The love of God transform us. It gives us boldness, strength and confidence in the toughest moments. God’s love not only cancels fear, it removes it. God’s love is all encompassing.
It gave David the strength to face Goliath. Daniel the stamina to face the lion den. And Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego the confidence to face the fire.
God’s love gives us all we need to face or overcome the trials we face in life. He gives us peace in the storm. If we fix our eyes on Him. Like Peter walking on the water. When his gaze was fixed on Jesus he was able to do what defied logic and understanding. But when Peter took his gaze off of Jesus and focused on the storm around him (his circumstances) he began to sink.
So no matter what your surrounded by, fix your gaze on Jesus and He’ll teach you to walk on the water and find peace that surpasses understanding.
Why do we doubt God’s forgiveness? We say oh, he can’t forgive me, he can’t, you don’t know what I’ve done, I don’t belong.”
I used to think the same thing.
In my late teens till my early twenties I choose to walk away from God and pretty much did whatever I wanted. But when I finally decided to give my life back to God, I was terrified.
The first Sunday I was so scared that I clung to my best friends arm digging my fingernails into her arm as I walked back into the sanctuary of the church I had grown up in.
I truly believed everyone knew exactly what I had been doing during those years and I was convinced that everyone was going to turn, look at me and shoot fiery red darts out of their eyes.
But I was wrong. Everyone greeted me with smiles, hugs and open arms. No judgement, no questions, just people happy to see me.
That is how God sees us. When we choose to invite him into our lives, he greets us with open arms and a huge smile.
God loves us.
He is always ready and waiting to welcome us into his family.
So what is holding you back? Fear? Worry? Anxiety?
Well good new those thing are not of God so won’t find them in him.
God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithful and he has self control.
He’s not up there waiting to strike us down. He’s right next to us waiting patiently for us to allow him into our lives. He’s constantly there wanting to spend time with us, talk to us and show us who he made us to be.
Trust me, who he made you to be is beyond anything you could ever imagine. When I began writing I knew that it was what I was meant to be doing. God had been telling me for years but it wasn’t until I took the leap of faith to really pursue it that I felt like this is it. This is what I was meant to do.
Ask God who he’s made you to be and trust that he knows what suits you best, he made you.
Surrendering all to Jesus is about laying down our plans and following his. God created everything. He perfectly placed earth in our solar system so that we would not be too hot or too cold. He designed the seasons to show us what death and resurrection look like. He shows us how seeds can be planted, grow and spread through creation. He provides for us in ways we take for granted every day. So why wouldn’t we trust him to plan our life. When he planned the universe.
It’s about God and his kingdom, not ours. That’s why we die to self. So that he can live through us.
When we yield ourselves to his leading things change. Our perspective, our attitude, our mood, all change to that of God.
Yielding to the Holy Spirit is a game changer!
That simple decision in each moment of each day. Can change our whole day if we stop for a second and listen. If we take that moment to make the Holy Spirit the most important thing in our lives. We can change how we speak and how we act towards our friends, our family, our co-workers and the world around us. Let the Holy Spirit be your game changer and see what he can do in and through you!
There’s no magic formula to prayer. Its just a conversation between you and God. Meaning you talk and he talks back. When we talk to God we should expect an answer. We are not just throwing our prayers into the air and saying well if he wants to he’ll do something. He wants to be with us, share with us and show us who he is and what he has planned for us. He wants our openness, our vulnerability, our mess, our fears and our worries. He wants to talk to us and let us know that he is all we need.
Why do we feel we have to fix ourselves or have just the right words to talk to him? He loves us and he wants to talk to us.
If we have to be all cleaned up just to talk to him. Then why did Jesus sacrifice himself? If we could achieve perfection, then Jesus sacrifice was in vain. So why do we keep thinking we have to achieve it before we can talk to him.
God is our Heavenly Father and like any good father, he wants to be there for us even when we are at our worst, in fact especially then. That’s when we should depend on him the most, when we are at our worst. Because he is the one that can make it better, he can heal the hurts and the pain, and he has already forgiven us.
We need to stop trying to be perfect first and let him perfect us instead. Next time your at your worst or you don’t know what to do. Talk to God about it and listen for the answer.
God’s forgiveness makes us feel fresh and new and clean. It’s a new start, a new beginning, no need to dwell on the past, we just focus on who God made us to be.
When God paid for our mistakes he gave us the chance to be born again spiritual, to be made new and clean, to start fresh.
So why do we dell on our past mistakes? All it does is brings us down. Trust me I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life. But dwelling on them does nothing except distract me from what God is doing in me now.
His forgiveness lifts our burdens, guilt and shame. He never meant for us to walk around like that, but to walk free in his presence.
Don’t dwell on who you were even a moment ago. Instead focus on who God made you to be and walk in his freeing forgiveness.
Jesus Freak by DC Talk was one of my favorite songs when I was in junior high, when I started to make my faith my own.
I was proud then and I’m proud now to be a “Jesus Freak.” Because that means that others see him in me and through me.
We are supposed to be different, we are supposed to stand out for Jesus. People are supposed to see us differently and it’s supposed to be desirable.
That doesn’t mean that we wash down the gospel so that it’s palatable to people in there current point of view, it means that we show them that they can have peace and joy and hope and love through having their own relationship with Jesus.
Being a Jesus Freak should be something we are proud of, not something we are ashamed of.
The song I can only imagine by Mercy Me speaks to me every time I hear it.
One of the most pivotal times was when my husband and I went to a Astros game in Houston. We were living in Louisiana at the time and decided to go to Houston for our anniversary. We found tickets the morning of the game and had no idea that it was the Faith and Family day for the Astros. (If you’ve never been to one you should go most MLB teams have one)
After the game one of the players and his wife shared there testimonies. Following that was a Mercy Me concert. I have always loved them but had never heard them in concert. It was amazing, I think I cried through the whole time just praying and worshiping God as He broke my heart, reminding me that He had a calling on my life to be a writer and that I had been ignoring it at that time.
At the end of the concert the lead singer Bart Millard shared how Mercy Me was his dream and how God had pushed him to it and used the song I Can Only Imagine to do it. A song that had been strung throughout my life and has always driven me to the feet of Jesus.
This experience with God was the catalyst that pushed me to write to start this devotional blog in 2018. It was the push that I needed to follow the dream that God had placed in my heart.
What dream has God placed in your heart? Seek God, ask him what he’s called you to and his plan to accomplish it.
The breakup song by Francesca Battistelli is a great anthem for those moments of fear that sneak up on us.
The reminder that we have the power to tell fear to leave.
We don’t have to let it over take us every moment of every day. We have the choice to let ourselves be ruled by fear or to choose our feeling and refuse to let fear control us.
Listen to the song. Sing along a tell fear to leave.
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. -2 Timothy 1:7
Even when we feel at our weakest and most vulnerable we can look to God. Because he is our strength. Whether we are having the best day of our lives or the worst day ever. He is the same.
His grace for us never changes. We could be at our worst and he will still extend his hand to us and say “Come here child.” Because we can’t earn his grace, because he gives it freely.
It’s easy to get caught up in our troubles, self-pity, anxiety and worry. But only one thing can bring us the peace that surpasses understanding. Jesus!
It’s his sacrifice that brings us into a deep, intimate relationship with him, Father God and the Holy Spirit. And its only that relationship that will sustain us and uplifts us when we need it most.
When I have those moments of feeling like “I’m in the depths of despair” to quote Anne of Green Gables. Instead of indulging those feelings and letting them lead me. I turn to God and simple say “help.” He always does.
When we turn our attention back to Jesus he changes our perspective. Comforting us with his plan and showing us how he see things.
What we say about ourselves matters. Be it out loud or in our head. What we let others tell us about ourselves matters. Be it good or bad. Words influence us. But what matters most is what God says about us. And what he says is we are loved, forgiven and made into a new creation
He sees us as who he made us to be. Not our past or what others tell us about ourselves but who we really are. When we give our lives to Jesus our old self dies and he lives through us. We are not the person we used to be. God doesn’t see us and all our mistakes he sees Jesus and his sacrifice for us. When he makes us a new creation we are forgiven and made new.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! -2 Corinthians 5:17
Every year I post my story (my testimony) of how God changed my life because I know it reaches people, it shows them they are not alone and that God can change their story too. I want to hear your stories too of how God changed your life.
Because we each have a story and everyone’s is important and can make a difference in the the life of others. Please share your story in the comments or post it on social media and share what God has done in your life.
It’s easy to feel alone in our struggles, but we never are when we have Jesus. He’s always there with us being all that we need even in our lowest lows God is with us. All we need is to turn to him.
He teaches us through our struggles. He shows us what is really important and the value or lack of value in the things of this world.
Jesus said we will have struggles but he has overcome them. Since he is always with us, we can always overcome them, because he has overcome them. He already won the battle when he rose from the grave. We just have to see and believe in his victory. Trust God when you face trials his promise and provision is on the other side of the valley and his peace will guide us through the valley.
Everyone has a story to tell, everyone has a moment when they hit their rock bottom and cried out to God “I need you now.”
My moment was in 2008. I was in a six year relationship that was going nowhere, when I had a pregnancy scare. This woke me up almost out of a slumber. I realized I didn’t want this man to be the father of my kids, but I knew I wanted to raise my kids in church.
So I decided to go back to church.
I was terrified and convinced that I would be met with glaring stares and rejection but I wasn’t. Instead I was welcomed with open arms. My friends from the church I grew up in, never gave up on me, they were always there for me during the years I intentionally choose to ignore God. But when I choose to come back to church they welcomed me back with open arms and no judgement.
That is how God is, when we choose to say “I need you now.” He leaps for joy and runs to embrace us. He throws a party in heaven rejoicing over His child returning home.
Who or what do you turn to when you hit your rock bottom?
Why not, give God a chance to show you how much He loves you.
We all want to be loved without conditions or expectations. So why would we assume God would want anything else?
Yes, we love God because of what he’s done for us, but we should love him for who he is.
When you are with the one you love you don’t need anything else, but just to be with them. Our love for God should be the same, because his love is the same for us.
He wants nothing more than to spend all eternity with us or he wouldn’t have given everything to make it possible.
Seek him for him and appreciate the joy of just his presence.
Why do we keep trying the same temporary fixes to fill the holes inside us and expect different results?
We all have times when we want to escape, from work, school, home, kids spouse. Everyone needs a break sometimes.
But is what we run to really helping? Or is it just a temporary fix, like putting tape on a busted pipe it may work for a moment but eventually the pipe is going to burst again, and if we keep using tape it’s never going to solve the issue.
The lyrics of the song Chain Breaker by Zach Williams describes the cycle we go through in life so often searching for the solution but never finding the answer in the same process.
But there is a better way, a better life.
God is a chain breaker he made a way for us to be free. To not feel tied down but to find joy and peace in our homes, in our work and in our families.
He is the way.
When we go to him, when we need rest, he lifts us up, he takes our fears our worries and our frustrations when we give them over to him.
If we grip onto the chains that our strangling us he can’t remove them. We have to surrender them over to him so he can remove them.
This song always makes me feel calm and at peace. It’s like when you see a sleeping baby, they are so peaceful and calm, it brings joy to your face.
When I hear this song I think of Jesus as an infant. He wasn’t born in grandeur but in humble beginning, yet his birth was celebrated by angels, shepherds, wise men, the rich, the poor and the heavenly hosts. What a joyous celebration for such a humble beginning.
It goes to show that it doesn’t matter where you start from but how you live. Even if you were born in the poorest of circumstances that doesn’t mean you can’t do great things.
The Holy Spirit works in and through us just as he did in Jesus and anyone can have the Holy Spirt we just have to humble ourselves and allow him to work through us and he will do great things.
So adore him this Christmas and let his peace reign in you.
The trust that Mary had in God to say ‘let it be done to me as you have said’ speaks volumes in her faith in God. To agree to carry and raise the son of God. The faith that took, is inspiring. She had to know that there would be questions from her parents and Joseph that her community would most likely stone her. But she trusted God anyway.
So why don’t we trust God when he asks us to do something for him? Do we think that he’s going to hurt us or harm us? He won’t. But that doesn’t mean we won’t face doubt or hardship. But god will provide through it just as he did for Mary.
Trust God to guide your every step and take a leap of faith like Mary did. You never know what might happen.
There’s something about Christmas that brings a sense of joy to our hearts all you have to say is the word and people get a little smirk on their face remembering fond memories of there childhood or times with family. It’s a time of joy.
When we all gather together with friends or with family and celebrate. Some celebrate with gifts, some with song, some with big meals, but always with joy.
But what if you are having a hard time being joyful this season whether it be distance or change or loss.
Jesus is our joy even in the bleakest of circumstances.
He has always given me joy when I seek it from him no matter what. It could be the worst day of my life but when I turn to him I know that I can find peace and rest and joy.
Find JOY in Jesus this Christmas. He is the reason for the season.
When I think about Jesus birth I’m humbled. He could of been born in a palace or to the leader of the temple. But he choose based on people hearts, not their status or wealth.
Jesus could of had thousands of people worship him from the moment of his birth. Instead he choose to be born in humble surroundings with the very animals he created and honored by those who sought him.
Jesus doesn’t demand our worship. He accepts it freely when its given freely. So this season choose to worship him because he choose to save you.
Leadership can be daunting, overwhelming and a lot of pressure depending on how you do it.
Jesus lead as a servant, counting himself above nothing. He looked to Father God for every step of His path. If even He was humble enough to let God lead, how can we do anything else?
God designed each and everyone of us. He knows what He created us for and how to achieve His plan.
We need to stop trying to figure our how we are going to do everything and let God lead.
The best part about Jesus is that he is what we are not. So when we say we don’t it feel like, that’s ok, we don’t have to, because he is what we are not. He is our strength, our peace, our joy he is all need.
We have to stop trying to be what we think God wants us to be and let him be in us what he is.
When we surrender our lives over to him we need to fill that up with something but we often make the mistake of filling up on the things that got us to where we were in the first place before Jesus.
We need to fill up on Jesus, to fix our eyes on what draws us closer to him, not further from him. We all have this problem of trying to imitate God instead of letting him be God in us.
We need to get out of the way.
If his intention was to have us fix ourselves, then why did he sacrifice his life for us.
Don’t say well that’s just the way I am. Because when you gave your life over to God you gave up that person, to be the person he created you to be.
That person is loving and peaceful and fearless and joyful.
So stop saying less of me and more of him and say none of me and all of him.
When your having a rough day, ask yourself did I put God first , did I talk to him this morning, did I start my day out right? Is he part of what I’m doing right now.
And if he isn’t. STOP. put him first above everything else and let him be your peace, your guidance, all you need.
Restart your day the right way, by putting God first.
So often we focus on the problem instead of the solution. Jesus is always the solution.
We all always just need more Jesus.
When were having ‘bad day’ and cant get out of our own funky mood, we need more Jesus.
When someone is getting on our nerves and we don’t know why, we need more Jesus.
When were in a circumstance and don’t know what to do we need more Jesus.
Jesus is the solution.
He can bring us joy and peace on the ‘bad days’, he can show us what is really bothering us and helps us find he root cause, and he can change circumstances.
We all always just need more Jesus.
He’s our attitude adjustment, our perspective changer and he can move mountains.
Its easy to give up and feel discouraged. To feel like no one is listening. No one is reading, no one cares. I haven’t written as much as I would like lately, some do to moving across the country and some due to discouragement, wondering if any one is actually reading, am I really making a difference.
Honestly I started this blog because I knew I needed a platform for the books I know God’s given me to write, not because God told me to start a blog. But God has used it to teach me so much and how to share His love, even if it reaches one person, that one person matters. His love for us is not performance based. We don’t have to do anything for God to love us.
So whatever God has asked you to do. Know that it’s never conditional on His love but if we love Him, what He’s asked of us will deepen our love for Him and help us know His love more.
What we build our life on matters. Any builder will tell you the foundation is crucial. If it’s not firm and level the building will not last.
Our foundation is Jesus. He’s rock solid but when we mix other things in with him as our foundation we degrade the quality of our foundation. Making it easier to falter in storms and sink or lean over time.
But if Jesus is our only foundation then we will stand through the storm and time will show just how unchanging He is. His love for us is the same for all eternity and for every moment of every day.
He doesn’t change, our dependence and trust in Him is what changes. When He is not our focus and we allow other things in instead of Him we will falter.
That’s the power of free will that He gave us. We choose just how much or how little of Him that we want in our lives. If we want to stand firm on Him as our foundation then He must be the start, middle and end of our day. Our focus must be on Him and He will guide us through our day.
You may think I don’t have all day to spend in prayer. But that’s the beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit He is with us everywhere, all day, wherever we go. So start your day with a quick devotion, listen to songs, sermons, or podcasts that fix your mind on Him while getting ready for your day. Talk with Jesus as your drive to work or ask your kids what Jesus is teaching them as you take them to school. Rest in God’s presence on your lunch break. When you’re stressed ask God’s advice on how to fix it. Ask Him what to make or pick up for dinner. Ask whoever you live with what God taught them today. Read a Bible story to your kids at night, pray over them and have them pray over you too. Make your life all about Jesus in and through your daily life.
We don’t have to stop life to spend time with Jesus, we just need to include Him in it.
