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“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭ Remember all the fairytales we heard as a child, about the princes and the princesses and how they lived in a kingdom far away, and there was a villain always in them. That's accurate to how life really is. We might not be royalty here earthly, but we are all princes and princesses, and we have a villain after our souls daily. Our kingdom and castle are Heaven, and our Father and our King are Jesus. You are royalty. When you find the people meant for you whether it be friends or relationships they will treat you like the royalty you are. You are a child of the One true King, He is your Father, and He loves you so much. Anytime you feel as though you are not enough remind yourself who you are in God. See the enemy wants you to ...

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭20‬ ‭ When you choose to surround yourself with someone you have to look at their morals, values, and character. I'm sure you know the saying that we have all heard, "Jesus even ate with sinners himself", but we also have to remember that He only had 12 close friends that walked with Him everywhere. Just because He did eat with sinners doesn't mean that He chose to surround Himself with them daily. When you begin to be around someone a lot you start to become like them, the way they act and talk will soon become a part of who you are too. The Bible tells us this to show us that it is important to choose people that are of good character and good morals to surround ourselves with. You cannot expect to be around the foolish and not be considered foolish. You need to be careful of those you surround yourselves with because it is very important. You can eat with sinners but not ...

“We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.” Proverbs‬ ‭16:1‬  ‭Being rejected can hurt us badly, whether it is from a guy, a girl, a job application, a home offer, or anything else you can think of. It hurts but often times it is for the best. You often aren't rejected due to not being good enough, sometimes it is due to not being a part of God's will for your life. If you've been praying for something in your life and you feel as though God has rejected you on it, please know that sometimes what seems like rejection from Him is actually a redirection. Being redirected by God is a miracle in disguise. Imagine if God let us go down every path we thought was best for our lives to only let us see that it was a mistake. We would end up on some bad paths that would oftentimes leave us broken by our thoughts of what was "best" for us. God's plans are always better than our own. The way to deal with rejection from humans is a little more difficu...

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”” Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭ When someone hurts or betrays us our flesh tells us to hold a grudge, it also tells us to not let them by with their mistakes. I know that emotions are hard to pass by, especially when you're hurt, but forgiveness isn't forgetting what someone did to you. Forgiveness begins in yourself, you don't have to tell someone you forgive them or continue to be around them every day. Take a look at Barabbas, he was a murderer. The people asked to let him go instead of Jesus because they hated Jesus. Jesus forgave Barabbas. Imagine the hurt Jesus felt over him, he was a murderer and they choose to let him go instead of Jesus who had done nothing wrong at all. Jesus never sinned, and He was the one to be crucified. Let's take Jesus' forgiveness a step further, when the soldiers were rolling dice for His clothes and they...

“All of them ate the same spiritual food,” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭3‬ ‭ The Bible never says that you have to read it daily, and it never says you have to often but in reality we know in order to grow spiritually we have to read our Bibles. Remember the fire in your soul when you first got close to God, it caused you to want to read the Bible and learn everything you possibly could about it. That wasn't only a fire for God it was also a hunger for God. If you go to church you are there to be spiritually fed, and it's the same way as why we read our Bibles. We read them to be spiritually fed. If you only eat once a week physically then you would be starving all the time until the next week rolls around. If we only feed our spirits on Sunday we are not being fed enough. We cannot expect to grow in God and not make an effort to read our Bibles, pray, seek God for ourselves, and love others. As Christians, we have to always be prepared for others to ask us questions about God and why ...

“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭ If you acted solely in love in every circumstance imagine the way things would go. The Bible says a soft answer turns away wrath. Acting with love when someone hurts you, makes you angry, or irritates you calms the situation down. Acting hateful to someone is like fueling a fire to where showing love is like putting water on the fire and putting it out. You have the ability to be kind and love others if you choose to. Being a loving person is never bad for others to see you as, but being angry is. If we let anger control us we will get nowhere in life, because people don't want to be around someone who is constantly angry. Being a Christian means we are striving to be like Jesus, see Jesus did not love when it was convenient for Him, He loved without any conditions, and He loved when people hated Him. Look at the part of Jesus' life when they were killing Him in a way of a sinner's death, a...

“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭ There is no limit to God's mercy for us. When we mess up over and over again we feel as though God wants to give up on us, and that He is tired of us. That thought right there is a lie from the enemy. The enemy wants you to think that. See if you go back to the verse where Satan messed up you'll read that he only messed up once, he lost his place in heaven and was kicked out. The enemy wants to make you think you messed up too many times because that is how it was for him, but Jesus came down to die a sinners death although He had no sin. He saved you. His mercy will never run out on you. You are never too far gone. Don't let the enemy drag you down for his mistakes when he only wants your eternity to be the same as his. You are forgiven not forsaken. You haven't done anything to run out of God's mercy. If God wanted to give up on you then why would He have created you? He is ...

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬ ‭ Have you ever looked at those around you and felt like everyone is getting blessed except for you? I know I've been there. Whether it be others making the team for sports but you didn't, others getting a new car when you desperately need one, others getting a new house when you've searched for a while for one you can afford, others getting married but you haven't even found a relationship, others getting a new job when you can't get the job you desire, others having kids but you're struggling to conceive, or even just blessings in their lives that you've prayed for and have not gotten yet. When you are looking at what others have you are seeing only a small portion of what their lives are, even if you're close with the people who are being blessed you don't see what all happens. Know that your time will...

“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalms‬ ‭30:5‬ ‭ Do you ever feel like the light at the end of the tunnel will never come? I have been there before. I was in a horrible time of my life dealing with a lot of anxiety when someone told me those words. I thought that the light at the end would never find me, every time I thought of joy in the morning coming it felt like it would be forever to get to that point. I thought of it often but thought it would never come, it took some time but it did indeed come. You might feel like it will never find you but know that God does have joy for you and light at the end of the tunnel that you're in. No matter what you're going through God has not forgotten you, He loves you so much and has so many plans for you. The hard times in life will never overcome the good ones. Know that what you're going through today God will use as your stren...

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭ Whatever you're doing in life right now whether it may be school, college, working, or your ministry full time let the glory all be for God. The verse in the Bible says to use whatever we are doing and do it as though we are working for God. Someone who puts their heart entire heart into whatever they do is noticed by others as someone who is caring. It's not about people noticing what good we do, but who we do it for. Today whatever your hands find to do to bring glory for God put your all into it. Give it everything you have as though your boss is God and He is the one who wants you to work hard at it. God doesn't expect us to never mess up but He does expect us to be consistent and send the glory to Him. My mom does hair, and often times I have been at her work while she is doing it, although the hair is not something that is technically for God, sh...

“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.” Philippians‬ ‭4:11‬ ‭ Learning to be patient and content in all situations is something we all struggle with. We are all guilty of wanting more than we currently have, and the world today teaches us that we need expensive things to fit in. We all are capable of having something that no amount of money can buy and it is the most important thing in the world, that is the Holy Spirit. See being content with what you have has to start with being grateful for the things that money cannot buy such as your salvation, your happiness, your freedom, love, and forgiveness. When you realize these things cannot be bought that is when your life begins to change. The Bible teaches us to learn to be content no matter what stage of life we are in. You never have to let someone judge you, or judge yourself by the things you have or don't have. We are not defined by the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the mo...

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬ ‭ Waiting is not always easy and often is hard, but it's always worth it. No matter if you're waiting on God to open a door, help you through a difficult time, send you a relationship, heal your heart, or just an answer from God, no matter what it may be God is at work silently for you at this moment. He is a God that never gives up on us and always has what is best for us in mind. Your life is full of promises, you never have to worry if God will come through for you, He always does. God never makes you wait without giving you better than you even expect. We spend so much time worrying about tomorrow when today has enough worries of its own, the Bible even says that. You never should let things of tomorrow take the joy of today away. Your waiting is not in vain, you have a miracle and blessing on the way for your life. You are about to see how much God has been working whi...

“For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭ Why is it we constantly let the world hide our light for Jesus? We all fear the opinion of others and are afraid to offend them. Remember the song we would sing in Sunday School, "Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine." That is what we have to do! See, the Bible says to let our lights shine to all people. We are meant to be a light to the world, but if we always let the fear of what others think to control each of us, then we will never be able to accomplish all that God has for us to do. I use to have a fear of what others would think if I started a blog, and then I realized it doesn't matter what they think about it because it is all for God's glory and not my own. It's how God is using me to spread the Gospel at this time in my life and later on maybe at other times. Know that all you're doing that seems small to shin...

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭ The situation you're in right now, the one that feels like there is no hope in sight for you and like it's a dead end. Know that God has already prepared the way for you, He is just currently preparing you. You're in a season of preparation. Preparation means, "The action of making ready or being made ready for use or consideration." What you're going through is not something to only go through, you are going to be used by God with the things you have gone through. Talking to someone who understands the things you are going through often helps, and someday that will be exactly what you are for someone. You can have full faith knowing that God uses every situation for your good. You never go through a season of the desert alone, you go through it with God all around you and most of all with God using for somethin...

““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬  ‭It's nice to have someone in our life romantically but every season in life is not to have someone with us in a relationship. Today being Valentine's day I know some of you are in the waiting for a relationship, it can be more than difficult for you to wait. When I was single and waiting I looked around at the people in my life in happy relationships and couldn't understand why I couldn't have what they do. I look back on that season of my life and realize that I learned so much. I grew a relationship with God in that time that would've been more difficult to do while in a relationship, although it is still possible to do so. When we find God we find unconditional love in the One who created us. When you're waiting on the right one focus on the best One, God loves you more than anyone else ever could i...

“O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!”Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭14‬ ‭ As a kid we all fell and bumped our knees, most parents like to pour something on it to clean it, we all knew it would burn for a moment but also knew that it would help it heal in the end. Think about it this way, when God takes a friend or relationship away it hurts, it most definitely burns but we know that eventually, we will heal. I have noticed that often times God lets relationships end before they can genuinely break us even more. If God removes someone from your life then know that He knew something you didn't. God doesn't take people out of our lives without reason and preparing to send us better. I highly suggest that the next time you don't know if a friendship or relationship is meant for you then take time in prayer, and ask God to remove anyone or anything that is not meant for you. He will most definitely do it. If you a...

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬ ‭ We all desire to be loved fully by someone, to fill the void we have in our hearts. We search for that in people that cannot even attempt to fill five percent of it because they aren’t made to fill it. Have you ever noticed no matter how hard you search for love in the world it’s like it never fills that void? So many times we search for it but it is something that is easily found if we look in just the right place. Today God spoke to me to write about this, He said, “the only one who can fill the void of the heart is the One who created it.” Think about that for a second. He created you. He knows every detail about you, every mistake, and every insecurity that you might have, but He loves you anyway. The Bible tells us that not...

“God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭ God will never call you to do something and not equip you for it. You never will walk into a season God has for you that God has not prepared for you in advance. I struggled with grammar in school, and I ended up having to get a tutor honestly. I never understood then why it was so important to be good at grammar considering I wanted to be a hairstylist at that time. Now knowing how God is using me in the ministry it is something I needed to learn to be equipped to do blogs like I do every day. See God didn't wait to equip me right before I started these blogs, He equipped me ahead of time. He knew what He was going to call me to do before I knew what I wanted to do. God doesn't always prepare us years in advance but He does prepare us before we get to the ministry we are called to do. If you know for a fact God has called you to do something, know that deep down somewhere even if it is n...

“Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.” Isaiah‬ ‭35‬:‭10‬ ‭ This earth has no sorrow that Jesus cannot heal. Any emotion you feel cannot hurt you beyond what God allows. God does allow us to go through pain but He always makes a way for us through it. Whatever emotions you are feeling right now rather that be heartbreak, anxiousness, brokenness, hopelessness, fear, anger or any other emotion know that God can heal anything that is hurting you. Nothing you feel is too small or too much for God. He genuinely cares. The shortest verse in the Bible was “Jesus wept.” I think of that verse a lot knowing Jesus felt the same pain that we feel. God has a purpose for everything in our lives even the small details of each day. He sees the way that you feel and knows the thoughts you think. Never let emotions make you think better days ...

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭ God does not need help to make a way in your life and your problems. I think we have to have faith in Him for God to do what we know He can. Think of the story of Jesus walking on water, He didn't need anyone to help Him keep Peter above the water, He just needed Peter to believe in Him. That is all God wants from you. He wants you to have so much faith in Him that you can walk on the water with your eyes fully on Him. Don't waste your time trying to figure out how God will do it, trust that He already has. You don't need details of how God is making a way, because where is the trust if you know everything? Trust is something that is built on not knowing what is next. God loves taking situations we see no hope and making them a testimony of His glory. You have no reason to worry about ...

“But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬ ‭ Loving God and liking Him can be divided very quickly. See liking God means that we like Him enough to go to church on Sunday, say a few prayers here and there, and go on about our week until the next service. Loving God on the other hand is living a daily life where you pray, read your Bible, and let God help you make even the smallest choices with you. If you love someone, you want them to be a part of your life as much as you can, rather than if you like someone, you don’t have to always have them around. A relationship with God is about fully trusting in His plan even when you don’t know what that is exactly. To trust in Him you must first recognize that He sent His one and only Son to die for your sins. Then you have to love Him for everything He has done and the things He hasn’t done. Today remind yourself not to go through the motions of life and only “like God”, make sure you love God wholeh...

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭ Money is obviously a necessity in our lives today for food, bills, and other needs, but we should not let it control us. If we think money is what makes us who we are then we are wrong. Money does not define a person. Whether a person is rich or poor does not change their relationship with God or how they treat people. If they chose to let money control them it can change them. I’m sure we all have been through times when we struggled but we did not let money control who we were as a person. Money is something that wants control over us instead of us controlling it. The enemy uses money so many times to bribe us. I use to think that all famous people were perfect. As I have gotten older I’ve realized some of them were changed by the money that they would make and would turn into not-so-godly people. I...

“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭2‬ ‭ Have you ever encountered an Angel or thought you did? It seems utterly unrealistic until you have an encounter with one. I was going through a horrible time in my life and I prayed God could free me from the mental health issues I was going through, I saw an Angel by my bedside one night and it continued for two weeks until I was completely freed from it! What I am getting at is although I did have an encounter and see the Angel I do believe that God sends us angels all the time and sometimes they aren’t noticed as an angel. Have you ever met a stranger that seemed utterly different? I know we each experience life in different ways, but I do believe we all encounter at least one angel in our lives even if we don’t know it at the time. Think about a time in your life when you needed someone the very most and someone showed up unexpectedly? Altho...

“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalms‬ ‭30‬:‭5‬ ‭ There will be joy in the morning. I know we hear that phrase so many times throughout our life. God has been speaking about this to me. In a moment of drought in our lives we pray for water, when we are going through dark times we pray for the sun to shine again. I know one thing when God showed me that joy comes in the morning it came to me the phrase, “the sun will shine again.” Never let your current circumstances change your outlook on your future. What you’re going through right now is not going to stop God’s plan for your life. Everyone around you and that you meet has problems and issues in their life. Some people show it and talk about it and others battle silently. Don’t let the enemy tell you that this trial in your life is permanent, because it is not. What you’re going through today is going to be your strength tomorrow....

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭ Have you ever noticed in the Bible that God overlooks all of the flaws people have and uses them anyways? Let’s look at some of those, Abraham lied twice about his wife being his sister. He also gave into Sarah’s suggestion and gave birth to a child who was not the promised child for his life. At the end of the story, he leads many to the promised land and has the promised child with Sarah all although he didn’t wait. Then there is Moses who ran from God’s will for his life, shattered the first set of the 10 commandments, and even became angry a lot, but God used Moses for us to know the 10 commandments, to part the Red Sea and even the story of the burning bush. There is also Peter who got angry quickly and denied Jesus 3 times at the moment Jesus needed his closest friends the very most, but God still used him. He was even in the upper room for the day of Pe...

“Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field.” Ruth‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭ Never judge someone due to one season of their lives. Think about the story of Ruth, one season of her life she was getting grain from a field and couldn’t afford much, the next season of her life she owned the field. You cannot judge someone due to a rough season. We all have had seasons where we break even for bills, we don’t have the nicest clothes or shoes, drive the nicest vehicle, or have the nicest home but being rich in love and blessings doesn’t always mean being earthly rich. You cannot judge someone for their mistakes, their insecurities, or their feelings because this could be the season they have to ask for grain when in the next they own the field. The most simple things in life like where we choose to buy food can often lead to meeting someone significant in our lives f...

“For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”” John‬ ‭4‬:‭24‬ ‭ The story of the woman at the well begins with her just going to get water, but she gets so much more than that. She got an everlasting heart full of joy. She had been married five times, and the man she was with was not her husband. Jesus asked her for a drink although He did not care about her past or present troubles. She gave Him a drink of water from a well, but He gave her everlasting living water. He knew her past and everything she had done, and He told her everything she had ever done although this was the first time He had ever met her. He freed her from it all because He is a God of forgiveness. This simple act of one person spread to many, she went and told the whole town of all that Jesus had done for her. That is one of the best things about God is He knows our past, our present, and all the things we would never tell anyone but He forgives us for all of it. She saw hersel...

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” John‬ ‭15:16‬  ‭The thing about God is you don't choose Him, He chooses you. When you have a calling in your life God knew that from the moment He formed you in your mother's womb. He chose you to do your calling and not someone else for a reason. Have you ever thought that you disappointed God and He can't use you due to your mistakes? That is a lie from the enemy. God knew you from the beginning of time, He knew you would be a human, and you would make mistakes.   He called you anyways! He did not care that you would make those mistakes, you want to know why? If He wanted to hold it against He would have never sent Jesus to save you from your sins. You are going to mess up, but that will never change the way God loves you or the call He has over you. You are here for a purpose and God has wonderful plans for you. You a...