The joy of God is sweet bliss…..in this VERY moment!

Right now, I worship the Almighty King of Kings, Jesus Christ! He is good. Wait, He is FAR FROM GOOD. HE IS GREAT!! Why?? I am now the Editor of Atlanta Christian Voice, a Christian news organization that is under One Christian Voice. Praise God for providing me with this new job! 😀 ~”And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”~Philippians 4:19~

I am now more than just a worker. I am more than just a boss. I’m more than just a follower: I’m a leader. A leader. Wait. What?? I can’t believe this is happening and that I’m even typing this. This is how I feel. Right now. Joy.  Complete joy. Absolute joy. Sweet bliss. Even as I took a grand leap of faith and accepted this job offer. ~”If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”~Matthew 21:22~

I serve Jesus, yes. I have taken His Gospel to both Lebanon and Japan, yes. But now I am doing something I have LONGED to do for years (since I graduated with my B.A. in Mass Communication from Georgia College and State University 2 1/2 years ago): Write. Not just write. But write about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is impacting lives. Now I can write about how Jesus is impacting lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Praise Him that God gave me this desire that He planted in my heart 2 1/2 years ago to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ with my writings! 🙂 ~”Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”~Psalm 37:4~

I belong to Jesus. I KNOW I belong to Him. Even as I serve Atlanta with this new anointed role. I keep that in mind in order to humble me. Humble me to be the hands and feet of Christ as I serve my King. My Savior. and take His Gospel across Atlanta, Georgia. Praise God! Wow! 🙂 ~”My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.”~Psalm 35:28~

I want to just take a moment and thank God for providing me not just with another job. He provided me with a gift. He advanced me to that next level. That next level of praising Him! That next level of worshiping Him through my writings. Worshiping Him, even as I lead others to follow not me, but the one who uses me as His vessel to point others to Christ Jesus.  I am now a leader that shepherds the people of God to King Jesus. THAT is my role. Boom. ~”Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”~Ezra 10:4~

I ask a simple request for all of my followers. Please pray for me as I lead in this new role. Pray for wisdom, discernment, and Godly insight to follow me as the One True King of Kings and One True Lord of Lords leads me to lead others to Jesus. 🙂 Thank you and God bless all of you. May the peace of God keep you beloved! 🙂

Storms……

We’ve all been through storms. Whether they have been mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual warfare (as I have experienced), storms have the power to produce a strength and a character within Christians that far surpasses what we would imagine. It is far from a dream, but a reality that must be fulfilled within all brothers and sisters in Christ until that day we reach eternity. ~”Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”~Romans 5:3-5~

This is all a part of dying to self in order to serve The One True King of Kings and One True Lord of Lords in all of the heavens and the earth: Jesus Christ. I must serve Him and Him only. That is my greatest accomplishment in life. The greatest accomplishment in life until that day I fulfill life’s ultimate destiny: to see Jesus face-to-face in complete worship, awe, wonder, and splendor. ~”The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.”~John 3:31-34~

Reaching eternity is the greatest accomplishment that every test, trial, and tribulation, cannot overcome because the Holy Spirit of God in and through me has given me his strength to overcome every storm of life that the devil tries to throw at me daily, in the name of Jesus Christ. Whether it be not having a place to go (for a short while, this was my case), various health issues, or my best friends from college choosing to leave my side, I have learned to totally trust my Heavenly Father with and for everything. I finally understood the meaning of what it means to surrender myself. Absolute surrender of myself. Surrendering all of me to the Lord in order for His perfect will to be accomplished in and through my life. For the rest of my life. ~”being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”~Philippians 1:6~

So, whatever storm you are going through right now, I encourage you beloved to totally trust in God and NOT IN MAN. For I have learned that even people disappoint. Yes. Even the closest of friends who claim he or she will be your BFF is not eternal. They have the potential to let you down. Even family members who say they will always be there for you will let you down. Even Christians in the church have a tendency to sin against other Christians in the church because we are not perfect. Only a relationship with the Lord can ULTIMATELY SATISFY that craving for peace that surpasses all understanding and transcends from the heavens to the earth and back for all of eternity. Christians will not understand this until that day of Jesus Christ. Christ will conquer ALL OF THIS MESS that the devil and we humans have made on earth and reign forevermore. ~”Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; If we endure, we will also reign with him, If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”~2 Timothy 2:11-13~

I cannot wait until that day! That day that I finally see and worship Jesus in all of His eternity and splendor. But for now, I will enjoy the life that God has given me and live my life to serve Jesus to the fullest. Praise Him! Hallelujah and Amen!

~”The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”~Job 33:4~

Thank you for reading this blog post beloved! May God bless your life to the fullest today, tomorrow, and forevermore! Take care! 🙂

I am settled in my new home in Decatur!

Praise the Lord! This past year has been CRAZY, but God has been good. He got me through this rough time that I never thought I would get through.

“God is with her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.”~Psalm 46:5~

For 2 weeks, I was in a hotel. I had no where to go. No where. No friends. No family. No one. Imagine what that would be like if God placed you in my shoes. It was a result of bad choices that I made, but God stepped in to help me through my church. There was definitely a lot of grace involved in this situation. ~”for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”~Romans 3:23-24~

God sent my church to help me. Many people prayed for me. Even people I did not expect: from my Sunday School class to those I knew in the church. I had no idea that my friends from church cared about me that much. And had a heart for me. For Sarah. How was it that I was loved that much by people at my church? By the grace of God.~”But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it: if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”~1 Corinthians 12:24-26~

Even when I was in a hotel for 2 weeks, God had people from my church grant me a bunch of unmerited favor. People would give me rides to church on Sunday mornings, give me a little bit of cash for groceries, buy me food, and other things. This was certainly favor alright. Unmerited favor. This was favor that I did not deserve. By the grace of God. ~”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith——-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—–not by works, so that no one can boast.”~Ephesians 2:8-9~

I made mistakes. Many mistakes this past year. I have learned from them. Every single one of them. Praise God for giving me a second chance to start over. Praise Him! ~You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God whom I can rely.”~Psalm 59:17~

Praise the Lord, I am now settled in my new place in Decatur, Georgia! I thank God for providing for every need, even when I least expected it. From the food to the money to the shelter, I praise Him. In the my elated happiness. In my dreading tears. I praise Him in the good. I praise Him in the bad. I praise Him in the ugly. I even praise Him in the indifferent. I finally learned what it is like to dance in the rain. By the grace of God. ~”Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds.”~James 1:2~

God was my Help. He is my Help. He is still my Help. He always has and always will be my Help. Glory be to God! ~”God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”~Psalm 46:1~

I praise God for every tear I cried. I praise Him for every smile I managed to crack. I praise Him for all of it. Even though I don’t understand why He allowed me to go through this hard time, I praise Him for it anyways! Praise God for it all! 🙂 “~And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”~Romans 8:28~

Thank you for reading this blog post. Stay encouraged! 🙂

Thank You Jesus for Your grace!

I have gained a lot of Godly wisdom and insight over the past couple of weeks, especially over the concept of grace. I always knew what grace was, until I saw it put into action. It’s not just another meaningless word——it’s a gift that comes in an extended package of mercy and saving. From Jesus Christ Himself. To me.

~”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith————and this is not from yourselves, it is the Gift of God———not by works, so that no one can boast.”~Ephesians 2:8-9~

I saw God’s grace extended to me from others. Help when I did not see it coming my way. Favor when I least expected it. Although I choose to not disclose the test and fire that God allowed me to go through to refine and grow me, I thank Him for it. Every bit of it. Because it has made me stronger and wiser. Much wiser. As I learn more of what the grace of Jesus is. ~”Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.~”Romans 12:9~

Even though I did not like the fire that God allowed me to go through, I praise Him for it. I praise Him for the good. I praise Him for the bad. I praise Him for the rainy seasons. I praise Him for the dry seasons. Every moment, I count it all joy and give praise to my Savior, who died and loved me enough to allow me to go through this. Praise God!! 🙂 ~”You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”~2 Corinthians 9:11~

There were moments when I thought the devil won. That what he stole from me caused my faith in Jesus to lack. That the pains of this world destroyed my soul. BUT NO. I rebuke the lies of the devil, in the name of Jesus because the grace of Jesus Christ saved me. That is the secret the devil does not want me to know. God’s grace is infinite and saves the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. It saves anyone who comes out of brokenness and surrender to the Lord God Almighty. It comes to anyone who needs help and favor. It comes to those who don’t deserve it. It is free! ~”When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.”~Jeremiah 15:16~

I ask. I receive. I passed this test. The test that God Almighty wanted me to go through: I passed it, in Jesus’ name. I realized that God wanted me to learn what His grace was. I thank Him for every tear I cried and the pain I experienced. It has only made me stronger. So strong that I now rely on the strength of Christ. The strength of Jesus Christ has become my strength. Here and now.

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”~Philippians 4:13~

I thank God for the lessons learned. For the relationships lost. For the people He allowed me to meet in this season. For every loss I count as gain, in the name of Jesus Christ, because it has refined me and made me stronger. ~”But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”~Philippians 3:7~

I also thank God for the friends He put in my life. For their mercy, love, support, and favor,and prayers for me. For the gift of grace they have extended to me. Friends are not taken for granted. I thank God for true and Godly friendships. ~”Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”~Luke 9:50~

Lastly, I thank God for restoring me with His grace. His grace is sufficient and enough for me. I thank Jesus for showing me what His grace means for me in very personal ways. It is my personal experiences, trials, tribulations, and setbacks that allow me to know what the grace of God is. ~”Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”~Matthew 5:8~

Now, I thank YOU for reading this blog post. Be blessed and rejoice for this breakthrough and testimony that God has allowed me to walk through and experience. The devil no longer has a stronghold on my life. I now know what the grace of God is. Thank You Jesus! I praise Him! Both Here and now. Forever free. I am a new woman of God. Praise be to Him! 🙂 ❤

This blog post is a thank you note to everyone who is praying for me. Thank you kindly everyone! 🙂

To You:

Thank you for your prayers. Your prayers. They mean the world to me as Almighty God helps me to get through this hard time. Nothing is impossible with Him. Thank you for caring for me. Thank you that you care enough about me to call me, send me a text message, and send me a Facebook message to check on me. I can now cast all of my anxieties on Almighty God as He cares for me through your helping hands. Thank you for not judging me. Thank you that you accept me with the unconditional love of God and without any judgement. I can now look at you through Heaven’s eyes and not through the eyes of the flesh. I’m only human just like you. Thank you for not leaving me. Thank you that you have decided to not leave my side in order to express how God relates to people. He wants a relationship with people. Therefore, we are called to be relational with others too. Lastly, thank you for loving me. Thank you for showing me the love of Christ through your love for me. God’s love is so great and that shows because of you. I love you because Christ first loved you. Thank you for standing by me beloved. God bless you.

From: Me ❤

This past week felt like a HUGE defeat for me……..

This was how I felt at first after the Lord shut a door for me to go to Lebanon this year. I am writing a blog for the team, but felt limited in ways that God could use me more effectively for the team. I know He is using me still and is for me, even still. I praise God for using me to be His mouthpiece for the team. I know even now that God is for me, even as His Holy Spirit empowers me to write for the team. Even when I do not understand His purpose or want to accept His plans as a part of my life. ~”What, then, shall we say in response to these things? if God is for us, who can be against us?”~Romans 8:31~

I am going through a season of DEEP and INNER healing…..from past hurts, physical setbacks, relationship losses, and defeats that have hindered me from being able to experience all of God fully. God wants me, His precious and beloved daughter, to love and trust Him with all of me. Because God is for me, He wants me to understand and to know that He is always for me. God has always been for me. Period.

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”~Exodus 14:14~

I LOVE to serve others and travel the world. But God wants me to serve Him first: here, in Georgia, before going anywhere else in the world. I love all of my members on the Lebanon Team who are serving this year and my heart goes out to each of them for going to serve the Lord in Lebanon. In fact, it brings me great joy that God gave me the opportunity to share my heart with each of them before they departed for Lebanon last Sunday: through prayer. ~”And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”~Hebrews 13:16~

Yes, God has taught me MANY things this season. God taught me who He is so that I can claim who He is as the God of my heart. I won His heart. He has won my heart. Therefore, I share Him and my heart with others. ~”Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”~1 Timothy 6:18~

You may not know and don’t have to know everything that I am going through right now, but God has me. That is for sure. Safe, and secure in the palm of His hand. I PROMISE to write a blog post on what has been happening later. NOT now, but later, so that YOU can have the opportunity to hear of the testimony of how God brought me through this trial. For now, I am taking every thought captive to the Lord and put that devil who has tormented me under my feet, in Jesus’ name. ~”We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”~2 Corinthians 10:5-6~

I know that God is sovereign. He loves me and fights for me. He will never let me down. He has not let me down yet. And He never will let me down. Praise God that I can count on Him for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. ~”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”~Proverbs 3:5-6~

Please continue to pray for me beloved to remain strong in the Lord as I fight the devil and take this thought captive to Him now. Thank you for reading this blog post. God bless. 🙂

This blog post that I am writing is a letter of forgiveness to those who have wronged me over the past year.

To You:

I forgive you. I forgive you because Jesus forgives you. I forgive you because I love you. I have hurt daily, cried a lot, and now have to work extra hard because of you, but I forgive you so that your soul is not held captive in prison. I want you to experience the love and freedom that is in Christ Jesus, which is why I forgive you. I hold nothing against your offences because I take what you did to me captive to King Jesus Almighty. You are now forgiven: Not just forgiven, but free too. Because I forgive you, I can live free. Now, you can now live forgiven and free because of this simple act of God’s love. Living forgiven and free is a gift from Almighty God and it is my gift to you as I live free today. You are now healed by the stripes of the blood of Jesus. You are now free because whom Jesus Christ sets free is free indeed. I love you. God bless.

From: Me

This has been the BIGGEST storm of my life.

You have probably been reading my Facebook posts. You have probably been in prayer for me and wondering, “Why are you doubting  yourself? Why are you doubting your ability to serve others and the church? Why do you doubt your friends?” The main reason is because of this ultimate fear that I have: Rejection.

This past year, I’ve been rejected by MANY people for various reasons: my family, my best friends for 5 years from college (yes———–my best friends (ALL of them) from college), people who I thought were my friends in the church, and various other individuals. This storm has definitely taught me ONE thing: to be prayerful.

“Pray continually.”~1 Thessalonians 5:17~

This storm that I am going through right now has definitely allowed God to show me who my true friends are and who will ultimately stand by me: through the thick, the thin, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Praise God for revealing the truth to me. I AM is the truth! ~”Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”~John 14:6~

While I choose to not go into the details as to WHAT is going on in my life right now, I know that God is definitely for me. His Holy Spirit is refining me. Making me strong. A strong woman of God so that I know that I can do ANYTHING I put my heart, soul, and mind to, even as I get my life back in order and surrender everything to the ultimate control of my Heavenly Father. ~”He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”~Matthew 17:20~

I have learned a lesson worth learned through all of this: God’s will for my life is His will for me. NOT Me for myself. I have finally learned what it means for me to die to myself and trust God, even when the circumstances around me are tough. Even when others reject me: one by one and leave me even when they told me, “I love you,” to my face and then reject me without a reason or give excuses for their rejection of me. God’s love is perfect. People, even friends and family, fail you. Only the love of God is perfect and it never fails you. That is what I have learned in the midst of this storm I am facing. ~”The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”~Jeremiah 31:3~

I saw two friends from my church, First Baptist Atlanta last week. As one of them prayed over me after taking me to a grocery store to shop, she said, “Thank you Jesus that You are a God of joy!” The other friend told me on a car ride from church, “You are loved.” Hearing these two friends praise God and reaffirm what He thinks of me made me realize that as I yield control to the Holy Spirit in the midst of this trial, then this allows me to take control of my life. ~”He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.”~John 16:14~

I praise God for the provision and miracles He is doing in my life now. I praise Him for surrounding me with His love. Even that is enough. I AM is enough. I AM is enough for me. I AM is for me. Praise God!

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”~Romans 8:31~

Praise God and hallelujah!! Thank you for reading this blog post. Stay encouraged. 🙂