Forgiveness

Who do you need to forgive today? This blog has great truth!

cleavinghearts

Every time that I look back on my life I see many times when Father God seemed to be very distant. It is at these times that I begin to look at everything that I have done wrong. this leads me down a negative way of thinking, leading me to get lost in a ‘poor me’ mindset.

The reality at these times can be slightly different; it might be that I have not let go of my life totally to Father God. I have been running the show myself. I have not been able to fully trust Father God with all of my life.

I ask myself what might be the reason for this behavior? The answer, if I am honest, is past hurts. I have trusted people in the past only to be let down; the pain has lead me into the trap of not trusting anybody. Is there…

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In Honor of my Grandmother

This blog may look different today.  I am honoring my grandmother who I lost 16 years ago to cancer.  On this day, God took her to Heaven to be with Him.  She was my everything!  It is still hard to believe that I have done life without her for 16 years.  I knew her for 17 years of my life, and, as time goes by, I miss her more each and every day.

I miss her smile!
I miss her laugh!
I miss her voice!
I miss her hugs!
I miss her love!

I miss her cooking!
I miss her playing cards with me!
I miss spending time with her!

I miss everything about her!!!

At the funeral, there is a poem I found and put her picture on it to give to everyone. This poem still comes through my email, Facebook page, or even random places near her “Heaven” anniversary to remind me she is still with me.

“WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME”

When tomorrow starts without me
And I’m not here to see
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me

I wish you wouldn’t cry
The Way you did today
While thinking of the many things
We did not get to say

I know how much you love me
As much as I love you
Each time that you think of me
I know you will miss me too

When tomorrow starts without me
Please try to understand
That an angel came and called my name
And took me by the hand

The angel said my place was ready
In heaven far above
And That I would have to leave behind
All those I Dearly Love

But When I walked through Heaven’s Gates
I felt so much at home
When GOD looked down and smiled at me
From his golden throne

He said This Is Eternity
And All I promised you
Today for life on earth is done
But Here it starts a new

I promise no tomorrow
For today will always last
And Since each day’s the exact same way
There is no longing for the past

So When Tomorrow starts without me
Do not think we’re apart
For every time you think of me
Remember I’m right here in your heart

Author: David M Romano

She is forever in my heart until I see her again in Heaven!  I love you so much Maw-Maw!  Thank you for the wonderful memories we had together here on earth!  Celebrate your 16 years with Jesus!

You Are Worth More Than Gold

You are worth more than gold!
You are worth Jesus dying on the cross!
You are worth more than this world says about you!

You have value!
You are precious to Jesus!
You are beautiful!
You are intelligent!

What do you to need to declare today! 

We need to put our value in Christ rather than what the world says about us!  We need to believe that God loves us unconditionally!  God provides our every need!  Our value comes from God!

Opposition

We all face opposition!  People tell us we are not qualified to succeed in a new position in a workplace.  Others may say we will never fulfill our dreams, because they are too big and impossible.  In these moments, it is so easy to give up and be defeated.  Instead of believing what the world says about us, we need to start believing what God says about us!

People in the Bible were mocked by those around them.  David was told he could not defeat the giant, Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17, because he was too small and too young.  David went on to win the battle and became the King of Israel at a young age because of His bravery and leadership.  Job, who was tested by satan, lost everything — his family, wealth, and friends (Job 16:10).  His friends mocked him in his misery, and, yet, Job never wavered in His faith with God.

We can all relate to these stories!  No matter what day in age you live in, there will be somebody who does not believe in you and tear you down with his or her words.  The dictionary defines opposition as opposing, resisting, combating, hostility, or criticizing.  Opposition is all around us!  Mary J. Blige said that, “[we] can’t get around pain and opposition, but [we] can try to be joyful in the trial and thank [ourselves] for the trial, and thank God for the strength to get through it.”  The keyword in this quote is God giving us strength to overcome the obstacle.  As I have said before, we do not do life alone.  We do life with God so we can handle day-to-day conflict.

Have you ever questioned why opposition comes our way when we think we are almost to the finish line — to our victory?  Think about it…if you are almost to the reward of all you have sacrificed and trudged through to finally make it and it is glorifying God, why wouldn’t satan put an obstacle in your way.  He wants you to give up before you have the victory!  He wants you to be disappointed and feel defeated.  Satan thinks if you feel defeated all the time, you won’t try something new, and you will stay in the same place your whole life with no goals.  That his main purpose for your life!

The good news is, God wants you to be successful!  God wants to see you cross the finish line with Him!  Be encouraged today!  Conflict builds character.  It should never hinder you from fulfilling your dreams in life, whatever they may be.  So the next time someone tears you down for not being good enough, pretty enough, or strong enough to embrace your purpose in life, remember God gives you His strength and His courage to conquer anything that comes your way.  The next time an obstacle gets in the way, trudge through it and get past what is hindering you!  It will be worth it!  Orison Swett Marden said “success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”  Stand up to opposition and face it head-on!  God is with you and victory is yours as long as you don’t quit!

Captivated By God’s Presence

Captivated is defined as “to attract and hold the attention or interest of, as by beauty or excellence; enchant.

When you think about being captivated by something or someone, you are mesmerized and in awe of what you see and feel.  Nothing else around you matters!  Your focus is on the object that put you into an awe state.

Imagine yourself laying on the beach and the sun is setting.  The waves are crashing in, and you hear the birds singing in the wind.  You stare into the sky watching it turn beautiful colors – green, blue, purple, pink.  You watch as the sun lowers towards the ocean, and you see the sun’s reflection coming off the water.  You become mesmerized by the scene in front of you.  It is so beautiful it doesn’t seem real.  You are in a dream-like state!  You are in awe, and you feel overwhelming peace surrounding you.  You slowly inhale and exhale to fully take in the serene moment.  You feel a longing to never leave that place.  Nothing else matters in that moment!  You are captivated by unexplainable beauty.  God’s beauty!

Now, imagine yourself in a quiet place with God.  It can be in your home, in your church, or even in your car.  You have your eyes closed, and your breathing is slow and steady.  There are no distractions.  It is only you and God in that moment.  You start singing a soft hymn/worship song to the Lord.  You begin to feel His presence all around you.  You are captivated by His touch, His love…His presence.  You are overtaken by who God is in that very moment.  You start crying in His presence, and you fall to your knees.  You want to be wrapped up in the presence of God.  There is no other place you want to be.  You are in a precious moment with Jesus!  You crave more of Him!  You never want to leave this place.  All you want to do is sit in God’s presence and soak up everything you can in that moment.  You are captivated by God’s love!  You are captivated by Him!

In Psalm 27, verse 4, it says that God is beautiful: “to gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord.”  The sunset at the beach and spending time in God’s presence can be described with such beauty.  God made the sunset for us to see beautiful things here on earth, to see His creation first-hand.  God made worship beautiful and intimate with Him!  These two things that I described above are real, and we need to not take them for granted.  We need to see how God sees!  We need to feel like God feels!  We need to be constantly in His presence!

When was the last time you spent time with God?  When was the last time you allowed God to overwhelm you with His presence?  Have you ever experienced His love? This week, I encourage you to take time out of your busy schedule to sit in God’s presence. To feel His love that He has for you each and every day!  To feel His touch to know that He is near you!  It is the most captivating moment you could ever experience!

Overcoming Adversity

Adversity is defined as difficulties, misfortune, trouble, hardship, distress, disaster, suffering, affliction, sorrow, misery, tribulation, woe, pain, trauma, mishap, accident, upset, setback, crisis, catastrophe, tragedy, calamity, trial, cross, or burden.

We all go through trials in our lives.  Some circumstances are created by bad choices we make and some are unavoidable because of the world we live in.  “We will all go through things in life, but the things we go through are the very circumstances, challenges, and situations that make us people who know how to overcome adversity.  We do not grow or become strong during life’s good times; we grow when we press through difficulties without giving up.”

We must have adversity in our lives to grow in Christ.  We must appreciate life and understand that it may not always be good, but God is always good!  He is always faithful! He is always in control!  We do life with Him every day so we can face our circumstances and fears head-on!  We must “press in, press on, [and] press through” our hardships and never give up to see the reward — to reach our future goals and our full potential.

Repeat the following statement today and believe that God is with you through hardship and suffering:  “God, I know that today nothing can happen that you and I can’t handle together.”

The hardships in our lives should never hinder us from God’s will.  They should make us stronger for going through  it!  Thomas Carlyle said that “the block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong.”  I encourage you to stay strong and face life with God!

(Quotes from the book, “Never Give Up” by Joyce Meyer)

You Are Enough For God

So many times we focus on our faults and let satan defeat us in thinking we are not good enough for God.  God does not expect us to be perfect; He only expects us to follow after Him with our whole heart.

Many people are “afraid God is displeased with them because they don’t read the Bible enough, they don’t pray properly, or they don’t have enough faith.  They live in bondage to the fear that nothing they do is ever enough for God.  This is a lie!  The devil wants us to believe ‘enough is never enough’  He wants us to feel no matter what we do, God will always want something more or something different.” (Quote from the book, “Never Give Up” by Joyce Meyer)

You are enough for God!  Believe that today!  Don’t believe lies that the enemy tells you!

You are MORE than enough for God!  Repeat that statement until you believe it!

Worry…

WORRY
IS USELESS
UNNECESSARY ANXIETY
BRINGS ON UNNEEDED STRESS

Are you the type of person that worries about every little thing —  the unknowns or the unexpected?  If so, you are not alone.  Everyone worries about something and most of the time the things we worry about is important to us.  We worry about what the future holds or receiving a diagnosis that is unpredictable.  We worry about what people think about us and want to feel accepted.  We all worry!

Worry is not productive.  It only brings unnecessary anxiety and stress into our lives.  It can bring on paranoia and illnesses.  The Bible says we have a choice and our choices are to trust God with our lives or try to do life without Him.  When we trust God with our circumstances and the unknowns, we have nothing to worry about.  We are being held by a Heavenly Father who loves us and cares about our every need.

Matthew 6:25-34 says that we do not need to worry about anything — life, what we eat or drink, what we wear.  Those things are provided to us by God.  In verse 33, God says to seek Him first and all these things will be given to us.  In verse 34, it states, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

In the book Matthew and Luke it states that God takes care of the birds in the sky.  God provides them food and water.  If God takes care of the birds, how much more can God take care of us?  We are made in His image.  We are precious to Him.  He calls us His children!

In Matthew 11:28-30, God says “come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  God invites us to give our burdens to Him.  He asks us to place them on the cross and leave them there.  Jesus received all our burdens when He carried the cross to Calvary to die for our sins.

There are many, many Scriptures in the Bible that talk about:
Peace       (John 14:27, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Colossians 3:15, Hebrews 13:5-6)
Trouble     (John 14:27, Psalm 23:4)
Worry       (Matthew and Luke, Psalm 55:22) 
Anxiety     (Philippians 4:6-7, Proverbs 12:25, 1 Peter 5:6-8)
Trust        (Psalm 56:3, Proverbs 3;5-6)

Replace anxiety with hope for the future!
Replace worry with peace!

Worry keeps us in the past when God wants us to live in the present!  The next time you find yourself worrying about something, remember that God is with you and wants to give you peace.  Rest in His arms today and be comforted by a God who will never let you go!

Waiting….Hoping…Dreaming

Do you sometimes say to yourself, “I feel like I’m waiting for something that
isn’t going to happen?”
Do you sometimes feel hopeless or alone in your hopes and dreams?
Do you sometimes feel like God is silent?

Waiting is not an easy task for anyone.  We live in a world that wants things right now rather than wait for it.  We wait in line at the store, restaurants, and in traffic jams.  We have to wait our turn to talk to an operator on the phone.  We all know what it feels like to wait.  We wait for something every day.

In the Bible, God does not promise us an easy journey, but He does say the wait will be worth it.  “The soul that waits upon the Lord is the soul that is entirely surrendered to Him, and that trusts Him perfectly.”   A person who trust God and surrenders his or her life to Him understands what waiting is all about. It is about preserving even when there is nothing happening or trials come his or her way.

When God makes us wait for a dream or a desire in our lives, it makes us stronger and reminds us not to take it for granted.  Isaiah 40:31 states that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”  It is so easy to get tired of waiting and give up.  Isaiah says our strength is in the Lord.  As long as we believe that, God will renew us and keep us strong in Him.  Psalm 27:14 declares that we need to wait for the Lord and remain strong in Christ.

When we wait for the Lord, we submit to His ways.  Psalm 130:5 says to “wait for the Lord” with our “whole being” and put our hope in His Word [Bible].  Another way to stay strong while waiting is to dive into the Word, believe what it says, and apply it to our lives for encouragement.  Intentionally read the Bible and let God speak into us with truth and wisdom over our lives.

There are many characters in the Bible that had to wait for their promises from God.  Joseph waited 13 years to get out of slavery with the Pharisees.  Abraham waited 25 years before Isaac was born.  Moses waited 40 years to get out of the wilderness to save the Israelites out of bondage.  Jesus waited 30 years to start his ministry.  You see, we are not alone in waiting.  These people in the Bible waited for a dream to come true and hoped every day that God would fulfill these promises.  When God fulfilled these promises, God showed up in a big way and changed their lives forever.

One of the first steps of trusting God is to be still and know that God is good all the time (Psalm 46:10).  The next step is to believe and declare over your life that God knows the plans for your future, and He is going to prosper you (Jeremiah 29:11).  The third step is to believe that God hears you and will give you the desires of your heart in His perfect timing (Micah 7:7).

Personal Experience

My mom began a few years ago calling me her ladybug. I never knew what it meant.  While on vacation with my mom a few weeks back, I found a pocket charm with a ladybug on it that says: “Dreams come true”!  I have so many dreams that have not yet been fulfilled and have given up on them.  In some ways, I have given up on God, because He is silent in these areas.  I stopped waiting and moved on.  Rather than trusting God with my dreams and knowing He will fulfill them in His timing, I have given up on them completely.  This charm reminds me that I still need to believe and trust God, no matter the outcome.  I do not need to give up and get frustrated while waiting.  I do not need to lose hope and stop dreaming, because I see nothing happening.  I need to believe because God is real, and He can do the impossible (Luke 18:27; Matthew 19:26).

Taking Action

What have you stopped dreaming about?  What have you quit or gave up on because the wait was too long?  Do you need to bring the dreams and desires back into your life and remember what it was like to have hope again?  Do you need God to heal your hurt and redeem what was meant for you and you alone?

Whatever it may be, spend time with God and His Word this week!  Believe again for the future!  Believe in the impossible!  Believe that the Almighty, All-Knowing God cares about you and wants the best for you!  He never leaves or forsakes you (Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8).

Stay Where You Are

Source: Stay Where You Are

Good Blog! Stay where God is present in your life — no matter the circumstances!