Bless the LORD!

I will bless the LORD at all times. HIS praises shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD, the humble will hear there of and be glad! Oh magnify the LORD with me and let us exalt HIS name together!!!!!!!! (Psalm 34:1-3)

GOD is so good! GOD is so kind! GOD loves you so much, more than you can even imagine!

34 Reasons to Thank GOD!!!!

I have far more than 34 reasons to praise the name of the LORD. Since I'm celebrating turning 34 I will share 34 things I am ever so grateful for.

Thank YOU for……(in no special order)

1. Saving me from a life of sin.

2. Calling me into YOUR family as one of YOUR children.

3. Blessing me with two parents who love me and did the best they could to make me the woman I am today. I love them more than I can ever show or tell!

4. Blessing me with 2 sisters and a brother who love me and are genuinely my friends. I love them more than words can express!

5. Blessing me with 7 handsome nephews of whom I am peacock proud. I love them like I birthed them myself!

6. Sending a man in my life who knows YOU, seeks YOU and loves me and treats me like the queen I am. Thank YOU for allowing me to see the GOD in him.

7. Blessing me with real friends who have been by my side through it all. My aces! My queens!

8. Providing me with a family that loves all the way!

9. Giving me direction and purpose to live this life with meaning!

10. A discerning spirit.

11. Wisdom!

12. Giving me the strength to overcome some tough life challenges.

13. Giving me the desire to live in YOUR will.

14. Allowing me to elevate my mind through education.

15. Providing me with the opportunity to touch other people’s lives.

16. Always providing for me.

17. Being faithful to me even when I was not faithful to YOU.

18. Allowing me to see the Motherland!

19. My health.

20. Loving me enough to allow YOUR SON to die for me!!!!

21. My home.

22. Removing worry and doubt from my mind.

23. Removing toxic people from my life.

24. Giving me a thirst for YOUR WORD!

25. Grace, YOUR unmerited favor over my life!

26. Mercy, not doing to me what I truly deserve.

27. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, self-control) and continuing to cultivate it in me.

28. Ordering my steps.

29. Making me comfortable in the skin I’m in.

30. Making all things work together for my good! The good the bad and the ugly!

31. My life!!!!!!

32. Being GOD!!

33. JESUS!

34. YOUR HOLY SPIRIT!!!

One to grow on……

35. Thank YOU for the best that is still yet to come!

I LOVE YOU LORD AND I AM EVER SO GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE BLESSED ME TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE!

Peace & Blessings!

IJ

You ain't seen nothing yet!!!

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)”No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”This scripture was dropped into my spirit today and I have been letting it marinate all day! In so many words, it seems that God is saying, “Baby you ain’t seen nothing yet!” He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

We have no idea what God has in store for us! Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God can do even more than we can ever ask or think. As Oprah says, God’s dream for you is bigger than any dream you can ever dream for yourself. That’s good news!

In our limited minds we only see what’s in front of us. Bills, burdens and barriers. But keep pressing on. God has something prepared for you! Something with only your name on it! And it’s not just in this life, but also in eternity. Don't get it twisted, the world as we know it is not all there is to this life. But God is so good that we don’t have to wait until this life is over to see God’s blessings. He wants us to be blessed here and in eternity. Jesus told us that he came to give us a "rich and satisfying life" (John 10:10 NLT). So when things are not looking as good as you would like them to, think about what God is working out for you. Think about what we have no idea about. Dream and see God go above and beyond that dream.

There’s reason to hope! The best is yet to come!

Peace & Blessings!!! IJ

Release Your Power!!!

Oh man! Last night at church the message was titled "Release Your Power". I woke up this morning thinking about it so you know it was goood! The scripture references were Luke 9:1,2,6; Ephesians 3:20 (my favorite scripture) and Acts 3:1-5.

The minister talked about how God has given us too much power to be walking around defeated and letting the devil beat up on us. Jesus freely gives us power and authority once we accept Him as LORD and SAVIOR. So why are we still on the bench? Get off the bench, get on the field, and get in position! We can't walk in authority if we don't activate the power that is within us. She also said that we didn't sign up to be in God's reserved army! We signed up to join the fight! The front line!

It was confirmation for me because the night before I was thinking about how real spiritual warfare is. I have learned that we have to open our mouths and confess, profess and decree the promises of God. It's time out for being quiet. She asked us if we are willing to take hell just to prove God right? I am! Because I know who takes care of me and who has been taking care of me all this time. Even when I didn't acknowledge Him. The devil is on attack in our families, our health, our marriages, our finances, our jobs, our minds and our spirits. God gave us power of ALL demons (Luke 9:1). We are in Christ and Christ has already defeated the devil (John 16:33). At the name of Jesus demons tremble (James 2:19). So exercise your authority over the things the devil is after. Resist the devil and he will flee! (James 4:7).

1 John 4:4 Greater is HE who is in me, than he who is in the world.

PEACE & BLESSINGS!

HE’S Able!!!

GOD is able to do just what HE said HE would do…. HE’S gonna fulfill every promise to you…. Don’t give up on GOD, cause HE won’t give up on you……HE’S ABLE!!!!

Now unto HIM who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think according to the power at work in us! (Ephesians 3:20)

For all the promises of GOD in HIM are Yes, and in HIM Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20)

GOD is not a man, that HE should lie, nor a son of man, that HE should repent. Has HE said, and will HE not do? Or has HE spoken, and will HE not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)

Being confident of this very thing, that HE who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

Happy New Year all! 2010 is here and we all begin a new decade of life. Begin 2010 believing that GOD is able to do everything that HE has promised to you. We didn’t come this far to give up now. HOLD ON!!!! Hold on to your faith, hold on to your hope, hold on to your dreams, hold on to your prayer life, hold on to your joy! God is good! HE always has been and HE always will be. GOD provided in 2009, so what makes you think HE won’t in 2010? Be blessed and watch the move of GOD!!!!

Peace & Blessings!
IJ

Look Beyond Where You Are

As I have written before, there is a church marquee that I pass by daily on my way to work. Every week I am excited to read the new message posted. This week’s message reads, "Always look beyond where you are." The bible tells us that the end of a thing is better than the beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:8) & our latter will be greater (Haggai 2:9). So hope in what's to come! If things are bad now…they will get better! If things are good now…they will get gooder (LOL)!! GOD is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)!

You may be thinking:
How can you say look beyond where you are when things are so bad now?
How do you know things won’t get worse?
Times have been better than they are right now!

Well let’s put this into perspective. God has a perfect purposed plan for ALL of His children (Jeremiah 29:11). So if you belong to Him, you are covered! Do you know when things were bad? Really really bad? When you were outside of the family of God! When the devil could have taken you out and made you a permanent member of his team! So if you are saved by grace, there is nothing that can be done to you that would be worse than you having to spend an eternity with the father of lies (John 8:44)!

So again I say……HOPE in what God has in store for you! Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1)!BE BLESSED!

More Than I Can Say….

If this recession has done anything, it has pushed me (and I am sure) and many others closer to God. Over the last few months I have seen my comfort zone get smaller and smaller and my relationship with God get bigger and bigger. No, things are not the way I would like them to be. But I am content! As Paul says in Philippians 4:11, I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. How can I be content with much less money than I am used to having?

1. I know that God is in control!
Psalm 24:1 says that the earth and everything in it belongs to God. I’m in the earth and so it the economy. So it all belongs to God. I am His child so I can rest knowing that He is in control of what is going on in my life.
Matthew 6:24-34 reminds me that if God can take care of the flowers in the field and the birds in the air, SURELY He will take care of me!

2. I believe God’s promises!
In Jeremiah 29:11 God tells me that He has a plan for me. His plan is for good and not of disaster, to give me a future and a hope.
Philippians 4:19 promises me that God will supply all of my need. Throughout these last few months, I have not missed a meal and all of my living needs are met. Even if they weren’t my trust is still in God.

3. I trust who God is!
Numbers 23:19 declares that God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? So if God said it then I can believe it!
1 John 4:8 tells me that God is love. If God is love and God loves me, then I am good! Psalm 91 provides me with the ultimate protection plan. I am safe from all danger!

Now that’s good news! This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me therefore the world can’t take it away. I will not be defeated by unfavorable situations in my life. I don’t share this to brag or to boast, because my situation ain’t a bed of roses. I share this to bless you! Change your perspective and change your life!

Peace and Blessings!