Sitting inside a court room I think that you can almost feel the unforgivness that lurks about. The heartache and heartbreak that have happened in these rooms often over shadow all the good that goes on in them as well. This week I found myself in a faith- testing situation. I was in a place were I was surrounded by conflict, pursued by insecurities, encouraged to be angry and supposedly entitled to hate. But you see, one thing I have learned in my Single Mama search for Jesus is that God is in control! Jesus is near you in the times where you are tempted to regress...to go back to your old ways. He promises you will never be tempted beyond relief if you just reach your hand out and trust Him. Through the help of the Holy Spirit you have the power to choose your thoughts! You can choose joy in sorrow. Happiness in pain. Smile through confusion and do something good for someone even on your worst day. Love the unlovable You can choose forgiveness. This week I found myself at a crossroads where I could choose to give in to the temptation of negativity, sadness, & unforgivness. Instead I chose to remember what God has taught me. I prayed over it and asked other prayer warriors to pray with me. I asked God that in this situation he give me confidence in Him & that I would have the heart to see others the way He does. Forgiveness is a command from God but is also a precious gift that you give to yourself. It shines bright both inside & out when you finally choose to let go of all the wrongs that you feel were against you and trust fully in your Heavenly Fathers love. Forgiveness is a process that takes daily commitment. Daily I need to be reminded how short I fall so that I can choose not to judge others. Daily I need to ask for forgiveness so that I can remember what it feels like to be the one that's sorry. Daily I need to spend time with God so that when these temptations come up I have the strength in him to choose my thoughts and actions wisely. Daily I need to grant forgiveness quickly just as I want it grated quickly to me. Dear Lord, If there is any thing in my heart that I am holding back from you I pray that you will help me to see it.Please allow your Holy Spirit to cleanse me of all the hurt and anger I have been holding onto. Teach me to trust in the knowledge that you are my protector & defender. Help me to see others the way that you see them. Amen
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The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Hello my friends!
I want to invite you to come with me on what I call my " Joy Journey". For me, 2015 is all about Choosing Joy, and I will be committing my writing to this journey for a time. This year, this day, this moment in time I choose to be joyful and happy not because of what's going on in my life, but because of what's going on my heart! I choose to be joyful and happy today not because of my bank balance, accomplished chore list, sweet children, or even a good hair day. Those things are good, but they aren't lasting. Today I choose to be joyful because The Lord is with me! I choose to be happy simply because my Heavenly Father takes GREAT delight in me! The God who is all knowing, omnipresent, creator of the universe & eternally loving is rejoicing and singing over me! His delight and love does not stem from what I've done, or what I'm going to do. My Father takes delight in me simply because I choose to believe in Him and accept my role as His child. So today, no matter what is going on in your life, I ask you to examine your heart and Choose Joy! My heart rolls like a wave hitting a wall. Its now at the base of a wall that it cant climb or go around. I have no tools to get me over it and the weight of emotional hurt, betrayal and despair seem to chain me to the ground. I call to my Father. He comes. " Shhh" He quietly says. His voice bringing comfort. "Father, please break theses chains and tear down the wall that is in my path" I ask. "Shhh" He says again as he sets my on my feet, like the hurt child that I am. Peace surrounds me followed by a still small knowing. My Father isn't going to break down this wall ( although He could). Instead, Hes going to meet me here where I am. At the base of this obstacle. Everyday. For as long as it takes. We will talk & share as daily He gives me the tools I'll need, and teaches me use His Power to break through the heavy chains that tie me down. When I finally reach the point where I'm ready to climb over the wall that's in my path, He will be with me. Encouraging me. Strengthening me. Never leaving me, He will come along side me as we face this obstacle together. So that one day I can do the same for one of His other children, who might be facing a wall of their own. 1 Kings 19:12 After the earthquake, there was a fire. But that fire was not the Lord. After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle voice. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and be brave. Don’t be afraid of those people because the Lord your God is with you. He will not fail you or leave you. Matthew 28:18-20 So he came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.” Do you know Jesus as your Savior ? Your Eternal, Forever Father & Faithful Friend? 1 Corinthians 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. God’s purpose is life and peace: God desires for you to have life and peace now and for all eternity.”I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b Recognizing the problem: sin and separation: We were created to know, love and glorify God. When we choose to go our own way, living life in willful disobedience to God, we are choosing to be separated from God both now and for all eternity.The Bible says we are sinners…“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 But God is love…“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 And God is also just…“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 We cannot save ourselves: Because God is Holy, He cannot allow sin to enter into Heaven. Most people attempt to save themselves by their own efforts, good works or church attendance. The Bible says…“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12 How then can a sinful person enter Heaven where God allows no sin? We are saved by grace: The good news is… in spite of our sin, Christ died for us.“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9” But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 Responding to God’s gift by faith: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 Would you like to accept Jesus as Lord of your life? “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5 If you would like to accept Jesus as Lord of your life, you can pray the following prayer: Lord, I confess that I have sinned and I ask You to forgive me. I’m sorry that my sin has hurt You and other people in my life. I know that I can never earn salvation, but I come to You and trust in what your son Jesus did for me on the cross. I believe that You love me and that Jesus died and rose again so that I can be forgiven and come to know You. I ask You to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I trust You with everything, and I thank You for loving me so much that I can know You here on earth and spend the rest of eternity with You in heaven. In Jesus name, Amen. What do I do now?CELEBRATE! Cause the angles in heaven sure are! Your now apart of Gods family and I'm delighted to call you my sister - in - Christ! Now...Just like a new baby needs to be cared for and nurtured in order to grow physically, a child of God needs to be nurtured in order to grow spiritually. Here’s how you can begin growing in Christ: Tell someone: Tell a pastor or Christian friend who will help you grow and find your gifts of service. “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Ephesians 4:11, 12 Be baptized: This is your first act of obedience. “So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Acts 10:48 Join the church: The church is where God’s family encourages and supports one another.”How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1 Pray and read your Bible daily: God communicates His will for your life through His Word and prayer.”Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 Seek a godly mentor: A mentor teaches you the ways of God and how to live a holy life. “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.” Titus 2:3 Admitting that I'm wrong is hard for me. Its like admitting defeat! Admitting that I'm sorry, well that goes right along with me being wrong SO that's not easy either!
Admitting to my child that I'm both wrong and sorry. Forget it! I'm the Mama! I don't have to explain, I don't have to apologize. But wait....I WAS wrong. I AM sorry. So whats getting in my way of owning this to my two sweet kids and asking for their forgiveness? One terrible word...Pride. My pride causes a lot of pain in my life. In Proverbs 16:18 it says " Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" Pretty simple right? Pride is destructive and also gives you a bad attitude. Then why do I struggle with it? Because in trying to let go of my pride I am letting go of my own power and my own authority and learning to submit to Jesus and His will in my life. That's hard for moms. That's hard for single moms who feel the need to " keep it together". Most days I pray for Jesus to help me, lead me, show me. Yet how many times have I let my pride get in the way of Him doing just that? And if I cant submit my pride to Jesus and let him do with it what He wants, how can I ask my children to do the same? So today my thoughts are focused on laying this burden of pride right at the feet of Jesus. Telling my kids I'm sorry, and being willing to admit my mistakes. Letting them see in me an attitude of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ~ Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. The reasons I chose the name Single Mama for Jesus for this blog were various. 1~ Single I'm currently going through a divorce. Very sad when a family crumbles, however how freeing spiritually it is to be placed in a position to grow in Jesus alone and as a single individual depending solely on Him! 2~ Mama I'm Mama to my sweet kidos. As is my own mother my Mama. My whole life there has been something so soothing and comforting in that name. Occasionally I'll get a Mom, Mommy, or in a moment of their pure irritation a MOTHER! But for the most part I'm Mama and always have been. It is a joy to hear my children call me Mama and I can think of no other name Id ever love better! 3~ For Jesus Jesus GAVE me these to precious gifts. They are under my care for a little while but they are His children! He loves them way more then I could ever even imagine ( just as He does all His children). He's entrusted them to me to teach and train them so that they will grow in Him and share Jesus with others. But most important Hes called me as their Mama to lead by example. So its up to me to learn, lead, an practice what I want them to know. I want them to know that without Jesus we can do nothing. I want them to share that with Jesus all things are possible. I want them to remember that we are never alone He is always with us . I want them to believe in Jesus and know that all salvation rests in Him. I want them to know, share, remember, & believe that the greatest thing in life is to love God, love others and let that be what changes the world. So what do I need to do as a Single Mama? I need to know that I cant do anything without Jesus! I need to share with others how all things are possible when you have Jesus in your heart! I need to remember that no matter what I'm walking through I'm not walking alone, my Jesus is right here with me! I need to love God with all my heart! I need to show love to those who ,lets face it, are not so lovable at times.....even when in the checkout line at Walmart! Can I do any of this on my own power? No. And that's ok. In fact that's better then OK! Cause my Jesus can do anything! Even use a simple single Mama like me. Scriptures for today~ John 15:5 Philippians 4:13 Isaiah 41:10 Acts 16:31 |
AuthorI'm a single mama of 2 great kidos seeking and searching for Gods will in our lives :) Archives
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