Feelings

Feelings are emotions that express the state of condition you are in.  I say this because sometimes I find myself with negative emotions driven by my current situation pulling my focus away from God.  And then, I recall the word of the Lord in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”  This clearly confirms that it does not matter what I feel when focusing in the things of God, because his word validates the promises He has for his children.  I am not suggesting that your feelings are not important what I am saying is that our feelings should not be used to determine how God feels toward us, they are merely subjective.  Proverb 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 

At times, we become doubtful, weary and weakened by our situation, but the beauty is that God’s words do not change no matter what we are going through. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by faith, and not by sight.”  God is always the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever.  His words are everlasting comforting our hearts.  Hebrew 13:8 says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  The Lord said it best in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

So the next time you become overwhelmed by your negative thoughts, feelings, and/or situations recall the words of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:10-17 says, Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong by putting on His Amor of Protection as we know that the things we wrestle with are beyond our control.  Put on the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth-always standing strong in his word, never dropping your sword which is the word of God.

Psalm 91:1 says, Live under the protection of God most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful.  Then you will say to the Lord, “You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God and I trust you.”  Therefore, I say it again, feelings are important, yes I agree, but it should not be used as a measure to determine the love and promises God has for us.  His word is the only measure we should use.  Our minds cannot even imagine the love God has for us, we know he does, but his love is different, it’s unconditional. 

God is love. 

Isn’t the Lord, Jesus wonderful!  He makes me want to scream out and say to the world… “There is nothing out there for you, stop searching, for your needs will never be met, the Lord has what you are looking for!  But then I wake up and realize I can’t do that! J

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Words are powerful!

Have you ever had someone provide you with constructive criticism using harsh words?  I have, and I can tell you that the effect of it was not a good feeling at all.  In fact, those hurtful words stayed in my heart for a while, so long that my attitude and thinking were controlled by it.  Words are so powerful that it can provide you happiness or sadness.  The bible says in Proverbs 18:2, Words can bring death and life!  Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.  Before we speak words out, we ought to filter them to guard from harming others. Proverbs 15:1 says, A kind answer soothes angry feelings, but harsh words stir them up. 

We definitely cannot control what comes out of the other person’s mouth, their attitude or way of thinking, but we can control what comes out of our mouth, and that is what God is more concern about.  Remember, that God is watching over our ever step.  He cares for all of us and knows what is in the hearts of his children, whether you speak it or not.  Proverbs 5:21 says, The Lord sees everything, and he watches us closely.  Jeremiah 17:10 reads, “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according what their deeds deserve.” 

Therefore, we are to be mindful of our surroundings, as we know, it can have a major impact on what comes out of our mouths, and usually what comes out it, is what is in the heart of a person, and we all know that the heart is the steering wheel of our lives.  Proverb 23:7 says, For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Be aware that there are people with hurtful hearts that do not know how to heal their wounds.  If you are one of these people, pray and seek God that he gives you a new heart so you can love others, as he would like you to.  Psalm 51:10 says, God, create a pure heart in me, and renew a right attitude within me.  If we are willing to change, God is willing to do everything possible to give us our heart’s desire.  His desire is for you to run to him, and declare him in your life.  God is waiting for all of us to allow him to make a brand new change in our lives, a change that will impact you and everyone around you.  His love renews you, it is contagious, it has no respect of a person, it has no limitations, it is everlasting, etc. 

You get my point, right…God’s love is all we need.  Focus on the heavenly things first, and the rest will fall into place.   

God bless you all,

+Encourage Women to Stand in Faith Ministry  

Dreams and Aspirations!

Do have you dreams or aspirations you wish to accomplish?  What is keeping from pursuing it? 

There are many times we dream, and allow it to become dormant in our minds.  Well, you don’t have to be content with your current situation, because God has bigger dreams to accomplish for you. As I Corinthians 2:9 says, “What God has planned for people who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard.  It has never even entered our minds!”

Sometimes, we do not pursue, because of fear.  My advice to those who fear is to do it with fear.  2 Timothy 1:7 says, “for God as not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of love, power, and self-control.  The worst thing that can happen is that you will fail at it.  Nevertheless, do not be discouraged, become encourage knowing that failing gives you more opportunity to become a skillful dreamer in making your dreams a reality.  Proverb 11:12 says, “Not getting what you want can break your heart, but a wish that comes true is a life-giving tree.”

 “An idea is just a dream, until you actualize it!”  Be ambitious about life, seeking greater things and do not limit yourselves knowing that we serve a God with no limitations.  Romans 11:34 says, “Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God?  Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?

Yes, it is difficult to accomplish things at times, but the reward is greater for those who work diligently.  As my relationship with God strengthens, my faith increases, becoming fearless in reaching what once seemed impossible.  Psalm 91 says, “Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful, then you will say to the Lord, “You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you.” 

 Ask the Lord for knowledge and wisdom.  Pray that He increases your knowledge in all areas, and give you the wisdom to apply the knowledge in your life.

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Let go let God

Allowing God to cleanse your life guarantees a life of full abundance.  We were meant to live life to the fullest.  However, when we don’t experience joy in our lives, we know something negative has affected us.  Our past experiences shaped us to who we are today, and our current experiences are molding us to maturity; nevertheless, we do not need to allow any negative thinking patterns to control our destiny.  Fortunately, we can make a choice to let go and let God handle these issues in our lives.  Your destiny is a choice, and it is not based on predetermination.  Your thoughts and feelings can be controlled.   

John 10:10 Jesus said, “The evil one came to steal, kill and destroy your lives, but I came to give life, and give it more abundantly.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful.  You will have only pure thoughts, because I will put my spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings.

Colossians 3:15 So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts.
Colossian 3:2 Set your mind in things that are above (the heavenly things), not on things that on the earth.

Since, we all want to live successful lives, choosing not to allow unhealthy patterns and thoughts to control us, is a start to a new beginning.  Temporary solutions are not the answer, choosing to let God is the only choice, if we desire victory.  Controlling your thoughts is a major skill you need to master by refilling your mind with God’s words.  Remember, his words, are our only weapon.  When a negative thought creeps up in mind, immediately cast it upon the Lord, and replace it with his words.  In order to enjoy God’s blessings, we need to allow him to cleanse us, and not take it upon ourselves to resolve the issue.  We cannot change the past, neither can we change the outcome of a situation; therefore, it is useless to worry.

Proverbs 16:33 We make our own decisions/plans, but the Lord alone determines what happens.

Philippines 4:8  Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper.  Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you.

John 14:27 Jesus said, I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give.  It isn’t like the peace this world can give.  Let not your hearts be troubled neither let it be afraid.

Ladies, make the choice today to allow God to help you with all your cares, he wants to, and he loves you.

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Fear Not!

Fear keeps us from pursuing life ambitions, from enjoying our life journeys, and even from loving freely.  Its major objective is to prevent us from experiencing victory in our lives.  It is an awful feeling that causes you to completely lose focus of your surroundings.  Fear is an uncontrollable strong emotion caused by anticipation that something is wrong.  In the moment of fear, we become disorganize, unreasonable, and irrational.  At this point, we are hopeless and helpless reaching out for resources that can hopefully provide some kind of solution.  We need to be careful not to tap into destructive resources, but healthy ones. 
 
I do not have a physician or a clinical doctor to send you to, but I do know that, being a person that has experience fear to its core, has found the solution to this problem in God.  I am not fully where I should be, but I least I am not where I use to be.  The Lord says, in Isaiah 41:10, do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  The promises of God are many to those who seek him.  Not only does God promises that He will be with us, but he confirms that his love will strengthen and HELP us to deal with our fears.  God provides you with an immeasurable PEACE that reassures you that all will work out for the best. 

Psalm 91:14-16 says, The Lord says, “if you love me, and truly know who I am I will rescue you and keep you safe.  When you are in trouble, call out to me.  I will answer and be there to protect and honor you.  You will live a long life and see my saving power.”

If you love me, and truly know who I am is a statement coming for the Creator of this universe.  To know someone is to spend quality time with them, to talk with them, to know their ways, and to know the deep things of their hearts.  This is the relationships we have with our love ones, and is exactly the relationship that God desires to have with us.  He wants an intimate relationship with his creative beings.

 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control.  The Lord is telling us that we have the power to control our emotions, and not be control by it.  In areas where we struggle we should seek him with all our might in order to get the strength to overcome all destructive patterns in our lives.

 If you need prayer or are seeking to have a closer relationship with God and need guidance, please comment or send me an email.

 +Encourage Women to Stand in Faith Ministry

 

Struggles in the midst of it all!

To struggle is to be in a forceful situation restraining you from accomplishing your goals or what is beneficial for you.  I have realized that all my struggles have been based on fulfilling my desires to please myself, not God.  We lose focus on what is important when we allow struggles/things to come first in our lives.  Those struggles/things become the idols of our lives, not exactly what your Creator wanted for you, but is what we desire.

Okay, now that I have acknowledged this flaw in my life, what can I do about it?  God says, we are to turn from our ways and not lean to our understanding, but to allow the renewal of our minds by resting in his word.  By doing this, it transforms our thinking process from our prospective to God’s prospective.  The way we filter our thoughts would no longer come from this world, but from the mind of Christ, who has laid it all out for us in the scriptures.  We are weak for the simple fact that we become consumed by the things of this world and allow it to control us.

Now, we being women of faith, we are to cling to the word of God to allow the filtering process in our minds to change our lives, if change is what we are seeking.  Not just any change though, but true change, change that will impact not only your life, but the lives of others.  You see, I could have easily kept this little secret on how God has completely changed my life, but that is not what God wants, nor do I.  God blessed me so I can be an example to others, not to sit and indulge in it.  Absolutely not, God wants to impact every single woman that deals with any kind of struggle in her life. 

We struggle due to the lack of God’s resources:

We don’t pray enough

We don’t seek enough

We don’t read the word enough (the spirit of God which is in us needs to be fed in order to do a remarkable work in us.) Yes, God does not need us to do miracles, but we do need a daily miracle that can be found in his word.

We lack due to our mind set.  Listen, everything has been written for us, yes life is not easy, but God has given us the best weapon we can ever have, HIS WORD.  Jesus, when tempted by the evil one, used God’s word to defeat his schemes.  This is a great example on how powerful the word of God is for us.  I know now after doing ample reading that we fail because we seek not, we fear because we have little faith, we stumble due to the fact that we do not feed God’s spirit, who is in us, with his word.

The focus is not on any specific problem/issue, but on the remedy to get us to a healthier environment.  Especially, when we are dealing with situations that have become greater than what we can handle.  But guess what, He (the Holy Spirit), who is in us, is greater that he (the destructor of your lives) that is in the world.  Developing your minds in the things of God’s, and renewing your thinking process to filter things differently will provide you with different results; otherwise, you would be insane, thinking that by doing the same thing over and over again will provide you with different results.  (Nope, that definitely was not me…J it sure was me…J) 

We need to understand that battles are won with God on our side.  You can do nothing in your own strength, but in Christ everything is possible, says the LORD.  Nevertheless, knowing that our experiences will not always be pleasant, we can be assured that God has a plan for our lives that cannot be tampered with.  We make the plans, but He makes the final decision.  Amen.

Jesus, our Lord and Savior, has broken the chains that have taken you through dark valleys; therefore, we need to wake up, and come out of that deep sleep.

God loves YOU no matter who you are and where you are. 

+Encourage Women to Stand in Faith Ministry

What does it mean to you to have faith in God?

It is incredibly difficult to be a person of great faith.  Why?  Faith is to release your entire mind, spirit, and soul to God.  It requires for us to let go of our painful past and/or present experiences that hinder our lives, and replace it with the powerful words of God.  The healing starts at the moment we stop trying to deal with it and give it up to Him.  His words cleanse us from all the hurtful emotions gained throughout our past and present experiences.

We become spectators of our lives when we allow God to work through all our circumstances and experiences.  He has given us a promise that he will work all things for good for those who love him.  Let us not interfere in God’s plans for us especially when he guarantees to provide the best for those who love and seek him.  Instead, we are to be faithfully praying on every occasion while we wait for him to respond to our prayers knowing that he only gives his children the best response, because he loves us very much. 

Faith is completely trusting and confiding that He, only He, can get us out of our torment victoriously- Amen.  There is no other way out of your problems, but through Him.  There is no other solution, method, remedy, passion, medicine, pleasure or anything else that this world can provide that will ever give us true PEACE, like He gives it. 

Jesus our Lord penetrates the heart like no other. 

He fulfills your needs as no other. 
He resolves all like no other. 
He is like no other, AMEN. 

You can absolutely accomplish all your dreams, and even those dreams you have not dreamt of yet, through Him.  He makes it all possible.

1 Corinthians 2:9

"What God has planned for people who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard.  It has never even entered our minds."

I can testify to this verse:  I have never seen or dreamt of ever blogging, let alone blog about the love I have for God.  This to me was unimaginable- it had never crossed my mind. 

Praise God!

+Encourage Women to Stand in Faith Ministry