Grace and Faith = Favor

2 Corinthians 7:1 (ESV)

7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

*God has a covenant with His people and promises to supply your needs (Philippians 4:19), give overflow (Malachi 3:10), and give us our heart's desire (Psalm 37:4) just to name a few. There are several promises that He desires to fulfill, but He is waiting on us to receive them. We just have to operate under the elements of grace and stay in faith. God blesses us even when we are hard headed, but imagine the grace we would flow in if we removed things from our lives that didn't coincide with God...And if we stopped operating with malice or negativity towards one another. The blessings of the Lord are suppose to continuously flow. Don't allow anything to hinder your spirit, or any person to pull you out of His grace and peace by blocking your blessing. God is always trying to get things to us and desires a stronger relationship with His people, but are we willing to accept guidance, make room, and remove distractions to operate in His covenants.

More to It Than We Know

Romans 5:17 (ESV)

17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

*The choices and ways that we see on Earth are not your only option. You are not condemned, doomed, or have to circum to the options that the world provides...Everything that doesn't work that way. If you open your mind, you will see that there are better alternatives with choosing God. The ability to accept Him into your life is free, which also presents freedom from feeling as though you have to accept the everyday norm. With this freedom is the ability to be covered by His grace, and the option of receiving endless possibilities if you believe. There is so much more to God then you can imagine if you are willing to open your heart to Him consistently and be guided by His word and the Holy Spirit. He is the way, the truth, and the light....

Open Lane, No Charge...Pay Attention

Isaiah 40:30-31 (ESV)

30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

*We all become tired of the same old things...Same job, same ridiculous people, same atmosphere... The list can go on. However, in God there is change and renewing of the mind and circumstance. He is ready to supply you with strength to endure, and to cause change in the way you view or handle a situation. He is also waiting on us in order to provide a completely new ordeal if we only pay attention to the signs. We look for things to happen one way, or circum to how they usually occur. However, we never bother to look at the signs to notice that an outlet has been provided to take us to the next level. However, if you can't take heed and are blinded, then you become stuck in the same situations and connections. Look for renewal today... It may come in  a form you have been ignoring the whole time...

Focus on Joy

James 1:2-3 (NIV)

Trials and Temptations
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

*God is not testing your faith...The enemy puts things out there to see how you will react. Our reaction is evidence of where our faith is...Developing perseverance deals with staying rooted and grounded in God, and giving the enemy push back to let him know he won't win. Also, you hold the power within to do the opposite of what the enemy is telling you to do. So, regardless of the situation, let's focus on God's possibilities and not transfer the focus to the enemy's poor efforts to knock you off your square. I choose to find joy, even if it's just God and me. What do you choose?

Photo credit: Pinterest

Do You Really Know What Love Is?

Proverbs 10:12 (NIV)

12 Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs.

*If you truly have a dislike for someone or something, those feelings are eventually going to come out of your mouth because that's how you feel in your heart. You may not necessarily tell that person that you can't stand them, but chastisement, being rude, having an attitude, being disrespectful, or not trying to understand the other person is a form of hatred. We are not entitled to invite everyone into our personal circle, but we are called to love them. So, if someone chooses to back away or express concern of how you treat them, love will listen while hate will continue to say "I'm going to do it my way." Let's try doing it God's way. We have been put on this earth to work together, not tear each other down. We have enough hate in the world without contributing to it.

Distinctions of His People

Proverbs 18:2 ESV

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

*Happy 4th of July! On this rainy 4th, I wanted to be transparent with you and give you food for thought as plans may have slowed due to the rain. One of the things I have noticed is how people automatically categorize a person based on how they look, how they act, or what they stand for...Please, understand that when we do this, we often end up with a surprise because everyone is not going to be the way you have experienced them in the past, do not fit stereotypes, or will not exhibit the characteristics you assume or have been taught about from movies , etc. Furthermore, one of the biggest tricks is believing in zodiac signs and clumping people together from that angle. We are all individuals, and no matter how many characteristics that you encounter that are similar to someone else, that person is still going to have some sort of feature that makes them unique and different. Furthermore, just because people have similarities does not mean they are the perfect fit as a mate, friend, or colleague. What we need to do is drop the assumptions and listen to what God has to say about the person. For instance, if you get to know me, I am not some naive person that runs around wanting friends, begs you to become saved, or tries to people please....I am very wise in how I handle people, very specific about the company I keep based on my assignment of you or who God is telling me to connect with, and I pick and choose my battles. As a matter of fact, my flesh prefers not to deal with people at all because they constantly change, but thank God for the change in my heart in doing His work and knowing that no man is an island. Let's practicing first listening to what God is trying to tell us about people, and if given the green light, getting to know them without assuming they have specific duties or characteristics. As the great Fred Price Sr. once said, he treats everyone like they are a blank sheet of paper...Furthermore, he gives them the chance to write on that paper. Why can't we do the same? As they are writing, let's not over-analyze either, but learn to communicate to truly understand what the person is trying to tell us. I also encourage you to give everyone a fair chance, and not be so quick to judge one person while turning a blind eye to another. Also remember that our strengths were designed to help others in areas of weakness, and our weaknesses were designed to be strengthened by those God sends to help us. Life is about being guided by God, being open to the possibilities He can provide, and learning before living....especially with His people. Remember to be guided...

The Treatment of His Children

Galatians 6:10 (NIV)

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

*What is interesting how people have a tendency to place the same value on all people. Now, we should love everyone, but we should particularly keep those in the body of Christ encouraged because they have chosen to separate themselves from worldly behavior just as we have chosen to do so...However, there are many of us who treat those people poorly, but run behind people in the world expecting the love of a believer when they don't know how to give you that love in the first place. Then, we talk ugly or say off the way things to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and expect them to constantly take it and deal with us. Turning the other cheek does not mean that you don't operate in wisdom and remove yourself from hurt. Let's think about how we treat people, especially those in the body of Christ. Do we hold our brothers and sisters to standards that we don't even meet? Do we lie to them or are we rude? Do you say off the wall things and sow hurt, but expect to reap an overflow of love? Are you looking for love from individuals that are incapable of giving it to you until they come to know the Father in order to realize their worth and yours? Is your mouth so out of control that you say whatever and expect everyone to take it? Also, are you good at holding your tongue with people of the world, but say rude things to those in the body of Christ? Think on these things and make the changes that God places on your heart...