Christmas.

It can be a time of happiness, being around friends and family, and giving and receiving gifts as carols are sung and everyone decks the halls in merry cheer. 

BUT for others, it can be a time of heartache, struggle, and great sadness over the loss of loved ones.

For me, I have never experienced the loss of a loved one (especially around Christmas time), but can only imagine what it is like from the perspective of friends.

A couple of days ago, I found out that one of my close friend’s family members unexpectedly passed away. Even though I never knew my close friend’s family member, I could not help but mourn over her sudden loss. “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.”~Psalm 56:8-9~

I did not sleep the night I found out about my friend’s family member’s death and brought my feelings about this sudden loss before the Lord the next day. I went to Starbucks, journaled a letter to God, and prayed for guidance to Him in how to handle my feelings and asked Him how He could use me to bring comfort to my friend and her family. He led me to send a card, flowers, and gifts (Starbucks giftcards) to my friend and her family. The reason behind why I carried out this simple act of kindness was this: to bring love, peace, joy, and the hope of Jesus to my friend and her family this Christmas season. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”~Romans 15:13~

I prayed over the card, flowers, and Starbucks giftcards before I sent them to my friend and her family. My prayer was that these gifts may be received as blessings from God’s heavenly sky to my friend and her family this Christmas season. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning.”~James 1:17~

Even though I have not spoken to my friend since this happened, I pray that the Lord may bless and keep her and her family together this Christmas season. “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”~Numbers 6:24-26~

My prayer is for anyone who is dealing with the loss of a friend, family member, or loved one may be divinely inspired and blessed richly from these writings I write and most importantly bring it before the Lord in order for healing to take place this Christmas season. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”~Psalm 147:3~

Thank you for reading this blog post. May God bless everyone! 🙂

~”Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.”~Luke 9:50~ 

I am free.
You may be reading this blog post and wondering why I declare this proclamation over my life. The Lord Jesus, the God of my heart, is healing me in ways I have never imagined. This is truly a miracle. 

 Lately, I have been going to the International House of Prayer (IHOP, as I call it) to pray. Yesterday, I went to their healing ministry and asked the ladies, who anointed me with oil and prayed over me, to break me free, in the name of Jesus, from all anxiety, depression, mental illness, and all generational curses stemming from my family. Sure enough, the kingdom of God was brought to me, healing the wounds that  Satan pained and inflicted me for many years. “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.”~Matthew 12:28~ 

As I drove away from IHOP that night, the Lord Jesus gave me peace. Even though I did not feel peace from Jesus immediately, I felt it throughout the night as I slept and feel it even as I write this blog post. I now notice that how I perceive people has changed for the better because I see my own self as the way God made me to be: His beloved creation and adopted daughter. He heard my cry for an outpour of the Holy Spirit to cleanse and change my life from the inside out. “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”~Romans 8:15-16~ 

 I also realized that the Lord Jesus saved my mind from my own understanding. In other words, I denied myself by surrendering all lies and false beliefs about myself to the Lord Jesus at the cross. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”~Proverbs 3:5-6~

I now take up my own cross as I deny myself daily and follow Jesus. “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”~Matthew 10:38~

I am free because what Satan meant for oppression over my life, Jesus allowed me to overcome. As a result, I am a changed woman of the Lord. “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”~1 Corinthians 15:54-57~ 

I am free indeed because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done in my life. I rejoice now because of all that He is doing in my life. I now walk forward, without looking back, and free in the name of Jesus. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”~John 8:36~

Thank you for reading this blog post. I pray the Lord’s blessings over your life, friends, and family, and for the kingdom of God to come to you too and heal you in ways unimaginable just as He did for me. God bless!! 🙂