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Getting lost in the Crowd Mentality

“Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”” Luke 8:52

I found what Jesus said very interesting. After all, if one person says that someone is dead then there may be some doubt. But, a whole crowd who were wailing and mourning stands to confirm that this young child was truly dead.

But Jesus said that she was not dead but asleep.

What I got from this verse:

God is all-knowing. Yet we don’t trust him and rely on what we know.
Not everything we see with our eyes is truly what is actually taking place. There is so many other things happening in the spiritual realm and we need to continue to ask God for true sight.
Many times we are quick to react based on what we see. But some things require us to take a step back and ‘truly look’.
Stop following the crowd! Go against the grain…

crowd - @GodlyWoman911

The following verse spoke of how the crowd laughed at Jesus after making this statement. How many times have we laughed at Jesus when he has rebuked us thinking HE must be crazy to ask me to do that!

Like, forgive X for doing that because in fact there are many other things that were happening that you were not privy of!
Or, I need you to go and speak to those people on MY behalf. God you must be crazy… they HATE you and you see the color of my skin? Nope not me… send someone else.

Food for thought: What did Christ lay in your heart when you read this? If nothing, pray again… HE will open your eyes to the only truth.

Prayer: Holy God, open my eyes to the truth and shut my mouth when I am quick to respond. May I live my life to seek to understand your will and your truth in all things. Amen.

May God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you.

When “Giving Thanks” Go Very Wrong

Celebrating a day to give thanks is an annual tradition and holiday in several countries around the world.

A few weeks ago, I listened to a speech by a young man who was encouraging his listeners to adopt a lifestyle of giving thanks. I was excited for this speech but the more he progressed the sadder I became.

To summarise, he woke up one day and decided that he was going to give thanks to everyone who made it possible for him to get a cup of coffee each morning. This new life goal took him all over the world and allowed him to meet many different groups of people.

At no time in his 25 minute speech did he thank God!

It left me stumped! After all, it is only by the grace and abundant blessings provided by the Creator which allowed him to even get his coffee.

“Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word.” Isaiah 66:2

But even as I was sad and then upset about his speech, I recognised very quickly that even I have this issue. I don’t live a continually thankful life. Every day I listen to the news and my heart weep for those that are facing hardship. I have water, food, shelter, freedom of speech, health, life, friends, family…. And the list goes on. But yet I take it all for granted.

Food for thought: Are you taking your blessings for granted? How much have you received and still expecting to get? Give thanks. Give thanks.

Prayer: Forgive us Father for we have sinned. Amen

May God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you.

Now that is faith!

As I was reading the story of the centurion, once finished I exclaimed to myself “Now that is some kind of faith!”

Here is the bible story:

“There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant… So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”” Luke 7:2-3, 6-9

I wonder if that is my kind of faith?

Or am I, even knowing and having a personal relationship with Christ, more prone to a ‘faith’ that doubts the absolute power and kingship of Christ.

It’s a tough self check but it makes me reflect deeply on what am I trusting and believing in God for and what am I not? If I don’t wake up in the morning praising him and continually checking in with him first throughout the day, then is Christ really who I am trusting and have faith in or is it myself?

faith @godlywoman911

If I only trust him for the big things or the scary things or the “I have nowhere else to turn” things then truly is that having faith in Christ? Some may say yes but it tells me that my faith is conditional. That I am treating God like a vending machine instead of humbly acknowledging the omnipotent King of kings.

Food for thought: Run a faith check on your own life? What do you see? God doesn’t have a measuring stick against us on our level of faith but how pleasant it would be to live a life of constant faith in Christ alone!

Prayer: Christ, our cornerstone. Bled and died for a sinner like me. Never deserving. But you looked on me and called me worthy. Like the centurion, may we live our lives of absolute faith in your leadership and power. In Jesus name. Amen.

May God’s mercy, peace and love be with you.

If you must boast… do it this way!

Recently visited China and the one thing that was central in my mind was that this country doesn’t like Christians or Christian worship.

And I am always honest with you guys…

So I am just telling you that your girl was on her knees begging God to not let me get locked up in this country cause HE knows that I can’t control myself when it comes to praising HIM!

You see, I have a Boasting - Godly Woman 911 problem! A big one… I love to boast… and not just any kind of boasting… I am very specific in my boasting! Nothing delights me more than boasting about the power, strength, grace, mercy and abounding love of God.

Prior to my trip, a bible verse caught my attention:

““Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39

You know this caused me to do my praise dance.

For those that worried about me travelling, I called and shared the good news I had found in the bible and encouraged everyone not to worry… God was going to do amazing things on my journey.

I am still on my journey, but I can praise God for so many things! Here is my current boasting now to you:

New friends in a beautiful country created by the Most High God
A successful trip with lots of great networking
A deeper understanding of the culture and beliefs of China to drive target prayer
Safe journeys to China and in China

I can go on and on… but you get my point.

Food for thought: What can you boast about today… telling others about the goodness and greatness of our God?

Prayer: Oh what a mighty God we serve! Creator, Most High God, King of Kings, El-Shaddai. How we love you and lift up your name in praise and adoration. Lord, when we want to boast about anything that is not you, forgive us and cause a stirring within our heart to stop. May your light and joy shine through our lives so that we can impact others. May your name be glorified and praised. In Jesus name. Amen

Mercy, grace, and love be with you.

Because Jesus says so!

“Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”” catching fish - @GodlyWoman911.com Luke 5:5

Reminds me of times when I was younger and my foster mother would ask me to do something that I had tried a “zillion” times but it wasn’t working.

This verse also reminds me of when my laptop is giving me issues again and as much as I try and try nothing truly works! But as soon as the IT guy shows up, all of a sudden everything works perfectly!

I am picturing Peter as he is speaking to Jesus…

A shrug..

Maybe a frustrated sigh…

Rolling of the eyes!

But no matter what outward signs he may have shown, there was a spirit of obedience to just try again…

What is God calling you to do? What have you been trying to do so much on your own and it isn’t working?

Take some time now to stop and pray. Seek Christ guidance and call on HIM to grant you wisdom and understanding for your challenges, concerns, opportunities or journey ahead.

Food for thought: Life only gets easier when you allow Christ to be first in all things. Let him guide you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, creator of all things, glory, honor and praise be to your name. In our earthly wisdom we cry out to be in control of our lives and when it gets out of control we get upset and many times we curse you Lord. Forgive us. Your word instructs us to seek you first in all things. Forgive us the idols that we have in our lives that we put first before coming to your throne. God of grace and mercy, thank you for your love and forgiveness. May we be guided by your light and love and filled with your spirit of wisdom and understanding. In Jesus name. Amen

May God’s mercy, grace and love be with you.

Do this the next time you are experiencing temptation

“My parents were alcoholics but I can control my alcohol. One sip a day doesn’t effect me.”

“Just one peek at that porn.”

“No one will know if I cheat on my test.”

“I don’t gossip. I just like sharing with others.”

“I have to lie. No other choice.”

“TV or reading my bible?”

Temptation - @GodlyWoman911

Day in and day out, we face many different types of temptation. Some of us are so caught up in habits that are bad for us and it all started with a temptation.

Temptation is one of the devil’s secret weapons to keep us away from God. And he uses our lust, greed, pride, vanity, and weakness to entice us into temptation.

In my reflection of things that truly tempt me I remember the words of Paul who aptly noted in Romans 7:15 that ““I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

Tonight as I read Luke 4:2-10 it brought into action the one thing we need to do when faced with temptation.

Every time the devil brought something forward to Jesus in order to “tempt” him, Jesus always responded with “It is written”

It is interesting how the devil caught on and started himself to quote the bible in his temptations… But Jesus in his wisdom still quoted the Word of God.

Jesus could have laughed in the Devils face at his lies. He could have cursed the devil and walk away. No! Jesus didn’t even acknowledge the devil nor did HE call him out. Jesus simply spoke the word that was written in HIS heart.

When I face temptation there are some amazing “go to” verses that I love:

1 Corinthians 10:13
Psalm 50:15
Hebrews 4:15-16
Philippians 4:6-7, 13
Psalm 27:4-6
Exodus 14:14
Isaiah 40:29
Proverbs 13:11
Matthew 6:31-33

Food for thought: So the next time you find yourself tempted, seek the word of God to respond to that temptation. Do you have some verses that you enjoy going to? Share with me. I would love to know.

Prayer: Blessed father, strong in might and power. The devil is like a prowling lion waiting to devour but your word promises us that he can’t snatch us from your hands. Father, thank you for your assurance that we will never be tempted in such a way that you won’t find a way out for us. We pray for your strength, wisdom and guidance when we are tempted. To your name be all the glory. Amen.

May God’s grace, peace and love be with you.

What does it mean to be a child of God?

What does it mean to be a child of God? Ephesians 1 tells us that we were predestined to be a child of God before the creation of this world!

The God that we serve is a mighty planner, and even though HE knew we were going to sin and fall short of His glory, He still planned that we would be called sons and daughters of the Most High God.

I don’t know about you but that makes me rejoice!

Every time I hear “child of God”, it makes me feel a sense of awe. Why me? Then there is that feeling of apprehension and dread. It allows me to understand better the life of a Pastor’s kid. You don’t want to do anything wrong, but the devil is working overtime!

Last night, someone innocently asked me, “How do I know if I am a child of God?”

And at first, I wanted to come up with something very theological and full of importance, but after two seconds, I gave up on that because that ain’t just me. I get to the truth and get to it really quickly! I responded, “If you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are a child of God”. It truly is that simple.

Additional verses

I found these verses that I hope you find comfort in as well:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” John 1:12

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans‬ ‭8:14-17‬

“he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Ephesians 1:5-6

Reflections

Food for thought: If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, then you are a child of God. Be filled with the Spirit and comforted in that knowledge today.

Prayer: Holy God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. How great is your name above all the earth. How great is your love Father, that we should be called your children. Forgive us for our sins. Forgive us for disowning you. Forgive us when we don’t carry your name well by the way that we live our lives. Amen

May God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you. Shalom

God’s gift to you

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them…. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:15-21,26

world - @godlywoman911

The Prince of this world is the devil and he continues to roam the earth looking to devour.

But we are to not only believe in Jesus but follow his commandments. He didn’t come as a god that we can’t possibly mimic our lives to but instead he came as a man to show us how to live.

A few years back in a bible study session we were talking about the amazing things that Jesus did. The conversation ensued that we can also do the same things but someone in the group got very agitated and abruptly shouted saying “but that was Jesus and that is impossible for any human being!”

We need to stop making excuses and saying “but that was Jesus”!

The Holy Spirit was given to us to remind and guide us how to live as Christ. As believers we need to continually call on the Spirit and not try to live this life alone.

Food for thought: How often do you call on the Holy Spirit to help you? Start making it a habit to call him all throughout your day and see your life change!

Prayer: Living Father, your wisdom, grace and love for us knows no boundaries. Thank you! Thank you for your gift of the Holy Spirit. John wrote that “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” May we lean on this knowledge and truth. For those of us that don’t understand the power of the Holy Spirit may you grant us wisdom. In Jesus name. Amen

May God’s grace, mercy and love be with you. Shalom

3 Ways to show mercy

“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”” Matthew 9:13

Many of you know that I have been England for a few weeks and maybe it is the areas that I have travelled, but in the city of London despite all of the beautiful buildings, architecture, food and scenery, I have noticed profoundly the number of homeless people on the sidewalk.

showing mercy - @godlywoman911

As I encountered each of them, my heart cried out. I gave money, but the situation became overwhelming… some of these individuals I saw over and over again.

How can I truly help these individuals?

I started feeling after a while annoyed that yes the bible tells me that I need to help the poor and oppressed but seriously… why are they always in the same place. I started giving and I can’t really now sneak pass them.

And as soon as I recognized the direction of my heart I felt guilty, remorseful and very ashamed. I don’t know the situation that led to their homeless condition? I don’t know why they remain in their present situation… but I knew that my heart needed to change.

So I have prayed and studied God’s word.

If you are like me and might yourself feel hopeless to the situation of how you can help persons who are homeless, I found 5 key verses from the Bible in what we can do to help:

Extend a kind hand

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:13-14

“The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.” Ecclesiastes 9:11

At home, I love inviting people who may be seen as ‘different’ or ‘poor’ in society. I have learnt so much from them, at time able to assist them with getting work or just spending a few hours playing board games. You don’t know their situation or reason for their station in life… and you don’t really need to know. But you can extend a kind hand.

Search your heart

“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:33-34

I am known for giving away at all times… but lately I have felt that I just have too much! So I have just been giving away to those that need. Why do I need 30 plates and 20 glasses when it is just me one? I don’t… but there are so many others that need, and so I give.

Be generous

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17

“He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:33-36

We never think in terms of how our giving to the poor is closely tied to God. Be generous… you will inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

Food for thought: Many think of homeless people as those on the road but many have shelter and homes and are still ‘homeless’. Look around you. Who needs a kind hand extended to them? Who needs your generosity? What clothes or items do you have that you truly don’t need. Pray and seek God’s guidance.

Prayer: Abba father your word tells us that “if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” Open our hearts Lord. May we extend your mercy to our fellow man and not live as if it is a sacrifice. Amen

May God’s mercy, grace and love be with you. Shalom

The London Underground: A biblical view

I am in London for a few days and decided to experience the infamous London Underground.

Following my friend who takes this mode of travel all the time, I entered an entirely different world. Without her guidance, I would have definitely had a harder time understanding where, when, what time, how etc.

After getting my Oyster card, she proceeded to walk me through the rules of travelling underground and then pointing out to me different signs to understand where I am going. Once we reached our location and spent some time together, she asked me whether I wanted to venture back to my hotel by myself or if I wanted her to go with me. Braving it, I told her that I would go by myself.

As I was heading back, I felt a connection to the underground that led me to write this message.

The sweltering heat and noise experienced underground reminded me of this world filled with the pressures and craziness of life.

@godlywoman911 - london underground

Many persons on the train had earbuds in their ears, zoned out from what was going on or sleeping. The majority knew exactly where they were going and was racing to get there.

Then you had me.

Unsure. Taken slower steps. Reading all directions. Continuous checking of the train line to ensure I was going in the right direction. Overall, I truly felt like London had done an amazing job of providing directions and guidance all the way so that I never felt lost at all.

It made me think of the bible.

The Bible like the Underground has many stops (books of the bible and stories) and direction. No matter the situation, we can be guided in the bible on what to do so that we don’t get lost.

The people walking around like zombies… they didn’t need the direction anymore… they were well versed. But I wondered how many of us after reading the bible day after day start feeling like we are zombies when doing it. How many of us truly focus on what we have read, prayed over it, and asked God to stamp it into our hearts and minds.

Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck. Proverbs 6:21

And for my friend who guided me first in the underground, it made me think of how many people am I guiding to read the bible and seek God’s word for direction and guidance.

Food for thought: Has life created you into a zombie where you aren’t seeing or feeling anymore? How is your relationship with Christ – is it cold, lukewarm or on fire?

Prayer: Holy God, how gracious and glorious is your name. Alpha and Omega, we praise and lift your name on high. Forgive us. Forgive us. We want to serve you Lord, but our flesh is weak. Father for those that seek your wisdom, may they be given it abundantly. As we zombie, our way through life, may we be shaken and blessed with a renewing power and mind. All for the glory of your kingdom. In Jesus name. Amen

May God’s grace, mercy and love be with you. Shalom!