All my life I had to fight!

Hello there!!! I am so happy to witness yet another day. It was a test getting up this morning. I really was deep in sleep and enjoying every last second of my comfy duvet.. sooooooo this weekend went "as planned" I relaxed all day long saturday and spent all day in church on sunday. For no reason I let the enemy have his way and I was just a lil' irritated and sloppy on sunday morning but as soon as the word came forth "GOD IS ABLE" -Matthew 9 when Jesus healed the blind man. I was kicked right back to my high spirits and ended up crawling on the floor in worship!
I mean God was on fiyah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PURE FIYAH! His word was so sharp and it convicted me and I am determined to bury my flesh! I am so ungrateful and complacent and GOD HATES THIS.. When I read on how such behaviour is offensive to God in the old testament, (the israelites complained they had no food, and that God had abandoned them when they lingered in the wilderness) I realise the problem is we dont TRUST GOD. He said "If we have faith the size of a mustard seed.. you could say to this mountain be moved and cast into the sea and it will obey you" Luke 17:5-6
This is where I struggle..TRUSTING IN GOD! I want to put my trust in him for EVERYTHING. HOW DO I DO THIS? HOW LONG DOES HE TAKE? are questions I will pay any amount to know but I guess that is the mystery. We have been trained to work hard to get what we want but there are somethings purely in the hands of God. For single ladies, it may be finding the right partner (does he share the same beliefs, is he financially stable, is he capable of taking care of a family)the right job, the career, reaching your goals, coming out of a bad relationship, letting go of your past, issues with unforgivesness, telling someone you love them, dealing with rejection, dealing with people, hell on your job, hell at home and many more.
So, with all of the worries and concerns about this life and the future.. I have decided that faith along with patience are 2 of the core components I need to aquire in order to run my race (with christ) more smoothly. I will need to seriously search deep within and connect with my inner man who has brought me so far. Little by little, step by step, brick by brick and stone by stone speak life into these situations and into my future and I believe it will surprise me what the lord can do. I believe I will look back and say WOW! LOOK AT GOD!

Have you ever felt like God is too busy to be concerned with your little problems?
Have you ever felt like God is sleeping and forgot about you?
Have you ever felt like you have prayed the same prayer one too many times?
Have you ever questioned the existence of God just because you feel unheard?

This is where I feel Sofia'S STRUGGLE through life in the color purple:
“All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain't safe in a family of men, but I ain't never thought I'd have to fight in my own house!”

It can be exasperating and overwhelming even though hers was an entirely different battle (rape/abuse). All my life I have had to fight for what I wanted and I'm still fighting for what I want and at some point I am expecting a break! you know, see the light at the end of the tunell but that is a joke right?
To all you people... handling the kids, handling school and work, fighting for a raise, a new job or getting to that next level in your career is not automatic. It is SERIOUS WORK! KUDOS!
These are just my thoughts all we can do it trudge along and give everything 100%. "TAKE IT" (life's blows) and be happy you are still here. We have the greatest gift of all FREEDOM OF CHOICE.. Be the best or remain mediocre.

xxxx

Happy Friday!

Ok so I am Thankful it is here.. I will be back here on Monday telling about my weekend.
So this weekend will be fun RELAXING!
I am in cruise mode so I want to enjoy reading the Bible (currently reading the Book Of Isaiah) and I am getting to know more about my God.
If all goes as planned, I will be up @ 9am have some Kellogs Smart Start Cereal, head to the gym, come home, cook, and just meditate on the word!

If all doesnt go as planned... someone will probably call me and uproot my plans, get me somewhere I shouldn't be or try and get me to do something I really dont want to.

LET IT BE KNOWN... ALL WILL GO AS PLANNED AMEN!

The steadfast love of our Lord never ceaseth, his mercies never come to an end.. they are new every morning GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS"

May God BLESSSSSSSSS YOUUUUUUUUUUUU

XXXX Saved and Sanctified.

Article- Investigate It!

Pure Fiyah: False Preachers??? You decide....#links

False Preachers??? You decide....

Hello All!
It is like 8:20am as I type and for some reason it feels like its 3:00am.
OK so I have been working hard at the gym why am I feeling like this?????? Well well I am happy to see another day! Truly grateful to be alive and not in the world of the dead where there is no thought, no action, no wisdom, no knowledge!!! Even though I have had a hectic schedule I still manage to put in my time to read both the bible and various articles that I intend to investigate further. I am very inquisitive which can play both good and bad but this article (above) I stumbled across makes it all good. Now, whilst I do not agree with everything in it, the dude does expose some preachers! This is kind of sad and it makes it hard for the true evangelists and ministers divinely ordained by God to reach the lost because they have defense mechanisms built up because of these "money preaching, prosperity, God wants you rich, sow a seed to get a prophesy, sell your house and give all your life savings to the church kinda preachers"! Now I don't know about you guys but I am an advocate for the truth.. Tell me what it is so I can change!!!!!!!! When I was growing up I knew God as someone you feared because he didn't allow you to do certain things.. wearing skimpy clothes, stealing, telling lies, having sex ET cetera. (He, was just too holy for the average human to comprehend). Looking at the state of the church and some of the "preachers" "pastors" and "Bishops" of today I can almost guarantee that this is a different God they talk about.
People of the pews, it is important to investigate whatever message the preacher is preaching please don't just make notes in church or leave church saying that was good because they made you jump and holla.. Investigate it!

Norman Geisler cleverly puts it:

"It says the evangelical church in America is about 3000 mile wide and an inch deep. Doctrinally, we are very shallow. In North Carolina we are in what is called the Bible Belt, but our problem is that we don't have enough Bible under our belts. We have enough religion to make us susceptible, but not enough doctrine to make us discerning. You can't recognize error until you can recognize the truth. I'm told that when government experts want to train people to recognize counterfeit currency, they study genuine currency. The same is true with doctrine."

He says this in reference to an investigation into Bishop T.D. Jakes and his beliefs on the holy trinity. Apparently, Jakes ignores the idea of God being 3 distinct persons.. "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" all together making one powerfull God. Rather, Jakes believes in the oneness of God "manifesting" in 3 forms. God the Father who created heaven and earth, the son who dies (Jesus) and the Holy spirit sent to dwell in us as the comforter.
I mean this is one big article worth reading. It will definitely make you more careful about what you read and more aware that we are responsible for protecting ourselves from this kind of "evil" if indeed they are false and also to investigate the word ourselves.

So it is not about sowing copious amounts to be blessed, it is not about going to church to feel good. God is a loving God but he is also a judge. His word says be ye transformed by the constant renewal of your mind. To remain saved is a battlefield in the mind. Yesss people will make you want to go there, you will be tested and tried by God and by the evil one but we must 1st realise that our relationship with God starts when you change from within and allow his love to manifest in your life. People will come against you but with his strength that dwelleth deep within you you shall over come. So please if you truly do not have the money don't believe any preacher who tells you if you sow $1000 God will bless you 100 fold. Give from you heart as God leads you to not as the preacher convinces you too. Yes we are responsible for work in the temple and to make sure it runs well BUT God never said collect specific offerings 5 times during the service and preach about Money for 2hours!!!!!!!! argggggggghhhhhhhhh this truly angers me.
Ya'll be careful with these eloquent words and feel good people that Market Jesus as a "Product" a "Commodity" that comes with benefits and you pay him for the rest of your life!
No, the gospel is.. Jesus came to earth from heaven and died for our (mankind) sins so that through him we can be reunited with the father in heaven! and if ye seek ye 1st the kingdom of God and all his righteousness ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU! Matthew 6:7

You hear that? No where in the book does it talk about paying for a blessing! Seek God and he will bless YOU. Peace xxxx


"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves" - Mt 7:15

Dont Bury your DREAMS!

Greetings to you... Its going to be hectic for me for the next couple of weeks guys as I am working on several Ad Hoc projects. Please remain faithful as I will be blogging about these events.
It involves patience, hard work, and a great deal of convincing myself that I am a "go getter" "I can do this" and a whole lot more. I mean I have to write letters, conduct meetings, deal with printers, heavy incoming and out going calls, follow ups and deal with complaints BUT I will be successful no matter what because with God I can never fail!
So on that note, I encourage you to dig up those "dusty desires" of yours that you may have buried deep within. Those dreams and future ambitions that you ponder but dismiss quickly because you think it'll never happen or that you can't do it.
The word of God says "You can do all things through Christ who strenghtens you" you have to search within for that inner strength. Rely on what you have inside to help you. Start by writing them down!! Even if it is 2 lines still keep record because you will stumble across it one day and just be motivated to go for it.
I like to jot my thoughts and ideas down and a lot of these projects I am working on lately prosper because of ideas I wrote down months or even up to 2 years ago. DON'T TALK ABOUT IT, BE ABOUT IT! I am sick of myself always talking about what it is I am going to do.. or having so many great ideas but I shy away when it comes to doing the work! NO NO NO! shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. JUST DO IT!

I love you all and I wish you the best in your new life ahead! Go for it! don't stop go ahead, go ahead go ahead go ahead don't stop!

Saved and Sanctified. xxx

I MADE IT

People I made it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It has been a rough week but I will end it smooth.
SO tonight is church night and its about 4:07pm and I am singing that song "get ready get ready tonight we're gonna make this a night to rememberrrrrrrrrr"
oh yes I am excited about the word and praising God. I just want to bring down the house! I want to make my self so available to the lord that he gets tired of choosing me.. I want to show him my committment and how willing I am. Even though my flesh may try to overide the spirit sometimes, I will keep pressing!

I'll leave you with these lyrics because they exemplify my feelings towards the lord:

You gave me my hands to reach out to man,
to show him Your love and Your perfect plan.
You gave me my ears, I can hear Your voice so clear;
I can hear the cries of sinners,
but can I wipe away their tears?

You gave me my voice to speak Your word,
to sing all Your praises to those who never heard;
but with my eyes I can see
a need for more availability,
I've seen hearts that have been broken,
so many people to be free.

Chorus
Lord, I'm available to You.
My will I give to You,
I'll do what You say do,
use me Lord to show someone the way
and enable me to say,
my storage is empty and I am available to You.

Now I'm giving back to You
all the tools You gave to me
my hands, my ears, my voice, my eyes,
so You can use them as You please.
I have emptied out my cup
so that you can fill me up.
Now I'm free, I just want to be more available to You.

Use me Lord to show someone the way
and enable me to say,
my storage is empty and I am available to You.

Enjoy the link below.. I love it!!!!!!!!!!
Have a superb weekend and please be nice to people.
Make a conscious effort to love everyone even those who get on your nerves!

Love you all.. Saved and Sanctified. xxxx

In Pursuit of Happiness...

MY FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
I thank you today for your time and patience it has been a couple days but for some it has been a while(my committed folks know who they are ;0)
OK, so I have been on a quest to pay off debts and start living a good life meaning I am focusing on me. Anything not good for me that causes heartache, sorrow or that requires too much thinking gets filtered and disposed into the "I DONT CARE BIN"
My lovely Pastor (ELENA STERLING BASCOM-HER NAME ALONE IS SONOROUS)seems to be on my wave length when she brought the word from Matthew 6:30-34 I quote:

If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
31
So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'
32
All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33
But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, 19 and all these things will be given you besides.
34
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

Leave all your cares in the hands of the Lord. In the past I would get so into my thoughts coming up with all sorts of theologies as to my conditions. Never thinking for one moment that I was the actual problem. I was trying to figure it all out. My heart started to palpitate everytime I opened the mail box, checked my account balance/statements. I just worried too much about survival thinking I would starve to death, what if I loose my job, cant afford my apartment, I become homeless. I mean I thought it all and I am sure there are many like me, the housewife who strives for a clean orderly house and well-brought up kids so she can be happy with herself. The husband aims to make money,chase money, health, growth. We chase power, property, relationships not for our own sake but for the satisfaction they supposedly promise! If WE only follow basic instructions from my father above WE will understand that these are trivial in his eyes. If HE provides clothes for the grass of the field how much more "I" that which he gave life will HE provide for me. Instead of wallowing in self pity I ought to activate my faith and step into the realm of praise THANKING HIM for what HE has already done. I might be late and some might know this but I just found out that B.I.B.L.E is an acronym for BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH. So therefore, if we do believe in God we are to reference his guide and use his word as our road map to heaven. Now, not only does this "guide" (if we follow correctly) lead us to eternity, it also helps us to live a stress free life. I am really putting all this to a test. GONE ARE THE DAYS OF CRYING, WAILING, HEADACHES,DEPRESSION....I am shedding all those weeds, it stops the plant from growing. I want to be seasoned and live each day as it comes happy and joyous in the days of my youth.
R.I.P to those that died as a result of the explosion in NYC yesterday and also the flood. I pray that God comforts their families and loved ones. (classic example of why you should not bear heavy burdens, you may never even see the tomorrow you worry so much about!) STOP THINKING SO MUCH AND LET YOUR MIND BE FREE. Make room for the word of God! I love you all but I have to run. xxxxx
Saved and Sanctified!

PAY OFF YOUR DEBT!

Hello everyone... Hope you are as excited about the weekend as I am. Good news good news I paid off a lump sum of my credit card and as painful as it was I can now relate to how the late James Brown felt when he sang that song "I FEEL GOOD" TA NA NA NA NA NA NA.. LOL. I really hate being in debt but unfortunately the world that we live in revolves round credit and debit. I mean, American Society requires you to have good credit before you are considered "MADE" (having a house, car etc) which basically means you cannot have these things if you cant pay cash down or are considered "credit worthy" whatever happened to the old English phrase "Never a Lender or a Borrower be"! Society has gone to the DOGS!
So, let me get to where I was going. As Christians we are not to be enslaved to our debtors neither should we live our lives in debt trying to satisfy our fleshy desires. I am always trying to buy a new dress, shoes, even plates and pots for the house. I HATE TO ADMIT but I WAS a shopaholic (note the past tense, WAS) and I have to keep telling myself separate the WANTS from the NEEDS. Our maintenance costs should decrease once we allow the humility of Christ manifest in our lives. According to:
Money and the Christian by Caleb McAfee:

Signs of too much debt:

One credit card is used to pay another.

One bill is delayed so an overdue bill can be paid.

Paying only the minimum amount due on charge accounts

You can read snippets from the book on www.crosswalk.com or check out the book club section for the book. Please note that I am not saying it is sin to borrow or lend but credit should not be our focus because we want to live OUR BEST LIFE NOW!
You may think "Oh, I only have a little balance $1000 or so" but little drops of water make the mighty ocean.
Please pay more than your minimum balance and do without the new clothes or shoes for the kids or the new kitchen.. live in a hole and be debt free is better than living in a palace and not being able to sleep!

On that note have a good weekend with the lord. I leave you with Peace, Joy and Happiness.. I am buying my AC tomorrow! hehehe

xxx Love Saved and Sanctified!

Can't Won't and Shan't Complain!

I will bless the Lord at all times and his praise shall continually be in my mouth!
People of God it is time to bless the lord like you have never done before.
As I have shared with you, it has been so hot in my apt so I went on a mission to buy an air conditioner last week. I made the mistake of telling the salesman the size of my apt (which by the way is no more than 500sq ft. This dude tried to sell me a $400 ac. My apt is tiny(a big hole) I should spend no more than $150. To make it worse the guy refused to sell me the cheaper one because store policy states they wont take them back and it would be unfair to me if it doesn't cool my apt(who ever said I would return), he said it is no different from a fan! I mean what happened to going into a store and picking up what you want! Why is it called an AC then? I never told him I wanted it to be blowing frost so why does he think the little ac for my little apt wont work... oh wee!
Well I ended up not buying it DUE TO THE ANNOYING SALES CLERK! SO now that it is so hot that an egg could fry on a pavement.. I am boiling in my apt (so bad, i woke up @ 3am and took a cold shower) I cant buy it after work because I don't have a car and I work in the city so I have to endure till the weekend.
I guess the moral of the story is... In all things give thanks to God. This might sound very petty but as hot as it has been I started not to appreciate my beautifully decorated apt, the cold water I had in the fridge to cool off, the great job I have that provides air conditioning, the gym that I can go to that keeps me in good shape and all these other things that I have the luxury of experiencing. So I wont complain! I am blessed. I will strive to get my air conditioner soon and I will be back next week blogging about how comfortable I am under my duvet!
Lets go people... dont waste time thinking GIVE HIM THANKS! I thought about it would I rather have an air conditioner and loose God's favor because of complacency and ungrateful behavior????? With his favor all things are possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotta run...I missed you.. will be back soon.. I'm on the road to VICTORY!

Hey ya!!!!!!!!
Greetings to you in the precious name of Jesus.
Well well well. What an awesome week it has been.
I have been so busy that I didnt even have time to sleep.
so so I did not get to eat me shrimp salad, didn't get to buy an air conditioner but I got to do plenty other things! I praised God all week as my church has service 1st 7 days of every month.

The theme being "The Family Is in Crisis".
I cannot go into too much detail but my lesson for today is to learn to focus on the speck in your eye and not in your brother or sisters eye.
Stay off the phone, stay away from the tv, get into reading and you'll realise how much attention you dont pay to yourself. I am not saying do not be concerned for others but when you read more you form your opinions it ignites a reaction and you are able to see how your mind thinks. Just some self realisations thats all!
I love you all and please let us keep praying for the family but inorder for that to work we have to get ourselves right!