Today’s Thoughts_Monday, May 23rd

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I may not see the end of the tunnel but I see the light! Love this image. Just a beautiful scene on my route.

It has been over a week since my last post. I am still refining and defining my time management. I now have three driving jobs and need to make sure to keep everything in perspective. I miss my blogging community. I have tried to read and respond as much as possible. Although I will probably keep the three driving jobs as my occupation – need to make the money to pay the bills -I still have my focus on writing and photography intact. My relationship with Christ is a given.

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This sunset was captivating in the distance. Although it wasn’t a rainbow, the colors were very engaging.

As I was working, I saw some pretty amazing images and have included them here for you to enjoy as well. I noticed that as I release my dreams and goals to the Lord, He makes a way and gives me revelation about myself of which I wasn’t aware. For instance, I actually love driving. Probably the only way you can actually work three driving jobs. Another aspect of driving is that I get to see some pretty amazing images. I can’t capture them all but He has been blessing tremendously in this area. One of the goals is to purchase a Canon DSLR for my images. Later, I will be adding the telephoto lenses as soon as I can. There were some distance shots that I would have loved to capture.

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The open road is so inviting and this tree-lined street was a pleasure to see.

I would like to say that in delivery driving, I actually get a good amount of exercise and I needed to add that to my time management. Since exercise is now included without the gym, I am grateful. The focus right now is saving the finances for the apartment to stay consistent in my other goals. Paul inspires me to be content in whatever state I find myself. Finding the right apartment and the right church are at the top of the list now. I appreciate all the support from those of you following Glorious Impact. Though things have been extremely busy, the Lord is working everything out.

Todays Thoughts_May 23rdI will be posting the book review for “God’s Gonna Make You Laugh” by Noel Jones in June. I hope you all enjoyed the review on “The Confident Woman.” It surely helped me during the challenges that I recently faced. I have a great deal of hope right now. God is building my strength and my hope in Him is not just for the here and now. I recently had an experience that showed me that we will not be complete until Christ returns and we are transformed. He also reminds me that even though we are working on things here, our focus must always ultimately be on eternity. Paul said that if all we have is the here and now, our faith is futile. It is in vain.

I am so glad the Lord is transforming me daily. I am glad that salvation is a free gift and the rest is in His hands. The work that we actually do is because of our faith. That work is believing and obedience. I will work on posting at least three times a week. In the meantime, I lift all my sisters and brother out there in the blogosphere in Christ. Stay focused on what is important, your relationship with Christ and the rest will follow.

A Fight Worth Having

Fight … Surely the fight of faith is a fight worth having.

Fight_1I believe all of us know what the word fight means. It is to contend or struggle in war, battle, single combat. It is a conflict or struggle. It is a vigorous effort in the face of difficulty. Holding our own in this world is a daunting task. However, God knew that we couldn’t do this alone or without Him, and because He loves us so much, He sent Jesus to die for us and Jesus left us His Holy Spirit to arm us. Let us fight the good fight of faith! God gave us all that we need including the descriptive details of what this looks like in Ephesians 6. There are no excuses other than we just don’t want to. I believe that equipping ourselves daily-yes, daily-with the Word of God is one of the first and very critical steps in fighting this fight.

Ephesians 6:10-18 – “(10)A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. (11) Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (12)For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (13)Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm. (14)Stand your ground putting on the belt of truth and the body of armor of God’s righteousness. (15)For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. (16)In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (17) Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (18)Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Faith_2It is imperative that we get this. God is so detailed in how He gives us His Word that we should be excited. He has covered all the bases. Are you wearing your full armor in this battle? Fighting the good fight of faith is about the unseen. It is not necessary to have faith in what you already see because you see it. The unseen world, or the heavenly realm is just as real as the natural. The enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy by any means necessary and he certainly will use the supernatural realm to try to stop us from walking by faith. You have no ammunition that can fight the enemy when you do not have God’s armor. Those negative thoughts will come and those testy situations from the enemy are used to wear us down. However, we are not to be weary in well-doing. If you don’t put on the armor, you get weaker the more you get hit. Ask any veteran about the true art of war. To fight the battle, you have to be prepared. God is so gracious to us because He has given us explicit instructions on how to fight this thing. The battle is truly not ours anyway but the Lord’s. We are His soldiers. Make no mistake because Jesus has given us the victory in His death and resurrection. The requirement from us is to fight in faith here on earth. The extent of His love is so phenomenal because He still gives us free will to say yes. God gave us Christ to save us, gave us His Holy Spirit for power in the resurrection and the Word of God to arm us. How much more can we ask for? The enemy certainly has a clue of the value of you standing in faith for your purpose in the kingdom of God. I now ask again, “Are you wearing your full armor in this battle? Is not this a fight worth fighting for? ” Our eternity is based on the answer.

 

The Path of Life

Alma Mater: The Path of Life

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God’s Hand

This prompt is significant to me. As valedictorian for my high school graduating class, I gave the speech. I remember my knees shaking as I sat waiting for my turn to speak. I remember the theme for the graduating class that year was “We’ve only just begun to live.” Of course, it will be a 40-year anniversary next year and to draft a speech includes a lot of experience and key points of wisdom to share. Therefore, it is my pleasure (with less nervousness) to respond to this post. So, here goes…
Continue reading about the Path of Life…!

This “Self” is a Hard Pill to Swallow

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This journey…

Self-reliance is a very hard habit to break. I remember when I took the art and humanities class in college and the historical information was about the evolving self. From the beginning of time, the goal of humanity has been to do without God. In the expression of art and humanities such as psychology, the evolution has been to focus on self (our abilities, our mind, our desires, our flesh). “Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation,. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41, NKJV). Jesus found it necessary to remind His disciples. I speak about the flesh today, the natural man who looks to do things his way no matter what. But I also speak to the spirit man of those who know that we can do nothing (no thing) outside of God. What He allows us to do, even when we don’t consider the consequences, is about Him and not us; about us drawing closer to Him, trusting Him, leaning on Him and glorifying Him, not self. There are several Scriptures that come to mind as I write today.
Continue reading about this

The Great Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 – “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

As I read this Psalm, I was led into deep thought on just verse 1.  The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”  Jesus is The Great Shepherd.  He leads us daily through our heart issues, circumstances, providing our needs so that we can be healthy and whole.  The job of the shepherd was to make sure the sheep were safe, were fed, and had water for thirst.  The picture of the shepherd and sheep is equal to the picture of Jesus and us.  As His sheep, He already knows our needs and as His sheep, we follow His voice as He meets our needs.  

Basically, our life is in Jesus Christ, The Great Shepherd.  We cannot follow God without Jesus.  Our reconciliation to God through the blood, the everlasting covenant, is such a wonderful, powerful, and awesome thing!  God is truly worthy of our praise and worship.  Worship God today, say thanks for the love He prepared to give us before we even acknowledged His free gift of salvation.  Romans 5:8 – “But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Be blessed today!

In Him, Sandra