When U Pray

Reposted from July 2018

As I sit here looking across my property I have a feeling of love, comfort and peace. It’s something about being at home that provides me with inner comfort.

As I go about my life working, traveling, playing, shopping and just enjoying myself I wander far and away from home. I enjoy long trips, short trips, day trips and just being out amongst the people. I am a true extrovert, I am energized by other people and events, I love it. I love watching people in their many forms. I love seeing how God takes two people, mixes them up and creates another. It’s amazing seeing a child with his moms hands or feet, his dads mouth or nose and grandma’s legs. It’s amazing to me the shades that people come in from stark white to rich dark brown that glistens to black. It’s glorious to see the manifestation of people’s ideas about their hair, from bald to locks down the back and every style in between. Dreadlocks, curls, straight hair, half shaved heads and piercings. I’m always a little surprised when I see how people create and recreate themselves. People move me.
I say all that to say let’s celebrate each other and our differences, we may make different choices on how to wear our hair, how to dress or where to put a comma, but in the end, we are more alike than different. Let’s rejoice in our uniqueness and appreciate ourselves so we can appreciate what we see in each other.
Allow God to heal that place in you that holds those ugly words. You know the ones, “you will never be anything more because of your momma”, you are dumb”, “you are stupid”, “you are too fat”, “you are ugly”, “ you are too thin”, “you are or you are. Or something”.. those are just words so let me give you some more.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made
You are Gods treasure
You are enough
You are beautiful
God created you, you cannot fail
Believe what you want but I encourage you to believe something beautiful.
Then go home, get revived, rejuvenated and restored.

“A wise woman makes her home what it should be, but the home of a foolish woman is destroyed by her own actions.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:1‬ ‭ERV‬‬
http://bible.com/406/pro.14.1.erv

How many of you have been using the Bible app and planning to read it every day, reflect on a scripture or a story to help grow your faith? When you do, the Bible app will help you keep track of how well you are doing. They are kind enough to remind you of how often you open the app, by day and weeks. I will tell you that the app is accurate and dependable. You can have a streak that is 300 days and if you miss day 301 it takes you right back to one. Every time I miss a day and go back, I think dang they could have given me a few extra hours before marking me down. But that’s not how life works. If we are committed to something we do the thing whenever it’s due. If you commit to reading the Bible every day, when you miss, back to one. If you commit to not using foul language and you go a year and then oops.. yeah, back to one. If you are an alcoholic or drug addict who went ten years and slipped up, back to one. But that’s not the end of the story.
Our god who is in heaven knows us, he knows our weakness and our strengths and he is merciful and full of grace. On the earth you go back to day one, but remember God promised us our sins are as far away as east is to west.

“We sinned against him, but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved. His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/psa.103.10-13.ERV

I say all that to say this, trust in the Lord our God in all things. We may not always get it right, we may not always be perfect, but our God does not require that. If you mess up, confess with your heart, repent and look to God, that’s where our help comes from.

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven. All of us who have grown to be spiritually mature should think this way too. And if there is any of this that you don’t agree with, God will make it clear to you. But we should continue following the truth we already have.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭16‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/php.3.12-16.ERV

I was reading something recently and was reminded of the story where a young man was walking along the shore and tossing stranded starfish back into the ocean. Someone watching him stopped and asked him what he was doing? The little boy said he was throwing the starfish back into the water so they could live. The stranger said, the beach is filled with starfish, what you are doing won’t make a difference. The little boy in all of his youthfulness pick up a starfish, threw it back into the water and told the stranger “It made a difference for that one”!

A hallelujah goes right there because this young boy understood that you may not be able to change the entire world, but you can change the entire world for someone.

Reading this story took me back to my own struggles and disappointments while serving Christ. One example is I often consider giving up writing this blog because in my mind I was not seeing high readership and seeing lives changed and people accepting Christ so I felt like a failure. I continuously say I’m about done with this , But God. As soon as I decide to quit God will send that person to leave a seemingly random comment saying how someone needed to hear what God told me to say. Someone I wasn’t expecting will say, I read your posts about “something” and it really helped me. Then I get encouraged and realize that God is using me for exactly what he wants, not what I want. I didn’t start this blog because of me, I started because the word was bubbling out of me and needed a space to be. I started this blog because I needed to write down my experiences, my feelings and my ponderings to keep growing in Christ.
As I read through what I wrote above I realized how much I made this about ME! Everything we do should be about Christ and delivering the word to his people so they could be saved.

““If a man has 100 sheep, but one of the sheep is lost, what will he do? He will leave the other 99 sheep on the hill and go look for the lost sheep. Right? And if he finds the lost sheep, he is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 sheep that were never lost. I can assure you, in the same way your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/mat.18.12-14.ERV

So last night I was picking greens and all of a sudden my eyes wanted to water. I had to stop and remind myself that memories are a window into the past that allow us to remember and feel those feelings again. My mom always spent the night before thanksgiving and we would pick the greens. But we didn’t really JUST pick greens. We laughed, we talked, we reminisced and we healed. It wasn’t the greens so much as the intentional time we had. I struggled as a young girl with forgiveness, my mothers drug and alcohol dependence often left me in harms way or alone and it made me an angry child. I am so glad Bessie Anderson showed me what love and compassion looked like so I could heal the relationship I had with my mother while she still lived. So I could get to know her as a human and not just an addict. My mom was so amazing but I had to let go of the anger to embrace the love.
Thanksgiving 1984 I was pregnant, miserable and feeling as if I looked a mess in a pair of borrowed maternity pants and Michaels shirt. my mom and I had dinner with Michaels family it was big dinner, my mom got so high she fell asleep in her plate, mashed potatoes and stuffing all over her. I was angry, frustrated and embarrassed, I was trying to get her together so we could leave but that was not Gods plan. God wanted me to see what grace looks like so he sent Bessie Anderson, who cleaned my mom up, spoon fed her and put her to bed. It didn’t register that day but God kept bringing me back to those actions of love and reminded me that all I had to do was love my mom, it was his job to clean her up.
I’m not sure who needed this story today but know this. Our relationship wasn’t healed that day but it was a start and over time granny’s actions ministered to me in ways words can’t. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do and she showed me love in action.
Today I honor both of those women who taught me so much and gave me a thankful heart.
Be blessed my loves .. it wasn’t about the greens

“I said, “What good is it if I die and go down to the grave? The dead just lie in the dirt. They cannot praise you. They cannot tell anyone how faithful you are. Lord, hear my prayer, and be kind to me. Lord, help me!””
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/psa.30.9-10.ERV

Lord I come to you today saying thank you. Thank you for covering me in my foolishness. Thank you loving me, even when I act unlovable. Thank you for being my shield of protection against my enemy, even when the enemy is me. Lord I thank you because you have been faithful.

Do you have those days when you wake up Thankful? Just appreciative of all of the things you know that God has done for you, without a doubt you know it was God? Yeah me too. It should be everyday but let me keep it real, some days I feel defeated.

Some days I wake up frustrated, angry, depressed or downright ungrateful. Those are the times when I have allowed the enemy into my head. All it takes is one or two minute of distraction for the enemy to grab you. We have to be diligent in our prayers and our learnings because the word says, my people perish because of lack of knowledge, he is not talking about reading Socrates or the latest Stephen King book, he is talking about knowledge of HIM, his greatness, his love, his forgiveness, his grace. There is knowledge in the 66 books of the Bible for us to live abundant lives. Gods love is abundant in the things we need both physical and spiritual.

One day I was listening to Floyd Mayweather the boxer, and I noticed his record is “and 0”… the #of battles he has fought verses the number of battles he has lost .. UNDEFEATED!

So are WE… undefeated in all the things the enemy has tried to do. We have survived horrible tragedies in our lives, death, destruction, intentional malice. We have been lied on, cheated on, talked about and mistreated. We have also committed sin, we have lied, we have been destructive to our own bodies and minds, we have stolen and bribed and disobeyed, but GOD! His grace and mercy still works.

So when the enemy tries to tell you to be quiet and stop praising, give him a word back and tell him “this is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

When the enemy tries to convince you that you are failing, remind him that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus!

When the enemy tries to tell you anything that does not line up with what God has told you, tell him satan , get thee behind me.

We are undefeated in everything that came to destroy us.

“My soul, praise the Lord! Every part of me, praise his holy name! My soul, praise the Lord and never forget how kind he is! He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses. He saves us from the grave, and he gives us love and compassion. He gives us plenty of good things. He makes us young again, like an eagle that grows new feathers. The Lord does what is fair. He brings justice to all who have been hurt by others. He taught his laws to Moses. He let Israel see the powerful things he can do. The Lord is kind and merciful. He is patient and full of love.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/psa.103.1-8.ERV

Have you ever just sat around and thought about your life and what it would be like if you could change that one THING? Have you imagined that if you didn’t go to the store THAT day, you could have avoided 3 years of heartache from the person you met? Just think if you had said NO to hitting that THING, you could have avoided 10 years of hurt , pain, shame, humiliation and despair. Just think if you had said NO to trying something that you knew was wrong but it sounded so exciting and now your life is flipped turned upside down.

Yeah, me too…

However what I also think about is how amazing God is and how he takes the things the enemy meant for bad and made it for our good. God takes our tests and makes testimonies, for that is how he rolls.

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭50‬:‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/114/gen.50.20.NKJV

You can’t help someone get off drugs with patience and understanding if you have not been on drugs. you can’t tell a young mother she can make it and help her through the rough times if you haven’t been a young mother trying to make it. You can’t tell that young boy to pick his pants up and put the gun down because prison is real if you haven’t suffered through the penal process. Sure people can help but the people who make the most impact, are the people who have overcome that obstacle. I don’t understand how to get off of drugs because I haven’t been on them, but I can walk my sister through dealing with a drug addicted mom and how to handle the pain and rejection that comes with it. I can’t help a woman understand how to get out an abusive marriage but I can tell her the affects it has on her children because I’m a survivor of my moms abusive relationship.

I say all that, to say this … TELL YOUR STORY!

You did not go through all of that for nothing.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/114/rom.8.28.NKJV

Our God wants us to be healed, renewed, restored and refreshed and he uses our tears to wash away the old things. He uses our tests to help each other and allow us to grow and be better.

If you are getting discouraged, be encouraged :

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.34.4.NKJV

“God is strong and can keep you from falling. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and give you great joy. He is the only God, the one who saves us. To him be glory, greatness, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord for all time past, now, and forever. Amen.”
‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/jud.1.24-25.ERV

It believes all things!

I realize it doesn’t take much to honor the Lord, to activate his help or to encourage his hands to work.

Faith

Hope

Love

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.13.11.NIV

As I got dressed this morning I put my gold bangle on to match my chain and earrings and I just smiled. Memories are precious and the feelings they evoke are relevant.

I love this bracelet because it is cute but also because of what it represents.
Over 25 years ago my hubby bought me this bracelet during a terrible time in our marriage. We were financially challenged and mentally exhausted in our marriage. We were at a crossroads but hanging on by a thread and one day he comes home with this bracelet. It is beautiful, 24 karat Gold and shiny. I’m confused, in my mind we can’t afford it and I’m ready to tell him to take it back. But I don’t, I am led by the spirit to accept the gift, appreciate his intent and put it on.

Years go by and I’m still wearing this gold bracelet. It’s dented in one area but still gold and just little less shiny. This bracelet has journeyed with me and seen its share of heartbreak and joys, setbacks and comeback, glorious days and pain. Much like my love of Christ.

I can’t say if the bracelet began the healing process for our marriage or not but shortly after receiving the bracelet WE began attending church. A good friend invited us to his church’s friends and family day, we went, and we have been going to that church for over 25 years. During this time we have built on our marriage and increased our faith. We have struggled in every area of our lives, raising children, raising each other, learning to love ourselves and each other in a healthy way while learning to trust God even when we could not understand. This has been a journey for us but the road has been made easier because of God. Our love for Christ is why we are able to stand.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.2-8.NIV

I would ask that you look at where you are in your relationship in Christ and in the world and evaluate what’s important so you don’t miss an opportunity to heal and grow. I always encourage you to live free, free from guilt, hurt, shame, pain and destruction. Love on yourself so you have the capacity to love others.

“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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.4.29-32.NIV

Didn’t that just sum it up? Lies are not the truth yet the enemy constantly feeds us lies. I have had a few challenges in the past few weeks and the enemy has taken every shot I dropped. I mean that to say when I doubt myself, the enemy responds immediately with a lie… when I’m frustrated, he shoots me more lies and when I’m scared, he shoots his shot. The enemy is relentless and according to the word of God, he is the father of lies but..my God is what is true.. this is what Jesus said:
“Jesus said to them, “If God were really your Father, you would love me. I came from God, and now I am here. I did not come by my own authority. God sent me. You don’t understand the things I say, because you cannot accept my teaching. Your father is the devil. You belong to him. You want to do what he wants. He was a murderer from the beginning. He was always against the truth. There is no truth in him. He is like the lies he tells. Yes, the devil is a liar. He is the father of lies.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭42‬-‭44‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/jhn.8.42-43.ERV

But that is not my story,

As I sat around today deciding how I felt I realized I was being hunted and trapped by the lies of the enemy. I was caught slipping.. but the problem was not the lies, the problem was me. I have to remember who God is to me. He is my shelter in the storm, the lover of my soul. He knows the plans he has toward me to give me a Future and Hope, plans to build me up, not destroy me. God holds my future, Jesus paid it all and those lies I have been hearing have no bearing on my life. Jesus came so I could have an abundance in life, not just finances but abundant faith, abundant love, abundant health, abundant peace and abundant joy. God only asks one thing of me..believe in his son. I’m renewing my faith today and remembering who I am in Christ Jesus, no more lies.

“I pray that God will open your minds to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious. And you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe. It is the same as the mighty power he used to raise Christ from death and put him at his right side in the heavenly places.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/eph.1.18-19.ERV

If we went to your funeral today what would the mourners say about your life?

As I sit at a funeral for my friend his pastor said to us that our friend had asked him to deliver a message to his family “ he wanted his sons to know that he never gave up trying to be the best person he could be for them”, it was a wake up for me. What do I want people to know about me?
I want my friends and families to know that I love them and I always give my best, even when it looks less, it’s my best.
I want my friends and family to know that I love God. I mean I love him bone deep and trust him with my life even when I’m scared and shaking in my boots, I TRUST GOD. I would want my family to know that prayer works, that when I am faced with challenges or disappointments, chaos or danger, I pray. I pray for myself and my circle. I believe in prayer and I know without prayer my life would be empty.
I would want my family to understand that life is not fair, but God is. He will make everything ok.

““I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/jhn.13.34.ERV

Lastly I would want my loved ones to join me in the kingdom, not because God has been good to me but because what he can offer them that is not in the world. Get to k ow him for yourself because I have never once regretted turning my life over to him.
“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/php.3.12.ERV

“The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭27‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/mat.8.27.ERV

Who wouldn’t serve a God who can speak to the wind , who can heal the sick, help the helpless, heal the broken and provide comfort to the hurting?

The enemy has set himself against us all, he sends his minions to aggravate us, frustrate us, confuse us and seperate us but thanks be to God, he sent a savior.
“I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will be able to come in and go out. They will find everything they need. A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good. “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”
‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/jhn.10.9-11.ERV

I bet you are wondering how that applies to you? Well let me tell you. The enemy has a job and that is to set himself against the promises God made to you about you and your family. So when God tells you that you are healed, the enemy will increase the symptoms you are feeling. The enemy will send reports from the doctor that do not align with what God has told you. The enemy will create fear and anxiety in your mind. He does these things to get you to give up on the promise. He can’t take the promise but you can give it to him or you can give it to God. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the word of the Lord says he will raise up a standard against it. When the enemy tells you that you can’t make it, remind him that he already lost. When the enemy tries to get into your head, remind him that greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. When he tells you that God has abandoned you, tell him that NOTHING can separate you from the love of God.

I always feel like Rhett Butler when someone tells me about the plans of the enemy.
“Frankly my Dear, I don’t give a Damn!”

I DON’T SERVE THE ENEMY! I serve the living God!

“Then Jesus said to his followers, “And who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/mat.16.15-16.ERV

“So I tell you, you are Peter. And I will build my church on this rock. The power of death will not be able to defeat my church. I will give you the keys to God’s kingdom. When you speak judgment here on earth, that judgment will be God’s judgment. When you promise forgiveness here on earth, that forgiveness will be God’s forgiveness.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/mat.16.18-19.ERV

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, Which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭121‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭KJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.121.2.KJV

If anyone reads my blog you may notice I regularly use the easy to read version Bible, it helps keep things simple for me. The easy to read version uses modern language and themes that allow me to understand the word TODAY! However, there are times when the Kings James Version is needed. Today is such a day.

I will lift up mine eyes, I needed to verbalize my actions clearly in this because I have been remiss. I have been looking at my problems and not the solution. I have been focused on the wrong things and so I’ve been getting the wrong results. As things have been getting a little harder I notice I have been stressed, I mean literally stressing myself out due to work, home stuff and just life. I found myself in tears one day after a rough week and my husband looked at me and said “What’s up?” I’ve never seen you like this. I’m not normally overly emotional about work but this year has challenged me. I also had a face to face with myself and realize my problem is ME! I have not stayed focused on My God and his abilities.
I’m sharing my struggle because I am sure someone out there is facing the same struggle. So this is my plan.
I will look to the hills from which cometh my help, knowing that my only help, comes from the Lord.
I will put some prayer back into practice, specific, directed prayers about what’s happening so God knows where I need his help the most.
I will stop being a victim, God did not give me the spirit of fear but of power and a strong mind. This stuff is not happening to me, it’s happening and I’m taking it personal.
I will be joyful in every situation because life is not what happens but how you react. I choose Joy!
Today is a day the lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Regardless to frustrations and fears, GOD IS STILL GOD!

“I always remember that the Lord is with me. He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me. So my heart and soul will be very happy. Even my body will live in safety, because you will not leave me in the place of death. You will not let your faithful one rot in the grave. You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/psa.16.8-11.ERV

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/php.3.12.ERV

Y’all know I love the easy to read version of the Bible, it makes things so simple for me. The traditional verse says this:

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭KJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1/php.3.12.KJV

Big difference .. from the easy to read version I got that God is still working on me. I am not perfect and I’m so happy that I don’t have to be. With the love of God I am invincible just as I am. But you know what happens next? We happen!

We begin to doubt Gods love and forgiveness. We thinks it covers this but maybe not that. We stop believing that his grace and mercy is ours forever.

“That’s how we know we belong to the way of truth. And when our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God, because God is greater than our hearts. He knows everything.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/1jn.3.19-20.ERV

Keep the faith and remember that God desires you to be the best you.. and that you will trust him. That’s it

One day last week I found myself in a situation. I was down and depressed and really needed someone to talk to. I dialed about 5 people’s phone number hoping for someone to answer or call me back. It did not happen, there was no answer. I felt lost, alone and it added to my depression. I found myself praying and asking God why? I found these words from Kirk Franklin
I woke up this morning
Feeling kind of down
I called on my best friend
She could not be found
But I called on Jesus
My life He can hold
I’d rather have Jesus than silver and gold

And my soul was refreshed.

I have found that when I feel the need to share my struggles with my friends and family God requires that I share my troubles with him. Jesus is the one who lived and died for me and who said:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NET‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/107/mat.11.28-29.NET

With that in mind I would encourage you to take your cares, worries and concerns to the Lord in prayer. Spend time concentrating on the Lord and you will discover he has made a way for you in the midst of your concerns to be at peace and to keep your joy. He can console you and provide solutions to your concerns. Jesus makes a way for you to live abundantly and spending time with him activates his grace and mercy. Calling your friends will give you some immediate satisfaction and someone to share with but if you want it resolved .. take your problems to the Lord.

The quickest solution to your problem is the distance between your knees and the floor.

“Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭KJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1/eph.6.2.KJV

I won’t lie and say I have never been dishonorable when it comes to my parents, but I will say I learned my lesson. Growing up with an abusive stepfather and a absent birth father made me a little angry (I say that tongue in cheek) I was an absolute mess. I took that anger out on everybody I met because that’s what happens when you have unresolved issues, you become a menace to the world.

This is Father’s Day weekend and I’ve been hoping to see people who are willing to forgive their Fathers. I know that sounds so simple but it’s possible, maybe not in your own power but with the power of our God, all things are possible.

Is there a scripture that changed your heart? Me, too
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭KJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1/mrk.11.25.KJV

I remember hearing this scripture And it resonated differently that day. It literally spoke to my heart and made me stop and think about my anger and how my unforgiveness was keeping me from experiencing God in his fullness. It’s like the words jumped off the page and into my consciousness. I began to think of all the people I was holding grudges against. I had to think about my mother and how angry I was about her addiction and her inability to keep me safe from physical and mental abuse because of that same addiction. The words made me look at myself and realize I needed to be forgiven so I needed to start forgiving people. I can remember listing my abusers to God and asking him to teach me to forgive them. I can remember trusting God in this because I knew in my own power I was unable and often times unwilling. In time I gave up my anger, yup I gave it up, it was too hard to hold onto hate and seek love. It seems that once I forgave everybody I had to keep on forgiving but it got easier and easier the more I did it.
So today I ask that if you have an aught with your Father, give it to God. Allow God to heal you in that space, not for them but for you. Never forget that being true to yourself is essential to your success. You can forgive them and choose not to be in their life or you can choose to forgive and try to see what new thing God can do in that space.
Forgiving my mother opened up the door for us to have a real honest relationship before she died. I know God allowed us time to heal before he took her and I’m forever grateful.

I pray you take the time to heal too.

“So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen.”
‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭ERV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/406/jas.5.16.ERV