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Life, who can explain it? Can we exchange it, rearrange it, or must we keep it? What is this thing called life that we wake up to everyday? Is it just living for that one particular day, hour, second,and moment? Is it getting up at the crack of dawn making coffee, tea, eggs, sausage, baccon, and toast? Is it sitting at the breakfast table reading the morning newspaper quietly, or is it smoking whatever you feel you want while watching television, or walking the dog?
What is this thing called life? Can it be explained to me? Can it be understood? Can it be reckoned with? Can it be bought? Can it be sold? Can it be given away? Is it listening to the sounds of nature? Is it the feel of the wind blowing, the sound of the rain falling on the ground, and pitter patter on on my window? Is it the sound of booming thunder and crashing lightening? Is it the stars and moon that sparkle in the night sky, or is it the color of the blue sky as the clouds roll on by?
Is it the warmth of the bright Summer sun, or is it the sound of the waves crashing against the seashore? Is it watching the birds fly by, or is it listening to the squirrels play way up tree top high? Is it the flowers that bloom, or the grass that grow, is it going to be here forever more? Life, what is this thing called life? Is it singing in the shower, or dancing to your favorite tune, is it listening to the radio while gazing at the moon? Is it sitting quietly with the one you love, or is it holding hands being in love? Is it that first sweet kiss, or is it thinking about that loved one that you miss?
Is it cruising in your car on a long stretch of highway, or is it stopping at your favorite resturant eating on your favorite ice cream sundae? Is it walking in the park during the Fall, or is it carelessly leaning against a wall? Is it the trees that bloom that produce nuts and fruit, or is it the height of a tree stump that still has its roots? Is it the smell of gasoline in the air that we breathe, or is it the hustle and bustle on the everyday secne? Is it the walking and grinding getting the paper made, or is it family members sitting and talking playing spades? Is it the children running and playing and saying, “How do you do”?, or is it that special someone showing you how much they love and care for you?
Life, what is this thing called life? Is it a mystery all its own? Will we ever figure it out? Will we continue tyring to learn about it? Will we forever be lost to the meaning of it, or will we give up on it, or will it give up on us? will we ever get all of our questions answered about it, whose to say, because I just don’t know. Life! What is this thing called life? Is it the sound of a baby’s first cry, or is it when your children are all grown up and they say,”bye, bye”? Is it when they’re on their own and the feeling of emptiness sets in? Is life all about growing up and moving on? Is it living life alone? Is it happiness, gladness, heartache, and pain, or is it roses and candy, and candles from a man? Is it a fine dress, a niace pair of shoes, and a hat and purse to match, or is it a picther at a baseball game making their first catch?
Is it the smell after a rain, or the rainbow in the sky, or is it the smile of someone just saying , “Hi”! Is it the feeling that you feel after love has been made, or is it the sweet smell of a freshly baked cake? Is it stars and rockets and the beating of ones heart, or is it your parents telling you that you are smart? Is it finally doing something that you love ; that you know was given as a blessing from above? Life, what is this thing called life? Is it having good and bad neighbors, or is it forgiving, forgetting, and moving on? Is it wishing and praying to have your own home? Is it buying that first new vehicle on your own? Is it polishing your nails with decorations that you imagine from your own mind, or is it getting your hair done just passing time? Is it catching a thief that steals from you, or is it beating them down and telling them,”You got what was coming to you”.
Life, what is this thing called life? Is it getting rich making it in the world being successful, or is it failing and starting over again? Is it picking up the broken pieces of glass that’s been shattered, or is it putting it back together asking yourself did it all really matter? Is it worth the time we spend thinking about shoulda, woulda, coulda, or is it just doing something for recognition? Life, was it planned to make us weak or strong? Life, was it planned to bring us up or down? Life, was it planned to bring us misery, or was it planned for us, or against us?
Life has been lost, and life cries from the shedding of blood lost; being carried to the grave, buried and put to rest. Life, a moment, a second, a vapor, a puff of smoke, a blade of grass, and a withered flower in the sun. Life, breath of God we breathe, taken for granted like a cool breeze. Life laid down and died and was raised again. Life, what is this thing called life? Here is the answer we’ve all been waiting for: Jesus Christ! He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the ultimate meaning of this thing we call life. He is the Alpha, Omega, the beginning, and the end, the first and the last, the author and finisher , and the perfector of our faith. He lives in us, and we live in Him. He is our life, our hope, and our redeemer!
The very first time I wrote this passage, I had only been a Christian twelve years. Every time I would read the Word, questions would arise in my thoughts as I would be reading. Whenever I would finish reading, all of the words would come together to the questions that I had. I started writing everything down, and before I knew it, I’ve written a whole passage of questions and answers, but the answers would not come until the end. God gives me things to write about so I will have a better understandig of what is being said to me. All of the bold writing was written 7/14/2011. I never thought that I would ever get to share what I have written with anyone.
I hope and pray that those of you who comes across this message enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed rewriting it; before it was written in longhand on paper with an ink pen. This is the very first time this has ever been published. I thank God for all of the abilities of writing He has give to me to share and spread the Good News. He is an Amazing God! I am so thankful that He is in my life, I would not be here if it were not for Him blessing me and bring me through all of my trials and tribulations. May His name be praised forever Amen!
All of these pictures were taken by my beautiful daughter that is in the picture with me. She is my baby girl. I just do not know what I would do if she were not in my life, I am so blessed that God chose me to be her mother. She is the apple of my eyes. I love her so much. She makes me laugh when I am sad, and she encourages me, and lifts me up when I am down. She is truly a blessing. It makes me sad when she is not around, especially when she is hanging out with her friends; it is as if she is gone forever and I am never going to see her again. We have always been close; when she started headstart, I literaly broke down and cried. I was not ready for her to leave me. She told me not to cry and that she would be back, I cried all the more. When I look back over the years from the time she was born until now, the years went by so fast. I blinked and she was walking, talking, running and playing, and getting into everything. She always tell me everyday how much she loves me, and just how much I mean to her. I always tell her that I am glad she is my daughter. I can just imagine how hard it is going to be when she gets ready to get her own place, I know that rivers of tears are going to flow and my husband is going to have to hold me tight to comfort me and wipe my tears away. I love my children more than I love myself, and if I am wrong, may God forgive me. I love my family. If I had to do it all over again, I would not do anything different. Her smile lights up any room. Her smile makes my heart smile. she told me one day, she said mother, I can see your heart, and I can feel you when your heart is broken. so I thought she was just making smalltalk, but she was telling the truth. She can look at me and say whats is wrong mother, and I will say nothing. She will tell me, yes it is, tell me. She says to me, mother, God got you, don’t worry. I smile and I tell her, yes He does.
We were sitting at the table eating, and my arm was paining me. She took my fork and said to me,” I will feed you mother, you fed me when I was small, and I will take care of you, you are my momma, I love you”. She tells me all of the time that I am like her sister and her best friend. I know that we will always be close and that will never change. All of the time that we spend together doing things, making memories that we will have to share with her children some day excites me for the future. All in all, she is still my little girl, but sometimes when I look at her I still see her as the little blanket baby we brought home from the hospital. It was raining that cold night in Feb. of 2003 on Valentines Day, she was born three days before that day. I still call her little bitty girl, or my girl.
No matter how old she gets, she will always be my baby. She is the last one. Miss Yas.
There are times in our lives when we go through things that we do not understand. I know that sometimes life can be a little hard, but it is only to help us focus on the one who has it all under control, and who has all of the answers to the things we do not understand. We tend to try to do things on our own and we end up even more frustrated and confused. We ask ourselves what are we doing wrong, and why is it so difficult just to perceive the things that are going on around us. We look at media feeds, watch the news, read the newspaper, and there is just nothing good going on. We ask ourselves what is all of this about, and why is all of this going on? Why is there no peace? Where is the justice for all of the wrong things that is happening in this world? What is this world coming to? Will it be safe for our children many years from now, will it be safe for us? In some places, it is devastation on every side; and there is nothing being done about it. Innocent people are losing their lives for no reason, it is not suppose to be this way. Sin is running rampant, and hate is only adding fuel to the fire. Will justice prevail, or is justice blind to all of this? Is there anyone seeking for justice? Does anyone really care as to what is going on?
There are people that live in places where there is poverty everyday. There is no medical care, no clean water, no food supply, and the people suffer from day to day, night after night without proper care and nutrition that they need to survive. There are not schools for the children to attend, so they go without education. It is important that we pray for a better day for this world and the people that are alive, that are going through things that is out of their control, for people to be treated fairly regardless of where they are from, regardless of the color of their skin, we are all God’s children, and as One Nation Under God, we all should get together and pray for this nation! We need God! He has been taken out of schools, out of almost everything. Have we a people forgotten who created this whole world? Have we forgotten that it is God that gives us our lives everyday? Have we forgotten that it is His Spirit that lives in us? Second Timothy 1:7 tells us that,” For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” We do not have to be afraid to pray for the nation that we live in.
Matthew 6:33-34 tells us that,” But seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ” Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” God knows what is going on; He see this everyday. We need to seek Him in all things, and yes I mean all things. When we go to Him about things that are going on in this world, it shows Him that we care about the world that we live in. We can pray without ceasing on a daily basis. I am not saying not to go about your day not doing what you want to do, but just to send a prayer up to God to let Him ease your mind as to what is going on in this world, it shows Him that we trust HIM to fix all of this. It may not happen in our lifetime here on this earth, but it may happen in the generations to come.
God does not do things on our time, He does things in His perfect timing, just like whenever He created this world, it was in His own perfect timing. See, we live in time, He lives outside of time because HE is immortal, we are mortal. If God did everything that we wanted HIM to do for us right when we ask HIM, how would we ever learn to trust HIM? How would we learn to wait on HIM? How would we learn to have hope? We need to put all of our hope, and trust in God. He has all of the answers, and by faith we know that it all will soon come to pass.
My heart is very heavy because of what is going on, and because of what I am seeing in the news. It brings me to want to pray even more for all people. I pray for all people; not just some. God loves us all. We all should have hearts that are full of compassion for our fellow man, woman, young, and the young at heart. I know that God is not pleased with what is going on, and some day all of this will be vindicated. All of the wrong will be made right, and there will be peace in the land, in the land that is The United States of America!
I want to thank all of the brave soldiers that have fought, and those that are fighting to keep America safe. God bless you all. Amen!
I know that there are times when things just does not go the way we always plan, but God gives us new ideas that we may start with something new and fresh. Our thoughts tells us one thing or another, but what does our heart tell us? Does it tell us to do right, or does it tell us to do wrong? Sometimes we just do not know what to think, or what to do. It may be that we are at the crossroad in our mind and our thoughts are getting the best of us; that is when we should stop and ask ourselves,”What would Jesus do?” I believe that Jesus would stop and go to the Father and pray about the matter at hand. I believe that He would wait for an answer from the Father to make sure He gets clear direction as to what decision to make. That is how we should be. We should not jump to conclusions about things if we do not have a clear answer about something. We should pray and ask God to give us clear direction and understanding that we may not sin against Him.
When we study the Word of God, we must have a clear understanding of what He is telling us through His Word, and when we don’t understand something, we should ask Him to help us understand what is being said to us. If we do not, and we just assume one way or another, it could cause us to sin against God; and that is something that we do not want to do. When we were children growing up, we were taught to say our prayers before we went to bed, to pray over our food to give God thanks, and to pray for others.
When we pray this verse that is Psalm 119:11, we are telling God that we have hid His Word in our heart, that we might not sin against Him. God knows that we are just human beings, and that we will make mistakes, have a bad thought, or say something that we ought not, but it is not intentional. Yet and still it is a sin, and we have to ask for forgiveness for it. He forgives us for it, but He does not want us to keep on making those same mistakes; He wants us to learn from them and move on. He loves us. We are His children, and all children makes mistakes. So, the next time we have a bad thought, or if someone has wronged us in some kind of way, let us all remember that we have hid God’s Word in out heart that we might not sin against Him. We must always be quick to forgive so that anger, hate, and bitterness will not seep into our soul. We want to pray for them that God will change them for the better. We must continue to be light in the darkness that shines through in a dark world. All praises be to God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was and is and is to come, Amen!
This is a Bible Study that I am doing, and I would like to share it with you all. If you do not have the You Version app, it can be downloaded for free in the Google Play Store, and the app store on your Apple Devices.
Scripture Verses For the first day are: Proverbs 4:25 ; Jeremiah 17:7-8 ; Matthew 6:33 ; Mark,4:19
It is time to reset and to place our focus back on who really matters. Consider these next few days as an opportunity to refresh our soul through the word and to recharge our spirit.
Life can come at us fast and it’s so easy to get to a point where we feel as though we’re losing control or running on empty. However, one thing remains in the midst of all the demands and pressures that life brings and that’s God, our source.
It’s in Him we live, move and have our being. He is the source of our strength, the key to our peace and the reason we live.
Proverbs 4:25- Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Jeremiah 17: 7-8: Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Matthew 6:33-But seek ye first the kingdom of god, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mark 4:19-And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Devotional, Day 2. Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:4-5; 1 Samuel 7:3-14; Matthew 6:21; Luke 10:27; Revelation 2:2-4
Our First Love.
When we read 1 Samuel 7:1-3, we find that Israel had many idols. They were false gods that took their affection and devotion away from God, the true living God. It was when Israel had placed God in His rightful place in their hearts and lives, that it was then that they experienced victory over their enemies and overtime everything began to fall into place for them. Again in Revelation 2:2-4 we find the church of Ephesus doing many great things for God and serving. Yet, God wasn’t their first love. They weren’t devoted to Him as they once were. Even though they were doing all the right things for God, He desired something more than their works, HE desired something more than their works, HE wanted their hearts.
There are many things that can become idols in our lives, from a particular person to our emotions and even the activities that we do in church. Anything that takes the place that God should have in our hearts is an idol. It is important to also highlight that the ability to overcome the internal struggles in our life and experience victory over them, begins with our full devotion to God and making Him Lord over our lives.
It’s about us consistently cultivating an authentic relationship with God, that goes beyond a Sunday service and any activity we’re involved in. When we’re intentional about making God first in our lives and we align ourselves with Him, it will influence every other area of our lives. It is time to return back to our first love. What/who has taken our devotion and affection away from God? Does our heart still burn for God as it once did?
Prayer Points
(1.) Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything or anyone that has become an idol in our lives and repent (turn away and change). (2.) Receive His forgiveness and yield ourselves to His Lordship.
Scripture
Deuteronomy 6:4-6- Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
1 Samuel 7:3-14- And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtoreth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
(4.) Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtoreth, and served the Lord only.
(5.) And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you unto the Lord.
(6.) And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord, And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.
(7.) And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heaed it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
(8.) And the children of Israel said to SAmuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
(9.) And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him.
(10.) And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
(11.) And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines , and smote them, until they came under Beth-car.
(12.) Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.
(13.) So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
(14.) And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of their hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
Matthew 6:21- For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 10:27- And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Revelation 2:2-4-I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars; (3.) And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. (4.) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Day 3. Devotional Scripture Readings:
Deuteronomy 13:4 ; 1 Samuel 15:1-31; 2 John 1:6 ; Luke 11:28
Obedience Is Key
God gave Saul a clear instruction in 1 Samuel 15, Saul was to destroy everything in the City of Amalek. However Saul destroyed everything that was worthless and preserved everything that seemed good to Him. Although that was not the instruction that was given to Saul, he genuinely believed that He had fulfilled all that was required of Him but He only did part of it. This displeased God greatly and as a result, Saul missed out on an opportunity to reign as king. Saul’s disobedience also affected his whole lineage! “Partial obedience is still disobedience”.
Our obedience to the word of God and leading of HIS Spirit is key if we desire to truly please God. Saul’s disobedience was an issue of the heart, why? Because an individual who is wholeheartedly devoted to God is willing to obey Him no matter what.
We have to check the posture of our hearts and ask, “Am I wholeheartedly devoted to God?” and “Are my responses to His commands/instructions reflective of that?”
If we desire to be fruitful and prosperous in all our ways, obedience is out on opportunities to grow, thrive, expand or gain clarity for our lives because of our lack of obedience to His word?
What has God instructed us to do, that we still have not done? Who is being affected by our disobedience?
This isn’t to condemn us, this is an opportunity for all of us to get it right and to say “yes” to whatever God requires from us, daily. Not when we feel like it or when it seems good to us. It could be small in our eyes, but God still requires our eyes. Even with our yes, it’s important to understand that we’re not doing it in our own strength but through the grace that He supplies, when we submit to Him.
Let us all repeat this. His grace is sufficient. His grace is sufficient. God would not require anything from us, that He cannot empower us to do. Always remember that!
Prayer Points:
Remember and ask for a willing heart to obey His word.
Surrender and day yes. Give God any fears that we may have and ask His strength to be perfected in our weakness.
Scripture
Deuteronomy 13:4- Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Read 1 Samuel 15:1-21
2 John 1:6- And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
Luke 11:28- But he said , Yea rather , blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Day 4 Scriptures: Devotional : His Love Your Obedience
Song of Solomon 2:4
Psalm 86:15
Psalm 103
Romans 8:31-39
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
1 John 2:5
1 John 4:16-20
1 John 5:3
Our obedience to God reflects our love for Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments”. John 14:15
However, I believe that in order for us to truly love God and obey Him, we must first become acquainted with the great love that He has for us. “We love Him because He first loved us”.-1 John 4:19
God the Father loves us. That’s a simple truth that can be overlooked or even forgotten but it’s that simple, yet deep and dynamic truth that sets you free from guilt, shame and any lie that the enemy has whispered to keep us from getting closer to God and in sin/disobedience.
“Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”-Romans 8:39
Sin once separated us from God but through the death and resurrection of Christ and our faith in Him, we have been reconciled to God the Father. So that we would not perish but have everlasting life and have a relationship with Him.
Christ died when we least deserved it, whilst we were still sinners.(Romans 5:8) Why? He was driven by a great love for you and I. This love is constant towards us!
The love of God doesn’t need to be earned, neither does His love change towards us, it stays the same. He doesn’t love us any less today than He did yesterday.
God is love and therefore He defines it. Abiding in God is abiding in love.We grow in the understanding of His heart towards us, by remaining in His word(scriptures) which is truth and it’s the truth that sets us free.(John 8:32)
It ‘s the awareness of this love, that will compel us to obey Him. How often do we actually pause to take in God’s affection towards us? Who would we be and become if we actually received the love He had towards us? Really believed it. His love shapes us and brings out the best in us. Make it a habit each morning to remind ourselves of the love that God has for us and make it a reality. It will change the way we see ourselves and others but above all it will change the way we live for God.
Prayer Points:
Ask God to pour out His love on our heart, through the Holy Spirit.(Romans 5:6)
Ask that as He pours out His love, that it will impact the way we love others. May the knowledge and the continuous awareness of His love, cause us to live a life that pleases Him.
Scripture
Song of Solomon 2:4- He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Psalm 86:15- But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Read Psalm 103.
Romans 5:8-11- But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Read Romans 8:31-39.
Second Corinthians 5:14-15- For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge , that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
1 John 2:5- But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1 John 4:16-20- And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
1 John 5:3- For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Day 5 Devotional Scriptures : Ephesians 1:4-7 ; 1 Peter 1:15-16 ;1 Peter 2:9-12 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 ; Ephesians 4:24 ; Romans 6:22-23
Be Holy- To be holy means to be set apart or separate from sin and evil.(Hebrews 10:10).We are made holy through the finished work of Christ [His death, burial and resurrection]. However, we are also called to live a life that is holy. So, God calls us holy but still commands us to be holy. Our ability to be holy is not a way to earn salvation because salvation because salvation is a gift from God, which we receive by faith.(Ephesians 2:8)”For God is working in you, giving you the desires and the power to do what pleases him”.-Philippians 2:13
Ephesians 4:24 encourages us to put on our new self, this involves effort and choice. Yes, we are still vulnerable to sin, however we also have to choose and make an effort not to sin because of our new nature in Christ. How much effort are making to live a holy life?
Prayer Points:
Ask God to help us to live a life that is honourable to Him.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the areas in our relationships/character/conversations, that do not honour the Father.
Ask the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and lead us into all truth.
Ask God to work in us by way of His Spirit, so that we can bare fruit of His Spirit.
Scripture
Ephesians 1:4-7- According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
1 Peter 1:15-16-But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
1 Peter 2:9-12-But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshy lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5-Fro this is the will of God,even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.
Ephesians 4:24-And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Romans 6:22-23-But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Day 6: Devotional :Scriptures
Job 42:7-10; Matthew 1812-14; Matthew 19:23-26; 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Pray For Them
When we read Job 42, we find Job praying for his friends that are not in right standing with God. God accepts Jobs prayers and blesses Him with more than he had lost in the first place.
First Timothy 2:1 instructs us to pray and intercede for all people. Why? Because the Lord desires for all men to come to the knowledge of who He is and be saved. At times we spend so much time discouraged or complaining and gossiping about the wrong in people, or how far they are from God instead of simply praying for them. Prayer changes things but it also changes people. If we desire to see change in our loved ones or even in our boss, maybe we need to put a lot more time praying for them. Prayer changed us, so it can truly change another person. We are here because of the prayers of another.There is power in consistent prayer! In Matthew 19:23-26 we find Jesus speaking to the disciples about the difficultly of a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven. The question is then asked.”who then can be saved?” and Jesus responds, ” with men this is impossible but with God all things are possible”.
So dedicate some time today to make a list of people that you are committing to pray for. Once you have a list, spend 5 minutes praying for each person on your list.
Prayer Points:
Ask God to give us the grace to love and see them the way He does.
Ask God to draw the heart of the individual to Him.
Pray for any issues that they may be going through and ask God to protect them.
Pray for an opportunity to share the gospel wit them and to plant small seeds of faith in them.
Praying for others, deals with selfishness. It is not always about us, it can also be about someone else.
Read Job 42:7-10.
Read Matthew 18:12-14.
Read Matthew 19:23-26.
First Timothy 2:3-4-For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Day 7; Devotional Scriptures: Luke 11:9-13; John 20:22; Acts 2:17; Acts 4:31; Ephesians 5″18
Be Filled
When we become born again, we receive the indwelling of God’s presence and thereafter we can continuously receive the infilling of His Spirit.
The result of this infilling is an awakening, that happens inside of us, which opens us up to receive the various gifts that God has assigned to us. I believe that as God fills us up with His Spirit daily, He will also awaken those dreams and visions that we once had that life tried to bury, As we are filled daily, we will be empowered to live for Him and make a mark on the earth.
When the disciples had been endowed with power by His Spirit, they were then able to carry out the assignment that was given to them. We are destined to do many things in the earth for His glory, through our obedience to Him and His divine empowerment we can. God desires to fill us afresh today wit His Spirit to empower us and consume everything that is not of Him in the process . All we have to do is ask.
Prayer Points:
Ask God to baptize and fill us afresh with His Spirit.
Ask that He fills us afresh, that He may awaken and reveal every spiritual gift that has been assigned to us.
It has been a blessing to share this lesson with you all. I hope it blesses all who comes across this, as it has blessed me. May God keep everyone safe in His glorious protective arms, Amen!
For weeks now I have had pain in my right arm, but I still praise God. I praise Him because I know that by His stripes I am healed, and that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. He took all of my pain upon Himself when he carried the cross on His back that was really meant for me. He has brought me through so many things in my life, it would take a life time to tell it all. Although I hurt the way that I do, He still gives me rest to sleep in peace. The pain that I am going through is nothing compared to the pain that HE went through for us all. Yes, pain is very uncomfortable, but in that pain, He gives me strength to do the things that I need to do.
One thing I need to do is keep my focus on Jesus and not the pain that I am going through. As long as I focus on Him, everything else is just shadows in the light of Him. Pain has to flee and other things too. Every kind of sickness, disease, and ailment has to bow down to the name of Jesus and flee. We were not created to be in pain all of the time. How can we enjoy life if we are always hurting? I tell myself that HE will take the pain away.
I know that I could have never endured the pain for all of those years had it not been for Jesus giving me the strength to do so, and even now. I praise Him for all that He has done for me all of my life, all that He is doing now, and for all that HE is going to do in my life in the future. Some days may be harder than others, but I know who is still on the throne, and that is God.
Well, in your spare time, or just anytime, spend some time with God and tell Him how thankful you are for always taking away your pain. May God bless everyone. Amen!
When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, all things become clear. We are not so much focused on the problem. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, everything else is just shasdows in the sight of Him. We cannot carry heavy burdens that weighs us down. Jesus carried all of our sins on His shoulders when He was carrying the cross on His back. He carried every hurt and pain that we would carry, so everything that we are going through has already been taken care of two-thousand years ago; we just have to walk in our victory by faith. We have to remember what He did for us that we may be free. In His name we are made well of every infirmity that the enemy tries to throw at us. We are healed by His stripes that He took for us. We are secure in Jesus, and if we need wisdom He will give it to us. We all need wisdom from God. Without wisdom what would we have to give us understanding of the Word of God? We learn how to be wise by studying the Word of God. We gain understanding by studying the Word of God, and we gain knowledge through the Word of God that we may share it with those that have never heard the Word of God preached to them. God wants us to spread the Word to every nation and tongue; to the ends of the earth. Whenever I need a little wisdom, I read Proverbs, it always helps me. In your quiet time today, or just whenever; take some time to read a bit of Proverbs, you will be glad that you did. May God bless you and keep you safely in His glorious arms Amen!
www.bible.com/1/pro.4.25.kjv
As we live our lives from day to day, we tend to go back down memory lane reliving the days of the past. Yes, those may have been some good times, but they are just moments in time that will never happen again. They will remain in the corners of our minds. Nothing lasts forever, no , nothing. We can always go back and revisit our memories, but the fact is that will we always be able to remember those times as years come and go?
Times change, people change, memories change, memories stay, and memories may leave, but as long as we have pictures of the past, we can look at the younger us and smile and say, that was me in my younger years. Nothing lasts forever, not even our lives…we are here for only a little while, and then we are gone. We know that tomorrow isn’t promised to us, not even our next breath, but while we are here living, let us all make the best of it, because as I said, nothing lasts forever.
Let us live as if everyday is our last. Let us love like we have never loved. Let us laugh as if no one is listening. Let us dance as if no one is watching. Enjoy every moment that we live. Have fun everyday, every moment of every second, of every hour of everyday, every minute.
The only thing that lasts forever is the Word of God. It never changes. No matter how many years it is that time goes by, it will always remain the same. Jesus never changes, He is the same yesterday, today , and forever.
When we look back over our lives, we go back to the times when we were children. When talk about our friends and the things that we would do to have fun everyday. Just because we are now adults, that doesn’t mean we can’t still play sometimes. We all still have a little of our childlike spirit left inside of us, but if not, we still have the memories of those times when we were young. We are as young as we feel, but yet and still…nothing stays the same, and nothing lasts forever.
Today I have launched my new Poetry Blog. It is : divasinspirational.poetry.blog/4
I have not posted anything as of yet, but as soon as I do, I will let everyone know. I will leave the title of the poem at the bottom of my post when post blogs on my recent site. It will look kind of different from this one, and I still have a few tweaks to do to it to make it perfect, but I hope you all enjoy it very much. If there are any ideas you would like to share with me, feel free to do so.
My poetry site is for those that love to read and write poetry. It is for fun and uplifting entertainment. Keep being inspirational and creative.
Happy Mother’s Day To All Moms!!!
Today I wrote two passages about Mothers and what we do. Should you visit my blog you will find it there. I hope you enjoy it.
I enjoy writing poetry just as much as I enjoy writing articles about things that interest me, and things that I am passionate about. I want to express myself in a different way. I want to write poetry because I have always loved poetry; even poetry that does not rhyme. It makes me think about things as I am writing, and new ways to use words that paint pictures in the minds of those that read it. I noticed that when I was going to school, would always write poems for my friends, in class because of the assignments would call for it. I pretty much have been doing all kinds of writing since have been old enough to write and read letters. Some of my own poetry has brought tears to my eyes. I did not know my writing poetry could be so deep. It really amazes me that have been given so many gifts of writing. Writing is very close to my heart. It helps me to get my feelings out when I am feeling a certain kind of way. It can be very freeing. Depending on how I am feeling at the time I am writing determines what I am writing will sound like.
I want to start a poetry blog because I am feeling like Fall, although it is Summer, and in the Fall is when like to write poetry. I like to write about the changing of the leaves, the change in the air and how it feels outside. I like to write about how it makes me feel when the sun is setting in the evening. I could go on and on about writing poetry in the Fall, so I am going to do a bit of brainstorming to get my words together before I do. Continue being creative in writing.
MOTHER’S
Mother’s are young, mothers are old, mother’s are their children’s first teachers, the first one their child to hold. We laugh at their jokes. We comfort them when they are sad…we wipe their tears away when they cry. We are the ones that they come to when their first love breaks their heart. We raise them to be loving and kind to everyone. We adore them as soon as we find out they are inside of us; we can’t wait to see them. Our smile is the first smile they see when they are placed in our arms. We do a lot for them all of their teen years until they decide they are ready to go out on their own. When that day comes… It is bittersweet. We remember their first words they speak and all of the milestones they accomplish.
We will never stop raising them because they will always need our advice for something. We never stop loving them or teaching them about life and how to live. We mothers can look at our children and feel their hearts. We look into their eyes and know when they are keeping things from us, but all in all, they will always be our children and we will always be their mothers. To all of the mothers in the world Happy Mother’s Day. I hope this day has been wonderful for you as it was for me.
When I started my blog, I wanted a theme picture that stood out and showed what my blog was all about. I felt very good about it. That picture I used has made me a better person as a Christian, because it reminds me of what Jesus did for me. I know He did what He did for all people, but there has been times when I thought I was not going to make it through the trials and tribulations I have been through in my life, and when I saw that picture of Him, it reminded me of all of the things HE has brought me through; such as saving my life almost ten years ago when I only had one week to live, due to a cyst that was on my brain that had grown since I was a child, I was thirty-five when I had it removed in 2009.
I just wanted to share that. Life is short. I will never take life for granted ever again. That taught me that tomorrow is not promised to anyone, not even our next breath, minute, second, or hour. Live everyday as if it is your last, love like you never have, and give to those that are in need of a helping hand. If you have not given your life to Christ, please think about it, pray about it; because HE loves you , and He wants everyone to spend eternity with Him. He does not want anyone to perish. He came that we may have life more abundantly, overflowing to the full. He changed my life. It was the best decision that have ever made in my life. It will be the best decision you will ever make in your life. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered. Amen.
“Hello, my name is Shaunelius”. This is my first spiritual blog, and I am very excited about it. It has taken me a very long time to make the decision to so this. I wanted to have a platform to discuss issues about the Word with those that share the same beliefs that I have concerning the souls of the lost. I want people to share their thoughts, truths, opinions, and beliefs according to Christ Jesus and His resurrection.
This picture takes me back to when Jesus was nailed to the cross for all of our sins. He did not have to do it, but he did. He could have called on a thousand legions of angels to take Him from the cross, but He did not do that either. I know that what He went through hurt His mother to see her son suffering to death on that old rugged cross. I can see some of the stripes near His underarm where the whip struck Him. Just imagine the pain of all of that He went through all night long, being beat to no end, and then nailed to a cross that next day! That is what I call real love, and laying down His life because of the love He and the Father had for us, and still has for us until this very day. It was love that kept Him there, not the rusty nails and the ropes tied around His wrists. The crown of thorns that they placed on His head caused Him to bleed even more. He did not refuse anything that was done to Him, HE did it for our sakes. He took the punishment that we all deserved for our own sins. He said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” His Father forsook Him because He took all of the sins of the whole world upon His shoulders, He bore the weight of our sins, something that we could have never done ourselves. We would not have been able to take the punishment that He took for us, it would have literally killed us dead. I am so thankful and grateful for what He done for me. If I had a thousand lifetimes to live, saying thank you still would not be enough. We will never be able to repay Jesus for what He did for us!
Now unto Him that is worthy of all of our praise, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. May His name be praised forevermore, Amen! Don’t forget to tell Him how thankful you are, and how much you love Him.
When I think about how God spoke this world into being it amazes me. I never knew as a child just how powerful God’s voice really was. When I was just a child going to church, I would hear the preacher say how God created us all. I would hear him say just how much God loved us. As a child, I always wondered if Jesus was going to come back soon, because I always heard the preacher say that Jesus was coming back one day.
I would look up at the sky and watch the clouds go by, but I never saw Jesus come. God created everything just by speaking it with the words of His mouth. When I was older, I finally knew that God was all powerful , and that He could do anything He wanted to do and there was nothing that we could do about it.
Now I am grown and have grown in the Word, I see God’s mighty power in His Word. I especially see it in Exodus, and in all of the New Testament. Exodus is where I draw my strength from God. The parting of the Red Sea just amazes me, Jesus walking on the water amazes me, Jesus being raised on the third day amazes me, feeling His presence amazes me, but most of all, His unfailing love amazes me.
We are all His creation. We were created to worship Him because He is God and God alone. He is the creator of all life. He created us to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, His Son. He created us to love Him more than anything or anyone on the face of this earth.
The next time you go outside, just take some time to enjoy God’s creation that is all around us. He created this world for us to live in and enjoy. Praise and thank Him for it!
He loves us more than we could ever love ourselves, and His love never fails. There is not anything that we can do to separate His love from us. God is love. He wants us to love one another as HE has loved us and gave His life for us.
There are seasons in our lives when we go through things and we find ourselves in the valley of why. Well, sometimes things just happen that we have no control of. We ask God why we struggle, why we hurt, why do bad things happen to good people, why did so many storms leave so much devastation, and will anything change? This is where we stop and think about all of the things going on in the world today. We want answers to all of our questins, but will we ever get them? We read books, watch movies, go to seminars, and we still do not have our questions answered.
To often we forget as to who has all of our answers to the questions that we have. People thought Noah was crazy because he was building an ark. They asked him why and he told them. He told them that it was going to rain but they did not believe him. When it began to rain, he and all of his family, and all of the animals male and female entered the ark, that answered their question. God silenced all of their questions.
Our mind will keep us up at night with questions needing to be answered, but when that happens, we just need to get up and pray and ask God to silence all of the questions that are keeping us awake. God gives us rest so we can be fresh and new to start a new day. He does not want us to be bogged down with questions that will keep us from resting. Let us not find ourselves in the valley of why. Let us cast all of our cares on God because He cares for us. Let us rest in Him.
All praises be to God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who was and is and is to come, Amen.
I never thought that creating something could take a lot of hard work and dedication. I am almost three months into creating my blog. I am still working it all out and learning a lot. Everyday is a challenge for me to write, because I sometimes have writers block; that causes me not to be able to write for days at a time, sometimes for weeks. It bothers me whenever I cannot write, I feel like I am hard on myself whenever I cannot write. I want my articles to be informative, creative, and inspirational. I want them to be enjoyed when read by readers. I just write what is on my heart, or whenever I am inspired to write. I know it is going to take some time to get all of the kinks out so it will be just right for me to write without getting writers block.
I have read a lot of articles since I have been writing, and I must say I enjoy reading them. I always come across something that makes me smile, or just think, or that inspires me to be a better writer. You just never know who is being uplifted when someone reads articles that other bloggers write. I also read other articles because I love to read. I like to read what others write because it tells me a little about them. I never knew that blogging was so interesting until I started blogging. I had always wanted to start a blog, but I just felt like I could not do it, so I said to myself that I was going to just do it, and whatever happens in the end of it all, oh well, so that is what I did. I was so excited whenever I finished setting it up, and the rest is history. Now here I am writing; doing what I have always loved doing for many years of my life. Writing is how I express myself, and the other way I express myself is when I am drawing abstract. That is another one of my passions, and I cannot leave out writing poetry.
Hopefully when it is all said and done, it will be perfect for me. I know I cannot do it without the help of God, and the staff at WordPress whenever I need to ask questions about things I need to know about. I will always write as long as I have the strength in my hands to do so. Let us all encourage one another through our writing. Have a blessed week.
www.bible.com/1/gal.5.23.kjv
Food for the Soul 