I Have Joy

I Have Joy! 

Nehemiah 8:10 says, the joy of the Lord is my strength.” 

Justin Holcomb writes, “‘Grace is the opposite of karma, which is all about getting what you deserve. Grace is about getting what you don’t deserve.”’ August 11, 2022. 

        Because of His Grace, I have joy in my heart that I can not explain. When I sit alone with myself praying and meditating, I feel His presence. Then I understand that I am not alone. His Grace does not cost me a thing; it is a beautiful gift- beautifully packaged in His love. I also understand that I did not do anything to earn His gift of grace. It is free; it is truly the gift that keeps on giving me joy.

        Knowing this, gives me hope and peace of mind. I am blessed with joy in my heart and in my soul. I will always have joy because I will always have the Holy Spirit.  He is the Giver who just keeps on giving, and I can not do anything to stop His giving. 

        When I mess up, I am given forgiveness. When I am in need of something, I am given provision, when I am sick, I am given healing, when I am hopeless, I am given hope, when I am tired, I am given strength, when I am worried, I am given peace, and when I am sad, I am given joy. I understand that I function through His Grace, which is the source of my joy. 

        When I pray, I remind myself that the joy of the Lord is my strength. Even if I do not feel what I am professing, I profess it anyway. Eventually, I get there; this is why I embrace this scripture. I understand that joy transcends my feelings and it embraces peace and contentment. I understand that joy is a practice and a behavior. It is an inner feeling that helps the outer countenance. 

            When the scripture says that the joy of the Lord is my strength. I believe it especially on the days that I really need strengthening.  I am so thankful that through His Grace- I have Joy!

This song by Cece Winans is so inspiring and says it all. Please check it out!

https://youtu.be/_LFpy9tRTw8

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Faith in What's Next

 

Faith in What's Next

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." NKJV

        This scripture is another one of my favorites in the Bible. I particularly like this version, because it speaks to me personally. In my mind, He calls me by name and says, ever so gently, come here Tammy; let me talk to you for a minute. As I read this scripture, I am reminded of the truth, and this is how it plays out in my mind when I meditate on Jeremiah 29:11.   

        I imagine Him saying, "Daughter, listen to me. Do you still not know that you can trust me and you can put your hope in me?  Do you not know you can trust my plan? Why are you dismayed? Why are you anxious? Why is your head cast down? Why do you worry; and- why do you listen to your flesh before you listen to me?" In my mind, I hear Him saying that I do not have anything to worry about. I hear Him reminding me that He has known me from the very beginning when He created me with a blueprint for my life.  After all, He did strategically form me in my mother's womb. He reminds me that He is still "Present" and  He has me in the palm of His hand. 

        I need to repeat this part. "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord." At this point, I feel utter amazement towards Him. I am thinking, "Wow! He has thoughts of me?" I truly believe that God has the blueprint for my life; He has the final draft to my book. Better than that, He wrote my book! His plan for me is peace and not evil. His plan for me is to give me a future and a hope. Why should I worry about the next chapter of my book? I know the Author, and I trust His plan. He is the same One who formed me in my mother's womb and created a plan for my life. He is "Present" and He is Hands-on. 

        I marvel at His Awesomeness. My faith in what's next, is my choice to walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is my spiritual gift; sight is my natural gift. Faith is my supernatural ability to believe in the intangible things around me. Sight is my natural ability to recognize the tangible things around me. I believe faith is far better. I need the ability to see in the natural, but I also need the ability to see in the supernatural (the spiritual) as I walk by faith. 

        My sight can grow weak, and it can even fail or deceive me, but my faith can only grow stronger and bigger when I exercises it. Also, when I nourish my faith by praying, meditating, believing, reading His word, and communing with other believers, it will grow stronger. 

        I believe this is my truth and the truth for all believers. My faith in what's next, is this path that I am on- which is to walk daily in faith and to trust God's plan for my life.

Who is Grace?

 Who is Grace?

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is              made perfect in weakness." 

        I know I have vices. I know I have faults. I know my flesh is sinful. I know I am weak. I know all these things about myself. I know I have more growing to do.

        I also know that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. I also know that once I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior, I was born again. I also know this means I have shed the old self and put on the new. I also know that His grace is more than enough for me and His power is made perfect in my weakness. I still make mistakes, but I have Grace. I still fall short sometimes, but I have Grace. I still fall down, but I have Grace. His Grace is sufficient! His Grace is more than enough to strengthen me when I get weak and mess up. 

        I know my Redeemer lives and His name is Grace. When I was a teenager, I remember being chastised a lot by some girls at school who did not like me. It made going to school hard for a long time. I did not tell my parents how hard some of my days were at school. One of the girls, in particular, lived two doors up the street. Our parents made us ride to school together. One week my sisters and I drove, and the following week, she and her sister would drive. 

        We had a good schedule worked out. Then it got messy. It seemed like time we pulled up at school, the trouble began. That was an uncomfortable time in my life, but I got through those difficult days as a teen.  As I grew older, a lot of other difficult days came behind them, and I got through those days too. Recently, I experienced some difficult days, but Grace got me through them. Grace continues to do what the scripture said it will do.   

        As a matter of fact, the tough days always seemed to know my address no matter where I'd moved to. Many years and several addresses later, the tough days still visits me from time to time. My Mama used to say, "Keep a prayer on your lips, because trouble will always find you." What Mama was saying is His grace is sufficient for you.

        Now that I am no longer a teenager, but a woman growing in a relationship with the Lord, I know his grace is sufficient for me. I understand what it means. Today, I am still growing and receiving help and strength from Grace. I can say this with such joy in my heart. 

        His grace was adequate all along during those younger difficult years and even more so today, because- I know Grace. Life is difficult, people can be difficult, but His grace is sufficient for you and it is sufficient for me too.

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