TODAY’S INSPIRIATION: INVISIBLE PAIN

I knew I was in trouble when the pain went above my tolerance level. I have always had a high tolerance for pain! I knew something was wrong when the pain began to move from my wrist to my ankles, from shoulders to my chest, from head to toes. And finally, my entire body. I knew something was wrong when two days of pain became four days and four days became weeks. And four years later, it is still hard to explain to people a pain that never goes away. A pain that affects your entire body and that can sometimes get so bad it is hard to breath! What do you say when they say, well you look like there is nothing wrong? Some days you just want to curl up in bed and medicate. So, you hide it most of the time. I am not sharing this because I want pity, I passed the pity party stage a long time ago. I now only have Holy Ghost parties! I am sharing this again because someone is dealing with their own pain, and it may not be physical. Someone is hurting on the inside, and it is invisible on the outside. It could be the pain of depression, the pain of divorce, the pain of loneliness, financial pain, the pain of addiction, or the pain of losing a love one. Whatever it may be, I want you to know that God will sustain you. When the pain is unbearable, when you cannot move, when you just want to give up.  Do. Not. Give. Up. Instead pray. Give God the pain, and then trust Him, not your feelings. You can call me crazy, but I refuse to accept defeat, in spite of a diagnosis. I refuse to accept defeat because of what my bank account looks like! I refuse to accept defeat because someone walked out of my life! I just refuse to accept defeat! We serve a God who is greater than any diagnosis, circumstance, or problem! We serve a God who can and will kick their butt! If we trust Him. I choose to live by God's promises, no matter what it looks or feels like! We must breakdown the strongholds of satan against our bodies, our finances, and our families. Greater is He who lives in us than he who lives in this world. We must trust God through the good, bad, and the ugly. When everything is going good in our life, we thank God and praise Him. We should do the same when things are going bad. We should glorify God and trust in Him because we know He is our help in times of trouble. He will either remove it, restore it, or give us the strength to endure it. What He will not do is leave or forsake us!  I know the struggle is real, but so is our God! You may not see the light at the end of the tunnel right now. You may feel that you cannot stand any longer, that is ok, just kneel. Keep praying, keep fasting. Sometimes God does not answer in our way or our time, but He answers in the best way and at the best time! Sisters and brothers do not give up when it is raining, or you will not see the sunshine when it comes.

 Love and Blessings….

“For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” (John 5:4)

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  (1 John 4:4)  

^“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  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)

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

^“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

“Be ye strong therefore and let not your hands be weak: for your ^awork shall be rewarded.” (2 Corinthians 15:7)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

There have been times in my life I could really stink, wait, let me clarify that, my attitude stank! At times I did not give off the aroma of Christ! I probably could come up with quite a few examples, but I will give you just one. I am ashamed to say I was egotistical. Back in the day as they say, I was self-centered, proud, and arrogant. In other words, I had the “it’s all about me” syndrome. Even though I was a nice person, that mind-set showed up far too many times in my attitude. Our attitude determines how we relate to those around us. Some people may have seen this in me, and others may not have. But God did and I am sure He was not pleased! One of the lessons God taught me during my time in the wilderness is that nothing is about me, it is all about Him! When the attitude we possess places others first and we see people as important, our perspective will reflect their viewpoint as well as ours. Our attitude determines how we smell to God. Consider these questions; Is your thinking stinking? Are you self-centered, proud, or arrogant as I was? Are those around you drawn to God as a result of the sweet aroma of love and peace you display? Do your conversations constantly honor God, representing the fruit of the Spirit, and eject the fragrance of life, or are they sometimes laced with bitterness, resentment, anger, complaining, and gossip?  Imagine what message it sends to our families, children, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, when we intentionally misrepresent Christ. And that is exactly what we are doing when we have nasty smelly attitudes and claim to represent God, our attitude deforms the face of Christianity. Anytime negative thoughts or behavior creep into our thoughts, conversations, or behavior, we must reject them and pray to God for a clean heart. Pray to God for an attitude that gives off an aroma of Christ? Everyone may need an attitude adjustment now and then. I made a list of attitude adjustments I needed to work on. Over the years, day by day, that list gets shorter. We all are a work in progress. I found out that with the help of the Lord we can clean up and smell right nice. I am working on taking captive of my thoughts before they come out of my mouth. In doing this I find I am inclined to speak the best, not the worst, to speak of beauty and not the ugly, and to praise and not curse. I am working on my attitude because I want to smell good to God all the time, not just sometimes. We can dress up on the outside all we want, and be looking really cute too, with our stinking self. It is not until we clean up on the inside will we have that sweet aroma, the one that is pleasing to God. I realized a long time ago that I cannot do it alone. We all must spend time in prayer asking God to reveal areas in our life that does not smell as they should and to help us clean up. Love and Blessings…

 “If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)

 “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” NLT (2 Corinthians 2:15)

 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

  “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6)

 “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)

 “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” (Colossians 4:5-6)

 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. (Ephesians 4:29; 5:3–4)

 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

God is our spiritual mechanic. He refuels us every morning. God can change, rotate, and balance our life. When we are broken, damaged or defective, He can repair us. Whatever malfunction we are experiencing, body, soul, or mind, He can fix it! The best part is Jesus already paid the price for us, so it is all free! Because of Jesus we can have an eternal warranty. If we allow Him, God will even rebuild us. Sometimes we need detailed from inside, cleaning up on the outside will only get you so far! When God cleans us on the inside,  it ensures that our integrity and soundness is in tact. This is important because our structural integrity is essential to the survival of others, if we fail in our Christian duties, others can go down in flames along with us. We must not resist God’s ordered stress test, but use them as indicators to gage where we are in our Christian walk. The lives of others may depend on our ability to withstand. Consider these questions; how do you react when your stress test is at hand? Do you go to the Master Mechanic? What did you learn from your last stress test? Are you committed to the maintenance and upkeep of your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit? How joyful it is to have God as our master mechanic and to keep us tuned up for eternal life!Love and Blessings…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) NIV

“And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) AMPC

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

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corithians 6:19-20) ESV

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

TODAY’S INSPIRATION

“THE FLOWER THAT BLOOMS IN ADVERSITY IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF THEM ALL”

I have been going through some challenges lately. Physical challenges. I do not know about you, but it seems the closer your walk with God, the more the enemy will try and attack you. Because you are trying to walk hand in hand with Jesus, he can not touch you spiritually, so he will attempt to attack you physically, mentally, or financially. The devil will remind you of your mistakes, failures, and sins. He will tell you that because you have fallen short, you cannot receive your healing. He will accuse you, condemn you, and try to persuade you that you deserve everything you are going through. My mama said it would be days like this. But more importantly, Jesus also said we would go through times like these in this world. But He also said He had overcome the world. God said, “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you” (Isaiah 54:14). The truth is that the devil cannot enforce anything in our life if our heart and soul is steadfast in faith and in the righteousness of Jesus.

Yet Curleen, this pain I feel is real. Don’t I know it! Let us talk about physical challenges and healing. Jesus said we are healed, and we know our God cannot lie. We must not forget that God did not say there would be no weapons formed, He said they would not prosper. So yes, the enemy will attack our body with symptoms. We will feel the pain. The doctors say you are sick. We will hear them. The test confirms we are sick. We will see them. What we are feeling, hearing, and seeing begins to affect what we are thinking. Then we speak it, I am sick. We pray for healing. Our family and friends pray for healing. Wait. What? Did not God say I was already healed? Did not Jesus shed blood on the cross for my healing? Whose report am I going to believe? This is the time to stand up and declare, because of Jesus’s finished work I am not trying to get healed, I am already healed! I will pray for the healing to manifest and I will pray for strength to endure the pain or whatever God’s will until it does. What I will not do is give in to the enemy and speak his lies. I do not care what it feels or looks like, I will stand on the victory ground which Jesus has given me. I am here to tell you, the doctors, the medications, can only work when you are believing and fighting from victory. I heard Pastor Prince say once, “It makes a world of difference when you fight from victory and not for victory!” I get it. I pray this helps someone. We are healed in the mighty name of Jesus!

Love and Blessings…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) NIV

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) NIV

“no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” (Isaiah 54:17) NIV

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raise Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11) ESV

“What shall we then say to these thigs? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) KJV

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57) NIV

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most beautiful of them all.” …Author Unknown

This morning as I read Philippians 4, I was reminded that we must stay humble, submitting our will to God’s will. We should ask for our specific needs according to His Word, and keep praying persistently even when we don’t see the results right away. We must have hopeful expectations that God is going to show up, no matter how long it takes. I had to encourage myself because sometimes the wait is hard. The pain is real, the hurt is real, whatever the situation or circumstances you may be going through is real. But God is realer. (I think I made that word up) But you get it, He is bigger than anything we may be going through. And we that love the Lord know that the wait is always worth it! So I ask you the same questions I asked myself. Did you pray believing your prayers would be answered? Do you trust God? Do you believe that your prayers are heard even though God may be building your faith by delaying a response? If you answered yes to all those questions, then don’t worry, all is well!

Love and Blessings…

Philippians 4:4-8

This morning my bed started shaking, actually the entire building. I didn’t know what was happening but I did not panic. I said what are You doing now Lord. I found out later it was an earthquake. The news said the strongest here since 1916. I don’t know but the Bible does say that before the Lord returns in judgment, world-wide chaos and disorder will increase. Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various place. However, as Christians, we should not worry or be afraid. We should eagerly wait with anticipation for the return of Christ. Since we do not know the time or the hour, we should stay alert and prepared.The Bible clearly instructs us to be vigilant. We should seek God and submit to His will. We should live a life of purpose. We should continue to practice holiness and take every opportunity to do good, loving others wherever and whenever we can. If we do these things we can be at peace. Because we know the return of Christ will not be the end, but the beginning of the very best!
Love and Blessings…

“Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 4-8)NIV

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:13)NIV

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:10-13)NIV

When we let our minds shape the state of our souls, we can become lost to who we are and whose we are. Whatever we allow to enter our mind, affects our soul. I do not know about you, but just about every day I face challenges that seek to destroy, confuse, and entangle my mind. I look at what is happening all around me in this dark and fallen world and fear tries to creep in. Covid-19, racism, injustice, circus politics, hatred, and panic. And then we must contend with our own life and challenges. It is enough to drive any sane person crazy! Some of you may be feeling depressed and overwhelmed right about now. You may feel like everything is out of control. The truth is it may be out of our control, but God has always and will forever be in control! Nothing in our personal life or what is happening in this world has caught God by surprise. We on the other hand can get overwhelmed by it all. We can become frightened by these uncertain times. The good news is we do not have to be if we keep our gaze on God. I am careful about what I watch and how much I watch the news on TV. Someone said they do not call the shows programs for nothing, that they program your mind and your way of thinking. I can see that happening if you sit there and watch the same negative things repeatedly. I am also intentional about how much time I spend on social media. Honestly, I do not understand how a person living their life, have so much time for social media. I realize now with the social separation it is a way for people to interact and that is great. I’m just saying do not get so caught up on other people’s lives to the point where you stop living yours. And please do not compare it to yours, you see what they want you to see! My spirit said someone needed to hear that. My main purpose on social media is to glorify God. Just four years ago I knew little about social media and I had no desire to. Then God told me to tell my story and to tell it on social media. I am so happy that after some resistance; I was obedient because it was the beginning of something greater! We must understand that satan has access to social media and TV. He gets mad when it is used to spread the Gospel, spread love, and to encourage one another. He loves it when it is used to spread lies, deceit, and hatred. I am not saying we need to be oblivious about what is going on around us, but we cannot let it consume us. (Lamentations 3:22). We must look to God for answers, not man. Scripture says we perish from lack of knowledge! (Hosea 4:6). It is important we know what is going on but just as important that we do not allow it to jeopardize our faith or shape the state of our mind and soul. (Romans 12:2) In spite of what is going on with me personally and what is happening around me, I will remain grounded in the Lord. I will keep my focus on God and my faith in Him knowing that despite what it looks like, He is in control! Someone once said, “Our faith is what connects our weakness to God’s power. You can see God’s signature everywhere around you once you learn to recognize His handwriting.” And that is how I stay grounded; I can recognize His handwriting. I know by faith that even though it may look and feel bad in the natural, God is working it out for my good! Knowing this gives me the peace I need to make it day by day. (John 14:27). However, faith that has not been tested or does not translate into action is no faith at all! (James 2:17). We should allow God to lead us and use us to do what we can to help the issues in this world that tear at our souls. Whatever we know breaks God’s heart, should also break our hearts. The answer is letting God lead us and not our emotions lead us. We do what we can to rectify the injustices of this world. The rest we leave to our Father who is in control and has the power to change things in one prayer! We do however have control of our reactions and the way we respond to situations. I am still working on not allowing negative people or the things of this world to enter my mind and get into my soul. It is not easy because the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. (Galatians 5:17). Because of this we should continuously meditate on God’s Word and all that is good. (Colossians 3:2) Darkness can sometimes settle on us as we see the conditions of our world. And that is why we must keep our minds filled with a steady diet of study, meditation, prayer, and fasting. This way we can see the light of God and embrace it, not what is going on in this world. Brothers and sisters, we can refuse to fill our minds with negativity and let the condition of this world steal our joy. We can train ourselves to flip the script from negative to positive. We can make careful decisions about what fills our minds and choose the things which will honor God and guard our souls! (Romans 8:5-7) Love and Blessings…    

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)