Once a week, every week is laundry day!! Piles and piles of socks, shirts and dirt. Everyone can agree, that the goal of every laundry day is "clean clothes". Black, white, checkered or stripes-we want our clothes to look their best and be free of stains!
I have young boys at home, so stains are pretty common around here. From ketchup to grass, the stains are endless! Stains are a reminder of a miscalculated bite, an awesome football game or a fall. They draw attention and we do our best to hide them. What happens when we sin? We miscalculate our strength sometimes and we end up falling. We bear the guilt of our sin, like a stain that everyone can see. Like that moment you bravely ate a chili dog for lunch, (wearing a white shirt )and dropped the last bite right in the middle. You spend the whole day trying to conceal it after failed attempts to wash it out. While club soda may be able to lift that chili stain, Neither Tide, Shout or Gain can wash out the guilty stains that sin leaves behind. We try in our own frailty to conceal and hide, but it's never enough. We become convinced that everyone can see our guilty stains. We soon find ourselves overtaken and consumed. We must remember the Word of the lord during these times. Only the blood of Jesus can wash away our sins. Yes the blood has cleansing power!! We can be cleansed, forgiven and free from all our guilty stains. I love that we can be free from condemnation (Romans8:1) we can walk in complete forgiveness and be stain free! Guilt can be a stubborn stain, but the Blood is stronger-apply liberally. My friends I want to encourage you today, to embrace Gods Grace! Walk in complete forgiveness and be free from those stains of sin. Jesus shed his blood for you and I to be free and complete in Him. Aren't you glad the Blood still works?
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Faith Faith Faith!!
Moses had it, Abraham had it, David had plenty and so did Noah! If your story was in the bible, would it speak of the great faith you had? most of us, if we're honest, would say no. The truth of the matter is, most people struggle with FAITH. We are trained to respond to our environment, so we react to what we see, feel, hear,touch and smell. We make decisions based on our culture, our surroundings and our feelings. FAITH moves beyond the senses, beyond the norm and far beyond your comfort zone! So if we could take a moment to analyze your faith level, let's start with this-no matter who you are, where you live or what you do. YOU HAVE FAITH. The bible says that every one is given a measure of faith. So, we all have some amount of faith to work with. (Thank God) Whether your faith is big or small, is really not relevant. The key here is: Does your FAITH work?? The bible states in the book of James, that faith without WORKS is dead! that's right, you have to put your faith to work-give it something to do in your life. Faith only works when you work it! What are you hoping for? What are you believing for? whatever it is, faith can make it happen. Think of this, we always pray when we want something right? its great to pray, lets say your praying for a new job, God hears your request and then He watches to see what your faith will do. That's right, God is not leaving Heaven to bring you into a new job, He has given you authority (by faith) to make it happen. So when your faith is alive, your faith will fill out an application for that job, go to an interview and take all the necessary steps to obtain a job. When your faith is dead, you just sit and wait for a job to come to you. Get it? If your faith has died, it's time to resurrect it. Yes it's time to wake that faith up and put it to work in your life. Faith loves to work!!! Faith will work in all areas of your life-if you let it. Here are some great ways to breathe new life into your faith and get it moving: #1-don't compare your faith to anyone on the planet. Your faith is your faith and it works well enough for your life, you don't need my faith to get what you need. #2-Test it out. Set a small goal and take a step of faith towards it. (practice makes perfect) #3-Read & Speak, find all the verses you can about faith (in the bible) and read through them daily. As you read these verses, speak them out loud. In your times of doubt and fear, speak those words of faith over your situation. My friend I hope you are encouraged to start using FAITH, to move those mountains out of your life. Yes you have the power, yes you have the authority to employ your faith and put it to work! What has your faith done in your life lately? (leave a comment below. we're listening) We NEED each other.
No man that builds something great, built it alone! No one is truly a "self made" anything. We are surrounded by each other and whether it's admitted or not, we all learn from each other on a daily basis. Think for a minute-how did you learn to tie your shoes? Where did you get the inspiration to write your book? How did you come to know Jesus Christ? If you think really honest, you will see that none of it was learned on your own. GOD loves community, he has not made us to be our own islands in this world. In fact when Jesus was here on earth, he spent tons of time with his community! He had friends, teachers, brothers and sisters that he shared his life with!! We can't neglect community. You can do good things alone, but you can do greater things together! Jesus accomplished many great works with his disciples and other believers. What could you accomplish if you came together with your community? On last night, my husband and I came together with some friends, just to listen to music together! We played songs of high praises and songs of unashamed worship. Together we all sang, we encouraged, we blessed, we sharpened one another in love and the results was awakening to that same sweet spirit of communion the next morning. I felt a strong sense of thankfulness, of strength and refreshing. This all came from being together with one another.💕 We can't forsake fellowship. We can't afford excuses. I challenge you today to come out of hiding and place yourself in a community of believers. Start with your church family, your friends, even people you don't know yet-just reach out! Cook some food and come together . Play some music and come together. Build a project together. Pray together! I could go on and on💕 My friends, there is strength in unity, there is success in unity, there is love in unity. Pray today, right now, Lord open my eyes to the community you have called me to be a part of. Give me courage and faith to step out and be present! Tear down the walls in my life that keep me isolated and fearful. Thank you for new relationships & every good work that we will accomplish together, in your name🙏🏾 what does community mean to you?? Have you ever hear someone sing really good? You know those moments when your favorite singer brings you to tears after an amazing melody. The joy and the uplifting you feel when a song has been released with such passion and grace that it touches your heart.
A great singer can leave you speechless and only able to utter "what a voice" The amazement that surround you after hearing a good song is refreshing. No matter how many times you may have heard a song, it can be like hearing it for the first time. This is how the voice of God is!! No matter how many times I have heard from God, when He speaks, it's like the first time all over again. His voice brings refreshing to the dry and thirsty, He brings comfort to the grieving and lonely, His voice always brings love and correction that liberates the captive heart. The voice of God can leave you speechless, as He touches the deep places of your heart. The voice of God can be a constant encouragement during a pressing season. His voice can be a great strength when your feeling weak and defeated. If your lost and confused in an area of your life, His voice will bring wisdom and direction. There is not anything you face or any situation in your life, that God can't speak to!! His voice crosses continents and exceeds natural laws. Gods voice will reach to the lowest ghetto and climb the highest mountains. His voice advises the farmer and guides the businessman. His voice will gently lead the Mother and equip the Father. Oh what a voice!!!! Wherever you are, whomever you are and whatever it is that you do in life....the voice of God will reach you! Today I challenge you to create an atmosphere that invites the voice of God to your next conversation. Start with worship, it's Gods favorite place to be! Today the Spirit of God says.... I want to give new life! Your dreams, your ministry, your relationship has fallen stagnant, dry and lacking. Many of us have suffered from slow, dying situations that drain us and leave us discouraged.
God of wants to breathe a fresh wind over you today and give new life to those dreams, new life to your ministry, new life to your marriage! Receive new life for your business, your church, The resurrecting Power of Jesus Christ can bring life to any dead situation! Trust and believe my friends, that God wants to do this for you today. It is by Faith that we receive and believe. Don't give up hope, bring your issue to the lord today and speak new life over it!!!!! Today, Now, as you read this.....receive NEW LIFE💕💕💕 No matter who you are, where you live, or what you do for a living -we all share a common annoyance.....NOISE!! The absolute, frustrating thing(s) that loudly interrupt our daily lives and demand full attention!!
My "noise" may be three young children playing baseball in the living room and your "noise" may be those neighbors who party till the wee hours of the morning (on the front lawn). No matter what your Noise is defined as, we all have those moments where we want to just get away! Silence can be a great comfort, in noisy times of our lives. Silence invites Peace, Rest and Focus. This is why when we are intentional about hearing Gods voice, we have to find time to get away from the noise. Noise is always centered on itself and will continue strong if you don't stop it or block it out. We can't just hope and pray that the noise stops on its own, we have to be intentional in our moves. So today☝🏾️find three ways to block out the noise in your life, that robs you of sweet serenity. You may not physically be able to get away from your home, but you can still find your silent moments and get into God's presence!! Here are some of my ways (comment and tell me yours) : turn off the TV for an hour :take advantage of "sleeping hours" to get your silence on! (I.e. 5am, 12 midnight) :set a specific time to converse with God and announce it to your household. (Make everyone know that you do not want to be disturbed during this time) :shut off ALL alerts on your cell for an hour Be intentional about getting away from the noise and getting into Gods presence 💕 In my time of prayer, this is what the Spirit of The Lord says
"It's Time! Time for the real remnant to stand up. It's hard to push against what's accepted, it's hard to stand against what's trending socially, it's hard to kick against what's celebrated ,but what may be lawful by man is not lawful with God-it's time to stand against it! Its time for a spiritual upset! It's not expected for you to win, but it's time to win. Your victory is here! It's time to take your place, not only take your place but occupy your position with complete authority!!! Move in the things of God, do what He says to do and teach others to do the same. Time to elevate your worship, to the place where your criticized for it, talked about because of it, laughed at because of it. God says it's time to pursue the enemy, no more hiding, no more waiting for the enemy to change, it's time to use your anointing to create change for God's glory!! It's time, it's time, it's time!!!" The Time is now my brothers, my sisters. Time to rise up and stand against, time to take our place, time for a win!! Time for Gods remnant to be revealed. Meditate on these verses this week matthew 22:14 john 15:16 God can speak to you in so many ways!! If you box God in, you will limit your ability to hear from Him. Our God is creative and personal, He will always speak to you on a level that you can receive him on.
Think about the scriptures, when Jesus spoke to the Farmers of his day, his parables were about sheep, crops & other things related to farming. He spoke to His disciples about fishing, because they were fisherman before He called them. God will use terms and vernacular that relate directly to you! God speaks through the power of the Holy Spirit. His message may come to you in times of prayer, times of reading the bible, or He may speak through a song. Sometimes God will use individuals to give you a message from Him, people like your Pastor, a co-worker, a child or even a spouse. These are just a few ways God has chosen to speak to me! Dont put Gods ability to speak to you, in a box!💕 Be open to hear His voice in unusual settings, from unexpected people and at unexpected times. When is is the last time you heard God's voice? Comment and tell us your experience. Did you know that God is a personal God? He's not just some big deity in the sky, that gives out orders all day. God is a Father, and a really good one. He loves his children! Just as you desire to talk and relate to your children, God has that same desire.
Jesus, even while here on earth, communed with God daily. He spent time in prayer and worship on a regular basis. As sons and daughters of God we have that same privilege! We can talk with the Father and He talks back to us. If you are reading this post, this challenge is just for you! There is no need to fear or hesitate.. You will find answers when you talk with God, You will find direction when you talk with God. You will find peace and assurance when you talk with God! Not sure where to start? Start here by taking the 7 day challenge💕 The challenge is outlined day by day and there are many others who are taking the challenge with you!! Expect God to speak and He will. This challenge will draw you closer to God and sensitize your ears to recognize His voice. So what are you waiting for? Start today, start now, The Father is waiting to speak to you!!💕 |
Elder Kay StarksScribe. Prophetess. Wife. Mother. Entrepreneur and Friend! I am completely in LOVE with God and using all the Gifts He has graciously given me, to serve the world. Archives
May 2020
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