Get A Grip! Keep Believing!

I don’t know about you, but my life is NOT perfect. I have problems, trials, and testing’s daily. It’s only by God’s grace and mercy that I have the strength to overcome life’s adversities. I have moments where my faith and hope is so big that I immediately remember who I am in Christ and I stand on the Truth of God’s Word. Its during these times that I can instantly resist fear, doubt, anxiety and all the other spiritual forces and emotions that will attack my mind. However there are those other times (which are not often, but they do happen) when I feel tired and worn out. I start looking at my circumstances and over evaluating them, instead of remembering what the Lord has already spoken to me about the situation. That is when I begin to feel despair, anger, bitterness, depression, doubt, and sadly even hatred. God forgive me. I’m sharing this with you because I KNOW that I am NOT the only who has gone through this or is going through this now.

Sometimes we have been praying and hoping for years for a breakthrough in a situation or in the life of a loved one. Since we haven’t seen the full manifestation we may begin to feel a little faithless or hopeless. We may even find that we are allowing our hearts to be hardened over the situation which will only lead to unbelief and it will begin to push us away from God.

IT’S TIME TO GET A GRIP!!

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.

Serving One Another

Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s to whom all power as been given, got on his hands and knees and washed his disciples feet because he loved them. He wanted to show them that because of His love for them He was willing to serve them to the point of getting down and dirty. He wanted them to understand that if they were to be leaders then they too would have to be willing to humble themselves and loving serve others.

(Matthew 13:1 & 4) Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. Rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

He wasn’t afraid of what people thought of him. He stripped down and got to work. His Father had given all things into His hands. He had come from God and was going to God. He knew who He was and the power given to him and yet he was still willing to serve them to the point of washing their feet like the lowliest servant would do. This is true love and true leadership. This is the example that he longs for us to follow.

(Matthew 13:12-17) After washing their feet he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Master’ and ‘Lord’, and you do well to say it, for it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you out to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow: do as I have done to you.”

A true leader is also a servant. If Jesus is willing to serve, than we too as his servants must be willing to serve Him and others with a humble and meek heart. It does not matter what leadership responsibilities we have, our notoriety, or what our reputation maybe. If we are to be effective leaders than we must chose to serve others with a loving and compassionate heart.

What if we are called on by the church to help distribute food to the poor, minister in the prison, help out in children’s ministry, maybe even clean up a bathroom? Would we be willing to sacrifice our time? How would our attitude be? Could we do it lovingly?

How about at home? How do we serve our family? Do we feel because we have contributed that our work, our part is done? What if more was required? Do we serve in our own home without expecting something in return or needing recognition for our sacrifice? I truly believe with all my heart that ministry begins at home. If we are willing to serve outside of the home with sincere hopes of helping change someone’s life, then how much more should we be willing to serve our own family with those same hopes and expectations? May our Lord help us to be leaders willing to serve with a loving heart.

Lord, thank you for setting these examples for us to follow. They help humble us and put our lives into perceptive. Give us the heart of a servant. We long to follow your example and serve others in love. We reject any feelings of pride or superiority that may try to hinder our hearts from being more subservient. We thank you. In Jesus. Amen.

I Wish I Had A Mom!

This is an article I wrote for WeUsed2bu that I just want to share with you..

I Wish I Had A Mom!

I wish I had a mom! You see my mom died when I was sixteen years old in a tragic car accident. I wish she were here today so that I could ask her for advice. I know if she were here I could lay on her lap and she would talk with me, listen to me, cry with me, and hold me. I WISH I HAD A MOM! (my heart full of sadness and eyes full of tears)

As the mother of 7 children I long to give my children all the love that I did not get from my mother because she was taken from me when I was so young. As a godly mother raising godly children; I encourage my children to live their lives and set their standards based on the Word of God. I am loving and tough on them all at the same time because I want the best for their lives. I am determined to keep them on the narrow road that leads to Life and off the wide path that most take, that leads to death. I won’t allow them to settle for anything less than their best. I express to them the importance as Christians that we must live our lives to please God and not man. This is an expression of our love for Christ and a show of appreciation for dying on the cross for our sins. I wish I had a mom to do this for me.

Don’t take your mom from granted. You are blessed to have her. She can teach you many things if you will let her. When she scolds and corrects you it is for the best. When she tells you “No” it’s for your own good. She is not trying to keep anything from you. When she says not now be patient and trust her the time is not right.

There will be so called friends that will try to lead you down the wrong path and away from your mother’s loving instructions. Stay away from them! They are just a tool in the hands of the enemy. The enemy is trying to get you away from the safety of your mother’s watchful eye so that he can attack you and give you over to the world to be abused, consumed, and left for dead.

Don’t be so quick to say that she doesn’t understand. She hasn’t told you everything that she has been through, only what you can handle for now. She has a lot of secrets. One day she may even share them with you. You might not think she can relate, but you never know she may have been there and done that.

I never thought about losing my mom. I thought that she would always be there. I am sad to say that I treated my mother terribly. I hurt her so much. (tears) I was full of rebellion. She said “no”, I said “yes”. She’s said, “You’re not going!” and I’d go anyways. Every chance I got I disobeyed her. I regret it all. I did not see how much she loved me. I would complain about the long hours she worked, never appreciating her sacrifice of love. I did not see how strong she was and how much she loved me, until it was too late. I wish she were here now.. I wish I had my mom..

Your mom is a gift from God. She is not perfect, but she’s yours. Appreciate her and show her love and respect. Pray for her all the time. Don’t just tell her you love her, show her. Honor your mom with how you choose to live your life.

From my heart with love,


Trophy of Grace

Family Ministry First

Last night my pastor told a story of woman who lost her husband and two children in a train accident. I can only imagine the thoughts and the emotions that this woman must be experiencing. I wonder what were the last words they spoke to one another? Was there a kiss goodbye before they left each other? Are there any regrets? I can’t imagine losing my husband and children. I can’t imagine my life without them.

I lost my mother when I was just sixteen years old. It was so sudden. It devastated my life. I had so many regrets about the way I treated her and how rebellious I was. I wished that I could take back all the mean words and terrible behavior. I hurt her so much. Now all I have are some pictures and memories that I hold close to my heart. Sometimes I wish I could just hear her voice, but it’s too late.

We must never take our families for granted. We have to show them how much we love and appreciate them. Maybe we have allowed ourselves to become so busy that we don’t make time to just sit and sincerely listen to what our loved ones are saying. Maybe we are impatient, short tempered, or insensitive to their needs.

We have to stop and evaluate ourselves often. God has entrusted us with this blessing and gift called family. They are our number one responsibility. Are we building up our family or are we tearing it down? Do we say loving things or are our words harsh and critical? One day we will give an account to God for every idle word spoken. So let us be careful of what we are saying to the ones we are suppose to be showing love. (Matthew 12:36-37, Ephesians 5:2)

Often times we want to go and save the world. We want to feed the starving children in other countries, minister to lost teenagers, encourage our brothers and sisters in the congregation, or visit inmates in prisons. This is great, but we must remember that ministry begins at home. Do we have the same desire, motivation, and fire to save, serve, and love in our own home?

Since I started the WeUsed2bu Girl Advice ministry I began realizing that I could not ever allow my WeUsed2bu girls to take precedence over my own teen daughters. Sometimes I find that I am on the computer for hours counseling young girls and woman, sharing the love of Christ. One day as I was sitting there being slammed with questions my youngest daughter says, “Mom get off the computer and watch a movie with us. It’s raining outside and it’s a perfect movie day!” I began to explain to her that these girls really need me. Then I realized that my own girls are also the WeUsed2bu girls. They need me too. They need me more and they must come first! No excuses! So I finished up my last response and enjoyed movie time with the girls. I’m glad I did..Imagine the hurt and rejection that could have caused them. Perhaps that would have even caused my girls to have resentment towards the ministry thinking that the ministry is more important than them. This could have affected their own ministry in the future.

We are all called to reach out and minister the gospel, feed the poor, and visit prisoners. However our primary ministry will always be our family. If anyone does not care for his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8) Our ministry and service to our families can be a witness and testimony to others. We have to set the example out in the world, in the church and even behind close doors. We are called to be good stewards of what God has given us at all times, not just when we are in a good or ‘spiritual’ mood. We are to love and care for our family at all times. Our family ministry must come first

Reflecting On Marriage

This weekend I watched as one of my best friends and brother got married. It was beautiful! To watch two people who love each other commit their relationship to God and long for his blessings on their family is awesome.

It made me reflect on my own marriage. I have been with my husband for 10 years and married for 6. That is a long time! It has not been an easy journey. We have had good times and bad times. We have loved each other and we have hurt each other. We have learned about true love and commitment.

So here is some advice to all newly weds based on what God has shown us in our marriage:

• Put God first in your marriage. Learn to pray daily about everything together.
• Be merciful to one another and forgive quickly! Remember that our heavenly father is constantly forgiving us. Don’t harbor anger. Let it go and allow God to heal your hurt. (Matt 6:14, Mark 11:25-26)
• Be patient with one another and remember you married your spouse for who they are. Let God be the one to change them. Try not to do the Holy Spirit’s job. (This one is tough for me..lol)
• Be willing to adapt to one another. It does not always have to be your way. Marriage is about learning to submit to one another.
• Husbands, often times wives have a fear of submitting to you, however if your wife sees you submitting your life to God she will feel more secure submitting to you. She will know that you are seeking God and will trust your decisions.
• Wives respect your husbands even when you don’t think he deserves it. Lift him up and encourage him. You will see that he will respond by giving you the love you desire from him.
• Live within your means. Stay away from credit card debt and overspending. The enemy will try to get you enslaved to debt because he knows that financial stress can cause extreme martial problems and can even lead to divorce.
• Use wisdom when seeking advice. Seek godly counsel from those who love the Lord and long to please Him.

There are many good Christian books and teachings to help you have a better marriage. I have included some below. Although I have not read all of them I enjoy the teachings of these writers and they have helped me in my marriage. The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate and The Power of a Praying Wife were life changing books for me. I pray that one of the books below would be just what you were needing.