R.E.B.A

Receiving Every Blessing Available 

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Love Them Anyways

So many times, we come across people we find so easy to hate. It can be people we don’t even want to nor do we know. We think we know people based  off association, gossip, and what we read about them. You don’t truly know a person til you learn their heart. It doesn’t matter what they have done; the heart tells no lie. They can front to be the meanest and strongest person alive but, truly be the most sensitive. They can front to not care about people at all but, truly believe that they care too much in the inside. They can front like they have it altogether and be a complete mess in the inside. As people, it is natural for us to wear a facade because it allows us to pick and choose what we want folks to know about us. It’s so easy for people to label you before they place a label on themselves. Trust me, I know. I have been called everything in the book; ugly, desperate, crazy, stupid, pitiful, a hypocrite, etc. These words use to hurt me a lot. I use to start to believe them because people that didn’t like me and their friends would go around calling me these things. I allowed their words to become apart of me. I completely forgot scriptures like, “you are fearfully and wonderfully made” or “ For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. the spirit.” Those scriptures alone cancelled out the “ugly” and the “crazy” comments. How is that? Because my God did not create me as such. The more I applied scriptures to myself, the more words of others no longer mattered. I began to realize these people can be so mean and hateful towards me because they aren’t teaching themselves of God’s love. See, when you follow in the footsteps of the Lord, you cannot stay the same. You will not walk around being hateful and hurtful towards others because you recognize it’s not of God. I have learned to not hold it against individuals who lack such knowledge. I have learned to pray for them about the areas in which I know they lack; such as compassion. SO, the next time people decide to come against you....love them anyways. Pray for them full-heartedly. Pray for yourself that your heart doesn’t become marred of it’s beauty due to their hatred. God bless. Until next time, xoxo. 

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Song of the Day

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Heaven Received An Angel

I heard that Heaven received a new Angel today

She’s a young one, teenager, they say.

She maybe new to Heaven but, she was never new to being an angel

A sweet heart, who’s laugh can quickly remove your anger.

She was a tough cookie

Had a rough life, that was no surprise.

It hurt me so bad to hear them say today was the last time she’d rest her eyes.

I can not be mad because it was in God’s will

You see, it didn’t take long for her to leave an imprint on all of those that she knew, and that includes me. 

I watched you go from well to ill

But, still holding your head high

Still smilin’ that smiled that could kill...

Any negativity that was in the room. Just from your presence. We were the lucky ones boo. 

Life doesn’t always seem fair but, I can’t ever question God.

He’s in control over all things especially death and most importantly, life. 

Your memory is now like a tree that is planted by the water; you shall not be moved.

I thank God for the chance to get to know you. 

I heard Heaven received a new angel today

And her name was, Chasity. 

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Keep it cute or put it on mute!

Everything does not require some sort of a response! It doesn’t matter if you choose to verbally respond or respond through actions; it’s NOT always necessary. This has been one of my most challenging lessons to learn while growing as a woman of God. Hunnieee, let me tell ya! This ol’ girl use to verbally put people “in check” VERY quickly. I was the type of person that ALWAYS had a response, positive or negative. I had a no nonsense type of mentality that just didn’t allow for people to do or say anything they want to me. I blame it on my Zodiac. Scorpio’s stand up!!! Lol, i’m just kidding. But seriously, my mouth was “off-the-chain”. I would cuss people out or just say anything that came to my mind, completely disregarding their feelings. It was like one of my quickest reflexes when I felt I was being mistreated or disrespected. I didn’t care who you were; De’Quana wasn’t having it! My mouth would get me in a lot of trouble with people (friends, family, teachers, bosses). I lacked self-control over the way I expressed myself. My mom always told me, “that mouth of yours is gonna get you in a heap of trouble.” It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that I can make a point without being rude. It wasn’t until I got in relationship with God that I understood the power of words. There are several different scriptures that remind us of how cautious we ought to be with the words we choose to speak, even in our anger (actually, ESPECIALLY in our anger). 

Most recently, I had to keep reminding myself to “keep it cute or put it on mute!” In other words, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all!”. I’ve been tempted at work and in the privacy of my home to say the first things that come to my mind. People have been attacking me verbally in every which direction. But, I am NOT who I use to be. In order to keep myself controlled, I would sing. I sung whatever gospel song that comes to mind so that the words that come out my mouth were fruitful. If I couldn’t sing, I begin to just talk to God ( aloud or silently). Whatever I chose to do, I made sure the platform was God. I literally would have a WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) moment. Because I am a child/servant of God, I have to constantly reflect that. There are so many things I choose to not give my energy to just so that I don’t step out the authority of God. No matter the situation, don’t fall into the traps of the devil. He wants you to be nasty and hateful towards people( esp through your words) but, the bibles says, “bless those that curse you.” Never give the enemy the satisfaction of being like him. Like the saying says, “when you know better, you do better”. When you study the ways of the Lord, YOU KNOW BETTER. Let both your words and your actions reflect such knowledge. 

The following are bible scriptures to help you be mindful of your words (coming from the ESV translation) : 

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” 

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Matthew 15:18 “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.”

Proverbs 12:18 “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Matthew 12:36-37 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” ”

Proverbs 16:24 “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”

Colossians 3:8 “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”

Proverbs 13:3 “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

God bless you all. Until next time, I love you. Xoxo 

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What God has for ME!

Welp, Ladies and Gents...it’s graduation season! So many of my friends and family members are currently graduating from college and I’m so proud of them! But, I couldn’t help but feel sad at the same time. See, I am enrolled in culinary school but, I haven’t been able to go back due to financial problems. Culinary school only last about two and a half years; I would have graduated a long time ago. I look at the pictures of all the graduates and even the ones still in school and my heart saddens. I want to give my parents something to brag about and be proud of such as moments like these. But, here I am stuck in a funk. Then I had to think about the saying,  “What God has for me; it is for ME!” Do you understand the truth in this statement? It really is true! The Lord even tells us in His word. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).” We all have a divine purpose for our lives. The problem is that not all of us realize that we do. We will often find ourselves striving to be someone that we are NOT. We have made up in our minds already who we THINK we are SUPPOSE to be. We end up extremely disappointed when we fail to reach that person that we’ve created in our minds. This self-absorbed way of thinking allows us to tell lies to ourselves and become completely dishonest about who we really are. We will even surround ourselves with individuals that doesn’t have a clear map of their identity too. Seeing it from the outside looking in, those individuals make us uncomfortable. We will often think “they have no idea who they are or who they want to be”. Imagine someone saying the same about you! When you submit yourself to Christ, He directs your path. He keeps us on the straight and narrow. He will make sure you use your gifts and talents for the Kingdom. See, I may not have my degree and complete training to become a chef (YET) but, maybe God has other plans for me right now. He’s been using me heavily through this blog and my music ministry. He’s been placing it on my heart to do work that brings people back to the Kingdom and that’s what I want to do. I have learned to not look at what others have and want for that because I have no idea what they had to do or go through in order to receive it. I have learned to appreciate who I am in the “now”. I don’t know what God holds for me in the future but, I trust Him. I encourage any of you that may feel similar to me to always trust God. Everything is made perfect in His hands and His timing. I have learned to walk through life with a heart full of gratitude. Trust and depend on God with every and anything that concerns you in your life. Pray and do not worry. Worrying shows that you have a lack of faith and trust, the two most important aspects in having a relationship with God. Remember, He is in control my darlings. I love you. Until next time, xoxo. 

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Psst, don’t let him use you!

When you first read the title of this post, I guess you can think that “he” is a man. NO! “He” is indeed the enemy. Did you know that you can become a vessel for the work of the enemy? In fact, he thrives off using people against one another in order to destroy BOTH of the individuals. See, the enemy is TERRIFIED to see people working for the Kingdom of God. He cant stand to see us live up to the potential we each have inside of us. So, he finds different ways to keep us trapped; trapped in everything that is not pleasing to God. Before writing this post, I had to pray for control over my words. I didn’t want to step outside of the authority of God with the context of this post so, with that being said...to God be the glory. 

I began writing this blog as a way to keep myself grounded and to install the same teachings into whomever decides to read it. I had no particular audience in mind and I still have NO clue who reads it unless they tell me. The more I wrote post and dug into the Word of God; the more I began to strengthen in Christ. I felt good about what I was doing and what I was learning. I knew that God would have it that whoever this blog needed to reach, it will. Recently, the link to my blog has been spent to 2 individuals in which I have no contact with. The reason I’m bringing this up is because one of the two is a person I use to be in love with and the other is his current girlfriend. Now if you’ve read my previous blog post, “Finding the Good in Goodbye”, you know the story behind them. For the life of me, I can’t grasp why someone would be so petty as to harassing them using MY blog. It was bothering me so much that I wanted to stop blogging. I just wanted to end this whole thing because I was so over my name being dragged around. But, once again I had to remind myself that it’s the work of the enemy. My family member even reminded me that I don’t know who I reach with this blog and to end it over foolishness and negativity would be so selfish of me. He was OH SO RIGHT! Shortly after he reminded me of that, several people told me how I inspire them and how much my blogs have been helping them. See, this blog represents my change and my freedom. Each post I show more and more that I am not who I use to be. The spirit behind whoever is doing this, does not like my change. It doesn’t like the fact that I have pulled myself out of something that was meant to destroy me. I doesn’t like the fact that I chose to use my story as a way to keep others from having to go through the same things. It doesn’t like that I can love both of them genuinely and want the best for them BOTH. Why? Because that is the way of the Lord. The enemy doesn’t like anything that can bring glory to God. Nothing that I write about is make believe or lies; nothing I write about is negative. Yet, you see how the enemy is trying to turn it into such? Make it the center of gossip and ridicule. It blinds both of the individuals from receiving the word of God because it’s coming in the form of harassment. But God! God will still continue to get the glory out of me and this blogging ministry! I will not let the enemy take away from me something that pleases my Lord and myself. 

Whoever you are, if you are reading this one, I would now like to pray for you. 

Father God, I come before You as Your child wanting to bring another one of Your children closer to you. Lord, if I have done anything to this individual to cause him/her to be so hateful towards me, I pray that he/she finds it in their heart to forgive me. I don’t know the reason behind the actions but, I ask that YOU forgive this individual, Lord. I don’t think he/she realizes the manipulation of enemy. I don’t think he/she understands how he likes to use us (humans) as a way to destroy one another. I pray that you touch both the heart and mind of this individual. I can see that they are stuck in some form of misery to try to take something so positive and flip it into something negative for their own satisfaction. Lord, you said in your Word that the enemy loves to use the weak minded, broken, hurt, and lost individuals to do his dirty work. I pray that You show Yourself through the work of this blog to that individual. I pray that each time he/she goes to stir the pot using my blog, that the Word hits his/her heart and corrects them. I pray that he/she finds happiness within You and within their life. I pray that the individual knows that I love him/her. Most importantly, I pray that this individual understands that You love him/her, Lord. I pray for his/her growth as an individual. I pray that You, Lord, will be the change that he/she needs. I know what it’s like to be stuck in misery and not wanting anyone else to be happy, Lord. I know how much that feeling can control you. I pray that this individuals doesn’t allow these emotions or plots of evil to take control over his/her life. Lord, I pray that he/she don’t get lost and comfortable in their misery. Heal him/her in any aspect of his/her life that seems to be broken God. I pray that he/she finds strength in You and no longer falls victim to the tricks of the enemy. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

God bless you sweetheart. I know God will do great work within you. I will continue to pray for you. Remember, God loves you and so do I. May peace and love be with you. xoxo

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Say a daily prayer with me

Father God,

We come humbly before You to thank You. We thank You for what You are doing, what You have done, and what You plan to do. But more importantly, Lord, we thank You for WHO You are. We thank You for being our Father, our friend, our confidant, our protector, our provider, our joy, our peace, our guider, our love, and so much more! We thank You that You are a God that supplies our every need. We thank you for once again trusting us with the gift of life. Lord, we pray today that we do not take advantage of this gift. We pray that we use this time wisely. We pray that within the 24 hrs we are awake, that we are of some help to the Kingdom. We pray that You use us in a way that is helpful and loving towards another person; whether they know You or not. We pray that whomever we come in contact with today will recognize the love and glory that comes from You within us. We pray that we are an example to someone that NEEDS to see who You are. Lord, we pray for protection over our families, friends, and ourselves wherever we may be or may be going today. We understand that asking for protection does not always prevent things from happening but, we know if anything is to happen that Your hands of protection will still be on us. We pray today that we walk uprightly. We pray for the strength we need in order to not fall into the hands of temptation. We pray that You will lead and guide us into the right direction today. We thank You that even when things look bad, You are working for our good. We pray that we keep our Faith strong in You. For You said in Your Word that you will never leave us nor forsake us. You also said that You will not put more on us than we can bare. For we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. We pray that we are people of love and truth today. We pray for forgiveness towards ourselves and anyone that has caused us harm. We pray that we are stripped of the bitterness and unforgiving spirit. For we know that we can not truly be forgiven if we too do not forgive. Lord, we thank you for teaching us your ways. We ask that you help us to continue to apply it to our lives, day in and day out. In Jesus’ name, we pray, AMEN. 

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Have you truly forgiven?

The purpose of this blog is to always teach lessons that I have learned or am currently learning. I use personal experiences and stories to be of assistance to each individual that is reading. With that being said, I def have something new/old to share. This week has been emotionally challenging for me. I mean truly emotionally challenging. I’ve broken down in tears, crying out to God countless times this week. So many emotions were keeping me in emotional bondage, particularly unforgiveness and bitterness. Along with both of those emotions comes anger. For some reason, there has been one individual really on my mind this week. When I think of this person, I usually have mixed emotions; part of the memories are joyous and the other hurtful. When I begin to think of the hurt caused by this person, I immediately begin to anger( and I mean really REALLY anger). I sometimes become so focused on my closed up anger towards the person that I can’t even move forward with my day on a positive foot. Naturally, part of me wants to truly hate the individual. I felt like that person OWED me an apology. I mean a true apology for all of what has been done to me. I never received that and it deepened my hurt and hatred. But, I had to realize that it is not just that person’s fault. I am also at fault. I am at fault for openly allowing the individual to treat me the way I was being treated. Though I knew I was being treated poorly, I allowed it because of my feelings towards the individual. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to make it seem like I’m creating an negative image about this person; this is not true. I still truly love this person. I will always love this person. This individual is FAR from a bad person. This person actions just didn’t match the true depths of their heart. But, I now understand that I have not truly forgiven that individual nor myself when I allow myself to forget these things. Bitterness/unforgiveness are emotions the enemy likes to make us feel to keep us from truly loving ourselves and others. But, the bible instructs us to always forgive. Forgiveness= Love, which is the way of the Lord. Now, before some of you jump to conclusions and think I’m just this miserable person; it’s far from the truth. I am happy with who I have become and where my life is heading; however, forgiveness is a slow and steady process. I haven’t reached my full potential of happiness by holding on to these negative emotions. I can’t even truly be forgiven by the Father because I haven’t forgave. “Be kind and compassionate to one another,forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). You can ask God to help you to forgive someone as many times as it takes to remove those negative feelings. Some of us stop too soon seeking forgiveness towards ourselves and forgiving other people. Did you know that Jesus said to not forgive seven times but SEVENTY times seven?! That’s 490 times. That goes to show how often we should ask for forgiveness and how often we should seek to forgive. Don’t allow the enemy to keep you bound! God wants more for you than this! Work diligently towards forgiveness and love. ALWAYS. Until the next one, xoxo. 

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What is your addiction?

Addiction is a very powerful thing. It is something that can overtake us all. Often times we are afraid to admit our addictions. Most people like to associate addiction with just drugs, alcohol, and pornography. But, there’s several different types of addiction. Some people are addicted to attention, social media, love, sex, a person or thing, and etc. Identifying your own personal addictions can help with the growth of an individual. Today, I will admit to the things I was addicted to. My addiction problem was not just with one thing but, several. I was addicted to sex/pornography, the desire to be loved, and alcohol. Now, before you begin to judge me from what you read; allow me to explain. I know a lot of you are wondering, how can a Christian woman be addicted to such things?! Well, I am human. I can fall into the traps of temptation just as easy as the next person, and that’s what happened.  My first addiction was sex/pornography. I’m not a promiscuous woman. I have not had sex with multiple men or anything of that nature. I have a body count of only 2 people, both of whom I loved. I became addicted to the feeling I got when having sex. I felt undeniably beautiful and sexy. I felt desired and needed. Sex oddly made me feel important to them. Because I had such low self-esteem at the time, I wanted to feel that way all the time. So, that began my addiction to pornography. I liked to watch because it gave me the same kind of feeling that actual intercourse would give. I became fascinated with thought of what tricks and things I could do to make the men I was with never want to leave me. I tried to equate sex with love. Which goes into my second addiction; the desire to be loved. I wanted so badly for someone to love me. To see me as perfection. To never want to let me go. I wanted to love someone in the same way. I connected myself with individuals, emotionally, quite fast due to this desperation. I got my heart broken time after time. I was so sunken into my depression and hurt, it lead to my third addiction; alcohol. Alcohol allowed me to feel free. It was one of the addictions not as easy to hide. I was the turn up queen. All things turn-up, I was ya girl! I used alcohol to escape the reality of my life. It was a medicine that I enjoyed. Rather than therapy or actual medication to deal with the depression I was going through; I chose alcohol. I was able to be whomever I desired to be when I was drunk. I liked living in that fantasy. It wasn’t until one day when I truly hit rock bottom that I didn’t understand that none of these addictions were making me truly happy. The more I became addicted to these things; the more miserable I became. I began more frequently reading my bible and listening to the word of God. Each time I would, I felt His presence more and more. I became addicted to listening to gospel music and feeling the presence of the Lord. I wanted and needed to be engulfed by it daily. Every second, minute, hour of the day; I wanted to be with God. The love, joy, and promises of God became my new addiction. I am currently celibate. I limit myself to drinking only one cup if I choose to part take in festivities where there is alcohol. I no longer desire to be loved by anyone other than the Lord. I know there will be people that love me and that I love but, I don’t allow it to overshadow the love that comes from the Lord. God and God alone has been my intervention. He has helped me through all of my sinning and all of my hurt. I shared this with you, readers, to encourage you to give everything to the Lord. I pray that my story and/or stories can be of an assistance to you all. Please don’t allow yourself to judge me for my truth that it blocks you from revealing your own. I’m not the same woman I use to be but, my story has helped me to become who I am today. Remember, it’s never too late to submit to God and turn your life around. Do it for you! But, mostly importantly do it to bring glorification to the Kingdom of God. God is love. I love you all. Until the next one. Xoxo 

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Don’t clog your ears!

You know when you’re in a swimming pool and you tilt your head back and the water clogs your ears so you can’t hear anything; we do that with the voice of the Lord. We tilt our head back in the midst of trouble waters and allow the waters to clogs up our ears, making it hard to respond to the voice of God. Why do we do that though? Personally, I know I do this sometimes because of fear and stubbornness. It’s like I pick and choose what part of God I want to hear. I like the good things so, I obey those. I dislike the bad so, I clog my ears. But, sometimes we need for all types of things to happen in order to build our faith and trust stronger( in regards to Christ). We take advantage of the ability to hear the voice of the Father. We take advantage of the Holy Spirit( our communicator and helper). John 14:26 “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”  We don’t realize how taking advantage of the Holy Spirit hurts us in the long run. Just like with our parents, when we don’t listen to them; there is some form of correction! God is not a punishing God but, he does correct us when we are wrong. I know when I don’t listen to God, He stops my communication with Him for a while. I find myself crying out and wondering why He isn’t answering and it makes me think about my actions. Once I realize that I was disobedient to what He has told me, I immediately repent. When I repent, our communication is restored. He then tells me what he expects of me and why He tells me to do the things He does. God doesn’t have to explain Himself but, sometimes He does because He knows we lack understanding about somethings. The bible says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3). Sometimes we choose not to listen because we fear of the “next”. We don’t put enough trust into God that we choose not to do what He ask of us. We always end up putting ourselves in a harder situation when we do this. Sometimes we choose not to listen because we just simply don’t want to. We don’t like what is being asked of us so, we don’t do it. We stay in our wrong and we stay in what WE believe we need. We have to change this about ourselves and be obedient no matter what or who it is pertaining to. If you hear that small voice telling what to do and not to do that is positively beneficial to you, that is the Holy Spirit. John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”  The deeper you grow in God, the easier it is to hear his voice. Do not clog your ears and turn away from whatever it is God ask and tell you to do. He has reasons for everything! Trust and believe in those reasons! Even if the message is through a person, no matter if you like or dislike the person, recognize if it’s the voice of the Lord and if you recognize it is, OBEY HIM. Sometimes God will use people we don’t expect just to see if we will still obey Him. Don’t clog you ears!!! I promise you, it’s for you own good. 

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He knows you too...

Today has been quite a day. I had to come to the realization that even the enemy knows me too. He knows what buttons and triggers to push to make me revert back into the person I worked so hard to leave behind. When he sees both my growth and my potential, he is NOT pleased. He won’t ever be pleased with us working for Christ because he has the desire to be God. He tries to manipulate and control us and our lives through evil and trickery. He’ll use strangers, coworkers, family, friends, loved ones, ANY and EVERYONE he can to destroy you. But, understand you have all the power within you to fight against him through prayer. God is our protection. The battle is not ours to fight for the fight is not with the flesh but, the spirit. Give your battles to God. Do not try to take matters into your own hands because sometimes it’s just a fight you just can not win. The bibles says, “ BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity” (Ephesians 4:26-27). In other words, it’s okay to be angry because that is something natural. God does instruct us, however, that within our anger we still need to be honoring Him and still be a representation of Him. Let’s use me for example. Today, I encountered a situation where I was lied on and accused of something I did not do. I am a honest person. If I do anything, I will always tell on myself when confronted and even when I’m not. I don’t like to feel the guilt of a lie. For these reasons alone, I truly don’t like to be lied on. It angers me to the extreme! I was so mad that my anger literally caused me to begin to feel sick. Understand what I did in this situation, I gave room to the enemy. I allowed him to use my weakness, in which I am aware of, against me. And for what? What reason did I need to be so upset when I know i did nothing wrong? What reason did I need to try to prove that I did nothing wrong when people are going to believe what they want regardless? I guess because it was coming from someone that I care deeply about that it truly offended me. It offended me because I expected the person to know me better than that. I expected the person to remember who I am as a person and what kind of personality I have and what I was being accused of does not even fit my character traits. Because the person did not, that hurt me and that hurt eventually angered me. But, I had to remind myself that the devil knows that not only being lied to is my trigger but, so is that particular person. He was not only using me but, the other person. He was not only trying to destroy me but, the other person. Sometimes we look with our natural eyes instead of our spiritual. I am no stranger to the devils tactics and I should have protected myself better than that. I encourage each of you to always recognize the spirit behind a person and when you do, PRAY. There’s nothing more you can or need to do than that. The moment you pray and give it to God, the devil will flee. He can not stay somewhere he has been cast out. This is why he has to use different situations, timing, and people to re-enter into your life. Stay guarded with the power of prayer and the covering of God’s Word. Writing this post was not to put anyone on blast or anger anyone but, a way for me to let go before I go to bed. This was me learning from my mistakes today. This is me not giving the devil an opportunity by making sure I leave yesterday in yesterday. There’s no need to go to sleep still angry and that is what God instructs. So, continue to press on guys and remember the ways of the Lord so when you are faced with moments like these; it will not rob you of your peace. God bless. Xoxo! 

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Oh Girl, who she think she is?!

Have you been making great changes in your life and the people around you believe that you think you are “holier than thou”? They’ll say things like, “who do you THINK you are?” or “ oh you think you better now ‘cus you changing?”. Understand that you are DOING SOMETHING RIGHT! See, people don’t like to be around positive and God-changing people. Why? Because it reminds them of both who they are and who they are not. Change can make people very uncomfortable. We get so accustomed to our daily routines, our predictable behavioral traits, our general ways of speaking, our general ways of loving, our predictable circle of friends, and etc that anything that interferes with that becomes a threat. 

There are two types of change in my opinion, a negative or positive change, or what I like to call  “worldly” and “righteous” change. Some of us change in a negative way. We dismiss ourselves from all of our spiritual teachings and we rebel against the ways of God. This is what I consider a “worldly” change because instead of being pleasing to the heart of the Father; there is a decision being made to become acceptable to the heart of the world. But, the bible says, “what profits a man to gain the whole world but, lose his soul” (Mark 8:36). In other words, WHAT ARE YOU BENEFITING giving yourself to a world that does not love you? What are you benefiting giving yourself to a world that has no intention to take care of you? What are benefiting giving yourself to a world that will turn its back on you? What can you gain? what can learn? Is the price of being liked and accepted worth not entering the kingdom of God when all the Earth shall perish? What is it worth to you to have everything you want on this Earth but, turn your back to your “brothers”? IS IT WORTH IT?! Is it worth it to be of such great value to this Earth but, of NO value to the Lord and his people? When you become like this world you separate yourself from the love and protection of God. This negative change will not only reflect in the heart of you but also into your life. You’ll find yourself in situations you don’t know how to get out of. You’ll find yourself dealing with emotions that are over-bearing. You’ll find yourself mistreating yourself and those around. You’ll find yourself in A MESS all because you refuse to submit to God, who is the ONLY person that truly wants to take care of and love you. See, people that encourages negative change DO NOT want to face the truth that they really need to change. They don’t want to see you change because your new found ways of righteous living will naturally make them feel guilty and convict their spirit without you even having to say one word! Your new walk will be a light to all of those around you. Some people will follow the ways of the light and other will do like sunshades and block it out because they are uncomfortable with the light of the Lord shining upon them.They are satisfied with who they are and do not want to be influenced to change.

Now, lets talk about positive change. The bible says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). See the moment you decide to give yourself to God, you become a whole new person. It says in the word that “ and you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). This is why we call it being “born again” because God gives us a new life by no longer looking at who we were before we accepted Him into our lives. Understand walking this life is not easy! You will be talked about, judged, mistreated, etc. But, so was Jesus when he walked this Earth. We know that in the bible he tells us that  "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). Jesus is trying to get you to understand that you weren’t put on this Earth to be liked and you aren’t going to be as long as you are following Christ. You were put on this Earth to do the will of the Father. You are a child of God! You are to be pleasing to Him not this world. You are accepted by Him. You are loved by Him. That’s all you need to survive. Your obedience to God determines what kind of life you will live. Do not turn away from the ways of God because you feel isolated on this Earth. This place is only temporary! You are NEVER alone. God lives IN YOU. Do not be ashamed of your change! There’s no need to boast and brag about it; stay humble because there will be times you will fall short. BUT, do not let others take away what God freely gives us all and that is the opportunity to have peace that surpasses our understanding through walking with Him. Jesus tells us that they hate him without reason (John 15:25) and we should expect the same. Continue to turn to God when you are hearing the snares of the enemy. Ask Him to remind you of your purpose. Ask Him to help you withstand the hatred and discouragement. Believe in what He teaches you and continue to become how He is! God bless. Peace & Love. xoxo! 

[receivingeveryblessingavail-blog]

Hol’ up homie, that ain’t love...

“Love, a word that comes and goes BUT few people really know what it means to really love somebody”-Kirk Franklin. The lyrics to this song have such a deep meaning. So many of us in this world confuse “lust” for being “love”. We think that because people buy us things, spends time with us, is involved with us sexually, and etc; this automatically equates to love. This is 100% FALSE. A person can do all of the above for you and still NOT have a true ounce of love for you inside of them. A LOT of us hide behind the word “love” because it makes us feel good about ourselves; it becomes some sort of an accomplishment. We idolize the ability to say “i have someone who loves me”, even when we don’t fully comprehend what it means to love. Being “in love” becomes something so addicting that we all have to have it and will receive it anyway that it decides to come. We use love as a codependency. We become so DESPERATE for love that even when it’s broken, we stay in it! Unconsciously, this desire for adoration and love makes us shape other people into our “gods”. We want them to love us, accept us, show us that we are someone, heal our wounds, fix our lives, etc etc. This is not how love should EVER be. 

I decided to look up the word love via Webster’s dictionary. The first 3 definitions of love were all pertaining to emotional and physical attachment/devotion. But, then I came across the fourth definition. It stated, IN THE DICTIONARY, that love is an unselfish, loyal,and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) :  the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) :  brotherly concern for others b :  a person's adoration of God. Now would you look at that! Webster’s KNEW what it really meant to LOVE but, decided to make the more prominent definition to be emotionally pleasing to humans rather than spiritually correct. God is and always will be LOVE. He defines it! He is the essence of LOVE. You can not fully comprehend the meaning of love without first comprehending who God is. You cannot even truly love yourself without this knowledge. You cannot obtain this knowledge without studying the ways of God through the reading of your Bible. Sometimes we are so “in love” with people that we never fully and completely love God or learn the love of God. If you don’t teach yourself the ways of the Lord, you’ll always be oblivious to what love is. Take a minute to reevaluate your relationship; be it past or present, friend or lover. Did/Does the one that claim they “love” you feed you spiritually? Did/Does he/she pray for you and with you? Did/Does he/she make sure you have a relationship with the Lord? Did/Does he/she attend church with you? Did/Does he/she help you stay away from the temptations of sin? Did/Does he/she make sure you are walking a life that is pleasing to Christ? If you can not answer yes to these questions, collectively, you are living in lust. Lust is nothing but pretend love. It is just emotional and physical satisfaction. So many people live in lust. That’s why we can say things like “i fell out of love with him/her” or “I don’t love you anymore”. UNDERSTAND THAT LOVE IS A PERMANENT THING! You either loved them or you never really did. We idolize love but, we often live by lust. 

 In Ephesians 5:1-2 we are instructed on how to love, “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that” (the MSG bible translation). Do not be a cautious lover. When you are cautiously loving, you are loving with only about 50% of yourself. You begin to love just for the benefit of yourself.  But, as we learned in 1 Corinthians 13:5, “love is not self-seeking”. Even when you learn how to love yourself, it is so that you can fully and truthfully love others. 

Romans 13:8 states, “owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” God EXPECTS and WANTS us to be loving. Even if you have to detach yourself from those that keep you from loving through the way of God, still love them from a distance. Do not judge and convict people when you decide to walk with God and with love because that is NOT your duty. Your duty is to pray for them. You need to unselfishly pray that they find the same light at the end of the tunnel as you did. You need to pray that they are free from the burdens of temptation and lust. You need to pray that they understand who God is and what His love is like. You need to remember your neighbors within your growth, doing this shows that you are the loving person God instructs you to be. Remember to walk in both faith and love. God bless!

[receivingeveryblessingavail-blog]

“Dear God”

Lord do you hear our cry.

Even when they are trapped in our pillow case?

And though they’re just water stains

Please tell me dear Lord that they’ll still mean the same!

Cus pain is all we seem to know

Seems like we forgot what love really is

We try to beat each other to the punch

So we laugh, tease and we taunt

I know this ain’t what you want

But, it seems that we’re stuck

Stuck in the ways of doing evil

Stuck in the ways of being deceitful

Oh my brother! Don’t you know?

This isn’t what you were created for...

And oh my sister

What happen to you dear?

You weren’t suppose to be the one creating tears

Did you forget, how powerful you are when you pray?

Did you forget how much can change when you call his name?

Oh my God

Please don’t pass us by

Dear Lord,

Hear MY humble cry!

I cry out for everyone of us

No matter our gender

No matter our ethnicity

No matter if they don’t believe

Lord show us the only way can be with you

Show us how to love the way you do.

Show us how to love the way you do.

Show us how to love the way you do. 

[receivingeveryblessingavail-blog]

Say a prayer over your negative emotions...

The following is a passage from the book, “The Power of a Praying Teen”, by Stormie O’Martian. 

“ Lord, I pray that You will give me the strength to resist negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, dissatisfaction, envy, depression, bitterness, rejection, hopelessness, and fear. Rescue me when “my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed’ (Psalm 14:3:4). I refuse to let my life be brought down by negative emotions because I know You have a better quality of life for me than that. When I am tempted to give in to these feelings, help me to remember all that is true about You.

You said in Your Word that by our patience we can possess our souls (Luke 21:19). Give me the patience and understanding to be in control of my emotions. Help me to keep my “heart with all diligence,” for I know that “out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Help me to not be insecure and focused on myself. Help me to focus on You and other people. Help me not to be oversensitive to myself, but rather sensitive to the needs of other people. Thank You, Lord, that in my distress I can call on You. And when I pray to You, Lord, You will hear my voice and answer me (Psalm 18:6). May the joy of knowing You fill my heart at all times so I can live in Your joy and peace. In Jesus’s name, I pray. AMEN! 

[receivingeveryblessingavail-blog]

Misery loves company...

Yo, if it’s one thing i know is that MISERY LOVES COMPANY! We all know this saying. We usually use it in regards to miserable people loving to be around other miserable people because they are comfortable in their misery. But, today I don’t want to look at this saying in a way that relates to the atmosphere and socialization of the matter but, rather the EMOTIONAL aspect. 

Anxiety, depression, fear, insecurity, etc these are the emotions that I am speaking of. These emotions take control over SO many of us. It is something we often believe we will always live with but, GOD SAYS THIS IS NOT SO! We have a the power to take control of everything in our lives through prayer!

Many of us feel like God has passed us by; God has forgotten us. We ask the common question,“Lord, why are you punishing me?”. We believe our prayers have fallen silent on God’s ear  but, this is not so! Even Jesus faced times of feeling this way ( read Matthew 27:46).  Jesus, himself, had to go into prayer when he faced these emotions. It is the only way we can pull through! Prayer and the word of God is our armor, our protection, our defensive shield, etc. If we are not prayer and following Christ, we are simply not protected. It’s like going into a battlefield with just the clothes on your back; you won’t withstand! 

In my favorite book right now, “The Power of a Praying Teen”, Stormie points out 9 ways to rid yourself of negative emotions. Here are the ways:

1. Refuse to be anxious about anything; knowing that God is in control of your life when you ask Him to be.

2. Refuse to be ruled by anger. 

3. Refuse to be dissatisfied and always complaining.

4. Refuse to be envious of what other people have.

5. Refuse to allow depression to RULE YOUR LIFE!

6. Refuse to be bitter about anything

7. Refuse to live with feelings of rejection.

8. Refuse to be hopeless about anything, no matter how hopeless it may seem.

9. Refuse to let FEAR rule your life! 

The word “refuse” is such a POWERFUL word. It means to “indicate or show that one is not willing to do something or not willing to accept or grant (something offered or requested)." So, if we are refusing all the negative emotions from entering into our lives; we are simply not GRANTING it access to our spirits! All negative emotions “reveal that we have doubt inside of us.” I believe 50 cent said it best, “you either worry or pray; you can’t do both”. If you are trusting in God and believe he will keep His promises to you, there is NO room to entertain these emotions. 

Here are some bible scriptures to read to help remind us that God is on OUR SIDE: Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 11: 28-30, Psalm 34:17-18. I leave you with this quote, “Refuse to allow the ugliness of negative emotions to mar the beauty of the life God has for you.”

 God bless you and keep holding on! 

[receivingeveryblessingavail-blog]

Prayer for your mind

The following prayer is a passage from the book, “ The Power of a Praying Teen” by Stormie Omartian. 

“Lord, show me any place in my mind where I have accepted a lie as the truth. I don’t want to think futile and foolish thoughts or give place to thoughts that are not glorifying to You (Romans 1:21). I don’t want to walk according to my own thinking(Isaiah 65:2). I want to bring every thought captive so I can control my mind. 

Your Word is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). As I read Your Word, speak to my heart about any wrong thinking in me. May Your Word be so etched in my mind that I will be able to identify a lie of the enemy the minute I hear it. Spirit of Truth, keep me undeceived. I know You have given me authority “over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19), and so I refuse to listen to lies. I refuse to have confusion in my mind because You, Lord, five me clarity of thought. 

Thank You that I “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). I want Your thoughts. Show me where I have filled my mind with anything that is ungodly. Show me when I allow thoughts into my mind through televisions, the Internet, books, magazines, films, or music that are not of You. Help me to resist doing that and instead fill my mind with thoughts, words, music, and images that are glorifying to You. Help me to think upon what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). I lay claim to the “sound mind” that You have given me ( 2 Timothy 1:7). In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN!