By His Spirit

When The Word says, “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” what is He saying to us?

All too often we tend to think we have accomplished or achieved what we want in our own strength, knowledge or ability.  Not so!  Apart from the Lord, we can do nothing, but with Him, we can do all things!

If we allow our spirits to be guided by the Holy Spirit, we obtain wisdom beyond belief, favor with men to accomplish those things we did not know how to do, and the connections to get it done.  With the Holy Spirit, we can be prepared for future events that we would have never thought possible.

Our success here on earth, is not because of who we are or what we know, but because of who we know and how we allow His Spirit to direct our every move.  Hallelujah for the Holy Spirit’s directions.  It is done–not by power or might, but by His Spirit, says the Lord!

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QUIT COMPLAINING!

Watch what you say!

Don’t Look Back!

If we continue (keep going and never look back as we live it) in God’s Word, we demonstrate that we are disciples (followers of Jesus and doers of The Word), we shall know The Truth (Jesus–personally), and The Truth (His love and mercy) will make us free (to do His Will).

Wow!  Reading The Word, seeking understanding and revelation, puts us on the path to doing great things in His Name.  Getting to know Him (especially through the Gospel of John), face-to-face and allowing Him to lead us in all things is the best thing we could ever do for us.

I am on the path of greatness right now, not because of who I am, but because of who He is and what He is to me.  He is my comforter, counselor, guiding light, my joy in the midst of sadness, and my strength when I am weak.  He is my healer, my provider–everything I need He has provided and has never left me alone.  Hallelujah!  I will continue in His Word–never looking back at those things that I thought would bring me joy.  I am free to do all He has requested of me and I love doing His Will.

Continue in His Word and allow Him to free you from all the worries and distractions that so easily assail us and watch Him work on your behalf.

Psalm 23 v 3

“He refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right path for His name’s sake.”

            The Spirit of The Lord refreshes our souls.  He gives us renewed energy when we’re drained from the trials of life.  He encourages us to keep going and will not allow us to give up.  Whenever the enemy attempts to plant a seed of doubt in our minds, the Holy Spirit is right there, reminding us that our faith is in Jesus and we do not have to listen to anything the enemy says.  The Holy Spirit brings the Word to our remembrance, when we are too tired to think, and washes us—renews us with The Word.

The Spirit of The Lord has set us upon a path He has determined will bring us to the place where He would have us to be in order to receive, “all the good things He has in store for us.”  If we would just allow Him to take control over our lives—not as a dictator, but as a loving, forgiving Father, Friend, and Counselor, our lives would be so much better.  We must remember that He who established our future—a future with a promise and hope—will not mislead us, but He will also not force us to receive His best.  We must make a choice and our choices determine our end.

Choose The Counselor today to make all of your decisions and allow Him to guide you so you can receive all of His best for your life.

 

What A Mirror Reflects of God

A loving God with a sense of humor, constantly reminds us of our fragile, human flaws.

As I was getting dressed this morning, I took a good look at the aging body reflected in the mirror. The sags, the bags, the crinkles and wrinkles, the lumps and bumps and thought, “Oh my God! My body is rebelling!  You see, like many of us, I see what I want to see. My mind’s eyes see a youthful, shake-it-up baby body.   A body that always attracted the attention of the men, but the most attention it gets now is, “I can imagine how she used to look.” You can see the pity in their eyes as they turn away, not wanting to stare, but you caught it.  But in your mind’s eyes, you don’t have a clue.

Looking in the mirror at the reflection of a body that some how, I wish were younger–not!

If I was younger, I’d have to start all over to get where I am and trust me, that was not a pretty journey.  So, I’ll live with the realityof God’s humor in allowing us to have–just for a moment–a glorious time in life when we knew we had it going on.

We still have it going on, and on, and on–we just don’t know where it might end!

When you look down at your feet and can’t see them–don’t sweat it, get moving!

When you realize you don’t see as well as you used to see–get glasses and keep stepping.

When you can’t move as fast as you used to move–take a praise break, as often as you need and keep on trucking!

When you feel like life has gotten the best of you–look in the mirror and remember that you have gotten the best out of life and you are what God intended you to be.

I can look at the spots and wrinkles, the sags and bags and I can see my feet when I look down, but I know on this side of 60, I must have a sense of humor to appreciate where I am and where I have yet to go!  God has a plan and I’m living it with joy in my heart and a smile on my face, just the way He planned it.

Psalm 23 v 2

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters”

            In order to get a better understanding of this verse, one needs to understand the symbolic representation as well as the concrete.

“He” is referencing the Great Shepherd as continued from verse 1.

“Makes me lie down in green pastures” can be misleading to some if we attempt to take the word makes literally.  He provides us with opportunities—whether we take them or not, that’s on us—in rich environments, environments that are ripe with possibilities.  Are you dwelling in a rich environment, ripe with opportunities, just waiting for your unique touch?  We do when we follow His lead.  Like the old adage says, “you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink it.” I can imagine that God feels the same way about us when we do not follow His directions in leading us.  We complain and wonder what happened, but we seldom look to self as the culprit.

Then after He leads us to the opportunity, He “leads us beside quiet waters,” provides us with the space (learning patience) we need to maintain peace—in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our country.  Before we can attempt to create peace outside of ourselves, we must know the peace of God and that peace should dwell within us.  We should not be so easily moved by every trial and tribulation that confronts with emotional irrationality. Emotional reactions to any situation will generally lead to miscalculations about what should be done and when.  When peace resides, calm, rational thinking can reign and the end results will be more harmonious and resemble godliness than without it.

Allow Him to bring you into the place where opportunities abound and peace resides richly wherever you go!

Miscellaneous Fun Stuff

First of all, Thank you for any followers who made it possible for my first self-loaded eBook to be ranked #1 in Devotionals for the 5 day free book promotion.  Total downloads, 316.  My prayer now is that every person who downloaded a free book, will tell 2 friends and they’ll tell 2 friends…and they will buy the book for $1.99.

Secondly, thank you for supporting my blog posts with your interest.  I really do appreciate and write to encourage and hopefully inspire all.

By way of announcement, I am in the process of writing individual books for each character in Trapped and they will be available soon. The Session–Chapter 11 in Trapped is being presented as a play on June 15, 2013 @ 4:00 p.m. in Detroit.  A panel discussion–regarding women’s issues–will proceed after the presentation with professionals and information for women in need of support or assistance.

Last, but not least–let’s change the way we look at each day we wake.  How many positive adjectives can you think of to describe each day of the week?  Here are my thoughts:

Supernatural Sunday

Marvelous Monday

Terrific Tuesday

Wonderful Wednesday

Transformative Thursday

Faithful Friday

Super Saturday

Positive affirmations at the beginning of every day, will make a difference in our attitude and in how we approach life’s daily challenges.

Have a wonderfully blessed day, this day!

Psalm 23:1

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!”

            What is the role of a shepherd?  A good shepherd makes sure they know where to lead the sheep so they will be able to eat and be nourished and be safe.  A good shepherd is watchful, always alert to situations that would endanger their flock. A good shepherd knows his flock—every one of them and knows when one is missing in action or is hurting or disheartened.  A good shepherd provides for the flock that they are leading; not expecting the flock to provide for them.  A good shepherd stands guard to ward off the enemy from attacking their flock.

A shepherd’s role is not always a glorious one.  The shepherd usually ends up smelling like the sheep dung the flock leaves behind.  A shepherd must sometimes put themselves in dangerous situation in order to protect the flock or to rescue them.  A shepherd is not always considered a role of value, but of necessity.

The leaders of the church today are supposed to be good shepherds.  They are supposed to care for the flock, not fleece the flock (not withstanding a good shepherd in this role should be compensated for their leadership and care of the flock). They are supposed to “feed” the sheep good food based on The Word (not junk food-based on current events or trends).  They are supposed to be mindful of dangers that will entrap their flock.  They are supposed to know the enemy’s influence when they see it and eradicate it. They are supposed to love their flock enough to know each one and care about what happens to them.

What kind of shepherd are you?  What type of shepherd are you following?

I know the Good Shepherd, who will provide everything we need and we will not lack anything we need.  I know the Good Shepherd who warns us of dangerous situations and makes sure we know that we are never alone. Do you know Him? Get to know the Good Shepherd and watch Him work in your life!  Hallelujah for our Risen Savior!

 

When to Trust!

When do we trust someone else?

Do we “trust” people we do not know or have never met?

Do we trust people who have lied to us?

Do we trust people who take advantage of us?

Do we trust people who demonstrate that they hate us?

The Word tells us in Ephesians that we learned to trust  in God, after we heard the Truth.  In order for us to know whether something is true or not, we have to know the source of information.  If the source of information is not reliable, most of us won’t trust it.  So what is your source?  There have been many times when people have asked me why I believe in the Bible.  Some have implied that I believe because of being “brainwashed or indoctrinated” by others.  Neither of these is true.  I learned to trust in the Bible because of my relationship with God.  It was He who opened my eyes and revealed His perfect plan for me.  It was He who guided me into reading His Word and “after” I read the Word, He revealed Himself in a greater light, and provided me with understanding and direction.  It was after, I read the Word that I could trust in The Word.

Read The Word.  Develop a relationship with God so He can show you that He is indeed worthy of our never-ending trust.

If we don’t trust Him, we won’t obey Him.  If we don’t obey, we will not be in position to be blessed by Him. I am blessed and highly favored because of my trust in Him and my obedience to Him.  What an awesome God! Hallelujah!

Thinking About His Goodness

When I think about the goodness of Jesus, my soul cries out–Hallelujah!

My depression-buster, distractor-net, my comfort in times of stress is just thinking about–where would I be, without Jesus in my life?

In order to understand why I feel this way, one would have to know what my life was like without Him.

I was lost, sinking fast and deep into a life that could only lead to an early death, but now I float with a magnificent ease through life’s storms, knowing I don’t have to handle anything, just trust in The Lord!

At one time, I didn’t even think I would live to see 50 and now I’m praising God to see 95.   The devil has been defeated and has no control over my thought life.

There was a time when I was blinded to the truth of His Word because I had not had an opportunity to “listen with my eyes” to those who proclaimed the gospel but did not live it.  Now, I proclaim the gospel wherever I go and live it to the glory of God.

I don’t know what the end of my life is going to be, but right now–I know it is certainly better than my past without Him guiding me and I look forward to receiving my crowns when I stand before Him.  Hallelujah!  I know it was the blood that saved a wretch like me! I was once blind, but now I truly see all of the good things He has in store for me and I know, no good thing will He withhold from me or anyone else who loves Him.  Hallelujah to our Risen King!