Allow His Love To Embrace You

Recently a very special woman of God and dear friend sent me a sweet little card. It was just a note to remind me of how much I am loved by her and by our God. It is not uncommon of her to send me little words of encouragement from time to time. She has faithfully sent them to me for some 15 years now. It never ceases to amaze me that when she sends them they are always right on time with a word that I need to hear for a situation that I am facing at that time.

I know it is our Heavenly Father that put it on her heart to send me this little love note because it came on a day that I would totally miss the mark. I mean I messed up big time. That's right I'm am one of those imperfect Christians. I am fully aware that as long as I'm here in this world living in this flesh of mine that I will fall short. I know that I can become a slave to whatever I choose to obey, sin or God. So when I fall short I try to quickly confess my shortcomings to God, repent, and then I try to receive His forgiveness. However often times first I go through an awful battle with a spirit of condemnation, guilt, and shame that attacks my mind. That's where I was at when I felt led to reread her note. Part of my dear friend's note read:

"I See You"

This posting was orginally posted February 22nd, 2009. I just read it again and I wanted to share it once more. Even as I read it now our Lord's love flows through my being. I am encouraged knowing that He is with us in every situation and nothing we go through can separate us from His love. Here is "I See You"..

“For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39



“I see you”, says the Lord. “You know who you are..

“Yes you, I see that you want to give up on life… You can’t it’s not your time yet. You have to keep fighting to live. The enemy of your soul has deceived you and is trying to get you to give up all hope on life. I know that the deceiver has been trying to convince you that I have forgotten you, that I can’t hear you, and that I just don’t care. Don’t believe these lies. I have seen your tears. I keep track of all your sorrows. I have collected all of your tears in My bottle. I have recorded each one in My book. Not one has been wasted.

I have been trying to speak to you this whole time. You ignore Me or say that was just a coincidence. You refuse to accept in your heart that I divinely appoint moments for you to see clearly that it is ME talking to you. I love you and I have a plan for your life if you will only truly trust ME. I have loved you from the first day that I started to form you in your mother’s womb. My plan was never for you to have all this heartache. I do want you to die today..die to yourself, to your flesh, to your own will. Die to fear, give up your life to Me. Lay it down on my altar of love and I will lift you up and give you a new life. A new life in ME, Christ Jesus.”

“I see you”, says the Lord. “You know who you are..

“Yes you, I see you struggling under a heavy burden…When will you stop trying to do things on your own and in your own strength? Have you forgotten that My burden is light and my yolk is easy? You came to me for rest. If you want to find rest for your weary soul then you have to let go of your burdens. Cast all of your cares on Me because I care for you. Stop being so stubborn! Be patient. My timing is not your timing and my thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways of doing things are so much higher than yours. Don’t forget that I see the future. I know what doors to open and what doors to close. You must allow Me to have your worries and stop being so anxious. Trust Me to work things out. The only thing I asked from you is that you have faith. When I tell you to go or do something don’t hesitate do it in faith. The rest I will take care of. Remember that I will always work everything out for your good, no matter what. You can’t figure everything out all the time. You have to allow Me to be God in your life. Stop carrying these heavy burdens that the world has put on you. They did not come from me.”

“I see you”, says the Lord. “You know who you are..

“Yes you, I see you are tired of trying, tired of believing, tired of doing the right thing… Don’t be tired my child. I know that it seems to have been a long time since I gave you the vision. Don’t be discouraged because you have not seen it completely come to pass. Take a look around and you will see that so much has changed since then. All of this must happen for the vision to be complete. Don’t lose hope. I promise if you do not get tired and give up you will reap a harvest of blessings. You have no idea the number of souls that you have influenced with your faith and love for Me. I will give you the strength you need to keep going. I will feed your determination and your desire to do My will. Thou the vision tarry wait on it.”

“I see you”, says the Lord. “You know who you are..

“Yes you, my faithful and obedient servant who loves to spend time with Me… You put a big smile on My face. Your desire and hunger for more of Me is pleasing unto Me. I will fill you will more and more of Me. My Spirit will teach you of many things to come. Your discernment will increase and your love for others will overflow from Me. You will be my conduit of love to the world. Many will see Me in you and will believe and trust in Me. They will love Me because of you. Your love and faithfulness please me.

I see you stumble, sure. But I don’t focus on that my child. What I see is that you put out your hand to hold on to Me. You know that I am always there no matter what. You allow me to help you and so you do not fall. You trust Me. You don’t give up on us. You don’t give up on believing Me no matter what the enemy tries to tell you. You know you are mine. I am you’re True Love."

I see you ALL, my children… You are all mine! I love you and there is nothing that can separate you from Me. I will not allow the enemy to pluck you from My hand. Hold on to My Word because it will be the sword you need to fight till the end. I AM with you always..I see you!! El Roi..

Would You Take His Place?

True Love

I received this email today from one of my lovely mothers in the Lord. I entitled it:

"True Love"

Something happened a while ago in California that is an example of what Jesus did. A young woman was pulled over and given a ticket by a policeman for speeding in her car. She had to stand before the judge in court. The judge read to her the charge for speeding and asked her, "Guilty or not guilty?" The woman replied, "Guilty." The judge brought down the hammer and fined her $100.

Then an amazing thing took place. The judge stood up, took off his robe, walked down around to the front, took out his wallet, and paid the $100 fine. Why did he do that? Because the young woman was his daughter. His own daughter had broken the law by speeding and he simply couldn't say to her, "Because I love you so much, I forgive you. You may leave." If he had done that, he wouldn't have been a righteous judge. He wouldn't have upheld the law. But he loved his daughter so much that he was willing to take off his judicial robe and come down in front and pay the fine.

That is a picture of what God did for us through Jesus Christ. We have all sinned. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23 No matter how much He loved us, God had to bring down the hammer and say "death." And yet, being a loving God, He loved us so much that He was willing to come down and pay the death penalty for you and me by dying on the cross.

Read Philippians 2:5-11 and thank God for His wonderful free gift..

Reflecting On This Past Year

As this new year quickly approaches I feel the need to sit back and reflect on the blessings, revelations and miracles that our Lord has done for me and my loved ones. He has been consistently faithful and merciful to us. His provision is always right on time. He is my Loving Father who is always quick to forgive and bestow his grace and mercy on me. Instead of criticizing and complaining about my faults He has encouraged me that I can do all things through His Son. It is our Lord that has put this desire on my heart to live my life pleasing to Him and fulfill His calling. He has opened the windows of heaven and poured out His blessings on our family just as He said He would. My cup is overflowing because I am His. I truly am not deserving of any of this.

This year I have seen mountains moved and hard hearts softened. I saw several family members believe in Christ our Lord, repent, and confess their sins before the altar. Others rededicated themselves and were baptized. Close friends are starting to seek Him and question their purpose in this life. My immediate family has endured trials and hardships resulting in the strengthening of our bond with one another and increased faith in our Savior. This year I attended a wedding that the enemy tried to keep from happening, but the Lord had another plan. Now what He has joined together let no man separate.

Ministries were born and founded. 2008 was the birth of WeUsed2bu Christian Girl Advice site and Consecrated to Him – Real Christian Talk. It is His Spirit that has given me the courage and determination to trust Him to use these sites to help edify and encourage both believers and unbelievers. My husband and I also had the privilege of becoming two of the founders of Out of the Miry Clay Prison ministry formed by ex-offenders for ex-offenders. It has been a very busy year of reaping and sowing.

I wish I would have jumped off the fence sooner and submitted to His Word. It has become very apparent to me that our Lord truly does have a wonderful plan for our life just like the Spirit said through the prophet Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) I have also received a clear understanding that it is not enough to just hear the Word of God, but that we HAVE TO be doers of the Word. That is how we truly know that we are His because The Word/Jesus Christ is truly Lord of our life. (James 1:22, Matthew 7: 21)

I am excited to see what 2009 has to bring. Even now as I write this I am full of excitement and hope because I know that this next year is going to be full of breakthroughs and miracles. Lives and generations will be changed forever. We will see territories expanded and more given to those who were faithful with what Jesus has already given them. He will use those believers/workers who are self controlled, committed, and determined to help reap from the harvest that is ripe and ready.

In preparation for 2009 I will continue sit back and reflect on this past year. I will not be posting any new articles, instead I will repost articles from the archives that have really impacted my life or that I may just have to revisit. Lol..During this time I will continue to write what I feel inspired to share, however they will not be posted until the New Year.

To my faithful Consecrated to Him readers. I am asking you to please pray and intercede for me and the ministries that are listed above. My heart’s desire is to help encourage and edify you with the love of God and the truth of His Word. So pray for the Lord to continue to use me as His conduit. Also, please prayerfully consider becoming a partner with me in this ministry by not only praying and interceding but by sowing a financial seed. Consecrated to Him is just the beginning of a greater vision that the Lord has given me and your contribution will help bring this vision to pass. I assure you will be sowing into fertile ground.

Blessings to you all in Jesus name…Keep your eyes on Jesus this Christmas season and don’t allow the cares of this world to come in and choke the joy and peace that this season of celebration should bring.

I love you all..

Christ’s handmaiden,

Lisa aka Trophy of Grace

Mission For Mr. Right

Cross Post: Artilce I write for WeUsed2bu Christian Girl Advice Site

I remember when I was desperate for love. I chased love and attention from any guy that was willing to pretend to even care. I sold myself short all the time dating guys that just wanted one thing from me. I have always been a pretty intuitive chick so it was no surprise to me when I found out that they were just using me, so I told myself that I was just using them too. In a sense I really was. We did not love or respect each other.

“I love you” was muttered to those guys that I thought could possibly be the one, but I quickly learned that love isn’t cheating, sex, lying, and manipulating. However that was the love I got and that was the love I learned to give.

Deep down inside my heart was hidden underneath layers of denial, hurt, betrayal, loneliness, and sadness longing to have a love that was something special and different from the rest. I needed someone to love and cherish me. I wanted to be some man’s everything. My mission for love and Mr. Right only lead me to lust and infatuation in the arms of Mr. Wrong every time. When would I finally be someone’s wifey?

I wish I knew then what I know now, that we don’t need to go around looking for Mr. Right. He will come and find us when the time is right and appointed by God. All we have to do is leave it in God’s hands and change our focus in life from searching for love in all the wrong places to receiving love from the One who gives True Love.

Instead of desperately seeking a relationship with a man we are to first diligently seek a relationship with the One who loves us more than words can say. He is the lover of our souls. He is the one who can give us the desires of our hearts. He is the one that we can depend on and cast all of our cares on. He is the one that has good gifts to give us because He cherishes us with all of His heart. He will not leave us or abandon us. He will not lie, deceive, and hurt us. He sacrificed His son on the cross for us so that we can be saved and live life more abundantly. God Almighty has us constantly on His mind. He longs to have an intimate relationship with us.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [taken together will be given you besides.

Having a real personal relationship with God before searching for our soul mate is the wisest thing we could ever do. The Lord will teach us about real Love. Receiving His love and spending time with Him will teach us how to love others. Our minds will be renewed and changed. We will be healed and equipped to be the helpmate to the man that God has ordained for us.

While you are being taught and renewed by the Word of God the Lord will also be molding and preparing your future husband. At the same time our Lord will be making a way for your paths to cross one day, if they haven’t already. He is the best match maker because He knows what you both want and most of all what you need.

Abort your mission to find your soul mate. Start pursing a romance with the Lover of Your Soul. He will make you feel cherished, adored, beautiful, and loved. Then when Mr. Right comes you will be ready to serve each other the way God intended. Seek first God’s will for your life.

Do You Think I'm Beautiful?

A friend gave me a book to read called, Do You Think I'm Beautiful? written by Angela Thomas. She said that she thought it would be good since I am doing the WeUsed2bu ministry and so many girls and women ask, “Do you think I’m beautiful”. Since this is a question that I have asked on several occasions I was determined to see what this book had to offer on this frequently asked question. I could never imagine the blessing that was in store for me. I know now that it was most definitely our loving and sweet Lord who put it on her heart to give me this book to read.

Thank you Jen for listening to the Holy Spirit. It is an amazing book! I am renewed and revived in my spirit. I have found freedom in areas that I did not know I was even bound. I feel like I am back on track and heading down the right path to fulfilling my calling.

In this book Angela helps the reader to see that our God thinks that we are beautiful and desires to dance with us. I love how real and vulnerable she was about her insecurities and life experiences. She is clear and to the point, honest, and determined to help the reader find freedom in knowing that our God loves us intimately.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

If there is a question attached to the soul of a woman, maybe it’s “Do you think I’m beautiful?” When God answers from the depth of His great love, it makes some of us feel like the wallflower who is asked to dance. But we can become distracted from His invitation because of the other lovers, whispers of unbelief, noise and clutter, and because we are sometimes the prodigal, sometimes the elder brother. To return to the music and strong embrace of God requires a desperate and pursing heart. And when a woman chooses to remain in His arms of devotion, God gives the only hope we have: His perfect love, and a beautiful crown. God is enthralled by the beauty of a woman and calls her His beloved. He wildly pursues her heart with romance and intimacy to make her His beautiful bride.

This book has encouraged and empowered me. I will not let fear and doubt fill me with insecurities any more. I am determined now more than ever to step out in faith and do what God has called for me to do, knowing that I am dancing with the Lover of My Soul.

I encourage you to buy this book and share it with your friends. If you’re a guy this would be a great gift for that special someone, your sister, friend, mom, any woman that you want to truly bless.

Do not hesitate, buy now!

Click here to buy "Do You Think I'm Beautiful?"

Stop!! Be Still..

Do you realize that our Lord wants to talk with you? Yes, He has something to say. He has understanding and wisdom to bestow on you. He wants to give you a revelation of how much He truly loves you and thinks about you daily. But how will you ever know what He has to say if don’t sit still?

Stop moving all around. Stop cleaning. Stop cooking. Stop working, Just be still and be alone in His presence and know that He is God. He is longing for intimate time with you. Just you and your Heavenly Father enjoying each other. Your small daily prayers and talks on the way to and from work are great..but He longs for more of you. He wants you to long for more of Him too.

Go to the room and shut the door. You need this more than you know. You will be renewed, revived, and replenished in His presence. His Spirit will give you peace, joy, and strength as you meditate on His loving kindness and mercy towards you. His praises will come out of your mouth when you stop and be still long enough to see that He has always been there listening and protecting you all the days of your life. It could have been worse for you, but it’s not. You’re alive and He is not done with you yet. You will fulfill your purpose but you must stop and be still in His presence so that He can renew your strength and heal you.

The answers that you need are there. The comfort that you are longing for are there. Run as fast as you can. Close the door behind you. Close your eyes and lift up your arms ask the Holy Spirit to fill you up so that you may overflow with His power and strength. Run into His arms so that you may find rest for your weary soul.

He has been waiting for this moment. This is the time of day that He longs for. This is the time you set aside everything else, all the cares of this world and sit at His feet waiting to receive all that He has to give. Open His Word and expect to hear from God. The answers are there. Wisdom and freedom will be given to you in His presence.

The Spirit of the Lord says, “Be Still and Know that I AM God!”

"You will show me the path of life; In Your Presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)

"Surely the righteous shall give thaks to Your namel The upright shall dwell in Your presence." (Psalm 140:13)

"But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD." (Psalm 4:3-5)

Walking By Faith While He Holds My Hand

The enemy comes in like a flood trying to distract us with drama, fear, and confusion. He wants us to think that our God has forgotten us. He puts thoughts in our minds to make us doubt God’s faithfulness. I don’t know about you but the enemy tries to tell me, “If God loves you so much why are going through this. You go to church, you serve Him, and you tithe. So why is He doing this to you?” What a lying snake! I will not be deceived because I know that God’s word is True! I know that He has not forgotten me and that I am safe in His care! No matter what happens in my life I KNOW that God loves me and that all of these things are only temporary. Like gold these fires will only purify me. I will walk by faith knowing that He is holding my hand all the way. Thank you Jesus!

I know that I am not the only one who is under attack. I know that there are others right now that need to know that God hears you. I promise you..He has not left your side. Sometimes we have to keep going even if we don’t know what to do. Stay focused! Don’t let the stress and problems that come your way divert your plans to serve Him. Don’t isolate yourself and meditate on your situations! You are setting yourself up for more attacks. Don’t stray away from the rest of the sheep..stay in the fold. You are safe with The Shepard and his sheep.

We know that God is for us no matter what the enemy says. Remember when Peter walked out on the water to meet Jesus? He stepped out in faith and then when he saw how crazy the winds of the storm got he started sinking, BUT God in his loving kindness lifted him up before he sank! Don’t you see! He will not let you sink! Keep your eyes on Him. Keep walking in faith and praise Him thru the storm! Trust me we all get tired but our strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord. (Matthew 14:22-33, Isaiah 40:31)

The Lord said that when we go thru the deep waters and great trouble, that he will be with us. When we go thru rivers of difficulty we will not drown! When we walk thru the fire of oppression will not be burned up-the flames will not consume us; because He is the Lord our God and Savior! Amen!! (Isaiah 43:1-3)

You are always in my prayers..

Trusting Him Anyways!

As I sit here thinking about how my sister is going to have a major heart surgery tomorrow morning I am comforted knowing that my God is Faithful. There will be times when we will or someone we love will experience sorrow or terrible hardship. We have got to remember and meditate on the fact that Jesus loves us and for that reason He will work EVERY situation out for our good, if we allow him to.(Romans 8:28)We can rest in His hands.

His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9)Often times it is hard to understand what he is doing in our lives while we are going through difficult times. However, we have got to trust Him anyways! Blessed are those who don’t doubt Him. (Matt. 11:6) He will give us hind’s feet so that we can go over the mountains of life. He will be our strength. (Habakkuk 3:19)

My mother died when I was just sixteen. I have been a slave to drugs and the world. I was sentenced to prison at just 20 years old leaving behind a fifteen month old daughter. I have experienced sorrow and drama in my life, but I know that that our Lord allowed it for such a time as this.

Today those same experiences that caused me so much sorrow makes me want to comfort others who are facing difficult situations. He has put a desire on my heart to tell everyone I meet and know that they are not alone. It is through our tough times that we are molded and purified so that we can be used by Jesus to bring glory to God.

PLEASE trust God! He IS with you! Let Him comfort you. Let Him be your strength. He will hold you up with His victorious right hand. Who better to understand your suffering, heal your emotional wounds, and give you peace than Jesus Christ our Savior? (Jeremiah 30:17, Jeremiah 33:6) I truly love you with all of my heart and you all are always in my prayers.

Constantly On His Mind

I was recently sharing with a close friend how God had really revealed to me the importance of the content of psalm 139:17-18. It has been life changing to me. It says, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would out number the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.” In my spirit I knew at once that He was once again confirming to me that I am in Good hands with Him. I realized that the promise that He had shared with me several years ago in Jeremiah 29:11-13 was absolutely try. You see He promises that He has good plans for us. His plan is to give us a future and a hope. He says that when we call upon Him, pray & search for Him with all of our hearts that we will find Him. Psalm 139:17-18 made me realize that of course He has a plan. He has to. He is thinking about US all the time. His thoughts towards us are precious, adored, and treasured. In fact His DAILY thoughts towards us are so many that they can not even be counted! How amazing is that? For this reason I have surrendered everything in my life to Him. My marriage, my children, my family, my ministry, and my finances are all in His hands. I trust him because I know that He sees the future and He has a plan for me and my family. His plan is better than any plan that I can ever come up with. Even when I don’t understand why he allows certain circumstances I know in my heart that it will work out for our good.

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