Category: Faith Over Fear

Never Stop Looking For What’s Not There

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

When we read Hebrews chapter 11, it defines biblical faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. The definition of Faith: The Greek word for assurance implies a title deed or tangible proof of ownership.

Biblical faith isn’t blind optimism; it is the absolute certainty that God will fulfill His promises.

The Evidence: Faith functions as the spiritual lens that makes the invisible realm real to believers.

True faith always results in action: Abel & Enoch (vv.4-6): Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice because of his heart attitude, while Enoch is commended for walking closely with God. Noah (v.7): Built an ark for a flood he had never seen, acting in reverent obedience. Abraham & Sarah (vv.8-19): Left their homeland for an unknown destination and trusted God to provide a child in their old age, proving that faith believes the impossible. Moses (vv.23-29): He chose temporary mistreatment with God’s people over temporary pleasures of Egypt. Chapter 11 ends with the triumph of endurance (vv.33-40). Endurance through suffering. It honors people who were tortured, mocked, and martyred but they refused to abandon their hope in God. All these heroes died without seeing the fulfillment of the ultimate promise (the Messiah).

In 1998 My husband I took a leap of faith in a move from Texas to Arkansas. Like Abraham & Sarah we were leaving all our family, trusting God to provide everything we would need to make that move. We didn’t have the money for the moving truck, yet when we went to close out our bank account we found out that we had an extra $500 in our account from a mistake I supposedly made …really? I don’t think it was a mistake, I believe that was God’s provision. That $500 was the exact amount we needed for the moving truck. My husband had just started working for Walmart and he asked for a transfer to a location here in Arkansas, but was told he would have to be on the job for a minimum of 6 months to get a transfer and there was no guarantees’ of that then. He got the transfer …coincidence? I don’t think so, God’s provision once again. Now we were on a timeline to get here to start the new job, but we had no place to live. When we got a call from my husbands 93 year old great aunt that heard we were moving here. She had called the banker in her little town which was in the vicinity of where we were planning to live and he had a little one bedroom farm house, I mean old, it had an old skeleton key for the lock on the door which he would not be home when we got here so he said he would leave the key under the doormat and when we got here just come in and if it would work for us just go ahead and move in and he’d see us in a few days. Mind you we had no extra money so this was going to have to be a really good deal on top of everything else. The rent was $275 month. I hadn’t paid that kind of rent since I was 18 years old …favor of God. Moving forward without all the other details because there is so much more, we made the move on the absolute certainty God was going to provide everything we needed even though we could not see how. We have been here for 28 years now and this would literally turn into a short story book if I continued telling you of all God did and all the promises we have seen since that day. I just really want to encourage you today that whatever your believing for, but you say it’s so far off, I can’t see that, I don’t have the faith for it. Never stop Looking for what’s not there. I wrote a blog May 16th Titled: Faith Born Out Of Fear; “Sometimes faith will make you look stupid; until it starts to rain.” -Noah

Don’t fear what you don’t know, what you can’t see. Keep Looking for what’s not there, have faith.

Moving Forward

I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14)

If I am being held back from accomplishing anything, it is because of the battle between fear and faith. I know I have in the past and sometimes still find myself shrinking back in the present just not nearly as much as I use to, limiting my own self by doubting instead of trusting His calling. Because I have always had the people pleasing syndrome, spirit of perfectionism, I have allowed fear and insecurity to hold me back. Fear, failure, judgment, or even the unknown have been reasons for holding me back from stepping into my true identity. I spent a lot of time with the Lord trying to figure out how to move past this. Through much prayer and surrender God blessed me with a new boldness, one that makes me say now “YES I CAN” and “YES I WILL,” I’m not scared. If God called me to it, well he will obviously equip me to achieve the task. I’m moving forward, not backward. I am focused on my future, what’s ahead of me. God has been doing a new thing in me and I am not hiding who the new me is He is creating.

If God is calling you into something new, a new purpose, or bolder version of yourself, He promises He will be your strength. You just need to replace your internal doubts by renewing your mind with what Scripture says about your value and your purpose. Remember we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:10) Let your light shine, people need to see it, this is how we encourage others to move out of their fears and doubts, and move into their call, their purpose in life.

Moving Forward With Purpose and Taking People With me

Know Your Enemy

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

According to the Bible, an enemy is defined as anyone or anything that is hostile, opposes God, or seeks harm, There are three groups: Spiritual Adversaries: Satan (the devil) and his demons they are the ultimate spiritual enemies of God and humanity, acting as the accuser and tempter. Those Who Oppose God: Anyone who actively rejects God’s ways, disobeys His commands, or aligns themselves with the corruption of “the world.” Persecutors and Oppressors: this is on a personal level, anyone who hates, curses, persecutes, or seeks to harm you. It also includes those that act with malice, deceit, or unprovoked hostility.

This particular blog is very personal because I have been under attack. God has revealed to me who my enemy is and why he’s trying to take me out. I feel very compelled to share on this topic because including myself, many people have no idea who they’re battling when attacks come on them. I’m just going to let you know right off the back who my enemy is and then I’ll elaborate on the why. The devil and his demons. I did not understand in the beginning what was happening, because the attacks were coming from family members and those closest to me. My heart was breaking into thousands of little pieces and mind was about to explode trying to figure out what on earth was happening to me and why. It was when I was at my lowest, darkest, can’t go on another moment like this, that God spoke to me revealing who it was that was behind the attacks and why. First I want to say, from the moment God knit me in my mother’s womb there has been a call on my life, one that has taken me all my life to try to understand and God is still revealing things to me currently. I’ve done several things in my life that I know God has called me to, each of them has brought about some type of persecution, whether in personal relationships, health, finances to points of wanting to end my very own life. You would think that it should come as a no-brainer at this point that I would know without a shadow of a doubt who and why the attack this time. The devil is clever. He is the father of lies, he is a deceiver, his only purpose is to kill, steal and destroy and he was definitely working over-time in my life here of late. Now the why. Three months ago I started this blog, I didn’t put a lot of thought into the ministry end of it. I knew what the subject matter was going to be focused on, but I also saw it as a way of channeling my thoughts and life experiences more than anything. God had other plans for my blog. About 30 days into it I started feeling drawn to sharing the saving grace of Jesus BOLDLY. I was already speaking Jesus for a very long time to people, but God had been adding to my call and currently boldness was one of those things. I began praying with many different strangers in very different kinds of places. I was testifying and praying outwardly unlike any other way I had done before. For example taking a microphone from a band member at a community function to get peoples attention to pray over a particular person, completely under the direction of the Holy Spirit. I would never have done something like this on my own, I absolutely do not like to talk into a microphone. Also, just for the record I did not like just jump up on the stage and take the mic from him, I waited until the opportunity came where I could ask to speak. There are many more examples, but back to the blog. I began ending several blogs with a prayer to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. These blogs go all around the world. I see people from so many countries reading these that I can’t even pronounce some of these places and unless someone shares with me I don’t know who all is receiving this gift of salvation, but God does. God showed me that I have entered into the devil’s territory and he is using anything and everyone he can to cause me to stop. I almost fell for it, until God revealed that to me. See Satan doesn’t know me like God knows me, because God created me, He created me for such a time as this. Through Him I can do what God has called me to and no devil in hell can stop me. To God be ALL the glory!

Know your enemy.

It’s Okay to Say NO

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:15-17)

Believers we have got to be careful how we live, making the most out of every opportunity, which sometimes is going to require us saying, “NO” so that we may be able to focus on what matters most. In the Bible “No” is considered as a vital part of stewardship, self-discipline, and healthy relationships. It is far from being a selfish act, it is often presented as a necessary boundary to protect our character, avoid burn-out, and make room to pursue God’s specific calling in our life. We need to use simple, direct, straightforward and honest communication with people. No need to over explain or try to make empty promises. Jesus said in (Matt. 5:37) “let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” We should have such integrity that our words are enough.

So here goes the transparency, I have failed once again in an area, this time in not saying NO when I should have. I saw a situation that was not good and along with my husband being in agreement with me, we made a decision to do something about it. Well naturally it must have been the right thing to do since we both agreed, right? BIG “NO” it was NOT. Now because of our “word,” that integrity thing, it has turned into a very unwise decision on our part. We were careless in our decision making and we were interfering in something we had no business in, well at least that’s what the Word of God says in Proverbs 26:17, we didn’t go looking for that scripture either. God is good at pointing things out to you when you are somewhere you shouldn’t be. Through heartfelt repentance for not seeking God first on the matter, I know He is going to provide a way for this to end well. He takes bad and turns it to good, for those who love Him. I love Him alright, I just make mistakes sometimes, good-hearted one in this case, but still the wrong one. A little more transparency into my life of not saying NO when I should. I was sick Saturday night and Sunday, I couldn’t go to church so I stayed home and watched online, double portion just because I could and God knew I needed a double that day. I was sick because I had been overdoing it. I wasn’t allowing my body to rest like it needed, I wasn’t eating properly, being on the go non stop. I wasn’t saying NO to things I was being asked to do or assumed by some that I would just be there to do it. I never want to disappoint anyone if they are counting on me and there were people counting on me. Well when you get to many people at one time counting on you, there is no rest for the weary. I became really weary and sick. Now I am having to recoup and the older you get it seems it takes longer to get back up once you get down. There is a solution to all of this; it’s saying, NO. Again no lengthy excuses why, just simply, No, sorry not this time. Sometimes I need a break, I need to focus on me or something that really matters in my life that I am continually putting off because I am to busy being a YES girl.

If you are anything like me, first let me pray for you, it’s hard being me. Seriously though, you can approach people in honesty and decline without making any elaborate excuses. Like me, I worry to much what others think, and not enough about my own well being and what the cost will be if I say yes every time. Saying NO is healthy. It takes the pressure off us, allows us to retreat to pray and refocus. I have gone as far as stepping away from my calling before simply due to the fact I couldn’t or wouldn’t say no. Say “NO’ to protect your values to. Stay away from negative influences, ungodliness, temptations, those things erode our character. Proverbs 4:23 teaches to “guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Being a “YES” girl has turned in to a poor habit that I am working to break. Yes is good when it is right, but No is good when it is the wrong thing to be doing. Phil. 4:6-7 is such good advice. Before we say or do anything we should PRAY and thank God and in turn we can have God’s peace. Y’all feel free to pray for me in this area of being able to say NO when necessary. Thanks in advance.

Faith Born Out of Fear

“Lord if it is you ….tell me to come to you on the water” (Matt. 14:28)

Peter feared what he saw on the water he thought it was a ghost, but when Jesus called out to Peter to come to Him, Peter answered Him, “Lord if it is really you, command me to come to you on the water.” So he got out of the boat, walked on the water and came to Jesus. Immediately after that he saw the wind and out of fear, (no longer in faith) he began to sink, calling out, “Jesus save me.” When Peter heard the voice of Jesus calling him, then in faith he got out of the boat; through faith he believed he could walk on water, it wasn’t until fear came back that he lost his faith. How many times in life do we fear things? I know for myself I have feared failure, loneliness, making mistakes. What if this person ends up not liking me? How will I ever recover from a bad decision I have made? What if; this, that or the other thing? But you know what? There were some pretty bold disciples in the Bible that had some honest terror in their lives, feared death and persecution, but when Jesus calls us, He also equips us to be able to do whatever it is we are called to. I have heard God’s voice speaking directly to me, not audibly, but in my spirit and out of fear I have not responded to Him. I have also heard His voice and took that leap of faith and said, YES here I am, I’m on my way, Okay, whatever you say, I trust You. Staying in faith seems to be my biggest problem, just like Peter, once he took his eyes of Jesus his faith became weak and he began to sink. God doesn’t ever reveal things to me that He hasn’t already equipped me to be successful at. The problem is I put my faith in me instead of Him, seeing what I can do, not what He can do through me. Noah had never even seen rain before, referencing (Gen.2:5-6), yet he did what God told him to do, that is some kind of faith y’all. How can we receive Jesus as our Savior who we have never seen only heard about, yet not believe God when He calls us to something that He says He has prepared for us, or already done for us, etc. What kind of faith are we standing on? There are so many promises in the Bible yet we have a tendency to only believe some of the truth. When I think about my salvation, I think that has got to be the MOST faith a person could have. Especially living in my day and age, reading a Book that is 2000 years old and more. I never lived any of the stories in the Bible, yet I believe them. As a child I received salvation partially out of fear, fear of the unknown, what “if”? Today, I know my salvation is real, I’ve come to know my Creator and I have witnessed Him personally, His promises in my life have become reality. Faith that was once born out of fear, is now Faith unshakable.

A New Chapter

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Transformation here we come!

Ruth: Her story of loss and widowhood was rewritten into one of redemption, honor and becoming part of the lineage of Jesus.

Job: His story of unfathomable suffering was transformed when God restored his life, giving him twice as much as he had before.

The Woman at the Well: Jesus broke her cycle of shame and failed relationships, rewriting her story into one of purpose as a witness.

Won’t He? Yes He will. God is not a respecter of persons, if he did it for them he will do it for me. God can’t do what our free will will not allow Him to, so here we go, have your way Lord. I Have struggled writing this today, I actually wrote it yesterday but when I woke up this morning the Holy Spirit had me do a little revising. I needed corrected about a thing or two. As I was writing I was steadily wanting to take over the message that He was giving me, taking the pen right out of His hand already. I heard Him loud and clear this morning saying, “If I’m going to be able to continue writing your story, you are going to need to surrender and be obedient as in the past when I was doing a new thing in you.” Correction is never easy, but oh so worth the value. Obviously being this is a new chapter in my life, I haven’t been here before so I have no way of knowing what this looks like, well not completely. God has been more than generous in giving me little peaks into what lies ahead, rather some areas that are going to require change. One of the areas is in stewarding my time. Who ,What, When and Why are some questions that I am going to have to ask myself before taking on the task. God revealed to me that many of the hurts I have been experiences in my life of late are due to taking on responsibilities of others that are not my cross to bear. When I look at ministry, it’s not just serving in a particular area of the church, it’s more than that. I see it in every area of my life. My family has always been my first ministry, unfortunately I have missed it on several occasions. I see a new range of focus in my future story. One that allows others to pick up their cross and follow Jesus, my only part is to lead them to Him. I said it before and I’ll say it again, I have missed it time and time again all because I couldn’t say no, or I didn’t want to see them going in the wrong direction so I took the cross for them, that is not nor ever was God’s best, it was simply me in a ditch effort to try to help, which I was the one who ended up in the ditch sadly to say. But hey, God’s mercies are new every morning and His grace is sufficient, to prepare a new way, a new path for me to walk in. Hallelujah! I have heard things said about me that are lies straight from hell. I’m not going to allow hate, resentment or unforgiveness to keep me from the place that the Lord is wanting to take me, instead I will say as Jesus said on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). I, like Jesus am feeling the immense pain from what others have said and done to me, but I too have to choose how I will respond. There are so many words in the Word of God that pertain to who I am, and I am claiming them for myself, that I may have life and have it more abundantly. God says, I am victorious, loved, redeemed (Proverbs 18:21) Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him …” This is a promise that God can and will use past negative experiences to create a positive, redemptive story in my life. I am ready to close this chapter and move on to the next. God is the author of my life, not my circumstances. The weakness that I have been feeling is going to be my new strength. In the book of Isaiah …a way in the wilderness; God says, where there is no clear path forward, He will create one. Rivers in the desert; where there is no natural relief or refreshment, God provides it. A little further down in Isaiah, God promises to pour His life-giving Spirit upon his weary people, all of this is for His glory. I am ready for God to receive all the glory in my new story. I’m done repeating cycles like the woman at the well. I’m looking for redemption like Ruth, to be honored for the good that I do. Not from people, but from my Heavenly Father, the One who knows me and knows my worth. Re-write, re-direct, whatever that may look like, I’m ready.

Letting Go …and Letting God write what I cannot.

Life is a Gamble …Unless

Whatever one sows, that he will also reap (Gal.6:7)

Yesterday I was at church and my Pastor was speaking about the power of a purposeful life. Blessings and curses. Seeds being sown. Sowing seed in a famine. This past week I felt as though my life was heading into a season of famine. There just seemed to be death all around me, not physical death, though there have been those as well and several illnesses that looked to be leading in that direction. But emotional, spiritual, relational death. I realize the word famine means the most severe form of hunger crisis, an extreme shortage of food, that brings about death, but I was feeling starved in these other areas of my life. Deprivation; lacking the nourishment my soul needed. I am not a boaster, but I am going to say that my heart is BIG and when depleted it is like poverty in its most extreme way. I reach a place where I don’t see where I have any seeds left to sow. Anything left I must feed to my myself, because I am about to parish, but then I heard my Pastor say, “sow the seed even when your tears are the only watering the seed gets.” I realized at that moment I had to make a choice, I was about to gamble with life or death. I could shrivel up and die inside or I could pray. I had the choice to use the seed of prayer, watered with my tears to see life spring back. It really wasn’t that hard of a decision to make because of my relationship with the Lord. I know how many times in the past He has had to breathe life back into me due to circumstances when I was literally dying inside. Still we see it as a gamble many times trusting, if He will do it this time. When I left the church I knew what I needed to do, what choice I would make, I know what I believe and Who I believe in. Because of what I was feeling, that starvation inside of me, I knew what it would take to replenish and nourish me back to health. I knew the WORD; I will reap a harvest, “IF” I don’t give up (Gal. 6:9). I needed reminded of that Word. I believe there are many people that are gambling with their lives. Some of you are gambling with your eternal life, where you are going to spend it. You haven’t made the choice, your still rolling the dice. Can I just be honest for a minute? Gambling is not the answer EVER. You may have some good days, win Big, but it won’t last. There is only one right choice. Surrender your gambling addiction, trust the One who gave you life. There is no gamble there, it is life or death, so choose life.

God said in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I set before you life and death, blessing and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants will live.”

Stop Gambling

Steal, Kill, and Destroy

The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

Satan has a mission but Jesus does to. The thief (Satan) seeks to ruin, rob, and kill peace and joy, to wreck a person’s life. While Jesus brings abundant, purposeful life including peace and joy that surpasses understanding and circumstances. Today as God directs me in this message I want you to know this is a very personal message from the Lord to me yet I am to share it. There are a lot of people out here under attack and you like myself need to recognize who your dealing with. This is (spiritual warfare) and it will take God’s word to overcome the attack. Do not let the negativity and earthly fears grow inside of you, instead rise up and get in the Word of God and bring down every stronghold, every thought, bringing it into captivity to obey Christ according to His Word. Use the authority your Father has given you to fight these battles in the way that takes you from being a victim to being victorious. Reminding ourselves the battle has already been won by the blood shed on the cross, but we still have to live in this fallen world until we get to our final resting place and as long as we are here we will face trials and temptations, but His Word tells us that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:31-39) In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I heard the Spirit of the Lord speaking directly to me as my husband and I were talking and praying, that these attacks were very personal on me, because God had given me a mission, one I had become “INTENTIONAL” about giving my all to what He has called me to. The enemy was and is very unhappy about it so therefore I am being attacked in ways to try to keep me from doing just that. The enemy wants me to feel defeated and give up, but as much as he tries to destroy what the Lord has called me to, all the more strength is given me to be able to battle the storm. Like the eagle I spoke of in an earlier blog this week; Mount up and SOAR, if you have not read it I highly recommend doing so. God is doing a new thing in me, He is given me new strength, that I might fly higher than before. I can only know this because I am in my Bible, reading and believing in His promises to me. No matter the weapon that is being formed against me, it will not prosper (Isa. 54:17) Attacks and trials may arise but they will not succeed in destroying me. They cannot prevail against me for I am under God’s care. Any challenge or adversity will fail to prosper. Every tongue that rises against me in judgement will be condemned. These words are a sign of my faith in God and His Word, the words are meant for encouragement for when the enemy tries to lie to me through whatever his tactic may be. This is my confidence in God’s power as my defender and protector.

You may be reading this and do not have this kind of confidence in the written Word of God, maybe because you have never asked Jesus to be Lord over your life so that you can receive these promises from the Father. These promises are for those who believe, who are children of God. Well the good news is you can, right now. All you need to to do is pray this prayer and the same promises I’m standing on you can to.

Heavenly Father, I come to you in the Name of Jesus. I confess that I am a sinner in need of a savior. I believe that you Jesus died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I ask you Jesus, to come into my heart and be Lord over my life, to forgive me of my sins. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10)

Now if you just prayed that prayer, you are now a child of God and the promises I’m standing on you can to. If you are already a child of God but have not been relying on His Word for whatever you have been facing in your life, may I suggest today be the day you start. Don’t let the enemy win, you can be victorious by living by faith, confessing scripture over circumstances, and trusting in Christ’s finished work rather than personal strength. Use your spiritual weapons.

Mount up and SOAR

Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

The struggle. When looking back haunted by the ghosts of my past, bound up in all my failures, feeling the unworthiness of shame, stain and regrets. That is not at all who I am today. I am redeemed! I have hope. No more fighting the past because I am free at last. No shackles, No chains, just wings that lift me higher and higher. I am like an eagle …watch me soar, like a lion …hear me roar. I lift my head high because the one who redeemed me will never say goodbye. My story is a lot like the song, “Black Sheep.” I’ve been alone, lonely and scared, there have been times I’ve had a heart of stone, cried tears that no one has seen. I’ve kicked, screamed, broken down fences and ran through ditches swearing I didn’t fit in and maybe I didn’t. I’ve hated everything about me and at times thinking everyone would be better off without me. I have felt every bit of those lyrics at one time or another, yet in all of that I know …Jesus loves the black sheep. No matter how far I wander He’ll always come for me again, that’s Grace, Amen?! I no longer am who I once was, now I fly like an eagle and let the Spirit carry me, like an eagle to the sea, I am free. People and streets look different these days, I can see purpose in my ways. Now I am feeding those without enough to eat and putting shoes on their feet. I am free to be me.

Eagles are considered amongst the strongest birds. They can crush bones and lift heavy prey. Their talons are built for piercing and their beaks are tough enough to tear through meat. Their chest muscles are exceptionally strong for powerful flight and leg muscles to secure their prey when captured. They have a keen eye, they can spot prey from miles away. They maneuver their large body in ways demonstrating both strength and agility. But when they get old they have a choice. They can stay just as they are; comfortable and slowly lose their purpose or go through a painful process of renewal, but the eagle chooses the renewal, the hard path. I have the same choice as the eagle. I can remain the same “OLD” me, “OLD” ways, thoughts and habits, losing my strength and purpose for which I was created for or I can go through the process of renewal. Like the eagle I chose renewal. I chose to enter into the secret place of the Most High where He will cover me with His feathers, under His wings. I am allowing Him to renew my strength, grow me spiritually, mentally, emotionally. The process of getting to this place can and has been painful at times just like it is for the eagle. It requires shedding of my old flesh, breaking old habits just like how the eagles beak and claws are broken and feathers plucked for new growth, completely exposed and vulnerable. The eagle will then be renewed with new feathers, new beak, new claws, it is a slow process, but when complete the eagle arises with strength it did not have before. The eagle doesn’t just survive it flys stronger and higher than before. The hidden places in our life that feels like isolation are for preparation. We cannot soar like the eagles carrying what we were meant to shed. Like the eagle I am stronger than I have ever been before, I see myself going to levels higher than I’ve ever been, new boldness, better awareness when the storms of life are about to hit. I have a new confidence, the storm will not bury me, instead it will elevate me. I will Mount Up and SOAR like the eagle.

What do you need to shed that is keeping you from your purpose?

Mind Your Own Biscuits and Life will be Gravy

“…aspire to live quietly, and mind your own affairs, and work with your hands, as we instructed you.” (1 Thess. 4:11)

Paul was writing to the Thessalonians to encourage them to live quietly and work hard, partly to avoid meddling and to set a good example for nonbelievers. I have been in the oven on this one for awhile. You know that refining fire kind of oven, removing the dross, working on becoming pure. In the process of it all, I have learned to be quiet and listen very carefully to the Holy Spirit regarding many things. One of those things was to quit allowing myself to be in the midst of another person’s affairs. Sometimes that can be hard if you find yourself there because some else put you there, thergo; free will comes into play. You have the option how you will react or respond to any given situation, in this particular case I chose silence. The old rule of thumb, silence is golden. Like pure gold once refined. Dross-free that is what I want to be. Silence is not the only thing I have taken away from the intense heat of the fire. I realize that it is my responsibility to search my own heart. I have been delving deep into my innermost being, allowing God to bring out the impure thoughts, feelings, things that do not edify or glorify Him, or others for that matter, but mainly Him. Rummaging through my heart and mind, investigating my thoughts and reasonings. Asking the Lord to reveal anything and everything so that I may be able to learn better habits in order to set better examples. It is going to take a whole LOT of “God’s gravy.” I’m the biscuit and God is the gravy. What I have found by doing this, God will pour extra blessings, joy and spiritual nourishment on me, the “GOOD STUFF.” This is called divine grace. It is an abundance of “God’s Great lake of Gravy,” salvation and love that covers all, “total gift” freely poured out. Most days it is little reminders of God’s love for me, extra little things to be joyous about. Just going along minding my biscuits, I mean business, while He pours the gravy, I mean grace, and love over me. Are you in need of some gravy for your biscuits? Go on and get’cha some, a BIG heaping helping, it’s free for the asking.

Romans 10:9-13