Today I just want to say thank you Lord. Thank you Lord for all you’ve done for me. You have been my protection every step of the way. Thank you Lord. Every day you keep on keeping me. Thank you for your love, thank you for your mercy, and thank you for so much grace. There’s no one like you. Thank you for your favor. Thank you for guiding me. I want to say thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for my family. Thank you for my friends. What would I do if I did not have you Father God? Where would I be without you? Thank you Lord. Every morning brand new mercies. Thank you Jesus. Thank you for loving me enough to die for me. Who else would do that? Thank you for loving me unconditionally. No one can love me like you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you. Thank you for so many blessings. Thank you for the storms and the wilderness. Thank you for the lessons. Thank you for preparing me for my purpose. I thank you for everything! I praise you Lord. I love you God, you are so worthy to be praised!

                             “Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord”. (Psalm 150:6)

 

 

 

 

If you are going through a test and all your options are closing in without any way out, then you should start shouting! Your breakthrough is closer than you think. Let’s take a look at Daniel, (Daniel 10:1-21). He fasted and prayed for 21 days to gain greater insight into the revelations he received. Then an angelic being finally showed up with an answer to his prayers. This messenger said he had been trying to get to Daniel for those 21 day, but had been detained by the “prince of the Kingdom of Persia”. The chief angel Michael had come and freed him. It seems as events play out on earth, there is corresponding activity in the spiritual realm. This scripture shows us an example of what is taking place outside of our sight. God does not want us to know more about the angelic realm than what he revealed in the scriptures or he would have revealed more. We must believe and be patient when we pray. Some breakthroughs need fasting and praying until we hear from God. Fasting test where the heart is. And when it reveals that the heart is with God and not the world, it moves God. There was a time I could barely walk and after fasting and praying for 21 days, I ended up walking 3 to 4 miles every morning! Fasting is like prayer on steroids! Some breakthroughs are achieved quickly, others may seem to take a long time (God don’t do time). If you are praying for a breakthrough and not seeing it, in fact you are experiencing even more discouragement, frustration and doubt, you’re most likely up against more than you know. This is when your faith, determination and your endurance must kick in. When the pressure is mounting, the devil wants you to give up. I almost did. I am so thankful that I did not. If I had I would now be destitute, homeless and definitely not in my right mind. I would not be walking today. (according to doctors). Glory to God. I used my determination which some people call stubbornness. My frustration and anger helped to fuel me. Use whatever it takes to keep going, and absolutely use and lean on God. Unlike man, God loves it when we use and depend on him. I was scared and depressed but I refused to give up. I felt like a failure but I refused to give up. Whatever you do, refuse to give up! When my breakthrough came, my faith level shot up. I am still and will continue to contend for full healing. I believe there will be full restoration because I did not give up. I stood my ground and God brought me out. I don’t know how but he did it (love that song). I live each day with gratitude and joy! And now when oppositions come, I get excited because I know God is doing something I can’t see and the devil is mad! Knowing that gives me the courage and strength to keep going. I wonder how many times people give up just before a breakthrough. Please don’t be one of them. Much Love…….

 

 

Have you heard the quote “I love my haters, they motivate me”? I have a cap with that quote. I wear it every now and then but honestly I disagree with the “motivate me part”. I don’t believe it’s a good thing to depend on haters to motivate you. We should love them because it is not them we have to worry about; it is the evil one that is using them. Know that hate doesn’t do anything but breed negativity. Nothing good ever comes from hate. Hate belongs to the devil (which means slanderer). So let’s talk about satan (which means accuser). He works through people, sometimes our own family, or our brothers and sisters in Christ. He delights in using us believers if he can. He will fit in where he can get in. He uses his favorite possessions such as; jealously, doubt, shame, fear, pride and hate. None of those are from God. The devil uses those things and people to become what we call haters. I am thankful I don’t need haters to motivate me but if this is true for some it’s ok; just beware of whom you are dealing with. However for some people, negative feedback or criticism can be discouraging and cause them to want to give up. Do Not Give Up! Satan is a liar and a deceiver, do not underestimate him! He is often camouflaged so we don’t see him coming. He will use the people who we thought we could trust. He will use the people we love the most. He will whisper in our ear. That is why it is important we know God’s Word, so we can identify God’s voice. Remember, satan has a plan for our life jut as God has a plan. God’s plan is to prosper us, give us hope and a future. The devil’s plan is to steal, kill and destroy. So when someone tells you anything negative or you hear a whisper in your ear; stop for a moment and think, does this encourage me, or does it seek to destroy my dreams, my hope, my life? If the devil tells you that you can’t do something, you say, “I Can!”!  If he calls you anything negative, you say, “I Am Not That”! (love those words). When we do not surrender to the tricks of the devil and trust the power, wisdom, and goodness of God, we fulfill God’s purpose in letting satan live. In the end, satan serves to magnify the power, wisdom, love, grace, mercy, patience, and the wrath of Jesus Christ. When we look around us at this broken world, it may look like satan is in control. However, Jesus, not satan is in control. When satan wanted to destroy Job and prove that God was not Job’s treasure, he had to get God’s permission! God governs satan’s every move. The day will come when satan will be destroyed completely and removed from the earth. Those of us who have read the end of the Book, know that satan will lose the battle. Until then our best defense against criticism and satan’s lies is God. Seek God’s wisdom. Ask Him to help you discern the good and bad in criticism. Yes, love your haters but we don’t really need them to motivate us. God’s Word does that. According to His Word we can do all things through Christ, the Word say’s we are victorious! I choose to believe the Word over the haters. What about you? Much Love….

 

 

I used to think the only reason God inspired me to write and to tell my testimonies was to bless others. If someone was going through their own wilderness, it would help them to see how God brought me through mine. Actually it has blessed me also. I would have been happy to forget those times and never mention them again. But God also knew that I needed to heal. There are some things I could not talk about without getting emotional and crying (some things I’m still working on). God knew that not only would it boost my faith to remember where he brought me from, but I would be able to see my growth. I am amazed at the change in me. When storms come at me now, and they do, it’s a different person they meet. Because I have a renewed trust and faith in the Lord, I handle things differently. The attitude you choose in a situation or while in a storm can make or break you. You know the saying what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger? That is not in the scriptures, however I believe it is true. We become stronger in the Lord and with him on our side, we are victorious! We can choose to see God’s goodness in the mist of the storm. In the wilderness, I was diagnosed with several Auto Immune Diseases. I focused on the pain and all the symptoms that come with the diagnoses. A cycle that led to depression. Should we be happy and rejoice even when we are going through? God does not expect us to rejoice in our circumstance or pain, but we can choose to rejoice in the Lord in spite of the circumstance. We must keep our gaze on God and glance at the situation. Trials can lead us to a greater dependency on God and a deeper trust in him if we let them. I wish I had learned that sooner. I wish that in the beginning of the storm I had focused more on God than my storm. This world is broken and life is sure to bring hardships. I now know no matter what, God is worthy of our praise. When we praise the Lord in spite of our circumstances, praise becomes our deliverance. Toward the end of my journey I gave up on self and leaned on God, focused on him, thanking him, and praising him for sustaining me thus far. And that’s when I began to see the rainbow. There is always a rainbow after the storm, keep your eyes on God until you see it! Please Share.  Much Love….

 

Diamonds are a crystallized form of carbon that grows from a primary carbon source subjected to very high temperatures and pressure. Diamonds also can come from outer space, delivered to Earth by meteorites that enter the atmosphere and hit the Earth’s surface. Scientists believe that these diamonds were created under similar conditions, namely high temperature and heat. The rock type produced by these volcanic activities is now known as kimberlite, named after the South African town of Kimberley where it was first discovered. If these eruptions pass through the diamond stability zone, they can carry diamonds with them in their journey to the surface. The challenge for miners and exploration companies is these kimberlite deposits must be discovered. Although geologist now know where kimberlites are most likely to occur, they are usually covered below the Earth’s surface. Exploration can be a long and often tremendously expensive process. Diamonds which are beautiful and ultimately bring joy are often the result of extremely hard labor. 

Why am I talking about diamonds? Because today someone said I was a diamond and that in order for people to know there’s a diamond, it has to be mined. Mmmmmm, I don’t know if that’s an original line or what, but I liked it. It made sense to me, and after I researched a little about diamonds it made even more sense. God created each of us as such, beautiful perfect unique diamonds. We are masterpieces created by the master. However I believe sometimes life buries us so deep into the earth or takes us so far into the wilderness that we get caught up and we are lost in the rocks. But God! He is the volcano that can burst us out to the surface! Then what? We are still covered with this dirt, we still feel weighed down by hurts and disappointments. We still feel lost, lonely, and not good enough even though we try to hide it. But God! He sends us miners. He uses them to uncover the dirt, our hurt, and our disappointments, one layer at a time. Sometimes it is a long hard process. But when the miners are sent by God, they know that diamonds are worth it, that they are rare and that ultimately the diamond will shine! Make sure the people you surround yourself with are miners who know your worth and are willing to help you shine! Click on FOOD FOR SOUL and see why in God’s eyes we are diamonds.  Please share. Much Love…..

 

 

So you are waiting for your Boaz. For most of us, waiting for anything is one of the hardest things to do. When it comes to God, we might as well get use to it. Sometimes He will give us what we want, when we want it. I love those times! However we must remember that God has a purpose for our lives, and He is concerned about every area of our life. This includes our Boaz ladies. So when we say we are waiting, we should not actually be waiting. You probably say that doesn’t make sense. What I mean is we should go about our Father’s business and be focused on him. Let Him woo and love on us. Let him remake and shape us. Let him prepare us for our Boaz. God is a good Father. He knows exactly what we need and He is more than willing to give it to us. In his time, when we are ready. And trust, his time is always better than our time. When we focus on God, He’s not only going to take care of us but he will also give us the desires of our heart. There is nothing wrong with the desire to have a Boaz. It’s a natural thing. God shaped us and molded us in this way. Our human nature longs to love and be loved. My belief is that God has someone for each of us. Just as he prepares us, he also has to prepare our Boaz. God’s not going to give us no mess! We do that when we don’t wait on God or try to prepare (change) someone who we think is our Boaz. If the wait seems long, it’s either we’re not ready or he’s not ready. Trust in God’s timing.

 So are you waiting for your Boaz? Notice I did not ask are you looking for your Boaz. There is a difference. We should not be looking according to God’s word. I say again, we should not be looking! Adam walked in the garden with God. I can’t even image how peaceful that was. However, God said it was not good that man should be alone. He took one of Adam’s ribs and made woman. He did not create woman and then from her create man. The scripture say’s, “ He who finds a wife finds a good thing.” That’s it ladies, he will find us! And while we wait, let’s bloom where God has planted us. While we wait, let’s dance with God. He will let the perfect one cut in, in His perfect timing. And my brothers the same applies while you wait for your Proverbs 31 woman! I really hope this encourages someone while waiting. Be sure to read what God says on this issue, click on Food For The Soul. Please like and share. Much Love……

 

 

 

When I really think about it, all my life I have been blessed. My childhood was good; we didn’t have much, probably considered poor by some. But we were never hungry, clothes may not have been expensive but we were always clean. Our basic needs were met. My father was a pastor so we attended church every Sunday. I was taught if you went to church, obeyed the commandments, and was a good person, you would not have any problems. So I was good. I never messed with drugs or broke the law. I married young but if I’m to be honest I was blessed even then, I was never abused or mistreated in any way. In spite of us being young we raised an awesome son and even when the marriage ended, when it came to our son, we were together. Our son never gave us any problems. I had been self-employed since the age of seventeen. And any job I did work, I excelled. I’m not saying life didn’t happen but when it did, it always worked out for me. I was never sick. I always helped anybody I could. It sounds like I’m bragging, right? I’m not. It’s the truth. The problem here is that I believed I was blessed because I was good.

So when the storms came and they just kept coming until I found myself in the wilderness, I wanted to know why this was happening to me. I was good. And not like before, nothing I did could get myself out. Things just kept getting worse. I was sick, could not work and eventually lost everything I owned. So I was mad, yes mad at God. I was good. I went to church every Sunday. I helped people. Oh yes, I alternated from being angry to depressed. I did a lot of talking with God. It took a while but God showed me how wrong I was. It was in the wilderness that I really began to understand about God’s mercy and grace. Jesus speaks a parable where two men went into the temple to pray; one of them thanked God that he was not like other men who did bad things, he talked about how he followed the law, in other words how good he was. The other man who did not look up because he believed he was unworthy, he asked God for mercy because he was a sinner. Jesus said it was this man who was justified because he did not praise himself and he was humble. (Luke 18:9-14). Before the wilderness I was like the first man. All those years I thought I deserved his goodness when the reality is I am not worthy. Because of Jesus, everyone gets the same mercy and grace, the good, the bad and the ugly. It is a gift. It is not what we do or how good we are. Grace is God’s unmerited favor and it goes beyond mercy. Mercy is God not giving us the punishment that we deserve for our sins. I thank God for showing me favor, grace and mercy most of my life. I thank Him for the wilderness because it was there that I received a renewed understanding of His love. Sometimes with people we feel if we don’t say or do the right things, or we don’t behave the way they want us to they may not love us. Before the wilderness that is how I thought it was with God. I still strive every day to be good. The difference is now it is not so I can receive God’s mercy and grace. That is a gift that God being God gives to whomever he pleases, whether they are good or bad. God knows nobody is perfect, and he knows we have all fallen short of his glory. I strive to be good not so God will love me, God loves us unconditionally. I do it because he has been so good to me and I love HIM. Please read and study today’s scriptures in Food For The Soul. God’s Word can explain it much better than I can.

Our role is to simply love God and each other. The Lord our God’s role is to save us and give us a purpose that extends beyond our small vision of the world. I’m not perfect, I am flawed, we all are. However as we follow Jesus daily, He transforms us while using us to encourage others as we share His love and truth. My desire is to be obedient and follow God’s will for my life. It’s not always easy, sometimes He will take us out of our comfort zone or we will lose people from our lives. That is why it is important to stay close to Him and His Word. The Word protects us, gives us peace, and also gives us a weapon to fight the enemy with. The enemy hates it when we say, as Jesus did, “It is written”.

We all want to be happy, but sometimes trying to find happiness can be a struggle. We search for happiness in all the wrong places or ways. We convince ourselves that life will be better after we find the right man/woman, when we finish school, or once we go back to school, when we get that dream house or car, when we get married, after we are divorced, once we lose 10 pounds, once we gain 10 pounds, when we have a baby, when the kids leave home, when we go on vacation or better yet when we retire. I could go on and on about how we tell ourselves life will be complete after or when. The truth is true happiness is a gift from God. Accept it and you will find there is no better time to be happy than right now! I’ll share with you one of my favorite quotes;

                                  Happiness is a Journey, Not a Destination.

For a long time it seemed to me

That Life Was About To Begin-Real Life.

But There Was Always Some Obstacle In The

Way, Something To Be Gotten Through

First, Some Unfinished Business,

Time Still To Be Served, A Debt To Be Paid.

At Last It Dawned On Me That These

Obstacles Were My Life.

This Perspective Has Helped Me

To See There Is No Way To Happiness.

HAPPINESS IS THE WAY.

So Treasure Every Moment

You Have And Remember that

Time Waits For No One.

Alfred d. Souza

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love Bible study, each time I study the Word, there is new revelations. I’m sure you have heard “God will never give me more than I can handle.” It sounds good but the Bible does not teach that. Some use 1 Corinthians 10:13 to back up this “Christian teaching.” But is that what Paul meant when he wrote: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear?” If you read the full passage 1-13, and put it in context, the topic is temptation and being prepared to resist it. Paul encouraged believers in Corinth to practice strict spiritual discipline as he did. Paul elaborates on what we should do instead of giving into temptation and falling into sin. The real promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13 is that God will never allow us to be tempted to sin beyond what we can resist. God always gives us a way out, a choice. So does God give us more than we can handle? Yes he does. Paul also wrote 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 and Paul explains that God allowed him and allows us to experience trials and difficulties, grief and pain, and sometimes more than we can bear. Why? So that we will rely on God and not on our own strength and power. When we are unable to deliver ourselves, God is able. When we are unable to stand up under the pressure, it will be God’s strength in us that allows us to stand. God does not promise that He will never give us more than we can handle. God promises that He will hold out His hand and tell us to lean on Him. I don’t know about you but I like that promise better because I know I cannot lean onto my own understanding or strength. Don’t take my word for it, click on “Food for the Soul” and see what God’s Word says.