”My enemies did their best to kill me, but the Lord rescued me.“
Psalms 118:13 NLTYour enemies are doing their best right now to destroy you but don’t let them. Don’t let the enemy doubt make you forget what God can do. Don’t let the enemy fear make you forget that you can do anything with Christ Jesus. Don’t let the enemy of overwhelmed make you forget that while things and obligations may be surrounding you, you can overcome them all by the authority of the Lord. Don’t let the enemy of insecurity make you forget that you were made in Gods image so you are mighty and strong.
God wants us to be successful. I recently read in Dr. Phillips book, Tending the Garden Within, to ask God for what we needed. I challenge you to do that now. I asked God for a win and he gave me one! Just yesterday. He is always listening, always ready to step in, always willing to help. I know that doesn’t immediately pay a light bill or lessen your to do list but it’s a reminder that he has our back. We are down but not destroyed.
Read all of Psalm 118 if you have time, there is some good stuff in there..
Prayer: Father, thank you for the reminder that you have our back and you will meet our needs. Thank that if you are for us who can be against us. Nothing can stop what you put in motion, not even us. Delay is not denial as everything is for our good. I pray we all can sit down with you and tell you what we need. Thank you for always listening, for being emphatic, for being our friend. Thank you for the wins that are on the way. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Tag Archives: trust
Focus on your strengths
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
Psalms 139:23-24 NLTI asked God to do this for me as I was working through and trying to find peace. I focus so heavy on fixing my weaknesses and wanting to be better. If I can work on those then I will be better. That isn’t true though and it wasn’t what God wanted me to do. When I asked him to point out anything in me that offends him.
He said: why do you keep trying to improve on the model that I made?It’s a fair question and one I hadn’t considered before. If I am fearfully and wonderfully made, Why do I need to fix myself? There isn’t anything wrong with me. God gave me this verse and it makes a lot of sense.
You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say.”
Psalms 17:3 NLTI like it. From this point forward I’m going to work on building my strengths instead of fixing my weaknesses. As I build on my strengths my weaknesses will have no choice but to get better. Plus focusing on strengths lead with compassion and I don’t always do that with myself. If God can find nothing wrong with me who am I to tell him he’s wrong.
List 3 things you do well. How can you build on those strengths?
Prayer: Father as we work to get better, help us change our mindset. Continue to renew our minds as we fight not to believe the devils lies. Remind us we were made in your image and you make no mistakes. You work everything out for our good because we believe in you. Thank you for clarity and new perspectives. In Jesus name. Amen.
Need strength?
Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.
1 Chronicles 16:11 NLTContinually seek him. That means try to be in his presence as much as you can. Strength is something that God said he would give us if we ask him. Gods strength is different than ours. His strength will take us further than ours ever will. He wants you to call on him. We are not meant to manage things on our own. If we are in constant communication with God we will get not only his strength, but bonuses of his joy, his peace, his protection. There won’t be room for worry, fear and doubt.
How do we do that? How do we search for the Lord? I try to see God in everything I do. In the music I listen to, the movies and shows I watch, the books I read, the places I go, in everything. I ask the age old question of What would Jesus do? I try to have dedicated quiet time with him 3 to 4 times a week. I attend a weekly Bible study. I read my bible everyday. I go to church, not just watch it online. I try to talk to him several times a day.
It’s work to continually seek the Lord. But When you are looking for him, you are missing the other stuff. The stuff that makes you stressed or leaves you afraid or distracts you.
Where in your life do you need the Lord’s strength? Are you still trying to power through by yourself? Ask him to step in and help you. Take a few minutes and write down where you need the Lord to give you strength this week.
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalms 28:7 NLTDon’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 NLTPrayer: Father we ask for your strength. Strength that knows no bounds.Your strength leads us to peace, freedom, joy. You say you will go before us so we do not have to dismay. You will bring us victory. With you, we are more than conquerors. Remind us without you, we can do nothing. Thank you for making our ways perfect. Thank you for protection. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Talking about Joy
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”
Psalms 28:7 NLT
What brings you joy? What gives you strength? In what do you put your trust?
As we talk about joy this week I want you to think about these questions. Write down 50 things that bring you joy, big or small. A few of mine are hot baths, fuzzy socks and reading .
The psalmist is saying he has joy because the Lord is strength and his shield. Strength in giving him power to get things done and shield by giving him protection. God helps him so he is filled with joy.
Joy-feeling of great pleasure and happiness (Webster definition) but biblically it’s bigger than that.
It’s a lasting emotion that comes from the choice to trust that God will fulfill his promises (Bible project.com) https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/chara-joy/#:~:text=It’s%20a%20lasting%20emotion%20that,God%20will%20fulfill%20his%20promises.
That’s why the psalmist can be so hopeful. God is giving him strength, he is protecting him and helping him. Joy can certainly be found in external things like hot baths and fuzzy socks. However long lasting joy comes from the Lord.
It can be hard to have joy when everything feels like a dumpster fire. In those moments you can pull up your verses on joy and let it work down in your spirit. You can also remember all the reasons you have to be thankful. List all the ways the Lord has blessed you this month.
Prayer: Father remind them that joy comes from you, not their circumstances. Help them recall their many blessings and how even when things weren’t going in the way they expected, you were there walking beside them. Help them trust you even when they can’t see all the steps. Thank you for walking beside us so that we can have joy each day.
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
Romans 12:12 NLT
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
Psalms 16:11 NLT
I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.
Psalms 31:7 NLT
Confession: I don’t know
This post was originally published on March 14, 2018. As I was looking for something for Throwback Thursday, I saw that this exactly describes how I feel right now. I definitely feel like everything God has had me learn over the past year I am being tested on right now. It feels scary but that is a good thing because if I am being tested, then he thinks I’m ready for the next step.
Not knowing things is not something I’m comfortable with. I like to have a clear plan outlined with action steps. Things don’t always happen that way in a growing season. You only can do some much planting and then you have to sit back and let it grow.
I’m in a growing season right now and growing hurts. The term growing pains is definitely real. It hurts to be stretched more than you thought you could handle. It hurts to let things go that you thought would always be there.
Growing requires more faith than planting. I believe that because you don’t know how the seeds you planted are going to develop. You can’t see on the the outside how the seed is doing or if any growth is happening. You have to trust the process.
I don’t feel like I have been in a real season of growth in my life in a long time. I have had seasons of change but nothing to this extreme. I feel like I’m going through a metamorphosis. I feel like God is working on me about a lot of things. Sometimes I feel like it’s too much. Why do I have to go through all of this?
I feel like everything in my life is in transition and I am questioning a lot of things that I thought I knew for certain. I thought I was on a solid career path but where I see myself headed is different that what I originally envisioned. I am afraid. Am I ready for where God is leading me? I don’t know. I do take comfort in knowing that he won’t leave me on this journey and will give me what I need to be successful.
God is working on me to take me someplace but I don’t know where that is. I have to just walk beside him one step at a time. I am not going to run out in front of him or move to fast. I have done that before and the results were not great. I know I sound sad or down but I’m not. I’m restless. I sense something coming but I don’t know what is. I’m going to continue to keep the junk out so I can hear Gods voice and know it’s him. I’m going to pray and I’m going to wait. I’m going to continue to do meet God half way and I know he will make up the rest. I will have to just continue to be patient and trust the process.
Until next time,
Dominique
Don’t look back
How often have you been on the edge of a breakthrough but you just can’t let go of the past? Are you still answering those U up texts?
Do you hold on to bad habits because its more comfortable? Bad relationships? Do you keep from making the leap because the unknown is scary? Do you talk yourself right out of your blessing? I have definitely done the majority of these things. The unknown is scary. How do I know I’m going to like it? Will this be as good as I expect?
Another biblical woman had the same problem. Lots wife. Genesis 19:15-26. God told her and her family to run from Gomorrah as it was burning down and don’t look back. However she couldn’t help herself. She looked back and she turned into a pillar of salt.
Poof! She was gone just like that. *snaps fingers*
Thankfully God doesn’t turn us into pillars of salt when we try to hang on to the past or when we want to bring the past with us into the next stage of our life. I certainly have done that. I want to do all the things. I never want to leave anything behind, I just want to carry everything that I collect into my next space.
We aren’t supposed to do that. Sometimes God wants us to leave things behind. Sometimes he wants us to not look back and just go forward. We don’t always know why God wants us to leave things behind, typically when he asks us to take a leap of faith he doesn’t give us all the steps first.
We can learn some things from Lots wife. She may have had good reasons for looking back but when God asks you to move, you move. Doubts are ok, we learned that lesson from Eve but ask your questions as you go forward.
Looking back at the past or trying to bring it with you is trying to assert a sense of control of your life. I understand wanting to have control. It makes us feel more comfortable, it makes us feel like we have some say so in how things turn out. God wants us to remember that HE is in control. We don’t control our outcomes, he does. We don’t want to put more trust in ourselves than we do in God.
As you walk into the next season of your life, remember that God is not going to ask you do something that isn’t for your good. Romans 8:28 It will be hard but go forward and don’t look back.
You can do this and it will be easier to focus on the next thing if you aren’t focusing on old things. Pour all your effort into your future, not the past.
Until next time,
Dominique
How to please God
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. Romans 14:17-18 NLT
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 NLT
When I was trying to get pregnant, my big thing was about how to please God. Clearly I must be doing something wrong if I wasn’t getting what I wanted. I tried to do everything right. Going to church, Sunday school, volunteering, tithing like crazy but nothing worked.
I took trying to please God and went to the extreme with it.
Not good. That’s why I had to get to a place of beyond righteousness.
Pleasing God is not about not breaking rules or going to church every Sunday. Although God likes these things. More than anything He wants us to pursue him with our whole heart, trust and obey.
Obey isn’t just following rules, its more about trusting God’s plan for your life and believing that it is good. Its about not doing certain things because you know God wouldn’t want you to do them because they aren’t good for you. The things may not be bad, but they may not be good for YOU. Its deciding to follow God when you don’t like it or it doesn’t make sense. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. God wants us to take him at his word. If we don’t understand something ask him, he will explain…somewhat. I say somewhat because the biggest thing about faith is not having to have everything explained.
It happens naturally if you give it a chance. It also won’t feel awkward the more you do it. Just continue to work the cycle.
Choosing Joy
Joyce Meyer says, try not to be ruled by your emotions. Easier said than done of course, but absolutely necessary. There is nothing worse then going up and down based on how you feel. I feel like I am a pretty rational person and I have this problem all the time. I think about my feelings instead of what is happening at the time.
Its easy to say not to be ruled by your emotions when everything is going well, when you are hearing from God and he is answering your prayers. Just the other day I woke up and I felt nothing, I was confused and reading the bible didn’t help. I tried to pray and I didn’t feel the calm and peace I usually do after prayer. I wondered if God was testing me in some way, because people always say God doesn’t speak to you during the test. I tried to meditate on some verses but nothing was coming to mind to address how I felt. I didn’t know what to do.
I decided to make a list of all the things I was grateful for; my husband, my job, friends and family. I got specific with it, not just generically thanking God but really praising him for the awesome things he has done for me and I started to feel better. I was surprised. It seems so bogus, like how is this list supposed to make me feel better but it did. Running through that list helped me put some things in perspective. That gratitude list reminded me that things in my life were not that bad and they could always be worse. The more I wake up in a odd mood or down on myself I take a second to remember that our feelings are not real.
Don’t trust your feelings because your feelings can lie. Feelings don’t always convey the word of God or how true He is. People tell you to trust your heart, don’t do it. Trust God. When you need to press on because you don’t want to get out of bed, tap into the word. I had many days when I didn’t want to get out of bed, but I did anyway. I made sure to have a few minutes of quiet time with God. Time allotted would be 15 minutes, sometimes more, sometimes less. I would always get a scripture that would help me along.
As I have been trying to tap more into my emotions and not hide in books or recreational activities, the more I am trying not to be ruled by my emotions. I have also made sure to look up scriptures about feelings, emotions and love, because I didn’t want to get caught in a spot again where I couldn’t remember any scriptures. I have been reading a plan in the Bible app, called Love God Greatly-You are Loved. I have been writing a lot of those scriptures down so that I can recall them later. Being reminded of the love God has for me, helps me with my doubt, indecision, anxiety, etc. The more I get to know who He is, the more I trust him, the less stock I put in how I feel. There is no one way to not get caught up in your feelings, sometimes you have to try a bevy of different ways to change your mood, but you can do it.
Books to Read
Get out of your head-Jennie Allen
Living beyond your feelings-Joyce Meyer
Blogger Recognition Award
Thank you so much! I have never been nominated for a blogger award. I feel so seen. I was nominated by clear-reveal.com
The Rules:
- Thank the blogger that nominated you and give a link to their site.
- Do a post to show your award.
- Give a summary of how your blog started.
- Give two pieces of advice for any new bloggers.
- Select at least 15 other bloggers for this award.
- Let each nominee know you’ve nominated them and give a link to your post.
My blog started because I was running from what God was telling me to do. I was dealing with infertility at the time and God was telling me to tell my story and I didn’t want to do. I was too nervous, too embarrassed, too ashamed to share my story. I was starting to feel miserable because I wasn’t doing what I was told to do that finally I just got on WordPress and started writing. I got good feedback, so I kept going.
I wanted to write to a blog to help people grow in their relationship with God. I didn’t see anything that I really wanted to read, so as the quote says, I wrote it myself. I got over my fear and just decided to do it.
Two pieces of advice for new bloggers.
- Don’t worry about numbers. The people who are supposed to read what you write will come. Continue to put in the work
- Be consistent and intentional. Your readers want to hear from you. Even if its only 2x a month, be consistent in that. Writers write, so be intentional about sitting down and just doing it.
15 Bloggers that I am nominating.
Home Page
Home
How To Increase Your Blog Traffic Without Using Social Media
https://desirayl.wordpress.com/
https://writing-reading-living.com/
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/103904259/posts/2957058860
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/84443719/posts/2886708228
All I do is win
I use a lot of DJ Khaled gifs in my writing. I don’t know why it just seems appropriate lol
I don’t want people to be mistaken and think that I’m bragging on myself. I’m not. I wouldn’t have anything, I wouldn’t feel this good if it wasn’t for God.
If you have read this blog long enough then you know it wasn’t always like this. I had many years when I suffered for the most part in silence. I’m not saying my life is all sunshine and rainbows because it’s not. The difference is my perspective changed. My perspective changed because I decided to try God’s way instead of my way or the world’s way. My way wasn’t doing anything for me. I felt even worse because now I added guilt om top of all the other things I felt.
People ask what’s the secret. How can they feel like this too? I go to church, I read and study my Bible on my own, I go to Bible study in a group, I cut back on my secular tv shows and music. I do all those things because I need God all the time in all the ways I could get him.
That’s not sexy or interesting though. Its not fun or fast. It can be tedious at times.
I didn’t always do that. I thought once I had my baby I would be cool, my suffering is over, God answered my prayers. That happy feeling didn’t last long.
Once I went back to work my happy bubble burst and I had to figure out how to get it back. That’s why I worry so much about maintaining the momentum. I’ve been on the other side of this feeling and I don’t want to go back.
I continue to work on finding a balance on being in the world and my relationship with God. Spending more time with him definitely helps with that. Age has helped with that, the pandemic has helped with that too. I am not telling you it will be easy, or fast, but it will be worth it.
Always finding the silver lining 