Hard Headed Little Kids

August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 AdriannaJ6 Comments

Let’s be honest, most of us get really annoyed with kids when we have to tell them over and over to stop doing something we know could hurt them. Once they fall and bump their head, pop their lip, or scratch their knee we assume they will finally learn their lesson and stop. But we get especially fired up when we see them cry for only a few minutes only to turn around and go right back to doing the same thing!…I’ve got to admit, THIS BURNS ME UP! But then one day this question came to me and convicted me rights in my tracks: Don’t you ADULTS and Children of God do the same thing?!

God has perfectly laid out for us, in His Word, what we should and shouldn’t do. And those reading with understanding know God’s law is in place to protect us from hurt, harm, and danger. Yet we do what we want to do anyhow. Then when we get hurt, we cry and pray to God for Him to save us from the mess we have created only to turn around and do it again! Speaking for myself, before I was delivered from acohol and fornication I know there were countless times that I acted just like a “hard headed little kid,”continuing to indulge in these sins that I knew could have destroyed me. But glory be to God that He saw me out of this dark phase in my life!

Yet I admit there are still things that I am currently being subborn concerning, and I must do better! Now some of you reading this post may still be stuck in a hard headed phase too, and I encourage you to come on out of it! I encourage you to examine yourself on today. Ask yourself: are there things I keep running back to that I know are not good for me? Be honest with yourself, and take heed to the Word of God that is already in you. LISTEN to the instructions and commandments of your Heavenly Father who knows best. He only wants to keep you from harm! And lastly, learn to have a little more patience with those “hard headed little kids” who only act the same way we often do…because God sure is mighty patient with us!

Proverbs 3:1-2 (New King James Version)

“My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.”

A New Word

Giving and Receiving: A New Word

July 25, 2018July 25, 2018 AdriannaJ6 Comments

Giving and Receiving…both are a part of life; and at some point we’ll all be on both ends of the equation. Now of course we are always ready and willing to receive blessings. But today I ask you, are you just as excited to GIVE blessings?! Many of us are in a constant state of want; yet sometimes the very things we desire from others, we ourselves are not willing to also give. We desire love and loyalty; but are we willing to give it? We want financial blessings; but will we let God use us to bless others financially?…Look, blessings don’t just fall out of the sky! God uses PEOPLE to bless other people!

Many of us have prayed that God would touch someone’s heart to bless us with a job, approval for a loan, or some other big opportunity. However, when others need a blessing and we are in a position to bless, to give rather than to receive, are we just as ready to see the will of God be done through us? I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be found guilty of not letting God use me to bless someone, because I know good and well that He has used countless people to bless me. And as children of God, all members of ONE body, the body of Christ-we must be willing to help one another so that no member will suffer lack.

So whatever you are desiring on today; whether it be love, attention, a financial blessing, or simply a listening ear-I encourage you to first GIVE IT to someone else! And trust that because you first GAVE and allowed God to use you, that He will cause you to RECEIVE the same blessing from someone else! When it comes to giving and receiving, we must master them both!…Water others with blessings and you shall be watered too!

Proverbs 11:25 (New King James Version)

“The generous soul will be made rich: And he who waters will also be watered himself.”

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ

New Perspective

Perfect Hatred: New Perspective

July 14, 2018July 14, 2018 AdriannaJ2 Comments

Many believers have been taught the misconception that it’s wrong to hate. However, today I beg to differ because the only way to wholeheartedly love one thing is to HATE the other. Think about it-if you wholeheartedly love the truth its only because you hate a lie. If you truly love helping others its because you hate to see people in need. The problem comes in when we begin to hate the WRONG THINGS. The Word of God specifically instructs us to hate things that are evil and love things that are righteous (Romans 12:9, New King James Version) but often times we do it the other way around. Some of us love and cling to evil people or things and then have the nerve to dislike and push away that which is righteous.

Then again, another problem comes into the picture when we begin to hate people. Now in Psalm 139:21-22 (NKJV) David says to God, “Do I not hate them , O Lord, who hate you? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. ” Now I believe this “perfect hatred” David speaks of is indeed righteous and rooted in love. I don’t believe this means he literally hates his enemies. However, it simply means He hates the sin or evil that works through his enemies. His adversaries hate and rise up against God, which are evil things to do. So David hates these evil works of His enemies; yet I can imagine He still loves them enough to help them if they were ever in need of basic necessities (food/water) which is what Proverbs 25:21-22 (NKJV) tells us to do.

So let me reassure you on today-there is nothing wrong with hate. We must hate sin and the work of the enemy in order to truly love God and all His good works. If we don’t, we might find ourselves straddling the fence, claiming to love God while still doing the works of the Devil. So I advise you to take an inventory of what you’ve been loving and hating here lately; then compare your list to the Word of God. Dig into the Word and find out exactly what you should be loving and hating! Then ask God for help in learning to wholeheartedly love everything that is righteous and have a perfect hatred against those things that are not of Him!

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ

Lovely Things

The Beauty Of Being Alone: Lovely Things

June 28, 2018June 28, 2018 AdriannaJ6 Comments

As humans, we all want some type of companionship; whether it be through a good friendship, a romantic relationship, or even through a mentorship with someone much wiser/older than us. We all want comfort/support from others and to know we are not alone. However, the reality of life is this: we might not always have support or a “go to” person every time we hit a low or dark point in life. To be quite honest, anyone who is truly walking with God will indeed go through periods where they have to lose certain people who are not contributing to their growth in the Lord. Therefore, you may very well end up alone for a certain period of time-not completely alone, because God is always with you, but alone in the sense that you are not surrounded by people.

Now I know from experience, it doesn’t feel good to go through a struggle and feel as though you have no one to lean on. We all want at least that one person who will step in to hold us in their arms and say, “Everything will be okay”. Yet I still see the beauty in not always having that one person-I see the beauty in sometimes just being alone. Being alone makes you totally dependent on God for support, strength, and encouragement. And when you realize that you’ve made it through rough times without much support from others, you’ll have FULL ASSURANCE that it was only God who brought you through. Moving forward, you will not fear losing anyone or anything because you will know for certain, through your own personal testimony, that you can make it with just you and God!…I’m telling you, this type of assurance is so sweet-I know it very well!

Sometimes a friend may not be available, a family member may be too far away, and a lover could turn cold and you will need to know that you can still make it-even if no one but God is there. You will need to know that when a friend is not around to whisper words of comfort, God will comfort you through His word and by the filling of His Holy Spirit. You will need to know that when a lover is not there to hold you tight, God will wrap you up in the warmth and calmness of His presence. And the only way to truly find this out is to experience alone time and see for yourself that God can and will keep you when nobody else is around. So I encourage you today-even in the midst of life’s struggles, see the beauty in being alone! Don’t be afraid of alone time; I dare you to embrace it! It will only bring you closer to God as you look to Him for ALL of your help and learn that NOBODY can comfort or keep you quite like He can!

Psalm 121:1-2 (New King James Version)

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills-From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ

A New Word

In The Air: A New Word

June 13, 2018June 18, 2018 AdriannaJLeave a comment

A couple of days ago I experienced my first flight as I traveled to the wonderful city of San Diego, California! It was actually amazing and because I try to look for God in EVERYTHING, I saw His goodness from a new perspective while I was IN THE AIR. I looked out the window and saw the city from above. There were so many cars, houses, and landmarks to see. As we continued to ascend thousands of feet into the air, nothing was even recognizable anymore. I began to feel so small as I looked at a “bigger picture” of the world and realized that I’m only a small part of it. Yet, in that smallness I still felt important and very much so precious as I meditated on how much God loves and cares for me!

God has this whole world to oversee-trees, mountains, oceans, animals, people-but He still doesn’t forget to care for me! He could be too busy making sure the oceans stay calm or the mountains remain standing upright, but He’s not! He tends to this, that, and the third; AND He still tends to me too! That is so good and comforting to know! Then on the other hand, I also thought about how some people often think more of themselves than they should. Sometimes because people are blessed with beauty or a particular gift; they begin to think they are better, bigger, and more important than other people or things. But I’ve got a news flash for us all today: the world is so much BIGGER than us!

Just like God cares for and blesses you, He does the same for others who trust in Him too! He even cares for the grass of the fields! While in the air I truly saw how big the world is. Now we are indeed important; yet at the same time we are only a small fraction of this big world. So we should never think of ourselves as more than we really are. However, we should be FOREVER GRATEFUL that our God sits up high and is gracious/merciful enough to look down on and care for us, even though we are so small and unworthy! He could just sit up high, on His throne, and never look down to regard us; but I’m so glad He doesn’t do us that way! He really cares for us my friends, He really does!

Psalm 138:6 (New King James Version)

“Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.”

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ

Deep Questions

A Life Measured: Deep Questions

May 30, 2018May 31, 2018 AdriannaJ11 Comments

What if the value of your life was measured by the number of people you’ve shown the light and love of God to?…Would this make you rich or poor?

Let’s say for every person you’ve shown the light and love of God to, your life’s value would increase by 1,000 dollars. Now there’s no telling how many people we encounter on a daily basis; so if we were to show every single person we encounter the love and light of God, it would take no time for the value of our lives to reach the millions. From our family and friends, to people on our jobs, individuals we reach through social media, and even strangers we walk pass in stores-we have hundreds of encounters with different individuals within one day alone. And whether the encounters are as big as holding an entire conversation with someone, or as small as simply holding the door open for another-we have countless opportunities to let God’s light shine through us! The kind word you could speak, that helping hand you could lend, or the simple smile you could give a stranger in passing could give someone a glimpse of God and initiate a desire within them to learn more about Him.

Now while we don’t always receive money as a reward for every positive encounter we have with others, aren’t our deeds being recorded in the books up in Heaven? And in the end, won’t God reward us (according to our deeds) with ETERNAL RICHES AND GLORY, which far exceeds any earthly or monetary reward? My friends I urge you to obey the call of God, which is to let your light so shine that God may be glorified through you. God may not attach a dollar amount to our lives based off of the good works we do, but He does count us worthy of His eternal riches by examining the works we have done for Him. Ultimately, the works we do determine whether we are RICH with the promise of eternal glory or POOR with the promise of eternal damnation. So right now, with all you are doing for God, what is your promise? Are you rich or poor? What is the value of your life?

People of God: I encourage you to seriously ponder these questions and make any necessary changes while there’s still time!

Matthew 5:16 (New King James Version)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ

Deep Questions

Losing For God: Deep Questions

May 29, 2018May 29, 2018 AdriannaJ3 Comments

I have a deep yet simple question for you: What have you lost lately on account of living for God?

Take a moment to think about it-have you lost a friend lately, a job, or a prized possession? Now nobody likes to lose things because it often hurts; however, today I want to remind you that all losses are NOT bad. Sometimes we need to lose “so called” friends or lovers that may be pulling us away from following the call of God. Sometimes even our jobs threaten our relationship with God, causing us to make ungodly decisions just to keep the position of power we may have. Then even the fancy material things we have may become our idols and distract us from worshipping God and God only. I would go so far to say that if you call yourself living for God and have not lost ANYTHING lately, you may not actually be completely sold out to God. When we surrender to God’s will COMPLETELY we will lose some things! Point. Blank. Period. As we ask God to fill us and take control of our lives He will REMOVE from us some bad people, ungodly places, nasty habits, and anything in our lives that is not like Him.

Yet when we’ve lost these things in order to get closer to Christ, we have still GAINED because ALL things we need are in Him. I urge you-if you have not lost anything lately, you may want to re-evaluate your relationship with God. You may be holding on to some things that God is trying to remove from your life-all because they seem good to you, and you don’t want to go through the pain of losing them. However, I encourage you to be like the Apostle Paul, who said those things which seemed to be good or of value to him, He gladly gave them up to grab ahold of the IMMEASURABLE knowledge and fullness of God. I guarantee you-once you lose some things you will gain so much in God as you fully surrender to His will and get aligned with every detail of His plan for your life! Now to those of you who already know you’ve indeed lost some things for Christ’s sake, I say to you: be assured that a loss for the sake of Christ is nothing short of a gain and your reward from God is on the way!

So again I ask you, What have you lost lately on account of living for God?

Philippians 3:7-8 (New King James Version)

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ”

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ

A New Word

Endurance: Running The Race

May 22, 2018May 22, 2018 AdriannaJ5 Comments

Our walk with God is like a race that runners run; however, unlike a regular race, the objective is not to run the fastest or make it to the finish line first. The goal is to simply finish or complete the race. So this actually means we can run a little, walk a bit, crawl, or maybe even scoot some of the way-just as long as we make it to the finish line. Now this is all very important for believers to remember because we will indeed have good and bad days. Some days we will run with such skill and speed, making much progress toward our goals. Then some days we will be weak, discouraged, and literally have to drag ourselves out of bed-only to make little progress toward our goals. But so what if you’re having a slow or bad day? So what if others around you are running their race a little faster than you today? You’re not trying to make it to the finish line before anybody else-you’re just trying to make it there. Point. Blank. Period.

Even if you’re moving slower on today or barely moving at all, YOU ARE STILL MOVING! And if you’re still moving, you are still in the race! So keep on fighting! The pressures of life may make your race more difficult to run, but the Word of God tells us to run our race with ENDURANCE. Now endurance is the ability to go through difficult situations without giving up, without quitting the race. Yes life may throw some punches at you that may bring you to your knees, making it hard to run at your desired speed. You might trip over a stumbling block and have to crawl for a bit. But that’s ok! God just wants you to endure, to keep moving, and to stay in the race-no matter how fast or skillfully you move. So keep loving God, keep doing His good works, and keep obeying Him until your eyes close for that final time; only then will your race be successfully completed. Endure my friends, until the very end!

Hebrews 12:1 (New King James Version)

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ

Bits of Knowledge

Out of Alignment: Bits of Knowledge

May 14, 2018May 31, 2018 AdriannaJLeave a comment

One very common sign that your car needs a front end alignment is when it pulls to either the left or right when trying to drive it down a straight path. It becomes very difficult to keep your car on a straight path as the steering wheel “does its own thing,” turning whichever way it wants to. Now just like our cars, sometimes we can be in serious need of realignment too…realignment with GOD! Just like that car has a difficult time driving down the road, we have a difficult time going down the RIGHT PATH, and we end up missing or bypassing the blessings God has for us-all because we are OUT OF ALIGNMENT with Him.

Now when a car needs an alignment there can be a number of different parts on the car that may be worn out and need replacing. Likewise, when we need to be realigned with God, we may have some things in us that need to be replaced. Perhaps we may be speaking some negative words which need to be replaced with positive words found in the Word of God. Maybe we’ve been thinking bad thoughts which need to be switched out with good thoughts that the Word tells us to think on. I encourage you my friends, take this time to examine yourselves!

Ask yourself: Am I fully aligned with God’s Word? Do my thoughts, words, desires, and deeds AGREE with God’s way? Even the things I allow to entertain me, do they line up with the things that are pleasing in God’s sight? If your answer is no, I warn you-you are in danger of missing a blessing God may have for you! You are OUT OF ALIGNMENT with God! God is trying to take you down a specific path, but you are pulling in another direction! And you may be on the verge of bypassing the very blessing you’ve been longing for so deeply! Don’t miss your blessing my friend! Get realigned with God while there’s still time!

Proverbs 3:6 (New King James Version)

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ

New Perspective

Single Yet Married: New Perspective

May 10, 2018May 10, 2018 AdriannaJ5 Comments

I’m a single young lady who is eagerly waiting to marry my future husband; yet at the same time I’M MARRIED and have been married for quite some time. You might ask, “How could this be?” Well…The Word of God tells me that God is my husband! Yeah-Isaiah 54:5 (New King James Version) says, “For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name, And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.” Now an earthly husband should protect, provide, comfort, and lead his wife. And God, as my spiritual husband, does these same things for me! God indeed protects me with His whole and mighty armor (Ephesians 6:13-18, NKJV). He provides for me and supplies all my needs (Philippians 4:19, NKJV). He helps or comforts me through the filling of His Holy Spirit (John 14:26, NKJV). And He leads me by the light of His Holy Word (Psalm 119:105, NKJV). Now marriage is honorable in the sight of God and there is nothing wrong with desiring an earthly husband. However, we single ladies must remember that before we even meet our earthly husbands we are already MARRIED TO GOD.

Trust me, I know the wait may seem long and may get a little discouraging at times, but we should be content with our Spiritual Husband until He sees fit to bless us with an earthly one. Now the great part about waiting so long for your desired husband is having FULL ASSURANCE that God can indeed take care of you and keep you, with or without a husband. I’m 26 years old and have been living independently in my own apartment, paying my own bills, for over three years now. Not once have I gone hungry or without-I’m living proof that God will indeed provide. God has proven Himself to be a great husband to me, and I’m looking forward to the day He blesses me with an earthly husband! So be encouraged single ladies-you are indeed married or joined to God in the Spirit. He can be EVERYTHING that an earthly husband can be to you, if you let Him. Be satisfied with just God by your side and trust that He will put a good man by your side when the time is right!

-To God be the Glory

AdriannaJ