We ALL have to start somewhere. Everything begins with a piece. I don’t know about you, but there are many days which I feel all over the place – as if my life is an unorganized mess. That can really be overwhelming. I mean it literally feels as if my mind runs nonstop!!! Many times my mind literally jumps from one thing to another causing me to feel like I am not equipped to do anything. It is in these very moments that I need to stop, take a deep breath and slow down. Always easier said than done, but I am finding that when I take the time to be conscious of the chaos and re-center my mind, that is when I am capable of being most productive. Tackling things one at a time is the only way to truly give your all to the task at hand.
We live in a culture where we all want everything to happen immediately, especially when we are overwhelmed. But being impatient causes us to disregard the importance of the step by step process and many times is what prevents us from finishing what we start. Let’s think of a puzzle for example:
A puzzle consists of many different pieces which fit together to create a big picture. Like a puzzle, we all have our own unique roles to play in life. God created us each with a specific purpose in mind. In a puzzle if you try to insert the wrong piece no matter how many ways you try it, it will not fit. In life, if someone else tries to do what God created us to do, results will not be the same – no one else will be the right fit to do what we are called to do.Read more ›
Stand on his promise and strengthen your faith so that fear is crushed and your only option is to believe!!
Don’t let fear creep in. Remember God has not given you a spirit of fear. Have desperate faith for God to deliver. Want it so badly that you have no other choice but to believe and activate the power of your faith!
Seek the Lord with all of your heart and open your eyes to see that when he comes through and delivers, it may not be in the way you were expecting or crying out for. But, it will be the Lord’s will and at the Lord’s direction. And it will be perfect and powerful!
In Mark 5:35-43,
Jairus had to have strong faith to ask Jesus to save his daughter’s life. As a synagogue leader, he heard of Jesus and the miracles Jesus was performing and he was desperate for a miracle to save his daughter. Jairus believed with all his heart that Jesus could save her. He had strong faith in Jesus’s ability to do what he needed him to do.
But as they walked to Jairus’s home, someone came and told them that Jairus’s daughter had already died, but Jesus told Jairus to fear not and just believe!! And Jesus went into the home, into the room by her beside and he raised her from death! After doing so, he told them not to report what happened there to anyone, and to feed her.
After reading this I wondered why he told them to feed her. We know that food nourishes and restores, and when someone is near death and gets revived they need nourishment to be strengthened. So perhaps, this is also a reminder that when someone we love goes through something that nearly takes them out, we must remember to feed them (physically and spiritually) in order to help fully restore them.
The very same goes for ourselves, when we overcome that which the enemy sent to take us out, we must remember to feed ourselves afterwards. We must take care of our spiritual health by getting into the word of God, and also eat healthier so that our physical body can heal, and be strengthened to live and not die.
From this story, we can see the power that Jesus has and we are shown what powerful faith can do when you believe wholeheartedly. To believe wholeheartedly is to believe without any doubt that The Lord is able to heal or revive the person, thing, or situation we need him to. We must believe he can do it and he will do it.
Jesus told them not to discuss what happened with anyone. Why do you think this is? Some think it was to not bring attention to Jesus. Jesus didn’t want his ministry interfered with, but of course it got out because miracles are hard to hide. Imagine being in that position, you would probably want to shout it out to the entire world, and tell everyone you know what he did for your child, wouldn’t you?
Perhaps it wasn’t her parents who shared the news, maybe it was someone else who was in the house? Either way, Jesus, raising Jarius’s daughter from the dead symbolized Jesus’s mighty power! He showed the power of God The Father that was within him. He showed them who he was!!
Can you imagine if Jarius had allowed fear to set in and not have asked Jesus to heal his daughter? Fear could have blocked him from his greatest blessing.
What fear are you battling with today? What fear is holding you back from strong faith? Strong faith, through which you go call on Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and cry out to them for breakthrough. Ask The Lord to strengthen your faith so that fear never causes you to miss the miracle.
Cast down fear before it takes root. And if already rooted, uproot and dismantle that fear in Jesus name. Trust the Lord and watch his mighty power move! Know he is able!!
Pray with me:
Father God, we thank you for your healing power that works through our Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We thank you, that you are a God of miracles, and that you answer prayers. Lord Jesus, I lift up anyone who is hurting today or in need of healing for themselves or a family member. I ask that you grow within them, supernatural faith, faith, so strong that there is not an ounce of doubt within their mind or heart. May they believe wholeheartedly in your ability to heal and deliver and bring their petitions before you. Hallelujah!!! I praise you Jesus because I know that you are able and willing. Hallelujah, I praise you Lord and give you all glory and honor for what you are about to do. I ask Lord, that you would strengthen your people, and that you would break the chains that are holding them down, bound to fear. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.
Sometimes what we are going through isn’t about us!! There is no need to argue or fight. God is above it all!!! He will be exalted!!!
No matter what is attacking you today or what you are going through step out of your emotions and let God in. Let him remind you it’s not about you, about them, nor about what either of you want or need. Let GOD alone be exalted! He alone deserves all praise for everything that happens.
Even in the frustration, sadness, confusion, he is right there and no matter the outcome. He will be exalted!
We must let down our wants, desires and expectations and seek him in the madness. Trust him in the hardest situation and fully rely on him. It’s not about our will. Trials are here, walk through them and let them build you.
My Prayer Today:
Jesus, what are you trying to teach me today? This is all I am seeking.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalms 46:10 NKJV
“Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
Psalms 46:10 CSB
“Attention, all! See the marvels of God! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, Bans war from pole to pole, breaks all the weapons across his knee. “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”
Wishing ALL mothers [biological, expecting, spiritual, foster, stepmothers, adoptive, single, grieving, heavenly, grandmothers and pet mothers] a Blessed and Happy Mother’s Day! You all are loved, appreciated and honored on this day.
She is strong and graceful, as well as cheerful about the future. Her words are sensible, and her advice is thoughtful. She takes good care of her family and is never lazy. Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says,”
Proverbs 31:25-28 CEV
Mothers have strength like no other. They are strong, resilient, caring and wise. They teach their families to be kind and persevere through anything that comes to destroy.
He grants the barren woman a home, Like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 113:9 NKJV
God may not have called you to bear your own children, but he can bless all women with a mothers heart to guide, love and be a blessing to those in need.
What is your mother? A lioness: She lay down among the lions; Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.
Ezekiel 19:2 NKJV
God gave woman an inner strength to birth and care for her children.
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Luke 1:30 NKJV
So many times we feel as though we are failing at motherhood. While motherhood has its beauty, it can be challenging and overwhelming. But know that God chose you for this role because you’re capable. You are honored and have his favor.
“Older women similarly are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor addicted to much wine, teaching what is right and good, so that they may encourage the young women to tenderly love their husbands and their children, to be sensible, pure, makers of a home [where God is honored], good-natured, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
Titus 2:3-5 AMP
Mothers are chosen to be a good examples to all, even those who are not their children.
“She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
Proverbs 31:27 NET
A mothers job never stops, she will always look over her children.
I don’t want to love with the world loves, I only want Jesus and what he wills for me.
The flesh is weak and leads us to things that leave us empty. Do you or have you felt empty, broken, used or unwanted? Nothing can fill that void and no one will ever satisfy the longing in your heart. Only, Jesus can.
When my life felt like it was in pieces, that is when I fully surrendered and asked the Lord to fill my empty void. I was tired of being used and tired of letting things in that left me feeling depleted.
If you’re wondering why nothing fills you, or why no accomplishments satisfy no matter how big the are, or why no one makes you feel complete, know it is because you’re seeking the wrong things.
Stop chasing the things the world has to offer!!! They will NEVER satisfy. Pray and ask God to come into your heart, chase the living water!!
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 34:8
God has a purpose for you and he will continue to pursue you and call you until you surrender and let him in. Once you encounter his love, nothing else will do! He will be all you want and need.
Prayer: Father God, help us come to the place of to surrender of our lives over to you. Change our hearts to want only what you want for us. I’m Jesus name, Amen
When you make a mistake, you must be kind to yourself, and give yourself the same grace you would allow another person. But for me, showing myself kindness is an area I personally know I need a lot of improvement in. I’m hard on myself when I make a mistake and I find it easier to forgive others than to forgive myself.
I am on a journey of healing, so this means, seeking to learn why forgiving myself and having grace for myself is so difficult.
When I make a mistake, I tend to call myself names, and sometimes those around me have heard it. I’ve called myself dumb, I’ve asked myself what is wrong with you, I’ve apologized to others, and I’ve spent hours stuck in mind battle trying to understand how I could make such a “stupid mistake”.
Let’s just say I treat myself worse than I would treat any other human being who has made a mistake. Even the simple ones. Being hard on myself can be because I hold myself to a higher standard than I hold others, or because I’ve had others say those very things to me. But no matter what the reasoning or source is, I’ve realized this is no longer acceptable and must change.
The Bible says our tongues hold the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21), and while I try my best not to use my tongue to degrade others, sadly, I can’t say the same for the way I have used my words or thoughts towards myself.
Yesterday, I felt Holy Spirit speaking strong to me telling me, it’s time to begin changing this. This happened after making what I felt was a crazy & ridiculous mistake. I felt lead to spend time trying to understand why is it truly easier for me to forgive others over myself. I felt lead to ask myself: “Do you think they deserve forgiveness more than you do? And the answer was no. They most certainly did not deserve forgiveness more than I did. And, I was not any more unworthy than they were.
A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.
Proverbs 12:17
When we apply this Bible verse inwardly, we learn that us being hard on ourselves, ultimately only hurts ourselves.
If you are someone who tries to practice showing kindness to others, why do you do it? Is it because you don’t like hurting others? Is it because you want to be seen as a good person? Is it because you know it is just morally or biblically wrong not to be kind to others?…These are some of the things I’ve had to self reflect on.
Why are some of us able to protect others, yet we have no personal boundaries set to protect ourselves from our very own self-directed insults?
We are human. We will all make mistakes.
The above statement is something I have been told many times from both friends and family members.
If you’re someone like me who is hard on yourself, try to remind yourself of this when your thoughts start to move in before you place yourself on trial. YOU ARE HUMAN, ALL HUMANS MAKE MISTAKES. Let’s remind ourselves that there was only one perfect man who walked earth, and that was our savior Jesus Christ.
Going forward may we learn to allow mistakes to be an opportunity for personal reflection and growth.
May we begin to cut off the insults instantly, before we allow them to take root in our minds and become in-planted lies we believe. Doing this will take discipline and will not come easy at first. However, I have committed myself to begin doing the work to get to the point where I will see myself through God’s eyes. Will you make this commitment to yourself with me today?
Let’s loves ourselves and be patient and kind to ourselves.
Jesus calls us to be humble and put others before ourselves. But this doesn’t mean we are called not to be humble towards ourselves and it doesn’t mean be harder on ourselves allowing negative self thoughts to take root. We all are God’s children. Our lives are a gift. So let’s learn to recognize when we aren’t extending to ourselves the same grace which we extend to others.
I know I’ve got to do better and be a better example to my daughters. Because I would never want them being hard on themselves or unkind to themselves. If you can relate, please leave a comment or contact me directly and let me know!! My prayer is that you too would learn to show yourself kindness. 🙏
~Growing with you, Sandy
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Father God, we thank you for your love. For loving us even during the times we aren’t loving ourselves. Father forgive us for not seeing ourselves the way you see us. Forgive us for the word curses we have spoke over ourselves without knowing that was what we were doing. Give us wisdom so that kindness will begin to flow from our tongues. May kind thoughts of ourselves run through our minds. In Jesus name, I declare the word curses we placed over ourselves are now broken. I decree that we will begin to show ourselves the same grace, mercy and kindness we extend to others. Holy Spirit, I ask that you move in and heal the hearts, minds and spirits of your people. Father God, remind them who they are.
Brothers and sisters pray these words to God right now with me: I am smart and not dumb. I am wise and not stupid. A set back does not mean I am stuck in this place of disappointment. I will reflect on why the instance, circumstance or situation happened the way it did. And I will get back up and acknowledge my mistake and try again. Maybe that means rescheduling the meeting, budgeting better and redoing finances, studying harder and retaking the test, correcting an error and resubmitting the application, pick yourself up and try again!!
Father God, we thank you for Holy Spirit conviction and for reminding us we can learn from setbacks and mistakes. Holy Spirit,lead us on this journey. Lord Jesus, remind us to love and show kindness to ourselves in the same way you do to us. We know only you are able, in your mighty name we pray, Amen.
Today let’s give Jesus all glory, all honor and all praise. His sacrifice on the cross saved us from enteral damnation. He gave his life so that we could live!! So that everyone could live.
Jesus said, “It is finished”, meaning he paid it ALL! There was no debt remaining, there was nothing left to be paid. His sacrifice paid it completely & permanently.
Take time today to reflect on what sacrifice truly means to you. And think of just how much God loves us to be willing to give his only son so that we could have eternal life even when we aren’t worthy.
Reflect today on what sacrifice means to you. What would you be capable of sacrificing that you hold dear?
Imagine giving up your life for another. Yesterday, I went and saw the movie, His Only Son and wow, was it powerful!! Can you imagine being asked to give up your only child or your only son? It’s close to impossible to think of ourselves in the that position isn’t it? I likely would not be strong enough to let my baby go, let alone by my own hands. My human heart would fail me in that situation.
In Genesis 22:1-12, Abraham showed us what supernatural faith is. Abraham didn’t understand why God wanted him to sacrifice his only son. But, even when he didn’t understand, he trusted God with supernatural faith and and he obeyed. Even his son Isaac who was to be sacrificed knew it wasn’t his will to be sacrificed, but he didn’t fight it, he and his father were both willing to trust God and obey his command even when it did no make sense to them. That must have taken unshakable faith to do.
God’s commanding Abraham to sacrifice his own son Isaac was in parallel a foreshadowing of God’s sacrifice of His own Son, His only son.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”- Genesis 22:2.
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16
Our Father God, gave up his only son Jesus as a sacrifice to save us!! Do you realize how just deep is God’s love? Do you know how much you’re truly loved?
Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering. – Genesis 22:2.
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, – 1 Corinthians 15:3.
What would you be capable of sacrificing? Can you even imagine or fathom how much obedience being willing to sacrifice your own child takes?
The very thought causes me to cry out to God. God thank you for your sacrifice!!! Thank you for your great love. Jesus thank you for loving us so much that you chose to endure the cross.
Let’s praise our Lord and Savior today!! He is so worthy!! Think of his great love today, remember his sacrifice and know you are to die for.
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If not, would you like to open up your heart and let him in today? He gave his life on the cross, so that you could have eternal life in heaven. To do this, we must repent for our sins and ask him into our hearts. If you would like to do this today, say this prayer with me:
Father God, forgive me of my sins. I know that I am a sinner, and Jesus Christ died on the cross so that I could have eternal life. Today, I open up my heart and invite you in. I believe that Jesus took the punishment so that through his sacrifice on the cross I could gain eternal life. I receive your free offer of forgiveness, and accept you to be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness, in Jesus name. Amen.
If you said this prayer, know that you are now saved and have eternal life in heaven. I praise God and rejoice with you!! “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” – Luke 15:7 NLT
If you have said this prayer today, please send me a message. I would love to pray for you.
Living as a Christian is a blessing, but can have challenges. Seek out a local, bible based church that you can plug into. Community is so important when you desire to dedicate your life to God. By connecting with the local church you will find brothers and sisters who will help you grow in your walk with God and support you when the enemy tries to turn you away from him. Finding a home church can take time, so, even if you have to be at visit a few, take your time and do not get discouraged. Pray to God and ask him to reveal to you when you have found the church he desires for you to call home.
Father God, we thank you for sacrificing your only son for our sins so that we can live and have life, eternal life. Lord, transform our hearts into one of gratitude, one of remembrance, and honor for all you have done for us. Lord draw us near to you, and fill us with your love so that we would be willing to share all you have done for us with everyone who will listen. Let us share of your unconditional love and of your transformational power. Lord, thank you for showing us what true love is, true sacrificial love. A love with no condition. We honor you today, we worship you today, and we give you all praise. You alone are worthy Lord. Thank you for paying our debt. Hallelujah, we love you Lord! May we continue to praise you for all the days of our lives, in Jesus Mighty Name, we pray Amen.
May God bless you and continue to draw you closer to him.
When you are waiting on some thing to happen, it is easy to become discouraged and begin to worry. When you realize that you are in a state of worry, that is when you must remind yourself that God’s timing is perfect. He will show up when he feels the time is right!
Do not allow yourself to be consumed by worry. When you realize this is happening, draw closer to him in that very moment and watch him strengthen your faith. Remind yourself who you serve & of the many times he showed up & made a way.
The waiting season has purpose, allow him to grow your heart and spirit. And if you are waiting for someone else, lift them in prayer and ask God to comfort them in this season. Ask him to draw them close so that they may come to know of his unfailing love. We must not grow weary in the waiting. Wait with expectation & praise for what is to come.
GOD is Amazing SO trust him and know:
🔺The healing will come!!
🔺The housing will come!!
🔺That job you need will hire you!!
🔺That child will return home!!
🔺That loved one will get saved!!
🔺That approval will come!!
🔺The battle will be victorious!!
🔺The funds are on the way!!
At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.
Isaiah 60:22 NLT
I decree and declare that the Lord will come through and your waiting will have been worth it. Fear and worry have no place in your mind. Peace and blessings are your portion. Rejoice for what is to come. May we shatter worry with our praise as we wait on God’s blessings!!
Made Piece by Piece 