Tis the Season to be Thankful!

 Tis the Season to be Thankful!

Psalms 100:4 says, “Enter his gate with thanksgiving and his court with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

The next scripture goes on to say, "For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." There are so many reason for me to show thanksgiving and gratitude from the generation before me, to my generation, to the generation coming after me. This season of celebrating the holiday, Thanksgiving, is everyday for me.   

Truthfully, every single day is the season to be thankful. When I look back over my life, I have to say, "Thank you Lord," every single day. My life is a gift and a blessing. I do not even know where to begin. As I write this piece, I feel joy and gratitude overtaking me. My heart is grateful- my eyes are tearful, as I think about the mountains God has gotten me over, and the valleys He has seen me through. I have been through a lot, and without Him I would not be here today. I am nothing without the Lord-He is my everything 

My personal relationship with the Lord goes something like this-He is my Father and my Friend. He is my Healer and my Hero. He is my Doctor and my Deliverer. He is my Provider and my daily Provision. He is my Peace and my Pacification. He is my Restorer and my Restoration. He is my Life and my Lifeline. God is the whole world to me. I can not help but enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His court with praise. He is faithful to me. I have not always known, nor understood how a God like this could love me so much. 

I was raised up in the church and have always been an active in the church. Not knowing any better, I felt I had to do things in church to earn God’s love and approval, so I volunteered for many years. I learned later in life that I did not have to work for His love or my blessings. God made a commitment to me and gave me His Grace; grace is free. 

When my babies were a few weeks old, and I could take them to church I knew I would need to leave them in the daycare for a couple of hours. I signed up to work daycare. There was a need for mothers to help care for all the babies, and I could not just leave them Sunday after Sunday without doing my part.

At my home church in Florence, Alabama, I song in the youth choir when I was not ushering. As a teenager, I only volunteered because I had to. My mom made that clear. But as a mother, I wanted to help in daycare and in children's' church to be there with my sons. After all, I was dropping them off in both departments. As the years passed, volunteering in church made me feel good and worthy of God’s love and faithfulness. I believed it was the main way to get something from Him. 

When I got older, I learned better and my motives changed. Today, I am thankful for all of those experiences and for God being with me in every area and phase of my life. I  had to experience life so I could learn, and grow in the different levels of  my life experiences. I am so happy that He is a patient and understanding Father, and also a Friend.

God is my Spiritual Teacher- I owe Him everything. I know I could never ever repay Him, but I can give Him thanksgiving more than once a year. I will give Him thanks and praise every single day. For everything, and so much more, I am forever thankful! 

Thanksgiving comes everyday. 

                                               

I want to share another one of my favorite songs, by: Cece Winans; it is an exhortation of praise and thanksgiving. I love this song! If this blog blessed you and you agree with it, please share it. 

https://youtu.be/9sE5kEnitqE

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

ReplyForward

A Place to Rest

 A Place to Rest 

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burden and I will give you rest.”

        Sometimes I spend too much time stressing and worrying about the wrong thing. I know it is the wrong thing because it is meaningless to my purpose in life. It is meaningless because it is a worldly thing. I know I should not be concerned about the cares of this world because the cares I worry about are not of the Lord.  Therefore, they are meaningless to God’s mission and purpose for creating me.  

        We live in this world, but we are not of this world is what the scripture teaches believers. What this is saying is that my position in Christ, while on this earth, makes me different. I love this next scripture too. Psalms 139:13-14 says, "for it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb, I praise You because I have been fearfully and wonderfully made." This says that I am set part from anyone else. There is no one else on the planet just like me. My lifestyle and behavior is to be different for He created my inward and outward parts unique and different. The care and attention God took to make me is simply amazing! I belong to Him- this is why He tells me to come to Him when I feel worried or burden with care. The created needs to go to the Creator!

        My behavior should be different because I know who I am and I know "Whose" I am. My behavior should always be godly and pleasant to my Creator. This world and the way it operates is not for me to embrace. I am literally a stranger here. The scripture teaches me so much about my relationship with the Lord.

        The way the world does things is not God’s way nor should it be my way. Just because my thoughts come from me does not mean they are in line with God’s word; unless, I  embrace and live by His word. I have to check my thoughts and decisions daily. When I pray and receive an answer for clarity, I usually know instantly if I am in the flesh or in the spirit. If I am in the flesh, I have to correct myself and abandoned my wrong behavior. I have to repent and ask for forgiveness.

        Praying with faith gives me a different perspective about life. If that godly perspective is different from mine I know mine did not come from God. What He gives me is always right, even if it is uncomfortable. My thoughts can seem right, but I need to be alert. Honestly, seeking and choosing His way is difficult to the flesh. Yet, I have to be obedient. I have to correct my wrongs because I know the flesh will and does mislead me. 

        His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I become infused with Him. I did not understand what this meant. I had to study and read more to understand it. He says, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your soul.” When my soul is weary and burden, He is the only One who can give me perfect peace. When I let go and let God, there is no more stressing or worrying. My soul is at rest and my soul is at peace. 

        Whatever happens to be my situation at that moment, when I turn it over to Him, it belongs to Him. I release it and He receives it. I do not have to pick it back up. I become stress free and worry free. His yoke is easy like that and His burden is light.

Only You!

 Only You! 

Psalms 147: 3 says, “God heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.”  

Who does not want their broken heart healed and their wounds bound up? Who does not want relief from a broken heart? It is a blessed kind of freedom only God can provide? When life happens in the worst kind of way, and leaves my heart broken and leaves me bound up in my emotions and fears, I turn to my Bible and search the scriptures for comfort and hope. 

I take in what I believe the scripture is giving me, at the exact moment that I need it. I think about the words on the pages, a lot. I see past them; I internalize them; I repeat them out loud and silently. I think about them until I understand what is taking place on the inside of me. I feel and  understand the peace overtaking me. I began to feel a sense of calm and inner strength.

I emerge myself in the scripture because I want my broken heart to be put back together again. I want healing from the aching pain I feel in the pit of my stomach. I want wholeness again. I want freedom from sorrow. I realize my answer is established inside the scripture. I read and pray the scripture back to Him, the author of these comforting words.

I say to Him, "Father God, I know You will heal my broken heart and You will bind up my wounds. The sorrow I feel is real. The loss I feel is real, and my hurting heart is real. But I know You are my Healer and I trust You."

I also say, "When I feel all these things, I feel the strong presence of You- my Lord.  I know Your presence is real. I know Your promises are real!

                                        

God loves each of us and He does heal our hurting broken hearts, but we have to let Him into our lives so healing can take place. At that moment, the feeling of peace and calm I receive lets me know everything is going to be fine. I realize that my life is meant for me to live in peace with a blessed freedom from the worries and cares of this world. 

When I feel like I am going through the storms all by myself, I know that I have someone walking by my side during the turbulent times.  I know that I am not alone during the times that I feel all alone, because I have You Lord- and only You!

 

​

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.