God is my source

Many times, we think we provide for ourselves and look no further. We have to stop thinking about ourselves, being selfish and truly look to the Creator, the Giver of Life because He is truly our Source. He, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord, High and Lifted Up is my Source.

There has been pain and there has been joy. There has been fun and sadness. There has been love like never before. Time, passion and faith will see you through. Just hold onto the Lord's unchanging hand. I'm praising God for what I cannot see, in the meantime.

This song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BojJTPjBhEk (Antwuan, Stanley - You are The Source) has kept me smiling no matter what has been going on.

I have been able to rest in the Lord like never before, refusing to be moved by what I see as I believe what His word tells me. I have reminded the Lord of His promises. He has brought me out. He has Redeemed me. He has Revived me. He has Reminded me of His Great Love for me. He is Restoring what the enemy has stolen. I am Coming Out on the other side of Greatness in God.

As I watch what God has done and is doing, I continue to be amazed at how Wonderful God continues to be to me. I know that I am not my own. I know that I work and serve Him. I know that I can Trust Him. I know that He Provides for me beyond my Greatest expectation.

I am truly Thankful, Grateful and continue to be filled with Love for God and His people. God has been Good to me. He has been there for me. He is chipping away at those areas in my life not like Him (Gal 5).  As He prunes me (Jn 15), I will continue to Believe, Hope and Have Faith with Love.

Gal 5 (NLT) gives us direction, correction and freedom in Christ:

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
² Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. ³ I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. ⁴ For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.
⁵ But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. ⁶ For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
⁷ You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? ⁸ It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. ⁹ This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! ¹⁰ I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.
¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters,^[a] if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. ¹² I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.^[b]
13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. ¹⁴ For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[c] 15} But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

Living by the Spirit’s Power

¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ¹⁸ But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ²⁵ Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

John 15 also gives us direction and promise for our obedience:

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³ You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴ Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. ⁷ But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸ When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
⁹ “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! ¹² This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³ There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. ¹⁶ You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

The World’s Hatred

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. ¹⁹ The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. ²⁰ Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. ²¹ They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. ²² They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴ If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. ²⁵ This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures^[a]: ‘They hated me without cause.’

²⁶ “But I will send you the Advocate^[b]—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. ²⁷ And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.

scripture retrieved using google from biblegateway.com and video using google youtube

(c) princessjoyful

Leaving behind the old, looking forward to the new, renewing the mind and trusting God through it ALL

Today is the last day of 2013.

A lot has happened during the year of Transformation and the year of Promises Fulfilled, where we have had to press our way through while standing firm with faith. As the story continues to be written, a new chapter is being written.

 It's not over, it's just beginning. It's not over - Israel Houghton and New Breed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO9qJpX_BVc

I've been pondering this question for a while now and I've finally written my thoughts down:

 

Suicide! Why do people contemplate it and act on it?

Insecurity. Fear. Feeling unworthy. Tired of being demonized by others. Bullied. Put down by others. Rejected. Negative thoughts. Too much talk about vs. talking to and shown love, unconditional love. Love is action. People say it yet add nothing to prove it. So why should the despondent person trust that you will listen to them or even help them? They don't feel comfortable coming to you. You have to go to them to show them someone cares. Someone loves them. Someone misses them. There are many reasons a person needs someone in their corner, or multiple people in their corner: money, relationships with family, friends are the biggest reasons. None of us are islands and words have a profound effect on everyone, whether the person hear then or not. Positive speech is so important.

Negative speech kills spiritually, emotionally, and finally physically. Some say it is temporary so why make a permanent choice. The permanent choice is to stop the noise, the words, the negativity from getting to you any more. How do you get rid of the toxic waste? That is difficult. Look at the Fukushima nuclear plant. They are unable to stop the constant release of toxic fumes. It is reaching into far corners of the earth by the atmospheric pressure and the ocean tides. Words have that same effect. It can be positive or negative. How we hear and apply words. The lies told. The manipulation. The web weaved. What is the motivation? Jealousy? Envy? Hate? Anger? Bitterness? This green eyes monster has taken a lot of good people with it and robbed God of some of His most important children here on earth! Why? We become weak after being under constant attack. We have no one to hold us up. No one willing to stand with us, physically. We disconnect emotionally and spiritually. Unless someone is in our space to encourage us, we feel as if we have nothing. If we have nothing, why continue to pursue a purpose that seems to be elusive. Actions speak louder than words so we decide to show you how much you care about us by removing ourselves from the situation by suicide. If you cared you would be there physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are selfish just as you are selfish. Caring is showing the other person as much as loving is. No phone calls. A hurried email or text. No quality time is spent together. No understanding between you because time is not well spent getting to know the depths of our soul. What makes us tick? The things we love to do. Being real with each other. Removing the mask. Knowing and loving anyway. We all can't live together.

Sometimes you do have to give and give and give until a breakthrough is had. You can't give up on them because they will give up on themselves. You are their arms, eyes, ears, voice of reason. They need to depend on you until they have returned to full strength. You have to be willing to surrender you for them to live so you both can live and you don't become angry or bitter because they chose to commit suicide. We know God loves us. We believe His word that He will never leave us. What happens when life becomes so clouded that the very people who are supposed to be His hands, ears, eyes, feet and mouth don't do His will? Suicide. Then they want to know why and begin to ask questions. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, are you giving or are you only taking?

We are desperate for a change, something positive. We see suicide as positive. We see it as a change. We no longer feel like we will be a burden if we are not here, so we follow through. We think it out. We plan. We make it happen. We are taught to do what we think is right at all times. Integrity is important and necessary. This follows that thought. If we leave, no one can lie about us anymore. The negative talk will no longer hurt. No more bills to pay. No more worries about anything. Our love tank is depleted. We feel like we are invisible. Out of sight, out of mind.

As much pain as we may be going through to decide to end our life, one thing is for certain, God said that He will never leave us or forsake us and we have to have faith to believe it. He also said that He controls our destiny, Jer 29:11, and our faith must be activated to believe that as well. We cannot lose our faith, hope and love of and for God during times of trial. God determines the length of our life. Do we embrace what He has allowed us to have or do we throw it away by squandering it? Do we enjoy the fruit of our labor, being content where we are or do we ignore the blessings we currently have while continuing to chase dreams. There is nothing wrong with chasing our dreams, God is a dream giver, but do we chase dreams while ignoring what we have accomplished.

You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
    My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

⁶ We are merely moving shadows,
    and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
    not knowing who will spend it.

Ps 39:5-6 (NLT)

¹² The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

Rm 13:12. (NLT)

We have to live right daily because we don't know how long we will have here on earth before we return home to heaven. We should desire to want to accomplish the will of God at every season of our life rather than fulfill selfish desires and calling them our dream. God' timing is perfect and He opens doors and closes doors or tells us to wait. Patience is hard yet there is a promise awaiting us if we are patient.

³⁶ Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Heb 10:36 (NLT)

³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Jam 1:3-4 (NLT)

⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,

2 Pet 1:6 (NLT)

So I say to all those who have contemplated suicide, want to complete the task of suicide that if you have faith, run your race well and be patient with God, He will work it all out for your good and His glory, better than you could ever imagine or think. There is hope and better, if not best, coming your way, just hold onto god's unchanging hand. Begin to seek God by praising Him in your darkest hour because that is when He will truly work on your behalf. Focus on God, place Him at the center so you are not looking at your circumstances but to Him for direction and guidance and He will begin to clear the fog, the depression, the negative place you are in. He will begin to open your eyes to see clearly, to revive your dreams, to move you into the path He has for you and it will be good. Amen!

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”^[a]) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rm 8:31-39 (NLT)

 I'll hold on - Tamela Mann
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAVao2Bj9os


¹⁰ And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 2 Cor 1:10 (NLT)

(c) princessjoyful 2013