True Joy

Whenever we put our hope or trust in someone or something, we are determined to fall. A great career, relationship or financial situation can all change in an instant... And then what? What do you have that lasts? What is the true source of your joy? If it came from that thing, you are in trouble. But if it comes from a source that never runs dry or empties, you are very rich.


Yesterday I went to one of my favorite places - Barnes and Noble - and was in heaven! Well almost, haha. I scanned the shelves of so many amazing books and even chose a few to bring home with me. One of those books is a new one, entitled, "Choosing Joy" by Angela Thomas. This 52 - week devotional is on discovering true happiness. I thought I would share an excerpt with you from my reading today:


"As we begin this year of looking for joy, we must begin with this foundational truth:deep and abiding joy will come to us only through a relationship with Jesus. Jesus is the reason for joy. He is the source and fullness of joy. We are introduced to real joy when we ask Jesus to be our Savior.
Maybe you've spend half a lifetime looking for joy in hundreds of different places. I have certainly had my fair share of dead-end joy pursuits. But joy cannot be bought or manipulated or earned. Joy does not come to us through possessions or accomplishment. Somebody beside Jesus cannot give us lasting joy. The kind of joy I desire, the kind of joy our soul longs for, was born as a baby named Jesus."


If we look for joy in anything or anyone but Jesus, we will ultimately be let down. I don't say that to be negative. It's the truth. Humans are imperfect. The only perfect man to ever walk this earth was Jesus. And He is the one who should be trusted with our hearts and lives and as our true source of joy.


I love you all! Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. God bless you.

You are Not Forgotten

You think that everyone’s forgotten about you.


But you are not forgotten.
 
You think that no one cares.


But I care.
 
You think that you’ve been left to die.


But I came to give you life.
 
You feel unloved.


But I love you with an everlasting love.
 
You feel unwanted.


But I want you.
 
You feel ugly.


But I created you beautifully. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
 
You think there is no reason to live.


But I have a plan for your life. A hope and a future.
 
You think you’re all alone.


But I am here to guide you.
 
You wonder if there is a God.


But all you need to do is look around you at the heavens and the earth and all that I’ve created.
 
You think you’ve lost it all.


But I can give you double the blessings for all of your pain.
 
You feel sick and tired.


But I have come to heal you.
 
You feel taken advantage of.


But I will repay those who hurt you.
 
You feel your prayers haven’t been heard.


Be still and wait on me.
 
You feel abandoned.


But you are not alone. I am right beside you and hold your hand.
 
You feel afraid.


But my rod and my staff will protect you.
 
You feel discouraged.


But I came to give you hope and abundant life.
 
I have loved you with an everlasting love. You may not know My love, but it is beyond any love you’ve ever imagined. The world, full of sin, is broken, but this isn’t your home. Hold the hope of heaven in your heart.

-GOD

Trusting God When Things Go Wrong

This past week taught me a painful lesson. And hopefully by sharing, it will keep some of you from making the same mistake. It’s amazing how you can put your heart and time into a friendship or relationship and it can end in just an instant.

Please know that whatever I share is not meant for the purpose of gossip. It’s also not because I’m emotionally unstable and feel the need to blast my feelings all over the internet – the reason I do this and put myself out there is to hopefully help other girls who might go through the same things. If you are headed in this direction, I want to steer you away. I figure, what is the point in learning lessons and keeping them to yourself and not sharing them?

This past week someone tried to steal something that was precious to me. And he may have accomplished what he set out to do, but he did not win. Though naturally it looks like he won, God is still God at the end of the day, and supernaturally, who knows what can happen.

Please be careful to guard your heart and not just share it with anyone who will listen. Even if this person seems like a decent person, if you are having an issue, it's best to talk about it with the person you are having the issue with - rather than seeking advice elsewhere. I thought I knew this...but sometimes we need reminders. We are human. We slip and fall. No one is perfect.

Have you ever experienced someone who attacked your character, lied or tried to make you fall? Out of jealousy they might have tried to take something good from you, but know that this situation is in God’s hands. You don’t need to get revenge or payback.

The day after this terrible event happened, I felt led to pick up where I left off in the book If Not for the Grace of God by Joyce Meyer. I have many books which I leave bookmarks wherever I left off. I never finish one book and go onto the next. I like to have a variety. If I get bored with one I’ll move onto the next and come back to that one later.

So I open up this book to where I had left off about a month earlier and read about the favor of Esther over Queen Vashti. It talks about “natural” favor versus “supernatural favor”. Men may be able to take from you, but they cannot take from God, and if God is watching over you – they better watch out! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this, because it related to exactly what I was going through.

The paragraph read:

 “If you find yourself in a situation where you are being harassed, persecuted or discriminated against, if someone is trying to take something from you that rightfully belongs to you-whether it is your job, your home, your reputation, or anything in life – don’t try to retaliate by seeking natural favor. Instead, believe God for supernatural favor, because despite how hopeless things may look from a human perspective, God can lift up and He can bring down.”

What this person did was try to taint my character by spreading lies, which in turn cost me a relationship that was special to me. And this was all out of jealousy.

I know that it’s hard when something just disappears before your eyes  - but we have to trust God that if it is truly for us, He will bring it back. If you are meant to be in a certain relationship, God will give you favor in that person’s eyes.

Also near that paragraph was this verse:

“And the king loved Esther more than all of the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all of the other maidens, so that he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” – Esther 2:15-17

If you have someone trying to steal from you, remember that no one can take away what God has for you! If it is yours, it will return to you.

Blessings. Love you guys!

Police Women of....

Tomorrow afternoon I get the chance to interview a police woman who is known and recognized for her involvement in the community, specifically victim's assistance. She is on Board of an organization that supports women and girls, and cares deeply about domestic violence and people who are victimized.

I've always wondered what it would be like to be a police woman... No, really... I have thought about it! The excitement, it would never get boring, but also the sorrows. It would be so hard to see trajedy and crime day after day. What I love about this woman is that it's her faith that keeps her strong and gets her through with a good attitude.

So pray for me tomorrow on my journey with this woman! I am so encouraged and inspired by people like her who are making a difference in their world, even if it's by doing things that often go un-noticed. The truth is, God see's everything. And we don't need fame, a big paycheck (though it would be nice) or any of the accolades to feel like we are making a MARK on the world.

I challenge and encourage you to MAKE YOUR MARK on the world - your world - today!

Beauty Defined

 As a part of this channel I want to promote what it means to be beautiful. I believe that is first and foremost what is on the inside - your heart and spirit. Spirituality and being connected to God makes a girl beautiful. Nothing can compare to that!  Next in line is eating right and staying fit, which are important. You've got to keep the temple beautiful! Lastly, fashion and make-up can be used to simply enhance the beauty that is already there. So this channel will include all of the above: spiritual life topics, health/fitness, fashion and make-up. I hope you enjoy!

Below is one truly talented fashion artist who I want to recommend. Her name is Evelina Barry. Check out her YouTube Channel:

Beauty from the Inside Out

Over the last several years I have been reading a lot about health, diet and nutrition.  This past summer I bought a book called “The Beauty Detox Solution” by Kimberly Snyder, C.N. and I’m noticing it is getting a lot of attention on many people’s blogs and on YouTube, so I thought I’d share my thoughts as well.

This book is truly a gem, very informative and all about “Eating your way to radiant skin, renewed energy and the body you’ve always wanted” – I love that! It’s not a diet, but a healthy way of eating that gives our bodies everything they need to function properly and look beautiful. By eating right we can all have a radiant glow that shines from the inside out.

As New Year’s is just around the corner, I know many of us have resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle. So do I. (As I type this I’m eating Lindt’s Chocolate Truffles, but there is always tomorrow right?)

But, I have started incorporating the Glowing Green Smoothie (recipe in the Beauty Detox Solution) into my diet (three days last week!) and I must say that I did notice a difference in my mood and energy level. I felt great and was in the same great mood, full of energy by the end of the day.  The smoothie is a blend of many fresh fruits and vegetables. Drinking this instead of a tall caramel mocha from Starbucks was definitely more fulfilling.

I believe that part of living a full, abundant life is living healthy.  We are only given one body, so we better take care of it! (I am speaking this to myself too).

Always remember 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body," …

Part of honoring God with our body is taking care of the “temple” or body that He has given us.

So how many of you want to join me on this “adventure” of truly living a healthy lifestyle?

If you are interested, check out AprilAthena7's YouTube video where she shows how to make the Glowing Green Smoothie!

Being Educated v.s. Being Led by the Spirit

Throughout my journey in life I’ve come to realize that there are some educated fools in this world! I don’t mean to insult anyone in any way by this post – but it is the truth and I believe it needs to be heard.

I attended two Christian colleges, and during my experience there I encountered what I would call “religion”, the type you read about in the Bible about the Pharisee’s. This religious attitude often tried to suffocate God’s spirit. Every so often I would get tangled up in long debates with guys who were studying to be pastors and preachers. We would go back and forth, back and forth backing ourselves with scripture, only to go in circles. How could two people reading the same Bible have such different views on things? I always left feeling defeated, yet encouraged in my spirit to keep fighting the good fight for what I believed. This is what kept me strong and “on my toes “spiritually. I wanted to have an answer for everyone as to why I believed what I believed – even though we were all attending a Christian college and you would think we’d believe the same way. Our major debates/clashes would come about when talking about the gifts of the spirit (which I believe are still alive and well today) and women in ministry.

There are some who keep working towards their degrees, or they have plenty of degrees and they love to debate the Bible and go back and forth, back and forth. They love to be RIGHT. They don’t love the truth, but they love being right. They want to have it all figured out and they think they do, and if you disagree with them – watch out. But instead of becoming great men of God, led by His spirit, it seems they get caught up too much in the rights and wrongs – the laws. They don’t seem led by the spirit, but their textbooks. I don’t mean to be harsh, but these types of people are dangerous. I would disagree with them and debate until every last person in the cafeteria had eaten and gone back to their dorm room – and still – we weren’t finished. We would never be finished. The truth is that God doesn’t want us to figure it all out. God is God. He knows all – we don’t. What He finds beautiful is someone with a childlike faith. Without the faith of a child, we will not see the kingdom of Heaven – and now I see why. I have come to a point in my life where I am okay with not being able to figure everything out. I have come to peace knowing that I will never figure God out completely. Who am I to think that I can figure the God of the universe out? And I’m glad I can’t, because that means He is much, much greater than me – greater than I could ever fathom.

We don’t need any more people with degree’s, intelligence and the ability to study the original Greek. All of that is great, but without the Spirit of the Lord it is nothing. Without His spirit we are nothing. Without seeking His heart and having that be the sole purpose of our lives and what we do – this life means nothing.  We are ignoring the very life of God when we just want to learn about Him but we do not truly know him and have a relationship with Him – a continual flow back and forth of prayer and listening to hear His voice.

I don’t know who this was for, but I hope it has spoken to you in some way. Try not to complicate things, and if someone wants to debate I encourage you to pray for them instead. You can tell them what you believe, but don’t spend hours trying to “convert” them to your belief only to leave feeling drained and discouraged. Pray that God will show them the truth and the life they are to live.