GOD SHALL COVER THEE

Samuel 19: 4-5

4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?

Dearest Sisters,

HAPPY TUESDAY!!!!!

BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!

We will face many trials and tribulations. But, we can confidently face these trials because Christ has overcome the world. Trials can make us weak, weary, frustrated, and teary. We can rest for a while. Yet, we must fight back in the Lord. Tears flowing and hearts aching, we press on. Father, help us! Please forgive our enemies because they know not what they do. 

It's so very hard to make sense of trials and attacks, especially when one has done no wrong. Assaults on innocent people always seem completely incomprehensible. 

The devil is like a roaring lion. He snarls! He growls! He flashes his teeth! He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. But, the children of God are off limits to him.

David ministered on his harp unto King Saul when evil spirits vexed him. David defended Saul's kingship and territory by defeating the Philistines. David was King Saul's son-in-law and best friend of his son Jonathan.

David was obedient unto God. David was faithful to King Saul. Because of David's obedience and faithfulness, the Lord rewarded him. Instead of King Saul seeking after and obeying God, he sought rewards by his own hands. His ways failed. Instead of repenting, he became envious of David. Consequently, he sought to kill David rather than follow his wise example. 

David never harmed King Saul. But, as evil spirits tormented Saul because of his disobedience, his most faithful, loyal servant and son-in-law became the target of a vicious, blood thirsty, murder campaign. Terrible! 

The same evil spirits that tormented King Saul are tormenting ungodly people today. If your loved ones and friends turn on you, it's usually because of evil spirits. Spiritual warfare is 24/7 and it's dreadfully painful when Satan uses those closet to us against us. Sadly, we may lose loved ones and friends, but gratefully, the devil can't touch us because we are covered by the blood of Jesus! 

Time and again King Saul sought to kill David. But, time and again the Lord beautifully delivered David out of the hands of his enemy. 

Ladies, God never promised that our lives would be free of trials and tribulations. But, He promised to fight our battles! After we have done all that we can, we must stand and watch the Lord see us through. 

Psalms 91:4

“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” 

Love, blessings, and hugs to you and yours

Fight forward

GOD IS FIGHTING FOR YOU

Dearest Sisters,

God is fighting for you! Sometimes it's hard to wrap our minds around God's protection and warfare for us. But, truthfully, we are hidden in the Lord 24/7. Because of our relationship with Christ, our families and our homes are hidden in the Lord.

Many times, God is orchestrating unseen attacks on our behalf; the Lord is constantly protecting us from unseen hurt, harm, and danger. There are not always tangible clues of God's battle plans. So, it's easy to forget that God is fighting for us.

Whenever your faith starts to falter, remember this: BEING ALIVE is a GREAT miracle and incredible proof that God is fighting for YOU!!!!!

Day in and day out, we can get so accustomed to waking up, in our right minds, that we forget that LIFE is a gift, a hard fought gift. In fact, life is a miracle!!!!! We celebrate that miracle upon a baby's birth but, waking up everyday is no less miraculous than a baby emerging from a mother's womb.

Our day-to-day lives are FULL of miracles that seem less so miraculous because of our familiarity with them. Nevertheless, the sum of our being and all that we have are miraculous gifts from God. Oh, I pray that we don't become complacent in our thinking! ALL that we have is the result of God fighting for us!

In Joshua Chapter 10, the children of Israel battled against the Amorites. The Lord God hurled Heavenly hailstones upon the Israelites' enemies. Verse 11 asserts that more men were killed by Heavenly hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.

Remember, God fights for His children!

Furthermore, upon Joshua's request, the Lord extended the day until the Israelites defeated their enemies. Joshua 10:13-14 reads "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel."

Remember, God fights valiantly for His children!

Ladies, God is fighting for us!!!!

Make your requests known to God. It is His great pleasure to battle for you and yours!

Have a blessed, beautiful day!

Love, blessings, and hugs to you and yours

HAPPY FRIDAY BEAUTIFUL MAMAS!!!!

Romans 8:28 KJV
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Good morning beautiful mamas!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

HAPPY FRIYAY!!!!!!!

Have a fun, fantastic day today!!!

Enjoy your family and work today!

Enjoy God's goodness, grace, and mercy today!

His blessings sustain us and surround us daily!

Have a restful, relaxing weekend!

Life is precious and fleeting! Our loved ones are worth our sacrifices of time and resources.

Consider today an adventure that you've never embarked upon!! Appreciate something new! Yesterday is forever gone; today is full of promising moments!

I'm so glad to be in the company of beautiful sisters that didn't just happen. God has used EVERY one of our struggles and trials to make us better, to make us beautiful. Y'all are a beautiful, resilient bunch and I'm grateful for each of you!

BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!

Love, blessings, and hugs to you all

NO TIME FOR THE DEVIL'S SHENANIGANS

John 3:16 KJV
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Dearest Sisters,

God doesn't love a future version of YOU, He simply loves YOU!!!!!

Sisters, please fiercely embrace this truth! 

God doesn't love a future version of YOU, He simply loves YOU!!!!

Day in and day out, God simply loves YOU!!!

Frazzled you, calm you, God simply loves you!!!

Bad hair day you, good hair day, God simply loves you!

10 lbs heavier you, 10 lbs lighter you, God simply loves you!

Hormonal you, happy you, God simply loves you!!!

Irritated you, patient you, God simply loves you!!!

Do-everything-right you, do-nothing-right you, God simply loves you!

Brokenhearted you, bubbly you, God simply loves you!

Defeated you, daring you, God simply loves you!

Stubborn you, obedient you, God simply loves you!

God doesn't love a future version of YOU, He simply loves YOU!

Sometimes (well, probably more than sometimes) we beat ourselves up because we continue to make mistakes. Or, we repeatedly miss a mark/ fall short of an expectation that we set for ourselves. Particularly, if we didn't grow up with examples of healthy, unconditional love or if we struggled otherwise with grasping a true understanding of love then we believe that our worth is based on our performance. With misinformation about love, we've probably sought love in the wrong places and did the wrong things to receive love. The aftermath is tormenting! 

How crushing it is to lose love based on what we say (said) or don't say (didn't say), do or don't do. We don't need false love. Our kiddos don't need it. Sadly, we project our misunderstandings of love onto God so we can often feel less loved or completely unloved when we break God's law or miss our own, or even others', marks.

We have to be careful to study God's nature and definition of love. It's always great to surround ourselves with people that display godly love. If we have false ideas about God and His true love then we have to remedy this issue for ourselves and our children. God's love is based on His nature, not ours. God's love for us is BIG, BEAUTIFUL, and BLESSED. God's love for us is FOREVER. Someone once said, "Christianity is different from all other religions because Christ said, "It's finished or it's done" and every other cult leader told their followers to "do, do, do." True love can NOT ever be earned. 

Tell yourself every day, "God loves me as I am today." Repeat it a couple of times, OUT LOUD. Reminding yourself of God's love for you is so comforting and wonderful. It will sound beautiful and make you feel better.

God loves you! God loves me! God loves all of us children. His love covers a multitude of sins. Of course, God's perfecting love always gently encourages us to strive for holiness and perfection but we are no less loved or worthy when we sin or make mistakes. The ONLY performance that really matters to "Jesus Girls" like us is Christ's sacrificial death for our sins. He did EVERYTHING that we might have forgiveness and power over every sin or shortcoming that attempts to derail us. 

It's best to keep a short list with God. When we sin, we should quickly confess and ask for forgiveness. And, when our minds start to drift, let's individually remind ourselves: "God doesn't love a future version of ME. He simply loves ME, right here and right now. He loves ALL of me." When our accusing adversary comes to try and rob us of our condemnation-free liberty in Christ, tell him, "God loves me. And, His love covers ALL of me: every blemish, pound, beauty mark, imperfection, shortcoming and most importantly, every sin that I will ever commit. Get behind me Satan, in the name of JESUS!" Then, dust off your feet and get back to work caring for your home and family! Your mission awaits, your family awaits you, and to be quite frank, "ain't nobody got time for the devil's shenanigans." AMEN!

HAPPY THURSDAY!!!!

It's National Prayer Day! I'm praying for you all! Go, fight, win!

Love, blessings, and hugs

SWEET THOUGHTS

Jeremiah 29:11 KJV
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY Ladies!

I encourage us all to think sweet thoughts today! We are sweethearts, right? Sweet thoughts will keep our hearts sweet. And, sweet hearts will keep our thoughts sweet!

Mental health is a very neglected part of our self-care and a largely stigmatized area of healthcare in general. Let's reverse this trend. Our minds are important. Our brains need DAILY tender, loving care. Sweet thoughts are better "brain food" than Cheerios. We must dwell on sweet thoughts in order to stay sweet. 

Someone once said, "our brains start working before we're born and stop working (properly, I might add) when we fall in love." Haha! All jokes aside, we have to take good care of our minds. Our minds will carry us through life.

Some of us are fighting critical battles right now!!! Remember, your mind is pivotal in your fight! Henry Ford once said, "if you think you can or you can't, you are right." Proverbs 23:7 reads, "for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Dearest sisters, let's renew our minds and hearts by studying the Bible. We need biblically sound, sweet thoughts to overcome the attacks and assaults that come our way. 

I want to encourage YOU today!!! No matter what battles you are fighting, YOU will overcome! God is bigger than your battles! The Lord will NOT desert you on the battlefield! Fix your mind on Him! Feed yourself truth from the word of God! Hang tough!

As you go through today and everyday, REMEMBER these truths from God:

YOU are beautiful

YOU are worthy

YOU are special

YOU are unique

YOU are loved

YOU are important

YOU are God's gift to your family and friends

YOU have a wonderful contribution to make to the Body of Christ, starting with your home

God's believes in YOU, I do too

Write these affirmations in a journal. Scribble them on your mirror. It may be helpful to record truths about yourself and God on post-it notes; hang them up in your personal space. Keep sweet thoughts before your eyes ALWAYS!

I'm praying for those that wrestle with anxiety and depression which both are a thief and suppressant of sweet thoughts. Sisters, keep crying out to God! Keep showering your mind with sweet thoughts! You will overcome! AMEN!

Are you enduring (have you ever endured) a battle that involved a smear campaign? It's absolutely wretched because it attacks us at our very core. Stay above the attacks; the Lord will defend you. Others will eventually arrive at truthful conclusions about you and your enemies.

Some people are drawn to us and attach themselves to us because of an initial curiosity, fascination, or sometimes animosity. They can get really close to us because of their idealization of us, whether real or feigned. Then, after some time their true motives emerge. 

Sadly, these same individuals that once "loved" and revered us can unexpectedly (to us) launch a campaign to devalue and discredit us before discarding us. May the Lord help us to navigate and avoid unhealthy relationships both personally and professionally.

When our character is attacked, we have to rehearse God's truths! We must stand on those truths! It's so very vital to hide ourselves in the Lord in order to keep our thoughts and hearts sweet.

Keep your minds sharp and sweet, sisters! AMEN!

Love, blessings, and hugs

REMEMBER GOD

Howdy!!! HAPPY MAY Ladies!!!! 

Happy Birthday to all of the May babies among us, both mamas and kiddos! Cheers to you all!!! Have awesome, amazing celebrations!!! I hope the Lord blesses you all to see many more blessed, beautiful years on His incredible earth!!!!

Amsterdam is beautiful!!! It simply is b-e-a-u-tiful! I enjoyed the pigeon filled plazas, the gurgling, bubbling, pristine fountains, the vibrant, fragrant tulips everywhere, and cute, quaint boat houses that dotted the canal moorings. 

I enjoyed the bustling cafes that offered an abundance of cheeses alongside salted herring. Deep- fried white fish and 'stroopwafles' (a tasty waffle cookie) were also very appetizing. Here's a word from the wise: Don't travel to the Netherlands on an empty stomach!

I always enjoy the adventure of finding Ronald's Golden Arches on foreign soil. For some strange reason, Value Meals taste better overseas. Yum yum! Go figure! It could be simple nostalgia but my taste buds always detect more. (Side note: I didn't enjoy being charged to use the restroom in McDonalds but I figured that it would be 5 star and worth every Euro. Again, it was more than simple nostalgia, even with toileting- oops! TMI! But, a great travel tidbit is a great travel tidbit).

The other fast food joints were cutting edge; they had automated dispensing machines like our typical American vending machines. With the click of a button, a robotized machine would hurl a burger and fries through a contraception and viola (pardon my French LOL! Hahahahaha!), you could lift a small door and lunch was served.

Amsterdam was soooo cool. The only thing that rivaled the abundance of pigeons in the city was the number of museums, statues, and memorials. The Dutch took painstaking effort to document and celebrate their culture and history. No one could visit all of the museums and historic sites on one trip alone.

Sisters, God calls us to remember the great things that He has done for us!!!! The Heavens glorify God!!! He has done GREAT, GREAT things for us! The earth is a 'museum' that showcases God's majestic splendor.

We are humans. At the peak of our lives, our brilliance and our memory is but vanity. We are very forgetful, like sheep. However, our Good Shepherd knows our nature so He daily reminds us to seek Him and partake of His goodness. The Lord daily leads us to still waters and green pastures. But, en route to those waters and pastures, He gently and consistently beckons us to remember His goodness, grace, and mercy and ALL of the times He has protected us and provided for us.

The Lord wants us to have a 'mental museum' of His goodness and greatness in order to jog our memory when we feel defeated or desperate. At other times, the Lord has called His children to establish physical memorials to remind them (and us) of His power, provision, and protection.

Often we remember our hurts and hang ups, maybe even our defeats and despair. Our setbacks and shortcomings can be quickly recalled. It's astounding to consider how many Americans, especially Texans, that "remember the Alamo," but can barely tell you about the Texans amazing, retaliatory victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Let's consider the following verses:

Joshua 4:6-8 KJV
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

En route to the Promised Land, the Children of Israel approached the Jordan River. It appeared that there was NO WAY across it. The Lord commanded Joshua to have the priests that carried the ark of covenant to advance to the river. As the feet of the priests touched the river, the Lord stretched back the water to form a dry path on the river bed. The priest maintained holding the ark, to keep the water repelled, as all of the Children of Israel passed safely through the Jordan River.

Before closing the path, Joshua commanded one man from every tribe to gather a stone from the river bed. Each stone was carried to the location where they lodged just over The Jordan. The stones were set up in a memorial to remind the Children of Israel and future generations of God's goodness.

The stones were a physical reminder that the same God that parted the Red Sea for their safe escape from Pharaoh's ensuing army was the same God that parted the Jordan River for their passage into the Promised Land. God wanted the Children of Israel (and us) to remember that NOTHING is too hard, too impossible, too big, too wide, or too defeating for Him.

Ladies, it's awesome to journal about God's goodness. It's so refreshing and renewing to look back and see God's hand in our lives. For some, it's easier to document miracles, blessings, and testimonies with photographs. Just figure out what works BEST for you and yours and DO IT! God wants to be remembered!!! Remembering God's goodness is for His glory and our edification.

There are no shortage of modern holidays.

Pancake Day! Jellybean Day! Donut Day! Left-Handers Day! Mother's Day! Father's Day! Sibling Day!....

Some holidays are very significant and others are rather bizarre if not comical. Engage the holiday-making habit. Try creating a holiday with your children. Sit down and think of an obstacle that God overcame for you all. Discuss it and plan a day of observance and celebration!!! Maybe the day will become an annual tradition for your family. On that day, worship the Lord and celebrate being an overcomer.

Go forth and make your family holiday happen! Because of God, we can be thankful for soooooooo much! We have sooooooooo much to remember about our Lord!

Fight forward!

Spread some hope to the hopeless!

Love, blessings, and hugs

BURNT BISCUITS

Ephesians 4:26-27 KJV
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.

HAPPY MONDAY Ladies!!!

I hope that you all had a jazzy, jubilant day!!!

I pray that you and yours are off to a promising and productive week!

I have a mandate for us all this week:

WAKE UP AND BE HAPPY!!!!

Choosing happiness is a daily choice. Some days are much harder than others. But, happiness is always a choice. 

Different issues arise that will assault our will power and consequently, our prerogative to choose happy. But, fight to "be happy!" Fight to choose happiness!

I encourage us all to be sober and vigilant. Our emotions are a gateway to our hearts and minds as well as a reflection of things that are stirring in our hearts and minds. The apostle Paul reminds us that while it is okay to be angry, we should not allow our anger to provoke us to sin. Neither we should allow anger to fester in our lives. Unmitigated anger yields wrath. And, wrath is fertile ground for devilish oppression and possession. 

It's not always possible to be happy ALL day. But, try to start the day by choosing to "be happy." And, if anger develops across the day, cry out to God. Ask God to help you work through your anger. Seek godly counsel if necessary. 

Anger comes in various shades and degrees. Some anger we can easily work through and other manifestations of anger require help. Don't resist help if it's needed. 

Regardless of the magnitude of our anger or its cause, venting to a loved one or journaling can be very, very soothing. Others like walking, running, jogging, or swimming. Physical exercise is very helpful to reduce cortisol, an anger induced stress hormone.

In the heat of the moment, it's best to stop, pray, and think BEFORE responding. One of my favorite childhood memories is a family biscuit fight. My mother was baking biscuits. She asked us kids to call her when the oven alarm went off. Prior to stepping out of the kitchen, mom gently reminded us again to call her when the alarm went off. 

Like kids, we got easily distracted. One of us drifted off into another room to read. And the remaining two were so engulfed in a board game that the alarm was ignored. Mom returned to a whiff of smoke and the fire alarm going off. Needless to say, the biscuits were burnt. Mom felt that dinner was a total failure although ONLY the biscuits were burnt. Mom was livid. 

My sisters and I dreaded the outcome of the burnt biscuit fiasco. Mom dismissed us from the kitchen. Moments later we were summoned.

It was hard entering the kitchen because biscuits were flying like frisbees. Mom tossed the biscuits at us, along with nuggets of wisdom, as we entered the kitchen. We then raced to the kitchen counter and grabbed some now cooled burnt biscuits; we began to hurl them at mom and each other. Mom's angry moment became an evening of fun for our little tribe. For us kiddos, our lesson was not only well learned but well remembered.

I'm praying for you and yours!

I'm cheering for you and yours!

Choose to be HAPPY!

Be HAPPY!

Love, blessings, and hugs