Monday, December 22, 2008

Cell phone vs. Bible


A young man posted this somewhere and I read it and thought it was really interesting.



I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone.


What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?


What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?


What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to children as a gift?


What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?


This is something to make you go....hmm... where is my Bible? Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill. Makes you stop and think, "Where are my priorities?"And no dropped calls! Thank God for His Word!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

I'm trynna see more of Him!!!!

God revealed to me some truth behind the Bronze Snake story in Numbers 21:4-9. I am in love with this story and the faith that was taught through it....so here it goes....

When the Israelites were once again complaining about what they don't have and how miserable they were, the Lord sent venomous snakes among them. Many people were bitten and some died.

They begged Moses to pray for God to take the snakes away. The Lord told him to make a snake and put it on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live. So Moses did so and when anyone was bitten and looked at the bronze snake they lived.

For some this story may seem strange. But the point of this story is to illuminate and show the importance of faith.

God gave them (us too!) a way to be saved from their complaining and their sins. It shows how we should put all of our trust in Him. By simply looking up and believing we are all saved.

This story is brought up again in John 3:14-15 which reads:

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

So Jesus' death on the cross is what we should continue to look to. We should take our focus off our situations and try not to let them determine how we live and worship. In the midst of any situation we should look to God and have faith.To be saved from sin, to be healed, to be victorious.

I'm trynna see more of Him in my life. And you should too. Lift Him up above your emotions your issues and circumstances. Make Him the head of your life and be saved. Have a faith that keeps you looking at him!



Thank You Father!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

I remember.....I'm a new creature now.

So I had a conversation with some of my friends about how much fun we have had together over the past three years. we talked about the good times and then we talked about some of the bad. We joked about our "crazy nights" and laughed at each other's stories. But for me in all the laughter I was uneasy. In reflecting on the things I used to do and the choices I made I was very ashamed. I could not believe those things that I had blotted out. I started to feel discouraged and embarrassed. I asked myself, Who am I to betray God's love in this way??
However, in that moment I realized that those things are no longer a part of me now. I have been accepted by God and transformed. Recalling those days for me is no longer a confession but a testimony. Even in those days God held on to me. He continued to call my name. He protected me when I was blind and arrogant in my ways. I love God and I thank Him for his unmerited favor and new mercies every day. Since I have been in God's arms He has been teaching me to live by the spirit and love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. Psalm 51 represents my prayer to God to stay close to me and change me. I love this Psalm cause it's my prayer of repentance.
I have been made clean and renewed a steadfast spirit. I have a new position a new character and a new life.....Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things are passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17).

THANK YOU FATHER!

The Portrait by Da Truth

I really like this song it's deep so here are the lyrics....

[Verse 1:]Was Christ really buried
�is there a chance That He really married Mary and fled over to France Did they really find His bones with a fine tooth comb Or did He walk out of His tomb to His throne Was He God
�was He not Was He alive when they dropped Him in a tomb Did He swoon
�was He moved Was He removed by delusional dudes that refused to believe in the truth Were they fools Were the disciples hallucinating was the truth evaded 'Cause they wanted to boost His ratings
Did the Catholic church from the Vatican Work at keeping the bag of dirt under the rug Was he God from above If He was do you blink, do you shrug, do you hate do you love [x2]
[Hook:]Christ on the poster
Christ of the culture
Christ on the stain glass
Christ of the future
Christ on the video
Christ on the radio
The Christ of Da Vinci What does he really know
Christ on award shows Christ that Lord knows Christ that's sure to come back in His war clothes
In which Christ do you believe You gotta know before you leave
[Verse 2:]Yes he did arrive, yes He was alive
No�he wasn't married never had any wives
Yes�He did rise, days after He died What can I say�yes He is God!
From the womb to the tomb To His throne nobody in Rome could hold on to His bones
'Cause there were no bones to be held though His bones were beheld
Who would have known It was Jehov on the DL,
providing forgiveness Our lives are offensive
He died to put you and I in a friendship with himself
Pain is felt When the glorious gospel is exchanged for wealth
Forget about how the spades were dealt And think about how you measure up when weighed on the scale
One Lord One faith I plug
One Lord One Christ, one judge
[Hook]
This is the link to a video someone made...i just like it :)

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Feeling Defeated


So this is my junior year here at James Madison University. I have been feeling some pressure already. We are half way through the semester and I am starting to feel more and more discouraged. I'm taking a pretty heavy course load this semester and some of the classes are kicking my butt! Lol well I thought so...



The last straw was today for me. I said to God, enough is enough! I NEED YOU!



So here's the story: All last week (9/29-10/3) I spent 3 hours a day in the tutoring center here at school studying and seeking help to prepare myself for my test on Friday in my toughest class STATISTICS... This was my second test and after the first test being a dud, I thought I would try studying a little harder...a lot harder....TEST DAY COMES... I was nervous but pretty confident. I was praying to God to help me to remember the things I studied and to pace myself throuh it all. So, now I'm taking the test its going pretty well until I reached this one problem worth 13 pts. My teacher told the class that if we need help starting it off then its ok to come up and ask. I thought well great I will head on up there then. However there were 3 people ahead of me, so I decided to wait a bit and to keep trying on my own until the other 3 got out of the way. My class is over at 1:10...by the time those students moved and I got up to her it was about 1:17. I asked her and she even started to tell me where I went wrong until she stopped herself and said, "Well we are out of time anyway so....(shrugging shoulders)" I was lost...shocked...confused. When I left I found myself crying in anger and looking for some support or some one to say it'll be alright. Thanks to the Lord for my mother and my supportive friends who prayed with me and picked me up.


Today I got my test back. My grade read 65 which was a mere two point increase from the first. Once again I'm angry and in tears and on the phone with my mom. But all out of frustration. I studied so hard and this is it? That teacher wasn't fair! Then I started to think about my other class and how I could be doing better in them too...Just feeling so down on myself I didn't want study for any thing..I thought, For What?? But God is good for my mommy and my beautiful supportive friends for being there with me. Also with some good ol' prayer I'm feeling a bit better about it now. I'm going take care of it.
I am encouraged now because I read some of God's word and looked through some old notes and came across a teaching from my church in Richmond about THE NATURE OF A CONQUEROR. so here it goes.....

If we look at Revelation 12:11 the verse show how by the words you speak you can overcome enemies also with the blood of the Lamb

In Revelation 1:12-16 we get the full description of Jesus. If you notice in verse16 it say that from his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword....

FOLLOW ME NOW...

So basically, once we have become Christians and are reborn, we are reborn in Him (Christ Jesus) therefore we have dominion and are made conquerors through Him (the ultimate conqueror) By Nature....
Since by nature we are conquerors we must speak it! A conqueror NEVER admits defeat!


Romans 8:11 "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is Living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead, he will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Get your tongue connected to your spirit it's not about your feelings...Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth Romans 10:8
Keeping quiet is self defeating, talk about Him and how much he means to you; God's resurrection power gives you supernatural ability; Supernatural ability brings supernatural results


Lets look at Acts 14:19-20 Even after Paul was beaten almost to death and got dragged out of the city, he GOT BACK UP and WENT BACK into the city!!!
God's power will keep you going even when your not "supposed to!!"


So, I'm not discouraged because by nature I am more than a conqueror and I will not be defeated by these grades or anything else. I'm coming out on top through Christ Jesus who gives me strength!


Also remember this scripture Psalm 18:32-36 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; My arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn."

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Why the Scarlet Cord??

The Scarlet Cord is not just the title of my blog. It has a whole story behind it and it can be found in Joshua 2.

The story of Rahab is very inspiring for me. In summary its like this:

Joshua sent two spies to Jericho where they met a prostitute named Rahab. When the King of Jericho found out they were there, he sent a message for them to be brought to him. Rahab hid the spies on her roof and directed the messengers away. Rahab said to the spies,

" I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you...For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Now then please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death".

The men said,

"This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your family into your house.... As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him..."

Rahab number one was a prostitute and she lived in a pagan land. However, she believed and had respect for God's power and her life was spared. Her and her family. By the protection or the symbol of the scarlet cord.

It similar to life today. For most of us, (at least I can say so) we are surrounded by a fallen culture that tries to distract and influence us in many different ways. There is constant temptation and sin all around us. But God has already sent our protection or our symbol that saves us. He sent down Jesus Christ. His blood saved us so that we won't have to die in our sins. It protects us so that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. All we have to do is let the truth be seen. Make it visible to others who try to distract us from our calling. Like the scarlet cord in the window. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And I will let be seen and let it be heard.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

What do you think??

Okay so I know I'm kind of late on this one but...well here it goes...

I don't know if many of you were lucky enough to catch the 2008 BET awards. It was a nice show for various reasons but I did notice something. When psalmist Marvin Sapp performed his song "Never Would've Made It" there was, what appeared to be, a distraction. During his performance on the screen in the background there was a slide show of various pioneers in black society. Pioneers from Rosa Parks, to Nelson Mandela, to Barack Obama. Sure these people have inspired many and we are grateful for the things they have accomplished. However, they wouldn't have been able to do these things without God. Hence the song.

My concern is for the nonbeliever who may misunderstand this song and its purpose, (which was: to glorify God and acknowledge Him for His help, strength and guidance.) and take the song to be a "motivational" or "inspirational" one. Instead of giving God the glory he deserves, one may give the praise to the people shown in the images.

I just think that out of the whole show they could have given a few minutes to praise the God who made them and blessed them. Him and Him alone.

Here's a link in case you missed the performance.

http://www.bet.com/Specials/BETAwards08/betawards-videos/beta_video_performances.htm

Who I am In Christ

These are just a few scriptures to remember in my day to day life...A good friend of mine sent these scriptures to me to remind me that whatever I'm going through God is there with me holding me and keeping me safe. When there are tough times going on remember that you are close to a breakthrough in your life. It may be tough but don't let go of God and rememeber these (and more) scriptures....
I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10)


I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)
I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14)

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18)

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (1 Peter 1:16; Ephesians 1:4)

I have the mind of Christ (Phillipians 2:5; 1 Corinthians 2:16)
I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Phillipians 4:7)

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4)

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17)

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened ( Ephesians 1:17, 18)
I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues. I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by means harm me (Mark 16: 17,18: Luke 10:17,19
I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9,10)
I have given, and it is given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, men given into my bosom (Luke 6:38)
I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4:19)
I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16)
I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4:13)
I shall do even greater works than Christ Jesus (John 14:12)
I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (I Peter 2:9)
I am God’s child—for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23)
I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10)
I am a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17)
I am a spirit being – alive to God (I Thessalonians 5:23, Romans 6:11)
I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (II Corinthians 4:4)
I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25)
I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17)
I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37)
I am an over comer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony
I am a partaker of His divine nature (II Peter 1:3,4)
I am an ambassador for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20)
I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (IPeter 2:9)
I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:21)
I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (I Corinthians 6:19)
I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deutoronomy 28:13)
I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)
I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3;12)
I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7)
I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s Kingdom (Colossians 1:13)
I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Galatians 3:13; Deutoronomy 28:15-68)
I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7)
I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (II Timothy 1:9; Psalm 66:8)
I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (I Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4)
I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Colossians 2:12; Ephesians 2:6)
I am greatly loved by God (Colossians 3:12; Romans 1:7; Thessalonians 1:4 Ephesians 2:6)
I am greatly loved by God (Colossians 3:12; Romans 1:7; I Thessalonians 1:4, Ephesians 2:4)
I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossias 1:11)
I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7)
I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Phillipians 3:14)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love , and a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7)
It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Love?



"A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her." - Author Unknown
I love this quote because it's so true. In order for you to be able to love someone you have to first know God's love. I'm the type of girl who loves the romantic stories. I like seeing couples together and all the corny stuff that goes along with it. Then, I start to feel sad and alone and I ask myself when will my time come? Well it's really not up to me to decided. God knows when, how, and who he will bring into my life. My job is to be patient, get closer to God and let my husband find me. He will love God and he will love me. The Bible talks about seasons. In Ecclesiastes 3:1 the Bible says "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." Right now may not be the right time or the right season for me to be with someone. It will come....in time.

Why I started this blog

I decided to create my own blog because for a while now God has been tugging at my heart. I know there's something he wants me to do for Him or be apart of but I'm not quite sure exactly what it is.

For the majority of this summer I have been feeling the urge to witness to people. I would spend my days on YouTube (various other entertainment mediums) watching people talk and express their ideas. A lot of those ideas or attitudes were angry ones or just sarcastic and mean. They spoke things that were untrue and it really hit me hard. I wanted to comment (with love of course) but every time I tried, my computer would act funny or the site wouldn't allow me to. I asked God, why? Why can't I share with them the truth about you? I want to work for You and spread the word the best I can. I don't want to sit back while everyone else is moving for you. I want to be apart of the movement too!

Well, I think God has shown me what I can do. Since I have so much to say and so many ideas, I  have decided to share them with anyone who cares to listen. I want to spark discussion, answer questions and maybe ask some of my own. Maybe some one will come across this page and realize who God really is and how much He loves us. There is NO greater love than the love that God has for us. I am getting the chance to experience it and I want to share that experience with you. God Bless!!~*Muah*~