Finding Joy

While driving home with my kids in the car my tire shredded on the highway. With a crying one year old tired of being in his car seat, and a curious three year old constantly asking questions as to why we weren’t moving, this seemingly small problem began to grow into a mountain.  I slept terribly the night before, and so I was already a bit cranky as I sat on the side of the road in cold 1-degree weather.  I started to feel very frustrated and upset.

It was then that I was reminded about “foot soldiers.” A foot soldier is a soldier that fights on foot and performs basic tasks. They fight on the front line during battle and you have to defeat them before you can get close to defeating the horsemen.  The foot soldiers represent distractions, irritants, inconveniences, etc. The Horsemen are more skilled and more equipped for battle. They represent actual hardships, trials, adversities, etc.

“If you run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with the horses?And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?”

Jeremiah 12:5

In Jeremiah God is saying that if the footmen have tired you out then how can you stand to fight the horsemen? This issue I was facing was only a foot soldier trying to wear me out and steal my joy. For a few moments it seemed as if the foot soldier was winning the battle. My joy and my peace were starting to slip away but then I was reminded that “The joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). 

 I said “Okay God! I need you to fix this”!

Five minutes later a tow truck came and offered to change my tire for free. What would have taken over an hour waiting for my scheduled tow truck, only took a few minutes from a random tow truck driver who happened to be passing by the area. Great! I went to the tire shop and my tire that was now shredded was changed and fixed for no charge. Thank God! Afterwards I laughed because what I thought was a big problem was actually no problem at all.

There are so many things in our life that we have allowed to become foot soldiers. Many problems have unknowingly stolen our joy without us realizing it. In the middle of my problem I had to decide to find joy. I’ve found that as long as I kept my joy I overcame the problems that tried to wear me out.

What are the foot soldiers in your life? Are you choosing to have joy? In the middle of whatever you’re going through…..Find Your Joy!

Don’t forget to subscribe, like, comment, and of course, any questions or prayer requests feel free to send me a message. Stay Blessed and get into the word of God, spend time with him, and get to know him so that you will find joy in everything, and defeat every foot soldier that comes your way.

Time to Unplug

This subject is a much-needed topic that often times is left forgotten. We are constantly on the run, and our day to day schedules can get so filled that the word “unplug” is far from our agenda but on our “to-do-list” in the future We plan to take a break, or to give ourselves some time alone once we complete a certain tasks but sometimes we can hit a wall of exhaustion physically, mentally, and spiritually that forces us to do the very thing that we tried to postpone, which is unplug

A few months ago it was my time to unplug. Not because it was on my schedule but I too had tried to put off taking a “self-care” (I’ll go into explaining this word in a minute) moment to myself. I got so caught up in tasks.  As a mother, for example, there are always tasks to do, and it seems like the list never ends. Even when it was time to relax or end the day I found myself trying to complete just one more thing. “Oh! There was something I forgot to do today!” I thought. I would mentally add it to my list for tomorrow. Although it seems like we are doing the right thing and was getting things done this is also where enemy likes to creep in and try to attack.  These lists or busy schedules never seem to dwindle down and we soon find ourselves tired, burnt out, feeling unappreciated for the million things we do, and even spiritually famished.

Your plan could be to pray or read your bible after you get done with your day. So after you’ve spent time with everyone else and done all there is to do by the end of the day your exhausted. You can barely keep your eyes open to spending time with the person who should be the most important person in your life. God.

I had a dream that my husband and I was preparing to go minister, and he took all his time preparing and I got upset. While he was taking his precious time getting ready I was attending to the kids and getting them dressed and by the time it was time for us to leave I wasn’t ready, and there was no time to spend preparing myself. In my dream, I thought he was selfish because we didn’t share the time. I told my husband about the dream the next day and his response was that it sounded like Martha and Mary.

38 as Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it and it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:38-42

That could be another way to look at it. I told my husband, but it could also mean that you were being selfish (ha-ha). Fast forward to later that night as I was showering I recalled the dream and my husband’s response. I thought he was very one-sided and was not trying to see his selfishness in the matter. Right at that moment, I heard God say “Martha”. “Martha?”  I said. “Yes, Martha! I was showing you in the dream that you had taken the role of Martha”. God said. Speechless was beyond the word I felt. It was a quick check from God to re-examine myself. I knew then that I needed to unplug immediately.

It wasn’t about the works of service that Martha did but what mattered the most to God. What really tugged on his heart was spending time with him, which is what Mary did. The first thing I decided to do was shut down my phone. This meant closing down all those apps like social media that you find yourself constantly on out of habit. The only apps I chose to use was Kindle to read my books and the Bible app. In a world full of so many things to do we can sometimes say to ourselves that there’s not a lot of hours in the day. The question is what are you using those hours to do?

What we give the most time to become our god. This was something powerful I heard that struck a chord with me to re-examine my life. Someone might think well I have to work eight hours or take care of my kids but If God is the creator of your kids and even your entire being. He created the job position and chose to put you in, so how can we put the “creations” over the “creator”. The bible says that it is in Him who we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). We need him for every part of our lives. Our very existence still stands and breathes because of him. The word “self-care” comes to mind and a lot of people talk about self- care being an important part of your life. However, self-care is nothing without time with God. You can go on all the retreats, and get all the time off of work and massages you want and can still feel empty, depressed, and can go right back to work and feel those same problems go back on your shoulders. It’s God the creator that removes depression, burdens and fill the empty void in our lives.

We can’t fix ourselves. We the creation needs the creator God to step in. It’s like my 11month old son trying to change his own diaper. He needs me, his mother to change his diaper for him. He can try on his own and will make a mess and track it everywhere he goes. Eventually making an even bigger mess and the only way to clean that mess up would be for him to come to me so that I can help him.

Another word that comes to mind is “self-diagnose”. You know when you start to get a headache or some other physical pain so instead of going to God we go to Google. We type the symptoms in and try to figure out what it could be and “self-diagnose “ourselves. Then we become more worried or stressed because Google told us that these symptoms can lead to death. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) Go to God first because he has all the answers.

Listen, it’s time to unplug, and plug into more of God! You know the things you need to remove, or pause from your life but most importantly while you are taking a break from those things SPEND TIME WITH GOD. Let him transform some things in your life. Read his word, talk to him, all he desires is for us to spend time, and to have a relationship with him.

I pray this blesses you as much as it has blessed me and that once you unplug you’re able to seek after God with your whole heart. Any prayer requests or if something you read helped you, and you have a story to share please share or send a message. Subscribe and Share and most importantly unplug!

Feeling Overwhelmed?

Tired, stressed, exhausted, frustrated, running on an empty tank? These are some of the things that drive you down the road of being overwhelmed. I’ve hit that road plenty of times and it always lets me know I’m running on my own strength, and I’ve hit my limit.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”. -2 Corinthians 12:9

This is the scripture I continued to quote as I looked at toys surrounding the floor. My oldest son had decided on this particular day that he wanted to throw his food on the floor because the spaghetti that he loves to eat every day if possible was no longer a favorite for him. My infant who was teething and crying did not want to be in his play pin, highchair or pretty much anywhere he felt restrained. Instead, he wanted to roam as freely as possible and get into everything that was off limits. I, on the other hand, was running off of no sleep from both kids being sick, fighting to get over the cold passed on from the kids, and mother nature seemed to kick in at the right time. I was officially overwhelmed! At this point, I needed some supernatural strength and a clone of me so that I could drop everything and go rest.

In my moment of weakness, I could only look to one person who could fix it all. The bible says to cast all of your cares on God because he cares for you. (1Peter 5:7) While I was trying to figure out everything and running on my own strength, I had to remind myself that I needed God in every aspect of my life. This includes even the minor things. This is something we might know already but we can often lose track of that when life starts to crash in on our day. Overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated are signs that we have not allowed him to take control in that particular area of our life. Instead, we’ve closed him off and let ourselves lead.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” Isaiah 20:28

It’s impossible for God to be overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated, etc! Lean on him! There is a saying that says don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This is true when it comes to putting all of your cares, etc into a man or women because we are then disappointed or hurt when that person doesn’t live up to your expectations. However, there is someone that you can give all of your cares to no matter how big or how small, and that is God. So I want to give you a few practical ways to keep from getting overwhelmed.

1. Find a scripture that relates to your situation and speak that scripture over and over and over again. –write it out, post it everywhere you need to so that every time you think about getting stressed say No because God said (insert scripture)!
2. What is your attention focused on? What we give all our attention or energy to becomes our god. Instead turn your attention to God.
3. Prayer does change things- spend some time in prayer. –God loves when we talk to him. He wants you to have deeper relationship with him where there are no formalities, just talking to him like a friend.
4. Turn on some worship music or sing unto the Lord-I’ve done this more than I can count. When the kids are screaming or crying and it seems like chaos I turn on some worship music and change the atmosphere. I worship God and they calm down. It also teaches your children at an early age to shift the atmosphere but that’s another topic will discuss later.

These are just a few things that will help keep you from being overwhelmed. I pray this blessed you and I will list some of my favorite scriptures that I quote when I need that extra grace, peace, strength, and help below. Stay tuned to the next blog and read others if you haven’t already. Subscribe and share!

Additional Scriptures: Psalm 61:2, Psalm 142:3, Isaiah 40:31, Ephesians 6:10, Genesis 28:15.

I fell in love with another man

I remember walking down the aisle towards my husband to be. What was only a few feet away seemed like the longest walk ever as I was filled with nervousness.  Forgetting to breathe I looked ahead at him as the look in his face was mesmerized at the woman walking down the aisle. He was marrying his dream girl and I was marrying my King. He is the man who was my answered prayer and made me feel and believe in a love that could last a lifetime.

Fast forward to now. As our anniversary draws closer I started to reminisce about our time together. We’ve shared so many good times, and we’ve also had our fair share of tough times. I started thinking of the things that we used to do. There were so many enjoyable things we did in the past that I realized we no longer do. The more I thought about all the things that we used to do my perception towards my husband began to change.

In Proverbs 4:23 it says “More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.”

One of the most dangerous phrases in a relationship is “used to”. Your thoughts play a key role in your relationship. If the enemy can get you to think negative thoughts towards your spouse he knows that it can change the way you see them. Instead of feeling head over heels for your mate, you become frustrated, irritated, or even disgusted by them. There has been such a big attack on marriages. An attack to break up marriages, to cause division, and strife towards each other which is contrary to the way God has intended marriages to be.

As I prayed for God to strengthen marriages everywhere I also felt the need to pray specifically for my own marriage. One of the things I prayed was for God to show me new ways to love my husband. For many, it seems like the longer you’re married the less interested you become. The more that “honeymoon phase” seems like a distant memory. I believe that as each day passes your love for one another should become stronger and deeper. We must remember that challenges and struggles are meant to strengthen your relationship.

“You have to see your spouse how I see him. No matter what disagreements come, no matter if you’re going through hard times, continue to see him how I see him.” – God

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things have become new. I realized that the man I married was not the same man today. As his relationship with God got deeper his thoughts started to change. How he handled situations, his struggles, and reactions changed. Even his prayers changed. In reality, I changed as well. I heard the saying, that as you each pursue God he brings your marriage closer. I definitely agree. I began to look up scriptures, and speak them over my marriage. Any past mistakes were left in the past. I stopped allowing myself to remind him of any old mistakes. I knew that I had the power to build him up or to tear him down. The closer I got to God the more I started to see my husband how God saw him. The more I cherished and appreciated him. I felt blessed that God had chosen me to love and take care of one of his prized possessions.

You have to fight for your marriage. When the enemy tries to interfere you have to speak the word of God over your marriage. Pray and cover your marriage. Whatever has happened in the past… (I repeat) Whatever has happened in the past, FORGIVE your spouse, and let it go. Believe that God is changing some things within them so any past mistakes don’t bring them into your future. See your spouse how God sees them.

Stay Blessed, Subscribe, and Stay in Christ!

Don’t Lose Momentum

The past few weeks’ obstacles have bombarded my doorstep. For my first initial post I talked about picking up what God has told you to do whether it was a blog, song, job, etc. ( Check out blog post “What are you waiting for?”) and putting it into action. Although I could have had good reasons to take a break from posting, the very words Don’t Lose Momentum resonated in me. No matter if problems arise, busy schedules, and if you are being pulled on in every area of your life don’t stop. I realized the more and more I slowed down on writing, the busier my schedule got. It’s so easy to lose that momentum, and of course, the enemy loves to see you slow down, and even better if you stop. He knows that the very thing that God has told you to do is the thing that will bring great blessings. Not only to you but in my case the people who read this blog. (2 Chronicles 15:7 but as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”)

I think of it like being in a race. Every step God wants to direct. With every movement, he wants to guide you to the finish line. The finish line holds the completed vision. Any sacrifice or struggle that comes your way will be worth it at the finish line. (Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.)For example, God may have told you to start a business. So you start the business and it becomes very successful in the city you reside. Although the business is flourishing God doesn’t want you to stop there. His expectations and plans are greater than we can imagine. He wants to take your business and expand it all around the world. However, if we allow ourselves to lose momentum, we eventually stop. (Jeremiah 29:11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.)

So I say this for myself and for you to keep going! Don’t get off track, push it off to the side, slow down, or waiver from the very thing that God has told you to do.  Keep going! Don’t lose momentum!

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Who are you letting in your car?

As I was driving down the street with my husband we came to a stop light. The car stood at a complete stop and my husband and I were in a deep conversation. Suddenly he stopped and had this alarming look on his face. He pulled me over to his side, grabbed this stick we had in the car, and pointed it towards the direction of where I was sitting. As I looked over his shoulder I saw a lion that was trying to pounce into the car. Immediately we locked the doors, and my husband stood at guard to block the lion so that he could not enter. The lion constantly tried to enter on all sides but we refused to let him in. When I woke up wondering what the dream meant I decided to pray about it, and God began to show me the meaning, which leads me to this post.

Who are you letting into your car? In the dream, the car represented my mind. The doors represented my eyes and ears.  So now that you understand the question, think about what you are letting into your nice fancy car. What’s going in through your eyes and ears?

Everything you say or allow into your eyes or ears becomes data that is stored in your heart. The Bible talks a lot about guarding your gates. Watching what you put into your ear and eye gates. One scripture that comes to mind is Proverbs 4:20-25 NIV (“My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ears to my words. Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you”.) There are so many things that can negatively impact us, without us even realizing it. The TV is filled with reality shows that spill out drama, derogatory comments, fighting, jealousy, and the list goes on. Then you have shows like (insert your favorite show here), etc. that are full of violence, more drama, and more negativity. But of course, these shows are so good and leave you impatiently waiting till next week’s episode, because deception loves to sneak in through the back door. Oh, and we can’t forget about the movies that so craftily sneak in scenes filled with nudity, sex, etc. Everything we put into our ears and eyes affects us spiritually, emotionally and even physically. We have to guard our hearts, and in order to do this, we have to guard our eyes and ears.

I want to encourage you this week to be cautious of what you watch and listen to. When you engage in conversation with a coworker or friend, you should ask yourself this question. Will listening to this person affect me positively or negatively? If it’s negative then stop the conversation. Instead, pray with them or change the subject. If that doesn’t help, then walk away. Just like the car illustration we have to be careful of who we allow in our car. Let’s imagine that you have a luxury car with a beautiful clean interior, and someone comes into your car covered in mud, places their feet on the seats, and starts kicking dirt everywhere. Then he changes your music and starts blasting his own music. You are definitely going to kick them out of your car! Let’s be mindful to guard our ears and eyes so that the enemy (prowling like a lion ready to pounce in your car) will not be allowed in.

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What are you waiting for?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

                                                                                                      -Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

 What are you waiting for? These were the words I heard as I took my shower. My thoughts were going over the message I spoke this past Wednesday, and one of the things I mentioned was if God tells you to do something, he’s already provided everything you need to complete the task. There are people who God has called to start businesses, brands, and write books and he’s waiting for them to act.  I thought to myself “Wow! They better start now because now faith is”. Immediately as I spoke those words hit me again. “What are YOU waiting for”?  That message was for me. I had been putting off on starting this blog for the longest. I began to put one foot forward about a year ago and looked up info for blog websites to get started. I wanted a specific blog so I decided to wait instead of getting a free one. Sounds like a good excuse right? Not even close, and then came baby number two, and of course, that very thing that God had told me to do went far out of my mind. Until tonight, thinking I was about to go to bed I was quickly reminded that “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.

The key word of this post is “Now faith”, because if God has told you to do something act NOW! Don’t think that you can keep putting it off or start next week because the word of God says Now faith is…. He’s equipped you with everything you need for that very moment. Listen, I sprang out of that bathroom and downstairs to the computer. I couldn’t dare wait until the next day to start. Mornings are often busy with my two little ones and I knew that if I waited it would go back on the shelf in my mind and collect dust. I knew I had to start tonight because the words of what I was going to say, and even my blog name was spilling out of my mind. You know that feeling when you have to hurry up and get it on paper before you forget it? Yep! That’s the one!

So I encourage you to do the same because even as you read this I’m sure something that you were supposed to do just popped into your mind. Take hold of it today, because “Now faith is”. Act Now! The crazy thing is when we sit and think about what we’re supposed to do we think about the pros and the cons, how much is it going to cost because we can’t afford it, all the time we need to get it started, and the list goes on. We let our mind try to figure things out and end up talking ourselves out of it. So what has God told you to do? Now, what are you waiting for?

I hope this blessed you to go after that business, write that book, start that class, etc. Stay tuned to my next blog, and of course subscribe below for updates and giveaways.