Transformation

I have a few verses that I feel the need to repeat on a daily basis. They keep me sane, they keep me calm, they keep me in line, and continuously remind me to stay close to the cross. I've chosen one in particular because no matter where I am or what I'm doing I know that my mind is a very important tool in connecting to my heart thus realizing God's will for my life...

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto 

God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
- Romans 12:1-2

Catching Up

This week has been  hectic due to returning to work and a double load of school work. The worst part is when I start my homework I get sucked in feeling like I can't stop until I'm done. And that's just no fun because I'm spending all of my time working and not enjoying myself half the time. It's all well and fine. Not much to do this weekend. Maybe I can hit up a few bloghops and find more blog friends- God knows I want some more! So the purpose of this post is to catch up on my Faith Challenge. I've been reading other posts from the Challenge, just not posting my own ideas. So here goes:

Day 6 Repentance
This simple word has given me an opportunity to see the love of Jesus in such a new way. In the Bible the Pharisees were so high that they couldn't see past their own ignorance to the Word of God they had staring them in the face. They could never understand Jesus' clear messages of love beyond all prejudices. He looks beyond our faults and sees our need. What a friend we have in Jesus... And repentance gives us the chance to return to Him. These foolish Pharisees turned up their noses as the Christ fellow-shipped  with sinners. He responded by explaining this...

Day 7 Help through Something

For me I could have just copied the entire Book of Life to this section. I have found so many parts of it to help me in times of trouble and trials. And it is for certain that every time I hope to get a blessing out of it, I most certainly do. When I was out in the world in active drug addiction among other various natures of sin I always felt less than. I felt worthless, very inferior to most people around me and in my life. Some find it strange, but I attended church regularly. I was caught in the grips of a strong evil force, but there was still a part of me that knew something could change if I just kept at it. And besides... the House of the Lord was the safest place to be. I knew that if I could go there I could find a moment of peace from the terrible life I lived, and above all else...some hope. For years I asked the Lord- NO, I pleaded with Him to take this thing away from me that plagued my soul. I prayed and cried and sometimes I just wanted to crawl out of my skin. I could not understand why I kept going back time and again, battling an addiction that would never let me loose. On two occasions I was comforted by God's word.  My pastor has a way of giving us exactly what is given to her by the Holy Ghost and for that I praise GOD TO THE HIGHEST HEAVENS. He knows what we need when we need it. I'm impatient, but God has NEVER been late, but ALWAYS on time! Here is my encouragement for all of you:

Nay, much more those members of the body , which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: and those members of the body which we think be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant modesty.

- 1 Corinthians 12:22-23

* we each have a necessary part n this world for glorifying God. Even in our churches and spiritual institutions we are important. We have ALL received the baptism of the Holy Spirit!

About 5 or so years ago I attended a revival service where my heart was touched and new hope was given to me. That was a time in my life when I could not see why I was trapped in this life that  I could not get free from. This is why I say: Sometimes we have to go through what we have to go through in order to see God on the other side.

Be Inspired...to be better!

Fear Not

The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

-Psalm 27:1

We've already established the fact that God has given us a spirit of power and of love. We also know that He will take care of us...So why is it that when it appears as if the worse is about to happen we get completely stiff with fear? I am so guilty of this it's not even funny. 

*And before we go any further let me just say this: I am saved by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wake up with the determination to serve Him in all His glory. I am not perfect, I do fall short, I don't cross every T or dot every I, but my desire is to serve the Lord to the best of my ability and grow in His Grace...I have not arrived...

With that said, I have allowed fear to creep into my spirit a time or two. Crazy fears. Fear of running out of food; fear of failing at my job; fear of failing as a mother; fear of other people not liking me; fear of being entangled again with the yoke of bondage. I could do this all day. Over the years I have allowed some of these fears to consume me. I have even went as far as actually thinking myself right into that fear. I would try so hard not to do these things I would actually end up turning people off with a bad attitude or emotionally neglecting my kids. 

What I have learned is that fear is a very paralyzing feeling. It makes a person very unproductive and consumes their entire being. When I stumbled across this verse years ago it made sense in my head, but today this verse wraps my soul in a blanket of confidence and security in Jesus- knowing that whatever I go through, whoever my enemy is,and with all that I fear, there is an angel waiting to protect me against these things. 

Give it away

So today was my first day back on the job I so eagerly left in October 2012. I walked over God to leave this place and found myself in a world of self-inflicted pain and torment because of it. I posted yesterday about my anxiety in a new beginning and today I thought it was appropriate that today's word would be worry. I felt alot less anxious after my bible study and post last night, but this morning as I prepared myself for a long day there was still some worry in my spirit that I could not shake. Then I finally came to the conclusion that I was completely powerless over the day's activities. 

In 2010 when I first got clean I attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings. I am a firm believer and a witness that God saved me through Jesus Christ and delivered me out of a dying world; but I must say there was some relation to the 12 steps that kept me while I was there. The 3rd step was this: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Knowing that I could just turn it over to Him was very comforting. I didn't have to carry the load alone. 

While this was my go to for a while, I have come to the conclusion that worrying just ain't gonna get me anywhere. Either way it goes God's got me and the whole world in His hand. These verses below really sums it all up. Why worry if worrying ain't gonna change nothing? If the Lord takes care of the little creatures, it would be foolish of me to think that He will not take care of me...

Then Jesus said to His disciples:"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life"

Luke  12:22-25

Power and Love

This verse is very fitting for the feelings of anxiety that stir within my spirit right at this very moment. Any feeling of worry or fear is not of God. Any feeling that threatens my peace is unholy and not to be welcomed. God has given us a very upright spirit that bores love, sound judgment and is so full of His awesome power!In one of my very first posts I talked briefly about quitting my job last year and going to work in a family business. 

The truth of the matter is, I delivered MYSELF out of a situation in which God had strategically placed me in order to be made by Him. I had grown weary and did the unthinkable. I fainted. I was so disappointed in myself for giving up after all the hard work and blessings that came from this position. I paid dearly for walking over the Lord that way. I've had to confess and repent of some things that would have been prevented had I stayed in my Father's house instead of playing the role of a lost son. We read about Him today at church and I was painfully reminded of how I acted like an ingrate back in October last year. The blessing in it all is when we truly confess and repent out of a sincere heart God still welcomes us with open arms. The point now is to not be a repeat offender but to stay in my Father's house because that is the safest place. 

I said all that to say I have taken a healthy share of humble pie and will return to my old job tomorrow and finish out whatever work the Lord has for me. I have been so anxious in the past few days it's unreal. Many thoughts of failure and inferiority have crept into my mind. I thank God for the house of refuge that He has given me. Receiving the true en-grafted Word of God, I'm reminded to keep my eyes on the cross and remember that if I cannot suffer I shall not reign with my Lord and Savior in Heaven.

Plastered all over everything I own, this verse gives me strength to calm down and get out of myself enough to remember that this is not about me, but about carrying out the work that Jesus has set before me. Thank God for Him!!!! My prayer is that even though the small sliver of worry I still carry, I will allow the will of the Father to be done in my life through this job. 

Be inspired...to be better! 

Faith Challenge Day 2- Strength

God is our refuge and strength...

Good morning to all you beautiful bloggers and followers! This morning I woke up with such ease. I usually wake up on Saturdays only to crawl back under the covers. My week is always so busy and hectic that I leave my weekend to sleep in. I'm not sure why today was so different, but I'm just going to go with it and thank God!

So this is my second entry for the 30 Day Faith Challenge. And I must say that this was just a really good idea because it gives me yet another opportunity to get into the Word throughout my day. Who knew?! Honestly I have been convicted in my heart of not reading enough so this is my commitment to do so. Thanks  to Cat over at This Little Life of Mine for creating the link up. 

So today's theme is strength. All too often I find that my natural man wants to rely on my own strength to get through the day or even through the most difficult times. My flesh wants to be the strong one, use its own power (which is very minimal if not obsolete) instead of relying on the power of God through Jesus Christ to light my path.

It is in these rough times that I find my solution in the [favorite] book of Psalm. There are so many ideas and beliefs presented to us on a daily basis. There are so many stumbling blocks and problems that the devil tries to put in front of us constantly. And there are so many crutches that we may lean to in order to make ourselves feel okay with what is going on around us. The unchanging truth of the matter is that in ALL things Christ is the answer. He never changes, He never leaves us, we are never forsaken. We are free to stand firmly on the Word of God as our strength. A foundation that is as solid as a rock. I thank God for this chief cornerstone. I thank him for giving me strength daily to do whatever is required of me. This verse in the picture above is my reminder that God is my security in a very insecure world. Be strengthened by Him today...Be inspired...to be better!

30 Day Faith Challenge

So today I thought it would be completely appropriate to link up with a 30 Day Faith Challenge hosted by the one and only Cat over at This Little Life of Mine. You can click on the link for further details but basically we have to share a verse from scripture relating to whatever the topic is for that day. We will be posting pictures and verses all over the place so come back everyday to get your Holy fix.

Today's topic is stress and let me tell you: I am a Drama Queen when it comes to anything that takes me even slightly out of whack. I'm a compulsive worrier- some days more than others and when it comes to stress I have found that the only way for me to get through it is to trust God. Wandering through Barnes and Noble one night I found this bookmark and it has been stuck in whatever book I'm reading at the moment. This is my mantra. When the going gets tough, the tough STOP, WATCH, PRAY, and TRUST GOD!

On any given day I am not capable of making a sound decision. It is my faith and trust in God that allows me to breeze through any stressful situation that comes my way. Because in the beginning I start to panic, my hands get to sweatin', my heart rate goes up, and I'm trying to find the easiest softest way to get through the ordeal. It's only when I stop and remember that God is in control I am relieved that I don't always have to be the problem solver. When I trust God to take me through He gives me peace of mind through any storm that blows my way. 

And even though looking at this bookmark helps me make it through some rough moments through the day I will leave you with some scripture that pierces my heart every time I think of it in times of stress. 

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

James 1:2-4