We hurt when fake friends disappoint us, talk behind our backs, mistreat us, and are not there for us when we really need them. The way the world is today we kind of expect this behavior. Nevertheless, it still hurts and the hurt is more so when this behavior comes from our brothers and sisters in Christ. When someone in your family does something to hurt you, it is more profound than if it was done by a neighbor or a friend. The same is true with our spiritual brothers and sisters. We are family. We are supposed to love each other as our Father loves us. Are our expectations even realistic? Yes they are because this is what our Father ask of us. However our sinful nature, the human in us  sometimes causes us to  hurt one another, be it intentionally or unintentionally, the hurt is real.  So what do we do? We have to realize that not all who profess to be Christians really belong to Christ. Jesus warned in his parable of the wheat and the tares that there would be false believers in the world, sown by the enemy satan, whose aim is to cripple the testimony of Christians so that our witness would be compromised. I know this to be true especially since I chose to follow Christ. The enemy is always using someone to try to snatch me out of my character. I’m not going to lie, the struggle is real! But I try to remember  that as hurt and mistreated as Jesus was, he never let them snatch Him out of His character. I honestly believe as Joyce Myers likes to say that God sometimes put “sandpaper people” (difficult people) in our lives for a reason. These are the people who are hard to love, they are also people who the enemy uses to hurt others. How we react to these people is what builds our Christlike character. Jesus Christ is a great example of how to respond when we are hurt. The Bible also gives us specific instructions on how to behave when we are hurt. The first response should be prayer. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble.” That is true for hurt as well as it does any other trouble. If you talk to God, He can give you the very words to say to your offender and He can bring conviction to that person’s heart when you approach them with a spirit of humility. Sometimes the Lord will deal with the offender directly and anything we say or do would just make matters worse. I know “Let go and let God” may seem like a cliché but He can always fix things better than we can. He can also comfort us and heal our hurt. Most important is that we have to forgive. When I think about the suffering and misery I put on myself just because I had been hurt and I did not know how to forgive. I cried many sleepless nights. I was angry and resentful. I wanted the people I loved to hurt as I was hurting. Hurt people hurt people. And then one night the Lord spoke to me during my pity party. He let me know that He had given me an assignment, and when He does that He uses all parties involved so that His purpose will be done. Sometimes, as He did with Pharaoh, He will harden hearts. (Exodus 9:12). It really doesn’t matter how wrong you think your offender is, you have to forgive. The healing process only began when I realized that. Forgiveness is for you, not the other person. Forgiveness and healing is a process and sometimes a slow one. But to be free from hurt, you have to start the process. This is God’s way. We hurt Him when we are disobedient. We hurt Him when we hurt each other. But He forgives us every day, all day. Love and Blessings…

When we have challenges, sometime it requires more than a personal desire or goal, we have to be driven by the desire to be obedient to God, knowing that He appointed us the assignment and there is no way we can fail. And God blesses us for our obedience. We are thankful for our blessings and everybody is happy for us, right? Wrong. Some people are upset at what God does for you. There are times when God blesses you, relationships are lost. Some people have the spirit of Cain; they hate the fact that you have favor with God. You have to be aware because sometimes the very ones that you think have your back are waiting to stab you in it. It is not your enemies you have to worry about, your enemies cannot harm you because you keep them at a distance. Everybody will not celebrate your successes with you. They can’t be glad for you because somehow they feel your success came at their expense. That should have been their job, their house, their husband. They irrationally believe that you have their blessing. A jealous heart, which is not of God, can be the beginning of betrayal. They don’t get that success is success only because it relates to struggle. How can you have victory without conflict? Success is the reward that God gives to the diligent, who through perseverance and patience obtained the promise.  There is no way to receive what God has for your life without fighting the obstacles and challenges that block your way to victory. One thing I have learned is that there is no way to reach the goal without going through the struggle. I use to look at people and wonder how it felt to be where they were, now I look at people and I wonder what they had to go through to get where they are. What did they have to give up? How many relationships did they lose? Everyone can’t go where God is taking you. Your struggle helps you to appreciate the blessings when they come. But some people don’t want to know your story or what price you have paid to get where you are. They just want what you have. When I speak of successes, I’m not just talking monetarily; sometimes people can’t understand why you have the blessings of peace and joy. These are gifts from God. Unfortunately sometimes those who are closest to you will try to steal them from you. I think about Jesus sitting at the table with Judas. He had no problem discerning who would betray him with a kiss. Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t see the betrayal coming. Sometimes a good heart does not see the bad. We have to pray for discernment. When God blesses us, we must keep our eyes on the Giver, not the gift. Because the Giver will protect us from those who mean us harm and will sometimes remove them from our lives. And if He does remove them, we must not try to keep them or let them back in! Even people who betray us is a part of God’s plan. Jesus would not have made it to the cross without Judas. God will place people in our life and He will remove them, and there is always a reason for both. We serve an intentional God. What God has for us is for us and no one can take it away unless we let them. Guard your heart. It is easy for us to fall into jealousy in our society and become a Judas. But, it is important for us to realize what is most important in our lives and what matters most. We should encourage one another and rejoice at others blessing. We must pray that the Lord will help us to keep our eyes on Him; people change, things change, but God will forever stay the same. Love and Blessings…

I remember my mother would say always start something the way you want to finish it. She would say you can’t start on shaky ground and expect to end on solid ground and even if it does get shaky, it won’t collapse when you start on solid ground. She was talking about relationships. At the time I didn’t get it, but now it makes sense. And not just relationships, it applies to all areas in our lives. The foundation matters! Especially when it comes to our faith. You don’t build a house and hope when the storm comes it will not fall, you build the house to withstand the storms. The same applies to our faith. Jesus Christ frequently illustrated His teachings with parables. Jesus described two men who each built a house (Matthew 7:24-27). Jesus said one man was wise and the other was foolish. The man who made the better decision about where to build was a wise builder because he chose the rock as his foundation. I’m sure it was a challenge to build on rocky ground. It probably took some time, patience and hard work. But the wise man believed it would be worth the effort. On the other hand, the foolish builder didn’t consider the foundation to be important. He may have thought it would take too long and building on the sandy soil would be easier. When a storm came, the house built into the rock survived the downpour, but the house on the sand was destroyed. Jesus stated, “And great was its fall.” Jesus was illustrating that we can live wisely or foolishly. It all depends on where we lay our foundation. It is important to build our spiritual foundation as well as our physical. Jesus said that if we obey His word and follow Him, we will be like the wise builder. His teachings are sound principles about how to live successfully. We will be unshakable! If our foundation is weak we can’t survive. Our only hope is in our Lord and Savior. We know that the Lord is not only our redeemer, but in Him we have a rock-solid foundation. He is our rock! Our foundation is strong when we know Jesus and stand on His Word. No weapon formed against us will prosper. The world may be sinking, but we won’t sink when we stand on the solid rock, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Following Jesus provides a solid foundation for our lives, our families, our friendships, our associations and our future. When we build a relationship with Jesus; we will come through the storms of life, the trials and difficulties that are part of life. Love and Blessings…

I hear many reasons why people do not attend church. Most of them are because of the hypocrites, judgment and negativity. Some say the church talks more about it’s offering, than the sermon. All are valid points no doubt. I don’t judge. I will tell you if you can deal with church folk, it prepares you to deal with the world, which is full of many more types of God’s children. We are all God’s children, the good, the bad, and the ugly. As believers we have to learn to love and get along with everyone. This is not easy! That is why we need Jesus. The church is not just a building, we are the church. A building without believers is just a building. When Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). He was saying the Church, His followers, would not die out. The church should be alive, a warm and caring body of believers striving to serve God, to do His work and to support and encourage each other. That’s how it should be, but like a lot of things in this fallen world, the enemy is trying to take over. I for one refuse to let the enemy block my blessings! We go to work and face some of the same issues, the same attitudes we face in church but that does not stop us from going to work. We go because it is our means of survival. I believe the same of Jesus, He is my means of survival. So I will stay on team Jesus and I will be His number one fan. I look at church this way, not only is it a chance to study and get to know our Savior; it’s a chance to cheerleader and root for our team captain. It is a chance to worship and sing praises to His name, not only because of what He has done or what we want, but just because He is God! Sports fan love to sing their team’s praises. We wear t-shirts and hats supporting our team, and we can talk about our favorite teams all day. A true fan, whether their team is losing or winning, is still loyal. That’s how I feel about my Tarheels and Panthers! How can I not be loyal to Jesus who always wins! His team is always victorious! We know how it feels to win an award, or walk across a stage, or accomplish something major. The joy doubles when we are praised and recognized for our accomplishment. It feels good. I believe God feels the same way when His children, all together are in one place worshipping and praising His name. It pleases Him. Yes, we can do that alone and at home. That pleases Him also. However, look at it this way sports fans, I’m sure our team would appreciate that one fan in the stands, but it would not be same as thousands. Our truest and greatest loyalty must be to the Lord at all times. David said it best, “I will extol the Lord at all times” His praise will always be on my lips.” Think about how many times we praise things of this world more than we praise Jesus. We boast more about our successes more than what Jesus has done for us. When the fact is we would not have had those successes if it had not been for God’s mercy and grace. Yes, I love my teams but my number one loyalty goes to Jesus Christ. I am His number one fan! I can watch my teams play all by myself (especially when they are winning), but it’s nothing like watching them with other fans. I feel the same way about God; it’s nothing like worshipping with other believers. God did say where there is two or more, he will show up. (Matthew 19:20).

 It is not wrong to enjoy our teams, ours interest, and our accomplishments. But our highest praise goes to our Lord. “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3). #GOJESUS #TEAMJESUS #NUMBER1FAN Love and Blessings….

My grandson’s middle name is Ezekiel. Ezekiel means “God will strengthen”. I just finished reading the Book of Ezekiel and I pray that God blesses my grandson with the strength that He gave Ezekiel. Ezekiel was preparing to become a priest when the Babylonians attacked Judah and carried him and many others into captivity. He was a young man at the time of his captivity. Although he was a captive, God commissioned him for a great service. The prophet Ezekiel had the thankless job of proclaiming God’s message on the crowded and hostile streets of Babylon. At the same time that Jeremiah was warning the citizens of Jerusalem of the coming destruction of that holy city, Ezekiel was preaching the same message to the exiles in Babylon. They were hundreds of miles away from the Promised Land and the temple, but God would not leave them in the dark. He sent Ezekiel. Even though his exiled audience was cut off from the temple, the priesthood, and the related ceremonies and feasts, the prophet Ezekiel informed the exiles not only of these details, He warned the people of national calamity, including warnings of disease, death, destruction and deportation. But he also warned of the importance of obeying God’s law and seeking after Him.  His purpose was to remind the people of their spiritual unfaithfulness and of God’s faithfulness to His own promises. During Ezekiel’s life and ministry, the northern Kingdom of Israel was corrupt politically and spiritually. (sound familiar) They were in captivity because of their disobedience.

 Our Lord is the God of second chances. God could have wiped them out but instead He sent Ezekiel to be a tower of strength among his people during their captivity. Ezekiel’s message to the nation was that they return to the Lord. God declared that he would restore them to their own land. Sometimes it is easier to give God’s message to other people than your own family or friends. But God is not concerned with difficulty, He is concerned with obedience. Ezekiel probably seemed strange to his neighbors and friends. Ezekiel did whatever God asked him to do, and God asked some extraordinary things of him. He shut himself up in his house, he ate his food by weight, and he sacrificed his personal appearance. It is one thing to prophesy about impending judgment and warn people to repent; it is quite another to lay on your left side for 390 days and then your right side for 40 days. And I can imagine what the people said when he did not mourn his own wife’s death!  But Ezekiel did not worry about how he looked to others, for he owed his obedience to God. So if God told him to do something he did it. God had a purpose in having Ezekiel perform each thing He told him to do. A point was illustrated and a lesson was taught. Some may have laughed at the prophet, and many probably ignored him, and unfortunately they missed the lesson.

 God did not just throw Ezekiel out to the wolves, He prepared him for what He was asking of him. Ezekiel received and reported revelations from the God. He told Ezekiel that “I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flit” (Ezekiel 3:9). Through his visions Ezekiel was adequately equipped by God for his calling. My favorite is the vision of the “dry bones”, it shows the power of God, how he can raise those who have been scattered, but who are also dead in sins. This was Ezekiel’s message to Israel, a nation that had been scattered and God’s promise to restore. God’s presence being revealed to Ezekiel in captivity demonstrates that holiness has nothing to do with geographical location, but the condition of people’s hearts. God is moved by the faithfulness of men like Ezekiel, who became a prophet not because of status but because of his faith in God in a dark land, no matter the circumstances. God told Ezekiel to speak to the people, whether they listen or fail to listen, was not his concern, his responsibility was to deliver God’s message. No one wants to hear bad news or hear about the consequences of their actions. Ezekiel probably was not very popular and people dreaded seeing him coming. But God strengthened him. God also told him, if he was not obedient, the people’s blood would be on his hands. It is our personal responsibility to spread the Gospel, no matter where we are, or how uncomfortable  we may feel.

 Obedience to the will of God can be difficult. It is a struggle to live the way God wants us to live while the rest of society continues in its sinful ways. Our actions may not be as dramatic as Ezekiel’s but the consequences can be important, both as examples to others, and as indications of our obedience to God. Obedience is better than sacrifice. The Book of Ezekiel stresses the ultimate aim of God’s charity and chastisement, that “they shall know that I am the Lord.” The message is clear, we must obey God and seek after Him! God may ask us to do things that are at odds from our wills and desires. We may be laughed at and talked about. The question is will we still be obedient like Ezekiel? Much Love…

We all have had those times when we are on top of the world one day, then feel like the world is on top of us the next day. The issues of life can weigh heavy on our shoulders. Health issues, financial issues, children issues, job issues, family issues and relationship issues; they can occur one at a time or all of them at once. When they come one after another, my mother would say; when it rains it pours or if it ain’t one thing it’s another. At these times we may question if God’s peace is powerful enough to calm life’s storms? We may ask ourselves is God’s peace always possible, even when we are going through storm after storm? Ok, maybe you haven’t wondered but I have. I now know without a doubt the answer is yes, we can have God’s peace through the storms and His peace is powerful enough to calm any storm. I know this because I am in that place right now. It is amazing! Just a few years ago I would never have imagined I could experience peace in the midst of a storm. I was in the wilderness with storms raging all around me, and there was no peace, at least I thought there was none. All I knew was pain, anxiety, depression, and worry. Who knew that having a relationship with Jesus can change you and the way you perceive things! I know that no storm is beyond God’s sovereignty.

When we are overwhelmed because of the chaos of life, it’s easy to forget that God is standing in the middle of the storm with us. No matter what we are going through, He is there. And if God is there, so is peace. God is peace. He is there in the storms next to us ready and waiting to reach out and rescue us. God is waiting for us to turn to Him for help. As soon as we turn to Him, Jesus reaches out without hesitation. Turning to Him means humbling ourselves, and admitting that we cannot handle this situation in our own strength. Turning to Him means handing over the situation to God and trusting Him to handle it how He sees fit. I use to say I could kick myself, because if I had done that, maybe just maybe, I would not have been in the wilderness so long or maybe it would not have been so bad. But I have stopped kicking myself because the lessons I learned are valuable and the relationship I developed with Christ Jesus is priceless! A relationship with Jesus can provide continuous nourishment in life’s storms. I learned I can thrive in any situation when I am in touch with my Savior. I learned that it is a rainbow after every storm; I learned to lean on Jesus when my strength is gone, and I learned the only way to get through the storm is to go through it and let Jesus lead the way. I learned nothing stays the same, that this too shall pass. Because of those lessons I believe I can take what life throws at me. In order for me to keep this mindset I have  to stay close to my friend, Jesus. I know that I know that I know that He has my back! I don’t ever want the old Curleen back, the one where there was peace only when life was going my way, the way I wanted it to go, when I controlled the outcome and the direction of my life. How sad. How stressful! It is stressful because we know that it is not realistic; we control nothing on this earth but how we choose to think, act, and handle what life throws at us. The storms continue, but during the storms I may cry, I may hurt, and I may even get upset at times; but I keep moving because even if I don’t know what’s coming next, God does. The same Jesus that calmed the raging storms for the frightened disciples is the same Jesus that I am in contact with every day. He loves me the same as he loved the disciples. He loves you the same as He loves me.

 I realize it is not easy to find peace in the mist of the storms, especially when they are coming at you like tornadoes. It takes strength that you probably didn’t  realize you had. It takes the courage to keep moving forward even with tears in your eyes. In the wilderness, every time I wanted to give up, God said no and then He would give me strength to make it another minute, another hour and then another day. He gives us what we need when we need it. The good news is each time you make it through; it strengthens you more and builds your resilience. In difficult times, we may not understand life and its unfairness. We have to ask God to help us to trust Him for what we cannot understand. When life’s journey gets wild and scary, we have to trust Him and know He is in control. Once I realized that, and turned my life over to Him totally, I now have peace and joy, instead of anxiety and worry , no matter the circumstance. I challenge you to trust Him. I promise you one of two things will happen; God will speak to that issue and like magic it will disappear, or He will guide you through it, giving you comfort and strength to endure. God will not abandon us! I pray that if you don’t have this joy and peace that goes beyond understanding (people will wonder why you dancing when it seems your world is falling apart) that you receive it. It comes from Jesus and it is free! Those who know me know I love free stuff. All we have to do is trust and believe! Love and Blessings…

In Israel times when people called out to God, they frequently wept, fasted, and put on sack cloth and ashes. These were not casual request for God’s blessings, but serious prayers because they did not have modern medicine, a strong army, police force to maintain law and order, or the money to fight someone who had falsely accused them. Their only hope was to depend on God for mercy and protection. They did not hide their feelings of sorrow or disappointment. They believed God could solve their problems. They expressed themselves because they believed their situation would change when God heard their prayers.

 Even though we are modernized, just like the Israelites our only hope is to depend on God for mercy and grace. In our busy world , people do not spend much time describing their problems or telling God how they feel about these difficulties. We just want a quick fix. Everything is instant and unfortunately, that sometimes include instant prayers. I’m not saying we have to pray long drawn out prayers every time we pray, but we as believers need to be open with God, tell Him exactly how we feel. When we call on God, we admit that we are unable to solve all the problems of life on our own strength. By calling on God and by faith, we can rest in his strength. Once we pray we must turn our attention from the problem to God. That is the key to surviving the storm as we wait on God. When we trust God, we are confident that God’s salvation will bring joy; He will turn our ashes into beauty. As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the struggles of this earth will grow strongly dim in the light of His glory and grace. Even life’s struggles will become beautiful struggles. You know, the man without shoes see’s the man without feet, the person who has to walk to work, see’s the person in the wheelchair or the one who has no job to walk to, the person who has no money and good health, see’s the rich person who has an illness that money can’t cure. You get my point. Your struggles of life become beautiful struggles  when you look around and you thank Jesus for what you do have!

Transportation was difficult in Israel times. People who lived a long way from Jerusalem were able to come to the temple and worship God only a few times each year. Because of Christ Jesus, we can worship and pray to God anytime! I think this is huge! For me it’s the same concept of not voting when people have died so I can have that privilege. Jesus died so we can come to God through Him. Thank you Jesus!  In times of difficulty we can bring all our burdens to God, we can praise and worship Him even if we can’t move from our bed! He always hears and comforts those who come to Him. The prayer for help should not be centered on the problem or what is needed. It should focus on God’s ability to answer prayer and our commitment to trust God, and to glorify Him and His divine grace. Love and Blessings…

I’m not sure why David took five smooth stones with him to fight Goliath. Some say it may have been because Goliath had four giant brothers (2 Samuel 21:22). Some say he may have doubted God or maybe he was just being prepared in case one stone didn’t do the job. I believe because God had been faithful in the past and protected him, David trusted God. One stone or five, David knew victory was his. David told Goliath that he came with spear and sword, but his weapon was God the Father. (1 Samuel 17:37). David knew the power was not in his sling but in God.

 I, like David have learned that God has the power! The last years I have faced physical, mental, and financial giants. And by the grace of God I am still standing. Not feeling or looking like what I have been through. I have survived! I know that God allowed situations and challenges to stretch me so that I could be ready to fulfill my purpose. Nothing prepares you more than when you have been stretched! There is no way I could be ready without training. Even athletes train, they have to if they want to be at their A game. I thank God for my time in the wilderness. I am stronger and better because of it. It is the reason I can handle life challenges today. I trust El Shaddai, God Almighty. God gave me strength at a time when I had none left. And because of that, there is no problem or circumstance I feel I cannot handle.  So you would think the enemy would go somewhere and sit down! You would think he knows I have a relationship with God and he can’t touch me. He  knows I am striving to be like David, a woman after God’s heart. Trust me, that don’t stop the enemy. That just makes him mad. The Bible teaches that God allows satan a certain amount of freedom (Job 1:12), but that freedom is always limited. We cannot blame God for what satan does. Our weakness to satanic attack started with Adam’s choice to follow satan’s lies in the Garden of Eden. When satan attacked Job through the loss of his family, wealth, and health, Job didn’t blame God. (Job 1:21-22). Neither do I blame God. I put the blame where it belongs, that lying thieving snake of a devil! I am furious with the enemy! He knows he can’t get to me. Every time he tries, I’m like, that’s all you got, my God is greater! So he has decided to come after my love ones. He thinks he can get me where my heart is. Well satan, my heart belongs to God! My loved ones belong to God! I declare war! And like David, I have faith that I will come out victorious! I know he comes to kill, steal and destroy, but he best believe he will not have my loved ones without a fight! I plead the blood of Jesus over my loved ones. I stand with my six smooth stones; the helmet of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sandals of peace, and the sword of the Spirit. The full armor of God, my six smooth stones. David only had five! I stand on God’s Word. He said I can do all things through Him that strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) I am a prayer warrior! When prayer warriors go down on their knees, the battle is not over, it is just beginning! There is power in prayer! Prayer is the way we draw strength from God and rely on Him. Prayer activates the armor. Without God, and dependence on Him through prayer, our efforts in spiritual battle would be useless.

 Sisters and brothers, y’all better take a stand. Don’t let satan afflict your loved ones with sickness, crime, tragedy or persecution, just because he can’t get to you. The enemy is not attacking you because you are weak, he is attacking you because you have a purpose. And if he can’t get to you, he will go through those you love. Declare war! Tell him as David did, “You come to me with a sword(disease), a spear(poverty), and a javelin(confusion), but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you.” (1 Samuel 17:45-46). God can turn what the enemy meant for bad into good for his ultimate purpose. The battle is the Lord’s, but we are His soldiers. We must prepare and stand. It is God who goes before us, giving us the victory! (Deuteronomy 1:30-33). And He gets the glory! Ha, you lose again devil! Love and blessings…

Jesus treated women with a level of respect unheard in that era. I believe He had the same level of respect for women as He did men. Women were basically property at the time, but Jesus spoke to women, ate with women, let women sit at his feet and be taught by Him (usually reserved for men). Jesus made it clear that we are not second class. In Jewish culture men did not speak to non family women directly. The woman at the well was shocked that Jesus spoke to her because she was a woman and a Samaritan as well. Yet Jesus did not treat the woman as though she were less important than anyone else. Jesus does not follow the rules of man, but the heart of God. He came to offer new life to all people. Wherever Christ goes, womanhood is lifted. Jesus showed many times how he loved and respected women. He spoke with the widow Nain in a crowd of mourners and called her son back to life. (Luke 7:11-17). He cures a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years, laying hands on her in the Temple and saying, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity” (Luke 13:12). When the leader of the synagogue becomes indignant that Jesus has healed a woman on the Sabbath, Jesus uses a title of particular dignity for her, “daughter of Abraham” (Luke 13:16). While the expression “son of Abraham” was often used to indicate that a male Jew was recognized as bound by covenant to God, women had never been called “daughters of Abraham.” With this title, Jesus recognizes this woman as having equal worth. Jesus refuses to view women as unclean or especially deserving of punishment. Women who were menstruating or persons who had any flow of blood were considered ritually unclean. In this condition, women were not allowed to participate in most religious rituals. Anything or anyone she touched was deemed unclean. Jesus had compassion for the woman with the issue of blood. He says nothing of her ritual impurity, but instead addresses her as “Daughter,” saying that her faith has saved her and tells her to go in peace (Luke 8:48). Jesus recognizes the dignity of women in situations that seem by ritual law to demand judgment, for example, the sinful woman who anoints Jesus (Luke 7:36-50) and that of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11). In both cases he sees the person as someone deserving compassion. Jesus not only taught women, but some women traveled with him and ministered to him. In Luke 8:1-3, Jesus is described as journeying from village to village, preaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God. “The Twelve” were with him and several women: “Mary called Magdalene, from whom several demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.” And let us not forget about Ruth. Ruth abandoned her lifelong home and her pagan gods. She chose to make Naomi’s God her God. And she was blessed with her Boaz. In an age when childbearing was seen as the highest honor for women, Ruth played a key role in the coming of the promised Messiah.

Sisters, Jesus loves us and there is nothing we can do about it. We are the daughters of Abraham. So unshackle those chains, take His Word into your heart and run into your destiny. Set yourself free from limitations, our God is limitless. Let Him who loves you heal you, deliver you, and break the chains that are holding you back.  He can transform you. He can speak life into what you thought was dead. There is no problem or situation he can’t see you through. I feel the chains breaking! The Son has set us free! Love and Blessings…

Sometimes when we go through difficult times or trails we feel  no one really cares or understands. It does not matter how close our families are or how many friends we have, we still feel alone. At times you may feel  that God is far away and you don’t feel  His presence. Many people go through this. We have to remember that people may leave us but God does not lie. God is always with us. He said that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God has promised us His constant presence. Because we cannot see Him, does not mean He is not with us. God blesses us with many gifts, but His presence is the best present. I believe we have to practice being conscious of God’s presence. We have to see God in whatever we do and wherever we are. Every morning when we wake,  we have to be conscious of His presence. If you have problems or decisions to make, He is there to listen and if we listen to Him, He will bring clarity and wisdom. I have experienced a peace that gives me joy beyond words no matter the circumstances.  That is because  I am conscious of His presence every single day. I find myself wanting to imitate Him. This is because you cannot be in God’s presence without His beauty, love, peace, power and glory rubbing off on you. The same earthly concept of who you hang with rubbing off on you applies, trust me, you cannot keep better company! When you become conscious of God’s presence in your life, worries and fears will have no grip in your mind. They may appear but just as quickly disappear because worry and fear cannot occupy the same space as God. Negative and destructive things you once said or did without a thought to yourself or anyone else, you will no longer do, not because of your own willpower, but because there is self-control which comes supernaturally when you know that the one who loves you and watches over you is with you. You’re not troubled when the enemy tries to attack your health, finances, or family, because He that is greater is right there with you. If you are conscious of God’s presence, whatever this world throws at you may cause you to bend, but never break.  It is comforting to know our Father will take care of us for the rest of our life. We are never alone and always cared for. Thank you Emmanuel (God with us). One way we can be conscious of God’s presence is to study His Word. Please read today’s scripture in Food for the Soul. Love and Blessings…