Tag: Christianity

Sunshine Blogger Award – 3

Thank you Mrs. Holliman at GOD’S LOVE for nominating me for The Sunshine Blogger Award. When I stop by your blog, I encounter the truth and love of God’s Word. Thank you for being an inspiration.

Please check out her blog! Here’s one of her most recent post: Living Your Best Life with God’s Promises

Rules:

1. Use the sunshine blogger award logo

2. Give thanks to the blogger that nominated you

3. Answer the 11 questions that you’ve been asked

4. Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 questions

Question For Me:

1.What place would you like to visit? Rome, Italy 🇮🇹

2.Who is the most important person in your life? My relationship with Jesus Christ is always first. 🙏🏿

3.What is the last place you traveled to and why? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for my uncle’s funeral. ✈️

4.What good did GOD bring into your life? He has brought a lot of good, but learning to understand His love for me has been life changing. ❤️

5.What is your favorite color? Green 🌿

6.What got you to start your blog? I decided to start as a way to encourage others by sharing about God’s faithfulness. 🖥

7.What is your favorite food? Pepperoni Pizza and French Fries. Love them! 🍕🍟

8.Do you like to play sports or watch sports? I don’t play any sports, but I enjoy watching baseball. I’ve been to several professional baseball games. New York Yankees are #1!! ⚾️

9.How do you feel about what the world became to be? The world is becoming worse everyday. It’s becoming more like it’s father, Satan. The Bible said things would get bad in the last days. On the other hand, us Christians should strive to become more like God our Father. We should spread the truth and love of Jesus Christ. He died for the sins of the world. 🌎

10.Do you like being in the snow? If yes why? No I don’t like the snow. I lived in Michigan, outside of Detroit for 11 years. I don’t miss those snowy, brutally cold winters at all. ⛄️

11.What beach do you like to visit? I’m not really a big beach person, but living in Florida I’ve been to many. I grew up in Virginia, so Virginia Beach was close by. I don’t really have a favorite. 🏝

***I’m nominating 11 of my most recent connections. 😊 Participation is optional, but thanks for your blogs!! I appreciate your writings. ❤️ My questions are below.

1. https://joycottage.blog/2019/05/23/i-thought-it-was-just-a-memory-on-facebook/

2. https://godinspiredart.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/im-back-well-not-just-yet/

3. https://inspiredgrisele.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/whats-your-we/

4. https://imeellasblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/im-back/

5. https://wonderblogz.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/our-dreams/

6. https://husnayot.wordpress.com/2019/05/24/pen-and-paper-sketches-from-my-past-pt2-2/

7. https://fayannswearing.wordpress.com/2019/05/01/god-is-our-refuge-and-strength/

8. https://florenceezekafor.com/2019/05/25/how-my-life-got-messed-up/

9. https://briannaheaden.com/2019/04/26/fear/

10. https://missionloved.com/2019/05/13/pygmy-chiefs-village-transformed/

11. https://hhhigh.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/weeks-after-weeks/

My questions for you:

1. What’s an important lesson you’ve learned in life?

2. What is a good book you’ve read?

3. What is your favorite characteristic about yourself?

4. What are your hobbies?

5. Why did you start blogging?

6. What topics, if any, have you wanted to write about but haven’t because you feel your “fan base” would not approve?

7. Are you married or single, kids or no kids?

8. What are you passionate about and why?

9. What is your favorite food?

10. What is one of your favorite memories?

11. If you could wake up in the morning in a different place, where would that place be?

The Desires of Your Heart

Psalm 37:4 ESV, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

As we delight ourselves in the Lord, our desires will begin to line up with His. We will think more like Him. We will act more like Him. We will make loving Him and pleasing Him a priority.

Even though God allows us to go through situations that help us to mature into godly people, He still wants us to enjoy our lives. The good thing is that, He knows what we are mature enough to handle. He will not give us blessings that we are not ready for.

I remember when my daughter was little and I would drive her to daycare. I would always pass a park (River Bends Park, which ended up becoming my favorite park). I used to think to myself, if I didn’t have to go to work, I would go to the park to walk and spend time with God. God heard this desire, and about a year later, I felt He was leading me to leave my job. After a few months of making excuses not to leave, I finally left. Almost every morning after I put my daughter on the bus, I would head to that park.

River Bends Park in Shelby Twp, Michigan

In order to have my desire fulfilled, I first had to obey God and leave that job. For me, it was a huge leap of faith since I was a single parent. I knew leaving my job would mean putting myself completely into God’s hands and trusting Him to provide for me and my daughter. I also knew I would have to make sacrifices financially.

It was amazing though, how God allowed those closest to me to be so supportive. He wanted to grant me my hearts desire from the moment I fell in love with that park as I was driving by. However, I had to mature enough spiritually before I was willing to take that leap of faith so it could happen.

God had an even greater purpose for me during that time than just walking in the park. I got to be a stay at home mom for that period of time, and be there for my daughter. She still remembers how nice it was for me to bring her Subway during her lunchtime at school. God also gave me this time away from work as a season of rest.

What are your hearts desires? Do you trust God to grant them to you? Just remember, it may require you to step out on faith and go in a different direction from what you planned. Or you may be challenged to do something that is not quite “normal” by the world’s standards. God has unique, and often unexpected ways of blessing His children. The best thing we can do, is have willing hearts that are ready to obey Him.

Delight yourself in Jesus Christ, then trust Him to give you the desires of your heart.

River Bends Park in Shelby Twp, Michigan

The Thorn In Our Flesh

I, like most people, have wondered what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. There are many speculations, but we don’t know for sure. He did say that this “thorn” helped him to stay humble. It kept him from thinking too highly of himself.

2 Corinthians 12:7 NIV, “or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”

I know for me, there is always something that I struggle with at different times in my walk with God. Even if I think I’ve gotten pretty good in one area, then something else will pop up that I need to work on. God is always stretching us. He wants us to be a reflection of His Son. He desires for us to have an impact on those who are around us.

We are constantly in need of God’s grace and power to be effective. Our “thorns” will keep us sensitive to the fact that without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are nothing. It’s Him who causes our efforts, gifts, and talents to touch the lives of others. It’s Him who gives us the ability to follow Jesus.

Give your thorns to God in prayer and trust Him to use your weaknesses for His glory.

Live Confidently By Faith

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

How can we be confident in what we hope for and sure of what we do not see? We do this by placing our hope and assurance in Jesus Christ. He is our firm foundation. Living by faith in the Son of God is the way God has chosen for His children to live (Galatians 2:20). He expects us to trust Him to take good care of us and supply us with all we need. A life lived by faith can certainly be challenging. When we do not understand the details of what is going on, fear can creep into our hearts. But it’s during these times of uncertainty, that we must cling to God even more. Meditating on His Word will increase our faith and help us to stay strong…

Romans 10:17 KJV, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

God’s Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). It changes our hearts and brings life to what seems dead. There is power in His Word. Living by faith gives us hope, because we know that what we see is not all there is. Instead we can believe God for more. Even when we don’t yet see what it is we are believing for, we can keep walking by faith. We can be confident in the sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nothing’s Too Great for The Love of Christ

Psalm 136:3, “Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.”

There’s no hurt or pain that’s too great for Our Lord Jesus. He lovingly carries every burden we have, if we will only give our burdens to Him. We can tell Him anything, and He still loves us. Over and over again, He still chooses to love us. Nothing can stop His love for us, not even our darkest sins.

His faithful love endures forever…

He knows all there is to know about us, because He knows us so intimately. In His presence we can completely be ourselves. He meets us where we are and patiently waits. He waits while we grow and learn. He waits while we learn to love Him. His love never ceases to amaze me.

His faithful love endures forever…

I’m so thankful for His love today and everyday. His love and grace remain the same. People may change. The world will change. But Jesus Christ, He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever more (Hebrews 13:8). No one or nothing compares to Him.

His faithful love endures forever…

God Is Calling Us Out

Isaiah 41:13 NIV, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Throughout the day yesterday, this thought kept coming to my mind, “God is calling us out.” I kept thinking of Peter when Jesus called him out of the boat to come and meet Him on the water. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was fine. However, the moment he took his focus off of Jesus, and placed it on the wind that was blowing, he lost faith and began to sink.

As Christians, God is calling us out. He is calling us into a deeper relationship with Him, so that we can learn more about Him. He is calling us out of our comfort zones, so that we can fulfill the purpose He has for us. He wants to use us in ways we never imagined, to accomplish the work He has called us to do.

“Getting out of the boat” takes courage. But we will never know what God has for us, if we are not willing to walk by faith and trust Him. Fear will always try to sabotage the work God has for us to do. Fear of failure, and fear of the unknown, will both attempt to keep us in our comfort zones. Fear of what others think of us, will try to stop us from boldly proclaiming who we are Christ. But on the other side of our fears, are the meaningful and fulfilling lives that God planned for us.

God is calling us out. He promised that He will hold our hand and help us to move forward in Him. If God has been speaking to your heart, and calling you out to go deeper with Him, don’t be afraid to get out of the boat and go. He will strengthen you to answer the call He has on your life. Stay focused on Jesus and take one step at a time. He will walk with you every step of the way, but first you must get out of the boat.

2 Corinthians 6:17 NIV, “Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord…

Before You Were Formed (part 2)

After posting “Before You Were Formed (part1)”, one of my email subscribers contacted me. She mentioned that abortion can be a lifesaving measure for a woman. Although I never mentioned abortion in my post, and don’t recall thinking about it while writing it, I’m glad it was brought up to me.

My main purpose in writing, “Before You Were Formed”, was to encourage those who perhaps feel their lives are insignificant, because of the circumstances surrounding their birth. It was also meant to let people know in general that God knows them, loves them, and has a divine purpose for their life. God values every human life, and that will never change.

According to scripture, God knew us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb:

Jeremiah 1:5 NIV, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…

The truth is, God knows every child, even the ones who have been aborted. Reasons for getting abortions, especially medical reasons like the person who emailed me mentioned, are between the person getting the abortion and God.

I only know what the Word of God has shown me. I believe that God placed it in my heart that abortion is not an option for me, so that is what I must live up to.

Growing up my mother always told me that if I became pregnant, not to be afraid. I could let her know. I realize everyone has a different situation, but I’m thankful for the grace of God that is powerful enough to cover every situation. God knew I would later NEED those words from my mother, so He allowed me to hear them at a young age.

When I became pregnant with my daughter, I was 20 years old and in the Army. I can clearly remember the day my platoon sergeant said to me that, “You are young and you don’t have to keep the baby if you don’t want to”. He meant well I assume.

Although I was afraid because of some of the circumstances surrounding my situation, I felt peace remembering what my mother had told me years before. I could hear her voice in my head assuring me that everything would work out. Little did I know that my daughter who is now 22 going on 23, would be my last opportunity to have a child. She’s a gift from God. In my case, I’m thankful I didn’t take my platoon sergeant’s advice.

He is a just God who knows all and sees all. In this world, we all have choices we will have to make. However we must ask ourselves repeatedly as we go through life, “Is this choice I am about to make right in God’s eyes according to His Word?” If this question is ignored, and we decide to live for ourselves, then we will be left to deal with the consequences of the choices we make. However we can instead choose to let God’s Word be our standard. As Dr. Charles Stanley always says, “Obey God and leave the consequences to Him.”

God’s love for us is steadfast, even as we navigate through the complexities of life. Trying to understand God’s will for our individual circumstances will not always be easy. We will at times make wrong choices, but through it all, God’s love and forgiveness, His Word and His grace, and His mercy and compassion for us will always remain the same.

Dear Father,

Thank you for life. You are the Giver of life and our times are in your hands (Psalm 31:15). We don’t always understand every dilemma we face, but we thank you for your Word and Your Spirit that will guide us into truth. Help us to make walking in love a priority, because we don’t always understand the details of every persons life. We pray for those who are struggling with tough decisions they must make. Please give them wisdom to choose what is best. Teach us to seek Your face, and to acknowledge You in all of our ways.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.