For you....whoever you are....
It doesn't matter where you are today, that doesn't stop you from becoming who God created you to be right now and walking in His will for your life from this moment forward. Don't let circumstances keep you stagnant. Don't let your past, your record, where you come from or what you think you lack stop you and don't listen to the people around you who say you can't!
To the young men and women living in areas where all you see are drugs, poverty, broken home, violence and broken dreams...don't let what you see determine what you become. Don't allow the people around you who dare not to dream keep you from realizing the dream you have in your heart. It doesn't matter if you come from a family of crack addicts - that's not YOU. It doesn't matter if you come from a family of hoes (and yes I mean, hoes) - that's not YOU. It doesn't matter if everyone in your family been in and out of jail - that's not YOU.
...AND SO WHAT IF IT WAS YOU? SO WHAT IF IT IS YOU RIGHT NOW BUT YOU WANT BETTER. THEN DO BETTER. Your past is just that your PAST. I don't care if you just shot up or just left a trick's car --- RIGHT NOW IS YOUR PRESENT and it don't matter what you've done YOU CAN TURN IT AROUND. YOU ARE WORTH MORE AND WORTHY OF MORE.
To my young single mothers who had dreams of college graduation...successful careers...and fabulous lives but you had a child(ren).....DO NOT SETTLE. You deserve MORE than just to get by! Don't let grumbles and mumbles of people who smirked and said "I told you so" when you got pregnant to become your destiny. Don't hold your head in shame and refuse to ask for help. Having a baby didn't strip your intelligence...having children didn't stop you from dreaming and if by chance your baby stopped one dream DREAM ANOTHER! You can still get that college degree, have that career...be that nurse, doctor, lawyer, judge, business owner...own that hair store, catering company, nail shop, daycare or whatever else you desire. DREAM BIGGER, if not for you for your babies! Sure....you have to work harder...but it can be done.
You might be the ONLY PERSON around you who believes you can do better. You might be the ONLY person who looks at your circumstances and says I WANT MORE. YOU might have to go at it alone before anyone else will support you and encourage you...but YOU DON'T GIVE UP.
Don't let those living the realities of giving up on their dreams deter you from living yours. Don't let the mistakes of your past be all that defines you in your life... right now make a choice to only allow you to define you. Make the choice to fight for YOU. YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN, DEAR LOVE.....
So what you messed up, so did I and so did they who sit on their high horses and tell you what you can't do. But you can do it! You are not what your father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, cousins or three generations of family have been...YOU. ARE. YOU.
Don't let people or circumstances limit you. Don't let past choices define you. Don't let people talk you out of the destiny that's been put inside you.
Sometimes, the only person who will believe in your dream is YOU. Dream bigger loves....dream bigger.
Why can I say this to you? I was once where you are. Judged as you are and I know how it feels when people count you out because of your mistakes. Don't do it for them, do it for you. You owe it to yourself and your future. <3
You CAN do it, through Christ. Selah.
"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress..." Psalm 107: 6, 13, 19, 28.
"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men..." Psalm 107: 8, 15, 21, 31
Monday, August 17, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
Your God makes humans feel worthless with all His sin shaming.....
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I AM THE WORST. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, THE WORST OF SINNERS, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life." - I Timothy 1:15-16
Confession of sin is not to make man feel less than or unworthy. Confession of sin allows us to understand the need for Christ and also how AMAZING His grace truly is. Only when one recognizes his own sinfulness can he fully understand, accept and mature in the gift of salvation that comes from Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
There are a number of self-identifying christians joining this movement stating humans don't need to confess sins because we are not "sinful". As a result, we don't need a savior because we are our own saviors. This theology is dangerous. This denounces the truth that man is sinful and makes the sacrifice of Christ on the cross in vain. There was no need for His death if man is not sinful.
It's like telling people trapped in a burning building "you don't need firefighters it's all in your head! Save yourselves! You can do it." and leaving them there to die.
I used to regularly pray "forgive me for my sins" - using the word "SINS" which is generic. In essence we're not "confessing our sin" we're asking for blanket forgiveness for whatever HE THINKS we've done wrong. We're not admitting anything we've done or seeking Him to help us overcome (true repentance) we're simply praying a redundant prayer that we think sounds good.
Look at it this way, when someone hurts you and they want to make amends, the first thing we look for is an apology. But not any old apology will do. If the person says "I'm sorry for whatever I did " but they can't tell you WHY they are sorry, then we often feel they've learned nothing and the behavior will repeat. We require acknowledgment of the actions that hurt us to ensure the offender understands WHAT it is they did wrong so they can correct the behavior towards you and do right. Why do we expect confession to Father God, Most High, to be different?
Once, while praying my generic "forgive me for my sins" I was prompted to actually CONFESS them individually. This was on me for a few days before I heeded the prompting of His Spirit (again, sinning because I wasn't immediately obedient as I should have been). When I did finally obeyed, I noticed my prayers moved from ..."Father forgive me for my sins, please help me to do better tomorrow and be pleasing to you" to:
Father forgive me for gossiping about such and such yesterday, help me to tame my tongue in accordance with Your word that says cursing and praise should not come out of the same mouth. I cannot tame my tongue alone for I am human but by Your Spirit, I can overcome and use my mouth for Your glory in accordance with your will. Forgive me for my gluttony, You have blessed us with one human body and I should honor and care for it instead of overeating things that I know I shouldn't eat. Help me to remember my brothers and sisters who suffer hunger each day, those who may only have one meal or no meals, that I may use whatever extra I have not to indulge myself but bless others that they might be filled with food for the body and food for the spirit. All for Your glory. Father forgive me for my grumbling and complaining about XYZ today, You are so good and gracious in all things to me and I want to acknowledge all the goodness You do. Please help me to see more of Your glory and goodness in each day of my life that my heart may be filled with gratitude and leave no room for complaint. Bless me with a pure heart in You Father, that I shall see your face and my race may not be in vain. Thank you for victory over sin through Christ Jesus, I thank you for freedom from guilt and bondage and I thank You that the word You will begin in me to overcome these sins will be seen through until the end. Father I glorify You! Thank You for your love and devotion to me, thank You for your mercy and truly amazing grace. I am unworthy, but Your love makes me worthy....thank You. Amen.
This REALLY opened up a door in my prayer life and strengthened my spiritual walk with God. NOW we were getting to the nitty gritty. Each time I confessed my sins, I grew stronger in my faith because I recognized in spite of all these things, YHWH LOVES ME! Christ still intercedes for me and reminds me of His amazing and beautiful grace. I feel closer in relationship to Christ because I am honest in who I am. I don't need to "put on" in prayers as if God doesn't know who I really am in the heart. Finally, it helps me to be honest with myself and God. When I started confessing the sins of my heart (down to the deepest ugliest ones that I wouldn't dare share with the world) I was able to be less defensive and more open to His prompting of things I needed to notice...more importantly I was able to see the selfishness and check the motives of many actions. For me, all this led to an increase in faith and more personable experience with my God YHWH and His Son, Christ.
Confession doesn't degrade or leave you feeling less than...when you confess to the true and living God with a right heart, He ALWAYS leaves you feeling refreshed and at peace in Him. God is not a man that He can lie and He promises to forgive your sins when you confess them. He will bless you to overcome sin through Him if you ask for His help.
Tip: When you recognize you're struggling with sin in a given area, seek scripture that counters that sin. When you confess your sins in prayer, ask God to help you overcome in accordance with His word and then pray those very words written down in that verse back to Him.
For instance, if you struggle with gossip...you can acknowledge James 3 that tells us man cannot tame the tongue and then pray Psalms 34:13 Father, help me keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceit and also Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"
Continue praying this constantly, consistently...the walk with God is a lot of repetitive strengthening.
I'm about 5 years into a committed walk with Christ and taming the tongue is still something we're working on but there's been tremendous improvement and I am confident He will see this through victoriously until the end. So shall it be with you, if you only believe and seek God diligently (and consistently) that it may be so in your life.
Selah.
Confession of sin is not to make man feel less than or unworthy. Confession of sin allows us to understand the need for Christ and also how AMAZING His grace truly is. Only when one recognizes his own sinfulness can he fully understand, accept and mature in the gift of salvation that comes from Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
There are a number of self-identifying christians joining this movement stating humans don't need to confess sins because we are not "sinful". As a result, we don't need a savior because we are our own saviors. This theology is dangerous. This denounces the truth that man is sinful and makes the sacrifice of Christ on the cross in vain. There was no need for His death if man is not sinful.
It's like telling people trapped in a burning building "you don't need firefighters it's all in your head! Save yourselves! You can do it." and leaving them there to die.
I used to regularly pray "forgive me for my sins" - using the word "SINS" which is generic. In essence we're not "confessing our sin" we're asking for blanket forgiveness for whatever HE THINKS we've done wrong. We're not admitting anything we've done or seeking Him to help us overcome (true repentance) we're simply praying a redundant prayer that we think sounds good.
Look at it this way, when someone hurts you and they want to make amends, the first thing we look for is an apology. But not any old apology will do. If the person says "I'm sorry for whatever I did " but they can't tell you WHY they are sorry, then we often feel they've learned nothing and the behavior will repeat. We require acknowledgment of the actions that hurt us to ensure the offender understands WHAT it is they did wrong so they can correct the behavior towards you and do right. Why do we expect confession to Father God, Most High, to be different?
Once, while praying my generic "forgive me for my sins" I was prompted to actually CONFESS them individually. This was on me for a few days before I heeded the prompting of His Spirit (again, sinning because I wasn't immediately obedient as I should have been). When I did finally obeyed, I noticed my prayers moved from ..."Father forgive me for my sins, please help me to do better tomorrow and be pleasing to you" to:
Father forgive me for gossiping about such and such yesterday, help me to tame my tongue in accordance with Your word that says cursing and praise should not come out of the same mouth. I cannot tame my tongue alone for I am human but by Your Spirit, I can overcome and use my mouth for Your glory in accordance with your will. Forgive me for my gluttony, You have blessed us with one human body and I should honor and care for it instead of overeating things that I know I shouldn't eat. Help me to remember my brothers and sisters who suffer hunger each day, those who may only have one meal or no meals, that I may use whatever extra I have not to indulge myself but bless others that they might be filled with food for the body and food for the spirit. All for Your glory. Father forgive me for my grumbling and complaining about XYZ today, You are so good and gracious in all things to me and I want to acknowledge all the goodness You do. Please help me to see more of Your glory and goodness in each day of my life that my heart may be filled with gratitude and leave no room for complaint. Bless me with a pure heart in You Father, that I shall see your face and my race may not be in vain. Thank you for victory over sin through Christ Jesus, I thank you for freedom from guilt and bondage and I thank You that the word You will begin in me to overcome these sins will be seen through until the end. Father I glorify You! Thank You for your love and devotion to me, thank You for your mercy and truly amazing grace. I am unworthy, but Your love makes me worthy....thank You. Amen.
This REALLY opened up a door in my prayer life and strengthened my spiritual walk with God. NOW we were getting to the nitty gritty. Each time I confessed my sins, I grew stronger in my faith because I recognized in spite of all these things, YHWH LOVES ME! Christ still intercedes for me and reminds me of His amazing and beautiful grace. I feel closer in relationship to Christ because I am honest in who I am. I don't need to "put on" in prayers as if God doesn't know who I really am in the heart. Finally, it helps me to be honest with myself and God. When I started confessing the sins of my heart (down to the deepest ugliest ones that I wouldn't dare share with the world) I was able to be less defensive and more open to His prompting of things I needed to notice...more importantly I was able to see the selfishness and check the motives of many actions. For me, all this led to an increase in faith and more personable experience with my God YHWH and His Son, Christ.
Confession doesn't degrade or leave you feeling less than...when you confess to the true and living God with a right heart, He ALWAYS leaves you feeling refreshed and at peace in Him. God is not a man that He can lie and He promises to forgive your sins when you confess them. He will bless you to overcome sin through Him if you ask for His help.
Tip: When you recognize you're struggling with sin in a given area, seek scripture that counters that sin. When you confess your sins in prayer, ask God to help you overcome in accordance with His word and then pray those very words written down in that verse back to Him.
For instance, if you struggle with gossip...you can acknowledge James 3 that tells us man cannot tame the tongue and then pray Psalms 34:13 Father, help me keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceit and also Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"
Continue praying this constantly, consistently...the walk with God is a lot of repetitive strengthening.
I'm about 5 years into a committed walk with Christ and taming the tongue is still something we're working on but there's been tremendous improvement and I am confident He will see this through victoriously until the end. So shall it be with you, if you only believe and seek God diligently (and consistently) that it may be so in your life.
Selah.
Monday, August 10, 2015
A testimony for those afraid to step out on faith....
I want to share a testimony to encourage someone who is having a hard time stepping out on faith right now because you can't see where God is taking you.
Last year I kept feeling a prompting in my spirit to leave my place of employment and move on to another opportunity. With this came a lot of fear because I wasn't sure how this would pan out; I was leaving a large company with a bright future to be my own boss and take on clients one on one....I worried about the client list, if I'd make enough income, if I would be able to handle the work....if I was "good enough"...
I felt a bit of security working for a company so I hesitated for a long while...out of fear...out of lack of trust for God's promises....and things got really tough before I finally took that step of faith God was prompting.
Fast forward to today....this past Friday over 400 people at that company woke up to learn they had no jobs and the company announced today they were "freezing services" citing very vague reasons. They didn't even give the employees warning...in fact they were still taking new clients and promoting individuals through this month! Needless to say those who stayed were completely blindsided by this news and for many this was a sole source or primary source of income. One can only imagine the anguish and worry some of these individuals have right now.
After my initial shock and concern for the employees wore off, I realized how God's prompting for me to leave last year was of utter importance. Can you imagine waking up to go to work and learning you have no job? Had I not stepped out on faith and I stayed there trusting in that company instead of my God I would have been in the number of those who were shocked. Instead, God has blessed me tremendously since I left that company and trusted Him. I can't say enough how amazing the blessings have been....but I never would have received them had I not first TRUSTED HIM and STEPPED OUT ON FAITH.
If you are hesitating today because you're not sure ....you're worried...or you're wondering if God really will be faithful...I'm here to encourage you to make that step and trust Him fully. He is definitely faithful and He sees far into the future what you cannot.
Please keep all those individuals who have lost their jobs in your prayers for new employment and that God be a provider and comfort as they search.
Last year I kept feeling a prompting in my spirit to leave my place of employment and move on to another opportunity. With this came a lot of fear because I wasn't sure how this would pan out; I was leaving a large company with a bright future to be my own boss and take on clients one on one....I worried about the client list, if I'd make enough income, if I would be able to handle the work....if I was "good enough"...
I felt a bit of security working for a company so I hesitated for a long while...out of fear...out of lack of trust for God's promises....and things got really tough before I finally took that step of faith God was prompting.
Fast forward to today....this past Friday over 400 people at that company woke up to learn they had no jobs and the company announced today they were "freezing services" citing very vague reasons. They didn't even give the employees warning...in fact they were still taking new clients and promoting individuals through this month! Needless to say those who stayed were completely blindsided by this news and for many this was a sole source or primary source of income. One can only imagine the anguish and worry some of these individuals have right now.
After my initial shock and concern for the employees wore off, I realized how God's prompting for me to leave last year was of utter importance. Can you imagine waking up to go to work and learning you have no job? Had I not stepped out on faith and I stayed there trusting in that company instead of my God I would have been in the number of those who were shocked. Instead, God has blessed me tremendously since I left that company and trusted Him. I can't say enough how amazing the blessings have been....but I never would have received them had I not first TRUSTED HIM and STEPPED OUT ON FAITH.
If you are hesitating today because you're not sure ....you're worried...or you're wondering if God really will be faithful...I'm here to encourage you to make that step and trust Him fully. He is definitely faithful and He sees far into the future what you cannot.
Please keep all those individuals who have lost their jobs in your prayers for new employment and that God be a provider and comfort as they search.
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