Do You Understand Your Worth?

You are worth a lot to God. Do you know how much?

Do you see the value in yourself that God sees?

How can you be in relationships with people who don't when you have a choice?

There needs to be a transformation so that you can see you how you really are in the Kingdom of God.

Romans 12:2

Psalm 119:105

You mean SO much to Our Father. You don't deserve inferiority or mediocrity. Nothing like that is worthy of you. Get it right and see yourself like God sees you! You can learn. He's given you his Word to teach and elevate you.

Take the journey upwards now. Step on the elevator of God and be uplifted to the heights of understanding where he intends for you to be. You mean something to God, more than you've ever known before.

******************

Image Credit: Google

Tomorrow Could Be The Day

God sometimes seems late but in the end, he's right on time.

It's darkest before the dawn.

Just when we think we can't take anymore, God delivers us.

If the deliverance is not total, it's enough to give us saving relief.

It's enough to encourage and strengthen us.

It's enough for us to feel that we can go on.

It's enough for us to understand that he is aware of what's going on with us.

Our Father is always aware of how much we can take.

*****

Christian Creativity: Cross Thank You Tags

Cute Christian thank you tags that I made as an incentive gift when I was selling physical handmades online. I die-cut circles, distressed the edges with a purple ink pad and stamped them in green.; with a thank you stamp.

I think I ordered the crosses from a paper crafting seller, because I can't recall that I have a cross punch. The unique thing that I did was pop up the crosses with dimensional tabs similar to Pop Dots. Then I punched holes in the top with my nifty rectangle hole punch. I added magenta-colored ties made with embroidery floss.

Making thank-you tags is a nice hostess gift, birthday gift or just because gift. 

Scripture Book In The Works

I'm working on a fav scriptures book to publish at Amazon KDP. The title is I Am Prospering In Every Way: Scripture Declarations & Prayer Prompts. It's a book encouraging Christian growth and living by faith. I'm sharing the scriptures that I have memorized and quote every morning.

There are 32 scriptures and I've written up 9 of them so far. In each chapter I quote 1 scripture and write a paraphrase of it that makes it more practical to apply to our daily lives. I then add a simple prayer prompt.

For the cover design, I started with a photographs design using Affinity Photo. I then decided to create a vector design using Affinity Designer. I've shared both draft designs below. The spreads are showing the backs and fronts. I am sure I'll be going with the vector design (the 1st one). I like its crispness.

I'm trying to write up 1 scripture per day so that I can publish as soon as possible. This will be my first Christian book and I'm anxious to get it done. Are you doing any Christian publishing or design work? Christian crafting?

Love Yourself With God's Love

 

God loves us unrelentingly.

Why not love ourselves?

Only then can we love others with his love.

His love is shed abroad in our hearts when we love ourselves enough to receive it.

His love then flows from us out to others and covers a multitude of sins.

What can you do for yourself to show that you love you with The Father's love?

Image Credit: PixTeller

Blessed Wednesday! Focus On The Positive!

God's will includes living our lives to the fullest no matter what circumstances we are in. There are many ways that we can more appreciate what God has done and live more uplifting, fulfilling lives. Giving thanks and reaching out to help others helps us to focus on the positive that serving God through Jesus Christ brings into our lives. Even though it is very difficult sometimes to feel positive, God's knows our hearts and will help us if we ask. 

We are so used to working things out for ourselves that we have been trained to not ask for help. We forget that despite how things have been or are for us, God cares about every little thing that concerns us. Just because he doesn't always change our difficult circumstances doesn't mean that he does not care. His plans are just so perfect and his blessings so great that we can't perceive them in advance.

The cares and troubles of this life easily get us down. Some of us have many more struggles than others, so we often feel hopeless and alone. Despite this, our compassionate and kind Father in Heaven is always near to help us to focus on the positive that is available to all who love him and believe in salvation through The Lamb, his precious Son, Jesus Christ.

Help is always near, through The Father, who knows everything about us, through The Son who is ever interceding for us, and through The Holy Spirit, who is given to all Believers as a comforter and a guide.

Dear Father: Increase our faith, restore unto us the joy of our salvation, uphold us with your free Spirit. Help us. We love you with a perfect love in our reborn spirits and nothing can separate us from your love. Thank you, Father! 

 

Christian Poetry: Look Up

Look up, even though your heart is broken.

 

Look up, even though you are oh so discouraged.

 

Look up, even though it seems impossible.

 

Look up, even though you can't take it anymore.

 

Look up, even though nothing has ever worked out for you.

 

Look up, even though you don't think that God loves you.

 

Look up, because you are God's by your own choice.

 

Look up, believe and confess that these issues will work out for your good, because the word, ordained by your loving, Heavenly Father, said they would. 

 

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 

 

Reach Out & Take Authority Of Your Life

Don't put off doing simple things like this that you think about.

How many times have you said you were going to write someone, send someone a Christmas card, call and say hi? How long ago was that? How many Christmases have passed since you said you would do that? Are they even still alive?

Lonely? Bored? Hate going places alone? Have you tried to invite anyone that you know? That you recently met? Have you tried to meet someone and invite them anywhere? Is it impossible? Can you try to make it un-impossible?

Frustrated that people get the wrong idea about you? Can you explain how you feel, what you think? Can you work on expressing yourself? Do you try and people don't listen? Are you trying to get the wrong people or the wrong type of people to understand you?

Have you really taken time to ask questions about something that is important to you that you don't understand? Do you think you will sound stupid? Do you think that someone may laugh? Should you practice not caring that someone may berate you and practice asking anyway, until you find someone who will answer?

Are you afraid that you'll lose friends if you say that you don't like this, or don't want to do that? Should you try to keep those friends happy or even keep them?

When was the last time that you told someone that you like their personality, what they did or what they said? How often do you say thank you? Have you told people you don't know who service you that you appreciate them?

Disappointed that you're always getting what you don't want, don't need, don't appreciate? Have you explained what would make you happy? Are you angry that people don't know? Should you be angry?

Have you brought a great, big smile to someone's face by telling them that you like them? Have you given any person a warm feeling inside by telling them that you don't know what you'd do without them? Have you made anyone's day by telling them that you love them?

It's as simple as that.

Reach out and bless your life.

Do what is in your heart and you can't go wrong.

Even if you are ridiculed, unappreciated and

ignored, you can't go wrong.

They are wrong.

Just keep doing what is in your heart everyday,

and see what happens.


Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

Mark 9:23


For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'

Isaiah 41:13
NKJV

Image Credit: FBook, Positive Energy

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary IV

Tired, discouraged and weary of praying?

Have you ever wondered why God allows you to feel that way, tired, discouraged and weary of praying? To paraphrase one of my readers, it's enough that while we are living on this Earth we can't see, touch and be physically hugged by him. So when we keep faithfully praying for something, with no tangible sign that we are being heard and no perceived change in our circumstances, that's where the tiredness comes from. It's exhausting and frustrating! It's hard to keep going on, to believe in the power of prayer, to trust God.

But that's just it, I do believe that often he is speaking to us, but we don't yet see or hear it. For one thing, I truly do believe that if we change our prayer from asking/begging for a thing to thanking him for it once we ask the first time, we will see changes.

I've also learned that when we pray, we often do so with a preconceived notion of how and when the prayer will be answered. We are looking for the answer in a certain way. When we open up to God and choose to accept how ever he may work it out, we stop looking for OUR answer and open up to receive HIS answer.

God never answers our prayers without it also blessing the inner person.

"So when we keep faithfully praying for something, with no tangible sign we are being heard and no change in our circumstances, that's where the tiredness comes from." Yes, I feel this entirely, and just because I share insight into this doesn't mean that I no longer suffer. I still sometimes am reduced to begging God, because of my trial, but I'm doing much better and have grown much more than when I wrote the first Tired Of Praying message.

A lot of my prayer answers were preceded by an inner change in me. God never answers our prayers without it also blessing the inner person with growth and strength. Sometimes, we just simply keep praying the wrong things, or ineffective things. As we grow in God, we learn how to dissect and evaluate our prayer habits and improve them. Without growth in God, our prayer lives never improve.

Sometimes, we pray for things that are never going to happen, especially regarding other people. We may pray and pray and beg and beg for someone to live, but they weren't meant to. It was their time, and even if it wasn't their time to us, God saw fit to allow them to leave. No amount of pleading, fervent prayer or prayer tweaking would have made a difference. 

Growing in the Lord helps us to continuously adjust our prayers.

The key is growing in Christ. What is that? Being assured from within that we are changing from the effects of reading the Bible regularly, praying faithfully the best way that we know how, and being obedient when we feel that pricking about anything from the Holy Spirit. Growing in the Lord helps us to continuously adjust our prayers, so that they can become more effective and not hurt us. 

Prayers are supposed to strengthen and refresh. Prayers are supposed to give hope, not pain. Prayers are supposed to be a refuge from any and everything, whether inner or outer. Prayers are supposed to be that coveted time with a dear friend and Heavenly Father, who will talk with us on our level. We are not supposed to be subjected to prayer, to feel that it is not working. Prayer is supposed to be subject to us, to bring about the desired effect. Prayer is the greatest resource that the Christian has. 

Prayer is the greatest resource that the Christian has!

The next step is to crush the fear that things will not work out, that nothing will ever change, that you will never be happy. When the desire to beg and plead for that same old thing tries to rule you again, stop the thought and thank God for what you originally prayed for. Thank him that it has been done, according to his will. Your faith in his will is what will bring about change. Move on and petition or ask God for the next thing, leaving the old thing at the Cross. From then on, thank him for that old thing until you recognize an answer, however and whenever it shall come.  

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary II

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary III

You Are Here: Tired Of Praying & Weary V

Start Each Day With Thankfulness

I thank God 

For a successful day

Filled with faith, hope and focus

 

 

Matthew 6:22

 

Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body.

When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. 

(NLT)

 The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye is sound,

your whole body will be full of light.

  (WEB)

 The light of the body is the eye; if then your eye is true,

all your body will be full of light.

  (BBE)

 The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is healthy,

your whole body will be full of light.

(CEB)

 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,

thy whole body shall be full of light.

  (KJV)

 

Poetry: He Will Turn It Into Good

He Will Turn It Into Good

I heard a man on TV today,
Who spoke about suffering and trials to allay,
The feeling that struggles are really for nothing,
The often unfairness and our life's contorting.

He said if we could not determine a cause,
That we can be certain and give this applause,
That we will come out of it richer inside,
The strength that we get will show on the outside.

Some trials are too heavy, some burdens beyond,
What we think is fair, way too much put upon.
But, there is not anything God cannot use,
To make our lives better, to help us improve.

That does not support that our pain is ordained,
That God must make sorrow for blessings to rain.
He does not need trouble and horror and woe.
He needs not the evil from that pit below.

We live in a world that is set on a course.
The fault is not ours so we feel no remorse.
We know we can't change Satan's evil world reign.
The Blood of Our Savior we use as a bane.

Don't think about quitting or turning on God.
To God be the glory and give him a nod.
He will make it right, this old world has to go,
And all of the pain and the suffering and woe.

So what can't be changed will be taken for you,
And made as a blessing, to help others too.
Just keep holding on and don't dare you forget,
That you will come out of it richer and blessed.

 

~ SJ Holland~

"He Will Turn It Into Good" poem ©Holland Writing & Publishing
Image: Pixabay.com

I Prayed And It's Getting Worse! Why?

Often, when we are believing God for big changes, and praying and standing on his promises, the opposite will seem to happen. When we think things should be getting better, some things may seem to get worse. Some areas in our lives may need to collapse, so that God can build upon a stronger foundation that which we desire.

This is not pertaining to the foundation of the life of a Christian, for that main foundation is already built upon the Rock of Jesus Christ. The foundations that I'm speaking about are the areas of our lives that are a hinderance to obtaining what we want. They are superflous things, people and circumstances that need to go, that usually were not introduced by God into our lives to remain in the first place.

Some definitions of superflous include unnecessary; uncalled-for; wasteful. The best definition, though, is obsolete, which means no longer produced or used; out of date. They may have been useful at the time, according to God's plan, but are no longer so. We don't realize that many advancements, relationships and situations that we encounter are not meant to continue along the road with us.

God rarely reveals to us that what is a blessing at one time will become dispensible at his appointed time. These invited-turned-uninvited blessings must be wrenched from our lives in ways that we don't expect, because we don't understand that we must let them go. While God is permanent, the circumstances that he allows or places in our lives are not always so.

How do we handle these potentially upsetting and distressing developments? We continue to stand on the original promise of God. While doing so, we also do what is best at any given time, facing the challenges that God places before us. We determine to continue to have faith in him, while doing our part to fearlessly manage our daily lives, fearing no thing.

We go with the flow and recommit to God daily, loving and praising him with every fiber in our being. The course may veer off along the path at times, but if we are sure of what God is doing in our lives, then the path is the same. It is time to move upwards and onwards to what we asked God for.

Definitions: dictionary.com , Google 
Image: pixabay.com

Why Praise God In Bad Times?

Don't support the devil's evil mechanizations in your life. Rise up and praise God, no matter what is happening that you can't control! No matter what God allows in your life, stand tall and praise him!

No matter who the devil may be influencing in your life, they are not in control. Raise your hands and praise God! The devil does not want you to praise God. If you don't praise God in adversity, you will be supporting the devil's evil mechanizations. If you don't praise God, you will slowly lose your strength. So switch your focus when it comes to praising.

Don't focus on praising God for the good things. That comes naturally. It's easy to praise God for good things, and blessings. Focus on praising him during the bad, difficult times. During what appears to be curses settling into your life. Praise him, praise him, praise him. Make yourself do it when you don't feel like it. I read that someone said something to this effect: Prayer starts the blessings. Praise brings them on home!!! 

 

The Kingdom Of God Is Like...?

The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Like...

The kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field...

The kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field...

The kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal...

The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hid in a field...

The kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls...

The kingdom of Heaven is like a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind... 

The kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things... 

Matthew 13:24-52 

Have you read and studied to learn just what the Kingdom of Heaven is, and how it pertains to your life here, and in the hereafter?

It's not just a place that we go to when we leave this earth.

It is behaviors, experiences, occurrences and principles, as well as a place where we will be honored to spend Eternity, which is just forever and forever.

But, as many profess today, Eternity is now, the moment when you accepted Jesus Christ as the only Savior of mankind, as your Savior.

So, if you haven't read these illuminating scriptures, or if you've only read them once, read them again, over and over until you feel God's Spirit revealing to you just what your should be experiencing as a member in His Kingdom. Afterall, you do want all that is yours.

 

What CAN We Change That Will Bless Us?

My great-grandmother was a three-time widow, who appeared to be very unhappy towards the end of her life. As I continued my genealogical research, my heart went out to her. How neglected and unloved she must have felt by God. She was blessed to find a new husband three times, only to find herself left alone in the end. Existing day after day, and though fit, caring for an elderly sister, and herself being elderly and alone.

As I thought back on the few times I remember being in her presence, I can see now what part of the reason could have been why she appeared cold and stand-offish. In fact, the last time I saw her, she looked simply dejected and miserable. She was born in the late 19th century, and married my grandfather's father in her 20's. By the time she was 61, he had died, she had married again and her 2nd husband died. A few years after that, and sometime between when I was born and my first memory of her, she had married her 3rd husband, who died before I remember him. Though I'd heard about 1 or 2 of her marriages, I'd only known her as a single woman.

As my heart ached for her, I thought about how it is these types of turns in life that cause many to feel that God does not care, that he does not love them. Some say in their hearts, "Afterall, why would he bless me with husbands who die and leave me? And here I am alone in the end. In the end, I have been left with years of loneliness, drudgery and boredom. No one to help me in my declining years, and  I have my single sister to care for. How cruel and unfair life has been to me!"

I don't know my great-grandmother's thoughts during that time. These are my general guesses on how anyone may have felt. From her demeanor when I knew her, it did not appear that she was happy, upbeat and optimistic. Not until I was well into my adult years, in fact, fairly recently, did I come to understand the course of her marriages, and how it must have been for her to endure it.

Sometimes life just beats us down, and we become tired, period. But we should start early claiming all that the Bible says that God feels for us, and all that he wants us to think and have. Why? Because his love and promises are in spite of life's twists and turns. Some have more sorrow and suffering than others. Things never seem to work out for many, and they can't catch their breath before another crisis happens. It doesn't just rain, it pours for so many Christians, and often the torrent of trials don't seem to let up. Does all of this negate God's love for each individual? No! Does it mean that he has forgotten us? No! Does that mean that his Bible is worthless? No!

There are going to continue to be problems, sorrows, disappointments and devastation in this world, until it is over for all of us, living and dead. We may have dreams fulfilled, and we may have happiness at every turn, and we may not. None of us knows as we live, what will happen. We do know that his Word is always true, dependable and everlasting. We know that there is always an answer in Christ, and that we can always ask and receive, seek and find, knock and the door will be opened for us by God.

It is good to start early, and no time is too late, determining in our hearts and minds what the end of our lives will be, no matter when that will come. No matter what our situations or conditions, we can determine that the joy of the Lord will be our strength as we live and age. We can live out the conviction that he will keep us in perfect peace  because our minds will be continually on him.

We can grab hold to and confess joy unspeakable, because our hope is for something more than what we are living. We can confess that we live in the peace that surpasses all understanding, because we know that God said he loves us no matter what. He has our best interests at heart, though all looks like disaster. It is not easy, but our tending to these things will help us to present different personalities and attitudes than the ones displayed by those who are consumed by the sorrows of life's downturns.

My heart truly breaks for those who have successive sorrows in life. We don't know why some have to endure these types of things, and others do not. Anyone who comes to the altar of God, though, has something to bring, however different than the other. I don't know what my great-grandmother thoughts were about her life's course. I do know that had she been immersed and focused on God's love and glory, she would have been more able to reach out to others, and even alter some parts of the course of her life.

Some things we can never change, but we don't know what we can change unless we have the physical strength, the mental and emotional fortitude, and the spiritual growth to try. I truly believe this. None of us who love the Lord can have the exact, perfect life that we desire here in this fallen world, but we can grow in him everyday. His everlasting love can flow through us and out to others. He even helps us, for moments at a time, to forget our sorrows in favor of helping others with theirs.

I am sorry that the end of my great-grandmother's life was not better. Was it meant to be? Is it what she wanted? I doubt it. By the time I knew her, she was too old and tired to care. I have felt that way sometimes, and I'm not the age she was when I knew her. I am not professing that I can do better than her, because they say we all do the best that we can with the life that we are handed. That's why I say it's never too early to grab this life by the horns. Rather than determining to accept and react to what comes our way, work with God to make changes.

We are either resigned and have given up, or we are resistant to defeat and are always planning for the best, for what we really want, now and towards the end. There is a way to make life more of how we really want it to be, to make whatever changes are necessary to attain that. As we work with God to bring it about, we present a certain face to the world, one of true love, never-ending hope and Godly happiness. We cannot change everything, like the death of my great-grandmother's 3 husbands. The important question is, what can we change that will bless us, and make a difference in the way that we treat others?

 Image: Pixabay.com Free Images

How Can I REALLY Witness About The Goodness Of God?

It's not being a Christian that witnesses.

It's the change that

growing as a Christian makes

in the attitude, personality and behavior

of the evolving Christian.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Generally, unless it is a specific work of The Spirit at that moment, it is not so important to 

broadcast to people that we are Christians. Most people couldn't care less about a 

statement that could be true, or not.

What is important is that we have taken Christ's yoke upon us, that we are learning of Him, 

and therefore, faithfully growing in the Lord. When we pray often, read the Bible daily, and 

commit ourselves to allowing God to show us the way, and obeying when we see it, we will

find ourselves becoming more Christ-like.  If we are committed to daily doing this, the gradual 

change that it will bring about in us will be an outstanding witness to the presence of God. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pray. Read. Commit. Grow. Daily.

Image: Pixabay.com Free Images