HUMILITY TEST

2 Chronicles 7:14 

If My people who are called by My Name will HUMBLE themselves, and PRAY and seek My Face, and TURN from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and HEAL their land.

Over the years I can see where God allowed opportunities for me to HUMBLE myself to His Way of DOING things over what I FELT was the RIGHT thing to do.

One way was ALLOWING GOD to handle my concerns for my child over trying to STEP IN and BE God for the moment.

It may have been the chores I've REPEATEDLY asked to be completed. Maybe the talking back that I THOUGHT was disrespectful. Even the defiance of having visitors in our home when I was not there.

But oftentimes when I would be READY to DISCIPLINE HARSHLY, (if I took a moment to bring my concerns to the Lord and NOT LET anger/fear over take me), He would REMIND ME...

"I'M STILL IN CONTROL. Do you REMEMBER HOW YOU LEARNED? Remember what you did at that age?"

Sure enough when I took my hands off of it and acted/disciplined my child GRACIOUSLY and LOVINGLY instead of TRYING TO STAY IN CONTROL by DOING WHAT I FELT would be an IMMEDIATE CORRECTION to the situation...I SAW a change in my child's action. 

Most of our tests will take place right in our homes using our family members/those close to us to HELP us SEE OUR issues.

Let's take a moment to PRAISE GOD for the BLESSING of being HUMBLED during this Parenting journey...because it's BRINGING FORTH the BEST in us for God's Glory! 

STAY BLESSED!

~ALH, Always LOVING Him/Her'

Help My Unbelief

John 20:24-31(MSG)

24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”

But he said, “Unless I SEE the nail holes in His Hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in His side, I won’t BELIEVE it.”

26 Eight days later, His Disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the LOCKED doors, stood among them, and said, “PEACE to you.”

27 Then He Focused His Attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. DON'T BE UNBELIEVING. BELIEVE.”

28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”

29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with YOUR OWN eyes. Even BETTER BLESSINGS are in store for those who BELIEVE WITHOUT SEEING.”

30-31 Jesus provided far more God-REVEALING signs than are written down in this book. These are WRITTEN down so YOU will BELIEVE that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of BELIEVING, have REAL AND ETERNAL LIFE in the way HE PERSONALLY REVEALED it.


We as Moms will only be Fruitful in our lives and our family's lives when we LEARN to MOVE on the things God has REVEALED to us PERSONALLY! We stay STUCK in the things we KNOW aren't working when we have not TAKEN THE TIME to SEE what God has to SAY about it and BELIEVE!

Have you taken time to SEE what God has to say about your finances, the school your children attend, the work that keeps you from your family, and or that man you are dating??? God KNOWS it ALL and will REVEAL what is needed for your EVERY situation when you have the FAITH to BELIEVE what He Says OVER what you can see with your physical eyes!

With PRAYER for Guidance, take some time to SEARCH the Scriptures for topics that you want to see Fruit in your lives. Use a concordance, websites (biblegateway.com is a good start) and a journal to note what God is REVEALING to you...then MOVE when it has been REVEALED to you! 

~ALH, Always LOVING Him/Her'

FAITH...Can Get It Done!

I recently had to do some HANDY work around my house! Leaky bathtub faucet, broken sink stopper, and a couple of malfunctioning light switches. There is a sense of JOY that comes to me when I am able to accomplish a seemingly IMPOSSIBLE task...at least in some misguided male mindsets. 

I'm so glad I took the INITIATIVE and FOLLOWED THROUGH with OBTAINING a diploma in Property Maintenance and Repair a few years ago when I was IN-BETWEEN positions. It has proven to be VERY USEFUL and a major BLESSING...as a HOME Owner!

See after a few BAD episodes with some so called "good" handymen, I DECIDED I wanted to LEARN the skill for myself...in hopes of NEVER having to be taken advantage of again for Home Repair! 

BELIEVE me FAITH WORKS...once you MOVE by it! 

I BELIEVED and TRUSTED God was a GOOD God...He Provided WITHOUT FAIL...once I SHARED my frustrations, my HEART with Him and ASKED Him to HELP me! 

Only by the Grace of God was I actually one of the FEW women to complete the program as well as be AWARDED TOP Trades-person for my GRADUATING class. But the BEST PART is that it was ALL at NO COST to me except for SHOWING UP and putting in the WORK needed! 

Now isn't that just like GOD to take the most UNLIKELY student and make her the HEAD and NOT the tail among LIKELY candidates and PROVIDE the money for the program all in one?

You too are meant to SHOW the Glory of God through your MOVE OF FAITH!

What has YOU frustrated? What would YOU like to SEE take place? What FAITH MOVES do YOU need to take to make it happen? God has brought it to YOUR ATTENTION so YOU can DO SOMETHING about it...but will YOU MOVE on it???

Again, I say to You...BELIEVE me FAITH WORKS...once you MOVE by it! 

LIFE LESSON: NEVER LET MONEY dictate your DREAMING, LEARNING & GROWING...GOD is SURE TO PROVIDE it...along as it is part of His Plan for You and will BLESS OTHERS!

LOVE...has FAITH that MOVES!
ALH, Always Loving Him/Her'

LEADING WITH POWER

Ephesians 6:9-11 (AMP)

9 You MASTERS, ACT on THE SAME [principle] TOWARD THEM AND GIVE UP THREATENING AND USING VIOLET AND ABUSIVE WORDS, KNOWING that HE Who IS BOTH THEIR MASTER AND YOURS is in heaven, and that there is NO RESPECT OF PERSONS (no partiality) WITH HIM.

10 In conclusion, BE STRONG IN THE LORD [be EMPOWERED THROUGH your UNION WITH HIM]; DRAW YOUR STRENGTH FROM HIM [that strength which His Boundless Might Provides].

11 PUT ON GOD'S WHOLE ARMOR [the armor of a HEAVY-ARMED soldier which God supplies], that YOU MAY BE ABLE SUCCESSFULLY to STAND UP against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

As Single Moms, we can sometimes be short on time and end up being IMPATIENT with our children. Just because WE WANT something done NOW, does NOT mean our children understand it. In the process of TRYING to GET IT DONE when WE WANT, God still wants us to ACT in a way that is LOVING to our children and PLEASING to Him!

We may resort to tactics that are NOT KIND, that are THREATENING & ABUSIVE in nature, just to make our children MOVE towards what we want in the moment but are NOT BEST from God's Perspective!

We as LEADERS of our homes must LEARN to BE STRONG IN THE LORD and IN the POWER of HIS MIGHT...by CONTINUALLY PRAYING and TRUSTING GOD to MOVE our children in their HEARTS as we CONTINUE BEING GOOD EXAMPLES of God in front of them until HE CHANGES them.

Are YOU WILLING to WAIT for GOD to MOVE or will YOU TRY to MOVE them through your threats/abusive words SET UP by the enemy of your soul? CHOOSE THIS DAY WHO YOU WILL SERVE! ~ALH, Always LOVING HIM/Her

TURN THE LIGHT ON

John 1: 1-18 (MSG) THE LIFE-LIGHT
"1-2 THE WORD was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. THE WORD WAS GOD, in READINESS FOR GOD from day one.

3-5 EVERYTHING was CREATED THROUGH HIM; NOTHING—not one thing!—CAME INTO BEING WITHOUT HIM. What came into existence was LIFE, and the LIFE WAS LIGHT to LIVE by.The LIFE-LIGHT blazed out of the darkness; the darkness COULDN'T put it out.

6-8 There once was a man, his name JOHN, SENT BY GOD to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.

9-13 The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life HE brings into Light. HE WAS IN THE WORLD, the world was there THROUGH HIM, and yet the World DIDN'T even notice.He came to HIS own people, but they DIDN'T WANT HIM. 

But WHOEVER DID want him, WHO BELIEVED He was who He Claimed and would DO what HE SAID, He made to be their TRUE SELVES, their CHILD OF GOD selves.These are the GOD BEGOTTEN, NOT blood-begotten, NOT flesh-begotten, NOT sex-begotten.

14 THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND BLOOD, AND MOVED into the neighborhood. We saw the GLORY WITH OUR OWN EYES, the ONE-OF-A-KIND GLORY, like Father, like Son, GENEROUS inside and out, TRUE from start to finish.

15 John pointed HIM out and called, “THIS IS THE ONE! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. HE has always been ahead of me, has always had the FIRST WORD.”

16-18 WE ALL LIVE OFF OF HIS GENEROUS BOUNTY, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses,and then this EXUBERANT GIVING AND RECEIVING,This ENDLESS KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING—

ALL CAME THROUGH JESUS, THE MESSIAH.

No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This ONE-OF-A-KIND God-Expression, WHO EXISTS AT the very HEART of the Father, has made HIM PLAIN as day."

Our LIFE CHANGES for the BETTER (inwardly first) as we BELIEVE in what HE SAYS! We've done it all BEFORE...WITHOUT Him...and can SEE what a MESS of things we have made on our own. 

Just like FUMBLING AROUND in the dark TRYING to find something...we can't SEE what we are SEEKING too clearly. Oh but when we TURN the LIGHT ON we can SEE the MESS we've made along away when we didn't KNOW what was HIDDEN in the dark. But we are also are ABLE to SEE where we are GOING and FIND what we are SEEKING much FASTER!

You know like...

That MAN you KNOW you SHOULDN'T have gotten involved with just because he paid you some attention that you hadn't felt in awhile.

That credit card/loan that you AGREED TO even though you KNOW you said you were TRYING to get out of debt.

That job you thought would bring in MORE MONEY but is KEEPING you from spending MORE TIME with your family and getting to church.

That decision you made WITHOUT given one thought to ASKING GOD about it because YOU WANTED what YOU wanted at that moment.

Those people you've been spending TOO MUCH TIME with who are helping to LEAD you further from God than TO HIM.
In THIS LIFE...We NEED THE LIGHT...of HIS WORD!.HE makes things SO MUCH CLEARER... more VISIBLE...and QUICKER to FIND!

No More MOVING in the dark for YOU, YOUR FAMILY, or YOUR COMMUNITY...TURN on the LIGHT! LET THE WORD ILLUMINE your path...for what you need to KNOW for YOUR JOURNEY! It all STARTS with HIM anyway...The LIGHT...The LIFE...THE WORD!

~ALH, Always Loving Him/Her 

YOU MUST ACT UPON OUR FAITH TO SEE IT

Hebrews 11:5-7 (MSG)
5-6 By AN ACT OF FAITH, Enoch SKIPped DEATH completely. “They looked all over and COULDN'T find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD APART FROM FAITH. And why? Because ANYONE WHO WANTS to APPROACH GOD MUST BELIEVE both that HE EXISTS AND that HE CARES enough TO RESPOND to THOSE WHO SEEK Him.

7 BY FAITH, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he COULDN'T SEE, AND ACTED ON WHAT he WAS TOLD. The RESULT? HIS FAMILY WAS SAVED. His ACT OF FAITH DREW A sharp LINE BETWEEN the EVIL of the UNBELIEVING world and the RIGHTNESS OF the BELIEVING world. As a RESULT, Noah became INTIMATE WITH GOD.

When you REALLY BELIEVE (have FAITH) in GOD & in WHAT HE SAYS...your ACTIONS will SHOW IT! Are you SAYING that you have FAITH but your ACTIONS SHOW OTHERWISE? Let's SEE!

Here are a few examples...

- You SAY you are BELIEVING God for your future HUSBAND but you step OUTSIDE Of HIS GUIDELINES by FORNICATING (having SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE) with the person you are dating.

- You SAY God is LORD over your life, but you CONTINUE to hang on to that idol/thing HE has CONVICTED you to GIVE UP all because you BELIEVE it is TOO HARD for YOU.

- You SAY you TRUST GOD but won't GIVE TITHE (10% of your income) and OFFERINGS to your local church because you are LOOKING at what the Pastor is driving versus BELIEVING that God will HONOR your commitment to Him OVER what things LOOK LIKE.

- You SAY you are going to be a "Woman of INTEGRITY" but as soon as your boss ISN'T watching you are DOING something you know you would NOT be doing if you were in their VIEWING range.

FAITH is a MOVING BEYOND what we may PHYSICALLY SEE...and BELIEVING what GOD SAYS by ACTING, DECLARING and MOVING towards what HE SEES! It can be scary and OUTSIDE of our COMFORT ZONE but it will MOVE the results you are LOOKING for towards you.

Now, Are you WILLING to have enough FAITH in HIM (not in yourself) to DO IT His Way or not??? Go ahead and ACT UPON your FAITH to SEE what comes of it...surely you know He has nothing but the BEST for HIS BELOVED Daughter!

~ ALH, Always Loving Him/Her

DIE TO SELF

Psalm 139:23-24 MSG
INVESTIGATE MY LIFE, O God, find out EVERYTHING ABOUT ME; CROSS-EXAMINE AND TEST ME, GET a CLEAR PICTURE of what I’m about; SEE for yourself whether I'VE DONE anything wrong— then GUIDE ME on the road TO Eternal LIFE. 

Colossians 3:12 AMP
CLOTHE YOURSELVES, as God’s own CHOSEN ones (His Own Picked Representatives), [who are] PURIFIED AND HOLY AND WELL-BELOVED [by God Himself, by PUTTING ON behavior marked by] TENDERHEARTED pity and mercy, KIND feeling, a LOWLY OPINION of yourselves, GENTLE ways, [AND] PATIENCE [which is TIRELESS AND LONG-suffering, AND has the POWER TO ENDURE whatever comes, with GOOD temper]. 

How often do you EVALUATE your actions? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Never?

EVALUATING what YOU ARE DOING that NO LONGER FITS who YOU are IN CHRIST can bring NEW LIFE to your circumstances. You can't CONTINUE to DO the things you USED to do, and EXPECT God NOT to DEAL with YOU on it...HE LOVES YOU TOO MUCH! Just because you've ALWAYS done something...DOES NOT mean it is GOOD for YOU!

Sit, Pray, Declare, Meditate on and LISTEN to what God has to say about...

- How you are TREATING your children/family/others
- That MAN/WOMAN you are dating ...
- The CONTROL you LIKE to have...
- Those PURCHASES you are making...
- The MUSIC you are LISTENING to...
- The CONVERSATIONS you are having...
- The PEOPLE you are hanging around...
- The FOODS you are eating...
- WHATEVER HE REVEALS to YOU

...that has to MOVE OUT of YOUR LIFE in order for you to get where GOD PLANS for YOU to GO. You just need to SEARCH the Scriptures on the TOPICS that came to mind as you read this post...THEN LET the Holy Spirit LEAD YOU to what is on the HEART of God and where YOU stand in comparison to His Word to You and THEN OBEY what you HEAR!

STAY BLESSED by MOVING by FAITH! 

ALH, Always Loving Him/Her
Erica Campbell – A Little More Jesus