This life is full of parasites that can suck  the life out of you if you let them. (and I’m not talking bugs). It seems every day you are ducking and dodging these parasites. You try to avoid them but somehow they keep showing up, again and again. Once they enter your thoughts, they then try to take control of your mind and heart. What are these parasites? There is low self-esteem, pride, jealousy, lying, depression, and guilt. There is immorality, corruption, lust, and greed. There is fear, who creeps itself in your thought life, feeding off your inner struggles and hang-ups. And last but so deadly; there is the past, which just will not let you go! That’s just a few of the parasites the devil will use. If we allow them to, these parasites will attach themselves in our life, and do what the enemy does, kill and destroy. They will destroy our lives if we don’t stop them. Everyone has had to deal with these parasites at one time or another. We all have had them, sometimes for just a moment, or a day, maybe they sneaked in only for a night. And sometimes it may seem like you have had them forever. The Bible tells us to take every thought captive. Now if God says do it, that means it can be done, which means we are not powerless! We have a chance to do something about all the negative thoughts that are not from God, before they enter our hearts and become a part of us!

The good news is we are covered in the blood of Jesus. When we are covered we can always look forward to the joy that comes in the morning. It is then we can rejoice, because God has blessed us with the gift of another day! It is a new day, full of new mercies and grace. We have another opportunity to rid ourselves of those parasites or fears that stop us from living the life God desires for us. It is a new day to regain control and realize we have the power! We can think positive until every negative parasite is choked to death by our positive energy. If we refuse to feed the parasites, they will eventually die.

You may say I’m ashamed and I am broken. I have let these parasites suck the blood out of me for so long, I feel powerless, and I don’t know where to begin. We can start by praying to God the moment when we sense the parasites enter into our thoughts. God will give us the strength and power to take them captive. We can also read and study the Word of God and overtake them with God’s truth. When we surrender our life to God, repent, and believe, God will give us the strength to stand up and the power to release the grip of the parasites. We can thank God for the morning after, a new day, with new mercies. Then we can boldly walk into the joy that comes in the morning! Love and Blessings…

“for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink,” saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee. “Proverbs 23:7

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

“Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16

“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Psalm 34:18

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I want my heart to be so consumed with a burning love for God, that there will be less space for myself, and a much bigger place for Him inside me! I want my light to shine, not so others can see me, but so that through me others can see Him! It is only when we, like Paul look away from ourselves and unto Jesus that we receive our deliverance. If you want peace, protection, and provisions, surrender yourself and rest in His waiting arms! Love and Blessings…

“He must become greater; I must become less. The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
John 3:30-36) NIV

“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”
Romans 7:24-25)NLT

According to the dictionary, a bodyguard is a person who protects someone from attack. Their job is to identify suspicious behavior or unauthorized people and to prevent potential threats or disruption in the lives they are protecting. At all times, the primary action of a bodyguard is to guarantee the safety of the person they are protecting. This definitely sounds like my BodyGod! I strongly advise you to try Him. The best part is that He is free to all!

Written by Clifton Johnson aka Vizhun (6/2018)

“My very first second begins when the Lord whispers life into my ears.
Saying arise, awake from your sleep, your new day is about to begin.
Seconds later I’m kneeling on the floor giving praise and thanks to Him. 
God I thank you, I thank you through praise.
I’m grateful for your mercy and your grace.
Your love is endless, all my sins have been erased.
You don’t hold any grudges, you desire faith.
My Protector, My Rock, My Guide to where I need to be.
I’m not where I need to be but I’m not like I used to be.
Uplift me and be the peace I need to survive.
When Satan attacks, I don’t need to hide.
My body is your body to guide.
You are my BodyGOD.”

Love and Blessings…

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm18:2

“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17

I read a post that said, “Cutting ties with the people who hurt you sometimes isn’t enough. You must also cut ties with the version of you that allowed it!” That is so true. Which leads to the question why do we allow ourselves to tolerate unnecessary hurt in relationships. Why is it that we ask God to remove certain people out of our lives and then turn around and let them right back in, or we add people with the same characteristics to do us harm? Why is it so difficult to move on? It may not even be about the person hurting you, just that God is taking you to another level and everybody cannot go where God is taking you! Do not be like Esau and lose what God has for you over a bowl of soup! (Genesis 25:29-34). He lost his birthright because he was hungry, and he wanted instant gratification. How sad is that. Don’t choose instant gratification when God may be trying to prepare you for greater that your natural eyes can see. Do not let someone hold you back from what God has for you! Some folk can block your blessings! One thing I know for sure is if we let our emotions lead us, we may be unable to move on. We let our feelings take control even when we know the relationship is harmful. Most of us have been there at least once. Unfortunately there are some who allow themselves to be in toxic relationships repeatedly. They may think they have their reasons, but trust me, there is no reason that justifies being in a toxic relationship. You are better! You deserve better! God made you better! Don’t let loneliness be the reason you keep a toxic person in your life. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Some people hate being alone so much that they settle for a toxic relationship. You have to love yourself enough to know it is not worth losing all that God has for you. If you are caught up and it seems you just can’t move on, there is an answer. God said he will always provide us a way out. First, you must realize that freedom begins in your mind. You can change your friends, your address, delete or block them, but until you change your mind, your way of thinking, you will continue to accept the same behavior. Once you are free in the mind, you can break free from any type of bondage and no devil from hell can keep you from moving on! Once you know who you are and whose you are, you will not lose everything God has for you over a “bowl of soup.”  Let us learn from Esau. My prayer is that we all grow in wisdom and know the difference between a healthy relationship and a toxic one. I pray that we learn when God removes someone from our lives and shut the door, we don’t open it, instead we lock it! My prayer is when God opens a door, we keep it moving, not afraid to walk through it. We must listen to God’s instructions on both sides. Yes, we must love like God loves us. However, sometimes we must love from a distance. This may include family, if the relationship is toxic. Because God does not want us to put other people above our walk with Him or the plans He has for us. Always remember that those of us who love Christ are never alone. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. We have a friend name Jesus who is with us always. He loves us unconditionally. There is no better friend than Jesus!
Love and Blessings…

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” (Ecclesiastes3:1)

“Walk with the wise and become wise,
for a companion of fools suffers harm”
(Proverbs 13:20)

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” (Romans 16:17-18)

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)

My desire is to be obedient and follow God’s will for my life. It is not always easy. The enemy is always around, seeking to kill and destroy. He will use illness, love ones, finances, or anything else hoping that we will lose focus or give up. First we need to know that everything that occurs in the visible, physical world is directly connected to the war being waged in the invisible, spiritual world. The effects of the war going on in the unseen world reveal themselves in our strained and damaged relationships, emotional instability, mental fatigue, physical exhaustion and many other areas of our life. We can feel pinned down by anger, unforgiveness, pride, comparisons, insecurity, conflict, and fear. We feel and see these things physically, but behind the scenes, what we cannot see with our physical eyes is the primary nemesis behind it all, the devil himself. When Paul talks about spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6, prayer is the seventh piece of armor. It activates all of the rest of the spiritual armor. When we refuse to pray, it’s like having a refrigerator without plugging it in. Prayer is the divinely authorized mechanism God has given us to tap into His power. Without prayer, we are ineffective in spiritual warfare. But with it, we are victorious.

My heart aches because of the tragic, senseless deaths and injustices of this world. It breaks my heart. Also the last months have been challenging for me healthwise. When we deal with things of the world, our emotions can be all over the place. For me, it has brought me to my knees, crying out to God. And as always, He has brought peace to my soul in the mist of it all. I hear His voice. This is why prayer is important. When we choose to stay close to God and His Word, we are able to control our emotions instead of them controlling us. The Holy Spirit will guide you and keep you on the right path. Study His Word. God’s instructions are clear on anything and everything we may encounter in this life. God made us so we have emotions, emotions are normal, but it is our choice on how we respond to them. We should not let our emotions cause us to hate or seek revenge. We should not let our “feelings” cause us to give up or be afraid. Remember there is usually spiritual warfare going on and it is more than we can see. Our emotions are based on feelings, God’s Word is based on fact. We should study His Word and pray, asking God to open our spiritual eyes, asking him for understanding and discernment. When we operate in the spirit, we are in tuned with God, so we know who we are fighting, how to fight, and when to fight. We cannot lose! This is especially important when we are dealing with spiritual warfare. When we ask God for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, when we stand in alignment with His Word, He will protect us, gives us peace, and give us a weapon to fight the enemy with. The enemy hates it when we love as God loves us, when we forgive as God forgives us, when we have mercy as God has mercy on us. The devil does a happy dance. He loves it when we try and fight without God because he knows we have no power without Jesus. Our strength comes from Him.

I do not have all the answers. I am still crying out to our God. However, what sustains me and gives me peace and hope is knowing that no matter what it looks like to the natural eye, God is always and forever in control. He will not only fulfill His promises in His time but will also sustain us until that time. This is the double promise we have; the hope of deliverance one day, plus the provision of His comfort, strength, and shelter throughout our lives. Our role is to simply love God and each other. The Lord our God’s role is to save us and give us a purpose that extends beyond our small vision of the world. We are not perfect; we all are flawed. However, as we follow Jesus daily, He transforms us while using us to encourage others as we share His love and truth. With God, we can stand boldly in physical and spiritual warfare, we can channel our our emotions. We will trust justice will be served, we will be healed, and everything will work out for our good.  When we fight the right way, which is God’s way, we will be victorious. I believe this not because I have faith in man, but because I have faith in God! Brothers and sisters, when emotions hit you hard, don’t allow your “feelings” to take over. Pray even harder, let God’s Words penetrate your hearts and heal the pain. Love and blessings…

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” Phillippians 4:6-7

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” John 10:10

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. “(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

“Agree with God and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.” (Job 22:21-22)

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

“If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day.” (Ephesians 4:26)

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4)

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-lasting help in trouble” (Psalm 46:13 1-3)

WARNING!!! Some people do not feel comfortable addressing death(which is certain), but would rather address life(which is uncertain). It’s ok if you stop right here. This is about life and death. If it will make you feel less uncomfortable, let’s talk about life first. What if when you woke this morning you knew for certain that this would be your last day on Earth. There was no physical or mental pain, you actually feel the best you have ever felt. What would you do? Who would you be? Who would you call? Who would you want to see? Would you be nicer to people even if they weren’t nice to you? How would you treat your husband, wife, sister, or brother. Would you spend more time with your parents? Would you smile at everyone and tell them you love them? Would you try to help those who God put in your path? Would you not be quick to anger and easily forgive those who have hurt you? Or would you waste time on bitterness and resentment? Most importantly, if you had not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior,  would you give your life to Him?  

Wow. I know that is deep and a lot to think about. The last question is the most important, because ultimately, where one spends eternity, not how long one lives here on this earth, is what matters. While we should believe God for a long and full life, there are only two ways to cease from living here on earth, through death and rapture.(1Thessalonians 4:17). Paul encouraged believers not to mourn the death of those who die in the Lord the way non-believers do. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Please understand this does not mean that we shouldn’t mourn the death of loved ones. It means we shouldn’t be full of sorrow for believers who die, because unlike unbelievers who have no hope, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. For them, death is the gateway to eternity with God. Isaiah 26:19 says, “Yet we have this assurance, those who belong to God will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For God’s light of life will fall like dew on his people in the place of the dead!” That doesn’t mean that we should seek to die now! Psalm 118:17 says, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.” Desire a long life, obey the Word of God, pray for a long life filled with abundance, and confess it daily. Psalm 91:16 says, “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” I declare over myself and my children every day Psalm 92:14, “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,” However I am with Paul who said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

Now let’s talk about life again. Why does it matter how we live each day and why I believe we should treat every day as our last? First of all, it very well may be, only God knows. Second, does the good or bad we do daily determine if we enter the heavenly gates? No. it. does. not! We are not saved by our works, but because of God’s grace. (Ephesians 2:8-10). We can thank Jesus for that! So why does it matter how we live then? I am glad you asked. It is pleasing to God when we as His disciples live a life that shows Him through us. We will all be held accountable before the Lord someday for our actions, for what we did with what we have been given, and for what we didn’t do that we should have done. “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God”(Romans 14:12). Sometimes we get so caught up in living “our” life, we forget to live godly lives. What we call “our” life is a gift from God. We should treat it as such. We should use every moment and everything we do to glorify Him. This life is not all about us! It is about God and those He put in our life to love, encourage, uplift, and to help. We only get so much time in a day. We could not begin to do all we want to do, to see all we want to see. But if we act as if it’s our last day, I believe we would prioritize things differently. I believe we would think and ack different. What do you think?

So how should we react to our daily circumstances? What should we tell ourselves when we face disappointment, difficulty, depression, doubt, and death? I say we can take our example from Jesus, how He lived His life and His last day. The one thing I know for sure is when we welcome Jesus into our life and give ourselves over to Him, He will lead and guide us to do what is right, what is good, and what is pleasing to God. Doing so ensures that we will have a fulfilling, joyful, and peaceful life here on earth. Love and Blessings…

Job 14:5 “A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

James 4:14 : “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Psalm 90:10 “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”ESV

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”Romans 14:8 “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

Romans 14:8 “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

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“I don’t know about you, but when I became a Christian I said, “This is the easiest thing in the world. What a deal!” I walked down the aisle of our country church, said “I believe in Jesus,” was baptized, and hence, my Christian life began. I somehow had the idea that I could live just as I had been living, and when (not if!) I did something wrong, I could ask God to forgive me, and all would be well. If I died prematurely, as a member of God’s family, I would most certainly go right to heaven. I had this Christianity thing licked! But then a Bible study teacher named Mr. Alexander exploded my ease. He taught the Bible to us straight and clear. He ran a shoe store, but he was an anointed teacher who made me realize that receiving Christ was easy, but living the Christian life was not. In fact, many times it was downright hard. Finally, as I began to study the word on my own, I came to the conclusion that the Christian life was not hard – it was impossible! I could completely identify with Paul when he said he did what he did not wish to do, and did not do what he wished to do! If Paul struggled, what hope was there for me? Then I discovered I could not live the Christian life under my own power any more than I could get right with God on my own merit. I began to understand the work of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. As He fills my life, He enables me to live and walk in victory. So I came full circle. The Christian life is easy. The Christian life is hard. The Christian life is impossible. The empowered Christian life is exciting – and that power comes from the Holy Spirit Himself.” ___Dr. Ed Young.

This writing is from my devotion today. I wanted to share it in hope that it encourages someone to not get discouraged. We can live the empowered Christian life by having a relationship with Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. He is where our strength and victory comes from! Love and Blessings…

“For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.” Romans 7:19

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” Ezekiel 36:27

Sometimes we make the mistake of looking at others and thinking that they are examples of what we should look like, or how we should behave. Comparison is our worst enemy. As long as we let the world determine whether we are good enough, we will forever be in chains. We let negative thoughts enter into our minds such as “I’m not smart enough”, “I’m not pretty enough”, “my body does not look right”, or “I’m just not enough!” These lies steal our confidence and rob us of our joy. These negative thoughts can keep us bound in chains, unable to move forward into our destiny. The devil is a liar. Silence his lies!

Thank God for Jesus who was perfect in every way, shape, and form. He suffered and died for our sins, and in doing so He set us free! Through Christ, we are made perfect in the eyes of God! God loves us unconditionally. The world loves us conditionally. How we look, labels and titles, how much money or education we possess means nothing to God. He does not look on the outside or what we do or do not have. He looks deep in our hearts and connects with our souls. In God’s eyes we are beautiful and each of us are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are precious in God’s eyes. We must see ourselves as God sees us. When we live our lives with His truths, we have the confidence, assurance, and peace that we are good enough.

Only God has the power to set us free. Studying God’s Word and submitting to His will reveals the truth and uncovers the devil’s lies. The truth about who we are and whose we are will free us from the chains. Silence the lies by accepting God and His grace, and no longer let past failures define or confine us. Silence the lies by knowing that no matter who the world thinks we are, God says we are beautiful and each of us is valuable to Him. That is enough! We are enough! I encourage you to believe in yourself and know you can do anything through God who strengthens you. God chooses what the world calls ordinary people to do extraordinary work. That is how He gets His glory! He is looking for believers who will be obedient regardless of how they feel, their fears, or their past failures. Whenever you start to believe the lies of satan, think about how God loved you so much he gave His only son. Jesus thought we were worth dying for! Am I good enough? You better believe it; I am better than good. And so are you! Silence the lies and watch those chains break! Love and Blessings…

And Jesus said to them, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8:32

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalms 139:14

“For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews10:14

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:1

Anger is one of the most intense, destructive, and unhealthy emotions we can have. There was a time when I would get angry and I would say, “nobody’s perfect”. But in my Christian growth, instead of justifying it as me not being perfect, I wanted to know what the Word said about anger. We all have used the “nobody’s perfect” excuse to rebel against God and His expectations of Christians. We all have heard and probably used the, “God knows my heart”, or “The Bible says don’t judge”. It is true that we all sin and we all make mistakes, and most certainly God does know our hearts. But we must not use this as an excuse to justify our sins. Don’t get it twisted, Gods grace is a gift and does not give us permission to sin. While we are saved by faith alone in Christ, that faith should result in obedience and good works. We must strive to behave everyday like Christ. It is not what we are trying to be but what we are, God says when we are truly saved, we are a new creature. We may fall short at times, I know I do, but there should be growth.

God did not tell us we couldn’t feel anger, He said we should not vent our anger. The Word says be slow to anger. As Christians we do not like to admit we are angry. We might say we are “upset”. Upset and angry have different meanings. When you are upset you are usually sad and tearful, but when you are angry you want to react, even if it’s just with words. What do you do as a Christian when it’s personal? When someone or something has lit your fire and you are burning up inside. What do we do as Christians when our anger is to much for us to handle? I used to say, (still do sometimes) “please don’t make me angry because then I’ll get mad!” That word mad originally meant “crazy” or “insane” in American English, and in the UK it still does, and is commonly used in the phase “mad with rage”. That doesn’t even sound good so you know it’s not of God. Everyone has or will at some point experience anger. Sometimes it is difficult to control our emotions. Through the grace of God, I am learning when I do get angry how to control it instead of it controlling me.

Admitting that we are angry is the first step to dealing with anger the Christian way. The second is realizing it is impossible for us to control anger without the power of God at work in our hearts and lives. Thirdly, it must be properly motivated. There are times a person can be angry for appropriate reasons. It’s called righteous anger. Religious hypocrisy, racism, poverty, and injustice are some reasons that fall in that category. Jesus experienced emotions just as we do. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. They were taken advantage of those less fortunate. He drove them all from the temple area, he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. When Jesus asked the religious leaders if it was okay to heal a person on the Sabbath, and they would not answer, scripture says, “he looked around at them with anger”. He still healed the man while angry which lets us know that we can still do what is right while angry. Clearly some forms of anger are wrong, and this is the anger that Jesus spoke out against in Matthew 5:22, angry that you did not get your way, anger that is destructive and unnecessarily demeaning. We should not let our anger turn into bitterness or hold grudges. Never let others anger you to the point where you become someone who you don’t recognize! Jesus did not exhibit man’s anger but the righteous indignation of God.

When we let our anger control us, we break unity with the body of Christ. I tell you God and his Word is the best anger management class you can take! It will take time, because spiritual growth, like human growth, is gradual. I thank God for not just convicting us of our sins, but for transforming us through the Holy Spirit. I thank him for meeting us where we are but also loving us enough to not leave us there. When our anger gets to much for us to handle, the best thing we can do is give it to Jesus! Love and Blessings…

“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” (Ephesians 4:26-27)

“Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.” (Matthew 21:12)

“So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.” (Numbers 32:13)

“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” (Ephesians 4:26-27)

We make mistakes. We get hurt. If you cut us, we bleed like the next person. However, strong women bounce back quickly and fiercely like the queens that we are. We don’t have all the answers but we know who does. We know our worth because of who our Father is. Our Father is a King! We are strong women who will continue to put one foot in front of the other against all odds. We walk by faith, not by sight. We know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! Love and Blessings…

“I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14)NASB

“For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corithians 5:7)

” I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelations 19:16)

#Proverbs 31