A Season Of Dependence

Hello Sweet friends,

Have you ever found yourself in a corner where there was nothing else you could do about your situation? You were worn out, exhausted, Plan A didn’t work out so you decided to use all of the letters of the alphabet until Plan Z left you wanting too.  Unfortunately this is the point where we usually turn to God…how much easier would it be for Him to be our Plan A?

This year has been beautiful, but with beauty often comes pain.  I have found myself in a season of dependence on my Father.  I have had no choice but to depend on him for my every need.  In one month I’ll be married to the love of my life and moving to a new city, new job and new life.  Lots of changes for this girl!  This year has been tough, I’ve spent more of my engagement away from my fiance’ than with him, I’ve moved back home gaining a 30 minute commute to work everyday, and wedding planning is one of the best and worst things I’ve ever done.  It’s in the season of not being able to control my situation that God has done far above what we could have imagined.  I am learning to “let go”.  I tend to hold onto the things until my knuckles are white, afraid to relinquish control and ask for help. This season of my life was no different until I recently realized that holding onto things was limiting what God could do.

Blake and I were talking the other day, about how sometimes we limit God. We pray for certain things, or we wait until we have no option than to depend on Him.  Basically we depend on God until we no longer have to.  Only to find ourselves in a vicious cycle of depending on Him until everything is good again, only to find ourselves in a situation needing to depend on Him again.  Around and around we go, never seeming to realize what we are doing.  God is willing to do so much more than just get us to Point B.  I feel like we limit what He can do in our lives by allowing Him to get us back to being “Okay” when in reality if we hold on He’s willing to carry us into even greater things.

I have learned during this season of dependence that if things had gone our way we would have missed out some BIG things.  If we had settled for “okay” sure things would have worked out, but not in the way that they have.  God has supplied for our wedding, relationship and future life together in ways that we could have never predicted, my prayers would have only limited what He was capable of.  Sure, I might have gotten what I wanted…but sometimes our wants are so small compared to what God wants for us.  It has not been easy by any means, and I have resisted, I have doubted, and I have tried to figure things out on my own.  But as I have found myself backed into a corner, with no where to look but up, God has moved.

In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps. // Proverbs 16:9

Do not settle with being just “okay”.  Let go, and trust that God knows best.  If you find yourself in a season of dependence I just wanna tell you that it’s okay to get down, it’s okay to feel drained.  It’s even okay to doubt, God just wants you to be honest with him.  What kind of relationship would it be if you only talked to Him about the good stuff?  There is this stigma about God that we can not tell Him how we really feel, like He’s sitting in heaven with lightening bolts waiting for us to question Him so He can sling one at us.  Tell God how you really feel, tell Him that you are tired, frustrated, even angry, etc.  He already knows it, but it’s that honesty and dependence on Him that brings you closer together.  (If you are not in a season of dependence, sorry sweetheart, but you’re either coming out of it or going into it.  So go ahead and prepare for it, make God your Plan A…it’ll save you a lot of trouble.  Trust us!)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters. // Psalm 23:1-2

I remember hearing someone preach that your prayers should scare you.  Stop limiting what God can do in your life.  It’s in the season of dependence where we have no other option but to trust that He has complete control over our situation.  We have backed down, we have made room for God to move.  If only we weren’t forced into this season by our inability to relinquish control of our life.  What if we walked every day of our life in a season of dependence, except willingly..imagine what God could do?

God, take control of our lives.  Help us to depend wholly and solely on You in every aspect of our lives.  Your will be done, not mine.  Forgive us Lord for trying to control what you have so graciously given us.

With Love Always,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embracing the Here & Now

If you are anything like me you have probably wanted to be somewhere else in life as well. You have wanted to be younger or older, single or married, richer, tanner, smaller, more popular…the list could literally go on forever. There is always somewhere else to be, some other goal to meet, somewhere other than here and now.  It is this unending discontentment and anxiety…

I spent most of my childhood wanting to be a “grown-up”, I’ve had an old soul from the beginning so childhood just really wasn’t my thing.  I preferred reading and quiet places. I wanted to make my own decisions, have my own place, and just be an adult.  Thankfully I love being an adult! It is seriously the best in my personal opinion, I love being responsible, relied on, and productive. I mean it’s not always easy by any means, but I love it.  But when I was young I always wanted to be 13, then 16, then 18, then 20.  Now I’m almost 24, I look back and think, “Where did the time go?”  I was always looking for the next thing…a car, a diploma, a job, a relationship, an engagement ring…now I have those things and I catch my self thinking “What next?” As if those milestones were merely a check off of a to-do list. Now I’m here planning a wedding that I’ve spent my whole life looking forward to and it’s surreal, almost like it’s not even happening…and I’m thinking about marriage, kids, a house, etc…the never ending “next”.  It’s enough to drive a girl crazy!

When does it stop?  When do we arrive at a place where here & now is exactly where we want  to be?  I believe that it is up to us to break the cycle, to embrace the here and now .  Here are some tips for choosing to live your best life now:

1. Gratitude.

Gratitude is key to any kind of happiness in life.  It is choosing to look beyond what you do not have, who you are not, and where you are not and truly appreciating everything that you do have.  There will always be another goal or milestone, but you may not have everything that you have today, tomorrow.  Appreciate where you are, tomorrow will here before you know. Believe it or not tomorrow will come with it’s own trials, that job will not be perfect, that relationship will not be perfect, or you may find out the green grass on the other side of the fence was artificial turf.  It’s life, it happens whether we spend years worrying about it or not.  We get one life here on earth, and then it’s gone. Do we really want to spend it all worrying about tomorrow?

But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

1 Timothy 6:6-8

2. Rejoice with Others.

There is nothing worse than being so unhappy or discontent with our own lives that we cannot be happy for someone else.  People are going to experience things before we do, people are going to have things we want, their lives are going to look perfect.  But just like us they need people too, because they don’t have it all together, no one does.  Instead of being envious or bitter let’s rejoice in the milestones of others.  Ladies, let’s quit belittling the success and accomplishments of other women.  Society does that enough, instead let’s build each other up, encourage each other, and be happy for each other. Your time will come!  And how much sweeter will it be when all the women you poured into rejoice with you?   Society and Social Media have ruined the joys of life and made them nothing but a competition to see who can get there first and which one has the most likes.  Let’s work together to turn the tables and rejoice with each other.

Rejoice with those who rejoice.

Romans 12:15

3. Don’t Give Up.

There will always be another status to reach, another goal to conquer…and that’s okay until it begins to steal your joy and contentment.  There is nothing wrong with wanting a career, a husband, or to be a mom.  What is wrong is being so blinded to where you want to be that you miss the good things today.  Don’t miss out on your college years worried about a relationship or a job, don’t take that boyfriend for granted worried about an engagement ring, and don’t take those precious first years of marriage worried about having kids.  The here and now is all we have right now and it will be gone before we know it.  God knew your life before you were even born, and He’s working everything out for good (Romans 8:28).  Love the life He has given you today, and strive to be your best today!  Don’t give up on pursuing your dreams, setting goals, or being grateful for where you are today. Tomorrow will come on it’s on, embrace the here and now.

You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.

Isaiah 26:3

 

With Love,

 

 

 

 

 

In God We Trust

It’s election season, which for most Americans is either viewed with complete terror or complete obliviousness.  Rarely is there an in between.  I grew up in a very political Christian home, I tagged along with my parents to vote, watched endless debates, and grew to have a very strong opinion on the matter.  Voting is an incredible freedom, and I look forward to heading out to the polls every chance I get.  Never do I feel more American than when I exercise my right to vote.  I realize that as a young person I am often in the minority when it comes to this.  So many people my age are under the impression that “My vote doesn’t matter” or they say things like “This world is not my home, so it doesn’t matter” (I have found that this is just a “spiritual” way of ending the conversation…).

So whether you find your self in a state of terror or obliviousness this election season I hope that with the help of God’s Word I can bring some encouragement.  Because God doesn’t want you scared, but He doesn’t want you passive either.  He placed you in this country with the rights that you have for a reason.  He has not failed you yet, and regardless of who is sleeping in the White House He isn’t going to fail you now.

Exercise Your Rights But Don’t Abuse Them.

This can apply to both types of people I mentioned earlier those that ignore and those who abuse.  You can not make a difference if you do not participate just like you can not win the lottery if you do not buy a ticket.  Are you chances of being the one deciding vote slim? Yes, but so are your chances of winning the mega-millions.  Every vote matters, if no one voted nothing would get done or someone would make decisions for all us.  All candidates are human therefore no candidate is perfect, but some are certainly better than others.  So at least consider voting.  If you honestly can not see yourself voting for either of the final candidates in November that’s fine, to each their own…we will get to other ways you can help in a little bit.

On the other end of the spectrum there are the abusers…you know who you are.  From Facebook rants to threats of moving to Canada you are not hard to spot.  Aside from the weather (too cold for this girl, no thank-you!) , I am going to avoid Canada simply because of the people planning to move there.  If you are old enough to vote then that means you are an adult, so let’s all stop with the name calling, hate spewing, and indecency.  Because none of you are going anywhere and we are tired of the Facebook posts.

2 Peter 2:13-17 talks about submitting to ever form of human authority, there is no fine print.  This verse is not subject to who is in the office this term or next.  It goes on to say that by doing good we should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.  I can see this meaning a couple different things, either silencing foolishness by going out to vote, or by simply being a nice and refraining from rude political conversation.  Next, it says to live as free people, exercise your rights.  Lastly, be nice.  You can have an opinion without disrespecting someone else or belittling them.

“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,  or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.  For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.  Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” // 1 Peter 2:13-17

God Trumps Over All.

See what I did there… I will be the first to tell that I am not a huge fan of any of the candidates this time around.  But I do serve the King of the Universe so I find refuge in knowing everything will be ok.  I mean honestly do we believe that God can not use someone like Hillary, Donald, Bernie or Ted for good?  That God who is notorious for using criminals, adulterers, harlots, thieves and murderers can not use any political candidate for His own good.  God can use anyone, electing a less desirable President does not remove God from the scene.  People remove God from the scene not circumstances.

If we are to be a nation that proclaims “In God We Trust”  we should probably trust God to take care of our nation no matter what.  Otherwise it is merely a cute phrase that causes a lot of controversy.  Trust is not easy, in fact it is a daily battle of mine to trust God wholeheartedly.  I am human and I often have this perception of how things should go and when they do not go that way I feel like the world has fallen apart.  Only after I have used all of my own energy to fix said problem does it occur to me to turn to God.  Let’s not do that this election season…let’s quit researching flights to Canada and start trusting God to finish what He started.  The more we try to take control of everything the more we remove God and replace Him with ourselves.  I do not know about you, but I can not handle that kind of pressure.  All things work together for the good of those who love Him.

“all things work for the good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.” —Romans 8:28

Less Posting, More Praying.

This may or may not be a given, but let’s “Pray” this election season.  Pray that God would move, that he would convict the very heart of America not just the presidential candidates. Pray for fear to be removed and replaced with power, love and self-control.  To bind the forces of the enemy’s attacks against our beautiful country.  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms“, Ephesians 6:12. the candidates are merely spawns of a bigger battle going on, a battle to divide our nation from God and each other.

Be careful of what you post or comment this election season.  You have a choice to lift each other or tear each other done.  If confrontation is necessary do the research, get the facts and present it in love.  Hate and rudeness will get you no where, if you want to have a voice do so in love.  Facebook and Twitter wars do not win elections, people coming together for the greater good do.

“the Lord did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-control.” —2 Timothy 1:7

So let’s stand together to quit ranting and start praying.   To say “In God we trust” and mean it.  To start exercising and stop abusing. We are Americans, but more importantly we are citizens of heaven and we have a job here on earth.  A job to pray, protect and participate not just during the election season but in every season.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” —Matthew 6:10

 

With Love,

 

 

Just Say “Yes”

January 2016 was insane!  I can not wrap my mind around that happened last month and how dramatically my life has changed in just a month.

On January 24th I said “yes” to spending the rest of my life with my very best friend, Blake. Even though we have talked about marriage recently I had no idea it would happen this soon, nor how incredible my proposal would be.  I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I thank God everyday for the sweet man who will soon be my husband.

It’s crazy how the word “yes” has changed my life.  It has sparked a lot of questions, not about my decision to marry, but about my hesitance to say “yes” to a lot of other things. In a matter of seconds I agreed to spend the rest of my life with another human being.  I didn’t ask questions, I didn’t list the pros and cons of this decision, I didn’t check my bank account, I didn’t look for excuses…I simply said “yes”.  The end.  Why was it so easy to say yes to an equally imperfect person, but so hard to say yes to a perfect God.

What is God asking us to do today?  Are we asking too many questions or looking for excuses when all we really need to do is just say “yes”.

Marriage will come with it’s trials, everything won’t come easy.  It’s going to take a lot of hard work from both of us on a daily basis.  What if I didn’t say yes because I knew it wouldn’t be easy?  Imagine the life I would miss out on, the love, the joy and memories…all because of fear or uncertainty.

Saying yes to God won’t always be easy either. You may have some great days, but you may also have some really terrible days.  But in the end when you look back on your life, imagine seeing where those days had brought you.

God is knocking on our heart asking, “Will you follow me?” All it takes is a “Yes”.  Will we say yes no matter the cost?

Do we have what it to takes to just say “yes”?  To set our questions aside, to push past fear into the life God has for us no matter the cost.  Will you say “Yes”? Following God will always be the best yes, no journey in this world will equal the reward of choosing God.

He loves you so much and has so many great plans for you.  All it takes is one answer.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

 

With Love,

The Struggle Is Real : New Years Resolutions

Every year I choose a theme for my year or something specific that I want God to do in me.  I usually regret this decision because by the end of January I have been bombarded with so many opportunities to be said word/theme.  So be careful what you ask for…This year I decided to choose the word “Fearless”, because as much as I hate to admit it I have become a very fearful and anxious person.  I worry about relationships, work, money, things that haven’t happened yet, things that probably won’t happen, things that I think people are thinking (as if I could even know that), etc., etc…And to be honest I am tired. Worrying is exhausting…to my mind,body and soul.  So this year I am praying to break those chains of fear on my life.

Since making this decision at the beginning of January I have already been faced with a few crises.  I could have easily lost my mind in these situations, but thanks to God I had remained steadfast and He has continued to bless me more than I could imagine.  Have conquered fear all-together? No.  Have I not worried about a single thing? No.  But I am learning. I am continuously learning who I am and everyday I learn something new about God.  My journey here on earth will never be easy.  But my God is always greater.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

My goal is not to never fear again, my goal is simply to not fear today.  To trust God today! Making goals can be daunting,  and I think that is why New Years resolutions are so hard to stick with.  We pressure ourselves to quit something in a heartbeat and to replace it with something else.  So relax.  Today is step one, tomorrow may or may not come so focus on today.

Have you already failed at your New Years Resolution?  Maybe you have already forgotten about them…that’s okay.  Your bad habits weren’t developed in a 24 hour period and neither will your good habits.  Just pick up where you left off, you don’t need to new year to change your life.  You just need God and a little perseverance.  Here are some tips to help you stick to your resolutions.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

1. Ask for Help

Ask for help, first from God, and then from others.  There is such a stigma about asking for help.  There is nothing wrong with needing or even asking for help.  God hears your prayers and is more than willing to give you a helping hand, or even hold your hand.  So pray for strength, patience, motivation, or whatever else you need to accomplish your goals.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

2. Write Down Your Goals.

Write your goals where you can see them everyday.  This will be a constant reminder of what you want to accomplish.  This is a great way to start and studies show that you are more likely to accomplish something when you put it in writing.  Writing things down helps me to remember them better.  It might help you too!

3.  Focus on Today.

Live today and live it well.  Tomorrow will come with it’s on set of trouble so focus on today.  Celebrate the little accomplishments because from them are born great accomplishments.  Sometimes I get so ahead of myself, I forget the little victories in life.  Every victory is a victory no matter how small.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 31:34

4. Get Back Up.

Maybe you have forgotten about your New Years resolutions.  Like I said earlier, you don’t need a new year to change your life.  So what if you didn’t meet your goals yesterday, try again today.  You can do it!  It’s never too late…or too early to try.  So when you forget or fail that’s okay, just try again.

This year will be a great year if you decide to make it one.  It’s all about your perception. With God all things are possible.  So press on sweet friends, 2016 has only just begun…and it’s going to be great!

 

With Love,

Happy 1st Birthday “Coffee Breaks With Jesus”!

Wow this year flew by!! A year ago I posted our first post “Grace: The Defining Point”*.  We have journeyed through so many scriptures this year, and made so many new friends.  I can not wait to see where 2016 takes us!  I have lots of new things planned for 2016 and if you have something you would like to see on this blog comment below or send me an email (coffeebreakswithjesus@yahoo.com). Thank-you for your continued support! Love you all!

 

With Love and Gratitude,

*https://coffeebreakswithjesus.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/grace-the-defining-point/

Peace And Goodwill

 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Luke 2:14

It’s almost Christmas, I love Christmas!  I love decorating, listening to Christmas music, buying Christmas presents, hosting parties…I could go on forever.  So today I wanted to give you guys a Christmas post.  One that I find really interesting, and the more I study it the more interesting it is to me.  It involves the verse at the top of the page, Luke 2:14.  Yes, you hear it a lot around Christmas and you may see it on some Christmas cards but what does it mean?

Peace on earth?  I don’t think there has been a time (post Garden of Eden) where there was peace on earth.  We are surrounded by wars, the threat of war, arguments, hatred, and anything but peace.  So why did the angels the angels talking about?  The angel also spoke of goodwill toward man. While the most popular version of this verse comes from the King James Version, I decided to see what some other verses said.  The New International Version says, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Whose favor? This takes me to my mind-blowing revelation.

I believe that “his” is referring to God, God’s favor.  I don’t know how familiar you are with the Old Testament but God was not someone you wanted to be angry at you.  God hates sin, and did a great job of letting everyone know.  I mean He flooded the earth, saving only a handful of people because there was just so much sin.  This confuses people because God seemed so mean and heartless in the Old Testament, but suddenly now He is loving and gracious.  God has never changed nor will he ever change so what happened?

“For God in all his fullness
    was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
    everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”

Colossians 1:19-21

The answer is Jesus, Jesus was our saving grace.  Jesus was peace on earth, because He brought peace between us and God.  This peace is so far beyond what we could imagine.  Sin came with a price and someone had to pay for it.  Jesus is His innocence paid the price for all of our sins putting us in good standing with God.  This is why we call Jesus the “Prince of Peace”.  Jesus even says later in Matthew 10:32 that he did not come to bring peace on earth like they had all hoped. Jesus brought peace but not in the way that their physical minds imagined it.  He brought a spiritual peace.  A peace between sinful man and a righteous God.

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.”

Matthew 10:32

Without Jesus we could not have the relationship with God that we have today.  We were too sinful to even be in God’s presence. Sin separated us from God, but Jesus bridged the gap.  The day that Jesus was born even the angels declared that God would have favor on man and peace was on earth in the physical form of a tiny baby laying in a manger.  So even though He died years later for our sin, His birth alone was a declaration of our new found relationship with God.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 14:27

So this Christmas don’t just celebrate the baby lying in a manger, remember to celebrate that now we can have a relationship with God. Jesus is our peace and goodwill, and from now on we can experience God in all of His goodness without the separation of sin.  In fact God’s goodness is so great that it brings us to repentance, because of peace we see God not as angry but as gracious.  Because of this we now have a job to share that peace and goodwill with others this holiday season and throughout the year!

 

As Always Lots of Love 💕,

Photoshopping Jesus

Today we are bombarded by social media, there is just no getting around it. Everywhere we go we are looking for our next Instagram post.  We view sunsets through an iPhone camera, we hang out with people for the sole reason of posting a Snapchat to prove it happened, and we spend more time posting pictures of our Bible than actually reading it.  I feel like God has laid something on heart, and I have decided to share it with you.   This topic is about “social media evangelism”.  I personally feel convicted to take a look at my motives when posting or re-posting on social media. Why you ask? Here are my reasons.

First,  if the only thing that speaks to you that I am a Christian is my online presence then there is a problem.  If my bible verses, Christian posts, and pictures of my bible is all you know about my walk with Christ then something is wrong.  If you are around me and I say nothing about Christ and what He is doing in my life then He may not be as important to me as He appears to be on Facebook.  If my Facebook wall is filled with Christ, but I struggle to treat my friends and family (or my enemies) with love and respect then I am living a lie.  If my real life self is not the same as my online presence then I am telling a lie, simple as that.  I know it’s harsh but it’s true, living a double life is a lie. People get furious about celebrities for Photoshopping their bodies, but we don’t give a second thought to photoshopping Jesus into our lives on a daily basis.  Christ isn’t looking for an Instagram filter or a cute caption He is looking for your heart.  If our relationship with Christ has become more of a public platform than a personal relationship it’s time to reevaluate.

Secondly,  would we stand up for our faith as strongly in person as we do on the internet?  If confronted or called out for our faith, would we shrug it off or defend it?  Would the words of faith so boldly posted on our Facebook escape from our lips if persecution or humiliation are involved?  I believe we live in a time where being a Christian is kind of “cool”, with more and more people like Justin Bieber sharing their faith from such a mighty platform. With this fad comes the question what happens when it’s not cool anymore?  What happens when photoshopping Christ in to our lives is looked down upon or even persecuted?  When the fad is gone will the faith remain…will we remain? Talking about this fires me up, because I don’t want to be a fan.  I want to know that if the day comes and someone were to say “Do you believe in Jesus?” that without a doubt in my mind I could day “Yes” even if my life were on the line.  Fans will come and go, they will move on to the next big thing, but the children of God will stand firm.

I think the most important thing to do is ask yourself “Why”.  Why are we posting these types of things?  Is it to be cool or artsy or to portray that we have it all figured out?  Are we seeking to glorify God or are we trying to glorify ourselves?  Are we using the Word of God to condemn or “call out” others struggling with issues or treating us unfairly?  Ask yourselves these questions.

I am sharing this because God has convicted me for it, I am being vulnerable with you with the hopes of helping at least one other person who is struggling.  Perhaps like me you didn’t even realize that you are doing it, maybe you were just caught up in the fad.  I want my relationship with Christ to come from my heart and not from the internet and I know you do too!  Yes, sharing great blog posts and Bible verses on the internet may be do a great deal of good, but if our motives are wrong God can’t bless it.  It’s not that He won’t, but He physically can’t. God in His perfection can not stand behind our selfish motives.  Selfishness has no place in the Christian heart.  We can not influence others and still expect to preserve our popularity and reputation.  We have to know that without a shadow of of doubt God is the most important thing in our life.  If your social media accounts were erased today, would anyone know that you were a Christian?  That is the question at hand, the question that I was faced with last night when God gave me this word.

In the end we have nothing to prove, God sees our every move and He knows our every thought.  We do not have to prove to the world that we are good Christians because His love will radiate from our faces and flow from our hearts.  I say it a lot and I will say it again, this world is not our home, heaven is.  Social media is nothing but a tool, for good or for bad. Check your heart and choose wisely before you post.

 

As Always Lots of Love 💕,

*For more on this topic check out my blog post from May 2015 “Jesus and Social Media” https://coffeebreakswithjesus.wordpress.com/2015/05/21/jesus-and-social-media/

Dear God, Thank-you

 

Dear God,

I want to take a minute, not to ask for anything from you but simply to say thank you, for all I have.

Thanksgiving is so close, I can almost feel my pants getting tighter. Amidst the food, the family, the football, and the black Friday chaos it is easy to forget the root of Thanksgiving…gratitude.  It is about taking the time to reflect on the good things that God has given us this year.

I have decided to do some reflecting of my own in this post and hopefully inspire each of you to choose an attitude of gratitude this holiday season and every day.  Join me as we take a moment to thank God for all that He has done.

“This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Dear God , Thank-you for today.  It is the only day that we are promised. Thank-you for waking me up this morning, for my house, for the warm bed that I did not want to crawl out of, for my running water, for the Keurig and the magical service that it provides.  Thank-you for my car and for my job. Thank-you for today!

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thank-you for all circumstances, for the days when life is easy and for the days when life is hard.  Thank-you for the stress because it is teaching me to trust You more.  Thank-you for the confusion and uncertainty because it draws me closer to You.  Thank-you for the days when I am weary and worn out because You solely are my strength.  Thank-you for the days when I give myself a hard time, because You remind me of who You say I am.  Thank-you for all circumstances!

“,always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

Thank-you for everything, for my family, boyfriend, friends, church, my cat, coffee, food, sleep, Netflix, good books, Christmas, art, writing, clothes, etc., etc.  I could go on and on with the good things of life that You have given me for the sole reason of just bringing me joy.  Thank-you for the little things.  For warm sunshine, hugs, love, laughter and more.  You did not have to give me these things, but you choose to because you love me.  Oh, how you love me!  Thank-you God for everything!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”      1 Chronicles 16:34

Thank-you God for You!  You are a good Father.  A loving Father, merciful, gracious and kind.  You created the heavens and the earth and still You think about me.  Your love is eternal, I can not earn it, count it or lose it. Thank-you for your love.  Thank-you for your Son, You gave Your only son for me.  Thank-you for never giving up on me,  for teaching me, leading me, blessing me and restoring me.  Thank-you for your goodness!

Thank-you God!!

“Dear friends, I pray that each of you have a blessed holiday with your loved ones.  A day filled with love and gratitude that carries on into the year to come.”

As Always Lots of Love 💕,

Words Matter

Recently God has really laid this on my heart and when I began to see the same message everywhere I decided that I might want to pause and pay attention.  Everywhere I look someone is talking about the words we speak and how crucial they actually are.  Our words are powerful!  I’ll be honest sometimes the nicest things do not come out of mouth, I am prone to complain (or as I like to say “vent”), prone to being a little too “honest” to/about people, and I love to throw around negative words like “hate”, “can’t”, “never”, “stupid”, “jerk”, etc…  And to be really honest I have become desensitized about the negativity around me and the negativity flowing from my mouth.  In fact negativity is encouraged in today’s world, it gets a good laugh, it’s funny.

Single people say things like:  “forever alone”, “I’m going to die alone”, “No one wants me”, “always a bridesmaid, never a bride”, “Netflix is bae”, “all the good men/women are gone”, etc.  I know because I’ve been there, I was convinced at the ripe old age of 22 that it was just going to be me and house of cats.  If we say those words enough or hear those words enough we will begin to believe it, I did!  People say things about their finances: “I’ll never have enough”, “there will never be enough”, “I’m broke”, etc.  We tend to talk to the people we care about the most the worst, we throw around “I hate you” almost like it’s endearing.  We say “that’s dumb”, “you’re stupid”, “shut up”,”you’re weird” without even a second thought.  We tell ourselves things like “I can’t do that”, I’m fat”, “I’m lazy”, “I don’t care”, “I’d rather die than…”, “I’m depressed”, “I’m dying”, the list goes on and on and on.  And we wonder why the world around us is so messed up, why our lives are so messed up.  We wonder why things get worse instead of better.  It’s our words.

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21

Our words are so powerful, they set the course for the rest of our lives.  Think back to something that someone said to or about you that hurt you,  did you ever forget it?  Did you even start to think it about yourself?  Words do not just go out and dissolve, they attach themselves to their victim like a parasite and unless rebuked they become apart of who that person thinks they are.  Those words will drain you of your life, that’s how powerful they are.  But there is freedom, we are not past the point of return. Hopefully, like myself, you see the problem and want to change it.  Change begins with you, you can not change the words that people have spoken over you or speak around you, but you can choose your words and the words you let define you.

Thought & Heart Check

 ^“But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.” Matthew 15:18

The heart, everything comes from the heart.  Have you ever said something that surprised even you?  Most likely it came from your heart, good or bad.  What started as a thought was then tucked away in your heart and eventually escaped through your mouth.  That is how it works, in order to stop these words we have to catch them in the process.  Ask yourselves these questions: “Why am I thinking these thoughts?”, “Why do I feel this way?”, etc. We have to stop them in the mind and heart to keep them out of our mouths.  Seek God, ask Him to show you where the problem lies.  After being convicted this week on my words I am trying harder to filter them before I speak them.  I ask myself a series of questions before I say something like “is this kind?” or “Is it life-giving?”.  It will take time to re-program the words I say, but it is something I think that is very important to Christ, to my future and to the people I care about.  Find the root of the problem, develop a process or a filter for your words, and trust God to help you.

Choose Your Words Wisely

“And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.” Matthew 12:36

If we had to wear every word we spoke on our bodies how differently would we speak?  I imagine some of us would say a whole lot less and we would say it very carefully.  One day when we stand before God the Bible says that we have to give an account of every idle word we spoke. Woah!  The word idle means without a purpose or pointless.  If your words are not serving a purpose then they are pointless, and we will give an account of them.

I remember growing up and hearing “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all”.  Even today this is great advice.  If your words are not kind, then keep them to yourself.  In today’s world it is so easy to speak your mind with little or no consequences thanks to social media.  But just because we can does not mean we should.  If you have a problem with some one go to God, not to social media, and if the timing is right talk to that person about the issue. If it is not kind, if it is not encouraging, and if it not life-giving then my best advice is to keep it to yourself.  Choose your words carefully and wisely.  Be purposeful with the words that come out of your mouth.

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Ephesians 4:29

Speak Life      

Your words determine your situation.  The more negative the words you speak over your life, the more negative your life will become.  Speak faith over yourself, there is no situation that you will ever come in contact with that God is not big enough for.  We are His children, seek to find and understand the identity He has given you.  Forgive the people who have spoken evil over you, forgive yourself for the evil you have spoken over you and claim the names that God has given you.  We have the power, the power over our words.  I want to share a declaration (or a prayer) with you found in the small group curriculum I am going through this semester.

” I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom, and I have a clear direction for my life. I am blessed with creativity, with courage, with ability, with abundance.  I am blessed with a strong will, self-control, and self discipline.  I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, and with faith, favor and fulfillment.  I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion, and divine protection.  I am blessed with an obedient heart and with a positive outlook on life.  I declare that any curse that has ever been spoken over me, any negative evil word that has ever come against me, is broken right now.  I am blessed in the city.  I am blessed in the country.  I am blessed when I go in.  I am blessed when I come out.  Everything I put my hands to is going to prosper and succeed.  I am blessed!

I printed it out and plan to hang it up where I can see it everyday, I pray that it touches you the way it touched me.  Your words matter, choose them wisely.

Lots of Love 💕,

*Declaration taken from “Living in Freedom Every Day”, Life Small Group Workbook, Chapter 8.