Category: Spirituality

God Box

What is a God Box you ask, that’s a good question. Like prayer is just a conversation with God a God Box is just a (real box) in which you put your request to God in. Get a box with a lid and in the box, you put your requests.

In my box which was average size (years ago) I wrote, I wanted a husband, a relationship with my daughter, a home with a garage, and a few other things. Low and behold a few years later (I had even noticed) that I had a husband, a relationship with my daughter and a Condo with a GARAGE!!!!!

Why the emphasis on the garage because He heard the smallest detail and provided it. Yes, I hear you asking/saying, “you could have just prayed”, well you are right – however with requests that magnanimous as a human, I would be fretting every day about when it was going to come to pass.

So how it works is like doing your laundry – when you put the dirty clothes in the washer machine you add your detergent close the lid or the door (for all you fancy folk) and walk away. I don’t know about you, but I trust the machine will do exactly what it is designed to do – wash my clothes. I don’t go back and check that’s it’s spinning, I don’t go back and check to see if the detergent is correct, I don’t keep checking on it during the cycle to see that it working – I TRUST THAT THE MACHINE is doing exactly what it is designed to do. So when I put my request in the box, I leave it there until all the cycles are complete…

When #Sorry Isn’t Enough

What is sorry – feeling distress, especially through sympathy with someone else’s misfortune; or feeling regret or penitence;

What is penitence – the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentance.

Can one simply say, “I’m sorry” when they have caused someone harm;

Can one simply say, “I’m sorry” when they cause someone harm over and over and over again;

Can one simply say, “I’m sorry” when the harm caused is irreparable;

Can one simply say, “I’m sorry” when the recipient is unwilling to accept;

Can one simply say, “I’m sorry” and keep operating in a behavior that is harmful;

The Bible says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Apologizing is a way of recognizing our sins. It has a way of clearing the air between people and between you and God. When people apologize, they look for forgiveness for their sins. Sometimes, it means apologizing to God for the ways we have wronged Him.

Is there a difference between saying I’m sorry or apologizing – Saying sorry simply expresses your personal feelings about something. Apologizing implies that you are accepting the responsibility of the fault or mistake as well as expressing your regret about it. This is the main difference between sorry and apology.

When saying “sorry” didn’t work, I had to ask myself, “Lord, what is it You want me to do, what do You expect of me, what am I supposed to learn here. It was then that I received a call and the caller said to me something about Jesus saying He would create division between mother and daughter. I thought to myself, wow, I never read that or should I say that I read it but never paid any attention to it – until I found myself in a position where there was strife between me, my daughter and my mother and simply saying, “sorry” just didn’t seem like it was enough…

Not Peace but Division

Jesus said, 49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Jesus would stress the cost of discipleship with these words:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27)[2]
Jesus is not teaching emotional hatred for family members, but making it very clear that all relationships must be secondary to following him. Even parents, even a wife or husband, even children, even brothers or sisters, none of these could be first in their lives . Every loyalty and every love – even of a disciple’s own life – must be less than love for him. “Whoever does not carry their cross” – whoever will not die to every other loyalty – “cannot be my disciple.”

…above all else Christ must come first, a hard pill to swallow but a necessary medicine nonetheless…

Empowerment

EMPOWERMENT

What does empowerment mean?

Have you ever thought about the real meaning of empowerment? What does it really truly mean to be empowered? The dictionary says it is the “authority or power given to someone to do something,” or “the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights.”

Empowerment is simple

Empowerment is simple. You can learn to advocate for yourself, to reach inside your soul and find your inner strength. It is there, you just have to find it and let it show its face. You can empower others by lifting them up instead of putting them down. Put downs do nothing they are a way to self-elevate oneself. They cause harm and achieve absolutely nothing. Wouldn’t you rather give people compliments, encourage them when they are down, and point out the good instead of the bad so that they too can be empowered to go after their dreams.

The Holy Spirit’s empowering of you happened when you put your faith in Christ.

The Bible says, “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:10-11). I like that about the Holy Spirit. He goes where I cannot. He comprehends things I cannot. He does things I cannot. But when it comes to the things I need to do, He equips me to do them.

When I’m lost, when I’m sad, when I’m angry, jealous, full of pride and ego, arrogant, confused, I can call on the Holy Spirit to guide me AND MY WORDS during difficult situations.

The Holy Spirit is my strongest guide to empowerment not my job, not my parents, not my daughter, not my blog, definitely not by social media.

Suicide – When It Hurts To Much

National Suicide Hot Line 800-273-8255

Veterans Crisis Line 800-273-8255

Understanding the issues concerning suicide and mental health is an important way to take part in suicide prevention, help others in crisis, and change the conversation around suicide.

Rebuilding After the #Storm

I have seen so many people who go through life with a jaded spirit. I know how difficult the storms of life can be, where you are facing one calamity after another, only to find that the hope and optimism you once had is gone.  So often hopelessness becomes collateral damage after you get out of the storm.  It’s one thing to make it to the other side of a difficult problem, but often when we search the inner corridors of our soul we see that the storm has changed us forever.   

I have seen so many people who have lost all sense of joy and happiness in their life.  They are physically alive, but emotionally dead. No one talks about the emotional weight that storms put upon us.  I know that you have to act like everything is going right, I know you have to pretend that you can hold it all together.  But Today, I want you to take some of the weight off and become vulnerable.  It is not easy dealing with storms.  I know you had so much hope and joy and laughter in your life, and God is declaring today, it’s time to get your Joy Back! 

God doesn’t want you to just come through the storm alive, God wants you to flourish.   God wants you to have joy.  God wants to see you smile.   I have learned that in storms, I have to fight for my joy.  I refuse to give up my hope.  Tomorrow will be better than today.  Your latter shall be greater than your former.  Your best days lie ahead.  God wants you to thrive! 

Source: Rev. Nicholas Richards

#Stubborness

Relationships can take any form. From romantic relationships, marriages to friends or close families that have just drifted apart over time or due to specific problems. The Lord helps us cure all wounds if we follow the lead of Jesus. One of the things I have found that ruins all kinds of relationships is STUBBORNESS. Especially when you are the one who has been wronged. It is so easy and normal to hold on to our grudges, to feel right and vindicated in our refusal to forgive, but this feeling is not Godly.

I know how difficult it is to forgive. I know how much time can be wasted holding on to pain that someone did to us in the past, but if this past year–of coronavirus has taught me anything, it is that, I don’t want to waste any more time. Unforgiveness sucks the life and the joy out of you. While you may feel like you are justified in holding unto your pain, you are only hurting yourself. Think about all the times you fall short of what you KNOW, God is telling you to do, and yet, God keeps on forgiving you.

The disciples ask Jesus, “master how many times shall we forgive, is it 7 times?” to which Jesus responds, “not 7 but 70 x 7” (Matthew 18:21). There is no limit to forgiveness. Relationships are not just about husbands and wives, someone is praying for their children right now; perhaps the relationship that needs healing is the one with your sibling. I know people who haven’t spoken to their brother and sisters in over 15 years! God is calling you to heal and reconcile.

I have fallen into the spirit of stubbornness, I’ve been running around ranting about all I did for a family member, and how dare he not be grateful – his gratefulness should not be measured by me and in inability to show gratefulness should not be judge by me. I surrender today!

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