In Everything Give Thanks!!!

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5: 18)

     Tis the season to be thankful, but do we really need a holiday to tell the Lord thanks and express our sincere gratitude for not only all the wonder things He has done for us but just for the great God He is??!!  Just tonight I was in the vanity across the hallway from my nephew's bedroom. His mom was getting him ready for bed and he was saying his prayers.  As I listened to him pray, I noticed that his prayer was simply giving thanks! My six year old nephew prayed a continuous prayer of thanksgiving!!!  The only thing my nephew asked the Lord for was a good night's rest and protection from hurt, harm, and danger.  And this was at the end of the prayer after he had given God thanks for everything else!  It amazed me how we as adults, myself included, can pray and just ask God for things the entire time, with a lot of what we ask for being temporal things as opposed to things of the spirit.  We ask for jobs, money, a husband, a new car; all things that cannot go with us at the end of this journey called life!  What we should be doing is thinking on the goodness of Jesus and constantly thanking Him for what He has done, is doing, and will continue to do in our lives.  My nephew really embodied the essence of the scripture presented in 1Thessalonians 5:18 by literally giving thanks for everything.  He thanked the Lord for our house, everything in his room, his parents, and their ability to have the money to buy him toys.  I could feel the sincerity of his prayer and thought I should be more like him and take the time to thank God for EVERYTHING!  That is what God wants us to do; give thanks for everything!!!
     So during this season, while you are with friends and family or maybe even alone for the holidays, take the time to do God's will for your life and thank Him for everything.  Nothing is too small for which to be thankful.


Praying Blessings Upon You All,

Pretty Divine

Yes I Will Trust You Lord!!!

     Summer 2008 was the best and worst summer of my life.  I had the best job I'd ever had as a Zoo Camp Counselor and was about to embark upon my senior year in college.  But then, in the very first week of June, God called my step-father home to be with Him and what a shock it was to us all.  Family, church, community; everyone grieved the loss of this great preacher, husband, and father who left behind his wife of almost nine years, my mother.  To say the least, this was a difficult time for my family with the sudden loss of someone so special.  We didn't know where to turn except to each other.  During this time, my role in my family changed from me being the spoiled youngest child, to the nurturer and protector of my mom.  I found strength in God and was able to strengthen and encourage my mom during what was probably the worst season of her life.
     In preparation for the funeral my brother and I decided to do a tribute in the form of a song.  We sang Donnie McClurkin's "I'll Trust You Lord".  To me it was more of a way to minister and comfort my mom when she needed it most.  This song is a series of questions that make you think of how no matter what occurs in your life, one must trust God.  Even though we found ourselves angry and confused, we had to give the situation to God and honor Him with our trust, knowing that God doesn't make any mistakes.
     What does this mean to you?  Are you grieving over the loss of a loved one?  Are you searching for that career to set you up for the future?  Are you coming out of a bad situation and feel like all hope is gone?  Don't worry, don't fret! Your blessing you'll get, if you wait on it! He'll do it, just for you!!!  Just place whatever your current trial or tribulation in God's hands and say "Yes I Will Trust You Lord!"

Praying Blessings Upon You All,

Pretty Divine

It's the God in Me!!!

     I am one who is trying to do better at self evaluating.  I want to be all that God has created me to be, and throughout that process I am striving to evaluate myself daily.  Not only on my job, but at home, with family, and even while spending time with friends.  Not all of my feedback about myself to myself is good and I am always finding things to change and perfect.  Ultimately I want to grow as a person and be a Virtuous Woman who possesses the Fruits of the Spirit, and is endowed with the very Essence of who God and Jesus are!  That being said, I have noticed a change in myself that has really affected most areas in my life.  Being that it is a positive change, I am overjoyed about its presence in the aforementioned aspects of my life!  Upon recently, I have noticed a positive and worry-free attitude about myself (concerning my job and where I am at this point in life) and I can only attribute it to one thing; The God in Me!!! Every morning I wake up thanking God for all that He has done and all that He is and then I ask to Him or actually claim victory over my day.  When people, or even I, ask myself about this change and positivity, I know that it is not me, myself, but the God in me.  It is almost as if it is beyond my control and even when I want to have a negative outlook or think about where I'd rather be and what I'd rather be doing, the God in me steps in and takes over!! And I am thankful for that.
     If you're in a situation that is not typical of how you pictured your life, but as you're in that situation, you and others around you notice that you have a calm; worry-free demeanor; just attribute it to the God in You!!

Praying Blessings Upon You,

Pretty Divine

Hates sin, but Loves the sinner

     I don't know about anyone else but when I try to do good, evil is always present.  And when I succumb to the devices of the enemy I always feel horrible and immediately repent.  I know that no sin is greater than the other but it is hard for me as a human to equalize the wrong I do when I feel that some sins have a greater weight than others.  Not excusing our sin by any means but the Word says in Romans 5:8 " But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

     Now who wouldn't serve a God that loves you so much, that he would lay down his life for a friend!  God hates sin, but loves you and I so much that in the midst of our sin against Him, He still loved us enough to die on the cross for us.  We just have to love him enough to abhor evil sin and flee from it to his arms.  It is not enough to just honor God with lip service although he abides in the praises of His people.  We need to honor Him through outward, observable service in order to reach others to motivate them to do the same.  

     There is nothing more to say but "Go, and sin no more." (John 8:11)  Know that God loves you, walk in authority, and when evil is present step boldly and claim, "I shall not fall for there is One who loves me so much that He died for my sins!"

Praying Blessings Upon You All,

Pretty Divine