Expect Awesomeness!!

"But when you ask [God], be sure that you really expect Him to answer." James 1: 6-7 NLT

A new day is upon us. A bright, beautiful morning, full of possibilities, opportunities and happiness. We just have to keep our eyes open and our hearts expectant. Today might bring disappointments but let us make up our minds to keep moving forward. Life's troubles makes us stronger and for every issue we triumph over God will honor us. "But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor" 1 Samuel 2:30 How do you have victory over everyday issues that arise to steal your joy? Prayer, gratitude and hope for a bigger and better outcome than your current situations. Got a flat tire? Thank God that it did not blow while you were driving, which could've been a major accident. Didn't sleep well? Thank God you are alive, some people go to sleep and never wake back up! Didn't get that raise you were expecting? Keep expecting and keep a good attitude while you work hard, even if your bosses don't value you God does and He will open their eyes soon or your eyes to a better working opportunity. Your kids driving you bonkers? Pray for your patience. "Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him." Psalm 127:3. Lift them up to Him for correction and guidance. Always look for the silver lining. In every situation that arises and you feel any negative emotion starting to brew, say a short prayer ask for strength and comfort and move forward. Always move forward. "To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" Isaiah 61: 3 This is the day that the Lord has made! We are alive, we are His and all is well for us to trust and hope in Jesus! Put a smile on, read a encouraging verse and compliment someone day. We can live in victory if we choose happiness even in the tough times!

Dear Jesus we come to you today because you are everything. You are our hope and we trust in you. You have bought love and peace into our lives and we call upon that peace. Strengthen us with your love. You are the lifter of our heads and the song in our hearts. We expect, wait and hope for amazing things today and the most amazing thing of all is that we have an inheritance with you in heaven. Thank you Jesus for all you have done.

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.

You Can Be Healed

For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD. Jer 30:17

 

This verse is short and simple and can be taken literally. As Jesus walked upon the earth doing God's will - he healed many people. "He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men" Psalm 107:19-21. God sent Jesus in to the world to save us, to heal our every hurt. Not just physical pain, but emotional, mentally and spiritual healing. "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" Psalm 147: 3. The Lord God who made you, can heal you and cleanse you of all sickness and disease. Jesus' stories of healing people in the Bible are not mythical, magical stories from the past, this is a truth that you can take hold of today. "For I am the Lord, I change not" Mal 3:6. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever". Hebrews 13:18. I think everyone at some point asks the question, "Can God really heal me?". Even small things - if you have a headache in the morning, is your first response to ask God to remove the headache or show you what is causing the headache, or do you automatically reach for a aspirin. Sometimes Christians are not sure about the question on medicine or seeing a doctor. For example, one might think, if I am asking God to heal me should I show my faith by not taking my medicine and wait for God to heal me? God wants to heal you, He wants to bind up your wounds and release you from the bondage of sickness. God gives doctors and scientist the knowledge and wisdom to produce medicine, procedures and treatments that help us heal, be strengthened and cured. I think God treats each of us individually and lovingly, every case is different, ask Him to establish your steps and help you. If you pray and seek God for answers for a on-going problem you have, there is no doubt He will guide you to truth and put people in your life that can help you."If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" James 1:5. Inquire of God, hold fast to His truths and believe that He can do miracles in your body and mind just as He has done before and is doing today. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10 And in the end, let God's will be done, we can not question His ways but I do know He is in charge and will comfort you and love you no matter what the circumstances are. I pray blessings, peace and good health to you in the Name of Jesus. Amen. Don't stop believing.

Also here are some great books I read on healing:

 - Healing Promises by Joseph Prince

 - Christ the Healer by F.F. Bosworth

 - Be Healed in Jesus' Name by Joyce Meyer

Let Him Bind Your Wounds

 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 

Photo source: Passion of the Christ Movie

Depicting Jesus reaching out to a woman who was about to be stoned for adultery 

Behold this amazing love from God. The God who created the heavens and the earth sent His only Son to die for you. He died for every sin, for every wicked, evil thing you have ever done or will do. First off, when you commit sin, you commit it against God. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit and unleashed sin into the lives of every man after that, God immediately initiate a redemption plan to bring us back to Him. The Bible is a epic story of reconciliation. Jesus suffered a horrible, torturous death so that we might have everlasting life with Him, but also that we might have freedom from the bondage of sin in this life as well. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corin 5:21. God paid the ultimate price for you, for all of us, even His enemies so that we may all have the chance to be reconciled with Him in eternity. We don’t deserve it, we could never thank Him for it, but we can do our part and live our lives in honor and glory of Him. God gives and gives, He holds nothing back for us, in fact He encourages us to seek Him for anything we need. (read Matthew 7: 7) God is a gracious God, do you not see He will go to the ends of the earth for you. You are cherished and beloved, honor God's love with your life. 


Prayer:
Heavenly Father you have shown me so much love. You raised my life from the pit and set my feet on solid ground. You have saved me from a life of misery, loneliness and sin and have given my freedom, grace and abounding love. Help me to know you more, to know the great I Am. As I draw nearer to you, I know by your Word, you will draw nearer to me. I need you every day of my life Lord. Without you I am
aimless in a lost world. You lift me up and call me beloved and treasured. Teach me how to show that love to others in honor of you.

Receiving Strength

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 
 

My Lord, My Father. My vindicator, my fortress, I come to you in my weakness. Shower me with your strength, purge my fear with faith in you. As the world closes in around me and my fear breeds more fear I will trust in you. Although things seem to be overwhelming and I might be at the end of my rope, help me to always see your light, for you are ever before me. “For the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard” Isaiah 52:12. In you alone I can rest, you lead me to stillness and tell me to look at all you have done for me. My past with you is filled with miracles and hope. You have encouraged me through this trial with kinds words from people and the sweet peace of Jesus that passes understanding. I will get through this! This is a temporary issue and my victory will be in your hands today and I believe in you for a good, healthy and happy future. Are you not the God who rose Jesus from the dead?! Are you not the God who healed many sick, blind, lame and desperate people? You are that same God, you are the same generation to generation.