When U Pray

Lord, I am in deep trouble, so I am calling to you for help. My Lord, listen to me. Listen to my cry for help. Lord, if you punished people for all their sins, no one would be left alive. But you forgive people, so they fear and respect you. I am waiting for the Lord to help me. My soul waits for him. I trust what he says. (Psalms 130:1-5 ERV)

Who’s waiting with me? I know I’m not the only person who trusts God! I see many of you posting scriptures, sharing Preachers stats and word grams of encouragement so I know I’m not alone. I looked at the verse where it says if God punished everyone for their sin no one would be left alive..I would be dead dead dead! Praise God he forgives us. Praise God he loves us. Hallelujah Lord, I praise your name. Lord you are so good, I praise your name. No matter what circumstance I find myself in, you make a way for me to be ok hallelujah!

I bet it gets hard for you to praise God when you know you have not been right, when you answered that call that you just knew was not in your best interest. When you called that number you asked God to heal you from. When you took one more drink, one more hit or one more pill, praise him anyway. Praise him in the middle of it. Praise him and let his love heal you. Every time the enemy tries to remind you of how you messed up, starting crying Jesus in your mind, he has to flee or bend the knee to the holy one. It sounds easy cause it is, the more you do it, the easier it gets. You may never be free from sin but you can reduce the instances by staying vigilant, keep trusting God and kick the devil out your head.

Wait on The Lord, he will always rescue you. Wait on the Lord : be strong, and let thine heart take courage; yea, wait thou on the Lord. (Psalms 27:14 ERV)

Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39 ERV)

Verse 37 says Love God, verse 38 tells you how important verse 37 is, verse 39 tells you to love your neighbor the same as you love yourself. I was thinking about that……hmmmm

How much do we love ourself? I know some of us have gone through some stuff, some of those things have caused us to stop loving ourselves in a healthy way. Many of us have tried to kill ourselves, not with pills, knives and guns and boom, dead but with unhealthy relationships, negative thoughts, wallowing in pain and fear. It’s almost like you feel guilty for loving yourself after the rape, after the drugs, after the sexual deviance, after the alcohol, after the food (come on there are people who are eating themselves to death), after the divorce, after after after….

Today I challenge you to love God with all your heart and soul, then love yourself enough to love me. We keep loving each other the way we love ourselves and are creating more pain because we haven’t accepted ourselves and therefore can’t accept each other. Let it go, I know it sounds easy, because it is. Once you make up your mind your done with something you walk away and don’t look back. Well look at your past, examine it for the lessons you needed to learn and walk away. It’s over! You survived it already, a little dented, hurt and crazy (lol) but your still here. Give your future what it deserves, a chance to Love.
But now these three remain— faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. (Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 13:13 TLV)

Many of our troubles are not caused by the devil, the evil one or an imp, it’s called life!

Stupidity is reckless, senseless, and foolish. She sits in front of her house and on the highest hills in the town. She shouts to everyone who passes by, “If you are stupid, come on inside!” And to every fool she says, “Stolen water tastes best, and the food you eat in secret tastes best of all.” None who listen to Stupidity understand that her guests are as good as dead. (Proverbs 9:13-18 CEVUK00)

Sound familiar?

They even make songs about it, “If loving you is wrong, I don’t wanna be right”, “so I creep, keep it on the down low”, ” I don’t see nothing wrong with a little bump and grind”, the list goes on and on of things we decide are acceptable wrongs. Forbidden fruit, secret sin and the whole idea of how good it feels to be doing something secret. But we were young and foolish then, When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, and I made plans like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. (1 Corinthians 13:11 ERV)

My mama always said “What’s done in the dark will soon come to the light!” Well I hope not, and prayerfully you will get a break too.
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)

Psalm 56:3 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you”

On 11/6 I delivered my baby 6 weeks early, due to health complications of my own. I have never been so scared, my baby had to go to NICU. All I could think about was my sister who spent like 8 months in NICU and had over 15 surgeries in that amount of time. God had other plans for my sister because after all that she did not make it. Now my daughter didn’t have the complications that she had but it still scared me. My daughter spent 11 days in there and I think I cried every day. But it also helped me to depend on God like never before. It was amazing watching God work daily. Everyday my little baby got stronger and healthier. I prayed so much I think God was telling to me chill and let him work. I’m saying all this to say that you have to TRUST God in all situations not just the stuff you feel like giving him but everything. In time of need you want to depend on family and friends but the first person you should be talking to is God. He is the only person that can truly comfort you and handle your situation.

Dear father,
Allow everyone that’s reading this to be blessed. Father give them the tools needed to trust on you daily. Remove any doubt that anyone may have. Allow them to Seek you first and friends last. It’s so easy to call upon someone else but you are all we need. We love you and we thank you for life and love. With all the craziness going on in this world protect us father and keep us safe from harm.Allow us to be the light in this dark place. Father God in every situation allow people to see you and not us because we know we don’t have what it takes. In Jesus name we pray and ask it all. Amen!!!!

I let them win!

I got so mad at myself yesterday because I let a person who I know ain’t right get at me. This situation has been brewing for a few weeks and I let my guard down. I have been praying about it and asking God to keep me and I was diligent until I wasn’t. I got comfortable, relaxed and boom, yup one wrong word to me and I forgot all about my prayers, I forgot who has my back. It was only about 5 minutes but my flesh almost rejoiced in its freedom to vent. In my defense I did not let Bam out, I was professional but I got my point across. See the problem? I got MY point across when really, God had already put his plan in motion and did not need me. Can I say I’m ashamed? Even though I acted professional, I knew it was not my fight.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:11-13 ESV)

It does not say fight anywhere in this, it says stand firm!

Pray with me that today, I will Trust God in ALL THINGS!

Have you ever felt hopeless, lost, confused and discouraged? Yeah it happens to us all at times. Don’t start questioning your love for Christ when this happens, We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, because that was his plan. (Romans 8:28 ERV)
Everything serves a purpose, even your discouragement. Think about when you call your friend, spiritual sister, prayer partner and the like, they hear that your down in the dumps, they feel your discouragement. Boom, you just activated their faith and called forth the Holy Spirit in their life to minister to you. You never know if the words God sent to them for you is also ministering to them and the other people who know what your going through, they see you get lifted by the word of God and boom someone else decides to trust him. See how that goes?
Our God is an amazing God, he reigns in love and power.

I challenge you that the next time life sends rain and thunder, dance in the rain, praise him anyhow. Be lifted up by the words of Jesus, be lifted by the promises of God!

Jas 5:16…….. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

1Jn 5:14…….. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

Josh 1:9………… “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture!

My soul gave up all hope, but then I remembered the Lord. I prayed to you, and you heard my prayers in your holy Temple. (Jonah 2:7 ERV)

I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer. He gave me this child. And now I give this child to the Lord. He will serve the Lord all his life.” Then Hannah left the boy there and worshiped the Lord. (1 Samuel 1:27, 28 ERV)

Good morning, this is Sheveze, sharing something for the parents.

We talk about love a lot, who loves who, what it should look like and when it’s been destroyed. If you look at how God views love and how we do, it’s different.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ERV)

Many of us love our children like this. Through the years the love grows, deepens and expands. We want to hug them, kiss away their fears, rub away their worries and shout the victory for their joy. A parents love is endless and fearless and extends to their friends and mates.

How many of you can agree that watching your children grow up and endure pain and heartbreak and hurts and disappointments is tough? Well this is when we have to trust God, know that he has their future in his hands and he loves them even better than you can. I can remember the prayers and the tears I shed for my child, and one day God reminded me that just like he was the God of Jacob, Moses, Abraham and Sheveze he would be her God if I got out of the way! He showed me that my love and me trying to fix her life was hindering her ability to trust God, to get to know him like I did!

All I could do was cry, I love The Lord and trust him but I was preventing the child of my heart from experiencing the fullness of Christ. Not anymore.

Whoever has the gift of comforting others should do that. Whoever has the gift of giving to help others should give generously. Whoever has the gift of leading should work hard at it. Whoever has the gift of showing kindness to others should do it gladly. Your love must be real. Hate what is evil. Do only what is good. Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give yourself. As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him! Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time. Share with God’s people who need help. Look for people who need help and welcome them into your homes. Wish only good for those who treat you badly. Ask God to bless them, not curse them. When others are happy, you should be happy with them. And when others are sad, you should be sad too. Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud, but be willing to be friends with people who are not important to others. Don’t think of yourself as smarter than everyone else. If someone does you wrong, don’t try to pay them back by hurting them. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. Do the best you can to live in peace with everyone. (Romans 12:8-18 ERV)

Remember when life got so tough the last time? Remember that when God heard your cry you said you would never forget how he brought you out? You were going to pray every day, keep reading to strengthen your faith and go to church on Sunday. Well, the devil gets in the details don’t he? Are you still praying, still praising and still reading daily? I know, life kicks in and you get busy, you start saying, God knows my heart! He does, he really does. But is that a fact that we are using as an excuse? I’m really asking myself because we all fall victim at some points in our lives. But hallelujah we don’t have to remain victims, lets recommit ourselves today, let’s agree to keep the faith, remember to praise him even though the storm clouds have passed. Let’s praise him because he has done so much. Let’s praise him because he is able. Let’s praise him because we where created for praise and there is nothing better than walking in our destiny.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, my soul! I will praise him as long as I live; I will sing to my God all my life. (Psalm 146:1, 2 GNTD)

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:18 BOOKS)

Many times we blame things on the devil that is not his doing, it’s us. We have the power in our deliverance to stop temptation. Often we won’t ask to be delivered from our temptation because it’s what we want. I’m challenging myself to think different and be different. I’m going to speak life into my situations not death, hope not despair and joy not pity. It takes a lot of effort to go against your mind and body and do what’s right but we are worth it. Jesus told us he would never leave us nor forsake us. That got me thinking, does that mean when I’m drunk, I just got Jesus drunk too? If I’m bed hopping, am I making Jesus a threesome? Once I’ve committed my life to Jesus he said nothing would separate us, each time I’m cutting up (however you cut up, we are all different) your putting Jesus back on the whipping block. WOW, that just popped into my head.

Dear Father, I come to you this morning thanking you for Jesus. I don’t know what it took for him to climb upon that cross but I know it cost him his life and gave me one and I’m humbled by your love and faithfulness. Today, I pledge to trust you even in those situations I deem too small for you. Yup, I’m giving it all. I ask a special blessing over the people reading this and hope that you give them the courage to trust you too. I love you Lord with all my heart and soul. in Jesus name, Amen.

When it rains in your life, enjoy the rain? It represents nourishment and increase. Stop crying and dance!

Have you ever prayed and then opened your bible and the answer was right there. Well I’m going to be a little personal and I hope you understand. I have been feeling increasingly overwhelmed in the last few weeks, I’ve been praying and this morning I prayed again and asked God to clear the passages of understanding in my mind. I’ve been feeling so stupid learning something new and not getting a full understanding. It just seems as if everything is pressing hard on my mind and my emotions. I’ve been praying and worshipping extra just to stay balanced. This is the word God sent me, so I shout hallelujah to the God of Abraham, Jacob, Moses and Sheveze. The God who keeps his promises, the God of another chance. I sing hallelujah because when I feel pressed on every side and ask for release, it is given. Thank You Lord for being exactly who I need you to be. Hallelujah!
His answer:
People tell silly stories that don’t agree with God’s truth. Don’t follow what these stories teach. But teach yourself to be devoted to God. Training your body helps you in some ways. But devotion to God helps you in every way. It brings you blessings in this life and in the future life too. You are young, but don’t let anyone treat you as if you are not important. Be an example to show the believers how they should live. Show them by what you say, by the way you live, by your love, by your faith, and by your pure life. (1 Timothy 4:7, 8, 12 ERV)

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)