Keep a Smile on Your Face
"If you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face." Romans 12:8(The Message)
I have really been slacking and I apologize. I have let my own personal struggles consume my thoughts and I have also been sowing into another person's life. I have gotten two other books that have helped me lately: a mini book from Bob Gass "Guidance for Today: How to be Led by God" and ..I'll have to get the other title later. (I've already packed my car) I just wanted you to go into the work-week with an encouraging word tonight and that you are covered. I know that times get hard and sometimes we all need a little encouragement. Just do like that scripture says and keep a smile on your face. Smiling back at the devil's attempts to discourage you angers him and propels you forward. Hey your smile may give someone else what they need to go on.... So regardless of how I'm feeling, I always try to smile at everyone. I'll be back on it tomorrow so....Until then be blessed!
"When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times." 2 Corinthians 1:6 (The Message)
Love you!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Daily Devotion
Aligning Your Thoughts with God and the Word
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
He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it. Proverbs 11:27
Its easy to become discouraged when you are in a world surrounded by negativity. But as in Eph 6:10-20, we fight against principalities, wickedness, and spiritual hosts and one of our tools in the battle is the Word of God. We must surround ourselves with positive, faith-filled scriptures and confess them daily to renew our minds in the fight. If you lack strength or the energy to complete something, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" gives you that strength or that energy to complete your task.(Phi 4:13) This is not an overnight process or something that can be done in the blink of an eye. Oftentimes your own faith will be tested several times in the midst but you must continue to align your thoughts and keep them in line. Satan uses suggestion to turn you off track with one thought.
Love you!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Daily Devotion
Trusting God When It Hurts
The devil just does not stop! Fortunately I trust in God! He promises to make our paths straight (Pro 3:5-6). If anybody knows me, I like to understand EVERYTHING. I love to learn and gain knowledge, but this crazy journey of life is not always so kind in that process.
Most times, we as humans, and especially as Christians, only go to God when we are in tight situations. We humble ourselves and cry at His feet, we pray and beg for forgiveness and mercy. Yet it almost seems like we don't trust Him to get us through the situation. I didn't trust Him while I was in the hospital and nearly lost faith when on my 23rd birthday I began to get sick again. But in praying for peace I learned to trust Him and Him alone. Family may fail you, friends may fail you, anybody! But God is always trustworthy! "It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8 God taught me this lesson many many times. But He truly engrained it in my mind right before I left work for my surgery. I still didn't have any donated leave, hadn't really received many donations. I did not know how I was going to survive. But in the blink of an eye (well a weekend lol), I went from 0 hours of leave to 316 hours (nearly enough for 8 weeks out) and several donations. I was already battered and bruised because of the nearness of the surgery itself and that I dreaded going into it, but really because I had prayed and prayed for a miracle. Trusting Him meant I had to embrace His plan for me because for some reason He wanted me to go through it.
So when you reach that lowest of low point like I did, force yourself to LISTEN to what God is saying. Hopefully you take heed beforehand and just trust that He will work it all out for you. He will hear your cry and will answer you! Love ya and my prayers are with you!
Rest in these:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD'S unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. Psalm 32:10
"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD." Psalm 40:1-3
Monday, September 21, 2009
Daily Devotion
Running From It Will Not Save You
I have to give thanks to two of the most wonderful people ever for inadvertently inspiring today's devotion. My friend Shardae L. and my sister from another mother Monique--Shardae our "convo" lol has been in my head all day! And Mo---you broke this poem down to me nearly four years ago and my life has never been the same--although it had a different application. I'm gonna take a different approach today and break it down biblically stanza by stanza. Reading this the last week along with another poem and the entire Serenity Prayer have truly helped me to see the things I have gone through for what they are. It has also helped me "to stop running from my problems," and instead embrace them for the trials that they are and praise God in the midst. I realize that they are only temporary and just preparation for what's ahead.
See It Through by Edgar Albert Guest
When you're up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace
When it's vain to try and dodge it
Do the best that you can do
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it Through!
Black may be the clouds about you,
And your future may seem grim;
Don't let your nerve desert you,
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it Through!
Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you're beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don't give up, whate'er you may do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish,
See It Through!
See It Through by Edgar Albert Guest
Stanza 1:
"Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:24
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9(NASB)
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37
Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." (NIV)
In layman's terms: Be strong and face your mountain, trouble, or problem. Have faith because your hope is in God! He guarantees to never put more on you than you can bear, without giving you a window of escape(1 Cor 10:13). Several times throughout the Bible God gave instructions to be strong because He is with us! Think about the Footprints in the Sand poem--God truly is there with us! And if it gets too hard we can lean on Him in our weakness because God's power is perfected in our weakness(2 Cor 12:9). Failure is not bad--ONLY IF YOU REFUSE TO GET UP AND STAY KNOCKED DOWN--then failure becomes quitting.
Stanza 2:
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph 6:11(NKJV)
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Eph 6:13(NKJV)
"Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:8(NASB)
Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support. Isaiah 41:10(BBE)
"'No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,' declares the LORD." Isaiah 54:17(NASB)
"So he answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.'" 2 Kings 6:16(NASB)
Boy oh boy I love this stanza! We all face dark clouds or periods in our lives. But rest assured, God equipped us with all the tools we need: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield faith, the helmet of salvation...but one of the most powerful is the Word--the sword of the Spirit! Use scriptures and confession to cut through the doubt that the devil sends your way. (Eph 6:14-20) Putting on the whole armor of God protects and helps us to stay focused in the midst of the daily attacks of Satan! Remember Isaiah 54:17 that No Weapon Formed Against You Shall Prosper!!! But I especially like the fact that God wants us to NOT fear because those that are for us--the angels that are encamped around us, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, and other true members of the Body of Christ outnumber any amount that Satan can attack us with! (Romans 8:31, 2 Kings 6:16--above)
Stanza 3:
We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. 8We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. 9In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. 2 Cor 4:7-9
"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim 2:1
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58
"He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power." Isaiah 40:29
"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31
"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalms 18:2
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?" Psalm 27:1(one of my personal favorites, its in my tattoo)
Sometimes, we are all at our last hoorah, and have little energy to draw strength from. We are hoping and leaning on a prayer. But God promises to renew our strength. He promises to carry our heavy burdens. He promises hold us up with His right hand--through Jesus who sits at God's right hand (Mark 16:19, Apostle's Creed, Acts 2:33). He promises to reward us for all we have gone through--"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matt 5:12 This same scripture lets us know that we face things (not specifically all the time) that other people have gone through. Giving up when things get hard is easy initially because it seems like it will rid you of the problem. The fact is, its not going anywhere! So why not just accept it for what it is, address it and give it to God in prayer, then alleviate and eliminate it. Patenting this right now lol! Be blessed!
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com/
I have to give thanks to two of the most wonderful people ever for inadvertently inspiring today's devotion. My friend Shardae L. and my sister from another mother Monique--Shardae our "convo" lol has been in my head all day! And Mo---you broke this poem down to me nearly four years ago and my life has never been the same--although it had a different application. I'm gonna take a different approach today and break it down biblically stanza by stanza. Reading this the last week along with another poem and the entire Serenity Prayer have truly helped me to see the things I have gone through for what they are. It has also helped me "to stop running from my problems," and instead embrace them for the trials that they are and praise God in the midst. I realize that they are only temporary and just preparation for what's ahead.
See It Through by Edgar Albert Guest
When you're up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace
When it's vain to try and dodge it
Do the best that you can do
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it Through!
Black may be the clouds about you,
And your future may seem grim;
Don't let your nerve desert you,
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it Through!
Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you're beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don't give up, whate'er you may do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish,
See It Through!
See It Through by Edgar Albert Guest
Stanza 1:
"Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:24
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9(NASB)
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37
Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." (NIV)
In layman's terms: Be strong and face your mountain, trouble, or problem. Have faith because your hope is in God! He guarantees to never put more on you than you can bear, without giving you a window of escape(1 Cor 10:13). Several times throughout the Bible God gave instructions to be strong because He is with us! Think about the Footprints in the Sand poem--God truly is there with us! And if it gets too hard we can lean on Him in our weakness because God's power is perfected in our weakness(2 Cor 12:9). Failure is not bad--ONLY IF YOU REFUSE TO GET UP AND STAY KNOCKED DOWN--then failure becomes quitting.
Stanza 2:
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph 6:11(NKJV)
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Eph 6:13(NKJV)
"Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:8(NASB)
Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support. Isaiah 41:10(BBE)
"'No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,' declares the LORD." Isaiah 54:17(NASB)
"So he answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.'" 2 Kings 6:16(NASB)
Boy oh boy I love this stanza! We all face dark clouds or periods in our lives. But rest assured, God equipped us with all the tools we need: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield faith, the helmet of salvation...but one of the most powerful is the Word--the sword of the Spirit! Use scriptures and confession to cut through the doubt that the devil sends your way. (Eph 6:14-20) Putting on the whole armor of God protects and helps us to stay focused in the midst of the daily attacks of Satan! Remember Isaiah 54:17 that No Weapon Formed Against You Shall Prosper!!! But I especially like the fact that God wants us to NOT fear because those that are for us--the angels that are encamped around us, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, and other true members of the Body of Christ outnumber any amount that Satan can attack us with! (Romans 8:31, 2 Kings 6:16--above)
Stanza 3:
We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. 8We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. 9In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. 2 Cor 4:7-9
"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim 2:1
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58
"He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power." Isaiah 40:29
"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31
"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalms 18:2
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?" Psalm 27:1(one of my personal favorites, its in my tattoo)
Sometimes, we are all at our last hoorah, and have little energy to draw strength from. We are hoping and leaning on a prayer. But God promises to renew our strength. He promises to carry our heavy burdens. He promises hold us up with His right hand--through Jesus who sits at God's right hand (Mark 16:19, Apostle's Creed, Acts 2:33). He promises to reward us for all we have gone through--"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matt 5:12 This same scripture lets us know that we face things (not specifically all the time) that other people have gone through. Giving up when things get hard is easy initially because it seems like it will rid you of the problem. The fact is, its not going anywhere! So why not just accept it for what it is, address it and give it to God in prayer, then alleviate and eliminate it. Patenting this right now lol! Be blessed!
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com/
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Daily Devotion
Press On!
O.M.G.!!!!! Church was amazing! It was the lemon buttercream icing to my lemon cake that I needed to kick my mini-depression to wherever it wants to go! By the way if anybody wants to bake me one, I would love it!!! Confession is good for the soul, and I would like to confess my apologies to God and you. 1: I'm weak and I allowed my sadness to rule over my responsibility to God and you by not writing my devotions like I should. I allowed circumstances and troubles to overwhelm me and get me off track. Yet in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." So I can't let that stop me! But alas, today is a new day and my wonderful and glorious Savior saw fit to keep me here!
So as I listened in church to the sermon, several truths stuck out in my mind. One, we must stop allowing our troubles to distract us from the real reason that we are here. God has placed us here to minister to others and to glorify Him. 1 Corinthians 7:35 says "This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord." For example, in ministering to others, stop being afraid that what you have to say may hurt people--because if what you have to say hurts someone AND its from God, most likely its just something they needed to hear anyway. I suffer from that a lot, but I try to address it with my blog and what God lays on my heart.
Two, just like everyone of us has a purpose, the devil does too! We fight against him spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.(Eph 6:12) In my case--okay I was disobedient today and I pray God forgives me. He was nudging me to go up and give my testimony. Since I didn't do what I was supposed to do, I will give it here. I am 24 years old--actually 24 years, 2 months, 22-23 days (depending on how you count it lol). I have been trampled with troubles ever since my elementary days, yet I'm here. I've been abused by family, lied to and on by those that are supposed to be my friends, attacked mentally through doubt and depression, attacked physically through kidney disease and other health issues, and attacked spiritually through fear, bitterness and anger. Even in obeying God's will I have received discouragement from Children of God, some people very near and dear to my heart! The devil has tried to steal my joy, my health, and my life but I'm here. He has even used those nearest and dearest to me to attack me, yet I still stand! I have stood in the face of death, despair, depression, and disillusionment but God still has me here.(2 Corinthians 4)
In fighting the devil, we gain a strength--fortitude--that allows us to withstand any obstacle. No one on this earth is like you, so that means you will ultimately face somethings that no one else has specifically faced. But the real truth(double positive lol so I know this is true right? lol) of this is that God saw fit for you to go into this situation you must trust that you have everything you need to get through it! The real promise that I rest on is that someday, I will go on into a glorious eternal life with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, free from every human thing that has sought to keep me down.(Heb 5:9, see below) From that I draw strength to press forward, and to see these things through, because God promises us to take care of us!(2 Cor 12:10) So I leave you with this today, God is with you!
I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 1 Corinthians 2:3
And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, Hebrews 5:9
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
Love you and I will not stop praying for you! I hope you do the same for me!! Colossians 1:3-14
O.M.G.!!!!! Church was amazing! It was the lemon buttercream icing to my lemon cake that I needed to kick my mini-depression to wherever it wants to go! By the way if anybody wants to bake me one, I would love it!!! Confession is good for the soul, and I would like to confess my apologies to God and you. 1: I'm weak and I allowed my sadness to rule over my responsibility to God and you by not writing my devotions like I should. I allowed circumstances and troubles to overwhelm me and get me off track. Yet in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." So I can't let that stop me! But alas, today is a new day and my wonderful and glorious Savior saw fit to keep me here!
So as I listened in church to the sermon, several truths stuck out in my mind. One, we must stop allowing our troubles to distract us from the real reason that we are here. God has placed us here to minister to others and to glorify Him. 1 Corinthians 7:35 says "This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord." For example, in ministering to others, stop being afraid that what you have to say may hurt people--because if what you have to say hurts someone AND its from God, most likely its just something they needed to hear anyway. I suffer from that a lot, but I try to address it with my blog and what God lays on my heart.
Two, just like everyone of us has a purpose, the devil does too! We fight against him spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.(Eph 6:12) In my case--okay I was disobedient today and I pray God forgives me. He was nudging me to go up and give my testimony. Since I didn't do what I was supposed to do, I will give it here. I am 24 years old--actually 24 years, 2 months, 22-23 days (depending on how you count it lol). I have been trampled with troubles ever since my elementary days, yet I'm here. I've been abused by family, lied to and on by those that are supposed to be my friends, attacked mentally through doubt and depression, attacked physically through kidney disease and other health issues, and attacked spiritually through fear, bitterness and anger. Even in obeying God's will I have received discouragement from Children of God, some people very near and dear to my heart! The devil has tried to steal my joy, my health, and my life but I'm here. He has even used those nearest and dearest to me to attack me, yet I still stand! I have stood in the face of death, despair, depression, and disillusionment but God still has me here.(2 Corinthians 4)
In fighting the devil, we gain a strength--fortitude--that allows us to withstand any obstacle. No one on this earth is like you, so that means you will ultimately face somethings that no one else has specifically faced. But the real truth(double positive lol so I know this is true right? lol) of this is that God saw fit for you to go into this situation you must trust that you have everything you need to get through it! The real promise that I rest on is that someday, I will go on into a glorious eternal life with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, free from every human thing that has sought to keep me down.(Heb 5:9, see below) From that I draw strength to press forward, and to see these things through, because God promises us to take care of us!(2 Cor 12:10) So I leave you with this today, God is with you!
I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 1 Corinthians 2:3
And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, Hebrews 5:9
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
Love you and I will not stop praying for you! I hope you do the same for me!! Colossians 1:3-14
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Daily Devotion
Stepping out of "Me"
Philippians 2:3-4
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.(NKJV)
Whoo...A tough few weeks makes for a hardened and extra-sensitive me...but I'm making it. I hope you are blessed. I had recruiting today at SC State and was very impressed with the turn out of students and their professionality. Yes this is a tad bit unrelated but it kind of made me think. In following God's will and "recruiting" others for service to God, we have to look beyond our own problems. We have to step out of "Marquita-the individual" and into "Christ-the body". That is hard to do when you have this situation and that trouble, those problems, and daily struggles. Life does not encourage us to think of others first. I have had this ongoing battle for many years. I have always been the kind of person to do for others with little regard for what pain or kind of bind it may put me in. However, after I got sick, I began to think of Marquita first then everyone else. And when I evaluate myself, I was never truly happy either way. I think the solution is not to be wholly one way or another, but have a balance of both. I got tired of being hurt and feared(see how the devil comes in and makes a situation look bad right?) that if I continued to be that way, people would take advantage. But in having divine balance, you can recognize when a situation is ordained by God for your intervention.
Don't be so wrapped up in yourself that you miss out on an opportunity to be a blessing to someone else but yet don't be so focused on everyone else that you don't give yourself time to reflect. I think its at those points of truly putting God first that you find a happy medium and a pinnacle of balance. As the saying goes (loose interpretation of course), when you step out of your problem and into someone else's, God steps into yours and cleans it up!
James 3:16
For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (NKJV)
Marquita
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Daily Devotion
Living Outside of God's Will
We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9)
I know people that hate to hear the saying "everything happens for a reason." I have come to create my own interpretation of that saying, with expansion and real life application. Marquita's phrase: "There are things in life that happen with no explanation, with no possible way for you to understand them when they happen. But as a Christian, we can rest assured that God will use them for our good--our good meaning strengthening, sculpting, defining, and sometimes pruning. But your faith should reinforce the fact that it will all be understood at Jesus' coming and that it will ultimately prepare you for some situation that you could not have otherwise gotten through without it."---MBP everyday lol.
But sometimes when we want to make our own way and forget about God's way, we push ourselves outside of God's will. When that happens, we often get much more than we bargained for, ending up disappointed and disheartened. We have self-inflicted crises of faith and want to run away from God. Or we become "conditional Christians"--bowing and praying to God for deliverance from these difficult times and cursing Him when we don't get what we want. Listening to what God wants from you sometimes hurts because it may mean that your wants and desires have to align themselves with that will--sometimes it cannot be done. At this very moment in my life, I want to move, go back to school, win the lottery (lol), get married and have children, and live happily ever after. But clearly life isn't a fairy tale! Who's to say that will happen in that order or even at all??? I have a mentee that needs me which means sacrificing my desire to move at the present moment; I have student loans and medical bills which means going to school full-time is out of the question; only God knows whether and when the other things will happen. But I'm okay with that because I know that God will work it all out! He's no respecter of persons so everything entitled to me is entitled to you.
Check out these scriptures on the Will of God...good stuff! http://www.psalm40.org/verses.html
And this one:
http://counseling4christians.com/Scriptures/will%20of%20God.htm
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Daily Devotion
Moving Beyond Yesterday
Hi everyone! I'm trying to move forward but its taking baby steps! One day at a time they say…yeah! But it is soo true. I have a quote by Groucho Marx (lol) and the last sentence says "I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."
However, the focus of this is not solely on being happy, but in forgiving others, living in the past, and just not taking advantages of what today has to offer. For many of my younger years (I digress here because I am still "young" technically lol), I dwelled on the hurts of the past. I dwelled on things that I cannot change at all. They happened many years ago and were holding me in the past, which prohibited my mind to grow past those points. Until I acknowledged that these things happened and formed who I am, I couldn't move past them. It caused me to fester in anger and pain which was so unhealthy; it didn't allow me to appreciate life. But when I decided to give my life fully to God, including the past, I had to relive these things once and for all. In going over those things again, I realized things about myself, and decided that I would forgive and let go. Nothing is more clearly said in the Bible then forgiving past wrongs. I want God's forgiveness for my sins, don't you? You do know that holding on to the past and living in yesterday, yesteryear, yester-decade, whatever prevents you from nearly every promise God gives us in the Bible? How can you expect to receive anything that God has promised us if you won't do the simple thing He commands? Jesus' death forgives our sins.
For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14 (AMP)
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. 1 John 1:9 (AMP)
Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times? Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22 (AMP)
So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses. Matthew 18:35 (AMP)
For I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more. Hebrews 8:12 (AMP)
He then goes on to say, And their sins and their lawbreaking I will remember no more. Now where there is absolute remission (forgiveness and cancellation of the penalty) of these [sins and lawbreaking], there is no longer any offering made to atone for sin. Hebrews 10:17-18 (AMP
Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive]. Colossians 3:13 (AMP)
In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor. Ephesians 1:7 (AMP
I look at people and life like this. I honestly think that at the core of people there is inherent good. Because of our being born into sin, that is where things such as jealously, lying, cheating, to the abomination sins, etc. come into the picture. However when you become born again and accept Jesus' gift, it is your responsibility to work and live in that gift and turn away from sin. (Acts 3:19) No one is perfect --"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23 NKJV) but Christ has redeemed us! We can move past yesterday because we were blessed with today! You cannot continue to live in the past or the hurts of yesterday because you keep re-infecting yourself with the hatred, anger, and bitterness all that cause. You won't let it heal because you keep pulling the scab off. Today is a new day so be happy in it and thank God He saw fit to deliver you from your past. Want more than your past has to offer, because it's already dead.
Hi everyone! I'm trying to move forward but its taking baby steps! One day at a time they say…yeah! But it is soo true. I have a quote by Groucho Marx (lol) and the last sentence says "I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."
However, the focus of this is not solely on being happy, but in forgiving others, living in the past, and just not taking advantages of what today has to offer. For many of my younger years (I digress here because I am still "young" technically lol), I dwelled on the hurts of the past. I dwelled on things that I cannot change at all. They happened many years ago and were holding me in the past, which prohibited my mind to grow past those points. Until I acknowledged that these things happened and formed who I am, I couldn't move past them. It caused me to fester in anger and pain which was so unhealthy; it didn't allow me to appreciate life. But when I decided to give my life fully to God, including the past, I had to relive these things once and for all. In going over those things again, I realized things about myself, and decided that I would forgive and let go. Nothing is more clearly said in the Bible then forgiving past wrongs. I want God's forgiveness for my sins, don't you? You do know that holding on to the past and living in yesterday, yesteryear, yester-decade, whatever prevents you from nearly every promise God gives us in the Bible? How can you expect to receive anything that God has promised us if you won't do the simple thing He commands? Jesus' death forgives our sins.
For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14 (AMP)
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. 1 John 1:9 (AMP)
Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times? Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22 (AMP)
So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses. Matthew 18:35 (AMP)
For I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more. Hebrews 8:12 (AMP)
He then goes on to say, And their sins and their lawbreaking I will remember no more. Now where there is absolute remission (forgiveness and cancellation of the penalty) of these [sins and lawbreaking], there is no longer any offering made to atone for sin. Hebrews 10:17-18 (AMP
Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive]. Colossians 3:13 (AMP)
In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor. Ephesians 1:7 (AMP
I look at people and life like this. I honestly think that at the core of people there is inherent good. Because of our being born into sin, that is where things such as jealously, lying, cheating, to the abomination sins, etc. come into the picture. However when you become born again and accept Jesus' gift, it is your responsibility to work and live in that gift and turn away from sin. (Acts 3:19) No one is perfect --"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23 NKJV) but Christ has redeemed us! We can move past yesterday because we were blessed with today! You cannot continue to live in the past or the hurts of yesterday because you keep re-infecting yourself with the hatred, anger, and bitterness all that cause. You won't let it heal because you keep pulling the scab off. Today is a new day so be happy in it and thank God He saw fit to deliver you from your past. Want more than your past has to offer, because it's already dead.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Daily Devotion
We are God's Family
Good evening!
I was not even going to write tonight, but I read a very important set of scriptures. I woke up from what was supposed to be an hour long nap that started at 7:30 around 10:30 and I needed to take my medicine. I read my own devotion and thought about skipping writing this one. But I started reading Matthew 12(that is the chapter I have been hovering in as I try to read all the way through the Bible.
Matthew 12:25-29
Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. (NLT)
In many families there are secrets, problems, rifts, and divisions for whatever reason. Sadly, most times these things are what causes the family structure to break down. The people that are often the root of these problems refuse to change or admit fault. In my own family, ON BOTH SIDES, they are many who cause family division and when called on their behaviors instead of admitting fault, they point the finger at everyone else. They refuse to turn that mirror of reflection on themselves because looking at your own wrongs is often to hard a thing to do.
But when the evil Pharisees tried to look for something to cause a lack of faith in Jesus' work, Jesus reprimanded them and said the above verses. In families, we fail to realize that we are not individuals but part of a greater body. The Pharisees lack of faith and desire to make Jesus evil show how the devil sought to tear apart the Heavenly body. He does the same things everyday by causing hatred in families. When you begin to look at others as members of God's family, instead of just your earthly family, it makes it a whole lot easier to forgive and to move on in the work of the Kingdom. It is our responsibility to bring others to Christ, even those family members that seek to do nothing but separate and destroy. When we allow the devil success in our family, it brings him that much closer to attacking us. So don't even give him that foothold! Keep your family lifted in prayer! Pray that God's light shines in them and that God makes His will known in their lives and that His will is done. For in verse 29 Jesus says ..."Only someone even stronger--someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house." Only God can do it if you give Him the power to do so!
Good evening!
I was not even going to write tonight, but I read a very important set of scriptures. I woke up from what was supposed to be an hour long nap that started at 7:30 around 10:30 and I needed to take my medicine. I read my own devotion and thought about skipping writing this one. But I started reading Matthew 12(that is the chapter I have been hovering in as I try to read all the way through the Bible.
Matthew 12:25-29
Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. (NLT)
In many families there are secrets, problems, rifts, and divisions for whatever reason. Sadly, most times these things are what causes the family structure to break down. The people that are often the root of these problems refuse to change or admit fault. In my own family, ON BOTH SIDES, they are many who cause family division and when called on their behaviors instead of admitting fault, they point the finger at everyone else. They refuse to turn that mirror of reflection on themselves because looking at your own wrongs is often to hard a thing to do.
But when the evil Pharisees tried to look for something to cause a lack of faith in Jesus' work, Jesus reprimanded them and said the above verses. In families, we fail to realize that we are not individuals but part of a greater body. The Pharisees lack of faith and desire to make Jesus evil show how the devil sought to tear apart the Heavenly body. He does the same things everyday by causing hatred in families. When you begin to look at others as members of God's family, instead of just your earthly family, it makes it a whole lot easier to forgive and to move on in the work of the Kingdom. It is our responsibility to bring others to Christ, even those family members that seek to do nothing but separate and destroy. When we allow the devil success in our family, it brings him that much closer to attacking us. So don't even give him that foothold! Keep your family lifted in prayer! Pray that God's light shines in them and that God makes His will known in their lives and that His will is done. For in verse 29 Jesus says ..."Only someone even stronger--someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house." Only God can do it if you give Him the power to do so!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Daily Devotion
The Importance of Prayer
You know when you are little, you may have been taught this prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
And if I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
If you were like me, you eventually learned the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13:
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
But do you know that if you talk to God and bring your requests before Him the way you would in your normal conversation, that God answers that kind of prayer too? In fact, because God knows everything about us, He already knows what we need and desire but He wants us to be open with Him and honest. He hears your cries, He hears you especially when you pray without giving up. I have been truly feeling out of it lately and praying is the only way that I can relieve my pain. God answers all prayers---sometimes it may not be the answer you want. Its important to have three characteristics in prayer: praying from your heart, praying genuinely, and praying without ceasing. We must also pray for others because its in praying for others most times that God works on our problems and allows us to grow. We must also be SPECIFIC! You can't pray for a job and get angry with God when you get a job but its not the one you want. You weren't specific.
Here are some verses on prayer for you and my prayers are with you today! I really appreciate you all and hope that you are truly, earnestly blessed today.
Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly] 1 Thessalonians 5: 17
"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Matthew 18: 19-20(NKJV)
Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving. Colossians 4: 2
Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. James 5: 16
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4: 6
Friday, September 11, 2009
Daily Devotion
Confirmation and Procrastination
Good afternoon everybody! I'm still at work, and I have been doing good today. This has been a hard two weeks for me, and it is taking a toll on my body--so I am diagnosing myself to a day at home tomorrow of reading. I was only going to talk about confirmation today, but I read my devotion just a few minutes ago and I think it is something we all need to be aware of.
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14
"I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1
"As for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me." Micah 7:7
"My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken." Psalm 62:5-6
As far as confirmation is concerned, when my cousin passed, I had been thinking of what to say and read at her funeral all day. I went over millions of scriptures and just prayed to God to guide me to it. Y'all know I am one of the MOST impatient people ever, but I am proud to say that God is working in me and I am getting better. However, in my scripture search I came to Psalm 23 and realized how it wonderfully said what I was looking to say. I read then thought, uhh I will come back to it if I can't find something else. But it was still on my mind. I found my new testament scriptures, and still came back to Psalm 23. Then my cousin calls and says that's one of the ones that my aunt would like me to read. After we got off the phone I had to thank God for confirmation. In this emotional time, I have been feeling distant from God--because my pain has not eased. My heart is still heavy but in the midst of times like this--where confusion enters and serves as the devil's tool to separate you from God, you must listen to that small voice and seek God. Wait on Him and He will speak to you. Even in the other things that I am uncertain of right now, I realize that God hears my cry and will give me confirmation of what I seek in due time. Whether it be in an instant or two years from now, you will get it.
As far as procrastination is concerned, I am not talking of typical procrastination. I am speaking of those people we pray for that seem to refuse to accept God and continue to fight against Him. They procrastinate--by procrastinate I mean hesitate and put it off until the end--to accept God until they near that final hour. But I am blessed today to know that even though they wait until the "Eleventh Hour", God will forgive them! This inspires me to continue in prayer for those in my family that do not follow God's leading. In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, the farmer went out at intervals during the day and recruited workers to work in his vineyard. At the end of the day, he paid them all the same. The earlier workers complained but he told them to take their pay and go. They all agreed to work for the same amount. (Matthew 20:1-16) The purpose of this is that we cannot give up on them and should rejoice that even though they don't respond now, as long as they accept Jesus they will be saved. This is the same as the message of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)--no matter what, God will forgive us and welcome us all home, if we turn to Him with forgiveness! Knowing these things bless my heart today and I hope they bless you! Go forth with confirmation that if you know God and accept Him, in spite of all your procrastination, you will be saved!!
Good afternoon everybody! I'm still at work, and I have been doing good today. This has been a hard two weeks for me, and it is taking a toll on my body--so I am diagnosing myself to a day at home tomorrow of reading. I was only going to talk about confirmation today, but I read my devotion just a few minutes ago and I think it is something we all need to be aware of.
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14
"I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1
"As for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me." Micah 7:7
"My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken." Psalm 62:5-6
As far as confirmation is concerned, when my cousin passed, I had been thinking of what to say and read at her funeral all day. I went over millions of scriptures and just prayed to God to guide me to it. Y'all know I am one of the MOST impatient people ever, but I am proud to say that God is working in me and I am getting better. However, in my scripture search I came to Psalm 23 and realized how it wonderfully said what I was looking to say. I read then thought, uhh I will come back to it if I can't find something else. But it was still on my mind. I found my new testament scriptures, and still came back to Psalm 23. Then my cousin calls and says that's one of the ones that my aunt would like me to read. After we got off the phone I had to thank God for confirmation. In this emotional time, I have been feeling distant from God--because my pain has not eased. My heart is still heavy but in the midst of times like this--where confusion enters and serves as the devil's tool to separate you from God, you must listen to that small voice and seek God. Wait on Him and He will speak to you. Even in the other things that I am uncertain of right now, I realize that God hears my cry and will give me confirmation of what I seek in due time. Whether it be in an instant or two years from now, you will get it.
As far as procrastination is concerned, I am not talking of typical procrastination. I am speaking of those people we pray for that seem to refuse to accept God and continue to fight against Him. They procrastinate--by procrastinate I mean hesitate and put it off until the end--to accept God until they near that final hour. But I am blessed today to know that even though they wait until the "Eleventh Hour", God will forgive them! This inspires me to continue in prayer for those in my family that do not follow God's leading. In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, the farmer went out at intervals during the day and recruited workers to work in his vineyard. At the end of the day, he paid them all the same. The earlier workers complained but he told them to take their pay and go. They all agreed to work for the same amount. (Matthew 20:1-16) The purpose of this is that we cannot give up on them and should rejoice that even though they don't respond now, as long as they accept Jesus they will be saved. This is the same as the message of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)--no matter what, God will forgive us and welcome us all home, if we turn to Him with forgiveness! Knowing these things bless my heart today and I hope they bless you! Go forth with confirmation that if you know God and accept Him, in spite of all your procrastination, you will be saved!!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Daily Devotion
Look for the cracks in your own pot!
Matthew 7:3-5
"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank IS in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."(NKJV)
Hey everybody! Hope you are blessed today. I'm taking life each day as it comes. I love the saying "Live everyday as if were your last..." because we can't predict the future! If we could, what would we need God for? But that's not the purpose of today's devotion. Gossiping and judging others is the focus!
Have you ever went to see a friend and they just MUST tell you what Bonequisha and her friends did last night? Or maybe it's your cousin, mom, dad, etc.? I don't claim to be a saint but doesn't all that negative energy bring your mood down? Usually from a psychological aspect, people that continually talk negatively and judgmentally about others have their own self-esteem issues. Maybe if they focus on one person, perhaps they want to be like that person. But regardless of whatever excuses they give about why, the Bible says it's WRONG!
"A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends." Proverbs 16:28
Fix yourself first then try to work on others. A blind doctor can't be a plastic surgeon so how can you expect to help someone by suffering from the same things that person faces?
Instead, give your issues to God and see how He works in you. Then through you and you reflecting God, others around you will change!
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Phi 4:6(NASB)
Matthew 7:3-5
"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank IS in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."(NKJV)
Hey everybody! Hope you are blessed today. I'm taking life each day as it comes. I love the saying "Live everyday as if were your last..." because we can't predict the future! If we could, what would we need God for? But that's not the purpose of today's devotion. Gossiping and judging others is the focus!
Have you ever went to see a friend and they just MUST tell you what Bonequisha and her friends did last night? Or maybe it's your cousin, mom, dad, etc.? I don't claim to be a saint but doesn't all that negative energy bring your mood down? Usually from a psychological aspect, people that continually talk negatively and judgmentally about others have their own self-esteem issues. Maybe if they focus on one person, perhaps they want to be like that person. But regardless of whatever excuses they give about why, the Bible says it's WRONG!
"A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends." Proverbs 16:28
Fix yourself first then try to work on others. A blind doctor can't be a plastic surgeon so how can you expect to help someone by suffering from the same things that person faces?
Instead, give your issues to God and see how He works in you. Then through you and you reflecting God, others around you will change!
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Phi 4:6(NASB)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Daily Devotion
Growing in God
Life is not an arbitrary series of random events. Nor is always set in stone. By God giving us the freedom to choose, we are able to make our own decisions. Sometimes that "gift" allows us to make emotionally un-sound decisions that send us in a circle.
"Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all." 1 Timothy 4:15
By taking the time to further our relationship with God and by really thinking about the purpose of some of the things we experience, we really allow ourselves to grow. We allow ourselves to focus on the lesson, not the method of teaching and learn the lesson that God is teaching. Everyday life will teach you something. Everyday you will be presented with a chance for growth and if you recognize those chances you can capitalize on them.
"Do your best to prove your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, 6self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7concern for others, and love. 8If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful
and meaningful." 2 Peter 1:5-8
Life is not an arbitrary series of random events. Nor is always set in stone. By God giving us the freedom to choose, we are able to make our own decisions. Sometimes that "gift" allows us to make emotionally un-sound decisions that send us in a circle.
"Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all." 1 Timothy 4:15
By taking the time to further our relationship with God and by really thinking about the purpose of some of the things we experience, we really allow ourselves to grow. We allow ourselves to focus on the lesson, not the method of teaching and learn the lesson that God is teaching. Everyday life will teach you something. Everyday you will be presented with a chance for growth and if you recognize those chances you can capitalize on them.
"Do your best to prove your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, 6self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7concern for others, and love. 8If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful
and meaningful." 2 Peter 1:5-8
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Daily Devotion
Good evening everyone!
...For this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold. Nehemiah 8:10
Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. Romans 5:3
[The Lord God says] And the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing to Zion; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 51:11
I hope your day is going well. Today has been a difficult day for my family, and I lost one of the most beautiful people I know. My cousin Timika is truly an angel and God saw fit to end her suffering today. I am going to talk about Joy.
Ironically, I have been rereading the Purpose Driven Life, and the devotion from one of the days I read as I was catching up talked about temptation. God allows us to be tempted to teach us the fruits of the spirit--Galatians 5:22-23--which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Something stuck out in Rick Warren's words...God often allows us to experience sorrow to seek joy. Joy and sorrow, quite frankly, don't go together to me. But low and behold today, I experienced them both at the same time. I have sorrow and sadness at my cousin's passing but I have joy for so many reasons. Number one and most importantly, she is no longer suffering and has gone home to wait for my Lord. What a wonderful privilege that is! Some of us are forced to endure earthly struggles and hardships throughout our entire lives and at the day of Jesus' coming, all of that will end! Doesn't that make you feel great! I know it makes me happy. Two, it taught me this very lesson: I can rejoice because I know (and she knows :D) the goodness of God! All sufferings do eventually end and there is exultation and happiness at the end! That is blessing enough for my heart! Whenever we experience any bad thing, it always has a point of stretching our faith and growing us in one of these areas if we welcome it. We must be on guard because the devil seeks to keep us at the opposite end of the spectrum and wallowing in self-pity or regret. Take me for example--haha--as many people know, I get my ends trimmed regularly but with an air of precaution: sometimes I get butchered. And these "trimmings" always serve to make me depressed. Rather than dwell on an inanimate thing like my hair that will grow back, I will rejoice at me not losing more hair and at the fact that it does grow fast. Of course, sometimes we allow ourselves to slip back and complain or make tough situations seem like a personal attack from God, but remember in His word that He always tells us how much He loves us! (John 3:16) So be joyful and guard it! Because the devil seeks to make you suffer and miserable all your life and for all eternity...a very long time.
Be blessed!
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] John 16:33
...For this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold. Nehemiah 8:10
Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. Romans 5:3
[The Lord God says] And the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing to Zion; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 51:11
I hope your day is going well. Today has been a difficult day for my family, and I lost one of the most beautiful people I know. My cousin Timika is truly an angel and God saw fit to end her suffering today. I am going to talk about Joy.
Ironically, I have been rereading the Purpose Driven Life, and the devotion from one of the days I read as I was catching up talked about temptation. God allows us to be tempted to teach us the fruits of the spirit--Galatians 5:22-23--which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Something stuck out in Rick Warren's words...God often allows us to experience sorrow to seek joy. Joy and sorrow, quite frankly, don't go together to me. But low and behold today, I experienced them both at the same time. I have sorrow and sadness at my cousin's passing but I have joy for so many reasons. Number one and most importantly, she is no longer suffering and has gone home to wait for my Lord. What a wonderful privilege that is! Some of us are forced to endure earthly struggles and hardships throughout our entire lives and at the day of Jesus' coming, all of that will end! Doesn't that make you feel great! I know it makes me happy. Two, it taught me this very lesson: I can rejoice because I know (and she knows :D) the goodness of God! All sufferings do eventually end and there is exultation and happiness at the end! That is blessing enough for my heart! Whenever we experience any bad thing, it always has a point of stretching our faith and growing us in one of these areas if we welcome it. We must be on guard because the devil seeks to keep us at the opposite end of the spectrum and wallowing in self-pity or regret. Take me for example--haha--as many people know, I get my ends trimmed regularly but with an air of precaution: sometimes I get butchered. And these "trimmings" always serve to make me depressed. Rather than dwell on an inanimate thing like my hair that will grow back, I will rejoice at me not losing more hair and at the fact that it does grow fast. Of course, sometimes we allow ourselves to slip back and complain or make tough situations seem like a personal attack from God, but remember in His word that He always tells us how much He loves us! (John 3:16) So be joyful and guard it! Because the devil seeks to make you suffer and miserable all your life and for all eternity...a very long time.
Be blessed!
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] John 16:33
Monday, September 7, 2009
Daily Devotion
Labor for God's Glory
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
Happy Labor Day! I'm looking forward to going home and hopefully there being some barbeque waiting for me. Labor Day officially ends most of summertime fun and other things to me and I enjoy it. I'm in Atlanta right now and I'm sealing the deal with an affordable pedicure versus one from home.
I was going to talk about something else, but it lays heavily on my heart about the labor of enduring troubles. We all go through things and have difficult times in our lives, and sometimes there truly seems to be no way out. But the purpose of these problems are to purify us and bring us closer to the only Great God in Heaven. Troubles always seem to isolate us and get us alone. You can't go to your best friend, your mom, or anyone sometimes. Only calling on God at that lowest point serves to get us some consolation. Problems and troubles will always come. They do not stop because it is Satan's goal to have us! Everyone has suffered since the beginning of creation including Jesus! And when we suffer in His name, it is well! (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Nothing rang clearer to this than my random reading of a message on Greek organizations. I cannot speak for all or tell of all things that go on in an organization, but how we are taught to bond together and lean on each other to get through all things that may come is exactly what we must do in our own lives. We must bind ourselves to the truths of God's word, bind ourselves to the promises the Word gives us, and lean on God to give us the strength to get through. I
fight a daily battle trusting God sometimes because I have put trust in people so many times and have been let down. This will continue to happen to you if you don't trust God. But the only truth I need to get through and to learn to trust God is the Word. Everytime someone went through difficult times, God was right there guiding them. So in trusting God, we must wholeheartedly labor to overcome our need to control and sometimes to give up. We must work to get through and trust that this Word He has given us is true and He will do what he says.
Be Blessed today and I'm gonna make a pittstop before I get on the road!
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
Happy Labor Day! I'm looking forward to going home and hopefully there being some barbeque waiting for me. Labor Day officially ends most of summertime fun and other things to me and I enjoy it. I'm in Atlanta right now and I'm sealing the deal with an affordable pedicure versus one from home.
I was going to talk about something else, but it lays heavily on my heart about the labor of enduring troubles. We all go through things and have difficult times in our lives, and sometimes there truly seems to be no way out. But the purpose of these problems are to purify us and bring us closer to the only Great God in Heaven. Troubles always seem to isolate us and get us alone. You can't go to your best friend, your mom, or anyone sometimes. Only calling on God at that lowest point serves to get us some consolation. Problems and troubles will always come. They do not stop because it is Satan's goal to have us! Everyone has suffered since the beginning of creation including Jesus! And when we suffer in His name, it is well! (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Nothing rang clearer to this than my random reading of a message on Greek organizations. I cannot speak for all or tell of all things that go on in an organization, but how we are taught to bond together and lean on each other to get through all things that may come is exactly what we must do in our own lives. We must bind ourselves to the truths of God's word, bind ourselves to the promises the Word gives us, and lean on God to give us the strength to get through. I
fight a daily battle trusting God sometimes because I have put trust in people so many times and have been let down. This will continue to happen to you if you don't trust God. But the only truth I need to get through and to learn to trust God is the Word. Everytime someone went through difficult times, God was right there guiding them. So in trusting God, we must wholeheartedly labor to overcome our need to control and sometimes to give up. We must work to get through and trust that this Word He has given us is true and He will do what he says.
Be Blessed today and I'm gonna make a pittstop before I get on the road!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Daily Devotion
Be Flexible
Good evening! I hope you're having a great weekend! I am!
I mention flexibility tonite because we need it! Not like a gymnast although we do need to stretch in many ways. We need to be flexible and willing to change when God lays something on our hearts that we don't necessarily want to. We need to flexible when He is disciplining us. We need to be flexible in or dealings with others, and most importantly, ourselves. We need flexibility in our faith. Trust that whatever the situation is, God is bending and pulling you for ultimate growth.
My current flexibility challenge includes a lot of things. Of course moving, work, and how I deal with others. I have to allow God to bend me and stand still while He works on me pertaining to all of these things and so should you. Face the challenge and embrace the change!
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:11-12
So when you face those situations and trials that call for your flexibility, don't be afraid, stubborn or unwilling to face them. They build your character and test your faithfulness to God.
Good evening! I hope you're having a great weekend! I am!
I mention flexibility tonite because we need it! Not like a gymnast although we do need to stretch in many ways. We need to be flexible and willing to change when God lays something on our hearts that we don't necessarily want to. We need to flexible when He is disciplining us. We need to be flexible in or dealings with others, and most importantly, ourselves. We need flexibility in our faith. Trust that whatever the situation is, God is bending and pulling you for ultimate growth.
My current flexibility challenge includes a lot of things. Of course moving, work, and how I deal with others. I have to allow God to bend me and stand still while He works on me pertaining to all of these things and so should you. Face the challenge and embrace the change!
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:11-12
So when you face those situations and trials that call for your flexibility, don't be afraid, stubborn or unwilling to face them. They build your character and test your faithfulness to God.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Daily Devotion
On the Mountaintop
Hey everybody! I know I've been erratic with my devotions lately and I apologize. But today is a new day!!!
In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus is tempted by Satan in the desert and on the Mountain. Satan tempted Jesus in everyway imaginable. He offered Him food, riches and wealth, everything he could for Jesus to bow down to him. But Jesus held steadfast. In the final challenge, Satan offers Jesus the world but in the midst, Jesus was focused on what God told Him to do and cast Satan down. When we are faced with pinnacle attacks, or situations that seem to be life or death, we must be steadfast like Jesus. When the world seems to be attacking us or coming down on us, we must go to the Word and remember His sacrifice!!
Love ya very much!
Hey everybody! I know I've been erratic with my devotions lately and I apologize. But today is a new day!!!
In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus is tempted by Satan in the desert and on the Mountain. Satan tempted Jesus in everyway imaginable. He offered Him food, riches and wealth, everything he could for Jesus to bow down to him. But Jesus held steadfast. In the final challenge, Satan offers Jesus the world but in the midst, Jesus was focused on what God told Him to do and cast Satan down. When we are faced with pinnacle attacks, or situations that seem to be life or death, we must be steadfast like Jesus. When the world seems to be attacking us or coming down on us, we must go to the Word and remember His sacrifice!!
Love ya very much!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Daily Devotion
Don't Close the Door Yet!
Good evening everybody! I am sorry for missing yesterday but I got swamped at work. Today was a long and exhausting day. Well all I'm going to say is that the devil has been busy since the beginning of this week. But I'm still doing great with my fasting. In fact, for all the things that have gone on, I am positive that I would not have gotten through it but for keeping my focus on God. I can tell I am growing and moving away from the old Marquita...and developing patience. That is what today's devotion is about...that dreadful word!!
Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Rom 5:3-4 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
In life there are many things that come to teach us the most invaluable lesson of life, PATIENCE. For many years, even up until like a week ago I HATED the word Patience. But so much growth and progress has come from my understanding the point of why we need it. Myself, I have long tried to close the door on this current chapter of my life, searching and seeking out a job away from South Carolina. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for my job and the blessings that God has given me since returning to South Carolina. I cannot tell you how much I have grown in the last year and 4 months. I am now realizing that in following God's will we have to be willing to trust Him wholeheartedly (thanks Ms. Rebecca) and just let go. Its this letting go of control and waiting that I do not necessarily like. I'm sure that no one likes not getting their way, not being able to ask for something and get it immediately. But the Christian walk, nothing is truly predictable except that God loves us and will take care of us somehow, and that the lessons we learn along the way are meant to cultivate some gift or talent God put inside of us. One of my particular gifts is a sometimes blind love and need to help other people, till the point of sacrificing my own happiness. But isn't that part of what we are here for? So I ask you not to close the door and embrace the journey of learning patience. Embrace all the lessons that God is trying to teach you in that tight place, that place that is so uncomfortable that it hurts. You may cry, but remember God's promises!
Joel 2:25 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. (NIV)
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.(NASB)
Romans 5:3 Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.(AMP)
1 Timothy 1:16 But I obtained mercy for the reason that in me, as the foremost [of sinners], Jesus Christ might show forth and display all His perfect long-suffering and patience for an example to [encourage] those who would thereafter believe on Him for [the gaining of] eternal life. (AMP)
So don't close the door yet! Look at the bigger picture: It is not about you. It is about sharing blessings and bring others to Christ. It's about sharing the love of God with people and being His disciples! It's about allowing yourself to grow through helping others and sometimes healing through helping others heal. Its realizing those sometimes evident truths that we don't want to see. It's about living the Word of God and sticking to it!!!
I love you and Good night!
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