Even when…things are falling apart, God is still God. HE remains sovereign. HE is always good, and only capable of LOVE.

Even when…things fall and break into tiny pieces…like one of my favorite coffee mugs did this morning..it’s not the end of the world.

God knows all. HE is in control of ALL. HE is over ALL.

When friendships or any relationships shatter, He is still God.

When tornadoes, hurricanes, and tsunamis occur, He is still God.

When we find ourselves hanging on by a thread financially or emotionally… HE. IS. STILL. GOD.

This earth will pass away. But, with GOD there is the promise of a better place…and it is FOREVER.

The things of this earth are temporary. The problems AND the good things….they are all only for a moment. AND…we cannot get stuck and bogged down with the trivial things. We MUST think on things above (heaven). We MUST be thankful..and we have got to be in The WORD. That is the recipe for true peace. It is really quite simple. It is FAITH. It is TRUSTING GOD and the promises that are found in HIS Word.

 Psalm 119:143,144 ~ As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so that I may live.

Even when you feel like everything is falling apart. And you WILL feel this way at some point or another in your lifetime. If you are really honest…you will feel this way more than once or twice. Even then….you can REALLY LIVE. You can have peace. You can experience joy…even when things break, shatter, and fall apart all around. True peace only comes from Jesus.

 Philippians 4:6,7 ~ Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand, His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Just remember that you aren’t alone..and there is comfort found in The Bible..His Word is alive…

 Even when you don’t feel like it…set your sights on the realities of heaven..

Colossians 3:1-3 ~ Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

That is truth. Rest in that….

Until Next Time,

A little bit of encouragement goes a long way. Am I right? Definitely.

Those of us who have ran in races know that this is true! Anyone who competes in any type of sport..knows this to be true. When you are feeling as though you can’t go any farther, and you hear cheers…your spirits lift and you know for a second that you can!

Our minds. our thoughts,  and the way that we talk to ourselves really play a huge part in our success or failure.

 If we believe that we can, then we will. If we tell ourselves that we will, then we can. It’s our inner voice that hold us back.

The Bible tells us that We CAN do ALL things through CHRIST who gives us STRENGTH!

It doesn’t say that we have to do anything on our own strength…

It doesn’t say that we can do SOME things through the strength that is given to us by Christ.

Paul says it best..when referring to his ability to make it through ANY situation:

Philippians 4:12,13 ~ I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

We are our own worst enemy at times. Why? Because of the way that we talk to ourselves. Who cares what others may say about your abilities! God made you…and HE loved you before HE even made the world. As believers and followers of God, we need to remember that our FATHER (GOD), doesn’t talk ugly to us or about us. HE loves us. HE is not capable of sinning. HE is LOVE. AND HE does NOT talk to us the way that we tend to talk to ourselves.

If you are a believer in Jesus, then this is YOU that HE is talking about:

Ephesians 1:4, 5 ~ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

See how much HE loves us!!!

While we are on the subject of talking nice to ourselves, it would do us well to remember that we should only speak words to others as well, that edify and build up.

Ephesians 4:29 ~ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

What does this have to do with talking in a  positive way to ourselves (our inner voice)?  Everything!  The reason being, what we repeatedly hear..we start to believe. If all we ever hear about ourselves is negative..then how easy it is to think that way about ourselves. Now, this doesn’t mean to go around giving out meaningless flattery all day. (That’s another blog for another day.) This simply means to be an encourager and think before you speak, because as Ephesians 4:29 says (and I am paraphrasing of course) : If it doesn’t help someone, and if it isn’t nice, and if it doesn’t build the other person up, then don’t say it. 

I love this little acronym :

THINK, is what I am saying, texting, or typing…

True

Helpful

Important

Necessary

Kind ?

Everybody can use some kind of encouragement… Talking kind to ourselves and others is something we all struggle with at times. Let’s build up instead of tear down.

            Until Next Time,

Planting & Transplanting

I have gotten into the habit of saying that I have a “brown thumb”. Truth is, I have had a LAZY thumb. Yes, you heard that right.

It’s a matter of discipline. Remembering to water, feed, and weed these plants. It’s a choice. To watch them grow to their full potential or let them starve and die. Before my girls were born and even when they were tiny, I used to love planting and taking care of my yard. Then….I gave it up. Weeds started to grow. Flowers died or either went out of control. It’s really quite amazing to me..how God can take something like gardening and turn it into a teaching moment for me.

Weeds taking over.

 The things the I choose to care about are the things that I spend the most time taking care of. The things that I choose to nurture will in turn produce a beautiful harvest.

I CAN have a “green thumb” if I CHOOSE to! It isn’t a matter of being naturally good at it. It is a deliberate choice. Water, fertilize, feed, nurture, protect….and I will see growth.

I am 2 years into reading and studying the ENTIRE Bible from Genesis to Revelations. TWO years of self-discipline. The reward is KNOWING my Savior like I have never known before. My roots are growing deeper. I LOVE it and I already have a plan in place to read it all the way through again. I am in Ephesians now and when I finish with Revelations, I plan to use my Chronological Life Application Bible next.

I tell you this not to boast..because it is only by the power of The Holy Spirit in me that I have kept at it. As I begin each day reading through, making notes, and studying it, I pray and ask to read it through HIS eyes and not mine. I also pray that HE would give me the desire to be obedient and the time to do so. If I can do it..You can too!

Gardenias from our yard

In my previous post, Cutting Loose, I talked some about change… and one thing that I am changing is my LAZY thumb. I planted another gardenia bush in my yard yesterday…Gardenias are my absolute FAVORITE flowering plant. I also planted several other pretties in our yard. Then…after getting the “fever” for mint from my precious friend (she knows who she is), I planted mint and hot oregano and a cucumber plant! ME! The self-proclaimed plant killer. The woman whose husband asked her not to buy any more plants to kill,  for the front porch.

Why? Because I know that I can keep these plants alive. It’s a choice. (if you feel like praying for those plants, feel free )

I encourage YOU to step out of your comfort zone and commit to something that you’ve always wanted to do. Just take that step. You CAN DO IT!

Philippians 4:13 says it best, “I can do ALL things through HIM who gives me strength.”

Until Next Time,

My Family <3

I think it is extremely important for us to remember that ANYTHING or ANYONE that we put first in our lives…becomes an idol. So, if it isn’t God that is first…then we have to re-adjust..re-order the things in our lives. With that being said….

Do you have too much on your plate? Are you loaded down with “things” that get in the way of what should really be your top priorities ? You know…Too many activities, things that take away from God and family, too much social media, too many clubs, too much volunteering. That is just to name a few.

We shouldn’t let our lives speed out of control. We should live intentionally. Keeping our priorities in order helps make this intentional living possible.

Psalm 39:6 has this to say about living lives that are too busy and filled with too many distractions: “We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.”

I am working on simplifying my life. Eliminating certain things from my life…one of those things being my personal Twitter account. I LOVE Twitter..I love Social Media. It just distracts me. So..I am changing it to my “blog Twitter” and no longer a personal Twitter account. I have removed a few more social media distractions as well. I am also being more intentional about the quality in the time that we spend with our little family…Making sure that my family is first after God. Another thing that I have been doing is reading a book called The Excellent Wife. It is written by Martha Peace. I highly recommend it. This book has really made me look at my role as wife in the way that God wants me to view it. Convicted to say the least.

Is there SOMETHING or are there some things that YOU may need to cut loose of for a time?

Here are a few signs that you may have too many distractions or things out of order:

~ Stress (no brainer)

~ Irritability.. because you feel rushed all of the time.

~ Never seem to be able to finish a task.

~ Complaints from husband/wife/children that you never have time for them..or if you are with them they say you are distracted.

~ No time for bible study or quiet time.

~ No time for quality family time.

~ Exhaustion (mental and physical)

~ Feeling the “need”  to check your multiple social media sites throughout the day ..but never feeling the need to open your bible app or open your bible .

There’s got to be balance. If you give a majority of your time to volunteering, social media sites, friends, etc.. and find that your time with Jesus and your husband/wife/kids is less than the others, it’s time to refocus and get things (people) back in the correct order.

In “THE EXCELLENT WIFE”, Martha Peace writes: Wives are also to love their husbands as their closest neighbor. The Lord Jesus made it clear, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Compare how hard you work at showing love to your girl friends with how hard you work at showing your love to your husband. He is your closest neighbor. He should come first.

(This goes for husbands as well…)

So, I invite you to join me in taking a look at your life and praying about what God wants you to do so that you will glorify HIM. There is freedom in surrender. True peace and joy comes when we have our lives in the right order. The alternative is stress and feeling all out of whack. I hope you’ll join me in looking deep within and seeing what you need to change..who knows, you may not need to change a thing. Chances are, somebody that you know may need to. So, share this post if you think it could help someone.. There are also several links to other posts that I placed in this one. (Hoping that one will help even just one person.)

             Until Next Time,

No spirit of fear here!

Philippians 4:13 ~ I can do everything through HIM who gives me strength.

Isaiah 40:31 ~ but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Psalm 34:4 ~ I sought The Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

I have something really amazing to share with you today!

I have just returned from an awesome weekend retreat with 60 something women. We feasted on HIS Word and lives were changed! I am so blessed by new friendships made and old friendships being strengthened. GOD is GOOD!

The story that I am sharing today, is not my own. I asked this sweet woman if she would allow me to share it. Why? Because….I want you all to see that there is POWER in prayer and that FEAR has no hold on you when you fully trust God. THIS IS HER TESTIMONY..all glory to GOD. ALL GLORY TO GOD!!

Thank you, Tawanna, for allowing me to share your story…I love you and I am so very proud of you!

In her words:

The Bridge

Every year, our church holds a women’s retreat at Epwroth by the Sea on St. Simon’s island. The retreat has been a blessing to me and my family because every year, I leave something on the island, and bring home something new that I have learned about the goodness and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I look forward to this yearly ritual that we have come to have where we spend the weekend in fellowship and worship. We sang, we prayed, we danced, we laughed, we cried. Trying to put the weekend into words is a bit challenging but if I had to chose one word, I would chose the word blessed because that is how I feel every time I am on that island.

The one struggle that I have is crossing that bridge that connects the island to the actual town. The first year that we went, I was riding with 2 of my dearest friends. As we started to near the bridge I looked to my left and at first I didn’t know that it was an actual bridge. From a distance, it looked like a big building, I thought to myself and said out loud, “Hey guys, check out that bridge. The blue is so beautiful it almost looks like the color of the sky. As we got closer to the turn my friend in the back said, “That’s not a building it’s a bridge.” As I burst into laughter, I told my friends that I was so glad that we wouldn’t be going over that contraption. I then started to laugh and make comments about the courageous people that went over it daily and I started to thank God that we were not amongst them. The more I talked the more my friends became quiet. They had no idea that I had a fear of bridges, being over water, and certain high places. As I am talking and laughing and talking and laughing, I realized that the turn that I was making towards the left, led me right towards that bridge. Well I started to yell and scream and panic. I started to drive in the middle two lanes, so the people behind me and the people that were trying to come down on the opposite lane, had to merge into one lane. As they honked their horns and yelled at me, and some made obscene gestures and said obscene things, I panicked even more started yelling back and telling everyone that I am on a retreat and that they cannot yell at me. You see I was like Peter in Matthew 14:29. We were all doing fine as we were driving and God was leading us, but I took my eyes off Jesus and started to let fear abide in me. This caused me to panic and to start driving in the middle of the bridge.

On the very last day of the retreat, our beautiful pastor’s wife Lanelle Rogers, asked that the ladies of the retreat pray for and with me, that I may conquer my fear and successfully cross that bridge. I crossed it, but I wasn’t trusting God. I allowed my friend to drive while I sat in the backseat sobbing with a huge sweater wrapped around my head. I placed the garment over my head as soon as we left Epworth by the Sea and did not take it off until I was told that we were well across the bridge. I didn’t want to see what was going. That weekend I had learned so much and was filled with so much love for Christ but I still was not trusting in him.

This year I was blessed to go back. I was so excited that I was able to attend. I asked my girlfriend and fellow sister in Christ Kim Wade to drive as I started to speak fear into my life. I told her that I just knew that I wouldn’t not make it on my own and made her drive. We had agreed that I would sleep the entire way there, and I had gotten up at 2am that morning so that I would be tired and would want to sleep. Kim and I have not seen each other in months so we did what ladies do best. We talked, and talked, and talked. Before we knew it, my phone rang and it was the member of the church that we were following, Lisa Colburn. She called and said that we were approaching the bridge and that she wanted to warn me because she knows of my fears.

We were approximately 5 minutes away and I allowed fear to take over my body. As we crossed the bridge I pulled my shirt over my head and started to scream and holler. The more I hollered the more I panicked. I started to hyperventilate and then before I knew it I was unable to breathe. In the midst of me trying to catch my breath, I became nausea. I closed my eyes, open the car door (not knowing that we were going 55 mph) and started to vomit until my stomach was empty.

I then spent the first night of the retreat staying up until 2am trying to find alternate routes off of the island so that I could avoid the bridge on the way home. While staying up I missed the fellowship that was going on downstairs right beneath me and later discovered that there was only one way off of the island, and it was over that bridge.

This weekend we learned how to abide in God and to allow Him to abide in us. I really paid close attention to the messages that were brought, the testimonies that were shared and on the last morning, once again, my sisters in Christ wrapped their hands around me, surrounded me and prayed on me and for me. Prior to leaving God sent an angel in the form of Heather Dawkins. As she hugged me she prayed for me and that I would not only make it over the bridge, but that I would open my eyes and look at the beauty that God has created all around me. As she prayed, I thought to myself, “how could I be afraid of God’s beauty?” It was then that I started to think about the bridge and what it represented. That bridge and my fear of it, represented the chains that had me in bondage. I then wrote down things that had me in bondage on several slips of paper and folded them into little pieces. As my friend and I crossed the bridge, I cracked the window. Although nervous in the beginning, I started to quote the scripture 2 Timothy 1:7, for God did not give us the spirit of fear. And I just kept reciting that scripture as I threw the slips of paper out of the window. When I looked at both sides of the bridge, I became humbled by the beauty that surrounded me, and how awesome God’s works are. That bridge no longer represents my fears, but the relationship that I have with Christ as his daughter. I am set free, no longer bound, no more chains holding me.

2 Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

WOW!!! Isn’t GOD good!!!!???!!!! So many people were praying for Tawanna…and they never ceased to pray and care… The BODY of Christ lifted her up…and allowed God to use them in her life. Please feel free to comment on this post and tell Tawanna what you thought of her awesome testimony…and share it with others..so that GOD can receive the glory that HE so deserves.

Until Next Time,

I’m good at stuffing. Stuffing drawers. Stuffing cabinets. Stuffing closets. AND, yes, stuffing my feelings. Throw it all in and hurry and slam it shut before it falls out or comes undone. Just, out of sight, out of mind.

That’s. Not. Healthy.

So, to be honest..it took me writing out my testimony to realize some of the reasons that I stuff. Some are just hereditary..and some are because of choices made.

So, after realizing some truths, I began to make some changes.

And..I began to change.

Now, I still fight the battle of stuffing. No, I’m not a hoarder by any means.I have no problem throwing away stuff.  I just tend to get overwhelmed and want to forget about it. That’s the case with organizing my home and my emotions.

You can’t break a lifelong habit overnight. It takes intentionality….To make healthy changes. It takes work.

When it comes to being unorganized…I found that admitting I can’t do it alone helped me a lot! I asked for help from someone near and dear to me..(she knows who she is). She’s a natural at this sort of thing. So, we organized and MAN, is life getting easier! I can focus better. It is awesome!

Now, as far as the emotional stuffing goes…That is a work in progress. There’s a thin line we have to be careful of. To still bridle the tongue and glorify God in everything.

To keep in mind that making a big deal about feelings…makes it ABOUT ME…not God.

To trust HIM in every situation and at the same time to deal with emotions, hurts, and feelings instead of stuffing them down. Pretending that they don’t exist. That’s. NOT. Healthy. But trusting HIM and giving it ALL to HIM to handle…That’s WAY BETTER than stuffing.

Psalm 28:7 ~ The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

So…I’m still a work in progress. Learning what to stuff and what not to stuff. Learning that everything has a place and that includes emotions.

I challenge you to look at yourself…Are you a stuffer? Or are you an exploder? Lysa Terkeurst’s book, Unglued, is a fantastic book.. She talks about the four reaction types. Most of us are more than just one type of reactor. Here is her blog post where she discusses the four types.

I’m so glad to know that God is not finished with me yet.

Philippians 1:6 ~ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Until Next Time,

When do we normally give thanks? Not just praying..but when do we normally say Thank You or I’m thankful for… ?

Think about it for a second.

It is usually AFTER a blessing. Right?

After we’ve had an answered prayer.

After we’ve seen a beautiful sunset.

After.

What if we gave thanks to our Father before the blessing?

Jesus did.

Look at these two different passages of scripture and then tell me what you notice… They are lengthy..but PLEASE read them..

John 6:9-13 (NIV) ~ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

There were ONLY five loaves and two small fish. There were about five thousand men. Jesus GAVE THANKS and then….fed all who were there and still had food left over!

John 11:38-44 (NIV) ~ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

WOW! Can you just imagine this!!! Oh how awesome it would have been to have witnessed this first hand. I sit here now just imagining his voice..LOUDLY saying: “Lazarus, come out!” And then..to see the looks on their faces when lo and behold Lazarus came strutting out! Well, maybe he didn’t strut..I bet he was amazed and awestruck. Woah! Blows my mind.

They took away the stone at Jesus’ command and before Jesus even commanded Lazarus to come out, Jesus thanked God out loud for hearing him. BEFORE…not after the blessing..the miracle.

So..after reading and studying these passages, I am really reminded that we are supposed to give thanks BEFORE the blessing or miracle. That requires faith.

My gratitude list for this week’s post:

1) I am so thankful and blown away at how my God provides..He is so good to us!

2) I am thankful for photography..I’m thankful for those who allow me the privilege to photograph their families..and capturing those special moments..

3) I am thankful for being able to see and hear and taste…Being able to see the beauty around me..and even seeing the loneliness so that I can reach out. being able to hear the voices and laughter and music. Being able to taste good food.

4) I am thankful that my GOD will provide all of my needs.

Share with me…What 3 things are YOU thankful for this week …that have already happened? Then..what ONE thing are you thankful for that you are having faith that will happen?

Psalm 100:4 ~ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

              Until Next Time,

Do I have some things to share with you!!

You know that book that I was telling you about last Thursday? One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp… Well, it has truly inspired me to be even more thankful.

Thankful..Grateful..for even the not so good things. It’s becoming a habit..a positive change by choice, to count it all joy. Sometimes it takes longer, but I eventually get around to it.

 Like…on my gratitude list..

#32 clean sheets for when the puppy decided to tinkle on Alden’s sheets

#77 being able to be honest with God about my feelings (when I am not loving a situation, etc..when I don’t feel like joy is possible..)

#58 not losing my temper when Marleigh (the puppy) chewed my daughter’s bottom retainer.

#59 only the bottom retainer was chewed up

#60 if the bottom retainer is too expensive to replace right now, at least it is the bottom retainer..

Those are all things that I would have gotten angry and frustrated about before. Yet, GRATITUDE and THANKFULNESS and looking for JOY in every single thing is changing me. Changing me for the good!

Every GOOD thing comes from GOD.

James 1:17 (NLT) ~ Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

GOD is good. God is love.

AND...the truth is, that good can be found in everything that God created. Every single day is a gift. The yuck..it can even be made into something good and useful..to glorify God.

Romans 8:28 (NLT) ~ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

 Will you choose to see the beauty in everything with me? Will you try to count it all joy? Will you begin..right now..by naming just THREE things that you are thankful for today. In this moment. Look around and be thankful.

 Philippians 4:4 (NLT) ~ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!

Deuteronomy 28 :47,48 ~ If you do not serve the LORD your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, you will serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything.

 Will you?

For me..right now in this very moment, I am thankful for:

1) Coming home from the gym and finding a card from my husband that expressed his love for me. AND, he shared the beginning of his list of 1000 gifts with me.

2) A clean and organized laundry room..Thanks to a selfless best friend that gave of herself…

3) memories…that I can remember times gone by..good and bad ones..because it is important to remember. To grow and be thankful and move forward..

 ( The thing is..I don’t even know if I  realized at the time..that these were moments to be counted all joy.. these memories..time flies, slow down and count them ALL..All of the moments count.)

Thankful for each one of you!

Until Next Time,

by: Heather Dawkins
 (future home of CrossPointe)

We all make choices. Many choices in our lifetime. Every choice has a consequence. Every choice matters.

Thank goodness, our God is a God of second chances..and third chances….

I’ll be honest. My choices didn’t always bring my Jesus glory. I made that choice though.

I wasted precious time as a teen. Thinking that I had to fit in. Feeling like I never did. Making wrong choices just so that I would feel comfortable. All the while, professing to be a Christian.

Sometimes my life looked like it should. Sometimes it didn’t. That’s NOT okay.

I let my lack of confidence..rule me.

I let the world influence me. My focus was on me instead of on God…where it needed to be. Nobody is to blame, except ME.

Things  haven’t changed that much in 20 something years. (as far as feeling like you have to fit in goes)  I know that kids today still struggle with feeling like they just don’t fit in. Feeling UNCOMFORTABLE around the “crowd”. AND..making bad choices because of that.

TO YOU,  I SAY:  It is better to NOT fit in. It is BEST to STAND OUT and STAND FIRM in JESUS.

You may never get another chance. We aren’t guaranteed our next breath.

It was ONLY after I truly SURRENDERED to HIM, that I began to feel comfortable in MY SKIN.

So many times..people think that SURRENDER is a bad thing. As if  it takes away your FREEDOM.

When in fact, it is the OPPOSITE.

With SURRENDER, there is TRUE FREEDOM. A peace that surpasses ALL understanding.

We all have a choice. FOLLOW HIM or FOLLOW THEM.

Matthew 16:24 (NIV) ~ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself  and take up his cross and follow me.”

NOW, I love not fitting in with what the WORLD thinks that I should look like, be like, act like, or desire.

The BIBLE tells us that we are NOT to look like the WORLD. Authentic Christians CAN’T look like they did before. Authentic Christians will have a “before and after picture”.
James 4:4 (NIV) ~ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 

I’m just so very thankful that my JESUS loved me even when I didn’t bring HIM glory. I’m so thankful that I took that step that made all the difference..when I said,   ”I surrender, God..I cannot do this on my own..I want to glorify YOU..and I am so sorry for the times when I failed you. I will follow you no matter the cost, because the relationship with YOU outweighs everything else.”

Sure, I am STILL a work in progress. HE is not finished with me YET.

Philippians 1:6 ~ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Will you take that step? The step to TRUE FREEDOM? Stand firm and STAND OUT. It’s really the best feeling in the world.

Romans 12:2 (NIV) ~ Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.  

(Maybe you have already taken that step. That is WONDERFUL! Maybe this post will help you in helping someone else then.)

           Until Next Time,

Sometimes, I regress.

There are days that I find myself crawling back to my little comfort zone. The one that wants to just hide out from the rest of the world. The one that held me captive for many years.

The place where I am safe from rejection. Safe from criticism. Safe from being uncomfortable.

 And, I wonder:  WHY do I do this? 

Then, it hits me. That is just the enemy trying to pull me down.

I remember that moment when God called me to surrender. To start living completely for Him and to quit allowing myself to feel like I am not capable.

See, THE same power that conquered death on the cross, lives IN ME.

I forget that sometimes. That HE is holding my hand.

I have JESUS with me at all times. So, I rest in the fact that even on the days that I don’t feel capable. Even on the days when I feel defeated..that The Holy Spirit…Jesus..God..is with me. He never leaves. He never gives up. His love never changes. He can’t love me any more or any less than HE already does. That, my friends is FACT. That, my friends is HOPE.

 Hebrews 13:8 (NLT) ~ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

 So, I ask you… Are you hiding out? Are you living in chains?

   That’s not really living, by the way. 

There is freedom in stepping out of your comfort zone.

There is true freedom and peace in resting in THE ONE who always loves “the same”.

There is peace in realizing that you don’t have to “fit in” with everybody else.

When you realize that you don’t have to live your life “pleasing” people, the chains fall off. When you are able to rest in the fact that pleasing God is of most importance…self starts to take a back seat and the insecurities stop mattering so much. (Face it..we all have insecurities.) Our insecurities can’t be an excuse for our disobedience. Not if we are authentic Christians. 

 Who are you trying to please? What do you need to release? 

 Galatians 1: 10 (NLT) ~ Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

 Until Next Time,