My pastor said something this past Sunday that stopped me in my tracks – well, not physically. After all, I was sitting down on a pew during the sermon. It stopped me in my tracks mentally though, and I couldn’t think about anything else.

Now, I am paraphrasing but this is what he basically said: When we listen to our own hearts we derail our God-given purpose.

Woah. Just woah.

I hope you will pause for a moment or two or three and really let that marinate.

Sometimes we need a good wake-up call, a good fussing at, whatever you want to call it to get us mentally back on track. I know I do.

It’s so easy to get caught up on this roller coaster we call life and forget about the big picture.

What is the big picture? Less of me – more of Him. If we could all (and I’m pointing a big ol’ finger at myself) just stick to that script there would be a lot less heartache, a lot less hurt feelings, a lot less jealousy, a lot less mess-ups, a whole lot less of a bunch of other unnecessary things.

Let’s refocus, ladies.

Let’s keep our eyes on the prize.

Let’s win more people for Heaven.

Let’s go for God and nothing else.

Cause nothing else matters.

He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30

October came in hot man. Like, I woke up day one with eyes so swollen I looked like Quasimoto from Disney.

Then as soon as I stepped out of my car at church – ants. All up my feet, legs, and then hands.

Nice.

And y’all, October is my favorite month. I knew, knew, knew that I couldn’t let these few minor inconveniences ruin my day – let alone my whole month.

I’m the one in control of giving my emotions to Jesus. I would much rather Him manage those wild things than me. Let’s just be honest.

And then you know what happened – I got a text from H‑E‑B saying that all of my items were in stock. Let me just tell you, that’s huge when you’re gluten free.

And then I backed into my parking spot like a boss.

And then I took the best Sunday afternoon nap EVER.

And then.

Y’all, life is good. Some moments stink. Some days stink. However, I encourage you to give those moments to Jesus. Because my Jesus will replace those seemingly jacked up moments with joy.

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. – Psalm 16:11

“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11

So, I think from my last couple of writings you can tell that we have been going through some things. Not life threatening for us but stressful for sure. In the midst of these day to day struggles my husband lost his sweet mama. It seems like the battle has really intensified and our armor is getting heavy. Thankfully, Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us. We are victorious in Him, but we also have to take part in life’s battles.

The best news is that I am part of an army. I don’t have to fight alone. I have a sisterhood that is the best, and they take 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to heart. Trust me when I say I never want sympathy or pity. I am a daughter of the King; don’t feel sorry for me. He has a plan and a purpose for what I’m going through. ( Also don’t be super nice or I cry 😭 😂)

But that encouragement keeps me going. Some of my favorites are sweet texts that say “I was studying today and this verse made me think of your situation” or “is there something I can do for you today? A meal?” and probably best of all just “Hey I’m praying for y’all this morning” ❤️

If you don’t have solid Christian sisters (brothers are good, too) that are standing in the gap and battling and holding you up – then start reaching out. It is so important to have that support system.

The flip side of this is even when you are in the midst of the valley look around and ask yourself each day, “Who can I encourage?” Earlier in chapter 5 Paul reminds us that we are sons of the light and that fact should fill us with hope. In 5:11 He is calling us to be a community of light that supports one another.

Honestly, I’m not that great at it. My sisters definitely outshine me in this area, but because of their example I want to be better. That my friends is the point. In Hebrew 10:23-25 the writer explains it perfectly.

Hebrews 23 “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (NLT)

Their good example makes me want to follow suit. It spurs me on to good deeds. Thank you Jesus for godly friends 🙌🏻❤️

Who can you encourage today?

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11:31, CSB.

I want my children to have better opportunities, more fulfilled lives, and a bigger impact on God’s kingdom than me. These are things I pray for, take faithful steps toward, and try to foster. When my days on this earth are over I want the people I leave behind to be impacted by what I poured into them. I want a legacy that brings greater glory to God’s name than I could even imagine. Not for me, but for him and for them.

We all want better for our children and family than what the previous generation had. Rahab, the woman mentioned in Hebrews 11:31, got just that. She was a prostitute in the city of Jericho, an outcast. Jericho was a powerful, fortified city, and Israel was to overtake it. Rahab chose to hide Israelite spies from the city’s soldiers, who surely would have killed them. She did this because she believed God was truly the God of heaven and earth. Her actions weren’t brave, they were faithful. Her only request in return was for the Israelites to spare her and her family when the city of Jericho was attacked. In exchange for her faith Rahab and her family were saved. Then God gave her a new legacy. Jesus, the redeemer of the world, eventually came through Rahab’s family line. 

Because legacy starts with faith.

We are all like Rahab. We want to save our family, but we really want more than that. And it’s faith in God that makes us believe we can receive more. Along with faith comes hope. Rahab had new hope after she had been redeemed. She had hope for a future and a legacy.

We can never work hard enough to earn the saving grace God offers, and we don’t have to work hard enough to break generational strongholds. Redemption is a gift that comes through faith. And faith brings hope. And it’s hope that brings us to take the next faithful step toward restoration. 

Faith saves, and hope restores. 

How have you let your past mistakes keep you from believing God will save, provide for, and prosper your family? How does Rahab’s story give you restored hope? What do you hope for yourself, your family, and your legacy?

God, you are faithful to your Word and your character. Help me to remember your goodness when doubts creep in. Restore my hope in you today and let that hope not be overshadowed by my past. Help me to live out my faith and invite you to restore every member of my family, for generations. Thank you God for restoration and hope. Amen.

At some point in our lives, we’ve all dreamed of being the next movie star or a famous celebrity of some sort. Personally, I used to tell people I was going to be the first female president.

Who in your life do you know that you would define as having “made it,” and what barometer did you use to identify them? If the barometer of success wasn’t Jesus, we missed it. And we’re steering the upcoming generation further off course. We live in a culture where material things like income, the size of our home, the kind of car we drive etc determine how successful the world views us as, but we serve a God who determines our success based on our obedience to what He has called us. It’s not about how much He gave us but rather what we did with it that counts.

It is said that people aspire to the things we celebrate, and it’s true, so what are we celebrating?

Most of us would be more impressed to be in the presence of Taylor Swift than the church intercessor, and we wonder why no one volunteers to pray aloud at church but everyone wants to be on the praise team. We have more people that want to give a word than want to be in the Word. When we give more honor to those on the stage than those in the prayer closet, we cultivate image over character.

We cannot complain about a shallow generation when we are the ones who have built their house on sinking sand.

We suggest that a search be made in your ancestors’ records, where you will discover what a rebellious city this has been in the past…

Ezra 4:15

Everyone has a past. Everyone has made mistakes. But thank the Lord that he doesn’t see our rebellious ruins and say “No, this will never do.” He looks at our rebellious past & all, and says, “Right there. That’s

where I want to build my temple.”

That’s what’s so great about Jesus.

He’s done the search from our past.

He’s seen us at our worst. He knows we’ll never be perfect, yet he still chose to die for us so WE could be the Lord’s temple.

I’m so thankful that our God chooses us just as we are. Broken, ashamed, bitter, all of the above and he says, “I know, but watch what I can do.”

I pray you accept his grace today and allow him to turn your ruins into his beautiful temple. 🩵

This summer, we had several weeks where the temperature stayed 105-110 daily with no rain for months. Unfortunately, I don’t have a sprinkler system, so my yard looks pretty terrible right now. Where the grass died, weeds flourished. When mowed down, you can’t really tell just how bad it is, but as soon as those weeds start to grow, it is embarrassing how the yard looks with lots of brown patches and large sections of weed overgrowth. I was looking at it the other day, and a verse from Psalm 1 came to mind. The Psalmist is contrasting the righteous and the wicked, and he writes about the righteous that, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (v. 3)”

This verse stands out to me for several reasons. The obvious initial thing I see is that the tree thrives next to the water source. Throughout scripture we see Jesus refer to Himself as the Living Water, and I cannot help but be reminded how my roots are strong when I drink from Him regularly. The verse also specifies, though, that the tree bears fruit “in its season.” I’m reminded, then, that maybe there are seasons where we bear much fruit and others where we don’t. I started thinking about how my grass also dies in the winter. It gets brown and crunchy every single winter, but it is a different kind of death. This sort of death is the natural life cycle of the grass. When my grass dies in the winter, it may not be pretty and green, but it is still functioning exactly as it was designed for that season.

My dead yard this summer, however, is a direct result of hot sun and too little water. My neighbors with sprinkler systems have beautiful green yards. They also have less weeds. Healthy grass doesn’t leave spaces for invasion from unwanted plants.

There are two things that this picture of grass and this verse remind me of. First, I am reminded that I need water to bear fruit. The closer I stay planted next to the Father, the more abundant the life will be that flows out of me. I also accept that some seasons will yield fruit more than others, and that is not necessarily a sign of failure. Second, I realize that when I let myself become disconnected from that water source, I open the door for weeds to take root and run wild. It only takes minutes for the weeds of my mind to start to crowd out the healthy thoughts and patterns of my life. If you’ve ever had to pull weeds (literally or figuratively), then you know how exhausting it is. We have the power to “water our grass” in a way that makes us strong enough to fend off the attacks of all the things wanting to overcome us.

This weekend we are spending lots of time in the yard cleaning up the mess that has been made from neglecting the basic care we should have been providing. Soon, the yard and flower beds will look beautiful again because my amazing husband is tending to them with so much care. I know God is faithful to do the same for me, uprooting all of the unhealthy things and giving me a chance to grow healthy and strong again. He wants to do the same thing for you. He is inviting us to a place of dependence where we drink from Him regularly instead of letting ourselves get unhealthy and giving space for “weeds” to grow. He wants us to be rooted deeply in Him and then provide shade and nourishment for others as we were intended to do all along.

Matthew 5:7-9

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. — Jesus

I love God’s Word! From beginning to end, it speaks of His goodness, His Love, and His mercy. He is The source that I now run to in every situation. He is my peace.

There was a time in my life that I loved alcohol, and sadly it was what I ran to no matter the circumstance. I’m so thankful that God took away that love and replaced it with a love for His Word.

The best exchange ever – the bottle for the Bible.

Today as I stand in awe of His love, His mercy, grace and forgiveness, I now run to the Rock of my salvation Jesus Christ as the challenges of a new chapter of life unfolds.

These last few months have been a roller coaster of emotions. There are days I manage to be a champion at keeping them in check, while other days, I really stink at it – allowing toxic thoughts to turn into toxic attitudes, which certainly do not reek of love, mercy, peace or any signs of a pure heart.

But God – in His infinite love and mercy reels me back in, reminding me that He is still on the throne, still in control, and His promises are still true.

My engagement with Him and His Word is so important at all times. It establishes my identity and also ignites His love in my heart, which without, I am helpless in loving and giving mercy to others.

Emotions motivate our personalities, decisions, choices and values, and if not converted by God, will be the cause of toxic behaviors and attitudes.

They are our feelings that will give life to our reactions in all of life’s challenges.

Out of control emotions can be the most destructive force in the world, saying and doing things we can regret for a lifetime.

Theologian Shedd says, “an evil heart, if not restrained by divine grace, is sure to act wrongly, but a properly guarded heart, can be a powerful force for good.”

In Proverbs 4:23 King Solomon’s advice was to, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Our actions and words are a direct reflection of our heart, and if we allow our hearts to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will not only experience His fruit of love, joy, peace and patience, but His fruit will be what flows from us.

All of our heart’s desires for personal fulfillment can be provided by God, and ‘He alone can fill the vacuum of an empty heart’ and fill it with His Power and Presence. It is with the heart that worship and conversion to God takes place.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

To be blessed by God, we must be a blessing to others.