Journal 10

 1 Corinthians 12: 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Colossians 3 verse 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

James 3 verse 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Envy and Jealousy is not the way to do it.

I'm not going to be insecure about the gift that I do have.

Do you have a gift out there? Yes, but at the end of the day it's not about us, it's about Him.

We all play a unique gift. Don't get yourself caught up in pride. Stay humble. Don't think you're so unworthy, that your gift doesn't matter.

We all have a piece to play. It's never about perfection. It's not about how many times you fall down, it's about how many times you get back up and try again.

2 Timothy 1 verse 7: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. '

And you with the spirit of fear talked yourself out of it.

So many times we get ourselves caught up sideways if  we don't.

We sometimes like to put God in a comfort box. We like to stay comfortable. God doesn't like boxes. He doesn't like our Linus security blankets, that we like to clutch onto. 

Get God out of the box, really move forward. 

God's Word stands alone.

You know what our fears, our anxieties, and our worries do? It robs us of our blessings. 

You have to let go of the old. 

Be the new creation.

Matthew 5 verses 14:-15-16: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

How many of us keep that light hidden? God says no more, stop. 

What good am I lighting this room, if I put it in the closet? It doesn't light a room does it? No. 

If you have a light, put it where others can see it. Let it shine, so it can light up a room.

No gift is too small. You are worthy to walk with that gift.

And if you're that missing piece, He's going to leave the 99 and come after you.

Let your light shine. Leave all that baggage. 

Be the light. 

Don't be a doormat, but do everything in love.

1 Corinthians 13 verses 13 and 1:  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

Journal 9

 Isaiah 43 verses 18 and 19 says: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 

So God is always wanting to do a new thing in us.

God is always doing something new within us.

Do we try to hold on with security blankets and clutch them ever so tight? 

The word says: He comes so that you may have life and have it more abundantly.

He wants us to have everything good thing.

Part of that is being Intune with Him.

Are you able to move or are you a bit stuck?

It takes me meeting Him where He is and wants to take me and wants to take you.

1 Peter 2 verse 10 says: Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

So many people want to dwell on their past.

There's nothing you can do to separate yourself from the love of Christ.

It is not about how many times you give up, it's about how many times you get back up.

God doesn't care about how many times you fall down, the only time He is going to care is if you just flat out give up. He doesn't want you to give up, He wants you to keep running your race, He wants you to keep fighting the good fight of faith, He wants you to keep preserving.

God is in the midst of it all.

Adversity doesn't necessarily develop character, it reveals it.

It also reveals who we are, it reveals who we're not.

You have a couple choices, you can continue to let your failures define you or you can overcome through victory through the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.

God can't do a new thing in you if you hang onto the failures.

Are we living in the present?

God wants us to keep looking forward.

Use Me.

Psalm 34 verses 4 and 5 says: I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

So many times people deal with fear because they deal with shame.

God wants to remove that from you. He wants you to realize that you're precious in His sight. 

He wants you to realize that you're so much more than your failures.

He wants you to realize that you're worthy of so much more.

But do you believe it? Or is your fear worth more than your faith? Is your fear worth more than what God wants to bless you with?

2 Timothy 1 verse 7 says: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Love breaks the open bondage, you know what He doesn't say there, Fear breaks the open bondage.

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear.

Fear shouldn't be apart of the equation.

If you have love, you don't have fear.

Are you in a fearful situation?

What drives your fear?

Because for some people fear is a massive cripple.

Hebrews 10 verses 35-36 says: So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Without love, none of that stuff is going to matter.

Confidence says I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.

Confidence in Him brings humility.

Because you know gets the credit at the end of the day.

But the humility says we're not self seeking. We're in it for the bigger picture. We're in it to serve.

It doesn't mean we should be people pleasing. It doesn't mean we should stay in fearful situations because we're people pleasing.

Don't throw away your confidence.

Jeremiah 29 verse 11 says: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

You seek me and you shall find. Why are we stuck in our fear, why are we stuck in our failure?

If you're leaning on that your going to be focused on the here and now and where your going. Your not going to cave into your fears and failures of the past.

Step outside of your comfort zone. Get God out of the box, and allow Him to do the new thing He's trying to do in you.

What are you going to do? I challenge you, if you want to be the new creation that He has called you to be step into the new.

Step into the new. 

Journal 8

 Today is a day where people like you and me will know that our worries and our fears will go away

They will go away because God is in control

They will go away because prayer is powerful

They will go away because The Battle Is The Lord’s

Nothing is impossible for God and anything is possible for God

He helps us and watches over us

He loves and takes care of us

He will never let us go and He will never let us fall

If we fall , He helps us back up

If we cry He wipes away our tears

If we feel alone, He let’s us know that He is there

I don’t know who needs to read this today

I don’t know what you’re going through

I’m not sure of the struggles you’ve faced but

let me tell you

You’re never alone

God gives us hope

He encourages us everyday

If we spend time in His Word

We will know everything will be okay

We pray to Him and we go to church so that we can sing praises to Him

No need to be afraid because God knows even if we are

He will protect us from any danger or anything that would come our way

Hope and Peace and Love and Joy and Kindness and Caring is what we need

So that others may know that they don’t have to face different challenges in their lives alone

If you were to meet me for the first time and you didn’t know my story

You would think, oh well she looks fine

Well, you see I have different things that I go through just like many others but some of those things are not as severe as others go through

I have epilepsy, and Hydrocephalus but I also have some different learning disabilities

Some you can’t see and that’s what I think makes it hard for someone who would meet me for the first time and didn’t know my story because they can’t see those things but let me tell you, that the things I’ve mentioned are really there

God created me in His image and like someone I heard tell me as a response to what I said, is that God didn’t make a mistake when He created me and I believe that and know it’s true because I’m a Child Of God who is Wonderfully Made, a survivor and strong enough and sometimes brave

I have courage and determination and I have hope and believe in many things like how things will be back to normal again even if right now it is different and not quite the same

If I’m being honest and saying what is on my heart

It’s I know that we’re in a crazy world right now but nothing is Unplanned and nothing is impossible because when you have God in control He will help you and He listens to our prayers , so if you know of someone or if you don’t but you know that they need prayer or they need somebody to talk with,

let them know that God can help them and that you’ll be there to pray and talk with them too

Because everyone needs someone that they can trust and that they can depend on to talk to them too because everyday is another struggle , every choice is an act of war

So just remember that I know it can be difficult to not see family that are apart or far away but God reminds us that everything will be okay

Journal 7

 You never know what your heart needs when your heart needs it, till God puts you in those moments of showing you. You never know what your heart will be blessed by, till God puts it right in front of  You.

You never know what you need, till God provides and shows you what it means to be in His Presence.

Take time to know that God is in control, and that what you face, doesn't last forever.

In God's Eyes, His Timing, and His Presence, we are reminded of being loved and forgiven of our sins.

Take a moment to thank God for all that He continues to do for you and has done for you.

You are His beloved and no matter what, take time to praise Him and praise His Holy Name.

We often take for granted spending time with those we care about, but God doesn't take us for granted.

God shows us we are worth so much more and God loves us and because of that we are forgiven.

We are forgiven because He sent His One And Only Son to die on the Cross to forgive us of our sins.

If we take for granted what we have versus what we don't, then we could miss out on things that are important and we could miss out on so many amazing things that God has planned for each of our lives.

Do what you can to be there for those you love, those you know that God has brought into your life for purpose and be there no matter what, and continue to pray because you never know what is they need, except God knows what they need, just like He knows our every need before we think or speak it.

If you are reading this, and this was meant for you to read, then I hope it has made an impact or blessed you tonight because no matter the struggle, God is handling it all because He's got the whole world in His Hands and we don't have to be afraid of what comes next because all we have to do is Trust Him.

All we have to do is Trust His Ways and know that He will never walk away from us, or leave us.

God is good and all the time God is good. I pray whoever reads this finds comfort and peace with God and will know that what you're facing in life won't last forever because He can turn any situation around. He can mend your heart that is broken and He can heal the wounds that you have in His Timing. He is our provider, our comforter, and Ruler of all the Earth. Take Time to Trust and Pray.

Journal 6

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 13 verse 1 says: If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

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.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

1 Corinthians 13 verse 13 says: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Proverbs 17 verse 17 says: A friend loves at all times,

    and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

We are not meant to do this walk alone. We are born for a time such as this.

We are so quick to talk ourselves out of our own gifting's. 

We learn more about our Character and more about our character in Christ in us.

Whatever it is He wants us to rid us from, there's a process. It takes awhile. Sometimes its a process. Sometimes we go through adversity. It's not how many times you fall down, it's how many times you get back up and let God help you.

Luke 6 verse 35: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

We are called to love our enemies. 

We were not against flesh and blood.

We're going, we're serving, we're loving.

We want to serve where it's comfortable.

We are the church.

It's about shining our light into the world that needs it.

It's not going to be the same calling as you do.

Sometimes we focus on being people pleasers. We need to get rid of that.

I will deal with the people who maybe not treating you the greatest.

I don't coexist with all these people. He commands you to love them.

We need to check our heart.

How did you love, how did you serve, How did you spend your time on earth?

Love should be a positive a reflectant of His Grace. 

Don't stoop to their level.

If you need to exit a situation, God will show you what you need to do. 

Know your boundaries.

Be a reflectant of His Love.

John 15 verses 12-13 says: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

If you don't love yourself first that's going to be a big problem, because how are you going to love others if you don't love yourself first.

God is Love. We didn't deserve it.

It's one thing to have Head knowledge.

The only way, The Word Stands On It's Own.

It's Love, that breaks the open bondage.

Are we going to get it perfect? Nope.

Philippians 2 verse 2 says: then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

We don't have that same heart check.

That's why we have Christ.

We all have different gifts to bring to the table.

We all have roles to play. Not better, there just different.

You're uniquely called and created for a purpose. Everyone of us is. No gift is too small for God to use.

Don't be jealous of another person's gift. Cheer them on.

We go forward and we work together.

Wouldn't you rather have love at work?

1 Peter 4 says: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 

He's saying right there use it to the best of your abilities.

The things that keep you stuck.

If we don't check our heart, that can be a big problem in a hurry.

Love protects, Love never fails.

Let's do the best we can out there.

We gotta love and pray for them at a distance anyway.

Do the best you can in honoring Christ's Love.

Once you realize His Love for you, then you can turn around and really Give His Love Away.