Gratefulness

Dear Heavenly Father,

I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Father, thank you for your grace and mercy which endures forever. I expected a miracle and you provided one right on time. Thank you Father for my financial blessing. Thank you for my healing. Thank you for my family and friends. Thank you for my job and my car that gets me to my destination. Thank you for my roof over my head and food to eat. Thank you for seeing my needs and providing every last one of them. Thank you for not letting me slip away from you in my storm. Thank you for helping my unbelief when I thought it was no way out. I truly love and appreciate what you have done for me and what you are doing for me. Father, I want to recognize you for who you are at all times. You are my Father, my provider, my healer, my way maker, my shelter, my keeper, my everything at all times. Thank you Father for not leaving my side. I will not only praise your name in times of trouble but I will praise you when everything is going right. Father I want to be in your presence at all times. When I ask for guidance, you step in and lead me all the way. Thank you! When I am not in the best of mental thoughts, you step in and remind me not to focus on negative things or circumstances around me but to stay my mind on you. Father, I thank you for that. Father, I know I am not perfect in all my ways but you remind me to acknowledge you at all times and you will direct my path. I thank you for that. Father I may not pray like I should or spend enough time with you but you intercede on my behalf anyway. Father I may not have the best of attitudes but you see fit to bless me anyhow. I place all my cares upon you, for you have rescued me and Father I just want to thank you. You are my Father who sees my faults and still acknowledge that I am your child and you will not leave me or forsake me. Father I will exalt your name and give thanksgiving all the days of my life because I know what you are and who you are to me. Father I just wanted to take this time to give you thanks for everything you have done and will do in my honor. Father, there is no one like you. I will not put anything or anyone above you because you are just that good to me. Father, thank you for all my blessings that you have bestowed upon me with favor. Thank you for filling me with joy and peace. Thank you for filling me with fruits of the spirit and showing me how to utilize them as I show myself to the world on your behalf. I receive your Word open-hearted with such expectation. Father I love you because of who you are and what you have been to me, loving me and caring for me all my life.

MY FATHER, THANK YOU, YOU ARE TRULY AMAZING!

Something Great is About to Happen!!!

Wow!!! My blessing is on the way!!! These past couple of weeks have been stormy and rough but my God, my God, my blessing must be big!!! I heard in a song "the bigger the trial, the bigger the blessing". I just know it and I can feel it. I am confident that the Lord is about to do some things in my life that even I had not predicted. You know why??? Because this is what I expect Him to do! Yes! I expect God to come through for me. I expect God to increase my finances. I expect God to move my enemies out of the way. I expect God to heal me. I expect God to follow through on His promises. I expect God to mold me into what He wants me to be. I expect God to nurture and protect me. I expect God to give me peace while the storms are raging. I expect God to give me beauty for my ashes. I expect God to be faithful to me. I expect God to see me through to my dreams and vision. Yes! I expect, expect, expect!!!

I have the confidence in God to boldly declare what I expect from Him. My relationship with Him is why I have this confidence. I am confident in His ability to do all things. My confidence begins with my faith in God. I know who my Father is; He is my deliverer, my healer, my way maker, my protector, my confidant. He is a God who I can call my "daddy" in times of need. He keeps me in line when I start to veer off. He makes a way out of no way. My God has my back. Another confidence booster is my faith in His word. His word is hidden in my heart. His word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. His word is flawless. His word is living.

This confidence should be in all who have a relationship with Christ. When our confidence is truly enveloped within Christ, we can have the expectation that God is up to something and that something is greatly received. We should be able to truly enjoy life without looking at our circumstances or believing the things that we see. Trusting God's plans for our life and the promises He has made is what we need to focus on. So today, I am expecting God to do more than I have ever expected. I have raised my expectations to what God has already said I can have and will have as long as I obey. I will believe Him for abundance; not only in money but in life. I will be blessed coming in and going out. I have hope and confidence that He will see me through according to my faith and no matter what it may look like now........I will expect a miracle!!!

Forgiveness = Freedom

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you" -C.S. Lewis

Today, I am really dealing with something heavy. It is something that I seem to not let go of. This is something that my heart just can't seem to grasp. It is FORGIVENESS. I have been stressing about someone who has done me wrong and that bitterness pill is setting in. Along with bitterness comes hate, disgrace, revenge, and hurt. I have been back and forth in my mind on how to forgive this person but I still see the wrong that was done against me. I still feel the hurt and betrayal from this person. Forgiveness is my obligation as a Christian to grant. I know through God's grace that I have received forgiveness of my sins but how is it that I can't bestow that same forgiveness on the one who wronged me?

Is it me or is this one of the hardest things to do in life. I feel like I would rather go to the dentist or doctor than forgive the person who has wronged me. This is an uncomfortable position that I am in because

1. I want God's forgiveness for my sins and I don't want Him to stop forgiving me

2. My negative emotions are getting the best of me

3. As my commitment to Christ, I feel as though I am in disobedience

These are the things that I just can't get past in order to start the process of healing and reconciliation. How do I forgive someone who has wronged me who I feel like has gotten away with it? How do I forgive a so called "friend" who betrayed me? How do I forgive this person if they haven't asked for it?

This week I have been repeatedly reminded to let go of the past and move on through to forgiveness that it has taken a toll on me. What I mean is that I feel stuck. I feel as if everything around me has stopped moving or is in slow motion, my business, my job, my life, etc. I feel that the enemy has laid the foundation for this hatred in my heart and now I am fighting to renew my faith. The one thing I do realize is that until I choose to have faith, display love, and release the past; forgiveness is not going to happen. The doors of opportunity will remain closed. The pathway to healing will stall. The peace of God will be held up in this storm. I have to learn from the past experiences, less the stress involved, in order to gain wisdom into what God is showing me. I need to move past my circumstances and gain the vision that God has before me. I have to lay my feelings aside and trust God to help me out.

Forgiveness is God's extended mercy. Its main ingredient is love. It leads me to a doorway where restoration and understanding are present. Although the gift of forgiveness is free for us, Jesus paid the price with His blood. As a child of God, He has supplied us with an overflow of forgiveness through His love and sacrifice. Once we humble ourselves and confess our sins then will he completely remove our sins and remembers them no more. So why is forgiving this person so hard for me? It would really take a miracle right now for this to happen. I don't want to stop receiving forgiveness for my sins just because I won't do what He has asked me to do. I don't want this person living in my head, rent free, for years before I make up my mind to evict him. To forgive is not easy but I know it is possible. I have to let go of this grudge and pray for this person who has hurt me. This is my journey to healing. I desire to live at peace with God so I have to set this person free, and myself, if I want God to set me free from my past. This is my greatest challenge today but I wanted to make it known that it can be done and you are not alone. As I write this I am helping myself. A forgiving spirit blesses both myself and others.

So remember this, FORGIVENESS is the gift that is necessary to share as often as possible for healing and to be made whole as God has granted us this responsibility. I am doing this for myself, my health, and my well being.

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you" - Lewis Smedes

Condemn Me Not!

YOU LIED. YOU CHEATED. YOU BACK STABBED. YOU DID DRUGS. YOU PROSTITUTED. YOU STOLE. YOU KILLED. YOU DESTROYED. YOU DECEIVED. YOU CURSED.

So who saved you?

Grace & Mercy

Look at her! Look at Grace. She is God's special gift to us. She is something that is given to us when we don't deserve her. She follows us. She upholds us. She supports us. She sees us through life, death, and our darkest moments. She is all around us. She is forever upon us. She provides hope for the future. She gives us power to leave our sin in the past. We can't do anything to stop her. Oh, but wait a minute! Grace is not by herself. She is accompanied by Mercy. She is God's compassion on us. She doesn't judge. She helps us. These two of a kind deserve of our thanks. They deserve our praise everyday.

What are you condemning yourself and others for today?

Are you that woman in John 8 who was brought in by the Pharisees as she was caught in the act of adultery? It was commanded that she be stoned but Jesus said ...“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Even though your sin may not have been adultery, you may have been prosecuted in front of peers for your sin. Your stoning may have been the destroying of your reputation. The pain of being caught or exposed may have hurt so deeply that you can't bring yourself to look forward and not be afraid. You may think that everyone who looks at you may know what you were really about. When your deepest fear and need of saving is near, guess what? Jesus steps right in! He is willing to forgive you, writing your sin in dust for it to blow away. He paid the price for us and He provides us with the reassurance that we can't do anything to stop His grace & mercy.

So how do you thank God for His Grace & Mercy?

Simply, just say "thank you". Remember this one important thing, God does not condemn you for your past sins as long as you have repented, he forgives you. You have left behind your sin. Grace & mercy have given you undeserved favor, unexpected acceptance, and unconditional love. We do not see these two watching over us but we can surely walk with our head held high and believe that God has poured out His grace & mercy. Don't ever feel as though you are being condemned for past sins. Don't ever allow yourself to condemn yourself for things in the past that have been erased. Don't bring up old dirt! Know that the Lord is your shepherd, you do walk in the shadow of death but you will not fear evil because His goodness and mercy will follow you ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE. Make the choice today and receive grace & mercy into your heart and thank God for his gracious gifts.