Children of Abraham rejoice!

Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. - Galatians 3:7 NIV

Do you understand how big this is for us as children of Abraham? God promised him well…everything. He promised him land, a great nation, and blessings. The Bible says that we are children of Abraham and therefore we are entitled to all that God promised him. Yes! That means that if we have faith, recognize that Jesus is our Lord and savior and accept Christ into our lives, we too are entitled to all of that. I’m not sure about you, but I can always use additional blessings!  This means that everything God promised Abraham, we’re also entitled too!

Now, before you start asking God for everything, please remember that it’s not all about you. I know, I know… You already had your list for God, but the promises of God are also for you to be the best you so you can bring others to the Kingdom. We’re here to serve the Lord. So if you think that the promise God put in you is just for your success, think again. Of course God wants you to succeed and be successful, but He also wants you to be able to help others. Abraham was a servant, and he was obedient to the Lord, and because of that he was rewarded.

I challenge you today to release your faith! You’re a child of God and Abraham, and you have been given many incredible promises. Receive that! 

You want me to dance and praise now? ….. What?

Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. Psalm 149:3 NIV

When you’re in the midst of a crisis, the last thing you want to do is dance, make music or praise God. In fact my first instinct is usually to cry, get angry, or run away from everyone. But, thank goodness over the years, I’ve learned that even though my feelings are real, they’re just temporary. I know that I will praise God even in the midst of my struggle because He’s the ONLY one that’s going to get me through it. Yes, we want to talk to our friends and have someone we can see hear us, and that's the human part of us, but God wants us to be dependent on Him.

Sometimes that’s really hard for me. Recently I was in a situation where I knew I shouldn’t have been, but I went anyway. It was an awful time, and I remember during the night a few times saying to myself and out loud - I hear you Lord. When it was over I called my friend to vent and even though she laughed hysterically at my adventure, she also said you know God was testing you right? And I failed that test because I didn’t listen to the still small voice of The Holy Spirit. I didn’t get mad at God, I was mad at myself for not listening! Then, I said thank you Lord for the additional confirmation, I praised Him and thanked Him for his grace. I listened to some praise and worship music and just chalked it up to experience.

When you’re in the midst of something that hurts, or makes you angry, don’t let your feelings or emotions win. Instead, do what the scripture above says, and praise His name with dancing and making music.

New Year = New You

Psalm 25:15 The Message (MSG)

 If I keep my eyes on God, I won’t trip over my own feet.

Happy New Year!! I love this time of year. The holidays have always been my favorite. My excitement is escalated about the upcoming year. I know that 2016 will be my best year! What am I going to do to make sure of that? I’m getting out of my own way. I am a control freak to some degree. There are certain situations in my life that I’ve wanted total control of and I’m finally ready to do what Psalm 25:15 says and keep my eyes on God. God is my source. He is my plan. He is my everything. I’ve surrendered situations to Him, but then I pick it right back up if it’s not going the way I planned. But right now, I’m tired. I’m tired of going in circles. I’m tired of not having all of the Promises God has for me. I’m ready to stop letting Satan get in my head and I’m tired of believing his lies! I’m not the only one. I have many friends who feel the same way I do. I’m not saying that my life is terrible, because that’s not true at all. In fact I consider myself a blessed woman. But there are things I’m believing God for and I want it!

I encourage to take the same steps. It’s time to leave the past behind. Whatever is going wrong in your life doesn’t have to be permanent. Put your trust in the only one who can help you. Keep your eyes on God and he will do what He promises.

I want to put forth a challenge. When you are making your resolutions and thinking about what you want in the New Year, pray about it. Keep your eyes on God so you don’t trip over your own feet. 

Timing is everything

ECC 3:11 NIV ~ He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Timing is everything. How many times have we heard that? Being patient is not something most people today are willing to be. We live in a society of right now – this minute! We don’t want to wait for anything. As I write this, it brings back one of many memories regarding not only being patient, but trusting God while you wait. This may sound silly but it’s true. I have a thing about my bananas not having any brown spots on them whatsoever! My mom used to always tell me that if there were some brown spots, the banana is ripe and therefore sweeter. She said we needed to wait for them to ripen. It didn’t look perfect on the outside but on the inside it was just the way it was made to taste. She used to drive me nuts when she wanted to make banana pudding. They would be so brown! But her banana pudding was always great, and it was one of my favorites.

While we don’t like waiting, God has us where we are because we may not be fully ripe yet. He wants us to be that sweet delicious and perfectly ripe piece of fruit so we can handle all He has for us. I encourage you today not to give up if you’re in the “ripening” phase. God will bring you out better than you were before!

Sometimes I look back on my life, and I think about the times that I’ve begged, pleaded and cried out to God to bring some of His promises to pass and I would get so discouraged, but now I understand God’s perfect timing and His perfect will for my life. So I don’t get discouraged or upset as much. Instead I pray and let God do His work.