Take an honest and probably uncomfortable look at the material, emotional, social, and relationship clutter that keeps you from the peace and freedom that God intends for us to experience. Renew and rejuvenate your soul space with what we do need, spiritual disciplines like daily quiet time, personal worship, and God’s Word. Ask God to help you sift through the things in your heart, mind, and even the things on your calendar. Now breathe, the peace is priceless! We can search all over but nothing can give us the peace that God can. He is the source of which our peace comes from. The closer we get to God, the more peaceful our lives become.We discover that His character is always faithful. We refuse to allow ever-changing circumstances to determine our level of contentment, relying instead upon the character of God that never changes. When we develop a lifestyle of making the Lord our refuge, we begin to live in the peace of God. I love Psalm 91. It holds the secret to living in the peace of God; “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” That secret place in our hearts is where we go to meet with God. When we choose to live there and hide away under His shadow, staying in constant communion with Him, we can remain peaceful, even when circumstances may not be. When we learn to cry out to Him in times of trouble, we find that His peace really does pass all human understanding. Meditate on today’s scriptures and receive the peace that God’s Word offers. Love and blessings…

James 14:27

James 1:17

Malachi 3:6

Psalm 46:1

Psalm 62:8

Psalm 91

In our lives, every word and every action is fruit from our hearts. A evil heart produces bad fruit. Every spirit tries to emulate the Holy Spirit. We have to be very careful because everyone who can quote scripture or prophesy is not being used by the Holy Ghost. The Bible tells us to test the spirits to see weather they are of God, for many false prophets have gone into the world. ( 1 John 4:1). How do we test the spirits? Jesus says we should know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:16). Jesus was giving us a guide for identifying them. While we can never know anyone else’s heart, we can make wise assessments about other people by observing the regular fruit of their lives. Godly teachers will display good “fruit” such as making disciples (Matthew 28:19), using their gifts to benefit others (Romans 12:4–8), leading lost people to Jesus (James 5:20), loving their fellow believers (1 John 3:14), and seeking humble ways to do good everywhere (Jeremiah 29:7). All of these things are indications of a good heart. We don’t judge, but we don’t follow false prophets, we can however pray for them. The Fruits of the Holy Spirit is attributes of a person living in accord with the Holy Spirit. The “fruit” of their lives proves what is inside their hearts ( Mark 7:20–23). All of us stumble from time to time, and we may even go through seasons of bearing little fruit (1 John 1:8). But 1 John 3:4–10 makes it clear that those who know God will not continue a lifestyle of bearing bad fruit. When we repent of our sin and receive Jesus as Lord of our lives, He changes our hearts. Now the fruit that is produced is good fruit. Our attitudes, actions, words, and perspectives change as we walk in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. My prayer is that each of us today and everyday strive to bear good fruit. We cannot do it by ourselves. We have to stay in tuned with the Holy Spirit who will change our hearts. When our hearts change, our fruit changes. When we walk by the Spirit and manifests His fruit, we produce the attitudes and behavior that please God. Love and Blessings…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-26)
John 1:2
Acts 2:38
2 Corinthians 5:17
1 John. 1:6-7

Everyone who knows me , know that I don’t use the word “friend” loosely, if I call you a friend, you are a friend for life! During their last crucial hours with Jesus, He called His closest followers friends. Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit who He would leave with them. He wanted His disciples and us to know we are not alone. We have the Holy Spirit, who is our everything, including our best friend. I have learned to especially appreciate the presence of my friend, the Holy Spirit when I go through difficult times. Even then He gives me joy and sustains me with strength and hope. When I am sad, He cheers me, when I am mistreated, He gives me grace to endure, when I am accused or misunderstood, He fights my battles for me, when I make a mistake and want to beat myself up, He encourages me and forgives me without judgement. When I am in despair, He reminds me that He loves me. What a friend we have in Jesus! That is the kind of friend I want to be. That is the kind of friends I want in my life. Our friends should know even if we are miles away, even if we don’t talk everyday, that we are there for them if they need us. Let’s ask the Lord to help us be the type of friends who speak life, truth, grace and hope to one another. True friends pray for each other, speak wisdom and offer encouragement. Friends help each other up when one might be down.The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17). Love and Blessings…

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16)

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Sometimes we can get caught up in our little to do lists, the everyday highs and lows of life, and the tendency to chase many things, thinking that in them we will find meaning and purpose. We chase our dreams and goals, fame and wealth, relationships, and perfect bodies. We can become so consumed with thoughts of success, notoriety, or feelings of fear, worry, and even death. And before we realize it, these feelings will consume our souls like spiritual cancer. Even though we may realize with God we can find peace, purpose, and joy, we still can easily get lost in the things of this life. When we place our priorities on anything or anyone other than Christ, we lose perspective of the real meaning of life. That is why once the chase is over,  we are disappointed because we still feel empty, like something is missing, so we start a new chase. The Bible tells us that King Solomon had wealth beyond measure, wisdom beyond any man of his time, hundreds of women, palaces, gardens that were the envy of kingdoms, the best food and wine, and every form of entertainment available. Solomon said that anything his heart wanted, he pursued and yet he wrote he gained nothing and was chasing after the wind. He described life “under the sun” as meaningless. In other words, living life as though all there is to life is what we can see with our eyes and experience with our senses is meaningless. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with pursuing dreams, God gives us dreams and He wants us to pursue them. God wants us to have our hearts desires and live abundantly here on Earth. However, there are conditions. We must seek Him first. First and foremost our purpose on this earth is to glorify God! If our visions and pursuits are aligned with God’s purpose for our life, then everything else will fall into place. Life is a journey. Enjoying the journey means not getting so caught up in the chase that we forget to enjoy each day that the Lord gives us. Have you ever got caught up in the little things in this life and God showed up and showed you what is really important? I know I have. So busy stressing over what might happen tomorrow, next week or even the next year. God wants us to not worry about tomorrow. I have found that this journey called life is so much easier when you let God be your guide. Wow! If only I had let go and let God earlier in my life, I could have saved myself some pain and frustration. But God does not want us to dwell on the past or the if only. I know now! If we are to enjoy the journey, we must be thankful and enjoy each day that God gives us. Each day is filled with new mercies and each day, whether or not we can see it, God is doing a new thing! Sisters and brothers, life here, no matter how good it is, is nothing compared to the life that awaits us.The glories of heaven, eternal life, righteousness, perfection, God’s presence, rewards, and all else God has planned, is the Christian’s heavenly inheritance and it will cause even the best life on earth to pale in comparison. The real meaning of life, both now and in eternity, is found in the restoration of our relationship with God. Chasing after God is the best thing we can do. Don’t take my word for it, read God’s Word and meditate on today’s scriptures. Love and Blessings….

Psalms 34:9-10

Deuteronomy 30:9

Isaiah 43:7

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

Matthew 6:33-34

Isaiah 43:18-19

1 Peter 1:3-5

Today on Valentine’s Day, invite the presence of the Holy Spirit to fellowship with you and your loved one. Celebrate that He loved each of you before you loved one another. And if you believe you don’t have a significant other and no reason to celebrate, I beg to differ. Celebrate the fact that YOU can fellowship with Jesus, the one who first loved  you.  And not just today, but every day start the day with Him, enjoy Him during the day, and end the day with Him on your mind. What an amazing day you will have in spite of what may be going on around you. When we choose to look to our source rather than to our situation, we realise how much He loves us, we realise how blessed we are. He who is in control of all things, has chosen us as His significant other.  I feel special today and everyday just knowing that I am loved unconditionally forever and always by the Great I Am! So should you. Feed your soul with the scriptures below. Happy Valentine’s Day! Love and Blessings!

Matthew 6:31-33
Hebrew 12:2
Jeremiah 29:13
1 Peter 5:7

Every day we don’t do something for the Kingdom is a wasted day. The seed of our dreams that God has planted inside of us will bring Him glory and bring others good. The purpose God has called us to live out will be a purpose that bears fruit. We can often look at the outcome of fruit in our lives in order to identify where God is working and how He has created us to live out the dream He has placed within us, linking your dream and purpose with your rewards later. The dream should not be just about you. The reality is it is not about us at all. If your dream has nothing to do with bringing God glory and other people good, then it is not the dream put in you from God. The dream God puts in us will always involve eternity. That dream will always bear fruit. Love and blessings…

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” (John 15:16) NIV

It has been many years and I am still in school. I’m still in school because sometimes I fail and have to repeat a lesson. I am talking about the school of Christianity. You would think once I received my Salvation I would have graduated. But God, who is my Instructor,  assigned me a tutor, the Holy Spirit, who is with me at all times. He will not allow me to forget what God has taught me. God has taught me a lot in this school of life. I confess this one lesson though, gets hard at times because of other people. Sometimes, I allow other people to destroy what God has taught me. Thank God for my tutor, the Holy Spirit! I guess you are wondering what am I confessing about? I am talking about how God has taught me to stop talking about people and start praying for people, how God taught me how to stop judging people and start praying for people. God has taught me how to stop gossiping about people and start praying for people, and He taught me how to stop criticizing people and start praying for people. It is a lesson I sometimes fail at. I think we all do. It’s not easy to practice those lessons when you are interacting with all types of people, believers and nonbelievers, family and friends, spouses and children, coworkers, and neighbors, the store clerk. But the truth is we can’t blame people. God continually teaches us through the Holy Spirit within us. God put the power of life in our mouth, and we get to choose to speak words of life when we open our mouth about people. I am learning not to react but take a moment and say, “Holy Spirit help me now!” And He will. We must strive to apply all we learn from the Holy Spirit to our daily lives. Study and meditate on the scriptures below. Write them in our hearts. So when a situation arises our first reaction will be to start praying. Love and Blessings…

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:16)

“for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:12)

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44)^“ Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21)

“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.”(Philippians 4:8)

Joy is a deep and enduring state of our soul that no circumstance, event, or human can steal away from us. It’s delighting in God and choosing to rejoice in all things. If we don’t let our circumstances rule us, our mood swings are nonexistent. This doesn’t mean we are always in a “good mood”; it does not mean we are happy about what may be happening, it means we can remain in an unexplainable place of contentment. Joyful people don’t allow misery, sorrow, sadness, or despair to rule their thoughts or guide their actions. Joy is a state of being, and it differs from happiness, which can come and go. Happiness depends on what's happening at the moment. As Christians, we have been given something that cannot be taken away. We have joy because of the grace of Jesus Christ that lives in us. We can hold onto joy, we can feel joyful, and we can rejoice with praise no matter what our circumstances may be. We don’t rejoice for the problem or circumstance, we rejoice because no matter what is going on in our lives, God is always nearby. And that comforts us and brings us peace. Peace is a deep well of confidence that God is who He is and that He will do what He says He will do. Peace isn’t tied to circumstances. True peace can only be found through a relationship with our Father and from resting in the promises of God. The best way I have found to maintain this joy and peace God has given me is to keep my gaze on Him, and my glance on the world. As C.S. Lewis said, "Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties." Love and blessings...

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Isaiah 55:12)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:6-7)