-
God Loves You – Yes You!
God loves you, yes you! I know we hear that a lot as Christians but do we live our lives like we believe it?
Let’s toss this idea around a bit. When you meet someone your interested in doesn’t it change your behavior? You try to run into them more, you dress better when you think you’re going to see them and once you meet them you rearrange your life’s calendar to fit them in, right? All of this makes you happier as you ponder all the possibilities. Doesn’t this put pep in your step? But did you do all of these things when you first meet God? Remember when you first got saved and you loved the idea and you loved going to church? But how much of that time was spent really getting to know God for yourself in one on one sessions? How many “dates” did you actually have with God? Revelations 3:20 (cev); Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together. tells us that God wants to hang out and spend time with us.
God created you because He loves how He made you and He just wants to spend as much time with you as He can. I used Joshua 1:8 (amp); This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success to get me started with my “dates” with God. This scripture tells us to think about the word in all our waking moments of our lives. I choose to learn about what God has to say regarding the things that were of interest in my life. I was a mother and a business person so I began to search for scriptures that taught me what God had to say about those subjects. Then I simply put time on the calendar to ask Him my questions about them. Those conversations were amazing! They were also the beginning of a wonderful relationship. Then using Joshua 1:8 as a guide, I simply began to talk and ask God questions throughout the day. I learned more from God in those moments than in all the time I spent in church. This was more detailed and more personal. It has become a great part of my life and even when I disagree and I’m mad at God, I still talk and share those feelings with Him. He’s a big God, He can take it.
For many, the perception of sin that Satan has put on us keeps us from approaching God on a personal level because Satan has told us that we are not good enough or that God won’t hear us, but Satan is a lie! All of us have some sin in our past and it has caused us to do things that were not so nice. So why would God want to spend time with me after all the bad things I’ve done? How could He love me after that? The answer is simple – God chooses to love us and He knows we’re not perfect and He loves us anyway! Isn’t that how you love? The people in our lives are not perfect but that doesn’t stop us from spending loving them and spending time with them. OK, I hear you – none of us are perfect so we don’t mind spending time with each other, but God is perfect, why would a perfect being want to be with us? God wants to spend time with us to give us a chance to get closer to perfection, to be better and to show us His power. Lets look at Romans 3:23-24: Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; 24 yet now God declares us “not guilty” of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins (living).
That’s God’s objective, He wants to free us from sin. I’m an ex-drug addict, an ex-drug dealer, an ex-liar, an ex-ho and I lot of other ex’s. I don’t have to pretend I didn’t do all of those things (and more) because God’s love and my accepting of that love via spending time with Him and obeying Him has freed me from all of that! We all know John 3:16-18 (msg); This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. God knew every mistake you would make and He sent you to earth anyway. So there is nothing you’ve done or might do that’s a surprise to God. It may have surprised you but not Him. God know how powerful His love is and how it can transform you, you just have to realize it.
God love you so much that He made big plans for you, Jeremiah 29:11 says; I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. Plans for you to live a mighty victorious life. He wants you to live a “dream come true life”. Remember all the plans you had for your life that sin has stolen? It’s time to take them back. Tapping into God’s love will help you do just that. God gave you those dreams and His plan is for you to live in them.
So, what’s your next step? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? I suggest that you go back to place where you used to keep your dreams. I know Satan and sin has stolen them but God’s been keeping them safe for you. Then set up some “date nites” with God so one by one you can pull them out, dust them off, and discuss them with God. Let me give you a helpful tool to use on your dates with God. While talking with God, sit back, close your eyes and begin to use the power of “daydreams” or “vision casting” & see those dreams! Keep expanding & developing them, God will help you. If you need some help getting started simply contact me via this website and I’ll help you.
You will then begin to see just how valuable you are to God and how much he loves you and how powerful He made you. His love will begin to transform you into the person you previously only dreamt about. God needs you to help Him save other people. Haven’t you ever noticed that each of our dreams and desires solves a problem on the earth?
I know your dreams are big, too big for you alone, but you are not doing this by yourself. Matthew 19:26 (msg); Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.” so why not find out for yourself just how many of your dreams you and God can make come true. The bible says in Romans 8:35-39 (msg); So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
Get it now, there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love! You’ve made mistakes and you will make more, I know I will, so let’s stop tripping about it and get moving!
I don’t know about you but the main goal & theme for my life is “Living In My Dreams” and I am using God’s love for me to propel me into the fulfillment of every dream I have, how about you?
God loves you, yes you! What are you going to do about it?
-
It’s Getting Hot Out There!
We all know Nelly’s song and have danced to too! It’s getting hot out there and if you’re single (or married), it may be getting hot inside you, too! So be careful because fire is hot and you don’t want to be burned. Don’t forget, sometimes the price of making a mistake is way too high!
Spring is here and summer’s right around the corner and the crazy has already begun. Folks, just like the flowers and trees, are in full bloom. As soon as it seemed to get hot I started seeing folks outside half-dressed, scoping out who’s available to play.I’ve had more than my share of dealings with the demon of lust and it took me about two years to get dominion over it, and another six years maintaining that control over it, so I know it quite well. So, what do you do when spring comes and the lust inside you wakes up or turns up its heat?
Most “grown folks” do whatever they feel they are big and bad enough to do, and we’ve all done things that we have later come to regret. So let’s just be honest and put all of the cards on the table. Mark 7: 21-23 (nkjv); For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Aren’t you tired of being by yourself? Are you dancing with the demon of loneliness? Do you just want someone to love and to love you back? Or do you just want to have some “no strings attached” sex?
Wherever you find yourself, it’s okay. No judgments here because I did my own thing too – until Jesus!
We all know that love and lust are not the same thing, and they sure don’t come from the same source. God is love, but lust comes from Satan. Which one controls you? Most of us have given into the lust demon and when we did we were left empty inside (James 1:14-15; We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. 15 Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead), mad at ourselves – again! But, once you connect with Jesus and you submit control of your life to Him, being a “ho” is never okay again.
Now if love is what you’re after, then start with loving yourself inside your dark places. Start accepting where you are, who you are today, and sit with God to develop a plan of action that will shine God’s light into those dark places and drive the demons that live there out. But, how do you do that?
Well, let’s use Esther as an example. Esther needed to become queen to save her people, so she submitted one year of her life to being trained to be a queen and to attract the king. Esther 2:12; Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purification accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women (kjv). What kind of training to become a queen have you submitted to? Most women want to be treated like a queen and to marry a king, right?
When I thought I was ready to get married, I went to God and asked Him to teach me how to be a queen because I wanted a king. I did the homework and passed most of the tests. God is so good that He let me take the tests I failed over until I passed them. I learned quickly to do the work whether I liked it or not, whether I agreed with God or not. I’ve now been married for nine years and my king keeps getting better and better. But, that’s because we follow God’s lead in every area of life. By the way, to all the fellas reading this, it works the same way – in order to marry a queen you too have to be trained to be a king. Check out Jimmy and Karen Evans if you think you’re ready for training.
So make what you want clear inside yourself and talk to God about it so you can develop a plan to work this summer, because it’s getting hot outside and Satan plans to burn you inside his flames. I don’t care how cute this dude is or how sexy and big her butt is, you better know who sent these people to intercept your life and don’t get caught in the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trap!However, if you do choose to wild out, because that’s your choice, be safe and protect yourself. I know how attractive “hot” is so don’t get it twisted, mistakes come with a price to be paid (thank God for His mercy and grace that is new everyday), but you don’t want to pay with your life!
It’s getting hot outside! How hot are you?
-
Grateful on Memorial Day!
This is the Memorial Day holiday weekend, so as I sit back eating BBQ, I started to reflect and it brings be to place or state of being grateful. This is the time set aside to remember and give honor to the soldiers for all they have done to ensure our freedoms and liberties. I am so grateful for them and all they do, and the price they pay to do it. I pray for them daily. Going into the armed services is surely nothing I would do, but I truly appreciate those who have.
Being grateful always brings me back to God and all that He’s done for me and continues to do. However, I find that it’s a state of being I have to fight to remain in.
Satan always comes to bring up and remind me of all the things I’m not happy about in my life. I don’t know about how your life is but I have more than a few things I want changed in mine. But just like 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (cev) says; whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do, – I fight to praise God anyway.
From experience, I have found that when I don’t choose to focus on what is good about my life like Philip 4:8-9 says; Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9 You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you; a portal opens and here comes demons of depression, fear, hopelessness and whoever else has time to come through. Now things are worse! Now I don’t know about you, but I have enough to deal with without inviting more demons to the party! I also know how challenging & hard this is to do in a lot of cases. Many of us are dealing with some tough and emotionally painful situations. I get that. And just like you I want these things to get better or just go away. We want God to fix them all. And if God was a magician then our wishing for Him to fix them would be okay and they would be fixed by now. However, God is not a magician but in Genesis 1:26 (amp) – God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth; He gave us complete authority over the earth and the art or process of us putting that (taking dominion) info practice can be longer than any of us may want it to be most of the time.
I’ve been working God’s word for many years now and I have proved that He way works better than my own. I am so grateful that I found a way that is much better than my own! And is spite of the things in my life that have not manifested yet, I force myself (sometimes it’s a battle) to believe God over Satan every day of my life because of (nkjv) – Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
So, as I continue to use my faith to pull in the change I want, I am so grateful for the people in my life that I love and who love me back. I am grateful for my ride or die friends. I am grateful for my husband, who in spite of having experienced some of my perfect imperfections, chooses to love me anyway. I am grateful for all of my children, biological & spiritual, who continues to believe in me and my passions. I am grateful to finally have a pastor who supports and pushes me into my purpose. I am grateful for a church family that walks in love with each other and pushes every other into greatness. I am grateful for the manna that God sends everyday to cover my needs. I am grateful to God for all of the attacks that He blocks as He protects me daily.
God has started a new chapter in my life and in spite of all the unknown turns ahead, I am so grateful that God trusts me, that He’s forever with me and that I am not doing this without His approval, love, support and most of all His guidance. Whooooo Hoooooo!
Just to sum this all up, there are a lot of things in life to complain about but I am much happier in this process when I work the word and focus on what’s good in life. It brings power to me – frees my mind, builds my self confidence and feeds my faith.
I am grateful for every soldier who was brave enough to put his life on the line for me and my family and I am grateful for you too because you have taken time out of your life to read this.
What are you grateful for?
-
Free Your Mind & _____ Will Follow!
How would you fill in the blank? When I hear the words “free your mind”, many things come to my mind. But, the first thing that comes to mind is the song made famous by En Vogue. The lyrics of the song speak about prejudice in its many forms and the bondage that mindset causes.
When I hear the song, I do agree that pre-judging anyone is wrong, but how many of us are honest enough to admit that we pre-judge ourselves, too? That’s why we do it to others! That demon tempts us to look down on others so we feel better about ourselves. For example, “her butt is sooo big” – when we say that what we really mean is “her butt is sooo big, but mine is not”. You’ve heard the saying “when you point your finger at someone, you have 3 fingers pointing back at you”, right? Since the goal here is be free, we have to tell our own truth.
Let’s be honest, we all have our own “coo-coo crazy” that we try to hide from others, but it’s impossible to hide it forever. That demon likes being seen. Others are in denial about just how crazy they are; true bondage at its best. If I were to ask some of your friends, family, coworkers or neighbors about you, what would they say your “coo-coo crazy” is? (Smile) Crazy comes out in many different ways, and how it comes out shows us just who is in control. Insecurity is a coo-coo crazy demon we see a lot. What’s yours?
The problem is that when we finally come to know what God says about us, we seem so far away from that. Getting there feels overwhelming. We look at ourselves as a hopeless case. For many reasons, it seems impossible to get there or to be the person God says we really are. Or at least that’s what the voice in our head says – but who’s doing the talking? Check out & do inventory on your boxes.
The Bible says in Matthew 19:26; Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. that all things are possible with God. Therefore, whatever God is saying about you, you can become that person. Being free is possible. In Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God says that He has great plans for you, to bless you & give you a great life. God made you on purpose, and whatever work you have to do to be free from everything that keeps you from living Jeremiah 29:11 is truly worth doing!
In order to free your mind from the negative thoughts that plague and haunt you, you have to live Romans 12:2; Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him (cev). But, how do you do that?
Let’s start with being honest with yourself and take inventory on what you think about. Then we have to ask God who is really doing the talking. How many negative thoughts do you have in a day? How many times a day do you say these negative things? You have to consciously do the count. The first time I did this, I did it manually and I was blown away. Now, I use a pitch counter to track the thoughts and words I speak. Proverbs 18:21 (cev); Words can bring death or life! Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say – makes is clear what we are supposed to be thinking and talking about.
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (cev); We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people 4 or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ. 6 And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey. We see that we are in a battle against an unseen enemy (Satan & his friends), and that enemy is trying to set up shop in our minds. Here we also see what we have to do in order to keep our minds free from this invasion.
Many of us have heard all of this before, but are we really free today from what was holding us back yesterday? My goal here is to impress upon you how important maintaining this process of freedom is. Your level of freedom will determine your level of success and your press to complete your earthly assignment. Check out Proverbs 4:23 (cev); Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.
The battle for control of your mind is the most important battle you will face on this earth because whoever controls how and what you think controls you!!
So, there is no getting around it. You must do what it takes to be free so you can think like God and become who He has called you to be. God has done His part by giving us the blueprint to get it done. Now it’s your turn to free yourself and stay free.
Free Your Mind and the Rest Will Follow!
-
Fun – Are You Having Any?
Are you having any fun? You know Christians have a problem when that subject comes up. lol Fun as I was growing up, was being forced by my mother to go to church. The adults around me said going to church would be fun, and it had its moments, but it wasn’t fun. As a kid, I liked Sunday school, but I remember the lessons being the “fire and brimstone” type. Even as a child, I could see the oppression it left on the heads of the people.
Centered around our ability to keep all the rules, we were taught that we could have fun when we got to heaven. On earth, it was our religious duty to please God by following all of these rules. And if we missed even one, we would end up in hell with Satan and all his demons. I didn’t want to go to hell, but I also didn’t like that all of the adults in church were dull, boring and depressing. I decided to take the risk and go back into the world and have some real fun.
As a child, I watched the people in church and they seemed like they were happy as they did their religious duty. As I got older I began to see how they were not as dutiful as they portrayed. I saw them smoking and drinking. I heard them gossiping about other people in the church. As I grew even older, I saw that the deacons, ministers, other church leaders and even the pastors were having sex with each other. I saw the lying and stealing, too. All of this confirmed my decision to make my own choices. I told God that I couldn’t do it; something in that system wasn’t right.
Fast forward many years, 1995 to be exact, the closest person on the planet to me died, my father. I had already gone through the death of a child, now my superhero, my father was dead, too! It was too much! Even though I was mad at God for not healing my father, I turned to God to help fill this enormous hole in my soul. I knew that only God could stop this pain. As I talked to God, I began to tell Him all the issues I had with Him. One of which was that His church people and their religious lifestyle was bondage and torture. I was pleasantly surprised to hear God say that their “rules” were not His!
God loves us and He really wants the best for us. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to save us! John 3:16; God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die (cev). Yes, God, just like all parents, have set up rules to protect us, but they are not meant to bind us and become heavy weighs around our necks. Check out Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (cev); I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, 13 because God’s gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. God wants us to be happy and enjoy our lives! Proverbs 17:22; If you are cheerful, you feel good; if you are sad, you hurt all over (cev). – laughter is good for your body and it heals your soul!
The problem has been the definition of the word “fun”. In many cases, the word fun and the word sin can be the same thing. We are in the world, but not of it. Romans 12:2; Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. As you can see this scripture says to renew your mind, so we have to change the definition of the word “fun”.
Sin, even though it may be fun at first, opens the door of your life to let Satan and his friends in, and we die as the result.
We’ve all heard of the term “good clean fun” – that’s the definition we have to use. We have to let the unclean fun go. No more sex outside of marriage, no more gossiping, no more lying etc. After a while, that all gets old anyway.
Now, many churches have become “cults” because they use fear to control their people; only letting them socialize with their group. Then they tell you it’s for their own protection. But, if we use Jesus as an example, we see that Jesus didn’t build a building and then only save those who made it to that building. Jesus was out among the people in the community. He laughed, ate, drank and celebrated life with them.
So, I don’t know about you, but I enjoy my life. I choose everyday to be happy no matter what and to just have good clean fun. And I surround myself with people who are doing the same thing. We invite others, saved or unsaved to come with us.
The summer is almost here and we have already gotten the party started! We’ve been out to Dave & Buster’s and on the Ben Franklin Yacht cruise. At Real Life International Ministries & Authentic Life Church, we believe in leaving the four walls of our church and being out among people – just like Jesus. How are you going to tell people about how good our God is if you are never around unsaved people? In addition to that, the world already believes that Christians are dull and boring; we need to show them that we can have fun just like them, but that we just don’t sin.
So, as we put our summer calendar together, the choice is yours. You can continue to sit home alone complaining about how bored you are, or you can come hang out with us. Or you can make your own clean fun with your family, friends and neighbors!
You work hard, and you need to balance that work with some fun and laughter.
So I’ll ask you again – fun, are you having any?
