The Joy of Serving God

Are you excited about serving God? You should be. As believer living in today's challenging world, you have countless opportunities to honor your Father in Heaven by serving Him.

Far too many Christians seem bored with their faith and stressed by their service. Don't allow yourself to become one them! Serve God with thanksgiving in your heart and praise on your lips. Make your service to Him a time of celebration and thanksgiving. Worship your Creator by working for Him, joyfully, faithfully, and often.

Reflect On This:

God wants us to serve Him with a willing spirit, one that would choose no other way. -Beth Moore

The man who walks with God always gets to his destination.  -Herietta Mears

Unreliable Thinking

Charles Swindoll advises, "When you're on the verge of throwing a pity party thanks to your despairing thoughts, go back to the Word of God." How true. Self pity is not only an unproductive way to think, it is also an affront to your Father in Heaven. God's Word promises that His children can receive abundance, peace, love, and eternal life. These gifts are not earned; they are an outpouring from God, a manifestation of His grace. With these rich blessings, how can we, as believers, feel sorry for ourselves? Self-pity and peace cannot coexist in the same mind. Bitterness and joy cannot in the same heart. Thanksgiving and despair are mutually exclusive. So, if your unreliable thoughts are allowing pain and worry to dominate your life, you must train yourself to think less about your troubles and more about God's blessing. When you stop to think about it, hasn't He given you enough blessings to occupy your thoughts all day, every day, from now on? Of course He has! So focus your mind on Him, and let your worries fend for themselves.

His Promises Never Fail

God has made quite a few promises to you, and He intends to keep every single one of them. You will find these promises in a book like no other: The Holy Bible.  The Bible is your roadmap for life here on earth and for life eternal - as a believer, you are called upon to trust it's promises, to follow it's commandments, and to share it's Good News.

God has made promises to all of humanity and to you. God's promises never fail and they never grow old. You must trust those promises and share them with your family, with your friends, and with the world......starting now.....and ending never.

Reflect On This:

There are four words I wish we would never forget, and they are, "God keeps His word"  

-Charles Swindoll

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Patience and Trust

As Individuals, as families, and as a nation, we are impatient for the changes that we so earnestly desire. We want solutions to our problems, and we want them right now! But sometimes, life's greatest challenges defy easy solutions, so we must be patient.

Psalm 37:Seven commands us to "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him"(NKJV) But for most of us, waiting quietly for God is difficult. Why? Because we are imperfect beings who seek to manage our lives according to our own timetables, not God's. To do so is a mistake. Instead of impatiently tapping our fingers we should fold our fingers and pray. When we do, our Heavenly Father will reward us in  His own miraculous way and in His own perfect time.

Reflect On This:

Be patient, God is using today's difficulties to strengthen you for tomorrow. He is equipping you. The God who makes things grow will help you bear fruit.        -Max Lucado  

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Acceptance for Today

Man-made plans are fallible; God's plan are not. Yet whenever life takes an unexpected turn, we are tempted to fall into the spiritual traps of worry, self-pity, and bitterness. God intends that we do otherwise.

The old saying is familiar: "Forgive and forget." But when we have been hurt badly, forgiveness is often difficult and forgetting is downright impossible. Since e can't forget yesterday's troubles, we should learn from them. Yesterday has much to teach us about tomorrow. We may learn from the past, but we should never live in the past. God has given each of us a glorious day: this one. And it's up to each of us to use this day as faithful stewards, not as embittered historians.

So if you're trying to forget the past, don't waste your time. Instead, try a different approach: learn to accept the past and live in the present. Then, you can focus your thoughts and your energies, not on the struggles of yesterday, but instead on the profound opportunities that God has placed before you today.

Our Actions Reveal Our Beliefs

English clergyman Thomas Fuller observed, "He does not believe he who does not live according to his beliefs." These words are most certainly true. We may proclaim our beliefs to our hearts' content, but our proclamations will mean nothing to others of to ourselves unless we accompany our words with deeds that match. The sermons that we live are far more compelling than the ones we preach.

Like it or not, your life is an accurate reflection of your creed. If this fact gives you some cause for concern, don't bother talking about the changes that you intend to make- make them. And then, when your good deeds speak for themselves - as they most certainly will- don't interrupt.

Reflect On This:

What you do reveals what you believe about God, regardless of what you say. When God reveals what He has purposed to do, you face a crisis - a decision time.  God and the world can tell from your response what you really believe about God.                                -Henry Blackaby

Sacrifice & Atonement

Cheerful Christianity

Few things in life are more sad, or, for that matter, more absurd than a grumpy Christian . Christ promises us lives of abundance and joy, but He does not force His joy upon us. We must claim His joy for ourselves, and when we do, Jesus , in turn, fills our spirits with His power and His love.

How can we receive from Christ the joy that is rightfully ours? By giving Him what is rightfully His: our hearts and our souls.

When we earnestly commit ourselves to the Savior of mankind, when we place Jesus at the center of our lives and trust Him as our personal Savior, He will transform us, not just for today, but all eternity. Then we, as God's children, can share Christ's joy and His message with a world that needs both.

Reflect On This:

The people whom I have seen succeed best in life have always been cheerful and hopeful people who went about their business with a smile on their faces.      -Charles Kingsely

Access GRANTED!!!

God Wants Your Full Attention

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:Two

Is yours a life of moderation or accumulations? Are you more interested in the possessions you can acquire or the person you can become? The answers to these questions will determine the direction of your day and, in time, the direction of your life.

Ours is a highly complicated society, a place where people and corporations vie for your attention, for your time, and for your dollars. Don't let them succeed in complicating your life! Keep your eyes focused instead upon God.

If your material possessions are somehow distancing you from God, discard them. If your outside interests leave you too little time for your family or your God, slow down the merry-go-round, or better yet, get off completely. Remember: God wants your full attention, and He wants it today, so don't let anybody or anything get in His way.

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Where is God?!?!?

He is everywhere you have ever been and everywhere you will ever go. He is with you throughout the night and all though the day: He knows your every thought; He hears your every heartbeat.

When you earnestly seek Him, you will find Him because He is here, waiting patiently for you to reach out to Him.......right here.....right now. And make no mistake: your soul does indeed thirst for God. That thirst is planted in your heart, and it is a thirst that only God can quench. Let Him......right here.....right now.

Reflect on This:

We have tasted "that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:Eight) but we don't yet know how good He is. We only know that His sweetness makes us long for more.                     -C.H Spurgeon

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Shine From Within

With Christlike Humility

Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed, "It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe others." How true. Even those of us who consider ourselves "self-made" men and women are deeply indebted to more people than we can count. Our first and greatest indebtedness, of course, is to God and His only begotten Son. But we are also indebted to ancestors parents, teachers, friends, spouses, family members, coworkers, fellow believers....and the list goes on.

With so many people who rightfully deserve to share the credit for our successes, how can we gloat? The answer, of course, is that we should not, Proverbs 16:Eighteen warns us that "Pride goes before destruction....." (NIV) And 1 Peter 5:Five teaches us that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (NIV)

Reflect On This:
It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angles.
                                                                                 -Augustine of Hippo
          

Duty to God & Mankind

God has promised us this: when we do our part in small matters, He will give us additional responsibilities. When we do our work dutifully, and when we behave responsibly, God rewards us in a time and in a manner of His choosing, not our own.

Sometimes , God rewards us by giving us additional burdens to bear, or by changing  the course of our lives so that we may better serve Him. Sometimes, our rewards come in the form of temporary setbacks that lead, in turn, to great victories. Sometimes, God rewards us by answering "no" to our prayers so that He can say "yes" to a far grander request that we, with our limited understanding, would never have thought to ask for.

If you seek to be God's servant in great matters, be faithful, be patient, and be dutiful in smaller matters. Then step back and watch as God surprises you with the spectacular creativity of His infinite wisdom and His perfect plan.

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The One Who Stands Alone

We Are Royalty

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:16-Seventeen
We| Are | Royalty

Am I Worth It??

Now all the people perceived the thundering and the lightening and the noise of the trumpet and the smoking mountain, and as [they] looked, they trembled with fear and fell back and stood afar off.
And they said to Moses, you speak to us and we will listen but let not God speak to us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people, fear not; for God has come to prove you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.

And the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
Exodus 20:18-21

During their time in the Wilderness, Moses was the only person who had  experience a personal relationship with God. The Israelites were given the  opportunity to know God for themselves but fear, doubt and complaining kept them from discovering the trueness of who God is. Instead of excepting God's offer to make it personal, they looked to Moses and  placed that responsibility onto him. When they did  this, they place Moses in God's position leading them to seek him instead of God.

When we choose to seek people (their opinions  and validations of us ) instead of God,  it makes it difficult for us to experience God the way we should.

They blamed Moses for all of their problems in the wilderness. While they choose to complained about  their troubles, Moses choose to cry out  for God's help.   It got to the point were Moses had to remind them that they prayed to be rescue from Egypt  and that God was leading them, but using him to do it.  They place  their responsibilities of knowing and trust God on Moses instead of being spiritually mature and experiencing  God for themselves.  The purpose of them being in the wilderness was not for them to learn Moses and his way  but for them to learn how to be dependent on God and His will. 
The wilderness was a time where God was proving who He is to the Israelites. His goal was to   mold and shape them into His chosen people. He was  teaching them that they could  have more than a prayer life with Him. They could  also have a relationship. A relationship built on trust and dependence on Him.  God also  give them a teacher  and an example in Moses. He exposed who is to Moses through a burning bush, then  taught and  lead him through the wilderness,(Exodus 3:2-7)   God prepared Moses so  he could teach the Israelites how to do the same. But, when it was their chance to learn who God is, their fear of not knowing Him lead to them to not learn about a God that they had been praying to.  They knew how to pray to God but establishing a personal relationship with Him was something new. ( this let's me know we can know God and  still not know God)  They passed on a personal experience for human dependency.  This was a mistake. They never really learned how to depend on God for themselves because they were too busy depending on Moses.

When you choose make it someone else's responsible for  establishing  your personal  relationship with God, it  leads you to seeking them more instead of God. This can lead to us limited who God is. If you place someone in God's position, it  can lead  to confusion and misunderstandings about who  God is. Instead of becoming more like God we will become more like they are.   When you choose put your trust and dependency in a person, you will soon learn that they are  imperfect beings with flaws  and limitations just like you. And  If you're not careful, this can allow for a judgmental  and prideful attitude  to creep because they cannot do what only God can do. Instead of them being an example of hope, help, and influence. They are criticize and judged for not being enough.  This is why it is so  important that you take responsibility for your relationship with God. There's no one that can complete you like God can. When God places someone in your life as an example to learn from, don't hold them accountable for your experience.  You can admire their  relationship with God without coping it.  Don't forfeit your experience with God  because it's unfamiliar. And don't blame you not knowing who God is on anyone else.   It's not your church,  your parents, your spouse or your friends to establish your relationship with Him. It is yours. I will take for you to  chose God first to learn who He is.  All they are require to  do is be great examples of their faith. But putting in the work and cultivating your own personal relationship  makes you accountable for your experience with Him. 

A relationship with God is always open to you. If you would like to experience God for yourself, start by accepting what God has already given you, your salvation through Jesus Christ and receive your inheritance into His royal family.  Then start your  process of dating  God.  Start with what you know about Him and then learn as you go. Allow God to  reveal who he is to you and use the people who's relationships with God you admire as a guide. The example that God has place in your life should be there to help you.  Ask them questions about their faith. God has given them direction to always be prepare to give an answer to everyone who ask why they hope in him. (see 1 Peter 3:15) But, remember the goal is  not copy their experience, but to cultivate your own. Your relationship with God is unique to you. No relationship is the same. You are an individualize expression of  God. This is why you are  worth your own experience with Him.

#sowaseed

Spiritual Growth

The journey towards spiritual maturity lasts a lifetime: As Christians , we can and should continue to grow in the love and the knowledge of our Savior as long as we live. Norman Vincent Peale had simple advice for believers of all ages: "Ask the God who made you to keep remaking you." That advice, of course, is perfectly sound, but too often ignored.

When we cease to grow , either emotionally of spiritually, we do ourselves and our families a profound disservice. But, if we study God's Word, if we obey His commandments, and if we live in the center of His will, we will not be "stagnant" believers; we will, instead, be growing Christians.....and that's exactly what God wants for our lives.

In those quiet moments when we open our hearts to God, the Creator who made us keeps remaking us. He gives us direction, perspective, wisdom, and courage. And, the appropriate moment to accept His spiritual gifts is always this one.

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Patience with Others & One's Self

The dictionary defines the word patience as "the ability to be calm, tolenrant , and understanding." If that describes you, you can skip the rest of this page. But, if you're like most of us, you should keep reading.

For most of us, patience is a hard thing to master. Why? Because we have lots of things we want, and we want them NOW (if not sooner). But the Bible tells us that we must learn to wait patiently for the things that God has in store for us.

The next time you find your patience tested to the limit, remember that the world unfolds according to God's timetable, not yours. Sometimes, you must wait patiently, and that's as it should be. After all, think how patient God has been with you!

Reflect On This:
The times we find ourselves having to wait on others may be the perfect opportunities to train ourselves to wait on the Lord.                                              -Joni Eareckson Tada

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Crowns Up

Trust Him

As the journey through this life unfolds day by day, we are confronted with situations that we simply don't understand. But God does. And He has a reason for everything that He does. Furthermore, God doesn't explain Himself in ways that we, as mortals with limited insight and clouded vision, can comprehend. So, instead of understanding every aspect of God's unfolding plan for our lives and our universe, we must be satisfied to trust Him completely. We cannot know God's motivations, nor can we understand His actions. We can, however, trust Him.

Reflect On This:

God is God. He knows what He's doing.  When you can't trace his hand, trust His heart.

                                                                                                    -Max Lucado  

Be Yourself

Self-esteem 101

Sometimes, it's hard to feel good about yourself, especially since you live in a society that keeps sending out the message that you've got to be perfect.

Are you your own worst critic? And in response to that criticism, are you constantly trying to transform yourself into a person who meets society's expectations, but not God's expectations? If so, it's time to become a little more understanding of the person in the mirror.

Millions of words have been written about various ways to improve self- esteem. Yet, maintaining a healthy self- image is, to a surprising extent, a matter of doing a few simple things:

1. Learn what God thinks about you and copy that!

2. Think healthy thoughts about yourself and love yourself first.

3.Seek out things that you are interested in and do them well.

4. Find encouraging friends who reinforce your sense of self-worth; friends who will hold you accountable and who believe in you.

When you do these four things, your self-image will tend to take care of itself.

Our Purposes, God's Purpose

Whenever we struggle against God's plans, we suffer.  When we resist God's calling, our efforts bear little fruit. Our best strategy, therefore, is to seek God's wisdom and to follow Him wherever He chooses to lead. When we do so, we are blessed.

When we align ourselves with God's purposes, we avail ourselves of His peace. But how can we know precisely what  God's intentions are? The answer, of course, is that even the most well-intentioned believers face periods of uncertainty and doubt about the direction of their lives. So, too, will you.

When you arrive at one of life's inevitable crossroads, that is precisely the moment when you should turn your thoughts and prayers toward God. When you do, He will make Himself known to you in a time and manner of His choosing.

Reflect on this:

God will help us become the people we are meant to be,  if only we will ask Him.

                                                                                                          -Hannah Whitall Smith

Major in Love

Is love the main theme of your life? If not, you need to make a change. Often we spend time seeking things that we think are important, but they aren't important to God at all. I did that for a long time. I tried to build a worldwide ministry, tried to change myself and my husband and children, tried to prosper and succeed. I tried a lot things, but I ignored the one thing Jesus told us was important.

Do not major  in what Jesus considers to be minor. In other words, don't spend your time and efforts on things that have no lasting value and don't add to the kingdom of God. We should all take a regular and honest inventory of our love walk. Do you study love? Do you purposely walk in love? Do you really know what love is? It is certainly more than theory or speech. The Bible says love is seen in our behavior towards one another. It is by our love that the world will know we are Jesus's disciples. (John 13:Thirty-Five)

The world will not be impressed with anything other than seeing a consistent love walk among Christians. That will impress them because it is rarely seen and it is impossible for anyone to maintain without Jesus Christ in their lives. Talk is easy, but the world needs to see action. God is love; so when people see real love, they see God.

Love can be described quite eloquently, but I believe the real power of love is seen in how we treat one another. Are we patient, kind, humble, ready to believe the best at all times, not easily provoked or offended and ready to lay aside our rights for other people? Are we ready to quickly and frequently forgive, and to never keep records of wrongs that we have suffered? Will we endure everything without weakening and bear with the failings of the weak? The willingness to do these things is what love is all about. Love is an effort  and it always costs us something. Most people today are looking for the easy road, the one which people are willing to treat others as they want to be treated travel.

- Joyce Meyer

There's a Purpose for the Problem

Hidden beneath every problem is the seed of a solution---God's solution. Your challenge, as a faithful believer, is to trust God's providence and seek His solutions. When you do, you will eventually discover that God does nothing without a very good reason: His reason.

Are you willing to faithfully trust God on good days as well as bad ones? Hopefully so, because an important part of walking with God is finding His purpose in the midst of your problems.

Reflect on this:

Looking back, I can see that the most exciting events of my life have all risen out of trouble.

                                                                                                   -Catherine Marshall

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A New Start

Today, like every other day, is literally brimming with possibilities.  Whether we realize it or not , God is always working in us and through us; our job is to let Him do His work without undo interference. Yet we are imperfect beings who, because of limited vision, often resist God's will. We want life to unfold according to our own desires, not God's. But our Heavenly Father may have other plans.

As you begin the new day, think carefully about the work that God can do through you. And then, welcome the coming day with a renewed sense of purpose and hope. God has the power to make all things new, including you. Your task is to let Him do it.

Reflect on this:

Consider every day as a new beginning, the first day of your life, and always act with the same fervor.                                                                -Anthony of Padua

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I Can't Believe This

Some things are hard to believe  until they are seen  differently. Even with a copy of the resentencing legal documents, it still did not sink in.  Then when I read in my home town local newspaper that

The five other defendants who have accepted 40-year terms to replace their life sentences are:
Wallace Allen, 38, of Little Rock. He pleaded guilty to capital murder in June 1998 for killing Carol Rountree in front of her daughters, who were 6, 9 and 11 years old, while trying to rob her outside the family's apartment. Allen, who cursed the victim's sister after being sentenced, is now parole-eligible.
Source: The Arkansas Gazette

my heart sunk. A battle that my family and I won 21 years ago is here again and this time we lost. The original sentence he received  was life in prison without parole. I was 12 years old when I heard this and all I could think was he will not be able to  hurt anyone else, any more.  But due to a Supreme Court ruling on The Fair Sentencing of Minors Act. This change how my story would end.  My mother murder's will now serve a 40 year sentence with the possibly of parole. WAIT WHAT!!!!!  What was once a guarantee has now become and option. 
On April 3, 2018, (which is also my wedding anniversary )  We prepared to go to trial  for the resentencing. We were all excited to come together again and address  the monster who took my mother's life 21 years ago but it was cancelled. My middle sister was told that she will receive a new date of when the trial is set to take place. Three months later while we were stilling  waiting for an answer,  my aunt was watching the local news and learned that the resentencing had taken on July 12, 2018, and we missed it.  My family and I were shock and upset.  My middle sister and some members of my family stayed in constant contact with the prosecuting attorney about  everything that was going on  in this case. And they dropped the  ball. An much anticipated trial was  missed because we were not notified of when it would take place.  A day that I had be waiting and preparing for, slipped right passed me. I felt like my 12 year old self again, I was ready to address the monster who had stolen my mother life but no one cared to listen, while he was given the victory.  I lost the battle without being given the opportunity to fight.  I was moved to cry about it  but I felt no tears fall. All I could  think of was his family expressing joy and excitement that their son can home. While I wished  I could receive the same fate and welcome my mommy home too. I feel that the  prosecuting attorney in this case and the state of Arkansas failed us. My sister's and I witness this man take our mother's life and express no remorse. As little girls, I remember missing  school days to attend court preceding and meetings with our prosecuting attorney. In court when  his family and my family were present together in the courtroom, no one from his family offered an apologize to my family or even tried to notice me and my sisters.  They treated my family so badly that some of our  male family members  had to  act as shields to protect us from them. They treated us like we were to blame. They  even chased and harassed one of my family member's to her car. His family  disregarded his actions and behaviors then, just like The State of Arkansas  disregarded  his actions and behaviors now.  As I viewed his Arkansas Department of Corrections inmate report, his behavior let me know that prison did not change him. His behavior alone should have been more of a reason of why he should have continued his original sentence. The fact that he murdered a woman in front of her children should have been enough.  I stared at his inmate picture as tears streamed down my face all I could say with sadness is why?   I thought back to 1998 when  I was a shy  12  year old  sitting quietly in a courtroom office as my  prosecuting attorney prepared me to take the witness stand. She asked me her last question. "Do you want him to stay in prison for the rest of his life or do you think he deserve to die for what he did?" Knowing what I know now, I wish I would of answered differently.     

This hurts so much right now!!!!!!!

God Knows

Whatever Comes Your Way.

God's hands shapes the world, and it shapes your life. So wherever you find yourself  whether on the mountaintop or in the darkest valley remember that God is there, too. And He's ready to help.

Are you willing to  accept God's help by prayerfully opening your heart to Him?

And are you willing to conform your will to His? If so, then you can be certain that you and God, working together, will make the most of whatever comes your way.

Reflect on this:

Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks.              -Rick Warren

Those who are fired with an enthusiastic idea and who allow it to take hold and dominate their thoughts find that new worlds open for them. As long as enthusiasm holds out, so will new opportunities.             -Norman Vincent Peale

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Release It

Release blame - replace it with forgiveness.

(you may never receive an apologize fro those who hurt you but forgive them will empower you)

Release disappointments so that you can receive the abundance God has to offer you.

Release doubt - replace it with never ending faith

(You will not know how it will happen so worrying about it want help)

Release angry and bitterness- replace it with love and joy

Release the image of yourself that is incomplete - replace it with truth that in this moment you have everything you need.

Release rejection, abandonment, fear, and unfaithfulness - replace it with God's never changing unconditional love for you....His chosen.

Release it so it can unleash you.

Justice