All things…

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28 NKJV

All things aren’t the things we like or deem tolearable or acceptable. All things aren’t always the open doors, promotions, or raises. All things isn’t always the friendships and relationships.

Sometimes all things are the demotions and the lay-offs. Sometimes all things are the disconnect notices, the closed doors, and the “no’s”. Sometimes all things are the things that annoy us the most.

All things are whatever God desires to use to bring Him glory. All things aren’t in our control or work out in our perceived way. In Christ, there are blessings and sufferings. In Christ, there is an beginning and there is an end. In Christ, you will hear “yes”, “no”, or “nothing at all”. And because, all things work together for your good and His glory, you must trust in Him and His ability.

His sovereignty can be trusted. His shadow can be trusted. His protection can be trusted. His provision can be trusted. His all things can be trusted.

The concept of all things can be a little scary. However, let the following truth encourage you as you know in all things: God is with you, God loves you, and God cares for you:

Peace and Blessings

Faint Not…

“Life aint no crystal stair…” Langston Hughes

It tends to hit us left and right. We can let the adversities of life beat us down or lift us up. The choice is ours. However, we don’t have to wonder about what to do. The Word of God gives us direction for every situation. Let’s consider what the Lord says:

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Proverbs 24:10 ESV

Seems like a choice is set before us, we can faint or not faint. “Fainting” can be synonymous with complaining, worrying, and stressing yourself out. According to the Word, fainting means our strength is small. Not with the God we serve!

Sis, we want to encourage you to faint not! Faint not when the struggles of life come up against you! Life must be encountered not in our own strength, but in the strength of our Creator! My friend, you are powered with the Holy Spirit!

Struggles, adversity, and suffering are promised to us as followers of Christ. And because we are children of God, we have been gifted with an adversary, but faint not! The battle has already been won! In Christ, you are victorious! In Christ, you are more than a conqueror. And in Christ, there is nothing small about you!

As you deal with the difficulties of life, be encouraged by this truth…

Life is amazing, complex, and tough, but faint not sis, you got this. Not by your might nor your power but by His Spirit.

Peace and Blessings

Walking It Out…

Actions are connected to faith. Consider the story of the 10 lepers. “And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Luke 17:12‭-‬13

And He did, indeed show them mercy.

“When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14

“And as they went they were cleansed.” Let’s not miss the beauty of the text. This interaction took place from a distance. The lepers believed in the power and authority of Jesus. And they went. They walked their faith out.

We, too, must walk our faith out. Once we get off of our knees from praying, we must move forward in faith. We must move forward believing that our prayer has been heard and will be answered.

We don’t serve a genie. We serve an strategic and intentional God. Will you walk by faith? Even if you can’t see it, will you believe that He’s done it?

My friend, walk boldly like the 10, trusting and believing that God is whom He say He is. Walk boldly in your healing, wholeness, and deliverance. And as you go, know that you are set free. As you go, know that God is not a man that He shall lie.

And once you receive what you’ve asked for, desired, and needed, follow the lead of the one…

“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks…” Luke 17:15‭-‬16 ESV

Peace and Blessings

Again.

“They came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people — they look like trees walking.” Mark 8:22‭-‬24 CSB

The Lord is so methodical in His Word and His approach. He led the blind man out of the village. He spit on His eyes. And then He asks the man if He sees anything. Listen, the Lord does not need to wonder if what He did works! He is God in flesh, He knows that all power and authority rests in His hands! All healing, all power, all protection, is in His hands. Everything He does is full and complete. He is the fulfillment of the law.

He did this for us…

“Again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes. The man looked intently and his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly.” Mark 8:25

The (formerly) blind man didn’t leave the Lord. He didnt say that now he needed to figure it out on his own. He stayed. He believed the Lord.

The again was for us. We serve a one and done Lord. He does not need to do anything again. The again reveals the perservance needed to achieve our healing, our blessings, our heart’s desires.

How frequently do we pursue the Lord for that vision or dream we saw in part? How many of us pray again? How many of us fast again? How many of us praise again? Are we Jacob, unwilling to let go until we are blessed (Genesis 32:26)?

He will reveal the vision, we just need to ask again. He will restore, we just need to believe again. He will forgive, we just need to repent again. He will provide, we just need to trust Him again.

As you stand again, waiting for the Lord to move, be encouraged by the blind man’s willingness to be present and wait for the Lord to do it again. He waited his harvest, believe again and wait for yours.

Peace and Blessings

Grace.

Sisters Helping Sisters usually post our devotionals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This past Thursday, we dropped the ball. Instead of beating ourselves down, instead of criticizing ourselves, which is so easy to do, we made the hard decision to show ourselves a little grace.

Grace is making the decision not to condemn yourself, grace is exercising forgiveness, grace is getting back up again. Grace can be defined as “not giving yourself what you deserve” (Author Unknown). The Word tells us that grace is given by the Lord:

And if the Lord can give us grace, why won’t we extend grace to ourselves? When is the last time you showed yourself grace?

Maybe you forgot about that meeting. You burnt dinner. You neglected that obligation. Instead of condemnation, choose grace. Choose to get back up again. Choose to try again tomorrow.

My friend, you are not perfect and that is okay. You can achieve much when you opt to forgive yourself. Grace helps you not to make the same choice again. Be empowered by the gift of grace that the Heavenly Father extends to you each and every day. Trust in His gift, it saved your life (check out Ephesians 2:8-9).

As you propel forward in your day, be strengthened by this exhortation: “May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” 2 Peter 1:2 CSB

Peace and Blessings

From Petition to Praise…

Does your prayer pattern look somewhat like this?

Monday: Lord, please bless me with ______…

Tuesday: Lord, I need ______…

Wednesday: Father, I am asking for _____…

We repeat the same pattern throughout the week and start back over on Sunday. And make no mistake about it, we need to ask for that which we need. We need the restored finances, we need the basic necessities, and we need the reconciled relationships. And our petitions are heard and received by the Father! That’s enough to rejoice right there!

However, have we ever stopped and transitioned from petition to praise? Have we ever stopped asking and start acknowledging the Lord for who He is? Whether the prayers have been answered or not, let’s be committed to praising God for who He is!

Asking for healing? Praise the Lord for the Healer that He is! Asking for restoration? Give God the glory for He is the Restorer! Asking for protection? He’s the Protector! Go on ahead and give Him the praise!

Praise acknowledges the Savior. Praise announces that God gets glory! Praise gives victory to the Lord and not your problems! Praise reminds us that ultimately God’s in control! And praise, in the midst of your petition, is an active working of your faith:

Praise is an amazing demonstration of your faith! Your praise is an active expression of beliving that God will answer your prayer. It’s believing that the Father will meet your needs! As you present your petitions to God, we are believing (faith), that He can and will do it (well, we should be…)! If you are bold enough to petition God for that BIG vision, let your boldness carry on as you give Him a BIG praise! My sister, let your petitions lead you to praise.

As you rest those prayers at His feet, stand up strong and praise God for the answered prayers. We praise Him for His attentiveness to our cares and concerns. Praise God for He is absolutely worthy of your praise. Rejoice and be glad because the Creator of the Universe longs to fulfill your heart’s desires.

Make your petition known, make your praise LOUD.

Peace and Blessings

The Fruit Of Our Way…

Each and every one of us bear fruit. And it is by your fruit that you will be known. The scriptures rarely (if not at all) use “fruit” in the plural way. Fruit, usually, does not bear an “s”. The intentionality of the Father shouldn’t be missed.

Love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, kindness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) are all fruit of the way of the Holy Spirit. By this fruit, you will be known as a child of God. By this fruit, you will be a light, pointing and leading others to Christ. This fruit work simultaneously. You cannot choose to bear love one day and not the next. It’s all or nothing.

Sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar are all fruit of the way of our flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). By this fruit, you will be known as someone who is governed and ruled by their flesh. This fruit, also, works simultaneously. Sexual immorality eventually leads to promiscuity and the list goes on. Once again, all or nothing.

What is the fruit of your way? How will you be recognized? What fruit are you bearing? Are you ruled by the Father of truth or the father of lies?

We must choose each and every day what fruit we will choose to bear. The fruit of the Spirit represent life, light and the Father. The fruit of the flesh represent death, destruction, and the devil. What is the fruit of your way?

As we consider the choices before us, let’s consider the guidance and wisdom of our Heavenly Father:

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life…” Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV

Peace and Blessings

Know Your Limits…

After going for a while, you need a rest right? Most computers usually need to be restarted after a while. Most phones need to be rebooted to work correctly. Most cars need a tune-up.

Everything and everyone has a limit. Eventually, you will need to eat or sleep. Keep going without refueling and you will get weary. You will become disoriented, irritable, and frustrated. You, contrary to popular belief (or your own belief), are not the Energizer Bunny. If you keep going and going, you will crash eventually.

You my friend, amazing and wonderful in all of your ways, was created to be limited. My sister, know your limits. You are not superwoman. And thank God for that! Thank God that you are no one’s Savior. Thank God that the fate of the world does not rest in your hands. Its a weight that you cannot bear, yet you have a Father who is willing to do that for you.

There is only One who is beyond limits, beyond human comprehension, beyond the constraints of time. Seek Him. Lean on Him. He is perfect in your weakness.

You serve a limitless God. He is the only One who can do the impossible. He is the only One who can do exceedingly and abundantly all that you could ask or think. He is the only One who saves.

So rest in His limitlessness and rejoice and boast in your limits.

Peace and Blessings