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!

                                      

Have You Ever?

 

Have you Ever?

Romans 8:26 (MSG) says, “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.”

Have you ever felt like you desperately needed to pray about something going on in your life and really wanted to pray, but the truth is, you could not find the words to express your truth? Have you ever felt like there were no utterance to express the hurt, pain and and disappointment you felt deep in your heart and soul? 

Have you ever felt like prayer was too formal and you just needed someone you could look at to talk to? Have you ever felt like God was much too big to care about or pay attention to someone like you? Have you ever felt like no one could possibly understand what you were going through? Have you ever wanted to understand your life better, so you could be prepared to deal with your life better? 

Have you ever wanted to surrender it all to God and not have to worry about anything or anyone? Have you ever wanted to know for certain “God’s got you?” Have you ever wanted to ask Him to reverse time so you --could have more time? Have you ever wanted a "Do Over" for many decisions made in life?

There are so many, “Have you Ever” questions running through my mind right now which can cause anxiousness. Yet, His word says in Deuteronomy 31:8 to be strong and courageous and to not be afraid and it says in I Kings 8:57, the Lord our God goes with us wherever we go. I understand that I am never alone. He said, “Never will I leave you or forsaken you.” I know this is true. I may feel lonely sometimes, but I am "never alone."

I believe God is whatever or whoever I need Him to be. He is my Counselor, my Friend and my Advisor; He is absolutely my Everything! Some years ago, I wanted a personal relationship with the Lord to know Him for myself and to feel comfortable talking to Him anytime about anything. So, I prayed more, read the Bible more, I meditated on scriptures more. and listened to godly messages more. There are so many late nights when I wake up and pray to get to a place of rest in my soul.  I pour out my heart because there are no secrets.

Because I am close to Him, I feel comfortable calling on Him for help with my life's circumstances no matter how hard things get and no matter the hour.  The “Have you Ever” questions can get real. They remind me that I am not strong on my on, but my strength comes from my connection to the Father who left the Holy Spirt to live in me. If the Holy Spirit lives in me, so does God. He is close to me and I am close to Him. He carries me and I carry Him with me- everyday of my life- all day long- we are forever connected.

I love that I can encourage myself in the Lord when I can not be consoled by anyone else. His presence reminds me that I am not forgotten. I have access to prayer and real conversation anytime I need to connect to someone who truly cares about me and who knows me and will not judge me. Honestly, life gets hard sometimes, but when I am weak- He is strong. 

I have been promised that if I ever get tired and feel I cannot go on, "God's Holy Spirit is right alongside me helping me along the way." My relationship with the Father is real, so much so that the "Holy Spirit translates my wordless sighs and groans" to the Father for me. I am comforted; I am taken care of, and my mind is secure in peace and rest from the cares of life- every time I turn my attention to the Father. I know "He knows me far better than I know myself."

Please check out my collection of inspirational poems composed be my family and me.

Together We Flow 

   

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

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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.