Illusion

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.”

Psalm 139:14

I think we all experience times in our life when we feel as if we are totally alone and that no one cares or understands us. It is in those moments that the most important thing to remember is our Creator. God loves us and works through every circumstance in our life to fulfill His purpose. Most often times when we feel alone and disconnected it is because of our own sin but sometimes the sins of others touch us as well. God does not approve of our sin because when we fall into sin, we hurt ourselves as well as those around us and life becomes extremely difficult but God empowers us to turn from sin and have victory when we seek His help.

No one does right. I have said this over and over but even I have a hard time believing this truth. People are so quick to remind us of our own sins that we forget they too have sin in their life. Sin is sin to God and though each sin has its own consequence, every sin helped to crucify Christ. No one is blameless though many would like to convince the world that they are and this illusion can only bring them heartache. There will always be those who tear others down in order to make themselves feel better but we must cling to truth in those times.

When life becomes hard and those around us make it harder, we allow the world to define who we are because of our circumstances. We begin to feel like a failure, feeling rejected and unworthy of love but this is when our focus must change. God loves us. He put us together and is delighted with the person He created. Are we perfect? No, but we are truly loved by the One who is. Instead of feeling unworthy or unloved, we must remember who we truly are- God’s beautiful masterpiece.

It is time to let go of what the world sees in us and remember that God created us, He is our “Abba”, our daddy and He sees us through His amazing love and grace and there is nothing we could ever do to lose His love.

Strength of my Heart

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm 73:2-3

There are times when life just seems so unfair and you have to find a way to work through all the heartache you’ve experienced. People can do and say things that are cruel and hurtful but in those times, you have an important decision to make: You choose whether you will become bitter or better. You can stay angry and stew over all the wrong that has been done or you can take comfort in the love that God has for you.

God’s amazing comfort can soften the hurt of other people’s reckless words and actions when you keep your focus on Him. You must choose to listen to His voice above the crowd and be willing to forgive those who have hurt you. In order to be like Christ, you must be willing to forgive. This is what Jesus did when He forgave those who accused Him because He knew that they didn’t know the truth. God understands your hurts and feelings and can help you do the same for others when they act without care.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:25-26

Lips Sealed

“Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—

that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”

Psalm 83:18

I have been called weak for not standing my ground at times but there are those moments when you cannot speak or defend yourself or that moment comes when you are actually able to tell your side of the story but it is as if the Holy Spirit has sealed your lips tight. I am learning that He does this for a reason. He tells us to be silent and if we are obedient, our lips stay closed. He does this so that we will take the time to be still before Him and allow Him to speak for us.

If there are those out there bent on accusing you for something that you did not do, simply give it to God. Give God the opportunity to reveal the truth. Because we bear His name, and when we act in obedience to Him, He will defend us in a way that is far better than what we could ever do ourselves.

God works in truly amazing ways and can change the course of any human plan. It just takes patience and trust in knowing that His vindication is coming.

God answers our prayers and is always faithful to defend and reveal truth. We just have to wait and trust.

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”– Martin Luther King

Surpassing Greatness

“Praise the LORD.

Praise God in His sanctuary;

praise Him in His mighty heavens.

Praise Him for His acts of power;

praise Him for His surpassing greatness.”

Psalm 150:1-2

Through every trial, loss, betrayal, joy and promise that we experience along our life journey, we should “Praise the Lord”. The book of Psalms touches a place of every part of the human experience and reflects with it the faithfulness of God.

When we live our lives focused on following Him in all ways and love Him with all of our hearts, we will then find ourselves in a constant state of praise because of who He is in our life.

Worship Him daily! Express your love to Him because He will never let you down and He IS worthy of all Praise!!!!!

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.”

Psalm 150:6

Only God

“When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need”

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their

strength,

they shall mount up on wings like Eagles, they shall

run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not

faint.”

Isaiah 30:41

Waiting and wanting

Waiting on God’s perfect timing can be so incredibly difficult. Sometimes He leads us to the very edge where we think that all hope is lost and there is nothing else we can do. Those moments are truly important in our lives because it is in those moments when we finally let go and surrender it all to Him.

Several weeks ago I woke up unsettled and feeling completely hopeless. I had to be in court within hours and my spirit was restless and confused. A precious friend walked into my room and handed me a gift bag and inside was was a small book titled “Psalms to soothe woman’s heart”. I took that book with me to court and as I waited all morning for my case to be heard, I read this book from cover to cover. As I read, the anxious feelings began to subside and God’s presence began to surround me. That day did not turn out the way that I had hoped it would but when I left, God reminded me that He was in control through this particular passage in the book:

“Judge me and show that I am honest and innocent. You know every heart and mind, and you always do right”

Psalm 7:8-9

It can be truly disheartening when others advance because of the lies they have told about you. That is what happened to David. Those who were jealous of his success accused him of treason. With his life in danger and no way to defend himself, David turned to the only One he could truly count on: God. David was confident that the Lord would defend him and prove his innocence.

Are you powerless to counteract the false charges of others? Are their allegations endangering your future? Do not fear. Just as God defended David, He will protect you as well. Therefore, continue to honor God in every aspect of your life and be patient. His justice is coming and soon everyone will know the truth.

God thank you for seeing my innocence and for defending me. However long it takes, I trust you to bring justice out of this situation. Amen

Taken from Psalms to soothe a woman’s heart

After weeks of waiting and wanting the truth revealed, it finally happened. The verdict was read and I was overcome with emotion. I recognized in that moment that God had not failed me and that His timing was right. I had to learn to fully surrender every aspect of my life to Him. I had to recognize that I had no control over the situation and that He would work it all out for His glory and plan. The battle will still continue but now I can enter with a stronger confidence in knowing that God knows truth and His justice will prevail.

All things new

“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith.”

Hebrews 11:1-2

After months of being at the bottom of the mountain with no strength to make the climb, God placed me right on top yesterday. After months of lies being told, truth was revealed and justice served. The battle is not over but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed and been an encouragement through this horrific time in my life as well as my children. God is faithful and His timing is always perfect and I have been taught this in amazing ways over this past year. My faith has grown and my walk with the Lord will never be the same. I will never be the same. My children will never be the same. We have and are experiencing God in a new and mighty way!!

I Love You

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Matthew 5:43-45

No matter the lies you spread or the hurt you cause, I will love and pray for you daily as I always have, no matter what. My heart breaks for the bitterness that rages within you and I pray that some day you will know the peace that can only come from Him. God bless you.

Beauty for Ashes

“…I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

Isaiah 42:16

Over the past few months, I have experienced God in ways I have never known. I have felt His presence and have learned to trust Him more and pray harder. I have felt His peace in the most uncertain of circumstances and have had to practice true childlike faith. My faith has been incredibly shaken but not broken.

I am learning what it means to not worry about tomorrow and to be confident that He will provide everything that I need for today. I cannot predict or even control what will happen next but I know with absolute certainty that God has already traveled this road for me and made all the rough places smooth. (Isaiah 42:16) Through this trying time, God has made Himself more real in my life than He ever has been before.

At times I find it odd to think that this current situation is a blessing but then I realize that this new place that I have found myself would have never come if things had stayed as they were in my life. God uses every circumstance in our life to draw us closer to Him and to grow our faith. He even uses the bad things, the things that we would never choose to take place, the events that completely shake us and leave us changed forever.

Things that I never expected to take place in my life, God is using to grow me. I am learning to be thankful for the heartache and pain and thankful for the paths that may not always seem so clear. Some of these roads are not ones I would have chosen but I have felt His hand upon me. Through every wrong choice and every tear I’ve cried, I have experienced His amazing grace and His loving mercy over and over. I feel my loving Heavenly Father, holding me in His arms and there I find great comfort for I know that He gives beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61:3)

Throughout all this heartache, God is taking this trial, and He WILL use it all for HIS glory. As I finish this posting, I do not know what will happen. I do not know where things will end up but I do know this: I can trust God completely and know with great confidence that He uses EVERYTHING for HIS good. In the end, His plan will be accomplished and nothing that has happened or that will happen will be wasted on evil. He will use MY life, MY trial, MY heartache to radiate HIS glory!