Perfect Peace!

 Perfect Peace!

 Isaiah 26:3 NIV says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast,   because they trust in You.

This scripture says God will keep believers in perfect peace whose minds are steadfast or firm on Him- not wavering.

Why? Because we trust in Him. I am living a blessed life! I am grateful and thankful! My soul is at rest and worries

are few. My peace of mind depends on me and what I do daily to receive it and maintain it. My mind is at peace. 

Daily, I set out to embrace rest for my soul no matter what comes my way. I choose peace, I am deliberate about it.  

At this point in life, I have to seek serenity for my life. I understand where my strength comes from.  I know and 

understand why I am not a basket case considering my life's circumstances over the past few years. 

 
The one thing I know is through it all, Jesus kept my mind at peace. He kept me sane and humble. I will mention briefly 

what the Lord has done for me and how He kept me close to His heart. Please focus on the God we serve. I am only  

sharing my testimony to let you know the heart of God towards the ones He loves. He never left me or forsaken

me. Trust that He will never leave you or ever forsake you either.

 In 2011, we moved my mother-in-law in with us to care for her, as she was stricken with Alzheimer's disease. 
 In 2016, I had a stroke in my classroom in front of my students. Moments later, as I was being checked into 

 ER; I had a second stroke. 
 In 2017, an aneurysm was discovered on the right side of my brain. Emergency surgery was scheduled within two weeks 

 to close it off. 
 In 2019, my mother-in-law got sick after dinner and passed away shortly afterwards in ER. 

 In 2019, my mother had a stroke and had surgery to remove blockage from the main artery in her neck. The next day she coded.

 She is alive and well. Look at our God! 
 In 2021, my son passed away unexpectedly after found unresponsive in my house by his brother. This was two years 

 and two days after his grandmother's death. 
 In 2022, the week of Thanksgiving, my youngest sister passed away the morning after attending Sunday's church service.                                                      

But God keeps me in perfect peace! I can honestly say, I have rest in my soul. God has always heard my prayers 

and granted me the peace and strength I needed. God is a Faithful Father, a Faithful Friend, a Comforter, a Pillar 

of Peace, a Source of Continuous Strength, 

a Strong Tower, Pure Love, All Knowing, All Good, Patient, Peaceful, Understanding, and so much more. He is

everything to me! Just trust Him to be whatever you need when you need it! 

The list of His attributes and character go on and on. It is in Him I live, I move, and I have my being. 

Isaiah 43:1 says, He is an ever present help in times of trouble (of any kind). He loves me and He cares 

about what I go through. He never left my side. He is with me to the end through thick and thin. I only 

have to keep on trusting Him.  

                                                                    

 

This promise is one I depend on; it got me through some tough times. 

Life is not easy, but having God's peace of mind is an easy choice. 

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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.

Why Not?

Isaiah 54:14 says, "I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me."

         I am on a journey to see the fruits of my labor over the past several years. I have been laboring and toiling for quite some time now. Like anyone else, I have made my share of mistakes in life, but I have  never given up on trying to get to my dreams. I have always held onto the God given hope inside of me. I am sure over the years, I have messed up some opportunities that were provided for me to step into my dreams. I know now that I gave into the fear of not knowing. If I am to be honest, I did not have the  faith to walk towards my destiny when I had a chance. 

          Oppression is not just physical, it is mental as well. It is a mental state of being or sense of being that I put in my own mind. I thought I had more faith since I had been in church for many years and was taught about the Word at a young age. As a teenager, I was still attending church every Sunday for five or six hours a Sunday. My lack of faith in God's grace, hope, and love meant that I was not where I thought I was. Now, I often reflect to try to figure out why my choices and decisions were grounded in senseless fear. 

       The truth is during that time, I did not have enough faith in God, but now I do. Looking back, I am so glad He never let me go. My upbringing taught me more than I realized. I am grateful to my parents for keeping me grounded. I was raised up in the church, so when I got older, I never gave up on hope. 

        Here I go again. I ask myself why stop trying? My failure or delays are not reasons to give up on my dreams. Here are the questions I ask myself. Why not finally take God at His Word and see where my, "today faith," takes me? Why not get out of my head and get out of my own way and trust the God of grace, hope and love? Why not walk in faith and obedience while God has given me another opportunity? Why not stop wearing the badge of fear on my chest and embrace faith? Why not free my mind and continue to grow? Why not believe the scripture when it says that I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me? 

        God's word tells me that I will not be disgraced or put to shame. I know God is my Redeemer and He is my hope for today and every day. He is my everlasting kindness. He tells me that in righteousness, I will be established and have no fear. I believe Him.

        I have spent too much time trying to do freelance writing for other people. Today, I am stepping out on faith and writing for myself. God said write; start your blog. Today, I am doing it; I am obeying Him and I truly love it. I only hope my story resonates with someone reading this post and it blesses you.