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,

I decided to start posting these “Thankful Thursdays” again. See, it is easy to get out of the habit of practicing thanksgiving, and I need little reminders from time to time. Maybe you do as well.

While doing one of my morning daily devotions, One Thousand Gifts Devotional by Ann Voskamp, I just really became convicted of my lack of daily thanksgiving. I mean, it’s easy to give thanks in the exciting and good things that occur on a day to day basis. Yet, we are commanded to give thanks for the not so good stuff too.

Believe it or not, I actually found myself thanking God today for the not so great things that I face …and it wasn’t that hard after all. When we thank HIM for the yuck, we realize that HE is greater than any circumstance that we may face. We are truly TRUSTING God to be enough. And, isn’t HE really enough?

These words in my devotion today really stuck out to me:

I’m not sure how my life stands. How my inner and outer walls stand, how I make a home. Unless we make it a habit to give thanks, we habitually give our family grief. Unless we consistently speak praise, we consistently speak poison. Unless we are intentional about giving God glory throughout the day, our days unintentionally give way to grumbling. ~ Ann Voskamp (One Thousand Gifts Devotional..Devo 40)

It takes being intentional in order to bring God glory. Gratitude must be continuous. Our words are either pleasant or like poison. POISON. Convicted.

Matthew 12:35-37 really hit home this morning..and really made me want to be more intentional about my giving of thanks to God. Read it and really think on it…This is JESUS talking..

Matthew 12:35-37 (NLT) ~ “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgement day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

May our words be words of grace…and thanksgiving..bringing glory to God. May we always give thanks in everything..even the yuck. May we think before we speak..and not use words carelessly.

 I am thankful for the sweet friends that God has blessed me with..who send me random messages and let me know that they love me and are praying for me. I am thankful for the gift of prayer and that I can pray for others and talk to God anytime and anywhere. I am thankful for healthy children.

What are some things that you are thankful for today?

 Colossians 4:2 ~ Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

              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,

Puddle Jumping

   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~ Be joyful always; Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

It’s been raining..raining…and raining some more in our “neck of the woods”. Puddles everywhere. As we were getting ready to leave one of the buildings at the women’s retreat that I was at this weekend, the bottom fell out. Yuck. No umbrella….

That’s when one of my dear friends reminded me of something. She said we could play in the rain..have fun..enjoy it. Me, being the spontaneous person that I tend to be…said, “OKAY”! So, four of us took our shoes off..rolled up our pants..and commenced to playing in the rain. We ran straight to the biggest puddle that we could find. We got WET..and it was so much fun!

We are back home now, and it is STILL raining. So, this morning, I chose to have a good attitude about the wet weather. I threw on my rain boots and embraced the rainy weather. I don’t always do this. Some days I complain about it. I’ll let you in on a little secret….Enjoying the rain is so much better than complaining about it.

I enjoyed splashing in the puddles outside. (If you don’t have a pair of rain boots, you should really consider getting some. They don’t have to be expensive..just rubber boots…so you can play in the water. )

It’s all a choice. Perspective. How you look at things…

Every single day..In every single circumstance, we have a choice to make. Find the good or dwell on the not so good.

Back to puddle jumping…

On the way home from school and appointments, I shocked my girls. See, a few minutes earlier it was the typical not so joyful car ride home..that some of us parents are blessed with at times. All day I kept thinking about how fun it was to “play” in the rain this weekend. So, I just blurted out: “I want us to put on our rain boots and jump in puddles when we get home!” 

My youngest just smiled really big and giggled and said: “OKAY!” Not so sure that my oldest was quite as excited at first..(she may have thought that her Momma had finally lost it)….BUT, she did it. We all had the best time. Just being. Just puddle jumping. Water splashing. Fun.

Our youngest having fun!

Because…….sometimes, we forget to just be.

   We forget to play.

   We forget that the simple things are the best things.

   That memories made are precious.

   That just jumping and splashing in the rain can make you feel pure joy. 

   Perspective.

   Changes everything.

Making Memories…

I’m quoting my dear friend now: “Sometimes it’s nice to forget all our cares and be little again” 

   (Thank you, Amanda..for reminding me of this truth.)

So, I am challenging you to “be little again” every now and then. AND…if you’ve been looking at something in a negative light, to try to find the “good” in it. Maybe, just maybe, it isn’t so bad after all.

         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,

Like a lot of others, as this year comes to an end, I am reflecting.

Reflecting on the past year. The choices made. The changes that need to be made in the coming year.

There is always room to grow. Room for improvement. We have never “arrived”. We have to keep growing in our spiritual walk..and keep striving to be better than we were the day before. Not for ourselves, but so that our walk matches our talk.

I began making a list of “goals”. Not “New Year’s Resolutions”, but GOALS. Yes, I know that they are just about the same thing. But, not really. New Year’s resolutions are made and everybody has in the back of their head..“I’ll never fulfill this one.” Goals are more serious in my opinion. Goals are necessary.

My list looks something like this:

Budget/Household Goals:

~ Create a budget

~ Pray over the “budget”…for obedience and determination to stick to it.

~ Work towards buying mostly necessities. (truth is, a lot of money is wasted on “wants” )

~ Make a plan to take each room of our home, and eliminate clutter. 

 Physical Goals:

~ Eat healthier

~ Continue to work out 4-5 days a week

~ Try to cut down on sweets and breads, and eat cleaner.

Spiritual Goals:

~ Finish reading and studying the entire Bible..I am currently in Matthew 3. (Genesis to Revelations plan)

~ Begin to read the entire Bible again..using my new Chronological Bible.

~ Trust HIM more fully.

~ Be a better leader.

~ Establish a family devotional time and stick to it.

~ Be a better encourager to my husband.

These are just some of my “goals”. .

The most important goal is this:

John 3:30 (NLT) ~ He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

That is what it all boils down to. God HAS to be first. HE has to be the center of everything. HIS will HAS to be of most importance in my life. I HAVE to get in the passenger seat. I MUST let HIM drive. TRUSTING HIM FULLY. Even when life isn’t what I planned. Even when times seem tough. TRUST HIM.

Until Next YEAR ,

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (Psalms 34:18 NLT)

There are things in this world that happen, that I’ll never understand. I won’t claim to understand.

This I know, My Savior.. My Redeemer, is GOOD.

The truth is that this world that we live in is broken and sinful. So much so, that God sent His one and Only Son, Jesus… Immanuel.. To save us.

John 3:16,17 ~ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Jesus means, The Lord Saves.

Immanuel means, God With Us.

When trials come.. And they will…

When circumstances are sometimes awful.. And that’s a guarantee…

When bad things happen to good and innocent people and children, we can rest in the fact that this is NOT our home. If you know Jesus, and most importantly, if HE knows you… This broken and sin-filled world is only temporary. Our real home is HEAVEN.

John 16:33 ~ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

While we are here though… Let’s live right. As my father in law shared at Granny Shiver’s funeral; When asked if she had any advice for us on living our lives.. She said : “Just Do Right..Do right.”

That’s pretty good advice if you ask me.

Just do right. Just forgive. Just live. Just let bygones be bygones. Hold the ones you love close. Tell them you love them.. Show them that you love them with actions. And.. JUST DO RIGHT.

Even when you don’t understand the why’s… Just Do Right.

And remember… We are just passing through. There’s two final destinations.. Heaven or Hell. Although those are great words of advice.. “Just Do Right” won’t get you to Heaven. Truly knowing and following HIM will. So, do you know HIM and as Granny witnessed.. Does HE know you?

See, when asked if she knew for sure about her place in eternity, she said “oh yeah, I know Jesus and HE knows me.“

Trust HIS promises that are found in The Word. Rest in HIM. “The Lord Saves” AND “God With Us”

Hebrews 13:6 ~ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

We don’t have to understand.. We just have to trust God.

Until Next Time,

Heather

My girl…Content…

Philippians 4:12 ~ I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Philippians 4:19 ~ And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

I think it is safe to say that most of us have had good times and most of us have had not so good times. Whether it be financially, our health, or whatever. We have had times when we are on the mountaintop and times when we are in the valley.

The question is, have we been CONTENT in either place? Sure…we are content when we are way up high on the beautiful mountain. It’s easy to be content up there.

It’s when we are in the low times…the times of want…the valleys..that our faith is tested and proven.

It’s those times when we don’t know how we are going to make it… Those times that we walk in faith.. Trusting that God WILL provide all of our needs. We may not always get what we WANT…but GOD promises to meet ALL of our needs.

THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR!

When we can learn to be CONTENT in ANY situation, we have learned what it means to be fully surrendered. And full surrender = contentment…PEACE.

Does content mean that I LOVE every situation? NO. It simply means that I am gonna be ok no matter what because my GOD has got it under control. It means that I am able to find joy in the yuck. It means that I can find something to be thankful for in every situation.

Trust me..I know….some days it is harder to find that joy. Some days it can be almost impossible. Those are those days and moments when we have to work harder at being content. CONTENT in ANY and EVERY circumstance. Sometimes this will require us to “suck it up” and move on. Laugh if you want..but that is fact.

I want to be like Paul..in his letter to the Philippians..when he was able to say that he learned the secret to being content in any and every situation. This means that I must always look for the good, and always trust in HIM.

I have so much to be thankful for this week..

1) My husband..He has dropped everything to take care of me several times lately. (we’ve had stomach virus and cold junk with fever for the past 2 weeks in our home..)

2) Good health! Finally!

3) Power of prayer…privilege of prayer

4) My parents and my “other” parents (in-laws)…I’m so blessed to have a wonderful relationship with all of them.

5) An extra computer cord that happens to work with my laptop that I’m typing on right now..because..Marleigh struck again. This time the puppy chewed my laptop cord while I was writing this blog post.. {forced grin} I think she thought it was her bone..because she was chewing on her rawhide bone at the same time.

6) I’m EXTREMELY thankful for each and every one of YOU and that you take the time to read and sometimes share these posts.

What are YOU thankful for? Comment on here..or write it down in your journal. It’s contagious..giving thanks..

(While you are sharing with me what you are thankful for…would you share with me one Thanksgiving Day tradition and/or Day after Thanksgiving tradition… ?

On the day after Thanksgiving, my family and I usually begin putting up our Christmas decorations. We also go Black Friday Shopping sometimes. Years ago, we used to go to the Christmas tree farm and have a picnic together. Memories…Make some with your family this holiday season. )

                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,

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,