Go Higher!

 Go Higher!

I want to go higher- I want to grow more. I do not want many of the things I wanted last year. I simply want to go higher in my walk with the Lord. I want to increase my confidence and strength as a follower of Christ. I want to control my thinking and my speaking. I want to control my seeing and my hearing. I want to have greater discernment. 

I want the same things that the Lord wants for me. I want a new mindset and a new perspective on life. I want to go higher this year. My prayer is, Lord, take me higher in 2025!

Life is very different than it was just a few months ago. I view life differently than I did a few years ago, and even a few months ago. Change is inevitable; it is certain to happen; nothing stays the same. 

As I contemplate change and my desire to go higher, I am so glad the Lord does not change. Hebrews 13:8 says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. This is the reason I trust Him; He is the solid rock in which I stand. 

Many people want to live better, and have more fulfilled lives. I am intentional and I am working to grow spiritually. I will have confidence and trust in God, not in myself. My mind is renewed; my eyes are open. My hope in the Lord is stronger! 

I believe this year is going to be a blessed and prosperous year for many of us, especially if we trust in the Lord more than we trust in man. When we make the shift. we elevate our minds and can only go higher.

We can finish strong! 

My Faith in God

I have much to boast about in the Lord. My life has traveled down many roads of despair and dissatisfaction. I will not get into it all right now, there is not enough time or space. 

I have learned to put my trust in the Lord’s hands. I have learned to lean and depend on Jesus. Life can be cruel and difficult. It can wear at your soul and tear at your emotions, especially if you are not connected to the one and only power source that never leaves you to deal with life alone. 

I have been connected to this one and only power source most of my life. I feel secure, comforted, and loved. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I am never doing life alone, and I am never fighting battles alone. 

My faith works very well for me. The more I exercise it, the stronger and more confident I become. This next year coming up, try to build your faith life up and see what a wonderful blessing it is to believe in Someone greater than yourself. Sit back and notice what faith in God can do for you. 

Aways Have Hope!

Always Have Hope!

Psalms 39:7 says, “And now Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.”

What sticks out to me the most in this scripture is where it says, "My hope is in you."

The scripture reminds me of where my hope is not. It is not in myself, my husband, my family, my friends, or money. My hope is in the Lord- only! Everything else is sinking sand. Everything else can fall through and let me down. People and things can disappoint, deceive, and hurt me. Nothing or no one else can support me, or bless me like the Lord. My hope has to be in Him and Him alone. This is why I cling to this scripture. This is why I remind myself that I have one real solid option in my life who I can always depend on no matter what the circumstance is at any given moment in my life.

It is easy to run out of worldly options; when things happen- "What’s next, or now what?" These are the questions I used to ask myself. My questions to you are: Do you look to man for your answer, or do you take a hard look at yourself? Do you wait on outside help, or are you on your own? What do you wait for? Who do you wait for? Who do you lean on? 

Life can turn on you at any given moment. Life can drain you physically, emotionally, financially, and even spiritually. Life can literally make you or break you. When life presses hard on you and causes you to question yourself and your life, I say turn to the Lord. You must realize there is always room in your life for hope. Scripture says in Psalms 46:1 that God is an ever present help in times of trouble. 

Billy Graham Library has more encouragement to say about this topic. Click the link below.

https://billygrahamlibrary.org/blog-5-things-the-bible-says-about-hope/#:~:text=Hope%20is%20Never%20Lost&text=But%2C%20the%20Bible%20says%20that,It's%20just%20that%20simple!

A glimmer of hope is all the strength you need to pick yourself up and put one foot in front of the other. Hope is God’s Grace! Hope is God’s Love! Hope is God’s Peace! Our hope lies strictly in the Lord. There is no one else who can give us hope like He can. Only God can give us the hope, faith, and  energy we need to turn the course of our life around. Join me in saying and believing this, "My hope is and will forever be in the Lord!"

A Fresh Start to Stay Focused!

2023 Start Fresh to Stay Focused!

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight” (NIV).

I was reading the article in the link below today after looking into Proverbs 3:5-6. The article is packed full of good practical information to help grow my trust and faith in God. I thought I would share the link and write from my personal thoughts, reflections, and meditation about Proverbs 3:5-6, which by the way, is my one of my favorite scriptures to govern my life by.

 https://deepspirituality.com/really-trust-in-god

Everyone knows life is uncertain; unexpected things happens all the time. I try to figure stuff out and make sense of things on my own, in my own mind, heart, and soul. I try to be accurate and appropriate in my responses and reactions when crazy things happens. I try to figure people out and why they act the way they do. I can’t!

For me, some things are just the right thing to do despite the feelings I feel. I don’t always like choosing the right thing over my feelings. Sometimes, my feelings feel right to me and sometimes they feel wrong. Then, I am left with a choice. Sometimes, I want to roll around in my feelings and go with my feelings. The human side of me want to be led by my flesh and not by my faith. I am being honest. I know there are consequences to every choice or decision I make. I want good consequences not bad ones. Realistically, this is why I have to fight everyday to make the right decisions and choices. I don’t know everything, so I lean and depend on Someone who does.

                                                            

                                                     A Fresh Start in 2023!

Everyday I try to trust in the Lord with all of my heart and not to lean on my own limited understanding. I am mere human with flaws and limitations. God is everything- I am not; He is Perfect and Knows things I do not know. In 2023, I want to completely govern my life by Proverbs 3:5-6. I don’t know what 2023 holds, but I do know who holds the new year.; the God I trust with all of me holds 2023!

I believe I will be blessed with a fresh start. I will push myself to stay focused on important things and important people in my life. I will stay focused on my personal and spiritual goals.  I will stay focused on gaining strength in His power. I will elevate my mind and not feel unworthy of his blessings, because His promises are for me. 

I want the new year to be a new and fresh year for us. I want it to be a season of empowerment and enablement for me and you. I want to see us progress spiritually, relationally, health-ally, and financially. I know God has so much more in store for me and you in 2023.

I look  forward to 2023 and our fresh start!  

Happy "Blessed" New Year Family & Friends!

                                      

He's Got It!

He's Got It! 

Hebrews 10:30 says, "For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, The Lord will Judge His people."

        I remember the hurt, disappointment, ugly words, negative responses, and the overall negative energy often expelled toward me by others. Here lately, every time my flesh tries to seek revenge or take me there when something mean happens, the Spirit tells me to let go and let God. When I try to treat others like they treat me, I remember that His word says, "Vengeance is Mine," and I can not do it. This is all it takes for me to let it go. When God says, He has got it; He means it. Right then, I have a choice to accept and believe His word or not. I choose to believe it.

        I heard a famous pastor say the most profound thing once. He said, "The way people treat you is between them and God, but the way you respond to how people treat you is between you and God."  I was like, "Oh my God! I get it, now. I understand." I can not act like they act or respond like they respond. He reminds me that I am different, I am a peculiar person, and I am Holy, because He is Holy. I am set aside for His purpose to be effective for His kingdom. 

        It is not easy, because I live in the flesh and my flesh likes what it likes and wants what it wants. If I would let it, my flesh would rule over me and keep me distanced and disobedient to the Spirit. When that happens, there are consequences to pay. Over the years, I have had to pay many consequences, and that was no fun. Now, I am doing better.

        A few years ago, I worked to bring a well known local theater to my high school to perform a live play for the students. I presented the idea to the principal and the faculty at a meeting. The principal was hesitant because of the culture and climate of the school at the time, but a teacher spoke up saying, "I think it will be good for the students to be exposed to something different." The principal finally agreed, as well as several teachers. That teacher speaking in favor of it, is the reason I assumed I had some support. I worked diligently to make it happen. I shared the information in the mail boxes of the the main ones whose support I thought I had, but it just sat there. I soon realized that I would have to make it happen by myself. I decided to invite the middle and elementary school students to participate. Their principal accepted the invitation, and two buses of students from their schools joined us at the live performance. 

        It was a success. The teachers whose support I thought I had did not come to work that day. Neither did the principal, but I had the Holy Spirit's help. I had prayed about it and was pleased with my attitude and determination to make it work. I was grateful to God for blessing my efforts. I got the school a discount on the performance, and the principal paid the fee to the theater for coming out. It all worked out. 

        As it turned out, I had all the support I needed. I do not know what that experience meant, or why I thought about it. I only know not having help did not feel right at the time. Nevertheless, my prayers were answered. What was meant for bad, turned out to be pretty good.

        Oxford dictionary says, vengeance also means a comeback or satisfaction. Again, I was pleased with the outcome. I share this scripture to say, as believers, we must have faith in His word and let go and let God; then everything will work out like it should.