I know, I know…way to early for Spring cleaning.  That’s what I thought too.  However, after writing the last few postings, I started to feel very weighed down in life.  It encompassed every area; physically, mentally, and spiritually.  I couldn’t understand what was going on and why I was being attacked so heavily.

If you have ever been in a deep spiritual battle, you know how difficult it can be to keep your mind focused in prayer.  You will start off well and then find that your mind sways to different topics or you’ll start thinking about what you need to accomplish for the day; and so forth.

Well, that is exactly what happened to me.  While I was seeking God’s guidance over the situation, He gave me a completely different answer than what I might expect.  I sure wasn’t ready for what God had in mind.

He asked me to go on a cleansing frenzy.  He showed me that while I was re-focusing my thought life, I also needed to cleanse my surroundings.  The next thing I knew, I was trying on every piece of clothing, every pair of shoes and every coat I owned.  Whatever didn’t fit, ended up going BYE BYE!

And, THAT’S WHEN IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS!

With all the difficulties we face in our lives, we tend to hold onto stuff.  It’s kind of like a security blanket that is attached with so many emotions.  God showed me that it was time to not just let go of the past mentally, but, also physically.  Now, before I go any further…I had cleaned out before but this was the biggest undertaking I ever encountered.  Not only did I go through my clothes, shoes, and coats; I also went through my purses, magazines, papers, books, knick knacks, pictures, and furnishings.  Basically, everything I owned.  GOD WAS ASKING FOR A TOTAL MAKEOVER!

I couldn’t understand why God felt this was so important.  But, what He showed me was that all these “things” were weighing me down heavily and it was time to let go of it all.  Now, let me just say, it was not easy by no means.  There were things that I was emotionally attached to, things that I wanted to keep.

But, guess what?  God had other plans.  Let’s just say that Proverbs 3:5 continuously played in my mind…“trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”.

Basically, what God is saying to us all is that He has a specific purpose for everyone of us this year.  I don’t completely understand the logic nor will I pretend to.  However, I do know that if God should ask you to let go of some things that are no longer serving you, please do it without hesitation.  Because I can tell you that it is worth it in the end.

For what I found was that the more I let go, the lighter I felt.  I found a youthful, pep in my step.  Yet, even a deeper outcome sprang forth…my personal relationship with God was magnified tremendously.

So, JUMP FOR JOY for all things are new!  I pray that God will open your eyes to what might be holding you back.  For this is a new year with new opportunities.  EMBRACE THE NEW!  (See Philippians 3:13) God Bless!

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to doubt?  When things are going crazy around you and life seems to be throwing you a lot of lemons, we tend to think things will never get any better.  We begin to think that life isn’t fair and we can never get out of these lousy circumstances.

This is something I have personally struggled with in the past.  I had found myself experiencing a very long period of not enough and life just kept spiralling downward without any reprieve in sight.  So, it became easier to think that life wasn’t going to get any better.  I started to believe I was a failure and that is when depression set in…all from the doubts that kept creeping into my mind.

During this entire time, God kept trying to get my attention. I would be channel surfing on the TV and would end up watching a sermon about faith.  Or, I would grab for a book and it would be all about His Grace and Unmerited Favor. But in my stinkin’ thinkin’…I would constantly tell myself, that is great for those giving the testimonies but God won’t do it for me.

BUT, that is where I was wrong.  God is not a respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34)  What He will do for one, He will do for all. There is absolutely nothing too big or too small for God to handle.  My problem was I kept thinking and doubting that it would happen for me.

When we doubt, we stop having faith and hope.  It stunts our growth.  We begin the downward spiral that seems to never end.  Yet, this doesn’t have to be.  Doubt should never be an option for those who believe in Him!  The more we look at our terrible circumstances, the more doubt will continue to creep into our lives and we start losing the very essence of who we are in Christ.

On the cross, Christ conquered all sickness, all poverty, all failures and gave us the greatest gift known to man…HIMSELF!  By believing that Christ is our Lord and Savior, doubt has no place in our lives.  We become more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37)  We are the head and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13) We are successful and have more than enough to spare and share!

When you start believing in His promises and allowing your FAITH to grow, doubt will diminish and you will begin to see your life turnaround.  God has perfect timing and ways to make our lives better than ever before.  So, LOOK UP and trust in Him…for our lives are BIGGER, BETTER and FULL OF GOD’S AMAZING GRACE.  Nothing will defeat us because we are in HIS HANDS and HE WILL NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US!  

WE ARE VICTORIOUS!  THINK IT…SAY IT…BELIEVE IT!

When things go wrong in our lives, we tend to see ourselves as a failure and consistently think about the very things that are going wrong.  We see only the lack and feel the guilt of making a wrong decision.  Our bodies may begin to react to all the negative circumstances by making us feel ill or worthless.

But the GOOD NEWS is that we don’t have to live in lack or worthlessness.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the whole world is at our beck and call.  The universe opens us up to a completely different world. Everything that we could possibly need or want is available to us as we walk through the journey that God has for us. This is an amazing journey that we might not understand, but, we can rest assured that God knows exactly how to make it all happen.

Life begins to change when we begin to see ourselves as God sees us.  Then, we can start seeing the amazing opportunities in front of us.  We can experience health, wealth and prosperity like never before. Sometimes it comes in a blink of an eye, in a miraculous form. Sometimes it comes in small steps so we can grow at a pace that is more comfortable to our human minds.

God has a specific plan of each one of us.  He knows exactly how many hairs are on your head and what you are going to do every moment of every day.  He knows the end from the beginning, so nothing surprises Him.  He isn’t sitting up in Heaven saying, Gosh, I didn’t see that coming.  No, He knows and sees everything.  That is why we must realize who we are and what to focus on.  The best way we can do that is to realize we are AMAZING and GOD LOVES US!  Yep, it’s that simple.

When we begin to focus on all the right things, we are placing our trust in Him.  We have VICTORY OVER EVERY DIFFICULTY BECAUSE I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM!  Let’s take a look…

I AM

• I am the head and not the tail; above and not below. (Deuteronomy 28:13)
• I am the salt of the earth and light of the world. (Matthew 5:13)
• I am a child of the Most High God. (John 1:12)
• I am the branch of Jesus and He is the Vine. (John 15:5)
• I am chosen by God and He has appointed me to be fruitful. (John 15:16)
• I am a witness of Jesus and have received the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8 )
• I am free of sin and righteous.  I am a servant of the Most High God. (Romans 6:22 )
• I am a joint heir with Christ; sharing His inheritance, suffering and glory. (Romans 8:17)
• I am more than a conqueror and gain victory through Him Who loves us. (Romans 8:37)
• I am one with the Lord. (I Corinthians 6:17)
• I am the righteous of God. (II Corinthians 5:21)
• I am the temple of the Living God and God lives in me. (II Corinthians 6:16)
• I am the seed of Abraham and have the right to all the blessings of his. (Galatians 3:29 )
• I am blessed with all spiritual blessings. (Ephesians 1:3)
• I am seated with Christ in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6)
• I am His workmanship.  He who began a work in me will finish it. (Philippians 1:6)
• I am a King and Priest before God. (Revelations 1:5-6)

So…what are your waiting for?

LIVE IT!  BREATHE IT!  EMBRACE IT!