I am a patient person. So not true! And those who know me know it is not true. However, I am going to keep speaking it until I become one.  Patience is one if the fruits of the spirit. I am striving to have them all! It is one of the things God is doing a work in me. He is a miracle worker and I am definitely better at the waiting game. There has been countless times in my life that I prayed for something and nothing happened. Then I would fast, still nothing. So I begged and cried. Nothing! None of that hurried God’s plan for my life. So I would get tired of waiting and do something, anything to fix it or help myself. And looking back I can tell you, every time it was a disaster! Sometimes it would seem like I worked it out in the beginning, but later in the long-term I would live to regret it. That is what happens when we try the “quick, easy” fix. The easy way or the simple solution is not always God’s plan. No one likes waiting. We ask God for a soul mate, good health, a job, and financial stability. I mean that’s not much to ask for. Why have God not answered, why am I still waiting? Waiting is hard. We fret inwardly with worry and frustration. I think about Abraham, Joseph, Moses and even Jesus. They waited for 13, 25, 30 and even 40 years! How did they do it? I wonder did they get tired of waiting. Some of us get tired if God has not answered our prayers in one day! Scripture says ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open (Mathew 7:7). Nowhere in there does it give us a time frame or deadline!

 So this is what I have learned; when we ask God for something, we must trust God to deliver. We must believe whatever we are waiting for; God will not be late for. We must also know that if what we are asking for is not good for us, God knows this and He is not going to give it to us just because we asked for it. Would you give your children or loved one something bad simply because they wanted it? I think not, because you love them. That is how God feels about us. Another thing, when we ask God for something, the enemy will step in and have us doubt that we are getting what we asked for or have us to believe we don’t deserve it. Of course he is a liar! He does this by using the things of this world to distract us. Every day it will seem the problem is getting worse. Our mind, which is our worse enemy will tell us , it’s taking too long, I will be to old, I’m feeling worse, I can’t handle this job. That’s how the enemy works, he wants us to give up, and not wait on the Lord. If we really want to be strong warriors, we must keep our gaze on God, and glance at the things of this world. Victory comes when we realize that greater is coming, if not in the form of what we asked for, then something better! While we wait, we must choose to be better, not bitter, to praise God even when we don’t feel like it, to trust that even if He doesn’t fix it right away, the pain is for our good and it will not last forever. God is more interested in our character than our comfort. God is about restoration. Sometimes we can only learn lessons in a struggle or storm. It is through the storm, hurt, and pain that I found out how strong I really am. You go into survivor mode. And then you realize the only way you can survive is with the help of God. It is there we find God, no, I mean really find God. And we realize He is enough! It was through all that pain that my life was forever changed. I learned to let God work and not block my blessings by trying to fix it myself. God always has a plan. It is important that when we ask God for something, it is aligned with his plan. That our heart has the right motive. We can pray for direction to follow his plan, patience to wait on it, and knowledge to know when it comes. No one likes to wait, but there are many critical lessons that can only be learned from waiting on the bench. Love and blessings….

 

 

We can feel depressed or sad or angry or lonely. We can feel happy and hopeful. We can be cheerful one moment then suddenly get road rage. We can feel like we love someone one moment, then frustrated at them a moment later. We can feel optimistic or hopeless. Some of us wear our feelings on our sleeve. Some of us, like me, are good at hiding their feelings. I was asked did I ever feel sad or depressed. Of course the person asking did not know me before and during my storm. I spent almost two years sad and depressed. And even before that, unknown to many, those feelings were constant visitors in my life. Glory be to God they don’t visit like they use to, and when they do, trust me, it’s a short visit. Possibly because I’m not very hospitality. I rather entertain Jesus. Their cousins; anger, frustration, disappointment, doubt, and fear also like to visit. They too are not welcome. However, I love when peace, calm, happy and contentment stopover. They can never overstay their welcome! They bring me joy! We all get these visitors and I know they are true in the sense that they are real. We really do feel things. Feelings are not necessarily right or wrong. For example you may feel like a total failure. But are you a TOTAL failure? I may feel that no one loves me, but does that mean NO ONE really loves me? These feelings are true feelings, but are they necessarily the truth? I may say,  “I need to go somewhere. I feel like I’m going crazy in this house”. True feeling. But not necessarily the truth (at least I hope not). Because feelings are not necessarily the truth, and not necessarily right or wrong, we have to be careful about jumping to conclusions too quickly about them and judging others.

We must learn to express our feelings in the right setting to the right people who will listen. Of course we can’t tell everybody everything! And some people you can’t tell anything! But it is releasing to have the other person know how you feel and to think they understand you. Even after forgiving someone, we may still need to express our feelings. Some of us must learn to verbalize our feelings. This has not been easy for me, I’m working on it. I don’t like sharing my feelings of discouragement or sadness because I feel weak when I do. See what I mean, I feel weak, but I know I am not weak, I am strong in the Lord!  When people are going through and they are discouraged or depressed, let’s not be so quick to quote scripture or tell them they need to have faith. Feeling some type of way does not mean you don’t have faith, let me say that again, feeling some type of way does not mean you do not have faith! We must realize that we cannot possibly grasp the pain that others go through in every situation. I can’t understand the challenges others go through if I haven’t been through them. And even if I have, everybody react to things differently. Often the best thing to do is as the scripture says, first weep with those who weep before attempting to help someone overcome their feelings. I’m grateful that in recent years the Lord has been helping me empathize with others.

We may feel like we have no choice but to follow the dictates of our feelings. The first place to look when dealing with our feelings is the Word of God. We who believe in Jesus are no longer slaves to our feelings. As new creations, Christ is our Lord and Master, not our feelings. And he gives us his Spirit to empower us to obey him and keep his commandments. So when we know what he commands in any situation, we should ask our Lord for help and strength to obey him, whether we feel like it or not. We can pray for help to love a person and to do good to him even though he is unkind. We can pray for help to be patient and gracious. Lord, please help me to respond to this angry person with gentleness, help me to give with cheerfulness. Lord, you know I don’t feel like Bible study today, but help me worship you with all my heart. And Jesus, when I feel like giving up, help me persevere and keep going. Scripture tells us we are often tempted to anger when we want something and don’t get it. Scripture addresses our feelings of envy, discontentment, and discouragement. As we meditate on God’s word day after day, and as we ask Jesus to help us and to give us joy, peace and contentment, we will find ourselves no longer led by our feelings, but led by the Spirit. To the person who asked me the question about feelings of sadness and depression, I hope this explains it better. The Holy Spirit lives in me, so I am working on only letting the fruits of the spirit visit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness).  Love and Blessings…

 

 

 

Putting someone up on a pedestal and admiring them is two different things. When we put people on a pedestal and think they are perfect, we expect the impossible from them, we expect them to be more than human. Sooner or later they let us down, they show their human weakness and flaws, then we tend to blame them for letting us down. When we only have ourselves to blame! Think of it like this, when you put them up on that pedestal, they are looking down at you. The only one that sits high and looks low is God. We humans are all equal, no matter the status, fame or fortune. We all are sinners saved by grace. The only reason anyone is ever superior to you is if you believe they are. Don’t fall into that, “they can do this better or they look better than I do” trap. There are things you will be better at than other people, and there are things other people will be better at. No matter how smart a doctor, lawyer, or professor is, when they have trouble with their plumbing, they have to call a plumber! God gave each of us gifts. As far as looks, look at yourself through God’s eyes, we all are beautiful! Earlier in my life, I used to be shy. I would rarely speak my mind. And somewhere around the age of seventeen, I had a transformation.  I was able to overcome my timidness and I was rewarded with an enormous boost in self-esteem and self-confidence. I thank God for that. I respect people for who they are but I never, ever put anyone on a pedestal! My mama always said no one is better than you and you are no better than anyone else. I live by that. Sometimes people put themselves up on a pedestal by looking down at and being critical of others. It makes them feel superior. How sad is that? I believe that pedestals are lonely places that separate us rather than connect us. God intended for us to love one another and connect to others, not stand out and away from them. God’s desire is for us to love people as they are, flaws and all. That is what Jesus does.  I’m thinking it must be a lot pressure up there on that pedestal. What if I make a mistake? What if my looks fade? What if I’m no longer famous or rich? I would not want to live like that, too stressful. Oh, and beware of the pastoral pedestal. We’ve seen the headlines, high-profile pastors falling off the pedestal he has been put on. Think of the fallout and consequences under those circumstances. He and his family are hurting; the church now left wondering what happened. Was his doctrine sound that he preached from the pulpit? Was he being a hypocrite, preaching one thing and living another? How does that reflect on our church? On our faith? On God? Mature believers realize that just because a leader sinned, doesn’t necessarily mean his doctrine or preaching wasn’t sound, especially if they know the Word and know Jesus on a personal level. Our culture puts leaders on pedestals they can’t sustain. We expect our spiritual leaders to be perfect. The Bible lays out high expectations for church leaders, but it also reveals the struggles early church leaders faced. In 1 Timothy 3:1 the scripture says, “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” And the next twelve verses list the qualifications required for someone who desires that position of leadership in the church. Yes, as our leaders, they should set an example. But they too are human so I’m sure the struggle is real. When they sin, they need to repent just like we would in that situation. And, just as we would want, they need our prayers, compassion and forgiveness. That doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be consequences to their actions. God will hold them accountable. I don’t claim to have all the answers,  however I believe we have to stop worshiping the messenger and worship the One who sends the message. The Sender is perfect, the deliver is human. Believers, please don’t put your faith in your leaders. Put your faith in God. Yes, honor the leaders He puts in your life. However, don’t expect them to be perfect and don’t put unnecessary burdens on them with that expectation. Let’s not put them, ourselves, or anyone on a pedestal. If putting someone on a pedestal means they are perfect,  God is the only one that can hold that position. Let’s look up to the one who deserves it, our Lord and Savior. Much Love…

 

There was a time when I wrestled with anxiety constantly. I worried about big things, small things and everything in between. When something terrible or distressing happened to me, I cried until there were no more tears left. I did a good job of hiding my anxiety. I would find a private place; because I dared not let anyone see me cry. It didn’t fit my “strong woman” image. Many of us cry in secret and rarely let others witness our tears. My heart simply broke into pieces, and I felt trapped, depressed and defeated. There are times we all may feel desperate and powerless. It is even worse when we are afraid to let anyone know we feel this way. Because we believe we will be judged or looked upon as weak. I would question God, wondering why and how He allowed a circumstance to exist. I questioned His favor and allowed my fear and doubt to question His plan. No wonder I felt alone. It doesn’t matter know how many people I would have confided in, I still would have felt alone without Jesus. We cannot hide our tears from God. He sees them and He wants us to trust Him so He can comfort us. Surrendering my life completely to Jesus was the best thing I ever done! I know people say that all the time, I really mean it. Now when life happens to me, I may still cry, but I feel comforted inside. And I’m no longer afraid to let anyone see me cry, because I am not afraid to admit that I am weak, I found Jesus in my weakness, I am nothing without Him. He makes me strong in spite of my weakness. So judge me if you want. All I know is that now even when I am sad outwardly, my heart isn’t heavy. I don’t understand why, but deep down inside me, there is something that lifts me up in the mist of whatever is going on. I believe that something is peace, which rises from the Holy Spirit living within me. It is beyond description; at least right now I can’t totally explain it. But I can tell you what the scripture says. We cannot be completely distressed because Christ in us is the Prince of Peace. And Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). It may be a bad situation and you might feel hopeless, but if Christ lives in you, He is the way. God says He will always provide a way out for us. We are not defeated because Christ in us is our victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57) Scripture repeatedly tells us not to be afraid. Because of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, our fears do not have to rule our lives. We will face hard times in this life. But God promised to be with us through it all. Our Heavenly Father never takes His eyes off His children. We can’t avoid some situations and heartaches, but we can live with confident faith relying on our Helper and Protector who watches over our lives. As I look over my life I can see He has most definitely comforted and stretched me through every trial and storm. I am thankful. Sometimes the struggles we face in this life are big, but God is bigger. I’m not saying fear does not try to creep into my being, but now I immediately lift my eyes from my fears, and in faith and dependence, look to the One who promised to comfort us. Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, no bad circumstance can or will ever cause us to be destroyed or forsaken by God! I can now look back and I am thankful He said “no” to so many of the prayers I desperately wanted Him to answer with “yes.” All that worrying for nothing. He is God! He is able and He is more than enough! I still shed tears but at the same time you can bet I  am surrendering all of my pain to Him. And unlike before, I leave it there. He comforts me through my tears. I trust Him. And what God has done for me in return is rained down blessings, restoration and healing. God’s comforting presence is more powerful than anything we may face! He promised never to leave us. We can trust Him fully. Love and blessings…

 

 

Anything meant in this world for evil, God can use for good, He is able to take our mess and turn it into a message. Today’s trail is tomorrow’s testimony. It doesn’t matter if we created the mess ourselves or not. Although God is not the author of sin, He can use our sinful nature to achieve  His purpose. When God said all things work for those who love God, All things includes both good and bad things. God can use our struggles, heartbreak, and tragedies in ways to bring about His glory and our good. God does not sin and He performs no evil. But our wise and perfect God can and sometimes does use the sin already existing in our world to fulfill His purpose. Most of the time we don’t understand the mess and how God is going to fix it. That is none of our business, how God chooses to operate is up to Him. At times, He intervenes miraculously. Other times, He works behind the scenes. And, yes, God may even allow a certain measure of freedom to evil forces in our world to bring about His will.

Look at God! So now you are out of the mess! What you gone do? When God brings us out of a mess, we are now his messengers. We now have a message to bless someone who is either going through the same mess or something similar. God did not bring us through to keep it to ourselves. I know I’m not thrilled about telling my mess, or business as some put it. I’m a private kind of person. Well we have to get over ourselves! It’s not about us. We must be obedient. We are God’s vessels. As His messengers we need to pray for Him to bring us in touch with those who need to hear and that He will open their hearts to receive.

God is the true Messenger and we are His vessels. I encourage you to stay faithful through the mess. I encourage you to keep praising His name through the mess. I encourage you to look through the mess to the One who has already overcome evil on our behalf. His name is Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him. And when he blesses you out of the mess, bless someone else with the message. Much Love…..

 

 

Perspective is a point of view. It is how we look at things. We each have our own perspective to things. Perception is the interpretation one gives through his ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. It is a way of understanding and gaining insight. The key difference between the two terms is that it is the different perspectives that help us to create our perception. Life is based on perceptions. Do not confuse them with God’s truth! Perception is based on thought. Thought comes from the mind. Change your mind, change your life! Life is all about perception. Positive verses negative. Whichever you choose will affect and most likely change your outcomes. Miracles happen every day. Blessings are all around us. Change your perception of what a miracle is and you will see them everywhere. Actually go look in the mirror right now; you are looking at a miracle! We feel hurt when someone no longer wants us in their life, have you thought that God wanted them out of your future? The problem is not the situation, but our perception of the situation. Looking back at my time in the wilderness, the problems were nowhere near the many blessings I had, I just could not see them because I was so caught up in the problems. Of course I see that now because I try to look at things through the eyes of the Spirit. We are blinded by our feelings, other people’s opinions, and society. We can’t see, so we struggle, and we breakdown in the mist of affliction. We forget God can open any door. We may have the affliction, but the affiliation does not have to own us. It can’t keep us down, because the power belongs to God, not the affiliation. David said it was good that he was afflicted. Because he wasn’t looking at the difficulty. He realized God could bring him out. That is how we must believe. Just because your season hasn’t come yet, you have to get your perspective together and realize that God can change things in an instant. Praise your way out of that season into the next season! And another thing we have to remember, if the Lord allows us to fall into the valley or go through the wilderness, don’t do as I did, beat yourself up and have a pity party wondering what you did to deserve this! Get a grip and change your perception. Next is coming! God is stretching you, building you, preparing you for greater! Don’t look at the circumstances; take another look through the eyes of the Spirit. If it seems like this thing is going to last forever, remember the last time God brought you out. Although the exact words this too shall pass are not in the Bible, the verse in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 talks about troubles being temporary. We either believe His Word or we don’t. There is no door closed that God cannot open. And if He shuts one He is looking out for us. Let it stay shut! To change our perception, we need to change what we think of, and if we set our minds on things that are below, here on earth, we’ll not see the things that God is doing through us and in us by what we are going through here on earth. In other words, let our heavenly thinking overshadow those things on earth; let the eternal things of God dominate our thinking over the present, evil world we live in today. One great way to change your perception is to be in the Word of God on a daily basis. My life is certainly different now, not because storms no longer come or the devil does not raise his ugly head, but because thank God my perception of life has changed. When things look overwhelming, ASAP (always stop and pray), then take another look through the eyes of the Spirit. Love and Blessings…

 

All my life I had to fight (in my color purple Sophia voice) but seriously true. Unfortunately we are born into this world with the enemy ready to rage war. Like it or not, we have all been born into a war zone as result of what happened with Adam and Eve. For some of us, the hardest battles are fought within ourselves. Sure we understand the circumstances and situations that the enemy uses to destroy us. We can accept the truth of how the world lures and tempts us. We can understand to some degree that the battle in the spiritual realm is ongoing and real, even though we cannot see it. But, to get a grasp on what is going on within our own hearts and minds can be the hardest, most exhausting, battle of them all. Many Christians rather not deal with spiritual warfare; it is too scary and frightening so they prefer to ignore it. As a result, the enemy is winning; just look around at all the school shootings, missing kids, drug and alcohol abuse, divorce, and so much more! It makes me want to cry. But crying is not going to change the fact that we are in a war, we know the battle belongs to God, but we are his soldiers. We have to put on the whole armor of God and we must be “vigilant and sober” as scripture says. (1 Peter 5:8)

The enemy will come after any Christian where there is an opening, he will fit in where he can get in. If God the Father allowed His Son Jesus Christ to be tempted by Satan while He was in the desert for 40 days, then you can bet the chances may be very good that you may have to deal with the possibility of having to directly engage with the enemy sometime in your life. When the enemy tries to attack you from an outside position, he will try to hinder you from being able to progress from point A to point B in your walk and call for God. He also will start playing mind-games with you in an effort to try to throw you into some kind of mental torment and separate you from your spiritual connection with the Lord. The enemy will try to tell you that you are not saved, that you have committed the unpardonable sin and try to dissuade you from reading your Bible and continuing to grow in the knowledge and ways of God. Ok now devil , you are a liar, God said you would come to seek, kill, and destroy! (John 10:10). The battle, the struggle, the war, the fight goes on in our thinking. Our emotions and feelings are involved. There is a struggle, a wrestling match being fought inside you. It is between satan’s deceptions and God’s truth (the Bible). It is a battle of victory to those who read and obey the Bible, and of defeat to those who do not. This battle rages in your mind, your flesh, and your feelings. I am telling you, satan is a master at deceiving people. Beware when feelings and thoughts are not in harmony with the Scriptures. It is God’s Word that will tell you if your thoughts and feelings are from Him or satan. You may ask yourselves ,why do I even want to fight? In the spiritual realm, there is a battle going on whether we fight or not. We are either victors or victims. Jesus has come and conquered. The war is already won in the heavens. (Mathew 28:18).  We now have the privilege of having an eternal relationship with God. Many of us enter into that covenant of salvation by grace.  Salvation is the best and most important gift God has given us, but it is also about our every day victory, which adds up to victorious living in Christ. Every day victory is achieved by knowing, believing and understanding the battles that we are enduring daily, regardless if we are passive or active in the battles. I choose to take my sword up and put on my armor of God. I choose to fight! Although sometimes I feel as Paul describes in the Book of Romans, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.”Ladies and gentleman, that is our dilemma, that is why we must fight.

Yet despite all we will go through, the seemingly endless struggle in our minds, we must strive to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Our defense is to know, understand, and obey God’s Word. We have to study God’s Word, so He can discern what is right and wrong. Examine everything by God’s Word! As Christians, we all have the power of God operating on the inside of us through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The enemy is no match for any Christian who knows who they really are in their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and who knows how to use the Word of God as their spiritual weapon! We are in a war here on the earth. We are God’s soldiers. Do not be afraid because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world! (John 4:4). I’m not scared to fight, I have read the ending of ‘The Book” and I know who the winner is! Love and Blessings…

 

 

 

Helping is doing something for someone who is not capable of doing for himself. Enabling is doing for someone things that he could and should be doing himself. We have to know the difference or we will find ourselves participating in someone else’s bad behavior. It is easier to enable those we love. We want to do everything in our power to help them. At what point do we realize we are doing more harm than good? I’ve seen it many times, parents and children, friends, relationships and marriages. It is hard to give up on those we love. I believe the key is to love them enough to let go. My mother would say “when push comes to shove (have no idea what that means) you will drown or swim.” It sounds harsh but some call it tough love. My mother, bless her heart, was not an enabler. She was way on the other end of the spectrum. I think it was her way of teaching us independence. And it worked; all her kids are independent to a fault (another story). I tried to have a balance with my son, helping but also teaching him responsibility at the same time. Between his father, his heavenly Father, and myself, we did a good job; he’s an exceptional young man (I am a proud mama, ok, I’m getting off track:).

Reaching out to help a loved one in need is definitely not a bad thing, but there’s a fine line between helping and enabling. I’m not just talking alcohol or drugs here; I’m talking about anything that affects your well-being, for instance, an abusive relationship, whether mentally, financially, or physically. Stop making excuses for them. You have to know when to let go! How do you know you are an enabler? Ask yourself these questions; do you consistently put your own needs and desires aside to help someone else? Do you fear that not doing something will cause a blowup, make the person leave you, or result in violence? Do you lie and make excuses for them? Do you continue to offer help when it is never appreciated or acknowledged? We have to set clear boundaries and remain firm. It’s possible to be supportive without neglecting your own needs. If it is substance abuse, insist they get help! If it’s a relationship get out or get professional help. If it’s your child, you may have to show tough love. But whatever you do, don’t help people dig their own graves and most certainly do not let them dig yours! Helping someone should never be a threat to your own well-being, so make sure you’re taking care of yourself first.

The Bible says we are to confront people we love and let them know that bad behavior is not okay. Refuse to participate. (Matthew 18: 15-20) God does not enable irresponsible behavior. We can set limits on our own exposure to people who are behaving poorly; we can’t change them or make them behave right. Our model is God. He doesn’t set limits on people to make them behave. He sets standards, but He lets people be who they are and then separates Himself from them when they misbehave. Don’t be afraid to say “You can be that way if you choose, but you cannot come into my life.” God limits His exposure to evil, unrepentant people, and so should we. The Bible says to separate ourselves from people who act in destructive ways. We are not being unloving. Separating ourselves protects love, because we are taking a stand against things that destroy love. I said earlier, it’s not easy letting go of someone you love. But guess what, when you have done all you can, there is someone else who can do more than you ever could. Yes, our Father God is in the business of restoration and miracles. Give your love one to Him and rest and know that they are in good hands. Love and Blessings…

 

The first time a storm came into my life, I could not understand why I was experiencing any type of turbulence. I was a “good girl”.  I went to church, did not steal or kill and tried to treat everybody right. I thought it did not matter about the little things I did because they were only “little sins”. I’m sure I’m not the only one who believed that as long as you live a good and godly life and try to stay out of trouble, you are heaven bound. I now know that in God’s eyes, there are no little or big sins, sin is sin. I also used to think that if you sinned, you were no longer saved. Thank God in my studies and journey with Christ my eyes have been opened. I know we are saved by God’s grace, not our own will or works. Therefore, we must be careful that we don’t make personal judgments as to who is and is not a Christian based on their works. God knows who is truly a believer and who is not. With that being said, we will face consequences in heaven in eternity for what we do here on earth as believers. Scripture says we must humble ourselves before God and depend on His mercy. We cannot stand before God at the final judgment and claim we are entitled to salvation on the merit of church membership or anything we have done, said or believed. Again, our salvation is not in question, but the level of rewards we will receive in heaven depend on how we serve God while on earth. This is made most clear in 1 Corinthians 3:9-17. Our salvation is not dependent on what we do even after we have been saved because we are counted righteous by what Jesus did. Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice, our sins have been forgiven by Christ’s death and resurrection in this sense, we have already been “perfected” (Hebrews 10:14) in that God has already punished our sin in Christ on the cross, and we are made perfect by Christ’s obedience, with His righteousness credited to the believer. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice! Thank God for Salvation, this is the deliverance, by the grace of God, from eternal punishment for sin which is granted to those who accept by faith God’s conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. Only God can remove sin and deliver us from sin’s penalty. God has rescued us through Christ. It was Jesus’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection that achieved our salvation. Scripture is clear that salvation is the gracious, undeserved gift of God and is only available through faith in Jesus Christ. God is not an indian giver. We are saved by faith. First, we must hear the gospel, the good news of Jesus’s death and resurrection, then; we must believe and fully trust the Lord Jesus. This involves repentance and a changing of mind about sin and Christ. God makes it very clear that it is only through His Son, Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross that will give people eternal salvation and thus eternal life with Him in heaven. Please read today’s scriptures on salvation in FOOD FOR THE SOUL. Love and Blessing

 

 

 

 

The dictionary describes friendship as a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an association. An interpersonal relationship is strong and deep. The situation can vary from family or kinship, relations, friendship, marriage, relations with associates, work, clubs, neighbors, and places of worship. But let’s talk about friendship. True friendship strives for unity of purpose, will, desire, heart, and mind. There must be complete trust and transparency, with no hidden agendas. True friendship goes beyond love as the world understands it.

I was told when it comes to friendships, my standards are high. I had to stop and think about that for a moment. Ok, it’s true.  I have few friends so I guess that proves it. The question is, is that a good or bad thing? The one person that is closet to me I don’t even call a friend, I call my “Person”. That is because the word friend does not do justice to how I feel or our relationship (you know who you are).  My Person has shown me what a true friend is. I believe people tend to use the word friend too loosely. Everybody that is in your life is not your friend! In my humble opinion, there would be less hurt and disappointment if people would recognize that. So yes, I do set high standards when it comes to friendships or any other relationships in my life. Someone said that everybody they meet is a friend until they prove otherwise. And that’s ok for them. For me, it doesn’t make sense to go through drama or hurt just to find that person was faking it. But then I always rear on the side of caution. Everybody is different. I say having at least one “Person” in your life, is better than having thousands of friends. A true friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts.

One of the noblest friendships in the Old Testament developed between Jonathan and David. They achieved true friendship despite difficult circumstances. The Lord chose David to succeed King Saul. Jonathon traditionally would have been heir to the throne instead of David, so it would have been natural for him to see David as his enemy. Yet when David returned from the battlefield and appeared in King Saul’s court with the head of Goliath in his hand, the Bible says “the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul”(1 Samuel 17:57, 18:1). Jonathan’s love for David is even more remarkable when contrasted with his father Saul. Saul, out of jealousy tried to kill David. Jonathan helped David escape while he tried to soften Saul’s heart (Samuel 19:4-5). Jonathan was David’s “Person”.

The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the definition of a true friend: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:13-15) Jesus is the pure example of a true friend, for He laid down His life for His “friends.” The good news is, anyone may become His friend by trusting in Him as his personal savior, being born again and receiving new life in Him. We are blessed if we have at least one friend here on earth. We are more than blessed if we have accepted Jesus as our friend and savior! Read today’s FOOD FOR THE SOUL for a definition of love and true friendship.  Love and Blessings…