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

You Can’t Do This By Yourself!

 

No one likes to admit that they need help especially if you're someone as strong willed as me. Someone who doesn’t like to bother anyone and who tries to do it alone; no matter how big or small the situation is. Someone who is always so dependent on self that it's so easy to forget that there is a God that can do far more than we could ever do by ourselves in our own strength. Well I'm here to tell you that YOU CAN'T DO THIS BY YOURSELF! As a Christian or non-Christian; you can't do this in your own power/strength. Not trying to discourage you I’m just speaking from experience.

WE live in a world were all we tend to think about is 'SELF' I this and I that... even our phones starts with the letter 'I' (iphones). We’ve become so self-seeking that we think of how successful and independent we can be on your own. How we can brag about how we did it by ourselves and especially us women in this generation, talking ‘bout how we don't need a "man" because we are sooo "independent" and we don't need no man to come along and help us get what we can get ourselves... WHAT??? It’s time I shine some light on this area because that's not the way God created us humans (male or female) to be. Yes us women shouldn’t be depending on no other man but God and our future husband but we also have to put our pride aside and stop letting one man’s mistake ruin it for all the other men that try to come in your life to help us. From the beginning of mankind when God created Adam, He soon created Eve because He said that "it's not good for man (meaning humanity) to be alone"- Genesis 2:18. God knew that Adam needed someone other than himself, someone else to HELP him in this life, in this world. Some of you may have already heard the phrase “You can't do life alone" well I truly believe that it’s the truth because this life was never meant to be done alone by our self. The bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 that: "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

Sometimes we feel like admitting that we need help makes us look weak and incapable of handling anything by ourselves; but that is another lie from the enemy! 2 Corinthians12:9-10 says And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. It's in those weak moments that God can show us just how strong and great He truly is. When we recognize that our strength is nothing compared to God we began to let Him take over and help us no matter the circumstance. We have to realize that without God we can do nothing. - John 15:5

There's too many hurt people running around talkin' 'bout I don't need nobody, I've done it by myself all this time why do I need help? And don't get me wrong kudos to you because not everyone can make it in this life like that. But just because someone, one person, has hurt you or disappointed you doesn't mean that you should charge everyone for that one person’s sin; including God because at some point in your life you may need, want, or wish for someone to help you.  Or maybe you’re like me and you don't want to bother/disturb anyone with your mess and problems. Truth be told I was hurt/disappointed many times by people who couldn't keep their promises or commitment to me but instead of forgiving them I held it against them and everyone else and I used to put on a front and played it off like it didn't phase me but in all reality it did. I stopped trusting people and I began to shut them out, I even shut God out at some point in my life. I began to build up these walls to keep people out of my life because I was tired of getting my hopes up only for them to be torn down; so I stopped expecting anything from them and God and I started to try to do things on my own, in my own strength; without God. Well let me tell you how that turned out, it turned out to be a big mess. I was always tired, weary, depressed, worn out frustrated, annoyed by the outcomes of things and so on so forth. Until God began to work on me and He began to little by little tear down those walls, mend those broken parts and heal what was hurt. That process sure did take some time, and by time I mean a few years. But God started to show me where I was placing my trust and it sure wasn't in Him but in other people. The bible says in Isaiah 2:22 "Don't put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?"  You see people will let you down, they will hurt you, and they will disappoint you, because they are human. But I had to learn that not all people are the same; some of them really do care about you and have your best interest at heart. You just have to have discernment and be God led because not everyone that enters your life is God sent or God led. 

When you learn to trust God, I mean TRULY trust Him; He will began to heal you from any hurt, and He will began to help you in every area of your life. God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble. -Psalm 46:1

Romans 12:4-5 says “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”  It’s time to let go of that hurt and leave it at the feet of Jesus where He can heal you and allow you to be free to move on and allow you to help others while they help you. The body of Christ is full of broken people and we all need each other to make it in this world; we can’t make it on our own. The enemy already has enough people coming against and attacking us Christian and we don’t need our brothers and sisters in Christ tearing and breaking each other down, it’s time we start building each other up because we need one another. So let go of the pain and let God use it to encourage someone else who is struggling in that area. Like the famous Hezekiah Walker’s song goes:

I need you
You need me
We're all a part of God's body
Stand with me
Agree with me
We're all a part of God's body
It is his will that every need be supplied
You are important to me
I need you to survive

I pray for you
You pray for me
I love you
I need you to survive
I won't harm you
With words from my mouth
I love you
I need you to survive

We need each other! We need God and we also need someone to help us make it in this life. If you don’t already have someone to do this life with I encourage you to reach out to someone you trust, and if you have a problem with trusting people I encourage you to go to God about it and ask Him to send you to someone you can trust because we all can use someone’s help, encouragement, prayer, and shoulder to cry on at some point in our lives.

I love you all and I’m praying for you all!

Your sis in Christ,

Joy J< 3
 

The Importance of Prayer During Your Process

 

As I was growing and maturing in my walk with God I used to get a little upset inside when people, specifically close friends, would tell me to pray about a certain situation or problem that I was having/struggling through even though I knew I should've been praying on my own but I found it easier to live off of their prayer life instead of creating my own. Don't get me wrong I knew all about the power of prayer but a lot of the time when I prayed I felt like my prayers were just hitting the ceiling and falling back down, like they weren't good enough to reach God. But I now know why I used to feel that way because I didn't believe for what I was praying for.  I didn't believe that God was able to do what I was asking Him to do. In Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." I never understood why prayer was so important during the different seasons/processes of my life, why they would tell me to pray but I soon found out when I began to start praying for myself.

Here are 5 reasons why prayer is so important during your process:

1) Prayer builds our relationship with God.

Without prayer we wouldn't be able to talk to God. Talking is a vital important part of our Christian walk because just like any other relationship we need to stay in communion with God.

It builds all the key factors of a relationship like trust, faith, love, loyalty, etc...

2) Prayer helps us overcome temptation.

Prayer gives us the power and strength to overcome temptations and the attacks of the enemy.

1 Chronicles 16:11 says: "Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually"

3) Prayer helps us determine God's will for our lives.

Prayer directs and lead us into the will of God.

Proverbs 3:6 says: "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

4) Prayer helps us accomplish what God has called us to do.

Prayer gives us the strength to endure the process to reach where God called us to.

"So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do."

~2 Thessalonians 1:11

LAST BUT NOT LEAST....

5) Prayer is our spiritual weapon against the plans and schemes of the enemy.

Prayer is a spiritual weapon to fight against the spiritual realm Ephesians 6:12 makes it clear by stating: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Our fights in this life aren't all physical (flesh and blood) but are also spiritual.

2 Corinthians 10:4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

Ephesians 6:18 says: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

Prayer is one of the most vital things to do as a Christian in this day and age. Just to recap everything prayer helps build, root, ground and strengthen your relationship with God. Prayer takes you deeper in your walk with Him, it deepens your faith and builds your walk on a solid foundation. Prayer helps you overcome temptation. It gives you the strength you need to refrain from it and stand up against it 2 Timothy 2:22 " Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." Prayer helps us see into the spiritual realm and helps us determine God's will for our lives, as we seek Him on a daily basis He will begin to show us His plan for our lives. After He shows us the plan He has for our lives we must stay prayed up to endure the process that comes with it. Don't think that after you know what God has called you to do that you wont be tempted or battle with different things because you will. That is why during this lifelong process we need to stay in commune with Him daily for help, strength, clarity, provision, and so much more... Lastly prayer is our spiritual weapon. Prayer allows us to intercede on the behalf of ourselves and our fellow Christians near and far from us. It breaks down strongholds, it breaks chains, it breaks soul ties, it breaks the spirit of depression, oppression, loneliness, suicide, etc.. all in the name of JESUS! That is why the enemy tries to stop/hinder our prayer life because he'll also hinder our relationship with God, our power, our fight against him, and our strength.
Stay prayed up!

REMEMBER: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Your sis in Christ,
 Joy J. :)

 

Don't Give Up!

We live in a world where people are so quick to give up instead of fight for what they love, have, and believe in. They give up on life, they give up on their family/friends, they give up on their relationships/marriages, they give up on their hopes/dreams, they give up on the things that God has promised them and last but not least they give up on God. And as Christians that is just what the enemy wants; he wants us to get distracted and detour us off the road that God placed us on. He knows that if we keep heading in that direction towards the calling that God has for us we will be powerful; he knows how victorious we'll be if we persevere through the trials and tribulations in our lives and not give up.

For a long time, I was that person who always seemed to give up when the going got tough. I gave up on any and everything that I started; I even started to give up on God and was ready to give up on life; after all what is life without God?? I didn't care about myself anymore, I lost vision of my dreams; it was all so dim to me. I couldn't see who I was anymore, I didn't know my worth or my identity so I began to wonder through this life blinded by the enemy's web of lies. I began to believe his lies of who he told me I was, how I was a failure and that I would never make it in this world, how no one loved me including God because he allowed certain things to happen in my life. After listening and hearing those lies over and over again replayed in my mind I started to believe that they were actually true. I started to get depressed and discouraged so I gave up on that dream that I had and the goal of finishing school.  After that I soon gave up on school, I took 2 years off, I didn't know what I wanted to do anymore. I was so lost and confused. I lost myself in the midst of that process but I found someone greater; I found God. It was in that time where I was at my wits end, where I thought it was all over that God came and showed me a new beginning in Him. He gave me my sight back; I was able to dream again, He also graced me with the strength to get back in school to help me to get back started on my dreams. From that point on God I learned to put my trust in Him and believe His promises to me. I will now be graduating this summer (2016) all glory to God because without Him I would've never made it this far!

I love these verses in 2 Corinthian 4:15-17 "For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” I soon began to realize that God is more interested in what you’re becoming than what’s happening to you. He often allows trials, troubles, tribulations, and problems in your life to teach you diligence, determination, and character. The problem you’re going through right now? It’s a test of your faithfulness. Will you continue to serve God even when life stinks? Galatians 6:9 says: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”

This New Year I want to encourage you to not give up, don't give up on your goals, dreams, life or God!  Stand firm in your faith and believe that God will help strengthen you in those moments when you feel like you can't go on. Philippians 4:13 reminds us that "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us."  I think that sometimes we just read/quote verses like this one without even realizing the true power behind them. Which in this verse it says: "WE CAN (not maybe, or might; but CAN) do ALL things through Christ who strengthens US!" When hard times come your way, and believe me they will come if they haven't come already; but when they do come and you feel like giving up all you have to do is call on Jesus! The name that's higher than any other name, the name that has the power to save, the name that gives you strength to endure the tests of life, the name that delivers, rescues and restores you! 2 Corinthians 12:9 says "My grace (God's grace) is all you need. My power (God's power) works best in weakness." So when you're feeling weak that's a great opportunity to allow God's power to flow through you and help strengthen you. Never underestimate you're weakness and God's AMAZING power! 

Stay encouraged fight the good fight and NEVER GIVE UP!! Keep pressing, keep moving, keep trusting, keep believing and have faith that God will do what He said He will do!  ^“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” ~Philippians 1:6 <3

Love you all, your sis in Christ,

Joy J.
 

The Power of Deception

 

The definition of the word deception according to Merriam Webster is:

-The act of making someone believe something that is not true: the act of deceiving someone or

- An act or statement intended to make people believe something that is not true

The first thing that came to mind when I read the word deception was the serpent (snake) in the Garden of Eden that deceived Eve by making her believe that if she ate from the tree of knowledge and good and evil, the tree that God told them not to eat from, that she would be like God knowing everything. Some of you may know the story and others may have not even heard it before but it’s in the book of Genesis 2:4-3:24.  It's crazy because after the devil deceives you and gets you to sin, he manipulates you. He makes you believe that because of your sin you should hide from God instead of running to Him. 

 For a long time I was deceived by the enemy. I was caught up in his web of lies and condemnation many times in my life. I used to believe his lies so much that no one could tell me otherwise. I was deceived, discouraged, and depressed. I lived in a repetitive cycle of sin and because of that I ran and hid from God just like Adam and Eve did in the garden after listening to the lies of the serpent, the devil.  The bible says that the devil is the father of lies and that there is no truth in him ~John 8:44. One thing I’ve learned is that when you know the TRUTH, Jesus, no one will be able to deceive you, not even yourself. The devil loves to make us believe the total opposite of what God wants us to believe. He will have you believing that God doesn't love you because he let your loved one die, he'll make you believe that you'll always be the same, that God will never want to use someone as messed up as you BUT those are all lies because In John 3:16 it says "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son..." God loves you and me so much that He was willing to give up His only son, Jesus a sinless man, as a sacrifice to die for our sins. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." you see when you gave your life to God He wipes your past away forever and you are a new person in Him, so that lie of you will always be the same is wrong according to God's word because the truth says that "old things have passed away; behold all things are have become new!" When the enemy tries to tell you that God will never be able to use you because you're too messed up that is a BIG FAT LIE! In the bible that's all God used was people that were a mess and had issues and problems because through them He was able to do the miraculous and bring glory to His name.


As I’ve read over the story again it reminded me of how the enemy is still a deceiver till this day and how he takes his lies and twists them up so good that it looks like the truth, and if we aren't careful enough we’ll fall right into his trap and start believing them. The enemy loves to lie to us! He deceives us by making our situations look worse than what they really are. He deceives us by making us believe that we are too broken for God to use. He deceives us by making us believe that we aren't good enough, he deceives us by making us believe that we are not strong enough, he deceives us by making us believe that we are not victorious, that we will always be defeated. He deceives us by making us believe that we aren't eligible, that we are unqualified to do what God has called us to do, etc... Don’t be deceived by him any longer!

Now that we know what the definition of deception is and how the enemy uses it against us to cripple our faith, and discourage us we can fight back with the truth, The WORD of God! That is why the enemy fights us so hard when we are about to spend time in the bible because he knows that if we open it and read those truths we will disarm him and he won’t be a threat to us anymore. It's time we start fighting back with the word of God! The bible says in James 4:7 to "Submit to God, resist the devil and he shall flee!" When we submit to God we are under His protection; so when the devil tries to come after us God will shield us.

Don't be deceived any longer by the lies of the enemy; get in the Word of God and start remembering the truth so that when the devil tries to come at you with a lie you'll be able to shut him down with the TRUTH!  

*Remember as long as you submit to God He will have your back! ;)

Stay encouraged ya'll and have a blessed day! :)

Joy J. <3


 

Wait or Date?

As a single young adult Christian living in a crazy impatient world where we want everything NOW! And if we can’t have it now then we will try to get it any other way we can. We live in a world where no one is willing to wait anymore, for example instead of cooking a home cooked meal we'll order out, because it takes a process and that takes too long to prepare, so we order take out and if our order is one minute later than what we've expected we start to get anxious and worried, tired of waiting; so we call the company and complain and I believe that’s how we treat God sometimes, like a delivery guy. We put in our orders through prayer but then when the answers to our prayers shows up late or doesn’t show up when we expect them to we start to complain to God as well. We then start to question if He has forgotten about us especially this time of year as the holidays are upon us and the year is coming to an end and the new year is approaching. A lot of us are feeling some type of way because we have to spend this holiday season alone, without a man or woman by our side.  We know that God told us to wait but then you see this and that person in a relationship and you start to get weary and question if we should just date that person that God told us not to because it seems better than being lonely or waiting on who God has for us. Even though we know that God's best is the best for us we still have this battle within ourselves. We think that a relationship will satisfy our needs but in all reality A human person cannot satisfy all your needs; that is impossible and that is why we need Jesus.

People these days are jumping in and out of relationships, in and out of bed with person to person, rushing to get a ring with no intentions of staying faithful to one person but just to fill the void of loneliness. We Christians start to get impatient and worry, and try to take control of that part of our life because we think that God doesn't see us and that makes it so much harder to trust that God will bring the right person into your life. Sometimes the word "wait" can feel like a "weight". You begin to start asking God "When is it my turn? Have you forgotten about me? Will I ever get married?" Your just there like Hello? God...??
But when you choose to cast that care onto God knowing that He has your best interest at heart, the waiting time turns to rest. It becomes a time to rejoice for what God will do. 

As this holiday season was approaching and I'm not gonna lie I started to get a little anxious. Anxious because I started to get caught up in the wrong type feelings for this season, yes it's about love, joy, and peace, but I was starting to get hooked on the lust part of wanting instead of the love part of it focusing on Jesus' love for us. Just because someone is in a relationship doesn't mean they are happy, satisfied, or have their life all together, or maybe they do but why should that be our main concern?? Our main concern should be focusing on Jesus and or purpose at this time not who is dating who... let's get our priorities straight before the new year ;)

This holiday season don't let the devil steal your joy, hope, and peace. Just because you aren't in a relationship now doesn't mean that you will never be, it's just a season, just as winter turns into spring in time so will your relationship status change in time. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." Don't spend all your time in this season of your life worry about when, where, and why... cast your worries onto Jesus because He cares for you and even that part of your life.

One of the worst things you can do as a Christian single is try to rush God's timing/plan for your life. My advice to you is to WAIT, be patient, and don’t rush what God is taking time to prepare!
God hasn't forgotten about you, He has that special person for you don't give in to the counterfeits that may walk by during this season, just because they are fine/good looking, are a Christian, in church every opportunity, at the alter crying out to God DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE IS FOR YOU... (I had to capitalize that because us women get to ahead of ourselves and God. Slow dowwwwwnnn!) He knows what you need, he created you! That guy might be for you but maybe, just maybe it's not the right time; God's time. 

I'm praying for you all! Stay strong in this time of singleness, trust God, and stay faithful to Him and watch Him stay faithful to you. Remember God isn’t ignoring you, He is preparing you; He’s preparing you for what you prayed for, just be patient. :)

I love you all and I'm wishing you all a very Happy and prosperous New Year!!! 

God bless!

Joy Johnson <3

Faithless to Faith-Full

Sitting here looking over my life this year and seeing all the growth/changes in my physical and spiritual life, made me reflect over this past year and a few month ago when God told me to start this blog and to start writing about His grace and how He has saved me. If I could be honest with you all I was faithless, I doubted myself, I doubted that God could even use such a messed up broken person like me to help inspire, encourage, and love people back to Him.

In my other post "Father to the Fatherless" I touched on how when my dad passed away; not only did I lose my dad that day, but I also lost my faith in God. So when God started putting all these things on my heart to write about, He also instructed me to start this blog. At first I was like "God I can't, I can't share my mess and brokenness with people... what will they say, what will they think??" So I put it off for about a few months until God began to press it so hard on my heart that I couldn't sleep unless I began to take steps into making it and God told me that He wants to shine through my brokenness and use my mess because that is my message to bring Him glory. As I began to trust God and take those baby steps into what He was guiding me to do; I began to see my faithlessness turn into faith-fullness. It truly amazes me how God chooses to use the mess of our lives, the broken things, the unseen things, the unusual things to magnify His glory, transforming power, and strength.

When we learn to trust God and walk in faith He will protect, shield, and cover us from the plans of the enemy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17), that doesn't mean that the enemy won't form the weapons, because trust me he will and he will try to use them to hurt and kill us BUT they WILL NOT POSPER! I choose to believe and trust God's word! That verse continues with this: "And every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the LORD."

You see there is no need for you to fear the judgment of people and what they will say and what they will think because you living for God and obeying Him will condemn them; that is our heritage from Lord our God. And as you continue to walk in faith He will begin to take you a little bit deeper in Him where you are going to only have the options of trusting Him or either drowning. When He is calling you into deeper levels/waters you have to make sure to keep your eyes on Him!

Throughout this incredibly long hard journey; because of my faithfulness to God, He was able to use me, ALL of me, my brokenness, my mess, my fears, even my faithlessness to reach people in different areas of life and to help encourage, inspire and show them the LOVE of Christ! What I write is not about me, BUT Him. I allow Him to lead me into what He wants me to write about next and if I'm not sure I pray about it until He confirms it either through Him speaking directly to me through His word, or spiritual leader, that is why discernment is very important you need to know what and who to listen to... My main purpose in my writing is to bring Him, and only HIM glory! :)

I hope you all have an incredibly blessed filled day!!!!! REMEMBER to stay focused on HIM! ;)

love your sis in Christ,

Joy J <3

Perfectly Imperfect

I used to love the fact that people would think that I was the "perfect Christian", that I had my life together, that I never sinned, and that I followed ALL the commandments because I went to church EVERY Sunday and Wednesday (almost every time the church doors were opened), I led worship and sang in the choir, volunteered in almost every ministry and helped out at almost every event. I would post scriptures here and there to look like I read the bible daily all the while I was secretly drowning inside from guilt, shame, depression and pain. Until God began working on me and showing me the deepest parts of my heart, the parts that were not so perfect, they might have looked good from the outside but the inside was a mess. 

I was grew up in the church, so I grew up knowing how to go through the motions and how to “look”, “act”, and “play” the part.  I used to be that girl who claimed to be a "Christian", went to church on Sundays set in a pew, raised my hands in "surrender" but the night before be in the bed with “my man”, who was supposedly a "Christian" too but he only wanted to lay his hands all over my body instead of his bible. *Just a lil sidenote for the ladies if you are ever in a relationship with a guy and he claims he's a Christian he won't be trying to feel all up on you; instead he'll be trying to protect your purity.* I was still surrendering to God but only some things, the things that I didn't really care about having control over. I was only surrendering bits and pieces of my life to Him. I was basically saying “God you can have all of me and a little bit here and there but ONLY on Sundays and Wednesdays" because every other day/night I was living the way that I wanted to live, totally not surrendered to Christ at all, in a life of sin. The bible clearly states that fornication (sex before marriage) is a sin... It also tells us to run away from it 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 says: "Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself."

I was deceived by the enemy’s lies that it was ok to have a little sex here and there as long as no one knew and I continue to go to church and raise my hands and whisper a bunch of empty praise into the air, which meant nothing to God or the devil. You see the devil doesn't care if you go to church as long as you leave the same and not changed; he's not bothered by it. But I knew God was bothered by it and wasn’t pleased with my worship because my heart, my main focus wasn’t on Him instead I was thinking about the next time I was gonna meet up with my boyfriend. I would go to church and sing and serve in so many ministries when my heart wasn’t even in the right place. Ever heard of the saying: "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car." and it's true...

“Just because your church attendance is perfect

doesn’t mean that your relationship with God is.”

My church attendance was on FLEEK! I was there all the time, so much that no one would have ever thought that my relationship with God was distorted. I knew of God but I didn't truly know Him like I do now. Sin has a way of blinding you and distorting your life, your relationships/friendships, but most importantly your relationship with God to the point you don't even know how you got that far from Him or how to even get back to Him. BUT GOD has a way of bringing you back to Him by redemption. Before you even thought about that sin God already had a plan to bring you back to Him by giving His only son to shed His blood for us! The cross made a way for us to get back to Him. His blood is enough to overwhelm you with love, wash away your sins, and draw you back to Him.

After years of disobeying God and living my own way I finally got tired of the repetitive cycle of sin, the stress, heartache, headache, the feeling of guilt and shame of going to church week after week and crying my eyes out to God asking for forgiveness but still going on sinning pretending to be living right and serving Him but I knew that the way I was living wasn't right. I finally came to a realization that that guy, sex, or any other relationship can't sustain or fully satisfy me the way that God can. I let the lies of the enemy condemn me, I felt like I was the worst person on earth, like I had committed the worst of THE worst sin. I felt like I failed God tremendously and let Him down so many times that I started to give up on my walk with God, and that's just what the enemy wanted. I felt like I would never change or I'll always be that way and that there was NO way that I could ever fix my life back to the way it used to be, and I was right because I couldn't fix my life without the help of Jesus.

A lot of people, including myself, think that just because we've messed up so many times here and there that we let God down but in all reality if you think about it we were never holding Him up, He holds us up. It's us that climb out if His mighty victorious hand and try to do our own thing. He doesn't drop us when we mess up, if anything He holds onto us even tighter; but we out of stubbornness try to do everything ourselves and create this big mess; then after we realize we aren't capable of fixing it or cleaning it up we tend to feel guilty and shameful thinking we let Him down. Well let me tell you something... first off that's a lie from the enemy he wants you to feel condemned and hide from God. Secondly God is God and He's the same yesterday, today, and forever!  Your little mistake, yes I said little, is NOTHING compared to our GREAT God. Nothing, I mean NOTHING can separate you from the love of God! ~Romans 8:38-39. One thing that I've learned is that God holds me; I don't hold Him...

You can NEVER let God down because you were NEVER holding Him up to begin with…  God knew your mistakes before you even made them and yet He still cared for you and loved you the same!  His love for you WILL always remain; it NEVER changes.

My life still to this day isn't perfect, neither is my relationship with God but I'm growing closer to Him each day and now I just can't wait to share my imperfections and how the grace of God has saved me and turned my mess into a message! Even after breaking up with my boyfriend and truly and completely surrendering to God, there are still things in my life that God is working on.. And if I'm not careful I start to think on the past things and start to feel condemned all over again but I constantly have to remember that  "There is therefore now NO condemnation to them which are in CHRIST JESUS, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." ~Romans 8:1

The enemy loves to remind me of my past and he always tries to break me and put me down, even when God placed this topic on my heart and told me to write about my imperfections and His undeserving grace and mercies the enemy condemned me, mocked me, faught me so much to the point I stopped writing for weeks because I was so overwhelmed with guilt and shame but the bible is clear when it says that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.". -2 Corinthians 5:17 I am a new CREATION the things I used to do: I don't do them anymore, my life is completely changed by the grace and mercies of God. I thank God for His grace!

Psalm 103:12 says: "As distant as the east is from the west, that is how far He has removed our sins from us." Another version says: "As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us. " When we repent of our sins and turn to God He removes our sins, past, guilt, shame, pain, hurt, etc.. from us as far as the east is from the west. He remembers our sins no more, so why should we?

The next time the devil tries to bring up your past remind him of his future burning in hell because in God's eyes you don't have a past, its gone forever!

Looking back I used to be bound to people's opinion of me. Afraid of what they might think or say about me. I had no confidence what so ever... I was living in fear of people instead of fearing God, I feared rejection and acceptance. I lived to seek people's approval instead of seeking God's approval. I was lost, insecure, broken, and  hurt, BUT God delivered me! I am now found by His amazing grace, secure in His unfailing love, made whole/new in Him, and healed by His wounds... I no longer care about what people have to say about me because I know what my God says about me! And I can confidently say that I am His, He paid the price for me! And I am loved, forgiven and free, and I am made perfect through Him! ❤ And now I can't wait to tell others about my imperfections and how I'm perfected through Christ! :)

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! YOU, who ever 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 save you by dying a horrific death on the cross to save you and that's why satan 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!

I love you All and I'm praying for each and everyone of you, that no matter where you are at in life that God will set you free from sin and breath into you LIFE! That when the enemy tries to condemn you or lie to you, you will know the Truth :)

Love your sis in Christ,

Joy J <3