Tag: Miracle

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Love Never Fails

Hi Faith Travelers!

Happy Faith Friday!

Have you ever thought about Love? I mean of course you’ve thought about love because it’s all around us and we experience it in one way or another, whether from a significant other, parent, child, relative or friend. But have you ever thought about the origin of Love, the depth of Love and the power of Love. Some of us don’t think that deep about it so let’s take some time to understand L-O-V-E.

Some of you may say what does love have to do with a faith blog; well I’m going to tell you. To understand faith is to understand God and to understand God is to understand and experience Love. Not just any love, but Agape Love which is the highest form of love, representing God’s selfless, sacrificial, unconditional and divine love for humanity.

We often associate Love with feelings, emotions, affection and commitment. While Love is, in fact, associated with those things, that is not the core of what Love is. In order for us to understand Love we have to first understand the creator and first demonstrator of Love, God Himself (1 John 4:8). God is Love.

Think about how it all started and the mere reason why we all are able to wake up every morning and pursue this thing called life. It’s right there in the staple scripture, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. That is Agape Love; an unconditional and sacrificial choice, not associated with emotion or merit. That is the loving God we serve. “We love Him because He first loved us”(1 John 4:19). He gave His Only Son, Jesus, for us. The same “us” who don’t always choose Him and are often mad at Him especially when things aren’t going our way in life because those are the moments we cry out ” Why God?!”, as if He is the one who comes to kill, steal and destroy and not satan (John 10:10). Even then He still loves us.

At the core of who God is, He is Love and what better way can His love for us be shown than through Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Because of this we are here today and able to spread our own love to family, friends and the world. Though we don’t necessarily have the capacity to love the way God loves us, we show our love for Him through our faith in Him. We show our love by simply believing in Him and surrendering our lives to Him so that He can accomplish His purpose and plan through us; which is ultimately sharing Him with those don’t know about Him, the Gospel or His Agape Love yet.

The depth of God’s Love is deeper than anything we could ever imagine. It’s so deep that nothing can separate us from it. The scripture Romans 8:38-39 states,”…neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Whenever you have moments where you think God has left you or that you messed up with Him, this is the scripture you need to remember and meditate on.

I once heard the phrase “the power of love”, but I didn’t truly understand the truth behind this phrase until I started studying it in the Word of God. The Bible talks about how “perfect love casts out fear”(1 John 4:17-18). Love actually has the power to dismantle the very thing(fear) that satan attempts to use against us to attempt to counteract our faith. The Bible all says in 1 Peter 4:8 , “…love will cover a multitude of sins”and in Proverbs 10:12, “…But love covers all sins.” This means that just when you thought you messed up for good after sinning, God’s Love has already stepped in and covered it through Jesus Christ.

So how can we love better? The answer can be found in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [a]puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” I am going to share the Expanded Interpretive Translation of this same scripture with you and everywhere you see the word “Love” replace it with your name.

“Love(Your Name) patiently and passionately bears with others for as long as patience is needed; Love(Your Name) doesn’t demand others to be like themself; rather, it is so focused on the needs of others that they bends over backwards to become what others need them to be; Love(Your Name) is not ambitious, self-centered, or so consumed with themself that they never think of the needs or desires that others possess; Love(Your Name) doesn’t go around talking about themself all the time, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the facts to make them look more important in the sight of others; Love(Your Name) does not behave in a prideful, arrogant, haughty, superior, snooty, snobbish, or clannish manner; Love(Your Name) is not rude and discourteous — they are not careless or thoughtless, nor do they carry on in a fashion that would be considered insensitive to others; Love(Your Name) does not manipulate situations or scheme and devise methods that will twist situations to their own advantage; Love(Your Name) does not deliberately engage in actions or speak words that are so sharp, they cause an ugly or violent response; Love(Your Name) does not deliberately keep records of wrongs or past mistakes; Love(Your Name) does not feel overjoyed when they see an injustice done to someone else but is elated, thrilled, ecstatic, and overjoyed with the truth; Love(Your Name) protects, shields, guards, covers, conceals, and safeguards people from exposure; Love(Your Name) strains forward with all its might to believe the very best in every situation; Love(Your Name) always expects and anticipates the best in others and the best for others; Love(Your Name) never quits, never surrenders, and never gives up; Love(Your Name) never disappoints, never fails, and never lets anyone down.”

After reading that with our names in the place of the word Love, I am certain we all have some work to do when it comes to displaying love. It’s a great thing that we aren’t required to be ready made perfect before God but it’s an even greater thing that we have The Example of Love to not just model ourselves after but to trust that God’s Love will never fail when it comes to us.

I will leave you with 1 Corinthians 13:13 “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love”. God is Love, Love never fails so we can trust that God will never fail nor will He fail us.

Until the next Faith Message…

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God is STILL…

Hi Faith Travelers!

Happy New Year & Happy Faith Friday!

It’s the last Friday of the first month of a new year and honestly speaking, midway through January, I felt like I was in the same very hard 2025 season, even with “the new year” having already started. It felt as if I was stuck in a new year but with old perspective, old disappointments and old trials and tribulations still weighing me down.

Have you ever been in a difficult space, season or circumstance that you felt like God wasn’t present in? You endured trial after trial, heartache after heartache, and disappointment after disappointment and yet you wondered, “Where are you God?!”…

God is Still With You

In the midst of those seasons, it can sometimes be difficult to pull your own self out of that pit. You find it hard to recall God’s promises in His Word. Promises like “…He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you (See Deuteronomy 31:8) or the promise that “…the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (See Joshua 1:9). Even one of Jesus’ names, Immanuel, means “God with us”(See Matthew 1:23). It’s right there in black and white, yet you still “feel like” God is not there.

God is Still Bigger Than Your Feelings

Notice the number of times I used the word “feel” or “felt” in the beginning of this blog, even from my own perspective. Feelings may be a current fact in that moment of toughness but it’s not the truth…Your Faith Is. Feelings can be defined as “an emotional state or reaction or an irrational belief”. Feelings are temporary and fickle emotions driven by the circumstance, yet Faith is enduring and active trust in God even when the circumstances seem contrary.

God is Still Working

There’s a message that I heard recently when I was still stuck in my “feelings” and the pastor said, “I can Trust God even when I can’t trace Him”. Think about that for a minute. I can put my reliance, my confidence and my dependence on God, His character and His promises even when there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of Him in my circumstance, based on my mere carnal understanding.

God is Still Faithful

Let’s take a look at the Book of Daniel in the Bible (See Daniel 3). In chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar had made a decree that whenever symphonic music played, everyone had to bow and worship the golden image of him and if they did not, they would be thrown in the fiery furnace. Well Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were Jews in service to the king, who only believed in and worshipped the true and living God, so they refused to bow and worship any other gods. The King was angered and set to throw them in the fiery furnace. He asked them “who is the God who will deliver you from my hands”. They said to the King,” If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”(See Daniel 3:17-18) Notice the “But if not“; they had full awareness of the situation they were in with no line of sight of how things would end, yet they still put full confidence and trust in the God they served even though they couldn’t trace HIM in that very moment of being sent to their death.

The story continues with Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego being bound and thrown in the fiery furnace. When the King looked in the furnace he saw four men loose, walking around in the midst of the fire, not hurt and with the form of a fourth man looking like the Son of God.(See Daniel 3:23-25)

God is Still A Promise Keeper

In moments like those we sometimes expect God to save us before the trouble starts. We often come up with ways of how we think God will or should bring us out of a fire when sometimes His Way (See Isaiah 55:8-9) of doing things is bringing us through the fire not smelling like the smoke we’ve been in, so that He and He alone can get the glory.

God is Still A Deliverer

The three men walked out of the fiery furnace with no evidence having been in a fire. King Nebuchadnezzar praised the true and living God and made a decree for all the people to worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego because “there is no other God who can deliver like this”. (See Daniel 3:26-30)

God is Still God and God is Still Good

I’ll leave you with a permission to shift your perspective moment. The next time you find yourself in your own fiery furnace circumstance or situation. Shut down the Feeling surrounding the circumstance and activate the Faith that is needed for you to remember and trust that God is God and He is Good. He is everlasting, omnipresent, has infinite supply, and can do immeasurably more than we can ask, think or imagine (See Ephesians 3:20). Most importantly He loves you and His plans (See Jeremiah 29:11 NLT) for you are always good.

Until the next Faith Message…

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Don’t Give Up

Hey Faith Travelers!

Happy Faith Friday!

I pray this message finds you all well. As we prepare to close out the last month of 2025, I want to share one important sentiment I truly hope those of you who need it, will grasp…

DON’T GIVE UP!

This year has been quite the year for a lot of us. There has been SHIFTING and there has absolutely been some SIFTING!

Shifting where some of us have had to make some unprecedented and uncomfortable decisions in order to be divinely positioned for our NEXT; not fully understanding the scope of the how, when or the why.

Sifting, biblically defined as a violent shaking/intense testing of our faith by the devil; involuntarily pushing us through unbearable tests and trials, often leading us fighting for our faith, family, finances and even the function of our own bodies.

This season may have been physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually challenging to say the least, but DON’T GIVE UP! A lot of times when things seem like they are falling apart, they are actually falling into place. Don’t be distracted by what seems to be shaking your world. Put your faith and focus back on The ONE who created this world and who has already overcome it (See John 16:33).

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NKJV

Trust that the same GOD who brought you out of the difficult situations the last time, will bring you out again and again and again; not looking or smelling like the fire you’ve been through.

It’s not easy walking through the hard and dark seasons but you have to Shift your perspective to recognize that God is still moving on your behalf even in the midst of the chaos.

This year my husband and I have personally experienced the loss of loved ones; yet in the timespan of 1 week, on a mission in South Africa, we also personally witnessed 61 people choose eternal life by receiving salvation through Jesus Christ.

We experienced affliction after affliction after affliction with bad doctors’ reports and sickness in our bodies; yet even in the midst of our suffering, we can reflect on the fact that we personally witnessed the supernatural healing miracles of God with our own eyes for 52 people on that same mission in South Africa.

We experienced the effects of the US government shutdown affecting my husband’s job with no pay for a month and a half. Yet the same God that knew this was coming before it happened prepared us months in advance with instructions for emergency financial preparation for our household.

There is so much more we personally went through this year but I was reminded by 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NKJV that “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”. The NLT translation reminds us that we are never abandoned by God.

8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT

Just because it’s happening to you doesn’t mean that God won’t see you through it. How do you expect to see the sunshine and rainbow on the other side of the storm if you don’t go through the storm in the first place. DON’T GIVE UP in the middle! Keep going knowing that God is with you and your breakthrough is just on the other side. We have to remember that the weapon may form but it shall never prosper (See Isaiah 54:17).

I’ll leave you all with this…

In God’s construct of time, there’s always a due season which is an appointed time to reap the harvest on what you have sown. Meaning if you have sown faith, perseverance, love, obedience and anything that is an attribute of God, you can expect a good harvest in that due season/appointed time. If you have sown disobedience, discord, hate or attributes of satan, then expecting a good harvest may be out of reach unless you choose to repent and turn that behavior around. The bible says in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Another translation states, “let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we Don’t Give Up.” I challenge you to keep going in this season, even when it’s hard, when it feels dark and even when it hurts. Know that God is with you always (See Joshua 1:9) and in due season you will see the blessing if you DON’T GIVE UP.

Until the next Faith Movement Message…

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Abide: Staying Connected to GOD in Difficult Seasons

Hi Faith Travelers!

Happy Good Friday & Holy Week!

At this point, I think I can still say Happy New Year, given you haven’t heard from me since December 2024 :-)…

It has taken me quite some time to write this particular post since the beginning of January because, honestly speaking, I have not been exempt from trials in this season. In fact, many I know have also been going through their own set of trials, almost daily, since the start of the new year. But I will say this…God’s word never said we would have a life absent of trials, it did however say that He(God) would be with us through them (See Psalms 23:4).

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalms 23:4

Many think when they surrender their life to God and receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, that means life miraculously becomes problem free. (* Hits buzzer*… “Wrong!”) Well, your life does get better because you receive eternal life. However, satan, as the little “g” god of this world, will still attempt to attack (See John 10:10) believers to discourage, scare or slow them down from walking in the fullness of who God called them to be and what He has called them to do to advance the Kingdom of God. This is why it is said that this world we live in is a battlefield not a playground. We have to make a daily decision to stand for and on God’s word that gives us the instructions on how to fight back against the attacks of the enemy(satan).

Speaking of trials, let’s talk about 2025. I am sure this has been a peculiar year, so far, for most but God remains faithful through it all no matter what it looks like around us. As we stepped into this new season and era at the beginning of 2025, there is one word that the Lord God keeps reminding me that we all need to take heed to. That word is…ABIDE.

Abide means to remain, continue, obey or dwell. With that said, in 2025 and beyond, we need to remain in the Lord, keeping our connection to Him while continuing to trust and draw closer to the true and living God in every situation like never before. We need to walk in obedience, following the Lord’s instructions quickly and intentionally. And we need to dwell with the Lord just as His word says in Psalms 91:1.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalms 91:1

Why abide, you ask? Because apart from the Lord, we can do nothing. No matter how much you think you know, no matter the number of degrees you possess, how clever or talented you are or even how powerful you think you are on this earth. Apart from Jesus Christ, you can do nothing (See John 15:5). This is why it is important to stay connected and abide in the Lord. Parably speaking, if He is the vine and we are the branches and we are disconnected from Him, that means we are disconnected from the life source; the source of life filled with love, truth, purpose, faith, trust and abundance.

So how do we Abide?…

I am going to share 3 key ways to abide in the Lord…

  1. Learn God’s Ways & Character through Prayer and time in His Word
    • Know that God loves you ( 1 John 4:12-16) and is waiting to hear from you, no matter the circumstance or baggage you are coming with in the moment
      • He leaves the 99 to go after the 1 (If you are that one, He’s waiting for you with open arms- Matthew 18:10-14)
    • Set intentional Daily Prayer time
      • Prayer is just communication with God as if you are talking to a friend or a loving Father. (Matthew 6:5-15)
      • This can be as long as you want or as short as time allows; as many times a day as you like
        • Quote: “I don’t ever pray any longer than twenty minutes, but I never go twenty minutes without praying. ” -Smiths Wigglesworth
        • Your prayer life is not measured in minutes. Prayer is a lifestyle.
      • Understand and trust that the Lord hears your prayers wherever you are, even if you are in the car on the way to work (1 John 5:14-15)
    • Read & Study God’s Word
      • Pray for understanding and God given revelation before reading and studying the word of God so that your interpretation is true & sound
      • If you are new to studying the word of God, start with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
  2. Grow your relationship with the Lord (See Previous Blog on Intimacy [Closeness] with God )
    • Spend time in God’s presence
      • Uninterrupted time with the Father (God)
      • This can include prayer, praise and worship or just quiet time listening to the Lord.
    • Have 2-way communication with the Lord
      • Listen twice as long as you pray
      • Write down what you believe the Lord is saying so you can refer back to it to strengthen your trust in hearing God clearly
    • Learn how God speaks to you
      • Through His Word, through dreams, visions, inward knowing, a feeling(“Something told me…”)
      • God is always speaking we just have to listen (John 14:26)
  3. Surrender to living your life for the Lord

When we abide in the Lord, He abides in us; leading, guiding, protecting, and ordering our steps to and through the purpose and plan He has for our lives. When we submit to abiding in the Lord, it doesn’t matter what is going on in the world or how bad things get because we have the God who created the universe on our side. Rest in knowing that.

Until the next faith lesson…

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Surely, I Thought…: Resisting Prideful Expectation from GOD

HI Faith Travelers!

It’s the last Faith Friday of the year and I pray you all are having a great wrap up to 2024 and are in expectation of the fullness of all that God has for you in 2025.

Today we are going to talk about resisting pride when it comes to your expectations from GOD. See, there is a difference between having faith and being in pride when it comes to what you are expecting from the Lord. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen (See Hebrews 11:1). Faith also means to have strong belief or complete trust or confidence in GOD. Pride, on the other hand, can be defined as the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance; presumption; arrogance; conceitedness; egotism; self-regard; self-glorification or haughtiness.

There are several scriptures in the Bible that talk about the negative connotation and impact of pride:

“Pride goes before destruction…” (See Proverbs 16:18);

“When pride comes, then comes shame…” (See Proverbs 11:2)

“By pride comes nothing but strife…”(See Proverbs 13:10)

“A man’s pride will bring him low…” (See Proverbs 29:23)

“Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord…” (See Proverbs 16:5)

The Bible also states, that “God resists [to oppose, strive against or withstand] the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (See James 4:6)

The world will make every attempt to convince you that having pride is a good thing but GOD’s word shows us in black and white just how destructive “Pride” can be.

Let’s take a look at the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-19 to show you how pride can potentially hinder GOD’s blessing. Naaman was a mighty Syrian army commander who’d brought the king of Syria much victory yet he was suffering from leprosy. His wife’s maid servant told her that one of GOD’s prophets in Samaria could heal Naaman. Naaman told this to the king of Syria and the king wrote a letter to the king of Israel to introduce Naaman and his purposes of coming to their land to be healed. GOD’s prophet, Elisha, heard about the king of Israel’s response and told him to send Naaman to him so that he would know there is a true prophet of GOD in Israel. Naaman headed to Elisha’s house with his horses and chariot and stood at Elisha’s door. Elisha sent a messenger to tell Naaman to “go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan river. Then your skin will be restored and you will be healed of your leprosy.” But Naaman, in pride, became furious and went away stating that surely he thought the prophet would come out to meet him, wave his hands and heal the leprosy. He described other rivers in Israel being better than the Jordan river and didn’t understand why he shouldn’t wash in those rivers instead. Naaman turned away in rage and pride and would have missed his blessing if it had not been for his servants reasoning with him about the instructions from Elisha. His servants stated, “if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, “Wash and be clean[cured]!” So Naaman went to the Jordan River, dipped seven times and just like the prophet of GOD said, He was completely cured from leprosy. Naaman went back to the prophet of GOD and proclaimed that now he knows there is no god except The true and living GOD (then called the God of Israel).

How many times have you missed out or nearly missed out on GOD’s blessings because the way GOD wanted to do things didn’t meet your prideful expectation? You may have been looking for the extravagant gesture or the instant result and the Lord is telling you it’s in the process and MY still small voice. (See Reference I Kings 19:11-12)

I can recall many occasions where I wanted the Lord to do something a specific way but GOD showed me that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts (See Isaiah 55:8-9). There was a specific instance where I wanted GOD to heal me miraculously like He’d done so many times before. I soon found out that had I not gone the medical surgery route like GOD was leading me to, I would’ve not only missed my healing but I would have missed the opportunity to minister to so many women who were connected to my obedience to share my story. Don’t worry, I plan to share that story soon in the coming year.

There was another instance years ago, where I was expecting GOD to pay off my student loans miraculously, much like I had seen happen in the past with people I know. Well that’s not how GOD wanted to do it with me and I found that out very quickly after receiving a late fee from not making a payment that GOD didn’t tell me not to make. We all make zealous mistakes sometimes but this is why it’s important to obey GOD’s instructions and not your prideful expectations. That minor disappointment was my own fault and had nothing to do with God because He didn’t instruct me to do that. Through all of this, GOD was trying to show me how to steward my finances well and proper money management so that I would know for future purposes. Well those private student loans were paid in full in 2018 and I have been able to remain debt free from student loans even after getting a masters degree and bible college diploma because I stuck with the process of the bigger lesson that GOD wanted me to learn through all of this.

Let’s finish up the story of Naaman, Elisha and Elisha’s servant in II Kings 5:20-27, to understand what can happen when you actually give in to prideful expectations.

After Naaman spoke to Elisha sharing that he now knows the only god is the GOD of Israel, Naaman offered Elisha a gift from his servant. This gift included silver, gold and clothing. Elisha responded, “as surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.” Even though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused. But Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, said to himself that his master, Elisha, should not have let Naaman leave without accepting any of his gifts. In pride, Gehazi stated, “as surely as the Lord lives, I will chase after Naaman and get something from him.” Gehazi caught up with Naaman, lied about Elisha sending him to get 2 sets of clothing and 75 pounds of silver for two visiting prophets and was offered twice as much silver from Naaman along with 2 sets of clothing. When Gehazi got back to the house, he hid the gifts. Elisha asked Gehazi where he had been and he lied again, stating he hadn’t been anywhere. Elisha asked Gehazi if he realized that his spirit was there when he met with Naaman, basically letting Gehazi know that the spiritual gift that GOD had given Elisha allowed him to spiritually see everything that happened while he wasn’t physically there. Elisha asked “Is this a time to receive money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and female servants?” Elisha proceeded to tell Gehazi, because you have done this, you and your descendants will suffer from Naaman’s leprosy forever. When Gehazi left the room, he was covered with leprosy; his skin was white as snow.

Remember those scriptures on pride. This was a clear example of how Gehazi’s prideful expectation and greed that he should get gifts from Naaman, put him right on the path to destruction. While my student loan late fee is nothing compared to Gehazi and his descendants being stricken with leprosy forever, I could have dealt with a lot worse and still been in debt had I not humbled myself and listen to the instructions GOD was actually giving me on money management versus my prideful expectation of Him just making everything go away in the blink of an eye. Don’t get me wrong, our GOD is the GOD who can do any and all things but if HE did it instantly or the same way every time then what lesson are you really learning. Are you only seeking HIS hand and what HE can do for you? Or are you seeking HIS Face and learning HIS ways intimately so that He can lead and guide you to and through the purpose HE has for your life. So resist prideful expectation from God and humble yourselves according to the Lord, knowing that He may exalt you at the appropriate time (See I Peter 5:6 AMP). The choice is yours.

Until the next faith lesson…

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God’s Promise to You

Hey Faith Travelers!

Happy Faith Friday!

I know it’s been a while but I hope you all have been remaining Faith filled. God has had me focusing on a few different things in the past several months, but I promise you will still see these blog posts as the Holy Spirit leads me to write.

I have noticed that the enemy’s (Satan) tactics in this season include planting seeds of “Doubt” in an attempt to make you forget the promises that God has already made to you in His Word. Promises regarding your health & healing; Promises regarding your peace; Promises regarding your protection; Promises regarding provision, purpose, clarity and so much more.

Recently, I found myself in the midst of a struggle with doubting that God would come through for me regarding a matter. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you have seen how God has moved in my life and the lives of others in mighty and miraculous ways.  So why was I doubting?! One reason is because I’m human and we have to choose and fight daily to keep our minds stayed on Jesus (Isaiah 26:3), while remembering the benefits (Psalms 103: 2-3) of our salvation through Jesus Christ. If or when doubt tries to creep in, there’s no time for self condemnation (Romans 8:1); so if this happens, just refocus and remind yourself of what God says about you and your situation.

In the midst of my struggle with doubt, God whispered the scripture 2Corinthians 1:20 to me. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” Immediately, my thoughts were flooded with the promises of God from His Word.

” For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV

Let’s break down what this means…

The word “Yes” is a confirmation or an affirmative response.

The word “Amen” means “so be it”, meaning “certainly” or “it is so”.

Therefore when you think of any promise written in God’s word it is already Confirmed, Yes, through Jesus Christ and we therefore say “Amen” to God, as a reference that “it is so” and “certain”, for His glory.

For those of you in the midst of a storm that has you doubting God’s ability to do the impossible, here’s a reminder of His promises that are Yes and Amen.

YES, No weapon formed against you shall prosper, AMEN.

Isaiah 54:17

YES, All things work together for The good of those who love the Lord and are called to His purpose, AMEN.

Romans 8:28

YES, weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning, AMEN.

Psalm 30:5

YES, By Jesus stripes we are healed, AMEN.

Isaiah 53:5

YES, God is able to do exceedingly,abundantly above all we can ask or imagine, AMEN.

Ephesians 3:20

YES, you shall not die, but live to declare the works of the Lord, AMEN.

Psalms 118:17

YES, A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall NOT come near you, AMEN.

Psalms 91:7

YES, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling, AMEN.

Psalms 91:10

YES, God has given you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL the power of the enemy (satan) and nothing shall by any means hurt you, AMEN. 

Luke 10:19

YES, for God knows the thoughts that He thinks towards us, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope, AMEN.

Jeremiah 29:11

YES, for with God nothing will be impossible, AMEN.

Luke 1:37

Meditate on these promises, remind yourself who you are in Christ Jesus and never forget God’s promises are true.

Until the next faith message…

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Hope Fulfilled

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.”

Proverbs 13:12 NKJV

Have you ever been in the midst of a circumstance or situation that you desired to change. Your health, a family relationship restored, your living situation or even your finances. I believe everyone has at some point in their lives, in some way shape or form. That’s what “Hope” is… a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. But what happens when those breakthroughs don’t happen when you expect them to. That’s when disappointment attempts to set in, especially after countless attempts to see change in the situation come to pass. It’s only when the breakthrough reveals itself that Hope is fulfilled. The message bible translation of Proverbs 13:12 says it best; “unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.”

Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.

Proverbs 13:12 MSG

That sudden good break is when after several attempts to see change, you finally receive a good doctor’s report or that prodigal relative returns to restore the family bond. It’s when you finally find the long awaited permanent home you’ve been seeking or your financial situation is no longer a disparity. That’s Hope Fulfilled.

This past weekend my husband and I had the opportunity to serve at an event at our church called iHope, where they provide Christmas gifts to families in need. The families were able to sign up or be nominated to participate. They would then come to the church the day of the event, receive a shopping cart, partner with a family host and have the opportunity to choose several gifts for each of their children to be gift wrapped and sent home with them providing a hopeful experience on Christmas day. All at no cost to the families. The event served over 200 families providing gifts for over 630 children. That’s not all! In the midst of the church being the hands and feet of Jesus through this event, each attendee received prayer, resulting in 14 people giving their life to Christ with 24 people receiving healing. More than 500 volunteers showed up to give hope to those who needed it during this Christmas holiday. That’s Hope Fulfilled.

During the highlight video, one of the individuals nominated for iHope shared their testimony. She mentioned that in 2016, her and her son lived in a homeless community. During that time, she acknowledged, she didn’t grow up in church nor did she go to church but since a bus would come by the community to pick everyone up, they would jump on it and go. At church is where she got saved, receiving Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Fast forward to 2023, she stated that her kids are saved, they are baptized and they all haven’t been homeless since. She actually had the opportunity to volunteer and serve at the very homeless community they used to live in during Serve Day 2023. She stated, “It was just a full circle moment for me”. Now that is Hope Fulfilled!

For everyone out there, remember Jesus Christ is our blessed hope and because of His sacrifice for us (John 3:16), we can always live in expectation of having Hope Fulfilled.

Until the next faith testimony…

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What’s Your Faith Reference Point?

HI Faith Travelers!

Happy Faith Friday!

Have you ever thought to yourself how you would exercise your faith in an unexpected situation of duress. A moment when you have more month than money and you need an instant miracle just to survive. Or even a circumstance where you are dealing with sickness in your body and the doctors don’t know what to do. These can be situations when you are really trying to grasp at the smallest mustard seed of faith (See Matthew 17:20) just to make it through. In these moments, you have to be able to recall your faith reference point. I know that sounds made up but I am going somewhere with this.

A reference point can be defined as an idea, fact, event, etc., that you already know, which helps you understand or make a judgement about another situation. Let’s reference the word of God for example. In Romans 10:17, the Bible states “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. That means God’s word helps us to grow and strengthen our faith because it reminds us of His promises. When we are ill, we know that Isaiah 53:5 states,” …by His (Jesus) stripes we are healed”. When we are in lack, God’s word reminds us that “…my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” as noted in Philippians 4:19. When we are in danger, we know that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper…” based on Isaiah 54:17. These are all reference points of God’s promises in His word. Our faith is the assurance of hope that these promises are evident and will be executed in our lives based on what we have read and believe. Well it is one thing to believe yet it’s another to experience God’s promise in your life to be a direct witness of what He promised. This stretches and strengthens our faith because we now have a faith reference point of what God has done in our lives, not just what He promised. Therefore a faith reference point helps us to know, understand and recall our faith in different circumstances based on a previous event where faith was executed. What does that mean?

It means…

You know that God heals because you have a faith reference point of when He healed you from cancer.

You know God’s a provider because you have a faith reference point of when He provided rent money right before that eviction and grocery money before starvation when there was no way in sight to pay for either.

You know God’s a protector because you have a faith reference point from when He brought you out of a terrible car accident unharmed without a scratch.

You know God is faithful because you have a faith reference point from when God blessed you with that beautiful baby you and your spouse had been praying and believing for, for years, even when doctors said it wouldn’t happen based on test results.

Throughout this blog I have shared my faith reference points of God being a healer, miracle worker, peace giver, protector and restorer in my life. Today I want to share another faith story on God being a protector.

On October 1, 2017, my friend Shelly and I were enjoying our last day in Las Vegas after a weekend of sightseeing, shopping, bus tours, and an MJ Cirque du Soleil show. After a full day at the Grand Canyon we headed back to our hotel to grab our bags and prepare to head to the airport. I went into the lobby bathroom to wash off some of that Grand Canyon dust before our overnight flight. While I was at the sink next to a young lady, her boyfriend began to call for her from the hall. She was annoyed but I began to feel uneasy for some reason so I started to pack up my stuff to walk out. Before I realized, my friend Shelly ran into the bathroom yelling “Sheena we have to go! They’re shooting!” I didn’t realize it then but I went into shock as I heard the screams, shooting and people running into our hotel from the concert going on down the street. Little did we know there was a mass shooting going on at the Route 91 Harvest music festival, right down the street from the Tropicana Hotel we were staying in and across from the Mandalay Hotel where we were just the night before for the MJ show. Shelly and I ran into a bathroom stall and we could hear the screaming, running and those coming to hide in the bathroom. Shelly went into drill sergeant mode and stated we couldn’t stay in the stall because it wasn’t safe. We made our way out of the lobby bathroom and up to the mezzanine floor in a large storage closet with several others. As time passed the closet began to clear out until it was just us two in there. We began to pray. I said aloud, “Lord, I don’t know how you are going to do it but I know you are going to get us out of here and back home safely.” I had a faith reference point of when God protected me when I was held at gunpoint, years prior, so I knew God would somehow protect us. I messaged our pastor and another minister on social media so they could be praying and Shelly called her dad who spoke with someone at the front desk who said wherever we were in the hotel wasn’t safe and we needed to get to the Casino area because SWAT was on the way and that’s where they wanted everyone. We had already had this unction to move and as soon as we were about to, someone locked eyes with me from a crack in the doorway and out of fear locked us in from the outside. Once they realized we weren’t a threat from our screaming they let us out and told us to get somewhere safe. We left the closet and headed for the escalator to head down to the casino area and that’s when someone opened fire on the Mezzanine floor. We all screamed and ran while tons of people on that floor scattered. Shelly and I ran down the escalator, jumped over and hid under the bar where others were hiding. Shelly stated we couldn’t stay there in case someone wanted to shoot over the bar. We prayed as we came from the bar cover, making a run for the casino area. Once we’d made it, the SWAT team was coming in as we all had to put our hands up while they headed upstairs where someone had been shot.

Actual Footage of SWAT entering Tropicana Hotel after Vegas mass shooting
Source: Youtube Video by KPCC

After an hour or so passed everyone was directed to the back of the hotel while investigations were ongoing for the crime that had now happened in our hotel as well. We were directed to rooms and hallways until the lockdown was cleared. After 3AM, everyone was allowed to go back to their prospective rooms, hotels or leave the hotel all together. Shelly and I left the hotel and had to wave down multiple taxis until one agreed to take us to the airport.

Waiting in back of Tropicana Hotel during investigations after shooting
Vegas Strip Lockdown after Vegas mass shooting

Shelly and I made it back to Florida safe and sound. Shortly after a friend from the news station contacted me about doing a story on what happened and I used the opportunity to share faith in God and the power of prayer. Shelly and I also had the opportunity to share our testimony of God’s protection with our church.

Me on the Local News after 2017 Vegas mass shooting

When it comes to knowing that God is my protector and my refuge, this testimony is one of my faith reference points to always remind me that God is faithful and He is always with us. Take this opportunity to recall your faith reference points to keep you in remembrance of who God is, what He has done, and what He is more than capable of doing again and again.

Until the next faith testimony…

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Consistency Is Key

HI Faith Travelers!

How many times have you heard the phrases “Consistency is key”, “Consistent actions create consistent results”, or even “Success isn’t about greatness, it’s about consistency”. Well all of these quotes aren’t just true in the world and business but they can also be applied biblically.

Consistency is Key!

Consistency can be defined as the quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way. When I hear this definition, it makes me think of the most consistent person in my life, Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 13:8, the bible states, ” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”. He is consistent with His love and faithfulness seated at the right hand of the Father. He was consistent in His compassion and power as He walked this earth over 2000 years ago. And He is consistent in His character and stance as He never compromised God’s word even when His own life was at stake. Jesus is consistent because of the unchangeable name of God. It’s just like the bible says in Numbers 23:19, God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good. Basically, if God promised it, He will do it because He’s consistent.

We all know that God being consistent is a given. But our relationship with Him isn’t just about His consistency, it’s about ours. Its about our consistent faith (Mark 11:22 AMP), our consistent prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17 NLT), our consistent obedience, our consistent trust, our consistent time in His presence… our consistency period. Our relationship with God is a two way street, meaning even after we have talked to God in prayer, we should listen just as long as we pray to hear what the Lord has to say in response. Prayer is not a monologue, it’s a dialogue/conversation.

Our consistency with God nurtures the very relationship that orders our steps to and through purpose. It builds trust not just for us towards God but for God towards us. When dealing with trial after trial with my health several years ago (See Blog Post Here), I didn’t know God for myself nor how to hear His voice but I consistently cried out to Him, read His word and prayed as much as I knew how because “something told me”, which I now know that something is the Holy Spirit, that it was going to be okay and just keep praying. Soon enough I unexpectedly yet expectantly received the answers to my prayers and the healing to my body because I consistently prayed, consistently spent time with God and consistently stood in faith. Not only did my consistency build my trust in God which, in turn, strengthened my faith but it also showed God that He can trust me too when it comes to divine assignments He leads me to do concerning His children(all of you), for His glory.

It’s December 1st and some of you are wondering what’s next for you before this year ends. Just because there are 31 days left in this year, doesn’t mean God can’t do something profound in your life through your next 31 days of consistency. So I challenge you to allow God to wow you in the midst of your consistency in seeking Him, consistency in prayer, consistency in faith, consistency in discipline, in writing that book, applying for that job, starting that business and LLC, and consistency in obedience of doing what God is leading you to do in this last month of 2023. Pick up those projects you thought had died, take the steps of consistency with God and watch yourself finish the year stronger than you could have ever imagined.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

Ephesians 3:20 NIV

Until the next faith story…

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Faith and Miracles: God Healed My Eye

Hi Faith Travelers!

Happy Faith Friday!

I want to talk about a topic near and dear to my heart today. The topic that saved my life. The very reason this blog was brought to fruition…FAITH.

Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

What is Faith? According to Hebrews 11:1 NKJV, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Faith can also be described as complete trust or confidence in someone or something; a hope or belief. The Hebrew word for confidence is Bitachon, meaning to be at ease, to trust and to be confident. Think about when you put your trust in something or someone, there tends to be no doubt or disbelief in it, yet there’s also an assurance and certainty regarding that person or thing. This is how we ought to have faith in Jesus…with trust, certainty and assurance. This is the faith in knowing that He is the Son of God who walked this earth over 2000 years ago sharing the Good News and the message of God’s kingdom while also performing miracles including healing the sick, raising the dead and casting out demons (Matthew 10:7-8 NKJV). When Jesus laid down His life for us, dying on the cross yet was resurrected and is now seated at the right hand of Father God, His sacrifice forgave every sin/ iniquity and healed all of our diseases (Psalms 103:3 NKJV). This didn’t just end in biblical times, we still have possession of the free gift of salvation that includes all of the above as our benefits.

In John 14:12-14 NJKV, Jesus says to His disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works (in quantity) than these he will do, because I go to My Father (God). 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. Well this doesn’t just apply to the disciples then, it also applies to the modern day disciples, who happen to be us.

Where there is hope, there is Faith. Where there is Faith miracles happen.

Anonymous

Years ago I put my faith and this scripture to the test. Around this time in 2014, I nearly lost my eye from a fall that shattered my orbital floor in my right eye. The doctors wanted me to get surgery even though I didn’t live in the area where the incident occurred. They informed me that they would need to go in, lift my eye back up and put a plate in to keep the eye stabilized. I refused the surgery because my FAITH was in my eye fully healing on its own. Sounds crazy, but I knew this situation was no match for God. Due to the incident, I no longer had right peripheral vision, was sensitive to light and my brain and eye were not communicating so basic function like walking straight and turning when someone says something to you was very limited. During that week I laid hands on my eye and prayed to God that my eye would heal on its own without surgery. I backed my prayer with Mark 16:18 “…they will lay hands on the sick , and they will recover” trusting that God’s word was true and would work on my behalf. Once I returned home, I went to an ophthalmologist to make sure my vision was still okay and my eye hadn’t dropped and everything with my vision checked out good. I’d forgotten to give my CT scans to the doctor until the end of the visit. He came back looking like he’d seen a ghost and based on the scans recommended me seeing the plastic surgeon and getting the surgery recommended by the other doctors. Again my FAITH was in my eye fully healing on its own without surgery.

Shattered Orbital Floor CT Scan
Shattered orbital floor and loss of peripheral vision in right eye
Two weeks after the injury

Within 2 weeks my eye looked as if the injury had never happened and I had full functionality. Fast forward to my 6 month check up with the ophthalmologist, my eye had fully healed on its own with no changes to my vision and without any surgery! The doctor’s assistant came in and said “You know you’re really lucky because someone came in with the same issue and had to lose their eye. I told her “that’s not luck, that’s God! I could’ve literally lost my eye and according to the doctors the vision in the other eye would’ve diminished too…But God! He performed not just a miracle but a medically documented miracle for me! How, you ask? Because of my Faith. While faith sometimes doesn’t make sense, it does in fact make miracles.

Until the next faith testimony..

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