Fruit Of The Spirit: Peace

 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

Peace :  a state of tranquility or quiet

Peace, seems to be almost non existent in today’s world.  Noise is everywhere, stress is everywhere, and the news reminds us all day of the lack of peace in our world today.  Is peace even possible in 2015?  I believe that it is, I believe that peace is possible in this crazy upside down world. Why?  Because Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27.  If  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever ( Hebrews 13:8) then we still have the peace He gave us.  We have no reason to doubt that!  Peace does not mean that everything around us is going to be great or that life is not going to be stressful, or that terrible things are not going to happen all over the world, but it means that we can be at peace in the midst of it.  He may not calm your storm right now, but He can calm you.

“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39

The world offers us comfort through our finances and our possessions.  But those things do not last forever nor do they bring peace.  Often times our possessions wreck more havoc in our life than peace. Computers freeze, cars break down, houses require constant maintenance, etc.  Our promised comfort is interrupted by responsibility and unseen circumstances.  This can cause us to shut down and  get overwhelmed with our responsibility.  But Jesus came that we may have peace in the midst of the storm.  This peace does not mean a life of comfort, even Jesus the Prince of Peace did not have a place to call home.  The Christian life will not always be a comfortable one, but it can be a peaceful one.  It all lies in how much we trust Jesus, and what we value as important.  We can choose to worry or we can trust Jesus.  We can choose temporary comfort, or we can choose the perfect peace that Jesus offers us.  It is a choice we have to make.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”     Isaiah 16:3

But how are we going to choose peace?  This is a lesson I am still learning, and it is not an easy one for a perfectionist who needs a constant plan.  It is one of the hardest things for me to do as a Christian, but it is something I have to learn in order to grow my faith.  I have to make a conscious choice about whether I am going to trust God or do it on my own.  This is a decision that needs to be made every morning, every morning I have to ask God to help through the day. Through the struggles I have not even faced yet, and through the ones I set aside yesterday.  I think that is the first step, just admitting that you can not do it on your own, admitting that you need Jesus just to get you through the next 24 hours.  He hears you, and He will help you.  No prayer goes unheard and no need goes unmet.  We may not always see what He is dong behind the scenes but He is working and He is working on our behalf.  Worrying will get you no where, you have to step out the boat into the unknown and walk towards Jesus.

Peace is not natural, our natural reaction is to worry.  I think the second choice we have to make is to decide what is really important.  So many of the things we worry about are not even that important!  we get caught up in silly arguments, worried about how we look, worry about how people think of us, etc…none of these are even important.  If we are seeking God, and loving others then really nothing else matters.  Even if the entire world is falling apart around us we can choose to be at peace, by simply handing it to Jesus and not worrying about the things that do not even matter.  He has the victory, and because of Him we have the victory as well. I love this quote, “Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict”.  You might have a storm, but God is greater than that storm.  He may calm the storm, or He may calm you.  And when He does all you will remember about that storm is what a great God you serve!

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation ; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Peace is Possible,

Fruit of The Spirit: Love

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

 Love, we sing about it, write about it, read about it, and watch movies about it, but what is it?  In English we only have one word for love, compared to the multitude of words that several other languages have.  While the love I have for cheese is not the same love I have for God, I am limited to using the same word in the English language.  I think that because of the limitations in our language and the effects of the media our view of love has been skewed.  The Bible however uses a lot of words to describe love in 1 Corinthians 13.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Today I want to talk about what love really is and what it is not.  I believe that to truly understand love we have to re-program everything the world has told us about love. First we are going to look at things that love is not.

1. Love is not about me.

Woah, major shift from what we hear in the world today!  “Things were not going my way”, “I was not happy with (insert male or female here) anymore”, “Why can’t I find someone to date/marry?”, etc.  As long as we believe that love is all about us and about making us feel good then we can never truly experience love.  Every relationship we encounter will leave us disappointed.  Love is a gift, and gifts are meant to be given.  I spent over 95% of my life single (not even kidding), and only when I realized that I was looking in all the wrong places and for all the wrong reasons did my heart begin to change.  I was more concerned about looking for a person to meet my needs than becoming the type of person to meet someone else’s needs.  I assumed that finding the right person would automatically make me the right person.  My reasons for wanting a relationship were selfish, unintentionally selfish, but selfish none the less.  But when I took a step back and began to seek God about becoming the right person rather than finding the right person a change happened in my heart.  My view on love drastically changed.  Everyone wants a good Christian boyfriend/girlfriend, but the truth of the matter is are you what those types of people are looking for?  People will never be perfect, and they will never be able to meet all of our needs that is why we need Jesus.  Only when we begin to change our view of love can we find true love, because just like 1 Corinthians 13 says “love does not demand its own way”.  Until we realize that it is not about us can we really open our hearts to love imperfect people.

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35

2. Love is not a feeling.

People date and break up, marry and divorce all because they “fell out of love”.  But I am convinced that love is not a feeling, but rather a conscience choice.  People do not fall out of love, they merely choose to quit loving that person.  They may focus that love on something or someone else, but the love is still there it is just not considered an option anymore. Love was never created to be conditional, or to have a time limit.  I do not believe that was ever God’s intention, but rather another distortion of His perfect plan for us.  God has given us a perfect model of love, through His son Jesus.  I am so thankful that when I fall flat on my face, God does not give up on me.  We are imperfect people trying to love imperfect people, things will not always be easy but when we choose love all the other options fall short.

“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:7

3. Love does not live in the past.

I have a pretty good memory, which can be a good thing and a bad thing.  If you ever say anything hurtful to me chances are I will remember it…and also the way you wore your hair that day and clothes you were wearing.  I have a pretty detailed memory, and I have a hard time forgetting when I have been wronged, so this third point is not always an easy one.  Things happen to us daily, good things and often bad things too.  But when we walk in love we have to choose to not let that stand between us and the person that wronged us.  We have to choose which is more important, that relationship or the issue. Holding the past against someone does not only affect our relationship with that person but also our relationship with God.

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:25

You are going to get hurt, this a fact of life and there is no avoiding it.  But you do not have to allow that hurt to overcome you.  Trust me it will do you no good in the long run, I have been there and it will only keep you from God’s best for you.

“…it keeps no record of being wronged.” 1 Corinthians 13:5

Now that we have covered some things that love is not, I would like to talk about what love actually is.

1. Love is for everyone.

Love finds the good in people, and love brings out the good in people.  Have you ever been around someone who could just light up a room, someone who was just so kind to everyone?  I have known a couple of people like that!  They were different and in the very best way.  It is so hard to come by people that genuinely love and radiate kindness.  What if more people chose to love just for the sake of being kind, wanting absolutely nothing in return?  What a beautiful world we would live in if that were the case.  The Bible says to treat others the way that we would like to be treated, but how often do we actually do this?  How often do we treat others the exact opposite of how we would like to be treated?  No one ever came closer to Jesus by Christians treating them with unkindness.  You do not have to agree with someone’s life decisions to love them, love does not have to equal approval.  God does not approve of everything we do, but He loves us anyway!  His love draws us closer to Him not further away.  Your love can do that too, choose to love people so much that you point them to Jesus!

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” Luke 6:31

2. Love is loud.

Your love should be obnoxious!  When people are in a relationship it shows up everywhere!  Suddenly social media is blown up with the happy couple because they are just so happy to be together and they want to share that love with that world. The same should go for our love for God.  No one should have any doubt about the love God has put in your heart. Tell everyone the great love He has given you, no one should have to ask what makes you different.  Post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  God’s love has changed your life and everyone needs to know about it.  Do not go around looking miserable, smile, laugh…radiate the love you have experienced through Christ.  Being a Christian is not a chore, it is a lifestyle of love.  Treat everyone around you with love, ask the cashier how their day is going, leave your waiter a little extra tip, see an opportunity to love and seize it.  It is the little things that can make the biggest difference.  Love out loud my friends!

“Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”  Ephesians 5:2

3. Love is Jesus.

Last but certainly not least is “Love is Jesus”.  He is the epitome of love.  He came from the best seat in the house, the right hand seat of God, to this earth for the sole purpose of dying for each and every one of us.  What a great example of love!!  No one was, is , or ever will be exempt from this great love.  Christ had never sinned yet took on every sin that was and ever will be committed, because He loves you.  He loved you before you were ever even born. And if you learned absolutely nothing else from the post I hope you learned that!  If you do not know that love I pray that you would seek it, I pray that you would accept Jesus as your loving Savior.  He is only a prayer away, you are only a prayer away from a lifetime of love. (If you would like to pray that prayer today but do not know what to say please go the “Free Gift” tab at the top of the home page for more information.)

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”  Romans 5:8

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

This is the first fruit of the Spirit, and the greatest commandment of them all:  Love God, Love People.  You can not successfully do one without the other.  I am so very excited about this journey through Galatians 5:22-23, tune in for our next post soon!

Love out loud my Friends,

Walking On Water

We all want more faith, but rarely enjoy the faith growing process.  Faith does not just happen it takes time, it takes loss, it takes fear, it takes coming face to face with our pride and it takes realizing that we can not do it alone. Today I was reading the old familiar story about Jesus walking on water and calling Peter to him. This message inspired me, because even though Peter did not manage to walk on water for very long, he did more than most people just by stepping out of the boat.  No one else got out of the boat.  Faith requires action, it requires that first step, which in my opinion is the biggest step.  Until this moment Peter had never seen anyone walk on water yet decides that he can do it too. I think there is a lot to learn from this passage!

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,”they said, and cried out in fear.   But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”   Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,”he said, “why did you doubt?”” Matthew 14:25-31

1. Faith Takes Action

We have to take action, we have to move.  Jesus asked Peter to take a step and Peter did it.  He did not ask questions he stepped out of a boat in the ocean and into the water.  Would he sink?  Would he walk?  He did not know where his feet would go, he just did it.  God is asking every one of us to do something, He has something that He wants each of us to do.  But we have to take the first step, we have to step into the unknown.  It is terrifying I know, that is why I think that first step is the hardest.  Your faith will growth which each step, and God gives you such a peace when you are in His will.  Everything in this world will try to keep you from taking the first step, doubts, fear, pride, other people…it will all try to stop you.  But you have to decide that what is on the other side of that step is greater than the things telling you that you can’t.  You have to tell yourself that God is greater, and if He is asking you step out of the boat then you are going to be okay.  Will there be an absence of storms, probably not, but who better to have with you in a storm that God?

^” If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22

2. Doubt Kills Faith

Peter was doing great, he took the unknown step and he did not sink.  And now he was walking on water, I can not imagine how awesome that would be!  His eyes were on Jesus and all was well.  Then doubt came in, and doubt killed his faith.  He had walked with Jesus, had seen miracles, even walked on water, then doubt comes in and he forgets all of it.  How often has faith brought you so far, and then doubt swooped in?  God has given us promises in His word and once we start to doubt those promises our faith can fail.  We begin to sink, life begins to overwhelm us.  Faith sustains us through the storms of life, without it we get knocked down and can not get back up.

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6

3.  Jesus Is Always There In the Midst

Jesus was with Peter the entire time, He never left his side.  Peter just failed to stay focused.  Sometimes we get so caught up in doubt we forget to keep our eyes on Jesus, we feel like He is far away, but He has not moved.  He is always right beside us, we just have to stay focused.  Faith requires focus on Jesus. And if we do lose focus and begin to sink, He is always there with a helping hand.

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus,

Coming Soon….

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23

Dear Friends, “Coffee Breaks With Jesus” will be doing its first ever blog series starting in August! In this series we will study 2 different Fruits of the Spirit a week and then conclude it into a 5 week study. I hope that together we can grow closer to God through studying His Word and applying it to our lives!

Lots of love,

Fear Not

Sorry it’s been so long my dear readers,  it’s been a long month.  I have stepped into a new stage of life by moving out on my own and taking on some new responsibilities.  This summer has been such a challenge for me, with my boyfriend being 4 hours away, moving out on my own,  difficulties at work, etc.  I found myself in a constant place of fear wondering where this summer will end.  Will my needs be met?  Is everything going to be okay in my life?  Will I be okay?  So many questions…so many selfish questions.  That’s exactly what they were selfish, and they were draining me of life and eating me alive.  Fear is the exact opposite of faith, fear removes God from the equation and puts me in charge.  Now that sounds like a disaster!  So whether you are worried about a relationship, finances, a new houses, or whatever else I want to encourage you today ( and myself!) to subtract fear from the equation and multiply your faith. This weekend I pulled a few verses from God’s word and just prayed them a lot.  I even hung some of them on my bathroom mirror just to remind me what God has to say about fear. I’m going to share them with you, and pray that in your time of need they comfort you as well.

When you feel lonely or just down, I love Deuteronomy 31:6.  I love seeing all-encompassing words in my Bible, words like “all”, “always” and “never”, I often circle them when I come across them.  Sometimes as humans we use these words and fall short, but if God says it you know that He means it!  And in this verse He promises to NEVER leave us, so we have no reason to fear.  If that doesn’t bring some comfort then I don’t know what will, because if I want anyone in my corner it’s going to be God.  So take heart my dear friends, you are never alone!

 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Deuteronomy 31:6

When you are living paycheck to paycheck, have an unexpected financial emergency, need a raise or any other type of physical need I love the following verses.  We serve an incredible God who loves us dearly, and when we as humans love someone how much more do we care about their needs?  God is the same way, even when we can’t see it He is taking care of us in ways we can’t even imagine.  Your only requirement is to love Him in return.

Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?  “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?  “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.”  Luke 12:22-30

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

 Sometimes we can feel like a failure, like we just aren’t good enough.  Maybe you have an addiction, a sin that you just can’t shake on your own or maybe you are just comparing yourself to someone “who has it all together” (as if there even is such a thing).  You fear that you’ll never measure up, that you are a disappointment to God.  This is lie, you have the power to overcome your sin through Christ, you are more than enough through Christ and God is not disappointed in you.  He knows what you are capable of, He knows your value, and He loves you.  His love casts out fear!  You may not be perfect but Christ’s love for you is.

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”  1 John 4:18

“For I am the Lord your God  who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”  Romans 8:38-39

And lastly I have this verse that pretty much covers just about any kind of fear.  My first night at my new house, there was a storm and the power went out for awhile.  I am not a fan of the dark or storms, yet here I was, just me and my cat (cats aren’t very brave either therefore are terrible at emotional support…).  There I was in a dark new house and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous.  In that moment of weakness my boyfriend reminded me of this verse, which I prayed until I felt peace about my situation.  I had nothing to fear but fear itself,  I was perfectly safe yet I allowed my nervousness to turn to fear.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

I pray that you find some encouragement in these verses.  Memorize them, write them down, learn to pray these scriptures over your situation.  They will help you multiply your faith and subtract your fear.  God did not give you fear, He came to bring you peace.  So take hold of His promises, that’s what they are there for.  The Bible is your sword against the enemy, but it will do you no good if you don’t learn how to use it.  So stay strong dear friends!

Lots of Love,

Storms of Life

Ever feel like you are just merely surviving in life, like there is no light at the end of the tunnel?  Maybe you even know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it sure does not feel that way.  That is how I have felt this last week, I find myself in a particular season where life is just beating me down and it is doing a pretty good job!  Any and all plans that I had for this summer have been tossed out the window, I’m in the process of moving both physically and mentally into a different stage of life, I am stressed about finances and bills, I am dealing with feelings of  loneliness and I am dealing with negativity in the workplace.  Life is winning this battle, and I am letting it.  Have you ever felt this way?

You can only ignore negative emotions for so long, until they come back again.  They will continue to come back until they are defeated for good.  That’s where I am now trying to rise above this storm and gasp for air.  I am drowning in the midst of this storm and if I can just get back to the surface I tell myself that I will be fine.  But eventually this too shall pass, but what about the next storm and the next storm?  There will always be a storm, it is only a matter of how I learn to deal with them.  Every time I find myself trying to defeat my storm on my own, and every time I find that I am not strong enough to do so.

I can do it on my own, and can get stressed out, sick and torn to shreds or I can seek my heavenly Father.  It sounds like such an obvious thing to do, but if you are anything like me it is so hard to ask for help! I am a “I’ve got this!” kind of girl through and through.  Ask my parents they will tell you, I will try and try until I can not do it anymore before I ask for help.  And as much as it hurts to say it this is a pride issue that I have, and all too often it carries over into my spiritual life as well.  “I got this God, thanks anyway”!  If only I could learn to ask for His help when I begin to feel the raindrops rather than after I have begun to drown…

“He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves”. Psalm 107:29

So here I am again crawling back into His presence tired, and worn out.  As always there He is reaching out His arms to and pulling me safely to shore.  And here I am being vulnerable with each of you, reminding you that you do not have to do it alone.  I do not know where this storm of life is taking me, or what’s on the other side of it.  I do however know that I have a Heavenly Father walking beside me.  He may not calm the storm right now, but He will calm me.  I have everything I need and I find that in Him alone.

“Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
    until the disaster has passed.” Psalm 57:1

That’s where I find myself today, searching for truths in His word to get through today, and then tomorrow I will do the same.  It’s a daily process of choosing God or choosing my way.  I am not promised tomorrow or next week, but I have right now!  Today I find comfort in Isaiah 43: 1-2 :

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.

I do not know what you are dealing with or going through, but I do know that God is so much greater!  This may feel like the end of the world, but it isn’t.  We are not Christians seeking a victory, we are Christians who have the victory.  I have read the last book of the Bible, and we win.  When you come across a storm in life don’t be like me and try to ride it out alone, rather turn to God immediately and grasp His hand.

 ^“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one—for God Himself has given us right standing with himself.  Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” Romans 8:31-39

No storm can separate you from God!  If you are going through a storm right now, please feel free to leave a prayer request in the comments, in return I ask that you pray for me that I will continue to seek God and not try to do this own my own!

Thank-you & God Bless ❤︎,

Created To Be Beautiful

I do not consider myself a feminist, at least not in the modern terms of the word.  I believe in equality, but I was not created a man nor do I want the responsibilities of one.  However I do believe in the role of a woman of God.  I believe it is a holy calling, and I believe that accepting that calling is a great and powerful thing.  But if you are a woman or have talked to another woman recently you would know that it is not an easy task.  We as women often spend more time hurting than walking in our calling as powerful women of God.  Why is that?  Why is it so hard to be a woman of God?

God created woman because the earth needed her, man needed her.  She was not an after thought, she was the finishing touch,  God’s grand finale!  She was beautiful and God said it was good.  I often wonder why the serpent came to Eve first, hearing the story growing up I often believed that Eve was weak and naive. But I do not believe that was the case I believe that he went after her because she was a woman.  He saw what God saw, He saw all that she could be, God’s masterpiece and he knew that if he could get her he could destroy God’s glorious plan.  Satan knew this,  if he could destroy the woman and destroy God’s plan for her, he could have the victory. How?  Because she had the power to bring forth life, to bring forth children.  She would be the vessel that brought Jesus into this world, and he knew that Jesus would ultimately defeat him.  Therefore, Satan took direct aim at the woman to make her as miserable as possible. He was killing two birds with one stone, destroy the woman, destroy the children.  Eve wasn’t just skipping through the garden looking for trouble,  Satan made sure she was exactly where he needed her to be, the goal wasn’t to just kick them out of the garden, it was to destroy the vessel of Jesus. And I believe that he has been doing it to all of us since Day 1.

How often have you heard that enemy whisper lies into your ear?  How often have you felt crazy, lonely, rejected, ugly, hopeless, depressed, etc.?  I know I do!  I’ve struggled with body image, I’ve been rejected, cast aside without a second thought, depressed, I’ve been tormented to the place that I didn’t think I could go on anymore.  Even to this day if something does not go as planned the enemy will immediately try to make me think that I did something wrong, or that the action was intentional when most of the time it wasn’t.  That maybe just maybe I’m not good enough, or I’m not doing enough.  I want you to know beautiful ladies that this is a lie, you are good enough!  No one else’s opinion of you affects the love God has for you.  You were formed by God, and you have been given the authority to defeat the enemy.

He will try to destroy you, and he will use people to do it.  “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places”, Ephesians 6:12.  I allowed people to do a lot of damage to me, friends walked out on me, boys who I adored made me feel worthless and undesirable, bosses have mistreated me, complete strangers have called out to me and degraded me just walking around a college campus or going to the grocery store, and for too long I’ve let these things define me.  I became strong for the wrong reasons and bitter. No one was going to hurt me anymore, because no one was going to get close to me again.  I decided that isolation was better than hurt and that’s where I found myself for so long.  If I did  find the courage to come out, the enemy made sure that there were certain people or circumstances placed in my life to shut me away again. And it worked for so long!  While people may be used to hurt us, ultimately it is the enemy trying to destroy us again.  He does not want us to be used by God, he does not want you to feel beautiful or loved.  Those are your God given desires and he hates it!  Simply having this blog has been a major battle for me, the enemy will tell me that this is dumb, that no one is going to read it.  He wants to shut me up, but God has given me a burning desire to write and to encourage people with my writing and with every blog post I defeat him.  You can defeat him too, every time you ignore his lies and do exactly what he tells you can’t you defeat him and take a step of faith.

You are not a weak little flower, you are powerful woman of God.  It is time that we accept this calling and walk in freedom.  God promised in Genesis that our offspring will defeat the enemy, you have that power and Satan knows it.

‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.’ (Genesis 3:15).

So stand strong dear sisters, walk in the power and glory of God.  Shut out the voice of the enemy and tune in to the voice of your heavenly Father.  Fall in love with Him,  ^“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need,” Matthew 6:33.  Only His love can quiet the enemy, it’s not going to be easy but with God by your side it will be easier.  God placed you on this earth for a reason, to love and be loved.  You deserve the very best that He has to offer, and nothing less.  People may come and go, material things may provide temporary happiness, but God will never leave you nor forsake you.  If you’re like me and you’ve been hurt or you’ve made mistakes, God can turn those hurts for good.  It may look pointless now, but your hurts will one day help someone who is hurting.  There is no greater joy than when you can finally give your pain a purpose, the ultimate defeat of the enemy is taking what he’s done to you and helping someone else find healing!

“…he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.” Isaiah 61:3 

Dear Sisters, You are BEAUTFUL, You are LOVED, You are WANTED, You are STRONG and You are VICTORIOUS through Christ Jesus! Fall in love with your Savior, He will give you the desires of your heart or better yet He will change your desires to His desires which will be far greater than what you could ever imagine.  Stay in His Word, keep a lifestyle of prayer and love others.  And when you feel tempted to judge another woman, or compare yourself to her, remember that most likely she is dealing with insecurities and hurt as well.  We are all in this together to lift each other up, we are stronger together!

Lots of Love ❤︎,

God Loves Bruce Jenner

If you’ve been anywhere on social media, in the checkout line at the grocery store or turned on your TV in the last couple months you probably heard about Bruce Jenner and his decision to change his image and name to Caitlyn.  He has undergone a lot of surgeries to feminize his face, gotten breast implants and changed his name.  Bruce, once an Olympic athlete, later the father Kylie and Kendall Jenner and step-father to the Kardashian family has been all over the news lately.  I have watched people support him and I have seen some pretty hateful things out there about him.  This story breaks my heart, I want to cry just thinking about it.  He said in an interview recently the following statement:

“God’s looking down, making little Bruce. He’s looking down and he says, “Okay, what are we going to do with this one?” Make him a smart kid, very determined, and he gave me all these wonderful qualities. And then at the end when he’s just finishing, he goes, “Wait a second, we gotta give him something. Everybody has stuff in their life that they have to deal with, what are we going to give him?” And God looks down and chuckles a bit and goes, “Hey let’s give him the soul of a female and let’s see how he deals with that.”

It breaks my heart that the enemy has lied to this man his entire life, that somehow down the line he came to believe that God hated him.  That God found joy in his confusion that for some reason God himself set out to torment Bruce.  That for whatever reason he thought that his life was a mistake!  That is not the God I know, and that is not who God is. That is a lie from the very pits of hell.  God is not a God of confusion, and He is not a God of hate.  He loves me, He loves you and yes He loves Bruce Jenner.  I believe that God’s heart is broken as well.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.”

Psalm 139:14

He knew us before our parents had even thought of us, He knitted us together in our mother’s womb.  He made us exactly who we were meant to be, God does not make mistakes, people do.  You are exactly who you are meant to be and exactly where you are meant to be.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.  The enemy wants nothing more than you destroy you, and he will do whatever it takes to make you miserable, and blame God.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

That is exactly what the enemy has done to Bruce, Olympic medals couldn’t him happy, his family couldn’t make him happy, money and fame let him done, and eventually Caitlyn will let him down as well.  He has a Jesus shaped whole in his heart, and only that will make him complete.  He has a God that loves him and only God can save Bruce from himself.  Jesus did not come to this earth and die for perfect people, He came to that cross the die for hurting people, He came to die for Bruce Jenner.

So I challenge you stop with the opinions, stop with the hate and stop glorifying the decision that he has made out of hurt.  Please join me in prayer for Bruce, and all of the other people who think that God made a mistake on them.  A study showed that 41% of people who are transgender or gender-nonconforming have attempted suicide sometime in their lives.  Once again that brings us back to 1 Peter 5:8, the enemy is devouring these broken people.  He is lying to them and telling them they are a mistake.  Genesis 1:31 says that God made everything and it was good, there were no mistakes.  He made male and female in His very image, and it was good.

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” Genesis 1: 31

It’s so easy to judge when we have never bought into these lies, but we have bought into other lies.  We have all struggled with some form of our identity.  “I’m not smart enough”, “rich enough”, “pretty enough”, “thin enough”, etc.  Bruce was lied to as well, he was told  “I am a mistake” and he believed it.  You may have people in your own life struggling with their identity or maybe you yourself have bought into a lie.  I want you know that JESUS LOVES YOU!  He came down to this earth and dies for YOU!  God doesn’t make mistakes, and nothing disqualifies you for His grace and love.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:37-39

And if you don’t know that love I hope you find it, because it is the only thing that can heal your hurt and fill the void in your heart.  And if you’re hurting and you have no one to talk to please seek out someone who can, in fact message me if you’d like!  I don’t want one more person to buy into the lie that they are a mistake and that God does not love them!  Because He does so much!

So Pray for Bruce and those like him struggling to find their identity , pray that they can find the love and grace of Jesus!  Caitlyn can not make Bruce happy only Jesus can.  GOD LOVES BRUCE JENNER.

Lots of Love,

Jesus and Social Media

Jesus and social media. Have you ever seen those words in the same sentence?  I haven’t, very rarely does anything I see on Facebook or twitter glorify Jesus in anyway.  And it’s sad because apart from each other Jesus and Social Media are very powerful.  Imagine if they joined forces, the audience that could be reached is absolutely  incredible.  Facebook has 500 million users!!  Twitter has 974 million accounts, with Instagram at around 200 million.  The things you post everyday, they have a lot of impact.  They can either do a lot of damage or a lot of good.  Listed below are some things that I think we should take into account while using social media as Christians.

1. Avoid Posting Your Opinion

Yeah, crazy right?  Not post your opinion all over the internet, but so many people care what you think, right?  There is something that my pastor has said several times that I love, he says: “I don’t have an opinion I have the Word of God”.  it doesn’t matter what I think about this or that, because it’s not about me.  If my words are not kind, encouraging or serve a greater purpose of leading others to Christ then I don’t need to post them. Believe it or not God does not need me to defend Him, He is God.  He works everything for His purpose and nothing I post on the internet is going to change that.  There was a time a few years ago during the Presidential elections that I got wrapped up in Politics on Twitter.  Nobody cared what I thought, but that didn’t stop me from shouting it on the rooftops (or in 140 characters through my Iphone).  But the truth of the matter is that how I feel about politics or leaders doesn’t change the fact that God puts people in charge.   We may never understand why, but He does and we have to trust that He knows best.  Daniel 2:21 says, “He controls the course of world events; He removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars”.  So rather that posting your opinion, crude humor about our leaders or articles of other people’s negative opinion, how about we pray for a our leaders.  Our prayers will do a whole lot more good than anything on Facebook or Twitter. This also goes for sharing controversial articles to get an opinion across without being the main culprit.  I know how that works, using passive aggressive articles voicing exactly how you feel, knowing that a certain person (or persons) will see it.  You are not fooling anyone we have all done it!  I think we could all take a little advice from Philippians 4:8 , “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Go through that verse and change the word “thoughts” and “think” to “posts” and “post”, remind yourself of this every time you get a little fired up on the internet!

“Guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.” 1 Timothy 6:20

2. Do Not Leave Room For Assumptions

It’s so easy to assume what’s going on in a situation if all we see are bits and pieces.  Believe it or not the more outspoken you are about Christ the more closely you are being watched.  People are seeing your tagged photos not just the ones you post and the content that you “like” on the internet.  If these do not line up with the constant Bible verses that you are posting then you may need to reevaluate your online testimony.  Just be aware that people are looking up to you, and while we all make mistakes be aware that some mistakes can be avoided simply by using wisdom and making good decisions. If you would not want Jesus (or your grandmother) seeing it on Facebook then it is probably not a good idea anyways.  Almost everything we do ends up on some sort of social media these days, so take caution in how you live your life and you won’t have anything to worry about.  Use wisdom, and avoid confusing others about what it means to serve God.  If you look a lot like every one else, then you are not pointing anyone to Christ. Be the same everywhere you go, and there will be little room for assumptions.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise”  Ephesians 5:15

3. Religion vs. Relationship

The Bible is a great way to send subliminal messages!  Totally kidding, but it is very tempting and is very easy to do.  Someone posts about their wild night or the wild weekend they have planned and 10 seconds later you’ve got a Bible verse about the sin of drunkenness or “can’t wait to go to church on Sunday”.  It’s so so so easy to caught up in the religion that “I’m better because I don’t do what you do”.  Sin is sin, no sin is less or greater than any other sin. We are all on the same playing field without Jesus.  I don’t follow Jesus because it’s the cool thing to do or because it makes me better than every one around me, I follow Jesus because I was dead and He gave me life.  I was a sinner paying off a never ending bill based on how often I went to church, what I wore, who I knew, how often I read my Bible, Prayed, etc.  And it wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t good enough to be a Christian if those were the prerequisites.  That’s why I need Jesus, because He reached out His hand to me removed all the good works I was attempting to carry and said that He loved me right where I was but not enough to leave me there.  So no I’m not better than anyone on this planet, I just simply chose to give up!  I chose to give up on being a good person and chose to love a perfect person who has ultimately changed my life.  I still have a long way to go, but I’m not longer weighed down by a list of rules, and there is a light at the end of this tunnel.  That light belongs to Jesus!  The greatest good you can ever do to someone is love them unconditionally.  Condemnation never brought anyone to Jesus, it will only push them away.  Our job is to love, His job is to convict.  So whether you agree with someone or not, avoid posting subliminal messages and pray for that person.  Jesus can change anyone do not stand between them trying to prove a point.

“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5

4. Jesus Likes You More

In this day and age we can very easily get wrapped up in the internet perception of ourselves.  For example, how many of you at some point in time have deleted something because it didn’t get enough “likes” worthy of your internet profile? Okay, now all of you put your hands up and quit lying!  I’ve done it, you’ve done it, we’ve all done it.  Social media is all about feeling good about yourself, and making your life appear way more exciting than it is most of the time.  If we were all being honest we would admit that the internet shows very little of our life and more of just the highlights.  You see the good, and almost none of the bad and the ugly.  It’s all about who is following who and how many likes we get on our Instagram. Praise God for that 11th like, am I right?  But serious if you find self worth in who is approving of your highlights, you are not going to find a lot of joy.  Jesus likes you more than anyone else ever will and He sees the good, the bad and the ugly.  He likes you despite all of it!  His approval is the only approval that matters, so seek His above all else.  There’s nothing wrong with being popular on the internet or posting your highlights, but when the responses to it affect how you feel about yourself it’s time to take a step back and look to Jesus for your worth.

5. Remember to Log Out

Okay last but not least, remember to log out.  No this isn’t a safety or privacy precaution.  It’s simply a reminder that life is better when you are actually living it.  Social media can be addictive, I know because I struggle with it.  But remember that there are people all around you who need someone like you in their life, there are needs that only you can meet, and there a memories for you to make, so do not forget to look up from your phone.  God has given you an incredible life do not miss out on it!  So remember to log out and leave the phone in the car sometimes.  It takes away so much stress, when you just give yourself room to live!

I hope that this article can help you be a better Christian online,  you have the ability to do amazing things do not waste it!

Lots of Love,

Who Does God Say I Am?

If I have learned anything in the last 22 years it is that people love labels.  They give them to us when we’re born, things like our first name, family name, birthplace, race, gender, etc.  These labels follow us the rest of our life.  Some labels we take on ourselves like our education, our career, our faith, hobbies, achievements, where we live, who we associate with, where we go to church, etc. Often these are the labels that we use to define ourselves.  All too often I meet someone new I ask them about themselves and the first response is typically education or career.  These are very defining labels.

But there are also negative labels, things that we let doctors label us with, things that people say to hurt us, things that people say unintentionally that still hurt us and things that we think about ourselves.  These aren’t typically the labels that we use when meeting people, no these labels are tucked away in the back of our minds.  They are our darkest secrets, and they only come out to haunt us. These labels if allowed can begin to take a permanent residence in our minds.  We begin to believe the lies spoken over us and they begin to have free reign of our lives.

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.  This is probably the biggest lie we learned as children, if anything words will hurt you more.  I can recover faster from physical harm than I can from hurtful words spoken to me or over me.

When given all of these labels, we often lose sight of the most important labels.  We lose sight of what God says about us! He has a lot to say about us! And I like His a lot more than those other labels, take a look and tell me what you think?

• You are His child .

But to all who have received him–those who believe in His name–he has given the right to become God’s children (John 1:12).

• You are a branch of the true vine, and a conduit of Christ’s life.

I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me–and I in Him–bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing (John 15:1, 5).

• Your friend is Jesus

I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father (John 15:15).

• You are justified and redeemed.

But they are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).

• You are no longer who you used to be

We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin (Romans 6:6).

• You are not condemned 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

• You  have been set free from sin and death.

For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

• You are an heir to Heaven

And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ)–if indeed we suffer with Him so we may also be glorified with him (Romans 8:17).

So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God (Galatians 4:7).

• You are accepted

Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God’s glory (Romans 15:7).

• You are united with Christ

But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17).

• You are Righteous

God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

• You are free from the World’s labels!!

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female–for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

• You are Free

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

• You are so Blessed

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

• You are Chosen

For He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love (Ephesians 1:4).

• You are Forgiven

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).

• You have a seat saved in Heaven

… And He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus … (Ephesians 2:6).

• You are Bold and Confident 

… In whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ’s faithfulness (Ephesians 3:12).

• You have Peace

And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

• Your needs are met

And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

• You are Loved ❤️️

We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you … (1 Thessalonians 1:4).

And don’t you ever forget them!! This is just a small list of the good things God has labeled you, you can find many more in His Word!  Whenever you’re feeling down or the enemy is reminding you of labels that have spoken over you just remember these things.  Pray these words over your life, write them somewhere you can see them everyday, and memorize them.  Because they are true, you have all of these things, and they cancel out any negative words anyone has or will ever speak over you!