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

We all have come or will come to a crossroad in life, where we ask ourselves, should I go left or should I go right? Should I start my own business? Should I go back to school! Should I buy this house? Should I marry this person? Should I change jobs or should I just play it safe and stay where I am? Wow, so many questions. What do we do! We. Do. Nothing. It is praying time! And when we pray, we listen for God’s answer. God speaks to each of us in different ways. If you know Him, you will know His voice. If you can’t hear Him, thank God for His instruction book on life, the Bible. It has everything we need to know to make life decisions based on godly wisdom. Don’t let the devil get you twisted, wait for God’s answer. Do not get impatient and make the wrong move!

Sometimes even when we hear God and we know what we should do, we let fear stop us. Lord I hear you but I’m afraid. Lord I hear you but I love him/her. Lord I hear you but I’m not smart enough. If God says you’re enough, you are enough! Let me tell you, don’t let fear stop you from living out your destiny. God has a plan for each of us but we have to move, we have to begin the journey. I know it can be scary moving from the known to the unknown. It can be scary even if we are not happy in the known. So we settle. That’s what fear does, it makes you settle. Our faith has to be bigger than our fear. Faith is an action word. Sometimes we have to move for God to move! Have enough faith in God to take the first step, and trust Him to direct the rest of your steps. Get moving, your destiny awaits you! Love and Blessings…

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
(Jeremiah 29:12)

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
(James 1:22)

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
(Philippians 4:9)

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

I have never been a spontaneous person. I have planned things as long as I can remember. I had my life all planned out. And when things didn’t go as planned, I just moved to plan B. Yes, I always had a plan B. I thought I knew what was best for my life. It seem to be working for a while. Then in 2016 I had what I call my wilderness experience. I tried plan B; but my plan B did not stand a chance up against the wilderness! In hindsight, I feel like God was trying to get my attention. And He did!

There is nothing wrong with planning, if you are getting direction, advice and guidance from God. God’s plan comes with total submission to His will and authority in our lives. There was a time when that would have been hard, giving total control to anyone, even God. I thought I knew what was best for my life. He had to take me down a notch. I had to learn, I don’t control nothing, God does!

Our plans are self-satisfying, temporary, and usually separate us from God. People, circumstances, and satan can interfere with our plans. But God’s plans will always prevail! God’s plan for our lives are peace, prosperity, hope, and a future with Him. When we follow God’s plans, there may still be detours and delays on our journey. We will face obstacles, persecution, hurt, pain, rejection and suffering. When we are following our plans, those things can catch us off guard and we become anxious, depressed, and overwhelmed. However, God is never caught by surprise. If we are following God’s plans, He will be there with us, guiding us through it all. Before I ended up in the wilderness, I was following my plan. The wilderness was not in my plans, so I didn’t know what to do when things started happening. Once I submitted it all to him, he was right there with me. I know He could have made everything right again instantly, but instead He stayed there with me and gave me strength to endure.

As Christians facing difficult situations, we can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 knowing that it is not a promise to immediately rescue us from hardship or suffering, but a promise that God has a plan for our lives and regardless of our current situation, He will work through it and everything will work out for our good. What I thought at the time was the worst thing that could have happened, I now know was the best thing! He is the God of second chances. I no longer need a plan B. I know God’s plan for me is eternal, and full of hope, joy and peace, even in the mist of life’s storms. What do you do when God’s plan does not align with your plan? I encourage you to go with God’s plan, it is always better! Love and Blessings…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:11)

You may call her mother, mommie, mama, mom, or ma. Whatever you call her, she is the face of love. Celebrate today and every day that God blesses you with the gift of a mom. A mother’s love is a gift that keeps on giving, even when she is resting in peace. Even if the flesh is no longer with us, the spirit is always with us. The memories will forever be with us. The love will forever be with us. Today is bittersweet for some, I pray that it gives some comfort to know that those in Christ will meet again. For those that are still blessed to have their mama with them now, make everyday count! Today I remember my ma whose hand I held as she transitioned to her eternal home. I realize I am blessed to have a son who shows me love everyday. I am blessed with a wonderful bonus daughter, 3 beautiful grandchildren, and my adorable great grandson. Today I celebrate Mother’s Day with gratefulness. I am truly blessed! Happy Mother’s Day! Love and Blessings…

“Then the mother of the child said, ‘As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So he arose and followed her.” (2 Kings 4:30)

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Ephesians 6:2-3)

I want to share with you my morning devotion. It talked about experiencing God’s kind of peace in the midst of fearful circumstances.

Peace is not the absence of trouble in your life. It is not the absence of turmoil, challenges, or things that are not harmonious in your physical environment. It is possible to be in the midst of the biggest crisis in your life and still experience peace. That’s the true kind of peace that you can experience with Jesus—peace that surpasses understanding. Naturally speaking, it does not make sense for you to feel completely at rest and at peace when you are in dire straits, but supernaturally, you can be filled with peace! The world defines peace, harmony, and tranquility based on what is happening in the sensory realm. The world’s notion of peace would look something like this: A man lying in a hammock on a white sandy beach in Hawaii with luau music playing softly in the cabana, coconut trees swaying in perfect unison, and warm, blue waves rolling languidly along the shoreline. The world calls that peace—until reality kicks in and the transient peace that was experienced just moments ago dissipates into thin air! You see, my friend, you cannot use your external surroundings to permanently influence the turmoil that you are feeling inside. Only Jesus can touch what you are feeling inside and turn that turmoil into His peace. With the Lord by your side, and from that abiding peace within, you can influence your external surroundings. It’s not the other way round. With Jesus, transformation is always from inside out and not outside in. He puts a peace and rest in your heart that is so secure, you can face any challenge without worry or stress, regardless of your negative circumstances and environment.

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. Joseph Prince Ministries…

We all can give advice based on our opinions, experience, and our perspective of the truth. But should we? We have to be careful when we are receiving or giving advice. Is this advice coming from the voice of God? Is it coming from the Word of God? Did you consult with the Holy Spirit? We must understand that in the New Covenant, it is all about hearing the voice of the resurrected Son of God.

As His children, God said we should know His voice. Why does the Father want us to hear only the Lord Jesus? Hearing God speak is a blessing we receive as his children! The voice of God will give us direction. When He speaks, we will receive an answer to something we have asked, or a request we didn’t even know we needed. When God speaks to us, we will gain clarity. Why is it important we focus on hearing the Holy Spirit and being led by Him? Because we grow in the knowledge of His grace. Because neither this world or the prophets of the Old Testament hold the answer to our deepest cry for intimacy and peace with God, or the enjoyment of His presence and power in every area of our lives. Only Jesus can do that. His way is the only way out of darkness. His voice is the only truth.We can learn from Moses and Elijah, who did mighty things through God, but both great men of God still fell short in the end. Toward the end of his life, Moses hit the rock twice in disobedience, and yelled at the people out of anger and impatience. Despite his years of service, Moses’s disobedience kept him from entering the promised land. (Numbers 20). Why were the consequences of Moses’s actions so severe? Because he misrepresented God. He did what he wanted not what God told him to do. In his anger, he represented God as angry and judgmental toward His people, when God actually loved and cared for them. This tells us that as children of God, we must seek the voice of God and then obey what we hear. When we give advice it should come from a place of love and always be based on God’s Word, not our opinions or emotions. Moses teaches us that we need to be very accurate in how we represent God. And what about Elijah? Despite amazing victories and evidence of the power of God in his ministry, in his last days, Elijah thought Jezebel was greater than God and fled from her. After all he saw God do, he still lost faith and became discouraged. (1 Kings 19). We learn from Elijah to not lose faith or get discouraged. We know God is greater than any circumstance or situation. When we seek spiritual advice from a friend or spiritual leader, we must make sure that person is in tuned with God and is given you God’s truth and not just their truth.

We can learn from Moses and Elijah, who did mighty things through God, but both great men of God still fell short in the end. Toward the end of his life, Moses hit the rock twice in disobedience, and yelled at the people out of anger and impatience. Despite his years of service, Moses’s disobedience kept him from entering the promised land. (Numbers 20). Why were the consequences of Moses’s actions so severe? Because he misrepresented God. He did what he wanted not what God told him to do. In his anger, he represented God as angry and judgmental toward His people, when God actually loved and cared for them. This tells us that as children of God, we must seek the voice of God and then obey what we hear. When we give advice it should come from a place of love and always be based on God’s Word, not our opinions or emotions. Moses teaches us that we need to be very accurate in how we represent God. And what about Elijah? Despite amazing victories and evidence of the power of God in his ministry, in his last days, Elijah thought Jezebel was greater than God and fled from her. After all he saw God do, he still lost faith and became discouraged. (1 Kings 19). We learn from Elijah to not lose faith or get discouraged. We know God is greater than any circumstance or situation. When we seek spiritual advice from a friend or spiritual leader, we must make sure that person is in tuned with God and is given you God’s truth and not their truth.

Sometimes we may not want to hear godly advice. We want to hear what we want to hear, to make us feel better or to feel justified. And it may help us feel better temporary, but when we receive the truth as it comes from God, we are forever set free. God’s truth will set you free! Love and Blessings…

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” (Ephesians 4:15)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27)

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:16)

“We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1John 4:6)

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippines 4:8)

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:33)