Light vs Darkness

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:5 NKJV

*This scripture has got to be one of the dopest because it relates to my personal life. MANY times, even right now, I feel like no gets me, or is there for me like I am with others. It is like I have a totally different way of thinking, viewing things, and being there for people while neve feeling fulfilled in that area. Yet, God reminds us that darkness is NEVER going to understand the light. Do you know why? It doesn't have the same elements, make up, nor origin of the light. So, may God send the right light into our lives in order to avoid elements that will never compliment or understand. Food 4 Thought: Are you capable of being that light for someone else, or do you try to cover the person up in order to hide what you fail to try to understand?

Remember Whose You Are...

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2 NKJV

*God is our source and our protection. We have to work on realizing that if God is for us, who can be against us? He never fails, and through the good or bad, He never leaves or forsakes us. Let go of fear, and give thanks to God while trusting in Him.

God vs Us

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. II Corinthians 1:3‭-‬4 NKJV

*It is really hard to be there for people who are never really there for u, but if God sends them, we have to keep in mind the number of times God has been there for us. If God didn't send them, it can be a burden and a distraction. Be careful...

God Has NOT Forgotten

Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord , who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.” Ruth 2:20 NKJV

*God has not forgotten about you...He sees, loves, and never forgets. No matter what we face, or how long we have to face it, God always has a plan of deliverance. Just keeping praying, listening, believing, and waiting and He will come. Don't let longevity and longsuffering cause you to veer from the course and go your own way. You will never know what you could have had by choosing for yourself...

Walking in Love

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1‭-‬3 NIV

* God shows us new mercy every day. We are asked to do the same towards each other by His word. Unfortunately, that's not always easy. Let's be real: People are rude, often selfish, do not try to understand you but desire understanding, and sometimes you just plain don't want to be bothered. Yet, find a way to ask God to help us love and bare ourselves to one another. Besides lack of love, people are often afraid to seek help because of a falsified image  depicting perfection....Or, perhaps you don't want anyone in your business. Even more sadly, many believers don't know how to be discreet and not tell the business of others. Yet, God called us to talk to one another ..This promotes growth, accountability, and restoration. Now, use discernment but don't count this process out all together. I personally need to work on this because many believers are very upsetting and have caused disappointment despite my best efforts. Let's pray about this together...Like it or not, we need each other. Let's work on having a heart like God, and applying His principles.

Spirit Over Mind and Mouth

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

* So, it's no secret that this election has brought about some stinking thinking... I am even holding back my fleshly thoughts as I type this. However, we must learn to gain control over our minds in order to govern our mouths and actions. Whatever we think and say can either line up with or go against the knowledge we have of God,  and knowing who He is... We must take captive of our thoughts in order to make them line up with His word, which will activate our faith. To be transparent,  I am a continuous work in progress with this... However, I am happy for victories in not saying what I always feel because I see some ugly and fake things daily among people who claim to connect with you or who are down right against you. Join me as we heal and move forward together in capturing the mind, which aids in dictating our words, in order to avoid blocking the truth and your blessings.

Mourning

Psalm 73:26 (ESV)

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

*Today,  I have no words of encouragement and no desire to feel anything,  but the mourning of my best friend. However, all the strength I have is to share with you my experience of being broken,  and remind you of God's role during these times. God bless.... #Pearl #Parting #Heartaches #PrayingABadTurnsIntoAGood #MourningSummer16

Consistency with God

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

Psalm 68:19 NIV

God is the only consistent individual that continues to stick by our side when humans may fail. He is always there to uplift and carry us through our concerns. He never gives up on us, and bares with us over and over again, while all the while giving us guidance on how to make changes. I'm so greatly I'm not alone, and I hope you know you aren't alone too...I just need to continue to talk with Him more, and cast my cares upon Him. That way, I can let go of the emotion from man and embrace the consistent love of God.

Soul Balance-Word from T.D. Jakes

https://youtu.be/zjZH0NwukhY

This touched my spirit, and I hope it does the same for u...

God's the Motivator

Philippians 3:13-14 

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

ESV

*I will continue to push for despite how I feel, what I see, or even what I don't see. Faithfulness is staying loyal to the process, and faith is the belief in the promise.

Fear Not; I AM is with You

John 10:10 (ESV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

*Many times we allow are focus to dwell more on negativity than the positive aspects of our lives. This is a trick of the enemy to steal your peace, kill your confidence, and destroy your faith in all the possibilities and promises that God has guaranteed to provide for you. Don't allow the enemy to take away what God has placed on the inside of you, and hinder your possibilities for manifestation. Follow that desire and the peace in knowing His will shall come to pass, and the promises that are guaranteed if we trust in Him and allow His guidance to govern our lives. We have protection through God. Let's trust more in that protection rather then the allusions that are placed in front of us. We were meant to live a life outside of the norm...There is no room to circum to fear in order to gain instructions on how to get to that life. Let's pray for each other that we press in and do not miss out on opportunities.

The Strength of Faith

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)

11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

*Building up enough faith to see beyond our current circumstances, in order to believe for better, can be challenging. However, building your faith starts with knowing your worth. When you KNOW how God sees you, and accept how precious you are then you will not settle for anything. You will receive knowledge of what He has promised you, and what He knows you are capable of... Don't settle for what you currently have or what you're use to, but strive for better by building your relationship with God and growing in Him in order to be prepared for greater...

God has Many Battles to Fight 4 Us

Today's word is in the form of food for thought...Think/pray beyond yourself and your circle...

#CourtesyOfPinterest

Getting Over the Hump

Philippians 1:29 (ESV)

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. . . .

*As a believer, we are suppose to look at the life of Christ and follow His example. Well, there are times when Jesus had to go through things and push through to get over the hump. However, there were always blessings waiting after the trial. We too will go through trials and tribulations. We may suffer, become upset, and even cry out....But, as long as we don't sin then we are following His lead. There is a grace put on us to endure and overcome. God is also here to provide us with peace. Let's pray for each other and our ability to successfully overcome trials. 

Where is Your Focus?

Romans 8:5-6 (ESV)
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

*It's the beginning of the work week, and I'm sure some of you are thinking about your " to do" list, wondering why did the weekend have to end, or dreading the responsibilities to come. In going deeper, some of you may even feel caught in a cycle and wondering when will your change come? Perhaps you may even think you are on the right path, but yet you can't seem to receive whatever it is that you desire. In that instance, take the time to ask yourself, "What is my mind focused on?" Are you mainly focused on yourself or the things that concern God? Do you have issues with being truthful about your current situation and how your choices are impacting your life? Perhaps you may have envy, regret, disgruntle tendencies, or lack of Godly prioritizing in your heart that is serving as the very thing that is holding you back. Where is your focus today, and does it line up with what God wants you to focus on? The flesh finds many distractions, but the spirit is always looking for spiritual opportunities of improvement, growth, and the ability to find joy in any given situation. Revamp your focus in order to see things differently, and receive what you have been missing out on...

Focus On His Goal

Colossians 3:2 ESV

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

*Many of you may be familiar with this particular verse, but take a moment to meditate on what God is telling you...So many of us see negativity on a daily basis. Some of the negativity may be as extreme as death, while others may witness a traffic jam and call that terrible. Regardless to how big or small the circumstance is to us, God still wants us to focus and meditate on His capability to cause change and any positivity that we can see and  obtain from the situation. If you are not an optimistic person of faith at the moment, this will begin the process of you looking to God for guidance in order to uncover HIS IDEA of a solution or how you can be used as a vessel to assist. Remember, regardless of what you are experiencing you are still connected to people and have a job to do for your purpose. If we stay focused on the current situation, we can find ourselves accepting the circumstance while at the same time submerging ourselves in the turn of events. This causes you to become weakened and maybe cross over into disbelief because you have taken your mind off of how God sees you and what He promises, and have decided to adhere to the never ending and unresolved circumstances within the cycle of life that's orchestrated by the world. Therefore, who cares what other people think, what doesn't make sense, or what isn't lining up with logic?! Logic does not define those who are of God, but only the ability for all things to be possible through Christ Jesus (Matt. 19:26).

Distractions While Overcoming Distress

1 Thessalonians 5:15 NIV

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

*During my current moment of trials, I have had the opportunity to learn many lessons as I embark on going to the next level. One lesson in particular is not paying back the evil experiences and ridicule I have come across. In life, we all have gone through something. What may intensify that ordeal is the way others may view or treat you as you experience the growing pains of becoming a better person. You may even encounter individuals who add fuel to the fire, but know that it is a test....A test to see if you will remember God's promises over unruly behavior, implement His word during your moment of intensity, and still walk in love as Jesus did while baring the elements of the cross. Many times, the treatment you may sometimes experience from people and the breaking down of things is all a plot from the devil keep you from reaching the promises of God. These are known as distractions designed to help us veer off course, and prolong our circumstance. However, remember to stay focused on having life more abundantly (John 10:10), no matter what it looks like or how people treat you. Let them miss out on their blessings if they come across as negative or even sweet but out of the will of God, while you stay true to the course of God's will.

Get Off the Emotional Roller Coaster

Psalm 30:5 (NIV)
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

*Emotions were designed by God with the idea of helping you further experience life. There are several emotions that we may experience in our lifetime, and know that these emotional experiences are fine as long as we remain in control over them. We should never let our emotions get the best of us, and outweigh what God tells us vs what we believe we should do based on feelings. However, it is very important to embrace your authentic feelings, because habitual feelings that are formed are feelings that can lead to entrapment within a cycle...Thus, not allowing you to fully express how you feel to God in order to receive help. While reading "The 40 Day Soul Fast" book today, I realized that I have a right to weep and be upset...I have a right to be disgusted with experiencing things that are not part of the promises of God, but I also remain under control during my night of weeping because I am still intently waiting to be led by Him, and not using my emotional state to react based upon my own understanding. I also hold fast to God, even though I slip in and out of a strong grip, because I know the victory is won and I see small elements of sustainability that tell me not to give up. This is the true nature of control...to hold on to what you believe in vs what you have seen and come to know. To stop the flesh's desire to react indicates the Godly power within, and the smallest segment of faith that still exists in our fight towards freedom to sense what God wants us to feel. I battle chucking up the deuces daily and the desire to run into the night of weeping bc my love for God holds steadfast to joy coming in the morning. Are you letting your emotions win the battle, or have you gained control in the war on feelings and failure?

Your Struggle IS NOT Real

Friendly REMINDER 4 ALL OF US:

So many people are going through it this week, but please know we are in good company...For this is the week that Jesus knew that He would be praised one minute only to lead to His body being hung on the cross the next (Good Friday). He was beaten, battered, bruised, betrayed, mocked, drenched in bodily fluids, submerged into the pits of hell to free us from the very thing we are salty, saddened, disgusted with, or annoyed by today. I say all this to say God never meant for us to be bound by what we are going through. Instead, He was the ultimate example of fighting the good fight of faith, and having victory over what seems like a deadly, crappy, or ridiculous situation. Don't let your light afflictions overtake you, and cause u to miss out on the very reason for this Resurrection season! (NOT EASTER or egg hunting) WE ARE OVERCOMERS, and will OVERCOME these light afflictions bc Christ bore the heaviest weight when He died on Calvary and rose again....#HangOn&BeStrongWithMe #We'veGotThis #VictoryAlreadyWonThisWeek

2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Replace Judgment with Love

Sometimes I think people become so consumed with being disgusted with other people and their flaws, that they forget they are work in progress as well. That same disgust that u may display is being displayed towards u...Try understanding and showing compassion vs ridicule that never helps that person and only hurts u...

Colossians 3:13-14
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

1 Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble