Day 365: Direction: God Will Always Make a Way

*I know Sunday's are usually our recap days but in light of this being the last post of the year, here is the last part of our direction series.*

Matthew 6:25-34

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Okay so today is officially the last devotional of the year and it is by far the hardest one I have had to write. It is more emotional that I thought. However we shall proceed with today's devotional in which we will talk about not worrying about things and not worrying about stuff that is not even here, because God will take care of it all. There is no need to worry about anything because God has it all under control. We often spend too much time worrying about the future when we don't even know what it holds. We spend our time anticipating what will happen and being anxious for no reason. the moment we have is a gift and many times we overlook it because we are too busy looking into the future trying to figure out something God has already figured out for us. So why not live right now, there's nothing we can do about tomorrow until it gets here. I am a firm believer in crossing a bridge when you get to it. Meaning I can prepare all I want, I can get ready to walk the bridge I have never seen, but nothing can prepare me for exactly what will happen when I get to the bridge and when I get on it. I cannot try to cross the bridge when I am miles away from it, that just makes no sense. I have to cross it when I get there. With that being said, we are often trying to live in the future because we are so worried about what it holds that we are dismissing the journey to get there. 

I want you to go into the new year into worrying about what the future holds but having faith in who holds your future. Not worrying about material things but latching on to something and someone far greater than what money can buy us. Know that no matter what happens God will always make a way. In fact He has already made a way, He already has it figured out. Our job is to not try to do His job but trust in what He is doing. God cares so much for us and He will not leave us out to dry. Enjoy the journey to bridge before you get there, and when you do get there walk with God over it. 

Response/ Prayer Time

Take the time to respond on whatever way you feel led, take the time to pray about what we discussed today and pray about whatever is on you heart tonight!

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and enjoy your New Year. 

P.S.

There will be another reflection post later on tonight. 

Day 364: Direction: We Can't Do It Alone

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Today's devo is going to be quite short and straight to the point. We are talking about direction as we head into the new year. Today we are talking about taking God's direction because wherever we are going and whatever we are doing we cannot do it alone. We have to lean on God and trust Him because He will take us places we didn't know we would go, but places that we didn't know we had to go. God will lead us on a path that we must follow Him to get through successfully. Through life we cannot succeed or do anything without Christ. We cannot walk by ourselves and think that we are going to get anywhere. We cannot abandon the way of the Lord and think that we are going to get somewhere our own way. That is not how it works, the more we lean on God and the more we trust Him and put our faith into Him, the more He reveals His plans to us.

Sometimes people think that in order to fully live our lives and do what we want to do and live how we want to live that we must abandon the way of Christ, because for some reason we think our way is better than His. I want to let you know that we are not in control of anything, we are not in control of our own destiny, God is, and trust me it  is better in His hands than ours. I know we all want to be independent and we want to do things our way or not at all, but trust me God's way is better. We can try to live our life on our own and try to walk this path on our own but it will not work. The main message I want you to take from this is that we need guidance from God and direction from our Heavenly Father because we cannot do this alone. We cannot live this life on our own. We thrive because of Christ, we live because God blew His breath into our bodies not because our mother's age birth to us. We are living because God says that we can live, and we are thriving because He wants us to thrive. If we cannot even breathe without God how are we going to walk through life without Him. We need Him even for the smallest things in life, we cannot take a step without Him. The mistake we make is thinking that we can. 

All this to say, seek guidance and direction from the Lord, He knows what He is doing. Give Him a chance and trust Him with everything, He won't let you down. I can promise you that. 

Reflection

1. Have you tried to walk through life on your own?

2. What do you need God's direction for?

3. Do you believe that God's plan is greater and bigger than yours could ever be?

Prayer Time

Take the time to pray about what we discussed today. Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Ask God for guidance and clarity as you continue to follow Him. 

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 365!

Day 363: Direction: The Next Step

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Psalm 31:3

Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

With New Years quickly approaching, and this year currently ending, this the time that people decide to make changes int heir lives. Everything from New Years Resolutions to deciding where to move or stay, many of us are entering a new chapter in our lives and closing the previous chapter. There's nothing more refreshing than starting New Year, to start with new goals, or continue those goals that you set for yourself this year. Many times we look at the New Year as another chance a new opportunity, to maybe get something right that we didn't before, to get rid of toxic habits or just vow ourselves to be better people. Whatever it may be we must seek God for direction. We are taking another step in our lives and we need to seek God so that He can guide us where we need to go.

Life is about progression, we move forward as time continues to move forward. As we walk as we continue to move forward we must make sure that we are following Christ in every way possible. The further we go the narrower the road might get or the harder it make be to make the decision to take the step that God has been preparing us to take. I feel like God prepares us for what He is about to do in our lives. He is taking us step by step to where He wants us to be. If you know that God is preparing you for something and you know that He leading you and guiding you to a certain place, please do not be afraid to step with Him. Do not be afraid to walk with Him. I don't know what your next step is but God does and that's good enough. For some of us taking the next step in our lives can be scary and intimidating, but what if God has been preparing you all year for this? What if we take a chance and believe that the dreams we have aren't just figments of our imaginations but they are tangible and God is taking us to meet them? What I'm saying is, take the next step of your life with Christ, don't try to do it without Him. Take the next step not just to follow your dreams but to grow closer to our Lord and Savior. To be more than we were before. To have a chance to grow in our faith and therefore grow in every other area of our lives. Take a step with Christ so that everything will fall into place, we are not going into this next year worried about the same things that worried us this year. So that we can start a new chapter in our lives with more faith in God, and a deeper understanding of who He is. But most importantly take a step with Christ because we love Him, because we don't want to walk through this life or any other life without Him. The next step includes growing closer to God, and whatever He has planned for you. Trust Him, and trust that where He is taking you is exactly where you are meant to be, because it is. 

All this to say, take a step with Christ, even if you don't know where your foot is going to land. Put the fear aside and push towards the destiny that God has set before you?

Reflection

1. What is your next step?

2. What is stopping you from taking that step?

3. If there is anything stopping you from taking a step with Christ, put it aside and know that God is taking you where you are meant to be. 

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayers. Take the time to talk to God about direction and ask Him for guidance as to where you are going and where He wants you to be. 

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 364!

Day 358: Doesn't Matter Where You Come From

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon[a] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called[b]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”  (which means, God with us).

Luke 2:7

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Merry Christmas Everyone! Today is the day we celebrate the birth of our savior. The birth of the promised Messiah. Even if December 25th wasn't the actual day He was born, I find it very wonderful that we have dedicated a full day to celebrating the gift that is Jesus Christ. A Savior that came in the body of a human. Jesus is the ultimate gift for us all.

Today let's talk about the miraculous conception and the humble birth of Jesus. Okay, imagine you're getting married to a woman and this woman is a virgin. This virgin woman comes to you and tells you that she is pregnant and you know it's not by you, so whose baby is it. She supposed to be a virgin or so she says. So  you prepare to leave her, but not openly you plan to do it in secret because you do not want to embarrass her. Then you find out that she was carry God's baby! God! She is carrying the Messiah. The angel tells you no to worry because she's giving birth to the savior so you listen. Now we can look at this two ways, from Joseph's initial shock, and wanting to separate from Mary and then realizing the miraculous conception of Jesus Christ. Now I'm sure this is something that only God himself to convince Joseph of, because things like this do not happen everyday, in fact it has only happened once in history. Joseph was ready to leave Mary, but can we blame him? You mean to tell me that I thought you were a virgin all this time and all of sudden you're pregnant. Something not adding up. It's impossible for you to be a virgin and pregnant, that doesn't happen. Joseph thought Mary was out here cheating, as anyone would. But the message here is that God makes the impossible possible and the illogical logical. Even though this was already prophesied I bet there were still questions as to how it would done. Maybe it was metaphorical, there's no way. But God made a way. He wanted to save the world and so He sent the Messiah. Jesus was a miracle from the very moment of His conception. The most miraculous conception known to man.

The birth of Jesus was very humbling. He was born in a manger, that's no place of luxury. By definition a manger is a long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from. It doesn't matter where you come from as long as you go where God tells you to, and be who He has called you to be. Jesus was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, He had to be laid in a manger because there was no room for Him anywhere else. Our king was laid in a place that live stock usually feeds off of. The savior of our world! That's a humble birth. Yet, He was still the Messiah because that is who He was born to be. Jesus was and is the greatest thing to ever happen to the world. The greatest man to ever walk this earth. The greatest gift we will ever receive. The most miraculous conception we will ever see. Yet this man was laid in a manger after His birth and raised in Nazareth.

What I'm saying here is allow yourself to submit to the plan God has for your life. It does not matter your circumstances or where you come from, because ultimately we are all children of God. Whether we were born with a silver spoon in our mouths or not, we are born through th blood of Jesus Christ. We are made in His image and given purpose because we are His. Don't let where are, or where you come from affect becoming the person God has created you to be. There a plan in store for all of us, while we all have different origins, we all come form one Father, and His breath is in all of us.

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to think about what we discussed today, really consider it all and take it in. Pray in whatever way you feel lead.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening and enjoy you Holiday!

Day 356: That's Life: Series (Part 4)

Matthew 6:33
 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Psalms 119:30
I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.

Today's devo is not going to be long as it requires a lot of self reflection. The year is winding down and it's winding down fast. When we think about our lives we have to ask ourselves a few questions. What kind of life are we leading and does it mirror the life of Jesus, and is it according to the word of God. This week we have been getting  very real about life and the expectations that come with being a part of society. We have talked about leading a life based not the rules of society and gender norms. We have talked about how life is so much more than a struggle, we have to choose to see it in a different way. So I guess what I want to ask or talk about today is the type of life you want to lead. What type of life do you want to lead? I ask myself the same question. 

A huge part of being a Christian is choosing to live with God. It's making that choice everyday to walk with Christ and live according to His word, putting all things that are of the world away from us. We quickly learn that the core of this life is love. As we have talked about love and living this week, I want to ask a more detailed questioned. How will we live that will replicate the life of Jesus and being the person God has called us to be? What will we do with our life that will please Him? Are we going to love more, be more selfless, reach out to people? What are we going to do. to reach out to people? Can we live a life that does not abide by society's rules, man-made rules but by the law put forth by Jesus Christ. 

As we wrap this series up, essentially I want you to ask yourself, what is life? What is life to you, what do you see life as, what does it mean to you. This is a question that only we can answer for ourselves, no one else can give us the answer. Are we living the type of life we know is right and are we struggling to get there? Are we in a spot where we know we need to change our lifestyle, or continue to move and push forward. We must make a decision about the life we are going to lead and go ahead and do it. We cannot be on the fence about it, we have to decide. That's the challenge, to decide if the life we want to live matches the life we are living. If we want to live a life dedicated to Christ does the life we are living match the life Jesus lived? 

So take  the time to go over what we talked about this week. Take the time to access you life and the type of life you are living and the type of life you want to live. Talk to God about it, pray about it and make a decision. If you have never made the decision to follow Christ now is the time to make that decision. God loves us so much and He has a plan for each and everyone of us, we just have to choose to trust Him and His timing, and His plan. 

If you’ve never made the decision to follow Christ and you want to, or if you want to rededicate your life to Him, now is the time to do. Now is the time to make that decision. If you want to be brought into this magnificent promise of eternity, now is the time to make that decision. If that’s you if you want to make that decision, pray this prayer with me,

“Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sins and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. I pray that you shine your  light on me and bring me out of the darkness and into your light. I love you Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 357!

Day 352: Life Is Funny (Part 2)

Romans 5:3-4

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

James 1:3

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Growing up my mom would always tell me, “What doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.” She would usually say this as a result of me getting another rejection from an audition or talent agency telling me no, or not getting the part in the school play. But she would also tell me it whenever something happened in my life that made me feel like my life was over. As I got older, the pain got worst and the situations became more real. When I got my first heartbreak, when I was betrayed by my friends, when I went through a bad break up, and when my father died. I always went back to those few words that my mom would say to me when I was younger to let me know that everything was going to be alright. And sure enough it was, but it took time. It’s funny how life works that way. The same things that hurt us are the same things that strengthen us.

The people that have hurt us and walked out of our lives. The experiences that has taken our breath away, not in the good way. The boyfriends and girlfriends that cheated or just did us wrong. These experiences are just small hiccups compared to how life is truly going to be. These moments are lessons to teach us who we are, and also how strong we are. As crazy as it sounds God uses our pain to heal us. I would never know what true forgiveness felt like if I had never forgiven my friends who walked out on me. I had to face them. I would never know that  heart can be healed after it’s been shattered if I never faced my father's death. I would have never known that i could be put back together again if I never face the fears of my past. The triggers that tormented me for so long.

I say life is funny because we never think that the most traumatic experiences in our lives would be the biggest moments of growth. We never think that our biggest mistakes would lead us to the place we are at the moment. We as people have go through so much and will go through so much more, but our past experiences equip us for what’s ahead, and it’s not always heartbreak. Suffering is a part of life, it isn’t life itself. As the scripture tells us our sufferings produce perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character hope. I know many of us can say that we have come out a better person. We have become stronger people.

What I want you to get out of all of this is,whatever you do don’t let the suffering overtake you. It won’t kill you, and with that being said it will be another building block into who you are. God loves you so much and He wants you to succeed, but that does not mean that we will not suffer. We will have to go through some growing pains. As long as we live there will always be pain, and hurting but it’s only for a moment. Pain is a part of life. If Jesus had to suffer the way He did we can take a bit of heartache. Our suffering does not define us, it’s a part of life. However, as much as pain is a part of life, so is joy, so is peace and happiness. So is love, and courage, so is faith. Good things are a part of life too.  But how we react to the suffering and the pain, how we allow it to affect us, that does define who we are.

All this to say, if we take a step back and look we will see how funny life is when it goes around. The things that we meant to break us are the very things God uses to build us. Whatever you do, let it be a building block.

Reflection

1. Can you think of something in your life that hurt you but in the end made you a stronger better person?

Prayer Time

Take the time to pray about what we discussed today. Thank God that life is just as beautiful as it is scary, if not more.  Thank God that He uses the things we go through to make us into better people.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 354!

Day 351: Life IS Funny (Part 1)

Ecclesiastes 9:11

I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

1 Corinthians 2:9

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagine what God has prepared for those who love him.”

This is one of the last series of the  year, but for the next couple of days I just want to talk about how unpredictably funny life is. It’s crazy, I sometimes sit back and look at my life, and think, how did i get here? I never would have thought that I’d be in the pace that I am in this moment. But I am and all I can do is thank God for it.

The truth is life is very unpredictable, so unpredictable that it is funny. The things that God does in us and in our lives we could never imagine. Especially when we take a look back at where we were and who we used to be and see how far God has brought us, it leaves us with our jaws dropped. Because He is that good. He is a God of miracles and He works miracles in us. I guess the question I am trying to ask here is, did you ever think your would be where you are? Did you ever think that God could take you and make you into the person that you are? Did you ever think that god could enhance your life and your quality of living the way Eh has. We may not be the person we thought we were going to be at this moment in our lives but we are exactly who God wants us to be. We are exactly where He wants us to be and that is so much better than we could ever do for ourselves.

We all have plans and dreams and vision boards outlining our life and where we want to be in a certain amount of time. We have a plan, we know what we want and we think we know how we are going to get there. The thing about God is that HE knows  the end goal and He knows how we are going to get to where we want to be and it might not be in the time we thought or the way we thought, but when we get there we will know it was HIm. When we get there we can do nothing but laugh because we see how His hand was on us the whole time but better than that, how His plan was so much greater than our. His path is full of growth and love. God sees our plans and He sees our wants and desires and He is not ignoring them. Instead He is taking them and doing what God does, He is making them better He is making us better. He takes our plans and erases the path we thought we would take in exchange for the path HE already had picked out. Let me tell you, this path does not look like our but we will know that it is God’s. The funny thing about it all is that sometimes God’s path doesn’t look right to us. It doesn’t look like we are going in the right direction. When we’re looking at it from where are, sometimes it can look a bit crazy. But when we look back we see the bigger picture. We see the moments that needed to take place. The delays that needed to happen in order for us to get to where we were going. We see the little bumps that needed to be there to prepare us for where we were going.

This is why we put our faith in God. This is why we trust HIm with our life, because even when it looks wrong it’s right. Even when it feels wrong, as long as we are trusting in God it’s right. God’s path may be a bit harder and take a little longer but I can tell you that it is worth the wait. It is worth every moment. God has something so great for each and every one of us, there’s just some work that He needs to do in us as we make our way to it.

All this to say, we might know where we are going, but life is unpredictable. We might now know the next step or we might not know where our foot will land but we have to trust that God’s has a plan, and I can tell you that HE definitely does. When we get to that place that God wants us to be we can laugh in joy because we never would have thought we would be where we are and because we are so grateful that God is in control.

Response/ Prayer Time

Take the time to think about where you have been and who you were. Now take the time to see who and where you are. Thank God for all He has done in your life and just thank Him that His plans are so much greater than ours.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 352!

Day 347: Fight For It

Genesis 32:22-29

22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. 23 After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.

24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 “What is your name?” the man asked.

He replied, “Jacob.”

28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel,[a] because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.

“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.

This is one of the most interesting and compelling stories in the bible, and I want to just break it down and look at it in a more literal context today.

Jacob wrestled for a blessing, even when he was in pain he would not let go until he received what he was fighting for. Jacob’s hip was out of socket, his hip! I’m not sure if you’ve ever hurt your hip but it HURTS. It’s hard to stand and even harder to walk. If you’ve ever broken a bone or dislocated anything you know the kind of pain it is. It’s hurts so much. Let’s think about this for a second, this man's hips was out of socket and even then he would not let go because he did not want to miss his blessing. He kept fighting with a dislocated hip, he had to push his limits physically to receive what he was fighting for. Even a dislocated hip could not make him let go of the angel because the angel had something he needed and wanted. Not only did he fight with a dislocated hip but he had already been fighting all night long. I can imagine that he was tired and exhausted, and the pain really didn’t help that. This was so impressive to the man he was fighting that he had to know his name. He had to know who this man was.

When we think of this in context we have to realize that Jacob fought for what he wanted. Jacob refused to let go even when he was in pain. I can’t imagine how much pain he was in, but what he was fighting was so much more important that he could deal with the pain another time. What I’m saying here is, we have to fight for what we want. We have to hold on to the things we think are worth fighting for, even if it means we have to deal with the pain of holding on. We sometimes think that the things that bring us pain are not for us. We think that because we have to endure the pain to get to where we are going that it’s not for us. Pain isn’t always an indication of something going wrong, pain can be good at times. We can have growing pains, healing pains, enduring pain. We cannot let the pain stop is from fighting on make us let go of the things we are holding on to. Because most times the things we want are beyond the pain, we have to deal with it to get what we want. Sometimes we have to fight even when we are sweating and tired, exhausted and in pain. The harder it get the more valuable the fight and the reward becomes to us.

What I want you to take from this is, there are things worth fighting for and things that we must let go of. Find those things that are worth fighting for and fight. Fight with everything you have and when you want to stop fighting keep fighting. When people tell you stop fighting, keep fighting. Fights aren’t easy, they aren’t going to be soft. No, fighting hurts, you have to take hits and keep going, if you get knocked down you get up.

There are too many people that give up too easily. We are so easily influenced and swayed by our circumstances. I know that life can hurt, and I know that when we are reaching for something it seems like every battle comes up against us. But please I beg you don’t allow your pain to make you stop fighting. If anything let it fuel you. Let that pain be worth it, let it mean something.

All this to say, if you’ve found something worth holding on to, fight for it. Don’t let go, even if it hurts. If you know that this is for you, if you are holding on to God’s promises, and you know that HE has something for you, you fight for it. SOmetimes we even have to fight for the things God wants us to have.

Reflection

1. Can you relate to what we discussed today?
2. What are some things in your life worth fighting for?
3. What are some things you have to let go of?
4. What are the things you have to let go of in order to continue to fight for what you want?

Prayer Time

Allow the answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about what we discussed today. Whatever is on your heart at this moment reveal it to God.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 348!

Day 344: Don’t Lose Hope

2 Chronicles 15:7
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Before I say anything I want to start by saying, many times in life things are not over for us we just decide that it’s over. I want to encourage you all to never lose hope in Christ because that’s where everything we need everything we have to keep us alive is. If we lose hope in Him  then we have lost everything. I know that life is rough and can be rough and sometimes it looks like we have nothing and no one but there’s always hope in the Lord. There’s always something to hang on to. We just have to decide that it’s worth the fight, it’s worth fighting for. We have to decide that holding on to Christ is worth it all, when we decide that we will come to the conclusion that life isn’t over. It isn’t the end.
The scripture tells us that God is always with us, He is there for us. We should not fear we should not give up because He will uphold us. We just have to decide to hold on to. Many times it’s our decision to hold on to or let go of hope. Hold on to it if it’s the only thing you have left hold to the hold of Jesus Christ. If we’re hanging on to anything by a thread hold on to Jesus. He loves you so much, and even when it feels like you can’t hold on any keep holding because not only are you holding on to Him but He is holding you up.
All this to say, don’t lose hope. Hold on to Christ. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is Jesus. As long as we hold on to that. As long as we trust in the Lord and know that He will sustain us, He will deliver, He will reward, in our due time He will make sure that we reap. Just hold on to hope, don’t let it go. There’s so much going on in the world that will make us lose hope in many things, but don’t let what you see or what you’re going through at the present moment make you lose hope in the Father. He’s got you, just keep focusing on Him, trust me He will hold you us. He loves you so much and He sees you, He hears your prayers, He knows you.

Response/Prayer Time 

Take the time to respond in whatever way you feel led. If this has struck you in anyway talk to God about it. Take the time spend time with God and have a conversation with Him.
I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and encourage them. Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 345!

Day 328: It Makes No Sense

1 John 1:5-7
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
How many times have we devoted our lives to Christ or rededicated our lives to Him and went back into our same old ways? How many times have we decided that we are going to “live right” but couldn’t seem to let go of the very thing keeping us from living right? We all want a shot to get things right and we all know that Jesus is the way but unless we are willing to set our lives down and pick up our crosses and walk with Him how are we going to get that chance to get it right. What I’m saying is that we are often verbally committed to walking in the line while actively committed to the darkness. We have things that we are holding on to that will not allow us to walk completely in the light with Jesus Christ. This is what John means when He says spiritual darkness there is something holding us back from God, something only we can point out. Why is it so hard to give it up? Sometimes we are in the dark so long that it begins to alter our vision. We begin to adjust to living in darkness. If you’re in a dark room, in the beginning everything is pitch black and you can’t see anything, but after a while your eyes will start to adjust to The point where you cannot see clearly but you can see figures, you know if something or someone has moved. We spend our whole lives in darkness and the moment the light hits it will either frighten us or excite us.
Jesus came as a light to a world that was living in darkness He literally came to change the world, to bring people out of darkness and into the light. As we know darkness is the absence of light, meaning that where there is no light, Jesus is not there. To walk with Christ all the days of our lives is to walk in the light or live right.
All this to say, if we are going to walk with Christ we must do it full out and wholeheartedly. It makes no sense for us to claim that we walk in light when we are still living in darkness. We must let go of anything keeping us in the dark and know that God is taking us on a beautiful journey and we cannot get to where we are going in we cannot see, spiritually and physically.
Response/ Prayer Time
Today was very short and sweet but take the time to reread the passage and talk to God about what we discussed today. Search your heart, open your heart to God and allow His light to push out any darkness in your life.
I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing Day or Evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 329!