Month: January 2020

What Does Your Mouth Speak?

Luke 6:45 NKJV, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

One of the fastest ways to find out what is in the heart of a person, is to listen to what comes out of the mouth of that person. That explains why we are admonished to, “hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we will not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11).” God’s Word teaches us, and it builds our character. It also softens our hearts so that we will become sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. When we are seeking the Lord, and striving to walk in love towards others, that will be evident through the words we speak as well as our actions.

Photo by: Rodolfo Clix (from Brazil 🇧🇷)

Several years ago I hosted a home Bible study, and one of the ladies became offended at the “harsh attitudes” of two of the other ladies that were present. She let me know a couple of days later via email, that she would not be returning to the Bible study. I apologized for the incident and invited her to return. She appreciated and accepted my apology. However, she declined to return and used Luke 6:45 as the reason why. She felt the hearts of those two ladies (by the way everyone in the group was a professing Christian) were not pure, so returning would be useless. She said, “Out of the abundance of their hearts, their mouths speak!”

The funny thing is that those same two ladies who offended her asked about her the next week. I let them know she had decided not to return to the group. They were disappointed. It was clear that they had no clue that their attitudes/words were offensive. I’m guessing that I must have missed the conversation that went on between these three ladies. After all there were a few times where several conversations we’re going on at once, (Welcome to Miami!) But anyway, it was a learning experience to be aware of not only what we say, but how we say it.

Photo by: Craig Adderley (from Pennsylvania 🇺🇸)

Being in South Florida, the group was very multi-cultural, so people express themselves differently. Some have stronger personalities than others. But even so, we have to make sure our personalities are in line with the Word of God. Cultural background can’t be used as an excuse to speak harshly to others. We do have to guard our hearts, even against cultural practices that don’t line up with God’s Word. Praying and asking God to help us to unlearn wrong attitudes is a must. He desires for us to be gentle in spirit.

Proverbs 4:23 NIV, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Guarding our hearts should always be a top priority. We must be aware of what we allow our eyes to see, and our ears to hear. When we are born again Christians, our hearts belong to Jesus, and we have chosen to dedicate our lives to Him. He desires for us to have clean hearts that will bring forth good things. Our hearts should be overflowing with God’s love and truth, because that is what will point others to Jesus and have an impact on those around us.

“A persons most useful asset is not a head full of knowledge but a heart full of love, and an ear ready to listen, and a hand willing to help others”. Anonymous

Photo by: Ylanite Koppens (from the Netherlands 🇳🇱)

The Lord Is Good…Thank You

Psalm 34:8 NKJV, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

The Lord is good. I know that is something that we say a lot, but it will never grow old. The fact that the Lord is good to us, is a truth that will never cease. Reaching out and “tasting of the Lord” can really stretch us, however in the process of being stretched, our hearts go to a new level of faith and maturity in Him. Having the privilege to experience God’s goodness and giving ourselves permission to do so, will lead to blessings that we can’t even begin to imagine.

When we trust in God, we are blessed, not just with material blessings, but more importantly with spiritual blessings. He has a way of filling our lives with good things, often in unexpected ways (Psalm 103:5). The only requirement to experience the Lord’s goodness, is just to simply “taste and see” for yourself. Jesus opened the door for us to do that. He lovingly gave His life so that we would have eternal access to God’s goodness.

Photo by: Pixabay

I want to thank everyone for your prayers and support. God has supplied my need for employment, and I’ll be starting my new job in a couple of weeks. Many of you kept checking on me and encouraging me. Your care and concern meant a lot to me during my move back to Virginia. I’m delighted to be back with my mom and other family members. The Lord has blessed me in a special way. I’ll forever be thankful for your love, words of affirmation and prayers. God heard your prayers and He answered.

Our God is good. His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6). Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed are those who trusts in Him.

I pray that you experience God’s blessings in unexpected ways as you continue to put your trust in Him. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Seeing Through Your Eyes Of Faith

Hebrews 11:1 NIV, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

When I read this verse, the words confidence and assurance pop out at me. Those are powerful words that remind us that there is no room for doubt. Walking by faith is possible because the foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ. Putting our faith in Him means that we can be confident and sure. The hope we have in Christ is not an empty hope limited by what we see with our natural eyes. We can stand on the truth of God’s Words, knowing He is faithful to keep His promises to us.

I was encouraged by this post entitled, “SIGHT beyond what I SEE in the natural” by Kim @ Beyond My Limitations. She reminds us to keep our focus on God because His purposes will prevail and stretch far beyond what we see in the natural. Thanks Kim!

Photo by: John-Mark Smith (from Lvov, Ukraine 🇺🇦)

When A Hard Place Is The Right Place

Isaiah 43:2 NIV, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Have you ever found yourself in a very hard place in life, where you must endure difficulties that are beyond your control? You can’t change things, or take short cuts. There is no way out, all you can do is go through. You must keep persevering and trust God to sustain you. You must rely on Him to supply you with what you need along the way.

Even though there are things you just don’t understand, remember God is with you as you go through the deep waters, rushing rivers, and raging fires. He has you exactly where you are supposed to be. It’s a hard place, however it’s the right place, because God has anointed you for the road you are traveling. God sees your faithfulness, so don’t give up! Keep praying, keep hoping, keep believing, and keep expecting!

Photo by: Jake Colvin (from Salem, OR 🇺🇸)

God’s grace is always sufficient for the tough roads we must travel (2 Corinthians 12:9). No matter the nature of our problems, He is more than able to carry us through. Often times the crosses we must bear are part of our growth process. They mature us and enable us to fulfill the calling that God has on our lives.

James 1:4 NIV, “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

We can always trust God to take us to the next level at the right time. We don’t have to feel that He has forgotten about our needs, or that He has abandon us in the midst of our trials. God is with us in the hard places, working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Whenever we struggle, we can look back at our experiences and see how God used them to bring us to where we are today.

We can release fear, anxiety, and doubt, and instead we can receive His peace, strength, and love. He has a good plan for us, even in the hard places of our lives (Jeremiah 29:11).

Wanna Know You Better!!

Thank you Mr. Holliman at A Happy Life for nominating me for this challenge. Check out Mr. Holliman’s blog for delicious, healthy recipe ideas and educational writings on how to work towards better health. 🥬🍅🌽🥑

This post by Mr. Holliman is one of my recent favorites because I eat a banana almost everyday: Awesome Health Benefits From Eating Bananas 🍌 🍌 🍌

STEPS:
1. Title the blog post as “Wanna know you better!!” ( try to make your post pictorial as this will make it look interesting)
2. Mention Riya’s blog (me) and the one who nominated you.
3. Copy all the questions and answer them one by one.
4. You may create your own questions for your targets (it will be fun).
5. Pass the game as a challenge to any of your favorite bloggers and mention them in your post.

QUESTIONS from Mr Holliman:
First, 10 briefly explain questions:


1. What really makes you angry? People who try to scam others and/or take advantage of others. 😩


2. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? I’d have to research to find out what would be a balanced meal that will give me the most nutrition since it will be my only meal for the rest of my life. Mr. Holliman probably has some healthy ideas! 🥗


3. What is your biggest fear? I think heights or cliffs. 😳


4. What has been your best moment this year? The year just started so the best is yet to come. 🎉


5. If You Could Live Anywhere In The World For A Year, Where Would It Be? I would have to think about it but it would definitely be outside of the U.S. I found this article to help me choose. Any suggestions? 🤷🏿‍♀️ 10 Best Places to Live Abroad for Americans


6. How do you relieve stress? Walking, prayer, and thinking things through. 🚶🏾‍♀️🙏🏿🤔


7. Would You Rather Go To Space Or To The Bottom Of The Ocean? They are both cold and dark but I choose space, because I don’t want to be in the bottom of the ocean with the scary deep sea creatures. 🐙


8. What’s your favorite season? Spring 💐


9. What’s your favorite sports? Baseball ⚾️ Go Yankees!


10. Did you like Riya’s blog ? Yes, and I enjoyed this poem she wrote for her mom: “For My Mom” ✍🏼

Now, additional this or that questions:
What would you prefer?
• Beach or mountains- mountains
• Ice cream or milkshakes-ice cream
• New York or Paris-Paris
• Pizza or Burger-pizza
• Summer or Winter-summer
• City or Village-village
• Spring or Autumn-spring
• Mathematics or Science-science
• Train or Aeroplane- Aeroplane

I’m nominating all of my followers. If you would like to participate in this challenge, feel free to do so, and have fun! 🥰

Psalm 118:24 ESV, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

A Thankful Heart

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I just love that no matter what, in all circumstances, we can be thankful. We can choose to look up to Jesus, and trust Him to supply our needs in even the most difficult times. Although thankfulness may not naturally be our first response in all circumstances, we can choose to be thankful anyway because God is in control. As we give God thanks, we can expect the Lord to fill our hearts with joy, and work in our lives as we honor His will above our own. A thankful heart allows us to see life from God’s perspective, even in trials. I was encouraged by this poem by Yonnie at YonnieInHisCare, “Be Thankful In Trouble”.

Have a blessed day and may God’s Spirit give you continued strength as you choose to live a life of thankfulness.

Photo by: VisionPic.net (from the Ukraine 🇺🇦)

Hope Even In Death

Psalm 116:15 NIV, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.”

It’s never easy to lose a loved one. Our hearts hurt when we no longer physically have the presence of someone we care about. Some years ago, I volunteered as a group facilitator at a grief support group for children and teenagers. These young people had lost parents, grandparents, or even siblings. As facilitators, they taught us about the stages of grief, but also stressed that everyone goes through these stages at a different pace. There are no set of rules etched in stone about how fast a person has to heal after they lose someone they love. You don’t just “get over it and move on”, healing takes time. Some days will be better than others. However, the good news is that God will provide comfort to our grieving hearts through His Holy Spirit as we experience losses here on Earth.

2 Corinthians 1:3 NLT, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.”

Photo by: Daian Gan (from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 🇩🇴)

Psalm 116:15 shares with us God’s heart for the death of His children. He considers it precious to welcome us home. Even in death, He gives us hope. The short time we have here on Earth, is a forerunner to the grander things God has waiting for us in eternity. We must make the most of our time here, and leave a legacy that will point others toward Jesus Christ. When our work here is done, God will lovingly call us home. We can find joy in knowing we have an eternal purpose at home in heaven. I can’t even begin to imagine the ecstasy of His presence, and the magnificence of the place He is preparing for us. How special it is that He has an appointed time to welcome each of us home.

John 14:3 NLT, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

Photo by: Brett Sayles (from Boise, Idaho 🇺🇸)

When faced with death, it can sometimes seem unfair, shocking, pointless and hard to understand. The pain and sadness it brings can seem unbearable. This year marks the tenth anniversary of my cousin Peggy’s death. She died in a car accident and yesterday would have been her birthday. Her death was a shock. However in God’s eyes there is always a purpose. He is sovereign over both life and death. It’s a precious moment when we close our eyes here, and open them to eternity in His presence.

The thought of taking my last breath and dying used to seem scary to me. But I’ve found that the closer I get to the Lord, the more I look forward to spending eternity with Him. What once was scary, now brings me joy. May God continue to bless you as you fulfill your purpose on Earth and work to build a legacy that points others toward our Lord Jesus Christ.