This Is Just The Beginning!

by | Faith


It’s graduation season!! Such an exciting time for the class of 2017. I am super excited for all the graduates that are graduating from elementary school , middle school, high school, and college.🎓 Congratulations and best wishes to you all!

It is such a great experience and feeling to walk across a stage to accept your diploma. Having family and friends there cheering you on for achieving such an amazing accomplishment is one of life greatest milestones. Whether it’s moving on to the next grade level or about you beginning your career and life after college—the best is yet to come!

Purpose

This brings me to purpose. Do you know what your purpose is on earth? Everyone is born of purpose. It’s just up to us to discover what that purpose is and how will we use it. Will you use it for good or bad? Will you use it to self promote or kingdom promote? There will be many test, trials, and tribulations that you will go through as you learning  what your purpose is here on earth, but in the end it will be all worth it.

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
‭Job‬ ‭42:2‬ ‭NIV

Job let us know that our purpose through God will never be prevented and with God we can do all things. This is just the beginning for you! Don’t second guess what God has given you and don’t compare it to others either. Understand that distractions will come into play when we start comparing ourselves to others and try to mirror our purpose and success to someone else. Everyone wants to be successful, however no one has a manual to success. Someone can tell you what they did to become successful, but that doesn’t mean success will turn out the same way for you as it did for them. What worked for one person doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Good things are happening in your life right now, but know that even better things are going to happen in your future especially when you include God in your planning process and you are seeking your purpose through him.

This is just the beginning!  Pray. Ask God to show you your purpose and what he wants you to discover during this next phase in your life. Also, consider that your purpose is not about you, but what God wants to do through you.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 NIV

Tug-Of-War: The Battle Is Already Won

by | Faith


I will start off my post by lifting up in prayer the individuals that lost their lives last night and the ones that were injured in The Greater Manchester area of Manchester, England at Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena. What was supposed to be a night fun, ended in tragedy. Praying for strength for the families and friends during this time of bereavement and recovery.

It seems like every day we get up out of bed—we’re fighting. It’s like a tag-of-war between good and evil or success and failure. Daily we’re fighting for our peace of mind, joy, strength, pursuit to happiness, health, children, paying our bills, families, and I could go on and on.

This years seems like a rolls coaster of emotions. We’re happy one minute and instantly that happiness turns into sorrow, hurt, pain, or anger. We’re dealing with the loss of our love ones, the loss of our jobs, fighting with our children to make sure that they are staying on the right path, fighting with our finances, fighting to keep our family together, etc. It’s a lot.

The sad thing is, no one seems to know how to channel their emotions anymore. No one is seeking out God either. Instead, we are trying to fix things on our own. This question came to mind, When did we stopped believing and trusting in God? When did we stop seeking his counsel?

It may seem like we fighting these battles on our own— but what about God? Who do we think is giving us the strength to keep fighting? Who do we think is helping us win the wars of life and is sustaining us when we have one, two, or ten things are coming at us all at one time and at different angles? Why do we forget that he told us to fear not because He is with us?

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”‭‭ Isaiah‬ ‭41:10-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I am seeing it more and more that when we pray and things doesn’t turn out the way we “thought” they should be. When this happens, we tend to have a problem with that and God. It’s like we forget that life’s battles are not ours, but the Lord’s. It’s like we forget that it’s his will and not our will. Nothing catches Him by surprise.

As we face obstacles, trials, and tribulations we must not forget that our strength comes from God. He is our safe place, he is sustaining us, and although we physically cannot see Him, He’s right behind us pulling the rope with us.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” ‭Psalm‬ ‭46:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The battle is already won!