My Alabaster Box

My Alabaster Box is on the Move...Literally!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 06:41:00 +0000

Hello and God Bless My Alabaster Box Readers!

Thank you for visiting my Blog! I pray that you are Blessed and well. God has truly been moving in my life! When God moves, He calls us to go a higher place in Him and for Him. So, that is exactly what we are doing! The "My Alabaster Box" Blog is on the move! The Blog now has a new home located at http://www.tanikajones.com/. The site was designed by Hobbs Ministries and they did an awesome awesome job!

This is my personal invitation to you to come on over to the new home of My Alabaster Box! You are in for a true blessing! Our new mission is to always provide our readers with "An Outpour of Inspiration, Knowledge and Truth to Live a Christ-Centered Life." The NEW & IMPROVED Blog will focus on the key issues that Christians face, provide Biblical teaching about HOT topics and give you inspiration for all areas of life. If you want me to Blog about a certain topic/issue, Just Ask! You will get encouragement on a regular basis. I am back stronger than before! I am excited about where God has taken me and how He is using me to reach, teach and inspire others.

The new features of the Blog include:

A NEW Design!
New Content More often!
Updated Praise & Worship Music Playlist
A Bookstore - Filled with my personal recommendations for Spiritual Growth!
Blogroll - Great Blogs for additional inspiration!
Call for Writers for Armed Magazine - Launching in 2012! (More Details on the website)
Guest Bloggers from time to time!
GIVEAWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After you have gotten comfortable in my new home, I invite you to "like" the My Alabaster Box Facebook Page, Follow Me on Twitter for daily inspiration, and Sign up to Receive an Outpour of Inspiration to your Inbox so that you will always be connected to receive anything that comes from My Alabaster Box! If you you want to win any of the giveaways, be sure to Sign up for email updates and "Like" us on Facebook!

Come on in and Make Yourself at home in "My Alabaster Box"

New Blog Site Coming Soon!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:02:00 +0000

Greetings and God Bless to all of you who are reading this post and read the My Alabster Blog on a regular basis! Thank you so much for your support and I pray that my articles have been a blessing to your life. I want to inform you that there will be some exciting changes coming soon! This blog is in the process of being redesigned and will move to a new site location. Upon our launch, there will be some great discussions, wonderful posts full of truth and knowledge along with some great giveaways! Who doesn't love freebies???

As God takes me higher, I am called to move to a higher level in all that I do! My Alabaster Box is taking it up a few notches! I will be giving you more of what you love!

Be sure to continue to follow me and visit the current Blog site. I will continue to Blog on this site until the new site launches. I promise you that the transition will be seamless and you will love the new site and all that it offers!

Stay Tuned!!!!!!

Twisted: Why God’s “No Marriage, No Sex” Rule is for Protection and Pleasure, Not Punishment

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:26:00 +0000

I LOVE reading Blogs, especially those with great Christian content! I stumbled upon a Blog this morning entitled "The Dithering of a District Diva". After reading a few posts I instantly added it to my Blogroll. I will definitely be visiting this Blog soon! I wanted to share a post with you that truly touched my spirit and I feel led to share with my readers. If you want to hear the Biblical truths about Premarital Sex, hold on to your seat and get ready to read this Blog post from "The District Diva."

Here is a Short Excerpt:

Twisted: Why God’s “No Marriage, No Sex” Rule is for Protection and Pleasure, Not Punishment

“I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” – Psalm 119:11

"Everybody knows a Christian who has had sex or is having sex outside of marriage. Until recently, I believed Christians accepted that sex before marriage was wrong, but some continued to do it, believing that God’s grace would cover it. But now that we’ve gotten to a point where some in the body of Christ don’t even accept that pre-marital sex is a sin in the first place, it’s really time that we as Christians start to filter out the lies we’ve been told — and the lies we tell ourselves to soothe our guilt about sexual sin. As the Church, as the unified body of Christ, we must start talking about sex and the stronghold that it has on us, our friends, our neighbors, and our children when it is perverted outside of the safety of marriage. Because people who do not have the interest and purity of our souls at heart are talking about it, and they are influencing us, as opposed to us bringing the truth to the world, as God has required of us. It’s time to pump the brakes, break out the Word of God, and figure out what He really has to say about sex — and, most importantly, why He says it."

The District Diva then goes on to give us why God doesn't want us to have sex outside of marriage. This is good stuff and full of Biblical truth and anointing! Please check it out!

Click Here to Read The full post!...

You can find The District Diva at http://www.dcdistrictdiva.com/
Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/dcdistrictdiva/

District Diva, thank you for letting God use you!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Lord, Deal with Me!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:30:00 +0000

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:3-5)

I am willing to admit that I am not perfect in any way. None of us are. The only perfect man to ever walk the face of this earth is Jesus Christ. As I grow deeper in my relationship with Him, the more I strive for perfection in Christ which is spiritual maturity. We all need work on the inside and more than likely there is something in our lives that God is waiting on us to confess and surrender to Him. God wants to deal with these things so that we can become more like Him. Once we get rid of the "mess" on the inside, God will be ready to pour out His blessings in every area of our lives.

In my recent prayer time with God, He spoke to my spirit about my issue of allowing my faith to waiver at times. I tell God what I need or ask for the desires of my heart and I wait for them to come to pass. Oh but when the wait becomes too long my faith waivers! There have been times where I have questioned if God had forgotten about me or if He really wanted me to go down this path. I have actually considered taking a different path (even after previous confirmation) because what I wanted was taking too long (in my mind) to manifest! This kind of behavior breaks God's heart for His Word says "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Jesus Christ tells us that "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." (Acts 1:7)

I had to get on my knees and repent and ask God to deal with me in this area. We all fall short of His glory and we each have different challenges in our spiritual walk. God desires for us to admit our faults, accept responsibility, repent and work on cleaning our temple from inside out. Faith is the most important attribute of our salvation and relationship with Christ. Faith says that we truly believe that God "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20).

Your issue may not be faith or waiting on God to bring on the blessings in your life. Your issue could be learning to walk in love, forgiveness, casting idols (anything that comes before God), getting rid of jealousy, coveting what someone else has, living an effective and consistent prayer life, staying in God's Word or more. Maybe you don't yet realize your spiritual struggles. God will reveal it to you in prayer if your heart really seeks to please Him. Whatever your challenge may be, I encourage you to seek Him, surrender your all to Him and ask Him to deal with you. All of the aforementioned issues are sin. Unconfessed sin could be the reason why some of our prayers are not answered. It is impossible to move mountains through prayer when sin stands in the way.

Cry out to God and say "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). It is time to clean your house! "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2. Be honest with yourself and with God about what's on the inside of you so that nothing will hinder your prayers!

What is in you that God is waiting on you to surrender to Him so that He can deal with you?

Our Prayer: Lord, I want to please you daily in every area of my life. I ask that if there is anything in me that is unlike you, please deal with me and remove those things out of my life. Lord, show me my faults and forgive me of all my iniquities. Increase my faith, remove my doubt and break my heart with the things that break your heart. Clean me up Lord and bring me closer to you.

Amen!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Will you Give Your Life?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Jerusalem - The Site of the Crucifixion

As we come upon the end of Holy Week, I cannot help but to reflect on the love that Christ showed to each one of us (whether saved or not) when He endured the suffering and was crucified for the sins of the world. Jesus was the only perfect person to ever walk the face of this earth. He was born of a virgin. He was tempted and never gave in. He never strayed away from His father. Jesus spread God's Word everywhere He went. He healed, He taught and He served. He loved those who hated Him, fed those who turned against Him, gave to the needy with no expectation of receiving anything in return and had a heart full of humility. He was perfect in all of His ways! He gave sight to the blind, ate with sinners and restored life in those that had died. Jesus was in essence the epitome of God's character on earth. But He was hated because He was The Messiah. People did not believe that He could work miracles nor did they believe that He was sent by God. He was persecuted and tempted by Satan. But Jesus Christ put ALL of His faith and trust in God. He looked to the hills for which came His help. Jesus knew His purpose and as difficult as it may have been, He walked it out to the end.

The Streets Jesus walked to Crucifixion

Jesus showed the greatest love of all. Jesus was the only son of God. He never disobeyed God and he never sinned. Jesus Christ is our bridge between God and sin. He freely offered His life for us. He loved us so much that he died in our place for sins that He never committed. He took all of our wrongdoings and saved us from the fatal consequences of our sin. His death gave us life when he died on Calvary. There is no greater love!

I am reflecting on my time in The Holy Land a few months ago. I had the wonderful honor of walking Via Dolorosa - the path that Jesus walked to be crucified. On the way to the cross, He was insulted and beaten over and over again for our sins. He was mocked and disrespected. He was pierced in His side and nailed to the cross. His blood was shed as a symbol of His love for us. As I walked the streets that Jesus once walked, saw where He was beaten, where His blood was shed and where He was nailed to the cross, I am reminded of the life that Christ calls me to live. There is absolutely NO way that I can live in sin when He died to deliver me from it. Jesus went through more than we could ever imagine. My life belongs to Him. His death was a great expression of love but His resurrection amplified it even more! His resurrection is proof that His sacrifice was perfect and acceptable to His Father. He lives inside of those of us that have accepted Him as our Savior. We have new and eternal life because of His life. Jesus gave His life for us, we should not have a problem committing our life to Him.


The Stone that was rolled away!

Will you give your life? If you have stumbled upon this blog today but have not yet accepted Christ in your life, I want you to know that you need Him. Your life will be changed and you will have a joy that is not understandable from a worldly viewpoint. Jesus wants your life! He wants to save you and give you eternal life in Him. Don't you want to live with Him? Will you give your life?

A Prayer for a New Life

Father, I am reminded of how you laid down your life for my sins. I am envisioning the blood that you shed for me and the holes from the nails they put in your hands. Father I lay my life down right now and I give myself to you. Please accept me just as I am Lord and mold me as a potter molds his clay. Make me new oh God. Clean me up and use my life for Your glory. Look into my heart and hear me as I tell you that I accept you as my personal Lord and Savior. Father, if I am a backslider, I'm coming out. I give myself to you for You to use me as You will. I give you what I owe you - my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart, give me a transplant and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. Amen!

Welcome to the Body of Christ!

"The Greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him... He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today." (Unknown)

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

There is Purpose in My Affliction!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Have you ever been in the midst of troubled times and wondered why God is allowing you to go through? I know I have and I've even had times in my life where I wondered did God forget about me. Some struggles may be great and some will be small. Adversity is inevitable but none of us will ever raise our hand and say "Lord, choose me to go through a tough time!" I was spending some quiet time with God and began to think about the difficult seasons in my life. I had to give thanks and praise to God for those seasons because the lessons learned were so much greater than the struggle. I also grew closer to Him in the midst of those seasons. You see, when God is all that you have to lean on you will learn that He is all that you need.

I am reminded of Psalm 119:71 which says that "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees".

This past Sunday, my Pastor preached a sermon on the character of God. The one thing that stood out to me in dealing with affliction is that God's deliverance power sets us free from Satan and the world. In anything that you are going through, you must stay close to God and know that He is going to stick His hand in the situation at the right moment. Think about your struggles. Just when you think that you can't take anymore, God steps into the situation and turns it around for your good. He is just that good! Even when we make mistakes, God's unmerited favor still rests upon us. God never told us that wouldn't have trouble. In fact John 16:33 says "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." We are going to face trouble and affliction while we are here on earth but in spite of what we face, we are not alone. As long as we are in right standing with The Father, He is our protector, our comforter and The One that will fight our battles. "The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble." (Psalm 37:39)

There is a lesson in every struggle and growth in every battle. Our mistakes are meant to teach us what decisions to make when we are faced with similar situations again. God knows what He is doing. There is purpose in every affliction. In the midst of troublesome times, we need to prayer harder, seek God more, get into His Word and activate our faith. When we come out on the other side, we are wiser, have a deeper level of spiritual growth and are closer to God. God wants us to seek Him and as His children we should want to be as close to Him as possible. Faith comes by hearing and God's Word is sufficient to give us wisdom, equip us for every good work in His Kingdom and trains us to live righteously. God shows us His character in our afflictions and proves that we can trust His plan even when it includes persecution and affliction. The next time you are faced with trouble, trust His plan and rest in His promises knowing that there is purpose in every affliction. Don't be shaken!

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (Psalm 62:1-2)

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

The Seven Habits of Spiritually Mature Christians

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:41:00 +0000

I've dedicated the past few weeks to reflecting on spiritual growth and spending time in the presence of God so that he could show me what I needed to do to go to a deeper level in Him. I reached a place where I felt like I needed more than what I was getting. I felt that the regular routine of church on Sunday, Bible Study on Wednesday and daily study and prayer just wasn't doing it. I questioned if I needed a new church because the food didn't seem like it was enough for me. I knew that I needed more but I wasn't sure what I needed more of! I told God that I was available to Him to work in me and all I knew was that I needed an increased level of Spiritual growth. I wanted more and more of Him in me!

This desire caused me to enter into a fast where my focus was on growing spiritually. I yearned for God to speak to me about how He needed to use me and what steps I needed to take to climb to the higher heights that I felt I needed to travel to. I questioned if I was praying enough. Was I serving in the capacity that God needed to? Was I sitting on my gifts? Was I being the Christian that God has called me to be? I took the focus off where I was getting my spiritual food and turned it towards how I was eating my spiritual food. Sometimes it is not about resources that we have but rather how we are using those resources. It is the same with our spiritual lives. We must develop good habits and works towards what we desire in order for it to manifest in our lives. God gives us what we need but sometimes we have to walk a little further, take a different road or look at things differently in order to see the blessing.

As I spent time in The Word and Praying, a revelation came to me. God spoke to me and told me that He had given me what I need but in order to get to those higher heights of spirituality, I was going to have to develop better habits in my spiritual life. Some were great but there were opportunities for improvement in others. These seven habits are very simple but sometimes hard to develop and keep consistently. Don't let your everyday life get in the way of your relationship with Christ. God is more important than anything. If He doesn't breathe life into us daily, we will not be able to have a life! Spiritual Maturity is essential for a Christian. God does not want us to remain babies in Christ!

"¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:13-14)

Spiritual maturity does not happen on its own nor does it happen quickly. You have to put your best foot forward to grow in The Lord. It also will never happen without discipline and sacrifice. We must die to our flesh daily and bear our cross. That means that we must do whatever it takes to put God first in our lives. The habits given below are meant to give you a plan for your spiritual growth. It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit - both good and bad. I challenge you (and I am taking the same challenge) to work on developing these 7 habits in the next 3 weeks to promote your spiritual growth.

The Seven Habits of Spiritually Mature Christians

Growth Requires that we Eat Spiritual Food Daily - Commit to spending time in God's Word everyday and reflect on what you read.
Growth Requires that we Get your Spiritual Oxygen Daily - Prayer is an essential part of life. Spend a significant amount of time in prayer everyday!
Growth requires that we cleanse ourselves daily - Be sure to confess ALL sin and have a heart to truly turn away from them.
To grow, we need to spend time with your spiritual family - Fellowship with Christians is a good and necessary thing for growth. Be sure to be connected to a local church and Christian friends.
We must exercise (serve) regularly - Be involved in a ministry and develop the heart of a servant.
You need protection from sin - Ask God to keep you away from temptation. (Ephesians 4:27)
In order to grow you need to give - Stewardship is essential for growth - Develop the heart of a giver.

We must devote ourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful to God for all things. He calls us to be wise in the way that we act towards others and wants us to make the most of every opportunity. Our words and our actions should reflect Christ's integrity. We are made in the image and likeness of Him. True spiritual maturity is knowing and walking in your purpose and obeying ALL of God's commands. We must fully commit to these habits in order to experience spiritual growth. I plan to and I hope that you will too!

Scriptures to Reference

2 Peter 3:1-18
1 Timothy 4:7-10
Luke 9:23, 14:27
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Psalm 119:105
Ephesians 6:17
James 1:22-25
Psalm 1:1-3

I pray that this Blog on Spiritual Growth is a blessing to your life!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

I Love You - But Do you Really?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:08:00 +0000

How many times have you heard those three words that can bring anyone so much joy and brighten a gray day? The words that can come from your parents, siblings, friends, spouse or anyone! You know the words that a man is often afraid to say to a woman in a new relationship. Those 3 words that can bring tears of happiness but also tears of pain. I know you are familiar with the words that I am referring to - the words I LOVE YOU!

These are words that we have all said to someone at some point of our lives. It is probably one of the shortest phrases with the most meaning behind it. When you tell someone that you love them, do you mean it or is it a formality, a habit or something that you are just so used to saying? I have been thinking about these 3 words lately because there are some people that say these words to me or people that I know but I am left asking myself do they really mean what they say.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 tells us the true meaning of love. It says that "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things"

Let's tackle the kind part of this verse. Kind means that you are treating people the same way that you desire for others to treat you. Kind means that you are giving and understanding of others. Kind people don't slander others. The Bible tells us that love does not parade itself meaning that loving people do not walk around thinking that they are better than the next person. A loving person does not boast about what they have but rather their boasting in in The Lord. Loving people are not rude to others nor do they seek to always satisfy their own selfish desires. Loving people care about the needs of others. A person that is truly loving does not think or do evil things against other people especially the ones that they claim to love. When you love someone you do not rejoice when things go wrong in their lives, nor do you let them continue to do wrong against anyone especially God! Loving people are truthful, honest and humble. True love is being able to accept a person for who they are, support them, stand with them and believe in them in all things. True love is being able to endure with a person no matter what they are going through, All of these things and more are wrapped up in those three words that are so eloquently and often spoken - I love you!

You cannot love me if you are talking about me behind my back and smiling in my face. You cannot love me if you are not willing to forgive me for anything that I may have done. You cannot love me if you are not able to treat me with the same respect that you ask of me. You cannot love if you want to consistently take from me and not give anything in return - not because you should but because your heart tells you to. You cannot love me if you do not trust me. You cannot love me if you lie to me. You cannot love me if when I need you your need to satisfy your own desires always supersede the needs of a person that you claim to love. You cannot love me if you rejoice when things go wrong in my life and you hate when God blesses me. You cannot love me if you are able to put me in harm's way emotionally, spiritually or physically. You cannot love me if you are doing anything to me that you would not want me to do to you.

Love is an action - not just a word! When Jesus Christ got on that cross for the salvation of all men and women on this earth that was the BIGGEST action of love that anyone has ever shown. I am so tired of people whether they be family or friends saying "I Love You" to others but showing otherwise. Think about the deep meaning behind those words before you utter them to someone. Love is a responsibility that we all share especially as children of God.

I am not asking for you to crucify yourself to show love, but please stop crucifying others. The next time you decide to say those powerful three words to someone, think about the way you treat that person and the things that you say when they are not around. Do you really love them by God's definition of love - the only one that matters?

Visit this link to learn more about the characteristics of true love: http://www.immanuels.org/biblical_counseling/bc/fm_love.htm

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Your Faith Keeps you Standing

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I was watching the Stellar Awards this past weekend and there was one part that really stood out in my mind. When Marvin Sapp accepted one of his awards, he talked about what he had been through in recent months. Through it all he said these words: "My faith is still in tact. I still believe that He is a healer, a provider and a way maker." This really touched my heart and reminded me of the power of Faith and having a true relationship with God. Marvin Sapp lost his wife, his best friend, the mother of his children and the co-pastor of his church. He prayed for healing. He had Christians all over the world praying for Dr. Malinda Sapp. We prayed for healing and continued to pray for healing day after day. The Lord's will was different from what we desired. What I really love about Marvin Sapp's words was the power behind them. If he doesn't know, I would like to tell him that those few words touched my heart and reminded me about the true dimensions of faith.

Our desires do not always line up with God's will. It is easy for our faith to stay in tact when God gives us the desires of our hearts. It is easy to stay on the right path and walk according to His will when all is going well. It is easy for our faith to keep us standing when life doesn't throw adversity our way. But what happens when we lose the best things, when tragedy confronts us, when life gets hard and it seems like nothing is going right? How do we keep standing? How do we keep going when the things that we pray so earnestly for don't come to pass? How do we keep standing? How do we keep believing and how do we keep loving God without questioning His will and his decisions?

When you can't see what The Lord is doing we have to stand solely on our faith. We have to trust that God knows what he is doing and that His purpose is above all. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). It is so easy to turn our backs on God when He takes the very thing that we think we live for. He has to be number one in our lives. He is everything that we need Him to be right when we need Him. It is in the tough times where we have to exercise our faith the most. I am not saying that troublesome times won't be hard but what I am saying is that it is in those times that we have to remember that if God brought us to it, then He will definitely bring us through it. We need to know that "...God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

We may not understand God's decisions but He is our father and "...we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28) We have to trust Him and have faith that He will carry us through the tough times. His character never changes. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Since His love for us never changes, our love for Him should never change regardless of what adversity comes in our lives nor when our prayers are not answered in the way that we want them to be.

Faith is the ticket that leads us to the blessing. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a childwhen she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. By faith the Israelites passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. (Hebrews 11)

If we let our faith fall, we can miss God's greatest blessings! You may not be able to see how God is working in the background on our behalf, but use your faith to keep you standing. No matter what trials and tribulations come our way, we have to keep our faith. We have to stay standing. Keep marching in faith and the walls will eventually come tumbling down and we can walk into our promise!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed

As Iron Sharpens Iron...

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)

This past week I attended the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit and had the wonderful privilege of hearing my Soror, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie speak to over 700 Women of Power who were there for the purpose of learning and networking. Her message was phenomenal! She spoke powerfully to us about shining like the diamonds that we are, not being satisfied with the status quo, being motivated to move beyond where we are now to where we want to go and reclaiming our power. There was one thing that Bishop said that really stood out to me. She stated that "every sister leader needs to have an all-girl back up team!" This statement really stayed with me throughout the conference and even when I got back home. I began to think about my all-girl back up team.

The Word of God tells us that "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Bishop McKenzie talked about us having a support system and accountability partners for every area of our lives. She asked us "who would we like to have on our team? A team is a cooperative group working together to achieve the same goal. Think about a football team for one moment. When you see one of the team members fall (make a mistake), another player will come over and help them up. They support each other through wins, losses, injuries and even through trades (major moves). The same should be with the team that we choose to surround us, our all-girl back-up team!

We need supporters and we need to be supporters. We need women around us who will understand us, pick us up when we are down, tell us like it is when they need to, and those who will pray with us and for us. We need women who will hold us accountable to our professional, personal and spiritual goals. We need women who will bear our burdens sometimes and know that we too will carry theirs. We need diamonds that will shine around us when our diamond isn't too bright. We need women who will teach us how to be better sisters, daughters, wives, and mothers. We need all of these women on our back-up team. We need to choose them wisely and we need to know who they are and what roles they play in our lives. You may not talk to them everyday but you know without a shadow of doubt that when you call or are in need, they will appear. As iron sharpens iron!

Who is on your all-girl back up team? Who do you want on your team? What role will you play on another team? How will you design your all-girl team? The saying goes that you can't choose your family but you can choose your friends. Who is currently on your team that you may need to trade ? Does everyone on your team truly support you and have your best interest at heart? Are you the best supporter that you can be for the teams that you are a part of? Everyone on your team should have the same goal which should be to support one another in all endeavors. As iron sharpens iron!

I encourage you today to think about where you are and where you want to go. No successful person has reached their destiny without the help of another person. You need support. Bishop McKenzie says that you need an "all girl back-up team"! Pray about who you need on your team and those that you may need to trade. Pray for God to bless you with the wisdom and discernment to identify the strategic moves that you need to make in your life and on your team. We are not always going to be on the top of our game. Things are not going to always fall right into place and our goals are not going to always be easy to achieve. A great example of women friendship is the story of Ruth and Naomi. They needed one another. Ruth was loyal when she did not have to be. She had a teachable spirit and an open mind. Naomi was very unselfish and wanted Ruth to have the desires of her heart. Oh what a friend! Choose the best Ruths and Naomis that you can find and put them on your all girl back-up team! I wish you and your team the best in all of your future seasons, playoffs and finals!

When iron sharpens iron, both pieces are stronger and sharper than they were before they came together! This is how our friendships should be! Go and build your team!

"Remember that the light of the universe shines through you and you can shine even in the dark." ~Bishop Vashti McKenzie

Visit Bishop Vashti McKenzie's Blog and website

Daily Inspiration: http://thisisyourwakeupcallonline.com/

Bishop's Blog: http://www.vashtimckenzie.blogspot.com/

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed

What do you See?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:30:00 +0000

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

What do you see? When you think about tomorrow, what do you see? When you ask God to answer prayers and wait on Him, what do you see? When you think about what you dream of becoming or achieving, what do you see? What is your hope? What do you rest upon? Do you believe in the impossible? Does the invisible become visible to you? What do you see? Do you believe that God can and will do anything that you ask Him to? What do you see? When your whole world is tumbling down, what do you see? When your money is low, what do you see? When you get a bad report, what do you see? What do you hope for? Does your hope line up with what you see?

Hebrews 11:1 is such a powerful and profound scripture. It speaks of God's power, His promises and the manifestations of His Word. Doubt will hinder everything that you need and want from being brought into your life. If you don't believe that God will do it, He won't. If you ask God for something but do not operate in the attitude of expectancy, your hopes will never be realized.

"We have not because we ask not." Think about your childhood times when you asked your parents for something that you really really wanted. You asked with the confidence that they would say yes. You expected them to say yes and most times we planned as if they had already told us yes. If we can do this with our parents, why can't we do so with God? God wants to bestow upon us every promise that He has given us in His Word. Because you trust in God, you believe that whatever He has promised you, He is able (and will) to perform. (Romans 4:21, Hebrews 10:23).

Faith is what moves God (Hebrews 11:6). Praise God for the blessing before it ever comes to you. Praise and faith are key to receiving increased blessings poured out into our lives. God wants us to live the abundant life! (John 10:10). We have to stand strong on our faith regardless of the circumstances and we must believe that all trials are temporary. You have to go through the fire so that we will appreciate where God brought you from and what He has brought us to! I encourage you to fully exercise faith in your life. That means living a life of praise and exuding mustard seed faith (Matthew 17:20) especially in the midst of a storm. God is able to do all that He has promised you.

What do you see with your faith? You have to see yourself successful. You have to see yourself healed. You have to see yourself debt free. You have to see yourself in your new job. You have to see your family healed. You have to see your children saved. You have to see yourself in the corner office. You have to see your business succeeding. What ever it is that you are asking God to make happen in your life, you have to see it before it can ever come into being. So I ask you, what do you see? What do you expect? What are you waiting for God to do for you? Are you operating in the attitude that it is already done? God wants to give you the blessing, He is just waiting on your faith to manifest it in your life. If you are truly submitted to God, you can have whatever you ask for. Work that faith and Praise God for what you can see but can't yet touch!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

You Must feed your Soul!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:42:00 +0000

Image created by WAK (http://www.wak-art.com)

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8)

Think about your morning activities. I am sure that one of those things includes eating breakfast or something to feed your body. What happens if you do not eat in the morning? How would you feel by noon? What if you didn't eat or drink anything all day? How do you think you would feel by the evening? You may experience growling of the stomach, headaches, dizziness among other side affects. This is not a good feeling nor is it healthy for the body. What if you went days or even weeks without eating? What would happen to you? If you went too long without eating, your body would definitely suffer and you could even die. Food sustains you and is a very important source for a healthy life.

This made me think about my spirit which dwells in me. The same applies. What happens if we don't feed our spirits? This is a question that many people do not think about too often. We feed our bodies daily, but why don't we feed our spirits daily? If we do not feed your spirit on a consistent basis, we become disconnected to God. If we don't feed our spirits everyday we give the enemy a foothold to come in. Each day that we don't give God our time, we give the enemy the upper hand. Spending time with God through prayer and digging into His Word is crucial for spiritual development and growth. It teaches us The Word which we can then apply to our lives. We need to get in The Word constantly which will ensure that His Word will get in us!

The Bible verse above (Joshua 1:8) tells us to meditate on God's word so that we may be careful to do all that He commands us to do. If you don't eat, you will not live long and thus you will not fulfill your dreams nor reach your highest potential. Knowing that, we prioritize eating daily. Our physical bodies die but our spirit lives forever. We must eat our daily bread - our spirits will die without it and the enemy is given a greater chance to work in our lives.

Just like we need food to keep our body healthy, we must spend time daily with God. Without these set apart moments, our inner man will weaken day by day. I encourage you to get into the presence of God as much as you physically eat food. When we do this, God blesses our diligence and our love for Him. God's purpose for each and every one of His children is to be a reflection of who He is. We are to emulate God's grace, beauty and character. We can't do this successfully if we are not feeding our spirits daily and learning more about who He is and applying His Word to every area of our lives. If we want to be prosperous in everything that we do, God commands us to spend time with Him day and night!

Think about your day and reflect on the moments that you could be spending time with God. Get off of Facebook and get with God. Take some time away from TV and get with God. Make time for Him. He makes time for us when we go to Him in prayer. When you feed your spirit daily with the right things (prayer, devotion, Bible Reading, etc.) you feel better. Your attitude is better. Your life situations improve. You would smile more and God will remove all that which keeps you from being prosperous.

How much time do you spend with God per day? How many times do you update your status with the Heavenly Father? Do you check in with Him like you check in with the world on Facebook? Imagine what our lives would be like if we gave the same time, commitment and worship to God as we do to the secular things of the world. How could our lives change if we were more committed to God? What would this world be like if we became addicted to God? We can spend hours upon hours on other things, but we spend 5 minutes with God each day. God is a jealous God! He wants to be first in our lives.

"You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me" (Exodus 20:5) - Serving other things will affect your generations to come!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Does it Hurt You?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 04:43:00 +0000

How do you feel when you sin? Is it something that you do over and over again? Do you feel remorse for your actions or do you just sin and ask for forgiveness over and over again? God is a God that forgives but His patience can run out. Your sin can put you into situations that He never meant for you to get into. What if you die in the middle of a sin?

These are questions that I once asked myself in my journey of spiritual growth. As I grew in The Lord, every time I did something that was not pleasing to God, my heart would hurt more and more. It would hurt me to hurt Him. I am not perfect by any means and there are still times when I fall short of the glory of God. The difference in a person that is totally submitted and person that isn't is their attitude towards sin. There are some of us that plan our sin. We set up the date, time and place and know that sin is going to take place. We cannot have the attitude that we will sin and just ask for forgiveness. That attitude does not have a pure heart for The Lord. God wants us to have a heart that mirrors His. God wants the things that hurt Him to hurt us as well. He is waiting for our total submission in each and every area of our lives.

One year ago yesterday a earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude struck Haiti with a depth of 8.1 miles. Since then there have been 59 aftershocks so far. A number of these were rather strong aftershocks. As of today 49 of the 50 states have snow on the ground. Australia is experiencing catastrophic flooding in cities where the climate could give you reasoning that this would not occur. Heinous crimes are being committed all over the world, most recently in Tucson with the killing of the federal judge and many others. As I watched the news yesterday all I could think was that we are definitely living in the last of the last of the days. Jesus is coming back and it may be sooner than you think. It is time to walk away from sin!

God is so wonderful that He loves us in the midst of our sins and in spite of our sins. God does not want us to continue to live in our sin. He wants to rebuild us. Does it hurt you when you sin? Does it tug on your heart? Do you hear God whispering to you to turn to Him? Do you feel something in your spirit telling you that your way of living is not God's best for your life? Ask God to help you to rebuild your life and to give you a heart this mirrors His. It should hurt you when you hurt God!

A Prayer to turn away from Sin

Father, I have sinned and I have fallen short of your glory time after time after time. I am ready to live for you and I am ready to submit my will to yours. Lord, I want any sin that I commit to break my heart just the way that it breaks Yours. Remove anything from my life that is not of you and remove anyone that is holding me back from fulfilling your purpose for my life. Father, I ask in the mighty name of Jesus that you would hold me in your hands and mold me just as a potter molds His clay. Take me out of the dark places and bring light to every area of my life. I cancel any scheme that the enemy has planned for me. I need to be rebuilt, restored and renewed. Place me in new environments and give me a new mindset. Fix me oh Lord and put me back together. I don't want to live in a life of sin. Devil, you must loose me and let me go. You are defeated and I forever belong to The Lord. Father on this day, I rededicate my life to you. I Trust you, I love you and I choose to live for you. Give me a heart that wants to go grow deeper and deeper in You for the rest of my life. Catch me before I fall. Help me to resist temptation and protect me from backsliding. I am here and I am ready to live my life for you. I decree and declare that it hurts me to hurt you! Amen!

Lazy Sucks! Just Do it! ®

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 02:04:00 +0000

"We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (Hebrews 6:12)

Image: Nike ® T-Shirt

Nike has a line of T-shirts with many different sayings and quotes on them. I love these shirts because many of them provide motivation for various areas of life. Way to Go Nike! The one that I bought most recently (pictured above) say so much in what may seem like five simple words. It reads "Lazy Sucks. Just Do It." but it really says this: "Stop talking about that you want to and stop finding excuses of why not to pursue your goals and dreams. Just Do It!" I have made this my motto for 2011. Many of us (me included) write down goals, develop resolutions, start things and stop in the middle or never go after anything at all. January is usually the month that we march strongly towards the mark but when February comes around, we are back into old habits and those goals that we wrote down are buried in a place we cannot find them. Why is it that we begin new each year when God gives us a new day every 24 hours? A new day, a new chance and possibly even a new dream. We often let each day pass us by and do nothing towards reaching the goals that we set for ourselves. We procrastinate and we can be lazy. God's Word tells us that "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going." Ecclesiastes 9:10

How many times have we put off something until tomorrow? Tomorrow can rob you of your dreams and goals in life and keep you from your greatest achievements. Tomorrow has the ability to keep you from being all that God has called you to be and having all that God wants you to have. God has called each and every one of us to do something great but too often we find excuses for not putting our all (time, energy, passion, etc) into reaching our goals. Laziness put off things until tomorrow. I encourage you not to make resolutions that never make it past February but rather to set goals with dates to hold yourself accountable. When you begin to take the steps necessary towards becoming all that you want to be, God will open the heavens and pour out all of the resources that you need to make it happen. Laziness does not open the heavens. Laziness does not lead to success. Laziness does not fulfill God's purpose and most of all, you cannot walk into your destiny with laziness at your side.

In 2011, commit to living a productive life. Commit to holding yourself accountable to accomplish your goals. Commit to taking a step towards your destiny every day. Throw out laziness and kill procrastination in every area of your life. Below is a prayer that you can pray when you fill yourself falling into a slump or when tomorrow or the day after seems to be the day when you claim you are going to do something. Remember that God is with you when you are walking according to His will. He will give you exactly what you need.

My prayer for 2011

Lord, I have walked into a new year, a new season with new mercies from You that are everlasting. Father, I thank You for all that you have done for me in 2010 and all that You will do for me moving forward. Lord, help me to live a more productive life. Remove procrastination and laziness and do not let it creep up in any form or fashion. In Proverbs You tell me that "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." and that "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." Lord, I desire to do your will, to walk in my purpose and to step into the destiny that you have laid out for me. Father, I pray that you would give me all the resources that I need to fulfill my dreams. Take the money from the enemy and use it in your kingdom, as doors close, open windows. Bless everything that I touch and give me unmerited favor. Lord, I can do nothing without you and I thank you in advance for removing the spirit of slothfulness from my life. Lord, I don't want to use tomorrow as an excuse when I can do it today. One of the devil's most effective tools is to trick us into putting off things until later - don't let me fall into the trap. I am going after my goals and dreams now, for tomorrow is not promised! Thank You Father for another chance to please You. I will not disappoint You. I am forever Yours! Amen!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

From Genesis to Revelations - Journey Completed!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:14:00 +0000

In August I embarked on a journey to read the Bible in 90 Days! My mission was to learn more about God and get closer to Him through reading His Word on a daily basis. When I thought about reading the whole Bible in 90 days I knew that it would be a challenge. I I enjoyed every moment and each day was better than the one before it. Did I complete it in 90 days? No, but I did complete it! Some days took longer than others because I wanted to take the time to dive into God's Word. Each day was a step in a journey that I would do over and over again. I learned so much more about God's character, His grace, His mercies and His love for me.

I developed an even deeper love for God's Word. When you read The Bible every day for about 30+ days it becomes a habit. Now there isn't a day that goes by when I don't read God's Word. I feel like if I don't dive into his Word, my spirit is starving. It truly has become my daily bread. I would encourage everyone to really allow God to love you through His Word daily. As you read every part of the Bible, you will see the love that God has for His people (even those that don't love Him) and the many chances that He gives. Every single thing that God does for or to His people, rather it be punishment or reward, is done out of the love that He has for us. When I was a baby in Christ, I wondered how a loving God could allow His flock to be destroyed. Now I know that God allows things to happen to us to build up our faith and our trust in Him. He also calls us to be obedient to His Word and if we aren't there are consequences. This journey reminded me the importance of obedience and the rewards of it. God's character was revealed to me throughout every word of The Bible.

Revelation is in The Word of God. Before I embarked on this journey, I was praying that The Lord would reveal some things to me. There were days would I would pray and prepare to read and by the end of my quality time with The Lord, the solution to certain situations was so clear. During my journey I received revelation of the things that God wants me to pursue, how He wants to use me in His ministry and answers to a few prayers that I had been waiting for. This journey was a greater blessing to me than I thought it would be. It taught me the importance of truly walking in the will of God. This journey better enabled me to put total trust and confidence in God. Everything that He promised any of His people in The Bible manifested in His timing. I know that He works the same today as He did back then. He does keep his promises, His grace is everlasting and He loves me more than anyone else ever could.

When you know The Word for yourself, you can put it into action in your life and use it to speak to your situations. This journey greatly increased my knowledge of The Word and increased my faith in The One and only Living God. My worship rose to another level and my praise happens in the good and the bad. There is a promise for every situation that we deal with in life. I questioned my love for God during this journey. Not in the sense of loving Him, but I asked myself if I loved Him enough. I asked myself what I would really give up if God told me too. Would you be willing to lose everything to follow God if that is what He told you to do?

God fought battles for me during this journey, He closed some doors that I REALLY wanted to walk through. When this happened, I knew that it was simply God telling me "Not right now my child. I have something better planned for you." He answered prayers, He removed a few things and a few people out of my life and I was able to be obedient although it may have been difficult. I trust Him. The most powerful things that this journey reminded me of is that everything that I am, everything that I have and everything that I do must be according to God' will for it to be blessed. I examined my heart and every area of my life during this journey. It's hard to look in the mirror and see that you need to change some things but I rejoice in knowing that God is going to lead me through these changes and whatever is waiting on the other side is so much greater than what I am experiencing right now!

The journey was nothing short of amazing and I encourage each and every person reading this to take on the challenged of reading God's Words from Genesis to Revelation. You will dive deep into the promises of God and you will feel His loving arms wrapped around you as you read each day. By day 20, I was not reading the Bible, I was worshiping and spending intimate time with The Father. This is a journey that I will take again and again and again. I pray that you are inspired by my testimony and my experience during this journey. I pray that you too will go to the next level in your spiritual life by diving deeper into who God truly is by reading His Word.

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Days 69-70: Almost Doesn't Count!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:35:00 +0000

Matthew 1-26

“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)

I will start this blog by saying one simple things that is often verbalized by many but never realized until it hits close to home. Life is short and tomorrow is not promised. This world is corrupt and we are really living in the last of the last of the last days! When are we going to get right with God? When are we going to surrender all to Him? When are we going to turn away from wickedness and pursue righteousness? When are we going to take God at His Word and prepare ourselves for the rapture? For the rapture is surely coming!

You can be here today and gone today. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:36, 42). I encourage you to get ready, get ready, get ready! You don’t know what day God has written for you in His book. On that final day you want God to say “Well Done my good and faithful servant.” Your “Fire Insurance” (Accepting Christ with your mouth but not exemplifying it in your life) is not going to grant you eternal life. It is time to stop almost living for God. It is time to stop almost sinning. It is time to stop almost walking in His will. Jesus didn’t almost die for us so why would you almost give your whole life to Him?

Last week I saw a friend/co-worker on Thursday and on Friday she was called home to glory. She was ready. In the same week I heard of a woman crossing the street and then hit by a drunk driver. It’s not for me to judge your destiny so please don’t think that I am. Rather, I am encouraging you to fully submit to The Lord and live for Him. You don’t know your time so it is best to be ready. I want to see all of family and friends in heaven!

Ask yourself these questions: Am I truly living for God? Am I OK with living in my sin? If The Lord called me home tomorrow, where would I go?

God is patient but His patience is not everlasting. You cannot continue to sin and think that God is going to keep forgiving you. Repentance is an action of the heart! What if you die in your sin? God doesn’t want you to believe in Him, He wants you to know Him and love him. Loving Him is fully living for Him, not almost!

“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23)

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27)

Check out the Video below. It is spoken word about being “Almost Saved”.

“An almost Christian looks right but lives wrong.” (Ezekiel Azonwu)

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed

Days 54-58: God's Plan will Prevail!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 02:20:00 +0000

The Book of Jeremiah records the final prophecies to Judah and gives them warning of the coming destruction if the nation does not repent and turn away from sin. God had delivered Judah from destruction on countless occasions, but His mercy was at its end. After further rebellion, God had the desolate parts of Judah and Jerusalem destroyed (Chapter 52). Even in this most severe judgment, God promises the restoration of Judah back into the land God has given them (Jeremiah 29:10). Jeremiah endured hardship because of what God called him to do - deliver a message to His people that they would not want to hear. But he faithfully served God for 40 years. He was rejected, ignored and persecuted. By human standards, his preaching was not successful but he did not fail in the task that God assigned to him. He remained faithful to God and God's plan prevailed through him!

'"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5). Jeremiah's destiny was set before he was born and so is yours! His desires for His life did not matter because God had an assignment for Him. Jeremiah could have chose to run from his assignment when he was rejected and persecuted but he stayed. He could have been disobedient but he stayed in the perfect will of God. That is what The lord desires from each and every one of us - to stay planted in His will. He wants us to submit to His plan for our lives regardless of how challenging it may be. The tribulation brings about the promise! Your life should be about God's will - not yours!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

The realization that we will have to face at some point in our lives is that this life is not about you. God did not put you (or me) here to fulfill your own dreams and goals especially when they don't concern Him nor His people! He put us here to be a blessing to others, to love one another and to be an asset to His Kingdom. God operates in His way and in His timing. The natural side of us wants what we want, when we want it and how we want it. But God tells us that "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) This means that God is in control of everything that is happening in our lives. Taking matters into our own hands only delays the blessings and the best from heaven! He has a purpose and a destiny set up for us that He wants us to walk out. That is what we are here for. We are here to work for Him and not just for us. I encourage you to be patient (which is the hardest thing for me to do!), align your goals with God's will and His Word and to seek Him in all that you do to ensure that you are walking on His path for your life. What you want may not come when you want it to. Other desires may never come. The best thing that you can focus on is knowing "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28). What you think is good to you may not be God's best for you. God is going to align each and everything in our lives according to what is best for us and when we are prepared for them to manifest. Trust His plan and remember that He gave us life for His purpose. His plan will prevail no matter what!

Let God be THE Leader of your life's journey!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Days 49-53: Judgement will Come! (God's Mercy)

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 01:44:00 +0000

Isaiah 1-66

After reading The Book of Isaiah all I can say is Whew! God is not playing with us! The Prophet Isaiah was called to prophesy to the Kingdom of Judah. Judah was going through times of revival and times of rebellion. The city was threatened with destruction but was spared because of God’s mercy. Isaiah proclaimed a message of repentance from sin and hopeful expectation of God’s deliverance in the future. The major themes that Isaiah wrote about were living a life of holiness, punishment for our sins, salvation in Christ, the coming of The Messiah and Hope in The Lord.

If anyone is living in sin, doubts who God is or does not believe that He is going to punish us for our wickedness, pick up The Bible and read The Book of Isaiah! It reveals God’s judgment and salvation. God is “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3), and therefore He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. God is merciful but He hates wickedness. The nation of Israel was blind and deaf to The Lord's commands and thus many were destroyed for its obedience. Only because of His mercy and promises to Israel, will God not allow Israel nor Judah to be completely destroyed. He brings restoration, forgiveness, and healing to those that choose to obey. God will be the same way with us. He gives us warning after warning and chance after chance to turn our lives over to Him. God says that He will "...punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless." (Isaiah 13:11). When is this world going to believe what God is saying to us? When are we going to get serious about serving Him. God doesn't send people to hell. People choose to go there by the lives that they choose to live!

"Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done." (Isaiah 3:10-11).

"Therefore the Lord's anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down." (Isaiah 5:25)

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." (Isaiah 30:15)

Isaiah also prophesied the coming of The Messiah, Jesus Christ. He focused on the salvation that would come through the birth of Jesus through a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He tells the people that The Messiah would rule over righteousness and justice and that He would bring peace to the people of Israel and the future seeds of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Isaiah 32:1, 33:5-6, 35:4). We are told to forget the former things (our sin) and let God do a new thing in us. We need to trust and obey!

The Messiah will suffer for our sins but will also be our source of hope in all things. He will give us the strength that we need to carry out His will. God is the one that will blot out each and every one of our transgressions and remember them no more! (Isaiah 43:25). He is the first and the last and apart from Him there is no good thing. He gives us the treasures of darkness and riches stored in secret places! Through Him all of our ways will be made straight. We must turn away from wickedness and cause these promises to manifest in our lives. "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked." (Isaiah 48:22). Our judgment time will come! God tells us "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea." (Isaiah 48:18). Those who hope in The Lord will not be disappointed. Get right right now! Turn away from sin for your judgment day is coming and it could be today! We know not the day nor the hour.

Isaiah chapter 53 vividly describes the Messiah suffering for sin. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5). The Messiah's suffering is our salvation! In righteousness we are established. No weapon formed against God's people will ever prosper. His Word does not return to us void and will accomplish all that He desires (Isaiah 55:11). We are to "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed" (Isaiah 56:1). Our iniquities separate us from God and have us hidden from The Savior (Isaiah 59:2). We must do what is write for His judgment shall be upon us. Israel had an appearance of righteousness, but it was a facade. The Prophet Isaiah challenges Israel to obey God with all of their heart. I pray that this touches your heart and encourages you to turn from you sin. Don't be the destroyed of Israel. He is merciful and forgiving and He is waiting on you!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Day 48: It's Meaningless without God

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs

Day 48 of my Bible journey included reading the Books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. They were both very inspiring and encouraging messages. The theme of Ecclesiastes is the one that I felt led to Blog about. It talks about there being a time for everything and all things being meaningless without God. This book really got me to thinking.

Many people are chasing the money but aren't chasing The God who owns the money! Ecclesiastes shows how empty it is to pursue the material pleasures of life rather than seeking to have an intimate relationship with the eternal God, Jesus Christ. The search for pleasure, wealth, the houses, the cars and even personal status can be very disappointing. Nothing and I do mean nothing can fill the emptiness in our hearts like the joy of the living God. There are plenty of wealthy people who are poor and unhappy because they simply don't know who God is or don't submit to His way. God has great favor on His people and He will provide all of our needs and every desire of our hearts if we just learn to trust Him and obey His commands.

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10) If you attempt to create happiness through the accumulation of wealth, you will never have enough. You are always going to want more. You are attempting to fill a hole that only God can fill but because you don't know God, you don't know what is missing. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10). The Lord desires for us to be grateful for what we have and view it from the right perspective. All material possessions belong to God and are gifts from Him. They are a reason to rejoice but they are not the source of our joy. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17). We need to focus on the giver and not the gift! We can be content with all that we have when we realize that God is all that we will ever need. Without God, everything is meaningless!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Day 47: The Proverbs 31 Man (Repost)

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 23:18:00 +0000

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies!!! This post is for us. We have all stated at one (or many) times in our lives that we wanted a good man. We want a fine man, a man with a good job, a man that will take care of his family, a faithful man, a kind man among other things. Whether you are single, engaged or married, you will get something from this post. We have all dreamed about our Prince Charming, the one that would come and sweep us off of our feet and make us feel like we are Cinderella way past the clock striking midnight. Where is that man in our lives? Do you want Mr. Right or are you willing to settle for Mr. Right now? Ladies, I am here to tell you that you should not be asking for a good man, you should be asking for a Godly man. A man that loves the Lord wholeheartedly and seeks Him in every aspect of his life will surely know how to love you!

The Book of Proverbs talks about the Proverbs 31 woman. it talks about her noble character, her strong willingness to be a hard worker, her worth, the good she brings to her husband and children, her selflessness, her creativity, strength and dignity and much more! Only 2 verses (31:11, 23) in this story talk about her husband. Those verses tell us that he has full confidence in his woman, lacks nothing of value and is respected wherever he goes. If we are striving to become a Proverbs 31 Woman, then who is the man that we need by our side? Who is the man that we should be praying for God to bring into our life? I am about to share with you - The Proverbs 31 Man!

The first characteristic of a Proverbs 31 Man is that he not only knows God but he has an intimate relationship with God (there is a difference) and displays it in every aspect of his life.

"The people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God] (Daniel 11:32 - Amplified)

God calls us to be submissive to our husbands, so we want to ensure that he is constantly seeking counsel from God. I am sure that we will willingly submit to a man when we know that God is his leader! I don't know about you, but I want a man whose every step is in tune with God. I know he will lead me down the right path! This man makes sacrifices for his family. He follows and trusts God at all costs and in all things.

The Proverbs 31 Man is a praying man! Prayer brings about power in our lives. A man is the head so he must be connected to God in prayer. A man who is able to touch and understand the very heart of God is one sexy man! Prayer helps a man to understand the needs of his wife and his family. Prayer will equip this man to respond to those secret desires that we keep in our hearts and never tell. Only God knows them; but if your man is connected to God in a mighty way, God will reveal those things to him and thus enable him to fulfill those desires. How wonderful is it to know that? Ladies, I am talking about real prayer here. Not the routine nightly prayer, but the deep prayer where God will put things in his spirit. "Real prayer involves a transparency of the heart and an openness to God's response." (Michelle Hammond). How great would it be if you could feel that God was loving you through your husband. Can you imagine that? Get a man of prayer and it will become real.

The Proverbs 31 Man has a purpose and a vision for his life. Many women today are very successful. We have promising careers, successful businesses and can multi-task like you wouldn't believe. Have you ever met a man that told you or showed you that he was intimidated by you? If so, he wasn't a Proverbs 31 Man because a true man of God is strong and a woman's success does not diminish him in any way nor the call that God has placed on his life. This man will support you and push you to achieve more. He will be fulfilled in his success and purpose and thus is able to celebrate yours. A man that does not have fulfillment in his purpose may attempt to block your path in fear that you will pass him up. God is calling men to be leaders and this is what he requires from a Proverbs 31 Man. When you see a great leader, don't mistake it for arrogance. A man with a divine sense of purpose will not have excuses for not pursuing goals to make that purpose manifest. "A Proverbs 31 man will receive his assignment in life before receiving his wife. This is God's perfect order for a man's life" (Michelle Hammond). He must know what God has called him to complete in order to discern whether a woman that he meets is equipped to be a worthy partner for him. Our mates can either propel us forward into our destiny or hold us back. For this reason, we too must know our purpose to wisely choose a mate. The partner that a man chooses weighs heavily on the effectiveness of fulfilling and functioning in his calling. He will not have a spirit of competition. Your accomplishments will be an added value to him.

A Proverbs 31 Man knows his place in the Kingdom of God and in a woman's life. "God's perfect design was for the man to be the glory of God and for the woman to be the glory of the man" (Michelle Hammond). A man is to truly represent the power of and omnipresence of God here on the earth. His woman is to reflect everything that he imitates. When a man is in perfect fellowship with Jesus Christ, his life will be the pure manifestation of God's blessings. Ladies, look into the life of a man and take a look at his blessings from God. This will give you some insight of his place in the kingdom. When you are teamed up with a true Man of God, you will also reap the blessings. God designed men and women to work together, love one another and achieve success together. God knew that all men would need a help mate. In the book of Genesis, God put Adam into a deep sleep and removed a rib which He used to fashion woman. A Proverbs 31 man knows that women are a part of his being. He knows all about the bond and he senses the connection, thus he is able to really love a woman. He does not have scathing thoughts toward women and he is secure in his manhood. He is not intimated by the strength of a woman but rather walks in the strength that God gave to him. Ladies, when a man has these qualities, he can release us to be all that we should be! What a man!

The Proverbs 31 Man is aware of his priorities and has established them according to God's Word. He knows that when he finds his wife, she is his number one priority after his relationship with and obedience to God. This man is constantly reminded of Ephesians 5:25 ("Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."). This mans puts you first and makes sacrifices for you. He is a provider and a protector. He is considerate and treats his woman with respect. He knows that if he is not making God happy by obeying The Word, his prayers will be hindered. ("Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." - 1 Peter 3:7). Ladies, refer to many stories in the Bible that show us how a woman is to be treated. Rebekah immediately became the focus of Isaac over his mother, Boaz protected Ruth by having her leave the threshing floor and Joseph took Mary away so that she would not be stoned for fornication. The Proverbs 31 Man knows his obligation to protect his woman - mind, heart, body and soul.

The man that God desires you to have will stand firm on his commitments to God. He will be a man of integrity. ("The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." - Luke 6:45). The way he lives his life will bring about great favor from The Lord. Ladies, we must hold on to your values and stop giving these men what God never desired for them to have outside of the covenant. The Proverbs 31 Man knows how to recognize his wife and is willing to pay the price for the privilege of have an intimate relationship with her - Marriage! A real man of God will respect your stance and protect you from falling into sexual sin.

Ladies, how many times have you met a man and heard some of the following: "I'm not ready for a relationship, "We're just kicking it", "Let's date other people", etc? That is not the man that you want. A Proverbs 31 Man is honest about what he wants and is willing to communicate his true intentions and feelings to you. These intentions will be in line with what God wants for your life and his. We should not have to speculate about what a man feels in his heart for us. Jacob made his intentions clearly known to Rachel! This man will also stand firm on his commitment to you. He will remove any hindrances and or distractions out of the relationship. This is part of him protecting you. God does not take lightly to a man playing with the heart of a woman and we definitely should not allow it! The Proverbs 31 Man has allowed God to abide on the inside and mold his heart; because of this, he will be ready to receive God's best for him. He will not run from his responsibilities, he will have a great work ethic, his integrity will never be called into question and his wife and children will arise and call his blessed!

The Proverbs 31 man will lead his family down a path of righteousness. ("But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15). This man of God will always seek God's direction and will follow it and take you and the family with him. He will set a course that all others will want to follow. People will be able to see how blessed he is due to his faithfulness and his obedience to the Savior. God empowers those that choose Him. This man will set strict boundaries to keep you safe and within Godly conduct. (Refer to Genesis 39). A Proverbs 31 man will never want to break God's heart. He will always desire to walk in love, honesty, truth and faith. Just as Moses led the children of Israel through the wilderness, this great man of God will lead his woman and his family down a path that will lead to the Promised land. He will be the spiritual leader in his household and you will want to submit to him. Through your submission, you will be blessed, protected and provided for.

"Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine." (Ezekiel 16:8)

A Proverbs 31 man will know that it is his responsibility to cover his wife. We will be able to discern that you are ready to enter into a covenant with him. Covering means that he will be able to protect, provide and care for you spiritually, emotionally and physically. God provided covering for His children by sacrificing His ONLY son, Jesus. A man is also called to lay down his life to cover his wife. God will cover your husband, your husband will cover you and together you will cover your children. Ladies it is not our roles to be the leader in the household. We should not be trying to take over. We will be out of order with the Word of God and will thus suffer spiritually. "It is the responsibility of every man to lovingly keep his wife in spiritual order so that she can reap the full blessings of God in her life" (Michelle Hammond). Ladies, be aware of a man's place and then challenge that man to step up to the plate. If he is from God, he will step up, if not, he will step out! Cover your man in prayer and ask God to speak to his heart so that he will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and gain the ability to discern your needs.

We as women love to have nice clothes, shoes, cars, house and such! We like the Bling too!!! A real man knows the the price of a ring does not come close to the true cost of the covenant that the ring represents. A Proverbs 31 man will pray through the hard times and will get you through the storms. The attitude of never planning to sever the marriage commitment is what makes all the difference between the Marriage covenant (Spiritual) and the Marriage contract (Earthly agreement). A true man of God knows that the covenant operates on the principle of grace and not on condition. He will not be a selfish man and is willing to pay the high price to keep you in his life - forever.

Romance in a relationship keeps the fire burning. A Proverbs 31 Man will know how to romance you. He will be able to speak your love language! We will know what makes you feel special and we will court you before and after marriage. We will not let that fire in your relationship burn out and you must do the same in return. He will love you and romance you in the same way that Christ did for His bride - The Church. Your man will speak words of endearment towards you often, his faithfulness will never end, you will know that he is always thinking of you and he will strive to meet all of your romantic needs. He will know how to love you because God has placed the ability within him before he even gets to you. It was part of his preparation process. You will know how to love him too!

Romance is a biblical trait. God is never ashamed to express His love for us. Solomon was the King of romance. He arrived on chariots, he praised the beauty of his bride, he noticed things about her that others did not and offered her gifts of jewelry to pledge his love. A Proverbs 31 man will pursue you with all of him and it will be genuine. He will leave a lasting impression upon you and will not be able to get him out of your mind. He will be a good lover and not a selfish one. He will always seek ways to please you (not just sexually). He will make your bed a sanctuary - where love is cultivated. He will always work with you to keep the passion alive. Purity and faithfulness will be ingrained in the heart of this man. He will know how to set the atmosphere for you to respond to him. He knows that your heart is secure when you know that you are loved. He will also know that sex with you is not an activity but rather a ministry in the marital covenant. He will worship with you and he will know you. (Genesis 4:1). "The Proverbs 31 man views the love he shares with his wife as a sacred gift to give and receive" (Michelle Hammond).

Refer to Song of Songs 4: 1-15 to see how Solomon praised his lover!

I want you all to know that any man can be a Proverbs 31 Man if he chooses to. Sometimes God uses women to bring out a man's destiny. If you are unwillingly to settle, submit to God and you just may cause that man to grow. We have all heard the saying the "Behind every great man is a great woman". This is very true. God has created women with a specific gifts and the ability to empower a man to be all that he can be. Encourage these men and don't tear them down! He can become your Knight in Shining Armor.

Trust that I know that waiting on your husband is a challenge when you feel that you are ready. But wait for the right one for your life; the one that aligns to the calling that God has placed on your life. God is molding a man for you (and me too). God may still be preparing this man for us ladies. He will come into our lives at the right time and he will know and understand the road that we have traveled. He will be sensitive to your needs. He will be able and more than willing to love you past any pain and through any trials. He will also love away those pains, fears and disappointments. He will be your Proverbs 31 man and you will have a picture perfect love!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed

Written by: Tanika R. Jones

Sources: Holy Bible & In Search of the Proverbs 31 Man (Michelle McKinney Hammond)

Day 46: Get Wisdom & Understanding

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 23:15:00 +0000

Proverbs 1-20

"Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them." (Proverbs 4:5)

The Book of Proverbs were written by king Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived during these times. There is teaching about discipline, family life, resisting temptation, the importance of wisdom, knowing God and more! They Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Solomon gives us practical guidance for living as Christians. A person who follows the advice given in The Book of Proverbs will walk closely with God. The overarching themes of Proverbs are knowledge and wisdom.

There is a key difference between the two. Knowledge is gathering data or hard facts and remembering them. Wisdom is being able to apply the knowledge to your life. As a Christian, wisdom is the ability to see things and situations just as God see them. God wants His people to be wise. We are given wisdom when we choose God's ways and apply The Word to our lives. His Word leads us to live right, to act justly and make the right decisions in every area of our lives. The people that God chose to use were very wise leaders. They had reverence for God, they submitted to His way and they not only worshipped Him but they had a relationship with Him.

The person who has wisdom is loving, faithful, trusts in The Lord, puts Him above all things, turns away from sin and does what is right according to God's commands. Wisdom has its benefits! It grants us a long and prosperous life, favor with God and people, success, health, God's protection and more. Blessings come into our lives when we use wisdom and apply God's Word to our lives regardless of how hard it may be. "The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous." (Proverbs 3:33).

Wisdom and its necessity in our lives finds its true fulfillment only in Christ. Proverbs continually exhorts us to seek wisdom, get wisdom, and understand wisdom. Proverbs also tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7 and Proverbs 9:10). Fear and reverence for God is the very thing that brings us closer to Christ, who is the embodiment of God’s wisdom. In Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3), we find the answer to our search for wisdom, the remedy for our fear of God, and the “righteousness, holiness and redemption” that we so desperately need (1 Corinthians 1:30).

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7)

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed

Days 43-45: Psalm 90-150 - A Prayer of Psalms

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 03:50:00 +0000

Whew!!!! I don't know what to Blog about for these few days in my journey. The one thing that I can say is that I know that I am covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ every day and in every situation in my life! As I read during these three days, I thought about the goodness of God and the areas of my life that I need to make sure are covered. This blog includes a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to The Lord for His love and protection. I hope that this prayer touches you and please do use it when you need God to fight your enemies, break down your walls and roadblocks and praise Him for His works!

A Prayer of Psalms

Father in the mighty name of Jesus, we come before you Lord thanking you for your goodness and mercy and for your undying love for each and every one of us. Lord, we thank You for being our refuge and fortress in times of trouble. Continue to cover us Lord God and let your faithfulness be our shield. Father, we thank You that when the enemy attempts to attack us you will thwart his plans. Thank You for the ten thousand that will fall at our right hand but will not be allowed to come near to us. Lord, we know that we can call on you and You will hear us and deliver us as long as we continue to honor you with our lives. You are faithful so help us to remain faithful and true to your Word. Help us to keep pure thoughts and pure hearts. Thank you for your promise never to reject the righteous. Your Word says that you will destroy the wicked and repay them for their sins. Lord knowing this, we submit our lives to follow you. We simply say yes to your will and yes to your way. Oh, how deeply we need you Lord! We need your guidance, your revelation, your protection and your love. We praise you in the beauty of your holiness. Splendor and majesty are in you and strength and glory can be found only in you Lord. You are great and worthy of all praise. We thank you for your compassion and your grace. We thank you that you are slow to anger and abounding in love. Thank you that you do not treat us as our sins deserve oh God. We are like dust but you still protect us. Help us to remember how fleeting is our life. The span of our years is nothing before you. We treasure each and every day that you bless us with and we promise to walk according to Your Word.

You determine the number of stars and call each of them by name. Thank you Lord that our steps our ordered and that our tribulation leads us to our promise. We will always look to you father and seek you in everything that we do. Thank you for satisfying our thirst and filling our hunger with nothing but good things. We give you thanks for your unfailing love and the wonderful deeds that you do for us. We will not rebel against you oh Lord. We turn to prayer when evil comes against us and vengeance is something that we will not repay. Let our hearts be steadfast, let us praise you among all nations. Be exalted above the heavens and let your glory be all over the earth. Your Word says blessed is the man that fears you and finds great delight in your commands. Let everything that we touch prosper. Let us have no fear of bad news always trusting in you. It is better to take refuge in You than to trust in man. You are our strength, our song and our salvation. Your Word continues to be a lamp unto our feet and a light for our path. We will meditate on your Word day and night. We will not be double-minded or lukewarm Christians. Our hope is in you. Great peace we have in our lives because we love your law and nothing can make us stumble. Watch over us Lord for you never sleep nor slumber. Keep us from all hurt, harm and danger. Let us eat the fruit of your labor. Let blessings and prosperity belong to us Jesus. We will build our house on solid foundation because your word lives in our hearts. We cannot be shaken and we will be able to endure. We praise you because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We thank You that all of our days are ordered and ordained before any of them ever came to be. Let not our hearts be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers. "Search [us], O God, and know [our] hearts; test [us] and know [our] anxious thoughts.²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in [us], and lead [us] in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24). We thank you that "[You} will perfect that which concerns [us]; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands." We will be careful to give you all the glory, honor and praise that you so righetously deserve.

Amen!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Days 41-42: Psalm 45-89 - Reasons to Read Psalms

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:30:00 +0000

As I continue my journey through the Book of Psalms, I am encouraged and reminded about the grace and goodness of The Lord. I felt God speaking to me in every scripture and I felt Him comforting me in His arms. The Book of Psalms is a great place to go for many things that you need from The Lord. I have outlined a few reasons to read these scriptures along with the Psalms that you should refer to. Keep this in your Bible and pass it on to others so that they too will be blessed by The Word!

When you want to...

Find Comfort (Psalm 23)
To Meet God intimately (Psalm 103)
To learn a new prayer (Psalm 136)
To learn a new song (Psalm 92)
To learn more about God (Psalm 24)
To understand yourself more clearly (Psalm 8)
To know how to come to God each day (Psalm 5)
To be forgiven for your sins (Psalm 51)
To overcome the enemy (Psalm 18)
To feel worthwhile (Psalm 139)
To understand why you should read The Bible (Psalm 119)
To give praise to God (Psalm 145)
To know that God is in control (Psalm 146)
To give thanks to God (Psalm 136)
To please God (Psalm 15)
To know why you should worship (Psalm 104)
To be reminded that God shows Himself Faithful (Psalm 18)

God is the same Lord in all the psalms. We can respond to Him in different ways, according to the specific circumstances of our lives. Oh What a marvelous God we worship! One who is high and lifted up beyond what we can imagine and one who is close enough to touch us and walk beside us along life's pathway.

We can bring all of our feelings to God and be assured that He will hear our request and understand what we are going through. "The most profound prayer of all is a cry for help as we find ourselves overwhelmed by the problems of life." (Unknown)

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Day 40: Psalm 25-45 Examine Your Heart

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:39:00 +0000

Grace and Peace to all of my brothers and sisters in Christ that are reading this blog! My original plan for blogging about Psalms was to pull out those scriptures that touched me the most to share with you. But God has placed something different in my heart to share with you. We are going to talk about matters of the heart.

"The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins" (Psalm 25:17-18)

What is in your heart? As I have been on this journey through The Bible, I truly know what it means to have a relationship with God and what it means to surrender all to Him. God doesn't just want us to confess that He is Lord and Savior over our lives; He wants us to change our lives. Changing requires more than eliminating sin. True change requires a heart transplant. This means that our heart should break when we disobey The Lord or go against His will. Our desires should be to live a life that is pleasing to God in every area. God should be the most important factor in our lives. Many of us get saved and fear of changing our lives and turning to God due to fear. Fear of giving God 10% and not being able to pay the bills. Fear that our enemies will attack us and win. Fear that God won't give us the desires of our heart in the manner that we want them. But His Word promises that "...those who seek The Lord lack no good thing." (Psalm 34:10). "Delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4).

Don't allow the fear in your heart keep you from pleasing God. He is expecting us to exercise our faith so that He can bring manifestation of blessings into our lives. You cannot have unrighteousness in your thoughts and in your heart and expect to fully see the glory of God in your life. Wickedness and God cannot dwell in the same place. If you truly have the ways of God in your heart, "He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil" (Psalm 37:6,8). Let God do a heart transplant in you so that the things that hurt God will also hurt you. For "If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; ²⁴ though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.²⁵ I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread" (Psalm 37:23-25). The person in whom God delights is one who follows Him, trusts Him and walks in His will. God will provide for his own children. If you have issues in your heart, fully submit to The Lord and let Him make you over. God knows your feelings and your thoughts. A hypocrite speaks about what is right but can hold sin in his or her heart. "Would not God have discovered it, since He knows the secrets of the heart?" (Psalm 44:21).

Let God give you a heart transplant so that you can experience all that He has stored up for you. f you keep the unrighteousness in your heart then God will keep your treasures in heaven and they will not be bound here on earth. Say to Him "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."(Psalm 40:8). "...love therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." (Psalm 45:7).

Make an appointment to see THE Doctor and schedule your heart transplant with The Lord. It is a process but just remember that the promise comes after the process!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed!

Day 39: Psalm 1-24

noreply@blogger.com (T. Jones) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:32:00 +0000

This 41st day of my Bible journey brings me to the beginning of The Book of Psalms. I've read many of the Psalms but not all of them. I know that it is going to be quite the challenge to blog about all of them because there is so much that God reveals and promises to us in these scriptures. I have decided that on each day of my journey through the Psalms, I will share with you which scriptures touched me the most. The Book of Psalms is a collection of prayers, poems, and hymns that focus the worshiper's thoughts on God in praise and adoration of who He is and what He promises to do in the lives of His sheep.

The book of Psalms is a great place to go to for a few purposes: to assist us in praising God, enhancing our prayer life with God and how we approach Him in prayer, to help strengthen our faith in Jesus and it helps us to live holy and righteous lives before God. I pray that these scriptures bless your life just as they have mine.

Psalm 1:1-2: Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ² But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. - The righteous of God are the blessed of God!

Psalm 2:11: Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling." - We are to have total reverence for God!

Psalm 3:3: "But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,My glory and the One who lifts up my head." - God's people are protected and comforted!

Psalm 4:3: But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him." - The Lord hears our prayers and requests!

Psalm 5:4-6: "For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man"- You cannot live in sin and dwell in the presence of God.

Psalm 9:9-10: "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You." - When our trust is fully in The Lord, God is all that we need in every situation!

Psalm 16:2: "...You are The Lord; apart from You I have no good thing." - Being connected with God is living life to the fullest and will bring about abundance!

Psalm 18: Too long to post but please read it in its entirety. - The enemy cannot harm you when you belong to God!

Psalm 21:11: "For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform." - The enemy's schemes will not prevail

Psalm 22:26: "The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!" - God will supply all of your needs!

God's promises and protection is displayed for us in The Book of Psalms. It is the longest book in the Bible, with 150 individual psalms. It is also one of the most diverse dealing with such subjects as God and His creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah. (Source: www.gotquestions.org)

These are great scriptures to read when you want to reflect on God's grace, His promises and when you need a reminder of just how God He is! There is so much that I can share (and will do so at some point in my Blog) from these scriptures. Stay in His presence and stay in His Word!

Until Next Time,

Be Blessed