A Letter To Someone

Dear Someone, 

I'm writing this letter to you because the Lord placed it on my heart to do so. It has been laying so heavy on me this week that I couldn't sleep; I had to get up and write. 

I don't know about you but lately, I've been feeling inadequate, unqualified, purposeless, basically like a failure in different areas of my life. Like every door in my life was constantly shutting and I felt like I was stuck up against a wall in an empty hallway full of hopeless opportunities. I started to get weary and depressed, and I started to question and doubt God and His promises to me. After getting frustrated and weary and tired of believing the lies of the enemy; I finally decided to pray and cast all my worries, fears, disappointments in God's miraculous hands. That's when God reminded me of His truths about me. He then began to tell me that I'm not a failure and I am victorious through Him!

There have been many times in my life where I felt like a failure and was too embarrassed to talk about it. like the time in college I failed my (pre-calculus) math class 2 times and had to take it a 3rd time (while paying out of state fees at a different college)! Which kept me from obtaining the degree I was anticipating to get at the end of every semester... Talk about feeling like a FAILURE! During that season of my life, it was hard to see what might come out of that but because I didn't let the thought of being a failure in that area stop me from achieving my goal to graduate with honors after having passed that class with an 'A'. And what I learned is that God created everyone differently, we talk differently, learn differently, have different majors, different walks of life, different purposes and callings on our lives, and just because someone accomplishes or understands some things before you do doesn't mean you are less than them.  

But the enemy would love for you to start to play the comparison game and have you measure your worth by the accomplished work of a human being rather than measuring your worth by the creator, Jesus, who died because you were and will always be MORE THAN ENOUGH for Him to lay down His life for you! Roman 5:8 is proof of that. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 

And so I want you all to know that you are NOT a failure! No matter what your circumstances look like; Believe that God's promises are true! Maybe you didn't pass that class for the 3rd time in a row. Maybe you didn't get that degree that you hoped you would be getting at the end of this semester. Maybe you didn't qualify for that job or get that scholarship you were hoping to get. Maybe you weren't approved for that car/home loan. Maybe your parents constantly remind you of your past/present failures... or maybe you feel like you failed at being a friend, sibling, child, Christian example, etc... and you feel like you can't move on because you have all these lies circling around you and knocking you down; so you decide to stay there, stay down and believe that you are a failure and you chose to stop fighting those thoughts... But I want to encourage you to not settle for that mindset, FIGHT back with the TRUTHS of God's Word, get up and start to believe what He says about you! 

Below are a few of some of my favorite encouraging scriptures that I like to meditate on when I feel discouraged, overwhelmed, pressured or feel like throwing in the towel. Write them down and think about them when a lie from the enemy comes to your mind. the bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ."

• "I can do ALL  THINGS through Jesus Christ Who strengthens me!" ~Philippians 4:13

• "And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony." ~Revelation 12:11

• "We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You alone." ~Psalm 33:20-22

• “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”~Matthew 19:26

• "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." ~ Philippians 1:6

Another thing that I want you to know that God has a purpose for you! And nothing can stop His plan for your life! Satan may make you call yourself a 'failure' but no mistake you make catches God by surprise. God has a plan/comeback for your every mistake, failure, and setback and He wants you to trust in Him.

  

I know you feel like all hope is gone but I want to encourage you not to give up! God sees your failures and He still wants to use you! 

Keep Pressing forward!!! 

"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." ~ Philippians 3:14

Love your sis in Christ,

Joy J.

ROOTED in God's Word.

"For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit."~Jeremiah 17:8 

Have you ever wondered how someone, maybe a friend, relative, pastor, etc... just ups and leaves their faith/beliefs and church all together?

Well you're not the only one. This topic has been on my heart for some time now because I've seen so many people; friends and all just suddenly stop coming to church, stop posting scriptures, stop coming to bible studies, in relationships that don't glorify God, posting half naked pictures, cussing up a storm, etc... And all I could think is "Lord, how is that possible??" And He told me "Because they were not rooted in my Word." 

Rooted means to be; embedded, fixed, established, entrenched, ingrained.

You see you can go to church, preach your heart out, teach Sunday school every weekend, sing on the praise team, but if your life isn't planted and embedded deep down in the Word of God then you will not be able to stand firm when the enemy comes in like a flood to attack you. The enemy knows your weakness. He isn't blind to our daily struggles in life. He knows that if he can just get you to take a sip of that drink you'll become an alcoholic or if you watch/listen to certain music it will get you in your feelings long enough you'll go indulge in premarital sex. The enemy is out to destroy each and everyone of us; his plan is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The enemy wants to separate us from the Truth (God)! Because if he can get enough space between us and God; he has enough room to allow his lies to seep through and mess with our hearts, minds, and souls. 

Maybe you know someone who has left their faith, beliefs, and church and are now living in a life of sin that they swore they would never live or that they didn't plan to live, but now they are in it and they don't know how they even got that far... well let me be completely honest with you all it all starts with step one: Believing a lie. Somewhere in their life they stopped believing in truth, they allowed a little bit of sin into their lives and the enemy deceived them into believing that because it it's not that "big" of a sin and nobody will ever find out, that it is okay to do it. and then they start believing another lie and then another one...until they are caught up in the enemy's web of lies and are so far gone they don't even realize it. As I'm sitting here writing this quote just came to mind: "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay." 

That is why it is SO IMPORTANT to guard your heart and to hide the Truth of God's word in your hearts and renew our minds daily! Psalms 119:11 says "I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." Then in Romans 12:2 says "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The only way to believe a lie is to not know the truth. That is why we have to make sure we know the truth of God's word so we can fight the enemy back with the TRUTH. "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" ~John 8:32. 

So stay encourage, and choose today to stay rooted in the TRUTH of God's word and have faith that what ever the enemy tries to throw at you and knock you down with, today, tomorrow, or in the future, that you will not be moved. That you will know the scriptures and throw them back at him and his lies.. The bible is your sword! This fight against the enemy isn't physical it is spiritual (Ephesians 6:12-13).

My prayer for us today is that God will open our spiritual eyes to see and know the truth. That we will be like that tree planted by the water, that we will be grounded and ready to stand when the storms of life come to knock us down, when the enemy tell us that we should stop living this "Christian life" and all the other lies he tries to shower you in. I pray for the souls that have fell into the lies of the enemy, that they will be set free from the enemies hold. That God will remind them of His Word and they will come back to the TRUTH! Amen! 

 Love your sis in Christ,

Joy J :)

Never Be Ashamed of Your Testimony!

Never be ashamed of your testimony, God brought you out of the mess you were in to bless someone else. You never know who is going through the same thing or something similar to what you've already been through and needs to hear your voice/story. The enemy wants us to live in guilt, fear, shame, and regret. Have you ever wonder why it's so hard to share our testimony? It's because the enemy knows that there is power that comes with sharing the goodness and mercies of Jesus Christ and what He has delivered us from, brought us out of, saved us from, etc... So he does everything in his will to try and get us to hide and cover up our testimony. Because he knows that once you began to speak it and tell about it we'll be free from that hold that he had on us and the person/people we share it with.

🔸Revelations 12:11 says: ".. they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" another version says: "They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony".🔸 You see when we open up and share and proclaim what the Lord has done in our lives we have the victory!  When we walk in shame about our past we are basically saying that we are ashamed of what God has brought us out of... The enemy fights us so hard when we are about to share our testimony because he doesn't have one so he wants to take ours for himself BUT that is the one thing he can NEVER take away from us! The enemy has no control over us because when we tell our testimony, we are no longer telling of what we did; but what God did for us! And what an AMAZING feeling it is to be able to share the love and greatness of my God to a friend in need...❤❤❤ So be encouraged and know that you have the victory through Jesus Christ our Savior!

Love your sis in Christ,

Joy J. <3

Whose Voice Are You Listening To?

The enemy has been SOOO very busy at work trying to get me to break and to give in. He's been doing so by trying to fill my head with his lies about my life and how this walk with Christ is in vain, how going to church is in vain, how abstaining from sex is in vain, how not listening to certain music and not watching certain TV shows/movies is in vain, how staying away from certain people and places (clubs, parties, bars, etc..) are all in vain. So I've began to listen to those voices. I began to slowly believe that this walk with Christ must be in vain because look at my life, look at my failures, look at my family, look at where I'm at... so maybe "this Christian lifestyle" isn't for me because I'm still in this situation in life, I keep failing at this one particular thing, my family has it's struggles, I'm still praying for the same things and nothing is changing so what is the point on living for Christ???!

As I'm sitting here just listening to all those different voices talking in my head I heard this one tiny, small voice in the back of my head that is different from all the rest and it says: "Whose voice are you listening to?" and after hearing that stopped for a second and focused on it; I drained out all the other voices and just began to cry because I knew that that tiny, small voice was God's. I knew it was His because there was such a peace that overcame me and quieted everything around me. And that small voice began to whisper truth into me. And It began to tell me that this Christian walk is Not in vain, the situation that I'm in is Not in vain, my failures are NOT in vain, what my family is going through is NOT in vain, where I'm at in this exact moment/season in my life is NOT in vain!

I don't know who you are, or where you are in life but I'm here to tell you that this walk with Christ IS NOT IN VAIN! The enemy might try to lie and tell you differently but I'm here to speak the truth to you and over you! So don't give up because it gets tough, or because your prayers aren't answered (yet), or because you feel like you're stuck in the same situation, or because your family isn't "perfect", or because you keep failing over and over again... just get back up, pray, repent, and try again with God's help!

I want to help you differentiate the voice of God to the voice of the enemy (Satan) to help give you some key insight on how to differentiate between whose voice you are hearing and listening to.

 God's voice...

1) Stills you...
2) Leads you...
3) Reassures you...
4) Enlightens you...
5) Encourages you...
6) Comforts you...
7) Calms you...
8) Convicts you...

You see in the craziness of our busy lives, God's voice stills us...

•  ^"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." ~Psalm 46:10
  When we seem to forget and have lost our way, God's voice leads us...

• "Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day." ~ Psalm 25:4-5
  When we are at our lowest, God's voice reassures us...

• "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you...For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." ~Isaiah 43:1-3
  When our life seems dim and we can't see clearly God's voice enlightens us...

• "For You are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness." ~2 Samuel 22:29
  When we are discouraged God's voice encourages us...

• "This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." ~Joshua 1:9
  When we are in discomfort, God's voice comforts us...

• ^"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ." ~ 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 
  When we go through storms/trials in our life, God's voice calms us...

• The righteous call to the Lord, and he listens; he rescues them from all their troubles. ~ Psalm 34:17
  When we are living unrighteous, God's voice convicts us...
• "He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment." ~ John 16:8

On the other hand; Satan's voice...

1) Rushes you...

2) Pushes you...

3) Frightens you...

4) Confuses you...

5) Discourages you...

6) Worries you...

7) Obsesses you...

8) Condemns you...

Satan's voice rushes you and makes you feel like you are the only one "not doing it" whatever "it" may be. Whether it be him rushing you to get into a relationship that God specifically told you to wait on Him for or rushing you out of the season that you are in and makes you get impatient because situations still look the same and he causes you to become weary and uncomfortable in it because you can't see anything prospering or growing from it.. Rushed urgings are usually of the enemy. God's Spirit may "hound" you by softly and repeatedly bringing something to mind, but be suspicious of anything that makes you feel driven in any way obsessed. The voice of the Good Shepherd is gentle, familiar sounding and loving. It leaves you a sense of spiritual uplift and rejoicing, never fright (John 10:3-5, 14-16, 27-28).

He also tries to install fear in you by making you feel like you will never be used by God because of your past mistakes. Another thing is that Satan confuses you, he tries to cloud out God's voice because the bible says that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Satan will try everything to discourage you from the call that God has over your life. He will tell you that because you gave your body away before marriage that God will never be able to use you, he will even tell you that you're not good enough to be used by God, or my favorite no one will ever listen to you. Don't allow the enemy to discourage you from your calling! Someone out in this world is depending on your obedience to God, they are waiting to hear your story, your testimony about the goodness and mercies of God. Satan will try to worry you but in Matthew 6:25 Jesus says; "Do not worry about your life..." Satan will make you obsess over things that don't have no value, he will also try to condemn you. A lot of people get confused with being condemned and being convicted, that is why having the spirit of discernment is so important. John 3:17 says "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." 

When the Holy Spirit convicts/corrects us, He is going to correct and discipline us and show us what we did wrong. He is going to get in and get out. He is not going to badger us or nag at us about the same thing. He is going to show us the mistake, lay it upon our heart to repent and ask for forgiveness and then He is going to expect us to move on. He will keep convicting us until we do something about it. On the other hand when we receive condemnation from the Satan, it is different. He wants us to think on what we did wrong and let it build up inside us. Hoping we will take on the emotions of guilt, regret, blame and shame. He wants these emotions to plant a seed inside us; telling us that we are no good, that we will do it again and nobody is going to forgive us for our mistakes.

So the question that I have for you is this: Whose voice are you listening to... God's voice or Satan's voice??  You are listening to one of these voices and it's time to pray for discernment so that you will be able to differentiate between the two.

I love you all and I'm praying for you! Stay blessed!! :)

Your sis in Christ,

~Joy J. <3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enxca57LiVU

The Beauty of Brokenness

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11"





"Everybody wants to be a diamond but very few are willing to get cut." Likewise, so many people want to be used by God but very few are willing to be broken.

To become like that beautiful diamond there's a process that we have to go through in Christ. There's going to be some pain, pressure, and discomfort. Let me explain a little more in detail... The journey of a diamond is a long and complex process. Diamonds are formed deep inside the Earth, they are mined and sorted, they are polished and cut, they are delivered to labs for grading and then finally, they are sold to jewelry stores around the world.  After doing some research I found these amazing facts:

A diamond is just carbon (essentially the same thing as charcoal) in a very concentrated form. Yet, when mined, cut, and polished, it becomes the most precious gemstone in the world. Diamonds are formed about 161 km (100 miles) below the Earth’s surface, when carbon is subjected to a temperature of at least 400°C (752°F) and 435,113 pounds per square inch (psi) or 30 kilobars of pressure. Where diamonds are formed, the pressure exceeds 700,000 psi and temperatures over 1200°C (2192°F).



As we try to imagine the extreme temperature and pressure under which diamonds are formed, it brings to mind the fiery trials which us children of God must undergo to develop true godly character.   
1 Peter 1:6-7 describes the beautiful outcome of being tested by God’s fire. It says:

"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world."


The process to refining a diamond is:

1) Mining

2) Crushing/Separating

3) Greasing/Cutting

  

Just like Diamonds have to go through a long hard process before they are made beautiful; so do we. Like a diamond we Christians also have to go through that same process if you really think about it... We go through the mining, crushing, separating, greasing, and cutting.

Let me elaborate a little more on that. There are different types of mining but I'm just going to touch on the basics of it. According to scientists the mining process is a very long process. This process

consists of locating possible diamond deposits and their retrieval from all over the world. Just as a diamond has to go through that process so do we Christians; during the (mining) process in lives, God searches for us just as it says in 2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

John 4:23 it says: "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."

John 19:10 says: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." All through the Bible we can see that God was seeking, pursuing and chasing those who were broken, hurt, lost, sick, etc...It's within His nature to be a seeker; it's who He is. It always amazes me to know that a God that owns the whole world, has everything, and can have anyone He wants, He came to search for me! How loving is that!!

The next process that a diamond has to go through is the crushing/separation process, which is another long process. This process begins with crushing and/or milling the material. The purpose of this is to separate the diamond from all the other material. The conglomerate is placed into a large crushing machine and smashed until the crystals are released. After the crushing process there's the separation process that includes the washing of the diamonds. We as humans/Christians hate this process of our lives because it involves pain. This is what I like to call the dry season, the season after God has found you and you gave your life to Christ and all of a sudden friendships start ending, ungodly (dating) relationships began to fail, people you thought would be there for you all the time start to walk out of your life, and you don't understand why and God is quiet, He's not giving you answers... and you're just left torn, crushed, isolated. This season that I just describe is the crushing process, where God has to have you go through some things, some discomfort, some hurt/pain to separate us from certain people, places, and things in our life that are hindering our walk with Him and because He is trying to take us somewhere that not everyone in your life can go. 2 Corinthians 4:8 says "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."  After being crushed God washes us with His word. This season of our life is not meant to hurt you, it's meant to grow you in God, so that you can depend on Him, cry out to Him, talk to Him, build a relationship with Him. Don't allow the enemy to fill your head with lies about how "If God loved you than... this and/or that shouldn't have happened" No. ALL of God's ways are perfect, we may not comprehend it but we can trust that His ways are higher than our ways, and that His thoughts are so much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

The next process that a diamond has to go through is the greasing/cutting process. During this process diamonds are being recovered. The diamonds are placed on a greasing belt, and are caught in the grease and move up the belt as they are washed down the belt by water. After that a blade scrapes the diamond-bearing grease off the belt and into an 85C melting tank. The diamonds drop out of the melted grease and are recovered.






Before diamonds become beautiful jewels, they must be cut and polished by hand or machine using steel or diamond blades or laser. The cut diamond is then polished by a rotating wheel coated with an abrasive diamond powder. God’s purpose is to refine and perfect us. He will use whatever means necessary to bring us to the point of being “a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). There's something beautiful about being broken. Though it is painful, you become clay in the Potter's hands to mold and use. The process is painful, but the result is rewarding!

Are you willing to endure the pressure, the cutting, and the polishing of the Master Jeweler to bring out the diamond within you?  In order to use you; God has to fix you, which means breaking you. 

God is able to do the most work in broken things/areas of our lives... remember that God breaks each and every one of us in His own way and when He breaks us, it's always to put us back together again...stronger and wiser! 

I read this quote the other day "What was meant to break you ends up making you"- Rick Warren

God can take your ashes (your past, your mistakes, your failures, your brokenness, your pain) and turn them into something beautiful! He can use you; ALL of you!

I pray that you all stay encouraged and endure the process and allow God to break you and make you into the beautiful masterpiece/diamond that He created you to be to shine for His glory!!! :)

Love your sis in Christ,

Joy J. <3

It Is Finished.

In about a week we will be celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter. And when I hear/read those words, “It is finished” I feel SO much peace and Comfort! Because Jesus willingly laid down His life to save me from my sins.  He paid the ultimate price for ALL my sins, to set me free!

As I was writing this I did some research and found out that the Greek word for "It is finished" is translated as tetelestai, a term that means “paid in full”. When Jesus spoke those words He was declaring, the debt owed by us humans, the debt of our sins has been wiped away completely and forever! He paid the full price for us to be free from the bondage of sin! THANK YOU JESUS!!!
Just a little comparison from Genesis, when God, Jesus’ father, created the earth He spoke it into existence and it came to pass. Therefor when Jesus dying on the cross spoke those three words, He was speaking them into existence; He wasn’t necessarily speaking about His present situation of Him dying, but the past (our past), the fulfillment of all the laws (Matt. 5:17), the shame, the guilt, the pain. When He declared those words EVERYTHING that had a hold on us was broken and EVERY sin we ever committed was washed under the blood that He shed on that cross. He spoke those words with the same power that His father did in the beginning when He spoke the earth into existence, He knew that the power of sin over us will be broken by that same power and authority that caused the earth to form.

I don't know about you but I get so overwhelmed with joy when I am reminded of what Jesus did on the cross for me because I know that my past is over, the things that happened to me are over, whatever I have done that wasn’t pleasing to God is over… the pain that I felt is over because He bore it on the cross and healed me with His wounds, the feeling of being unloved, unwanted, rejected is over, because He died on that cross out of love for me, I don’t have to feel unwanted because He wanted me so much that He died on the cross for me because that was the only way for us to be together! Isaiah 53:5 says:

"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!"

Galatians 2:20 says "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." 

2 Corinthians 5:17 says "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"
What these two verses are saying is that when we repent and are baptized in Jesus' name our old sinful selves are being crucified and buried like/with Christ; meaning our old sinful life died and we are a new creation in Him. Our past, our mistakes, our guilt, our shame, any old sinful way(s) and desire(s) are buried under His blood!!

The enemy loves to make us feel like because of our past sins/mistakes that we are unqualified to do what God has called us to do. He uses guilt, shame, & regret to cripple our witness & testimony BUT Jesus came to bring us new life so that we can live in abundance (John 10:10). For so long I allowed the enemy to use my past mistakes against me, for so long I believed that I wasn't "good enough" to do what God wanted me to do, for so I believed that I wasn't qualified because of the sins that I committed, for so long I believed that my past is who I am today, But those are all LIES from the devil! So what I began to do when the devil tries to remind me of my past, failures, and mistakes is first rebuke him. Secondly remind him of his future burning in hell. And Thirdly remind him what the blood of Jesus did for me that day on the cross! You see the devil loves... loves... LOOOOOOVES to remind us of our past to take our focus off of what Jesus already did for us! He loves to remind us of our failures so that we are so focused on them that we can't see the future that God has created for us. Don't allow the devil to keep you enslaved to your past when Jesus paid the ultimate price to set you free from it!

I love this quote that I read the other day: "God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called." sometimes we struggle with the person we are and the person that God called/created us to be because we see our imperfections and we feel as though we aren't "qualified enough" to do that thing that God has placed in our hearts to do. But I'm here to tell somebody that you don't have to be qualified when you are working for God. The amazing thing about God is that He'll equip you with all the necessary tools and equipment that you will need for the job; He won't leave you without giving you what you need. He will go before you and lead you, He will go with you and protect you, He will flow through you and give you the words to say... Don't ever think that because of your past you are unqualified, God can use you and your past for His glory!

No matter what type of sin you have committed in your past, if you repented, meaning you asked God to forgive you and turned around in the opposite direction and are now truly living for Christ. He has wipe your past clean, His blood paid the price for your sins and it has washed you as white as snow! And the devil hates that because he never had a second chance to repent and so he is going to try to condemn you, deceive you, manipulate you, he's gonna try everything in his power to keep you bound to that sin because he knows the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), he knows that if he can lie to you a little bit longer sooner or later you will die, (it doesn't necessarily mean a physical death but also a mental, emotional, or spiritual death), and end up with him in hell... Don't fall for his traps, schemes, or plans, the bible says " The thief (devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."~John10:10.

You see Jesus came to set us free from the death grip of sin that the enemy had us in, He came to give us life and life to the fullest! He doesn't want you to live a life full of regrets and full of shame, He wants you to be free walking in confidence in Him so that you will be able to help other be freed... Never be ashamed of your imperfections, your mistakes, your mess ups, your brokenness, your flaws, whatever it may be because God is SO great, merciful, good, gracious, loving caring AMAZING and SOOOOOO much more! He wants to use you, and when I say you, I mean ALL of you (flaws and all) if you let Him!!!! EVERYTHING about you, the good, bad, and the ugly of the ugliest, He can take the ashes of your past and turn them into beauty. He can take your mess and turn it into a message, He can take your brokenness and shine through you, He can take your mistakes and use them for HIS glory!

Never, I repeat, NEVER let the enemy lie to you and condemn you making you feel like God can never use you because you're too broken, or unworthy, or you made too many mistakes in your life, or that God can't fix, heal you, or that you aren't "good enough". Well let me tell you something if you weren't "good enough" then Jesus wouldn't have gave His life for you! Yes YOU, whoever you are reading this, YOU are more than enough! YOU are pretty enough! YOU are worth it! YOU are smart enough! YOU are good enough! Enough that God gave His ONE and only son, JESUS to set you free from sin by dying a horrific death on the cross to save you and that's why the devil is trying so hard to destroy you because he knows how much you mean to God. So please don't believe the devil's lies instead believe God's TRUTH!

This Easter celebrate our risen savior and your freedom In Christ! You are no longer bound by sin! He defeated death so that we can live! And because He overcame we to can overcome. Be encouraged and have a blessed day!

Love your sis in Christ,

~Joy J. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBgYFxWBfdk

Learn to Use & Accept the 'N' Word...

It's ok to say no and it is also ok to hear a no response from someone even if that someone is God. A lot of the times we think that we have to agree with and say yes to any/everyone. But sometimes we need to learn to say no without having to explain ourselves. In Matthew 5:37 it says "But let your 'YES' be 'YES' and your 'NO' be 'NO' " To me this means stick to what you know is right according to God's Word. Don't just go around saying yes and agreeing with everyone because you don't want to hurt their feelings or because they won't be your friend and/or talk to you anymore if you disagree or are unavailable to them at that time. We need to learn to say NO to anyone and anything that draws us away from God and what He has called us to do. We have to say NO to any situation that causes us to compromise your relationship with God and goes against what His word says isn't right. We have to learn to say no to friendships/relationships that are draining us, to situations that tell us that we will always be the same, to the enemy and his lies, to false teaching of the Word of God. We must say No!


I like what Titus 2:1-15 says about doing good for the sake of the Gospel:
"You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,  and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you."


I had to learn to say no without feeling sorry, regretful and shameful for not going along with what everyone else "was doing". It took me years to build up the courage to finally say you know what I want what God has for me and I'm not going to let no thing stop me. And you can't say no in a nonchalant way you have to let others know that you mean it when it is said because if used lightly all the time people will mistake it for a yes instead and pretty soon you will too. I had to say no to certain guys that wanted a relationship with me. I had to say no to the partying, drinking, sex, depression, guilt, shame, friendships that were no good to me anymore, certain TV shows/movies/ music, etc... basically anything that was a hindrance to me and that was displeasing to the Word of God. There will come a time in your life where you will have to know when/where to draw the line. When you're following Christ there cannot be any in between stuff, no ands, ifs, buts, or maybes, only YES or NO. We have to learn to set boundaries or else people will just use us up.

So many of us, including myself, can say yes to everyone and everything else but when it comes to God we say no. But when God gives us a no we flip out and go crazy... Another thing that I've learned is that when God tells you "No" consider it a blessing in disguise. He is protecting his daughter/son from less than His best. I like the saying: "God's delays are not His denials." Just because God says no now doesn't mean it will always be a no in the future. It's amazing how even a 'NO' from God has love written all over it!

Learn to prioritize and limit the things that you do. Sometimes we can say yes to a million and one things and not have any time left to pray and spend time with God that's why prioritizing and limiting your schedule is very helpful in what you allow yourself to do.
When we say yes to so many things we began to get tired, used up, overwhelmed, weary, overworked and so much more. Learn to make time for you and listen to the voice of God when He is telling you when to say no and to stop and take time to rest (in Him).

Love you guys
Your sis in Christ,

Joy J. <3

PRAY!

I wrote a post not too long ago about the importance of prayer during your process click here if you haven't read it yet I strongly suggest that you do because it will bless you! But this time I wanted to focus a little more on how to pray, when to pray and the power of praying with one another.

In Luke 11:1-13 Jesus teaches us how to pray. Then in Matthew 6:5-15 Jesus instructs us how to pray:

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

In these verses Jesus advises us to go into a room (our room) and close the door instead of standing on a street corner. He also tells us to pray to our Father in heaven; this should be our mentality as we are entering into this time with Him. He tells us to come to Him and call Him father; this shows the significance of our relationship with Him. Jesus also instructs us to pray in first person plural because even though our prayers are done in private we are to pray and intercede for one another. We pray for our family, friends, co-workers, etc... Our prayer shouldn't only be about us and our needs and selfish desires but also about our brothers and sisters in Christ. He also instructs us to ask for forgiveness and to forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15). How can we ask God to bless us and provide for us but hold a grudge against a brother or sister (in Christ)? I wrote about forgiveness here. We have to be free and forgive in order to be forgiven.

 Why is it that we know the power of prayer, and the power we feel when and after we pray but we don't do it or we wait until we are desperate for example when we are sick we pray to get better or when we are running late to an interview meeting, work, church, or whatever place we may be going to we pray we get there on time? Why do we wait to pray and ask God to do anything for us? It's really sad to think that most of us never think about praying until something bad happens or life isn't going the way that we planned it to go. Then we get upset/mad at God because He didn't answer our one request out of selfishness. James 4:2-3 says "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." 


So my question is when do you pray? Is it when you are at church (at the alter) and everybody is watching/can see you or when you're out with a group of "Christian friends"? Or when you are overwhelmed with life, or maybe happy with life? Do you pray when you are full of joy and are well? Do you pray when all hell is breaking lose? When exactly do you pray? You might be saying well the bible doesn't tell us a specific time when to pray. Or does it? Well in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it tells us to "PRAY continuously"  another version says "pray all the time" So you see the bible does tell us when to pray 1 Chronicles 16:11 says: "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." This to me means to always be in commune with God; to always be praying no matter the time of day, no matter life's situations/circumstances, no matter the way I might be feeling at times, no matter where I may be school, home, grocery shopping, at the gym, and especially at work. You don't know how many times I've had to pray before, during, and after work lol I can laugh about it know because I can see where those prayers have brought me (I'll blog about that another time) but you see prayer does work! It shifts our focus onto the One who sees the bigger picture. I love this quote that I read the other day it said "Don't stop praying! Satan tries to limit your praying because he knows your praying will limit him." 

 Ever wonder why you start to feel tired or lose your train of thought/focus as soon as you are about to pray or read your bible, hmmm?? Well that isn't a coincidence it's the enemy, Satan. He sees you trying to get your life back on track with God and he begins to play with your mind; he sees you reaching for that bible and about to pray and he makes you think of anything and everything else just so you can be distracted and not talk to God or read His word. The devil isn't stupid! He might want you to believe that but he's not, he knows exactly what it will take for you to not pray. He knows that if you get into an argument at work you won't pray so don't be surprised when so and so comes trying to start something with you. He knows that if you are down you won't pray, so he'll send you some bad news. He knows that you won't pray if everything in your life is going great, so he'll send you some more good things into your life (not God things but good things), and so on and so forth... do you see how he works?? I know most of us heard this saying before: "Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray!" So what will it take the enemy to get you to not pray? Think about it...

 Lastly I want to talk about the power of praying with one another. There are so many verses in the bible that refers to the body of Christ and how we need one another. There is so much power in praying together Matthew 18:19-20 is a great example of what the power of praying with each other can do "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."


James 5:6 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."


James 5:14-15 says "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven."


2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 


Half the time some of us Christians don't really know how to pray on our own, or either we're in a season where we can't find the words to pray or the strength to carry that load by ourselves and that is when we are to step in and carry those burdens for our fellow brothers and sisters in prayer. As I mentioned earlier we are to pray and intercede for them; after all, they are the body of Christ and we need every last one of them on this journey called life.

If you've never prayed with someone or for someone other than yourself before I encourage you to do so, there is so much freedom and power when we lay aside our needs to pray for someone else's needs. Not only do you feel the freedom and power but so does the person you are praying with/for. And if you are reading this and your prayer life isn't where you know it should be I want to personally encourage you to P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens) through it!



I love you all <3

Your sis in Christ,

 Joy J

For Such A Time As This!

Ever wonder why you out of all your friends and family have endured the process of following Christ and have never given up completely? I know I have. I always would wonder why after everything that I've gone through; how was I chosen? Why would God want to use me and then God spoke to me and said that "I have called you for such a time as this. Because of your struggle, because of your faithfulness, because of your brokenness I am going to draw my people back to Me and save them." Through it all He was preparing me for this time!

When I heard those words I just began to praise Him, I was so in awe after hearing that this morning. I than opened up my bible to Esther 4: 14 ^"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" During this time Esther's family (the Jews) were in great trouble; they were about to be put to death and Mordecai, Esther's uncle, sent word to tell her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. At that time any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. So here is Mordechai telling his niece to go before the king knowing that she made be killed but he knew that she was their only hope because she is the queen living in the kings palace. What Esther didn't realize is that God placed her in that position for such a time as that, where she would have access to the king and plead for the lives of her family. And as I was reading this God reminded me that He has placed me and you in a position for such a time as this! Their are some of you reading this that need to go before the King of Kings and plead on the behalf of the lives of your unsaved family members and friends; it's not by accident that you are where you are. He placed you in this position because He trusted you! He knew that this day would come that He would need you to intercede for them because they can't reach Him. 

What stood out to me in that verse above is when Mordecai said "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish." And a lot of us are remaining silent and allowing the enemy to just come in and take over our families why we just sit back and watch in fear. And I'm speaking to myself because for so long I've been quiet, for so long the enemy has tried to quiet my mouth BUT God said "FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!" Your family and friends relief and deliverance is in you! You have access the throne of grace. It's time we start making some noise and calling out those lost loved ones by name! This world isn't getting any better and we as Christians just can't sit back in silence any longer. We have been silent for too long! What is it going to take you to save those you love?  The enemy is out to kill our families, and he's out to kill you and anyone else who is trying to stop him. But unlike Esther we don't have to fear going to the KING because He told us to come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). You were created for such a time as this! This generation needs someone like you. Stay encouraged and war for your family! We are on the winning side!!

Love ya'll

-Joy J <3