There should never be a time where we settle for where we are right now in our faith. I do not care if you are a giant in the body of Christ and are anointed for such a time as this, you still have more to do, a higher level to achieve in your relationship with God, more to learn, and more to share with others. Paul is one of the greatest characters in the Word and even he had to confess, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and staining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14). Not only must we be realistic with our own personal journeys, we must love one another and encourage others to be all they can be in Christ. There is no division in the body of Christ. We are one and all being changed and made over by God daily. 12:1b-2 is what our hearts posture should be; “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Read MoreIn order for me to get at the heart of the matter I had to realize that I didn’t really understand the concept of grace or “justification by faith”. As a Christian this understanding is vital, as it is the very foundation of our faith. I have struggled greatly with the concept of grace because if I can be very candid, I’m an all or nothing type of girl, very “black and white”. I’ve always had this rigid moral compass, either something is wrong or right, either you work for it or you don’t, you’re punished for doing bad and rewarded for doing good, etc. you get the point. Don’t get me wrong, I can demonstrate grace for others and be very understanding but when it comes to myself, I am definitely my own worst critic.
Read MoreYou may be thinking that your life seems unbearable, extremely uncomfortable, and even inconvenient at times. But that is exactly what you need to catapult you into your calling. If you’d be honest, you know you would become stagnant and “okay” with living in the land of the in between (out of Egypt but not quite in the land flowing with milk and honey) if you were comfortable and cozy in your current phase of life. You know this, so you know God knows this as well.
Read MoreForgiveness isn’t for the person, it’s for you- The second reason we should all forgive is for the mere fact that forgiveness isn't for the person it's for us! Once you forgive, you're essentially saying I am taking on this debt. The word "forgive" in Hebrew is "nasa" which literally means "to lift, carry, or take". Forgiveness is very sacrificial in that way because you're taking the blame and the weight up off of that person for whatever they have done and you are taking it to God and laying it at His feet. The act of forgiveness can be pretty transactional in that way, if you let it. The problem for some lies in the fact that you don't always get anything in return (an apology) and that is okay. John 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” God sees all and He won’t let it go unnoticed because you're being obedient to His word! Don’t believe me? Take a look at some scriptures outlining God’s blessings for those who follow through with His Word:
Read MoreThe series is entitled LIT ( Living in Truth). I will be highlighting single Christian men who are truly men after God's own heart. The idea came to me one day while minding my business getting ready for the day. I felt as if I heard the Lord tell me to showcase His sons. Not in those exact words but you get the gist. I have so many amazing single friends who are pretty much cynical when it comes to believing that REAL single Christian men exist. You know, the ones that actual attend church, bible study, have an active prayer life, are practicing celibacy, and truly living in Gods truth for their lives! So my task is to find these men and show they do in fact exist and that they are hope for women who are waiting on God's best.
Read MoreSometimes I think we go over board on the technology and too much of any good thing can become a bad thing if you let it. I love Instagram, I mean lovvveeee it! And I don't play foolishness on my IG feed, for the most part my feed is inspiring and uplifting. However, in spite of this fact I recently found myself warring against the pesky opponent of... that's right you guessed it, comparison! I would go on my feed and be genuinely happy for the newly engaged couples, newlyweds, first time parents, homeowners, business owners, and so much more but along with that happiness was the undeniable feeling of insecurity in the pit of my stomach that I just couldn't shake. The enemy would begin whispering in my ear, "you will never reach their level of success", "you are not good enough", "you are not worthy enough to receive the blessings you're praying for" "give up". Just plain ol' demonic, evil, and deceitful! But I must admit that I found myself listening and falling into his web of lies. I wonder if you've ever felt that way looking at someone else's "highlight reel" on social media?
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