Faith --> Blessings

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. Luke 1:45 KJV

There is something so delicately marvelous about this verse. Let's break it down and look at it, "Blessed is she that believed", simple truth for our belief and trust in God, we are blessed. The woman this verse referred to was Mary. Her faith and her youthful, perfect trust in God by the Word of the Lord that came to her. In all sincerity she believed with her whole heart the fascinating truth that she, a virgin, would become pregnant supernaturally and bear a child - not just any child - the Son of God. Whoa!!! Could you imagine?! Mary's faith in God was not perturbed by logic, practicality or reasoning. She did not stop the angel and say, this is physically impossible! She gracefully accepted what the Lord was saying to her, and for it the Bible calls her blessed.

Blessed 

1. consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified: the Blessed Sacrament.

2. worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship: the Blessed Trinity.

3. divinely or supremely favored; fortunate: to be blessed with a strong, healthy body; blessed with an ability to find friends.

4. blissfully happy or contented.

Our whole identity in Christ is based on our faith in Him, in God our Father and in His Holy Spirit. Faith is the root of our foundation and keeping the faith and passing it on to others is our mission on this earth. Abraham's faith in God rewarded him favor.
"Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness"  Gal 3:6. Here we see how much God values faith. I think there is something really beautiful to the fact that we have to believe in Christ to be saved. Amid a world where science reigns and human knowledge is the standard, God asks us to believe in the unseen and hold fast to what we can not touch. But the realization and the knowing we have in our heart when we accept Christ is beyond any scientific proof. It's a sweet and satisfying knowledge in our hearts that what we are believing is true and right.
Blessed are we, for what we hope God for will surely be given to us.


Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you so much for faith. Thank you that you have all called us Children of God, despite our race, nationality or heritage. Thank you for giving us freedom from a life of death and destruction and thank you that we can receive that freedom by just believing. Help us to trust you Lord and help our faith to grow strong Holy Spirit so that all the good things you have in store for me will be realized. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Your Body is a Temple

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in  you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought  at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

This is such a lovely verse that speaks to our hearts and souls about the sanctity of our bodies by the Holy Spirit. It is phenomenal that God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, allows His Spirit to reside in us and become a part of our mind, body and heart to ensure we live in love and guidance. Just consider that verse a minute, you have the Spirit of the Living God residing in you. You have the ability and power of the Holy Spirit in you, this is not a gift you have to achieve or earn. This is a blessed gift of love that you receive from believing. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit" Ephesians 1:13. The power of the Holy Spirit is immeasurable favor poured out on to you from God. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Gal 5:23 And these gifts are all available to us through Him.
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you". Romans 8:11. We are sealed by God, for God. This verse is reminding us of that saving power, that against all odds you are bound to Christ and are a part of Him. Therefore honor God with your body, respect it and take care of yourself. Your body is the vessel of which you live in on earth, and we only have one - that is reason enough to take care of it the best that you can and to not abuse it. You are purified in your body, mind and heart by Jesus, so remember that and treat it as such. No matter what you have done you are made perfectly clean and whole by Jesus. Give thanks to God for His abiding presence in our lives and thank Him for the power and grace that is available to us through His Holy Spirit.

Dear Jesus, we thank you for your amazing sacrifice that led us back to God's presence. It is through you we are healed and you made the way for us to have the Holy Spirit. The cross you embraced was the bridge made to reinstate us to God and we thank you that we belong to you for you are a good God and a great Father. Help us to honor our body and to not pollute it with abuse, immoral sex and bad health. Teach us how to love and honor your presence in our lives.

Desires of Your Heart

"Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's"

Psalm 103:5

Photo source by me (Krystal H. Cartwright) Taken in Nassau, Bahamas (Eastern part of the island)

In today's world there is so much focus on desire, money, power, lust, sex, pleasure and gratification. Married couples fall off the foundation of "keeping the marriage bed holy Heb 13:4" and into the "excitement and thrill" of affairs. Young people subject their bodies to sexual lusts that leave them unsatisfied. People use mind alternating drugs, which leave them miserable after the high has faded. We have all put ourselves in jeopardy in some way or another in pursuit of unbridled happiness. Drinking the night away, waking up saying "Oh I'll never drink again", sleeping with people who don't treat us right just for the physical pleasure or just simply for the fleeting comfort. We search and search, we give ourselves away to our lusts, leaving a piece of ourselves in each unfulfilling pleasure. The only true pleasure, the only true love, the only real satisfaction and contentment you will ever experience is in God and God alone - not in a career, another person, money or material things. "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" Psalm16:11. It is only in our Creator we have that peace of being enough just the way we are. Come to Him and open your heart up to that exhilarating truth and love that only He can give unconditionally. "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:4. God knows the desires in your heart, come to Him, learn of Him, in His word and your heart will be restored and grateful. "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14 You were not made to live apart from God, you were made to be loved and it is God's love that will sustain you, cleanse you, release you from the world's harshness and bondage. Spend time in His Word, make an effort to pray every day and see for yourself how those pleasures of the world that seemed so important and vital before, can never compare to what you will find in Him. "Casting the whole of your care -- all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all -- on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully" 1 Peter 5:7. Spiritual freedom, supernatural provision, freedom from anxiety and worry, powerful protection, contentment and rest in knowing you are completely loved.

-Krystal H. Cartwright

(broken to chosen)

Silencing Worry

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phili 4:6-7

  

Sometimes fear grips us, fear of the unknown. Waiting for test results, wondering if someone is going to pull through a sickness, wondering if someone is going to come home safe, worrying if you’re going to get that job, worrying how you’re going to provide for your family, how you’re going to keep above the water with bills weighing you down. You sit down and try to figure out everything, calculate your bills over and over and you’re still coming up short. You are not suppose to take care of yourself alone! It was such a release for me when I learned how much God cared for me, while I was a sinner. I don’t mean after I was “good” or after I did something “good” I mean before I became a committed Christian. He cared for me, protected me and provided for me.