I’m so grateful for this truth: God promises to bring good from the storms of devastation in our lives.

He reminds us in His word that there is great gain when we face painful times, as difficult as it may be.

James 1:2-3 put it this way, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

This passage of text is reminding us to choose joy in whatever we face, confident that He is working even though every trial and hard place, to bring us greater endurance. We never gain greater strength and spiritual muscles simply by living an “easy” life. We can only build deeper faith and perseverance by walking through the hard times that press us more closely into His Presence.

Therefore, it behooves us to remember that through every trial and storm we encounter in life, God will use it to make a mark in this world. The troubles we walk through can bring glory to Him. He will use our lives, the joy and faith we have, in spite of our problems, to draw others to Himself, and to help us to remember that what we see around us, is not all there is. For He has more in store. And it is greater than we can ever imagin.

Paul confirms this truth in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

My brothers and sisters, never forget that storms without God will break you and storms with God will build you. God sends storms into our lives, to get our attention, to mature us, to build us and to get glory out of us.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#AllStormsComeToPass

The best Valentine’s gift you can give to your loved ones is not candy or flowers…it’s prayer.

Prayer is the best gift that we can give each other. We can ask God’s blessings, His intervention or His will to be done, even when we do not know the specific details of what or for whom we are praying. Prayer is the act of reaching out to God in faith.

It’s no question that every part of our worship can be considered a form of prayer: talking to God, listening to what He has to say to us. Prayer is a necessary part of our daily walk. We know there is power in prayer hence the reason why intercessory prayer is the best gift to give for all occasions and for every season of life!

That being said, please join me in declaring and decreeing these promises over you and your family’s life today!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#TheGiftOfPrayer

In a world that is filled with darkness, believers are to be the lights shining through the darkness to lead people not only to safety but to the arms of Jesus. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus said, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father.”

Undoubtedly, when believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, they truly develop a thriving relationship with God, they seek to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and there is a significant glow about them. You know what I am talking about! There is a difference in their steps, personalities, service to others, and how they handle life’s difficult challenges and/or problems.

The light, referenced at the beginning of Matthew 5:16, is that inner glow I referred to in the above paragraph and in all honesty it’s that certain positive change within a believer’s heart; that contentment; that inner peacefulness (even when chaos is all around them) that they just can’t contain it with subtlety or oblivion.

The light literally is our understanding that God is our Father, Jesus is our Savior, and our paths are being led forward by the loving involvement of the Holy Spirit. It is the awareness that what we were before knowing Jesus personally, and accepting His sacrifice, is nothing like what we are now. Therefore we treat ourselves and others better, as we understand more and more that God loves us and will provide for all our needs.

Our lights are our purposes that God has established in our lives, part of His plan to bring our fellow believers to His kingdom and eternity in heaven. When we accept these purposes — these “callings” in our lives — our wicks are lit inside and shine through us for others to see.

My beloved brothers and sisters, the power source (Holy Spirit) is already connected and Jesus is calling us to turn on our internal light switches and if we consistently live by the principles of the gospel, we will become the fulfillment of the Savior’s pronouncement: “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14).

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#BeTheLightOfTheWorld

When God says, “I Will”, He means, “I Will”! God is immutable and His plans are unchangeable and irrevocable. Nothing and no one in this universe can stop that plan from coming to fruition. We have Genesis and we have the Book of Revelation. God has a plan and it will come to pass, and nothing can stop it. Isaiah 14:27 confirms, “Nothing can stop God’s plan for your life.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, our God cannot be restricted. No one can build a fence around Him. No one can set up a force field around Him. We can’t set up a situation where He can’t do what is correct. He will use stumbling blocks as stepping stones to come through for you. Trust Him. He is His only limit. He can do whatever he wants, whenever He wants. His desires, plans, purpose, and will are the only controls that are placed upon Him. God allows obstacles, and chooses obstacles, to show His great might in situation after situation so that He alone gets the glory.

That being said and in closing, God always knows the path and the way that He has prepared for us. He knows our future, good things are in His plans but we must faithfully trust and believe and put our lives in His capable hands. God knows our troubles and all we need to do is give Him our faith today and let Him connect the dots. God knows our every need, so there’s no need to fret, worry, or complain because His perfect plan for our lives cannot be stopped!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#UnstoppableGod

Staying stuck in our personal brokenness, disappointment, pain, grief, guilt, or shame does indeed keep us from living an abundant and God fulfilling life. The same life that Jesus speaks of in John 10:10.

I get it, we are broken people living in a broken world, attempting to live meaningful lives. But we are often so unaware of how our brokenness affects us. In addition, we’re so scared of letting our vulnerabilities show. Life and the enemy have trained us to hide our brokenness at all costs. Meanwhile, the brokenness is festering and having a relational impact.

Oddly enough, sometimes the most obvious things we need seem hidden, even though they are in plain sight. Most of the solutions for our life are very simple, yet often ignored. One of the greatest practices that is neglected is the need to cultivate and care for the life of the heart.

I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” and James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

That being said, the better option is choosing to seek God’s forgiveness and then receiving God’s permission to heal for ourselves and giving ourselves full permission to do whatever is needed to follow that path to healing.

Accepting God’s permission to heal definitely means facing our fears, doubts, and doing what needs to be done anyway with all of the support we can find, without letting the resistance slow us down.

It’s not easy, but we must not forget that our greatest blessings are always in front of and never behind; God has given us permission to heal, so He is calling us to move forward by His grace every single day!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#SpeakingOutLoud

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path.”

Solomon reminds us that everything has its time and place (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Therefore, rejoice always, prayer continual, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus (I Thessalonians 5:16-17).

By the way, while you are faithfully and steadfastly standing on God’s promises in your waiting season; I encourage you to trust and believe that your request(s) was heard by God, and He is already responding it. Don’t forget that God works on His timing so you’re going have to be patience.

You see, God has his own sense of timing: ‘With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day’ (2 Peter 3:8). Verifiably, He has perfect timing: He is never early nor never late. Adding to that, God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.

My beloved brothers and sisters, please trust God to work it out for you rather than relying on your own understanding or perspective of the situation. God unconditionally loves you and the Maker of heaven and earth wants you to never forget that. God is always with you and for you!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#GodIsAlwaysOnTime

In Psalm 62:5-7, David said this: “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in Him. He alone protects and saves me; He is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; He is my strong protector; He is my shelter” (GNT)

Pray with me!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#GodOurProtector

Pray with me!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#NAP

#GodIsMyHelper