Have you ever reached a point in your life where you’ve hit the end of the road? The point where you literally have to choose to step out in faith and walk on water! Well I’ve hit it! And it’s scary at first but amazing and exhilarating to say the least. What’s so scary yet amazing is that this is the point where you completely give yourself over to God because it is only by His power alone that we can stand. It takes a lot of trust and courage to get to this point because Love is so awesome that we can feel afraid to approach Him. In our human brokenness it is easy to shy away from Love yet Love is our only way to life and freedom. We need Love in every way! Let me encourage you today… No matter what you may be facing currently in your life, you are not alone! You are loved and loved beyond measure! Don’t give up hope! Breakthroughs are on the way and closer than you think.
Let me pray for you:
Dear God, You are so faithful and loving. I come before your mercy seat and pray on behalf of the person reading this. Please forgive our sins and lead us into everlasting life. Lead us with You to walk on water and to live in complete freedom. Teach us to love you and love one another with all of our heart, soul, and mind. You are awesome and we love you! Please heal, deliver, and restore us. In Jesus name, Amen ❤
I usually like to start my blog posts with a scripture or quote… Today I decided to share on of my poems with you. I hope that this poem will inspire and encourage you if you can read and relate in any way. I will also include (as I usually do…lol) a youtube video that really touched me. Finally let me pray for you today…
Dear God,
In the name of Jesus I come to you on behalf of the person reading this today. I pray for wholeness of heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit. Save the lost Daddy and bring them home to you today. Please heal them of every illness and set them free to live the life you have willed for them to live. Bring them to a place of complete surrender where only you alone can be their God and cast down every idol in Your precious name. Thank you God for your faithfulness in answering our prayers. You are awesome and we are so blessed to be Yours. We love you ❤
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV)
Are you afraid of your feelings? Afraid that you may drown in your overwhelming emotions? Do you bottle up your feelings because the thought of the pain that comes with feeling is too much to handle? I can relate!
I used to fall on either extreme of bottling up my feelings or drowning in them. I’m happy to say that even though I can be sensitive, I express my feelings in a much healthier way now. I’m no longer afraid of feeling because it may hurt. It’s actually quite relieving to experience the pain because in doing so I can be free to experience healing and move forward.
Maybe you’re wondering what changed for me… Well truthfully I began to feel safe when I entered into a relationship with God through His Son Jesus. I knew that I was no longer alone and that I didn’t have to be afraid anymore. My emotions may have felt bigger than me, but they definitely weren’t bigger than my God. He could handle them. I had to surrender everything over to Him especially my broken heart. The more I poured my heart and soul out to Him the more healing I experienced.
I guess you could say that if it wasn’t for my FAITH in God I’d most likely still be bottling up my feelings or exploding and drowning in a sea of emotions. I highlight the word faith because sometimes it literally feels like your feelings and emotions are at odds with your faith. It’s a battle that requires looking up, and despite what we’re feeling, holding onto our faith. The truth of God’s promises are so vital for when we are going through a battle of our feelings vs. our faith.
Sometimes in my efforts to be pious, I shy away from fully expressing to God what I’m really feeling as though it would be displeasing to Him. An example of this would be when I’m feeling lonely in my singlehood and my heart is longing to be with my future husband. At first I think that if I admit that I’m feeling sad and lonely that God would see that as me being dissatisfied in my relationship with Him, or as lack of faith on my part in that God wouldn’t provide for my desire. Fortunately, I realize the truth that He cares about every detail and that nothing is a surprise to Him. He knows my heart and He’s aware of my pain. The Bible says that He is close to the broken hearted. That is so comforting!
Though I’m an imperfect, sinful human being, He perfectly heals the brokenness of my heart and helps me to feel and express in a safe and healthy way. I’ve entrusted my heart to the one who created it. I encourage you to do the same.
If you’re reading this and you want to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour then with a sincere heart please pray the following prayer out loud since Romans 10:9 says that, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”:
Dear Jesus,
I confess that I am a sinner in need of a Saviour. I believe that you are Lord and that God raised You from the dead. Please forgive me of all of my sins and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I receive Your gift of eternal life and I thank You for saving me. It is my desire to follow You all the days of my life and to do Your will. Please deliver me, heal and restore me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen ❤
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” ~Jeremiah 33:3
I’m not certain whether this has been your experience or not, but it certainly has been mine – to receive answers to my prayers in ways I did not expect. One of my heartfelt prayers is that God would change me for His glory, that I may be able to live the abundant life that He has offered me and in that share the hope and victory with others that if I can change and overcome through Christ than they can too.
I am no stranger to being a victim of defeat. Growing up I lacked in confidence, esteem, and worth. I grew up believing and feeling inadequate, incapable, unlovable, and of very little if any value to anyone. I suffered from undiagnosed depression and anxiety for many years. I was deeply hurt over life’s circumstances and felt completely abandoned, rejected, and alone. Things got so extreme that during my first psychotic break I almost took my life. If it wasn’t for God and His blessing of my mom, I wouldn’t be alive today to be able to share this with you. After the first of a few psychotic breaks which were followed by the worst depression I had ever experienced, after spending months in the hospital at a time, and after being diagnosed with a severe mental illness, I slowly started to hope again. I believe that God carried me through to a point of wellness where he could set me on my feet and I could finally begin to walk. It was by the power of His mighty love that I was brought back to life. During this time of strengthening I believe that God was preparing me to become the person that He created me to be and He knew that that would mean that I would have to change on every level but primarily my heart and my mind.
Romans 12:2 says: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Right now I am going through some serious growing pains – change is not easy! Science even shows that biologically our bodies react to change by resisting it (I will link a video to support this point). God has offered me a way to achieve my dreams and make them a reality but the process has been challenging and has required me to stretch, grow, and change. This has caused me to feel pressured and stressed because I’m confronting the giants in my mind – the lies that kept me down and defeated most of my past. I was listening to an awesome speaker today named Orrin Woodward discussing that when coal is placed under pressure it becomes diamonds. When I heard that I immediately let out a sigh of relieve and frustration at the same time and thought, “I want to come out of this pressure that I’m feeling shining like a diamond!” I am on the journey and in the process of becoming who God created me to be – a woman with hope from, of faith to, and completely in love with Him -a woman who doesn’t give up on her God-given dreams.
If you have ever given up on your dreams or you are in the process and feel like giving up, I encourage you to be courageous and face the giants that try to defeat you. God will fight for you if you place your trust in Him.
Dear God, I pray for myself and all those who are struggling with growing pains as you take us through the process of change that you would please give us courage and help us to trust in Your strength and victory. For those who have given up I pray that you would resurrect their dreams and the hope in You and belief they need to pursue them. As we call upon you Lord please show us great and mighty things which we do not know. Thank you Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen ❤
Have you ever been in the way of achieving your dreams? Have you tried to drive full speed ahead to realizing your dream only to be stopped by the car in front of you and you think its a roadblock but when you take a harder look its actually a mirror in the road and the car you are seeing is really yours? If you’ve answered YES, then you are certainly not alone! I’m right there with you.
Recently, before beginning this blog, I was inspired to make the choice to dream again. Dreaming is great, but achieving those dreams is awesome! I’ve come to realize however that on the road to making those dreams happen I need to make some personal changes otherwise my dreams will not be realized and they will just fade away into the darkness where nobody would’ve known that they even existed but me and God. I don’t know about you, but I want to do my part in making my dreams become reality. I’ve also realized it’s not going to be an easy ride, there are going to be obstacles along the way, and right now I’m the biggest one.
One of my dreams is to be a great person of influence – a leader! I desire to be able to practice what I preach and preach what I practice especially if my desire is to help others live the best life that they possibly can. In achieving this dream it’s apparent to me that before I can be used to help anyone, I need to be helped first. My heart needs changing, my mind needs to be renewed and I need to be stripped away of old habits. I’m overwhelmed and overtired, but I’ve resolved not to give up! I’m going to start by reading a book I recently purchased called Confidence of a Champion by Tim Marks. It a book that is aimed at helping you become who you were created to be by letting go of lies from the past. I’ve included a link to where you can purchase the book in case you maybe interested in joining me on this journey 🙂 Confidence of a Champion
I’m excited for the journey ahead and my prayer is that God will prepare you and me to receive and make use of every tool that He provides for my success and yours on this journey to achieving our God-given dreams. May His will be done in the name of Jesus. Amen ❤
“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” (1Samuel1:10)
The above passage of Scripture refers to a woman named Hannah who grieved over her inability to have a child. Today I related to Hannah in her bitterness of soul as I prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. While my circumstances may differ from Hannah’s, in that my sadness has nothing to do with not being able to bear a child, I can certainly relate to her heart. When I turned my pain over to the Lord today, my question was “How long is this going to hurt?” In trying to understand my pain, and why I was hurting so much, I realized that I was grieving a loss. Nobody physically died, but I did lose someone that I had invested a great deal of myself in, and suddenly this person is gone from my life. It hurt a lot! But thank God for His precious love for me. God is so faithful! As I was in prayer, the Lord led me to a scripture in my bible: “And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” (1Samuel1:18) The life lessons note in my bible regarding this specific Scripture says the following: “Hannah left behind her grief, not when her circumstances changed – they hadn’t – but after she poured out her soul to the Lord. Because of her grief, she connected with the Lord on a level she had never known.” ~Charles Stanley. This was a huge act of faith on the part of Hannah! She had stopped eating because of her grief and sadness but here in this Scripture she went away after her prayer and ate and was no longer sad. She had placed her faith in God and trusted that He would grant her the desire of her heart. In Hannah’s prayer for a son, she also vowed to dedicate her son to the service of the Lord which was a selfless act on her part. That was her sacrifice onto the Lord. Later Hannah conceived and bore a son!
I was so encouraged by this today and I hope that you will be too. Nothing is too big for God and He can certainly make your dreams come to pass when you put your trust in Him. Let your fear become your fuel for faith. Turn to God in prayer and pour your soul out to Him. This isn’t the first time I’ve turned to God and in the past He has always been faithful even when the answer wasn’t what I expected.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; Lean not on your own understandings. Acknowledge the Lord in all that you do and He will direct your paths.”
“We are the women who make our lives about the cause of Christ, not the applause of men, live to express the Gospel, not to impress the Jones’, live not to make our absence felt, but to make Christ’s presence known. We are the women who know it’s not about us and all about Glory.” ~Ann Voskamp (The Song For All The Women)~
God is very much present and active in our relationship with Him. I’m in complete awe at His mighty works. I had a brush with the fear of death tonight. For a long minute, this fear came over me that God was going to take my life because maybe He no longer has a purpose for me being here any longer. Honestly my first thought was a selfish one – will “I” be missed? I couldn’t quite understand why this fear suddenly came over me, but after some prayer, I opened my book (Love Idol by Jennifer Dukes Lee) and God answered through the quote above written by Ann Voskamp. When I read the words “live not to make our absence felt, but to make Christ’s presence known. We are the women who know it’s not about us and all about Glory.”, it all made sense. God revealed His truth to me in a real way that I could understand. We are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God…” 1Cor6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Once again, God is teaching me that it’s not about me, my very life is not about me but about Glory – His Glory ❤
Matthew 10:39 says, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
When I read that quote earlier my first thought was in the form of a dream – a dream to be the woman this quote speaks of. To die to me, myself, and I and live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
My prayer tonight:
Dear God, thank You dearly for this revelation and for teaching me that truly Jesus You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Please forgive me for my selfish response to the fear of death and thank you for showing me that I need not to hold on to my own life but instead to turn it over to you and hold on to You for life. Lord I offer myself to you as a living sacrifice and I ask that You would grant the desire of my heart to walk in Your freedom. Lord thank You that Your perfect love casts out fear. Father for every day, hour, minute, second that you bless me with life I pray that You would be glorified. I pray that fully knowing that I am not perfect but that even when I stumble or fall, in my failures and mistakes that even in that Lord You will be glorified. Help me to live every second free from fear and regret and enjoy the abundant life that You have intended for me. I pray that You will bless me with a teachable spirit so that I can continue to learn and grow in You. I love You Jesus & I thank You for fulfilling Your Word & Your promises. In the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen ❤
Overcoming depression with a good word!… what does that even mean? Let me share that I just made a conscious choice right now not to wallow in my feelings of loneliness and sadness but instead to acknowledge that they are there and they are valid, but they do not rule me. I have a choice to allow myself to give into these feelings and head down a path of negative thinking which will only cause anxiety about my current situation which really isn’t bad or anxiety about the future. My choice is to look upward and not inward; to step outside of myself and entrust what I’m feeling to my Saviour. As I turned to God for sweet comfort and relief, I came across a Scripture which inspired me from the book of Proverbs chapter 12 verse 25. It reads: “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.” God is so faithful, He never fails to provide what we need just when we need it! So I’ve decided to turn to His Word, His truth to bring me (and you) comfort and relief while weathering these stormy waves of loneliness and sadness. The first Scripture that comes to mind is Psalm 46:10 which says: “Be still, and know that I am God.” We’re actually applying this Scripture right now by turning ourselves and our feelings over to the care and trust of God knowing that He can comfort and bring relief and that we can find gladness for our hearts in His Word. I find it most helpful to address specifically what we’re feeling with Scripture that speaks truth to counter the lies that our feelings may lead us to believe. For example, I’m feeling lonely right now but does that mean that I’m alone? No, so I will read and meditate upon a Scripture which speaks truth into my being. In Isaiah 41:10 God says:
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
I also know that I never have to worry about being alone because as a born again believer in Jesus Christ, He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Finally there’s one more Scripture I’d like to meditate on and that’s from Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
That is one of my favorite Scriptures because it offers so much hope about a future that is unknown to us but known to God. During these emotional times we have a choice to let our feelings rule us and lead us into anxiety and depression or turn to a loving God who is in control and knows every detail that lies ahead. I choose to trust! I trust that as I choose to trust God I will be blessed – maybe not necessarily with what I want when I want it, but definitely with what I need when I need it. He knows my needs better than I do and He is a faithful provider.
I’d like to pray tonight for anyone that may have an anxious heart…
Dear Lord,
Thank you for Your mercy and love for us. You truly are compassionate and you care enough about your children to want to carry our burdens and give us rest. Lord I pray for all the anxious hearts tonight. Father please gives us the rest and peace that only You can provide as we surrender ourselves, our feelings and our emotions completely to You. Please give us the strength Lord to lift up our heads even though we may feel so low and to look upward and not inward so that You may shine Your glory upon us and bring us sweet relief and comfort during this time. Father I pray for your protection so that we may not be led into the temptation to give into the enemies tactics to use our feelings against us by feeding us lies. Help us to turn to You through Your word so that we may equip ourselves with Your armour so that we may withstand and share in Your victory. Father God, thank you! To you be all honour and glory. In the name of Jesus, Amen. ❤
For those who feel alone who do not know Jesus as your personal Lord & Saviour I pray that you will turn your heart over to Him who will love and rescue you from eternal separation from Him. He loves you and cherishes you so much that He died for you. Hear that… Yes you are worth dying for! Romans 10:9-10 clearly says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” I urge you, don’t wait another minute! Run into the arms of Jesus right now and allow Him into your heart. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to give you His gift of eternal life. You are loved!
“As long as I keep running about asking: “Do you love me? Do you really love me?” I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with “ifs.” The world says: “Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy. I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if you produce much, sell much, and buy much.” There are endless “ifs” hidden in the world’s love. These “ifs” enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The world’s love is and always will be conditional. As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain “hooked” to the world – trying, failing, and trying again. It’s a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart.” ~Henri Nouwen~
I am so thankful for having come across this quote tonight. It both whispered gently and firmly shouted truth into my soul. This was me for so long – addicted to trying and failing and trying again to satisfy my deepest craving through the world and myself. I was “hooked”! I just feel led to pray right now and if this quote speaks truth to your soul then I invite you to join me…
Father,
In the name of Jesus and through the power of Your Holy Spirit I humbly approach your throne of grace and mercy tonight and confess that I have been hooked and addicted to seeking satisfaction for my deepest craving for unconditional love and acceptance from the world and myself which offers merely a false substitute of what only You alone can provide. I ask for your forgiveness and receive it in faith knowing that Your Word says that You will forgive my sins if I repent and confess. Lord, I ask that you free me from this bondage as I surrender myself to You. I ask that You take Your rightful place and be seated in the throne of my heart so that You will forever be my King and that I will worship no other. I acknowledge that I am completely loved and accepted unconditionally by You and that Your love is more than enough. Lord, please help me live out this truth daily resting in the assurance that I am completely safe to be the person you created me to be and that I am free to live a life that isn’t driven by fear but by the power of Your love. You are awesome God and I thank you for the freedom that You have provided for me through Your Son Jesus. My heart longs to fall deeply in love with You, to trust You and follow You wholeheartedly all the days of my life and forevermore.
Love Always,
Your precious daughter
Amen ❤
Isaiah 61 reads:
The Year of the Lord‘s Favor
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord‘s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.
For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.”
hopetodreamagain 