There is Something Special About You..!!

My encouragement to you this week is to remember you are no ordinary person. You have been chosen by God to be special! God has plans for you. Trials will come. You will endure then flourish! God will complete the work He began in you. He will never fail a special person like you!

What does it mean to be ordinary? Ordinary means: plain or undistinguished; of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional. Is that what we are to think when we see you? Plain? Unexceptional? Is that how you think of yourself? Do you feel that there is nothing that makes you special? I pray that this isn't the case. But if you do feel this way, cease and desist. Stop that way of thinking immediately. You are very special. No matter what, you are special. You always will be special. 

Some people may think" yeah, yeah God loves me, but he loves everyone. To him I’m just one of millions of Christians. God has his favorites and I’m not one of them." We may think we are being humble thinking this way. But what we're really doing was accusing God of imperfect love. That isn't of God. God's love is perfect in every way possible. You have been chosen by God and God has very special plans for you. He wants to see you thrive into a special person. He wants the glory out of your life so God won't fail you. 

We have to hang on to God. Trust God has a very special plan for you. Some of us are enduring the worst times of our lives right now. There are days, more recently even with God blessing me, I want to quit. I get very frustrated with my life. I look up to Heaven and ask God "Can I come home?" I know I'm being very candid with you now but I want you to know that we are all facing trials, even the author of the encouragement lol. But I know God will never leave me! He noticed me even when I felt invisible. When unspeakable pain gripped me, God gripped harder. When I had no fight left, He fought for me.  When I felt un-lovable, He showered His love upon me. This is the God that I serve! Trials will come. Endure with God and know that you are made of something special! You have been through trial before! God pulled you through then and He will now! Because you are made of something greater than what is causing you pain! 

God will complete what He began in you. He says it in Philippians 1:6, " For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."  Paul writes this. I love how He starts, I AM CONFIDENT. How confident are you in God? Do you trust with your head or heart? Use your heart. Think about what God has done before and trust God to keep you ALL the days of your life. God will never fail a special person like you! There is something special about you and God wants to grow it and use it for His glory! God wants all of you to show that those who trust in Him, He will keep them! My encouragement to you, remember you are special! So special!..Be Blessed...

Take God at His Word! God Keeps a Promise!

My encouragement to you this week is to take God at His word. If He said He will be whatever you need Him to be, trust God to do that. You are NOT exempt from His blessings. God needs a heart that is ready to believe God is able to do what He said He will do at all times!

"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 29:13) Read that. Marinate on that. Wrap your mind around this verse. God won't lie to us! God will not let us down in any sense. If you truly believe in the words of this verse, then my plea to you is to take God at His word. Believe that every word spoken out of the mouth of God is a fact! That is exactly what every word spoken by word is: Fact! Or even better TRUTH! God tells us that He will fulfill a promise to us and that He will do!
What are some of the promises of God? Let me run through a few for you. In Jeremiah 29:11, He promises us to give us a future and hope. In Matthew 11:28-29, He promises to give us rest when we are weary and burdened. In Philippians 4:19, He promises to supply ALL of our needs. In Romans, 10:9, He promises to forgive us for all our sins if we confess. Lastly, in Romans 8:37-39, He promises to give us victory through Christ! The question I have for you, are you brave and trusting enough to take God at His word? Can you trust God to provide everything that we need in this life? Can you trust God at His word? God said He will be whatever we need Him to be for us and that was not a lie. The verses I illustrated are words from God. Trust God to come through on His promises to you. God will not let you down!
I know some of us are reading this and we are saying to ourselves, "I want to believe but it's so hard. My life has been so bad. Things are not working out the way that I thought they would." You are not exempt from His blessing. God is going to bring you out. God's amazing will bring you out. Listen to me, take God at His word. God will come through. I am sure that it has been hard but no matter what, take God at His word. Live like you are. Don't hedge your bet. Be all in! If you say, "I trust God", you have a RESPONSIBILITY to live in such a manner. I'm not saying you won't be hurt, disappointed, or get angry but you do have to keep your faith at all times. Exemplify your faith. Not just when you get a moment of relief, or a little good news in your situation. Don't wait for a breakthrough to say "I know God is with me." God is always with you. And if you know that, don't start doubting that your life will change. Look at those verses. Believe in what God said!
Saints, another thing we have to do is go after what we want. We can't keep talking about the aspirations for our life and how we want God to change things without working for it. James 2:14-18 says, "¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”   Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. If we have faith, go chase what you are after. If you want God to establish the work of your hands, give God something to establish. Get to work on what means the world to you. "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us--yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:17) God will grant us favor. turn to Him. Seek Him and believe in Him. Work for your desires and watch God establish all that He PROMISED He said He would! Ready your heart. Ready your intentions. Ready yourself for God to blow your mind. Your responsibility now is to line up our faith and actions. Keep praying. Keep pressing. Keep moving. Keep trusting. God will keep a Promise!

Get Your Peace!

My encouragement to you this week is to seek peace for your life. You may have to forgive another who has wronged you. Or forgive yourself for your mistakes. You may have to let something or someone go. But seek peace no matter what it costs you! You need it!

"Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight. Hannah Arendt "

These words ring very true. I love this quote. The last two lines especially. " You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight." That is the truth you deserve peace for yourself in all areas of your life. You have to dedicate yourself to that though. You have to work through all of your troubles. I guarantee you that you will see some.trouble on your way to peace. You can't understand and appreciate peace until you have been through some turmoil so expect it! Some battles last longer than what you want BUT you dedicate yourself to the peace you deserve.

You can't expect peace to find it if you are not even seeking it. You have to seek peace in your life understanding the power it has. It's freedom. Freedom of some pain, disappointments, and hangups. That is very important. It may come from.forgiveness of self for some of the things you have done which have caused you pain or still are. You can't bombard yourself with criticisms and bad remarks. We are human. Things will happen. Ask yourself, " Do I really want to move on?" Think how important it is to make sure you move forward for your peace of mind. I'll answer that for you: IT IS IMPORTANT! It is crucial. How can you get the most out of life with no peace? You can't. But you must dedicate yourself to the good of this purpose. So it may mean forgiving another person who has hurt you. Do it. Don't walk around angry or hurt. Do it immediately. It's important for your mind, day, and interactions with others.

Peace may costs you a lot as well but you would be wise to do what you have to do. It may take some hard decision making. But do it. We all get scared to do that at times but I'm telling you to do it. From letting anger or people go. Just being brave enough to realize that something will take you out so you have to make a hard decision soon. I pray you are willing to sacrifice for your peace. Seek peace at all times for yourself. Pray on it. PRAY on it! You'll get the right answer. I promise you...Be Blessed...

Challenge Yourself to Be Positive!!

My encouragement to you this week is to NOT let yourself be a casualty to your negative thoughts. Challenge your mind & your heart to believe in the best for your life. Pray for strength. Keep encouraging yourself, knowing God will come through for you! Decide to live expecting the best for yourself AT ALL TIMES no matter what obstacles are before you!
Don't let your mind make you go CRAZY! Don't let your mind be a great weapon formed against BY YOURSELF. You cannot become a casualty to negative thoughts. To thoughts that tell you: "I can't do this",  "I'm too weak", "I should just give up." Why do that? Why? You are only hurting yourself more and more. Stressing yourself to a point past your control. Challenge your mind and heart to see that hope still lives. There is a way for you. You have power. Sometimes your hands are tied but the hands of the Lord aren't. He can do things for you that will blow your mind. God can blow your mind when you allow God to be God and carry your faith on your sleeve. Wear your faith proudly remembering you CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Not possibly can do or might do, CAN do. You need to pray and believe that all the plans you have for yourself are going to happen. It may not happen as soon as you want it so pray for strength. Strength to hold your mind together. Strength to be patient. Strength to move forward no matter what. You have to call God on your side. You have to embrace God to be what you need Him to be for you. You have to hold on to your hope just as much to a higher extreme as your faith. It's one thing to believe in God but it's another to trust Him and EXPECT Him to work things out for you and to let your life show that you trust Him.
Start living and expecting the best for yourself. Too many times we are better at expecting the worst outcomes rather than the best outcomes for ourselves, even those of us who say "I trust God." Ask yourself, "If I trust God, why can't I see that He wants me to live in happiness?" "If I trust God, why do I believe in the most negative aspects of my life than the hope of God coming through?" We cannot live a contradiction. I don't write these words to call you a hypocrite or anything like that. I write them solely because WE all have to evaluate ourselves and make sure we are doing our best to stay focused on the best for ourselves. Live expecting God to come through. Live expecting a great thing to happen for us in a major way. But we have to confront our obstacles and choose to remain positive. Choose that! Read inspiration daily. Meditate on it. That goes from the Bible to just great words. But you decide to live! Be blessed...

The Best You Possible!

My encouragement to you this week is to devote yourself daily to becoming to the greatest you possible! Push through your pain, work on your shortcomings, and build on the best things about you. Pray on it. Ask God for His help to make it a reality. But every day: Be a Better You!

This is one of my many mottoes I have for myself ,"Always be better today than who or what you were yesterday." This is a motto I would hope that everyone in some form or fashion has for themselves as well. Everyday we should be learning. Everyday we should be growing as a person. Everyday our wisdom should be increasing. We have to devote our self to being a great person everyday in life filled with so many obstacles. I know that it is tough but we must do our best any way because that is what will help us grow in character, in endurance, and in faith in God and self. And faith in yourself is very, very important. Faith in God is highly important. We need both of these to get past our obstacles which hold us back from being great.

You have to push through your pain as well. I know this can be such a hard feat for a lot of us when the pain feels like it is so surmounting and it is that bad. The pain very well may be that bad as well. I'm by no means saying it's just an issue in the mind. It can get rough! I know that first hand that it can. But you have to push past your pain in order to get the best our your life. You have to. That means also to start working on your shortcomings. You have to work on those things that you know you can get better at to aid you in being your best. To be the best you possible we have to progress daily in order to actualize all that we want to be in life. So progress is daily and daily we all can be a bit better. Then we have some great things about us already there. Cultivate those gifts and build on them. We have to build on those great little things about us that make us great. Don't even think for a second there is nothing special about you. We all have been blessed in some way and you have been too! Build on the good things about you. Build on the nice traits about you. You so much there to value about yourself. Harness and build on those great things to make you so much better for everyone else. 

In all of these things, take them to God in prayer. Trust me God can make everything you want to get better into a reality because He is just that faithful and that good to us. God wants us to be great in our lives. He knows that pain WILL happen. It will. But God promised to be faithful and pull us through and lift is up into something special. We have to work everyday at it and pray on it. It will happen if we continue to work at it. I promise you. If you are willing to struggle, than you are willing to be successful...Be Blessed...

You can because God said You can..

My encouragement to you is NEVER allow your vision and purpose for your life to be dictated by adversity.  Keep believing in yourself. Keep believing God is able. Take advantage of the power we have in Jesus. Keep working. Keep praying. You will be victorious!
Please never allow anything to compromise your vision and purpose. Let me tell you on bit of advice in life in case you didn't know: Life is filled with problems! Life is filled with them and they will always be that way. Of course we will have moments of peace. Complete and great peace. God-given peace. But what about when that peace is shaken? What do you do? You sit and wallow and disappointment? Maybe for a little while. I do at times, can't lie. But I have to get up. You have to get up. Get all the way up and not let disappointment and problems dictate how you live your life!
Know that God is on your side. He wants you to be successful. He won't allow you to fail if you are willing to keep going and trust in God. You can do it. By God's grace, we can do whatever we need to do in life. I think that's a mindset we need to have. There's nothing that's too much for you if you're trusting God. You can handle whatever comes your way because God promises that He'll never put more on us than we can bear and deal with. Keep a positive attitude no matter where you are right now, no matter what's going on in your life.
You have got to keep working. You have got to keep pressing so that you can see you can be successful. You have to keep going to see that God is always present near you. Keep praying so that you can truly feel the hand of God in place. Keep praying to stay empowered by the peace of knowing God is about to get you through this one way or another. But you have to keep going so that you can reap what you sow, God can get the glory from your life, and you can be a testimony to yourself and others. You will be victorious in this fight. As exhausting and painful as the battle is, don't you think to stop going for your purpose in life. Don't you stop seeing the vision for your life. Trials cannot dictate you nor should they. They definitely can make you sad but they WILL NOT take you out if you are willing to push and lean on the saving hand of God. You are capable!...Be Blessed...
 

Fight. Pray. Believe.

My encouragement to you is to TRUST God will never leave us so FIGHT the good fight of faith. Our circumstances will tell us to have no hope in God or in ourselves. Trust in God. Believe in yourself.You are powerful, not helpless! Stay in PRAYER. Believe that God is able in EVERYTHING.

Fight the good fight of faith. Yes, I said fight. Because for some of us that's exactly what it is. And most of the time the opponent is ourselves. Sadly. We are fighting with our mind half of the time not totally trusting God. Saying all the right things to others but our words mean very little to ourselves. Saints, you are going to have to fight. You have to push yourself to trust God and believe that His grace and mercy are everlasting. They endure forever. Why does God always have to prove to us His existence? How many times must God reveal himself to us for us to think, " God that wasn't good enough." You may not say it like that but check if your actions don't reflect that. There is a good fight of faith we have to fight to ALWAYS believe in God and what He can do for us despite what the circumstance is for us. God says he will show up at all times and He will if we trust God to be God. Don't tempt God into acting faster for us. No! God always steps in on time. Always. Be faithful. Look over your life and you know you have all reason to trust God. He has shown up again and again and again. Just for you.
Don't let your circumstances tell you that your situation is a lost cause. Trust you aren't the only one to have been in a tough spot before. God has pulled through A LOT of people before your time, during your time, and will continue after you leave this earth. Don't let your hard times dictate your faith. You have to be all in all the time. When you feel the weight on you, recall the burdens He has lifted and immediately start thanking Him for that. Immediately. It will help you realize, if the Lord has heard you before, He is still listening to you now. Don't let a thing about your problem influence you to quit on yourself or quit on the Lord.
You have power. You have prayer. If you truly believe in the power of prayer, you know that you have power beyond measure. Believe. Believe. Believe. God will not fail you. God is able to do it all. It takes full-time faith in God. Full-time that God is there in good and bad. Period. Let's start anew and reach for God daily. Chase after him. Believe that you have power. Believe that God is truly faithful and amazing....Be Blessed...

God is Able, You are Able...Believe!

<p>My encouragement to you this week is to be positive about yourself &amp; your circumstances. You're an amazing person created by a faithful, loving God. Nothing is impossible using the strength of God. Trust him. Believe in you. Be positive and keep going forward knowing you have the GREATEST support.

How much belief do you have in yourself? How well do feel about yourself? I hope you feel good about both of these things. You need incredible belief in yourself and to feel good about the person you. You are special and blessed with many gifts and talents. You should be positive about yourself. Realize the beauty in yourself. Realize the greatness in you because it is all there. You may be going through tough times. We all do. This is where you must be your biggest fan. You have to tell yourself that you can do this. You can take this on knowing that your efforts will return with a good result. If that voice of motivation in your head isn't one of the first thing to get you going, don't expect the words of others to mean that much more. You have to believe in self and that you can overcome your problems. I'm sure it's hard and it hurts but kicking yourself and losing faith yourself is not the answer. Loving yourself and pushing yourself will always be the answer.

But the biggest reason to be positive: God. Again, you are an amazing person created by God. God doesn't want you to fail. God doesn't want you to be unhappy. Every good thing a parent wants for their child is what God wants for you. He is faithful and loving. Turn to him. Call to God to help you get where you best effort is falling short. Not to say it's not good enough but God has a key to open all the doors needing to be opened n our lives. Stay prayerful. Stay in prayer. E. M. Bounds says " We can do nothing without prayer. All things can be done by importunate prayer. It surmounts or removes all obstacles, overcomes every resisting force and gains its ends in the face of invincible hindrances." That is powerful truth. God is our greatest support. Our shield and strength. Go on and tackle your problems. Exert patience and be confident. Be confident in God and in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, how can you expect to be successful? Wipe your tears. It's fine to cry but you have to remember who you are and remember that you are watched by the Lord. He wants you to be happy. It takes full-time faith in God and self. Don't lose it...Be Blessed...

Let God be Seen Through You!

My encouragement to you is to appreciate and praise God for His grace. God will give us many, many blessings. Pray God give you wisdom to use what He's given you. Thank & appreciate God for His grace. Tell the world how God is working in your life!

I really mean this. God's grace is something I think gets overlooked so so often because we take our daily routines for granted more than we should. We are expected to wake up, go to work/school, etc. There are people who envy where you are in your life. Praise God for all the grace He has given to you in your life. I'm sure your life is far, far from perfect. Not even half the way you may even like it. But praise God for the evidence of His grace in your life. God is an awesome Provider. Whether He is showing up big or small at the time, He is STILL and ALWAYS worthy of some praise!
God will bless us so much in our life. Make sure we use the blessings with some wisdom. Some people get a new job, spouse, or some opportunity and have no clue how to properly use what God has given to you. Pray to God that you use the blessings given to you wisely AND in a way that you can help another person. Don't squander or take for granted the gifts and blessings God has entrusted you with. Some blessings may not show themselves initially too but God will do something to shake your foundation for your good and the good of the Lord.
God has given you tremendous grace. Shout it out for the world to KNOW who you serve and why do you serve Him! Let the world know the fruit of His grace in your life. Let the world know how He has delivered you! The world needs to see and know God and they can see God through you if you are willing to shout out His name. Not only when a good things happens. Talk about God when you're hurting. Talk about God in your confusion. Talk about God at all times. It helps you see God and others see God in you!

Take Action! God will Guide You!

My encouragement to you this week is to be great on purpose! Give your visions to God, keep praying, and GET TO WORK! You WILL stumble. It's OK. You WILL cry. It's OK. Be courageous. STOP living in your dreams and START changing your reality!

 Be great on purpose. There is no need to tip toe about all that you really want to accomplish in your life. You are an amazing person. You are a great person full of amazing potential. Amazing potential that is inside of you that all of us have a tendency to limit. We limit ourselves out of fear, self-doubt, and various other personal reasons. Take the limits off and get to work! You have a vision for yourself. You have a vision on the change that you would like to see manifested. I'm asking you and pleading with you to take it to God. Let it all out to God the vision that you have for yourself! Cry, scream, and be open with the Lord because He already knows it causes you trouble. Now it is your turn to trust Him with your vision! Trust Him to make a way for you! Pray about it daily. Some days will seem more progressive than others but that doesn't mean God isn't leading you! He's there!

Get to work! Anything that you want to see changed in your life will not just happen. If you have a vision to raise your bank account, get a new job, lose weight, or grow with God, etc will not just happen without you doing something about it! You have to act! You have to move! You have to shift some things around, all the way around at times, and get set out on this mission. You can't receive your blessings without action. You don't fall backwards into success unless you're just that lucky. And even then you have to move to fall backwards! So you need to get to work!

I want to warn you though than this is going to be a struggle. You WILL stumble. It's OK to stumble along the way. You just get back up and keep going at it. Adversity is there to form strength in us. It helps us become more resilient. God is with you too. He won't let you fail. He has never failed so you won't fail! It may not come exactly how YOU want it but expect it to come. And yes your adversity will cause you some tears. It hurts sometimes to go through these tough situations and our obstacles seem insurmountable.It's OK to cry. We all have cried once in our life from pain. That's fine. It doesn't mean you're weak. You're human. Don't get discouraged. Keep going and I promise you'll make it where you need to be. Stop chasing these dreams in our minds of how we hope our lives should be and start changing the things that you can change about your life. Have some courage. "Without dreams, there can be no courage. And without courage, there can be no action." So it's natural to have dreams for your life but why not make them real to you? You have the ability in you because you are an amazing person full of so much potential. You got this!...Be Blessed..