Break the Chains and Let Go…

You do not have to live in the shadow of negative things that people have said to or about you. Words do have power that is a fact. Another fact is that we have the power to break the negative words and curses that have been spoken against us.

When we belong to God, He gives us the protection not only to fight against the enemy but power to win! This is not something that we should take lightly. We need to give Him all our troubles and worries then we will be free to go about doing the job He has created us to do!

We do not need to worry about things when He has promised to take care of us. How insulted would you be if you tell your children that you will take care of something but instead of trusting you to take care of it, they sat and worried about it to the point that they weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing something?

Have a blessed day and know that God is in control, my friend. May you always have Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Discover Yourself

Some people go through life trying to “find” themselves. To me that is not only such a waste of time, it is soooo sad. I just want to shout… “You are NOT lost!” (unless of course, you have not accepted Y’shua as your savior but that’s an entirely different matter,)

Why are you waiting for life to tell you who you are? You should live each day to the fullest. Live, Learn, Discover and Grow! Try different things until you discover the things that YOU enjoy, things that make YOU happy, YOUR talents, and YOUR passions. When we explore, we discover and create ourselves.

Have a blessed day exploring, discovering and creating, my friend. May you always have Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Highly Trained Warriors

Do not judge anyone by their looks because looks are deceiving. Some people might seem to be too young with no real experience in life. Just starting to discover themselves and have not matured yet.

Others may seem to be revolved around work, their families, friends and/or themselves to know what is going on around them.

While others may have bodies that seem weathered and with their strength ebbing away. Eyes that are not be as sharp as they use to be and hands not as steady as they once were.

All of these people can have one thing in common. They can be a part of God’s army. Highly trained and equipped warriors in the spiritual realm. They can fight and defeat the enemy on a daily basis. They can be prayer warriors that are changing your life without you even being aware of it!

God does not look at size, maturity, age or abilities. He looks at what we keep hidden in our hearts. What is hidden in YOUR heart?

Have a blessed day, my warrior friend. May you always have Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Be the Reason…

Heroes are not always the people who do big things; they are often people who touch someone’s heart in little ways. Since life is mostly made up by little moments, it makes sense.

How many times have you been depleted and just wanted to jump in bed when someone gave you a smile or a chuckle? Did you notice how it seemed to inflate you just a little bit?

The more we smile and laugh the more we fill ourselves up. The same is true for the more we groan and cry…that depletes us of all our energy.

So, make it a point to become the reason that someone smiles, someone laughs, or someone’s spirit is lifted today.

Have a blessed day filled with smiles and laughter, my friend. May you always have Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Thank You…

I want to tell the parents, family members and friends and support circles of a special needs child..."Thank You"!

Thank you for hanging in there and not giving up on your child.

Thank you for putting your life on hold in order to give them the attention and support they need.

Thank you for keeping the never ending appointments with teachers, doctors, and therapists.

Thank you for building up their self-esteem and teaching them tolerance for the ignorance of others.

Thank you for educating others about your child’s abilities and advocating for their rights.

Thank you for being a shining example of what a true parent is all about!

Have a blessed and wonderful day, no one deserves it more than you do, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

You Are…

I think the most tumultuous time in our lives is our teenage years, and then of course living through our CHILDREN’S teenage years.

Think back when you were going through that transformation. We didn’t realize it then but we desperately wanted to “fit in” with others, even if we weren’t like them. We had both physical and emotional changes going on. We thought we knew everything and rarely gave credence to the wisdom of our parents because “times were different then”.

It is no difference for the children of today or those of the future. The thing is we need to establish the type of relationship with them that they can share their feelings with us without fear embarrassment or judgment.

This is the time that the enemy uses to plant self-doubt, low self-esteem and discouragement into their lives. If they do not have us telling them the truth about who they are, they can start to believe the negative. So always try to be encouraging and uplifting to teenagers…because no one needs it more than they do. Even if they are expressing themselves uniquely, find something positive to say to them. They may not show it but it will mean the world to them.

Have a blessed and positive day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Faith Makes Things Possible Not Easy...

Walking by faith that does not automatically mean everything will be easy for us. In fact, in most cases it is just the opposite. When we declare our faith publicly, we immediately grab the attention of the enemy. He then declares war and we are in for one hell of a battle.

He will use every lie, distraction, sabotage that he can to break our faith. When we stand firm and refuse to give in to him, we prepare for the will of God to be done in our lives.

Keep in mind that it is always darkest right before the dawn. In the shadow of enemy, the light will shine through on those who remain faithful.

Have a blessed and faith filled day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Today will be a great day, I will…

Today will be a great day, I will…

Inhale health and exhale disease

Inhale strength and exhale weakness

Inhale energy and exhale fatigue

Inhale faith and exhale fear

Inhale peace and exhale tension

We are in control who we will be and how we will live our lives. Set your sights on the positive and you will live a positive life. Will everything be honky dory? No, but it will be better than living in constant defeat and without hope.

Have a wonderful and positive day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

A Sign of Spiritual Growth…

One of the biggest signs of spiritual growth is the ability to stop everything in the middle of a storm and praise Y’shua with your whole heart, your whole mind and your whole soul! Nothing else shouts faith as such action.

It shows others that you are NOT living in the natural but the spiritual. That you have placed your hope and trust is in the Lord, and you believe that He will handle everything. That is not only a personal victory; it is an awesome witnessing message.

It is my hope and prayer that you will find this place and dwell in it during every season of your life. Have a blessed and praised filled day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Never Discourage Anyone…

I believe that people who are determined to accomplish something will eventually do it if they don’t give up. It might take them longer than anticipated or longer than other people who have done the same thing; however, with perseverance and creativity, they will overcome all obstacles that they encounter.

So many of us give up on things we really want to accomplish right before we become victorious. We are so quick to let go because it did not happen in our time frame. All the effort we put in is then wasted without perseverance to continue on.

So never discourage someone for doing things THEIR own way just because you do not think it is the most logical or fastest way. Remember, faster is not always the best result. There are lessons to be learned from having to try and retry things. By doing so, we are learning not to give up and that is truly the best lesson of all. 

Have a blessed and wonderful day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Launching…

It seems that we are never able to appreciate the times that life pulls us back and holds us still just before we are set soaring. In reality, the further we are held back and stretched, the further we will fly when we are released!

However, we get frustrated and impatient and we try to "move things along" ourselves. That is usually when we interfere with the plans God has in place and then we have to wait even longer while He has to fix the things we did that messed them up!

There is never any gain without being stretched. So the next time you are being stretched and held back, whisper ever so gently to God…don’t hold back…I have put my trust in you! Then enjoy the trip!!!

Have a blessed and stretched day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home. 

Love Your Enemy…

Love Your Enemy…

The best way to treat your enemy…is with love. That is what Y’shua tells us to do throughout the Gospels.

Matthew 5:44-45 says. 44 “But I am saying to you, you must love your enemies and you must pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you would become children of your gather, the One in the heaves, because He makes His sun rise on evil and good and rains of the righteous and unrighteous…”

Luke 6:27 says, “But to you who are listening I say, You must constantly love your enemies, you must do good for those who hate you.”

John 15:12  “…This is my commandment, that you would love one another just as I have loved you…”

Romans 12:20-21, 20 “But, if your enemy hungers, you must continually feed him: if he thirsts, you must continually give him drink; for doing this you will heap coals of fire upon his head.” 21 I do not overcome evil by doing evil but I overcome evil by doing good.

As hard as it is sometimes, we need to practice loving those who want to hurt us. When we do, we are showing everyone that we are true disciples of Y’shua. This is important because we are judged by others for our actions. Do we practice what we preach or do we jump into the flesh when we are wronged?  

Here is a little thought to keep us all humble. God loved us even when we were still His enemy and He still loves us when we continue to do things that hurt Him! Have a blessed and wonderful day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Playing it Safe…

Playing it Safe…

Are you the type of person who likes to “play it safe” or do you like to take some risks and “go for it”?

There are times when it is smart to play it safe but there are other times when you need to step out of your comfort zone and tred where the terrian is a little scarier! If you never stretch yourself you will not grow. If you are not growing then you will never reach your full potential. If you never reach your full potential...you will never accomplish the work God created you to do!

The courage to step out of your comfort zone comes down to one thing and one thing only…what have you placed your faith in? Is it in the world and the material things that you can see and know that you can depend on?

Or is it in God even when you cannot “see” the help available? Matthew 17:20 says, And He said to them, “Because of your little faith: for truly I am saying to you, if you would have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘You must immediately go from this place to that place,’ and it will go: then nothing will be impossible for you.”

Go forth this day blessed and filled with the courage to step beyond your comfort zone, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home. 

The Difference between Girls and Women

It never fails to amuse me when I am watching a young and/or immature women demand respect. They are very dramatic and attention seeking…it is almost like watching a production of a bad high school play!

A mature woman is not attention seeking…she is someone that has grown with experience on how to handle herself in different situations. She knows how to listen, how to respond with kindness, how to defuse an intense situation. She does not have to demand respect, she has earned and commands respect!

Unfortunately, age is not the deciding factor when someone matures. It is a direct result of how you learn from your prior actions that matter. We all make mistakes and we all learn at a different pace. However, if we embrace the lesson and try to improve the next time, we are taking a step on the stairway to maturity.

Have a blessed and mature day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

The One and Only You!

There is only one you! You may have similar traits to family members and others people but with all the similarities that you share with others, you are still a unique and irreplaceable individual.

No one will be able to fill the shoes you do no matter how hard they try. You have your very own flare and style that cannot be duplicated. If other people fail to appreciate you for who you are, you should feel bad for them, not yourself!  Only people with no self-esteem or self-worth fail to recognize the value of someone else.

We should tell someone when they have done something to lift our day. Let others know that you appreciate them. When you see someone who is being physically or verbally abused…do not turn a blind eye…let them know that they are precious to God!

The more we build others up, the less people with feel insignificant. Can you imagine the turn the world would take if we all felt good about ourselves and others?

Have a wonderful and boosting day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Happy Valentine’s Day…

You do not have to have a significant other to celebrate Valentine’s Day. For those of us who are single, John 3:16 is God’s Valentine message to us!

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him would not die but would have eternal life. How many of us would sacrifice one of our children, much less our ONLY child for someone else? That thought is unthinkable to me as I am sure it is to you too. So no matter what we think of ourselves, God thinks more of us. He is truly the lover of our soul!

Have a blessed and wonderful day filled with lots of love, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Faith Building Blocks

Faith is built one brick at a time. There needs to be a solid foundation so when the structure is shaken it does not come crumbling down. When we go through different things spiritually, physically, mentally or emotionally we create bricks with the outcome. Then we are able to start putting them together and building on them.

It is not as important as to how fast you build your faith as it is that it is built with a solid foundation. When we have bricks that were made fast and without the right stuff are not solid bricks. Bricks that are not built on faith but on dependence of anyone or anything other than God can crack and start to break apart. Only allow the use of the highest quality materials to be your foundation.

Have a blessed and brick building day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Family Is Not Always Blood...

We cannot pick our family. We cannot make the members of our family love us, believe in us or truly care about us. But we can surround ourselves by people who do.

Matthew 12:46-50 says, ⁴⁶ While Y’shua was still talking to the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside. They wanted to talk to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to talk to you.” ⁴⁸ He replied to the man speaking to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”⁴⁹ Pointing with his hand at his disciples, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother and sister and mother.”

Even Y’shua knew the pain of rejection from His earthly family. That did not stop Him from doing what He was called to do. We need to follow His example. Love your family, pray for your family but do not let their opinions of you stop you from doing what you know you are supposed to do!

Have a blessed and wonderful day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Purity of a Child

Sometimes the best wisdom and advice comes through the simple purity of a child. They don't see the world as complicated as adults do.  They are honest and pure of heart.

The next time you get the opportunity to get some advice from a child, do yourself a favor and listen to what they have to say…you might be pleasantly surprised.

Have a blessed and wonderful day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

GLORIOUS SAVIOR vs GRIM REAPER

When death comes and it will, who do you expect to see? Will it be the Glorious Savior or the Grim Reaper?

Y'shua is the Glorious Savior 

Glorious – having a striking beauty or splendor that evokes feelings of delighted admiration.

Savior - a person who saves someone or something from danger, and who is regarded with the veneration of a religious figure.

Satan is the Grim Reaper

Grim - unpleasant or shocking to see or think about: causing feelings of sadness or worry: gloomy or depressing: having a very serious appearance or manner.

Reaper – a person who harvests crops.

People do not go to hell for sin…they go to eternal damnation for rejecting the payment of sin! You have the ability to choose right now which one you will be spending eternity with when you die…don’t wait until it is too late.

Have a beautiful day filled with unexpected blessings. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home. 

H.O.P.E.

Hope holds a lot of promises. Here is one that I have come to know personally….Hold On the Pain will End and the Glory of God will shine!

Pain does not have to be physical; it can also be emotional or mental but whichever one it is…it always seems to be the worst at the time! Do not focus on the pain, focus on hope.

Since God’s promises are yes and amen. Wrap yourself up in Him and be engulfed in His peace and your hope will be replaced with the assurance of His divine protection.

Have a blessed day filled with hope, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

What Does Your Bible Say About You?

You can tell a lot about someone’s spiritual life by getting a glimpse of their bible. What does your bible say about you?

Are you the type of person who dives in whenever you can and leave a decorative path along the way? Are there notations for future references, has it been filled with notes, quotations and cross references?  Are the verses highlighted, underlined and flagged? 

Or is it as pristine as the day you got it. Without marks, notes, colors or evidence that you have even opened it out of reverence for the Holy Scriptures that it holds.

The truth is that it really does not matter what it looks like as long as you are getting the message it contains. So whatever your personal style is…dive in and be renewed!

Have a blessed and wonderful day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home!

Hidden Treasures...

There are times when we become so overwhelmed with things that we forget where to look for help and comfort. The last place you would ever think to look is the often the first place we will find the answers. When we pick up the bible and read, we discover the hidden treasures that we knew but have forgotten. It breathes new life and meaning into our lives.

There is NOTHING that will happen in life that cannot be found in the bible. All the answers you will ever need will be addressed in it! So take the time and seek them out for yourself. Most often when we research things for ourselves, we tend to hang on to it a lot longer than in we are told it by someone else. Think about that…

Have a blessed and treasure hunting day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Be a Team Player...

We were not able to do everything by ourselves. We all have different gifts and talents. God designed us to work together to get the job done with ease and better than if we did it alone.

We need to recognize our personal strengths and weaknesses. Know when to take the lead, know when to step back and let someone else step up and run with it. It does not matter if we start, help, or finish…we are still an important part of the team.

Trust me once you can master this, you will find that a huge weight has been taken off your shoulders not to mention stress. You will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!

Have a wonder and blessed day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Throw Away Your Crutch....

Just go step by step. God cease to be thankful for the time’s Will shall be revealed as you go. You will never cease to be thankful for this time when you felt deep Shalom, and yet had no human security.

That is the time of the True learning of trust in Y’shua. When your father and mother forsake you, then the Lord will take you up. This is a literal dependence on Him.

When human support or material help of any kind is removed, then His Power can become operative. He cannot teach us to walk if we are trusting on a crutch. His Power shall invigorate us that we shall indeed walk on to victory. Never limit His Power….it is limitless.

Have a blessed day and throw down your crutch, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Be Ready For Combat...

I am a firm believer in hand to hand combat. We do not need to fight in the flesh; we just need to bring our troubles into the spiritual realm. When we stop, drop and pray we are causing ripples in the spiritual realm that will soon manifest in the natural. We also gain strength and wisdom on how to handle ourselves when we are face to face to face with our enemies, both in the natural and in the spirit realms.

Fight with prayer, Believe in faith that God has anticipated and already answered  our prayer, and then thank Him with praises of thanksgiving. Fight, Believe, Win and Praise God! That is all it takes, aside of waiting for God’s perfect timing. That is the hardest part for most of us (especially me) but a very important part nonetheless. We are equipped with all the winning moves; you just have to execute them! So always be ready to hit the battlefield in combat.

Have a blessed and wonderful day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Shalom, Y'shua's Peace....

In John 14:27 Y’shua says, “I am leaving peace with you, I give MY peace to you: I am giving to you, no just as the world would give. Your heart must not ever trouble you and it must stop being timid.”

Many people assume this means that we will not have troubles because we will always be in peace. That is not true…it means that we will have peace in our troubles. We should not become so overwhelmed with our problems and we need to be bold and courageous when dealing with the enemy. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Have a blessed and courageous day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Real Eyes Realize Real Lies...

You may think that it is ok to lie and deceive other people. You justify your actions according to you needs. However, there is something you should take into consideration.  Just because they may appear to be oblivious to the deception, does not that it is true.

Sometimes people will choose to ignore lies and deception because they love you and do not want to embarrass you by letting on they know. Or perhaps they have tried to address it in the past and have come to the conclusion that confronting you would be futile. Either way, the only person being fooled is you.

There are times when some people are gullible and never see anything come their way. You may think they were an easy mark but I assure you that NOTHING escapes the eyes and ears of God. He will defend them. You know what that means…again, the only person being fooled is you.

Whether you are the deceiver or the one being deceived be assured that the truth always prevails. Have a blessed and honest day, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.

Be Your Personal Best....

God is clear about the person He wants us to be. We have a choice, we can set our minds, hearts and spirits to achieve this or we can compile excuses why we cannot do it. The choice is solely ours.

It is all about mindset, self-discipline, and our love and trust in God. Y’shua is the perfect example. He did not lavish Himself with the finest things on earth. He lived humbly, sharing what He had with others. He did not extract revenge when He was mocked and wronged, He was forgiving and kind. He did not judge the sins of others; He came to set us free from sin with no condemnation. The very essence of Y’shua is faith, love, compassion, obedience and forgiveness

We have to be the same way. Trust me; I know how difficult this can be on a daily basis. However, when we have mastered this mindset we will have become the person God wants us to be!

Have a blessed day filled with strength and endurance to be the best person you can be, my friend. May there always be Shalom in your heart and in your home.