Being prepared before asking God to change your life

Every time God is ready to bring us higher, there is going to be new struggle and obstacle that rises against us. It could be something we've dealt with in the past that comes back against us in a stronger way than before, or something new that we've never dealt with. If we plan to progress in life, we need to know that there's a price to pay.

It’s simple, if you want to gain something- be prepared to lose something.

I wanted to become a stronger person, and God well…let’s just say that God had a great way to show me how to become a strong person.  Three words.. “IT WASN’T EASY!”  …but it was worth it, and I’m still learning.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:9 that with a new opportunity to bless more people, there will be an opportunity for many enemies to rise against us.  However, 1 John 4:4 gives us the power to believe that greater is He that is in me, than greater is he that is in the world. 

We don’t need to be afraid of experiencing all God has for us in this life; we just need to be prepared.  Seriously.

Change Brings Trials and Tribulations.

When we say to God, "Change me," we'd better know what we're saying because we are not just going to wake up different the next morning. Instead, God is going to give us an opportunity, through a trial, to grow as we change. If we tell God we want to be more like Jesus, well let’s see…Jesus was betrayed, disowned, accused, hated, envied, and beaten.   Be prepared to become betrayed, disowned, accused, hated, envied, and beaten. 

If we plan to progress in life, we need to know that there's a price to pay.

James 1 tells us how important it is to have patience when we're changing and facing many struggles. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that only develops and grows under trial, and is something we need.  When we have it, we're perfect, needing nothing. However, there's just no way to get it without going through something to receive it.

It doesn't mean that all we'll face is trials and tribulations, but it does mean that along the way, the devil is going to try to stop us from having what God wants us to have or doing what God wants us to do. If we really want to be victorious Christians, who serve God and make a difference in the world, then we are going to have to go through some challenges. I believe that the worst thing we could ever do in this life is to look back, and realize that we didn't choose to let God work through us to bless other people, but rather live a life completely sold for ourselves.

Be Determined

As God works through us, He encourages us to be steadfast, stable and determined to never give up. We need to make up our minds that we will never give up when are struggling.  We may not hit it right every time or the first time, but we shouldn't quit.

Have you ever been around people who have so much going for them, yet don't do anything with their life? Then there are others who don't have much at all going for them, and they end up doing great things. It's really not about natural gifts and talent. It's really about being determined to do something with what we do have.

Remember, it's not about what we don't have; it's about being determined to never, ever, ever give up.

Experience Pain.

The Word of God tells us that God wants us to be blessed. John 1:2 says that God wants us to prosper.  However, we need to find out what the guidelines and the spiritual laws are that lead to prosperity and blessing.  There's one thing that stands between knowing and doing: PAIN. Pain is not just a physical or emotional thing—there is also the pain of obedience.  Obeying God is hard work.  He can take our most prized possession out of our lives, and allow us to grow by letting go.   God doesn’t tell us to give because He wants to experience joy, but He tells us to give so we can experience true joy, and receive His blessings.

It is also painful to forgive someone who hurt us, but honestly…the painful part is to host bitterness and resentment towards a person.

Mark 4 talks about those who progress and those who don't. It talks about the Word of God being sown like a seed into different types of hearts. Some people are fine. They hear the Word, receive it with joy and are all excited until they receive different trials. Trials are what make us become a true Christians.  Christians don’t have the perfect life, but we are willing to accept the fact that we aren’t smart enough to run our own lives, and we need a helping hand.

Becoming active in the Word of God

Talking about doing something is easy; however, just hearing about it is not going to change our lives. It's actively doing the Word, living it out day-by-day- that brings progress in our lives. James 1:25 says that if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says, and don’t forget what you have heard, then God will bless you for doing it. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that we don’t sin, it just means that we don’t have too.

I choose to be active- both physically and mentally in the Word, so that progress and blessing will come into my life. I am choosing to become willing and able to push through the pain because there's no such thing as a drive-through breakthrough. With steadfast, determination, and patience, I choose to continually move forward in our walk with God.   After all, according to Matthew 16:26, “ what do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but lose your soul?”

Wake up every day being joyful.

God wants us to have joy in the midst of our ordinary, everyday life—even during worst days. 

I experienced many rough mornings before God showed me how to wake up every day being joyful. I finally figured out that before I get out of bed, my day should start by giving thanks to God for what He's done for me, and asking Him how I can be a blessing to other people. 

There are many times when I dread facing each day.  There are many mornings where I want to pull the covers over my head and cry because I am already stressed about my day.  

I get so wrapped up in worry about school, work, family or just life in general, that I miss the point. God has created a new day, and He wants me to enjoy it.  It finally became so clear to me what Psalm 118:24 was talking about.  “This is the day that the Lord has made, and I WILL rejoice.”  I have a feeling that whoever wrote that scripture was having a terrible day.  They probably didn’t want to get out of bed either, or maybe their life was a complete disaster-who knows.  However, that person made the decision that “I WILL rejoice.”  Then they got out of bed, and decided to thank the Lord; for He is good!

Before we get out of bed, we need to realize that today is going to be a good day!  This is the day that the Lord has made, and I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!  If making that choice was easy, then God wouldn’t get the glory.  We need His help to make that decision, and I know it’s hard, but with God, all things are possible. 

I have challenged myself to focus on the things that I am thankful for during the day.  I encourage you to do the same.  I always think of things that remind me that God is still in control.  Even if it’s the simple things like walking outside and feeling the gentle breeze that hits my face.  I do that when I am walking to class because I realize that it isn’t a windy day, but a reminder that God’s love surrounds me, and He is with me.

It’s time that we achieve the right attitude about our day.  Every single day is filled with all kinds of situations that could upset us. There are the days that we receive some disappointing news, or we find out that one of our close friends decided to hurt us. Maybe it’s the simple things like the person who decides to cut us off in traffic, or maybe you spilled food all over your clothes at work, and now you have a big stain.  Who knows what situation the day might bring; therefore, we need to choose to always be at peace, and understand that God is in control.

God doesn't necessarily create difficult situations for us, but He will use them to develop our character. This is the perfect opportunity to for us to be tested with temptation, and for more understanding on how to resist temptation- please read or re-read my “Resisting Temptation” blog.

It’s time to take our minds off ourselves and our circumstances, and put our focus on God and loving others.  We should embrace an attitude that will bring honor to Him.  Because no matter what happens during our lifetime, we can be sure that according to Romans 8:28, All things work together for good; for them that love God.   

Another thing I've learned is that we cannot count on someone else to make us happy. We must take responsibility for our own happiness.  People always set us up for disappointment, which is why we must rely on God for our strength.  

We can’t change the day, but we can change our attitude about the day.  

We shouldn’t feel discouraged about our circumstances.  We should always remember that God made us, and He loves us just the way we are. When troubles come our way, allow it to be an opportunity for great joy because God is allowing us to grow.  The best part about difficult circumstances is that in Psalm 118:7, God promises that we will not be alone because the Lord is for us, and He will help us. He will be with us every step of the way. He is our comforter.

I encourage you to spend time each morning focusing on the good things God has done in your life. Think about the difficulties that He's brought you through.  Think about the ways He's healed you and changed you, and how good it is to know that He cares for you. 

When we learn how to set our mind on God, He will give us supernatural strength to make it through the day.  He will also give us an abundant flow of peace and joy we need to survive.

Philippians 4:6-8 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Getting Comfortable with God

Most people find it difficult to carry on a conversation with God.  I think that people believe that we should pray a certain way for Him to answer. Then people realize that, “I can’t pray well enough for Him to hear me, so I won’t pray at all.”  As a result, we become so distant from God.
    

It’s time to get comfortable with God.  He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He isn’t asking us for formal, King James Version prayers.  We should talk to God just like we talk to anybody else; with respect of course.  I believe that God enjoys the simple prayers.  They are easier for Him to understand anyways. 

A few of my favorite everyday prayers are:

·          “Heavenly Father, I am a Sinner, and I need a Savior.  Jesus save me; forgive me.  Make me brand new; make me just like You.  Fill me with your spirit, so I can follow you for the rest of my life.  Thank you for your life, now you have mine.   In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

·          “God, I thank you that every day I have the opportunity to grow closer towards you. I pray that You will give me strength and protection to make it through this day.  I pray that You will put somebody in my path that needs You.  I now cast all my cares and worries over to You because greater is He that is in me than greater than he that is in the world. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for my sins.   I am forever grateful.”

·          “Heavenly Father, I am living in a lost and broken world.  There are things that I don’t understand, but It is undeniable that you sent Jesus for me.  I want You to take all of my life because it belongs to You, Lord.  I will continue to trust You in every situation, and I pray protection and healing over everybody who needs it today.  I pray that You will reveal yourself more to me today than You did yesterday.  Please give me strength, wisdom, and protection as I face difficult situations.  I am blessed, and I will rejoice in You- yesterday, today, and forever.” 

I also think that it is extremely important for me to set aside a special prayer time to pray for my husband.  Even though I have absolutely no idea who it is, God does.  I am always praying protection and wisdom over him.  I pray that in every decision that he makes, it is to glorify God.  I pray that the decisions that He is making right now won’t hurt me in the future.   I pray that He is growing closer and closer into God’s word every day.  I also pray for God be with Him in every tough decision that he faces. 

It’s the simple prayers that really matter.  Now my prayers are on my level, and God expects nothing more.  Praying is simple, and God knows our heart.  It isn’t the words that we say, but it is how our heart says them.   

We should know that He loves us, and He is going to love us no matter what the circumstance is.  We should fear the Lord, but we shouldn’t be afraid of Him.    

Spending time with God is the most important time of the day. We can’t afford to go a day without spending that quality time with the Lord.  God is just like a friend or a spouse.  The more time you spend with Him, the more you get to know Him.  It’s that simple.    

First Corinthians 8:6 says that God created us to live for Him. He’s given us the gift of life, and He wants us to enjoy it.  We can have a joyful, fulfilling life by living in close, personal relationship with God.  However, it is a must that you spend time with Him. 

We all have those friends that only contact us when they have an emergency.  They have no desire to be our friend, and they really want nothing to do with us, but in an emergency, they need our help.  We always think that that type of friend is just plan annoying; therefore, why do we treat God that way.  He finds it just as annoying as we do.   We can’t afford to just use God as a way out of an emergency.  He is way more than that.  Of course, He will help us out when troubled times come our way, but there is so much more to Him than having an “Emergency Only” relationship. 

We can spend as much time as we want with God. We have an open invitation to invite the Lord into our lives each day. We get to speak to Him personally, and we are blessed with the opportunity to read the bible that holds the answers to everything in life. 

The devil doesn't like that. That's why he works so hard to tell us that God doesn't want to be around us if we're not perfect. I've got a news flash: We aren't ever going to be perfect. That's why Jesus went to the cross for us! 

We can go to our heavenly Father as often as we like, and He will never get tired of us coming. Hebrews 4:16 says to come boldly to the throne of God.  That is where we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. 

James 4:7-8 says that we should humble ourselves before the Lord. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come close to God, and God will come close to you.  God longs to fellowship with us.  It’s time for us to enjoy everyday life by communicating with God, and understand the depth of what an awesome God we serve.  The Lord has made a home in our hearts for those who have accepted Him in their lives.  Now, all we have to do is enjoy the company. 

Experiencing a real relationship with God

When people think of religion, they usually think of rules, regulations, and obligations.  This is why “religion” is one of my most hated words.  It gives people that weird feeling because they think that if you’re religious, then you probably are too good for me.  Religion also puts us in bondage.  I’ll never understand the differences between Church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, and any other types of Christian denominations.   I feel like they focus more on how each church is different, rather than focusing that we all believe the same thing.  Jesus is the Son of God, He died for our sins, and He rose from the dead.   We are all not just Christians, but we are Christ followers. 

Jesus didn’t die a horrible death to give us bondage.  He died to set us free.  He died, so that we could have an intimate relationship with God.   He didn’t die just to give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we’re forced to follow.  I believe that He wants us to follow certain guidelines, but His purpose is only to protect us from the consequences of sin. 

God is like a parent when it comes to sin.  When parents tell their children not to play in the street, it’s not because they don’t want them to have fun.  It’s simply because the parents don’t want to see their child get hurt.  Sin is the exact same way.  God only tells us not to do something because He loves us so much, and doesn’t want us to get hurt. 

When experiencing a real relationship with God through Christ, life gets pretty exciting.  He stirs up a passion inside of us to love people, and we realize that we don’t have to struggle to do the things that He calls us to do.  It just happens naturally. 

God wants everybody to know that He is not mad at us.  God loves you.  God loves me. He loved us yesterday.  He loves us today, and He will love us forever.  Now, He may not like everything that we do, but He will never stop loving us. 

God isn’t impressed by our works.  He only cares about our heart.  When our heart is right with God, then we automatically want and desire to do good things.  Doing good things isn’t so that God will love us more; it’s because He wants us to receive the joy and blessings that come along with doing good things. 

All God has ever wanted to hear from us is, “I love You, Lord.  Thank You for everything You’ve done in my life.  I want to do what’s right, so I desire for You to keep teaching me. I want to grow.”   

God wants us to learn how to receive His mercy.  Hebrews 4: 13-16 says that nothing in all creation is hidden from God.  Everything is exposed before His eyes, and we are accountable for our actions.  Jesus understands our weaknesses because he faced all of the same trials and tribulations that we have faced, yet he never sinned.   If we believe in Jesus, then our sins will be washed white as snow, and we will receive God’s mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.     

When becoming a Christ follower, God begins to change us into a brand new creation.  However, we shouldn’t make up religious rules to live by, nor should we do whatever we want because we know we’re going to heaven when we die.  Christianity is about living a vibrant, exciting life in Christ.  It goes hand in hand with developing a personal relationship with Him.  Jesus wants us to be in love with Him.

We need to realize what really matters.  It doesn’t matter what clothes we wear because God doesn’t anoint polyester over denim. I mean, we should want to look nice, but we shouldn’t be so focused on our outward appearance, and lose sight of our main goal, which is developing a close, personal relationship with God. 

 It doesn’t matter if we go to church every single week if we don’t practice what we’ve learned.  We can’t afford to be Sunday Warriors and Monday Whiners.  We could sit our butts flat in church, and it won’t save us. Church is a place of growing.  If we refuse to grow in Christ, and be a witness for Him, then we’re wasting our time.  If we go to church and sing "I Surrendering All", but never actually surrender all; then again, we’re wasting our time.   Matthew 16:25 says that if we try to live our lives according to our will, then we will lose it.    However, if we commit our lives to Christ, our lives will be saved.   

Matthew 16:26 changed my life.  “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul?”  We can’t afford to follow a lost and broken world because it seems natural to us.  It’s time to be weird in a God way. 

It’s time to surrender all, and develop a real relationship with God.  God wants to be involved in everything we do, and in every decision we make.  He wants us to have a fellowship with Him, which means communicating with Him throughout our day, just like we communicate with our friends and family every day.

Knowing that God loves us, and He knows that we love Him; we will become grateful for everything that He has done, and what He is doing in our lives.   It’s time to throw religion out the window, and experience all God has for us in this life by developing a real relationship. 

When God’s timing is taking too long...

Our desire is for good things to happen in our lives, but usually when we have that certain desire, we want it now and not later.   I’ve learned that it doesn’t always happen that way.  We experience many moments where we ask God, “When?”  However, we need to focus on trusting God that it WILL happen, instead of WHEN will it happen?   God puts those desires in our hearts for a reason, and He is not doing it to be mean.  He puts those desires in our hearts to prepare us for our future.

Waiting on God’s timing allows us to grow.  It builds patience, and we are challenged to just to trust God that it will happen.  In the mean time, we need to be joyful and have peace in our lives.  If we can’t be happy because God isn’t giving us what our heart desires at this very moment, then we aren’t trusting in Him.

I believe our biggest fear is that if this desire doesn’t happen, then we will not be satisfied with the outcome of our lives.  We don’t know the end results of our lives, but God showed me that He knows everything about our lives-past, present, and future.  He says in Romans 12:2 that if we don’t conform to this world, and we choose to follow Christ, then His will for us will be pleasing and perfect, needing nothing.  This verse tells us that if we put our trust in Him, all of our desires will be met.  We will need nothing.   

We can’t afford to be inpatient, frustrated, and disappointed.  When I become un-patient with God, He always directs me back to the story of Abraham and Sarah.  God had promised them a son, but they doubted Him.  Abram married Hagar, and she gave birth to their son, Ishmael. When Abram was 99 years old, God blessed Sarah and Abraham with the promised son, Isaac.  God had kept his promise, even though it took 99 years.  Now, we can only hope that our needs won’t take that long, or I think that I might just go crazy.  However, this story reminds us that God will remain faithful; it just takes time and patience. 

Usually the desires in our heart are something that will change our lives.  However, change is a process, and it will take time.  We need to understand that waiting for God’s timing is a given; therefore, how are we going to act during the waiting process?  We can be miserable, or we can become patient and enjoy the wait.  In order to do that, we need to allow God to help us in every situation, and allow him to help us develop patience.  Patience is very important to God, which is why it is one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.  Patience is only developed under trials because it is a growing process.  James 1:4 says that if we allow our patience to grow, then we will become fully developed, needing nothing.  We will become completely satisfied.

Our relationship with God involves change.  To know Him is to want and to know Him more.  Spending time with God allows us to become more mature, solid, and well-grounded.  We learn to trust in Him, and He allows us to see His faithfulness.  It’s time to stop trusting ourselves and our feelings, but place our trust in Him.  Timing plays an important part in learning to trust God because if He did everything we asked for immediately, we would never grow and develop.  We wouldn’t develop patience, and we would never experience all God has for us in this life. 

When it is time for our harvest season to come, the desires of our heart will begin to reveal themselves. Our dreams will become reality.  We will begin to see prosperity, favor, promotion, honor, and all kinds of good things come out in the open where they can be seen.  In harvest time is when we will hear from God more than we ever have before, and we will enjoy His presence more and more because we developed a trust in Him to prove His faithfulness. 

God’s timing is often a mystery.  He doesn’t do things on our timetable, yet His Word promises that He will not be late.  Habakkuk 2:3 says, “The vision is for a future time, and it will be fulfilled.  If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.  It will not be delayed.”

God causes things to happen at exactly the right time.  Our job is not to figure out when, but to make up your mind that you won't give up until you cross the finish line and are living in the radical, outrageous blessings of God! The more you trust Jesus, and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life we'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest and comfort, so stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in our life.

Resisting Temptation

Temptation leaves a door open for Satan to work through us in a non-glorified way.    We pray that God will use us to glorify Him, which is why resisting temptation is a must if we want to receive all God has for us in this life.  Praying that we won’t be tempted is impossible and a waste of time.  Jesus was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights, and was able to overcome every challenge set before him.  Because Jesus resisted temptation, according to Luke 4:13, Satan left Jesus.  “When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.”   This scripture proves that Satan gets frustrated if we don’t give into temptation, and he will be waiting for a weak moment to attack us. 

Luke 4:13 proves reality for me.  We study the bible, walk in faith, walk in love, and we do our Christian duties, but if we have a weak moment…Satan is waiting.   Which is why it is so crucial for us to bring our “A” game every day of our lives,  and I know that can be a challenge as well. 

We then wonder why God allows temptation and hardship come into our lives, rather than delivering us from them.   James 1:13 reminds us that God never tempts us with evil, nor can he be tempted with evil, but evil comes into our lives through our weaknesses. 

Praying that God will deliver us from temptation is foolish. Paul never prayed that God would deliver him from temptation.  In Luke 22:40, Paul prayed that he would know God better, and have strength and a good temper, rather than wanting the problems to go away.  Pray that when temptation comes our way that we recognize it, and pray that we resist temptations.

Satan uses trials to push us to do things that strengthen us.  It’s in the areas that we are weak.  Pray for strength.  Paul doesn’t pray for problems to go away. You can’t change the problem, but you can change you.  I pray that God will change me, and use whatever it takes to do so.   This also doesn’t mean that God doesn’t want the situation to change, but you can’t change the situation, you can only change yourself.     

According to 1 Corinthians 10:13, God clearly reminds us that “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out. “He never lets more into our lives than we can handle, and he will be there to help us hand it.   This means that we need to learn that problems we are dealing with right now, God has a purpose and he knows that we CAN handle the situation.  

Resisting temptation allows us to grow.  Growing is painful, but praise God that we are growing.  James 1:2-12 says, “When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a change to grow.  So let it grow, for when you endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.  Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.   

"I am praying for you!"

We hear people say all the time that “I am praying for you!” I’ve always wondered though, are they really praying, or is that just something that they say to make themselves look like they care?  It always sparks my interest when an unbeliever says that they are praying.  I am sorry, but who are they praying to?  They refuse to stand up for God in any situation, and they make fun of the ones that do.  Therefore, when somebody says that they are praying, what exactly are they doing? 

Prayer is the most powerful thing.  Psalms 145:18 says that the Lord is close to all who call on Him.  Through prayer is how we become intimate with God. According to 2 Chronicles 7:14, we must follow God, and turn from our wicked ways if we want our prayers to be answered.  Which brings me back to my question, if people who have chosen to follow the world and refuse to obey the Will of God, their prayers are hindered.  So saying that they are praying for you is a complete waste of time.  I know this must step on many toes, but the bible is my standard of authority, and I am just interpreting it.  

I also will never understand why somebody would ask for prayer in some type of social network for example, but in person, they will flee from you if you try to actually pray for them.   It is time to grow up. It is time to commit your lives fully to Christ, and let Him transform you into a person who can help glorify His kingdom.  Stop being a person conformed to this world, and only cares about what the world thinks.   According to Matthew 7:13-14, you can only enter God’s Kingdom through the narrow gate.  The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for many who choose that way.  Very few people find the narrow road because it is difficult, but you can do all things in Christ who strengthens you.

The people of this world who will type out the word “prayer” rather than pray to the one and only Father,  you need more prayer more than anybody who is actually requesting healing and comfort.   

For the true Christians, who desire cooperate prayer, just know that according to John 17:9, Jesus prays for us.  He prays for everybody who believes in Him.   It is awesome to understand that as long as our hearts are right with God, and we believe in Jesus, our prayers will be answered.   

2 Chronicles 7:14-15 says that God will hear our prayers if we seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.  His eyes and ears will be open and attentive to every single prayer.  Sometimes our prayers aren’t always answered the way that we imagined, but the result is greater than we could have ever hoped for. 

Overcoming Sin

Galatians 2:20 says that it’s no longer that I live, but its Christ that lives in me.  It took Paul 20 years to finally get that revelation. The mystery of Christ is much more than a ticket to heaven, or that our sins are forgiven.  We get a new nature about us, and we are different.  It not only makes us alive in Him, but it makes us want to do good things.  We need to practice the good things that God wants us to do, and we will grow.

We spend too much time complaining that we haven’t conquered the problem when we forgot to look at how much we have grown.  We need to learn to be content, and learn to walk in love every day.  We must enjoy each day and continue to transform.

I’m not where I need to be, but I thank God that I am nowhere near the person that I used to be.

We don’t need to get out of bed, and give God a long list of what is going to make us happy that day.  It’s time to wake up saying that I want to be a body that God can use to make Him happy and greater His kingdom.  It’s time to allow God to touch people through us.  It’s time to smile at people and let God give to people through us. 

This next revelation that God revealed to me really shook my world. 

I was always praying for God to help somebody, but God showed me that I could help them. God wanted me to stop asking Him to help people when I could have just as easily helped them.  I just didn’t want to.  How many times do we ask God to help somebody because we don’t want to make the sacrifice?  If God shows us the need, it’s because he wants us to see the joy in whatever it may be.

Keep doing what is right, so it will become a habit.  You are going to have to do what’s right for a while before you get a right result. When you sow a seed, it takes a little bit of time before you get the harvest. The seed doesn’t automatically appear, and when it does appear, it is a tiny plant with room to grow.

According to Romans 6:1-6, We shouldn’t remain in sin in order to for God’s grace, favor, and mercy to multiply and overflow.  We have died to sin and can’t live in it any longer.  Our flesh may want to sin, but our hearts don’t want us to sin because we are born again.  You can sin and be comfortable with it before you are born again, but once you have received the Holy Spirit, sin becomes difficult.  You understand that it isn’t right, unless you become bitter and develop a hard heart.  If that is the case, then that is the most dangerous place to be.  It’s time to be set free.  We were buried; therefore, with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, we too might habitually live and have in newness of life.  I am dead to sin, and alive to God.   If we become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be one with Him in sharing His resurrection by a new life lived for God.  We know that our old un-renewed self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that our body, which is the instrument of sin, and might be ineffective and inactive for evil.  We might no longer be the slaves of sin.

Our body can also be the instrument of righteousness.  If we don’t understand ourselves, then how can we understand what great plan that God has for us in this life.  We really can do all things in Christ who strengthens us.  Greater is He that is in me than greater than he that is in the world.  God has given us His heart and spirit.  He also took our sins, and gave us His righteousness.  We are right with God through the blood of Christ.  In our spirit, we are full of righteousness.  God wouldn’t tell us to do what is right if he didn’t give us the equipment to do what is right.  We have what it takes to do what is right, but the devil doesn’t want us to know that. 

I am a new creature in Christ.  I am going to do what’s right even though I am not where I am supposed to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be. I am learning and growing. 

Romans 6:10- 11- For by the death He died, He died to sin ending His relation to it once and for all; and He is living to God in unbroken fellowship with Him. Consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God living in unbroken fellowship with Him in Christ Jesus.

Consider is a process of thinking. You have to think about your actions. If you’re the only Christian in any situation, you better think long and hard on moving away from non Christians.  That is where you are needed.  Don’t say that you over eat because you can not, not over eat.  You are born again, and you don’t have to be bossed around by silly stuff.  All we need to know who we are in Christ.  You got to learn to know who you are at home and not at church.  Consider yourself alive in Christ and dead to sin.

Romans 6:12-13 say that we should not let sin rule as king in your mortal short-lived, perishable bodies.  We shouldn’t continue offering or yielding our body as a facility to sin and an instrument of wickedness.  We shall offer and yield ourselves to God because Christ has been raised from the dead, so we could have a new life.  We shall live a life that is righteous to God.  We have to continually surrender ourselves to God, and become His slave.  The flesh wants us to sin, but the spirit wants us to be righteous.  We must understand the difference between body, soul, and spirit.  The devil works through the flesh, but God works in the spirit. 

I have to work on this daily.  I am not saying that I am perfect by any means.  Sin is getting easier to conquer because I know who I am in Christ Jesus.  I am able to understand the difference between Satan and God.  I still battle with sin, but my desire to sin is gone.  I am thankful that Jesus died for my sins.  I am thankful that God is a merciful God, and forgives me when I do slip up.  I thank God that I am nowhere near where I should be, but thank God that I am not what I used to be.

Blessings & Promises

COVENANT: Jesus’ blood was shed; therefore, we receive a covenant with the Lord.  We become one with God.  God is mine, and I belong to Him.

Deuteronomy 28

1.)    Geographical Blessings. Verse 3-Everywhere you go, God will bless you. We are in covenant with God. He will never leave us no matter what city we are in. 

2.)    Family Heritage & Health.  Three generations of blessing because of covenant. We have a covenant with God.   Everything from God is through covenant.  The un-believers blessings are through his mercy. It is not because WHO we are, but it’s because WHOSE we are.

3.)    Occupational Blessing.  God will bless our occupation because it is part of the covenant.  Verse 4. God will bless you in any work situation. I’ll prosper you because you have established my covenant. Remember the covenant, it’s a blood covenant.  It’s unbreakable.

4.)    Multiplication of Possessions.  Blessing of your flocks.  When others are losing, you can be winning. Wisdom. Supernatural Wisdom.  Verse 1

5.)    Supernatural Increase.  Blessings of the fruit and bread.  Don’t forget that God is a supernatural God. He can give you favor in any situation.  Verse 5.

6.)    Territorial Dominion. Verse 6.  Blessed are you coming, and blessed are you going. You can claim anything because of the covenant. 

7.)    Victory in Battle.  God will scatter your enemies.  Verse 7.  God will fight in your wars. God will fight for you. Every tongue that rise against you, God will bring down.

8.)    Godly Favor.  Verse 12.  Heavens will give rain in due season.  Sow seed with expectation, but God decides the due season.  Supernatural harvest. It’s his season.

9.)    Financial Prosperity.  Verse 12.  Lend & not borrow. Come back to the covenant, and let God work with your faith.

10.) Divine Promotion.  Verse 13.  Lord will make us the head and not the tail.

Come into a covenant.  It shall come to pass.  Observe and command. Give. Don’t sin against the Lord. Greatest demonstration of our faith is when how we spend our money.  It took everything we had to make the money, and now it is time to give our best to God. Focus our faith on our battle. Name the seed a battle seed. Focus on due season.  It is my time. 

In the name of Jesus, I thank you for our covenant.  I thank you for my seeds.  I pray that these blessings will poor out on me, and I will be a blessing to others.

Learning How to Move On

Getting up and taking our mess with us. 

Learning how to move on was extremely difficult for me to learn.  After all the hurt that I experience, I had to realize that Jesus wasn’t feeling sorry for me, but he was telling me to GET UP!  In John 5:1-17, the pool of Bethesda was where crowds of sick people would gather because if they could touch the bubbles of the water, they would be healed.  One man had been lying there for 38 years.  When Jesus saw him, he knew that the man had been ill and he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”  “I can’t,” said the man, “For I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up.” 

This is saying that healing is right in front of us, but the problems in our lives get in the way of the victory.  To be honest, most of us enjoy the pity party.   You would have thought that the man would have somehow worked his way to the bubbles of the water over the 38 year period, but he didn’t want too.

Jesus replied in John 5:8, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

Rise above the problem, and take your mess with you.  Jesus didn’t sit down with the man and joined the pity party.  He wanted the man to straighten up his life and get his act together.  Once the man started walking, he was healed. Once we straighten up our lives, we will be healed. 

It’s time to get on with get on with our lives. We don’t have to be depressed, miserable, or sad if things aren’t going as planned.  It’s a great idea to stop telling everybody that they don’t understand.  We all understand.  Maybe we don’t understand the particular problem, but we understand pain.  It is time to get up, and take our mess with us. 

It’s time to make that decision to get well and be different.  God is alive; therefore, we can’t be the same person.  It’s time to make a choice in your life.  1.) Think about your problems. Or number 2.) Think about what you can do for someone else.

Invest your time with somebody; therefore, your thoughts won’t be surrounded by your problems.  Galatians 6:6-10 says that we are taught the word of God, and we should share it with others.  We reap what we sow.  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature, but those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  Therefore, don’t get tired of doing what is good because we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.  When we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone.  

We always know somebody that we can encourage, and we always know how to put a smile on their face. If you don’t know anybody, go find somebody.   

The hardest part for me to overcome was 1 Thessalonians 5:15.  You should never pay back evil for evil.  You think that if someone hurts you, then you have the right to hurt them back.  However, we should aim and seek and to do good.  Praise God that he is giving us a challenge in our lives because in the hard times, it gives us a chance to grow. Bless the people who hurt you, and most importantly, pray for them.  Pray that God will show them mercy, and he will bless them because they need it more than we do. 

God gave me a revelation that I wasn’t waiting on Him, but He was waiting on me.    

It’s time to give up excuses.  We just need to learn how to cooperate, and stop taking the problems with us.  It’s time to stop being touchy an always getting our feelings hurt.  Praise God that we have feelings because that proves that we have a soft heart, but it’s time to stop being so upset.  It’s time to make your bed, and live the life that Jesus has called you to live.  It’s time to be the person that God is wanting you to be. 

It is time to face the truth, and stop wanting to God to change them, but allow God to change you.

Everything that we go through that is hard, but it brings freedom in our lives. It brings another level of joy.  Don’t be overly concerned about what people think. Don’t be insecure. Don’t try to buy their relationship.  God shows us their weaknesses, so we don’t put too much thought and confidence in them, but put it all in HIM. It’s hard, but it sets us free. Don’t be devastated and shocked by people’s actions.  

Genesis 16:8-9 reminds us that when it becomes painful, don’t run. God will put us with somebody that is really hard on us.  They aren’t right in what they are doing, but God uses them to do something in us. 

The only way to get up and move on is to forgive. Let God have his way with you. It is time to just trust God.  If you want to blame somebody for your pain; blame the devil. 

I don’t believe that people intentionally set out to hurt us, but we just got in their way of hurting. The world is full of hurt, and it’s time to reach out to somebody else and move on.

It’s time to put the Holy Spirit in charge of your case.  He knows the situation, and he’ll complete it.  God will make you whole.  

It isn’t going to do us any good to be miserable, so we need to enjoy the day.  We need to thank God for all that he has done, and pray that he will continue to do a work in us.

Taking my first step

Becoming a Christ-follower.

This is my very first blog, and I hope it will be a blessing in your life.  I will start off by sharing my story with you on how I became a Christian to becoming a Christ-follower.  I was around nine years old when my mom was standing in our utility room, and I told her that I wanted to speak in tongues.  I had always loved hearing her speak it, and I wanted to be able to speak it.  I wanted what she had.  I didn’t understand the power behind what she was saying, but I knew whatever she was saying, it was powerful.  She told me to sit on the carpet, and she would lay hands on me and pray that the Holy Spirit would come into my life and save me.  After that prayer, I was united with Christ.   I had felt the Holy Spirit enter my body, and I received word of tongues.  I was forever changed.   I knew God loved me, and I also knew that Jesus saved me.  I knew I was going to Heaven, but it wasn’t until 2009 when I became a Christ-follower. 

I was never the popular one in school, nor was I a favorite.  I made good grades, and I managed.  I had friends, and I wasn’t too weird.  I definitely had good and bad days in school, but that was everybody.  School was school, and it was rough.  It was part of growing up.  I knew that my family loved me and that was all that mattered. 

In 2007, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins betrayed me. They told me that they hated me, and I wasn’t welcome in the family anymore.   I was incredibly close to them, and I thought that they were my rock.  It was like they all died, and I was supposed to get over it.  Until this day, the situation isn’t any better.  I rarely see them, and if I do, they continue to hurt me.  It took many months to finally realize that God wanted to be the rock in my life instead of them.  However, that is an incredibly long story to even mess with, and I would rather not go there because I work daily on forgiveness. 

In April 2009, I found Experience Life, which is currently my church home.  My Holy Spirit was dormant for almost 10 years, and I awakened it.  I couldn’t get enough God if I had tried.  I had found a love greater than love itself.  I finally understood why I needed Jesus.  I understood why I needed a relationship from a higher power.  God revealed himself to me.  I realized that goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  I realized that I shouldn’t conform to this world, but let God transform me.  My life was no longer mine, but my life was now His.  I am to glorify him in every way of every day.  I wanted God to use me to glorify his kingdom.  

That is a brief summary of how I committed my life to Christ.  Now, I want to use this blog to share what God has revealed to me, and hopefully I can be a blessing to you.