Archives

Your True Identity

Jan24

So many of us look at the past and think that is who we are. Do you see yourself through the eyes of betrayal, hurt, rejection, mistakes and pain? If so, you will constantly strive for approval and perfection. That’s the world’s way, not Gods!

Your past does not define you. Wherever you grew up, whatever you did or whatever happened to you is the past and that’s where it needs to stay. Once you became a Child of the Most High, all of your sins and everything that happened in the past goes away. Your true identity lies in Jesus and who He is.

Now when you start seeing Jesus and all of His beautiful attributes, the devil is going to bring up everything in the past to try and make you feel guilty, shameful, hurt, angry and everything else he can try to persuade you that you aren’t worthy. But the devil is a liar!!!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Cor. 5:17

You are a new creature in Christ. His strength, power, love, kindness, freedom, holiness, and righteousness became you. You are a child of the Most High. The one and only true God! You are born again by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-6). You are saved by grace as a gift, not because of your performance (Ephesians 2:8).

The right to your new life is a gift from God Almighty! You are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14), you will shine like stars in the sky (Philippians 2:15), you are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13), you are a vessel of God’s divine light (2Cor 4:6).

That is your identity. Jesus died to give us life and life more abundantly, to make us the head and not the tail, above and not below, to be more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Embrace the new you. You are royalty, an heir to the throne, and God’s loving arms are wrapped around you everywhere you go. You are an amazing person. Don’t look back, continuously look forward. God’s grace, love, power, strength, provision and healing power is upon you. Be the light in this dark world and remind the devil that he is a liar. You are special, loved and highly-favored by God Almighty.

 

Please disregard any advertisement you may encounter as the author does not endorse them. Thank you.

Shakened Confidence?

Jan15

Angry_God's PromiseHave you ever notice that when you choose to follow Jesus…instead of finding life like a bed of roses, you seem to encounter some of the most difficult times in your lives? Is it coincidence or something else?

Like many others, these past years have been difficult. I too had two very special people in my life called home to heaven. First, my amazing grandbaby. My son had just surprised my mom and I with an unexpected visit. His purpose was to visit mom (aka grams), pray over her and just spend some quality time with us. as she was battling cancer. We had all just started getting ready for bed when his cellphone rang. The next thing I knew, we were rushing him to the airport as my daughter-in-law had been hospitalized. Unfortunately my first grandbaby, Christopher Lamar Tovar was not going to get a chance to live his wonderful life as he was called to be with the Lord instead. Within a few months, my mom was rushed to the hospital on Mother’s Day. To add insult to injury, she too was called to heaven. She had battled cancer for four very long years. She wasn’t going down without a fight. She had a warrior spirit within her that gave her courage, strength and much love through it all. She was the epitome of “fighting the good fight of faith”. But none the less, God chose to call her home.

It’s during times like these, we are reminded how valuable and special life really is. However, it’s also a time when you find yourself battling to remain rooted in faith. It’s the ultimate battle of the mind where you feel your confidence shaken to its very core? It’s about all the “why’s” in life that seem to go unanswered? It’s when doubt creeps in and you can’t seem to find stability or grasp the reasoning.

Life is a very precious commodity and none of us know how long God has us planned on this earth. It is during the unpleasant and heartbreaking situations that we can find our confidence shaken. Not just in ourselves but also in the Lord. You find yourself wondering why God did not miraculously heal them or why He didn’t show up when you expected and in the way you expected.

It’s easy to believe God is a good when everything is going our way. It’s when your faith and confidence is shaken so badly you truly find out what you believe. You will either believe He is truly there no matter what you face, or you will believe that you must being doing something wrong because things aren’t working out, or worse…you will begin to wonder if God really exists.

We will have trials and tribulations in our lives. Good and evil happen to us all. However, our God is a loving and caring God. He wants our lives filled with love, kindness, happiness and wholeness. He wants the absolute best for you; actually more than you can imagine. We might not understand why bad things happen…BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS…when you find yourself in battles that are beyond your comprehension…you have someone who understands it even when you don’t. You have someone that will provide you the strength and perseverance to get through it when you’re struggling to get your head off the bed.

God’s plan is bigger and higher than we can imagine. We don’t have to understand it. We don’t have to go through it alone. Instead, we can tell God exactly how we feel and He will understand. He wants you to enjoy life. Stop trying to figure it all out! Some things we may not understand until we find ourselves in heaven. Our loved ones will be waiting for us. They have been blessed to be called home sooner than we are. They have completed their course no matter how big or small their time was here on Earth. They no longer have the cares of this world. Instead they are with the Creator of the Universe and that’s a pretty amazing thing, isn’t it?

We must choose every day if we are going to believe every word of the Bible or just pick and choose scripture that we like. Will you follow God’s lead and choose to walk it out no matter what you face? Will you be bold against all odds? Will you be like David, Job, Joseph, Paul or Ester who went through difficult times yet found the strength to overcome? Just because things don’t seem to be working out like you thought, it doesn’t mean God has turned His back on you. Don’t fall into the negativity traps of the mind. Your faith is a necessary component to manifesting and healing. Choose your path wisely and choose to stand on the Word of God. You are more powerful than you think! There is always a time to mourn, to dance, to love, to care, and most importantly, a time to fulfill your destiny. Be an overcomer today! You are a child of the Most High!  Your confidence is not in your circumstances but in the Lord Almighty!

Confidence-in-character-of-God.jpg-500x375

Hebrews 10:35-36 “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

1 Corinthians 2:3-5 “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

Note: Please disregard any advertisement you may encounter under this posting as the author does not endorse them. Thank you.

Grab Hold Of Your Future

Dec31

Let Go (2014_03_10 01_21_18 UTC)Life has a funny way of constantly reminding you of the things you’ve done wrong. You can be in the middle of a fantastic day, when out of nowhere, a reminder of your past comes along. As soon as it pops into your head, you have a choice to make. You can either mull it over and relive it, or you can ask for God’s forgiveness and release it to Him.

No matter who you are, where you came from, or what you’ve done…IT DOES NOT DEFINE YOU NOW! Your past is just that…your past. When you repented and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your past no longer exists and He sees your sins no more. (Hebrews 10:17) You don’t have to live in shame, guilt, anger, or regret. Thanks to Jesus’s finished work, you are a new creature in Christ and only the best days are ahead of you.

So the next time a little reminder comes along, stop it in its path. Release whatever it is to God and let Jesus’ rest come upon you. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Let Him fill you with unspeakable peace that only He can provide. Accept His loving mercy and kindness today.

REPEAT AFTER ME:

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me so much. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and making me a new creature. Today, I release all of my past hurts, anger, guilt, shame, and pain. Fill me with your amazing peace as I begin to step forward into the incredible life you have for me. Today, I will walk boldly and confidently knowing that my past is forgiven. Thank you for your mercy, grace, love and kindness. In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray. Amen.

Now…

THANK GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS AND HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Be Thankful (2014_03_10 01_21_18 UTC)

NOTE: Please disregard any advertisements as the author does not endorse them. Thank you.

Anger and The Art of Forgiveness

Dec26

AngerHave you ever found yourself so angry that you began to shake violently or you wanted to hit or throw something?  Anger can be violent and very disruptive to your life, as well as, those around you.

For when we hold built up anger against others or ourselves, it lingers and tends to grow into a full-blown pity party and you seem to fly off the handle at the little things in life.

Let’s see what scripture has to say:

  • Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice”.
  • Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger”.
  • Proverbs 16:32, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty…”.

Let those scriptures sink in.  Repeat them.  They sure say a lot, don’t they?  But why would it be so important for God to tell us these things within the Bible?

Sing Out Loud

Because, He knows that this is not a simple task for us. Our human nature tends to hold onto grudges. We like to think that if we treat the individual differently, they will feel our pain or if they can sense our anger towards them, they’ll get the point.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.

When we have a quick temper or say something that we shouldn’t, then it tends to fester as guilt and becomes a vicious cycle.  When we hold onto pain, anger and unforgiveness; all it does is cause sickness and unhappiness within our own lives.  We are clearly told in Colossians 3:13, that we should “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.  Remember, the Lord forgave you so you must forgive others.”

Now, we all know that we are not perfect and we certainly make mistakes.  There was only one perfect person that ever existed and that was Jesus.  So, the best thing we can do is learn how to control anger and learn the art of forgiveness, His way.  It is imperative that we make HIM a big part of the equation.  It is completely for our benefit, not for anyone else.

The absolute best thing you can do when you find yourself angry or unwilling to forgive is to STOP YOUR THOUGHTS AND HOLD YOUR TONGUE.  Immediately, ask God to help you overcome the situation, release it to Him for transformation and ask for Him to fill you with peace that surpasses all understanding. It is also best to hold your tongue rather than to regret your words later.  For it is written that the power of the tongue brings life or death.(Proverbs 18:21)

Word of Caution…the more you attempt to release things to God, the more negative thoughts you will encounter.  Do not allow yourself to relive the situation over and over again. Just keep stopping the thoughts, ask God to take them off your shoulders and to be filled with His peace.

ForgivenessLet me emphasis that I have experienced all of this and it is not an easy task. However, I promise that if you stand against your opposition by giving it all over to God and filling your mouth with praises for Him…you will notice that the burdens begin to lift and your anger, pain and frustration will subside.  Things will begin to roll off your back and you won’t sweat the small stuff either.  God is bigger than any problem, that I can guarantee you!

Note: Please disregard any advertisements you may encounter as the author does not endorse them. Thank you.