I have a friend who has lost over 60 pounds in the last year.  She has done it slowly, eating healthy and working out, and staying consistent.  I truly admire her.  As someone who has struggled with my weight my entire life, I am inspired by her commitment.  She often posts pictures and comments about her journey, both the struggles and successes, on Facebook.   Last week she posted something that made me really think.  She said that even after losing the weight, she still picks up the clothes that are way too big now.  She even worries about taking up too much room when in a group and is self conscious about her size.  She also said that she still sees herself as though she is the same size before losing the weight.  As I read this, I thought "what?  why?  you look amazing!"  And then she said something that really caused me to think.  She said "when your body is changing, it takes your mind  a lot longer to catch up... I am ready for my mind to catch up and see the person I'm truly becoming but this too will take time."

Not only did this make sense, but it was very profound and insightful.  I've been thinking about people who hear the gospel, learn about Jesus and decide to accept Him and His sacrifice for their sins.  They choose to believe in Him and live their lives to serve Him.  So, they go to church, read the bible and Christian books, volunteer in church and do everything expected of them.  But often when faced with stress or disappointment, Christians act out in ways that are not considered "acceptable" or "Christ-like".  They go back to their old habits or coping mechanisms and are judged and condemned by those around them.  Have you ever wondered why?  Is it possible that they are changing, but that it is taking longer for their soul (mind, will and emotions) to catch up with their spirit?  Is it possible that even though we are saved and going to heaven, we may not yet see the person we are truly becoming in Christ?  

​When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our spirit is immediately saved and regenerated.  At that moment, we are secure in the hands of God and nothing can take us from Him.  We are His child, a joint heir with Jesus, blameless and free from condemnation, complete, healed, forgiven, loved, adored and anointed.  But we don't always feel like it because we still see ourselves as we were before.  Our minds are so powerful that what we think we are will determine how we behave and respond.  This is why the bible tells us to "renew our minds".  We have to constantly remind ourselves who we are.  Daily thinking on positive things and making declarations of what the bible says about us is vital to finally "seeing the person I'm truly becoming."  Yes, this will take time, but if we stay consistent, we will see the changes.  We will begin to see ourselves the way that God sees us and then we will begin to act like He sees us.  When you see yourself the way He sees you, everything changes.  You will walk in peace, receive and give grace and have joy like you've never known.  
​My prayer for you is that you are courageous enough to say "I am who God says I am".  Then read and declare what the bible says about you out loud so that you will hear it over and over and it will get deep in your soul.  I pray that your soul catches up with your spirit and that you will know who you truly are.  You are more valuable than you can imagine.

​Blesssings!

As we go through life, there comes a time when we have to make a decision about how we react to and what we can learn from hardship and crisis. I choose to be a Victor rather than a Victim! Yes, I have been victimized in many ways ever since I was a little girl, but what happened TO me is not WHO I am -it does not define me!

We sometimes don't realize that we are still acting like victims, even as Christians...How can we know? A victim thinks like this: "I am justified. I have a right. You owe me." The victim constantly feels entitled, looks inwardly and lives on the defensive. They are always looking back, reliving their painful experiences and blaming others for their problems.

A Victor has a different perspective: "I forgive.
I am grateful. I will succeed and help others succeed." The victor has learned to find the positives in negative situations and use them to move forward. They look outwardly and are optimistic. The victor says "this is who I am now and I have a great life ahead of me". They make a choice to take responsibility for their actions and to live with purpose.

We have a society full of people with victim mentalities who are victimizing others out of their own pain. And I believe that until they know their identity in Christ - who they really are and how very loved they are, they will not change. My prayer today is that I will love others without conditions, encourage without enabling and offer hope to those who are struggling. Blessings, my friends! Have a victorious day!

Just thinking about opportunities...they are always present in one way or another. We daily have the opportunity to grow, learn something, pray, trust God, believe and have hope.

We also have plenty of opportunities to be offended, focus on the negative, get angry, and criticize.

And the beauty of living in Christ is that we have the freedom to do any of these things. It's our choice. But remember what Paul said in 1 Cor. 10:23...he responded - You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is beneficial.

Yes, we can choose to do, act, say whatever we want, but before we do let's ask ourselves "is this good for me? Or beneficial to my life?" I confess that I woke up wanting to stay in bed and worry about some things this morning but knowing that would not benefit me in any way, I chose to get up and turn on my worship music and be thankful. Are the issues still present? Yes, but I feel much better about them! And who knows, Father God just might want me to speak life into one of His children today and I can't do that if I'm sleeping the day away.

I pray that we are all sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit today and make choices that benefit ourselves and the Kingdom. You are a precious daughter and you deserve the very best in life! Blessings!

​As we were driving to the park yesterday, my grandson and granddaughter were having a conversation in the back seat.  I wasn't really listening at first so I don't know what 5 year old Sophi said, but her brother, who is a year older, strongly declared "that's a lie!  You're a liar, liar, pants on fire!"  Her reply was "I am NOT a liar!  I am a princess!"  To which her brother very matter-of-factly responded to her " you're not acting like a princess".  Immediately, that precious, beautiful, impulsive, temperamental, adorable little girl tearfully replied, "but I AM a princess". 
Yes, you are, Sophi!

What you do does not change who you are.

That moment in the car today was such a sweet reminder to me of who I am.  I confess, I haven't acted like a princess, a daughter of the King, lately.  I have struggled with some old wounds, said some unkind things, gotten frustrated and angry, and felt like a failure as a woman of God.  But ladies, what we do, is not who we are.  

We have times when we feel good about ourselves and our walk with Christ.  We've held it together, stayed strong and treated everyone with grace and love.  We've read our devotionals, spent time with the Lord and been in church; and we feel confident in our relationship with Him.

And then there are days in our life when we struggle with controlling our thoughts and our anger.  Someone says something that triggers an old memory of pain, and out of that we react in a way we didn't expect.  We are short with our spouse, yell at our children and oversleep and miss church.  Suddenly we feel like a failure.  We begin to question ourselves and how God sees us.  We become ashamed and we do what Adam and Eve did - we hide.  We curl up in bed and cry alone.  We avoid church and people because we're afraid of judgement and condemnation.  We think God is disappointed in us and doesn't want to be with us.  

This is when the lies of the enemy can take hold of our thoughts and we have to make a choice - believe them or cast them down.  2 Corinthians 10:5.  And we must renew our minds by learning and believing what God says about us.  Romans 12:2.  
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Daughter, you are still a princess!  Nothing has changed.  God still loves you and adores you and wants to be with you.  This, precious one, is called grace.  There is nothing you can do that will change His heart for you.  You are not the mistakes you've made or the perceived failures of your past.  You ARE a Princess!  You are the daughter of the King of Kings, a joint heir with Christ, blessed, adored and highly favored. You are stronger than you think and more beautiful than you can imagine.  

No matter what you have done, what you think or how you feel, you are STILL a princess!
I pray that you become just as convinced of it as little Sophi is - she's going to do great things for the Kingdom!