Tag: God’s love

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Love Straight To Your Inbox. (Or In My Case, A Mailbox)

A couple weeks ago the Holy Spirit told me to pray that I would recieve His love straight to my mailbox. He told me it would be out of people’s obedience to His voice & blow my expectations.
Every day over the past week, I have received care packages, notes, gifts, and an abundance of love straight to my inbox, just like He promised.
I am blown away each day as I go to my mailbox and find something new that extends his love. Truth be told, I went out reluctantly today, thinking there was going to be an end to it. Holy Spirit gently reminded me, “There is no end to my love” & I pulled out another handwritten note from a friend.

My encouragement to you today my friend is to set your expectations upon His love and expect His goodness. If you feel like fainting, keep trusting and not in your own strength. I know what it’s like to have a season that feels like it will never end. The suffering comes in waves upon waves and you realize HE is the only reason you’re not drowning. His grace is what has given you strength. He is the only one that has carried you through. But I also know what it’s like to tangibly feel His comfort and see His love in the midst of the darkest moments. His light pierces even the the darkest seasons of your life.

Draw near to him.
Seek him.
You will find him.
He is the only love that truly satisfies.

It will never grow cold, run dry, or run out. His love is never ending.

•Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Psalms 23:4‭-‬5 CSB
•I  would  have  lost  heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord ; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord !
Psalms 27:13‭-‬14 NKJV
•Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
2 Corinthians 1:3‭-‬5 CSB

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All The Times I Thought God Wasn’t There…

I went to Pink Impact @ Gateway Church along with some other amazing women of god this weekend. Let me tell you, Holy Spirit taught every single one of us something this past weekend. I have many moments to share but I want to share a vision God painted for me in worship.

He brought me to these very raw moments of hurt. The times I felt lonely and like no one cared. The moments where I felt no one listening. He brought me to moments where I was abused and confused. He brought me to these moments of sorrow where I was sobbing, broken, and where I felt alone. He took me there and showed me Jesus in the background, weeping. His face was in anguish. I saw in his hand a vile of tears. Each tear I dropped was placed in this bottle.

Jesus spoke to me & said, when you felt the loneliest, I was there.

When you weeped and no one saw or cared to understand your pain, I was weeping with you.

My Child, I feel what you feel. I hurt when you hurt. All those times you thought I wasn’t there. I was.

I know every single tear you have cried. I know every reason you have felt hurt. I am who I say I am. & You are who I say you are.

Do not compare me to your earthly father. This will trip you up. Remember when you called me Abba. Remember your first love for me. Remember my goodness. Remember who I am and who you are in me.

As the worship continued I began to weep and realize that I had it all wrong. The times I didn’t understand, the ones that were the most painful, he wasn’t only there….he was weeping with me.

Even if you have the best Dad in the world, understand NOTHING compares to your heavenly Father.

God not only knows what we are going through, he feels it too. He keeps every single tear we have cried in a bottle.

On the flip side, if he can cry when we cry.

He must rejoice when we rejoice. Abba is a good father.

“You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.”-Psalm 56:8

“Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.”-John 11:34‭-‬35 NIV

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”-Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

“May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.”-Psalm 119:76 NIV

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When Life Gives You Lemons You Freakout or Frank

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I just had locked the door on my way out of the Airbnb I stayed at with my family in Houston. I was ready to travel back the 3 hours to Louisiana. I had already said goodbye to my family early that morning since they had a plane to catch to make their way back to Michigan. I walked down the stairs and tried to unlock the car but had to manually unlock it. (What a tragedy) kidding! I went to go start the car and soon realized that I had a dead battery in the midst of a gated community somewhere outside of Houston. My family was already in Dallas by now and not to mention my husband was in training and far away from Texas, WITHOUT a car. I was faced with a choice…

Do I panic? Or do I remind myself and declare that God already has a plan for this?

I chose to deny my flesh and go with God’s promises. My heavenly father already has a plan.

I saw a random guy pull in and began to slightly jog to ask for help. I asked for help and he said he couldn’t help me. Me being me, of course asked if it was okay if I knocked on other people’s doors and the guy proceeded to tell me he has lived there a year and didn’t talk to anyone. I thanked him anyways and he told me to look for maintenance and maybe he could help. I walked into the pool and saw a man and began to explain I needed a jump and soon realized he was not the most fluent in English. But he offered to help. I was like THANKYOU JESUS!

We walked over to the car and soon saw the dilemma besides NOT having jumper cables…My car was in a parking space with grass, Rhonda the Honda, another vehicle with an unknown owner, and grass again. So he told me to stay there so I stood there and just continued to pray. I told him that I trusted him and that he will work out everything for the good.

Soon, a white minivan, one EXACTLY my grandmother and grandfather handed down to me had pulled up with a guy inside who asked if I needed help. I told him that I had someone helping me and he was going to go see if he had jumper cables. He soon pulled out a bag with brand new bought jumper cables and told me to keep them. I asked him for his name so I could give them back. He persisted that I keep them but if I decided not to give them to the maintenance guy and his name was “Frank”. Frank proceeded to pull away as I thanked him and told me to “have a blessed day”.

I looked up in awe, holding onto the brand new jumper cables and thanked God. I knew “Frank” was a blessing only God could send at his impeccable timing.

I was overwhelmed with emotion and thankfulness that his love is always on time.

Soon the pool guy found the owner of the other car, pulled his car forward, gave me a jump, and I was on my way back home to Louisiana.

I had two options here that I would like to call, Freakout or Frank.

I could’ve freaked out and worried for no reason. I was stuck 3 hours away from home with no one I knew or trusted to help. No jumper cables. & it seemed to be circumstance after circumstance.

Or instead of reacting in my flesh and acting on feelings, I could hold onto biblical truth and trust that Abba is an amazing father and he will take care of his daughter.

In this moment even a week before this, I would’ve reacted in my feelings. I would’ve panicked…(& probably cried, let’s be real). But instead Holy Spirit spoke to me and reminded me of a scripture I hold onto so dearly…

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”-Romans 8:28

So the next time you are going through something remember you have a choice: Freakout or Frank. You can choose to react in the way your flesh wants you to, in your emotions. Or you can remember who your father is and choose to believe that he will always keep his promises.

He is faithful.

He will never leave nor forsake you.

&

His love is always on time.

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Bible Study Notes~1 Corinthians 13 (Love-Be The Example)~April 11th 2018~

God has laid it on my heart to really focus on being the example and to encourage other women through this bible study to be the vessel to bring God glory. Not just hearing the word, but doing the word. Being the light in this dark world. Being guided by Holy Spirit to show love to those who need it most and listen without the intent to reply. REALLY listen and REALLY love.

So with that being said, God lead me in 1 Corinthians 13.
Known as the “Love Chapter”.
This was a hard chapter for everyone including me because Holy Spirit really challenged me. I thought I was really good at loving but I think through this lesson we all learned that we could love a little harder and more like Jesus.

My notes will not be as organized as last weeks (sorry). But there was A LOT of Holy Spirit led discussion.

Read 1 Corinthians 13

We know from reading this chapter that without love we are nothing but a noisy clanging symbol. Even our gifts are useless without love.

During this time I pointed out that God looks at the intention of the heart. I could be doing this bible study without love and for my own benefit and social status instead of doing what God called me to do. You can give to the poor without doing it in love. A pastor can be preaching at a church with the wrong motive. This applies to everyone. It is so important to ask Holy Spirit to reveal things that aren’t of God and cast them out.

We live in a world that doesn’t know how to love because they don’t know God. Anything that we settle for before we had God was a counterfeit love. For me this including approval of others, drugs & alcohol, and men that were never going to be my husband. I was always searching for something only God could give.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”-1 John 4:7-8

Another one of my favorite verse about pure love, is that it covers a multitude of sins.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”-1 Peter 4:8

One more verse about love that will lead us into the next thing I am going to have you do 🙂

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”-1 John 4:18

Before we get into the characteristics of love, I would like you to do two things:

1) Ask Holy Spirit to guide you and reveal to you if you really love. Replace your name in every spot that it says love in 1 Corinthians 13…..

Well…how did it go? For me and many others in our group, we had some things to work on.

2) We know God is love…so replace the word love with God.

Are you believing any lies about God?

Breaking Down The Charactersitics of Love (Taken From KJV)

Love (Agape)- love which in moral prefrence, divine love

Patient (makrothumeo)- refuses to retaliate in anger because of human reasoning. Opposite of quick tempered

Kind (chresteuomai)-to show one useful, act benevotently

NOT envious– (zeloo)- NOT jealous, to bubble over because it is so hot

NOT boastful- (perperuomai)- NOT show off or need much attention

NOT Puffed Up- (phusioo)- arrogant, exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities

NOT acts unbecomingly- (aschemoneo)- not acting in accord with the standards appropriate to one’s postion of life

NOT seek the things of it’s own way

NOT easily provoked– (paroxuno)- become emotionally evoked, to take jabs

NOT keep accounts– (logizomai)- keep track, charge of wrongs

NOT rejoice at unrighteousness– (adikia)- Violation of God’s standards which brings disapproval

Rejoices -(sugchairo)- sharing God’s grace with another person. Celebrate together!

In Truth- (aletheia)- reality, fact

God & Jesus are really the only true examples of pure love. However, we are called to look at Jesus the perfector of our faith and grow to be more like him every single day. We all have things we can work on to love a little harder or deeper. So do not be discouraged!

Have Holy Spirit work on you from the inside out. Start with your heart. Lay everything at his feet today and just be obedient to what he calls you to do.

Next week we will be continuing to focus on being a Christ-Like example and really being a doer of the word and will be reading in Romans. We would love for you to join us!

 

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Friendly Reminder For Those Who Are Having A Rough Day

With God, I am doing things I never thought I would be able to do. This IS NOT a list of my accomplishments, but a reminder that truly anything is possible with God. Even things that aren’t possible with man, God’s like no problem. Without God, I wouldn’t be alive today. & I definitely wouldn’t of been able to make it through that 5k this past weekend. (HAHAHA!)

Alright, alright, let’s be serious here…

But as I go through different stages of my life one thing remains the same.

God.

God’s faithfulness, his steadfast love & his word, the promises I hold so dearly to my heart.

So even if my world is completely flipped upside down, God already has a plan in motion for that.

If I make a mistake, God says I already have that worked out for the good of everyone. No worries.

If I need forgiveness, Jesus died for that.

If I need healing, Jesus said that was finished on the cross too.

If I am worried, God says he didn’t give me a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power love and a sound mind.

If I don’t feel loved, he brings me back to who he is. He is love. He brings me to a place of remembering where I was to, to where I am today. When I was broken and lost, suicidal and drowning in addiction and bondage to now walking in freedom, finally whole and exactly where I need to be. Living with purpose. All because of him and his love. He points me to look at Jesus. Our perfect example of faith and love. He points out to me that if I look around, his fingerprints of his love and faithfulness are everywhere. (even if people don’t give him the glory, doesn’t mean he didn’t do it)

If I feel like I need more, he says seek me and I will pour out upon you.

God is everything we need. He is everything I need every single moment of everyday. Every single breath I take, I need him.

His word, his presence, and who he is, brings us abundant peace.

Don’t get caught up with what the world is saying or doing, keep your eyes focused on heavenly realities. What others say about you don’t matter, God knows your heart.

I can go on for hours and hours about his promises. But sometimes, just like today, I needed a friendly reminder so maybe so do you.

Let go, let God.
Trust in his plan even if you can’t see it.

Take every thought captive that isn’t of him and toss it in hell where it belongs.

&

Remember that no matter what you are going through or facing, God has a plan that is perfect. & EVERYTHING is possible for the one who just simply BELIEVES.