Thanksgiving Friday!

Wow. I'm sorry I missed so many of you stopping through today!

I was down for the count fighting a cold, but I'm feeling much better now.

I just wanted to post a Thanksgiving shout out to God for my wonderful Father who is celebrating his birthday today.

Thank you Lord for blessing me to have a man of God who raised me in the fear and admonition of the Lord, was a model of love, and has encouraged me to be the best young lady that I can be. I am proud to say that my Dad was in my life, contributed to my life, and is still helping to make my life bright.

Have a blessed weekend everyone!

Fuzzy Feelings

Today I'm feeling a bit...fuzzy. I took some medication last night trying to ward off a cold, and I woke up kind of out of it this morning. It's like I'm trying to think through a cloud. Yet, God is still worthy to be praised! I'm praying my breakfast and morning tea will kick in and get me over this hump any moment now.

Sometimes it feels as if our spirits are a bit fuzzy too sometimes. We may pray, read the Word, and go to church only to feel disconnected and separate from the experience. The touch of God that we've felt before isn't there. The feeling of God's presence seems to have lifted from our beings. The voice of God that was so close on other days is silent in our souls.

We may be tempted to give up on interacting with our Heavenly Father during those times. It may appear pointless to continue to search for God when it looks like He clearly doesn't want to be found. We may think it's futile for us to keep on trying.

It is during these moments that we should press in all the more seeking God's face. These very times can bring about our biggest breakthroughs and our most poignant experiences with our Heavenly Father. As you continue to draw closer to God, He will definitely draw closer to you. (James 4:8a)

Don't give up. Don't lose heart. Even in our fuzzy times God is still right there with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. We just have to hold on and trust that His Word is true.

Verse of the Day: Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. Matthew 7:7, 8 AMP

Rain, Rain Go Away?

This morning I woke up to clouds and rain... a-gain. Its been raining for days on end over here in Chicagoland. I would love to see a little sun and be able to feel a little warmth. It is supposed to be spring, right?

Walking in to work this morning, it was on the tip of my tongue to complain about all of this wet weather. Yet something stopped me. I thought about the One who's causing all the rain. There's a reason why He's keeping on the spout, who am I to question His direction?

The same can be said about our personal journeys through life. At times it may feel like our lives are continuously being stricken with rainclouds and storms. We may grow weary of our 'wet weather' and cry out to God for relief.

Our God never does anything on a whim. He doesn't do things 'just because' either. Our God is purposeful in His action, and works everything together for our ultimate good. We should trust that whatever winds He's allowing to blow in our lives will bring us to His purposed good place.

So, yes, you may be tired of putting on your rain boots and pulling out your umbrella. You may have grown tired of the gray skies and the rainy winds. You can still take comfort knowing that the One who is allowing those winds to blow also holds the power to make the sun shine and the skies clear. And this same God has your best interests at heart.

Be encouraged. It's all a part of His plan for your good.

Verse of the Day: Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out. For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof: Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly. Job 36:26-28

You Have His Power!

Happy Tuesday, Everyone! I am back from my vacation, and I feel so refreshed! I pray all of you had a wonderful Easter Resurrection Day celebration.

It's because of Christ's resurrection that we can have eternal life. If Jesus had merely died, it would have all been for nothing. His conquering death means that we can live eternally with Him.

Since Jesus holds all power over death, He holds power over those areas in our lives that seem to be dying, are dead, or died a long time ago. (Matthew 28:18) He can resurrect those things and bring them back to life. And we have been blessed to be given that same power by Jesus Himself. We just have to take our rightful place and exert that authority.

Jesus said that we would be able to do greater works than He did. What greater works have occurred because of you? Have you even stepped out in faith in that regard? Don't miss out on one of your privileges as a believer!

Speak to those things that seem dead in your life that you know need to be breathing. Call them back to life with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Don't let the devil have the last say. Stand up in the power of Jesus' name and raise that thing back up! You have the authority!

Verse of the Day: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12

Thanksgiving Friday!

If there was ever a Friday to be thankful, today is the day! Today is the day that we celebrate the sacrifice our savior Jesus Christ made on the cross. Don't let today go by without remembering and offering your thanks to Him for giving up His life so that you can live!

Thank you Jesus for shedding your blood for us!

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53:2-12

Praise Him!

It's a beautiful day today! Lets rejoice and be glad in it. As you go about your day today let the joy of the Lord shine out from you.

I'm on a bit of a 'staycation' so theres no post today. God is yet on the throne, so lets give Him praise! Have a blessed day.

Never Miss An Opportunity To Be A Witness!

This morning I was thinking about the thief who was on the cross next to Jesus when he was crucified. Despite of the pain and suffering He was going through, Jesus still made time to minister to the lost. As the thief acknowledged that Jesus was innocent and truly was the 'King of the Jews,' our Savior assured him that he would be partaking in the glories of heaven that day.

There was something about Jesus that made the thief recognize that He was truly from God. Even as they hung dying, the man could still see the glory that Jesus held.

We have that same Jesus living on the inside of us. Yet how do we go through our suffering and our trials? Do we still allow the glory of God to shine through no matter the pain that we feel? Can strangers look on us and still know that we are redeemed by God?

In addition to showing the glory, are we still making time to share the glory as we go through? At times our weights can be so heavy that we get wrapped up in our own concerns and pressing issues. However, there is still a sin-sick world all around us that is crying out for a Savior. We still need to make time to share His love with them despite what we are currently facing.

If Jesus could take time to save someone from hell's flames as he suffered the incomprehensible agony of the cross, surely we can share the love of God in the midst of our trials.

Verse of the Day: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:42, 43