Be Prepared.

be-prepared

One of the biggest lessons I was taught while growing up was always be prepared.  At the time and even to this very day, I understand the importance of being prepared.  Some people tend to think that preparation takes away from having faith in God.  I disagree.  I feel as though preparation and faith go hand in hand.  What I mean is this, you have the faith that God is going to protect you when you get in your car and drive, yet you still put on your seat belt.  Or you know that God will provide all of you and your families needs, yet you still have life insurance.  The attitude in which you operate while getting prepared is where faith comes in.  If you do something because you do not know if God will do His part or “just in case” God does not do what you think He should, then you are not operating in faith at all.  You are leaning and trusting on your own free will more than that of the Father.  We are to most certainly walk by faith, but I also feel that God gives us common sense as well. Unfortunately, common sense is a flower that does not grow in everyone’s garden.  Think for a moment, God promised to provide for all creation, even the birds.  He does not build a nest for them, He created trees so they can make their own nest.  Before they can do that, they have to prepare by gathering sticks and shrubs then knitting them together to make their home.

Preparation is essential in so many different areas of life.  God gave us a brain, we have to be smart and use it.  A lot of what I was told to do in my younger years, whether it be homework for school, chores around the house, and even work on my actual job all prepared me for my future.  The things we do today help pave the way for tomorrow.  As adults we have to be mindful that not only does it pave the way for tomorrow, it paves the way for the legacy we plan to leave behind for our bloodline.  Our children’s, children’s, children.  You have to think beyond yourself and help prepare the way for future generations to come.  Think about it like this, blessing happen when preparation meets opportunity.  Next time that big opportunity presents itself, if you are prepared, great things can happen.

It is so imperative that we not waste away time because as we know, tomorrow is not promised.  There has to be balance in our lifestyle.  God gave us the need, need for food, need for water, need for shelter, these types of things.  I believe He did so in order to turn us away from everything in the world and focus on Him.  By focusing on Him we exercise our faith, and trust that God will do what He says He will do.  While also doing our part to make sure we have what we need.  We do our part by getting ready.  Go to work so you can have income, so that when the bills come in you are now ready to pay them.  Let God do the super and you do the natural.

Jesus is coming back again, so set aside all the preparation of day-to-day life, will your soul be ready?  Are you saved?  Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  Stop saying you aren’t ready yet.  Ready for what?  To be delivered? To be set free?  To have peace, love and joy in your heart?  God is not expecting you to change anything about your life on your own.  All He wants is for you to say yes to Him.  If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  When you do that and begin to build your relationship with Him, He will do the rest.  There is no better time than now to prepare for the returning of our Lord and give your life to Christ.  The bible declares that He will come like a thief in the night.  If you knew someone was coming to your house, wouldn’t you be ready?  No difference now, you just have to get your soul ready.  My brothers and sisters it is time to get our acts together.  Stop putting off for tomorrow what you can do today.  As the saying goes, ‘when you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail’. #iDeclare #beprepared

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Prayer:

Father God in the name of Jesus, I thank you for preparation.  I decree and declare that I will live a life where my faith will walk hand in hand with preparation.  Thank you for the many blessings that will flow into my life when the preparation that I have put forth will meet new opportunities.  Thank you God for common sense, and the brain that you have given me.  I will use them both to the best of my ability to live my life in a manner that will keep me in your will.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 24:44 ESV “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

1 Thessalonians 5:2 NLT “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.”

The Importance of Right Relationships

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Just recently I experienced a situation that made me realize the importance of right relationships.  A lot of times when we think about relationships, we think about a romantic relationship.  It is not until you consider the definition of what a relationship is that you are truly able to understand that in spite of your marital status, most people are involved in several relationships in their lifetime.  For instance, if you have people you consider to be friends then you have relationships with them because you are connected to them.  Truth be told, you have a relationship with your employer, the phone company, the cable company, I could go on and on.  The point is, as long as you are connected, a relationship will always exist.  I am not going to talk about having a relationship with the phone company, although it is important to stay on the up and up with them, because you and I both know that if you do not then you probably won’t have a phone.  What I would like to talk about however is the importance of right relationships.

Some people are very outgoing and others such as myself tend to be a little more of an introvert.  Whatever personality type you have, everyone desires to have friends.  People who would make your life different if they did not exist.  People who know you, but choose to love you anyway.  Individuals who are there for you no matter what and who you can trust and depend on.  Those are just a few of the concepts that define what I consider to be a true friend.  This is also what I think of in regards to what it means to be in a right relationship.

Now all of this sounds good in theory, but my questions is this, how do we know when a person we are in a relationship with is truly a friend?  We meet new people everyday and obviously some you connect with better than others.  To answer the question however, I’d say that you really do not know.  You just have to take a chance.  It is tough as a parent however, because in most cases when you are friends with someone your family meets that person which means now more people are connected and have that relationship.  The dangerous part is when you take that chance only to find out that person was never really a friend in the first place.  Stuff happens, I get that and although it hurts, you are able to move on with your life.  The most unfortunate part however is that now your children, who are completely innocent, have formed a bond with them and you have to explain to them why that person is no longer apart of your family’s life.  This has been a real wake up call for me and I want each and every one of you to learn from my mistake.  So please allow me to change my answer a bit from before.  I still think we have to take a chance when we meet people, but we are to acknowledge God in all things and this includes whom you should be connected to.  We must pray and ask God.  I believe that if we do this, it will prevent us from a lot of heartache.

I will be the first to say it is tough to find not just people who are trying to live right, but in my case married people.  My husband and I desire to find other couples who are headed in the same direction we are both spiritually and mentally but we must relinquish our desire to the will of our Father and trust His timing.  Often times we get so caught up in what we want, then get excited when we think it has come.  Never allowing our Heavenly Father to show us who’s who and what’s what.  Instead of getting excited, we have to keep a sound mind.  What I’ve learned is that satan will send us a knock off or fake version of whatever it is we are asking God for to distract us from the real thing.  He knows that when God answers prayer, it is going to draw us even closer in our relationship to God and it is going to push the devil further back into hell, where he belongs.

In spite of the hardships of life and understanding the ins and outs of relationships, there is good news.  I am a friend of God, and so are you.  He is the best friend we could ever have.  You never have to worry about Him walking away from you, turning His back on you or hurting you in any way.  No greater love than to lay down your life for a friend.  That’s exactly what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did.  Please be mindful of your relationships.  Pray and ask God who is supposed to be in your life, when they are supposed to be in your life and for how long.  That’s the answer, simply put.  Take a chance, but above all seek God.  #iDeclare #theimportanceofrightrelationships

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Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me friend.  I need you to please help me understand the importance of right relationships.  I have complete understanding of what a relationship is, so please God help me to discern who is my true friend and who is not.  As I meet people, help me to know why I’ve been connected to them and for how long.  I decree and declare that I will not be thrown off by knock offs, but I will know the real thing when I see it.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Scripture Reference:

James 2:23 ESV “and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.”

John 15:13-15 KJV “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you. From now on I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you.”

Better Days Are Ahead

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Today I want to take a little time to speak words of encouragement to you.  At times, life can bring many circumstances that make you feel as though you literally have the weight of the world on your shoulders.  Other times you feel as though you are so happy you could just burst with joy.  I don’t know where you are or what you are going through right now (good or bad), but I am here to tell you that better days are ahead.  You will not always be in this same place.  Just like this beautiful earth that God created, we all go through different seasons in life.  And the good news is, seasons change.  Some stick around a little longer than others, but eventually they do change.  Growing up in Florida, everyone used to say we only get one season the entire year.  Yes, it is hot in Florida but we get more than one season throughout the year.  The summer season just lasts a lot longer there.  In Germany however, it is quite different.  The winter season seems to last a lot longer.  Such is life.  One thing I will say is that no matter what season you are in, it is important to not become so consumed in the burdens or the blessings that the spotlight is more on them and not on HIM.  Better days are ahead, but we must keep the right perspective and not allow anything to become more important than God.

Good, bad or indifferent, the season you are in now is ordained by God so you should be talking to Him and seeing what it is He wants you to get out of it.  What is His will?  What is His plan for you at this moment in time?  You cannot move forward with the next chapter in your life, the next season of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.  God has something better in store waiting for you around the corner, you just have to get in line to receive it.  If you are in a good season of your life, it is still time to move forward.  Just because something good ends, does not mean that something better won’t begin.  So my brothers and sisters in Christ, be encouraged.  Nothing lasts forever.  Live each season as if it were your last.  Put yourself to the side.  Trust God like never before, lean and depend on Him at all times.  A wonderful concept to always be mindful of is that your present situation is not your final destination, the best is yet to come.  I am certain that no matter where you may be in life, some of the best days of our life have not even happened yet.  Isn’t that such an amazing feeling?  #iDeclare #betterdaysareahead

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Prayer:

Father God in the name of Jesus, I come to say thank you.  Thank you Jesus that no matter what season I am in my life I know that you are with me.  Please God help me to be in tune with your perfect will and plan for me at all times.  I decree and declare that better days are ahead of me.  I will move forward in life and will not continue to keep re-reading past chapters.  I cancel the assignment of the enemy to haunt me over my past in Jesus Name.  I believe with my whole heart that the best is yet to come.  Thank you Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.

Scripture Reference:

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT “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.”

Galatians 6:9 KJV “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”