Fire!

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17

It dawned on me that you may think I'm accident prone or that I have the worst luck ever (ie. explosive residue and smoke detectors). As I was chuckling to myself, I wondered if God was using my circumstances to speak to me. So, I decided to utilize online concordances, bible dictionaries to do word studies. When you start noticing recurring themes, words, or numbers in your life, take time to learn more about them. It will definitely be enlightening. God is always speaking, we just have to listen. Happy Thursday! 

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Romans 8:14

Warning!

"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you." Proverbs 4:6

An interesting thing happens yesterday morning; I set off the fire alarm in my place of residence. When it happened, I thought "surely that's not my toaster strudel, it doesn't even smell burnt!" I started thinking- God gives us warning signs when things could potentially destroy us. I would hate for the alarm to go off once there were flames engulfing the house. When you feel a check in your spirit, do you continue on your path, or do you stop and seek God for direction? Happy Wednesday! 

Answered Prayers

"Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear." Isaiah 65:24 

Have you ever been praying for answers, only to find out that God had already handled it? This scripture reminds us that God already knows our needs and desires. Sometimes we don't recognize his reply because we don't take time to stop, reflect, and allow The Holy Spirit to reveal things to us. Happy Monday!

"But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7

Airport Chronicles

"For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. None... will be able to stand against you." Jeremiah 1:18 

God has such a sense of humor. As I studied Jeremiah this morning, I reflected on my airport experience from yesterday. I was "randomly selected" prior to going through security to test the palms of my hands. Lo and behold, "explosive residue" was detected; I was patted down and my belongings were searched. But as Jeremiah 1:19 says, "they will try and fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you." Has something so ridiculous happened that you just had to laugh? I've heard that we should live so people don't believe the negativity and lies. Regardless, in high stress situations, stay calm, because God's got your back. Happy Friday! 

Abbreviated Quality Time

"If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us" 2 Tim 2:12

Do you ever find it hard to have good quality time with God? You know, life gets so busy that your time with Him gets shortened to only a few minutes? I know the feeling. Even in those times, I still know the latest music, trending topics, reality shows, and the list goes on. Sometimes I'm not intentionally looking for that info, but encounter it daily- whether through a social post, a quick YouTube clip, or talking to friends. In reality we can do the same with The Word. Turn on a sermon, scroll through scriptures on your device, pray in your spare time. Let God know that he's the priority in your life. Happy Wednesday! 

"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!" 1 Chronicles 16:11

Surprise, surprise!

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

Has God ever surprised you? Like, you're going about your day and something awesome happens. Now, you wanted this "something awesome" to occur, but you were by no means expecting it. It's a reminder that we cannot fathom the extent that our Heavenly Father wants to bless us. I love this prayer that reminds us to be open to the unexpected. Happy Tuesday!

 "O Lord, give me the grace to be content with what You give to me.

  No! More than that, let me rejoice, in all You send me—it’s Your choice! —Anon."

Reflections

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits" Psalm 103:1-2

Do you ever just sit and reflect on all the amazing things that God has done in your life? Consider all those times that you just had a "gut feeling" and when you followed it, you encountered all types of favor? In hindsight, you'll realize that it was the Holy Spirit guiding you through life. It's easy to get so sucked into the mundane day to day that we forget to acknowledge God's continual grace and favor; don't do it! He's so faithful. Happy Monday! 

Busy

"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness." Proverbs 23:4

I hate that feeling of being worn out and drained from being too busy and working all the time. Somehow, I still end up working all the time and being super busy *sigh* I have to check myself and realize that even though I have financial goals that I want to meet, I can't do it on my own and according to Proverbs, I can't trust my own cleverness! Hustling is cool until the hustle replaces trusting in God's power and provision. Happy Friday! 

Check out Luke 10 and see how Mary and Martha handled being preoccupied and busy. 

What Can I Do

In honor of #WorshipWednesday, I wanted to share some of the lyrics of my favorite song- What Can I Do by KJ Scriven and Tye Tribbett. The lyrics are: "I can't walk, talk, sing without you. I'm nothing without you.

I can't live, breathe, be without you.There's no me without you." 

If we can't do anything without Christ, shouldn't we be consulting him prior to decision making? Shouldn't we be in constant praise for seeing another day to serve him? Let's meditate on that on this fine Wednesday :)

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." Psalm 32:8

Reign

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

When Jesus was crucified, he destroyed the bondage of The Law. He allowed believers to live a free life in Christ. Paul is expressing that worldly things have no power over him because The Holy Spirit lives within him. What a beautiful reminder. Who or what are you allowing to reign over you? Also, Chip Ingram has started a series on The Holy Spirit which you can find of the iPhone Podcast app or on his website. It's great teaching. Happy Tuesday! 

Grow in Grace

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

To grow in grace means to become more spiritually mature. You cannot grow spiritually solely by your works, but the work that God does within you. Simply reading scripture as a routine, and not for clarity and insight, will not make you more mature. Check your heart and motives and allow the word of God to dwell richly within you (Colossians 3:16) Happy Monday! :) 

Fill Me Up

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 

If something is full, when more is added the original contents overflow.  Say you start off your day with prayer, meditation, and worship; you are allowing the Holy Spirit to pour into you the peace and patience you need for the day. If something goes wrong, you'll reflect on your morning devotional and move on. If you start your day off rushing, stressed, watch/listen to media that doesn't glorify God, you may be more liable to pop off at the first sign of trouble. What's in your heart will manifest itself in your life. 

Obviously, I'm still on my Tye Tribbett concert high, because I've been obsessing over this song called "Fill Me Up". Caution:worship will ensue. Happy Friday!

This is actual footage from the concert on Tuesday :)

Satisfied

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

I saw The Walls Group and Tye Tribbett in concert a few days ago and amazing isn't a strong enough word to use. It was 3.5 hours of straight worship! If Tye ever comes to a city near you, GO! Anywho, The Walls sang this song called "Satisfied" and the lyrics are so on point. Basically, they're asking if they never got the job, material things, or the dreams that they prayed for didn't come true, would they be satisfied simply by the relationship they have with Jesus. Think about it. If NOTHING about your life changed, you would still have more than enough because of God's grace and provision. Look up that song on YouTube or Spotify and meditate on the lyrics. Are you satisfied...or nah? :) Happy Thursday! 

Actually, the entire EP is the bomb. It's only $5 on iTunes. Get you some hehe

The Past

"Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls..." Jeremiah 6:16

Do you ever look back at your life and consider how much grace has been extended to you? Or think, "if only I had listened to the Holy Spirit in that situation..."? Jeremiah was urged to reminisce about his former life, in order to move forward with confidence that he was making the correct decisions. Hind sight is always 20/20. If you aren't seeing major differences in yourself, you may be stagnant. Consider some ways that your life can reflect a life changing encounter with Christ. I read a quote that said "God's guidance in the past gives encouragement for the future". His was is much better than our own. Happy Tuesday! :) 

Laughter

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” Psalm 126:2

Morning! I pray that you enjoyed your holiday weekend as much as I did! I love how Psalm 126 equates joy in The Lord to our outward actions. When we smile, laugh, and enjoy ourselves, outsiders observe that there's something a little different about us. Our demeanor should reflect the contentment and joy that a relationship with Christ provides. Sometimes, it's easy to feel less than joyous, but the fact that you woke up today and are able to serve The Lord just one more day is a blessing! Happy Monday! 

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh." Luke 6:21

Uninhibited Grace

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace is the reason that we can enter into a covenant relationship with God. We will never deserve the grace, favor, and love that comes uninhibited by Christ. In the same way, we should practice extending grace to people that we encounter daily. No, that lazy waiter doesn't deserve a tip, but grace allows you to tip the minimum to bless them anyway. Can you imagine if God kept track of our shortcomings and only gave partial blessings?! Happy Wednesday!

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8