Why Is God Taking So Long?

God is working it out in a way that you can receive what you have asked for. God is not limited, but we are. He chooses to work around our challenges to bring us into the fullness of our faith and His glory. This is in addition to bringing about what we want according to his will.

God is not restricted by time but in our current earthly life, we are. He works with us and time to bless us, not only materially, but also in a way that encourages us to store up riches in Heaven. Don't forget that in his Word he also promises to redeem time for us. He does this in various ways, in relation to his plans and purposes.

Our Heavenly Father is processing it for us, always.

Scripture Book In The Works

I'm working on a fav scriptures book to publish at Amazon KDP. The title is I Am Prospering In Every Way: Scripture Declarations & Prayer Prompts. It's a book encouraging Christian growth and living by faith. I'm sharing the scriptures that I have memorized and quote every morning.

There are 32 scriptures and I've written up 9 of them so far. In each chapter I quote 1 scripture and write a paraphrase of it that makes it more practical to apply to our daily lives. I then add a simple prayer prompt.

For the cover design, I started with a photographs design using Affinity Photo. I then decided to create a vector design using Affinity Designer. I've shared both draft designs below. The spreads are showing the backs and fronts. I am sure I'll be going with the vector design (the 1st one). I like its crispness.

I'm trying to write up 1 scripture per day so that I can publish as soon as possible. This will be my first Christian book and I'm anxious to get it done. Are you doing any Christian publishing or design work? Christian crafting?

God Has Never Failed Me

I remind myself that nothing will separate me from God's love.

I remind myself that God has my best interests at heart and that no matter how things have been, how they look today and what may come tomorrow, he will never fail me.

I remember that even though some things have not happened in the way in which I had hoped, God has never failed me.

I remember that I have seen God's glory. I've seen God's deliverance. I've seen God's blessings. I've seen God's protection in my life.

I remember that God has never failed me and he never will.

Nothing will separate me from God's love.

Remind yourself today.

Happy Friday: God's Sin-Covering Love

It is with God's love only that we can love our enemies because it is his love that covers a multitude of sins. When we try to love with our own, fleshly love, we can't, especially when we have been offended, disappointed or hurt. God's love, however, triumphs over all of that. It is through God's love in us flowing out towards the unlovable, that we are able to make Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the Cross valid. 

If we can't come to love those whom we insist that it is impossible to love, then Our Savior's sacrifice has no power in our lives. If we are working with God to love ourselves then we can, through the help of his Holy Spirit, come to truly love those who have offended us.

Ask God to fill your heart with love and expand it within you so that you can love the unlovable in the way that pleases him.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

A Way Out Or A Way Through?

The Lord promised in his Word, Psalm 23, that he would prepare a place before us in the presence of our enemies. This scripture was illuminated to me by the Holy Spirit and I discerned that it is not saying, necessarily, that God will remove the enemies from our lives. Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. Maybe he will at the time he has appointed. When we read this scripture however, we want immediate deliverance from our enemies' attacks.

We want so badly (especially those of us who have been suffering attacks for so long) for that passage to mean that God is going to wave his divine hand and say POOF! and the enemies and their attacks will be gone. Psalm 23 is revealing that the enemies are present to see our advancement, deliverance, success and favor in the midst of their evil. Thou shalt prepare a table in the presence of my enemies.

These people under the influence of rulers of the darkness of this world may or may not care. Seeing God's favor on us may make an immediate difference in their lives but it mostly likely will not. People who are bent on following the influence of principalities and powers are not quick to see their wrong.

We were there at one time, living reprobate lives, subject to any wicked thing against others, no matter how good we thought we were. We hurt people overtly and covertly, purposely and unconsciously. We know that it takes the timing of the Holy Spirit to bring us into His marvelous light of truth and set us on the path of transformation. It's up to God when and how our enemies are blocked from their access to us. 

We are quick to embrace a way out but is that best at this time? Is it God's good, acceptable and perfect will for us to have a way out on this stretch of our journey? When it is not the appointed time, a way out keeps us weak. A way through, alternatively, builds our faith and spiritual strength. 

After the way through comes the way out. I want increased faith to walk in the freedom of Christ and more power to destroy the works of the devil, don't you? That's the ultimate goal, the building up of our most holy faith and the reception of power from on high, no matter what our enemies are doing. 

Love Yourself With God's Love

 

God loves us unrelentingly.

Why not love ourselves?

Only then can we love others with his love.

His love is shed abroad in our hearts when we love ourselves enough to receive it.

His love then flows from us out to others and covers a multitude of sins.

What can you do for yourself to show that you love you with The Father's love?

Image Credit: PixTeller

Mistakes Now Serve A Purpose

Was listening to R. C. Blakes, Jr. recently at Youtube and he made a profound statement which blessed me. His message was about how difficult it often is for us to forgive ourselves. His message encourages us to allow the shackles of guilt and shame to be broken off of us. He ministers to help us to step into that place of the forgiveness of the Father towards us and the forgiveness of ourselves from within.

At a point about 3/4 of the way he said, We are not defined by our mistakes. We are refined by our mistakes. That statement caught more of my attention. As I pondered it, it seemed to be saying that the things for which I am sorry for in my recent and distant past are helping to mold and shape me into someone who is useable by God. My mistakes are not the end. They don't have the last say-so.

You can listen to his message here:

FORGIVE YOURSELF AND MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR LIFE by RC BLAKES

His statement reminded me of another one from the website Homeword.com about grace.  

HomeWord shares this about their mission: 

HomeWord seeks to advance the work of God in the world by educating, equipping, and encouraging parents and churches to build God-honoring families from generation to generation. At HomeWord, we believe in STRONG MARRIAGES, CONFIDENT PARENTS, EMPOWERED KIDS and HEALTHY LEADERS. We exist to strengthen and equip parents, couples, families and leaders. 

God already loves us. He loved us from the beginning. He commended his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). When we did not know God and did not care about his only, precious Son, he sent him to suffer and die so that we can be whole and have our souls redeemed.  Since God did that for us when we could not have cared less, we know that he is always willing to take our blunders, errors and slip-ups and turn them into good. He works our sorrows out for good to bless us and glorify his name.

We should work to forgive ourselves. We should not worship God with shallow and ineffective babblings which make Jesus' precious blood to none affect in our lives (Galatians 2:21, 5:4, I Corinthians 17). Accept God's forgiveness and grace today. We are worthy, because of Jesus Christ.

Living In Harmony With God

Where love is there truly is harmony. 

The love of God shed abroad in our hearts will not allow confusion, dishonesty, deviousness, deceit or ulterior motive. 

Is God's love ruling and reigning in your life? Have you allowed his divine love to break down all of those waste places in your life so that his love can flourish and produce in like kind? Some characteristics of God's love are:

• Organization
• Honesty
• Straightforwardness
• Trustworthiness
• Openness

God's love is supreme and corrects everything! When we are allowing God to work his love in our own lives, we inspire it in the lives of others. It multiplies outward all around us. Where God's love is there is harmony in all of its various forms.

Allow God's love to take over YOUR life and experience the evolution and expansion of harmony! 

***

How Can You Forgive The Unforgivable?

There is no trespass, debt or transgression that we cannot choose to forgive through the power of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The operative word is choose. When forgiveness is difficult or next to impossible, we have to choose it. 

When we come to understand just a little of what Jesus did for us, we then get the power to forgive anything and everything. It takes a revelation of Christ's sacrifice. We will never understand, in this earthly life, just what He did for us. We can grow into a better understanding of this Perfect Gift. 

Our Holy Spirit-given knowledge of the obedience of The Lamb of God will begin to give us the Heart of God. Why is this important? Because God's love covers a multitude of sins. (I Peter 4:8) His love can't cover our sins and not the sins of those who have hurt and damaged us. His love given to us through the shed Blood and the broken Body of his precious Son covers all sins. 

Now, the Bible speaks of a sin against the Holy Spirit that cannot be forgiven but that is another issue. For our understanding of forgiveness towards others, Jesus paid it all. There is nothing that we cannot forgive because of His total sacrifice.

We can be proud and grateful of our ability to forgive through God's provision of his only Son, Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. Ask God today for a revelation of what Jesus did for you so that you can soon start your new, holy journey of forgiveness.

One Of These Is You. Start Your New Journey Of Forgiveness Today. Ask Our Father To Give You A Revelation Of Christ's Sacrifice For You.

• There are some things that you feel you just can't forgive and never will be able to.
• You've told someone that you will never forgive them.
• You've said "I forgive you," but in your heart you are secretly unforgiving.
• Something so unfair, so devastating, so tragic happened to you and that is why all of these years, all of these decades you have not been able to forgive those involved.
• You want to forgive but you don't know how.
• You have forgiven but you still feel weighed down and you do not feel free.
• You can't forgive what the adult(s) who raised you did to you or did not do for you in your formative years.
• You know that you're weighed down with so many grudges but can't shake them.

Happy New Year In Christ Jesus

 

Happy New Year!

May you begin 2023 with a renewed spirit, 

ready to become recommitted to 

God Our Father's plan for your life 

and to casting all of your cares 

on Jesus Our Lord and Savior.