Oh give thanks!!!

Psalm 107:1 

Oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever!! Happy thanksgiving

Morning Wisdom!!

What ever you do today and in life make sure that you are happy doing it. Make sure that it is acceptable to God, always tell the truth because anything else comes from the evil one. Make sure to thank God each day because he should always come first, you second and everyone else third. Never put anyone else feelings over your own because it shows a sign of weakness. Honor God in all things because it pleases him when we consider him first in every decision that we make. Never belittle yourself to please someone else. Always stand up for what you believe in even if it means you stand alone or will be alone. God hears your cries, he reads your thoughts so never be afraid to talk to him because he does answer. When he starts talking to you, LISTEN. Never do to some one what you would not want them to do to you. Because what goes around comes back around 2 and 3 fold. Know that I love you but neither I nor yourself loves you better than God almighty.

Looking Forward!!

In the bible there are so many reminders of future blessings for those who believe and who lives by the word of God. So after feeling overwhelmed with life, I was reminded by a sermon from Tony Evans. He  was preaching about the holy city of God, the new Jerusalem. I have never heard anyone explain it quite this way before. I have read the measurements of the city and it's foundation, but  I was never able to envision it. Revelation 21:2 says" And I saw the holy city, the new jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Mr  Evans gave me a pretty good visual view. The cities length and width is the exact same. Basically he said that from America to half of Africa is one length and the height is the same. There are no oceans to divide this city.  The bible says that its streets are made of pure gold. In my mind I look to the sky and try to picture this city glittering like a diamond. Ezekiel 48:31 also tells us that each gate is made of large jewels which gives the names of the twelve tribes of Judah. This has got to be the most beautiful sight to behold. So for all the suffering that goes on in this life, future terrorist attacks, wars, and rumors of wars, diseases, pain and suffering, peoples lies, government meltdowns, We have a future with Christ to look forward to. So giving up is not an option. We must always be watching and waiting patiently for his return. Mathew 25 :1 tells us of the 10 virgins who went out to meet the groom, 5 were prepared and the other 5 were not. We can not be caught off guard. Our future with Jesus Christ is not the only example that we have to go by. The book of Deuteronomy also gives us curses and blessings. The way the world looks it may seem that we are experiencing some curses, but  the bible also says that God would bless the fruit of our womb, he would bless us in the field, bless us in our homes, he would give us long life. Psalm 91: 5 says, thou shalt not be afraid of the fear of the night: nor of the arrow that flies by day: nor of the pestilence that walk in the darkness: nor of the plague that destroys at noon day. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come near thee. Some people  believe now more than ever that the end is near.  When Jesus was laid on the cross it became clear that the end was near.

Revelation 3:11 says" I am coming quickly, hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 

Part Time Love, Or Full Time Prayer!!!

I was at work one day when I asked myself this question. Is  my love for God a part time commitment or full time. l try to pray every day but there are days when I get so busy that I actually forget. My job consist of selling Christian items. So each day I assist each customer who needs help. I also present to them the new app that the company now offers which cost. Being able to sell this app to customers becomes a benefit to myself  and the company. I receive a small commission and I feel good knowing that I helped someone make an important decision with their life. There is one small issue with selling this app. There are days when business is not so good. We either do not have enough customers coming in or it just happens to be one of those days when everyone says no " not today". Well' on the days when business is relatively slow  certain employees have a tendency to say " lets pray" in hopes of making a sale. The thing is, I pray and I don't have a problem praying but, should I pray only when I need something or do I pray always. Personally I pray by giving thanks and realizing what God has bought me through.  I don't feel right praying just to get a sale. It is like a person who constantly wants but never willing to give. It also makes me feel as though I am in some way trying to use God. If I decided to only pray when I needed something wouldn't that be like using God just like humans use each other, " I will only call when I need something and if I don't need anything then you will not hear from me. What if God was like us and he only dealt with us part time. I feel ungrateful to only call on him when we need things. We should also pray in giving thanks. I actually told my supervisor that I believe that when I read the word and pray my days at work goes good. So if we would read the word plus pray then God would take care of the rest. She actually laughed in disbelief.  I truly hope that we see and understand that Jesus Prayed. The bible says that we should pray often and for us to pray morning, noon and night, Psalm 55:17.  The prophets in the bible spent most of their time worshipping and praying to God. I am not saying that we need to become saints but I truly believe that praying often removes a lot of hell out of our lives.

My Rock!!

My Rock

Some people say that their husband or wife is their rock.  There use to be a commercial for prudential insurance, " stand on the rock", as if to say you can never go wrong. The definition for rock is ' relatively hard  naturally formed mineral, stone.  The bible also uses the Term rock in describing God. He is our rock,  He is strong and mighty.  He stands forever.  

Some people need a drink to get them through the day. There are others who need to smoke or take drugs just to cope with life, then there are those who must be in a relationship to feel wanted or needed. In order to have a true relationship with someone we must first have a relationship with Jesus Christ. In order to love ourselves we must first love Jesus Christ. When we love and seek him first, he will give us the understanding of his love, mercy, grace and power over our life. Once we start to walk with him, talk with him, commune with him we start to feel his presence and no longer become dependent on those worldly negative things, because in reality, we are only masking a deeper problem. In no way does drinking, drugs and ungodly relationships help us. They only destroy us slowly over time. I remember being told by someone close to me that I needed a psychiatrist to help me with my mental issues. I told this person that God was my psychiatrist. I just have a strong belief that Jesus being here on earth and healing people From all kinds of ailments is proof enough for me to continue my belief in him. He is still healing people and there is nothing impossible for him to do. No matter the problem or situation just give it to God. If we pay attention to every one in the bible who Christ Jesus healed, they all were healed because of their faith. They believed that he could heal them and they were healed. Mathew 7:8 says' that for everyone who ask receives, and he who seeks finds, and to everyone who knocks the door shall be opened. 

Mark 11:24 says' therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it and it will be granted unto to you. James 1:6 says' The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea being driven and tossed by the wind. So when we pray we must have faith in our prayer in believing that God will answer our prayer. Luke 17:6 say' if you have faith  as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mulberry tree " be uprooted and planted in the sea and it will obey you. Psalm 18: 2 says' The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock in whom I take refuge. Beyonce has a song called 'baby you are my rock, ' but there is no greater rock than Jesus Christ, my shield and my deliverer. 

Committed.

Committed

We commit ourselves to our job, our spouses and family but I am working on committing myself to God.   There is only one God, the God who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it.  To him do I commit my life.  I have had so many ups and downs, sometimes more down than ups. I have struggled trying to raise 2 daughters by myself, sometimes maintaining 2 jobs while going back to school. It was very hard but I lived through it. I have been evicted more times than I care to remember, But in the words of Maya Angelo " still I rise". 

In good times and bad times I have learned to call on God. I never had friends that I could run to and ask for help. I do know however that if someone decided to help me that it was God who sent them. I remember being in my 20's and I only had one child and without a job. I was home with nothing to eat and wondering what will I feed myself and my child for the next day. I felt I had no one to call and was too proud to ask anyone for help. Well" I went to bed that night  with nothing in my cabinets or refrigerator to eat. The very next day I woke up to someone ringing my doorbell. To my surprise it was a friend who I had not seen nor spoke to in 2 weeks. Out of the blue she decided to send her daughter to my house with a basket of food. I was so surprised because I did not tell her my troubles nor did I call her to ask for anything. I could only ask the question " how on earth or what made her do this for me. My only reasoning is that it was God who gave her the inclination to bring me that basket of food. This shows me that almighty God is very real and he truly cares about me. Not only does he care about me but he cares about his children, ( we are his children) This world belongs to God and he loves and cares about all of his creation. What he does not have a love for is wickedness and sin. Job 38:10 States" by the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straightened. 11, also by watering he wearies the thick cloud: he scatters his bright cloud; 12, and it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commands them upon the face of the world in the earth 13, he causes it to come , whether for correction, or for his land , or for mercy. 41, who provides for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God. 39, wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? Or fill the appetite of the young lions. Luke 13:34  states " Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets and stones them that are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings and ye would not". As I am writing this I am understanding the love that God has for us and the love that we should have for others. I know that when I get angry I tend to be angry at everyone and everything.  Being angry at everyone and everything is very unlike  God. God says for us to love one another just like he loves us.John 13:34 says " a new commandment I give you' that you love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciple's if you love one another. When we make it our responsibility to hate we  are showing God that we hate his creation. As if to say that we do not care about his commandments. The bible ask the question" how can we say we love God who we have not seen but hate our fellow man who we see each day. At times I find myself having hateful thoughts but thankfully God is a forgiving God and as I commit myself to him he is teaching me to love my neighbor as myself. It is hard especially when someone is displaying hate towards me but when I think of all the moments when Christ has had my back in situations. The times when he has proven over and over that he loves me, ( undeserving as I am, as we all are) who am I to harbor hate when someone like Jesus Christ from the beginning has only showed me love. Yesterday I was talking to a co- worker and I told her about a company that I heard of that puts God first, family second and business third. Her response was" I'm sorry but family comes first for me, I said to her" what do you mean? It is God who gave you your family. I don't think she grasped what I meant.  The point is that whatever we acquire in life or whoever we are " God gave it all to us. Whether we are African,  European, Asian, Spanish, Arabic, Indian, rich or poor God gives it to us all. None of us can change our DNA and I don't know of anyone who wants to.  

Committing myself to God is not easy, I have to be forgiving just like him and God knows it can be a hard task. I must love others just like he loves us. That's another hard task. I am a work in progress. I write this blog to help myself and hopefully help someone else. Not only do I have the bible as an example of Gods love but my experiences in life also serves as examples of his love towards me. So I have no other alternative but to thank him and try my best to honor and uphold his words because it is he who has kept me this long. It is he who has protected me from harm. There is no one else who came to my rescue but God. 

How Valuable Are You!!!

How valuable are you?

If you acquired all the luxuries and money in this world it would not be as valuable as you. Do you understand how valuable you really are? You are more valuable than silver and gold. The enemy understands this fully well. You were thought about long before you were born. You are no accident, nor are you a mistake.  John 10:10 says" the enemy comes only to steal, kill and destroy but I have come so that you may have life and have it more abundantly.

Nowadays it is very easy for someone to pick up a gun and take the life of another or even themselves. In my opinion we have been brainwashed by television. How many programs or movies can we watch without someone getting shot or murdered. It happens so often that it has become the norm. We must be careful what we allow into our spirit. We are moved by what we read and see. It all has a great affect on us. We can sit back and say " well" I have watched those kind of shows and it does not affect me, but if we take a good look around us we will see that it does have an affect on us. Is it possible to hear the evening news without someone getting shot and killed. It seems as though the poor are most affected. If we do not have an outlet, what will we do or where will we go? If we as a society decided to spend most of our time focusing on God and reading his word instead of being more focused on television, Facebook, texting and the Internet. What kind of society would we be? All these things are distractions that the enemy uses to get us away from our real purpose. We were put here on earth to honor our creator but as we can see the enemy has been disrupting this from the beginning.  Why does it seem so hard to believe that we are all brothers and sisters. We are also sons and daughters of the most high God. How can one persons'  life be more important, or valuable than another. Evidently Jesus did not think so because he died on Calvary for you and me and anyone who believes. If someone died for us shouldn't it be enough for us to understand. I know life can let us down, and sometimes it seems as if we are all alone but believing in the positive things in life and not allowing our negative feelings and situations get the best of us is what we need to work on. God did not say it would be easy but having him to call and depend on is much better than going it alone.

Matthew 11:30 states " for my burden is easy and my yoke is light. Jesus has given us many reasons to know that he truly love and care about us. We are not alone in this because someone greater than us took our sins and got on the cross for us. We are precious and very valuable to Jesus Christ, so we cannot let sin, people or the trouble life gives discourage us from believing that we each are truly precious, and valuable in his eyes. If we understand how valuable we are then maybe we will understand how valuable the next person is and then we can allow love to overpower and rule  us instead of hate.