Lord Help me...

How many times have we said that? I know I have said that often, many times in my life.  Even today. I mean wow, so many things have taken place in the last few months, and I just want to say Lord help me, for real.  There are pressures all around from myself, from other people, etc.  And alot of times I want to throw in the towel, because I don't understand.  But at the end of the day am I truly trusting God.  I feel like so much is on my plate, so much is expected of me and I feel at times that I am the only one and know one understands the things that I go through.  Why is it like that, why is it like this, don't you get tired of wondering? *points to self* Yep, I do...

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."~Matthew 6:25-34

Why did I eat the pizza?

Why did I eat the pizza?  Just having a normal day at work, we had a meeting where lunch was provided, but I didn't know.  So in the meeting I was eating the lunch I had already brought, chili, cornbread and some watermelon slices.  Then one of the supervisors stated that pizza was on the way.  And I'm thinking to myself, oo pizza but I had already eaten my lunch but a little voice was saying yes you are going to eat your lunch and get some pizza.  The pizza arrived near the end of the meeting, and once the meeting was over I was in a dilemma, to eat or not to eat that is the question.  I overode the voice that was saying to not eat, because that would be greedy and indulged in two slices of cheesy goodness all to quench the desire of myself and my want for the food. 

Going back to my desk extra full and feeling guilty,  I sat down to finish reading an artilce about Unselfish Christian Love (http://bible.org/seriespage/unselfish-christian-love-1-cor-135b). As I finished reading,  a part of the article hit me, it talked about in everything that it must be subservient to the pursuit of Christ.  In all that we do we must understand and make a choice that in all that we do even taking a vacation, eating, etc. that the purpose of Christ is made number one in pursuing it.  So as I read I was thinking that  my years and battles with overeating, I was pleasing myself literally.  I was pleasing my flesh, because the food was there, it tasted good, it looked good and allowed my desires to override the fact of the matter that me eating alot, and eating unhealthy did not put Christ as number one. I have lost a considerable amount of weight through the years but still struggle with my ideas and wants with food. I am supposed to eat in order to sustain this temple that God gives me.  Eating healthfully, getting enough rest, having a healthy lifestyle may not be the most comfortable but it is the most helpful for promoting Christ even in that.

But I saw this not just in an eating issue, but in a life issue.  What other things have I been doing that has been promoting my agenda as number one, instead of my pursuits being placed behind the pursuit of Christ in what He has for me to do.  No man shall take His glory, so what have I been doing in my life where I shined the spotlight on myself and dimmed out Christ?

I like to shop, I like to be able to to go to the store at any whim to get anything I may desire, and especially if it is on sale.  But does my pursuit of material things reflect the love of God in me? Am I willing to sacrifice a dress or a pair of shoes so another one of my brothers and sisters in Christ can have something for themselves.  Lately I have been in a war with myself and my mannerisms in some aspects of my life.  I have had to face some comfort zones head on and I can't say I have always won the battle.  For this year now up to this point, mI have been in a position that I thought I wouldn't have to deal with it and I have been in it longer than I expected. I have been having to face a part of me that I didn't realize was there until I got thrown into the fire.  I wonder, I beg and I plead for things to change, but had to realize that I was focusing on myself and my comfort zones and how I want things done. 

Being a Selfish Christian is an oxymoron, they don't go together, and in no way if you idenfiy yourself as a Christian being selfish has to be obliterated. By sinful nature we are selfish beings, looking out for what we think is ours and then after we are taken care of maybe giving the time of day to the next person.  But those things are supposed to be flipped.  The needs of others, sacrfices to see others not stuggle, etc. are priority because we carry the love of Christ in us, because He gave himself as a sacrifice to us sinful humans.  And through that sacrifice and love we have been given a chance to be sons and daughters of the Most Holy One. It all boils down to love, love is going to stand, love is forever, all the things we try to hoard and keep a watch of are going to fade away.  If I say I love my brother and not give him any help is the love of God truly in me?

So if you are like me and you need to take a look at what and who you have placed your priorities in, its time for self examination so we can change and be molded into what Christ wants us to be.

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.~1 John 2:16 NLT

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.~Romans 13:14 NIV

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!  But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.~I Corinthians 13:4-10 NLT

Quotes on Forgiveness

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.
~Paul Boose

When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.

~Catherine Ponder

We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends.
~Sir. Francis Bacon

The man who forgives is far stronger than the man who fights.  ~Nathan Croall

Without forgiveness life is governed by... an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.  ~Roberto Assagioli

He that carries bitterness to bed with him will find the devil creeping between the sheets. ~William Secher  

We cannot be right with God when we are wrong with others. ~Lehman Strauss 

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. ~Robert Quillen 

S.O.A.P.

I came across this style of writing daily devotionals as a way to keep track of what I am reading in the Word as well as tracking my growth in Christ.  Check out this link...

http://www.squidoo.com/SOAPJournaling

Gotta be more thankful....

ouch...ouch...ouch...time to get more thankful

Source: pinterest.com via Michelle on Pinterest

On the Road to Forgiveness

How many of us have been lied on, cheated on, talked about, mistreated, abandoned, misled, deceived, mocked, scorned, betrayed and just hurt by the actions of another? If I probably asked this in a classroom, every single person’s hands would be raised.  This life, it is brings about lots of hurts and sorrows, but with that fact as well how we handle them will tell if we will be able to go and live an abundant life or be stuck mentally and spiritually in the hurts of the past, present hurts and already erected walls we think will protect us from future hurts. 

Myself, like any other has experienced my share of hurts.  For years even as a little girl I remember being at a point where I actually held on to a grudge against a friend of mine from the 4^th grade to the 9^th grade, that is one example of how the spirit of unforgiveness heavily influenced and impacted my life negatively. To this day I don’t even remember the reason why I was mad at her.  As I got older I started recognizing the spirit operating in my life with past relationships, friendships and everyday interactions with other people.  With every hurt, I erected a wall in my heart to try to protect myself from another injury.  Each time these attacks would come with a boyfriend, then a best friend, my parents, etc. The attacks got more prevalent and would try to take me out because it was using vessels that I cared for a lot.  I sat and looked around and started to feel a closing up again, a distaste, a disdain, and I know I didn’t want to go there again.

This time around, I have recognized it like never before, recent events made me face that spirit again, and this time I am so tired of dealing with it, instead of worrying about I will operate in the Word of Christ. I don’t know about you but I get tired of old sins and old habits popping, up and seeming like its totally different but it is the same mess, same spirit but different vessel.

I choose to act in forgiveness, I choose to love my enemies, I choose to pray for those that despitefully use me.  Why? Because God commanded it in His Word.  Who says that it feels good or that I feel like doing that, all the flesh that is in me is like there is no way you can do good to those that hurt you. 

But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

(Mat 5:44-45 MKJV)

 But to be obedient is better than sacrifice. So I rather be obedient than to sacrifice the future God has for me. I rather be obedient than to be placed back on square one of my spiritual journey. I rather be obedient than to sacrifice yet another soul to the pits of hell, not only to the one that hurt me but then to myself.  A soul is worth more than any and everything than one could ever imagine, so I rather be obedient so God can get the total and full glory.

And Samuel said, Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice! To listen is better than the fat of rams!

(1Sa 15:22 MKJV)

My feelings may not change overnight, but then they could. It’s a process that I must start walking in, and honestly since I know how to fight this war more effectively than I have in the past, because I know the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, I know to use the Word, and rely on the Holy Spirit to help me through.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

(2Co 10:3-5 KJV)

And the thing is that all these hurts that I have experienced in no way can exceed the level of hurt and betrayal that Jesus faced as He hung on the cross as the sacrifice for the sins of you and me.  He was perfect and was still persecuted. He was lied on, but He still went and died and layed in the tomb for us.  He was spit on but He still went on and got suspended up in the air on the cross to make us clean.  He was betrayed, but he still chose to barrage the pits of hell to grab our souls from the clutches of Satan.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

(Mat 5:11-12 KJV)

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

(2Co 4:8-10 KJV)

So forgiveness is what I choose to do.  I shall remember to rely on the Word to get me through every situation because God knows and has given me the strength and power to win every battle. 

A website that seems to be more addictive than facebook...

I had seen a post about this website on fb friend's page and then the same week a co-worker told me about.  I love to craft, I love to get and try new ideas on the regular...so what website am I talking about. But before I get there (lol) I just have to warn you, if you are into crafting and designing like I am then you may have a problem;).....

The website is Pinterest.  This website offers so many ideas it can get overwhelming from weddings, parties, gift ideas, recipe exchange, fashion templates, photography, etc. It will get your fingers moving and your mind churning on all the things you can make. I will be posting some things I have made in the future, be on the lookout!!