Month: October 2016

I know it gets hard, life is crazy and it seems like your problems are taking over your life, you can’t sleep, you can’t concentrate and no one understands. There is sickness in your mind or body and you can’t seem to catch a break, every day you are hurting or you get more bad news. I know depression is kicking in and you have days so dark you can’t see tomorrow or sometimes the rest of the day. But there is hope .. praise God there is hope.  
“This hope is like an anchor for us. It is strong and sure and keeps us safe. It goes behind the curtain.”‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:19‬ ‭ERV‬‬

http://bible.com/406/heb.6.19.erv

“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭ERV‬‬

http://bible.com/406/rom.15.13.erv

I say all that to encourage you. To remind you that no matter what your situation looks like God is with you. God is able to protect you from anything, he is bigger than your problems. 

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. I say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.”

You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day.”‭Psalms‬ ‭91:1-2, 5‬ ‭ERV‬‬

http://bible.com/406/psa.91.1-2,5.erv

Find a place where you can sit quietly, close your eyes, just sit there. Ok open your mind, begin to talk to God, tell him your worries, share your fears. Close your eyes, stop looking around, this is important. Close your eyes, breathe in then breathe out. No worries, no distraction. Just sit there listen for the wind, feel the air on your skin. Just breathe, in then out, in then out, quiet.shhhhhhh can you hear him, yes that is God speaking to your heart, speaking to your situation. The first few times will seem odd and may feel strange. It’s new, but it’s worth it. Whatever he tells you during these quiet times, count on it. 
“These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he says something, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours.”‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:18‬ ‭ERV‬‬
http://bible.com/406/heb.6.18.erv

From WhenUpray.com. It was worth a repeat.  I don’t know what it’s original title was but I know it was worth hearing. 

Wives, be willing to serve your husbands. This is the right thing to do in following the Lord. (Colossians 3:18 ERV)

If you talk to me for any length of time you will hear me talk about my husband. If you hear me talk about him a lot you will probably start to think that I believe he is perfect. I’m not kidding, he is a great husband. But don’t be mislead, that does not mean he is without flaws. Often when I tell people we have been together for 30+ years people think we stayed together because it’s been nearly perfect. Oh no, don’t believe that, it’s been far from perfect, in fact if you’ve been around us a long time you might question our sanity. lol trust me, I love him and he completes me. 

What I’ve learned:
Wives, be willing to serve your husbands the same as the Lord. A husband is the head of his wife, just as Christ is the head of the church. Christ is the Savior of the church, which is his body. (Ephesians 5:22, 23 ERV)

It was a painful lesson, (head down, humbled). I used to complain about what was wrong with him (only because I was perfect) and focus on what he wasn’t doing. That was just plain dumb but hey, I did not know any better. There were very few married couples in my family and the ones that were married probably shouldn’t have been. IJS so I did not have any examples to guide me, there was no YouTube to help me. I spent so much time complaining about what was wrong that I missed what was right. He made some bad choices when we were younger and I did too. God reminded me of something important, my husband loves me. Oh yes he does and he will do anything to make sure I’m ok, my daughter and I helped define him and he cherishes our love. 

When I found this scripture I knew I had found a definition of my husband. 
And husbands should love their wives like that. They should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself, because no one ever hates his own body, but feeds and takes care of it. And that is what Christ does for the church (Ephesians 5:28, 29 ERV) 
 I challenge each of you, go back and remember why you said Yes to your husband. Catalog all the things that you love about them and all the things that they do to make you better. Don’t write a list of what they do wrong, who cares, if you trust God (and I know you do) he is working on that man just like he is working on you. You can’t rush God to make him better, he is already great and God will just smooth the edges and heal the wounds so his greatness can shine brighter. Be the light that God created you to be so he can find his way home if he gets lost. These streets are rough, life can wear on you with bills, kids, aging parents and so much more. 

But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself. And a wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:33 ERV)

Written by natalie cole
Hey, did you happen to see my sweet baby?He was walkin on down the roadTell him for me that if you see him tonightEverything is alright’cause I know how he gets when he’s lowOh, he’s a beautiful man Kinda hard to understand but. He’s the only good man that I know

Won’t you tell him for me

I’m keepin a light shinin in the window

Just in case he decides to come home!

God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you. So trust the Lord always, because in the Lord YAH you have a place of safety forever. (Isaiah 26:3, 4 ERV)
It sounds so easy when people tell you “Pray about it”, “you have to cast your worries to The Lord” , girl, “Take it to the alter and leave it there”. All those sayings begin to sound like Charlie Browns mom wasaawaaawaawaa
Reality check, what does trusting The Lord look in real life? Many of us come into our relationship with God with major trust issues, we have been let down over and over by the people in our lives. We actually give God the same characteristics of the people we have encountered in our lives. We think we have to prove our love with deeds, that we have to beg and barter for his love and protection. We feel that once we mess up he won’t trust us or bless us anymore. We feel that God will get tired of us messing up and give up. Well, speaking from personal experience none of that is true, but the devil will tell you that and will keep reminding you of your faults. Trusting God for me came through trial and tribulation, one day I knew I had to change my thinking because everything I was doing was making the situation worse. I sat down and prayed, then I waited on the word from God to show up. He sent people at my job with a message, at the grocery store, random people I encountered, all with the same message, none knowing of my prayer. He confirmed his answer to me and it was simply this, Trust Him! So I did and I’ve never regretted it. It’s not easy to admit your powerless in a situation until you realize God has all the power you need. So go ahead let God be strong and you just trust him.
I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love and to have the full confidence that comes from understanding. I want them to know completely the secret truth that God has made known. That truth is Christ himself. I tell you this so that no one can fool you by telling you ideas that seem good, but are false. You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God. (Colossians 2:2, 4, 7 ERV)
This is a repost 

I was on my iPhone face-timing with my daughter, my love.. All I could think was “She is so beautiful”. She said mama, is it like looking in a mirror when you see me? I said no, you are beautiful. My husband gave me the Ted bear look and asked “you think you are ugly?” He then went on to say “nobody who takes as many selfie as you could think they were ugly.”
I had to think about that, I don’t think I’m ugly, that’s for sure but when I look at my daughter I see a beautiful person, not just the way her features line up on her face but her spirit and her heart shining through making her beautiful to me.
When I look at myself in the mirror I often see what I have been through. I see the pain, the disappointment, the molestation, the despair, the heartbreak and my destructive actions. I know God has healed those places in me but there are still ruts and scars where the unholiness of the world met my Godly form. It’s like getting stitches, when they remove the thread, there is a noticeable scar to remind you of that thing. 
I think of the woman in the Bible with the issue of blood, in my mind it’s not just that she is bleeding from her women parts, it seems she is bleeding from her soul. She has given everything to this THING. This thing drained her of her ambition, her pride, her joy and her hope. This THING left her broken and down to her last coherent thought. Has that ever been you? Have you had that THING that happened to you or THING that you caused become bigger than you? It could be so many things, that man/woman who was all bad and you knew it, but nobody made you feel like that. It could be drugs, alcohol, depression, suicidal thoughts, molestation, physical abuse, shoplifting, sexual devience, that THING, you know what it is or was. Let’s be real
You are not the only person in your life affected by that THING. Everyone you encounter after that THING happens  is processed through what you have been through. You don’t love the same anymore, you don’t trust people or things anymore. You may lose some of your shine or you smile is not as wide. Everything you see is filtered through that THING. 

But that’s not the end of the story, praise God. 

This passage is used repeatedly by everyone because it is so appropriate. If you would allow your soul to speak for you it would tell you to give it to Jesus, it would remind you that there is enough healing in the hem of his garment to heal you.  Your soul is screaming, GET ME TO JESUS. Your soul knows if you get it to Jesus it’s gone be alright. 

“But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9:22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

http://bible.com/1/mat.9.22.kjv

Your healing in Jesus is immediate, he said from that hour and it was so. So I challenge you today, if you gave your life to Jesus, or you want to, let go. Let go of the THING that he forgave you from but you won’t forgive yourself. Forgive your abusers for they are not worth the rest your life. Let it go, if you are anything like me, I need forgiveness so I’m giving it out in bunches. 

“But if you don’t forgive others, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrongs you do.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭ERV‬‬

http://bible.com/406/mat.6.15.erv

For all the men and women battling cancer,  life threatening or long term illness, suffering in silence. let me encourage you, let me speak life to you. 
“I love you, Lord! You are my strength. The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by his power I am saved. He is my hiding place high in the hills. I called to the Lord for help, and he saved me from my enemies! He is worthy of my praise! Death had its ropes wrapped around me. A deadly flood was carrying me away. The ropes of the grave wrapped around me. Death set its trap right there in front of me. In my trouble I called to the Lord. Yes, I cried out to my God for help. There in his temple he heard my voice. He heard my cry for help.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:1-6‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/psa.18.1-6.erv
I think of that Whitney Houston song, I look to you, she says when all my strength is gone, in you I can be strong, I look to you. That’s what we have to do when we come under attack, look to him. 

I can’t imagine the terror when the doctor discloses your diagnosis. I can’t imagine the hopelessness or panic when you begin to think of the impact on your body, mind, spirit. The impact on your family, your finances and your job. The impact on your relationships with people. I can’t imagine the helplessness you would feel when you become physically unable to help yourself or how the thought of being let down by the people you need to rely on. People will disappoint you because they are human. The scary thing is any disappointments would seem to be exaggerated because of the severity of what you are going through. I can’t imagine the thoughts running through your mind. 
But there is always hope..

“Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:12‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/rom.12.12.erv
“The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments, and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”2nd Corinthians 10 4-5
“Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭ERV‬‬http://bible.com/406/jos.1.9.erv
“Lord, tell me, what will happen to me now? Tell me, how long will I live? Let me know how short my life really is.
So, Lord, what hope do I have? You are my hope!”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39:4, 7‬ ‭ERV‬‬http://bible.com/406/psa.39.4,7.erv
My hope is in you Lord.. forever and always.

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