Running Our Race

Well the New Year has arrived and 'auld lang syne' has been sung, the festivities from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and welcoming the new year are over so we say goodbye to those things behind us as we prepare goals for a prosperous and happy new year. What will your goals be?.. to loose a few extra pounds, to stress a little less, to work less so you can enjoy life more, to be more accepting of others and less judgmental?... whatever you resolve to do, may you run your race in the name of our Lord Jesus so the words of your mouth and the meditation upon your heart is acceptable to Him in all things.
The Spirit impressed upon Paul in Hebrews 12:1, the necessity to lay aside all weights that bind or distract him [to strip off all those things that tend to slow him down], along with the sins [whatever it is that easily trips him up and causes him to stumble] so he could run with endurance the race God has set before him; and today He encourages you and I to do the same; to lay aside those things from our past that try to bind us and keep us from moving forward [we learn from our past but refuse to allow it to weigh us down] as we persevere running our race.
Jesus knew the course He had to run for our deliverance and never lost sight of where He was headed. By keeping His eyes fixed on the prize awaiting His finish, He was determined to put up with anything along His way: the lies, the scandal, the persecutions, the shame, the torture, the Cross; what ever came His way He never lost sight of the goal set before Him. Day by day He drew strength from His early morning talks with His Father, just as you and I are encouraged to continue today.
Each new day we are given fresh mercies to run our race; we don't have to save from yesterday or borrow from tomorrow, old things are passed away and all things are new as He gives fresh mercies day by day. He encourages us that when we begin to feel our journey is too rough, to keep our eyes fixed on Him and look at every little thing He endured along His way to declare from His cross, "It Is Finished!" By keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus as our example, and staying focused so we can see where we are headed, we will finish our course and oh, what a prized welcome it will be when we hear Him say,"Well done, good and faithful servant."
He finished His course and now sits in the place of honor at the right hand of the Father, cheering you and me on through our daily race, and He knows we can make it if we just don't quit! So whatever baggage we must lay down to finish our race, let's throw it off and stay focused on that finish line; Jesus will be there to award our prize-Eternal life with Him forevermore!
Have a wonderfully blessed new year, dear friend. God loves you and so do I~~~. 

The Reason For The Season

🎶"IT'S CHRISTMAS! THE ANGELS ARE SINGING; AND I KNOW THE REASON, THE SAVIOR IS BORN! IT'S CHRISTMAS! THE BELLS ARE RINGING; AND I FEEL LIKE SHOUTING, JOY TO THE WORLD"🎶

The prophecy of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, is foretold in Isaiah 9:6 "For unto a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace!"

God's most prized possession, His beloved Son; was given to us in the form of Christ Jesus(John 3:16 and John 1:14). This miraculous Blessed Gift was not placed under a tree but was designated to reside in the hearts of mankind. His Gift was also designated to be nailed to a tree as redemption for you and me to be free from all sins! Designated to free us from all our pasts hurts, hang-ups, and bad habits! Designated to liberate us from our past so we could live freely in an abundant life of happiness in Christ Jesus!

IT'S CHRISTMAS! and the angels are singing, and we gather to sing Joy to the World! And as we gather with loved ones, enjoying good times and the love and gifts each brings, let's not forget to thank God for His Amazing Gift of Love to all mankind; and bless His dear name, the name above all names, the name of Jesus! Let's celebrate the Hope whereby we were called to redemption through the Christ Child we celebrate today! Let's celebrate the Joy and Peace He brings to us all, And in all we do, whether by word or deed, may Christ be glorified in the Love we share one to another!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY! LET'S CELEBRATE🎉 GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I~~~

Enjoying This Season Of Love

'Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! By now we've decked our halls with boughs of holly, trimmed our trees, and added those festive decorations throughout our home; and managed to obtain a gift or two for those special someones in our life. Our hearts are full of warmth, of love, and of Christmas excitement as we look forward to spending time with friends and family! Time seems to be quickly passing and soon it will be Christmas Day!
With all the excitement this Season brings, I wonder why there remains those who never seem to catch the excitement? I love to go looking at the lights and I notice some homes not decorated at all; not even a wreath on the door, and I wonder why? I wonder what caused them to lose their joy; Have they lost someone dear to their heart? Have they suffered painful memories from the past, and if so, how long have they swirled around in their whirlpool of despair without anyone noticing their need for hope in Christ Jesus, the very reason for the season!
Christmas is a season of Love, of sharing hope and peace on earth because of our dear Savior's birth! Christ came that all may see the glory of His unconditional Love and be delivered from those ties that bind us and keep us from enjoying an abundant life of hope and joy in Him! God realized our need to be free from unexpected events in life that knock us off our feet and send us spiraling down into deep holes of despair, so He sent Jesus into this world to deliver Hope and Healing for them. That's what Christmas is all about! His unconditional Love shared with those in need; bringing hope and joy to one and all!
So this Christmas, let's look around for those who are less festive and be a friend who shares Hope with them; letting them know they are not alone. Let's share the Hope of His Great Love during this blessed Season of Love and all year long. Let' share in giving the greatest gift of all in Christ Jesus by sharing His gifts of Hope, Joy, and Peace every day to one and all! Then as a phrase from an old childhood story goes, we can proclaim as they go out of sight, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"
Enjoy this wonderfully blessed season, dear friends. God loves you and so do I~~~

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

"Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest; Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above; Join with all nature in manifold witness; To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth; Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside. Great is Thy faithfulness; Great is Thy faithfulness; Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me."
Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us,"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Time after time, I have proven God's faithfulness and always found Him to be true! Always faithful ... Always present ... Always on time ... He changes not! "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever."(Heb 13:8).
I may not always agree with His answers--or with His timing, but I know of a surety that His ways and timings are always perfect so I continue to trust Him. Mostly because I know He has a perfect plan for me and only wants what is best for me as noted in Jeremiah 29:11,"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
So as I am learning to be more submissive to His will and spend more time in His Word getting to know Him, I am finding this to be 'a good thing'-- a really good thing, because it's bringing me into a closer relationship with Him and the ability to hear Him more clearly. John 10:27-28 tells us,"My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Now that's what I want in my life.
I want to hear my Shepherd's voice clearly, and be able to follow Him through every phase of this life right into eternal life; and just as the Word tells us that His sheep hear the voice of their shepherd, I want to be so close to Him and so in touch with Him, that I can even hear Him whisper my name! How about you, dear friend? Think about it ... God loves you and so do I~~~

Reaching Out

As I prayed I remembered those of you who need God's healing touch this morning. I asked Him to touch in ways as only He does best, in His time and in His ways. I asked Him to keep you safe and uphold you throughout this new day He has given; to grant you peace of mind, gentleness in spirit, strength of body, safety and protection, and to meet your needs so you can bless others along your way. There is nothing like being God's hands extended as we encourage others for His glory.
God is looking for believers who trust Him wholeheartedly and will reach out to do the work desperately needed in these latter days. In our strength, in our power, and in our thinking we cannot perform what is needed, but through Christ' anointing working through us, we can accomplish ALL things for HIS glory. As the Lord reminded Zechariah in 4:6, it was not by his power, nor by his might, but it was by God's Spirit that things would be accomplished.
There is no greater joy than seeing loved ones receive a much needed touch in their lives, to witness hopeless victims becoming victors, to see those heart-broken gain a renewed joy, and to see souls changed forever for the kingdom of God as they receive God's greatest gift to all mankind, Christ Jesus, as their Lord and Savior.
I pray that as we enjoy this season of Christmas, we will remember to be a blessing as we have been blessed, above and beyond all we can ever bring to mind. He blesses in ways we cannot see and continues to bless over and over again. I pray you will join me in reaching out to be His hand extended to the lost and needy so in all our ways we bring Him glory!
Have a wonderfully safe, blessed, and prosperous day, dear friends, God loves you and so do I~~

Seeing Beyond

A new day has arisen and the wonders of God's love dares to unfold! What will you allow Him to do in your life today? He desires to grant each of us a clean slate with fresh mercies each morning and shower us with blessings too wonderful for words; if only we can look beyond our present surroundings and refocus our attention off our self and onto Him, to His will, and His way in our life. So, where is your focus today.... How far is your vision? What can you see unfolding in your life today? Do you dare to see the awesomeness of our God, or are you self-contained in tunnel vision?
Our God is a God of More than Enough! Not just a God of second chances, but as many as needed to rest in His abilities to conquer everything that would try to keep us trapped in tunnel vision. He is Greater than Great, and He has a plan for each of us far greater than anything we can ever imagine! But we must be able to look beyond what we see with our natural vision and dare to see through eyes of faith. It's these eyes of faith that dare to bring God's Word to pass as noted in Jeremiah 29:11, to prosper us and give us hope, proving Him to be Forever Faithful to fulfill His Word! It's by these eyes of faith that we can begin basking in His blessings as we dare to believe and focus our faith to receive. 
Dare to look beyond what you see naturally and see His plans unfolding as you allow your faith to rise.
Stop being defeated by living below your worth. Remember that You are a Child of the Most High God and there is Nothing He won't do to help you be ALL you can be for His kingdom sake. Dare to rise up and shake off those chains of doubt and despair; pull up those boot strings and tighten those laces; God has good plans for your life. Keep your eyes focused on Him, on His Word, and feel His Love flowing through you. Enjoy the freedom of His Amazing Grace as Holy Spirit guides you into all truths while leading you along your way. This is the day the Lord has made; Let's rejoice and be glad in it! Enjoy a wonderfully blessed day, dear friends, God loves you and so do I~~~

Celebrating Who He Is and Who We Are In Him

The more I celebrate the Christmas season, the more I am amazed at how God's love supercedes all my expectations. He loves us with such an unconditional love that fails in comparison to any description we could ever try to define. There is absolutely no measurement that fits the length or height of His love (Ephesians 3:18), and no description that can describe His Love for us (John 3:16). He just simply loves us unconditionally and there is absolutely nothing we can ever do to make Him love us any more, or to love us any less (Ephesians 2:8-10) (Romans 8:39-39). He knows every little thing about us, both good and bad, and He loves us anyway, just they way we are. 
Before we were conceived in our mother's womb, God had already designed a perfect plan for each one of us from beginning to end. We were wonderfully and fearfully made by His own unique design in who we are, how we look, how we think, how we talk, even how we walk, and we are His creation that He adores. Of all His creations, He loves us with a love that doesn't quit. The same God who created this universe created you and me and made us just the way we are.  
Take a look at the world around you; at all the infinite details and creativity displayed before your very eyes. All this amazing beauty surrounds us every day, designed by God's own hands and we are part of that creation; materializing from the same artist that created the sunrise and the sunsets, the rainbows and the stars, the flowers in the fields, the mountains and the streams, the birds that fly in all their splendor and all that exists.  Each creation has its own design and its own purpose; and when I think of all He created, I find it so neat that after each creation, He declared, "It is good!" 
He is well pleased with His creations, so why do we allow others to make us feel less than what He created us to be. We are His creation, not the world's. We were designed by the Master's hands with a master plan as He declared in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." So when people attempt to put you down or to make you feel less self worth, take a moment to remember who your Father is and Who He says You are in Him: You are Child of the Most High God and there is nothing He won't do to protect and comfort you. You are the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8), the head and not the tail, above and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13); and it is His good pleasure to wrap His loving arms around you and let His Spirit flow through you, empowering you as only He does best. 
This is the season of giving love, and because He loves us, so should we love others. So let's give and receive His love today and always. Be comforted and blessed by these words, dear friends, God loves you and so do I~~~