What brings you joy?  Do you even have time to sit down and think about it?  Our days are filled with all the things we have to do in order to be responsible adults, but when do you get to take the time to just do the things (at least one of the things) that brings you joy?

There are some things or moments that happened during the course of time that make us smile and make us happy in that moment, but when that moment passes haven’t you noticed that the “happy” feeling is gone too?  I know right!  But I’m not talking about that.  I’m talking about “joy”.  I’m talking about the feeling of peace, comfort & security that we derive from something that remains no matter the circumstances around us – even in a storm!

If you look up the definition of the word “joy” in the dictionary (a feeling of great pleasure & happiness), you will find as I did that joy and its synonyms ( delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture) take happiness to a level that doesn’t even seem possible!

The daily life grind that we put ourselves in fills our days with so much stuff & drama that we lose our desire and our will to even search for joy.  Then is seems so far off that it isn’t even worth looking for anymore.  So we settle for any “happy” moment we can get as a sad replacement.  Let’s see if we can change that!

Depending on the Bible translation, the words “happy” or “happiness” appear close to 30 times, but the words “joy” & “rejoice” appear at least 300 times!  Wow! Now do you see where am I going with this? The bible makes it clear which one is more important!  So let’s make this happen!

The word ”joy” comes from the Greek root word “chara” and means “to be exceedingly glad”.   In James 1:2-4 – ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  Now as crazy as it sounds, this scripture is telling us to even be joyful when our lives are under attack because when you are connected to God & you believe what His word says, you will go through whatever you must because you know it will make you better & stronger.  Now, just like you, I would rather not go through any attack but we know that as long as Satan is around that will not be the case so we might as well get over that as quickly as possible & get our heads back in the game!  The Bible tells us that in John 10:10 – ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  Wow look at God!  Won’t He do it?  Yes, He will!  Jesus is our trump card & the best equalizer!  Remember Denzel Washington’s character in the “Equalizer” movie?  If you haven’t seen the movie you should.  OK I’m moving on.

As you can now see that ‘joy’ is a divine contentment that comes from being connected to God, His love for you, your faith in Him & what He tells us.  There is a great example of this in the Bible.  Let’s check out Paul in the book of Philippians.  Here we see the difference between “joy” and “happiness”.

Paul wrote this book of the bible while sitting in a Roman prison.  Now you know how bad prisons are in this day & time, but can you imagine how they were with no running water or plumbing?  Rats, mice, roaches & bugs everywhere – and can you imagine the smells in that place?  In addition to all of that, remember, Romans were killing Christians at that very same time in history.  So Paul knew that they were probably gonna kill him too.  But Paul chose to look at his situation very differently.  The words “joy’, ‘rejoice’ & “joyful” appears at least 16 times in the book of Philippians as he tells us of his contentment in Jesus.  Even in chains, he chose to talk and write about his love, faith, and trust in Jesus!  This helped him transcend his situation!

In Philippians1:12-24 Paul talks about having been in prison for two years by that time, & in that time, he was able to spread the gospel of Christ to the entire Roman guard, which led to the gospel being talked about & spread throughout all of Rome!  In spite of being in a horrible situation, Paul saw an opportunity to complete another assignment!  He understood & knew that thousands of lives could be saved if he completed this assignment & because he chose to accept it they were.  Praise God!  When you are in a horrible situation are you thinking of a way to help someone else while in it or are you only thinking of yourself & how you can get YOU out of it?

All of us will have to press through hard situations, I know I have, but how you press through will determine the level victory that you get!  I have had to bury my baby & both parents, see one of my sons shot more than one time, while the other son (adopted) was abused, deal with various racial prejudices because we are not white & I have also had to live with the results of the many mistakes I have made in my own life thinking I was grown & knew some stuff that I really didn’t even have a clue about.  But let me tell you this – You may not be where you want to be but as long as you are breathing you have another chance to “count it all joy”.  That’s a song just in case you were wondering.  Seriously, it is all good in God!  It really is!  I am living proof of that.   The stories I could tell you!

Remember, a good attitude determines your altitude.  Because this hard situation is temporary and it will pass!  I have taken not one loss in God, not one!  The death of my daughter & my parents were not a loss – they did what they came to earth to do & I will see them again.  I live every day of my life to make them proud!  What about you?  Are you completing the job you came to earth to do or have you let Satan stop you will his many attacks?  If you answered “yes’ to that question – today is the day you can change that.  Ask God to help you, He is waiting on your call.

Now that you know that true joy comes from God & our connection to Him (don’t you want some) , I’ll ask you again  – what brings you joy?

Have you ever been in a situation that bought with it the kind of pressure that can break bones? The kind of pressure that’s so intense you think it will crush you?  If you’ve been on this planet more than a minute you’ve probably been through something that was not pleasant. That’s typical life stuff.  I’m not talking about just having a bad day.  I’m not talking about stubbing your toe or waking up late or a flat tire. I’m talking about the kind of situation where the pain & pressure are so massive that giving up or dying sound like a much better option than where you and what you’re going through.  I’m talking about the kind of pressure that makes you feel like you are losing your mind!

My prayer for you is that if you don’t know what I’m talking about you will keep reading but I know many of you do.  If you live long enough eventually you probably will.

I know you’ve heard me talk before about the horrible things that can happen in this life and many people have suffered though them.  I am one of them.  I have had to bury one of my children & both of my parents.  Life threatening sickness demons have attached me & my family.  And that is only the tip of the iceberg! In addition, I’ve broken so many of God’s rules that I am still cleaning up some of those messes even though it’s been years!  These kinds of situations bring with it the kind of demonic emotional pressure that feels bone breaking!  But that’s exactly what it’s been designed to do – break you!  Have you ever asked yourself or God what the hell is going on here?  I have & I didn’t always like the answer.  I’ve even had a Pastor come & ask me what I was put on the planet to do because it must be great since Satan was attacking my life so hard!  Bishop George Bloomer always says – “You can tell how blessed you’re going to be tomorrow by how much hell your going through today!”  Once I had overcome the issue of the moment, I came back to both of those comments.

Have you ever seen those St. Jude commercials where the children are talking about the cancer attacking them?  It’s heart breaking, but have you noticed the courage in the eyes of those children?  But how do you think they can be so determined to beat this thing attacking them?  Especially since adults have such a hard time dealing with the same thing.  The answer is simple, those babies decided that they want to live & they want to win & they know that the only way to win is to fight back! Check out Matthew 11:12; (amp) ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize].  That decision led them to the discovery that they are warriors & as warriors they speak of their determination to not give up or give into the attack against them.  They found the promise God put in Isaiah 54:17 (amp); “No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn.  This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And this is their vindication from Me,” says the Lord & they have chosen to not only believe it & but to use it!

Sounds good right? But how do you actually use scripture promises as a weapon?  God has made us many promises to ensure our success in this life, but you have to know what those promises are & where in the Bible to find them in order to take full advantage of them.  Once you have found the promise you need, you take it to God & have a conversation as laid out in Isaiah 43:26 (amp); “^[a]Remind Me [of your merits with a thorough report], let us plead and argue our case together; State your position, that you may be proved right. In that conversation, God will lay out the requirements to activate His promise to you.  It’s all about the exchange.  For example, God may ask you to stop smoking to activate a promise of healing.  The exchange is normally one of your bad habits/demonic strongholds for one of His great promises!  So you not only get the results of the promise you are seeking but freed from something else that had you bound.  Who else can do that for you?  Nobody! Now remember, this is the cut & dry version & there are other layers or factors but this is where you start.  Remember, do like the kids did on the St. Jude commercial, they only spoke words that pointed to their decision to win.  Your mouth is a weapon too, remember to use is wisely – Proverbs 18:21(amp); Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.  The Holy Spirit is always there to guide you along the way just like Jesus said in John 14:26 (amp); ²⁶ But the ^[a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.

The stories in the Bible are there to help you too!  Don’t you realize that God chose to put them in the book for a reason?  For every attack against you there is a story in the Bible of someone who overcame a similar attack.  So, you find that person in the Bible, see what they did to win & you do the same thing.  Let’s list a few:  Job has a entire book written about him because everything bad that could happen seemed to happen to him.  All his children were killed, he lost his wealth, then his health!  What could have been left to take?  Joseph was sold by his own brothers in slavery & was put in jail for a rape that never happened.  And my favorite, David, was an adulterer & a murderer.  There are many more examples but the thing they all have in common is that in spite of the demons alive & well in their flesh combined with the demons sent to attack them, their spirit man loved God & believed what He told them.  You & I have to be the same way!

I have just come out of one of the most intense attacks that I have ever had to endure!  I thought my physical bones were being crushed under the pressure.  I wanted God to relieve the pressure soooooo bad (words can’t express how bad I wanted God to intervene) as Satan sent suggestions to me to just quit & give up!  But Satan’s voice inspired me to focus on God’s promise not this process!  I knew this was only a test!  I knew that I could do all things because Jesus strengthens me (Philippians 4:13; ¹³ I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.])  I knew who I am & whose I am!  I knew exactly what I was made of!  I knew I was made to beat this!  So, just like the children from the St. Jude commercial & the folks in the Bible I could see my victory on the other side of the pressure & I was determined to press back & take it!  And with the help of the Holy Spirit, I did just that!!!!!  Praise God!!!

I will leave you with this – yes, there is a real enemy attacking you but more importantly, there is a real God that loves you so much that is greater than every attack that could ever come your way.  He has given you His Word for you to use as a weapon to build your muscle, make you stronger & to show others how to do the same!

Bone breaking pressure is real & the process leading to victory can be long & drawn out but remember to never give up or give in and to focus on God’s promise not the process!  You will win every time and come out stronger just like a diamond!

It’s less than two weeks before Christmas and I’m taking a break in my workday to eat and to reflect.   I haven’t bought one Christmas gift and I still have plenty of work to do this week.   As I was talking to God about the best way to get it all done this feeling came over me.   It’s the same feeling that has been intensifying for the last two months now.   It’s an immense feeling of gratitude!  Merry Christmas & Thank You Jesus!

There are so many things still undone in my life.   Still so many problems I want God  & I to solve & fix!   So many things I still want & need.   So many things I still want to do.   So many people I still want to help.  But as I sit here with God all I feel is gratitude!   As I think about the true reason for this season,  I think of Jesus and what He came to earth to do.   I think of a God who loved me & you enough to send His son here to save our lives!   John 3:16 (cev) 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.  Merry Christmas & Thank You Jesus!

Jesus saved our lives in so many ways! What ways you ask?  The act of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection saved you & I from the biggest thing – torture in hell & the ending of our very existence!  That’s the biggest one but there are a lot of smaller but also important things.  Jesus  saved me from the sting of my own mistakes; because I have made many & I am sure that I will make a few more.   Jesus saved me from the mental  demonic torment that like to follow us after we make mistakes.   Jesus  saved me from the pain of every attack that has ever come against me!   All of this frees me to love like Jesus and be loved by him.  I know you have your own list of things Jesus has saved you from.  Merry Christmas & Thank You Jesus!

I know this may sound like a cliché, but as a Pastor I see so many tortured souls who just want to be free to love and be loved in return, especially this time of the year.  Isn’t that why God sent Jesus anyway – salvation & deliverance? You & I both know how this time of year can be hard for people.   Look at all the warm & fuzzy commercials that talk of family, food & fun.  A lot of people don’t have that.  As a result, the rate of suicides, depression and other mental illnesses & demonic attacks occur at alarming levels.  Why do you think that is?   Simply put, the answer is this  – Satan doesn’t want any of us to be free enough to love and accept the love God has for us in his gift called Jesus!  Because even Satan knows that with the love of God comes His power & once we accept God’s love our lives will change for the better forever!  Merry Christmas & Thank You Jesus!

I decided many years ago to accept the gift of Jesus from God, and with all the things still not done yet in my life I have never regretted it.  This is not a religious thing, but I love thing!  God made a decision to love me and I decided as I got to know him to love Him back.  So far, God has never lied to me and has kept His word to me.  Isaiah 55:11 (cev) ¹¹ That’s how it is with my words. They don’t return to me without doing everything I send them to do.”  How many people in your life can you say that about?

So no matter where you are this Christmas season; whether you are with the people you love and who love you or whether you are by yourself, know that God does love you and He sent Jesus as proof of that love!  And if you are not a Christian like I am,  God loves you too and you are free to try out the God I know to see how it works for you. Don’t make it a deep religious thing, just talk to God and He’ll talk back to you.  You can start right where you are, right now, today.

I can say this – I am much better because of what Jesus did for me! My life is still great even though everything is not perfect because I’m free enough to receive Gods love and free enough to give it back to God and to you.

Merry Christmas & Thank You Jesus!

People don’t seem to really understand forgiveness, its true meaning or its power. There is great power available in the art of forgiveness, but let’s start with your definition.  For some reason, we believe that forgiveness means “it was okay” what was done to us.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Forgiveness is simply the process of allowing yourself to let go of and release all the negative feelings of anger, bitterness and resentment, toward someone for any and all offenses, flaws or mistakes that they have made against you.  I know this is easier said than done.  People are capable of some horrifying things!  Keep reading and you’ll see how important it is that you engage in this process.

In order to help this process along, an assessment of the situation has to be done with our greatest helper the Holy Spirit. Questions like the following need to be answered:  What the heck just happened?; Why didn’t I see it coming?;  Did I play a part in this?;  Could I have prevented it? Why did this happen to me?

Satan really does a lot of things to hurt children because they’re too young to defend themselves and they are incapable of mentally and emotionally assessing their situations and circumstances.  Additionally, they have no power or control over these situations.  This makes children easy prey for Satan.  For those who have been abused in any form as children, professional and spiritual help are necessary to guide and direct in this forgiveness process.

However, there are a lot of things that happen that can be prevented.  Most people have to learn to fully use the Holy Spirit because He can see attacks coming at us that we can’t see for ourselves.   For example; you know the way to go to work, you go the same way every day without giving it much thought.  For reasons all your own, you decided that that’s the best way to go and you go that way every day.  So what happens when Satan plans an attack against you on your way to work?  He knows your routine as well as you.  If you use the Holy Spirit as your help, you would talk to him every morning about the way you go to work, asking him if it would be okay to take the route you normally take or if you should take another route.  This gives the Holy Spirit an opportunity to help you avoid an attack.  The Holy Spirit and I review my calendar in advance.  I ask Him for the best day and times to do the things I have to do.  I also ask Him for the best route to get somewhere to avoid accidents, traffic and any other problems.  I ask the Holy Spirit for help for everything I have to do in my life.  I ask him to help remind me of things,  I even ask His help in what clothes to wear!  I really do, I understand that He’s my help and I try to take the best advantage of it that I can.  This process is very effective in avoiding attacks and staying safe.

However, even with all of this, Satan’s attacks sometimes get in.  And to make matters worse, when these attacks hit our lives, they sometimes come through the people closest to us.  The people that we think should love us and protect us are the very ones who betray us!  That’s why I also ask the Holy Spirit about everyone in my life and the reason they are there.  But if you live long enough you will be betrayed, let down, disappointed and hurt by someone close to you.  It’s bad enough to be hurt by a stranger, but it’s 1000 times worse when you are hurt by someone you love and who you thought loved you!

The Bible has told us that weapons will be formed against us but none will defeat us or destroy us, but how can that possibly be?  The answer to that question is actually simple, but you may think I’m a little crazy when I tell you.  But here goes, the act of forgiveness is how the attack can’t defeat us!

Let’s break it down and talk about it.  When someone hurts us demons are there to release all kinds of negative thought responses that release feelings of hurt, resentment, anger, pain, disappointment, shock, etc.  in the same moment, we accept these thoughts and feelings as a true way to react to the offense.  But what would happen if you rejected those thoughts and feelings and turned to God and asked Him for help and direction?  That’s not how we normally respond right? Shouldn’t it be?

I know that concept is hard to comprehend, but if we never let those negative feelings in, then we never have to deal with them and the damage and destruction that they cause.  Just in case this doesn’t make sense to you (it didn’t make since to me at first either) let’s look at it another way.

Look around at all the people you know in your life. Don’t you know someone who is never happy and has no joy? Everything they have to say is negative and according to them nothing good ever happens to them. Do you like being around them? You cringe when they come in the room, don’t you?  Do you want to end up like them?  Even science has proven that bitterness and anger cause various sicknesses and diseases and even blocks the body’s ability to heal. So you have a choice to make.

As I know you’ve already figured out by now, one of Satan’s tactics is that he uses his attacks against you to invade you with all these negative demons via reactions to an offense.  When you’re not quick to forgive, the negative seeds that have been deposited in you take root and grow.  And little by little, over time, these negative demons have taken control over you.  It happens so subtly that you don’t even notice it at first.  But those around you notice quickly. These demons of bitterness and resentment repel people from your life, leaving you alone as they destroy you from the inside out.

This is why the act of forgiving is so powerful! The act of forgiving rejects those negative demons and spirits and the feelings that bring.  The act of forgiving makes you turn toward God for His help. You can’t do this without God’s help.  And together you and God can work to keep the negative seeds from rooting inside of you as you & God process what happened to you.  Then you and God will develop strategies to make sure this doesn’t happen to you again and if the demons try you again, cause they will, you’ll be ready.  This process of you and God working together changes you from being a victim to being victorious!

In addition to this, you have to forgive in order to receive forgiveness. Remember the whole sowing and reaping thing? Now keep in mind that you were not perfect either. You are going to make mistakes and you’re going to hurt and disappoint people too. You’ve probably already done it. You too will need someone to forgive you.

Remember the Lord’s Prayer? You can check it out in Matthew 6:12. There is a part of the Lord’s Prayer in which we are asking God to forgive our sins and mistakes.  Our being forgiven by God requires us to sow the seed of forgiveness first! We are forgiven to the degree that we can forgive others. I know we don’t like a part but we have to accept it.

I know I did not like that part when I realize the reality of what God was asking me to do. God knows we would not freely forgive someone who hurt us, even though we hurt other people, so He set us up to be free as He loves us so much. When people hurt us we want revenge, but when we hurt others we want mercy, right?  LOL. He saves us from ourselves because he knew how harshly we judge others and how lightly we judge ourselves.  So as a way to protect us, God made giving forgiveness the requirement to getting forgiveness. Remember that sowing and reaping thing? Do you get it now?  You know people can dish it out but can they really take it? Truth be told the answer is “no.”

Forgiving doesn’t make you a doormat and the recipient of bad treatment. It doesn’t mean you have to have people who mistreat you in your life. You don’t have to accept abuse of any kind from anyone, and you shouldn’t. You can cut off those people and remove them from your life.  God wants you safe from harm. Cut off all the suckers in your life and after you do that, release yourself from all those negative demons and spirits that came with them. This re-positions you into the place of power and true forgiveness!

Isn’t that our goal in life; to be a better you?  Don’t we try everyday to be better today than we were the day before?  If that isn’t the goal, shouldn’t it be?

As we enter into this year’s Resurrection season, it’s a great time to evaluate & take a look at what being connected to God is really bringing to your life.  Can you measure the positive change & progression in your daily life? Why be & promote Christianity if we don’t know its benefits to us?  What has it done for you lately, lol?

We’ve all heard & seen the story of Jesus’ Resurrection so you can google the details of His crucifixion to see how horrible that it was & the proof that it really did happen so I don’t want to get into that right now.  Once I got those details for myself I wondered how I could honor what Jesus did for me on Calvary in my own life.  I didn’t know another person who would have done that for me, let alone for the world! It really made me want to be a better person so Jesus could be as proud of me as I was of Him.

So, in order to honor Jesus, I needed to know Him a little bit better, because the stories I’d heard about Him in church sounded real nice but like most people, I needed to know if this is “real” or not.  And if it is real, what does it mean for me?  So I researched more about Jesus, I talked to God about Him a little more, asking a lot of questions.  As the answers I sought started coming to me, I had to test them for myself because they did not make sense to my natural mind.  So I put what I was learning & what God was telling me to the test – Romans 12:2 (amp) tests;  Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

As you can see from the scripture above, the world will try to shape everything about you but you can’t let it.  By the time you get to even learn that Romans 12:2 exists you’ll see that the world has a bit of a head start on you.  You’ve already been shaped by your experiences here on earth.  So you see the need to be re-shaped by God.  The scripture also tells us why we need this transformation.

Let me tell you how I got started.  Every opinion I had accepted as my own, I now held up to God for Jesus’ review.  Then I simply let go of mine & replaced it with His; one by one, situation by situation, one life issue at a time.  It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be because the roots of my opinions were much deeper that I thought they were & the process of replacing them even with God’s help was very painful at times because I had built my entire life on these opinions.  Everything I had built on these incorrect opinions had to be torn down so the foundations could be blown up.  Then with God’s help I had to relay the foundations & rebuild my life structures.  Of course this is the very short version because I in some areas this process took years but in other areas it didn’t take long at all.  It really depended on how deep the roots were & what they had wrapped themselves around.  You don’t what to tear up the good as you pull out the bad!  If you want more details about this process holla at me via our contact form.

I’m  not sure what motivates you, but I was committed to seeing if this process worked because I’m a Mom & I needed to be able to give my children the truth, not some religious church cult garbage!  The second reason I stayed on course is because most of it I really didn’t believe.  Remember I said earlier that it didn’t make sense to my natural mind so I started off just trying to prove God wrong.  I was so wrong that I still laugh about it til this day but God didn’t care what I used to get started He knew He was right even when I didn’t.  God was just glad I made it back to Him & He feels the same way about you too!

After 20+ years of working this process (yes, you will work it for the length of your earthly life) the results are really simple.  Like I said before, God was right & I was wrong, no surprise there right?  But what were the benefits?  The answer is also simple – submitting to this process returns us to the being God originally created us to be before we entered into our earth suits.  As we shed our carnal thinking & replace it with God’s thinking I got better & better.  The fruit of the spirit began to grow inside of me & I could use it at will as I walk through my life to completing my earthly assignments.

OK, OK.  I hear you asking “how”?  Here’s the short version.  Satan is real too & there are many demonic factors that come into play once you enter this earth realm.  These demons have been assigned to take you out & keep you from completing your assignments.  Additional demons come into your life by your own personal sin.  God being well aware of all of this provided us with a way out – Romans 12:2.

Just saying you’re a Christian is not enough – it’s only the beginning.  You have to submit to the Romans 12:2 processing.  This processing brings liberation & freedom from every demon that has attached itself to you.  Liberation brings clarity & power & makes your assignment & purpose crystal clear like never before.  It also brings direction & resources to save your life first so you can save additional lives that you touch later.  Then you will make their lives better & better.

This process guarantees victory in everything you do.  This process makes you better & better, one situation & circumstance at a time.  I know you’re wondering how to get started so here’s how.  Start by just talking to God about how to start.  Set it up like any other appointment or meeting.  Check with God for the best time & day to start.  Put it on your calendar.  Come prepared by bringing a list of any questions you may have, a hard back book to take good detailed notes & a few good pens.  Sit down in a comfortable, quiet place & just start talking.  Make time to listen, stay focused (don’t allow distracting thoughts in), write down what He tells you to do.  Remember to ask God to help you complete all tasks He gives you.  That will surely make things easier.  Do not attempt to do this in your own strength; you will fail if you do.  God has already prepared people to help you but let God lead you to them.  You only want the help God sends.  If you have any electronic savvy, you can also record the conversations.  Mark my words you will be better & better!  Your life will be brighter & brighter!

Then every day, just do what God says for you to do, the way He tells you to do it, when He tells you to do it – all with His direction & help!

Soon you will be able to measure how much better you are inside & then you life will get better on the outside.  Even on bad days you will still be able to see how much better you & your life has become.  So I challenge you to get started today.  Keep in touch with me to let me know how it’s going for you.  I know your testimonies will be better & better!  Be determined to be a better you!

Ok, the New Year has begun & the standard stuff is in full effect.  Folks are making all types of New Year’s resolutions & all kinds of promises, to themselves & to others that they know they will never keep.  All of us know that, but yet we continue to do it, right?  Sounds like insanity to me (smile), to keep doing the same thing over & over expecting the results to be different even though they never are. Shouldn’t we know better than that by now?

In my last post, I gave you some tips to help you in evaluating & cleaning up your 2014 stuff, thus clearing a distinct path for your 2015.  Did you take advantage of it?  Did you answer all the questions? Was it helpful to you?  Click here if you need to go back to it.

Part of the problem people have is that habitually they do not follow the direction of Proverbs 3:5-6 (amp); ⁵ Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. ⁶ In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.  I understand that you & I are intelligent & because of that we think we’re smart, but no matter how smart we may be, we are not, & never will be smarter that God.  So doesn’t your smartness tell you that it makes perfect sense to let God help us?  Mine does too!

I have found over the last 15 years that when I go to God first asking the Holy Spirit for His guidance & assistance & then put His advice into action, I always win in the end!  Always!  I may like agree or like the path it takes to get the win, but when I follow God’s lead I never lose!  Can you beat those odds?  I couldn’t & believe me I tried.  So I have learned to ask for God’s help in all things both big & small.  Sometimes Satan can fool us into thinking we can handle the “little” things but never fall for that.  God loves to be involved in every area of our lives.  In addition to that, I have grown fond of winning & I like it a lot better than losing.  I have no problem admitting that I am a sore loser. I don’t like it at all.  Do you?  So keeping both Philippians 4:19 & Isaiah 54:17 (Weapons made to attack you won’t be successful; words spoken against you won’t hurt at all) in mind, I don’t have to accept losing so I don’t.  I let God help me.

I know your tank gets empty just like mine does, but you have to use God & His Word to refill your tank every time it’s near  “E”.  The Word of God is the fuel for my life tank; every time I’m attacked, every time something doesn’t go the way I thought it should, every time it seems like I can’t do it, every time something happens in my life that hits me in the gut or seems out of my reach I use it to keep going & push past the pain as I re-position myself for the win.  Giving up is never an option! You cannot do this without letting God help you.

You see I believe what Isaiah 54:17 says & I claim it for myself & I surely use it as the weapon it was intended to be.  It gives me the power needed to come back swinging & swinging hard! I let God help me.

God has proven to me time & time again that He means what He says and He backs His words.  Isaiah 55:11 makes that clear; So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (amp). And you have to be equally as committed about your words & the things that you say.  If you’ve declared something, be determined to make it happen.  If you’ve said something, back it up; if you want something take it.  With God’s help you can definitely do it!

Again, here’s the key. In John 14:26 Jesus tells us that God provided the assistance He knew we needed.  We are not in this alone. But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. Let God help you.

So, commit this year to learn how to take advantage of the gifts & power of the Holy Spirit.  He’s your guarantee for victory in everything you want to do.  Make it your business to ask for His help when making every decision.  Involve Him in every area of your life.  Learn & practice letting him guide you.  Practice following His lead & victory will be yours. Let God help you.

The New Year has begun & please, please remember that you are not in this life alone.  Don’t listen to Satan tell you anything different.  Reject those thoughts.  God is with you & His help in available to you in the person of the Holy Spirit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.  Just talk to Him & ask Him for what you want & His help in getting it just like James 4:2 (…You do not have, because you do not ask) instructs us to do.  Let God help you.

Come on now, with God’s help you can make this your best year ever!  You can do this!

Happy New Year!

What cha doin with your faith?  The Bible tells us at the end of Romans 12:3 (amp); … but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him; that God has given us all some measure of faith, so we know that everyone has some. So what are you going with the faith God gave you?

Let’s first get the basic definition of faith.  The dictionary tells us that faith is a “a complete trust or confidence in someone or something”.  Sounds simple, right?  The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 (amp); Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, ^[a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]; that faith is the assurance or confidence that we have in something that we may not be able to physically see or measure.  Sounds similar, right?  So if you have complete trust & confidence in God or anything else, then you have faith in it.  But, do you live like you have “complete” trust in God?  Is your faith in God at 100%?  If we are willing to be honest, most of us would have to say “no”.  But, let’s come back to this in a minute.  Let’s take a look at the things we seem to have more faith in.

Every day we put more faith in other things than we do in God.  When you go to bed at night we have faith that we will be safe during the night & no one will break in and attack us, right?  We put our faith in our driving every time we get in our cars, but especially when we come to an intersection.  We believe that the driver coming in the opposite direction will see  & obey the traffic light, right?  We put our faith in our employers who promise to pay us after we have already worked for them for 2-3 wks (that’s how long it may take to get the first paycheck) & not only that, we continue to work before we get paid as long as we are there.  Any particular reason they don’t put their faith in us & pay us first?  We all know the answer to that question.  LOL.  We even put our faith in furniture every time we go to sit on or in it, believing it will hold up under our weight.  We put our faith in people when they tell us they love us, that they will be there for us, & are committed to us.  We have so much faith in that, that we step out on that faith & marry that person.  And the list goes on and & on because we put our faith in many different things.

However, as we all know, each of the examples listed above can & do fail us at one time or another.  Many people have their homes broken into at night as they sleep & many of them are harmed in the process, but we still go to sleep at night.  People run traffic lights daily causing all types of car accidents, yet we still drive.  Companies go out of business or lay people off & fail to pay its employees what they promised, yet we still go to work.  People change their minds about how they feel about us, they chose to stop loving us, & then leave & divorce us, yet we still want to marry!

Why is that?  Why do we put the faith God gave us into everything but Him?  It’s because we want the benefits of the promises made to us in those things!  But, shouldn’t we feel the same way about God?  God has made us many promises in His word, & if we take an honest look at our lives, we can clearly see just how many of those promises God has kept.  I’m not sure about your life, but God has allowed many of His promises to me to manifest!  And I am still looking forward to the manifestation of ALL of the rest of them!

Just like there are benefits in those other things, there are great benefits in the promises of God.  For example, promises for our healing, prosperity, our children, power over our enemies, promises of success & good fortune, etc.  Yet we put more faith in earthly promises that will fail every day than we do in God’s promises that will NEVER fail.

It’s your faith in God that moves His hand.  The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 (cev); But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him; that it’s your belief in Him that prompts Him to bless you.  It makes God feel good to know that you trust & believe in Him.  Doesn’t it make you feel good when your parents, friends, children, & employers believe & trust you?  Of course it does!

So, let’s stop being religious about this thing.  God has made you many promises that will guarantee your victory & success in this life.  Don’t you want to know what those promises are?  How many of them have already happened for you?  If you are reading this, then you are alive due to God’s grace. So you still have plenty of time to find out what God has promised you & to have those promises come alive in your life!  Woooo Hoooooo!

I suggest you spend a little time with God & google just getting to know what God is saying to & about you, to bless & empower your life & the lives of the people you love.

God sent you to earth to do great things, but you will definitely need His help, guidance & direction to walk in that greatness.

So, I’ll ask you again, what cha doin with your faith?

What’s your problem with submission? Why do people make such a big deal about it?

Ever since I was a young girl I’ve heard people, both men & women, talk about submission, but each side had a radically different take on it. So, let’s start with the biblical definition of the word submission and how it was used.

That’s probably the first problem with the word submission, most people have been using the definitions of others as their own instead of going to God.

Here we go.  In the New Testament where the word “submit” is used, it’s translated from the Greek word “hupotasso”.  The “huppo” part means “under” & the “tasso” part means “to arrange”.  This word & its root are also translated by the words “subject” & “subjection”.  Therefore, its full meaning is as follows: to obey, put under, be subject to, submit oneself unto, put in subjection under or be under obedience or obedient to. The word submission was used as a military term meaning “to arrange troop division in a military fashion under the command of a leader”.

Submission is the perfect word to describe how we are to position ourselves to God as we interact with God.  It means to arrange yourself under the command of God’s divine viewpoint instead of your own viewpoint, or anyone else’s, no matter what that viewpoint may be. Submission is the process of surrendering your will over to God’s will because you admit that God is smarter than you.

Now I know that none of this is news to you & you’ve heard it all before.  So since we know submission to God & His ways are required for the best life, why do you still struggle with it & fight against it?

The fact of the matter is we actually practice submission all the time.  We submit to various laws of the land.  We submit to authority figures like our bosses & the police just as we are instructed in Romans 13:1-2 (esv); Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.  The bible also talks about the submission requirement in Titus 3:1 (esv); Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, & in Hebrews 13:17 (esv);Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.  We don’t have a problem not cussing out a cop or our boss! But we love to cuss out everybody else! I know this one first hand. We also practice submission to our parents & we demand submission from our own children & we’ll beat the hell out of them if they defy us right? (smile)  How about our submission toward authority figures in churches?  We treat the Pastor like he’s our King.  That’s why cults are so popular.

This leads us to the root of our problem with submission.  I can sum it up with one word – abuse!  History shows that people have & continue to abuse the authority given to them.  We should also check within ourselves to see if we’re doing the same thing with the authority we have been given.

The abuse that worries us a lot is the abuse of authority within our personal or romantic relationships.  Yes, both men & women have used submission as a weapon against their partners, more notably men toward women.  Abuse of any kind is demonic in nature & should never be tolerated no matter who is doing it!

However, there is great power made available for those who submit to God like James 4:7 (esv); Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, tells us.  As you can see, we are required to obey God via submission no matter what others are doing.

We may be required to submit to God & the authority He has placed over our lives, but we are NOT required to let anyone, no matter their title, abuse us.  No one can do anything to you that you don’t allow them to do.  So we can’t let the threat or possibility of abuse keep us from submission to God & then to each other.

 Personally, I blame Eve.  Check out her punishment for her part of the sin in the garden in Genesis 3:16 (msg); He told the Woman: “I’ll multiply your pains in childbirth; you’ll give birth to your babies in pain.  You’ll want to please your husband, but he’ll lord it over you.”   I think women have been paying for her mistake since then.  But I digress – in spite of all of that, I have chosen to live my life as a submitted woman of God!  I practice submission first to God, then to those in authority in & over my life, then I practice submission to my husband & then I submit to you.

Yes I said it, I submit to my husband, as he submits to God.  I even practice submission to you as God directs!  That’s what being a good “servant-leader” is.  We’ll talk about that one later.  So, again I ask you, what’s your problem with submission?

Are demons real, do they really exist?  Of course they do, the bible tells us that Jesus had dealings with them.  People came to Jesus asking him to cast demons out of them or out of people they knew as in Matthew 8:16 (cev); that evening many people with demons in them were brought to Jesus.   And with only a word he forced out the evil spirits and healed everyone who was sick.  This scripture also proves that not only do demons exist, but they also possess & oppress people. 

There are many kinds of demons that do many kinds of things to influence & control us & the things we do.  Have you ever heard of the saying “the devil made me do it”?  People used this as a joke but many times it may be true to some degree.  This subject is too big for us to cover here so I only want to start you to thinking about the demons affecting your life!  Do you know who they are & what influence they have over you?

Let me make this a little easier to get the answers you need.  Everyone has goals that they want to achieve right?  What are the things in your life that you want to do but for some reason you just can’t seem to get it done?  Who’s holding you back?  I suggest that some demon is probably at the root of your problem.

Don’t get all spooked on me.  Let’s look at it like this.  If I were to ask the people close to you about the things that you need to change & the things that are holding you back, what would they say those things are?  If I were to ask your ex’s the same question, what would they say?

The reason why this information is important is because God only gave us good things according to Galatians 5:22-23 (cev); God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.  If that is true, then where did things like pride, lust, stubbornness, insecurity, fear, rejection, abandonment & loneliness come from? Not only are demons real, their leader Satan is real too!

The bible tells us that Satan is a thief in John 10:10 (amp); the thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it[a]overflows); & he is trying to take your life!  So if Satan is trying to kill you, don’t you need to know just how he’s planning to do that?  Do you know?  What’s your plan to defeat him?  Do you even have a plan of action against him?

I know I’m asking a lot of questions but they all lead to the same place.  You need to have a plan to win the battle being waged against you because whether you like it or not, it’s already happening.  Now the next part, how can you have a plan when you don’t even know who you’re fighting?  That’s why you need the answers to the questions I’ve asked you above.  Are you a procrastinator, an addict, a hater, jealous, etc?  As you can see, there are many ways that a demon can influence who you are & how you act.  Then gain access to you via your own sin or from the sins of those in your family via generational curses.  No matter how they got in, you have the power thru the blood of Jesus to put them out.  Sounds like a lot right but here’s why it’s going to be easier than you think; Philippians 4:13 (amp); I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who [a]infuses inner strength into me; I am [b]self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

So, now what?  The 1st thing you need to do is to sit down with God to make an honest list of the demonic influences in your life.  The 2nd thing you need to do is to ask God to help you create & develop a plan of action against them.  The 3rd thing you need to do is work the plan – you & God can tweak the plan as you need to but you have to do what the plan instructs at all cost.  Your life is on the line so you have to kill the demons trying to kill you.

Here’s where your relationship with the Holy Spirit will be vital.  This is not a battle you can win alone.  Don’t you want the best help possible?  Of course you do & the Holy Spirit is the best in the business!  So ask God for the help you need just like Mark 11:24 (lb) tells us; Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours!

Here’s a tip to ensure your victory against every demon coming against you.  You have to be living & working Romans 12:2 (amp); Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].  You have to allow God to transform you into the original creation He made you to be.  On this path will be the power & resources you need to win every battle!

 Are demons real?  Yes they are, but you now have what you need to free yourself & take the demons in your life captive now!

Are your prayers being answered? Have the things that you’ve asked God for appeared before your very eyes? I know as Christians, we are told we have to pray.  We’re told we have to have a good, strong prayer life.  But how do you know if you doing it right?  Have all your prayers been answered already?

I remember many years ago sitting in church listening to a guest speaker.  He asked us if all of our prayers have been answered.  He then went on to say that God wants to give us all the things we ask Him for.  That was a surprise to me because when I thought about it, all of my prayers had not be answered.  Up until that point I just thought that if you got what you prayed for then God was saying “yes” but if you didn’t then God was saying “no”. I realized that I needed to do some more research about prayer.  So I asked God about it first & then I asked other Christians.  Most Christians described prayer and a ritualistic monologue where you sit & ask God for what you want then get up and walk away.  Then you just wait to see what happens. I had been doing that & all of my prayers had not been answered so it had to be more to it than that.  That was too vague for me.

As I asked myself what I really knew about prayer, I realized that with all the “new members” classes I had taken when I joined my previous church, instruction on how to pray was not included.  However, the church did offer a supplemental class called “Steps To Answered Prayer”,  so I took the class.  I wanted all my prayers to be answered and I didn’t want to be the reason they weren’t.  I needed to make sure I got this prayer thing right.  The class taught about the different types of prayer and gave simple explanations of each.  It was a great first step.  Over the years, I’ve done a lot of additional study about prayer and I’ve learned a lot about it, but I like to keep things simple so here are some of the basics.

Prayer is not a monologue, it is a conversation between you & God about things He has said in the Bible & how it relates to your daily earthly life.  It’s a direct line to God so you can get solutions to our problems & directions for our lives just like Jesus did in Luke 6:12-13 (cev); (About that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night there. 13 The next morning he called his disciples together and chose twelve of them to be his apostles) when he had to choose his disciples.  The Bible talks about Jesus praying all the time (He kept in constant communication with God) & if Jesus did it, then we should follow his lead.

Before you pray be clear what you want or need from God.  Then find out what God has already said about it.  The easiest way to do that is to simply “Google” it.  You can also download free “God’s Promises” type apps to your smartphone.  Either way, just ask God his opinion on the subject.  All of these are great ways to get to know God, build your faith and keep out doubt – James 1:6, 7(cev)  But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. 7-8 If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.

Now I know that in life there will be some times that you need God to help in a hurry, so don’t let not having a scripture promise stop you from running to God.  Just be honest and tell God you don’t know what He has said about the subject & you need His help anyway.  Your crisis will not be a surprise to God, He’ll be waiting for you to ask for His help!

Keep in mind that every good conversation is a dialog, not a monologue.  Soooo don’t do all the talking.  Insert time in your prayers to listen to what God has to say back to you.  Write down what He says because you will not remember even though you think you will.

So, here’s what you need to remember:

1.      Pray only to God in Jesus’ name – John 14:6, 13-14 (cev); “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. “Without me, no one can go to the Father; Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father;  I will do whatever you ask me to do.
2.      Start all prayer with praise to God because no matter what you’re praying about, you are still blessed & God has been good to you. Psalm 100:4 (cev); Be thankful and praise the Lord as you enter his temple.
3.      Tell God your problem or concern and remind Him of what He said in His Word.  Let God know that you really need His help & nobody can make this right like He can.  This is a form of worship. Matthew 7:7-8 (cev); Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.
4.      Extend your faith by believing that God not only heard your prayer but has sent the solution.  Mark 11:24 (cev); Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith.

Sound simple?  That’s because it is.  Yes there are things that can be added, but this simple way to pray will be powerful, get results and get your prayer life off to a good start.  Keep in mind that God is not a magician and the manifestation of your prayers depends on God’s timing and how you’re living.  You can’t be acting a fool and still expect God to answer you.  We’ll talk about that part later.

Prayer is a powerful tool & weapon because it connects you directly to God & His power so practice praying daily.  Let Him teach you about it & remember practice, practice, practice makes perfect.

Are all your prayers being answered?  Now they will be!

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!

What about your soul?  In my “Hang On” post, I spoke about our 3 boxes – flesh, spirit and soul.  We attend church to feed our spirits, we know that we should not listen to our flesh, but what are we doing to care of and develop, nurture and heal our souls? In this day and age, we live such fast-paced lives. And this can cause us to miss some really important things in our lives. In addition to that, we put others – almost everybody before ourselves and when we run out of time in the day, month and then the year, we still have not done the things we wanted to do for ourselves. Then time continues on and over time we get used to “doing without” and to add insult to injury, as Christians, the religion demon tells us that we should “give” to others before “giving” to ourselves, especially if someone else needs too!  This can cause great damage to our souls that goes unnoticed until something tragic happens.

So, I beg to differ. I feel it’s a sin not to take care of yourself first, especially, when the desire or motivation to do so does not come from the demon of selfishness.  With that being said, with all that you have to take care of, are you taking care of your soul?

The Bible talks about it in Romans 12:2 (cev).  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  Here God tells us to stop acting like the world and immediately start the process of changing the way that you think.  Whatever the subject, and how you feel or think about it, you still have to find out what God thinks about it and then change your mind to line up with God’s mind. This is the process of renewing your mind and then your soul can start its healing.

The soul contains your mind, your will and your emotions and all of them have to be aligned with God’s mind, will and emotions.  Your spiritual growth depends on this, because this growth is determined by how much your soul has been healed by the Word of God.  Once you were born again, your spirit was transformed into the image of God, but your soul was not.  That part is up to you – 3 John 1:2  – ² Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually]. If you don’t renew your mind, you hinder yourself from experiencing the full power and life that a renewed soul commands.  Your soul determines your actions and behaviors, and you will only step out in the things that you believe.

How many times have your thoughts about yourself or a situation stop you from doing something you really wanted to do?  Did you hear thoughts like – you’re not good enough, you’re not tall enough, pretty enough, smart enough, black enough, white enough, small enough or big enough?  If you are anything like me, you’ve heard this many, many times.  You probably heard it today!

As you can see in Psalms 139: 14-16 (msg) Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day, during his time of praise with God, David was able to see how awesomely he was made. You are awesome too! You are wonderfully made by the hand of God.  If no one else has told you today, you’re smarter than you know you are.  You’re big enough, small enough, tall enough.  You are brilliant because you were personally made by God and it gave Him great pleasure to create you!  Anything and anyone telling you anything different is simply lying to you!  Don’t believe them, believe God!

Now you have a decision to make.  Are you going to believe what God says about you, or are you going to believe what others are saying about you?  How would the quality of your life change if you just chose to believe God? Hmm-mm, take a minute to think about that!. Let me help you out.  Joyce Meyer has the best material in the business called “The Battlefield of the Mind”. It comes in many forms – books, DVDs, CDs and workbooks to help you achieve victory. So whatever way you like to learn, you can get it. This process is not quick work.  It will take a lot of time, commitment, dedication, and perseverance.  However, if done properly, it will be effective and very powerful!  You are worth the work!

Again I ask you – what about your soul?