Peace and Be Still, in the Name of Jesus Christ. 

I have peace of God. That peace of God surpasses my understanding of what the future holds for me, even as I type this blog post. I want to encourage you, dear reader with what the Word of God says in Philippians 4:6-7:

~”Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”~Philippians 4:6-7, NIV~

I have been through many things in my life: from transitioning from college life to graduate student life online to traveling abroad and job after job after job…….including financial gains and losses. The losses I experienced from 2017, I count as gain for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. They bring glory to God as I experience what it means to suffer for His sake. As I type this blog post, I don’t care for attention to myself, when I know that I am an overcomer of my circumstances. All I care about is allowing what God allows to happen in my life, whether the events be good or bad, for His sake, to bring glory to the Kingdom of God as I seek Him first.

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”~Philippians 3:14, ESV~

~”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”~Romans 8:37, ESV~

I want God to be glorified in all that I do. Whether it be through my writings on this blog, sharing the love of Christ with a friend over coffee, or being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in my workplace, I want to glorify God in all that I do as I have peace and be still, knowing that Jesus Christ is the Lord and God of my life. My opinion of whether or not I believe that God deserves all of the glory in my life does not matter because the Word of God is what stands. It stands as I live and breath for Jesus Christ for my Christian and non-Christian friends to see in my life.

I remember a friend of mine, who goes to my church. She likes my writings: very much. This friend of mine told me that my writing is very good and that I should use it to glorify God. And that is exactly what I am doing: using my writing to point people to Jesus as I continue to be the light that God has called me to be for the Kingdom of Jesus’ sake. I don’t care if others think I am too loud or noisy in sharing my faith in Jesus with them or even crazy. If others ask me about my faith in Jesus, I will tell them about it. As followers of Christ, we are called to share our testimonies of what Jesus has done in our lives with the world. We are called to be bold, not afraid or fearful, of what others, whether non-Christians or Christians, will say or think as we step out on faith and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a person who really needs to hear about Him.

~”For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”~2 Timothy 1:7, NIV~

I try to be Jesus to the homeless person I pass by him or her whenever I go to the Marta station by smiling brightly at him or her. I try to be Jesus to one of my family members, who struggles with mental illness as I show this family member love and compassion as Jesus tells us to. I try to be Jesus to colleagues I run into at Starbucks, as I sip my cup of warm coffee and talk about and share my life with him or her. I try to be Jesus to my church friends, even as I text them and ask them for prayers and pray for them. I try to be Jesus to everyone because it is what Jesus wants us to do: To be His hands and feet to the masses and to the multitudes, who need Jesus to brighten up his or her day.

~”A large crowd followed and pressed around him.”~Mark 5:24, NIV~

Dear reader: rest and know that you are loved and Jesus loves you so much! There is so much more that I want to tell you other than this:

I desire you to be like Jesus in all that you do because this is a desire that God put in my heart for you. I want you to come to Jesus as you are because it is what Jesus wants you to do. I want you to present your prayer requests to God and pray, pray, pray for those of the world and those in the world so that they come into a personal relationship with Abba Father. I desire for you to just trust God with everything: with your life, your heart, and your soul. Jesus loves you and He loves you better than I ever could.

That is my hope for you, dear reader. Now, I want to pray for you before closing this blog post ( I could have made it longer, but am keeping it short, sweet, and to the point):

Dear God,

Thank You for Your peace and that it surpasses the understanding of every reader, who opened up this blog post and read it today. May Your peace encompass each reader as he or she remains still in the peace that is found in You. I do not know what each of these readers are going through, but I ask You and Your Holy Spirit to meet each reader where he or she is at as he or she comes to you where he or she is at. Show compassion where each reader is at. May Your loving arms wrap themselves around each person so that they find themselves resting in the peace that is found in You. Dry each tear that has fallen from the readers’ eyes as they remain in Your peace and constant joy that is found in You. May they have a firm and solid understanding of what Your peace is, as victors and not victims of Your Son, in Your precious name. May Your hand heal them as they find that peace in You always and not focus on the bad that is around them. I give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless and cherish you today! ❤

I woke up to snow.

The snow in Atlanta, Georgia is beautiful today! It is a part of God’s beautiful creation because it is a reflection of His character and who He is, as Creator of the universe. 

The Word of God says in Job 37:6:

~”For to the snow he says, “Fall on the earth,” likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.”~Job 37:6, ESV~

When God commands it to snow in any part of the world, it will snow. When God commands the snow to stop in any part of the world, it will stop snowing. The hand of God acts upon the weather and is in control of how to wield it, even in the heart of my home, Atlanta, Georgia! ❤

It is AMAZING how God works! After drinking a cup of coffee and saying my morning prayers, I went for a short walk outside of my home. I marveled at the snow, even at the footprints I made in ground behind me (as silly and stupid as that sounds, its true!) while admiring the clear blue sky that overlooked the quietness of my neighborhood. I studied the snow that occupied all of a bush outside of my home.

Taking in all of beauty of nature and the snow that had fallen overnight, I thought to myself how good and amazing that the God I serve is: He is amazing from the beginning of the creation to the predicted new heavens and new earth that will be home someday.  

~”In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”~Genesis 1:1,. NIV~

~”As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me, declares the Lord, so will your name and descendants endure.”~Isaiah 66:22, NIV~

The more that I think about it, God must have created snow, in the beginning, as one of the many ways to glorify who His Son, Jesus, is. Like the sun, moon, stars, and rain, snow is one of the many ways used to point the world to Jesus as God is glorified because it is pure and represents one of the ways that we, as sinners, can make things right with God as we are born again and our Creator renews our souls, separating us from sin as we worship the One True God that is Jesus Christ. This takes place as the white beauty of the snow transcends our understanding of who Jesus is because He is pure, like the white blankets of snow that covers Atlanta. This creation, snow, symbolizes that Jesus is greater than this world. This creation, snow represents that Jesus is the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. He is Forever God. Jesus is Lord. Amen! 

~”Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”~Isaiah 1:18, KJV~

I cannot wait until that day I eternally worship Jesus Christ, my God who I passionately serve. I won’t remember the things of this world nor will I remember sin, or the bad parts of my life as I eternally worship who Jesus is in all of His glorious splendor! I don’t know if I will remember that He made snow, but I can only imagine that Jesus Christ Himself will be a reflection of snow and that I will too, even as my body is changed to be entirely Christlike in the new heavens and earth.

~”For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet with the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”~1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, KJV~

This Word of God and the future of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is what brings me comfort, even in snow. Even is snow, I can see Jesus as I seek His kingdom because I can only imagine that His kingdom will be that pure, white, splendid goodness that captures my eye, even as my Abba Father wipes away all of the bad memories clean from my brain and I focus on His eternal goodness: Forever, in the name of Jesus Christ! I will NEVER cry again because Jesus will one day totally purify my heart, mind, soul, and spirit, to focus on Him and His total worship, that He deserves, as I give Him all of the glory….all like the purity and cleanliness effects of snow! 

~”And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”~Revelation 21:4, KJV~

Tears will no longer be a part of me when I one day enter the Kingdom of God: physically and spiritually. This is a great concept for me to think about. Anger, bitterness, jealously, and other things not of God will be completely removed from all men, women, and boys and girls, from the One True King as they focus their total worship on Jesus, Lord of all creation!

I will have a new body, like Jesus. I will be like Jesus: totally, in mind, heart, soul, body, and spirit. I won’t sin, like Jesus. I will love, like Jesus. These are some AMAZING thoughts to think about!

God is good! I now want to take the time to pray for you, dear reader, and from whatever part of the world that you are reading this blog post from and whatever weather you are experiencing in that part of the world. May you use it glorify God. 🙂 :

Dear God,

Thank You for each reader, whether he or she is reading from a snowy part of the world to the sunniest part of the earth, and that he or she has a lot to take, learn, and apply from this blog post. May each reader remember Jesus not only as God, but as the Creator of all people, places, and parts of the world. May each reader see snow and enjoy it in, “the now,” as You prepare him or her for home for eternal worship of You in what will be forever. Purify and cleanse each reader of sins that he or she may be holding onto. Make that person born again if he or she is not saved as he or she chooses to enter into a relationship with You. Make the person, if he or she is a Christian, stronger than ever, in his or her walk with You, as he or she remembers snow as a reflection of who Jesus is and Your sovereignty. Bless each reader, whether Christian or non-Christian, with pure hearts focused towards You and reveal to them of Jesus and His impact that He had on the cross and His resurrection that changed the world. May You change each life reading this blog post today and give each reader Your amazing love. I give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless You! Stay warm in the Father’s love today! ❤

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The anointing of God is everywhere, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Whether God made you to be a lawyer, doctor, or chef, God made every person on earth with a destiny that NO ONE can take away from you. Others can try to stop you from fulfilling the assignment that God gave you, but NO ONE can ultimately stop the plans of God from being fulfilled in your life.

~”For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”~Jeremiah 29:11, NIV~

This is even applicable to my life. I see myself as a missionary, even in my home of Atlanta, Georgia. I can witness who Jesus is locally in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia or abroad as I have done in the past in Lebanon and Japan. I can be the shining light that God has called me to be in my local church or in my workplace. I can even testify of God’s great love to family members.

I don’t need to be recognized as a missionary by my church or others because God sees me and He knows my name (while the title of missionary is nice, especially when recognized by a local church or others, I have learned that it does not matter to be recognized, especially when others you know are not willing to give you the recognition that you think you deserve, as Your Heavenly Father sees. God sees and He rewards those according to their faith as he or she steps out on faith to do God’s will for others and themselves. He does not reward according to the works of man, woman, boy, or girl alone, but by the faith of that person WITH their works as he or she steps out on faith to do God’s will). 

I recently saw one of my family members. I met up with this family member in a restaurant for dinner. We had a lovely evening, filled with lots of food and conversation, but towards the middle I felt the Spirit of God nagging me to tell this family member about Jesus. So, I made this statement as I felt led to tell this family member about God’s love and quoted the following two Scriptures from the Bible without referencing which part of the Bible they were in (as one of my mentors from my church taught me to do as I witness of who Jesus is to others) :). :

~”Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”~1 John 4:8, ESV~

~”If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”~Romans 10:9, ESV~

~”Jesus loves you.”~

After I told my family member that, “Jesus loves you,” tears entered my eyes. My family member asked me if I was ok. I did not tell my family member what was wrong. What I was really thinking was, “I wish this family member understood what I was trying to say,” because it was as if what I was telling this family member went through one ear and out the other and nothing I said was processed.

As a missionary, I have to wait to let that seed that was planted grow. I have to wait for it to take root and flourish. I can’t just expect it to grow. I have to let the Spirit of God allow for it to nourish its roots so that it will grow. The seed that was planted in this family member’s life is there. I am just waiting for it to take root and grow as the Spirit of God continues to do the work in this family member.

And that is my job, as a missionary. I can plant seeds, as the Word of God teaches. I just have to wait for the Spirit of God to water it and allow for it to grow as the person (whoever I am witnessing to) steps out on faith and lets Father God in his or her life. I can’t force seeds to grow. I can’t make them grow. I can pray over or for the person and that God will do a work in that seed. I just can’t make or force a seed to grow because that goes against the timeliness and will of Father God. I have to be patient and wait for it to grow as Father God leads me and as I pray and intercede for that person’s needs or salvation. 

Here is my advice for you, dear reader, as you witness in your daily walk to others:

DON’T EVER force or try to force God’s will on other people. That will turn people away from God, even as you are praying eagerly for that person to be saved or for something good to happen in that person’s life. Just pray for that person and LOVE him or her well. When you love a person well, that puts the love of Christ on display for that person to see. Also, stand firm in your convictions. DON’T EVER compromise your convictions and personal faith in Jesus Christ with the values of another person or what others want you to believe (I have had to learn this and experience it for myself with non-Christians and Christians in my life). Even when a Christian (even when he or she does not intend or come across to have bad intentions) says that God told him or her something to tell you to do or say, it is what Father Lord told you to do when it comes to your personal relationship through Jesus Christ and not what others tell you or say for you to do that counts (I am not saying to disregard or not take other Christians’ advice when it comes to having a Christian mentor or the Body of Christ in your life, but I am saying to listen carefully to how Father God leads you, especially in evangelism because it is what and how God told you to witness that could be completely different from what others say to you.

For some, evangelizing could be slow. For others, the process could be very swift and quick. It totally depends on how ready that person is to receive the Word of God and Jesus as his or her personal Lord and Savior. Just walk step by step with that person as the Spirit leads you and don’t be afraid to step out on faith, because faith without putting forth any work into sharing the Word of God with others is dead.

~”In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”~James 2:17, NIV~

So, step out on faith and don’t be afraid to be the hands, feet, and all of Jesus to your friends, your family, and your community, locally or abroad. I will now pray for you now, dear reader:

Dear God,

I cover each reader, who has opened up this blog post and read it, in the blood of Jesus. Thank You that the reader read this blog post from the beginning to the end. Your word says in Ecclesiastes 6:8, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” I speak patience over each reader as they are witnessing or getting ready to witness about Jesus in the lives of other people, whether they be lost or saved. Prepare them with spirits of boldness and not fear because fear is not of You or Your children. Lead their feet on holy ground so that they can receive Your blessing and be a blessing to the lost and saved around them. May the floodgates of heaven open up and shower Your grace and mercy on the witness and his or her friends and family. Use each reader today in a unique and mighty way in order to accomplish Your will in their lives. May they take that next step and say, “Not my will, but Your will be done,” in their lives and the lives of others around them. May each reader be obedient to You and what You and Your Word says and not what others tell him or her. May each seed that is nurtured take root and grow in step with Your Spirit as You equip each reader as called and chosen to witness today. I give you all of the glory, the honor, and the praise today.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless and keep you, dear reader! Peace! ❤

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Important Note: the words of Jesus are in red.

It is written in the Gospel of Matthew 5:16:

~”In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” ~Matthew 5:16, NIV~

Lately, I’ve been feeling too discouraged…….

My light feels like it has been blocked. Blocked by Satan. Blocked by the principalities of this world and those who are of this world and who are not in it to glorify God. Blocked by the thoughts of myself.

One of my old friends from college from my past told me one time, “There is only so much of you that I can handle.” A family member told me, “You are an ingrate.” Two other family members scolded me and called me a, “Bible Thumper,” for quoting 1 John 4:19 to them when I was defending my faith while simultaneously trying to explain to him and her that Jesus loves them. 

For a while, all of these thoughts produced negativity in me that left me feeling discouraged…..defeated…….silent in the worries and cares of my own mind while forgetting the victory that I have that is in Christ Jesus my Lord and Savior. This negativity caused my light to become gloomy. This negativity left me feeling alone. This negativity left me feeling dead on the inside (not literally speaking.————but figuratively———-as I left myself in isolation from my friends and my church family because of the power that I allowed for my own thoughts to leave me captive and in bondage to myself and the enemy).

~”For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”~2 Corinthians 10:3-5, KJV~

Until one Sunday morning, I was at church. I ran into my friend, Tina. It was unexpected, but a divine appointment nonetheless. I called her name and she came to me and we both talked. I told her what I told you, dear reader, about the thoughts that I was feeling and how discouraged and defeated that I was feeling. She encouraged me, yes. But she also empowered me to step out on faith and be more honest with my church family about how I was feeling. She made a profound statement but said it out of all meekness and humility, “We all need each other.” 

She was right in making this statement. We do all need each other. We need each other because we are called to bear each other’s burdens, as a body of Christ. I need my church family and they need me so that we can encourage and support each other. I thank God for using my friend to convict me of this Biblical truth.

~”Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”~Galatians 6:2, NIV~

With that said, I added the following to my new year’s resolution: to be more open and honest and to not let the fear of what others say or could say to hurt me to hurt me.

I know that I am loved by God. I am thankful for the ones who choose to love me out of selflessness and not use me for selfish motives. I am grateful for the ones who have not left my life and for those who have stayed in the midst of the past brokenness that I previously felt. I am thankful to God that I can serve others in the midst of the pain that I feel at times. It is moments like these that are specials as I lean on a person and he or she leans on me and we can walk and bear each other’s burdens together.

For me, this is very healing. It is healing for my spirit and soul to be of service to another wounded soul in need. It is healing for me to serve others who are in pain. It is healing for me to serve those who are sick and who need the caressing love of the Heavenly Father I serve in their lives.

~”Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.”~Exodus 23:25, NIV~

I remember when I went to a senior nursing home to serve there one Sunday afternoon with my church.  Liz, a good friend of mine from my church, led us to the senior nursing home and we went there to make the day of the seniors special. There were many elderly people. Even though they were dealing with a lot of ongoing pain in their lives, they were able to count it all joy and smile as I and others from my church gave them hugs all around. 🙂

I remember when I greeted one of the elderly people. She looked up at me and smiled. She told me, “You have such a sweet smile.” In the midst of the pain that I was feeling, what she told me made my day. What she told me made me want to shed a couple of happy tears. What she told me made me hug her back and tell her (in the midst of the pain that I was feeling from hardships I was dealing with at the moment, but will not go into them), “Thank you!” She even took the time to pray with me as I prayed with her. After praying, she gave me a kiss on the cheek. This totally made my day. 🙂 When this happened, the Spirit of God broke through and caused my light to shine again as I let Jesus in to heal me. It was bright, but when the Spirit of God used this kind elderly lady to tell me these words that I needed to hear, my heart felt all joy and my light shone….Brighter and better than ever, as I let the light of Jesus into my life so that my light could shine not to glorify myself but to bring all of the glory to Jesus, my Heavenly Father.

~”When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ~John 8:12, NIV~

You see, dear reader, the point that I am trying to make in telling you these two stories is that your light that the Holy Spirit of God put within you to shine cannot shine unless you take every thought captive to God the Father and put that enemy out of place and away from your life as he is meant to be. You literally have to silence the enemy through constant and fervent prayer in order to get rid of him from all of your self so that your light can shine in the calling of your life that God has handpicked you to serve in: for God, yourself, and others around you who need you, dear reader, to be there for them, and who need Jesus.

~”Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” ~Colossians 4:2-4, NIV~

Whether it is waitressing, working in Corporate America, traveling for business, or working locally or abroad, you have the power to silence that enemy and tell him to shut up all while showing him that Jesus is the only God that you serve.

You have the power. And the power of God is what empowers you with that willpower He gave you. God gave you a mouth. He gave you a mouth to make declarations of the truth against the enemy. He gave you a mouth to silence the enemy altogether. He gave you a mouth for the sake of using your words and speech to glorify God the Father above. This is what allows a breakthrough to take place from within and on the outside of you.

~A very wise man of God once told me, “No light shines like you.”~

And this statement that my friend told me is true. There is no light that shines like me because God made no one else like me (this is not vain, it’s just the truth because I am unique and wonderfully made by the God of the Universe, who loved me). And like me, there is no light that shines like you because God made you to be set apart and for a purpose and to be that bright light that He has called you to be….for Him and in this world and not of it.

~”I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”~Psalm 139:14, ESV~

I now want to take this moment to pray for you, dear reader, that you will let your light shine in 2018 and beyond:

Dear God,

Thank You for all of the readers who you ordained to read this blog post today. Thank You that each one of them is special and made for a purpose. Thank You for putting Your light in each of them so that they can be light for others, whether they be Christian or non-Christian, so that they can all witness and testify to You and of Your great love as they serve You. Thank You that Your hand is molding each reader to be that spark for 2018 that you have called him or her to be in 2018 and beyond: in the workplace, missions field, for friends, for family, and for all of the world to see. May those who see the bright lights of each reader be touched by them and by the light of Jesus in and through them as You use them to be the hands and feet of Jesus in and through their lives to the natural world around them. May this cross over into Your heaven as what they do from the natural crosses over into the spiritual and from the spiritual into the natural through fervent and effectual prayer. Let each light of every boy, girl, man, or woman shine brighter than ever before this year and beyond. Let each light shine for Jesus and Jesus only so that others around them who see each light know that when they see him or her that they see Jesus and that they serve no other god besides Jesus. May each reader be blessed for reading this blog post and for joining me in prayer today. I give you all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

Thank you so much for reading this blog post, dear reader. Know that your light is what makes you special and God knows this. Stay encouraged and in the Father’s love today! ❤

~”We love because he first loved us.”~1 John 4:19, NIV~

I am a woman of faith, in the name of Jesus Christ.

I believe that 2018 is going to be a powerful year for me. I know that 2018 is going to be a powerful year for me. I speak into existence that 2018 is going to be my year, in the name of Jesus Christ.

You may be wondering why I am writing these declarations. The Word of God is written in 2 Corinthians 5:7:

~”For we walk by faith, not be sight.”~2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV~

~”For we live by faith, not by sight.”~2 Corinthians 5:7, NIV~

I am a woman of faith because I not only speak faith. I live and walk by faith: daily, in my walk with Jesus Christ. I don’t have to prove that to anyone because my faith in the Lord is personal and exhibited in my actions. I just have to be still as the Spirit of God does His work in and through me everyday.

Notice that I say everyday. Let me provide you with real-life examples.

In the past, I have been on two missions trip abroad——–one to Lebanon and the other to Japan.  Just going to serve in both of these countries is simple (at least for me). Preparing to go is the hard part. For me, you have to die to yourself: mentally, physically, and emotionally, so that you can be ready spiritually to serve for the Kingdom of God (in my case, abroad). This is all a part of a Christian’s daily walking and living by faith and not by what they see in front of them.

~”For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”~Philippians 1:21, NIV~

When anyone prepares to go and serve locally or abroad, it takes A LOT of prayer. It takes A LOT of walking and living by faith so that that person can be in the best mental, physical, and emotional shape so that that person can be ready to spiritually serve the community that he or she is placed in. This was my case as God was preparing to send me to Lebanon and Japan.

~”For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”~James 2:26, ESV~

Lebanon

As the Spirit of God was preparing me to go to Lebanon in 2016, I asked God for a confirmation that I was meant to go to Lebanon. I was reading from my King James Bible one morning and read Psalm 29 and the word, “Lebanon,” caught my eye from the page from verses 5 and 6:

~”The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars: yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf: Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.”~Psalm 29:5-6, KJV~

I stepped out on faith and asked a good friend of mine, Michelle, how I know if what I experienced was a divine act of God or a coincidence. She told me, “Ask the Lord for a sign.”

During my lunch hour at work, I went into my car, read my Bible, and prayed. Another Bible verse (I cannot remember which one.—-I’m sorry)—–caught my attention, as the Spirit of God directed me to it, with the word, “Lebanon,” in it. I underlined and highlighted this Scripture.

As the weeks passed, the Spirit of God continued to show me confirmation after confirmation that He chose me to go to Lebanon. Bible verse after Bible verse popped up and in the Old Testament of the Bible with the word, “Lebanon,” jumping out at me.

As the weeks passed, I faced spiritual warfare throughout the time I was preparing to go: from family, friends, and co-workers. In my excitement, I told my family, friends, and co-workers that I was going to Lebanon to serve and some of them reacted because they thought that what I was convicted that God called me to do was absurd and ridiculous. One family member ( I will not say which one) doubted that God had called me to go abroad to Lebanon for reasons that I saw were selfish and not selfless (I choose to not explain).

In the midst of the chaos of the spiritual warfare, I stepped out in faith……and went to Lebanon. God was so good! I had my church family praying for me as God prepared me and other friends praying for me as God was preparing for me to serve abroad in Lebanon. Overall, Lebanon was a successful missions trip and God grew me: mentally, physically, and emotionally, as I served my best spiritually there. 

Japan

I also remember when the Spirit of God showed me that I would be going to Japan to serve there for two months.

One night, I went to the International House of Prayer in Atlanta to pray for many hours in December 2016 (six months before the missions trip) and as I prayed the Spirit of God showed me a vision (I am sharing this vision as if I were sharing a part of me with you, dear reader. I normally do not share what God shows me unless I am led to by the Spirit. So, just keep reading. 🙂 ):

~I was walking in a field and giving out seeds to Japanese women and children. They received the seeds that I gave them. A sun rose in the background behind the mountains that were in front of the field and it was as if the glory of God was shining on the field and the goodness of Japan (the sun rising in the background is symbolic of Japan since the country is known as the, “Land of the Rising Sun”).—————–this was how I knew that the country was Japan and that God called me to go there. Glory to God!~

So, I was excited and stepped out on faith……..I told my friends and my family.

Little did I know the spiritual warfare that I would face as God was preparing to send me to Japan. Crisis after crisis came up. Two of my best friends from college left me, breaking my heart to trust God more in that moment of brokenness of my life even though my understanding of why He allowed this to happen was little as He was preparing to send me to Japan. I was barely getting by financially (I trusted God as He provided me with student loans as as I was studying for my Master of Arts degree in that season of my life by His grace). A family member questioned me and what I was convicted that God had called me to do and wanted me to serve in the states for reasons I thought were selfish instead of selfless as I was praying and seeking God in this season of my life (Please note that I don’t have anything against my family, which is why I am writing this. In fact, I love my family very much, but when it comes to what God is calling me to do, I stand by that because of what the Word of God says as in the Gospel of Matthew 10:37-39):

~”He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”~Matthew 10:37-39, KJV~

At this time of my life, I was diligently studying for my Master of Arts degree in Global Studies from Liberty University online in the midst of the spiritual warfare. I also had a medical crisis occur in my life (I will not go into what happened other than that God was good and that by His grace that what the devil meant for bad to happen to me that God turned it for good in that He continued to pave the way for me to go to Japan). It was with all of this I learned that life is not guaranteed, but God saw my life as VERY VALUABLE, which is why I believe He allowed me to survive what only made me stronger to serve: mentally, physically, and emotionally to that I could serve God and Japan at my spiritual best.

And it was with that that I went to Japan: for two months with God by my side. God blessed me with opportunity after opportunity to meet many people in Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and Miyazaki, Japan. Even the Japanese were blessed with the time I spent with them there.  🙂

Now, I want to close in prayer for you, dear reader, if you as are preparing or if God is preparing to send you to serve locally or abroad, in the name of Jesus Christ:

Dear God,

Thank You for the reader, who is reading this blog post and is taking the time to prayerfully consider serving in missions locally or abroad. Thank You that Your hand is upon each reader’s life and that by Your grace, he or she is going to serve. I speak Your truth by what is written in Matthew 20:16 (NIV): “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” You have called this reader to walk into his or her purpose that You has for his or her life. You have chosen this reader to walk into his or her destiny that You have already planned out for his or her life. You have both called and chosen this reader for a greater purpose that is far beyond his or her understanding. Your understanding is greater than what we could have ever imagined for ourselves. May You clearly direct and give each reader wisdom and discernment as he or she prepares to go and serve locally or abroad, for Your Kingdom, and Your glory. May he or she be a blessing to the people who they are serving around them as they bring the light of Your Kingdom to the darkest parts of the earth. May You send angels to be with each reader as he or she prayerfully prepares to serve: mentally, physically, and emotionally, so that he or she can be a spiritual blessing in the part of the earth that they are serving in. I give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless you, dear reader! Thank you for reading. I encourage you to share with others, who are considering serving in missions locally or abroad. Peace! ❤

~”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”~Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV~

I am sure that you have heard this statement before, “The truth will set you free.”

I do not know who made this statement. I’ve heard it many, many times, until the Spirit of God showed me that even Jesus said it in the New Testament of the Bible.

According to the Gospel of John 8:31-32:

~”So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”~John 8:31-32, ESV~

We all long for truth. Truth that satisfies the hunger that we, as starving humans for knowledge, hunger to know for our souls’ satisfaction. That truth is only found in Jesus Christ.

I remember when I was a child. I remember being “growed up” and saved in church. My mom and my aunt taught me the values of the Bible and what it meant to be girl, who was maturing into a woman of great faith for many years later. My mom read Scripture to me from the Bible, got me involved in church choir, and, and we listened to 104.7 The Fish ( A Christian Radio station in Atlanta, GA) on the way to church. I remember those days and will always treasure them, even though my childhood was very crazy and hectic due to the divorce of my parents (my parents divorced when I was around 7-8 years old, and I went to live with my dad many years later for reasons that I will not go into in this blog post).

I remember when life just happened and I went to live with my dad for reasons that I will not explain in this blog post. I will say though that it was for my greater good in that God used what seemed to be bad (in my perspective) in this moment of my life for my greater good…..I drew closer to My One and Only Savior, Jesus Christ.

Before I go on further in this blog post, I will say that I love my both my Mom and my Dad very much and hold NOTHING against them for the divorce. I understand that they both had reasons why they did what they did in the divorce. At the same time, I forgive them for what I have had to go through because of the divorce. I cannot speak for my siblings, but I do speak for myself as God is my Witness. I now go forward in writing this blog post.

I drew closer than I ever did in my life to my One and Only Savior, Jesus Christ. People came into my life. Some for a season, and others have stayed with me for now, even with all of the struggles that I have been through, such as my mental health condition that I struggle with (I have mentioned this before and will mention it again. I will talk about this more in depth as the Spirit leads me in another blog post). Others have rejected me and passively bullied me for reasons I do not understand (please refer to previous blog posts). But God knows and that is why I say that knowing the truth vs. truth is important for any person’s walk with Jesus.

~”Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”~John 14:6, NIV~

I underlined the words, “the truth,” in this Scripture in order to elaborate on a very important point that I am about to elaborate for you, dear reader. If you do not know the truth of the Word of God, then you cannot know how to get to the way of God, who is the Provider of life. Life can only come to a person, Christian or non-Christian, who believes in the truth that is of Jesus Christ, and the Word of God. That is what sets any person free from sin and from the sins and baggage (mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.) of others: is when he or she believes in the truth of the Word of God, as I had to do.

I had to come to terms with my mental health condition. I had to come to terms with what I struggle with. This was so hard to do and while it was hard to do in the process, I am glad that I did it for the sake of sharing the truth of God’s Word with those who don’t just need daily bread, but who are literally starving for the truth. This is where the healing process begins: when you know the truth of whatever it is that you are struggling with (it does not have to be a mental health condition, as I have explained with myself. It can be a physical condition, like heart disease, for instance) and bring it to God by fighting what the enemy, the ruler of the principalities of this world, who does not want you to know and own up to: the truth, which sets you free every time. (I know you are probably reading this and wondering about what the mental health condition is that I struggle with. Please respect me and know that I will talk more in depth about it as the Spirit leads me).

That enemy, Satan did not want me to own the truth. He tried to do whatever it took for me to not know what it was that I struggle with so that I do not know how to heal. Healing can only begin when you know the truth.

That enemy, Satan, tried to tear into my soul with lies. I have cried my heart out to God at times as the enemy told me lies, such as, “You are not good enough. You are not loved. You are not needed. You are not special, etc.” I have even questioned God as to why He chose me to be the one to have to endure the lies of the enemy until God gave me the eyes to see that my mental health condition is to glorify God. Healing can only begin when you know the truth. 

That enemy, Satan, has tested me, as God has allowed him to put me through this test with fire. It is for my greater good that God allowed Satan to put me through this and I have become a wiser and more mature woman for the Kingdom of God. I will say that God is good for allowing me to know the truth and that now that I know the truth, I am free in Jesus Christ. The healing has officially begun now that I know the truth, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

I am free in Jesus Christ because I now know the truth of my mental health condition. I can definitely say that it was not easy, but God is rewarding me for the pain and suffering I have had to endure because of it. Jesus loves me, and this I definitely know, because He has allowed me to come this far and be an inspiring light in this dark world for His Kingdom in order to point others to not just truth, but the truth that is found in Jesus Christ. God can use any person, circumstance, or struggle that a person is dealing with so that that person can glorify God and lead others to the truth in Jesus Christ and be set free, in His precious name. 

I now want to take a moment and pray for those who are struggling with any condition, whether it be physical or whether it be mental: Be blessed and encouraged, dear reader:

Dear God,

Thank You for the reader, who is reading this blog post. Thank You that Your Spirit led that person to open it so that he or she can be encouraged to take this battle, whether it be physical or mental, as captive to the You. Thank You that You are a God, who can take anything as grave as a physical or mental condition, and use it for Your Kingdom and for Your glory. You are a God, who sees past a person’s mental and physical health condition, because You see that person as a precious and valuable tool for Your Kingdom. Allow Your Holy Spirit to lead each reader who is reading this blog post on the way to healing and show him or her that he or she can only do so by knowing the truth that is found in Your Living Word in Jesus Christ. Let each reader know that he or she is precious in his or her sight in Your eyes and that You love him or her dearly. You see each reader as special, even with that person’s physical or mental health condition, because it is being used for Your glory today. It will be used for Your glory tomorrow. It will be used to glorify Jesus Christ in this present age and in the new heavens and earth to come. May each reader go forth not discouraged, but empowered to fight the lies of the enemy and what others say or think. May each reader go forth equipped and as more than a conqueror today. Let each reader know that he or she is loved. I give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless you, dear reader. Know that you are loved and keep on filling up yourself with the truths of God. Stay encouraged! ❤

~”We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”~2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV~

Today, I choose to enter into the rest of Jesus Christ.

As I was praying this morning and early afternoon, the Holy Spirit directed me to a Bible verse in Psalm 132:14:

~”This is my rest forever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it.”~Psalm 132:14, KJV~ 

Rest, in an earthly sense, is temporary. But, it is eternal when put into Christian context. For the sake of this blog post, I am going to explain both the first and fourth definition of rest, which I will type below, according to http://www.merriam-webster.com:

1. Rest-(1st definition on website)-a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities (sleep, repose).

2. Rest (4th definition on website)-peace of mind or spirit.

When I read the 1st definition of rest, I think of sleep. Not peace of rest in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But, I think of a temporary break from all mental and physical activity, such as walking, eating, reading, etc. As humans, we are limited in what we can do mentally and physically. This is why we take a temporary break by sleeping (whether it be napping, sleeping at night, etc.), so that we can be mentally and physically re-charged and energized for the next day, ready to serve the Lord in that day’s assignment that He has given us. This can even relate to ministry as the Lord wants us to take breaks every so often and recharge our batteries (pause) so that we can rest in Him. This allows followers of Christ to sacrificially stop self by taking care of self so that one can be physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to serve the Lord with his or her full best.  

I had to learn this at one point of my life. I was being harsh on myself at one time in my life when I could not physically go on a missions trip to Lebanon due to health reasons (this is the 2nd time I signed up for the trip at my church in 2017.—–not the 1st time I went to Lebanon in 2016 with my team. I was still able to serve by writing for the blog as the team served there for the 2017 trip and I remained in the United States). I was harsh on myself in that I wanted to serve the children in Lebanon and not bother to take care of my health and rest. The Holy Spirit of God stopped me so that I could pause and do what was necessary and take care of myself holistically (mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual). This allowed me to enter into that rest in the Lord so that I could enjoy all of Him in me as I abided in His rest in that season of my life. 

A leader from my church (a very wise woman of God) encouraged me with these words even though it was very hard for me to hear in that moment,” Even Jesus took breaks.”

I agree with her in that she is right in making this statement in that Jesus Christ took breaks from ministry so that He too could re-charge His batteries and rest in God. He needed breaks so that He could be completely Spirit-filled, ready to minister, and not be filled with self because He wanted His ministry on earth to glorify His Heavenly Father.

~”Pray without ceasing.”~1 Thessalonians 5:17, ESV~

My good friend, Valhalla, texted me as I was going through this rough time. She told me in the text message, “Give yourself grace and rest in the Lord.” While it sounded easier said than done in that moment, I had to make a choice: die to self or serve the Lord in that moment as I rest in Him. God is good in that He gave me peace of heart and mind so that my soul could enter into His rest.

~”Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.”~Hebrews 4:1, KJV~

This was a test. A test of God. I did not like it in the moment that Father God allowed me to go through it, but it taught me something valuable: to ALWAYS rest in the Lord, which leads me to talk about the 4th definition of rest:

When I read the 4th definition of rest, I think of peace. Peace of mind, heart, soul, spirit, and body that is found in and of God. Followers of Christ cannot enter into rest when they choose to not die to themselves.

~”For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”~Philippians 1:21, NIV~

 I remember when another wise woman of God from my church told me these words as I told her how I felt about not being able to serve in Lebanon this past year. She calmly told me these simple words, “Die to yourself.”

These words were very hard for me to hear in the moment. In fact, I cried to myself as I made every attempt to die to what I wanted: to serve others, but my health was a hindrance and I had to take care of me and rest in the Lord and His goodness before going to serve Him and others in good health. Now, it is not bad to want to serve the Lord and others (that IS NOT what I am saying at all). In fact, I encourage everybody who is reading this blog post to serve (locally or globally, missions or non-missions related). However, the Lord wants us to be Spirit-filled and not filled with ourselves (bad health, not mentally/physically prepared to serve, etc.), so that we can be totally Spirit-filled and pour into others with good fruits from ourselves that are of the Holy Spirit. 

~”But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”~Galatians 5:22-23, NIV~

~”Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.~”Galatians 5:24, NIV~

~”Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”~Galatians 5:25, NIV~

I divided these Bible verses up for a couple of reasons. First, followers of Christ have to be filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit so that they can be in the best mental, physical, and emotional state to spiritually serve the community——whether it be local, or whether it be global. In this way, that person (Christian or non-Christian) can experience Jesus and know who He is by His fruits: His love, His joy, His peace, His forbearance, His kindness, His goodness, His faithfulness, His gentleness, and His self-control. Second, by dying to self, the one who is witnessing who Jesus is to the Christian or non-Christian can wholeheartedly be a testimony of the character and fruits of Jesus Christ to that person. This is so that that person can enter into a growing and nurturing relationship with Father God through His Son, Jesus Christ, as he or she enters into the Holy Spirit. Third, by walking in step with the Holy Spirit, that person can experience all of Jesus (the witness, the Christian, or non-Christian who is learning about Jesus). This is the phase when the person totally dies to the desires of his or her flesh and lives and abides by the fruits of the Holy Spirit as that witness and the Christian or non-Christian who is being witnessed to, can walk in step with Jesus too……and enter into His rest. 🙂

Now, I want to pray for you, dear reader, that you too will make that choice and enter into that rest that is found only in Jesus Christ today: 

Dear God,

Thank You for each reader who is reading this blog. I speak blessings, both richly and fruitfully, into his or her life so that he or she can walk into life, knowing and living, in that rest that is in Jesus Christ. May he or she combine the knowledge gained from what You have allowed me to walk through, this blog post, and his or her own personal life experiences that You have orchestrated each and every person to walk through as he or she chooses to rest in Jesus today. I ask that You knock on any person’s heart (whether Christian or non-Christian) so that he or she can seek You in Your timing and knock on heaven’s door today so that he or she can enter into your rest today. We look forward to the day when we are eternally rejoicing in You, for Jesus’ sake, so that we can experience all of Your rest in the new heavens and earth to come. We look forward to resting in the eternal worship of King Jesus as we look up at Your face and celebrate what will be Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in heaven as it was on earth: in Your rest. Always and forever. We give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless you, dear reader. Thank you for reading this blog post and may the peace of God keep you as you rest in the Father’s love today! 🙂

~”For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”~Romans 8:6, KJV~

I want to start off this blog post by posting a Bible verse from 1 Peter (I underlined the word, “you,” to place emphasis on all children of God.———“You,” is not underlined in the Bible, but YOU can underline it in your own Bible, dear reader, as a source of encouragement. 🙂

~”But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now, you have received mercy.”~1 Peter 2:9-10, ESV~ 

There are many things about me that God sees as special:

1. I am anointed. According to http://www.compellingtruth.org, Anointed is defined as “being set apart or standing out as a person specially blessed by God. While God does seem to bless some people with ministry gifts in more visible ways than others, the term “anointed” is not the best to describe this situation. Again, all believers are anointed by God, or are specially chosen by Him.” This means that I am ordained by God for certain things in terms of gifts (natural/spiritual): writing, dance, prophesy, shepherding, etc. I can write ALL DAY. This means that I can blog ALL OF THE TIME too. Writing is one of my most favorite things to do because it expresses my relationship with the Lord and how I have grown throughout the days, months, and years, in my daily walk and prayer life with Him. I love to write in my quiet times in my journal as I sip a cup of coffee at Starbucks, at the International House of Prayer as I pray my heart out, and even in the peace and quiet of my home. It gives peace to my soul as I write my heart out to the Lord Almighty, who gave me this special gift. I also love to dance. Even though I do not dance a lot and I dance when I can at the dance studio with friends from my Sunday School class, it is a form of expression of praise and worship to God. I love to dance because it is not just something I like to do. It is a passion that developed in the early months of 2017 that my good friend, Daniella, got me into. Daniella, being the warm and friendly person she is, got me hooked into dancing and I have fallen in love with it since. If it were not for the friendship I have with Daniella or that I even know her, I would not have gotten into dancing. I praise God for Daniella for that reason. 🙂 In terms of spiritual gifts, I can prophesy as the Spirit leads me. God will show me dreams or visions as He leads me (that is not my place to tell you what they are————only as the Spirit leads me), for direction, a promise He has made me, or a warning to do or not do something. But I will say that the dreams and visions that He has shown me have provided a lot of clarity for my future in terms of how God is leading me. I am also a natural born leader. I was told this by a friend who is gifted in Godly discernment and prophecy, that I am a natural born leader (meaning that I am gifted in shepherding and that this is my purpose). Shepherding is a spiritual gift of leadership for God’s people. I took a spiritual gifts quiz several months ago and the three spiritual gifts that came up were: prophecy, discernment, and shepherding. Shepherding stuck out to me because I did not know that I was a natural born leader until I took this spiritual gifts quiz, was prophesied to from my Godly friend, and prayed to God about it. God is good!! 😀
2.  I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The Word of God states in Psalm 139:14: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Even though I have questioned God at times why He made me to be born with a certain mental health condition, I praise Him for it because He is using it for His glory (I will write a blog post about this as the Spirit leads). At the same time, I praise God for my red hair I inherited from my mom and dad (my mom has blond hair and my dad had red hair growing up, as a young boy), my brown eyes I inherited from my dad, my natural beauty that I have from my Mom (because she is naturally beautiful), the freckles on my arms that me and my twin sister have, and my heart for Jesus (because my Mom grew me up in the church and if it were not for my Mom, I would not have known who Jesus is or be saved today). I thank God that I was born to my Mom and my Dad, and that God ordained for me to have the both of them as parents. I honor them as I make decisions that honor God and show honor to them. At the same time, I praise God that I was born. Born to write. Born to dance. Born to prophesy, born to lead and born to influence others. At the same time, I thank God that I was born with a mental health condition because they are being used to glorify the Kingdom of God, as I bring healing, help, and hope to others around me who are hurting (as my friend, Kelly, told me). And it is with that, I thank God that I was born.
3. I am special. A wise man of God (who I consider to be my spiritual father and good friend of mine), told me one time, “You are special in the eyes of God.” I questioned what He told me at first. I’ve been passively bullied by others. I’ve been passively bullied and ostracized because of my mental health condition. These things caused me to question God and if He even thought of Sarah Alexandra Dickens as special simply because of how I have been treated in the past. I don’t bother to look at the past. I don’t look to dwell on it anymore. I reflect on it at times, BUT I don’t even bother to hit that replay button for my mind to ponder in nor do I bother to dwell on negativity because I know that I am special to God. I know that I am special to God because He wanted me to be born and saw me as anointed, fearfully and wonderfully made (with a purpose), and SPECIAL before I was born. I am called and I am chosen to be that change that God Almighty wishes for me to be as I write for Jesus in this dark and cruel world. I remember when I went to Lebanon one time for a short-term missions trip with a team of six from my church. While in Beirut, Lebanon, the missionary family and all of us had dinner together and I ordered a salad. I waited. I waited very patiently. And I waited some more for my food. I remember that as we were all waiting for the food and as Dave (the team leader) were going to bless the food, the waiter came out and served my salad last. I was the last person to be served. Dave quoted a Scripture that was very applicable to this situation from Matthew 20:16: “So the last shall be first, and the first last.” I remember that after Dave quoted this, it made me think to myself that even though I was served food last, that God ordained this to be so that I could remember that He provided this food……and that He was thinking of me as special because He did not forget me. He saw me as I patiently waited and as Dave quoted this Scripture. And Dave acknowledged it and so did God. I thank God for thinking of me and that He is a God who always remembers His children and never forgets them…..in the good and bad moments……one by one and individually, and precious in His sight.

I am now going to close this blog post in prayer to bless you, dear reader:

Dear God,

Thank You for the reader, who opened up this blog post and is reading it from start to finish. I speak blessings over his life. I speak blessings over her life. I pray that that man, woman, boy, or girl, will see himself or herself as You see that person: as anointed, fearfully and wonderfully made, and special. And that he or she will not doubt (even for one minute or even think to question), his or her significance in society or this world. I pray that he or she will see himself or herself as anointed in his or her gifts, talents, hobbies, and for the community. I pray that he or she will see himself or herself as fearfully and wonderfully made from birth to present and until You call that person home. I can only imagine what it will be like when that person sees himself or herself as You see that person: as special in your sight. I can’t wait until that day we all are in heaven singing, praising, and worshiping Your holy name and that we will one day be like You in fruit, in spirit, and of the Spirit. You are a God of love and You love everyone. You love me as You love each and every one of these dear readers. Bless that reader today. I give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless You, dear reader! Know that You are loved and made for a purpose. Peace! ❤

~”For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”~Jeremiah 29:11, NIV~

Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke:

~”Do to others as you would have them do to you.”~Luke 6:31, NIV~

When I read this verse from this Scripture of the Bible, I thought to myself at first, “Really, do I have to??” The answer to my own question is, yes, I have to, because Jesus said so (also, the words are in red in the Bible, so yes). This means I am not entitled to treat others as I want to treat them (even if they are not nice to me).

Jesus wants us, as followers of Christ, to treat others out of love. As followers of Christ, we are commanded to treat everyone as Jesus would. As followers of Christ, we are called to treat everyone (regardless of whether they are a believer or non-believer) to point them to Christ as a reflection of our actions.

~”Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”~1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV~

At first, I questioned this because of ways that I have been treated in the past by former friends. Now that I have life experience that God allowed for me to walk through, I can say that Luke 6:31 is not just a calling: it’s a command of action from Almighty God for me to do and follow daily.

I remember when I got into an argument with friends that I knew from college. This escalated into greater conflict with friends that they knew, which grew tension in how I related to them and how they viewed me. While I choose to not give their names, I will say that this argument that I got into with them, as well as the escalated tension, changed how I viewed all of my friends.——and ultimately, how they viewed me. 

When you are young, you make stupid choices. Some of those choices, you reflect on (as you get older) whether or not they were good or bad. I pondered on the bad decision I made in how I treated my former friends. I am not the same person I was at 25 years old. I am different now that I am 26. I may not be the wisest, but I am smarter. God allowed me to fall flat on my face, hit rock-bottom, and learn from my mistakes. It does not matter how they treated me or what they said or did to hurt me. To God, it was a test and a learning experience for me as He refined me with His tough love (which is unconditional, because it grows us to be more Christ-like). To be Jesus is to live and do His Word as we live it while we do unto others as they do to us. 

~”Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”~1 John 3:18, ESV~

I knew they did me wrong by not apologizing what they did to hurt me. In the world’s eyes, they did me wrong too. But to God, it was about making me kinder in order to make my heart softer and more tender for all kinds of people (good, bad, nice, or mean). Jesus loves me and wants the best for me and that best for me was for me to live and learn so that I do not repeat my past and make the same mistakes. So, I let these former friends go (all of them go), into the palm of God’s hand and allowed God to work on all of me as I let Him deal with them. 🙂

Since most of them chose to let me go without an explanation, I did what Christ would have done as His best for them: I let them go. Yes, it was very painful. It was very difficult. I let them go.———-all of them, and moved forward. I did not want to do this, but Jesus did say to do unto others as you would have them do to you.

I love them, but do not have to agree with their ways, even if they are not a reflection of Christ. Christ commands us to love others because God Himself is love to everyone. I was Jesus to them in that hard moment because I let them go to Father God so that He could work on them. I did what was best for me and I did this for God.

~”Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”~1 John 4:8, ESV~

Jesus loves me, and this I definitely know, because He would rather for me to treat others with love, dignity, and respect, in order to win that person to Christ. It does not matter what he or she said, did, or how he or she treated me. What matters to God is my heart and its intentions as I choose to absolutely surrender to God’s will and not my own will.

~”O Lord, you have searched me and known me!”~Psalm 139:1, ESV~

To do to others is to treat them out of the fruits of the Holy Spirit of God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That is how others are led to Christ: by your fruits, as you put the fruits of Jesus Christ on display.

So now, I make it a point to love others well. Very well. And to be kind, compassionate, and caring to others, because that is what Jesus would have us to do.

And that is why I do unto others as Jesus would to them. 🙂 Now, I will close this blog post in a prayer in order to bless my former friends:

Dear God,

I thank You that You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be my Rabbi and Teacher, and that I can learn from my mistakes, even at 26 years old. Thank You for giving my former friends grace. Thank You that You are a God of instruction and that You gave me the discernment to let all of my former friends go, into the palm of Your hand. I cannot trust every person who enters into my life because as humans, we are far from perfect and we sin. But, I do trust You. It is by Your grace that You gave me the strength to let my former friends go. People come and go for a reason and a season, as You ordain it to be in Your timing, but You always stay. I pray for my former friends and wish all manner of good for them. I wish them a good life and that they have learned from their mistakes too. I pray for good health, friends, family, and wish them well in all areas of life. I pray for them to enter this new stage of their lives with new and better friends as I have parted ways with them. I wish them to be free of all sins and of being selfish so that they live selfless lives for Jesus and no one else, besides Him. Thank You for the time I knew them and that they can say they met me and knew me as the example of Jesus Christ I was to them through my actions. I bless them: both richly and abundantly, in the name of Jesus Christ. I give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!  

Thank you for reading this blog post, dear reader. God bless you! ❤

~”So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”~John 8:36, NIV~ 

Happy 3rd day of 2018 dear reader!

I want to take a moment to thank God for these people He has placed in my life. He allowed me to meet them (each of them for His glory and for a reason) as He has used His hand to order my footsteps for His will for my life: from 2018 and beyond! 🙂

~”In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”~1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV~

In 2016, God planted a seed within me. It gave birth in Lebanon and took off in the United States and beyond. I went to Lebanon with my home church for a short term missions trip. I served with a team of six and did ministry with refugee children and families there. Each person on my team inspired me (Dave, Kim, Valhalla, Deborah, and Jeri)———-each in many and different ways as this was my first missions trip and being away from the United States. Each of them taught me and showed me who God was in different ways and I am thankful to Him that the hand of God’s Holy Spirit used each of these people to touch my life. 🙂

Dave led devotionals and gave each of us a turn to lead devotionals. I thank God for Dave because his leadership was a skill that I learned and that God allowed his leadership to be passed on from him to me as I became a leader for others around me (even as I started writing this blog in 2016 as a way to encourage others through the good and bad times of my life). I thank God for Dave because if it were not for him leading the team, I would not have been inspired to lead others and inspire them through my writing in these blogs, both as a testimony and a witness of Jesus Christ for everyone to see and know His character. Kim inspired me too. She encouraged me with a Scripture from 2 Timothy 1:7 as me, Valhalla, Dave, and I took a walk, admiring the beauty of Lebanon that God created it to be: from its hills, to its mountaintops, and little houses and flowers along the sides of its roads. The Word of God states in 2 Timothy 1:7: “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” After hearing these words from Kim, I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit speaking these words from that Scripture to me thorough her. I felt empowered afterwards and is the reason why I thank God for Kim.———because she taught me to walk in step with the Spirit, even as we were taking that particular walk on that day with other members of the team. 🙂

~”The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace.”~Psalm 29:11, NIV~

Valhalla planted a seed and unlocked within my heart my love for children and children’s ministry (a passion that I did not realize I had further until I went to Japan for a short term missions trip for two months in 2017 and taught/did life with the children there! 🙂 ) I have a deep respect for this woman, mainly because she does children’s ministry so well, as I observed in Lebanon. I remember one time when she gave a very large hug to a refugee child when we had the game day with the refugee children.———this warmed my heart because I saw Jesus through this woman.————-loving on children who needed love and to know and experience God’s love so that they can be the next inspirations and doers of God’s Word as they take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next level and love on their families and beyond. The Heaven of Jesus Christ shined on them as the love of Jesus beamed from this woman on them. The love of Christ is evident through this woman. Even when I got back from Lebanon, God led me to continue keeping in contact with Valhalla in order to further my prayer life and other issues I was dealing with at the time. She has been a tremendous inspiration on my life and I thank God for her impact she has had on my life. One of the things she taught me is that God is love and that He sees me as valued when others do not see me in the same light as God does for me. She taught me to be a fighter for God’s Word and the truths of what God says about me. I thank God for Valhalla because she allowed me to see that when the enemy blinded me from the truth of God. She taught me that God is truth because His Son, Jesus, is the truth, through His Word, which is always alive and sharpens us to make us stronger in Christ who strengthens us: always. God bless Valhalla. 🙂

~”For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”~Hebrews 4:12, KJV~

I remember when Deborah, who roomed with me for most of the trip, shared bits and pieces of her life with me that gave me the courage to open up more about issues that I was dealing with in that time of my life (most of which were personal), as the Holy Spirit of God showed us ways we can pray for each other.————she taught me how to be prayerful for others around me, all while showing me to be comfortable with myself. She grew me in that God through her showed me how to love me for me and for how God created me to be. Out of many people I have met in my life, Deborah taught me that God is love and that He loves me, regardless of my own issues and what others say or think of me. She told me one time to not pay attention to what others say about me because it is what God thinks of me that counts (she told me this about one year and a half later, after the missions trip). I thank God for Deborah. 🙂

~”I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”~Psalm 139:14, ESV~

I also remember Jeri. She is a lovely person. Even after the missions trip, she makes it a point to keep in contact with me on Facebook and encourage me, even as I write blog posts for this blog and edit for Atlanta Christian Voice. She loves my writing because I make it a full effort to be Jesus through my writings. Jesus speaks to her through my writings. Every time she presses the like button on a blog post I have written or makes a comment, this motivates me more to keep on writing, for Jesus so that His light can shine in the light He put in me to shine for others around me. She is light in my life and my soul ( almost like a 2nd grandmother to me!) I thank God for Jeri because even though I do not know her on a personal level, I do know that she has inspired me to keep on being the love of Jesus to everyone in and through my writing.————-both young and old. Praise God for Jeri! 🙂

I now want to take a moment and lift up names of people I know from my church. I remember and bless them, in the name of Jesus Christ! 🙂

I remember Daniella. She is super in that she ignited my passion for dancing. I never knew I could dance until she showed me and I took a couple of dance lessons for a season. She taught me empowerment through the Holy Spirit of God, which has guided me to dance for Jesus. I remember when we went to a dance social together one night and how she told me that King David (from the Bible) danced for Jesus! I do not know the Scripture that she quoted this from, but that motivated me to keep calm and keep on dancing as a hobby and for the glory of Jesus Christ. Daniella is also a very kind person. I admire her boldness and confidence for the Lord. It is so strong and has inspired me so much to be confident as my light shines for Jesus.————for my twin sister, Rachel, family, and beyond. 🙂 God bless Daniella! 🙂

I also remember Kelly. I have my own issues I deal with. She told me (on Christmas Day 2017), that God is going to use me to bring healing, help, and hope to others who are hurting and struggling with the same issues I have. At first, I did not understand what she meant by this nor did I want to accept this fact due to insecurities that I was dealing with that God FINALLY REMOVED at the end of 2017. Then, I accepted it as God’s will for my life because I know that someday (even now), God is using me to inspire others around me……maybe even as I write this blog post and whoever is reading it. Kelly is so brave and so honest. I thank God for her because she has inspired me to pray, even as she texted me one day that she is always praying for me. She is a bundle of joy in my life and I thank God for her and her courage to be honest with me in that time of my life…….simply because it helped me to GET OVER myself as I am confident that God will use me to help others around me, who are going through similar issues in order to inspire, encourage, and motivate them, to be their best and brightest selves. 🙂

~”I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”~Philippians 4:13, KJV~

I remember Ann. She is like a 2nd mother to me because she deeply cares about me and is always praying for me. I remember one time I had a medical crisis occur in my life and I happened to run into her one Wednesday night at church. She thanked God for my life. She also told me that she liked a blog post I wrote one time (even though I do not remember which one), she told me this which I will never forget, “You never know who you are inspiring.” Ann also taught me to pray for others around me and not just myself. As a result, I have a deep compassion for others who go through similar issues like myself and make it a priority to pray for others around me in my notebooks as I write the prayers down and make their visions plain (mainly people at my church…..and I do not have to tell them I am praying for them because that is between myself and God……only as the Spirit leads me. God bless Ann. 🙂

I remember Liz. She taught me love. Tough and unconditional love because the love of Christ does not always have to be tender, but it can be tough too as it disciplines us to be our best selves as we serve the Kingdom of God. She taught me to totally trust God and surrender to His will (not my will, but His will be done) for my life. I had an idea of what she meant, but did not understand what it would cost me for the Gospel of Jesus Christ’s sake as I serve others around me who like me, those who do not like me, and those who do not look or think like myself. I went through some pretty rough trials in 2017 that gave me better understanding of myself, God’s will for me, and a heart for others around me. I thank God for them, even though I did not like what God chose to put me through in that moment of my life, because they made me a wiser woman of greater discernment of the voice and will of God for my life. I thank God that I met her not just because of her experience in ministry, but also because of the wisdom she has gained from serving in ministry for many years. I praise and thank God for her training me to be my best self for ministry. 🙂

~”And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.”~2 Corinthians 5:18, KJV~

I remember Tina. She taught me to guard my heart from all evil in the world because the world is vicious and can take advantage of you without a care. She taught me to be strong in the Lord as I guard my heart. I remember when I was dealing with issues at the time when I did not listen to her advice, but I remember what her advice taught me about making wise decisions and for protecting all of me, even as the enemy tried to slander and degrade my integrity and make me feel down and bad about myself. I eventually got over myself and rebuked the enemy (all of the enemy), humbled myself, and decided to give Tina a Christmas card to show my love and appreciation for this great and fantastic woman of God. She is a woman of deep faith and promising in the eyes of God ( I say this about her because she told me one time that she did not give up on me and kept on praying for me, even when others turned their back on me during the bad in 2017).———-she encouraged me to go into 2018, bold, and confident, in the Lord, and NOT LOOK BACK at the horrible past and mistakes of 2017. 🙂

~”Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”~Proverbs 4:23, NIV~

There are many other people from my church, who I could write about, but will write about later as the Holy Spirit leads me (in and outside of my church).

The future is bright and so is 2018. I am thankful that God put it on my heart to write about these people. Each of them are special to me and I love them very much. Even those who I did not write about YET, just know that God put you on my heart and you are near and dear to me. 🙂

I now want to pray for the future of my life concerning 2018. I encourage you also to pray for me too, as God orders my steps into 2018 (even though it is only the 3rd day of the year, I want to take this moment to pray over my life. I invite you join me in prayer too).

~”The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way.”~Psalm 37:23, KJV~

Dear God,

I thank You for each of these people from my church who you led me to write about, who have had an impact on my life. Bless them. Bless them and their homes, families, lives, and children. I pray that if they are reading this that you will bless them for leading them to open up this blog post and read it. I pray that even if they do not read this blog post that Your hand will be upon their lives and bless them.—————mightily, as I am with them and praying for them in Spirit. I pray that the memories with each of these people will live forever. I pray that the moments shared with them (past, present, and future), will live on until that day of Jesus Christ, when we all come together to worship God together: for eternity. I pray that Your eternity will live on forever in their hearts and that they will know Jesus through this writing that Your Holy Spirit has led me to write. They do not have to acknowledge that I wrote this, but I pray that they continue to keep on giving you all of the glory through this writing. May it bless them. Both richly and abundantly. May Your Living Word keep them covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank You Lord for allowing me to meet them. Bless them.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen! 

God bless you! 🙂 ❤

~”Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”~Romans 8:37, KJV~