Trust God & Obey Him...Then Watch Him Change Things!!!

Proverbs 3:5-12 (MSG)

^"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this."

If you are going through tough times with your FINANCES and feel like your job is STRESSFUL because of the demands, I want to SHARE my testimony with you to ENCOURAGE you to TRUST GOD...

"I was working at a job where I enjoyed the people but felt like the actual job was bondage to my personality and my time with my family...I had been there for 15 years and still was NOT able to get normal day hours or weekends off to get to church or do some of the family things that children need to enrich them spiritually and be consistent outside of the norm.I worked for a well-known industry which I THOUGHT was the best choice at the time because of the AMOUNT OF MONEY my hourly rate was SUPPOSED to pay. It LOOKED good only until I realized there were union dues, higher taxes, and MORE STRESS than wanted. 

So when I had had enough of the job dictating my life...I began GIVING AWAY my SUNDAYS to those who wanted to work more to make extra money...(since there was no overtime at the time), and I began PUTTING GOD FIRST in EVERYTHING...my time, my talents, and my treasures (money or anything else we value) I did it for almost two years and SUDDENLY God CHANGED my situation where I had the FREEDOM to worship and honor Him without being bond to a job format as I knew it.

Now the situation He used to MOVE me out of that job DID NOT LOOK pleasing because it came in the form of my father dying, me resigning from the job, and not knowing how I was going to get funds to pay my mortgage and other bills I was barely able to make on time....BUT GOD BLESSED me anyway allowed me to be HOME with my daughter the last year of high school...FOCUS on HIS WORD and STUDY and be able to enjoy life as well....So KNOW THAT GOD does NOT come as WE THINK He will...His Thoughts are always ABOVE our thoughts and His Ways are always ABOVE our ways!

God has KEPT ME through these last three years where I have had to TRUST HIM to provide EVERYTHING and MOVE as HE LEADS me to go. He is FAITHFUL and HAS PROVIDED...not to the level that I'm used to but I have what I NEED and I KNOW Him like I never knew Him before. So I say all of this to let you know to SEEK GOD for everything going on in your life and then OBEY HIM...it's WORTH it...'cause HE DOES KNOW more than we do!!!!

I Love You but MOST IMPORTANTLY God LOVES!!!

Apryl

P.S. Let this song encourage you until you see God bring it to pass for you...

Isaac Carree feat. James Fortune – But God

Keep Calm and LOVE Your Children

Ephesians 4:31-32
"We must REMOVE all bitterness, rage, anger, threats, and insults, with all malice. You must practice being kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving, one another, just as God through Christ has graciously forgiven you."

 I remember letting some of the simplest things set me off to yell or say something I would regret when I was trying to do it all as a single mom. I already had anger issues from my childhood that had NOT been healed yet and of course my child caught some of that as she was growing up. Now in hindsight, I see where if I had a better relationship with God I may have been able to safeguard my child from some of the hurt I'm sure was planted through my improper actions at the time of frustration.

But PRAISE GOD He is a REDEEMER of all that may have been stolen or lost....a GOD of GRACE where we are weakest. My child is now a more controlled parent because of her encounters with the "Old" me. Now with a more mature understanding from those experiences, I can say my grandchild is reaping the benefits of a more patient and less frustrated person.

I'm saying all of this to let you know that all though we fall short sometimes with our children, we can still REDEEM ourselves by being the MORE MATURE person to go and APOLOGIZE for our actions when it happens and to recognize they do not have the same experiences as you to do. This realization may help you to NOT be so REACTIVE in a moment of frustration. Also, think about if God did that same thing to us when He was frustrated with us. You can pray and mediate on the LOVE Chapter (1 Corinthians 13) to help STRENGTHEN you in the Spirit in order to fully walk in victory. But until then, REMEMBER TO just KEEP CALM...and LOVE YOUR CHILDREN...this too shall pass!
Kelli Williams – Love Wouldn't

Beauty Is Your Name

1 Peter 3:3-4: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles, and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather it should be that of your INNER self, the unfading BEAUTY of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

I've been noticing how so many women/girls seem to be overtaken by LOOKING a certain way more than BEING CERTAIN of the One Who is LOOKING for a relationship with them. Our TRUE BEAUTY comes from above and no amount of outer appearance will be able to cover up an inner void only meant to be feed by the ONE who made us...GOD! So today I want to share a short story I wrote last year that may help you with evaluating if you are relying on your outer beauty versus your inner beauty. I hope it INSPIRES you to be set FREE...

"I was listening to a song that I use to love to play over and over again – “Beauty” by Dru Hill. There is a part in the song that says, “Cuz my eyes have seen the glory, in the coming of your smile… Walks by me every day, her and love are the same. The woman that's stolen my heart, and Beauty is her name. I'm hoping I can make you mine, 'for another man steals your heart, and once this Beauty is mine, I swear we will never be apart.” Then, the scripture 1 Peter 3:3-4 came to mind, 'Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles, and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather it should be that of your INNER self, the unfading BEAUTY of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.'"

Just in those few moments, I noticed the contrast between God’s view on beauty and the world’s view on beauty.  See everything the singer was singing about had EVERYTHING to do with outer appearance without any reference to the inward beauty of the woman. Sure he saw the beauty of her smile but what did he really know about her other than her outer appearance. Yet he sings that she has stolen his heart and he swears they will NEVER be apart just by her outer beauty.

I remember days when I thought my outer appearance was all that I needed to attract the kind of man, I hoped to marry and live happily ever after. After a few bad episodes with some male fool’s gold, I had to re-evaluate my initial thought. All that seemed to glitter in their lives was definitely not gold. I also was looking at appearances when I was selecting them to date. Men who on the surface had all the right words, appeared to be secure financially, seemed trustworthy in character, appeared to love me and look out for my best interest.

I remember one man telling me if I was his woman I would not be doing this or that. Another telling me if I kept doing whatever it was he didn’t like, that he was going to trade me in for a new model. Then the most memorable act of disrespect was the blatant lie to my face about the woman I could clearly see he was taking on a date.

Some men can make a woman feel like she needs to change this or change that if she is not secure in who she is, but mostly it has to do with how we see ourselves or feel about ourselves prior to any man coming along. We think that the outer beauty is the only thing he will see but we also carry an inner image that is just as evident as the outer image.

Maybe you are thinking you need to have sex with him to keep him, or you need to have bigger breast because he always seems to talk about that as a joke around others, or that you shouldn’t confront him about his wandering eye when you are with him. Take these actions as warning signs that it is time to move on.

Get to know yourself by getting to know God better. When you know what God says about you, no one else can come along and make you doubt what you know for sure. If your relationship with God is not in order, your relationship with anyone else will not be in order.

Outer beauty or any other thing will not be the glue to hold anyone together. We must have the radiant LIGHT of God in us to even attract the type of people that God would have for us. When we have the TRUE INNER BEAUTY of a gentle and quiet spirit it is only by way of the intimate time we have invested with the One who is Ultimate Beauty.

One thing that set me free from trying to manipulate attention towards my outer beauty rather than allowing my inner beauty to validate who I was, I began asking myself some inner questions to help me make decisions regarding my actions:

     1)      Why am I doing this?

     2)      Is this really who I am or am I masking a part of me when I do this?

     3)      How do I feel about myself right now?

     4)      How will I feel about myself after I do this?

     5)      Does this action value who God made me to be?

     6)      Am I devaluing the standards God as set for me to follow?

     7)      Whose approval will I gain with this action...God’s or someone else?

     8)      What does God’s Word say about this?

Beautiful and Beloved one,  you have all the beauty you need as you apply the BEAUTY of God’s Word to your heart and allow it to transform your inner self to a radiant beauty that exudes outwardly. No amount of outward appearance will be able to compare to the attractive beauty of a women exuding the Light of God from within. So allow God to pour His beauty into you then you will later be able to display His beauty to whomever He places in your path…Oh yes, Beauty is your name!

To read more about TRUE BEAUTY, go to... http://cindylumpkin.org/2012/08/in-search-of-true-beauty/

Faith Work

James 2:17

So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).

Being a Single Mom can be CHALLENGING some times but we must keep our eye on the END...where God wants us to go...by planning to MOVE STEP by STEP in FAITH.

We must PRAY, PLAN, and PURSUE! When we want to ... ACCOMPLISH a goal that LOOKS like it's going to take a lot to get it done, we must be FAITHFUL to it no matter what comes up in our life...because we will always have surprises in life...they are actually sent sometimes to TEST if you will CHOOSE FAITH over doubt, distraction, discouragement, delay, or defeat. We need to know that we are TRUSTWORTHY of the BLESSING we desire.

However, we must FILL our Spirits in the WORD to be STRENGTHENED for the work. FAITH and WORK are companions! You can have all the FAITH you want but without APPLYING the FAITH what good is it??? Conversely, you can have all the WORK efforts but without the FAITH to go with it you will burn yourself out with SELF EFFORT. The key is to COUPLE/MARRY your FAITH with the WORK that has to be completed to get there.

Let's say you are a parent of a child who has been labeled by the world as learning disabled, but you BELIEVE your child "can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens" him/her. You will NOT ACCEPT what things look like at that moment because you BELIEVE otherwise. Then your ACTIONS will began to match what you BELIEVE because you will begin researching ways that others have OVERCOME that same situation and start taking the steps to COMBAT that challenge.

Like wise, you may want to be DEBT Free...you'll want to LOOK for opportunities that INCREASE your income while FREEING up your time for more of what you desire in your heart. Don't continue being POOR (Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly) because of what things LOOK like now. We must "PRESS toward the mark of the HIGH CALLING in Christ Jesus". God wants you BLESSED so you can BLESS others...for the Kingdom of God...it is NOT JUST ABOUT YOU...You are meant to be an INSPIRATION to your children and those around you so that they will DESIRE the God you know!

So GET on your knees, PRAY to God for His Help to make the right decisions needed, GET UP once you KNOW what He wants you to do and DO the WORK! STOP just ACCEPTING what life dishes at you...you are made to TAKE DOMINION, to RISE ABOVE your circumstances, and to SOAR like an eagle that WORKS WITH the wind to GLIDE where its FOCUSED to go!

How about you??? Are you GLIDING with God through your FAITH WORK??? If not, apply the steps mentioned above and FINISH your race to the end. Remember you are MADE to WIN with God's help!

http://open.spotify.com/track/61bUZL0jHtyILBPZmmtNXp