Lost but Found again!!

When I was saved over a year ago, I knew that I was going to be battling with the enemy a lot while I was on this walk with the Lord, but I never thought that I was going to get lost. I never thought that I would be struggling this bad to find my way back and keep going on my walk with the Lord. But I am here to say the struggle is real and that it does happen. This struggle is different from any kind of struggle that I have ever been in, this is something that is so emotionally and spiritually exhausting. You are fighting a war that you think that you are never going to win but it is possible to win. When it comes to the enemy, he will find any crack no matter how small to get in and start destroying EVERYTHING you worked hard on. It is up to you to let God in and help you start fighting this war that the enemy started. Though if you are not willing to let God in, you won't be able to do it on your own. The enemy will make you think that it's all normal with what is going on, he will attack you with your weaknesses. For me, I ended up letting him attack me with my anxiety. With my anxiety, I have a hard time being around a large group of people and it doesn't matter if the large group of people are my friends and family. I start to shut down, I get irritated with anyone no matter what they said or did. I start to think that I am not wanted, that they would be better off without me in the room, so I will exit and go somewhere else and not even tell someone cause I tell myself that they wouldn't care anyway. The enemy made me thinking that it didn't matter if I went to church or not, so I lost my excitement for going to church and getting feed, I stopped studying the Word and stopped working in my workbook for school to become a minister/teacher. I lost all my passion for it all. I will admit that I really didn't think twice about it for a while until one day as I was cleaning I was moving my bible and it hit me and I asked myself "What have I done?". It also really started sinking in when my aunt came over to visit and she pulled me aside and said that she had a vision or dream that I was walking backward as if someone had the rewind button going but at the same time it was like someone was trying to pull me back to keep going on my walk. This in a way really made me open my eyes, but what really kicked it all back in gear for me, was this past Sunday. I went to church with my cousin and as I walked into the church, I felt something come alive in me again. How I can really explain it, it is like someone turned on the furnace in me as high as it will go. I felt something that has been missing for the last couple of months. So for the first time since August, I finally sat down opened my bible and started working on my school work. I have been found again and it feels so good, I have missed me and never in the beginning that I not only lost my way in my walk but I also lost me. It is possible to be found and it is never too late to start your walk back up with the Lord. God is a forgiving God and we all need to remember that. Our God isn't going to hold our past against us, He isn't going to punish us for losing our way. He is going to right there to help us with our walk again. It is ourselves that we need to forgive and know that no matter what God will always love us no matter what. He there for us to talk to and put everything that is bothering us into His hands and He will take care of it for us. Our Lord is such a loving God, and I truly forgot about it because I let the enemy invade my life. I am now fighting back because this fight is worth fighting and I have God on my side and the enemy doesn't like that but I say oh well, this is my life and the enemy has not more power over me and I will fight till the day the Lord comes and gets me.
I was once lost but now I am found!!!!

Father,
Thank you for always being there for me, even when I thought that I wasn't worth it. Thank you for being the loving and forgiving God that you are. I am blessed and thankful. Thank you for giving me a family that loves me and supportive no matter what.

In Jesus name,
Amen

Don't Give Up!

It’s natural for us all to focus on the bad then the good. It’s easier to accept the bad thoughts because it doesn’t take any effort. When we are determined to cast down all the negative thoughts and grasp onto the positive ones, that’s where all the effort is.

 

When we have positive minds full of faith and hope it helps produce positive lives. But when we have minds full of negativity and it causes a lot of fear and doubt. This all creates negative lives, which can destroy your life. It’s like a domino effect, once you let all the negativity in your life other negative things follow through unless you pull one domino out of its place and stop it from hitting the next one. Start letting positive thoughts into your life and it will make sure a big difference in your life and for the best.

 

Some have been hurt so many times that they don’t think they can handle anymore let downs, so they refuse to hope so they don’t get disappointed. At one point in my life I gave up on hope because I was consistently being hurt by loved ones and friends that I was close with. I just wanted the hurt to stop but I didn’t want to keep hoping that things would get better when it felt like it was just getting worse. But there was one day that I just put my foot down and said enough was enough and said hoping again and let the Lord into my life.

 

There are battles being fought in our minds everyday, when we feel the battle is too difficult you just want to give up. But we must choose to resist the negative thoughts, we must be determined to rise above our problems and we must decide that we are not going to quit.

 

We must take a stand and say “I’ll never give up! God’s on my side. He loves me and He’s helping me! I’m going to make it! As long as we have the Lord, he will fight our battle but we need to let him in. We can’t do this on our own, we need out Lord!

 

Don’t give up! We need to step out and take back what has been stolen from us. Make sure you’re leaning on God’s grace and not on you’re own ability.

 

“And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” -Galatians 6:9

 

In Galatians 6:9 Apostle Paul is simply encouraging us to keep on keeping on and for us not to be a quitter. If we quit and let the negativity take over, you have let the enemy win and do we want that? NO, we don’t, we don’t want to give the enemy the satisfaction. Stay positive and refuse to give up. God is with you and helping you make spiritual progress. Hell help strengthen and encourage you to keep on keeping on during your rough times.

 

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” -2 Chronicles 15:7

 

It takes faith to press on to victory and without faith it is easy to quit. When you feel like you’ll never make it, remember that you’re reprogramming a “worldly” mind to think as God thinks. God is working on us everyday. 

 

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” -Romans 12:2

 

This process of renewing our minds will take place little by little. Don’t be discouraged if this process seems slow, it doesn’t happen over time. Don’t give up when you have setbacks or bad days. Get up and dust yourself off and start again. 

 

 

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” -Romans 8:18

 

We are God’s children and just like babies we are learning to walk with the Lord. Are we going to get it right, right off? No, but keep on trying. We will have bad days when we won’t do everything right and we will have days when we have negativity in our thoughts. But never stop trying, God is gradually bringing us around to His way of thinking.

 

“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” -Joshua 1:5

 

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” - Luke 18:1

 

 

Father, I humbly approach your throne of grace and mercy today asking that you touch the lives of those who are struggling, battling and fighting with what we cannot even being to comprehend. Illness. Disease. Depression. Anxiety. Father, I rebuke them in Your mighty name, I curse it out! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

No room for you

We all have at some point in our life gone through discouragement. I have and more so now, since beginning my journey, I am battling with the enemy on a daily bases when it comes to my faith. . The enemy likes to use people that you are the closest with and even the people that you go to church with and but I am learning more and more everyday that it is just the attack of the enemy.
Does the enemy want me walking with the Lord? Of course he doesn't, he wants me to live like the World and do what everyone is doing in the World. I, on the other hand, don't. I am tired of feeling like I don't fit in because I don't do what everyone else is doing. That doesn't make me a bad person, it makes me a strong person. I no longer want to blend it, I want to stand out. To be able to stand up for what I feel is right, it feels really good.  The stronger I am getting in my faith the more the enemy is trying his hardest to discourage me. Yes, there are days that the enemy does get the best of me but doesn't mean that I let him completely take over. When I have days like that I just close my eyes and start praising the Lord and ask Him for guidance and strength to defeat the enemy and I tell the enemy you have no place in my life and that he needs to leave IN THE NAME OF JESUS. You can't do it on your own, you need the Lord to help you. Remember the Lord will never leave you and He is the only one in your life that will never change, He is the same as yesterday, today and forever. 

When Jesus was in the wilderness the enemy tried to tempt Him in Matthew 4:1-11 but in the end, Jesus just kept saying that it is written and the enemy had to finally leave him alone.

Matthew 4:1-11 KJV
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
² And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
³ And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
⁴ But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
⁵ Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
⁷ Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
⁸ Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
⁹ And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
¹¹ Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.


 There is nothing too big or too hard for the Lord. Our Lord will always be here for us, in Hebrews 13:5 it says " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee". God is always faithful and true to His Word. When we are even going through our worse days, He is still going to be with us. Our God is a loving God and He sees Christ in us. 

John 8:32 says " And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 It is important for us to read God's Word.
When I go to church or even just sitting at the table and reading my bible, I become filled with joy and happiness. I know that one day I will be going home to be with our Lord and Savior. I hunger for God's Word and I have noticed that no matter how many times I have read my Bible, each and every one of those scriptures will always have a different meaning to them. 

I will tell you that this journey is not easy but I will say this, I enjoy this journey I am on now. There are so many wonderful rewards that come with serving the Lord and I don't mean object type of reward, it is spiritually rewarding. 

There will always be discouragement in our lives but we all just need to not let it control our lives because it is just the work of the enemy. Just put it in the Lords' hands and He will take care of it all. 

Lord,
I come to you today asking for anyone that need guidance that you show them and for them to have strength in any battle that they are going through in their lives. Thank you for being the loving God that you are. I praise you Jesus.

In the name of Jesus
Amen

 

Children and Faith

Children can truly amaze you with what they know when you think they wouldn't. When you think they are not listening, they are. Children can hear everything you say and see everything you do, you might think they didn't hear what you said or just see what you did until they repeat what you said and do what you just did.
 I am living this right now where my 2 going 3 years old and 4 going on 5 years old, not only are they listening and doing what my husband and I do, but my daughter will repeat everything her big brother will do. There are moments when my husband and I will slip and say something that shouldn't have been said and it is of course to late to take it back, especially when your kids are sitting there and repeat you. You then have to explain to them that what mommy and daddy said was bad and that we shouldn't have said it,  you can't really discipline them for what you did.

I have just in the last few months noticed how much my children pay attention to my husband and I, especially over the Christmas holidays. For Christmas, my son and daughter bought me earrings and a heart-shaped necklace that you could put little charms in it, but these weren't just any kind of necklace and earring. The earrings were of crosses and the necklace had my daughters favorite color pink gems, and my favorite color green gems and a charm that says mom but one charm the stuck out the most to me was a cross charm with little green stones in. My kids could have picked anything out but they chose those and it really showed me how much they have paid attention. When I am sitting at the kitchen table or when I am at my in-laws sitting at their dining room table doing my bible studies, the kids will come in and say " Mommy are you studying your Bible" or my daughter will look at me and say " This your Bible mommy".  To some, this might not mean a lot but to me it does, when I was growing up I didn't have the upbringing of going to church and growing my relationship with the Lord. So I always told myself that when I have kids, I want them to have had a relationship with the Lord. It was and still is something that I have very strong feelings about with my kids being in church and learning.

 Our children are wonderful gifts from God, they are full of so much innocence, joy, and laughter. You can learn so much from children then you think you can. They are like sponges and absorb so much information from the day to day interactions with people. When my son has to remind us, adults, that we need to pray over our food then I know that I am doing something right with him. Us adults let our lives become so busy that we forget what is important until a child reminds us.

Tonight my son and daughter were playing with their kitchen set and they decided to bring down their food and set up the coffee tables as if they are having a feast. They both came running into the kitchen and asked me to come and sit with them and have the wonderful meal they prepared with they play food. As I was finishing up what I was doing my daughter came back into the kitchen and look at her bother and I and said we need to pray. She kept repeating it until we were all seated around the coffee table and she put her hands out for us to take and she said " Jesus, thank you for this food. Amen" Now as a parent this really touched me so deeply and made me cry inside, to know that your kids want to have a relationship with the Lord, is truly the most amazing feeling. As we were sitting there I asked them " What are you thankful for" and my son looked at me and said " I am thankful for God" I pray that my child as they grow up will want to keep growing in Lord.


Matthew 18:2-6 AMP says:
"2 And He called a little child to Himself and put him the midst of them, 3 And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children (trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving), you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (at all) 4 Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child (trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving) is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives and accepts and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My name receives and accepts and welcomes Me. 6 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in and acknowledge and cleave to Me to stumble and sin (that is, who entices him or hinders him in right conduct or thought), it would be better (more expedient and profitable or advantageous) for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be sunk in the depth of the sea." 

We as parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc... we are the ones that children look up to and they do and say what they see from us. We are not perfect by any means but its something we all need to work on, I will be the first to raise my hand and say "Yes, I have said and done things in front of my kids that I know I shouldn't have, and it is something I keep working on every day." I myself am the one I have to blame and remind my kids that they shouldn't do whatever they did that they weren't supposed to.
My kids sometimes are the ones that remind me that I shouldn't have done that or said that.
One thing we don't allow our kids to say is "Oh My God" and that they have to say "Oh My Gosh" instead. Well, there was one day that my mother in law did something and she said "Oh My God" and my daughter looked at said, " Don't say that Meme." She knew that saying that was not allowed. This is where our children can listen and can remind us of things that we forget.

I just recently did a Bible lesson with my son a week ago and it was on Us VS the World and it was a teaching on how we should be like the world and that when we become the world we are letting sin into our lives. The lesson had a demonstration with it, you took water, oil and red food coloring. The Water represented the World, Oil represented Us and the Red food coloring represented Sin. So my son and I poured the water in and then poured the oil in, I explained to him how the oil separates from the water. Then we added the red food coloring and I then explained to him how the red doesn't mix with the oil, that just slides through but once it gets into the water that it turns the water red. We then took a spoon and stirred the everything together and told him that sometimes we sin and we become like the World, so we need to repent by asking Jesus for forgiveness. As the water and oil started to separate I told him that once we ask Jesus for forgiveness for our sins, we can separate from the "World" and that we are making the decision the not let the devil take over our lives anymore.
After everything separated, We took a flashlight and shined it through the oil and through the red water, and saw how the light won't cut through the red water but it really lights up the oil.
We did this lesson again this past weekend and before we started it I asked him what the water, oil and red food coloring represented and he told me, then he was asked again tonight and he told me all the right answers.


In Matthew 5:14 says:
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."

and in 1 John 4:1-11 says:

"4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. ² By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source]; ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus [acknowledging that He has come in the flesh, but would deny any of the Son’s true nature] is not of God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world. ⁴ Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind]. ⁵ They [who teach twisted doctrine] are of the world and belong to it; therefore they speak from the [viewpoint of the] world [with its immoral freedom and baseless theories—demanding compliance with their opinions and ridiculing the values of the upright], and the [gullible one of the] world listens closely and pays attention to them. ⁶ We [who teach God’s word] are from God [energized by the Holy Spirit], and whoever knows God [through personal experience] listens to us [and has a deeper understanding of Him]. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know [without any doubt] the spirit of truth [motivated by God] and the spirit of error [motivated by Satan].

⁷ Beloved, let us [unselfishly] ^[a]love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience]. ⁸ The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] ⁹ By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath]. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us [in this incredible way], we also ought to love one another.

Think before you say " Oh they won't remember any of that or they aren't paying attention to what we are doing or saying so there is nothing to be worried about." In the end, they remember, and pay attention to everything.
Our children have more faith then we do sometimes and they lead by example.

So hug your children and show them the love that they need and remind them that not only do you love them and will be there for them, but God loves them and will never leave them. There are children out there that don't have faith in their homes and that don't have the love and care that they need. Please pray for your children and for all of Gods children out there.
Lord,
I come to you tonight to guide your children tonight and show them that you are there and will never leave them or forsake them. Give the children out there tonight that are in need of love and strength. Touch your people and heal them in whatever they need healing in, Lord. I praise you Jesus and Love your beautiful name.

In Jesus name,
Amen.

God & I

Every night that I sit down and start studying God's Word, my relationship with God is growing and getting stronger every minute and every second.

Growing up I was always told that I didn't have to go to church to believe in God. That is something that has always stuck with me and I knew that God loved me no matter what but I knew that I need so much more and that I wanted to grow my relationship with Him more, I knew that it all started with going to Church but that was about it. Growing up I always craved so much more, I was hungry for the Word of God but once again I honestly didn't know what to do.

I remember the summer of 2002 I went to Baptise Park for a week and it was the best week I ever had, I felt like I was in the right place and that this is where I am supposed to be. When I got home from Bible camp I was ready to change things and focus more my relationship with God, but I had one friend make fun of me and would laugh at the fact that I believed in God. That really discouraged me, so I let them get to me and I walked away. So for the last 16 years, there was a big void in my life and I knew what that void was, but I was scared that people would think I was being fake and that judge me. Though the summer of 2018 I finally decided to make the change that I should of stuck with a long time ago, I no longer care what people think about me making this change, it is a change that has been the best decision that I have made in the last 7 1/2 months.

To hear my family tell me how proud they are of me and how much that they have seen me grow in the Lord, it makes me feel so good and that I am where I am supposed to be in life.
God has wonderful plans for me and I am excited to see those plans unfold.

When I talk about the Lord and share what I have learned from my studies, I get so excited and so much adrenaline goes through my body. Before accepting the Lord, I never understood what people were talking about when they would discuss the Bible, so I normally would just sit there and listen but now I get involved. It truly is a feeling that is hard to describe and a feeling like no other feeling I have ever felt before.

I know that there will be people in my life that probably won't like these changes that I have decided to make but I have learned to not let that bother me. It is out of my control and that I just need to put it in the Lord's hands. I have learned that I can't make these changes in my life by myself and that I need the Lords help. He has helped me forget the mistakes that I have made in my past, He has helped me forgive the ones that have hurt me, He has helped me let go of what I can't control and He has helped me realize that change isn't a bad thing. There is so much more I have to learn, as long as keep making time to spend with God, I will keep growing.

There have been days that have been more of a battle than others but I have learned how to get through them. I have learned that it is just the enemy trying to get in the way of my growth. I know that the enemy will keep trying to discourage me but the enemy will not get the best of me anymore. There is a saying that I have read in my studies that stays with me every day "Every new level, there is a new devil" 

It is amazing how when you put your trust in the Lord, He can do amazing things. He has done so much for my family and me, I am very thankful every day for all the small and big things He has done and is still doing for us.

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

1 Peter 2:2-3 

Now that I have made spending time with God every night a big priority in my life, I feel guilty when I miss a night or 2. Before I was someone that would say when I have time I will get to it, but I have learned that I need to make the time.

Lord,

Thank you for being a wonderful God. I pray that you give your people that guidance and descernment. Touch your people today Lord as they go through their day and give them the strength to get through their battles. Heal your people that need the healing.

In Jesus name

Amen

Work of The Enemy

Well, today was a day that the enemy had it out for me, anything that could possibly upset me did and I recognized his tricks and as I went into town and to go check on my brother in laws house, the devil and I had it out. I was not putting up with it and told him he needs to leave and does NOT have authority over my life no more and that he needed to back off In the name of Jesus!!!! I felt so much better after and my day went a better, I was able to enjoy my day with my family. The kids and I played some hide and seek, the laughter seemed to come all the way from their toes. When you let the enemy get the best of you, you are letting him steal all your joy that you have. Now jumping to right now I know he has it out for me, when I opened my laptop to start writing this blog tonight, my screen just stayed black, I ended up resting it, the screen still stayed black until I started letting in to the enemy and telling him I know this is your tricks and that I will find one way or another to write tonight and that God will help me find a way. After that my screen turned on and now here I am writing.

This was the work of the devil. There are so many things that the enemy will do to discourage you from doing things that are right.

Work of the Enemy:
-Destruction
-Emotions( the enemy wants us to act on our emotions, Our emotions are our #1 enemy)
-Discouragement
-Fear(common way Satan attacks)
When we let fear control our lives it will destroy and make us miserable, it is one of the tools that the devil will us against us. Fear is the opposite of faith. God wants us to walk in faith but the devil wants to walk by fear. Fear will never stop coming against us, it will always be there but we can't submit to it. It is a spirit that produces physical and emotional symptoms. The way to conquer fear is to press on through it and get to the other side of it. The Word says "fear not".
-Temptation

These are some of the ways that the enemy uses. Satan works overtime.

For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 AMP

 Satan will take advantage and Satan is against us.
In life there is will always be times where we are sad and its normal but the longer we stay sad it leaves an open door for Satan to push himself further into our lives, bringing more serious problems that he brings with him. Your sadness will eventually lead to:
-Discouragement
-Despair
-Depression

At one point in my life, I stayed sad too long and I did have a lot of discouragement with my life, I got jealous of people that had lives that I dreamed of having, and I would get so angry with myself and beat myself up about it. I then started getting depressed and I always thought how come everyone around me could be so cheerful. Until one day I actually opened my eyes and noticed that this was all the works of the devil and I needed to stop it from happening. The devil will never go away but there are so many ways to defeat him and the #1 way is accepting the Lord!!!!

Know the enemy has many names but there are four that we know very well:
1)Enemy
2)Devil
3)Satan
4) Serpent (snake)

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 AMP

These verses in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 indicate that we need to keep increasing our knowledge of the things God for us to stay ahead of the devil and win the war.

The devil will try to influence our minds, attack us with disappointment and strike at our points of weakness.
You must recognize the lies of Satan and stop believing him. Today was one of those days that I recognize what satan was doing and I put a stop to it real fast. When you stop believing him you we definitly notice a difference.

In Luke 4 satan tempted Jesus but Jesus repeatedly said to Satan "It is written" and quoted scriptures that directly addressed the enemy's lies and tempting schemes. Persistence is vital to victory in our lives. 

So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you
James 4:7 AMP

It's a twofold thing:
-Can't resist the devil without submitting to God but you can't submit to God without resisting the devil.

Satan is a thief and wants to steal everything that is good from us. He doesn't want us to be happy or have a good time, satan steals from us the opportunity to do good and be blessed. He wants destruction in our lives, Satan tempts us to live a low life but as long as we have God in our life, God tempts us to come up higher.
Through the Spirit of God, you can resist the devil and win the battle. 

But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.
Romans 6:22 AMP 

Resisting the devil I will tell you is not easy, it is a battle you will fight and continue to fight. Just have to recognize the devil's tactics, as long as you keep that door open for the devil, he will get in and start destroying you and how he works is by working from the outside in, as with God he works from the inside out. If you are going to let anyone into your life, let God in.


Lord,
I will never stop thanking you for giving me the strength to overcome the devil and thanking you for being there for me. I ask that you help the ones that are struggling with these battles and give them comfort knowing that they have you they can come to you. Touch your people tonight Lord.

In Jesus' name
Amen 

  

 

Bread for daily use

This one picture here speaks so loudly to me, right when I came across this so much just flooded my mind.
How many of us pick up your Bible on a daily bases or just pick up on Sunday mornings for church or just let it collect dust? I am guilty of just letting my Bible collect dust and never pick it up, even when I would go to church I never brought it. Now I read it almost every single night and bring it with me every Sunday and everywhere I go if I am staying overnight. On road trips with the family, I will bring it and read it as much as I can before we get to our destination. My in-laws and my husband will tell you that my nose is pretty much in my Bible and have a pen or highlighter in my hand and paper by my side. I even call or facetime my aunt to ask a question or tell her about what I have learned or as we call it "Church on the phone"

When you read your Bible you are always going to get a different experience, you could read the same scriptures over and over again and there will be one that will pop out at you that didn't before.
When I first started reading my Bible, there were family issues going on so any verse that spoke about issues popped out at me and especially the ones that were about accepting the Lord. Now every time I am going through something that day and I pick up my Bible there is always something that sticks out.

Out of all the books, I have read, the Bible is the one book that I love and will keep reading. I have learned so much and in the process, I have learned so much about myself, the Bible has helped me change my life for the good and better understand how to handle when things go wrong. I have learned not to stress out as much and how not to let the little things bother me as much.
So at night when my husband and kids are all in bed, I will gather all the things that I will need and start studying and talk with the Lord.

This is what my nights look like and sometimes I will have all my other versions of my Bibles out and my other books that help me. When I started I didn't know where to start reading until my aunt suggested that I start reading all of the New Testament. Starting with the New Testament, it will lead you right. It will help you understand all Jesus went through for us.

If you have a Bible in your home, go and get it, sit down in a quiet place and start with the New Testament. This past summer I read the New Testament and I am now I am starting the Old Testament and in between that I studied topics like emotions, fear, change and so much more I relate to and was still struggling with. This really all helped me better understand things, and I heard from listening to Joyce Meyer that if you don't know what to study, just open the Bible up to Proverbs, Proverbs has as many chapters in it as there are days in one month. For example, today is the 14th so you would go to Proverbs 14 and ready that chapter and study it.

Take the time to sit down and read the bible. It takes 21 days to get in the habit of doing something, I have been doing this habit for 7 months now and it is the best habit to have to be truly honest with you all. My family will tell you I am one to never stick with something for more than a month but this I have stuck with since June 10, 2018, and I plan on sticking with for the rest of my life.

Lord,
Thank you for your guidance. Touch your people tonight, give them the guidance that they need to get through the hard times in life. I speak healing on all the need it. I love you Lord and Praise you.

In Jesus' name
Amen

Emotion take over

There isn't a day that someone lets their emotions get the best of them.
I am guilty as charged when it comes to my emotions, I will admit that I show them way to easily. People can tell when I am happy, sad or really upset. No matter how hard I tried to hide them I couldn't, I even would give myself a talk about how I am not going to show my emotions so easily but that was an epic fall.
I am the type that when I walk into a room and there is at least one person in the room with a poor attitude it will affect how my mood is going to be or if everyone in the room is in a good mood then my mood went along with it. I have struggled so much with my emotions being like that and I still struggle a little but not as much.

I have learned so much about how I can handle my emotions through God.
 I have learned to seek God to learn how to manage my them and not allow them to manage my life.

If we let our emotions control our lives then how are you going to be able to enjoy anything.
It is truly miserable letting your emotions get the best of you. It was the worse for me when I would go on vacation with the family, the holidays when the whole family gets together, so much would be going on that I would start getting mixed emotions and when all my emotions would mix together I would have a hard time to handle them. Most of the time it wasn't a good time, I would get short with people and as much as I tried to force myself to have a good time, I just ended up being miserable that it just made things worse for me. I at the time didn't realize that I was effecting everyone around me because they wanted me to have a good time but didn't understand why I was so upset. 

I have learned that part of the devil's plan is for us to follow our emotions, he wants us to react with anger and sadness. He wants us to feel like there is no hope and that we have the feeling of giving up. The devil tries to discourage us, but what he does not like is when we turn to God.

Managing our emotions isn't going to happen overnight, it is something that we need to work on. We can't let our emotions make our decisions for us, when we act on emotions it could lead to making decisions that we could regret after doing it or later on down the road. I have made so many mistakes by letting my emotions take control. I have missed out on a lot, even when being somewheres, I never let myself have fun or enjoy things when letting my emotions manage things. Now that I have self -control of my emotions I enjoy a lot more now.

Self-control is freedom

In 1Peter 5:8-9 it teaches us to be well-balanced and temperate to keep Satan from devouring us.

"and there are three witnesses on the earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree [are in unison; their testimony coincides]. If we accept [as we do] the testimony of men [if we are willing to take human authority], the testimony of God is greater (of strong authority), for this is the testimony of God, even the witness which He has borne regarding His Son. 
1Peter 5:8-9 AMP


 Here is a question you can ask yourself:

Do you let your emotions manage you?

My answer is I do, I might not let them manage me as much as I use to let them since learningself-control but there are some points in my life I am still working on and I do let the emotions get the best of me. My husband usually has to remind me that its just the devil trying to get the best of me, though I will admit that sometimes when he tells me that when I am in a mood I feel like slapping him silly but then I have to tell myself that he is right and that I need to check myself and give it over to God.
When you believe that you're not managing your emotions just being to pray and seek God for emotional maturity. He is there to help you.

Here are a few statements I would like to share with you all that I had read:

1) He who lives by emotions lives without principle
2)We cannot be spiritual (walk in the spirit) and be led by emotions
3)Emotions won't go away, but you can learn to manage them
4)You can have emotions, but you can't always rely on them

We all need to learn how to live beyond our feelings and do what's right. It can be dangerouse when we make decisions based on how we feel rather than obeying God and doing what we know is right.

If you are tired of letting your emotions control your life, seek God for guidance. I promise you that you won't regret it.
I am enjoying life a lot more now than I ever have before and it is so rewarding. There is no more stressing, no more over thinking and no more going crazy when things don't go a certain way. No more letting my emotions get the best of me.

Lord,
I thank you for giving me the guidance I needed to stopping letting my emotions manage me. I also ask that you give the people the guidance that they need and to touch your people tonight. I speak healing over all that is reading this. I Praise you Lord

In Jesus' name
Amen
 

Why Me?

Why me? Is the famous question everyone asks themselves when something keeps going wrong in their life. I know I was famous for asking Why me? Why this happening to me? Why of all days does it have to be today? Why can't things just be easy for me? Why do other people have it easier?
These are all Why me questions that we all ask ourselves when we end up going through hard times.
Some peoples hardship is different from others.
For example of some hardships:
-Finacle
-Divorce
-Losing a loved one
-Vehicle breaking down
-Losing a home
-Losing a job
There is so much that is happening to all of us, that sometimes, well the majority of the time, it gets so overwhelming that we don't know what to do besides stress about how this is all going to work out in the end.
This past December was truly a test with my faith and all before Christmas. My husbands half brothers mother passed away, then the next day my grandfather had to airlift to the hospital downstate for his heart, the van broke down on the side of the road when my husband left work to come home, the alternator and the pully had to be replaced, then someone hit the bumper on the passenger side of the van while I was in the store ( no one was in the vehicle when it happened and the gentleman did come and get me), then my hot water heater decided it doesn't want to work, called the plumber and he came and fixed it, the water heater worked for a day then stopped. So I normally would have been freaking out with all of this happening but it's not worth it, yes it does stink that it is all happening but I know it is good at the end.

 He hushes the storm to a calm and to a gentle whisper, so that the waves of the sea are still
Psalms 107:29 AMP


We need to believe that when we go through hard times, that in the end the, results will be good.
Probably to some that sound absolutely crazy to think that there will be a good outcome in the end. But we need to remember that God is going to work it all out for us in the end.

One night I read that Jesus had to experience hard times too and that if He hadn't endured, then we'd all be left without a Savior and no forgiveness of our sins.
There are usually two sides to everything. For example, there are two sides to the cross
Side 1: A crucifixion side
Side2: A resurrection side
See Jesus had to endure one side to get to the other side.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time [this present life] are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!
Romans 8:18 AMP 

It seems that we only grow during the hard times in our lives, because of this we really press into God and go to a deeper level in our relationship with Him.
I know that when I am going through some hardship, I sit down where ever I am at and start talking with God and asking him what he wants me to do during this time in need and I put it in God's hands. There isn't much you can do, stressing won't make it go away, it will just drive you nuts thinking about it all the time. Things will always work out in the end, it might not happen right off but it will work out. God is always there working something out for us to have good. He is a wonderful God and he will never leave you.
When we trust God, He gives us the comfort of knowing that He can work bad things out for our good.

" Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus. Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 Amp

When we start thinking about all the negative stuff that could happen during our hard times, that is just the devil trying to get you to believe all that you are thinking. He thrives on all of our problems, but the one thing that he can't stand is when we start putting our faith into God. He doesn't want you having that relationship with God, the devil doesn't want you to better yourself.

I read this and I absolutely love it, "That every new level, there is a new devil"
So when you feel like nothing is going right, just put it in the Lord's hands. I find that I don't stress out like I use to, I don't over think things when things do go right. It truly has made my life so much easier. I will always going through hard times but I know now that it will all work out in the end.

Lord,
Thank for always being there for us in our time of need. I pray that you Lord can guide your people tonight. Bring them comfort in knowing that there will be good for them in the end. I love you Lord and Praise you, Lord.

In Jesus name
Amen

Being Thankful

 We should never go a day without being thankful but also being thankful for the small things that we all take for granted. Be thankful for our:
-Homes
-Transportation
-Health
-Food that we put on our tables every night
- Our freedom
-Safety and Security

We forget how blessed we are when we let our lives get so busy. We should take more time during our busy lives to be thankful for the small things and to thank our Lord.

I am an example of never taking the time during my day to be thankful for the small things and I was the type that never saw the wonderful things that our Lord was doing in my life. Now that I take the time to sit down and study the Word of God and to thank Him, I have seen such amazing and wonderful things happening for my family and me.
The things I am thankful for is:
-A roof over my head
-having 2 healthy babies
-all the things my husband does for his family
-the food that is put on our table
-my vehicle
-having heat and running water
-Our Lord and Savior
There is so much more I am thankful for.

This is why maintaining an attitude of gratitude is something we need to do on purpose. See the little things that we complain about is someone else's dream to have or be doing. I am thankful that I am able to go on vacations and being able to do the things that I am able to do with my family and friends, even if it is just staying home doing something.

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]
1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP

Even when we are going through a hard time we should still be thankful. You all are wondering why I am say we should be thankful even when we are going through hard times. There is always someone out there that is probably having it a little bit harder than you are. I never understood it either until I accepted the Lord this past summer and as I have gone through some hard times, I have just put in the Lord's hands and said that you got this Lord and that things will work out. I will never go a day without thanking and Praising the Lord.
During your day make it a point to be grateful for things that you have. When giving thanks it is simply a way to show God how grateful we are for who He is.

When you are giving thanks to God it also:
-Gives us a new perspective
-Our minds renewed
-Our attitude is improved
-We are fulled with Joy

You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 AMP

Before accepting the Lord I was a miserable person, a majority of the time I didn't want to be around people or do things with people. I possibly didn't like myself. Now I am a lot different then I was a year ago. I have more joy in my life now, my attitude towards people and doing things with people have changed for the good. It makes a world of difference when you just open to the Lord and make that next step and letting Him in fully. I am not saying I am perfect because I am far from that, I will probably still make mistakes but I will never go back to the way my life was before. This is where I am thankful that I have the Lord in my life now and I am thankful for all the wonderful things He has done in my life small or big. 

What some people do realize that when you let Him into your life and when you are thankful for all the things He has done or has planned for you.

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.
Romans 8:28

The next time that you feel like things are falling apart around you, remember all the things that you should be thankful for and give thanks to the Lord. In the end all things will work out for the good. God is always going to work it out for our good.

Lord,
I came to you to give you thanks for all that you have sacrificed for us to have the lives that we have. Also Lord I ask that you touch your people tonight to give them the strength to over come their battles in life. I speak healing on all that are reading this. You are a amazing God. 
In Jesus' name
Amen

My Journey

If someone told me that there will be a day I will accept the Lord into my heart, I probably would have thought they were crazy. But here I am today to tell you, I have accepted Him and how much it has changed me. My journey didn't just start in 2018, it started in the Spring of 2017.
   Apart of me was in denial and the other part wanted to accept what was happening. It all started on Sunday at church, as I was walking in with my family, I felt a warm fuzzy feeling through my body. It wasn't the normal warm fuzzy feeling that you would get coming in from the cold winter weather. My whole body from my head to my toes started getting really warm. Once the service started I felt like I had tunnel vision, the only person I could see or hear was the pastor. This happened throughout the whole service. The room also had such a warm glow to it that made everything comfortable, as the pastor was preaching, I felt like he was directly talking to me. To be honest, it scared me, this had never happened to me before, so once service was done I just kind of shrugged it off. Though I felt emotional these emotions were different and they came to me all at once and I had no control over them.
   Next Sunday came and it happened again as I walked into the church. I got the warm fuzzy feeling, the tunnel vision, room getting the warm bright glow and once again it felt like the pastor was talking directly to me. This Sunday though I couldn't shrug it off, this time it scared me more and I was more emotional than the Sunday before. I ended up running out of the church crying from all the emotion I was feeling and not knowing what was going on.
    At this time I didn't know what really was going on with me. I didn't know I was under conviction and that God was trying to talk to me both those Sundays. After all of this, I stopped going to church, I started pushing my loved ones away. As the summer was coming to an end I really spiraled downwards with finding ways to push everyone away and not wanting to do anything with them. There was a lot going on with me and my body, as I got my body taken care of I felt a little better but there was still a part of me that still wasn't right. I just know what it was at the time.

     Now fast forward to June 10, 2018, this is the day that truly changed my life and what began my new journey.

     That night I was sitting in the camper on the couch with Nan. That night she was sitting in her chair listening to Nancy Harmon on Facebook. Nancy that night had two guest Prophet, Kimberly, and Jimmy. That night Prophet Kimberly was preaching and sing to the music that Nancy Harmon records and sings herself. As I was sitting on the couch I was listening to the service as I was doing something else and as Prophet Kimberly was preaching it felt like she was talking to me, but I kept it to myself. As service kept going I found myself getting more into it, then all of a sudden Nan turned and looked at me and asked: " Have you ever thought about accepting the Lord into your heart?" I kind of looked at her puzzled for a second. For me that came out of nowhere, so I told her I have thought about it and that yes I wanted to. Before I could get more words out of my mouth I felt all the different emotions flooding in like they did those two Sundays in church.
   Nan then gets up and said, " we are doing this." I get up and she to me to take her hands and to repeat after her. As I was repeating after her the tears just rolling down my face, it was like the floodgates just busted open for the first time in years. I some point I couldn't repeat a few words because I was crying and had a hard time to get words out of my mouth. I've cried a lot before but this was different, it felt like the tears were washing away my past, the pain, all my wrongdoings, all the burdens I kept all these years and the grudges. I felt all the weight I was carrying all these years be lifted up and be gone, I had a fresh new start to my life.

     As I started this new journey, I have had my struggles but every day  I am fighting this battle with the enemy and as every day passes I keep getting stronger. I am no longer letting the devil control my life, I am stepping up and taking control. He has no power anymore and he is to get behind me and take a hike. With all the support of my family, I know I can do this, but more of all I thank the Lord for guiding me through this journey. Our God is a mighty God. When I do have bad days I play my all time favorite song  I have come to Far to look back By Nancy Harmon and it helps me get through my day.

   This month January 10th will make 7 months that I have been on my journey with our Lord and Savior and it has been wonderful. I have read all of the New Testament, I have been studying God's Word and keeping a binder with all my Bible study notes, I go to morning and night services every Sunday and keep my notes from those services. All of this has truly helped me grow my relationship with God and I have noticed more good things are coming out from my bad situations.
In one of my Bible study topics Hardship, I read that we need to believe that when we go through hard times, the result will be good and that we need to remember that God is going to work it out for our good.
These last few months have had their ups and downs, but I have my faith even when there have been times that I wanted to give up but I remind myself I don't want to go back to who I was before. God, my faith and my family keep me going.
Last month (December) was truly something, it felt like it was my biggest test. From December 3rd till December 26th there has been loss, sickness, discouragement within the church for me, my van  getting hit in the rear, my van breaking down on my husband as he was coming home from work, the van had to have two new parts, then bringing it to another garage the day after Christmas to get the rear end fixed. But in the end there was always good, they might have not happened right there and then but that has happened. When the good always happens it was in different ways. This is where we need to believe that God is always working things out for us to have good in the end. During these events last month I did cry and wonder how are things going to work out but I remembered to just say " You got this God, you will find a way" and because I have changed my life and now serving the Lord, I don't stress out the way I use too and that it has made things easier for me.
 Not a day goes by that I don't regret accepting the Lord. It was one of the best decisions I made for me and my family. If you asked my son and daughter who loves them or who is in their heart, they will tell you their answer and it is Jesus and they know the true meaning of Christmas and it isn't about how many gifts they are going to get. They know it is celebrating Jesus' birthday. This Christmas when we sat down to eat, my son says a prayer as normal and at the end, he said, Happy Birthday Jesus. My son and daughter for only 4 and 2, to know that my husband and I are doing something right, it makes us feel really good.

  Lord,
I come to you tonight asking that whoever is reading this that you give them the strength in whatever that they are going to though, hard times, sickness, financial, guiding them through their walk with you, Lord. Touch your people tonight, Lord. I praise you Lord, Hallelujah. I love you, Lord.
In Jesus name.
Amen