Yes, yes it is! I sneezed at work the other day and immediately turned to coworkers and exclaimed, “It’s just allergies, I promise!” LOL
The pollen on my car is crazy ridiculous! My eyes are itchy, watering…I’m sneezing like crazy.
Ahhh, welcome to allergy season in good ole Hampton Roads!
I went to Urgent Care last night because I was feeling miserable. I had been feeling “off” the past couple of days but I woke up feeling worse..body aches, chills, sore throat.
They did the swab tests and everything. Good news, I don’t have the flu or strep (or coronavirus) but I do have a viral infection with pharyngitis. I feel awful.
How’s your Friday going?
Y’all, I’m feeling deep tonight.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and wondering and reading about what I believe.
Satan is doing a number on me, causing me to doubt my salvation.
March 16 will be 17 years that I accepted Christ as my Savior. But what I’ve been wondering about lately is whether I acted on FEELINGS when I went to the altar or was it a true salvation experience.
And also….are my beliefs really my beliefs or are these beliefs what I was TAUGHT to believe growing up?
I asked my mom this question and she responded with: “Well what DO you believe?” I told her, “I believe Christ died for my sins and he is alive today! He will be coming again one day for his children.”
See, the problem I struggle with is sin. (Of course we ALL struggle with sin) but why do I continue to commit this one particular sin? Like Paul says in Romans,
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do but what I hate, I do.
Romans 7:15
I know that just because I am a Christian doesn’t mean I won’t fall sometimes. I get that. We’re fallen creatures and sin can get the best of us.
*sigh* I have so much going on in my mind. My thoughts are racing like crazy and I’m half wondering if I’m getting ready to go into a relapse with my bipolar disorder. My thoughts are everywhere. I can’t sit still.
See? That’s another issue I have. How can one be a bipolar Christian? Doesn’t one negate the other?
The bottom line is this: Do I believe what I believe? I realize that probably doesn’t make sense…lol. But are my beliefs actually what I believe or is it just beliefs I was TAUGHT to believe my entire life.
I’m struggling tonight, y’all. If you wouldn’t mind saying a prayer for me that Satan will LEAVE and stop trying to make me doubt my salvation.
“’Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’”- 1 Samuel 16:7
This is me today.
This is me a LOT lately. LOL
What kind of bird are you? Are you a night owl, early bird or an exhausted pigeon?
Y’all please pray for Nashville! They were hit by a tornado late last night/early this morning. Nashville is my second home! I lived there from 2002 to 2008.
The damage is devastating. I have so many friends who still live in the area and thanks to the Facebook “Mark Yourself Safe’ feature, I was able to see that they are all okay!
So far I read that 22 people have died. Such a sad, tragic day. I can only imagine the horror of waking up in terror at the large freight train sound of the tornado and having to find shelter quick.
I’ve never experienced a tornado. They scare me so much.
Continue to pray for the city and for the people who have lost loved ones and have lost their homes.
#NashvilleStrong
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Romans 14:19
As believers, we aren’t always going to agree on everything. And that’s why we should just “agree to disagree” sometimes when the issue at hand is leading nowhere.
It is with a heavy heart that I write this. For I have decided to leave Prevail Church. I will not go into details as to why but realize this, this decision did not come lightly. After careful consideration and prayer and digging into God’s Word, leaving is the decision I have ultimately made.
So for the next several weeks/months I will be visiting other churches in the area to find one that I feel God is leading me to.
I am leaving peaceably. I have no ill will towards any person at Prevail. This was just a decision that had to be made.
I need all you prayer warriors out there to please pray for me right now. There is a lot of drama going on with my church and it’s really breaking my heart. It’s literally tearing blood relatives apart.
I just don’t know how much more of this I can take! It hurts. So bad.
Yes, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and wihthers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
John 15:8 (NLT)
Bearing much fruit is not optional for a Christian. It is the calling of every Christian. It is the result of being obedient to the Word of God.
We are called to live in a way that pleases the Lord, in a way that keeps us walking with the Lord and keeps us living by His Word. By His commandments.
So how do we do this? How do we “abide” in Him?
When the words of Jesus abide and have power in my heart and mind such that I obey them by the power of the Spirit, then the fruit of the Spirit, the virtues of Jesus, will also come forth in my life.
-Vern Nicolette, What Does It Mean to Bear Much Fruit?
Vance K Jackson tells us to: “Stay on your post. Stay on your guard….stay focused. Keep producing. God prunes those who continue to produce.”
We are to be obedient. We are to stay grounded. Stay in God’s Word. Walk with the Lord.
So how can I bear fruit? The fruit of the Spirit can only come forth in me by the power of the Spirit. No amount of self-effort will bear spiritual fruit. It requires a total surrender of my self-will to God so that I can obey Jesus’ words in the daily situations of life, in order for the fruit of the Spirit to come forth instead of my own nature. Such a total surrender occurs when Jesus is my first love, and reigns in my heart and mind. Then it is His will—His Word—that is done in my life, and not my own will. Then the bearing of fruit—the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of obeying Jesus’ words—will come forth quite naturally.
Vern Nicolette, What Does It Mean To Bear Much Fruit?
John 15:10, “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Fathers commandments and remain in His love.” (NLT)
John 15:12: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” (NLT)
I’m currently reading “Everybody, Always” by Bob Goff and it’s really good. In this book, Goff is telling us that we need to love everybody and we need to love them always. Yes, even the difficult people in our lives. By loving everybody, we are obeying God’s commandment! I haven’t gotten far in the book but already I have come to realize that loving others, while hard at times, is something I need to focus on.
It’s something we ALL need to focus on.
Keep on producing that fruit!
LOVE this post! Powerful and definitely worth the read! Gives you a lot to think about!
The direction of the church is a sensitive topic. If 100 people attend, you have at least 100 different opinions about how the church should function. Should it have pews or chairs? Stained glass? Contemporary, traditional, or blended music? Sunday School or small groups? Then comes the bigger schism – should the direction be set by committees, the congregation at large, or the pastor? I can already sense the steam rising with some of you who are reading this. While God should be setting the direction for His people to follow, this is not always the case.
This post is sparked by a church that recently exercised its will over God’s. The church has a history of heartless tradition funded by old money. After years of a pastor who pacified the people, it voted to be ushered into a new era. With lip service, they vocalized their desire for change…
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