Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalms 119:105 NKJV
*God always makes sure we do not stumble, or travel in the wrong direction if we just trust Him. Even when I wonder whether or not I am still going in the right direction, I have to remember to stop allowing confusion to be a distraction and follow His light. I'm so thankful for God's guidance, even when I am unsure of the destination or more arrival time.
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16 NKJV
*As believers, we are suppose to be able to talk to one another, and receive advice and support. This should be lopsided, or to the opposite extreme, hidden to convey "perfection." I'm not saying spread your business, or cast your pearls, to any and everyone...Be led. However, we as Believers need to do better about being listeners and being there for one another, instead of it being lopsided.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. I John 4:1 NKJV
*This is a very deep scripture because it reminds us not to be naive, and don't be accepting to connecting and being inspired by everyone who talks like they know God. Even the devil can quote scriptures..This is why I say you can love everyone, but some people require love from a distance. Everyone is not meant to speak into your life, be in your inner circle, and know your weaknesses. You need the right people, sent by God, to pour into you. Don't even allow everyone to influence you because they may have been sent as a distraction. Plus, some experiences were not sent from God, but created by man. Build a relationship with God to recognize His sheep.
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...
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 NKJV
*Thank God I am not here to please men because their minds are ever changing. I am here to please God who is the same yesterday, today, and evermore.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord , The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah 40:28 NKJV
*I am so thankful that God is understanding, especially when humans aren't. He walks and talks with you, if you let Him. He is always ready to listen, and isn't just ready to respond. Thank God to have a relationship with Him...It preserves your sanity, and your ability to relate to His people...
1 Peter 3:15 ESV
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect...
*We live in a time when people will question your belief in God and His son, Jesus Christ. They may even call you confused, but you know what God has planted in your heart. In Him do you live, move, and have your being... We have to be prepared to protect that, but most importantly pull others in through love. It's not enough to support yourself and those like you... You've got to be prepared to be a vessel of influence for those who question you. May God guide your tongue, may your life truly reflect Him, and may you be prepared to explain why and how Jesus is beneficial... Your life is a testimony of His love and grace.. Don't you EVER forget that...
Psalms 62:7
On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
*In God is where we receive our reward and the perfect will for our destiny, should we choose it. We are preprogrammed to gravitate to our purpose, and we exhibit traits that were designed to assist us with our destiny. However, there have been things in the world that may have tainted our thoughts or led us astray, but we must fight to get back to our original programming and the belief in the process that comes with it. We must stop rewiring to fit in or understand the world as other people would like us to see it, and view it the way God has always wanted us to see things. May we help each other to open our eyes and ask God how to lovingly enlighten each other's understanding...
Deuteronomy 7:9English Standard Version (ESV)
9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
*In order to bring changes into our lives, we must make God our life and not just a part of it. By loving Him and making His word the way we think, act, and feel then results will occur that align with His will and your desires...
Proverbs 3:11-12 (ESV)
11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
*I don't know about you, but so many times I've cried out or became annoyed with the Father's lessons of life. My patience became thin and my thoughts were not peaceful, but I hold on because I know He loves me. My mind and flesh may try to kick down patience's door, but yet my heart waits at the door and deals with long suffering... Holding on to the hope for greater and working on consistently being thankful for what you have, and the realization and removal of what I didn't need. Praise God for being a loving Father that never gives up on me even when I am on the boarder of not doing the same...Yet His love has captured me...
Photo credit: Talk Amen
Proverbs 3:11-12 ESV
My son, do not despise the Lord ’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
*Every trial is actually setting up the opportunity for a divine appointment, every test is the beginning of a testimony, and every issue is the initiation of growth to get us to the next level. The only thing that stands between us from the process's beginning to end are the actions we take, and whether trust is created between God and ourselves. May we pray for each other's strength in the Lord, and to receive understanding on what we are suppose to learn and receive during these times....#ThinkBeyondYourself
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. — Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)
*How deep is our heart in it for Christ? It's so easy to say you love something...we love food, music, activities, etc...BUT, how deep is our love for God? Is it just words while you live an alternative lifestyle? Do you take enough time out for Him? How do you treat His people, and do you seek Him on how to treat others? Is He as important as your daily routine? God is waiting for you to fall deeply in love with Him...He is waiting to capture your heart, but is your heart willing to completely open up to Him? The higher His priority is in our lives, the deeper when can go with Him and the rest will be added (Matt. 6:33).
Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people...
*This week, I pray that we all truly develop an understanding of why we have been placed on Earth; the importance of our calling vs just going through life; and that we no longer embrace only what we've come to know, but be willing to receive and grow in what God has promised. We settle because we are afraid of being disappointed; we give up because we don't understand how precious we are to God and His plan; and we become emotional because we haven't truly cast our cares on God. Let's help each other grow and find balance according to the will of God because we are the body of Christ and cannot function without one another; we all have strengths and functions that can help one another; and it is meant for iron to sharpen iron...not allow it to become dull and useless. We are human and capable of mistakes, but we are also meant to bounce back in those areas by loving one another.
Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind...Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do (James 1:6,8 NIV).
*Every day, we have a chance to prove our loyalty to God and be a light for the sake of others. God's loyalty towards us never wavers....He remembers to wake us up each morning, never forgets any measurement of assistance to get us through each day, and shows unwavering love despite how we may misrepresent ourselves, Him, or forget to take time out for Him. Therefore, why is it that the very individual who is loyal and provides for us is the very person that we neglect or can't be true to? Many people are MORE loyal to people who carry humanistic traits to fail you, loyal to stuff that can break or disappear, or loyal to behaviors that do not bring any source of prosperity or guidance. If these people put ideas and behaviors over God, then how can these very same individuals show loyalty, yet alone expect it? Also, if you are truly loyal, why would you surround yourself with individuals of questionable loyalty? This is an unnecessary hardship you bring on yourself. Therefore, trust God who is the one that constantly looks out for you and has your best interest at heart. He can gives you discernment on who to trust to fulfill the needs of your heart, mind, body, and soul. If you are unable to fully put trust in Him without leaning to your own understanding, ask yourself can you really expect the best or even be trusted with anything except less?
