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Stand firm

Tomorrow we celebrate our independence as a nation!! I always think of how blessed we are to have the freedoms we have and feel so thankful to the ones that fought for them! 

There are countless individuals that continue to protect our freedoms today. It is a never ending battle. In comparison, as Christians, we have been blessed with our freedom in Christ. We also have a daily battle and responsibility to protect our freedoms that Christ died to give us.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

We are called to stand firm in our faith. Faith is what protects our freedoms in Christ. God has grace on us to live our lives free from sin and guilt, the law, fear of death, and He allows us to go straight to His throne room with our prayers. God has set us free from these things so that we can live our lives with joy and peace that can only come from Him. A life filled with purpose to fulfill His plan and bring glory to our Father!

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.For, “In just a little while He who is coming will come and will not delay.” And “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” Hebrews 10: 36-39

To stand firm in our faith we have to be steadfast and persevere through any spiritual battle that may come our way. The testing of our faith is what develops these characteristics. 

The devil will do everything he can to attack our spiritual life. He knows our weaknesses. He knows if we tend to live in unforgiveness or bitterness, if we are overwhelmed with anxiety or fear, if we live in bondage of past sins, if we have an addiction or anything that distracts us from God. You can bet he will use whatever tactic it takes to cause us to fall into sin and waver in our faith. In these moments we have to remember Christ died not to make our lives easier but to give us freedom from these attacks.

God knows that we are not going to live perfect lives, but he does equip us with the ability to protect the freedom Christ died to give us. We don’t have to earn it. We are not capable of earning it anyway. We do, however, have to fight by staying in the word, praying and seeking God’s will for each day, serving and loving others, and spreading the gospel! When we stay connected to God our lives will be full of the things that are pleasing to Him. We will naturally want to do good works because we are so grateful for what God has done. We can rely on guidance from the Holy Spirit in anything we do. Just remember our true freedom is found in Christ and He died so that our souls can truly have freedom for eternity!

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God,the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” Romans 6:22

Weapons of warfare


Weapons of Warfare


We study a lot about the armor of God. We see ourselves as strong warriors suiting up for battle and ready to mount the charge. There is comfort in that idea and it does hold true. 


Until


We  step out the door and realize battling the way Jesus wants us to looks so much different than the world. 


The Beatitudes and Galatians 5:22-23 both make it pretty clear on what weapons we should use. Love, kindness, meekness, humility, grace and mercy to name a few. Those are the things my heart longs to find in others so why am I not using those freely as I go about my day?


            ….Do unto others….
        ….Love God, love people….


Honestly I have been on the struggle bus. Anxiety and self doubt have had me in a choke hold.  The thought of reaching out to people makes me feel like a hypocrite. My armor, sadly,  has been askew. 


Thankfully the Lord never gives up on us. I wanted more than anything to tell Daisy that I wouldn’t be able to write anymore, but He gently drew me back to Him. It’s time to press in, tighten up the armor and be a warrior again. 🙏🏻🙌🏻 ✝️🤺

To post or not to post


We’ve all been there…


We want to address it on social media and it would fix it.  The controversial topics in the world we live in can cause so much division within communities it becomes heartbreaking.💔 


So, to post or not to post?  That is the question. 🤔 


I’ve heard if you type the post, but delete it before clicking “post” it relieves you, but also keeps you from fueling the fire.  A fire that’s already out of control.🔥 


Jesus gave the greatest example of venting and He did it by going to the Father in prayer. 🙏🏻 


“And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ 📖 


He knew the plan was Salvation, but even He got troubled on the journey to the cross.  Judas would betray Him.  Peter, James and John fell asleep instead of helping Him pray.  Peter would later deny Him.  The disciples would scatter. 


Those He poured so much into weren’t there for Him and everyone else questioned who He says He was, and still is.  He was aware of His situation.  


Ever been there?  You try so hard to pour goodness into this world, but you find yourself having everything against you.  It would be nice to vent about it too. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 


 If they knew how much you cared. If they knew how their actions hurt others.  If they knew violence isn’t the answer.  If they knew how words cut.  If they knew this isn’t the way to handle it.  If they only knew. 


If you’ll read John 17 Jesus prayed for himself because this cup was heavy and He had to finish the journey to the cross for all the world to have Salvation.  


He didn’t just stop there.  He prayed for those disciples He had poured into and then He prayed for all His future disciples.  That’s you and me! 🙌🏻 


He knew we would face persecution and there would be discord and confusion. He knew and He vented to the Father.♥️ 

Choose Jesus

This week I had an ah-ha, get it together moment. It wasn’t something that I didn’t already know, but something we need to sometimes be reminded of in this busy life. 

This week, my youngest daughter messaged me from her boyfriend’s phone to let me know that her fairly new iPhone 17 was not turning on. I went through the proper questions of did you try a different charger? Try a different outlet plug? The answer from her was of course – yes. So , I told her to say a prayer over it. 

Within 5 minutes she had messaged me back letting me know that she did, and it was back on. I said see, He just wanted to hear from you today. He whispered so gently, “I want to hear from you too!” 

He wants to hear from all of his children. Not just to ask for help with the newest iPhone, or healing for our neighbors, or help with our financial woes, or to please lead us to our lost keys. He wants all of those things too, but even more He wants us to talk to him like a friend, our very best friend. The one we come to with our joyful times, our most memorable moments, our gratitude, our praise. 

When is the last time I talked to Him as soon as I woke up instead of reaching for my phone? When did I have the last meaningful time talking to Him and listening for His answers instead of just going down my prayer list? I apply this to myself because it spoke to me so heavily, but I know in the busy day to day we live in that I cannot be the only one that needed this gentle reminder. 

Wake up and choose Jesus. Talk to Him like your best friend, and come to Him with more than just life’s troubles. He’s such a good father, and I thank Him for the gentle reminder He brought this week.

Serve


Today, we live in a seemingly “busy culture”. There is always something that needs to be done, even on top of the regular to-do list. Some of us like it this way, and others feel like this is the only option. However, there is something we can always carve out some time for: serving. Is this a priority in your life? Jesus is the greatest example of what it means to have a servant’s heart. He constantly chose to serve others when He walked this Earth, to the point of giving His life for all of us. I know we cannot compete with this ultimate act of service, but it gives us quite the example of how important it should be to serve others in this life. 



“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭45‬ 


When we serve, it allows people to feel a touch of Jesus in their lives. Making more time to serve can seem daunting depending on your current season of life. Serving does not have to be a big, crazy commitment, but it does need to be intentional when it comes to planning it. Choose a way to serve; whether it be daily or weekly, and stick with it. It can be a small act of kindness, or signing up to serve in your local church wherever help is needed. 


It takes less than 30 seconds to type out a text and press send: “How can I be praying for you today?” The person on the receiving end of this message will appreciate the effort made, even if it doesn’t seem like much. (Oh, and make sure you actually pray for them when they respond!)


When we grow closer to God, we will develop a greater desire to serve biblically. Serving is not about earning God’s favor or impressing others; it is a response to the love we have already received from Him. Even in the mundane tasks that keep us busy, we can find ways to make them a serving opportunity. 


“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬


I want to encourage y’all to be in prayer this week, specifically about serving. 


A good prayer to start off with:


Dear God, 


How can I use my time to serve you? Do I need to make myself more available for this? Please reveal to me the spiritual gifts I have to further your kingdom. Please give me boldness and humility to take up my cross just as you did to serve others. I am a vessel for you, please send me. 


Amen

The hem


There’s a story in the Bible where a woman touches the hem of Jesus’ garment. She sought Jesus out just to touch the hem, the hem of His garment. Why? Because she had faith that just that small touch would heal her of her pain and suffering. She had faith in the smallest touch of a hem. 


In desperation she sought out the garment of the Savior. 


My baby’s first month of life looked a lot like seeking out a hem of a garment. Not knowing what to do I just wanted to reach out and touch Jesus. 


Unanswered questions, prayers, lab results, blood work, and sleepless nights wondering how in the world will it all play out. 


My touch of a hem looked a lot like “Lord, what’s going on? How do we keep going? How can I know my baby will be okay? Lord, where do I find you here?” 


When the woman in the Bible finally reaches Jesus, He says to her, “Take heart, Daughter; your faith has made you well.” And then instantly the woman was healed. 


Jesus calls her daughter not just to make known she is a believer of the Gospel, but to identify her as a child of the King. A child of the One True King.


He calls me daughter. He calls you daughter, and son. 


The day we finally got the phone call that our baby was okay and there was no need to worry anymore; I remember that night sitting awake and praying. Thanking the Lord for hearing us. Thanking the Lord for protecting our son. And I remember so vividly hearing the word, “daughter.” 


In your pain, confusion, hurt, sadness, loneliness, He calls you daughter. He calls you daughter and He makes Himself available for even just the touch of a hem, to heal. 

Salt


When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount He taught about what it means to be part of God’s kingdom. It is not important to have a high position in the world, to be rich, or in high authority. What matters to God is our true genuine obedience to Him. He wants us to make a difference in this world for His glory.


“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:13-14


The importance of salt in the time of Jesus was that it was more valuable than gold. It was used to preserve and add flavor to food and it also had healing properties along with many other uses. Jesus used this reference to show that as christians we are to be a preserving and healing influence in the world. 


This world is full of darkness and decay. Jesus wants to remind us that we are to be full of flavor and light in that we reflect God’s nature bringing good in all that we do and say. Our words should always be seasoned with kindness, wisdom from God, and encouragement to anyone we come into contact with.


Jesus also says we are the light of the world. He wants us to reflect the light that He brought to the world. Each one of us has a responsibility to walk in obedience in a self-sacrificing love for others. When we walk in the love and example Jesus gave us we are going to shine in a dark world. We have to be confident and bold in our faith as we walk in this fallen world, but with a grace that shows the love of Christ. 


The purpose is so that others can see God in us and glorify Him.


As believers we are not to blend in with this world. We have to protect our lives from falling into a bland flavorless faith(losing our saltiness). It is so harmful to our witness when we compromise our beliefs by falling into worldly values. We have to be aware of everything we say and do so that we are bringing glory to God and God alone. We are meant to be set apart and shine the light of Jesus. We want people to see the goodness of God through our lives.


To be effective as the salt and light of this world we need to stay connected to our Father. Always pray and seek His will by reading His word. We want our actions to match the words we speak.  
“For you were once darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord.”
 Ephesians 5:8

Guard our mouth

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭141‬:‭3‬ 

Last week, I should have prayed that verse. I was in the last week of school, tired, ready for a break, a bit stressed with all that was going on, and I had a moment where I spoke words that I should have kept to myself. Have you been there? I had to apologize for the words I spoke, and I still feel bad about it. The person forgave and so did God. I am so thankful for forgiveness. 

I have pondered that moment a lot over the last week. I have beat myself up and I have regretted my uncontrolled words. Yes, I’m forgiven, but moving forward, how do I keep it from happening again? This morning, I was thinking about that moment and God reminded me of Psalm 141:3. The answer is there. Pray for God to set a guard and watch over our words. I must allow the words that come from me to be filtered by God. 

We live in a society that thinks it’s ok to say whatever in the name of “freedom of speech”. “Freedom of speech” does not allow us as believers to speak ugly words, say mean things, or express our opinions in ways that do not glorify God. We must speak and post words that are filtered by God Himself because our words have consequences. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭21‬ 

The words that come from us have the power to give life and they have the power to destroy. May God be the filter for our words so that we are spreaders of life and not destruction.

Divine commission

Let’s be real, ladies: midlife can feel like a cosmic joke where your metabolism slows down, your joints start making sound effects, and your internal thermostat is permanently set to “hellfire.” But those hot flashes? Think of them as a physical manifestation of the holy fire God is brewing inside you. You are not fading into the background; you are being upgraded. The world might tell you that your prime is in the rearview mirror, but God says your most impactful season starts right now. Your ministry is found where you have been broken, because you can’t guide others through a valley you’ve never walked yourself.

Think about the absolute trainwrecks you’ve survived over the last few decades. Remember the heartbreak, the career pivots, the parenting crises, and the hairstyles you deeply regret from the ’90s. God didn’t let you survive all that chaos just so you could sit on the sidelines of life. Your testimony is found where you have been restored, and it is meant to be shared loudly. You are living, breathing, wrinkle-creamed proof that God can pick up shattered pieces and build a woman who is fierce, fabulous, and completely unstoppable.

The Scriptures back this up, proving that age only seasons us for greater battles. Isaiah 61:3 reminds us that the Lord will “provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” If He can swap ashes for beauty, He can easily swap your midlife crisis for a divine commission. You have traded the naive insecurity of your twenties for the battle tested authority of a woman who knows exactly who she is in Christ.

So, put on your reading glasses, lace up your New Balances, and get ready to run enemy territory amok. Do not hide your scars, your laugh lines, or the wisdom you bought with tears. The younger generation is desperate for mature women who aren’t afraid to get messy and show them how to fight the good fight. Your history of brokenness and restoration is the exact weapon God wants to use to shake up this world.

Lord, thank You that while my collagen is fading, Your grace is ever-increasing. Grant me the patience to handle my changing hormones, the strength to survive another night of night sweats, and the wisdom to remember why I walked into this room. Holy Spirit, ignite a fire in my soul today that burns hotter than any hot flash. Use my mess, my mileage, and my midlife wisdom to shake things up for Your kingdom. Amen.

Keep trusting


Keep Trusting 


Trust. 


This is a word that honestly, until this last year and half of my life, I’m not sure I truly understood. I trust my husband. I trust my Pastors. I trust my friends and family. But God? 


The word “trust” is in the Bible over 190 times. ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY TIMES. I’m not quite sure I’ve ever repeated myself 190 times. Well.. let’s be real. I am a mom after all. But there we were, with a diagnosis that no natural remedy could “cure”, statistics stating that our future looked pretty hopeless, and a glaring question arising in our hearts: “Will you trust Me?” 


It was a couple of months beforehand that the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “This is going to be a James chapter 1 season of life for you.” Have you read James chapter one? Let me give you the verses He was referring to: 


“My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance. And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.”
‭‭James 1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭(TPT‬)


I won’t lie and say that I was immediately enlightened to this being my answer, but eventually, I saw it. 


Let’s talk about verse 2. Why would James, by the leading of the Spirit, tell us to be joyful when we are going through hardship? It seemed almost cruel to me that in the face of what seemed like life or death, the Lord was telling me to be joyful. (Don’t act like you would receive that immediately, either.) But verse 3 is the why. When our faith is tested, and I dare to say ONLY when our faith is tested, are we truly able to grow in trust. The “power of endurance” can be equated to a deeper trust in Who God is. A deeper understanding that no matter what we face, God is at work if we will continue to trust Him. 


It was a few months later that the Lord made the final connection for me. Why can we count it all joy when we are facing hardship and what seems to be hard place after hard place? We can count it all joy because of Romans 8:28 which states: 


“We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.”
‭‭
God is our PARTNER when we are facing a hardship. God is working. Our disconnect is that sometimes we want and expect God to work in a way that we see and understand and we call that faith. But true faith is complete trust. Trust that every detail of our lives are being woven together to fit into a plan. A PLAN OF GOOD. And true trust or the God-kind of faith doesn’t have to know the “how” and “why”, it is just 100% assured that good will be the end result. Our only job is to not stray from that Truth! 


This is the way God put it to me: “If it’s not good, I’m not done yet. So keep standing.” 


My favorite is verse 4 in James. Imagine a life on earth with nothing missing and nothing lacking. A faith and trust so strong in the Lord that no matter what would come against us, we are immovable. THIS IS THE END RESULT THAT THE LORD DESIRES FOR EVERY HARDSHIP WE FACE: A deeper trust in Him that eventually, we are walking so close with Him that nothing is able to shake us. What a life! 


So this is my challenge today to you: Are you trusting or are you hoping for your own desired result? The ONLY guarantee we have is what the Word promises us. We can’t come up with our own plans and then ask the Lord to work them out. We do our best to walk out HIS plan, and when we face hardship, because we will, we keep trusting and taking step after step. 


And then, when it’s good, we turn to God and say, “Alright God. I trust you even more now. What can we conquer together now?” 


“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.” – Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭(AMPC‬‬)