The Special Encounters

The last couple of months I have allowed the worries of the world to interfere with my spiritual growth.  About a week ago I got a tweet from a new follower named Stephanie and it read: “Hey lady! How is God treating you today?”  I literally stopped what I was doing because it caught me off guard. I was just tweeting random craziness and out of nowhere here was someone asking how God was treating me.  I instantly felt condemned about my recent actions, words and thoughts.  I responded “Hi, he’s been great to me, what about you?” I replied but you know, sometimes we go through the motions and say what we feel people expect us to say or we answer with truth not really pondering the significance of the words we speak.  Later that week Stephanie tweeted Everyone has something they feel strongly about.  But the question becomes are you going to do anything about it.

Yesterday I went to the track to walk and I had the pleasure of accompanying a beautiful young lady around my age that I knew while growing up.  It was my first time really talking to her and her spirit was AH-MAY-ZING! She spoke with such grace and conviction about her love for God and all he’s done and is doing in her life.  I saw in her what I need to see in myself.  She truly inspired me and spoke to my heart and made me do inventory of my spiritual characteristics.  After leaving the track, I felt like God put us on the track at the same time for a reason.  I thought back to the tweet Everyone has something they feel strongly about.  But the question becomes are you going to do anything about it. And it meant something totally different at that moment.  I ‘claim’ to have such a Fear Of and Love For God, yet I do nothing about it.  It’s not in my everyday talk or my walk and definitely not in my tweets LOL. I’m not saying that it should be all that I talk about, but it should be evident when coming into contact with me.

So Today my Voices are Praying: praying for forgiveness of my transgressions, strength in my never ending journey of being a better person, awareness of my actions both good and bad, control to guard my tongue from the things that are unlike him and I pray most of all for a more profound voice to speak of his greatness!

In the words of Stephanie How is God treating you today? And what are you going to do about it?

…Until Next Time

God's Favor

My career plan in 2010 was to start working when the kids went back to school, stay on that job a year, then move on. I started working in August of that year, but before I knew it, a year was gone, I was still there, and I didn’t have any prospects for a new job. Honestly speaking, I was a little down in the dumps about still being there and not moving on. Because in my mind, my course there had ended, the job served its purpose and I was ready to move on.

On May 22, 2012 I wrote down my prayer “I pray for a job with great benefits, good understanding people, not far from home, more money, good working hours, not much overtime... I pray for a job that will allow me to utilize my current abilities as well as grow in other areas. A job that will challenge my mind and get me out of this current rut.  I am not an average person, therefore I want greatness to reflect in all areas of my life! Work, home, family, demeanor....” I prayed for a new beginning…a chance to meet new people at my new place in life.

In June I was offered a job, but I had prior engagements that were top priority for me at the time and my current employer agreed to wait for me an entire month. (good, understanding people *check*) When I turned in my notice one of my former co-workers told me “You don’t want to burn any bridges” and my response to him was “Some bridges need to burn to prevent you from trying to cross them again.” At the time I didn’t realize how powerful that statement was, the only thing that mattered to me was, in my heart I knew that my time there had come to an end and God agreed.

My travel time to work was once anything from 45 minutes-2 hours dependent on traffic; with the new job my travel time became 15-25 minutes dependent on traffic (not far from home *check*) Hurricane Isaac happened and we experienced damage to our home so we have been staying by my mom, the kids school was destroyed so their schools are now in alternative locations.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads 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.

Being that I got my job only a month before all of this happened, I am able to recognize God’s favor in my life. The toll that living on one side of town, working 5 towns over, and my kids being 3 towns back would have taken on my mind, body and spirit would have been tremendous.  God spared me from the exhaustion that would have happen to me had I still been working that job, but he also made sure that his timing was perfect so that I realized it was him working things out in my favor, not just “my plan” unfolding.  In a previous post entitled Restoration I wrote “Restoration happens when your willingness to live a Godly life and God’s timing collide…” I also wrote “We have to be at the point in our lives where we allow him to take away what we have in mind for ourselves…and allow his will to be done” and this is exactly what happened to me.

      Moral of the Story: Just because things don’t happen when you want them, doesn’t mean they won’t happen when God’s timing is right. In the bible there are many instances that God performs acts to make people aware that HE IS! “You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other”. I feel the reason God doesn’t allow things to happen when WE want them is because he wants his presence and power to be recognized and not overlooked! If things happen in our timing we may think it was a lone act when in all actuality it wasn’t.

I almost forgot, the other blessing staying over a year brought me was some friends that have changed my
life forever! God allowed me to meet them at a time when we could each compliment each others lives. How's that for favor?

So today my voices are praying that God continues to make his favor known in my life and that I continue to realize it and give him thanks, glory and honor! God loves when we share the greatness of his word and his great works and I love it when he shows off!!

…Until Next Time

  

Write the Vision...

Habakkuk 2:2-3 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.  My interpretation of this scripture is to write down the desires of your heart to make it a reality when reading your goals. In writing these things, realize that it is not for the present time, but for the future.  Also realize that if we are patient and believe in God’s word our desires will come to pass.  One thing I believe in is writing down my hopes and dreams.  I never realized its correlation with the word until recently.  As I have shared with you before, I make a short-term list each month and what I don’t accomplish carries over to the next month. It is what I like to think of as keeping up with my life’s inventory.  At the end of the month I’m able to see my achievements, my determination or the lack there of.  You’ll be amazed at the gratification it brings to realize the greatness of God and the many blessings that he allowed you to experience over time.  Not to mention you will notice your strengths as well as your weaknesses and in knowing these things, you can make yourself a better person by correcting what's wrong and capitalizing on whats right. 

My listings include EVERYTHING like personal aspirations, career objectives as well as workout targets. I even list things about myself that I would like to change or eliminate (this is the hardest list to concur).  If you are at a point in your life where you would like to start making positive changes try making a list of your own.  If you do decide to try it, there are a few things you must understand.

1.     Write the vision and make it plain

Know exactly what it is you desire, be descriptive

Example:  Pray for a job with great benefits, good people, understanding atmosphere, not far from home, more money, not much overtime

2.     You must have faith the size of a mustard seed

Simply writing things down or wanting something is not enough.

You must make realistic goals and believe that they are achievable by your own will and by God’s will.

Example

a.     I want to lose 100 lbs in a month (this is not a realistic goal)

b.     Writing down I want to be successful and believing it will happen

3.     Faith without works is dead

To believe something can be done will not bring it pass.

Example: I want to lose weight, but I keep eating and I’m not working out.

I want a new job, but I haven’t applied for anything and my resume is not done

You MUST work in the direction of accomplishing the task at hand, if you want to lose weight, work out, cut back on food. If you want a new job update your resume, go to career fairs, apply to jobs. 

DO NOT do anything that will take away from your ultimate goal.

Example:  I want a husband of my own but in the mean time you sleep with someone else’s or continue to have a relationship where all signs lead to a dead end road.

4.     Glory goes to God

When you reach your goals it is a blessing and should be treated as such. DO NOT take credit as if you did it on your own.  Don’t be ashamed to speak on your blessings or breakthroughs.

Example

a.     Stating “I was blessed with a good job” not “I get every job I want so this one was no different”

b.     Stating “I was going through hard times and God stepped in right when I needed him” not “I don’t know how I got through it”

5.     When you have been faithful over few things you will be rewarded with 

many things

God  tests progression to see how you’ve matured in The Word  and if you are ready for certain blessings.  You must follow all of the above guidelines in order to get to this point.

Example:  You reached a short term goal and you used it to glorify God and or you gave him glory for it coming to pass.  He will then see if you will respond in the same way with more and if you do you will live a life of abundance in all areas of your life. 

These guidelines have worked many times in my life.  Faith without works is dead is my motto.  I know exactly what I want in life and I also know what it takes to get it.  The Fear of God, Learning his Word, Determination, Desire, Strength, Faith and Obedience. 

Before every Test there’s a Testimony, and before every Breakthrough there’s a Breakdown. Keep this in mind when problems arise.

Today my Voices are Reminding you: You are not an average person, therefore you should demand greatness to refelect in all areas of your life! Work, home, family, deameanor, words and actions…. If you do not know where to start to accomplish greatness..here's a starting point.

Until Next Time…