In the dictionary the diversity of uses and meanings combined with the complexity of the feelings involved makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states. However, the Apostle Paul tells us exactly what love is; Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Apostle Paul says love never fails, does that mean love never ends? The Greek word translated “fails” in the NIV is related to a verb meaning “to fall.” By saying, “Love never fails,” the Bible means that God’s type of love will not fall or falter. It is constant forever. It is an Endless Love.

We humans are so desperate to find Endless Love that we pursue it more than anything else in this world. More so than money or fame. That is why we look at these people who seem to have everything and wonder why they are unhappy. Why they are not content. It is because they don’t have the one thing that they long for, that we all long for, Endless Love. We want this Endless Love so badly, we make wrong decisions, turn to the wrong people and things in pursuit of it. We are so desperate for it we do terrible things and then we suffer the consequences. The realities of life can teach us harsh lessons. And just when we think we have learned our lesson, we wander aimlessly trying to find it again. As parents we are blessed when we have this endless love with our children. I will love my children as long as I breathe. Sometimes we can even find it with friends. I have Endless Love for my friend/person who I can’t image life without. Some families are fortunate, they have this Endless Love even if the family is dysfunctional. My brother went to his eternal home this week. He was not a perfect man, but he was a perfect brother to me. I was his favorite sister. He was my broro. (hero). I have loved him all his life, unconditional. I will love him all my life. He is no longer physically with me, my heart aches with missing him, with memories of him, but most of all my heart is still full of love for him. My brother and I have Endless Love. If you are really blessed, you have that Endless Love with the man/woman in your life. If you do not yet, there is nothing wrong with being optimistic. There is nothing wrong with taking a chance on Endless Love and risking being hurt. Life is full of risk everyday.. But please be careful and give it some thought, because the wrong person can destroy the little pieces of hope that you store within. Guard your heart. Let God lead you and not your emotions!

This week when sadness and grief threatened to take over my thoughts, I think about the Endless Love of Jesus. He loved me even before I loved Him. Jesus loved me enough to die for me! He believed I was worth saving. He said He would never leave me or forsake me. He loves me unconditionally. He sits on the right-hand side of God and intercedes on my behalf. He is my way maker, provider, comforter, healer, and my peace in times of trouble! He is my strength when I am weak. Why in the world would I pursue meaningless relationships in this world when I have the Endless Love of Jesus?!!! Because of His love for me, I am not ashamed to proclaim my love for Jesus! I don’t want to be selfish with this love, I must tell you that Jesus offers this Endless Love to all. You just have to accept it. Sisters and brothers, not one person has to walk around believing they have no one that loves them. Not one person has to long for this type of love. Jesus is love and His love is endless. Please read todays scriptures. Please help me share God’s Word. Love and Blessings…..

 

For a long time, I believed the saying, “God never gives you too much for you to bear”. That is not true. God will give us assignments that we on our own can’t handle. It is God’s strength and His grace that equips us to handle our assignments. Sometimes God’s assignments can be completed in a moment or a season, like praying for someone or a financial gift. Then there’s the difficult assignments? In the Bible, you will see that difficult, long-term assignments were the norm rather than the exception.  Abraham was given the assignment of leaving his home country for another land not knowing where he was going. Moses was given the assignment of telling a hard-hearted Pharaoh to let God’s people go. Jonah was given the assignment of preaching to Nineveh.  Hosea was given the assignment of marrying a prostitute. Paul was given the assignment of being an apostle to the Gentiles knowing that he would suffer terrible things for the cause of Christ.  And let us not forget about our Jesus who was given the most difficult assignment of all, living a sinless life, and bearing the sins of the world. People didn’t always want these assignments, just as we sometimes don’t want ours. But those who walked with God and had faith, eventually accepted their assignments. They understood that the assignment advanced the purposes of God in this world. When it’s clear that God wants us to do something difficult, we must be obedient. We must trust that even if we feel we can’t handle it, that God can. He will equip us and give us everything we need to fulfill the assignment!

I know this because there have been times in my life where I looked back and wondered how in the world did I do that or as Mahalia Jackson would sing, how did I make it over! I realize now I didn’t do that, it was not me, but God! One of those times was in 2005, my mother suffered a stroke. She was paralyzed on one side and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This changed her life forever. God put in my Spirit to be her caregiver and to not leave her in a rest home. I did not know how I was going to do it, but I chose to be obedient. It changed my life, as I knew it. Anyone that has been a caregiver or knows someone who is, understands it is physically, mentally, emotionally and financially draining. The next years were challenging to say the least. My siblings and I have never been close, but my mother’s illness pulled us further apart. And even though I chose to accept the assignment, I was hurt, angry, and I resented my siblings. I felt they were not doing their part. They resented me for their own reasons (that’s their story to tell). It was a hot mess! I had to be a caregiver and deal with all these emotions. I was angry and frustrated, I cried a lot. Then one night while I was walking the floor, crying and venting about my siblings, God stopped me dead in my tracks. I could hear Him clearly say to me, “why are you angry with your siblings? I gave you this assignment, not them”. And just as clearly, He sent me to my Bible and scriptures on Moses and Pharaoh. Scripture says God hardened Pharaohs heart. He needed Moses to keep going back to Pharaoh so He could show up and show out! Pharaoh mistakenly thought that he was in control. However, God put him in the place of being an Egyptian leader for His purpose. This is the very reason I don’t get distracted by politics. They may think they are in control, but trust me, God is on it! God has a purpose for everyone, including those who resist Him. In the end God will get the glory no matter the person because God is the Giver of purpose in every life whether they live for Him or not. Our job is to pray for them. 

The lesson I learned was that when God gives us an assignment, and we accept it, we can’t get resentful and look to other people for help. We look to God. That is how God gets His glory. That night, God freed me from all that and it was wonderful! It was my assignment and I can tell you that I have never been the same spiritually! There is no way I could have done that assignment myself! He kept me strong. He made sure we had everything we needed, even though I had left my job to take care of her. He put who I needed in my life when I needed them. My mother lived like a queen until the day He took her home! God will cause people to be blessed because of your obedience! He kept me healthy even though I was diagnosed back then. Never had any symptoms until after my mom went to her permanent home! Tell me God won’t sustain you when you are on His assignment! What I have learned is we don’t have to worry about the how’s, when’s, why’s, or what ifs. God will provide the resources, time, and the anointing. Kingdom assignments only requires our obedience, God provides everything we need in our lives once we accept. I am not going to lie, being a caregiver was not easy most of the time. It was a challenge but also so rewarding! God gave me the opportunity to love on my mother the last years of her life. I would do it all over again! Long-term assignments are more challenging because they require long-term commitment and determination. I’m thinking about difficult assignments like family life, leadership roles in the body of Christ, or difficult ongoing circumstances related to your health or your finances.  These assignments need huge amounts of grace from God because our human willpower will run out. Difficult assignments sometimes will mean that you give up your ideal of a nice, controlled, comfortable life. Your life may seem out of control and you feel overwhelmed. Matthew 16:24-25 says, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it”.  Joseph just came to my mind. This man had an assignment that was not only difficult but would last his lifetime. I can’t imagine what Joseph was thinking when he found out his wife-to-be was pregnant. In that era, the only explanation for pregnancy, was that you had been with a man. Believing this Joseph still wanted to make things easier for her. Joseph didn’t want her to be stoned to death; he didn’t even want her to be disgraced. So, he planned to send her away secretly. But then the angel explained to Joseph that he shouldn’t fear violating his righteousness by taking Mary as his wife, because the Child within her was of the Holy Spirit. Once God made clear to Joseph that he was supposed to marry Mary, Joseph was willing; he accepted that assignment from God.  Scripture calls Joseph a righteous man. He also was a compassionate man. Reading about Joseph, tells me he was a man of God. In calling Joseph, a “righteous man”, Matthew is saying that Joseph was faithful to the Old Testament law. He brought sacrifices and meditated on the law day and night (Psalm 1). These qualities made Joseph the type of person who could receive a difficult assignment from God. He was the type of person who had learned how to submit to the will of God. Trust me, this was not a surprise to God. He knew just how Joseph would react when he found out that Mary was pregnant. He knew this because He had prepared him for this specific assignment. He was able to prepare him because Joseph seeked Him and was a righteous man.  I talk about Joseph’s difficult assignment here because Joseph shows that our walks with God should prepare us for the difficult, challenging assignments that God might give us. We must discipline ourselves for the purposes of God and nurture the qualities in our lives that will help us when the difficult assignments come. It is also important that we stay connected to God. When we abandon ourselves to the will of God, like Joseph did, we may lose the life we always wanted for ourselves, but we will find the life that God wants for us. And that life will be more satisfying. I know the assignment had to be difficult for Joseph, but look at the reward, Joseph had been given the honor of being the earthly father of Jesus Christ! God always rewards us when we are obedient! Kingdom assignments always further God’s purposes, even if we are not sure exactly what purpose they serve! Limited information is not a sign that God doesn’t know what the future holds. God is Almighty and all knowing, He knows well what each day holds. When God withholds information from us, it causes us to stay close to Him, to depend on Him, to lean on Him moment by moment, day by day. If we miss our assignment, we miss out on our blessings and everything that God has for us. We miss out on the anointing, insights, revelations, and the transformation our assignments bring. I can look back and see the purpose for just about everything that I have been through, each one leads me to where I am now. The pieces of the puzzle fits! I am enjoying the journey! My desire is to hear God say, “well done my good and faithful child”. Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” I believe this to be true. God’s assignments draw us into His plans and purposes for this world and our lives. Sisters and brothers, obedience is better than sacrifice! Please go to “Food for the Soul” and read today’s scriptures. Meditate on them and seek God’s purpose for your life if you don’t know already. Please share and help me spread God’s word. Love and Blessings…

The Conflict Within our Conscience

Greetings and Blessings to my sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus. All glory and praise be to God our Father, who is truly the Author of our faith. I must say it is an honor to step in for my mom Curleen Johnson and write an inspirational and encouraging blog for her website Emmanuel at http://www.emanne.org And if you hadn’t had a chance to visit, please go visit and support, tell a friend to tell a friend.

The topic God gave me this morning was dealing with internal battles or conflict as I like to call them. You might ask why conflict and not battles? In essence they are kinda the same with different definitions. A battle can be defined as a combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. And we know that the scriptures tell us that the battle is not ours, but the Lord. I like to think of a battle as between two or more people or spirits. A conflict to me is more internal, meaning you don’t necessarily have to have another person or spirit involved to have conflict. The dictionary says conflict is a serious disagreement or argument. And I don’t know about you, but I have had plenty of those in my own conscience. Paul wrote this on the subject:

Romans 7:15-20 (GW) “15 I don’t realize what I’m doing. I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 I don’t do what I want to do, but I agree that God’s standards are good. 17 So I am no longer the one who is doing the things I hate, but sin that lives in me is doing them. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me; that is, nothing good lives in my corrupt nature. Although I have the desire to do what is right, I don’t do it. 19 I don’t do the good I want to do. Instead, I do the evil that I don’t want to do. 20 Now, when I do what I don’t want to do, I am no longer the one who is doing it. Sin that lives in me is doing it.”

This conflict is sin, the flesh versus the spirit. Like I said earlier we all have dealt with this type of conflict at some point in our lives. The good news is, the answer to resolve this conflict begins with turning to God. Unfortunately, many like myself have turned toward the creations in this world to help us with the conflict. That could be money, legal and illegal drugs, alcohol, sex, people, etc.; the list goes on and on. The point is we have become too dependent on ourselves to figure out a solution when God already has it.

The Holy Spirit revealed to me that this conflict that we all face just didn’t start with us. It began in the Garden of Eden; it began with the fall of man and has exercised its wicked intentions throughout each generation. We may want to do what is right, yet we find ourselves doing the wrong things that end up hurting others and ourselves.

Genesis 3:22-24 (GW)
” 22 Then the LORD God said, “The man has become like one of us, since he knows good and evil. He must not reach out and take the fruit from the tree of life and eat. Then he would live forever.” 23 So the LORD God sent the man out of the Garden of Eden to farm the ground from which the man had been formed. 24 After he sent the man out, God placed angels[a] and a flaming sword that turned in all directions east of the Garden of Eden. He placed them there to guard the way to the tree of life.”

God did not intend for us to have this conflict within our conscience. This doesn’t mean we can point fingers at Adam of Eve, our parents, family, spouse, children, friends, co-workers, society, etc. etc. etc. It is no question it is easier to blame someone or something else for our issues or troubles, or simply try and ignore them all together. But we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. I have certainly been guilty of pointing the finger at everyone but me for my struggles. All that has done is left me feeling guilty and depressed over my actions. Since we are aware of good and evil, knowing the knowledge of good and evil doesn’t have to be the end all. Jesus came and took our sins, our conflicts and our discord from the Father, to reconcile us back to the Father through His blood. So why do we still have this conflict?

Genesis 4:4-8 (GW)
“4 Abel also brought some choice parts of the firstborn animals from his flock. The LORD approved of Abel and his offering, 5 but he didn’t approve of Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry and was disappointed. 6 Then the LORD asked Cain, “Why are you angry, and why do you look disappointed? 7 If you do well, won’t you be accepted? But if you don’t do well, sin is lying outside your door ready to attack. It wants to control you, but you must master it.” 8 Cain talked to his brother Abel. Later, when they were in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”

We must learn to master our thoughts, don’t allow sinful words and thoughts to enter our holy place (mind). God advised Cain that he should rule over this conflict, because if he didn’t sin lies at the door. Unfortunately for Cain as is the case with so many others, myself included, Cain allowed the conflict within his conscience to cause him to kill his own brother. I have never killed anyone, but I have hurt people and took them for granted, all because I tried to deal with my conflict as opposed to giving it over to God and allowing Him to give me the victory over my conflict. The saying “the struggle is real” is often one of my favorite sayings. But how about this, “the VICTORY is real” also. The scripture says “we are more than a conqueror” that means we not only achieve victory, but we are overwhelmingly victorious. So, if the struggle is real, so is the victory!

Hebrews 10:22-24 (GW)
” 22 We have been sprinkled with his blood to free us from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with clean water. So we must continue to come to him with a sincere heart and strong faith. 23 We must continue to hold firmly to our declaration of faith. The one who made the promise is faithful. 24 We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things.”

Again, the answer to resolving the conflicts within our conscience begins with drawing near to God! Now when we draw near to God, we can’t be fearful and tip toe and go half in/half out. We must be full of faith and draw completely into God if we hope to have these conflicts in our conscience purged from our lives. God offers us a clear conscience, a conscience restored from sin by the blood of His Son. So, when these thoughts that cause conflict begin to arise, we can hold fast and believe that God has empowered us with His WILL to do the right thing toward all people in all situations. ((REPEAT)) we can hold fast and believe that God has empowered us with His WILL to do the right thing toward all people in all situations. The last part of that scripture says we must encourage each other to show love and do good things. Have you ever been having a rough day, and then someone walks by you and says something encouraging to you? I have, and it made me feel good. It was a joyful experience. So, I try as often as possible to bring joy to others through action or words from the Lord. Joy is great medicine for conflict.

In closing, I thank my Father which is in Heaven for this brief yet powerful message of dealing with the conflict in our conscience. All glory belongs to God who is all knowing and all powerful and there is none like Him!

Proverbs 3:5-8 (ERV)
“5 Trust the LORD completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. 7 Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the LORD and stay away from evil. 8 If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body.”

Just as most of us pop an Advil, Tylenol, Aleve or whatever prescription you use for a headache. Try trusting the Lord for those spiritual headaches or conflicts and watch it heal your mind, body and spirit. Be sure to read today’s Scriptures in FOOD FOR THE SOUL. Love, Peace & may your joy be full!

When we let our minds shape the state of our souls, we can become lost. I don’t know about you, but almost every day I face temptations 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 comes creeping in. I fear for the safety of my children, my grandchildren, all children! Statistics from the National Center for Victims of Crime report that, “an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing each year, more that 2,000 children every day. An estimated 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized before age 18. Yet, only 1 in 3 will tell anyone.” I look at the homeless and my heart aches. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimates between 2.3 and 3.5 million people in America experience homelessness. And you don’t want me to get started on how the elderly in this country get lost in the system. And Politics! What a joke! Scripture says we perish from lack of knowledge! (Hosea 4:6). We must know what’s going on while at the same time looking to God for answers, not man! I could name many more injustices in this world, but these are the ones that tear into my heart. These are the ones that make me angry and leave me depressed! But I am so thankful to God that I no longer allow them to jeopardize my faith. I no longer let them shape the state of my mind and soul. (Romans 12:2)

 It is not through my own efforts that I don’t lock myself up in the house from fear of what is happening all around me. It is not through my own efforts that I don’t call my grandchildren every night to see if they made it home safety! It is not through my own efforts that I remain grounded in the Lord. Faith and fear cannot exist together! It is because I 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”. That’s what keeps me grounded, I can recognize His signature. Even though it may look and feel bad in the natural eye, by faith I know God is working it out for our good! And that gives me peace I need to make it day by day. (John 14:27)

 So, I meditate on the kind of things Paul list in Philippians 4:8. It is a powerful antidote to the gloom that sometimes can settle on us as we see the conditions of our world. We can fill our minds with a steady diet of God’s Words and not the what is going on in this world. However, faith that does not translate into action is no faith at all! (James 2:17). I do what I can to help those issues that tear at my soul. I am committed to letting God use me however and wherever He chooses. We must do what we can, where we are, 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! I am very careful about what I watch and how much I watch the news on TV (idiot box I sometimes call it). Someone said they don’t call the shows programs for nothing, that they program your mind and your way of thinking. I agree. There was a time, not to long ago, I would have withdrawal symptoms if I didn’t see a certain show for that week. I may still be having them. Don’t judge me. I’m working on it! And when the news keeps reporting the same thing repeatedly, it is very easy to get hypnotized. And I am very careful about what I listen to or read on Social Media. It may seem like an innocent joke but to someone else it could be cruel or bullying. Words hurt! My rule is if it is not positive, or if I don’t have something nice to say, or if I don’t have a  solution to the problem, I keep it moving. My main purpose on Social Media is to glorify God. Because He told me too! We must understand that satan has access to Social Media and TV. He gets mad when we use Social Media to praise and worship God. Well devil, you just keep on getting mad because with every breath I will praise God everywhere!

Instead of allowing the things of this world to enter our minds and get into our souls, we will keep mediating on God and all that is good. (Colossians 3:2) Sisters and brothers, we can refuse to fill our minds with a steady diet of the darker side of life. We can train our 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) Please comment and share. Thank you for helping me share God’s Word. Love and Blessings….

Looking back over my life, life has knocked me down time and time again. I told myself I was going to let it go and give God the fight, but then I would try to fight again. And of course it would be another TKO! Sounds kind of like the Teddy Pendergrass song, right? I used to love this song! The song however is talking about the fight of love; I am talking about the fight between my fleshself and my spiritself. When I tried to go in the ring with my flesh self, the majority of the time I didn’t make it through the first round, mostly it would be a TKO! In boxing, TKO stands for the term technical knockout. A technical knockout is when the referee stops the boxing match to declare a winner. This could be due to severe injury of one or both of the boxers.

Notice I put parenthesis on I in my first paragraph? The problem was I kept trying to fight the battle! Stepping up in the ring of life with my strong, prideful self, thinking that I was stronger than my fleshself. Ha! I got knocked down every time. Thank God, I finally realized I can’t win the fight with my fleshself. But my spiritself can! When I let my spiritself rumble with my fleshself, trust me, the only one gets knocked out is satan himself! Hallelujah! It’s a TKO every time!

I’m not saying the fight is easy. The struggle is real. But it does not have to be. The spiritself will always win if kept in shape. We struggle when we try to get in the ring and fight ourselves! We struggle when we don’t know who we are rooting for, the spirit or the flesh! We struggle when we let our fleshself get stronger than our spiritself! We struggle when we forget to put on the whole armor of God! We know that boxers have to train for a fight. They have to get in shape; you know, eat right and exercise. They prepare mentally as well as physically. And they never go into the ring without their gloves! They prepare long before the fight. They don’t wait until the day of the fight and try to get ready! The same should apply to our spiritself. We can’t wait until fleshself challenges spiritself and think spiritself is strong enough to fight. We have to stay in the Word, study the Word and live the Word! We have to pray and fast. We must die daily; the flesh has to die so the spirit can live! And we must never send spiritself into the ring without wearing the full armor of God! We have to stay focus on the prize! (Our God). We have to train before the fight! This is what God revealed to me sisters and brothers; our job is to be the trainer, not the fighter. Our job is to keep spiritself in shape, He will fight for us! He will win the fight and we will never have to worry about a TKO! Please read what God says about this in “FOOD FOR THE SOUL.” Please give your thoughts and share on Emmanuel FB. Thank you for helping me share God’s Word. Love and Blessings….

When my relationship with Jesus was new, I was very sin-conscious. I felt I had to be this perfect Christian. If I had any type of negative thoughts or actions, I beat myself up about it, even after asking God for forgiveness. Of course satin helped me out, “and you call yourself a Christian?” he would tell me in my mind.  I would tell myself that I wasn’t going to do this or that because it was a sin. And I honestly made a conscious effort not to. Which means I thought about sin all the time? I spent more time trying to be this perfect Christian, than I did increasing my relationship with God! Which means I was more sin-conscious than Christ-conscious. The struggle is real! The struggle is real because of temptation. What I finally understood is that there is no trial, difficulty, challenge or temptation that we face, Jesus cannot identify with. Jesus took a human body to save our bodies. And he took a human mind to save our minds. Jesus is like us in every respect, human body, heart, mind, and will. All except for sin, for He was sinless. God allowed Jesus to be tempted so that He could be touched by our humanity, weaknesses, and our sins. Through it all He chose to do His Father’s will, and He now stands before God on our behalf. If we are Christ-conscious, sinful thoughts and actions cannot be at the center of our mind, because our mind is so full of God. He has it covered! It’s like being on a diet, once we say that word, the struggle gets worst! All we think about is not eating, and then food becomes our main thought which makes us want to eat more! It works the same with sin. Developing our relationship with Christ and focusing on him is the key. I always say, “keep your gaze on God and your glance on the world”. When we focus on His goodness and His faithfulness, sin becomes less of an option. We just want to please Him! The good news is that God is faithful; He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Our Father will always provide a way out for us! (1 Corinthians 10:13). My brothers and sisters, we can rejoice in the fact that Jesus is our advocate. He is the reason that we can draw near to Father God and enter into His presence. How do we draw near to Him? By spending time with Him and meditating on His Word. Spending time with God helps align our desires with God’s desires for us. You want that family member saved.  You want God to provide for you. You want help with a particular sin. You want God to open a door to advance His kingdom. You want God to provide you with a spouse. You have not because you ask not. And to ask you have to spend time with Him. As we draw near to Him we enter into His grace and mercy, not judgment! So let us pray that our minds stay on Jesus and our focus on His love for us. This way we can be confident that we are covered by the blood of Jesus! Please read today’s scriptures in “FOOD FOR THE SOUL” and share God’s Word. Love and Blessings….

 

 

Every morning when God allows us to see the beginning of another day, we should remind ourselves of Psalm 118:24 and thank God for another day of life. Sometimes we 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, perfect bodies, and so on. We believe once we achieve these things we will be content and happy. And somewhere along the line we lose perspective of the real meaning of life. That is why once the chase is over and we achieve these things, we are disappointed because we still feel empty, like something is missing, and then we start a new chase.

 Scripture tells us that King Solomon had wealth beyond measure, wisdom beyond any man of his time or ours, hundreds of women, palaces and 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. (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11). 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 believe King Solomon was disappointed because he was pursuing what he wanted instead of what God wanted for him. He writes, “I denied myself nothing, I refused my heart no pleasure, I toiled to achieve.”  No wonder he would think life was meaningless, it was all about him and not about God!

 I’m not saying there is anything wrong with pursuing your dreams and reaching for the stars. Neither is there anything wrong with fame or fortune. God wants us to have our hearts desires and live abundantly here on Earth. Psalms 34:9-10 says that we shall not want any good thing. “Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers;” (Deuteronomy 30:9). However, there are conditions. God just asks that we love Him, put Him first and these things shall be added. First and foremost our purpose on this earth is to glorify God! (Isaiah 43:7). 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 been guilty of this. So busy stressing over what might happen tomorrow, next week or even the next year. God wants us to not worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). 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(Isaiah 43:18-19)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! Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ!

 Sisters and brothers, life here, no matter how good it is, is nothing compared to the life that awaits us in heaven. The glories of heaven, eternal life, righteousness, perfection, God’s presence, rewards, and all else God has planned, is the Christian’s heavenly inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5) and it will cause even the best life on earth to pale in comparison. Yes, let us rejoice and be glad in today as we look forward to eternity with our Lord and Savior! The real meaning of life, both now and in eternity, is found in the restoration of our relationship with God. Please read and meditate on today’s scriptures in “FOOD for the SOUL”. Love and Blessings….

I have never been one for making New Year resolutions. I prefer to say I’m making lifestyle changes. Changing what I call it doesn’t make one bit of difference if I don’t follow through! It’s only been a week into the New Year and some things I said I was not going to do, I have done. And some things I said I was going to do, I have not done. Don’t judge me! I know it’s only been a week, but we all get weak at some point. I am not ashamed to say I am weak because God’s power is more easily displayed through our weaknesses. Some days we may make choices that displease God. The good news is that it is never too late to start again, as long as you have breath in your body. The bad news is that we do not know when we may take our last breath. And when we take our last breathe, none of the lifestyle changes or resolutions we made here on Earth will matter except one, our commitment to turn our lives over to God. I am determined not to fall short on this one!

Our relationship with Christ can actually help with any other lifestyle changes we want to make. Because the good news is when we are weak, our Savior is strong!  If Jesus is our Savior, we have to turn our lives over to Him and rethink how we live in all areas of our life. It’s impossible to hold onto our old ways while trying to fit Jesus in. The moment that we receive Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts. Our body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit helps us live the Christian life. It is the Holy Spirit who draws us to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our need of Christ.  If the Holy Spirit lives within us, some things have to change. Our God is Holy and cannot live with ungodliness! Paul said “if any man is in Christ he is a new creature, the old things are passed away and behold they are become new.” Everything becomes new. And we must be careful not to go back to the old! I sometimes say, “The old me would have done…” I am going to make a conscious effort not to say that anymore. I refuse to entertain the old me; I just want to rejoice in the new me!

When we make a commitment to God, every part of our life should be dedicated to God and His righteous. We should not let our thoughts, gifts, talents, or money profit the enemy but it should all be for the glory of God and His Kingdom! We have to decide whether to work with our new beliefs and follow God or go back to our old way of life and follow man. If we know God’s Word, we know that He is Holy and He cannot abide in the same place as evil. The same mouths that we praise and thank God with should not let foul and vulgar language emerge.  The mind of Christ that we strive for should not entertain evil, malicious, jealousy, envy or any other negative thoughts. If old ungodly or depressing thoughts enter your mind, think new thoughts. Believe me satin will try you, but you have a choice. God gives us freedom of choice. Today’s society have stressed our “right to choose” but have not balanced it with the message that our choices also have consequences.  Scripture tells us in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live.” We can decide to put our ways before His or we can ask ourselves, “Is this what Jesus wants of me, does this please Him? And again if you are weak in a certain area, remember our God is strong in all areas!

Living for God may mean leaving people behind. When God is taking us to a new level, everyone is not meant to come. Sometimes who we love is not meant to build a life with or go to the next level with.  We have to learn to leave doors shut that God has shut. We have to trust Him enough to walk through doors that He has opened even if we are scared. Stop trying to fit where you don’t fit! When it is time to move, you got to move! It is dangerous to stay in a place beyond your season! The reason there is frustration is because you’re not getting anything from that man/woman, job, or whatever. You cannot go into a new year hoping for change when you are trying to bring what don’t belong! Trust, you will have the same problems you had last year! God wanted to bless Abraham (then Abram) so He sent Abraham to a new land from his family and his father’s house. Now he told him specifically that he wanted him to depart from his family (Genesis 12:1). Abraham took his wife, his father and Lot went with him. If you read all of Genesis 12, you will see the problems Abram encountered by bringing Lot and Sarah along. Yes, God still blessed him but it created serious problems and delayed blessings for 5 years! We can avoid confusion and/or missed blessings by not taking baggage with us that God told us to leave behind. I’m just saying. This year trust God, let it go so He can send/give you your blessing! This year we will embrace change. Clear away what needs to be cleared away and toss out what needs to be tossed out. I’m not claiming it is easy because we all are a work in progress; we are spiritual beings living in fleshly physical bodies. But God! When we are weak, He is strong!!!!

 Sisters and brothers, do you want a joyful new year? I say joyful and not happy because joy comes from the Lord, and happy depends on what happens this year. Let us place our new wine into new wineskins, not the old wineskins. We will make our lives a testimony to our new awareness of the glory of God! I declare and decree this is the year we will start walking it out, not just talking it out! Please read today’s scriptures in “FOOD FOR THE SOUL” and meditate on God’s Word. We must read the Word to hear the Word if we are to live the Word! This year we will live for Jesus who died for us!! If we live for Him, all the expectations that we have for 2019 will unfold! Love and Blessings….

 

Why do we give presents to each other on Christmas day? The gifts are an expression of our joy over the birth of Jesus and our love for each other. The beauty of Christmas is not in the Presents but in His Presence. I believe anytime we show love for one another, it pleases God. However sometimes we get so caught up in the Presents we forget about the Presence. God has already shown us that the most precious gift cannot be bought or sold. “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” (John 3:16). In giving us this gift, God gave us His Son’s Presence. And all He wants from us is a portion of ourselves, for us to spend time with Him, to be in His Presence. The fact of the matter is the reward we get is much greater than the time we  give. This is more valuable than any Present we could give to God; as a matter of fact it is the most valuable Present we can give to each other. And again the reward we get is much greater. Think about it, our time is precious. Tomorrow is not promised, even the next minute is not promised. It is good that we proclaim aspirations for 2019, but at 11:59 on December 31, we could cease to exist in this temporary home. I know, I know, it’s a time for celebration and no one wants to think about this! However, it is The Word (James 4:13-15) not my word. And I believe if we give it some thought, we would use our time more wisely. Our time is priceless! The Bible says make the best use of our time. First and foremost we should seek Him and to do that we must spend time in His Presence. Then we should give our Presence to others. Everyone loves to receive Presents, myself included. But the greatest gift I have ever received was the Presence of a friend when I really needed her. She has given me much, but her Presence in my time of need, I will never forget. Presence: visit someone who has no family, invite a struggling family over for a meal, volunteer,, spend time with the elderly or someone who is housebound, call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while, write letters of appreciation, adopt a family, babysit for free, visit the hospitals or rest homes, just to listen. I could go on, but you get my point. Presents are good but Presence is Priceless! While celebrating the birth of Jesus, read Matthew 25:35-45. When we do these things, Jesus is pleased! It is His birthday; the best gift we can give Him is our Presence in the life of others! And not just those in our circle or those who love us, but love up on all of God’s children. As Christians, we should exhibit more fellowship, compassion, and care with one another. Trust me, life becomes peaceful and we get this unspeakable joy when we grasp the reality and goodness of God’s constant Presence living within us.  This time of year can bring out the worst as well as the best in people. I love this time of year! I love the lights and decorations but more importantly for me it brings out gratitude, thankfulness, caring for others, taking time to give others my Presence. It means giving of myself because of the gift God gave me, and believing in magic and miracles! What does the Christmas Spirit mean to you? This Christmas season and throughout the New Year I pray we take time to grace someone with our Presence. Those who know me know I celebrate my birthday the entire month, but I celebrate the birth of Jesus 365 days a year!!!! Merry Christmas my brothers and sisters! Read today’s scriptures in “Food for the Soul” Love and Blessings…

Sometimes I don’t even recognize myself. I am changing. I know it’s nothing I have done but all of what God is doing. It is a subtle change. I have this peaceful calmness even when the enemy tries to attack me or my love ones. I am learning to not rely on what I feel or what this world believes to be true, but to believe God’s Word which is the only truth. My loyalty now belongs to God, not to man. I am learning to keep moving in spite of the devil’s lies and destruction. I am learning to claim my victory that our Lord God has given me. I am stronger than I have ever been. I know this new-found strength comes from God. I know the God I serve is alive and that the Blood of Jesus covers me. I know who I am because I know whose I am. I am a warrior!

 We are not born warriors, we are made. We are not self-made, we are shaped and molded by the Master Himself. We become warriors through trial and error, pain and suffering. Through the tears and heartache. We are sometimes shattered into a thousand pieces. But God! We are bent but not broken. We become warriors when we still stand up after being knocked down again and again. We may not be rich or famous, we may not look like beauty queens or models, but we are much more than that. We are women of God! We have substance. We are queens. We are survivors. Each day we grow spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. We are purpose driven. Women warriors possess a determined spirit, an I can do attitude that drives their actions towards their goals. When faced with limitations, disappointment or opposition, we are more determined to make what we envision happen. A warrior’s prayer can move mountains! We know that when the force of our will is aligned with the will of God, we can say to the mountain, “move” and it will move! We move forward with our head high and with a strength that the Lord provides. I am a warrior!

A warrior knows God is her strength and the armor of God is her weapon. She is unstoppable, not because she doesn’t have failures, fears and doubts, but because she keeps moving in spite of them. She stands up for herself and she stands up for others. She refuses to be disrespected, mistreated or taken for granted. She is bold in the authority God has given her. A warrior knows what she brings to the table, so she is not afraid to eat alone! (come correct or not at all). Although strong, a warrior feels deeply and loves fiercely. She cries as quickly as she laughs. She is both soft and powerful, she is practical and spiritual. She is all these things because she listens to the voice of her Father God. She is the daughter of the Most High. She knows she is a winner because God does not birth failures! She is confident in her power because she is confident in God’s faithfulness. A warrior understands her purpose and what God has called her to do. She is committed to God and to being obedient to His Word. I am a warrior! Are you a warrior? I believe there is a warrior inside the heart of every woman; and with the help of God she can be set free. Please read today’s scriptures in “Food for the Soul”,  Love and Blessings…

 “It takes a female to have a baby,
it takes a woman to raise a child,
it takes a mother to raise them correctly,
and it takes a warrior to show them how to change the world.”
― Shannon L. Alder