Tag: God

What is Your Captivity?

James 1:5 -“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

 I was reading this verse and I was led to the reference Scripture, Jeremiah 29:12. I did read more than the one reference Scripture and wanted to share my thoughts.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 – 11) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12) Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13) And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14) I will be found by you, says the Lord and I will bring you back from your captivity.”

Although the reference is wisdom, I was drawn to the last verse with God stating that He would bring the Israelites back from their captivity. It struck me that although God references the physical captivity of the Israelites here, we today are held captive by many things; the past, the present, and the future. Hence, my title for this post. It makes me think about so many things that keep us captive and not truly worshiping and seeking God. We do not rest in the peace He references above. There are times when we are so consumed with what we want, we are unwilling to accept that God is all-knowing and He knows what is ahead for each and everyone of us. Sometimes what we want will bring evil upon us.  His thoughts toward us are of peace, and not evil, to give us a future and a hope.

There is a tendency when we read the Scriptures to expect God to respond in what we want and according to our mindset instead of what He knows is His best for us. When we ask God for wisdom, do we ask according to His thoughts toward us? Do we ask for true wisdom or do we just want what we want? The foundation of truth is that the beginning of wisdom is the fear (reverence and awe) of God.

Something to chew on. 

Be blessed,

God’s Got This

Trusting God can seem very challenging when things are not going as planned. Men have their own plans, which may or may not include God. I have come to understand that however challenging things may be, God desires the best for you; not only in this world but also for eternity. God sees the future, we do not. In our anxiety when things don’t go as planned, we forget to thank Him for His hedge of protection. He protects us from ourselves: the choices that would bring destruction and harm when we trust Him. He comforts us in the pain we are going through when we feel hurt and rejected from not getting what we want. Notice I said “want”, not “need”. God does meet our needs.

We definitely need to remember that God answers every prayer: yes, no, and wait. We also forget that when He says no, there is something better He has for us. Everything is in God’s control, whether we believe it or not.

Today, I would like to leave you with this. God’s got this and you; whatever your “this” is.

Be blessed,

Hello There

His majestic artistry

It’s been almost three weeks. Been dealing with some health issues. Here I am, though. Ready to encourage and inspire. Pray that all is well with each of you. By well, I mean that you are dealing with whatever challenges you have. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”. This excerpt from the Serenity Prayer (most popular and to me, straight to the point) speaks to everyone of us as we deal with life. I believe that when we accept what we cannot change_what’s not in our ability to change_the stance puts us in a position of power. We can move on to the things we can. From that point, we are able to walk forward in spite of fear_courage_ and the most important part is the wisdom to know the difference. This comes from God. We need to ask and keep asking for discernment. Each day may bring new challenges. However, God is with us every day. He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He said in His word to “Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NASB)

Be blessed in the Lord!

Wisdom, Instruction, Understanding

Proverbs 23:23 – “Buy truth, and do not sell it. Get wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”

Wisdom is defined as:  “the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.”

The Word of God says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Education in the Word of God is critical for every believer. Daily presence in the Word of God allows the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Today’s culture promotes education fiercely. Believers should be fiercely motivated to educate themselves in His Word.

Instruction is defined as: education.

Understanding is defined as: intellectual faculties; intelligence; mind.

The Word of God tells us to love the Lord our God with all our soul, strength, heart, and mind. When we understand and accept that God is in control, He truly is as the Creator, it brings about a certain understanding. When we see that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, it brings about a certain understanding. When these understandings are accepted, we receive truth. God’s truth. I believe that education is important. When we have a passion for something, we educate ourselves. I believe that when we educate ourselves in the Word of God, He shines the light on who He is and how much He truly does love us. My encouragement today is to read the Word; and, not just today, but everyday. Let us seek the Lord while He may be found.

Be blessed and have a great week!

Information Overload

Learning something new is not easy. I am currently working on my website and want to add a subdomain for my coaching connection. To say the least, it is a challenge. There is so much information out there, it does seem to be a bit daunting just to grab what you need and not all the extra. However, it will come together. Just thought I would touch base with my readers and let you all know I am still here. Growth does take time. I have accepted that I will do what’s necessary to move forward.

That said, I would like to encourage anyone who is int the process of learning something new. Stay with it. Whether you are replacing old thoughts with new ones, better ones or replacing bad habits with good habits, or learning a new technology process. Consistency is the key to becoming strong in your desired direction. I will say this. The microwave was a great invention and technology is seeming to point us in the same direction of press the timer and it is done. Doesn’t work like that on everything though. And even with the advancement of sciences and technology, some things still take time and always will. I have made peace with my desire to be in the moment, be present, and enjoy things even in information overload. What is the hurry? In our “it has be done yesterday culture”, we have become so impatient.  

My aging process has put me in a place of doing what needs to get done and let that be that. No race to move so fast that I don’t know what I did or if I could have done it better. Just my thought process. Be blessed and enjoy the day! This day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

He is Faithful and Loving

Scripture: Mark 12:30-31

30) “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the second: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 31) There is no other commandment greater than these.”

When we are searching for God’s will in our lives, it begins with the two Scriptures above. Reading the above, it takes all we are to love God. Your heart, soul, mind, and strength is required. When I began this journey, I will say that my mind and heart were there sometimes, not all the time because I wouldn’t have made some of the choices that I did. However, as I continue to follow the leading of Scripture, I have come to know God better and better by His Word, and the Holy Spirit through Christ Jesus.

God is faithful to His promise to never leave us nor forsake us. He has given us His Word and His Spirit on this journey. I cannot say everything was easy. I cannot say I didn’t cry any tears or didn’t have my own pity party. What I can say is that God has seen me through and continues to do so. He is faithful and loving.

An Anchor for Change

God’s Hand

Today I want to talk about change. The only constant is change. Circumstances don’t remain the same. They change, for better or for worse. However, they do change. When I reflect on my life, I see major changes and minor changes. My question is how much impact do you want to have when the changes occur?

When we make choices in our lives, do we make them with regard to changes that may occur? I have pondered change for myself. My heart’s direction is to impact my faith. Change it for the better. Strengthen it and grow it. Why? Because my faith will see me through when the changes come that are out of my control.

My faith helps me with the loss of family, friends and other things that impact me. My faith in God is the rock that anchors my soul. I have discovered that I can get through anything that occurs with God at the helm. It is not my intent to make it seem like it is so easy. Faith in God takes surrender and consistency, no matter what it looks like. I would like to add to the point that some may say that it is better to have control of everything by your own standards. That may seem to work for a while, however, things will change. When things are out of your control, what is your anchor? What do you hold on to when no matter what you attempt to do isn’t working out the way you want it to?

My faith in God is through the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and my Lord. Is everything down pat? Of course not. I will say that is my direction though. This journey of life is not easy, sometimes not even clear. However, through it all, God says He will never leave us nor forsake us. God gave His one and only Son so that this life of mine would be better. And, not only this life but the next one in eternity. What is your anchor?

Faithful, His Character

Trust

God is the epitome of faithfulness. He has promised in His Word that He keeps His word. He promised to provide for us. Not necessarily in giving us what we want but what we need. He promises protection. He promises deliverance, and comfort and guidance. With God’s faithfulness in these areas, it provides inspiration for us to be faithful in loving one another, sharing the gospel and trusting Him.

One of the major areas of faithfulness is gratitude. When we are grateful for what God has provided, we grow. He blesses us continually in gratitude. In gratitude, we develop patience. God’s faithfulness to us is not merited by us. His faithfulness is who He is. Jesus’ death and resurrection is evidence of this. He is faithful in giving us hope through His Son, Jesus Christ.

This is a short post albeit it very important to grasp that God has everything we need. Through His faithfulness, He has provided.

Keep Pushing Forward

Pushing through the clouds….

As we enter 2023, the mantra remains the same for us all. Keep pushing forward in Jesus Christ, no matter the circumstances. Even when things are going well, there is a need to stay prayed up and focused on Jesus. There is an enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

John 10:10 – “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Walking with Jesus gives us wisdom, courage and strength so that we are not blindsided. There are times when we are not aware that there is a force in the background in our lives trying to take us out.

Walking with God is about trusting Him and believing His Word for your life. His promises are yes and Amen. Look to the future through the Word of God.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,“ says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

This is one of my favorite Scriptures. If you have read a few of my posts, you will see that I refer to this Scripture often. Why? Because it gives me peace. It builds my trust in God. Through Jesus Christ, God has already proven that He loves us. If He has already given us eternal life, would He not even more be faithful to us to give us life more abundant?

John 10:10 – “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Repeating his Scripture, there are two sides to this coin. Jesus came to give us a better life here also. He didn’t say He came to erase every trial or every challenge. In growth, we have a better life. Growing in Him…in grace.

Seek Him…Walk with Him

Resignation Tendered

Whether there are sunny days or cloudy days or both together, God has everyday in His hands.

Happy New Year! to all my readers. Hope this year brings you peace; the peace of Jesus as well as all the blessings He has for you. My hope is even more in Jesus because He brought me into another year with health, sanity, family and friends as well as purpose.

I wanted to share with you something I read that reached out to me. Hence, the title of this post. This statement was shared in a devotional by Andrea Chatelain from YouVersion (Trust Me). The statement is not exact but the point was made. “I resign from the self-made post of control freak and trust God to lead no matter the consequences.” Each level we attain in this journey requires this commitment. My resignation is now tendered. God through Christ Jesus my Lord is my rock, my strength, my hope, and my life. Not saying I don’t miss the mark sometimes but I press on towards the hope of His calling.

This sentence hit home. As we continue on this journey, acceptance is required that we are not in control. Truly, good success comes from the Lord. Whether we are looking for success in our families, our marriages, our businesses or relationships in general. I read this yesterday, 01/01/23. It resonated so that I will have a reminder in several places. When things are not going as I plan, I will have reminders to adjust my perspective.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT)

God truly wants the best for us. The hope and goal for 2023 is that this Scripture becomes even more of an anchor than it already is for me. My encouragement today is that you develop your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. As the past several years have gone by, we see the chaos the world brings. Personally, I will take the peace of Jesus since I am not in control of anything but my responses.

No matter how cloudy, He still knows. Trust Him!

John 14:27 – I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (NLT)

Blessed and prosperous New Year to all!