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LOVE IS A PERSON

1 Corinthians 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

As I read the scripture above, I ask myself when people think of me, do they associate these words with my life? Self-examination is difficult and the results are painful. How can I claim to be a follower of Jesus but I lack love? So many times, I have led people with passion, zeal, wisdom but with no love. I thought that my passion for God was enough. I didn’t understand truly who I was following. As a result, I hurt many people in the process. So many people have been hurt in the body of Christ by people like me who had zeal and didn’t know they were supposed to be carriers and givers of love. This is my evaluation of myself and I hope it speaks and challenges to change.

 As I read, I couldn’t help but see that Paul was in fact describing God. Love is person manifested in the form of Jesus. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His Son to die in our place. Jesus dying on the cross had to do with the love of God. Yes, Jesus came to die for our sins, to set us free, to redeem us from death and to give us eternal life but it’s God’s loved that compelled Him to send His Son to die for humanity. In other words, His love for us was the motivation and it should be our motivation for everything we do. 

So who is love and what does love do? 

 Love is God. He is patient and kind. It’s his kindness that leads people to repentance. God is not self-seeking, easily angered nor does He keep any records of wrong. He sent his Son, Jesus, to remove our sins as far the East is from the West with his own blood. I love how John 15:13 tells us: “There is no greater way to love than to give your life for your friends.”

John 3 :16 “For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life.” Love rescues, heal, delivers, help, comforts, revives... People need to know because of God’s love, He sent His Son to rescue us so we don’t have to spend eternity in hell. Those who have not yet met Christ need to see God’s love flow out of our lives.  As his ambassadors, we are to tell people how He bankrupted heaven to ransom them. They need to know He will never give up on them even as they are away from Him. Through my experience, I realized people care less about what I know and how great of a Christian I am. They want to see love and that is Jesus. Many have been turned away from Christianity because they don’t see love, Jesus, in us. 

Love doesn’t watch others be destroyed. I am to share Jesus with others. I can’t keep Him to myself or stay silent. I am to tell my own Jesus love story because Love doesn’t let others be doomed without warning them.  Because Jesus came so we all could have access to abundant life.

2 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

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John 10:10

10 The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance.

I am 33 years old today! I am beyond excited and thankful to God for another year. Because my life was in danger during my early teen, living another day is always a blessing and something I look forward to. At the age of 16, I lived in constant fear due to civil war. I didn’t know if I would live to see the next day and today I get to celebrate 17 years of living post war. 

Life is a gift from God. Satan’s goal is to prevent God’s people from living. He starts his intent in the womb and continue on his quest throughout our lives. We see this in Moses and Jesus life. Because of the call of God on their lives, satan tried killing them before they ever did a thing (Exodus 2:1-3). If he can’t stop us by prematurely killing us, satan pollutes our mind about aging. Our lives scares the devil because he knows we can cause serious damage to his camp.

He lies about our appearance through media. Media makes us self-conscience of aging. With all the makeup and anti-aging commercials, you began to feel that getting older is not so great. But oh what a lie. Each wrinkle or sign of aging on our bodies tells the world of the life we have lived. Yes, every wrinkle around my face tells of every joyous moment and every victory God has brought in my life. They tell stories of my best moments and the lessons I have learned through experience. 

On your next birthday, embrace the age, the blessings and celebrate. It’s another chance to make a difference and to pursue your God given purpose.  Don’t live in regrets of yesterday; instead, embrace the present because God has a plan to give you a future and a hope. As for me, I will not be a waste of potential or live in regret; instead, I will live to the fullest (John 10:10).  

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                                          Widow’s Coin 

Luke 21:1-4

And then He turned His attention from the religious scholars to some wealthy people who were depositing their donations in the offering boxes. 2 A widow, obviously poor, came up and dropped two copper coins in one of the boxes.

Jesus: 3 I’m telling you the truth, this poor widow has made a bigger contribution than all of those rich fellows. 4 They’re just giving from their surplus, but she is giving from her poverty—she’s giving all she has to give.

Do you ever feel guilty because your prayer life doesn’t reflect your passion for God? Or your time in prayer with God isn’t enough? Can your prayer life be compared to two penny coins (Luke 21:1-4) the widow gave? Do you wish you gave more of yourself to God but you don’t know how you can multiply the time you have?  You are not alone. As a mom of four small children, my time is as the widow’s mites- Small. God wants us to see and learn from the widow and her little offering.

1.She went before everyone and offered her best even though it was the worst (Luke 21:2).

 God desires that we give Him what we have even if it’s insignificant. Today, you may have tears because you lost someone dear to you. Bring that to God. Let Him know the sorrow in your heart. Don’t hide it from Him. He cares and loves you. I am not against long time spent in prayer. But most of us don’t pray because we feel that what we have to bring in prayer is not enough; thus, we don’t pray. Jesus wants us to give our all however it looks.

2. She didn’t wait until she had more coins

 Satan wants you and I not to pray. Give God the one minute dance you have because your baby slept for three hours instead of waking up every hour. Don’t stay silent. One minute with God is better than the perfect hour you wish you had. The time is now. 

3. She didn’t let others stop her from giving her life

We can’t compare our lives with others. Everyone is in a different season of life. God is looking at what you have in your hands. He sees everything. Like the widow, God will honor your all even though small. Don’t let what you desire to give to God stop you from what you are capable of giving. Know that any feeling of guilt is from Satan and not God. His goal is to make you and I feel guilty; in hope to stop us from communicating with God. Give Him all you have no matter what it is. 

As I end our time together, I pray the Holy Spirit brings peace to those who have felt beaten down with lies that what their prayer is insufficient. I pray that together, we make Jesus the center of our lives one prayer at a time.

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PROXIMITY

Luke 1

As we excitingly look forward to Christmas, let’s prepare our hearts to receive Christ afresh and anew. Let’s allow Him to be born in our hearts through proximity. Our pursuit of Him rekindles our passion; which in turn, gives birth to compassion for his Church. In closeness with God, He reveals our call and purpose. I love Christmas season because everyone reflects on the entire year. Most people are jolly and generous. But if we don’t guard ourselves against busyness and distraction, we will find ourselves caught up in the motion of things and forget the real reason for this wonderful time of the year. We will end up at the end of the year empty, frustrated and void of God.

How do you prepare yourself? 

Seek God’s face (see Luke 1:8-14)

You seek God through prayer, separation and consecration. Zachariah had been wanting a child but to no avail; until one day, he went into the temple to seek God and offer a sacrifice (Luke 1:9). Angel Gabriel appeared to Him with his request answered. Everyone else outside didn’t receive the same promises of God. Your proximity to God determines your encounter. 

Be aware of distractions and counterfeit.

Distraction steals our time with God. In today’s society we have so many things pulling us from every direction. For example, social media and frivolous activities can keep us away from our pursuit of God. I have to set boundaries with technology. If not, I find myself spend more time on Facebook, Instagram than with the Lord. I am not saying these things are bad. We have to make sure the good things don’t pull us away from the God things; therefore, we have to be alert and aware of any scheme of the enemy.

Pursue the presence of God

Your mission is only revealed in the presence of God. Zachariah received his son’s mission because he went into God’s presence (Luke 1:16-17). Only those who seek God will find Him. Men like Moses, Joshua, and the disciples discovered their calling in God’s presence. These men abandoned the crowd to seek God. Today, God still searches those who pursue his presence. He looks for us to lay aside our agenda and to go after Him with everything we have.

And lastly whatever you do, don’t speak doubt and death.

Proverbs 18

21 Words have power in matters of life and death,    and those who love them will savor their fruit.

As you prepare to go deeper in love for God and people this Christmas, stay away from ill, doubtful and negative words. Mediocrity will quickly become your reality. Our words possess the power to bless us or curse us. Negativity will stop the work Jesus wants to do in your life. Let the words of your mouth be pleasing to God. Zachariah doubt was so bad angel Gabriel shut his mouth from spewing unbelief (see Luke 1:20). 

This December, believe God no matter how grandiose his promises are. Be audacious in your expectation, surrender to Him who is faithful to accomplish all His words. God awaits you be intimate with Him because only through intimacy can something be conceived.  

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Embracing the Winter

Can we embrace the cold, obscure and bare winter of life with grace and gratitude? Why can’t every season be springtime? These are questions I have asked myself during the winter seasons of my life. What is a winter season? To me its the season of uncertainty, of sickness, of lost of a loved one, lost of a job... To some of you it’s divorce, tragedy or something you can’t seem to handle, surpass or overcome. King David describes winter in Psalms 23: 4 as the valley of the shadow of death.

“4 Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,

  I am not overcome by fear.

Because You are with me in those dark moments,

  near with Your protection and guidance,

  I am comforted.”

In my own life, I have learned to not question the valley but allow God to do what’s best for me. Even though most of my questions don’t get answered while in the valley, I end up understanding its purpose once out of the valley. I have realized and learned to embrace each and every season. Sometimes I do it well and sometimes I kick and scream the whole way out. But His love always comforts me and carries me through. King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1 , “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” Solomon lets us know that change is inevitable. We have to go through these changes so we can grow, mature and learn to trust God and be prepared for the battles Satan attacks us and sends our way.

I love spring time. Everything is green, alive and fresh. Everything lost during the winter gets restored back. In our lives, we can only blossom in the spring if we allow God to take us through the winter. Our winter determines what kind of spring we will have. Like trees, God prunes us for greatness during the fall and winter seasons of our lives. Yes, just like the word “fall” suggests, during this trying season, things fall off our lives. We lose all the toxic things in our lives. 

In John 15, Jesus tells us that He has to cut off branches that doesn’t produce fruit in our lives. He then prunes away good branches so that great harvest will come out of our lives. I have discovered that God’s plans are the best and all I have to do is allow Him to do what He knows best. What does pruning look like? Well, its a process of stripping away comforts, compromises, habits and anything in us that is stopping our spiritual growth. Did you know that good is the enemy of best? If it is up to my ignorance, I will be satisfied for with “good” but God loves me too much to let me settle for just good. No, He wants you and I to have a full and abundant life.

I am not by any means saying it’s easy. I can't imagine what you are walking through. With young children sometimes I feel like I am in the winter of no rest, of sleepless nights, ear infections, runny noses, cold and constant fatigue. Honestly, there are times where Hibernation seems so appealing. All I want to do is hide in my cave until my children are all grown, are godly and great citizens. But I know none of these can come about if I don’t allow God to take me through winter. The winter of life teaches me to pray for my children, for my husband, for God’s destiny for their lives and my own. The winter teaches me to pray God’s perfect will for my family.  God wants me to turn every valley into altars of prayer and spiritual fitness. I will not say it has been easy; far from it. It challenges me every day to trust God’s presence. I am learning to claim God’s promises and to speak them into every circumstance. The winter turns me into an undefeated warrior. I refuse to let Satan steal my joy, sleep, strength and blessing.

I encourage you as you read this not to hide through your winter season. I know God will carry you and bring you on the other side of the valley. I believe He will prune away any counterfeit in your life for the real deal. Everyone in the world faces hardship but we as children of God get to got through each season with God. Romans 8:28 tells us, “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose .” I pray as we prepare for this Christmas, we will embrace our winter season and allow God to prune us according to his purpose. A tree never runs from the winter. Even though it loses all its beauty, it learns to draw its nourishment from what is not seen. Let’s get planted and rooted deep in God’s word and his Holy Spirit. Winter is not a punishment from God but a preparation for the beautiful Spring. 

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Thankful for answered prayers

I am thankful for answered prayers. Have you prayed for a great parking lot and God answered your request? 

Last night was my first. I always hear people do it but I never really “needed” the parking spot. In reality, I didn’t have faith that God will care about a parking lot. You know those thoughts of “don’t waste God’s time with silly little prayers.” Praying for a parking lot was far from silly; It was a must last night. Before, I would always wish for a close up parking but never really got one but would end up with someone claiming it before me. Because my past approach never worked, I actually prayed rather than wish. To my amazement, I learned that God only answers prayers and not to wishful thoughts. 

With my husband out of town, I decided to take the children out to dinner to make time pass quickly before the golden bedtime hour. Before the restaurant,  I had to make a quick stop at the locally owned natural store to buy honey. Honey is a very much a commodity in our household. We use it for breakfast and for tea, for coughs... I wasn’t going to take the children out of the car since our trip was a short one. Let me just tell you, the process of taking three kids in and out of the car takes a century without your husband's help at 9 months pregnant. He deserves his own “thankful for the hubby” shout out, another blog, another time. 

 This all sounded great except, my clever idea would work only if I parked right in front of the store where I will be able see the car. So for the first time, I prayed to God for a front door parking space. This wasn't “silly prayers” anymore. I needed God to provide this spot for me because walking is challenging these day at thirty-nine weeks pregnant. To my expectation, a car backed out as I pulled up in front of the store. My body thanked me and gratitude filled my heart. 

God never thinks our prayers are silly and minuscule. He cares for what preoccupies us. But He can’t act on our behalf unless we get Him involved. It’s not that He doesn’t care; on the contrary, cares for every little details of our lives Our supplication and faith gives Him permission to act on our behalf. How hurtful it will if my children asked me for food but didn’t expect me to actually provide it for them. I will feel insulted especially because I have fed them their entire lives from the womb up until now. The problem is we mistake our wishful thoughts as prayer. 

Prayer is asking God to act on our behalf and expect Him to actually respond. Because of his faithfulness, his unchanging character and his omnipresence, God simultaneously answers the moment we ask. Yes, the moment you prayed, God answered. Let’s not get up on the manifestation of the answer or the duration of the wait. Secondly, Trusting God in his goodness will carry us through as we wait. Our job in the present is to thank Him for answered prayers. We are to dance, shout in celebration and joy while we wait for our parking lot. Doubt will prevent God from stepping in our behalf. He asks that we have expectation and not be double-minded when we ask.

 Let me leave you with this scripture from Matthews 7:11 (MSG),  “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?

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HIS OMNISCIENCE

Isaiah 55

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Can you believe we are 8 days away from Thanksgiving Day? I have thoroughly enjoyed writing on the things I am thankful for. I can honestly say Thanksgiving is the best time of the year besides Christmas. My nine-months pregnant-self looks forward to the food, fun and family (free babysitting) time. I also look forward to sharing with you more reasons to be thankful in this season. If we don’t count our blessings, the world will dump on us more than you can handle. Just last week we saw what our dear brothers and sisters faced with the terrorist attack in the beautiful city of Paris. Fear, turmoil, tragedy and chaos are all around us but we don’t have to succumb to any of them when we keep our gaze on Jesus and his goodness. 

I am thankful that God knows everything. Even in my ignorance, He is willing to teach me and equip me. I have always desired to write the things God shared with me but never felt qualified. At the end of October, God began tagging on my heart to write a thanksgiving daily devotion. At first, I gave God the excuses. I told God that English wasn’t my first language, like He didn’t know that already. Well, I quickly learned that lack of knowledge on my part is not an excuse or a free pass. So if you are reading this, you are witnessing a miracle! 

 God is Omniscient. Webster defines omniscience as being all knowing which means our God is all knowing. Yes, selah ( pause and think about it) on that! He can’t learn anything. If He did, that would mean He doesn’t know everything. Did you know nothing ever occurs to God? He never sits and say I just thought of this new thing. He always knows all science, all languages, yes, anything known and unknown. Because God knows all things, you and I can trust that He knows our desires before they become revealed to us. And believe it or not, He wants to give us the desires of our hearts. Because God possesses all knowledge and wisdom, we can ask Him with expectation for creative ideas, wisdom on any topic and He will grant our requests. James says if we need wisdom, we can ask God and He will not withhold it from us nor scold us for asking. 

Isaiah 55:8 tells us his ways and his thoughts are superior to ours. Because his ways are higher than ours, we can trust Him to lead us to the best paths. When He told Abraham to leave his father’s house in Ur and go to the land God will show him, Abraham trusted God because He understood and knew God’s omniscience. The same with you and I. When God gives us instructions, we are to trust Him and obey. We can look at it this way, God sees from a higher and better vantage point and tells us to trust Him and to go ahead and do whatever we ask Him.

So today, I thank God you and I don’t have to figure out anything. All we need to do is ask the author what to do, and He will give us the steps. If like me you feel unqualified, don’t fret; just ask Him to give you the ability to do his purpose. He doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. If you call yourself a child of God, guess what? You are called! You need to make the biggest decision of your life? Ask God for wisdom and He will give it to you. You need help with school, finances, marriage, life in general? Ask Him and you will receive. He will direct you in the right direction. All you and I have to do is not rely on our own understanding but trust him. I for one am thankful for the ALL KNOWING GOD. He is my counsel, my guide and my source. 

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A FUTURE AND A HOPE

Revelation 11:17

We thank you, O God, Sovereign-Strong,    Who Is and Who Was. You took your great power    and took over—reigned!

On this 10 days ‘till thanksgiving, I am thankful to God for his omnipresence. Omnipresence is described as being everywhere at the same time which means that God is with me now and in my future simultaneously. He doesn’t exist in time and unlike us He is not confined by it. Past, present and future are the same to Him. He travels through them at the same time.  No matter what I see now, He has a plan to give me a future and a hope. Most of the time we look at our present difficulty and are convinced that there is no hope for the future; when in fact, God is saying: “don’t believe the lies of Satan, surrender to me, trust me and keep going. Your future is already made.” What an amazing God! He is so amazing that my finite mind can’t fully grasp. 

We see God’s omnipresence play out in the life of Abraham. He promised Abraham that he will be a father of many nations and through him, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. This sounds great except, Abraham and his wife were pass the age of reproduction. Abraham was in his seventies and Sarah was in her sixties. As though that wasn’t impossible enough, They had to wait for another 20 years for the promise to be fulfilled. What Abraham didn’t know when God gave him the promise is that He was in the future with Isaac (their son) and Jacob (their grandson). Not only God already planned Isaac, Jacob and the twelve Tribe of Jacob, He planned that Christ, the Savior would come through their bloodline; thus, the whole world will be blessed through Abraham. 

What is God asking you to believe right now that seems impossible, difficult and unattainable? How would you live your life differently if you could see what God sees in the future about you, your life and your problems? My husband, PhD candidate, informed, through his research, that most entrepreneurs tend to succeed at business because they see themselves successful in the future. Like this research, our perspective of the future has the power to affect our present and future. Everywhere throughout scriptures, God let’s us know that our stories are already written. Psalms 139:16 (The Voice) tells us “He established the length of our lives before we ever tasted the sweetness of it.” Yes, the life God has planned for us is sweet! I am encouraged and I hope you are as well to let go of the past and to face anything today by faith. Many of us have been waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled for a long time and are ready to give up on them. I pray God will open your eyes to see what He sees right now in the future. I pray you hold on and begin to thank Him for all He has already done.

Like Abraham, let’s not give up. Let our faith become stronger and stronger in spite our present state. God told Abraham to look at the stars in the sky and count them as a symbol of his descendants. They were too many to count. Abraham took his eyes off his reality and put them on reality of heaven. He saw the stars in the sky and not his childless, empty home on earth. Let’s put our reality on the promises of God and see our “future-successful-selves.”  Your promise may be a restored marriage, a purpose for your life, a hope, a child, healing... Let’s draw near God and allow him to show us his omnipresence in action and together, let’s begin to count the stars in the sky.

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                       GRATITUDE REMOVES TERROR

1 Corinthians 15

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalms 111:1-2

“Praise the LORD! I will thank the LORD with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them.”

Three years ago, my family and I visited Paris. The beauty of the entire city stands tall just like its Eiffel Tower. I could not believe my eyes when I saw all that took place this week in Paris. It’s horrific to witness what a human heart is capable of when it does not have the Holy Spirit. My heart  goes out to the people of Paris who lost loved ones and all those who are facing the acts of terrorism.

I keep asking myself now what? What is my role as a believer in this world? These terrorist attacks in Paris are probably not the last ones and what are we to do as the body of Christ? I know one thing and that is Satan wants us to live in terror and take our eyes off the Lord. Whatever we fear we empower.  Like never before, we as believers are to rise and be the light and hope of the world. How are we as believers are to be the light for a world that is broken, frightened, full of hatred and fearful for the unknown? In Psalms 111:1-2, the Psalmist tells us to praise the Lord, to thank the Lord with all of our hearts as we meet others. We are to ponder and proclaim to all men the things God has done in spite of all that is going on around us. We are to uplift people with the word of God in these times of distress. Faith comes by hearing and they can only hear if we speak. As we proclaim faith, we will release hope in the hearts of many. Hope anchors the souls of men. This is not the hope like the world knows it. This is the hope that tells us that our God has won the victory. The reason why these terrorists are empowered is because they have no fear of death. They have been promised something after their death. How much more we as Christians who serve the True, Powerful God should take to heart what the word of God says. As Christians, we have Jesus who conquered death, hell and the grave. As long as we fear death and acts of terrorists, Satan will paralyze us with fear.

I am forever thankful for the Truth. 1 Corinthians 15 beautifully encourages:

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

It let’s us know not to fear death. Today as you read this beautiful passage by the Apostle Paul, I pray you find victory from terror surrounding our world. I pray you see that God has given us victory through Jesus. And because of this overwhelming victory we possess in Christ, we let nothing move us.  But we give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. We will share the good news to those who, like in Paris, are facing the aftermath of ISIS attack, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of purpose and hope. Let’s not disconnect ourselves from what is going on in the world. Let’s look around our world to help those who are hurting and lost and let’s be the light and hope for them. Let’s do it one neighbor at time. As we do so, we will see God move amazingly and this will be the source of gratitude because this removes fear.

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A beautiful Exchange

On this 13 days until Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the cross of Jesus. At the cross, Jesus exchanged his life for mine. He gave me his best and took my mess. He who was perfect and without sin, exchanged his beautiful life for a sinner’s plight. All Jesus asks us is to lay down all our burdens at his feet where his blood poured out to ransom us. Jesus is the subject of my praise and gratitude!

Psalms 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you;

Do you know that we are not created to carry the burdens of this life? We were created to be burden-free but the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, all the burden from the consequence of sin fell on them. Guilt, shame, fear, hopelessness, just to name a few, became the burdens they carried as the consequence. Our God in his great love and mercy knew humanity will need atonement, deliverance, healing and redemption; therefore, two thousand years ago He sent his Son Jesus to die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Because of the work of the cross, we don’t have to carry the worries and burdens of the world. Jesus Christ took all the yoke upon him at the cross. Isaiah tells us that it was our burdens that Jesus carried at the cross. Isaiah 53 tells us:

4 Yet it was our suffering he carried,

   our pain[c] and distress, our sick-to-the-soul-ness.

We just figured that God had rejected him,

   that God was the reason he hurt so badly.

5 But he was hurt because of us; he suffered so.

   Our wrongdoing wounded and crushed him.

He endured the breaking that made us whole.

   The injuries he suffered became our healing.

At the cross, Jesus swapped his life for ours before we ever accepted or rejected Him. He didn’t just go to the cross with the condition of us accepting this trade. No, He did it before we ever acknowledged him. He laid down his life at the cross even if we never accept it. So today, you don’t have to clean up your acts before the exchange. We don’t have be perfect; all we have to do is exchange with him. What an amazing God we have! 

Whatever you are carrying today, whether it be pain, distress, rejection, fear, anxiety, sickness, abandonment, regret, condemnation, disappointment, poverty and failure know that they are not your burden to carry. All you have to do is cast all of your burden on Jesus and he will care for you. This word “casting” means to literally throw it away. It’s impossible to throw something and it remain in your hands unless it’s glued in your hands. Satan convinces many of us that our present problem, past failures are glued in our hands and we can’t part from them but I want you to know that you can toss it all to Jesus. You and I are meant to experience love but until we cast all our cares on Him, we can’t experience the love of the father and see him because the pile of the mess blocks our view of the Father.

You probably have carried the burden for so long that you don’t know how to throw it at the feet of Jesus. You do not know what life feels like without the heaviness. But if you recognize that you are indeed burdened, you can just ask Jesus to take your burden away. He says in Matthew 10:30 to take his burden and to leave ours with Him. So, with a simple prayer like this: “Jesus I lay my burden down. I abandon them at your feet and never to pick them back up again. Give me the strength to let it all go and to take your burden because freedom is not the absence of something but it’s the presence of someone. Come live in my heart and be my yoke. I cast all my concerns and burden to you and I know you will sustain me with your great love. I exchange my messed up life for your best.” Know that if you have prayed this prayer, the exchange has been made. And now all you have to do is thank the Father for his love and Jesus for his beautiful life exchange. The gratitude will bring joy in your heart and your ashes will become truly beauty.

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GRATEFUL FOR THE LITTLE, BIG THINGS

Psalms 107: 22

Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

I read a story this morning on Facebook that shook me to the core. The story is about a man who after work found his home broken into and his wife shot on the head and other parts of the body. This has left his wife in comma. After reading the this tragic story, I automatically began to pray for the family. I prayed for the physical and traumatic healing for the wife and peace for the husband. I prayed that the whole family will come to know the healing power of God and they will have reasons to give thanks for all God will do through this tragedy. Their story will not end in pain but in God’s glorious acts. This family’s story took me to my knees to thank God for my life and that of my family five (soon to be six).

It’s interesting and others may say unfortunate that I need this story to remind my heart of all God does for me. My heart is revived and filled with gratitude. All day I keep wondering What this man would give up in order to have his wife and their lives back to normal. I imagine whatever preoccupied him before getting home no longer matters now. I learn today to thank God for the little (big) things He has given me: my husband, health, laughter, three little running feet that bothers the neighbors below us, nap times, messy house and kicks of my unborn baby as a sign of her beautiful growing life. 

I believe this what God wants from us. He desires that we acknowledge all He does for us and not minimize any of his wonderful work. They are blessings from Him. As parents, we want our children to recognize the blessings they have rather than compare their lives with others. We want them to be grateful for all the things we do for them. Nothing is insignificant and valueless. Our God looks for the same gratitude from us. You may be thinking others have it better than you do. You may be jealous and envious of what others possess. I pray that like me today, you will realize you actually possess what others wish they had. I pray God will open your eyes to see his goodness. May God awaken us all to witness first hand the beautiful life we have. Just a thought; If you are awake and alive today, you have a great reason to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully to God for his glorious acts.

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Thankful For The Blood

Thank God for the “precious” blood of Christ . . . the “sprinkled” blood of Christ . . . the blood of “the new covenant” . . . the blood of “the eternal covenant” (1 Pet. 1:19; Heb. 12:24; Luke 22:20; Heb. 13:20).

Psalms 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!    His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!    Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

Today, I thank God for He is so so good. I will tell the whole world all He has done. He has forgiven my sins and washed away my guilt. As a mom, there are so many reasons to feel guilty. Satan, our adversary, attacks our mind with lies and with all sorts of remorse and regrets. I have felt my share of guilty every time I have gotten frustrated, impatient and angry with my children. Honestly without Jesus, motherhood plus staying at home is the hardest thing I have had to do. There is always the feeling of “I am never good enough.” You moms know this feeling well. I know this because Satan is not a creator to come up with different tactics and strategies for each mom. He just uses the same lies with different of us. He isolates us to think we are the only going through this. We feel that we are the worst at what we do. Unless we allow Jesus to step in, these sentiments linger longer than anticipated. We are left feeling that our situation will never change and that we will never change. What a lie. Today, I have great news for us. The blood of Jesus forgives our sins and remove the guilt. Yes, we don’t have to allow the guilt to remain. The author of Hebrews beautifully tells us in

Hebrews 9

22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

So as moms or wherever you find yourself in life today, let’s remind ourselves that Jesus blood has forgiven us. We don’t have to live in guilt and unforgiveness toward ourselves.Today, we will see ourselves through the blood of Jesus. Because of his blood, we have overcome the enemy. Apostle John in revelation tells us that we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Yes, we have overcome Satan and his lies, our past mistakes and all guilt. I am here to testify through thanksgiving!

What is your guilt, that thing you can’t forgive yourself for? Maybe your guilt comes from working outside of your home. Your struggle may be the constant reminder of your past.  I can speculate all day what is your story but I know that God knows and sees everything. He saw you and I before the creation of the earth and knew we will need redemption. 2000 years ago, He sent his Son to die for us and shed his blood on the cross to remove the guilt and the condemnation. If you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have died for you. His blood atoned (amended) for our sins, forgave our sins, redeemed us back from the grip of Satan, broke every curse (bad luck) and gave us a new future with a new nature. So what you messed up yesterday is forgiven as soon as you repent to God and ask for his help in your situation. Know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 Join me today in this declaration of praise! I decide to look to the perfect Lamb that was slain as I rear my children. I will remember that I am forgiven and that God has got my back. Where I fall short with my children, He comes and covers all of my basis. I will plant seeds of life, water them with love but it’s Him who will cause them to grow properly. I don’t need to be perfect; I have the perfect Savior who makes everything I entrust to Him right. When I stumble, I quickly get back up, ask for his forgiveness and allow his blood to wash me clean. What a better way of life and a reason for thanksgiving!

Here are just few things the blood of Jesus does for us. This makes me excited and gives me great hope.

It justifies us and saves us from wrath (Rom. 5:9)

It gives life to those who consume it (John 6:53).

It brings those who were far away from God near to Him (Eph. 2:13)

It cleanses our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Heb. 9:14).

t speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:24, NIV).

It makes us complete for every good work (Heb. 13:20-21, NKJV).

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                             The  Good Shepherd

Psalms 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

 When we let God lead us, He provides for us everything we need for our journey. Today, everyone is searching for something worth living for or dying for. We desperately desire to belong to something majestic. When we allow God to shepherd us, He will not disappoint us. David tells us that when the Lord is our shepherd, we will not want. All that we need to obtain for our destiny, God Himself will lead us there. With God, it’s not just about the destination, but it’s all about the journey. With the children of Israel, we see their destination was Canaan but God took them to their wilderness to demonstrate to them his mighty power to save and his ability to provide for them. They had to trust God through the process.

I have had to learn this through my pregnancies. The moment I find out that I am pregnant, I am exhilarated but I have to wait for forty weeks before I see the fruit of my womb. With my previous three babies, I was ready for the baby to get here at week ten that the rest of thirty weeks seemed very difficult and unbearable. Because I didn’t enjoy the process, it made time go slow and I missed out on the excitement that comes with the anticipation of a baby. I missed out on enjoying my baby’s first kick, the crazy movement and bond a mother has with their unborn child. I guess it took four pregnancies to learn to enjoy the process. I can honestly say with each one, I learned to let God take me through the process. With this current pregnancy, I have taken my time to love on my baby in the belly. It has been an adventure dreaming with God on all the possibilities awaiting this baby.I mean I can feel every day that God is knitting her together in my womb for a greater purpose. The process is so much sweeter when I slow down and enjoy the roses on my way to the delivery room. I am less stressed out. I do not want the process to be rushed. I want her to be ready as God continue to work on her in my womb.

This is what God desires for us. When we let go and let Him be the guide for our lives, we lack nothing. We enjoy the pasture and the quiet streams where He leads us. There we find peace and we are not anxious for anything. This is even true when we walk through the darkest valley. As we put our faith in Him, God does not let us remain there in fear, anarchy and panic. No his rod and staff pushes us beyond the paralyzing fear. Just in case that is not enough, He prepares a table filled with great fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) and with heavenly food in the very presence of my enemy. He fills our cup with oil of gladness.So when you come out of the valley, no one would notice that you have been in a dark valley. You look more like you just came out of vacation. The key remains trust and surrender. We have to let Him shepherd us. He knows where the wolves are, where the traps of the enemy are located. Here in

Psalms 139

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

David describes that darkness cannot hide us from God. Let’s take courage in our journey and allow Jesus, the Great Shepherd  lead us whether it be in green pastures or in the darkest valley. In the good times and bad, We will lack nothing because we have all we need as long as He is on our side.

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We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come… revelation 11:17

Acts 17

28 For you know the saying, “We live in God; we move in God; we exist in God.”

Psalms 139

16 You see all things;

   You saw me growing, changing in my mother’s womb;

Every detail of my life was already written in Your book;

   You established the length of my life before I ever tasted the sweetness of it.

Before the creation of the earth, God predestined you and I to live where we are living in order to impact our surroundings, neighborhood, friends and community. God knew best and placed us where he wants to be from the city we live to the street address even the apartment number. So nothing about us is a mistake. He created us with the personality He knew we needed. For me, He created me the way I am because He knew my children will need me to be this way to in order to raise my children them the way that pleases Him. This truth gets me excited to think that I don’t have to compare myself to other moms because my children need me to be exactly how He made me. He has made me capable.

Today, God wants you to know It’s not a coincidence you are where you are, who you are and how you are wired. Psalms 139 tells us that before your life came about, God had already written your story. Every detail of your life has already been laid out. God established it before a day of it ever came to past. Yes, God’s plan for your life is sweet! You see, God doesn’t exist in time. So in the future, you are already doing what God called you to do. The dreams you have in your heart that seem so impossible to accomplish, God is already in the future and knows that everything will work out and you will complete your assignment here on earth. God sees our past, present and future simultaneously. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob which means that at the time He was making a covenant with Abraham without children, He already was walking with Isaac and with Jacob in the future.

But many of us are being bombarded with fear of failure. Fear stops us in our tracks and paralyzes us to remain at the same place. Instead of living out our lives with excitement, we maintain and manage where we are. We hide our talents and never jump in the pool of opportunity and venture out to the amazing things God has for us. I am encouraged like never before to pursue what God created me to do with no reservation because He sees my future and I look a lot better than I look right now!

Fear is having faith in lies. Faith is having trust in what God says and says about us.to Of course, Satan doesn’t come with horns, a tail and a pitchfork. He comes with logic and with past failed experiences that sound like wisdom. He convinces us that we can’t step out of the boat and follow Jesus because no one has ever done it or remind us of the time we tried and failed. So we stay inside the boat for fear that we will drown. Even when we do step out of the boat, the enemy makes us take our eyes off Jesus and concentrate on the waves. But, thank God for his courage that makes us strong in our weakness. He says take my hand and with me you will do mighty things. He opens our eyes to see our future-selves so we can be bold and courageous to face our past mistakes and use them to propel us forward.

Fix your eyes on Him and get out of the boat of fear. Let Him you in the best adventure of your life. 

Every detail of my life was already written in Your book; You established the length of my life before I ever tasted the sweetness of it. Psalm 139:16

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What God has Done for You?

Psalms 106

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!    His faithful love endures forever. 2 Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?    Who can ever praise him enough?

I love the simplicity and the depth of these two verses. The Psalmist commands us to give thanks to the Lord because He is good. What has the Lord done for you? Has He given you life, Has given you peace? If you can read my devotion this morning, you are among the people who God woke up this morning, you have access to technology and so many more. Giving thanks is all about listing all that God has done, starting with the smallest thing. As you and I begin to name all we are thankful for, our hearts will begin to overflow with gratefulness. We will find yourself asking the same question as the Psalmist, “can I praise God enough for all that He has done?” 

You don’t know where to begin thank God? You and I can begin to with TGIF. Yes, thanking God that it’s Friday and we get to enjoy a great weekend with friends and family. Some of you may feel that you don’t have friends or you are away from family, I will encourage you to do something great for a stranger or for a co-worker that perhaps aggravates you and lied about you or for a co-worker you know is going through difficult times. I tell you, God’s love and joy will feel your heart as you do something nice for someone else. Your action will make someone else thankful and they will praise God for your actions of kindness. Not only will your heart be filled with gratefulness but you will have someone else thank God for what you have done. 

As for me, I am thankful that I was able to sleep a little longer today because my kids didn’t wake up as early as they usually do. I am grateful for healthy children who eat anything I feed them; this makes this mama’s life much simpler. I am thankful for God’ ways. Two years ago, my family and I relocated to Alabama for my husband’s school. At first, I didn’t know nor could see what God was doing. But I am thankful for it today. This move as made me more dependent on God. He brought me into a place where I have less distractions so I can dream with Him and pursue the things He placed in my heart. I have met so many great people here who have loved me and welcomed me into their community. I am thankful that He encourages me to write every day with three children under four. Yes, that’s a miracle in itself if you have little ones, you totally know what I mean. 

I am thankful for you who will read this. I pray and believe as yo join me, God will begin to reveal to you all the things to be thankful as well. And together, we can sing praises to Him and say “who can ever praise you enough?”

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Thankful for GPS (God’s Personal Sword

God’s word is like a GPS system in your vehicle. I would say map, but who still uses maps? Using a map seems like like Stone Age to this modern day girl. Seriously, I don’t even know how I survived without my GPS. I can’t go anywhere new without it, especially after moving to Tuscaloosa. Everywhere I go, it’s new territory. God’s word is the same thing. It gives us wisdom (James 1:5), guidance (Psalms 119:105), direction and correction (2 Timothy 3:16).

God’s word is our only offensive weapon for attack against Satan. The apostle Paul describes it as a sword in Ephesians 6:17. We see Jesus overcome Satan by using the word of God when being tempted by Satan. Satan twisted the word trying to trap Jesus, but because He knew the Word, He was able to conquer him. Unless we possess the Word and know God’s instructions, it is impossible to know how to attack.

Hosea 4:6 tells it beautifully: “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” Without the knowledge of the word of God we will perish.We can’t live without the word of God. It is our GPS. The Roman Centurion understood this well. In Matthew 8, he asked Jesus to speak the word and his servant would be healed. What faith in Jesus! When we take Jesus at his word, whatever He has spoken, we know He will accomplish mighty things. As mentioned above in Isaiah 55:11, God’s word will do the work when we speak it out. It will accomplish exactly what it says. Whatever you are going through today, God’s word is dexterous to transform miracles to your situation, to give you direction in the most difficult circumstance and to bring you to your destiny.

God’s Personal Sword is a person and his name is Jesus. In John 1:1-3 we see John letting us know that the word was with God in the beginning and the word was God. You just have to turn the GPS on in your life. Listen to the direction and follow where He leads you. And when you make the wrong turn, don’t worry, just like the GPS in your car, He will reroute you to the destination He has for you. Also, you will never lose your connection. Don’t you hate it when you are using your GPS and lose your connection. Well, with God’s word, you can never lose connection as long as you are surrendered to God. Trust Jesus even when you don’t see or understand his leading. You have never been where you are going but He has because Jesus was at the beginning and was the word that spoke everything into existence. Give Him front seat. He is able to make everything work together for good on your behalf when you take his word, read it, meditate on it and obey it.

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Thankful for Unanswered Prayers

Luke 22

41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Have you ever prayed for something and didn’t get your prayer answered? Have you ever prayed for God to open certain doors and it seemed as though the more you prayed the more that door became sealed shut? This left you frustrated, heart broken, confused and then years later you realized that God’s plans were better for you. You realize that if He had in fact open that door, it would have been disastrous for you. After years passed, you finally understood what God was doing. Your heart is filled with gratitude that He saw ahead of you and had the best plan in mind for you.

You might be at the frustration stage and don’t understand why your prayers are not being answered. You might be praying for a loved one to get healed, come to Christ or for a certain job and feel like the more you pray, the more every door closes. You might be praying to get married and your knees have dug a whole where you have knelt all these years and still no answer. You just don’ t understand why God has not replied to your request. I too don’t understand his ways but I know He has a plan for us. Did you know that God didn’t answer Christ prayer?

I for one I am thankful that God didn’t answer Jesus prayer at the garden of Gethsemane. Can you imagine what would have been the result of humanity if God had answered Jesus’ prayer? As you go on your day today, remember that God’s plans are better than ours (Isaiah 55:9) and though you may not see what He is doing, trust Him. He can be trusted because He plundered heaven to ransom you and I by the blood of his Son. Because He turned away his face from Jesus, today, we are called children of God. Ephesians 1 tells us,3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.”