It’s the Saturday before school starts, I haven’t blogged in over 2 months, and here I am mid-day with Weslee Nichole sleeping next to me as I update you all. Summer 2018 is almost over. I went to sleep early last night, well actually I fell asleep, only to wake up at 2 a.m. realizing that I needed to complete the syllabus for my course that starts on Tuesday- the Tuesday that’s 3 days from today. I work until 7 a.m., sleep until 9, then get up to flat iron Maraya’s hair for her pom pictures. Isn’t she gorgeous? When I look at her I’m reminded of how gracious the…
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PRAY & WAIT
Though at times it can be difficult to pray because we like to do things our own way, it can be even more difficult to wait after praying. We must learn to pray & wait. Praying is humbling in itself. It acknowledges the fact that we can’t do it on our own. When we pray, we are essentially saying: I need help. I’m incapable of handling this on my own. I’m in need. Oh how hard it can be to admit that we need help. As hard as praying and asking can be, it can be even more difficult to wait. Waiting requires patience, and in our society we have…
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A Constant Reminder
We all need reminders. We make notes, we use to-do lists, we set alarms all because we realize that we can’t remember everything. Do you realize that as Christians we have a constant reminder? The Holy Spirit is a constant reminder. I’m so thankful that when Jesus left the earth He didn’t leave us alone. He is still here, dwelling in us, by way of His Holy Spirit. His Holy presence is so real and ever-present. I’m so grateful that He constantly reminds me. I realize that I can’t make it through a day depending on my own strength, my own intellect, my own understanding. I need Him. Desperately.…
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Don’t Bite The Apple: 5 Tips
Every single day we all have apples (temptations) that are dangled in front of us. Temptation started with Eve in Genesis 3, and it is still working on us today. Often, with the same old tricks. Don’t bite the apple. Temptation is often subtle- sometimes the apple itself doesn’t even appear to be sinful. It may start as simply a distraction, but underneath the distraction is an evil attempt to deter us from God’s best for us. Everyday we have to fight to do God’s will in our lives. Doing His will today will set us up for more of His will and blessings tomorrow. If we succumb…
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Don’t Let Him Capitalize
Do you realize that so often Satan simply capitalizes on things that go on in our life? He seeks to take any opportunity and use it for his advantage. If you let him, he will turn fatigue into depression. A simple misunderstanding into a full blow-out. A small irritation into a huge devastation. Don’t Let Him Capitalize Satan is dramatic, negative, and he simply tries to capitalize on natural occurrences in life. We must see his tactics for what they really are & stand against them. “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” – Ephesians…
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Why Do We Fight?
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are always fighting. But why? Why do we fight? 1. We fight because the fight is much bigger than us. As I’m growing in my understanding of salvation, I’m understanding that our salvation is a part of a much bigger picture than us. The spiritual realms are constantly warring, so when God saves us we are now apart of a battle that has been going on way before us (Isaiah 14:12-15). We fight because the fight is much bigger than us. 2. We fight because Satan hates us. Satan was once in heaven with God, but because of his pride and rebellion,…
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Change is Inevitable: Respect It & Move On
Life is full of change. Things change, situations change, relationships change. When change occurs, we must respect it & move on. Often, we want to understand the change- We ask why. We may resist the change- We try to force. We want to deny the change- We attempt to move on as if things are the same, knowing inside that they have changed. Why is it so hard for us to respect it & move on? Change is inevitable. Changes throughout life represent growth. If we take a step back and objectively think about it, doesn’t a lack of change equate to stagnation? Mediocrity? Even death? Things that don’t grow,…
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LIFE: Do The Right Thing
Doing the right thing can be hard. In life, we are constantly challenged to do the right thing. Let’s go back to the beginning: Satan enticed Eve to do wrong (Genesis 3). His whole aim was to get her to disobey God. He hasn’t changed. Still today, every single day actually, we are tested and tempted. Our days are filled with many opportunities to give in and do what we feel like doing (which is often wrong), or we can fight to do what’s right. We have to fight to do the right thing. Doing right requires humility. Humility will cause us to treat others right even when they…
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Keep At It
There are some things that I’m able to learn and apply somewhat quickly as I follow Christ, but then there are other things that really take time. What do you do when you seem to keep running into the same issues over and over? Keep at it. I love the Lord for many, many reasons- one of them being His ability to understand. He is so patient, so gracious, so understanding. Yes, He does judge our actions, convict us, and discipline us; but He walks us through a process- not expecting perfection from us overnight. God understands why we do what we do. I love the Lord because He is…
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SUFFERING? Count It All Joy.
Do you rejoice in suffering? I can be honest and admit that I don’t (well I didn’t), but I’m now learning to count it all joy. All my life I’ve endured suffering, not always understanding it and certainly not rejoicing in it. The Lord gave me the strength to stick it out and not run, but trust me I did a lot of crying out to Him. After all, who wants to suffer? I have to share this with you: The Lord is growing me in understanding suffering. He’s changing my attitude toward it. “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness…
