It’s All About Love – 1

(2 Thessalonians 3:5,NIV),“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

About a week ago, I awaken around 3 o’clock in the morning. I was wide awake. I didn’t feel sleepy at all. So I decided I would just use the time to pray. I love early morning prayer because everything is quiet and still. I don’t always do it as consistently as I should, but when I do it, I love it.

During my conversation with the Lord, I could sense Him saying to me, “It’s all about love.” This statement has been resonating with me ever since. I can’t stop feeling as if God wants us as Christians, to never forget that the true foundation of our relationship with Him is…LOVE. Who we are and the things we do, rather for God or for people, it should all be about love.

(2 Timothy 3:1,KJV),“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

We are living in perilous times. God knows that in order to persevere, we need a strong foundation that is rooted in His love for us. Otherwise, we will succumb to the pressures we face daily.

We hear the word love a lot. We see many expressions of it everyday. Sometimes we may even think we have it (love) all figured out, and then we find out differently. I will take some time to explore love in general over the next several posts. Since it’s the foundation of our faith in Christ Jesus, looking at it more closely is beneficial. I don’t know exactly where this will go, but I’m just going to “trust” the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ to guide the process (Hebrews 12:2).

It’s all about love

 

Because Love Rose

He died, but I’m so thankful that He also rose. Because the tomb is empty, we have victory. He defeated death, therefore we can have life. True life. Abundant life. We are free, because Love rose.

Matthew 28:6 (NIV), “He is not here; he is risen, just as he said…”

We serve a Risen Savior! He doesn’t just give us love, but He is Love.

May the joy, power, and love of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.

Have a Blessed Resurrection Sunday!

Jesus Lives!

The Mystery Blogger Award 2019

The Mystery Blogger Award 2019

Renee/Heart Tokens has presented me with The Mystery Blogger Award.

https://hearttokens.home.blog/2019/04/19/the-mystery-blogger-award-2019/

Thank you Renee! I really appreciate you nominating me for this award. I am thankful that we connected and I have enjoyed your blog posts. They have been an encouragement and inspiration to me.  I pray that God will continue to use you to speak truth through your blog, and that the gifts and talents He has given you will continue to be a blessing to many. Thanks again for giving me this opportunity!

Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion. – Okoto Enigma

Rules:

  • Put the award logo/image on your blog
  • List the rules.
  • Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
  • Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
  • You have to nominate 10-20 people
  • Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
  • Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question
  • Share a link to your best posts.

3 Things About Dawn:

  • I love taking walks, especially in the park. It gives me time to pray and reflect. Other times I will call someone and talk while I walk.
  • My favorite two foods are pizza and french fries.
  • l like to sing.

Here are the questions asked of me to answer:

1- If you could see yourself through the eyes of those who know you well, what advice do you think they would be bold enough to give you, good or bad? Be more spontaneous, don’t over think things.

2- What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten? Souse Meat. I used to eat it growing up, but now I don’t think I could eat one piece, especially looking at the ingredients. Haven’t had it in many years.

3- What is a pet peeve of yours? When people are petty, put others down to build themselves up, and spend too much time competing with others instead of focusing on God’s plan for their own lives.

4- What advice would you give the younger you, knowing all that you know now? Value yourself. Take time to get to know yourself and develop yourself.

5- What is your favorite idiom, if any? It’s a small world.

Here are my questions for those who choose to participate:

  1. If you could have dinner with anyone who would it be and why?
  2. Do you prefer silver or gold?
  3. What is your favorite season and why?
  4. If you could go on national TV to discuss any topic what would it be?
  5. What is one of the most important lessons you have learned in life?

Here are a few of my best posts:

https://drawingclosertochrist.com/2019/04/02/no-need-to-worry/

https://drawingclosertochrist.com/2019/04/05/stay-connected-to-the-true-vine-prayer/

https://drawingclosertochrist.com/2019/03/04/but-the-gift-of-god-is-eternal-life-part-3/

I’m giving this award to the following:

https://changedbyhimblog.wordpress.com/

https://sandmoos.wordpress.com/

https://theontimeone.wordpress.com/

https://devotionsofgrace.home.blog/blog/

https://bubbleeffectblog.wordpress.com/

https://uyamaetim.wordpress.com/

https://christianmommas.com/

https://www.blessingsbyme.com/

https://mercifullybrokenblog.com/

https://josephsdailywalkwithjesus.wordpress.com

https://jesusluvsall.wordpress.com/

https://graceandpink.home.blog/

Thank you for encouraging and inspiring me with your blogs. You do not have to participate, but if you do…have fun! You can even choose to pass it off to someone else if you want. Thanks again. May God continue to bless your blogging journey! Dawn 😊

 

Fruit of the Spirit: SELF-CONTROL

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT), “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!

SELF-CONTROL. We can control ourselves through the power of God’s Spirit working in us. We can say no to our old ways and yes to the ways of Christ.

Romans 6:6(NIV),“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”

Although we have a new nature in Christ, we must help it to grow by filling our hearts with God’s Word so that we will not fall into sin (Psalm 119:11). We have to make our growth in Him a priority. Whatever we feed the most, will grow the most. If we feed our flesh more than our spirit, it will be more difficult for us to follow God’s ways and practice self-control.

Through The Holy Spirit, we can control our thoughts, words, and actions. When we stop and think about it, we begin to realize just how much we have to practice self-control on a daily basis. I’m sure we all have areas where we need to discipline ourselves, and be more self controlled. I know for me, trying to make sure I am honoring God with my eating habits takes self-control. It’s easier for me to eat unhealthy foods than it is for me to avoid them and “eat responsibly.”

I’m glad we have the attribute of self-control. We can stand firm against the things that try and get us to go against God’s will for our lives.

1 Peter 5:8 (NHEB),“Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

***Please share your thoughts about your journey with self-control in the comments.

Fruit of the Spirit:Gentleness

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT), “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!

GENTLENESS. Gentleness also called meekness can be described as power under control. It’s like Jesus, He has all power in His hands, yet He knows how to control it and use it appropriately.

Being gentle or meek, has nothing to do with being weak or letting others walk over you. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. To me, a person who can exhibit meekness, especially when they are in a position of authority, is really to be admired. This is a person who knows how to use their authority and power for good, just like Christ. They don’t try and abuse their authority or belittle others in an attempt to prove themselves. Meekness also knows when it’s time to stop talking and just walk away.

We also must be gentle/meek in our relationship with Christ, so we will be willing to follow His will for our lives. God let’s us choose how we want to live, and being gentle/meek causes us to not want to rebel against Him. Instead we will want to submit to Him and follow His path for our lives.

There’s a lot riding on us having a meek, humble attitude. This is one of those things that the enemy will quickly use to try and destroy our witness if we aren’t careful. I know it’s rough. I’m learning too. But we can do it, because as always, the Holy Spirit will empower us to be who we should be for His glory.

Be of a gentle spirit…

1.Philippians 4:5, (NIV),” Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

2.Ephesians 4:2,(NIV), “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,”

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!! It all goes back to love. Loving God and loving others. We also have to ask God to take away any insecurities or fears that keep us from being gentle/meek. The fear of being taken advantage of is real. The truth is, there are many people who will try and take advantage of others.

However, being gentle/meek will cause us to bow down to the power of God, and allow Him to show us exactly how to respond to difficult people or tough situations. Gentleness/meekness does not mean we don’t take action. It just means we know how to take the right action.

***Please share your thoughts about GENTLENESS in the comments.

Fruit of the Spirit: FAITHFULNESS

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT), “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!

FAITHFULNESS. God is always faithful. He never lets us down. I love this verses in Lamentations 3:23-24(NIV)…

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

We can depend on the Lord to always be there for us. He has promised to never leave us and to never forsake us (Hebrews 13:6). He is faithful to be who He promised to be. He is faithful to do what He promised to do.

The most important relationship we have is our relationship with Jesus. So we should be faithful in our love and loyalty toward Him. When we are faithful to Him, it will cause the other areas of our lives to fall into place. Our relationship with Him even sets the standard for the other relationships in our lives.

Although faithfulness is planted in us, we must still pursue it. We must actively seek to increase our faithfulness to our God. The more we come to know Him, the more we will want to faithfully love and serve Him.

A few ways we can increase our faithfulness to God:

We can spend time getting to know Him through His Word.

We can pursue activities that will strengthen our relationship with Him.

We can fellowship with likeminded people.

We can pray and ask God to strengthen our faith as we seek Him.

Walk in Faithfulness to our Lord…

1.Psalm 31:23(NIV), “Love the LORD, all his faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.”

2.Psalm 37:28(NIV), “For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.”

God promises to preserve us when we are faithful to Him. That brings such peace to know He is covering us, especially with all the turmoil that is going on nowadays. He will not abandon us, but will instead lead us on level ground (Psalm 27:11).

I will be the first to admit, remaining faithful to God is not an easy road. Some days are easier than others. The Holy Spirit gives us warnings, called convictions, that He designed to keep us on the right road. But we must follow those convictions. I’ve been guilty many times of ignoring the convictions and doing what I wanted. I know from experience that in the end, that causes heartbreak. But thankfully, He was still faithful to keep on loving me, being patient with me, and helping me to do better. Even when we fail, He is still faithful!

We just need to take one day at a time and trust God that we are progressing more and more with each passing day. We must live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). When we seek Him wholeheartedly, He will be faithful to help us learn and grow.

***Please share your thoughts about FAITHFULNESS in the comments.

Great is His faithfulness

Fruit of the Spirit: GOODNESS

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT), “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

GOODNESS. Goodness is the ability to choose right over wrong, or good over evil. God’s Spirit works in us to create pure hearts that are willing to choose what is right from God’s perspective. We are living in a time where choosing godliness is not usually celebrated. Instead many people are more interested in pleasing the flesh, and doing whatever they think makes them feel good. Living by feelings and the flesh instead of the Word of God will lead to destruction (James 1:15). Choosing to obey God’s Word and live by the Holy Spirit (goodness), will lead to life (John 6:63).

I pray God will help us as Christians to choose what is good in His sight, even when we feel the pressure of the world’s evil ways. I pray He will help us not to compromise and fall prey to sinful temptations. As we choose to live righteously for Him, we will enjoy the blessings of the abundant life Jesus died to give us.

God’s Word is GOOD…

1.Romans 12:21 (NIV), “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

2.Romans 12:9 (NIV), “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

3.Nahum 1:7(NIV),“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”

We overcome evil by choosing to do what is good. Cling to what is good! God is a good God who will always do what is right. So we can trust Him completely. We can have full confidence that when we choose what is “good”, He will fight on our behalf to bring justice wherever it is needed. Walk in Goodness!

***Share your thoughts on GOODNESS in the comments.