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Do you have your Armor on? 

When it seem like life is pressing you down

I have been saying "it feels like my life is falling apart" It seems like I break down and cry at little stuff. It seems like everyone around me is just growing and full of joy. Why I am I so heavy? I keep trying to pray, shake it off, put on my "big girl panties", be slow to speak and quick to hear, etc. Then last night I just said Lord I am getting in my bed and when I wake up I just need a refreshing in my body and my mind.

When things seem like it's falling apart, it really may just be falling in place. Life is a trusting game. It's all about who you trust, how you trust and when you KEEP trusting. I know it's easier said than done but our TRUST must be GOD! Yes GOD alone. When you place your trust anywhere else and in people you find yourself bitter and hurt because they are human just like you.

Today is a new day, new grace and new mercy. Be refreshed today in the faithfulness of a loving Father. If you have been hurt by people, forgive! When you fail to forgive those who hurt you, you become a wide-open target for Satan. So do not give Satan the pleasure of taking advantage of you. (2 Cor 2:10-11) Freedom comes when we rightfully surrender to God and recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord!

Stability in life can only be found in Jesus. He is a firm foundation. In him we must abide and have our being. When your roots are grounded in Him it may seem like everything is falling apart but in God it is all working together for your good. TRUST HIM! No matter what it looks like today or even if it looks the same tomorrow, look to God! He is the same yesterday, today and forever more. Be merciful because the Lord is merciful to you!

The choice is really yours!!! Prayer does not change the situation prayer changes YOU. It changes the way you see people and the situation. You might be thinking "Why should I let them off the hook". And that is the problem. As long as you do not forgive, you are still hooked to those who hurt you! You are still hooked to the falling pieces in your life. The Lord is pruning us, removing the weeds, and some of us re-potting us in a bigger pot because we have out grown the old pot. If we stay in the old pot we will die! Change is hard when we are near sighted. The Lord is saying open you eyes and see GREATER things! Forgive today so that you can move into tomorrow.

It will cost you something, but it will be worth it in the end. So if life seems to to pressing in on you and it seems like things are falling apart, remember the Lord promise to be with you ALWAYS. He knows the plan and thoughts he has for you. He is a sovereign God and faithful! Trust him that everything is not falling apart it just falling in place!!!! 

Abiding Entry #1- Is Jesus my greatest obsession?

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Apart from ME (Jesus, The vine, the source, the ransom for my sins, the lover of my soul) I can do nothing. 

As I have been thinking about what it means to abide, yesterday I was driving and a question I am still pondering on today popped into my mind. 

"Is Jesus my greatest obsession?" Do I think about him all the time. Do I desire to spend time with Him. Do I make it my business to make Him the first person I talk to in the morning and the last one before I go to bed. 

You know like our "first love." I remember being "in love" and wanting to spend every minute with my boyfriend. I remember when I first took notice of my husband. I would put myself in places to cross his path. He worked at a Food Lion 20 mins from where I lived. On the nights I knew he was working I would drive to Garner to get a 6-pack of coca-cola. It did not matter if he ever said a word to me. I would get all pretty and made sure he saw me. I wanted to see him and have him see me. People would call that obsession or as he says "You stalked me". 

Do I have that same affection for Jesus? Do I rearrange my schedule & go out of the way to abide in Him. 

I want my life to be filled with a obsession for Jesus. I want everything that I do to flow out of a obsession of Christ being my Lord and Savior. I want Him to be my one desire!

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple." Ps 27:4 

Jesus today I pray that I seek you. I pray that I abide in you. I pray that all of my steps are ordered by you. I pray that everything I do, everything I say, & everywhere I go is from a place abiding. Lord I have been so detracted by temporary pleasure. Lord forgive me because I have a placed my affections and desires into things that will not last in eternity. Lord forgive me because my heart has been filled with worldly desires & selfishness. I turn to you today Lord. I set my gaze on a greater pleasure. I set my gaze on the GREATER PLEASURE! YOU!!! 

Sound the Alarm!

"Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand-" Joel 2:1 NIV Greeting in the name of JESUS- He is Yahweh, The Lord strong and mighty- It is important to understand the hour that we are in. It is the last days and we must prepare. We must rid our hearts and not just our garments. I find myself continually being motivated by the word but allowing the cares of life to take that word. We must pray and fast for a fertile heart in this season. The enemy only can do what we allow him to do and he can only take what we willing release to him. He can not have your peace or your joy unless you give it to him. In this time we must focus outside of ourselves. It is time that we not just be hearers of the word but we must be doers. We can know God and deny his power. "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of HIS great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- its by GRACE you have been saved!" Eph 2:1-5 It's a free gift! The Lord looked at us and saw us in our blood. He did not pass by. He looked at us and told us to life. Let's not waste this gift on meaningless things. Let's surrender our all to the Lord and offer this gift to others. Blow the trumpet and sound the alarm! The Lord is sending us to GO and practice true, PURE and FAULTLESS religion. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27 In order to release the trumpet sound we can not be conformed to the ways of this world but we must be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Stand with me this week as I contend for the heart of God through His word. We have received this gift of salvation not just to hold on to it but to give it away. May the Lord Bless and Keep you cause His face to shine upon you!

Gird up your loins

My first Post for 2013! The Lord is faithful and just! I greet in the Name of my Lord and Savior JESUS. Who is author and finisher of my faith! Our God is a all consuming FIRE! I was going through my blogs today and I realized the fire that I had when I started blogging. In the past year the spirit of discouragement and complacency hit me hard. I have had friends walk away. I had friends that once ran with me in ministry no longer by my side. I have seen the young ladies that I ministered to and poured into walk away from their faith. It was a really hard year. Then today it was like a light bulb came on. It was like the all consuming fire began to burn in my bones. I began to encourage myself in the word. I realized that sitting down on God is not going to change my situation or anyone's life. I realized that I have been allowing people to die on my watch. I realized that I placed my trust in my image and material things more than I placed my trust in Christ. I realized that my relationships with people have shaped my relationship with God. I realized that I have been serving the blessings of God and rather than the lover of my soul- JESUS! So if you have felt defeated or felt like "I know I should be doing more, but what for", I say to you "Gird up your loins" with truth. Ephesians 6:14- Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness." NLT It is time for us to get in the word of God and stand! God's word is the truth! We are in the mist of the greatness time in history. During this time the Lord wants us to STAND OUT and truly walk out the word. Living and Breathing the word is the only way we will stand in during these perilous times. We are in the greatest time in history because int he mist of everything the enemy is doing, souls will see the Glory of the Lord! The world is getting worst but we understand we serve the true and living God. We can not back down. We can not shrink back! We can not say "Well it's the last days" We have to be a voice crying out in wilderness. We have to proclaim JESUS in these last days. If you read 2 Tim 3:3-9 it speaks of the last days. It speaks of everything that we see all around us now. People being lovers of self. People being lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. People with no self-control. People being lovers of money, proud, ungrateful, having a from of godliness but denying His power and much more. But like Timothy we know the word. You may not have a living example standing in front of you but all through out the word we can read of those that stood in the mist of lawlessness. We have to contend through the word. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. We want to be equipped for every good work. So let's grid our lions with the word of the Lord. It holds everything together. Many of us have been distracted. We have allowed our eyes to get off of God. WE are looking at the things going on around us. Some have fallen into sin. Some have allowed the enticing and seducing spirits of Babylon to cause them to be "Sunday Christians". This means you read the word to see how close you can live to the sin line without falling completely in sin. Some have been hurt and walking in the spirit of offense. Whatever the case may be, know you surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on JESUS the pioneer and perfecter of faith!(read Heb 12:12-3) A generation needs us NOW! Lord cleanse our heart and mind with your hyssop and make us whiter than snow! We desire you more than the temporary pleasures of this life. We want to be set apart for your purpose! Our Lord is a all consuming fire. He has called us to love Him with ALL our heart, ALL our mind and ALL our soul. That leaves no room for any other thing. Let's keep our lambs burning! May the Lord Bless you and Keep you!