It’s A Humbling,

so that none of us can boast.

Not long ago, I heard someone speak about humility. Humility is very important and as I grown to realize the full importance of humility, I think of the things that humble me.

In the city that I used to live in there stands a tall hill in one of the city parks.  After work, I would change into work-out attire and drive to the park and climb the hill, over and over again. Standing on the highest point of the hill did not allow me to see very much of the city at all really.  But, looking out at what I could see still made me feel small and insignificant.

Image Source: wikipedia.org

As I moved to the Atlanta area, I drove through the mountains and valleys of Tennessee. As I traveled, the views of my drive allow me to put a few things into perspective as well.

I already know, but these things remind me that I am nothing and no one.

Sometimes, going out the ocean makes me feel the same way …

A wise man once said, ‘The ocean is the king of 100 rivers because it is humble.’

Another familiar adage states, ‘the gentle outlast the strong’.

As I view the beauty of the land and thank God for all of His creation, I am humbled that He also took the time to create me. I pray that I am always making Him pleased that He has.

#Humbled

 

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Argh!!! Why does this hill seem so big?

Sometimes, we get frustrated because the obstacles in our path seem so insurmountable.

Why do they seem sooooo big? … Because we are closer to the obstacle that we are to God.

Tell your problem: ‘Back up, give me 50 feet!!’

1. Pull out your phone and message yourself 10 things you are grateful for

2. Google ‘what the bible says about trust’  … or a word to describe your issue, whatever the issue

3. Go to Youtube.com and pull up some music and sings praises unto the Lord

4. Go to your ‘Holy Bible App’ and read some scriptures on encouragement

5. Encourage yourself by remembering things that the Lord has brought you through so far

6.  Read a scripture, close your app and then just meditate on it, for 10 minutes

7. Periodically stop and think about different scriptures that you’ve read over the course of your life … It doesn’t matter if you just say, ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want!’ (Psalm 23)  Say that…

8. Intentionally overthrow the issue at hand and purposely think about other things: whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philllipians 4:8)

9. Verbally say, “Get behind me, satan”. Leave me alone! You no longer have permission to speak to me.

10. Go into all-out, no holds barred, prayer, praise and worship! Worries and stressors cannot stand where the presence of the Lord dwells.

#HisGoodnessAndMercies

#TwentyFourSevenNightAndDay

#AlwaysMeditateOnTheWordofGod

 

Cravings

Since I can remember, I have liked chocolate. I mean, really, really, liked chocolate.  It has really been a problem for me. It is commonly known that I can eat an entire 12-inch, 3-layer triple chocolate cake all my myself.  When I consume it, it’s delicious, and it seems that I am never satisfied. Moreover, the bible says, the eyes of man are never satisfied (Proverbs 27:20).

Image Source: http://historycooperative.org/liquid-gold-the-history-of-chocolate/

Because I never seemed to get satisfied, I have had to intentionally stop eating so much chocolate and purposely eat what I want to crave because I know that eventually I will

Eat what I crave

Because I’ll crave what I’ll eat!

… Similarly, I have not always liked to sing, usher, dance, or serve. I do it, and have noticed that I crave it when I am not singing, ushering, dancing, or serving.

The more I worship, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I take things unto the Lord, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I praise, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I pray, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I spend time with the Lord, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I listen to praises, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I read the Word, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I study the Word, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I am around the people of God, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I fellowship with them, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I serve all people, the more my heart desires to do so!

The more I give and share, the more my heart desires to do so!

 

 

Who Do You Love?

What’s His Name?
Jesus?
Who is He who always makes away?
Who opened blinded eyes?
Who heals cancer and broken hearts?
Who gives us direction and tells us to trust Him?
Who for ashes, gives us beauty?
Who else but God?
Jesus is God!

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exodus 3:13-14).

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory (1 Timothy 3:16).

Men gave many different names to the Lord throughout the Old Testament:
EL, ELOAH: God “mighty, strong, prominent” (Genesis 7:1; Isaiah 9:6) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power,” as in “I have the power to harm you” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of might remains.

ELOHIM: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1).

EL SHADDAI: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all.

ADONAI: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles.

YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is first given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3).

YAHWEH-JIREH: “The Lord Will Provide” (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.

YAHWEH-RAPHA: “The Lord Who Heals” (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.

YAHWEH-NISSI: “The Lord Our Banner” (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.

YAHWEH-M’KADDESH: “The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy” (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy.

YAHWEH-SHALOM: “The Lord Our Peace” (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.

YAHWEH-ELOHIM: “LORD God” (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,” signifying that He is the Lord of Lords.

YAHWEH-TSIDKENU: “The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

YAHWEH-ROHI: “The Lord Our Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

YAHWEH-SHAMMAH: “The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4).t

YAHWEH-SABAOTH: “The Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.

EL ELYON: “Most High” (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship.

EL ROI: “God of Seeing” (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all.

EL-OLAM: “Everlasting God” (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

EL-GIBHOR: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).

Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/names-of-God.html#ixzz3QSTo1Mpu

The prophet Isaiah noted, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

The new testament scripture revealed His name:

1. The angel of the Lord (the Lord himself, manifested as an angel) came unto Joseph and gave us instruction as to what we should call him: Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

2. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

3. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins(Matthew 1:18-21).

Henceforth, we shall call His name Jesus, for the name Jesus name brings forth every attribute that is described in all of the Word!!

Yes, The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and are safe (Proverbs 8:10).

When I am sick or afraid, I call on the name of the Lord.

When I bless my food, I call on the name of the Lord.

As I live and move, I do what I do in the name of the Lord.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Through the name of Jesus alone will I be allowed into heaven.

We are saved through Christ and Him- ALONE. He stands at the door and knocks, open your heart to love and to be loved by He who created the heavens and the earth, but his lowly enough to come down and live as a man- He is not ignorant of our infirmities. He loves us, O how He loves!

Oh, How I love Jesus!

He is LORD,

He is Yahweh,

He is Love,

He is glorious and peaceful,

He is mighty, strong, and powerful,

He is my warrior, He is my strength, He is my power.

When I say the name Jesus, I say all of these attributes.

Oh How I love Jesus! I know who I love: JESUS!!!

#InLove

#RunTellThat

You Don’t Know Jack!

Last year, at a meeting for one of my businesses, one of my partners said that they encountered someone who had been exposed to our business but that the individual refused to hear any details about the business because they had ‘heard all that they needed to know’.  A wealthy man in the business, my partner quickly said, well, you don’t know 5LINX!! Lol.

Far too often we make judgments about things prematurely.

Not many days ago, someone told me about a problem that they had been having for many years.

And then … they asked me what I thought. 🙂

I told them. Among my comments, I said, “OK, since you are admitting that you don’t know what to do, you must take this to Jesus. They explained that they already ‘took it to Jesus’ but that it was not getting better.

The bible clearly states:

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him (Proverbs 18:13).

Sometimes, taking a matter to Christ and hearing the conclusion of the matter is a long process. I have waited a few years to get answers or resolve. Sometimes His answer is to me is ‘Wait!’

So I wait.

He’s still sweet.

He is still precious to me.

He is not ignorant to our infirmities.

He loves us dearly.

He is sweeter than the honey on a honey comb!

The icing on the cake is that once you try Him, I mean, really, really try Him, you will know what I mean and you will never try an alternative.  Until that day I say without apology, you don’t know Him.

#HearHimOut

#GetToKnowHim

#KnowHimForYourself

 

Fear and Cross Intimidation

I resolve to:

be fearless.

live a life replete of fearful people.

be of good courage.

cast out fear with love.

Unfortunately,  my personal resolution does not enable me to stop encountering fear-full situations and fear-full people. It is also unfortunate that when many people are afraid to

-try new things,

-break bad habits,

-reach higher heights,

-get outside of their comfort zones,

… they try to plant seeds of fear in you.

Because they are intimidated by their own pasts, fear of success, fear of failure, current situations, their own failures, the failures of others, their own deficiencies, worries, lack of faith, lack of integrity, or even the amount of work that they have to put in to achieve a goal, they try to spread their disbelief onto you. They try to contaminate your thinking.  They try to contaminate your thinking.

I call it Cross Intimidation.  Before I reached the point where I am today, I faced these types of situations repeatedly.  Over time, I decided to be prepared.

I needed to prepare myself for:

1. what I would think about as they tried to plant doubt,

2. what I would say to them as they talked,

3. what I would think about after they left.

4. what I would do after they left.

When I interface with them, like clock-work, I do and say what I have prepared. Like a press conference, my words are ready.

If you don’t want to buy into their life style and their level of thinking. I invite you to commit to:

– love and not fear

– push yourself outside of your your belief system

– accomplish goals against popular thought

– accomplish more than your though accomplishable

– prepare your mind to respond (not react) to naysayers

– prepare a statement for your ‘press release’ or ‘press conference’

When I was growing up, my dad and granddad used to grow water melons. As kids, we would set outside and go to town with a big, thick slice of watermelon. Eating the yellow or red flesh, we would spit out the seeds …

When people say their opinions, try the spirit by the spirit whether it be of God.

Eat what is of God, spit out everything else!

By the authority that is invested in me, I spit out every seed of fear, doubt, or other similar spirit that people have tried to plant in my life. Cast them back into the pit of hell, where they came from, in the name of Jesus!

I am not afraid!

I am not afraid of success!

I am not afraid of failure!

I am going try my best!

I don’t care if others think it’s too hard!

I’ll either win or learn. Either way, I win!

#GoAllIn

#CantStop

#WontStop

#AllIDoIsWin

#AllIDoIsWinWinWin

#PressTowardTheMarkInChristJesus

Discipline

Discipline is the process of training that is used to develop obedience (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/obedience?s=t, rev.).  As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I must discipline myself to obey His will and word. There are times when I have asked Him for the desire to be disciplined (wow!). I honestly did not want to!  I have to purposely:

1. Proactively seek after ways to please the Lord.

2. Stay out of perpetual sin.

3. Rid myself of weights, distractions, frustrations…

4. In regular intervals, separate myself from food, drink, and seek Him all the more.

5. Encourage others to do 1-4, above.

I have noticed that the more I push away from flesh and carnality, the more power I have to do His work.

He gives me more peace, joy, grace, strategy, power, wisdom, humility …

He teaches me warfare.

His teaches me His will for my life.

#Grateful

#Discipline

Difficulty in Singleness and in Marriage

A few days ago, a friend said, “Married people got it made, it’s us single people who are suffering!” Well, as a woman who can say, ‘I once was married but now I’m single.’ It is not good and moreover difficult to be single and holy but also ‘good’ in the eyes of God, therefore very difficult to be married and holy.

Think of this simple example.

You have just been hired. You have a choice of one of two jobs:

Job 1: You are asked to pull all of the red squares off of a conveyor belt as pieces slide pass you from the left to the right at 10 miles/hour. One thousand balls will pass you in the course of a hour. It’s an even mixture of colors: red, orange, yellow, blue and green.

Job 2: You are asked to pull all of the red, yellow and orange squares off of a conveyor belt as pieces slide pass you from the left to the right at 10 miles/hour. One thousand balls will pass you in the course of a hour. It’s an even mixture of colors: red, orange, yellow, blue and green.

All else being equal, it would be significantly easier to work on the first job.  With the first job, you will be allowed to focus on one thing your entire shift.

Why did I use this example? Keep reading!  What does the bible say about this?

– The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him (Genesis 2:18).

My first point is that marriage is a male-female relationship that was ordained by God. The enemies of God still hate God, they do not care about us and hate anything, any relationship or organization that is ordained by God.  Moreover, they proactively look to kill, steal and destroy things that He makes ordains and loves.

This point alone implies that it would be more difficult to properly stand in a relationship that God ordained to stand alone.

– When we are together, whether our intentions are good or bad, we accomplish whatever we want to accomplish. This is demonstrated through the building of the tower of babel (Genesis 11). Other accounts indicate that we are powerful when we work together also:

– Five can chase one hundred (Leviticus 26:8)

– Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, (saith the Lord) I will be in the midst (Matthew 18:20)

– A three-fold cord is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

– Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? (Ecclesiastes 4:11)

– One can chase one thousand two can put ten thousand to flight (Deuteronomy 32:20)

In the New Testament:

– And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled … (Acts 2:1-7).

 

It is apparent that when we work together we can really wreak havoc on the enemies of God.  Moreover, the enemies of God hate it when we are together.   Think about how much more they hate it when we are a part of a permanent and committed relationship like marriage.

—

When I was single I had instructions (and now again, since I am single, due to divorce) from the bible:

… He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:32).

There are many things that we can do as singles, since we are not intimately  tied up in the affairs of another human being, and we need to do them.

But we are instructed differently when married:

1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2 Nevertheless to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence, and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

4 The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife.

5 Defraud ye not one the other, unless it be with consent for a time only, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not through your lack of self-restraint.

6 But I speak this by permission, and not by commandment.

7 For I would that all men were even as I myself am. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one in this manner and another in that.

8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I.

9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn (I Corinthians 7:1-9).

There are other scriptures that directs married couples: husbands, love your wives … etc.

Moreover, another important and beautiful part of being married is the prospect of having children together- for the bible proclaims that children are an heritage unto the Lord (Psalm 127:3). Further, children are important to Christ and should be important to both parents.

All of this is very interesting to me, especially as I reflect the hurry to get married.

To be continued.

Comments?

My Fav Pen

Sometimes, I can be very creative. I love to paint, write…

I have a drawer with two shoe boxes of pens, markers, and other writing utensils.  I’ve been writing a lot lately and I’ve noticed that I have a favorite pen. This pen, as compared to probably 300 other writing tools, is very reliable.

It works when ever I need it.

It’s easy to grip and hold.

I take it where ever I go. You’ll find it in my car console, my purse, my gym bag …

I don’t have to scribble here and there to test to see if it works before I use it.

It’s bold enough to write what I need it to write.

It’s the right shade of blue; It does not bleed through.

I was thinking… if the Lord was looking for a utensil- a tool to use one that would write or say what He wanted it to say- a tool that was the right shade, the right level of boldness, easy to hold and went every where He went, would he consider me?  I dare not look up and defiantly ask the Lord why He is doing this or that unto me.  Lord, help me to be as the pen of the ready writer, patiently and obediently waiting to do as you instruct.

#Closer

#IAmButAVessle

Listen, Love

I was at the public library some time ago…
When I was there, there was an adult woman there, sitting at a table with a young male child- I’m guessing that he was like 6 or 7.  After viewing them interact, I concluded that she was his mother, I am not sure. What is important is what I saw.

The kid was frustrated. It seemed that he was attempting to complete some homework. The woman started to yell and him at degrade him for his lack of understanding. She was speaking to him as if he were an adult- her body language, facial expressions, words and tone were all completely inappropriate.   It seemed that she was upset that he did not understand, but I also think that she was embarrassed that she did not understand how to explain it to him herself.

I looked at them quickly pack their things and leave their table. They walked out at a brisk pace.
I wish I could re-lived those moments, or if I could have caught on to what was happening in time to interject and help. I could have looked at his book or his notes and try to explain it … maybe I could have agreed to be his tutor or find someone who could.

I wanted to say, “Excuse me mam, you don’t understand this and you have the audacity to be mad at him when you don’t know how explain it yourself! Don’t talk to him like that!”

Sitting in silence, forgetting the reason for my visit to the library, I remembered her harsh words for some time after they left. I thought of the familiar adage that ‘people don’t remember what you say, but they remember how you made them feel’. I am not sure who I should quote for saying that, but I have heard that time and time again.

Instead of degrading him in front of people (or at all) she could have been honest and said, “I don’t know how to do this… let me see if I can find you some help.” She could have changed that whole situation with a little love.

… Years later, he will not remember what story it was that he did not understand type of math it was that he did not understand, but he would remember how she made him feel.

Love listens in a manner in which I cannot explain.I wish that she could have demonstrated love to him. But maybe be that meant that there is no love or care between them so, how could it be demonstrated?

Parents, love your children.
Pastors, love your followers.
Men and women, love your sisters, wives, brothers, every one.

Kill wickedness and evil with kindness.

Be kind to people, in all situations.

And when you can say a kind word, simply be quiet.
Love works and usually yields a positive response.
Overthrow the temptation to be evil, unkind, or sarcastic, and give love.

 

 

Familiar Ground

We have all been through ups and downs.  As we recall our past experiences, we should be able to assess what is ‘familiar ground’.

-With our favorite foods, there is a salivary reflex that comes when we know we are about to consume the tasty treat!

-In relationships, our hearts may begin to beat fast or our palms may begin to sweat…

On the one hand, there are those times we pay pucker our lips as we prepare for a gentle kiss from the one that we love.

On the other hand, there are those times when we disagree and words get crossed.

In either case, if we are wise we can see these places as familiar ground. Small clues can be gathered to indicate that we do not or we do need to move in this direction.

If, when dating, you find that your mate is jealous, envious, controlling, full of strife, has the tendency to backbite or be negative, make hateful comments, sabotage the lives other folks, oppress or otherwise make others feel guilty for this or that, verbally abuse others, or use his mouth as a weapon to hurt people …

Get out!!

It is better to stop while you are ahead. Stop before you like him, and certainly before you love him.

It is also important to stop before you invest a significant amount of your time and energy in the individual or into your relationship.  Doing this early on makes life easier. The quicker you get out, get up, and get going, the quicker you will find some one who does not display those character traits.

It’s not a matter of whether or not you think that what it is that they are doing is right or wrong or if those actions are a ‘sin’.  If you don’t want to be around those things, you simply do not. And that’s OK.

Scientific research has indicated that humans can only think of one idea at a time. In this vein, every negative thought was traded for a positive thought. Proactively overthrow those types of things – valuable thoughts, time, and energy and trade them for positive thoughts.  Think about it, if you had a choice between two thoughts:

a thought that is jealous about another person

OR

a thought about chapter 8 of your new book

which would you choose?

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about purpose. My final remark reflects on my advice about making sure that you know your purpose.  When you know your purpose, you attract people who know theirs (and repel those who do not know their own). Individuals who know their purpose will not be caught up in immaturity, jealousy, envy, or strife. We are to be enthralled in our purpose and pleasing our Lord so much so that we do not have time to have any of those traits that I described earlier.

Further, the best relationships are those where both people know their purpose and as individuals, each party is working to accomplish their own goals- when they come together, they compliment, encourage and edify one another and then part ways, super-charged to do their best.

Being around a mate who knows his purpose, believes in and supports yours- that should be your familiar ground.

Comments?

 

 

 

Waiting for Teacake

Some time ago, a friend asked about what it meant to be the bride of Jesus Christ. I have opted to respond here.

I believe that being the Bride of Christ is more than simply being His fiancee. More than being His wife or wife to be.

… being the young Bride of Christ represents
a fondness
a love
a like of Jesus Christ.

It represents being somebody that possesses the characteristics of a person that He would consider marrying.

I imagine that such a Prince would have a laundry list of prerequisites. I simply do not do fit the bill.
Despite many, many, many reasons He should not love me at all, He loves me and loves me unconditionally.

Googly-eye’d I am. I must admit.
I am fond of Him.
I like Him.
I love Him. Let me just say I love…
I love everything about Him.
Who He represents.
Who He is in front of people.
Who He is behind closed doors.
Who He is when He is speaking.
Who He is when He is silent.

This fondness, love, and like moves towards me from Jesus Christ.
And from me to Him.

When I fall short, He is so patient and kind that He teaches me what I need to know.
He teaches me to love, give mercy, and repent. So together, we love mercy, forgive quick, and repent quicker.

Our relationship is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.

It’s a freshness.
It’s a promise.
It’s a contract between He and I to be together forever.
… the promise to begin every single day with new mercies toward one another and others also.
There is newness, tenderness.
We cherish one another and we cherish one another’s feelings.

I only want to be with him.
I remain pure only for Him.
When we communicate with one another we remember that the other has feelings and speak with kindness to one another.
Because we know each other so well, we say things like, ‘Honey will you.. ‘
And quickly the other interrupts, ‘Yes, I sure will.’
Further, He has paid a price for me – His blood serves as the drowery.

When I think of the scenario of me being the bride of Jesus Christ, I picture myself as a young woman fully dressed to the T, sitting on a veranda with fresh made sun tea. I sit and wait on the front of this huge white home even on a hot summer day, patiently waiting for Teacake, my love.
… I am fond of Him.
… I like Him.
… I love Him.
He is my groom.

Filled to the brim with excitement, I can hardly wait to see His silhouette walking down the driveway toward me.
When I catch a glimpse of Him, I dare to run down the dusty path to meet Him and jump into His arms.

Until that day, I will keep my promises and patiently wait for my Love to return.

Believing is Doing

Lately, my prevalent thoughts have been concerning Belief. This post- which is my first post on this blog- will contain some of the points that I made in a previous blog posting.

When you believe something, there is some degree of action in your life that runs alongside your belief.

If I am a middle school student who wants to be the star player of my high school team, no matter the weather, I need to be out shooting field goals, 3-pointers, or free throws as much as possible.
If I am a H.S. student who believes that I will be a Master Surgeon, I need to study biology and chemistry and prepare to get in to college and study more of these types of science. I need to get educated on what the requirements are to be who I believe I am and then move forward in those beliefs.
If I am a woman who of God is destined to do great things but has been through many ups and downs, I need to remain more focused on the things I will do than the things that I have been through.

No matter what you believe you shall be, it is necessary to lay before the Lord and ask him for direction.
Is what I am thinking in alignment with your will for my life?
What do I need to do first? Second? Next? …

Whatever it is that I ‘believe’ I need to be moving forward to achieve those goals.

Qs: What do you see your self doing or being? What visible action(s) are you manifesting externally to demonstrate your internal belief?

… to be continued.

Closer?

The song says we’re getting closer and closer to that ‘Great Gett’n up Morning!’

The question at hand is, “Is my blog properly named?”

Well, I dunno, is it?  I’m probably confusing some folks, but…

In Him is where I live, move and have my being.

I know that I am walking with Him- certainly not before Him.

I lean on Him for strengths and for His wisdom to make decisions.

I stand on Him, for His Word is my foundation.

As I walk this path called life, moving closer to Him.

As I listen to His voice, my thoughts are closer to His.