Take Charge

When people rub you the wrong way do not let it effect you're path in life. As I was reading 2 Samuel this is what happened. Abner who was on the side of Joab turned against him to fight for the reign of David because Joab said something that he didn't like. For this story Abner's decision of joining the other side was a benefit to him because it was the more just side. But all the time we will not be as lucky as Abner.

People turn away from the good things in life because they do not like what someone said to them. What people say or do against you should not make you want to abandon what you have already started. It's a lot of work in that because when you switch you it shows weakness. The other side will know you are vulnerable is certain ways and will devour you off of that alone and the side that you left will simply say you weren't cut out for what laid ahead. So really you'll have no one to turn to.

Keep going forward until you run into a brick wall which will be a lesson learned. One brick wall can symbolize people who are not for you, people who hate you. Just back up a few steps and find another route to go and once you run into another brick wall just repeat the process. But never give up on the road of success. Jesus has your back the whole way.

It's Not Arrogance

You are always supposed to be humble. But there is nothing wrong with giving yourself some gratification. For a while, while practicing humility, I'd always tell myself to be humble and I'd respond with a simple, "it's not me, it's God," if they give me a compliment. When I felt myself trying to be happy in what I accomplished, I'd settle myself down. I never gave myself any credit (not the word I want to use but cannot think of a better word. I hope you get my point).

I deserve to smile and be proud too. I felt that if I were proud that I accomplished something that I am taking away from God and not walking so greatly in this humility walk. As I reflect I definitely feel some-what different now. My understanding goes a little deeper than just decreasing myself. Yes, God receives the glory but He also in turn passes some of that glory back to me. That's where my joy, excitement and happiness comes in at. From that it makes me want to keep moving forward. Kind of like a motivator.

But if I don't experience all of what God has for me, I am cutting my blessing short. It is not arrogant to feel some type of happiness. Humility is a balance. You can't be too humble and develop a low self-esteem nor can you be too arrogant.

Only He Knows You

Don't let anyone tell you who you are. Because once you let them tell you who you are you begin to believe it. You begin to act just like that and that could push you off the path you were destined to be on. In this crazy world everyone will try to tell you how they perceive you and such but what they see is most likely not the actual truth. It is not what's on the inside. We tend to get dolled up for company but on the inside we're screaming to be set free. Only God can tell you who you are because He sees you inside and out. So keep your eyes on God and your ear to His chest.

God Bless

Never Too Late To Turn Back To Start Again

"You can't win if you don't fight," echoes my inner me. Lately, I haven't been living up to what I've elevated to. I know that I am not the same Jessica who started this walk 4 years ago. I know that certain things aren't acceptable but I still do them. Of course I don't want to do it but I've been letting myself go. And that's a trick of the enemy.

Like all, I realized what I was doing and felt ashamed about it because I felt that I let God down. I didn't approach Him as directly as I used to. This kept giving me reason to do it over and over again. And every time the post-feeling was worse and worse. I began to feel numb. Then my inner me whispers something so sweet, "you can't win if you don't fight."

As my Pastor would say (or someone in the church. I know I heard this from somewhere), it's better to lose in a fight than not to fight at all. And that is the wonderful thing about the Holy Spirit. He is like that boxing coach. When you're getting so badly beaten and that few second break comes along, He is there to give you words that will lift you up.

Experience is the best teacher. So I've put back on my boxing gloves and I am ready to fight and determined to win. If not I will keep going back over and over until it is defeated.

The People Stood In Amazement

In Acts, it tells a simple story of a crippled man sitting at the temple gates begging the people who went inside for gifts. First off, it never hurts to ask of someone if they already have. You never know what you'll get. And this was pretty much what had happened to the crippled man. He asked two of Jesus' apostles to give him a gift and they gave him one of the best things he could have received in life. The man was no longer crippled anymore. The man praised God.

And that's what should happen. People should praise Him for the wonderful things that He does on a daily basis. For the man it was something great so of course God got the glory, but would it have been the same if the apostles gave him a plate of food or gold and silver. We'll never know because the Bible is already written. So praise God no matter how big or small things are.

After the apostles straightened out the man everyone was in amazement except for the apostles. Since they knew the power of Jesus and what God had stored in them, this "miracle" that they performed wasn't so much a miracle in their eyes. True it was something that didn't often happen but the apostles knew of the power and this was something small. They weren't in awe like the people in the town. And the instant they got the chance, they began to tell about the people about the Good News. They didn't argue with them about why they didn't know the Lord, they simply told them about Him.

The moral of the story is to do the good works of God so people can be amazed at us and then we can tell them that it was God. They can learn about God through our actions and testimonies. They'll see that only One can do such things.

Practice Humility

I had an experience but I really don't want to put it out there. It wasn't a spiritual encounter but it was and still is a spiritual lesson.

No matter how bad people treat you continue to be humble and meek. Don't let them walk all over you but stay on that path. There are times where I want to move away from that course and just say those little things that run across my mind. But I know those aren't things of God and little things like that can keep me away from something that is soo much more.

Humility is probably one of the worse and most difficult things to task because who likes to be shut down. Just know, in the end, the bad guy never wins.

Encouragement

Everytime I feel stuck, I notice that I go back to what is comfortable. But when I get back to that comfortable place, I tell myself that I should of endured a bit longer and maybe I could of got some results.

Be patient, because you'll never know what could have been until you have been. Hold on, because just when you let go, you're help would have come.

Be patient and confident in the Lord

Romans 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2)

Bible verse of the day. So totally true. Renew you mind and everything else will fall into place. Man I love my God.

Break Down Or Break Through?

I know I've said it time and time again. I've thought about it time and time again. Let go and let God, let go and let God. I thought once I get this in my mind it will be alright. But it wasn't. Today I just became so fed up because I'd put it in the Lord's hands and I'd still end up in the same place. As I broke down and began to cry to the Lord and pray and speak to my God, this same cliche saying was said to me. I told this voice that I did let go but still look at me. I was still in the same mess. But the voice said to me that I really haven't let go. I let go for the moment but strings are still attached. I think I conquered it but when it appears the next time it beats me down even more.

The voice said, "let go." I want to let go and be worry-free but it won't just happen in a split second. It takes time. It's like sky diving. I know if I were to ever do it, I wouldn't just jump of the plane. I would have to build up enough gut and nerve to do it. The voice said, "let God." But I ask myself do I really want Him to? Honestly, I really don't because all I could think about is then and how it used to be. I know better things will come but I am still stuck in the then.

I have the power and only I can make my own decisions. I have to be willing to really let go to let God do what He has planned for me and to get to a higher place. It's all about growth in Christ and the Word and growth within myself.

Be Confident in the Lord

"Be confident in the Lord," keeps coming up in my mind and pressing on me.

Last week another thing was pressing on me. It wasn't anything bad. I felt I was told to tell something to someone but I didn't :-(. That nagging feeling was there for a few hours then I just went to sleep. I told myself that I would say it but then so many other things on why I shouldn't came to mind. But God didn't stop with me. On Sunday my Pastor preached a wonderful message. As I was listening to it, part of it in essence was what I was supposed to say. Throughout the service I was getting on myself for not saying it but then something in me confirmed that the message did indeed get across.

God uses us but we have to be ready. Feelings and doubt cannot get in the way. So I've personally learned. Be confident in the Lord and do as He says.

Paul's Reminder To Them And To Us

I've been reading and pondering the first four chapters of Ephesians and it pretty much goes with my last entry about exhorting and it also is a reminder to me of why I should stay in the body of Christ and continue to do His good works. Paul told the people in Ephesus that God already had something planned for them. He told them about the Holy Spirit and how to treat one another and how to just grow as people in Christ. All of this in four short chapters. This goes to show Paul was about his business. He broke it down and told them plain and simple. But simplicity is sometimes complex.

We know that God chose us before we chose Him and that we are here to fulfil His Will. But as I pointed out before, it's hard to do the will of someone else, even God. But Paul tells the people that he himself do what he does out of kindness and out of love. And we should do the same for God. We should do His will because we love Him so much.

Paul reminds the people that they were so filthy and consumed with the world but God made a way for them to become clean and pure and righteous again. He tells the people it was God's grace and mercy and most importantly, His love that set them free. A generous gift from God. And for that gift they should do the works that God predestined them to do and to do them in an honorable manner so He can get the glory in the end.

All in all, God is a good God..

Are You Up For The Challege? Exhort!

If you try something and you fail at it, you try again. That goes the same with sin. As I was online reading the bible and different commentaries, the word "exhort" came up. I didn't really know what it meant so I looked it up and the basic definition to my knowledge is like a warning and/or encouragement depending on how you use it (correct me if I am wrong). The bible says that we should exhort one another daily. From the context around that verse (Hebrew 3:13) it was speaking on how one can drift away from the Word of God unknowingly and by exhorting one another and even your self can be a tool used to help you or a friend not drift away and stay in the Word.

So I challenge you and myself to exhort, exhort, exhort. You never know, your exhortation may help a brother or sister not sin and become deeper in Christ. Then that person can exhort the next and so on.Let people know that God cares for them and that even if you do fail just try even harder to succeed the next time. Stay confident.

Take It To Jesus

Don't lean on anyone because they may not be able to support you, just lean on Him. Don't tell secrets because you may wish you hadn't have told, just whisper to Jesus. Don't trust everyone because everyone isn't trustworthy, just trust Jesus.

Take it to Jesus..

I Truly Am His And Only His

Well now I have a single room on campus and I really don't like the dark. But since I was sharing a dorm for the past two years it makes it kind of hard to sleep with a light on. So now I usually leave my laptop for a little night light (hehehe) and play praise and worship music and I listen to it as I drift to sleep.

But this one night I was having this horrible dream. Every scary person that played in scary movies were in my dreams: the Boogeyman, Candyman, Jason, Freddy Kruger etc. I don't remember what they were saying but all I remember is they were trying get me be on their side. But every time I refused they would go away and another would come. And the really weird part was I felt I had two minds. In my dreaming state I was calm and just thinking about Jesus but I also felt a part of me was awake and that side was in a panic. That must of been the flesh side because I absolutely without a doubt hate scary movies. Then finally I wake up and before I can open my eyes I rebuked the devil, praised God, heard two words from the music on the laptop and closed my eyes and went back to a peaceful sleep.

Dr. Jeffers was teaching how God promises us a sweet sleep and that's exactly what I got, a sweet sleep. Even though I had that crazy dream, God was with me. Maybe God wanted to see who I'd serve I guess. Or maybe He was testing me because I "fearED" the devil because of his outward appearance. God was probably showing me that there is really nothing to be afraid of and that the devil is all talk. That's what he did in the dream, talked. Only God holds the key to my life, only God can influence me, only God can curse or bless me. So why be afraid of the devil? He ain't nobody!

(I had this dream a week ago and for this past week, I was debating if I wanted to share it or not. I was afraid because I didn't want people to think I was crazy or that I am in the hands of Satan. But over the weekend I felt God pressing me to write this. He told me, not to worry what people think. Why should He do such great works for me and I not talk about them? So hear I am writing about the wonderful things that God puts me through. I truly am blessed. Pray for me!