I am a Growing Woman

 I am a Growing Woman

Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." 

I want to testify that I am a growing woman. I am learning to listen to my heart. I am  learning to be still. I am learning not to worry or carry around care. I want to grow out of my old way of thinking. I want to grow out of my old attitude. I want to grow up in the Lord. I want my mind to be transformed. I want to renew my mind whereas to be more like Christ.  I want to shed the old and embrace the new. Life is about change, nothing or no one stays the same. 

 Trusting in the Lord for me and many others is easier said than done. Trust, to me, has to be intentional and something I must continue to focus on. To say, "I trust the Lord" sounds good when I hear it. “I trust God; He is in control sounds biblically correct” when I hear it.  But do I really? I can say, emphatically- yes! I do now. Some years ago, not as much.  Life has been brutal and has taught me to trust God. Not because I did not want to or need to, but I had to trust Him. I just did not know how to get out of my own way. I had to get to know Him and believe in Him because life tried to crush me and rob my soul. I have been transformed, renewed, and approved! 

The scripture says God is Love- I say, know He is Love to me. I did not always have a relationship with the Lord. I learned that when you are in a close relationship with someone, you make time to get to know that person and spend time with that person, so you can grow and can comprehend, love and trust that person. Especially when all you begin to see is Grace wrapped up in pure authenticity.  

Trusting God is a daily conscientious decision. For me, it definitely requires personal reflection and honest interpretation of myself. Church people like me talk about trusting God so much until it sounds cliché.  It is the proper thing to say in a believer’s conversation. I had to allow myself to enter into the relationship phase with the Lord. I had to get alone with myself and examine my heart and soul so I could focus on our relationship. I had to abandon social media, especially Facebook. I had to do this for me and be as intentional about my quest for growth as possible.  I had to weigh the benefits of becoming a growing woman of God; I discovered there are loads of benefits,- and I want to experience them all. I like the woman I am becoming.

I am very connected to my Power Source; the more I read the scriptures the more I get- Him; the more I believed Him. I feel myself changing and growing in knowledge and wisdom. I can not place trust in my efforts to be a good person so I can grow in confidence. I realize that trusting God is a spiritual process that leads me to personal growth and confidence, at least it is for me- The Growing Woman. 

Temptation on Every Side

Temptation on Every Side

Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. NKJV"

        Today, I tend to think too much about how to avoid temptation, so I do not fall into Satan's traps. In my younger days, I did not think about needing to fight temptation. Being tempted by other kids was a real thing.  At that time, I did not see anything wrong with trying to hang and do what other kids did, within reason of course. It was never too bad or extreme, but Satan can take what we think is insignificant to trick us and trap us. I remember, as a teenager, saying, "Forget it; I'm going to have me some fun." Those were the words I told myself to explain giving in to temptation. 

        I was that teenage girl who occasionally defied my parents and did some of the things I wanted to do. My parents specifically told me not to do certain things or go certain places, and did. I was that young lady in college with the taste of freedom who did what I wanted to because I was away from my parents and thought I could. I was a clueless young lady who did not fully understand what it meant to be a wife and later a mother. I wanted everything my way, but I learned that it takes compromise when two people become one. Sometimes I can still be like her- that young wife. Yet, I am thankful, as I grow inwardly daily.

        I have had many weaknesses at different phases of my life. The saying goes, when you know better you do better. I knew better and still did things my way. Sometimes I still do what I want to do instead of what I should do. I believe God understands where I am in my growth and He knows my heart.

        Recently, I had an interesting conversation with a friend at work about how we are not unrelatable in our emotions and temptations. We were basically saying what Hebrews 4:15 says.  Sometimes when I mess up, I am harder on myself than I should be. Satan can tempt you and then beat you up about it, if you let him. I must remember that the High Priest understands me and sympathizes with me when I am tempted to lie, or tempted to tell that mean cashier the ugly truth about what I really think about her attitude. I am growing!

       Sometimes I sin when I am tempted, but Jesus (the High Priest) when tempted, did not sin. The good thing is He knows my weaknesses. We talked about Christ being an example for us and He demonstrates how we are to handle temptation; it is written in his Word. We can choose not to do what we are tempted to do. It is a decision. Christ was tempted in every way that we are and He experienced every emotion we have.  He understand us completely- certainly better than we understand ourselves.  He is the Creator; we are the created.

        Temptation comes in all forms and on every level of our life; it can show up on every side. The good news is we really can walk away from it and do the right thing like our High Priest, and we can feel good about our decision. 

Who's Waiting on Who?

Who's Waiting on Who?

Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint. KJV"

        Who is waiting on who? I know for so many years, I thought I was waiting on God to make some things happen in my life. I prayed and watched- thinking that was all I needed to do. I thought I had done my part, and now it is time for God to do His part. I anxiously looked and looked while I waited for Him to move on my behalf. Eventually, I would get impatient while I waited and watched thinking to myself, “What’s taking so long for my prayers to be answered?” I did not realize God was waiting on me to participate. I did not realize that he had already provided everything I needed to have the results I needed. 

        I have read this scripture many times, as well as heard it preached and taught a few times. Hearing it made me happy and hopeful. It gave me something to look forward to in my situation. It told me if I waited on the Lord, my strength would be rejuvenated. 

        At first, I thought it meant I had to roll up my sleeves and continue to fight because my strength was going to grow stronger for whatever I was up against. In my human ability, I definitely grew tired, frustrated, and weary while trying to fight from my human abilities. I just wanted my situation to be handled and over with. Fighting, whether physical or emotional, is tiring and stressful; it is no fun for the victim. 

        Reading this scripture again in parts and thinking about each part, this is my prayerful conclusion. I am suppose to wait and rest in faith.  Applying my faith is my participation, not simply wait without doing my part. Neither am I to wait by doing something- like fighting the situation on my own. I realize, if I am in a relationship with the Lord and I know Him to be a Loving, Caring Father and Provider, I do not waiver in what I know because I have already experienced Him in the past. So while I wait, I rest in my knowledge of Him. I also, remember who He is; I remember the prayers He answered in the past which activates my faith for the future.

        I rest in my faith and in my relationship; I am like an eagle. I know from what I have been taught that He loves me and cares deeply about me. The scripture says that we walk by faith  and not by sight; in other words, we walk by what we believe and not by what we see. I have learned that my faith moves God into action for me.

        When I mount up with wings as an eagle, I need to rise up and do what is necessary to feel closer to the Lord. For me that means praying more, reading the Bible more, or turning off the tv and listening to my favorite worship album, Believe for It, by CeCe Winans- more. I have to eliminate the noise around me for a little while to elevate my spirit. Then I feel empowered. Once I feel empowered and strong, my flesh becomes weakened and obedient.

         When I take time to connect to the power Source, I expect to see change. Sometimes I have to be that change. Which means I have to do something different to receive something different. Spending quality time with the Lord is an investment in myself. Some changes I have seen recently is some of my debt have been eliminated. I have prayed about being debt free and owning no man nothing, but to love him, according to Romans 13:8. Within the last two weeks, God has removed almost fifty thousand dollars of debt from my record. I do not believe He is finished blessing me in that area. I am believing Him for complete debt cancellation. I am  believing Him that I am blessed to be a blessing. I asked the Lord how can I bless some- one if I am burden with bills or unpaid debt? 

        I am in a relationship with the Creator who created me for His good purpose and plan. He is Creator of all I can see or imagine. He does not get tired; therefore, I will not get tired. I feel stronger in some areas of my life to run the race and not grow weary and to walk and not faint. As I stay connected to Him, He is energizing me daily. I will mount upon wings like an eagle and wait. I will trust Him to refresh and energize me in so many other ways, as I rest and wait on the Lord.  

Why Now?

 Why Now?

The scripture in Psalms 102:13 says, "You will rise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time has come." NKJV

        I have asked myself why now? Verse twelve says, "But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations. All of us have a responsibility to the generation coming behind us. The generation before us had a responsibility to us. I have to consider others, not just myself. I have to participate in redeeming others who might not otherwise have a chance for redemption, especially this generation of young people we are raising up. Perhaps, maybe the world is raising too many of them. 

        I have been a solo type of Christian for too long. I want to reach out to others as much as possible, again, especially our young people. I have shared this blog with my fifteen year old granddaughter and my younger nieces in hopes that they take a few minutes and read something inspiring and give it a moment of thought or consideration. Every day is a blessing and every life we touch within our reach is an opportunity to help the Lord's name be remembered in some way for the next generation. This blog is a small gesture, but a significant effort on my part. God gave me a love and passion for writing; I didn't give it to myself. It has been my thing for many years. I have an opportunity to share "Good Words" as I find myself leaning in- more on godliness and things that really manner. 

        I have chosen to make the best out of my love for writing and to glorify God by inspiring others and helping to build up the faith. Written words on a page can spread quickly, if we want to build up and focus on positivity and love; there is way too much hatred and strife. Christ wants to redeem his people, all the generations. The set time for me to help is now! 

My Next Generation

The Gift of Love!

 

The Gift of Love!

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

        Many of us grew up hearing this scripture and learning to recite it in church. As children, we may have had to memorize it for a church play or program without knowing what it actually meant. When I grew up, the pastor preached the scripture more so than taught it. Kids like me, who were quiet and obedient did not challenge adults nor did we ask them to explain  what the scripture was saying.  When we grew up and learned a little more on our own, there was some clarity. 

        The word, begotten means the Son was generated by procreation or He was fathered. This is an old fashioned term that comes from the word beget. John 3:16 is one of the most popular and most quoted scriptures in the Bible. I began to understand that there is a blood relationship between the Father and the Son, and the Son is a sacrificial Gift to the world. 

        Now that's love! I really, really love my sons. I believe that if I needed to sacrifice myself to save their lives, I would not think twice about it. Raising them up, I would offer my life in exchange for theirs or for them to have an opportunity to fulfill their life's purpose and dreams. I would do that without hesitation or contemplation.  After all, they came from my body, and I am blood connected to them in a bonded lifelong relationship. 

        As their mother, I wanted them to have a decisive chance to be strong, grown men who would make a difference and do some good in the world.  My love for my sons is deep parental admiration that grows in intensity as they get older. As their mother, I made sacrifices for their well being and success as much as needed, especially when they were young and learning how to maneuver life. Raising my sons to have purpose meant I chose to sacrifice my time, money, relationships, and peace of mind over and over again to assure they had provision. 

        They never once denied my love or my gifts of love extended to them. When I got older and learned what John 3:16 meant, I chose to reach my hand out, and open my heart up to receive the Gift. In other words, I accepted the free Gift. I leaned and depended on the Gift once I knew that I could. I needed the Gift to function in my life and to help me to be the very best virgin of myself that I could. Even today, I want to know more about the Gift, which clearly represents Love. 

        I now know now that the Gift is perfect. It is free, and it is beautifully and strategically fathered for me and anyone else who wants the Gift of Love functioning in his or her life.