Month: December 2022

Not Just Another Resolution

Not Just Another Resolution

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Together with kindness and in understanding, let’s take this time to self reflect. I am here to inspire, encourage, and remind you that God has given us the most important weapon we have to fight the enemy, his Word.

Now let us dress our soul like we dress our bodies, EVERYDAY!

Not Just Another Resolution 

“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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. If you are determined to make a New Year’s resolutions, what kind should you make? Common New Year’s resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, stop drinking, manage money more wisely, spend more time with family, lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more, eating more healthily, pray more, reading the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are all good goals to set. However the reason most resolutions fail is because they have no staying power. 

Like with all things that we are working toward accomplishing, resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you first understand your why. No matter what challenges I face the Word tells me “I can all things through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13. 

Just like it’s important to keep Jesus in our Christmas, it’s also very important to keep him at the center of your New Year’ resolution. Here are a few ways we can make our resolutions stick. 

First, pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) regarding what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; second, pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; third, rely on God’s strength to help you; fourth, find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; fifth, don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further; six, don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Pray for guidance. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).

Like love, resolutions require action and personal accountability to understanding why we need those changes in our lives. 

Remember we are each others keeper and the only time we should be looking down on someone is when we are helping them up.

 

Keep Jesus In Your Christmas

Keep Jesus In Your Christmas

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Together with kindness and in understanding, let’s take this time to self reflect. I am here to inspire, encourage, and remind you that God has given us the most important weapon we have to fight the enemy, his Word.

Now let us dress our soul like we dress our bodies, EVERYDAY!

Keep Jesus In Your Christmas

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:11-14 NKJV

Off into the Christmas season, there is plenty of shopping, decorating, and cooking to be done. Not to mention those holiday travel plans for your jingle bell destination. As I think about my grandmother, it was one of her favorite holidays. My mom and I would help her decorate the tree with beautiful ornaments and lights. She reminded our whole family how important it was to keep Jesus in our Christmas, as he is the reason for the season. Let the ways of Christ take root in your heart, not just during the holidays, but the whole year.

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Love.  John 3:16 tells us, God loved us so much that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God sent his only son to be the atonement for all our sins so that we could be reconciled back to him. Jesus was born to die and if he had not died there would be no you and I.

A Christmas Story, Luke 2:1-15 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Merry Christmas and have a blessed holiday.

Remember we are each others keeper and the only time we should be looking down on someone is when we are helping them up.

 

Consider Your Ways

Consider Your Ways

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Together with kindness and in understanding, let’s take this time to self reflect. I am here to inspire, encourage, and remind you that God has given us the most important weapon we have to fight the enemy, his Word.

Now let us dress our soul like we dress our bodies, EVERYDAY!

Consider Your Ways

“Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” Haggai 1:5-6 ESV

When I think about the first verse, I feel it can actually stand on its own. “Consider your ways.”  The word consider is defined by careful thought of something before making a decision. In truth this has not always been how I have done things in my life. As I think things over, I have had less than favorable behavior when it came to seeing my faults, but boy howdy could I see everyone else. Nevertheless, I learned. I remind myself, ” Remember we are each others keeper and the only time we should be looking down on someone is when we are helping them up.”

Here in the book of Haggai, God is trying to convince the people to build a temple, but they keep running around in endless circles, not getting anything done, worried about their houses, as they tell God they have no time to build for him. It’s really not that far fetched that He wanted his people to stop going aloof and start work together.

What a great lesson for us all to seek first the things of God and His righteousness. Have you considered your ways? God wants us to build on the solid foundation of his word. Not to just see purpose, but live it. No more thinking of fulfillment, but fulfilled, not just problems, but solutions. When we trust God, he will show up in ways we could never imagine. His goals for us are unlike anything we could ever do on our own. When we sow into the things of God, we cannot help but to reap. Be willing to pause before the Lord as you step aside, letting him take the wheel of your life.

Remember we are each others keeper and the only time we should be looking down on someone is when we are helping them up.

Jacob Wrestling with God

Jacob Wrestling with God

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Together with kindness and in understanding, let’s take this time to self reflect. I am here to inspire, encourage, and remind you that God has given us the most important weapon we have to fight the enemy, his Word.

Now let us dress our soul like we dress our bodies, EVERYDAY!

I Will Not Let Go Unless You Bless Me!

“And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed. Genesis 32:26-28 NKJV

To know Jacob’s story is to know that his life was one of struggles. He was a man full of fear and anxieties. At a central point in his life, he was about to meet his brother Esau, who had vowed to kill him. All of his fears were about to be realized, Tired of the ill treatment by his father-in-law he fled to Laban only to encounter his brother Esau. Hoping to pacify his brother he concocted a bribe and sent gifs with women and children across the river. At that point he was tired and alone in the desert wilderness, feeling powerless to control his fate. He collapsed into a deep sleep.

That night there was an angelic stranger who visited Jacob. They wrestled through the night until daybreak. He was crippled by a blow to his hip that disabled him with a limp for the rest of his life. It was then that Jacob realized what had happened: “I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” (Genesis 32:30) In this process Jacob the deceiver received a new name, Israel which means to struggle with God.

What do you think friends? When you feel like you can’t go on any further, the wind of God keeps you moving toward your goals. When you don’t know how, God is right there providing tools and the right people to speak into your life now. Could you recognize your own struggles through Jacob?  Through this story I could feel the Fear, darkness, loneliness, vulnerability, powerless, tired, and his aching heart.

What we learn out of conflict is the gift of God to receive transformation and freedom. This is our ability to endure, exercise our faith, and take courage. At the end of the day we must do what Jacob did and that is not to let go until the Lord blesses us. The Word reminds me, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I encourage you to hold on to God’s unchanging hand.

Remember we are each others keeper and the only time we should be looking down on someone is when we are helping them up.

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