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Encourage MySelf Monday

You Can Live Your Life Without Fear

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There are many people that live their lives, daily, in fear.

They are afraid of what happened, what is happening now, and what will happen soon.

Although we all have had experiences with fear, at some point in our lives, being fearful has to end. This no way to live a healthy life.

Well, what is a gal to do?

I’ll tell you what I had to do.

I had to learn that I can’t control everything and I’m not expected to.

I had to learn that there is a GREAT BIG GOD out there that cares about me and my family. He is the only one capable of controlling everything.

This task wasn’t easy, I must admit. Yet with all that it took within me, I wanted God to be in control of my life so that the things He promised me would happen. As I gave Him more control, He took the reins, and gave me peace.

That’s right! He took my anxiety and fear and gave me peace.

Now I walk, talk, and think differently.

365 times, in the Bible, God tells us not to fear.

That’s one time per day of the year.

Should anyone doubt the message, they could read it for themselves.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. ~Psalm 34:4

Did you get that?

The Psalmist says that He sought the Lord and the Lord heard him and delivered him from ALL of his fears.

I don’t know about you, but that encourages me. If God would do it for Him, why wouldn’t He do it for you or me? God isn’t a respecter of persons. He loves all of us the same.

Still one of the keys is that we have to be willing to call upon the Lord, give Him our fears, and take what He gives us in return. If we do this, our lives end up filled with peace.

I’ve made the step and I feel God’s peace resting on me daily.

Will you take this step?

Say that today will be the last day that you live in fear…

Be encouraged and trust God.

Are You Faithful in The Little Things?

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IMG_9604.JPGOften times we find ourselves committed to causes that we really believe in.

We make sure that we do all that we are asked to do. If we have committed to doing something or being somewhere, we’ll make sure that we are faithful to show up or do it. That’s great!

We are showing that we are disciplined.

Still, I have a question for you…

Are you as committed to yourself or even to your relationship with God as you are to these other commitments?

How many times do we make ourselves promises only to break them?

Where do we lack commitment to self?

Is it in working out?

Is it in reading, praying, or having time to rest?

Maybe you told yourself a long time ago that you wanted to do something, like finish your degree or go back to school, but you never did it.

Did you fine that you we committed to other things?

Now don’t get me wrong.

There is nothing wrong with having priorities and realizing that what you wanted to do for yourself, just didn’t fit into the picture at that time, but what about now?

Have you lost sight of a dream or desire and left it on the back burner?

Perhaps you’re like me and said that you wanted to read the Bible all the way through and never did it…well, what are we waiting for?

There will never be a better time than now to commit to doing something for ourselves.

God tells us to love one another as we have loved ourselves, but how can we do that if we have forgotten about ourselves and left her stranded in the dust somewhere, holding the promise of that commitment…

Really?! Are you still waiting on yourself to fulfill the commitment that you made to yourself years ago?

If your answer is yes…now is the time to get honest with you…

Today I encourage you, as I am encouraging myself, to prayerfully take a look at the things that you’ve wanted to do for yourself. PICK ONE and see where you can fit that commitment into your present life…

Be good to yourself so that you aren’t angry when God calls you to be good to someone else.

That’s right!!!

Be faithful in the small things for you.

People always call us to be faithful in the little things others, but you count too. Be faithful in the little things in your life…the little things that are important to you.

Perhaps you should take a rest today.

Maybe tomorrow, you can paint your nails.

Over the weekend you can go for a run or walk.

Read that book you’ve been wanting to read. I’m sure you can find an hour in your day to do this.

Talk to God while you ride in the car.

I’m sure that if you find time to do this, you will feel great about you.

Remember, you are loved and you matter!

Encouraging Myself Monday: Taking Time To Focus And Reflect

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IMG_0086.JPGSometimes life gets challenging.  Obstacles arise and we find ourselves in the midst of being shaken.  Not knowing what to do or how to react, we can easily put ourselves in the wrong predicament, if we are not careful.  This is why it is so important to have a time of prayer, reflection, and contemplation in our lives.

The above example doesn’t mean that we have something horrible or devastating happening in our lives.  Instead it is just a normal occurrence to have life challenges that cause us to act, or in some cases react.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I wish I knew what to say and do all of the time, but I don’t.  Since I am aware of this, I don’t try to figure things out all on my own.

There used to be a time when I didn’t have a friend to call on in a time of need.  In those situations, I learned to journal about my situation.  I would pray that God would give me wisdom.  I would read my Bible and once I believed I had an answer, I would act.  Those days were hard, and I must admit, there are still times when I am unable to ask anyone , but God for help.

I’m glad that God is always there

He says that he will give us wisdom if we just ask for it.(James 1:5)  When we feel lonely, He tells us to draw close to Him and He will draw near to us. (James 4:8)

I thank God for those times when He shows Himself strong in my life.

I am also very thankful for the friendships that I have now.  I am able to call on a few women to pray and offer sound counsel.  The Bible says that there is safety in counsel (Proverbs 24:6), but I never realized how safe it could feel until I had it.

Now when I have those challenging moments, I don’t abandon what I have always known.  I still take time out to focus on what is happening in my life and around me.  I journal about the issues and cares that are upon my heart.  I pray and ask God for His infinite wisdom.  I look for Him to move in my life.  I also call for a praying, God-fearing, wise woman to assist me.

This morning I took the time to do this and some how, now that I’m done…the sun is shining a little brighter.  My smile is a little bigger and my load is a little lighter.

What do you do when you are faced with life’s challenges?  Do you journal or do you reflect on life in another way?  Do you pray about the situation and wait on God to answer you and give you direction?  Do you have a friend to call on or are you in that stage of life that I described earlier, where it’s just you and God?

I’d love to hear from you today…

This is just me, hoping that I am encouraging you as I am encouraging myself…

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A Day To Plan

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20141007-141722.jpgNormally, I take Monday’s to relax.  It is a time when I give myself a moment to breathe.

Today was just a little bit different.  I decided to work on my planner.  I know that seems very simple, but it’s a little more complicated than one would thing.

See, I love planning, but after I plan, I kinda wing the rest of my day, s I’ve had to give myself a bit of an incentive to continue glancing at my calendar.  I’ve dressed it up.

I uses a lot colorful markers, tapes, and sticky notes.

After doing this, I am more apt to look at my calendar and remind myself of all the things that I have planned on doing for the week and the month.

Now I am ready…I have done a different type of resting.  I have set my plans before me, but I know that God will lead me the rest of the way. (Proverbs 16:)

Prayer for the day: Father, I thank you for leading me to a place of planning where I can aim to be a good steward over the work that you have set before me.  I ask that you would help me to accomplish the goals that you have for me and to be comfortable with leaving the unnecessary undone.  I thank you for your peace, guidance, and rest…In Jesus name. Amen

If you find yourself in a place like this…take some time to seek God about how you can plan and be better.

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Sentenced to Life

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Christ came to give us life
Christ came to give us life

This morning as I sat thinking.

I thought…

I asked God questions and I thought some more.

I meditated on the word of God that rose up in my heart and…

As clear as day, I could hear the Holy Spirit in my heart.

“I came that you may have life and life more abundantly…”

I wanted to lay my eyes upon those words because I felt that they had rejuvenated my soul.

Suddenly, I felt like I could make it through anything that life would throw my way.

Finally, I found it.  The scripture that would give me the strength to smile and be productive today.  These were the words that reminded me that the Lord cared for me, everyday of my life.

“The thief cometh not , but for to steal, and kill, and to destroy: I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

I know that the words said “they”, but this scripture became very personal to me.  I felt like the Holy Spirit was saying, “Makeda, I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”

With those words, the feelings of being cared for and loved emanated through out my being…

I must admit…there are times when I am really struggling with a thing…

In my heart, I am yearning for God to fix my issue, although, I may not even know what it is…

I long for Him to calm my soul and bring me to a place of rest…

I can feel Him calling me to that place, but often times, in order to embrace it, I must first be clear of what it is that He is actually saying to me.

I heard the Holy Spirit, but for a moment, my emotions got in the way.

It is as if I have to bring my soul to believe what it is that my spirit is perceiving from God.

That is why, I meditated.

The biblical word for meditate is to think and talk to yourself about a thing or to have a conversation with oneself.

This is what I did.

It was what I had to do.

I had t make sure that I got it.

I couldn’t spend my day feeling some sort of way that I could not even explain.

Now here I sit…knowing that God cares for me…today.

He said that He wants me to have life and to have it more abundantly…

With that I am strengthened…

 

Have you ever felt this way?

Have you ever need affirmation from God of His love and that He cared?  What did you do?  How did you feel?

Leave me a comment…

In The Times Of Stretching

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Today I told myself that I would write a post about disappointments.  I wanted to write how I handle them and my perspective about the situations that I face.

I mean, who doesn’t face disappointing situations…

Yet, I am not exactly sure how this post will come together because I am no longer just writing about disappointments, but I am also writing about being overwhelmed and our perspective of God in the midst of it.

These times are what I call “The Times Of Stretching.” 

I just read a post and an email about the emotions and thoughts that we all experience sometimes. The authors posed a question.  Does God put more on us that we can bear.  If you want to check out the post that I’m referring to, you can do so here.

Who hasn’t felt overwhelmed and discouraged…worried or depressed?

I want to say that I believe that we have all felt this way before.  I believe that in the midst of a situation or trial, the weight of a thing can feel so heavy that we don’t think that we can carry it.  Yet, just because we feel a certain way doesn’t mean that it is that way.

What do I mean?  Trust me, I understand that it may sound like I’m speaking jibberish, but follow me for a minute…

When we are going through any type of trial or testing, we are very uncomfortable.

It’s like having a baby…there is pain, but we are able to bear it and for those of us that don’t believe that we are strong enough to bear the pain in the end, there is a medication to help up get through it…

Life is this way as well.  In the midst of a trial or a situation, we can feel like the situation will never end.  Or when it finally does, we will be dead somewhere because we weren’t strong enough to make it through.

The thing is…God doesn’t expect us to do any of this without Him.  He knew what we would endure and what we are made of.  He placed certain things in us that only come out when we are tested and tried by fire.

Have you ever thought of the process that a beautiful piece of jewelry goes through before the beauty is revealed?

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Beneath the surface of these rocks is something very beautiful, but the beauty is not exposed simply by gently holding the rock in you hand.

gold-mining-sluice-box-1013tm-pic-1638People search for rocks that have golden nuggets within them.  Yes, they are of high value, but one of the reasons why is because of the unexpected beauty found inside of a thing that seemed to be dead and useless.  Have you ever felt that way?  I have…

Burning Gold CoinsAfter being tried by the fire and put through a process, something beautiful appears.

We are no different…situation, circumstances, and trials… they make us stronger.  The the trial brings about perserverance.  The perserverance brings about character

…for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. ~Romans 5:3-5

Now the question still stands…

Does God put more on us than we can bear?

No, he does not.  He has already given us all that we need to endure the situation.  There are qualities in us and the power of the Holy Spirit, coupled together to strengthen us.  The question is, are we willing to go through the trial or tribulation.

No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. ~1 Corinthians 10:13

Now although a way of escape has been made, we still have to choose to take it.

You know, most of the time the test, trial, and tribulation has more to do with the Word and power of God in us, than they have to do with us…

We receive the benefits of bearing, overcoming, and enduring a trial, but the trial was there to test the Word in us…

(I digress…)

What happens if we don’t choose to take the way of escape that has been provided for us at the appropriate time?

Well, we have now taken more upon ourselves than we can bear.

God was standing in front of us with a huge sign saying “Take the exit on the right.” Yet we chose to continue to veer to the left.  This is where we begin to blame God for our short comings, over plate filling, and disappointments.

I do not say this as someone who has not experienced this…Trust me! I know this from experience.

It is imperative that we pay attention and get off at the right exit.

But when we don’t, we begin to experience doubt, condemnation, discouragement, and disappointment.  We forget that God always has our best interest at heart and we begin to blame Him for our wrong turn.  ( Did you know that sin is to simply miss the mark?)

We have all done that and I dare to say that we do it daily…that’s why we have and need a Savior.

(Again I digress)

So what are we supposed to do when we have digressed from the path and veered off just a tad bit.  It is at this point that we may begin to feel a bit of anger or discouragement within ourselves.   Here’s what I’ve learned from my experience and how I’ve learned to handle it…

  1. Allow yourself to feel the way that you feel…briefly (DON’T STAY THERE)
  2. Assess the situation…thoroughly (Ask questions like… Why? Did I contribute to it? Can I do anything better next time? How can I move on?
  3. Pray for wisdom.
  4. Accept your part
  5. Ask  God to forgive you & Forgive yourself and others
  6. Make a list of the things you can do to move forward (pray when you are worried, afraid, tempted, troubled, hurting, angry, bitter, ect)
  7. Change your mind about it.  ( You have power over your own mind and you have the ability to change it.  Search the word for what God says about the situation and conform your thoughts to that…this requires believing the word, HONESTLY)
  8. Remember God can and will work it out for your good.
  9. Commit to your plan
  10. Remember that Romans 10:11 says that no one that puts their trust and faith in Him will ever be put to shame.
  11. Do what you can
  12. Let God do the rest

These times aren’t always easy.  In fact they are some of the hardest times in our lives.  Yet, looking back on them, we will see it differently than we feel it now.

The goal is to trust God through the stretching, remember that He is on your side, and be resilient.