Identity and Worth-are there two greater values in life?

Identity is defined as; “the state or fact of being oneself, and not another.”

Do you realize the FREEDOM in this definition?

This is not defining what you should be, what you should do or how you should do it!

No! Identity is clearly defined as YOUR state of being YOURSELF!

The problem is, we let the other little word, WORTH, get in the way and steel away our FREEDOM of being ourselves.

Worth is defined as many things, my favorite definition is; “excellence of character or quality as commanding esteem.”

Friends, so often we get caught up in the other definitions of WORTH…

“usefulness and importance…”

“wealth, riches, property or possessions…”

“good or important enough to justify…”

Now, these definitions are true in part, they are just not whole or complete until you add a clarifying piece to them. 

Who is it or what is it that defines the WORTH?

As believers in Jesus Christ, there is only one clarifying piece to determine our WORTH, that is the person of Jesus Christ!

This is what He says about you…

You are His child!

“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.”                                                                                                   John 1:12

He has adopted you and brought you to Himself! You belong to Him!

“God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.”                                                                                     Ephesians 1:5

You are a daughter or son of The King! You are chosen, selected, adopted and made family by The King of Kings Himself.

Truth Bomb

Your identity and worth is found in Him and Him alone!

So stop defining your worth by how much you do, what you do, or how well you do it. Begin to realize that your identity is in Christ, and because of that your worth is PRICELESS, LIMITLESS, MATCHLESS!

Lie #7 – I am worthless!

TRUTH #7 – I am of matchless value!

Detox the Lie and speak God’s Truth over your life!

Your identity is in Christ and Your Worth is Priceless!

Speak Truth Love

HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?

Have you ever taken a hike, bike ride or a walk and realized that you had gone too far?

I have! My husband and I had just moved to Northern California from Southern California and were excited to explore the many hiking trails in our new home.

We selected a beautiful trail that began at the ocean near Bodega Bay. The trail was clearly marked and looked like it would be a nice 6 1/2 miles. We parked our car at the trail head and began the steep first mile of the hike. There was quite a bit of huffing and puffing (mostly on my part), as we reached the top of that first mile peak. The trail leveled out after that and we walked along at a nice, easy pace. As we hit the 3 1/2 mile mark, it looked as if we were in the middle of nowhere. We were up very high, not even close to ocean level, and there was dry brush all around us. The coolness of the ocean air was gone, and the sun was hot!

We could see no signs of the trail ending, and there was no where to go but forward. The hours rolled on and eventually the trail turned downward and ended in a cool redwood forest. It was the completion of 6 1/2 miles and we were stuck! I realized in that moment that we had GONE TOO FAR!

Instead of turning around at the half-way point and hiking back to our car. We had GONE TOO FAR, hiked 6 1/2 miles, and found ourselves carless, and having to face the 6 1/2 mile hike back to our car! 

Have you ever been there? Have you gotten yourself further and further away from God, and instead of CALLING out to Him and allowing Him to come near, you just keep going further and further away?

TRUTH BOMB

YOU CAN NEVER GO SO FAR THAT GOD CANNOT FIND YOU!

You are never too far from God! You may feel like God is not near. You may struggle to gain or regain that intimate oneness that is possible between you and God. You may even feel that God has “left the building,” but The Truth is, God is near to you if you call out to Him!

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in Truth.“                                                                                                                   Psalm 145:18

If you have called on God and told Him you believe that He is The One True God, and you believe in His One and Only Son Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then GOD IS NEAR TO YOU!

Are you struggling to believe that God cares enough to be near to you when you do not necessarily deserve His presence?

Friends, I’ve been there. But the Truth is, the God of the universe does not stay near to you because you “deserve” it, or your behavior dictates it! God stays near to you because He passionately loves you! God’s character of Love deems us worthy even when our behavior does not.

Do not let the lie of the enemy penetrate your mind and heart and keep you away from your loving God!

LIE #6: I am alone! God is not near!

TRUTH #6: God is close to me!

True, our sin did once separate us from God, but when we chose God, He chose us! And, because He is God, He will never leave us. He is always close!

“Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.”                                                         Ephesians 2:13

If you have believed the lie of the enemy, and allowed yourself to wander away from God’s presence, DETOX THE LIE! CALL OUT TO HIM! He is close and He will come near to you!

Happy Mid-Summer Friends!

Stay the course. Continue to detox the old lies and replace them with the Truth.

God’s Word is the Truth!

Speak Truth Love

THIS WEEK WE CELEBRATE FREEDOM AS A COUNTRY!

In the same way that we acknowledge that our FREEDOM as a country came at a cost, we also realize that our spiritual FREEDOM came at a cost!

Jesus Christ paid the cost for our spiritual FREEDOM with His blood on the cross of calvary.

“He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.”                           Ephesians 1:7

While most of us own the fact that we are “FREE,” too many of us buy into the LIE that we are not forgiven.

Our sin and the past or present life that we live, is just too awful for God to forgive. We live lives that accept part of the truth….we have been set free through the blood of Jesus on the cross, but we do not walk in the freedom that we are fully forgiven as well.

Lie #5– I am not free and forgiven. I still live in bondage to sin. What I have done is too bad for God to completely forgive.

Truth #5– I am free and forgiven! Nothing is too bad that God cannot forgive it!

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.“

 Romans 8:1

TRUTH BOMB

THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST JESUS!

So as you detox the lie that there is a sin so bad that God cannot forgive it and set you free, and you replace it with the TRUTH that YOU ARE TRULY FREE AND  FORGIVEN, I pray you will raise the American flag high and celebrate the freedom of our country, but also raise your spirit high as you live in God’s freedom and forgiveness!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Speak Truth Love

Today is a topic that I flat out DO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT!

I believe that because I feel so strongly about it, it is exactly the toxin God wants to rid from my life!

So, here we go…

Lie #4-My body belongs to me and no one else. Whatever I chose to do with it is up to me!

Truth #4-My body belongs to God and He cares VERY much what I do with it!

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of The Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God brought you with a high price.”                                                                            I Corinthians 6:10-20

Now, the obvious abuses to my body are much easier for me to excuse as the “of course nots!’

Of course I know that I am not to abuse alcohol!

Of course I know that I am not to abuse drugs!

Of course I know that I am not to abuse sex!

The “of course nots!” 

But what about the “I think so’s?”

I think God is alright with my overeating? 

I think God is alright with my under-eating?

I think God is alright with my lack of exercise?

I think God is alright with my obsession to overexercise?

I think God is alright with…you fill in the blank. 

 The truth is, it is much easier to fill in the “I think so,” blanks, than the, “of course not,” blanks. Why? Because we can clearly see lines we are not supposed to cross, but the line becomes blurry when we buy into the LIE that our body belongs to us and what we do with it is our choice alone.

The TRUTH is that our bodies belong to God! The Holy Spirit of God dwells in them and He cares very much what we do with them.

This TRUTH can actually become a comfort to us as we realize that we can make healthy, good choices when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

I also believe that it is good and right and true to realize that our bodies are good and acceptable to God just the way they are! God paid the high price of His one and only Son, and bought our bodies. We are the body that His Holy Spirit dwells in, and we are good and acceptable to Him.

As I face SUMMER, and the beach trips, swimming pool events, weddings, showers and graduations, I feel a sense of peace knowing that my body is good and pleasing to God.

I do not have to hold onto the LIE that torments me that, my body is mine, and not good enough!

As I work this Summer on detoxing that lie and trading it for God’s TRUTH, I look forward to greater freedom in enjoying all the events that Summer has to offer!

I pray the same for you my friends!

Jump into that pool, splash in those beautiful waves and kick up your heels at those social events with confidence, knowing your body is the temple of The Holy Spirit!

TRUTH BOMB

KICK UP YOUR HEELS…FREEDOM COMES IN KNOWING OUR BODIES BELONG TO GOD!

ENJOY THE FREEDOM!

Speak Truth Love

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”

Seriously, I would love to meet the fool that coined this phrase! I would tell them directly to their face that there were never more untrue words spoken!

WORDS HAVE SUCH POWER OVER US!

They can be the primary weapon satan uses to “steel, kill and destroy us!” He seems to prowl around and discover the very words that will do the most damage to our souls.

The words spoken to me in elementary school in the 5th grade when I transferred from one school to another near our new home, still haunt me to today. Actually, I’m afraid they do more than just haunt me. I fear that I believed them then, and I believe them still. They are the words that are fresh in my mind each and every time I try on a new bathing suit! They are the words that I hear in my head as I pull on my jeans! They are the words that make me feel inadequate as I search for the “perfect” dress for the family wedding or graduation. They are the words that surface as I look in the mirror each morning and make the dreaded decision on what to wear.

“You are a PIG!”There cruel words still ring in my ears! They would even hold up their noses and snort!

I was only in the fifth grade and I was actually thin. I looked back at pictures of myself to prove to myself that I was thin! My legs were straight up and down, even as I wore knee socks, which was the fashion. I wore the same dresses as my younger sisters and they looked exactly the same on me as they did on them! I was taller, and it just so happened that my sister who was only 11 months younger than me was tiny and petite and looked like she could be 3 years younger. Apparently, this gave some of my schoolmates the ammo to take aim and fir those devastating words at me; “You are a PIG!”

I had a family that loved me and told me I was beautiful, and a loving grandmother who told me they were just jealous. However, deep down in my heart I felt FAT! After all, I was the biggest one in my family.

The reality of this age-old adage of sticks and stones; translates more accurately in Craig Groeschel’s book as: 

“Sticks and stones can bruise your body for a few days, but words can scar your soul for life!“

So true Friends. My mind knows that children can be thoughtless, jealous, rude and yes, sometimes just mean! But, my soul and my heart, believed the lie!

In order to know that we are indeed, fearfully and wonderfully made, we must detox the lie with the TRUTH of God’s Word!

Lie # 3– I am unattractive, and my body is lacking!

Truth #3– I am attractive and beautiful from the inside out!

“You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God!”

I Peter 3:4

“People judge by outward appearance, but The Lord looks at the heart.“

  I Samuel 16:7

Words truly can scar our souls. However, if we allow The Truth of God’s Word to penetrate our spirit, it heals our wound.

TRUTH BOMB

YOU ARE ATTRACTIVE AND BEAUTIFUL FROM THE INSIDE OUT!

Believe the Truth my friend! Speak it over yourself and allow God to heal the scars and detox the lies.

You are beautiful and truly perfect the way you are!

Speak Truth Love

“We’re having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave!“

Besides these being the lyrics to a popular song, we really are having a HEAT WAVE!

We have experienced a very cold and wet winter and spring. This heat wave has hit us in full force and has rocked my world back into reality!  What reality you say? The reality that “HEAT HAPPENS”, and I do not like it!

As wonderful as the winter and spring was, the HEAT is back!

I fell like the contrast between the cool weather of spring and the hot weather of winter, paints a perfect picture of my battle to replace my lies, with God’s TRUTH!

I started the week off calm, cool and collected as I spoke God’s words of truth over my life.

“I am Loved!”  “I am Chosen!”  “Even before God made the world, He thought of me!”

Ephesians 1:4

But then the lies hit with full force, just like the heat wave, and my calm assuredness, was rocked by doubt and disbelief again!

So, I had to hit my “Re-Set” button and be set right again!

I had to return to Philippians 4:8, our anchor verse, and focus on the words that speak God’s purpose over me…

True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely, Admirable, Excellent, and Praiseworthy

If the words speaking over my life did not reflect these traits then I was to get rid of them!

I spent a lot of time “detoxing” the ugly words out of my heart and mind this week friends.

I wish it were not true. I wish I could write and tell you that I walked down the beautiful trails near my home and whispered true and encouraging words to myself. However, the heat on the outside kept me inside, and the lie of the enemy inward kept me speaking Truth outward!

I pressed the RE-SET button several times this week! Did you?  

If you did, then you are DETOXING! You are getting rid of the old, pouring in the new, and keeping on keeping on!  That is all any of us can do.

The world and the director of it, satan, continue to flood us with lies. It causes us to doubt who we are in Christ, who He has created and called us to be, and what purpose He has for us. The only way to combat the LIE is to replace it with The TRUTH!

So, go ahead, press that “RE-SET” button if you need to, and get back in it!

The heat waves will come, but they will not burn us. The cool, refreshing calm of God’s words of Truth will blow into our lives and refresh our spirits like the return of cooler temperatures.

Our weather forecast is ‘Cooler days ahead!’ My physical body is ready for the change.

My spiritual body needs the change as well, so here we go!

Lie Number Two: I am abandoned!

TRUTH Number Two: The Lord will never leave me or abandon me!

“The Lord has promised the He will never leave us or desert us.”  Hebrews 13:5

“So do not fear, for I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”  Isaiah 41:10

If the heat waves of discouragement and self-doubt have blown over and scorched your spirit, breath in the refreshing truth directly from God to YOU!

God is with you no matter what you are going through! He will never leave you or forsake you, HE IS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER.

TRUTH BOMB

YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU!

Keep on detoxing my friend. It is not easy but it is the only way to live “FREE FROM” the lies that hold us captive and drag us down!

Press “RE-SET” if you need to, and step into week 2 free from the lie of abandonment!

Refreshing days are ahead!

Speak Truth Love

Are you ready to be Free?  Are you ready to begin this SPIRITUAL DETOX with me?

Did you wake up thinking, ‘Today is the Day! Let’s Go!’ or, ‘Is today the day? Oh boy, here we go!’

No matter what frame of mind you are beginning this in, you are beginning it!

One day at a time my friend, putting one foot in front of the other. You are not alone! WE can do this together! As we get started, I want you to know something very important. You have a re-set button. That’s right, any day or time that you need to press, re-start, you can!

My favorite definition of re-start, is “to become set again.”

My commitment to this Summer Spiritual Detox is to be RESETTABLE! To know that even when I have a hard day, blow it, feel discouraged, and that I can’t “keep on keeping on,” I can reset my commitment to God and this detox and keep moving forward!

I have HOPE friends! Do you?

I heard a quote from one of my favorite pastors that said, “Commitment is the key to HOPE!”

As we commit to this Spiritual Detox today and each and every day we do it, we have HOPE that we will be cleaned from the inside out and “FREE FROM,” anything and everything that pollutes!

As we begin, I want to reiterate the reason for and the need of a Spiritual Detox.

God asks us to be ‘FREE FROM’ anything that pollutes, corrupts, stains, soils, or distracts from what is good and right.

Philippians 4:8 is our verse that guides and directs us through our Spiritual Detox.

“Finally Sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – is anything excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.“

Distraction is such a BIG problem in our world today. With immediate gratification and information at your fingertips, literally a swipe away, it becomes more and more difficult to concentrate on anything that is not flashing, changing or presenting a massive amount of color and pixels per second! Yet, concentration and focus is exactly what I believe God is calling us to. We must reflect on God’s Truth to know what lie we are holding onto that is polluting our mind, body and soul! And, may I be so bold as to even suggest, beyond that, God is asking us to take the time to “BE STILL,” and listen to His Spirit reveal the lie, so that we can detox from it by replacing it with His TRUTH!

I have come across an amazing book on the subject of detoxing spiritually. It is a book written by Craig Groeschel called, ‘Soul Detox.’ In it he takes this commitment of “living clean in a contaminated world,” seriously and does an incredible job of guiding us through the process. I am going to be reading it through this Summer Detox, and I highly recommend it to you as well.  I will be quoting from it as we go and I am looking forward to the experience. However, my focus on the Blog will be the issue I believe we as women struggle with the most. I believe that it haunts us to our very core and keeps us from approaching this or any other challenge in our lives with full force!

That is the problem of LIES! The lies that have been spoken to us, about us, and over us from others. Also, the lies we speak over ourselves. Yes, you heard me right! The lies that we believe about ourselves that we believe so wholeheartedly that when we hear the TRUTH from God that destroys the lie, we say things like, “I know that is true, but not of me because I am…”, or “I know God’s Word is Truth, but because I am this…, it does not apply to me.”

Or maybe the most frightening aspect of all; we say nothing at all.

When we hear the Truth and believe in our minds that it is the Truth, we are silent. Because we have already dismissed it the moment we heard it. We have allowed the Lie to become bigger than the Truth! The Truth never even had a chance to replace the lie. We have made the Lie our truth.

So, our Summer Spiritual Detox on the Blog is replacing that Lie with God’s Truth.

We will look at a new Spiritual Truth each week and will work on replacing or detoxing, the lies we hold onto that are contrary to God’s Truth about us.

We will work each week on one Truth and on detoxing one lie by speaking God’s Word of Truth over that lie daily.

Here we Go!

Lie Number One: I am unwanted!

Get rid of that toxic lie. God loves you, chose you, and sent His Son to die for you!

TRUTH Number One: I am Loved By God!

Replace the lie with this Truth:

“Even before He made the world, God loved us and choose us.”  Ephesians 1:4

“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ.”  Ephesians 2:4-5

TRUTH BOMB

I AM WANTED AND LOVED BY GOD. HE PROVED IT ON THE CROSS!

Get rid of the lie that you are not wanted. God loves you so much that He chose you before the foundation of the earth. Then He proved it by dying on the cross for you. That is how wanted you are!

Repeat these verses over and over again as you let go of the lie, and breath in The Truth!

Day one friend! You did it! Congratulations!

Remember, Hope comes with commitment. Commit to speak these words of Truth over yourself all week. Detox the lie, and replace it with The Truth!

Let’s Go!

Speak Truth Love

When you hear the word CLEANING most of us want to run the other way!

There is NO way to spell fun in the word CLEAN! It is, for lack of a better term, “a necessary evil.”  In order to live a healthy life and not be overcome by dust, molds and mildews, we must CLEAN!

Now, before I lose those of you who know me REALLY WELL, I must explain…

It is believed among my closest friends and relatives that I “love to clean!’ That is not the case.

I love CLEAN! In order to get the CLEAN that I desire, I must CLEAN!

It also makes perfect sense that the three most common pile-ups of dirt in our homes are dust, mold and mildew and I am allergic to all three! Could that be the reason I work so hard to keep them out of my house?! Just Sayin!However, my obsession with CLEAN is a Blog series for another time!

Spring Cleaning by definition is “the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house or living space, in the springtime.”  The practice of Spring Cleaning became popular in climates with cold winters. The dust collects as the heater and fire place roars! Thus, the need to clean in the spring becomes necessary to get rid of the unwanted excess dirt.

Spring Cleaning today is more commonly used to “declutter, organize and simplify!”

No matter what our motivation is for Spring Cleaning, the need to CLEAN is vital in not just our physical lives, but most importantly, our Spiritual lives!

Take a look at the definition of CLEAN….

“Free from dirt, unsoiled, unstained. Free from foreign or extraneous matter. Free from pollution, unadulterated, pure. Free from defects or flaws; characterized by a fresh, wholesome quality, complete, unqualified, morally pure, innocent, upright, and honorable.”

Did you catch the repeated phrase in the definition of CLEAN?

FREE FROM!

Friends, our goal here is to be FREE FROM! Free from what you ask?  FREE FROM anything that pollutes, corrupts, clutters, stains, soils, or keeps us distracted with foreign or extraneous matter. AKA: garbage we do not need!

“Finally, Sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”     Philippians 4:8

So, now that we have answered the question of what, the bigger question is how?

The list is long and daunting! We can feel overwhelmed and quit before we start.

But just like ‘Spring Cleaning’ our homes, it can be done if we take it one room at a time!

I propose a Spiritual Detox, a “Spring Cleaning” if you will, of the heart, mind and soul.

I am going to write a SPIRITUAL DETOX series throughout the Summer. If you are willing to go on it with me, I believe we will be cleaner by the end of the Summer than the beginning of it. I also believe that we cannot successfully complete this detox on our own. But, I believe that with God’s strength WE CAN DO IT!

Truth Bomb

To be spiritually “free from,” impurities we must clean out what pollutes!

Will you take the challenge with me? Will you commit to meeting me here each Tuesday of the Summer and take one step closer to living that Philippians 4:8 lifestyle?

I have done many physical detox’s in my life. Some with great success, and some with failed results. I have recently begun a new physical detox that I have prayed about and hope will help me sustain a healthy lifestyle as I age. If I am willing to make the physical and financial sacrifice to do a physical detox, how could I not make the far more important commitment of a Spiritual Detox?  I should and I am! 

My prayer is that you will take it with me so that we can encourage each other along the way. Detox’s are hard! We feel withdrawals physically as we replace unhealthy food choices with healthy food choices. You can believe we will feel spiritual withdrawals as well, as we clean out the old bad habits and replace them with the healthy good habits.

Are you in? I pray that you will pray about it and meet me back here next week as we begin our Spiritual Detox to become the person that God created us to be from the inside out!

Speak Truth Love

“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day

When it’s cold outside I’ve got the month of May.

Well I guess you’d say,

What can make me feel this way?

My Girl!

Talking ‘Bout My Girl!”

Tomorrow marks the day that my sunshine came into my life! Thirty-two years ago Christina Nicole was born and nothing had ever captivated me so! My heart had never known love that pure, that innocent and that profound. No one had to tell her to be strong, she was born that way. Her Dad and I used to joke that James Dobson wrote the book, ‘The Strong-Willed Child,’ based on her! 

Her strength does not guide her to the stage, where she’s front and center. It draws her to the planning and executing of each and every little detail that goes into an event, large or small, to make it perfection in every way! Hers’ is the voice that each leader hears before they ever step foot on the stage. It draws out the plan, thinks through each and every detail, and gives them the encouragement to take the steps to the stage they were called to. She is the strength and backbone behind the scenes, that make all those out front look good! 

She is my Treasure, I value her and love who God created her to be. She is a compliment to me and to so many others!

In a world that is still seeking the meaning of womanhood, I am so thankful that I have a girl who embodies it!

“Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good and not harm, all the days of her life.”

Talkin ‘Bout My Girl!

She loves her husband with not just her words, but her deeds. She is respectful to him and shows him the honor he is due!

“She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the days work for her servant girls.”

Talkin ‘Bout My Girl!

I know she wishes she had servant girls! That would make her role easier! She is up early and stays up late to make sure her family is cared for. My Girl ALWAYS has the plan, and we are all the better for it!

“She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night.”

Talkin ‘Bout My Girl!

She not only takes care of her two children she also nannies, loves and pours into the lives of the children of others, to bring in money for her family.

“Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. She extends a helping hand to the poor and open her arms to the needy!”

Talkin ‘Bout My Girl!

Her hands are busy, not idle, and her heart is always reaching out to those in need. She and her husband sponsor two children overseas, and recently just sponsored a new little one from Africa. Her heart was so touched when they heard about this child that they gave up something to sponsor her also!

“She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”

Talkin ‘Bout My Girl!

This one I claim about her with explanation! She is by nature a “worrier.” That is the way God designed her. But I have seen her overcome this fear and worry, time and time again as she faithfully puts her trust in God!

“When she speaks her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.”

Talkin ‘Bout My Girl!

She is intellect beyond words. Her wisdom comes out in her instruction, but what is more obvious is her kindness, as she does not wield it out there and cause others to feel “less-than!” 

“Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her;”

Talkin ‘Bout My Girl!

Her children and husband are the greatest testament to what I am sharing. They love her and speak nothing but good about her!

“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but You surpass them all!”

Talkin ‘Bout My Girl!

Those of you that are familiar with Proverbs 31, which are the verses that I just quoted above, understand that this Proverb is not speaking of one woman alone. This proverb is speaking to the virtue that all women can attain if they commit their lives and hearts to God and His purposes alone!

My girl is my blessing, and the blessing of all those she comes in contact with; family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances etc…as she strives to live out the powerful life of a Proverbs 31 woman!

The question of Womanhood, its place, value and potential, is answered for us in the life of a Believer. Our worth is found in Christ ALONE! 

This verse does not say we have to be ALL of these things to have worth or value.

We can be any measure of these things. We are all valued by God for who we are!

If we desire to be ‘POWERFUL’ in our generation, then we will own who we are and strive to be virtuous with all we have!

“A Woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” Proverbs 31:30

TRUTH BOMB

A WOMAN’S GREATEST POWER IS IN FEARING THE LORD!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ‘MY GIRL!’ YOU TRULY DO BRING SUNSHINE TO ALL OF MY DAYS! 

Speak Truth Love

“We are family, I got all my sisters with me!”

My sisters and I dance to this song by Sister Sledge at every family wedding! We dance with enthusiasm and joy in our hearts knowing that God has made us sisters and has made us family even though we have gone through a lot of the good, the bad, and the ugly! Every family does! But we dance because we know that God has made us family and we are sisters and we live this life doing the best we can to set an example for him and be at peace!

“For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.“                                                                             Psalm 122:8

This topic may draw you in and make you want to read more. It may also, make you want to push the delete button!  In either case it is bound to stir up emotions, positive and negative. We all have them, families that is. They come in all shapes, sizes and varieties. And no matter how good, bad, or ugly the make-up of our family is, there are both good and bad feelings that go along with them.

There are a few places in the bible where the word FAMILY is used.  

In the Old Testament it is primarily used in the classical dictionary definition of a unit of people. A group of people that are biologically connected to each other. In the traditional sense, they are blood related and dwelling together.

“a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered a group or unit, that dwells together and is blood related.”  Traditional Family

The scriptures we find about family in the Old Testament are all defined by this “traditional definition.”

“This is the account of the FAMILY line of Esau.”                    Genesis 36:1

“In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families; of Seraiah’s family, Mariah, of Jeremiah’s Hannah…”                                            Nehemiah 12:12

“Their genealogical record listed the heads of families and 20,200 fighting men.“                                                                                                  I Chronicles 7:9

Now that we have the definition down, let’s look at the point that our families present us with the “good, the bad and the ugly!”

I am going to go out on a limb here, and possibly isolate myself from some of you, when I say; I believe that is exactly the way God intended it to be! Why? Because God makes families! And through our families we experience the good, the bad, and the ugly as we live life together! We choose our friends, but God choses our families!

In the beginning when God created us, He made us to be families!

“This is the written account of Adam’s FAMILY line; When God created mankind, He made them in the likeness of God.”                                            Genesis 5:1

We were created by God, to be like God and to be FAMILY!

It is not always easy, but we are challenged, molded, sharpened and strengthened, if we allow ourselves to be! I know that not all of our families are healthy and positive. But, I do believe that even out of the negative aspects of family, God does His great healing and transforming work. If we allow Him to!

We all bring our strengths and weaknesses to the FAMILY. If we allow God to strengthen our weaknesses through those in our family, and heal wounds that only He can heal, then our strengths will be heightened and we will be more like the person He created us to be!

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

God created us with a desire and need for community. Yes, friends are important and our family of believers is essential! But to neglect God’s created purpose for biological family is wrong. 

Today is May 14th, my sister Krissy’s birthday! This day reminds me that I am blessed by her and her tender, loving, giving heart! She is 10 and a half years younger than I am! She is a baby in my eyes! God brought her into my life when I was just old enough to realize that things with my mom and dad were not good. I did not understand the depth of all of it at the time. But, I do know that my heart was troubled, unsettled and sad. Then Krissy was born! She was pure love and goodness! She was tender and gave love freely! She still does!

God blessed me with her 48 years ago, and she continues to be my baby Sis, to this day! She loves BIG, and I am so thankful for her in my life!

She was my third sister. She rounded all of us out perfectly. Each one of my sister’s plays a vital role in my life, and they strengthen and sharpen me and help me be the person God has created me to be! I thank God for giving them to me! Alongside them come their husbands and children and grandchildren. As our FAMILY grows and increases, my life is richer and stronger. Sure, we have as many ups as we have downs, but we are FAMILY, and I truly do, “have all my sisters with me!”

TRUTH BOMB

God makes us FAMILY to help make us who He wants us to be!

We need to do our part to love, honor and respect the family God made us a part of. The good, the bad, and the ugly of it. All of it is God-ordained and helps make us who God wants us to be!

Happy birthday baby Sis! You are a blessing and a gift from God! I love you and celebrate you!

Speak Truth Love