To Speak or Not to Speak

Shut UP!! Yes a rude word combo but it’s sometimes necessary for a believer. It’s amazing how we manage to always find something to say when it’s not necessary! For example we can criticize the work of someone else, talk about people, or give others a piece of our mind but when it comes to right vs. wrong, anything related to God, or when it’s time to address some hard truths we somehow can’t muster up the words to say. Heavy stuff I know and I am guilty as well, but what would life be like if the roles were reversed? If we were bold enough to have a serious conversation that may seem offensive to a non believer, potentially risking the exposure of our own personal neglect and flaws. or if we would without reservation confess Christ and introduce our friends to Him….. if we weren’t afraid to say what is right without an ounce of disbelief. If we would close our mouths when our words are negative, with the intent to put someone down or hurt some feelings, bite our tongue when we would typically lash out, or preserve every piece of our mind for its proper benefit, to think, and not give it away frivolously as if we could do without certain parts of it.

Believers it is time for us to exercise both self-control and God confidence. The pressure to be quite concerning important matters shows a lack of God confidence and on the contrary the pressure to speak out of emotion and our fluid feelings displays our lack of self-control! Let’s confuse the enemy……let the words that come out of our mouth be a product of our thoughts. Changing our thought pattern to focus on whatever is of a good report, whatever is lovely, and whatever is pure allowing those thoughts to guide our speech. Let’s be quite when we are offended by a friend, family member, or enemy and pray for them instead, let’s keep our unproductive comments to ourselves and let the Holy Spirit guide us on when, how, and what to say!

It’s backed in the Word!

Proverbs 15:23, Philippians 4:8, Proverbs 18, Luke 9:26

***All images are from Google***

Redefining Blessings

                                                            

Don’t you just love (or hate) when you talk to that particular someone and all they say is “I’m blessed and highly favored”…you ask them how they are doing  and their response is “I’m blessed”, you call them,  they answer the phone “Blessed assurance, this is  “so & so” just a blessed person who ends all their emails and text messages with “be blessed” or “have a blessed day” and you wonder what type of life are you living that has got you so BLESSED?

How do you define success?

                                                          

On the flip side there are those who open new businesses and holler :”I’m blessed”, or get a new car, house, job, man, etc. and scream “I’m so blessed”, almost in a way to sort of rub it in your face that they are in some way better than you, being that you didn't get a new car, house, job or relationship. Does material wealth make you blessed? Ponder that question. Reaccess your motives, do you feel less blessed when you hear others rant and rave about all they have acquired, or does the person who always claim God’s blessing make you feel some type of way?

I must admit, as an immature believer I once thought blessings equated things. The more you had the more blessed you were and praise God I have grown to realize that notion is far from the truth. It’s funny how the enemy uses spiritual words to cause dissension among believers and deception for non-believers. People who don’t even worship God with their life say they are blessed all the time. That’s an inaccurate truth, POINT, BLANK, PERIOD!
                                                  

Let’s Define Blessings!

Accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior is the number one indicator you are blessed. Come hell or high water when it’s all said and done, YOU my friend will be chilling with the Father up in heaven walking on custom made gold streets. I don’t care how many bags such and such has, if they don’t get their life together will NEVER HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SAYING THEY WALKED ON GOLD STREETS FOR FUN! Ha, now that’s blessed. The fact that you are alive and have another opportunity to share Christ and model Christ to the world, is yet another blessing. I can only image how elated God is to see YOU wake up every day and represent Him to the world. For those of you that are working in the area of your passion or purpose, you are blessed. You are one step ahead of the rest, truly living out on a daily basis the reason you were created in the first place. You my friend have the luxury to dedicate the majority of your time to fulfill your God given destiny. Some people are prospering in occupations that God had zero intention of them doing in the first place; He is not honored by their lifestyle, and is infuriated that they are forfeiting His purpose to pursue their own selfish-gratification.
                                                       

So before you get sad when someone is flashily claiming this “blessed life” or get frustrated with that someone who prophetically claims blessings over emails understand the true definition of being blessed. Understand God. Understand that you too are indeed blessed, and regardless of what it looks like God’s blessings are raining down on you still!

**All images are from Google**

Why do we Climb the Mountains we Face?

I recently climbed Stone Mountain and there was so much power in that experience. I got so much revelation about life, personal will, and God’s power. After the experience, I was strengthened by hard work and perseverance, thankful for a support system that did not let me give up, and most of all thankful to God for answering prayer. For God has not given us a spirit of fear but power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) a scripture that I rehearsed over and over again in my head during the entire hike, operating in the spiritual realm to overcome the fear and minor panic attack that desired to overtake me. Once I reached the top I felt accomplished and powerful, however I experienced a seemingly overwhelming feeling of sadness because the journey was so hard but at the same time I was excited because I finally made it to the top. It was a weird combination of feelings,  to say the least. The closer I got to the top the harder it got and once I made it to the top I realized the journey did not take as long as I'd thought it had. I did not want to come down, in fact I was scared to go back down. the journey down  looked much harder than the hike up. But to my surprise the journey down was much easier, however for others that traveled up with me, going down was far more difficult. I was reminded of the scripture that says speak to the mountain and it will be moved out of your way Mark 11:22-25. So after the experience was over I began to compare that physical hike up Stone Mountain to the journey of life which is filled with many mountains that we have to overcome. I began to wonder how that scripture Mark 11 comes into play in our personal lives. I started to wonder why so many choose to hike up the mountain when we have the ability to tell the mountain to move out of our way?

The ability to speak to the mountain belongs to all of us but it requires faith and patience. We have to believe that God who created the mountain is able to move it out of our way so that we can securely travel the journey of life laid out before us. It also requires much patience; we have to be willing to wait on God’s timing to move the mountain. That is when the simple verbal assignment becomes difficult. As we stand at the bottom of the Mountain waiting on God to move it we see so many people starting the hike, others coming down from the hike and began to think to ourselves “if they can do it surely I can”. So we take the steps and begin the journey. God is so faithful that even when we choose to take the hard route he is faithful and just to see us through. Some parts of the journey are harder than others, rocky, confusing, slippery, and even dangerous. Then there is patches of leveling, those places don’t last long but provide a sense of relief and empowerment for us to continue moving forward. There are even rest stops available if it gets to rough providing the option of stopping and taking a seat, but the rest stops aren’t comfortable, I suppose for reason.

God provides us with everything we need to make it up, but our journey could have gone differently if we had simply waited on God to move the mountain for us. The decision to tackle the mountain on our own is ok because He provides us with a support system who have the same goal in mind; to make it to the top. They won’t let us give up if they are any good. However we may encounter some that encourage us to turn around and depending on where we are in life we may continue moving forward or give in to the temptation to turn around. On this journey you encounter some people hiking up the mountain who are relying on their own strength and personal ability to make it up the mountain, and they indeed succeed. These people are called the self sufficient. They brag about their ability to make it up the mountain and even scoff at your pace, they sometimes run up the mountain with their eyes closed and take pleasure going up and down the mountain to prove their personal ability to make it happen.

My story is not quite the same. It is God and God alone who helps me up and down and receives all the credit and praise for my arrival. However I can’t help but wonder  why have I yet to be courageous enough to take my rightful stance and wait on God to move the mountains I face. Is my motivation peer pressure, pride, curiosity, desire to be accepted, or to impress others? I am not ignorant enough to believe that my only way to the top is to take the hike, I know that God is able to do anything He pleases if my trust is in Him. Why can’t I be still and know that I serve the God of all? Why must I make the journey more difficult that it has to be? Why do I climb the mountains I face?

**All images are from Google**

Chasing Success & Feeling Left Behind.....READ THIS!

Life is happening….as you look around you see the success of many, the failures of some, you witness births, deaths, marriages, divorces, businesses launch and others fail from friends, family, and strangers alike. Then you look at your life, you begin to compare and contrast: “I’m not married but at least I graduated college”, I didn’t graduate college but at least I’m not single” and so many other, in our eyes, valid observations that we make so that we feel validated and important. I want to encourage some today and challenge others, regardless of what is going on around you if God is not its focal point and foundation according to Him it’s invalid; so why compare?

 Some friends may be getting married…. but God is nowhere in their marriage, some people are building empires…..but it’s measured by their own hands, God despises that! Children are a blessing but the baby momma and baby papa drama that is to follow is not God’s design for you or them either. People are getting engaged….but for the wrong reasons. The next time you begin to feel unaccomplished or left behind after seeing or hearing of someone’s success ask yourself “Where is God”? Also please keep in mind just because they throw God’s name in there a few times, He’s not impressed and neither should you be.

Don’t fret believers who are firmly planted on God’s truths, believers that lead with Christ, rest assured that those who believe in Christ will succeed in Christ. I challenge some to redefine success. If you still measure success off how many bags you can have, shoes you can own, cars you can drive, and places you can go with your money….there is still some work to be done in you! Many of us try to manipulate our motivation for success by using our kids or our desire to help our family as a way to prompt God to give us more. All that sounds good on paper, but God knows the motives of your heart.  If given the dollar amount you desire or the occupation of your lifetime, how much time will you spend working vs. the time you will spend worshiping God? How much money will you truly spend on your family or kids as opposed to luxury items, things to fill voids or to boost your self-esteem? Be honest with yourself, no one else is reading this right now but you!

Be confident that God has not forgotten about you. Be self aware, knowing who you are and owning it, asking God to reveal to you areas that are displeasing to Him. Those He loves He chastises, those that are called out for Him can’t afford to reap their harvest before its time. If you love God, if you trust Him, know that you are not falling behind but where you are is right on time for where God is taking you. Trust Him, Believe Him, Worship Him!

Selah

**All images are from Google**

YOU WIN

Following God you win. There is no way around that contributing life factor, when you follow God you WIN. Regardless of the current scene, making the decision to defy enemy’s gravity and stand with full assurance on the promises you received in Christ, guarantees you success. God is honored the more confident you become in Him , the more assured you are that He will not only save you but present you a better alternative emboldens Him to pour His blessing and provisions more lavishly upon you. To think that your plan is in some way greater that God’s plan is a deceptive trap that is sure to lure you into depression, helplessness, and further away from the victory that is already afforded you in Christ Jesus. Today choose to stand strong, stand firm, believe God, trust God, continue to be faithful to the promises you’ve made to Christ and trust this known fact…..YOU WIN!

It’s backed in The Word

James 1:12-14 Proverbs 24:16 2Timothy 2:1-15 

Patience Confirms Maturity

To be patient confirms maturity. In waiting there is so much God wants to show you. Instead of questioning everything that happens or doesn't, redirect energy to the vibrations of His voice.  Become determined to hear Him speak by gaining as much as you can from the waiting experience. Sometimes timing is just off. What you want and/or desire maybe yours for the taking but not immediately, there is work to be done and time is critical. Patience creates an opportunity for new perspectives. Being distracted by  our own point of view may call for time to challenge and implement  different viewpoints. Being patient uncovers deception, deceit, or ill intent from yourself or those around you. Last but not least being patient allows God to truly reveal his character and unending love for you. By waiting you see God’s hand in the process and learn to appreciate another dimension of the favor on your life and the grace that has been afforded you. God has so much in store for you, you just have to wait for it. 

Its Backed In The Word

Romans 12:12 Jeremiah 29:11 Psalms 37:7-9 Romans8:24-25

Just In The Nick Of Time

You’re sitting around thinking God has forgotten about you; 

~You’re a single woman: No husband in sight

~You & your spouse have been trying to have a baby for months…years: No luck

~ You have a bill due in the next few days: No money

~ You need an encouraging word: Nobody to talk to?!?! 

You feel Alone, Abandoned!

You sit and wonder, “where the heck is God” wondering how many tears do you have to cry, how many prayers do you have to pray. Let’s be transparent you feel like there are no more tears left and no more words left to pray. You are over it! You are tired!

Well God has not forgotten you. He has a plan for your life so grandiose that if He told you there is no way you could handle it’s magnitude. It all sounds cliché’ but that doesn’t stop it from being the truth. I want to encourage you, be transparent with you and let you know that on this journey I have quit several times. I have told God "look you can have it I’m tired of trying". I have had many sleepless night, several broken hearts (my heart’s been broken so many times I didn’t even know it was possible), I've been too broke, not even $5 to my name……….. seriously,  you name the struggle I have been there or severely close. Through it all I can attest there has always been one solid factor, one thing that has always stayed the same. God! God has always been there for me no matter what. Even when He didn’t speak I could feel his breath as the wind blowed. I promise you every prayer that I have ever prayed in my entire life, has been answered. I still have a few pending requests but I am overly confidently that He can and will handle those request as well.

This I have learned: rarely does He answer the way I would hope, after all He’s boss not me….but He answers; and I can also say that despite my disappointment at times, as a result of  his response. it has ALWAYS been for my best interest looking back.

Yeah, I can agree sitting around with no money does not seem profitable in the least bit, or not having a husband or wife to go home to and being tempted by boyfriends/girlfriends in no way seems beneficial, nor does the quest to procreate yielding no creation at all, seem like its helping the world expand. I get it, trust me! But know that God’s sure plan is working for your good despite your knowledge.  Just in the nick of time God is going to show up, just as the door is closing….**Would you look a there***…..God will pop up on the scene.  He’s able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above anything you could ask or think! 

HE loves you! Be Encouraged

Jesus Is Not Who You Think He Is

 

Ok this is a bold statement because I am unsure of how you view Jesus. I am however going to base this devotional off the world’s painted image of Christ and challenge that perception to a more dignified and loving reality. First and foremost, Jesus is the definition of love. Think about it, He gave his body up for you and I so that through His blood we can receive salvation. So, not only does He love, (rather He is love) He saves. Jesus was also a human, which makes me appreciate Him even more because He knows what we go through daily. He was tempted, hurt, disappointed, betrayed, and even lied to, but He never gave into any of those negative forces. He fought His emotions and feelings and lived true to His best interest. He was fully aware and confident of His life’s purpose and lived everyday to the fullest, maximizing His benefit as God’s son.

 A true Leader, this man had SWAG ( I mean who else can take a ball of clay and make a working eye ball, or reattach the ear to a person He knew was about the kill Him, after his friend cut it off as an humanized attempt to protect Him) and gathered a following by simply supplying truth & love, driven to be an example. There was no fault in Him! No matter how hard people tired to come against Him they failed because He was true, He is the Truth. His loving heart and compassionate soul had dinner with sinners, was in the presence of prostitutes, hung out with the least likely and yet He used His gifts, His purpose to show others the love He was afforded through God and the love made available to them….. to us. He made the choice not to judge, although He could. He always made it clear that judgment was His Father’s job, however He was never afraid to tell it like it is, friend or foe, truth was truth and still is. He knew truth because He is the Truth.

Today, I want you to know that Jesus is the truth. Truth is love and truth saves. I am so happy to be connected with the Truth and I encourage you to latch on as well. Being mature enough to appreciate its hurts and chastisement, it’s (His) lastly value of love and salvation triumphs it all because ultimately the Truth was designed to both protect  us and keep us in perfect peace. Know Jesus for yourself and accept Truth!

Its backed in the Word

John 8: 13-17, John 14:6, John 9:6, Luke 22:47-53, Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 7:36-50, Matthew 11:19. Also in your leisure read the whole book of Matthew. I am always amazed by Jesus’ authority, swag, and confidence as He lived out his purpose. 

There is a Place For You Too

Ministry is given in stages, all one gospel but broken down into stages. There is a word, the Word, that can only be understood by a certain sector, in a certain way, in a certain season. Some ministries are tailored for the newbies in Christ. Their message is rather foundational, to the point, and very strict. This message has its place and given the chaos that newbies have recently transitioned from, better known as the world; a strict, easy, and no nonsense message may be applicable to help shift this new believer from their old destructive lifestyle into the abundant life afforded to them in Christ. This stage is necessary!

Deuteronomy Chapter 4 &5

Then there are ministries intended to help believers mature in Christ. These words, derived from the Word, reveals God in a more inclusive realm, presenting to the believer options on how to live out their faith, in Jesus Christ, totally empowered by Christ, so that they are able to filter the difference between God’s plan for their life individually and God’s plan for their teacher/minister's life individually or the direction of the ministries life of which they sit underneath.  There is an intended difference however this difference can only be recognized and put into effect properly by a mature believer.

Romans 7:7-24 Romans 8:1-14 1Peter 2:11-25

Then, well figuratively speaking first, there is a ministry for those who feel that all of these words, the Word, in their eyes is a bunch on nonsense. There is a Word for them too, a word, the Word which has a stage for them, complete with teachers who are equipped to go into the world & make Christ attractive to the non-believer. This ministry may not be valued by the other ministries,(most easily recognized as religion) despite the fact that it should , nor will the target audience for this ministry value the other stages of ministry, because spiritually speaking they can’t at this stage. 

  1 Corinthians 3 1Peter 2:1-9  

This dynamic of stages in ministries shows how versatile God’s Word is and how many believers misunderstand it and resort to segregating God’s most holy and valuable gift, His Word.  Stages build upon each other to reach an appointed end; segregation separates the whole, promoting competition, with hopes to make it to the end. God’s Word should be understood and valued in stages instead of promoted and enforced as segregation. 

We are all in this together!

WANTED: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

The enemy does not want to see you win. That is why he fills your head up with what you perceive as logical reasoning as to why you can’t give your life over to Christ. Some of his major hitters are:

1)      “You need to be right before you come to Christ”. – That’s a lie. The only way you can get right is through Christ; you were not equipped with the ability to get yourself “together” alone. Case and point, consider your fluctuating moods and emotions? If everything were up to you, you would never fully make up your mind to surrender to Christ 100%, its impossible. Those fluid feelings and emotions would overrule that decision the moment something, in your eyes, didn't go as you'd "expected". So don't allow your actions to dictate your decisions......  give yourself to Him ASAP and trust Him with the rest. John 14:6

2)      “You have plenty of time”- That’s a lie. We all know how unpredictable death can be—to US that is. God knew when you’d be born and He knows where you are going to check out of here. Why not surrender to The One who holds all the cards, why wait until you die to take a gamble whether or not you will get a chance to live the good life. Accepting Christ now guarantees you the good life on earth and after you die! Ecclesiastes 3

 

3)      “God is too restrictive”- Whoop another LIE! I can tell you this: God has your best interest at heart, that’s what He does!! Once again God knows everything; so has it ever crossed your mind that perhaps the things He doesn’t want you to do is for legitimate reasons? Perhaps because He is actually privy to the FINAL AFFECT it will have on you! God wants us to have life and have it abundantly…..that doesn’t seem restrictive to me! John 10:10

4)      “All church people are hypocrites”- So what if they are!?!? Their relationship with God should not color the way you see Him. Thank goodness He gave you your own set of eyes to see and your own   ability to filter mess when you hear it….. so why not use the resources He gave you?? Understanding that people are people and everyone does things in a way that makes sense to them, will carry you far in life! Read the Word for yourself and know what God wants you to do. Mark 7:6-13

Do not allow the enemy to hold you back any longer with his lies. God is ready and waiting for you, He wants you to WIN….Come to HIM......Trust HIM!

Now That's Life

Fact: The notion that life is this wonderful experience where everything goes our way, everyone agrees with one another, and everyday problems are nonexistent is a fairy tale that should only be looked forward to by kingdom builders(a placed called Heaven).

 God in no way promised us a stress-free, problem-free life on earth but take heart He did promise each of a life full of abundance. This abundance includes everything you need to stand against the tactics of the enemy, make the best decisions for your life, be successful, and accomplish anything you put you mind to in Him. Everyday will not be Sunday and thank God because the fulfillment of your desires may lie on a Monday afternoon or Thursday morning, and the repetition of Sundays only impairs your likelihood of reaching fulfillment. 

With that practice thanking God for everything, praise Him for every single day, worship Him for the good and the bad, and lastly respect His faultless decisions. He truly has the best for you; a plan so awesome, your human mind could never process a viable explanation for the places He will take you, or the plans He has already established for you. Be it a trail of peace and harmony designed to encourage you as you continue living, or a bout of hardships and challenges that will forcefully develop your strength and character........ it all works together, ultimately for His good and your benefit!

Be Encouraged

Its backed in the Word

2 Peter 1:3-10 Romans 8:28-39 Hebrews 12: 1-6

Doing Right Is Beneficial

Have you ever made the “right” decision and the result of your decision did not quite pan out the way you wanted it to? For example, have you ever decided not to cuss out your arrogant and belligerent boss all to end up fired in the end? Or walked away from a potentially negative relationship all to find that person you walked away from now dating someone new? Did you tithe and still get your lights cut off? Have you ever felt that the good always finish last? It is important that we do not get caught up in the quest for immediate gratification or the seemingly grandiose benefit of earthly rewards and treasures. As believers our focus should be on the future glory that is only promised to us believers, and on the contrast made very clear that all who do not believe will not have access to the inheritance.

As a spiritual realist I will go ahead and address the thought that may be in your head. “All that sounds great but what about now”? Well honestly speaking the result may not seem favorable at the moment but one thing I can promise is that regardless of the outcome God has your good in mind. All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord AND are called according to His purpose. Do you love the Lord? I am sure you do, one of the reasons why you made the right decision in the first place. Next ask yourself are you called according to His purpose? Who are you living for? When you truly love the Lord you will begin to seek the purpose He has for your life and walk in that purpose alone. Are you fulfilling your God given purpose or are you pursuing your own vision and dreams?

Be confident in your decisions regardless of the unwanted results. Know that due to your obedience God will prove, not only to you but to the unbelievers around you, that righteous living yields lasting results as opposed to the results of fly by night, emotionally imbalanced, and selfishly lead decisions.

Read Acts 16:16-40 about how Paul and Silas were persecuted for pursuing their call according to God’s purpose……how the worse possible penalty was applied to them who did nothing wrong. But the best part is when their persecution yields praise instead of complaining which heartens God to show up on the scene and blow the minds of everyone involved,  literally, including Paul and Silas. 

Be Encouraged

Happy Father's Day....The Confessions Of A Fatherless Woman

This is a journal except from our author on June 17, 2012

                                                        

Dear Dad,

I am so excited that today is Father’s Day. For a little girl who grew up without a father in the home I am honored, as an adult, to be in the mist of great fathers daily. I commend every man who has taken their leadership role, by first disciplining themselves to put family before their needs, committing themselves to the call of fatherhood, and whose determination is to see their children succeed as a result of their guidance. I am so proud of every father, including those I do not know, because they represent true men (whether they are saved or not), following in the footprints of my Father, Jesus Christ, and leaving a legacy that can be traced long after they are gone. For any father who is not saved I pray for him today, that he receives the wonderful gift You have afforded Him, that is available to provide that comfort he needs when things get tough; or Your perfect guidance when he needs help/support; and lastly the assurance he needs when he feels unappreciated. Thank You God for Your perfect plan, how You created the roles of men and women, how You designed men to be leaders and women to be supporters in the home. Today, I realize and appreciate Your perfect plan. Thank You Lord, for wonderful men all over the world who are celebrated today because of all they do. And on today, as I do every day, I celebrate You, for being the best father that any girl, woman, boy, or man could ask for. I love you.

Love you Mucho Gusto,

Kristen

Word on the Go: Matthew 6:9-14 (NLT)

⁹Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.¹⁰May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us today the food we need, ¹²and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.¹³And don’t let us yield to temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one. ¹⁴“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

Stop Playing the VIctim

You have received victory in Christ so don’t walk around always playing the victim. Simply put- life happens, everything may not go your way, your money may not always be right, and the people closest to you may not always be in sync with you -- so who’s to blame for that? First and foremost stop blaming yourself, sure there are some things you probably could have done differently but guess what the decision has been made, and as some may say the damage has already been done. Don’t start blaming anyone else either, don’t even give room to the enemy by blaming him….things happen, its life and you have the victory!! In the most bizarre”est” of times, in the mist of death, while your car is being repossessed, or your checks keep bouncing you still have the victory! It’s hard to see a victory during a fight, but the person determined to win, the one who has done away with the defeated mindset, has dug deep within to pull up the favor they have in Christ Jesus, and made the choice to project that favor outward….. Has indeed made up their mind to win and will win!

 Stop playing the victim and be the victor! 

When Boredom Strikes

When boredom strikes destructivity often begins.

Destruction does not have to mean physical demise it can include mental demise, emotional demise, relational demise and so forth. If you think back to the times you felt most lonely, it was typically when no one could be accessed and you were unable to find anything else to distract you. Another uncommonly recognized moment of loneliness is when one is in a room full of people and still feels by their self. Understand that distractions are not limited to people they may include things, jobs, etc and for the moment may appear fulfilling but ultimately leads to an overwhelming feeling of lowliness. We often recognize this sense of lowliness when we are bored, resulting in feelings of sadness and an all of a sudden bout of emotional imbalance.When all this surfaces what happens next???

Watch how subtly destruction strikes!

Typically the next thing we do after we realize we are bored is find something to do, right? Whether its go through our phone contacts and call a whole bunch of randoms, or pick up the phone for endless hours of Candy Crush or our game of choice, Instagram, Facebook, gossip sites, etc, deciding to dwell on the negative, and so forth the enemy delights himself in  invading our head space when we are bored, and using various distractions to nurse our negative emotions.

Defeat the enemy by calling on the strength of God to channel that energy in another direction; begin to deposit uplifting material into your spirit. Speak to your boredom and find something constrictive to do with your time. Start working on your passion or the business idea you have been putting off, pick up some inspirational material to help you reach your goals or that encourages you to deal with past hurts. The Bible is also a great resource for godly living. Work outside yourself by picking up some volunteer opportunities, or become involved in a ministry in your area. Ministry is not limited to a church buildings: homeless shelters, battered women’s programs, food banks etc are all active ministries that need your talents. Don’t allow the enemy to have a field day in your mind; there are positive alternatives to engage in when boredom strikes.

Its backed in the Word

1 Timothy 5:13 Ephesians 6: 11-18 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Lord I Need a Career

God is so faithful, not only in your life but in the lives of those around you-- friends & family alike. Understand that God is not limited to only healing or helping us make the best decisions. He can do more for you than get you out of a rut when you mess up, He far more influential in every part of your life! With that, begin to acknowledge God as the ruler of employment, thank Him for providing employment for your friends & family. The on'es who have jobs, are looking for jobs, or about to leave or be let go from a job.

 Regardless if you are employed or not, celebrate the employment of others. Watch how God works on your behalf as you switch the focus from yourself and your job/career, to uplifting those around you in their job/career. Pray that  all your family & friends have the privilege of recognizing their purpose TODAY, and immediately begin working at what God has called them to do, ultimately fulfilling His plan for their lives; Pray that those connected to you are allowed to have careers and not just mere jobs. Thank God for the true fulfillment that comes from Him in regards to employment.

~And that's it....watch Him work!

It's backed in the Word 

Romans 12 (esp v.15) Ephesians 2:10 Galatians 5:13-15

How to Spend Time with Your Lover

Christ is the lover of our soul yet He is probably the one person that we most inconsistently spend our time with. Now if you are pretty diligent in your QT (quality time) with God, BRAVO……. this devotional just serves as a reminder to continue spending time with the Father daily. If your one on one time with God looks like this: in and out, up and down, high and low, be encouraged all it takes is a decision to do better that will put you on the right path to being consistent with Christ. For my newbie’s in Christ I recommend finding a great devotional and begin committing to reading it before your day beings…(such as this one). Each devotional has some scriptures included; make a effort after you read the devotional to read those scriptures as outlined. As this becomes normal practice venture out and read the whole chapter of each scripture provided. For example if the scripture included in the devotional is Psalms 12:3, do not only read the 3^rd verse of Psalms 12, expand your relationships by reading the 12^th chapter instead. This way you are constantly feeding your spirit with positive words from on high, and allowing yourself to know more about Christ. I would suggest following this regime until you become comfortable navigating through the Bible and desire to want to know more about Christ. In order to do so it requires some element of discipline, if you are undisciplined it’s ok. Set an alarm to remind you, use sticky notes, make a commitment not to eat breakfast, lunch, etc until after you have read your scriptures to help discipline yourself.

We are always reminded to say our prayers and everyone’s prayer life is reflective of their relationship with God. However I do want to address this……. What is the number one issue in most relationships…..communication! Prayer is your form of communication with God. The more you pray to God, the more you share and are transparent with Him, the more open you are to constructive criticism and reproach the better your relationship with God will be. How does it feel to be in a relationship with someone who always talks about them self and never listens to what you have to say, never cares much about your feelings or your day, they just talk, talk, talk about themselves their problems, their hang-ups etc. Well be careful not to be that person to God. Prayer is not one sided, where you talk God’s ear off about your problems and what you need, prayer is a time for communication between you and God. The way God speaks differs from person to person; sometimes His voice is audible to some(typically to those who are really fixated on the things of God or those who spend an abundant amount of time with Him), for some He speaks through circumstances, or various confirmations etc. The only way to determine if God is speaking to you is your ability to backup what was said in the Word. God will not tell you to move back in with a man or woman you are unmarried to, it simply goes against His value system. The best outline for prayer that I have read is to start with thanksgiving following with prayer for others, and ending with prayer for yourself. This way you are sure to cover the all the bases. All of your prayers don’t have to follow this outline, actually you never have to follow this outline if you don’t desire to, however it just helps keep your prayer life in prescriptive so that it is not one-sided.

Lastly gospel music. Some gospel music is crap and has nothing to do with God; I can boldly say that because I have been blessed with the ability to hear and the desire to seek God….by simply listening to the lyrics of the song I can say, its crap. Be careful the gospel music you listen to, the more you spend time with Christ the more you will be able to decipher what’s quality gospel music and what’s not. There is a difference. I know some people that say they hate gospel music but we live in a new era where there are some really great gospel artists that have up to date beats and relatable lyrics. My best suggestion for newbie’s is to get in where you fit in. We pump all that other junk into our systems via music, tv, etc so we can make a sacrifice to listen to uplifting music that worships Christ through song an hour or so a day. My best resource for that is Pandora. I choose a gospel artist and listen to that station while I work. Whether you are paying attention or not that positive music is being deposited in you and it really changes things. Another best practice is to listen to gospel music every morning on your way to work. I promise you it sets the tone for your day. You can start with a gospel station on the radio or take some time with your music selection and create a cd or mp3 playlist and listen in your car as you ride. All of these are ways to boost your relationship with Christ and enhance the quality of your life. There is no strategic method to spending time with Christ, just start somewhere. The more you spend time with Him the more He will direct your path and encourage a deeper relationship with Him.

It backed in the Word

Hebrews 4:12-14 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Matthew 12:22 Philippians 4:6-7 Joshua 1:6-9 John 1:1-5 Ephesians 6:10-17 Matthew 6:5-16 Mark 7:6-23 Hebrews 11:6