share!

Establish a good night time routine.

If you have a healthy routine set up, doing the same thing every night, your body will be prepared well to go to sleep. Getting your body ready to go to sleep is optimal if you are having problems getting the sleep you need at night. A good example of a night time routine is: Do your skin care routine. (I.E., wash and moisturize your face), put on cozy pajamas, drink tea, pray or meditate on the Word of God, go to bed. Do whatever is going to calm you and your body down.

Go to bed and get up the same time every day.

If you are going through a stressful season and that is messing up your sleep, try your best to keep a schedule of getting up at the same time and having the same bed time at night. Stress and disorder can mess up your biological clock, so being intentional about this can really help.

Exercise.

Having an exercise routine, getting around 30 to 40 minutes of exercise 3 to 5 times per week is a healthy way to live, and will set you up for restful nights.

Stay away from electronics an hour before bed.

Being on electronics before bed can make your body thin it’s daytime. So, staying out of the screen at least an hour before bed is best. Work, social media and videos can wait ’til morning!

Read at night.

Some people like to read, some don’t. If you are an avid reader, this will be easy for you. But even if you’re not, it is a good thing to incorporate into a healthy night time routine and you will be glad you did!

Take supplements.

I have gone through periods of insomnia and have tried, like everything. At one point, I got desperate and resorted to taking a sleep supplement. I don’t recommend this if you have underlying health problems. If you are an average, healthy person, it can’t hurt to try a sleep supplement. One that I tried that helped me out is from Hollis Nutrition. It’s called Sleep Fairy, and is a natural sleep aid. I got it from Amazon, but at the time I am writing this post, it is unavailable there. It helped me out though, so if I ever needed it again, I’d go look it up elsewhere.

See a doctor.

If you’ve tried most of these things already and are still having problems, I suggest going to see a doctor. there could be underlying health conditions keeping you from sleeping well at night. Some people even sleep through the night and aren’t getting restful sleep, then are tired during the day. So don’t hesitate to go see your general practitioner if you need to.

Sleep is an important part of being healthy and if you aren’t getting proper rest, it will show up in other areas of your life. I know that having a job that has you on different shifts is one reason why a lot of people don’t get good rest. Also, having a newborn, you are most likely not going to be getting good sleep. Make the proper adjustments where need be. If it’s just a season of your life you’re going through, make the best of it. Take care!

I am still learning to love myself. I think that it can be learned more and more as you grow older. If you are stuck in any unhealthy habits or relationships, take this list and adopt some of these things. Make them your own!

1. Keep up with your hygiene
2. Learn a new skill
3. Quit smoking
4. Learn how to cook a new, healthy dish
5. Take a multivitamin regularly
6. Speak up for yourself when someone oversteps your boundaries
7. Learn to pray and spend time in the Bible
8. Keep your home clean
9. Start a journal
10. Get some exercise
11. Buy some essential oils and learn about them
12. Keep your nails done
13. Invest in luxe skin care
14. Read daily
15. Be grateful (write what your are grateful for in a journal or say it in the mirror)
16. Wear clothes that compliment you
17. Quit drinking soda
18. Drink enough water daily
19. Spend time around people who care about you
20. Pick friends who aren’t toxic
21. Do brain exercises (Sudoku, word search, word find, puzzles, etc.)
22. Splurge on something you want every once in a while
23. Keep your finances in order
24. Do a pedicure often (at a salon or DIY)
25. Put lotion on
26. Affirm positive statement out loud to yourself in the mirror
27. End a toxic relationship
28. Get enough sleep
29. Learn about boundaries and establish healthy ones
30. Join a class, a Bible study or support group
31. Do the work and heal