Does Going to Church Make You A Christian?

Does going to church make you a Christian? What exactly does it mean to be a Christian? Our “Thought For Today” quote reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23 about people coming to Him on the last day saying “Lord, Lord”, and thinking that they’re in good with Jesus. When in fact nothing could be further from the truth. It takes more than just sitting in a pew each week to make us a Christian. God is not going to take attendance when we get to the other side. Yet, how many people every Sunday go to church as if it’s a call of duty, yet have no heart for God?

Many people are deceived into thinking that just by going to church or even doing good deeds, they will be granted entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Listen to what Jesus said in John 3:16: ¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Did you hear that? He said whoever believes in him. Who is him”? The Lord Jesus Christ. When we believe in Him, we won’t perish but will have eternal life with Him, the Lord Jesus in Heaven. This is what so many of us long for.

So you may be wondering, how do we become a Christian? How can we believe in Him? The way to do that is found in Romans 10:9 where Paul tells us …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. That my friend is good news! Be encouraged!
Stephanie

Do It With Enthusiasm

Truer words were never spoken!

We can’t expect great things to come out of our being “blah”! This quote is a great reminder to us to show enthusiasm whether we’re at work or play. It’s hard sometimes to be enthusiastic when having deadlines at the job or dealing with an overbearing boss.

But, Paul told the church in Colossians 3:23 that: …whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

So, as we go to work this week, let’s remember who our real Boss is and do our job as unto Him!

Be Encouraged!
Stephanie

Every Wednesday Speaking Truth In Love will feature an inspiring lighthearted quote, thought, or scripture to encourage you. Check out the post on how our speech should be gracious from last Wednesday’s “Winsome Word of Wisdom” click here.

Gracious Speech

Every Wednesday will feature an inspiring lighthearted quote, thought, or scripture to encourage you the rest of the week.

Today, we’re featuring a verse from the Apostle Paul found in Colossians 4:6. It can be a challenge to many of us, like myself to watch what we say. This is the most challenging and apparent when I’m at home. As a wife and mother, it’s easy for me to slip up and say the wrong thing or just say what’s on my mind in the heat of the moment.

I’m thankful that God’s Word reminds us of how we should talk. Although we may not hit the mark every time, we have God’s grace which is sufficient. We also have his forgiveness which is eternal!

Be encouraged!
Stephanie

Spiritual Blindness

John 9:1-7 –

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ²And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. ⁴I^[a] must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
⁶When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. ⁷And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

Imagine not being able to see your parents or for that matter to look in the mirror and see nothing but pitch black darkness.

As I read this scripture, I can’t help but think of my own spiritual blindness before I came to know Christ as Lord and Savior. It reminded me of how clueless I was about God, and how confused I had been in the 38 years prior to my conversion. You don’t realize how much you’re in darkness, until you begin to see light.

It’s just not in our DNA.

We are all born into “spiritual” blindness from birth. Just like the man in the above scripture who was born physically without visual sight from birth and was in complete and total darkness, so are we and so was I.

None of us came into this world from our mother’s womb screaming “yay Jesus”! Left up to us, we never would. We’re just not capable saying yes to the things of God on our own. It’s just not in our DNA. We see this played out in our world today, in how anything that is remotely tied to the principles of God and the Bible, are considered a threat that needs to be removed.

Our blindness can only be visible when we come into contact with someone who has the light of Christ. God in His grace, will send people who have His light to bring His truth. Someone did that for me and I became very aware of my own blindness.

For this man in the above scripture, He came into contact with the Light of the world. Jesus healed him of His physical blindness so that he know longer walked in darkness.

We would do well to remember that it is truly by God’ grace that many of us can physically see our faces in a mirror. That we are able to see our hands, feet, our children, the beautiful colors of the sky, flowers, etc… But let’s also remember that we too are in darkness spiritually from birth. This man’s blindness was a physical manifestation of what we all are…that is…

Until we come into the light of Christ and His Word that is able to penetrate our spiritual darkness, and bring us into His marvelous light! 1 Peter 2:9

Be Encouraged!
Stephanie

Pride & Prejudice

Ok so…let’s cut to the chase, I’m really grieved in my heart right now about hearing the recent news that one of my favorite pastors and teachers, James McDonald from the ministry Walk in the Word has now officially been fired from the church he founded, Harvest Bible Chapel (HBC) in Illinois.

*James McDonald, former Pastor and founder of Harvest Bible Chapel*

To say I’m disheartened and disappointed is an understatement! I knew something was up when about a month ago, my local radio station WMCA all of sudden dropped the “Walk in the Word” broadcast and replaced it’s time slot with other programming with no mention of it being rescheduled to a different time. Then maybe a few days later, I received an email from the ministry of Walk in the Word from James McDonald and his wife Kathy to their subscribers/partners that they were no longer broadcasting on radio and television, but switching to a more digital format. Encompassed in the email was a statement that struck me as I read it and made me wince: “immense season of unrelenting criticism in our role as Senior Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel.” When I read that statement, I immediately knew that there was something more to the sudden change in format, and was hoping it was not going down the same path as so many other ministries that got caught up.

But alas…as I digged further into finding out what may have happened, that indeed was unfortunately the case yet again. Allegations against James McDonald and his close leadership circle of financial mismanagement within the ministry, elders and leaders potentially covering up abusive practices, and who knows what else.

As I said this is very disheartening on so many levels and I certainly am not writing this to add to the slew of condemning evangelical voices that are no doubt abounding. What I do want to convey is that despite the allegations of impropriety on various levels with James McDonald and the HBC ministry, his teaching of the Word of God was very good, and myself along with countless others no doubt grew deeper in our walk as a result.
Nevertheless it is grievous and disconcerting to hear of yet another prominent pastor/ministry leader falling in their walk with Christ because of sin, and the members they leave behind who are left to pick up the broken pieces.

While I don’t in any way condone what is sounding more and more like an insidious case of abuse of power in leadership, it is a good reminder to all of us in the Christian faith to truly and sincerely pray for our church leaders and not to gloat when we see a pastor fall from grace. The only one that enjoys that is Satan himself. Satan and his demons are the only ones celebrating the travesties that have plagued the church of our Lord and Savior for years.

pride is perhaps the sneakiest and most wicked enemy of all sins

As followers of Christ, before we’re quick to cast a stone at any of our brothers or sisters who are struggling in sin, we need to remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12 – Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. In essence Paul is reminding us that we are NOT immune to the temptation or sin that so easily can beset us (Hebrews 12:1).

I think pride is perhaps the sneakiest and most wicked enemy of all sins committed by humanity that is capable of overtaking anyone of us and is always at the ready to rear its ugly head!

Dictionary result for “pride”

/prīd/ noun

a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired

Greek Word for “pride” = haughtiness, disdain https://biblehub.com/str/greek/5243.htm

When you look at the Scriptures, there is nothing good said about pride, and here are just a few examples:

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.,
Proverbs 11:2 – When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 18:12 – Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 21:4 – Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.
Psalm 10:4 – In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Last, but certainly not least, we can’t forget to look at how God feels about pride:

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” – 1 Peter 5:5

Having said all of this, I want us to go back to what I said earlier about the damage to the members who are left behind to pick up the broken pieces. It’s very easy to look from the outside in of this type of situation and prejudge, but the fact of the matter is that there is a group of believers from Harvest Bible who are hurting, and hurting badly. Church hurt is real and it’s the worse pain to go through. I’ve been through my own share of issues with church drama, and the like, nothing on the level of what’s happened at Harvest, but I can tell you from experience that it’s not that easy to forget some of the things you go through in the body of Christ. Forgive…absolutely because Jesus calls us to forgive. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A32&version=NKJV

What we have to understand, however, is that our church relationships and where we call our church home is really very personal.

You don’t realize how personal it is until something happens that shakes or knocks you back a bit. And even for those of us who followed the ministry of Walk in the Word listening to the messages, it just grieves the heart to find out that all was not well with the leadership and ministry. I felt led to write about this for the very fact that when I first came to the Lord, James McDonald’s teachings was one of the ones instrumental for me in growing into maturity with my faith. It just saddens me to see that his teaching legacy is now marred by the personal challenges he may have been facing.

So with that where should we go from here? Well, we must pray and continue steadfast in praying for our spiritual leaders in our churches and ministries. Jesus told us that men ought always to pray and not faint or lose heart. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A1&version=ESV

We should also have compassion and pray for those brothers and sisters who are hurting in the churches and ministries, who have been affected in similar ways by pastors and leaders who have betrayed and wounded their faith. Pray that God will heal their broken hearts as they move forward in Him. https://biblehub.com/esv/psalms/147.htm

Be encouraged!
Stephanie

Scripture References: Proverbs 16:18; Proverbs 11:2; Proverbs 18:12; Proverbs 21:4; Psalm 10:4

Update: As of Tuesday evening, it’s been reported that James McDonald’s two sons, Landon and Luke have now both resigned from the Harvest Bible Chapel leadership.

The Killing Fields

It’s been about two weeks since one of the most controversial decisions was made by a state legislature with the passing of the Senate Bill RHA (Reproductive Health Act https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/A21)signed by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.   
The effects of this are still reverberating as is abundantly clear with Virginia following behind NYC's footsteps with their own abortion bill https://www.vox.com/2019/2/1/18205428/virginia-abortion-bill-kathy-tran-ralph-northam, and with the issue being addressed by President Donald Trump in his State of the Union address this past Tuesday. The Bill basically gives the legal right for a licensed or “authorized” practitioner to perform late term abortions at the discretion of the mother even up until birth if it’s deemed the mother’s “health or life” is in danger.

To say that this makes New York an unsafe breeding ground (no pun intended) for the unborn is an understatement.

With this decision it really makes New York a bloody killing field.

kill·ing field
Dictionary result for killing field
/ˈkiliNG fēld/
noun
a place where a heavy loss of life has occurred, typically as the result of massacre or genocide during a time of warfare or violent civil unrest

There is no doubt that this decision was considered a huge win for those in the pro-choice, progressive and feminist movement circle. But what a sad and tragic loss for the many children who will never see the light of day alive outside their mother’s womb. Let me be clear from the outset that I am in no way attacking ANY woman for her choice to have an abortion. But what I believe should be condemned based on what God has said in (Proverbs 6:16-17), is that hands that shed innocent blood are despised in the sight of God. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+6%3A16-17&version=NKJV

This ruling sheds the blood of the unborn, with no consideration and no regard for the life that a woman is carrying. What also needs to be condemned is any silence or agreement of this heinous law, by the people who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For the church to remain silent and worse yet to be in agreement with this, is really to show complicity with the evil that is being perpetrated on the unborn and on women’s health.

Now I know many people in the church would argue that this is a political issue, but it really is anything but political…

It is SPIRITUAL and it is a BATTLE.
Not just an ISSUE.

The “spirit of the antichrist” as John pointed out in his letter in 1 John 4:3 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A3&version=ESV, is already in the world, and it’s that spirit that is the driving force behind this and other legislation to further reduce restrictions on the practice of abortion.
So…why am I pressing this point…because the Bible is very clear about how believers should respond when we see things happening in our world that are contrary to God’s Word. We are the ones that need to sound the alarm. Lovingly, not harshly, speak the truth that ALL life matters…born and unborn. We are accountable to God in sounding that alarm.

The verses in Ezekiel 33:1-9 give us a pretty clear indication of how God feels about His people not communicating His truth to others.

Once again a message came to me from the Lord: ² “Son of man, give your people this message: ‘When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of their own to be a watchman. ³ When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. ⁴ Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. ⁵ They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.’⁷ “Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. ⁸ If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. ⁹ But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself.

Folks, we are not sounding the alarm! When we are silent, when the Bride of Christ is silent while millions of babies are being slaughtered in the womb, we are complicit and just as guilty as the ones who are performing the heinous procedure. So, what should we do? WE PRAY…

We pray on behalf of women and girls who are torn between choosing life or choosing to end the life of the baby in their womb. For them to have a divine encounter with the Holy Spirit, the true and living God to help them navigate and direct their decision (Proverbs 3:5-6).
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+3%3A5-6&version=ESV.

We pray on behalf of our legislators and lawmakers that God will turn their heart of stone into a heart of flesh when it comes to determining the sanctity of life. (Ezekiel 36:26) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+36%3A26&version=KJV

We pray on behalf of the Body of Christ to ask for God’s forgiveness of our own disobedience, and for not sounding the alarm to the impending consequences facing a nation that goes against God (2 Chronicles 7:14). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+7%3A14&version=KJV

We pray for churches and ministries to continue to stand strong and courageous for the Truth of God’s Word in the face of the spiritual opposition (Ephesians 6:13) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+6%3A13&version=ESV

Be encouraged!
Stephanie

What’s Your Code?

One of my favorite movie franchises’ is “The Fast and the Furious” series. Recently I was watching Fast 6 and thought about the scene in which Vin Diesel’s character Toretto comes face to face with the villain in the film. The villain confronts Toretto, and during the confrontation the villain makes the statement that “every man has to have a code”. For Vin Diesel’s character Toretto, his code was family.

I began to think for a moment about that statement:

“Every man should have a code”

Now a code can mean many things to many people. By definition a code is a system of principles or rules. When I think about a code in relation to principles, I think about a belief system. What is the code or belief system that you hold onto? What is it that you stand your ground on no matter what?

As believers, we really should have only one code: Faith in Christ and Christ alone.

This faith should be based on the truth found in the infallible Word of God. Not a faith based on a code of social justice, a code of a political opinion, not even a code of church or family. This is not to say that there is something wrong with holding firm and being passionate about any of those things, but when those ideas or “codes” that you hold onto so dearly affect how you perceive and handle different situations, it can be a hindrance to our walk of faith.

Jesus made it very clear as to what code we should follow in Luke 14:26: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Paul reiterates Jesus’ point in Philippians 3:7-8 – But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…

Now to be fair, Jesus’s words may seem harsh, but in both of the verses above, we are charged to forsake our old way of thinking and let go of whatever “code” we stood by and follow Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul tells us that whatever we thought was gain in this life, is truly just rubbish, compared to what we gain from the knowledge of Christ. For those of us who haven’t walked with the Lord for a long period of time, it’s a wonderful way to understand what God is ultimately looking for in our journey of faith…TRUST IN HIM.

Jesus encourages us and let’s us know in Matthew 19:29, what it is that we will gain when we give up our code of family, finances, church, religion, politics, etc.., and live for His CODE, which is blessed…

For anyone who has left behind their home and property, leaving family—brothers or sisters, mothers or fathers, or children—for my sake, they will be repaid a hundred times over and will inherit eternal life.

Now that is a code to live by.

Be encouraged!♥
–Stephanie

What Can We Takeaway from the Movie Black Panther?

Besides the action, adventure, and obvious diversity of this dynamic and much applauded film, the movie Black Panther offered some very good spiritual insights and comparisons to the Church that I think Christians can glean and learn from. (WARNING: SPOILER ALERT)

As we are in the season where Hollywood celebrates itself with award show after award show, and with a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding the Black Panther film, it seemed appropriate to look at the film from a different angle. So, I’m just going to give a few highlights of what I observed in the film that may be helpful in how we think about church or ministry.

One of the things that stood out to me in particular was the war scene between the Wakanda people who were for T’Challa (Black Panther) and the Wakanda people lead by “Killmonger” who were against T’challa. The scene shows the chaotic and violent assembly of the Wakanda people who, before Killmonger asserted himself to the throne, were unified and loyal to their appointed heir and leader T’Challa.
It truly reiterates Jesus’ point to the Pharisees who were accusing Him of doing miracles through the power of Satan that a kingdom divided against itself, cannot stand. The sames holds true for the church. Too many times Christians of all denominations are infighting among themselves over petty issues and grievances. In essence, majoring on the minors, and minoring on the majors. There is nothing good that ever comes from a church/ministry that isn’t unified. Psalm 133 is very clear that it is good and pleasant when brethren dwell together in unity, and when we do that’s when God commands His blessings over us.

Another point that I noted was that there was betrayal on two fronts: first with the father of “Killmonger” who initially stole some of the precious “vibranium” of Wakanda, and then with T’Challa’s best friend, W’kabi going against him by siding with “Killmonger”. As close as he was to T’Challa, one would think he would have stood by his side to help him fight for the throne, but alas, that wasn’t the case.
Which brings me to my next point that there’s always someone who may not necessarily be on the same side or page as you in ministry. No matter how long you may have worked with an individual there may come a time when you realize a person has betrayed you on some level. It’s not necessarily in every church/ministry, but it is prevalent in most and I think this is indicative of the body of Christ because again we’re not unified in the Spirit as individually or corporately as the body of Christ like we should be. Jesus said it best in John 13:35 – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

It’s also insightful to note how the Wakanda people’s overall goal was to encapsulate everything in their kingdom for their own use and edification and not go beyond the boundaries of their country. In doing this, and many churches are guilty of it,

They become insulated and count their success based on their own standard of doing things.

They feel they are thriving because they have everything they need within the ministry. That’s a very dangerous position for any church or individual to be in because it isolates you. When you isolate yourself from others for whatever the reason, it’s an opening for the enemy to come in. The Black Panther and the Wakanda people eventually came to realize there’s a way to share your blessings with others, without compromising your values. Many of us in the church would do well to heed the same lesson.

Finally, what was to me a very sad moment in the film, was how in the end “Killmonger” preferred death over life. When the Black Panther offered him the opportunity to be healed, he equated continuing to live, to a life of bondage because basically it wouldn’t be on his terms. That’s a very distorted viewpoint for one to have in life. Killmonger, was so consumed with rage and vengeance about the rejection and abandonment he experienced as a child that he couldn’t see past anything else.
As believers, we may sometimes feel the same way because of circumstances beyond our control that we want to take matters into our own hands or just give up completely. But the Lord has made it clear that He, and only He, can justify the wrongs to make them right; vengeance belongs to Him…not us.

When we take matters into our own hands, we’re in essence saying to God, “no I don’t trust that You can handle this”, or “I got this”.

That is the very essence of pride. We need to remember as believers that everything we have and do including breathing, is a direct result of God’s grace, and we can trust Him because unlike us, He is faithful and God has an awesome and infallible track record!

Be encouraged. ♥
– Stephanie

4 WAYS TO AVOID SHIPWRECK OF YOUR FAITH

1 Timothy 1:19-20

19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

“Shipwreck” is defined as: the destruction of a ship at sea by sinking or breaking up, e.g., in a storm or after running aground. It can also mean an irretrievable loss or failure

Looking at the definitions above on the word “shipwreck”, it is easy to see how this word can apply to our lives. Paul speaks specifically in this verse of two of his opponents in the faith Hymenaeus and Alexander. These two men worked against the Apostle Paul in spreading the Gospel. They heard the same message of Christ, but the difference being that these two men, walked away for whatever reason from the truth of God’s Word and went about doing their own thing, much to their own detriment. Hence Paul says they made shipwreck of their faith…
If you’ve been a believer for any length of time, you will no doubt have had a moment when things got really tough and your faith in God to deliver you from that situation was null and void. Destitute. If you read Chapters 13 and 14 in the book of Numbers, you’ll see that when God told Moses to send out 12 spies to scout out Canaan, the Promised Land, that many of the children of Israel succumbed to the destruction or shipwreck of their faith when they chose to believe the negative report of the 10 spies, instead of trusting God (who by the way had already promised them the land) and by murmuring and complaining. This eventually ended up barring them entrance into the Promised Land and for many of them, it cost them their life.

GOOD NEWS

What I want to focus on however, is not the problem or the danger of shipwreck or abandoning your faith, but on the SOLUTION.

As we go into 2019, I want to give you…

4 WAYS TO AVOID SHIPWRECK OF YOUR FAITH

Focus on your objective or your purpose. NOT the PROBLEM.

As human beings, we fear the unknown. We want to take the path of least resistance, and we don’t like obstacles. But fear has a tendency to eclipse our faith, making it shipwreck….why?
Because it causes us to take our eyes off God and not trust in Him based on what He has said in scripture. In essence, fear puts our eyes on our dilemma and sometimes makes our problems bigger than they are.
Don’t allow fear to hinder your process as God leads YOU into the “promised land” of opportunity, of ministry, of healing, of salvation and wholeness.
Don’t compare yourself to others.

I think this is unfortunately something if we’re honest with ourselves, many of us as women struggle with. It certainly is an issue in the Body of Christ. It can also be a very easy trap to fall into if we allow it. The 10 spies, in Numbers 13:31-32, spoke negatively of everything they saw with the inhabitants of Canaan, who they deemed in their own eyes (not God’s) as being stronger, and capable of devouring them and how small they were in comparison to the inhabitants. When we look at ourselves in light of ourselves, looking at what others are doing, or what others have (whether it’s something tangible like money or a home, or something intangible, like a successful career, ministry or business) feelings of inadequacy can and rise up.
However, God has placed within each and every one of us a gift, a talent, and an ability that no one else has…He’s called YOU to do it, not sister Susie, or bro Bob or your boss, or your co-worker. So, we don’t need to look at someone else and see what God is doing for them as if He’s not capable of doing the same for you.
Don’t allow your emotions to dictate or control your situation.

Fear is an emotion, anger is an emotion. Neither are good reference points to use when we’re faced with a situation. Regardless if the situation or challenge is financial, personal, health, etc… Again the 10 spies and almost all of the congregation of Israel fell prey to their emotions of fear and doubt, despite the fact that they knew God had made a promise to them. When we go through things it’s natural to react. Sometimes people may even put us in a position where we are made to feel some kind of way and we may be justified in our feelings. However, what we don’t want to do is stay in that emotional place. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Don’t allow unforgiveness or bitterness towards someone else control you. If we want to experience VICTORY in our situation, we have to be mindful to take heed of this warning and NOT get caught up in our emotions.
Fight the good fight of FAITH.

Let’s not be like the Israelites. Let’s not forget the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Let’s not forget the promises God has made to us and to our children. Most importantly, let’s not forget the history that each of us have with God who delivered us from where we were to where we are: in spite of our circumstances and in spite of ourselves. Whom even though we were faithless, He remained FAITHFUL.

God is faithful…

…His mercies for us are new every morning. His compassion fails not for us. His grace is sufficient for you, because His strength is made PERFECT in your weakness so that the POWER OF CHRIST will rest on YOU. We can be strong in the Lord and in HIS POWER and MIGHT. He is the one that has begun the good work in you, and He is the one that will be faithful to complete it until the day of His return.

So as 2018 goes out, and 2019 comes in, let’s do as the Lord, Jesus told us in John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Be Encouraged & HAPPY NEW YEAR!♥
– Stephanie

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Scripture References:
2 Timothy 2:13; Lamentations 3:22-23; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Philippians 1:6

Is It Going to Rain All Day?

This was the question my husband posed one morning around 6 a.m. while it was still dark and the sky still a bit dreary from the overnight rains.

Later that morning, as I was sitting outside my home enjoying my coffee, and reflecting on how beautiful the day was with such a clear blue sky and the sun shining; I realized what a stark contrast from the early morning hours when the sky was gloomy and I began to think,

this is exactly how God moves in each of our lives.

Sometimes it may seem that the circumstances or situations we go through appear very rainy, gloomy and dreary, and you really can’t see how things will work itself out. Not only that, but the situation mostly likely is beyond your control to do anything about, but to wait on God. And although

It’s not the most comfortable or easy place for us to be in, but I believe…

It is a place that God wants us be in….

Why? Because it allows us or if we’re honest, forces us to surrender ourselves and our situation or circumstance over to Him. In essence, we just need to stop trying to figure it out on our own.

As the psalmist said in Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I AM God. Just as the clouds dispersed and the sun and clear blue sky broke through that morning, without any help from me I might add, so too will

God breakthrough the clouds of your situation so that you can declare like David in Psalm 30:5 – “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!”

Hallelujah!

Be encouraged!♥
– Stephanie

Here is a Prayer of Surrender for your circumstances:
Father, thank you for already knowing the situation I face, and knowing what I have need of before I even ask. I surrender to you this situation (or fill in a person’s name) right now. I will be still knowing and believing that You are God and You will bring forth the joy of my salvation in this circumstance. In Jesus Name! Amen!

Photo by Fabio C. on Unsplash

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