Let Go

Ever felt that something was holding you back, but couldn't figure out what it was? Ever felt an unseen burden on your shoulders that you didn't understand? The whispering in your ears that you aren't as good as you think you are? You're too fat? You're ugly that's why you're single? You're too dumb to make it anywhere in life? That feeling, that feeling can be one thing and one thing only.

Satan.

God doesn't give you these thoughts. He breathes life, not death. He wants nothing but the best for us.

He may allow the devil to run wild through our lives, because He isn't a God that forces himself upon us. He's a gentleman. He waits for you to understand that what is happening in your life can be stopped. But only if you realize what it is and ask Him to remove it from you. Ask Him to bind the thoughts and situations that are holding you back from the path that He's set out for you, and throw it back to whatever Hell it came from. If you do that believing and trusting that what you ask or demand will come to pass...you will suddenly feel the weight lift off of you. You're mind will clear, the negativity within will cease. But you must believe and speak with conviction.

I know this for a fact. Just now, before writing this; the thoughts were flowing in my head, negative thinking. I would eat because I was sad, and then I would become sadder because of the things that the eating was doing to my body. I no longer felt beautiful or wanted. I've been working hard to land a stable job, but get nowhere. I've been losing myself and my passion for the things that I once loved. But I finally got fed up. I finally demanded that Satan just leave me alone! He is not the ruler of my life, only God is. He cannot control me and I refused to believe the things that were being put in my mind. I prayed that God would just bind the things that were holding me down and cast them back to the Hell they came from, because I don't need them in my life. And suddenly, I felt free. Burdens lifted. And the first thing I did after thanking God for this moment, was write this entry.

It's been months since I've last written, but I find myself doing it again, because I something told me this was what I needed to do.

So if you're reading this and dealing with the devil in your head. Demand that he leave. Your body is a temple and it belongs to the Lord, and there is no room for the devil to live within you.

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for this needed breakthrough. I pray that you touch every heart that reads this post. Free them from the demons that flow through them. We can only do with your help and guidance. Bind the things that aren't of you and cast them out Lord, Heavenly Father. We thank you for being there when we need you the most. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

Monsters Under the Bed: Scare Them Away

My most popular entry to this date is my last one "So You're Feeling Low?", which tells me that there are those out there that are dealing with the effects of depression and sadness. I can't change the situation that you are in, but I am learning how to make life a little more bearable.

As children, after watching movies that our parents warned us that we shouldn't watch, when the lights go out, we begin to create the monster under our beds, in our closets, or outside our windows. The monster we create in our minds our hearts because we didn't listen, causes us to be afraid of the things that go bump in the night. Life is the same. We create the monsters in our lives because we breathe life into them, causing them to become real. The bills that are due, the job that you don't have, the disappearing relationships, the loneliness, and hurt; is all something that we create. The more that we are frightened, the worse things get for us. Putting fear into these things only creates a bigger and scarier monster.

I have learned that, as it states in Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he". So if you believe in your heart that things won't turn around, that life is not worth living, then guess what...you are breathing life into that monster of yours. Proverbs 18:21 also tells us that Death and Life are in the power of the tongue. So when you are low, speak life into your situation.

If the bills are due, say I'm not going to worry about that because I know that they're going to get paid. You may not know how, but believing and trusting that they will and moving forward in your life, an unexpected path will be created for you. What that path may be, no one will know but you and God, but believe me, that it will.

It's just as those who've experienced people in their lives constantly telling them that they can't do something, that they'll amount to nothing, that they are stupid and worthless, believe those things and become them. Those negative comments and thoughts gave life to someone that believed they in fact could be nothing.

The power of the tongue and the mind is a real powerful thing. I pray that each of you reading this, will think positively, and speak it. It works. Just as in physics, Newton's first law, if something is in motion, it stays in motion until another forces stops it. Don't allow your monsters to stay in motion. I've learned this weekend to laugh at them. When you laugh at them they disappear, because you no longer fear them. The laughter and the believing that things will come to pass is the other force that will stop the trouble from moving forward.

Don't breathe life into your monsters. Laugh at them, be encouraged, no matter what's going on.

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, I thank you for the word that you have brought to me this weekend to share with others around me. Lord I pray that the monsters that I have given life to, will no longer be. I believe that you are a wonderful and powerful God, and that with you nothing can't be done. Instead, I breathe life into that new job. I breathe life into those paid bills. Life into the bank account. Life into the relationships. For you are the one that will help me chase these monsters away. I believe it, I trust it. I speak life. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

So You're Feeling Low?

Depression is a serious thing. Many play with the word and say they are depressed when they're sad, but only those who have been in that state truly know the feeling. The thoughts of not wanting to continue life, thinking you're inadequate, the crying, the always wanting to sleep, not wanting to face the world. Depression. There are many that deal with it for reasons too many to name. Those that are happy in their lives, and life is going the way they could hope for, this post isn't for you. But for those that don't want to face the day, I tell you to remember this; Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." 

Though your depressed state may seem like it takes forever to get out of you must stay encouraged. During your low moments in life, read the Bible. The scriptures will tell you that the Lord our God is here for us when we need Him and that He has a plan for us that we could never imagine. So, as in Psalms 40:1-3 suggests, wait patiently on the Lord, He has heard your cry. He will lift you out of your pit and set your feet on a firm place to stand. He'll put praise in your mouth so that others will see that He is the Lord and will put their trust in Him. So, if you believe in the Lord and live a righteous life, when you need help in life, the Lord will hear you and deliver you from your troubles (Psalms 34:17). 

Just know, that the storm may endure for the night, but the joy of the Lord will come in the morning. It's not going to last. Something wonderful will happen for life when you expect it the least. Just continue to believe, continue to trust that the Lord is working in your life. Things will turn around soon. 

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, I thank you for bringing this word to us when we truly needed it. There is nothing more powerful than having faith that you will bring us out of the darkness and onto firm ground. Lord I pray that you keep us encouraged, and lifted in your name. Your are a wonderful God and we thank you. In Jesus's precious name we pray, Amen.

Grow a Bit of Humility

There’s one thing that I’ve noticed amongst my peers, is a lack of humility. It’s as though they work hard to get what they can, just so they can flaunt it in front of others. The shots of money spread out are seen through out my timeline. The bags and the shoes, the clothes and the cars, are shown, just so everyone else knows that they’ve got it. And it’s not like I don’t applaud you for having the financial freedom to do as you please with your money (I do hope you are financially free), I just believe that there’s another way to live life. 

With time and practice, we each grow and become wiser (I pray). I myself am learning to let go of my pride so that I may move forward into the direction that has been planned for me.  Even in his word, in 1 Peter 5:5, it tells us that we must clothe ourselves with humility toward each other, because God opposes the proud and arrogant, and favors the humble. For His son Jesus was a humble man, who rode a donkey, when he could have had any animal to ride upon (Zechariah 9:9). We are asked to be like him. Though we may have found our successes in life, it is best to not flaunt it in front of everyone. Yes, you may encourage those to follow you to success. Yes, you should use your success to help those in need. But it is not for us to push under people’s noses so they can smell what you have. It is our job, not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45), as Jesus did for us so many thousands of years ago. 

I tell you, if you humble yourselves, your rewards will be even greater. Take Tim Tebow as an example. Everyone picks on him and how he believes in Jesus Christ and thanks Him for his every success, but there has never been a point where he has needed for anything. Because he has stayed humble, even though he still hasn’t received a contract, he is still working and making money in some shape or form. And every team that he was removed from hasn’t had it’s brightest of moments. In Proverbs 11:2, it tells us, “Arrogance comes, then comes shame, but wisdom remains with humble people”. 

So let go of the pride, stop the flaunting, and submerge yourself in humility. For God saved you and gave you what you have through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. It’s a gift from God. It’s not the result of anything you’ve done, so no one can brag about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9) As you ponder this, watch this video of the song “Who Am I” by Casting Crowns. (**The scripture at the end of the video is wrong, the verse is actually Psalms 143:5**)

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for being the wonderful God that you are! There is no one like you. I don’t know what I’ve done to receive your grace and your mercy. I do not deserve the wonderful things that you have done for me. I come before you as humbly as I know how, just to thank you for your wondrous works. You are a great God and you should be praised. Thank you for giving your Son, so that he may be an example to us to show us how we must act and how we must live our life with humility. For these great things that we have been blessed with, we know that they have not come from our hands, but Yours. I pray that through our thanksgiving that others will be able to see and understand, that with humility You will allow great things to happen in our lives. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen.

All in the Family

If there’s one thing that I can count on, it is my family. I know that they will be there for me when I need them. I can’t ever think of a moment when they weren’t there.

As I look at my family and the relationships that I have with each individual; I can’t imagine how some families could go years without speaking to one another. Besides life and breath, the first thing that God gives us is family. Family is important. Even God calls his church, his family.  In Ephesians 1:5 it tells us that he decided in advance to adopt us into his family by bringing us to himself through Jesus. We are his children and He is our heavenly Father. 

Our family is something that we all grow to know. They are our first friends; our first view of the world and how we should be treated. Though everyone doesn’t have the perfect example of the views of this world, but it’s what has been given to us so that we may grow from it.

No one’s world is the same. Everyone was born into a different situation for a reason. Because, like the previous post, we all have a purpose, our own definition of success. Nothing is the same. We aren’t cookie cutter people. But what I will tell you is this: Without God, no family can be truly complete. If you look at those families that are of the world and not of God, you will notice how they fall apart at the seams. But those that are in the light of the Lord, hold each other up when times are tough. Pray for each other, take care of one another, love unconditionally. It’s like the Bible says in Proverbs 12:7, “The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm”. 

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing me with a family. Though we may have own differences, I know that they love me and want the best for me. I thank you for adopting me to be you child, and for sending Jesus so that I may come to you for myself. I pray for each of the members in my family. Those that know you and those that are still lost in this world. Lord, I pray that you will help me bring those who have lost their way closer to you Lord, so that my family can continue to be together when we go onto glory. Protect us, cover every inch, from the sole to the tip of our heads. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen.

Defining Your Success : Part Two

As we find ourselves looking at others and what they have, remember that the Lord tells us in the Ten Commandments not covet covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor (Exodus 20:17). This word “covet” means to yearn to possess or have something, which is what we do every time we scroll and compare our lives and our worldly possessions to the photos we see on Instagram. Though we are human, and we aren’t expected to be perfect as God is, it is our duty to try and not spend our time looking at other lives, but look at our own. Look through us, and define our own definition of success. I myself am still struggling with this very thing today, but I tell you, I have learned to take it one day at a time.

The success that you crave for will come. It may not come the way that you expect it, or look the way you want it to, but it will come. Because I’ve been taught that the Lord has our lives planned for us before the day we were even thought of. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He knows the plans that He has for us; plans to prosper us and not to harm us, to give you a future and a hope. So anything that is not of a hopeful nature, that doesn’t allow you to flourish, is not of God. It is Satan, turning within us, distracting us with what others are doing. The partying, the drugs, the alcohol; are not of God, they don’t make you into a better person, it creates confusion and havoc. So envying, or coveting, shall I say, those that do those things isn’t of God. We shouldn’t do it. We should focus on what our definition of success will be; what God’s plan, or destiny, is. 

He tells us in the next verse, that when we call on Him and come before him and pray to Him that he will listen to us. If we seek him we will find him if we look with all our heart. But even though, we are focusing on God and his plan for us, we also should not worry ourselves with when and how it will happen. In Matthew 6 it tells us not to worry. That there is no need for running around worrying about what will we have, the things we will eat or drink. God knows what we need in order to survive. And if we seek his kingdom and his righteousness, he will give us the things that we need and more. So, we shouldn’t worry about what will happen tomorrow or the months to come, because those days will worry about themselves. We need to focus upward and everything we need will “rain” down upon us.

Now, all of this will only happen if we truly believe that God sent his only Son to sacrifice himself for our sins. If we believe that and allow God to come into our lives, a change will occur within us that we never could expect. Then and only then could we expect that God will take care of our daily needs and worries. Only then can we expect that our definition of success could come to fulfillment. 

Don’t allow others to define what your success or failures are. Only God can do that. So when you find yourself bored and scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, don’t find yourself coveting what others have. Send a prayer their way, that they can find true happiness, not through material things, but through the Lord God. It’s not going to be easy. It doesn’t happen overnight. But one day, if you continue to pray and be obedient to God’s Word, without you noticing it will happen before your very eyes. Watch. Just watch! 

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for this Word that you have given us today. This struggle that we have dealt with even before we knew we were struggling with it. Help us not to look at what others have and covet. Help us to instead look to you and to seek what you have for us. Lord, I pray that those that are dealing with unhappiness and depression, I pray that you whisper to them that with you everything will be all right. Lord I pray that this message as touched the right person, if it only be one, as it has touched me. Allow them to see that only you can define their success and no one else. Thank you Lord, again for your wisdom and your guidance on this post. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen.

Defining Your Success: Part One

As children, we are groomed to want success. By looking at performers, athletes, actors, and other celebrities, we measure ourselves by what they have. If they have what we don’t, we strive to find a way to achieve that and more. Though the act of striving for this success is healthy, many find unhealthy ways to achieve it. Women throw themselves at men who are financially successful, hoping to land a meal ticket for the moment. Trying to have children with them so they can be taken care of financially. Men sell their souls by doing whatever they can to compete with another man. What if we lived in a world where we didn’t compete? What if we simply lived our lives according to the way we wanted and not based on what everyone else was doing? How would life be then?

Amazingly enough, through this world, there are groups of people who don’t look out into the world for their happiness! They look up and within instead! If you are one of those people you already understand what I mean; this is not for you then. 

This is for those that can’t help but flip through Instagram and Facebook, looking at what other people are flaunting, wondering how they can be like the person before them. I’m here to tell you that no one person is the same. No one person has the same journey, the same success. Though we are groomed from birth with one definition of success, we have to grow to learn that everyone will have a different type of success.

I tell you; look through Instagram one more time at the people that you’ve found yourself to envy. Whether it be your best friend or a celebrity that you’ve never met. Now sit and think. Just think about the sacrifices these people are making in order to be where they are now. That friend that is smiling in her photo, showing off the luxury she’s living in; think about this one thing: is she happy? What does she have to go through every day, constantly to get this “happiness” that she shows in her photos? Remembering conversations that you’ve had, you’ll realize that she’s not happy at all! She’s not being appreciated, she being lied to, cheated on, etc. 

Now look at yourself. Tell me…is it worth it? 

Now look at the celebrity that you idolize. The fun that they seem to be having in their photos. They are constantly drinking, partying, doing drugs, because they were told that is what you should do in order to stay relevant and be noticed (just like everyone else). Look further into their life and you’ll find that they are unhappy, that’s why they spend the insane amounts of money they do in order to try to fill the void that is within them. How can someone who has a lifestyle like that truly have any real friends? Having people constantly around them wanting something from them? Always standing there with their hand out. It could make a person unhappy and seem alone.

But there are a group of people that don’t have to worry about being alone, because they never are alone. There are those that have someone around them, watching and protecting them through the good and the bad. That someone, my friends, is God. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13:5-6 to "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?'"

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for this first part of defining our own success. We are learning that it is within you that we find our prosperity and with you that we find our way to our "success". Thank you for being there for us, watching over us and protecting us. Now we pray that you will guide us to the place you want us to go in our lives. You have already mapped out the plan for us, so guide our feet Lord in the direction that we may go. In Jesus's precious name I pray, Amen.