Love Is Not a Game

My boyfriend has 2 nieces (ages 5 and 9). It is so cute, because each time I see them and ask who their boyfriend is, I get a different answer. I look back to my own elementary years, and it was not uncommon to swap so called "boyfriends" every single week! Ohhh when life was that simple...

Now that I am a college graduate, a current graduate student, and presently in a stable 2-year relationship, I have come to the conclusion: LOVE IS NOT A GAME--it is a gift!

Ladies, I ask you to do this...reflect on your current relationships. Who are you allowing to take part in your private world? Now ask yourself this question...Do they draw you closer to God, or do they weaken your faith and pull you away from Him?

God considers your heart to be priceless. He gave His life so that you can be free! God has so many wonderful and amazing plans for your life. When you get involved with those who do not sincerely care for your heart and constantly play those "relational games," you miss out on what God has in store for you.

I've been there. We all have, and it's never easy. We find ourselves in a relationship that we know deep down is simply no good for us. It's hard, and it hurts. But God is patiently waiting to give you the true desires of your precious heart if you will be willing to let go of it all.

I ask you to take note of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. It says, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

I challenge each of you today to let go of those who harm you, and hold on to your Heavenly Father instead. He will surely open your eyes to see what a real and lasting relationship is meant to be!

Stay tuned...

B

What's so important about PRAYER?

Oh what's the big deal about PRAYER? I mean...the Bible tell us to pray--but we don't. Who has time for that these days? Isn't it optional? Prayer has to be outdated. I'd rather leave praying up to my preacher. I've been getting along pretty well without it. So in that case, prayer must be a "last-minute emergency" type thing. Right???

WRONG!

What happened to saying our prayers every night? What happened to blessing each meal before we ate? How did we so easily get away from the realization of the power of prayer?

Prayer isn't a requirement or a job; it is a privilege! God gives each of us the ability to call on Him! John 14:14 says, "You may ask anything in My name, and I will do it!"

God tell us that if we have the faith of just a tiny mustard seed, then we have the power to move mountains! All we have to do is call on Him by faith, and know that He will answer.

God knows each and every little thing going on in your life today. He is already highly aware of your every thought, your every choice, and your every move. He knows what makes you sad, happy, angry, anxious, and tired. He is patiently waiting for you to turn to Him, and tell Him all about it. He's ready to help you through it!

I heard a song on the way to work this morning and the lyrics went something like this: "Stand tall and remember what He said, I won't give you more than you can take. I might let you bend, but I won't let you break. I will never let you go!"

Prayer is our path to the exciting adventure of building a wonderful relationship with our Savior. God's ear is truly Divine. Talk to Him. Trust Him. Have faith in Him.

One of my favorite quotes says, "When life gets too hard to stand...KNEEL!" It is no doubt that the spiritual battle is fought-and won-on our knees!

God listens to you. He will answer you.

Stay tuned...

B

Guard Your Heart

A few weeks ago, I went to visit a friend of mine who had recently had her firstborn child. As I sat there holding that sweet little baby, I thought to myself..."I would protect her with my life." I made sure that my arms were strong as I held her. I made certain that my feet were steady, and my eyes were ever so watchful.

As I tend to do, I started thinking a little deeper. I started thinking about my heart and how it is just as delicate as that tiny baby.

God has placed something so very precious inside each and every one of you. Just as you would a newborn baby, God wants you to guard, protect, and watch over your heart with all of your might and with all of your strength. It is your heart...your very life!

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life!"-Proverbs 4:23

Think of this world and all of it's worldly pleasures just like a kidnapper. It wants so badly to steal and destroy your heart. We often look at the sin of the world and think, "It's not that bad!" It may not seem harmful at the time, but it can no doubt separate you from the Lord Jesus Christ.

A newborn child is helpless without love and care. Our heart is just the same. It will surely suffer if it is taken away from Him.

I cannot express how important it is to guard your heart and cling to Him...in all that you do!

Stay tuned...

B

Trust and Obey

I constantly find myself praying, "Lord, show me my purpose. Show me where You want me to be and exactly what You want me to do." How many of you are with me in that you say, "Lord, just give me some sort of sign!"

God's "signs" are all around us. Many of them are found right in front of us--in the written word of God. We just have to look. When we are willing, God is patiently waiting to strategically place us somewhere to be a blessing for Him. He has a special plan and a special purpose for each and every one of us. He is just waiting for us to say, "Here I am, Lord. I am ready and willing to be obedient to You!"

Maybe God has already revealed His plan to you, and you don't understand why...or even it's purpose. You may find yourself saying, "God, that's not important enough. No one will even see me doing that for You." What we have to keep in mind is that we do not work for other people...we work for Him! No plan of His is too small. It is not our job to question...but to simply say, "yes sir," and be obedient.

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

Maybe God has revealed His plan to you, and you are not sure where to begin. One thing I have learned is that God provides clear directions! We just have to be willing to listen and committed to obedience. When God told Noah to build an ark, He gave him specific instructions. He provided the exact dimensions and exactly how to construct it. God faithfully guided Moses when leading His people out of Egypt. He was with Abraham every step of the way and provided him with the lamb for sacrifice. So don't you think that He is with you throughout your own journey? The Bible is our book of instructions. It has been proven & tested through and through.

It's like that old hymn titled Trust and Obey. The chorus says, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

Let's make a commitment today to go where God sends us without question...trusting and knowing that He has prepared the way!

Stay tuned...

B

My Chains Are Gone...I've Been Set Free

Have you ever just had one of those days where you literally wake up in a bad mood? Well, this past Saturday was one of those days for me! I do not know what the deal was, but it was as if I was trying to pick a fight about every little thing. My boyfriend and I got into an arguement, and I started bringing up negative things from the past to throw in his face. 

After I had settled down and apologized for my actions, I got to thinking...What if God did that to me? What if every time He got in one of those moods, He brought up things of the past to throw back in my face? Wow! These thoughts came like a slap in the face to me.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!"

Isn't it so amazing that when we come to Him, we are no longer a slave to sin?! We are no longer under Satan's power! We are no longer even our own, because He bought us with His life! Jesus paid for each and every one of our sins--past, present, and future.

The Bible says that "we have ALL sinned and fall short of the glory of God," but when we form that relationship with Him...the past is erased, and a new life begins! He will not bring up the past again, because it is gone in His eyes. God loves us no matter what we have done or said. He is patiently waiting for us to surrender to Him so that He can give us His wonderful gift of grace!

He cannot wait to take you to the next level of your faith! He simply asks you to set a higher standard for yourself. He asks you to let go of the old habits that are holding you back from becoming the new you. Let Him lead you away from your former life and receive the power that can truly transform your life! Our God is absolutely incredible!

The lyrics to the song in this video are so powerful: "My chains are gone. I've been set free. My God, my Savior has randsomed me. And like a flood, His mercy rains. Unending love, amazing grace." Think about that...you have been set free!

Stay tuned...

B

The Power of Forgiveness

Unfortunately, it happens each and every day--someone we love...someone we trust...hurts us. Maybe your best friend told a sacred secret you had shared with them...your boyfriend betrayed your trust...your parents let you down... 

A lot of times the pain we feel from being hurt like this can be ever so crippling and cause anger to build up inside of us.

These feelings of bitterness and unforgiveness can become much like being in prison. We become trapped and filled with resentment towards a certain person. It is almost like we become hostages to the pain of the past, and we refuse to let it go. This bitterness can  ruin our lives. I've seen it ruin friendships, relationships, and slowly take away every piece of happiness that someone has. When we sit back and think about it...is it really worth it?

I will admit that freely forgiving someone for hurting us is one of the most difficult things to do. Let's be honest here: it is human nature to seek revenge after those who do wrong to us. "I'll get her back! She doesn't know what she has coming!"...Sound familiar?

Matthew 6:14-15 says, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."



Forgiveness is one of the most powerful spiritual weapons that God has given to us. It is mentioned numerous times from Genesis to Revelation. When we learn to simply let go of revenge and to embrace forgiveness, the freedom that we will experience is absolutely remarkable!

Stay tuned...

B

It's Time to Recalculate

I will be the first to admit that I am the world's worst when it comes to directions! (I'm sure my friends & family would all agree with that statement.)  I am beyond thankful that little invention called the Global Positioning System--better known as the GPS!

You know what I like most about it?? Even if I accidentally make a wrong turn, it always finds a way to guide me back to the right path. I take a wrong exit, and that little robot voice comes on saying,"Re-calculate. Re-calculate."

A bit of a personal story--This past weekend I went to the Women of Faith conference in Shreveport, LA. As usual, I programmed the address into my GPS and hit the road. As I started getting into Shreveport, it began taking me down unfamiliar roads that were located out in the middle of literally nowhere! I started questioning whether or not my GPS knew where it was taking me! Just as I officially began to panic, I made the final turn and there it was--I had reached my destination! My GPS knew all along exactly where I was supposed to go.

You know...we may take the "wrong exit" in life sometimes. Or we may find ourselves in unfamiliar territory just as I did this past weekend. We may come to a fork in the road and not know whether to turn right or left. We look to the left and see the "easy road." It looks like many other people have chosen this road, so we think that it must be the way to go! It's bumps have been made smooth by the large crowds. It seems safe, because so many people have ventured around it's curves. What we don't see, however, is this popular road ultimately leads to destruction.

God has provided each one of us with our personal navigational system for life--the Bible. When we accidentally take a wrong turn, God's voice is softly saying, "Re-calculate. Re-calculate." Simply cry out to Him when you are lost, and He will lead you back to the road that leads to life again.

Deuteronomy 11:22 says, "Be careful to obey all the commands I give you; show love to the Lord your God by walking in His ways and clinging to Him."

God's directions are always accurate, and His maps never need an update! He is patiently waiting to get each of us on the right road today!

Stay tuned...

B