It's a Jungle Out There....

Whew!  It's a JUNGLE out there!! - - -
and it's full of an overwhelming amount of challenges waiting to attack us...
...things perched to break our spirit, snuff out our will to thrive
and indeed steal from us the JOY
that God wants for us in our daily lives.

How are we then to move from just "surviving the jungle" to
"thriving amongst the constant barrage of life"?

It's a very simple set of actions that have HUGE impact on us!

And trust me when I tell you - Satan will move against you in ways
you never imagined to attempt to destroy what God comes to create!

But guess what!? - that old devil has already lost!
And we simply need to be well armed with God's Word to remind him!

That leads me to my point here...What are you doing to bolster your Survivor Guide?
How are you poised to Thrive instead of simply survive?

Here's some great Bible Study tips to increase the impact of your time in the Word:

• Create a time and a special place for reading your Bible and studying God's Word.
• Come equipped for this time with Him well armed with a pen/pencil and paper AND perhaps your favorite beverage (coffee, water, tea, Coke, etc.)
• Get comfy and before you begin, take a moment to ask God to show you what He wants to pour into you during your time alone with Him. 
• Ask Him to reveal His Word to you and to move distractions away from you for these moments.  
• As God presses His Word on your heart, take a moment to begin committing it to memory. Write it on a few note cards and stash them in visible places where you will see them daily.
• Dig deep into scripture and begin to study the context and base of the scripture.
• Ask God to show you ways to apply His Word in your daily life.

John 8:12 says
" Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in." ~The Message

God's Word is a powerhouse! AND God's Word is our best weapon... 

... our only REAL weapon in the jungle of life...we don't have to
stumble around in the thick darkness of the jungle - Jesus is the Light! 

Remember ~ YOU are Treasured and Blessed,

Are you geared up for Survival?

Life is frustrating but God is FAITHFUL...

the world can be tough, but God taught us in Ephesians 6 

how to survive in this world.

He  gave us this guide through Scripture 

teaching us which tools we were to use in "GEARING UP"!

Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the whole armor of God...

BE STRONG

"be strong in the Lord..."

Remember to lean on God everyday in every way --- 

His Might is more powerful than we can imagine!

TRUTH 

" Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist."

Protect yourself by covering your heart in God's Truth - 

the Word of God planted in your heart each day will

help you navigate through the chaos of life.

RIGHTOUSNESS

"with the breastplate of righteousness in place..."

When we enter into a deep and personal relationship with God, 

we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in each decision and action daily.

GOSPEL OF PEACE

"your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace..."

Be ready to meet the needs of others with the Love of Christ 

and the Message of Hope and Salvation 

that comes from knowing God and His plan for us

and the willingness to share the Gospel with others.

SHEILD OF FAITH

"take up the shield of faith..."

This shield raised against the attacks 

of the devil as he comes to steal - kill - and destroy 

all that God gifts to us each and every day in our lives. 

HELMET OF SALVATION

"Take the helmet of salvation..."

Being careful each day to wear your helmet  - if we don't our minds 

are unprotected against distressing thoughts that 

satan uses to target us and make us doubt God's unmeasurable love for us...

REMEMBER - HE CHOSE YOU!

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

"and also the sword of the Spirit..."

God's Word is the sword that slays the devil - 

know His promises and claim them as your own...

they are power again the evil one.

When Jesus was tempted by satan - 

He spoke the truth of God's Word to rebuke satan.

PRAYING ALWAYS

"and pray always in the Spirit..."

Not only are we told what armor to wear, 

but also we are told what our stance should be. 

Many times we find that as we seek God - 

we find He is standing at the ready to answer and meet our needs.

So ladies - I ask you - how's your gear looking?  

IS IT STORED? or IS IT WELL-WORN?

Don't head out with out ALL your armor.

With Love in Him,

Not JUST Released from Captivity

It's a GREAT grace that sweeps across us as 

we realize that God doesn't just move 

us out of bondage & captivity to wander alone aimlessly...

but instead He invites us to overwhelming joy

 as the shackles fall away and we step into the promises He gives.

As I read Isaiah 55 this morning, God spoke to me about the JOY

that becomes ours when He frees us from the captivity of our sins.

He REDEEMS us - REFRESHES our spirit and RENEWS a hope in us.

As the Jews were coming out of captivity in Babylon, God already

had planned overwhelming Joy and Happiness in their future.

He does so for us today too...

Call to the One who is Hope-

the One who Restores us- 

the ONE who forgives sin 

and remembers it no more-

THE ONE WHO PLANS JOY FOR YOU!

Let your heart be filled with Joy that 

Only HE can give...

Is ANGER giving Satan a foothold in your life?

 “In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  ~Ephesians 4:26-27

Anger can be a warning to us that something is really wrong in our heart. Like a warning light on the dashboard of our car, it means to stop and check inside the engine to see what is going on. 

Often times our pride has been wounded. Good! When we exalt self above others - our pride needs to be more than wounded; it needs to DIE fully at the foot of the cross.

It may take some time to get down to the real problem. The problem may be deep-seated issues of embitterment, receiving the anger of others, a sense of unfairness, a wrong someone has committed  toward you, or any number of other challenges. Ask God to reveal the source of your anger.  Once we are able to identify the root cause, only then is it that it can be (and must) be dealt with as God would have us do. Give it to HIM!  Our renewed way of thinking must examine that issue in the Light of His Truth.   Doing so doesn't mean it will immediately go away,
but that we learn how to look at the issue in God's Light.

It is important to not let anger go unchecked. Unchecked anger is like a scheduling a "playdate" with the devil and then offering a sleepover too - he WILL grab a foothold. It can turn into bitterness, rage, brawling, slander and every form of malice. If any of these would characterize how you feel or behave toward another, the devil has a foothold in your life. This grieves the Holy Spirit. He is not comfortable dwelling in you when you allow this behavior to remain. 

You are not exemplifying the life of Christ, but instead the spirit that of the world.

God's solution is to get rid of it. It is the simple and obvious answer, but we can only carry that out by surrendering to the Love of Christ. Remember - He forgave your worst offenses - and that was  worse than the challenge that created the anger. be embraced by His Love and Grace and know that He wants to express that same Grace in and through you. 

Now to be clear - it doesn't mean that you have to trust or enable that person to harm you or others again, but it does mean your attitude of bitterness must GO. This change is nothing short of a miracle. God will do it IN you  and FOR you if you are willing. The Greek verb tense implies this is done at a point in time and remains done. Get rid of it! Don't go on grieving the Spirit. He will help you.

Remember - God stands ready with outstretched arms to forgive you, remove the anger and replace it with His Immeasurable Love.   Check you dash lights ladies and get ready to take a look inside...

In His Love,

Do you hear that??

What is that?  Do you hear it?

It is the NOISE and CHAOS of the world...

it's trying to drag you away from the

 blessings, message and life God has for you - - 

to rob you of the Joy and the Peace that your 

Father designed for you!

Draw close to God - Choose to hear His calling - 

Follow His Word and live by His Grace.

I was blessed to grow up in a family that knows God -

I mean really KNOWS Him - 

My momma taught us that

 God quiets my heart but satan rushes me...

God reassures me but satan wants to strike fear in my heart...

God leads me but satan tries to shove me...

God calms me but satan wants me frantic...

God forgives me but satan continually tries to condemn me ...

God gives me discernment and wisdom while satan tries to confuse me...

Ask God to show you what you are hearing...

Is it noise and chaos or is it the whispers of God's voice?

#ChooseGod #thebestyes #shutoffthenoise

Brand Loyalty....

How many of us remember shopping with our Mom?  

Whether it was at the grocery store or buying shoes, 

you know there were some dos and don'ts involved!

Careful consideration was given to purchases - 

loyalties were formed!

Certain milk was better than others 

and deemed the "only" milk for our home...

(and if you know my family - 

you know I'm talking "Borden WHOLE Milk" people!)

Some shoes were only to be purchased 

at a certain department store 

and after all - if my momma's feet were to be 

standing in those shoes all day - they better be comfy!

Now I share these things not to sound elitist 

or have a "better-than-you" posture, but to share 

how choosy we can all be about our personal preferences 

and perhaps invite you to embrace and teach a 

new "Brand Loyalty" to those you love...

What if over the next few months, you were diligent 

to choose to teach your loved ones the "Brand Loyalty"

of choosing God - knowing God - - - 

I mean really KNOWING Him!  

Not just knowing of Him... I'm suggesting

learning more about Him by studying scripture, 

loving God with your whole heart and soul, 

serving Him where HE invites you to share

His care and concern for others 

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - - -

CHOOSING HIM among all 

the distractions and chaos

the world throws our way each day.

I believe that God is calling every one of His children

to share more than ever His plan for eternal life 

with everyone we meet....

Teach scripture that will 

remind your children: 

where the real priorities lie,

allow them to stand tall in times of trial,

help them in times of despair,

celebrate in times of joy 

and worship the One 

whose love is SO Great

that He gave His Only Son. 

Teach your loved ones 

that only in THE ONE

is their hope found.

Can you think of anything better than creating

a new "Brand Loyalty" with the Savior?

I certainly can't!

Restoration - A Needed Renewal

When I was a young girl, my parents would load me and my younger brother up on a hot weekend day and we would embark on an antiquing venture -  sometime to an estate auction or sometimes just to cruise the Farm to Market roads across Texas looking for little "hole-in-the-wall" antique stops.  

Each trip was an adventure - a real treat - because we NEVER knew what would be returning home with us in the back of that old station wagon or in the old SUV...but one thing would be for certain...every time my brother and I would look at each other and think ...

"Are you kidding me?  WHY do they want to bring THAT home?!"  

For evenings and weekends after those treasure hunting trips, we would see (and sometimes help) our parents restore those old and delapidated antique pieces that had been deemed "UGLY and UNWANTED" by me and my brother into beautiful and treasured pieces to adorn our home.  Some pieces were weathered - as someone thought storing them in an old barn was a good idea -  while others had been covered in layer after layer of "new" paint to meet the fancy of it's owner.   However, each and every time - my parents wanted to strip away the layers of old chipped  paint or cracking varnish and restore the piece to it original beauty.   The same beauty that was created by the Master craftsman as his hands carved each piece, or joined each corner, fashioning it with tedious attention to detail.

As I think upon the scripture in Psalms 23:3 where the Psalmist tells us "He restores my soul...", I think of the loving work and time put into restoring each antique piece to its original beauty and functional use.  

God desires to restore us in that same sense - and exploring the Hebrew meaning of the the word "restore" really made impact on my heart.  Are you aware that the word restore in Hebrew means: to relieve, to build again, to bring home, to recover, to refresh, to bring back, to rescue??  Now THAT has impact!  

Have you ever felt like parts of you are giving way?  That the very fiber of your being is being shredded into scraps? That you are collapsing under the weight of life?   Friend, if you are feeling broken down - in need of rebuilding - some relief - or even RESCUE . . . Come,  Come to the One that is waiting to restore you - to what HE, the Master Creator, made you to be.  Yield your heart to our Heavenly Father - who waits to Refresh You - RENEW YOU - and Build you up with His Arms of Love.  He doesn't worry about your broken parts - or the parts that are failing - or need fix in' up (as we say in the South) - He longs to refresh you and bring you back to the life He meant you to live.

The Creator loves it when we spend time with Him and He longs to be the One we desire. I pray today, in the quiet moments,  you meet the One who loves you in ways that cannot be measured.

Remember most of all - You are Treasured and Blessed!