Soak in Him

As I am sure many others do, I find myself spending the majority of my days putting out fires in my life. We become so busy dealing with immediate problems that it becomes difficult to find the time or have the energy to do much else. I was struggling this week about what I was going to write about and I just kept praying and mediating over God’s promises and Word. A couple nights ago, God told me to write down what He was going to share with me. I wanted to share God’s Words with you all, because I knew that what He was telling me was not meant for my ears only.

“Throw out what you think you know and what you do not know. You are unsure, confused, anxious and guilt-ridden because you trust too much in your own thoughts and feelings than you trust in Me, in Who I am, My nature and what I can do. You cannot foreshadow what I am doing or not doing, so stop trying to and stop fretting. Just fix your eyes on Me and My promises and the fact that I can and will do all things in your life. Do not fear. Instead, abide in My nature.  You are unable to fully grasp Who I am and what I can do. Know this, My daughter, and do not take it lightly. It works out...all of it!

You are so loved, admired, respected and seen. The cloak has now been lifted, so expect to be seen and embrace this new fresh love, anointing, and season. I love and adore you, and there is absolutely nothing you could do that would make Me love you less. Fear not, fret not. Do not shut off your heart, for this is a trick of the world and I despise that. Hold open the door.  Breathe, relax, rest.

Again, it is already been worked out for your good and benefit, so trust it. Like a flowing river, lay, relax, rest, and abide in Me. Allow me to float you where I may. Forget what you think or thought you knew about Me. Wake up refreshed in the morning. Rest my love. I am holding you.”

The analogy of a flowing river has really gripped me because this is not the first time God has placed this type of visual within my Spirit. Often, we get so caught up in life that it becomes difficult to enjoy the float we have down the river with God. We spend the majority of our time fighting such a strong current that, in turn, we become winded, frustrated, and tend to want to give up. If we would just allow ourselves to stop fighting the current and go with the flow of the river, we would be much less weary and drained. The key to doing this is by making an interactive decision to let God carry us where He pleases instead of fighting the route He has planned for us to take. The verse I am reminded of is located in the Book of Matthew:

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:30 NIV) 

Soaking in God is a willful act of resting and waiting on God. It is being saturated in God’s presence. You sit quietly and still, allowing God to pour His Spirit all over you. In this day and age, many people do not make the time for this to happen. Believe it or not, it is felt in their hearts, minds and souls every day. To soak is to become fully immersed in something; it is not a dip of a toe. It is absorption.  When we are absorbed in God, it spreads throughout all areas, to everyone and everything that matters most. This includes our minds and our hearts to our families, loved ones, and careers. When we are soaked and immersed in God daily, there is no room for anxiety, fear, or lack.  In God, we are made whole.  

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1John 1:5 NIV)

Whether you are facing vast obstacles, daily frustrations or are in a place of harvesting, you should be soaking in God daily. 

“There is not one thing in our day that will fulfill us more than soaking in presence of Jesus.”-Sarah Martin 

About the Author :

Leilani is a single mom to a beautiful 4 year old little girl. She is in love with the Creator of the stars. Her mission is simple yet so big, to encourage and bring Jesus to all in need. To bring hope by loving people, writing, photography, music, poetry/spoken word and meeting people right where they are. God's Grace is her air.

Putting Your Best Face Forward

Today, we live in such a busy culture that we often lean toward comfort and speed when it comes to our appearance. We have school, jobs, families, friends, errands, and just life in general to worry about, so we often forget to take care of ourselves too. With the chaos of daily life, our wardrobe and makeup is sometimes the last thing on our minds. With this in mind, I felt it necessary to explain to you all why putting the effort in our appearance is worth the time. We have the opportunity to feel more confident by presenting ourselves a little nicer, so why not take it?

The first reason why you should put your best face forward is because it enriches the experience of your day. Think about when you wear your favorite outfit or if you fix your hair nicely that day. It makes you stand a little taller, and you walk a little more confidently. There is a popular saying of, “When you look good, you feel good; and when you feel good, you do good.” I believe it one-hundred percent. 

Now, let me give a disclaimer here: by no means am I saying that I believe women should get up and plaster their faces in makeup, do up their hair like they are on a red carpet, and wear new and expensive clothing.  Every woman has her own personal style and way she likes to present herself. The concept of “look your best” really applies to however you feel most confident. What I am really trying to point out here is that sometimes opting for hair that has just been thrown back and wearing that dingy old t-shirt can close off some opportunities. Someone may call and invite you to do something that day spontaneously, but you more than likely will not feel like going because you do not look as presentable as you would like. If you already look a little nicer, you will more likely want to go out and see people because you are already ready. Looking your best gives an immediate sense of motivation and confidence. I do not know about you, but any time I have a particularly hard test or day coming up, I will wear my favorite outfit just to help me feel a little more confident about what challenge I need to take on. I instantly feel more productive. See what I am saying? Looking put together makes you feel put together and then you act like you have it all together (even if you may not at the moment).

The second reason it is important to look your best is because it gives you a chance to do something for yourself every day. 

I am a firm believer that taking care of yourself is a spiritual discipline. The Father cherishes us beyond comprehension, so why not cherish ourselves the same way too? Giving yourself a little extra time in the morning to look nice allows you to have some moments of solitude before entering the hectic day. Taking a little time for yourself is one of the greatest ways to respect yourself. You do not have to take hour after hour to get ready in the mornings, but a little extra time would never hurt. Instead of just rolling out of bed and putting on a t-shirt and throwing your hair up, opt to maybe blow dry your hair and put on your favorite shirt. Take five quick minutes to throw on a little under eye concealer, blush, and mascara. The tiniest things can make a huge difference. When you have taken the time to take care of yourself, I guarantee others will notice and respect you for it. 

However, you should only do this for your own satisfaction and confidence. It has nothing to do with how people judge you or what they think. So, I challenge you to spend a little time in the morning for a whole week to put some extra effort in looking nice, and I trust you will find that you walk with more confidence and motivation. A confident woman who respects herself is one of the best representations of the Father.

About the Author :

Ashlyn is a small town girl with a big heart for family, laughter, and all things beautiful. This history nerd enjoys taking walks, yoga, delicious food, and of course, fashion and beauty. She desires most to see a world where women have true and deep relationships with themselves through Christ.

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Are You Listening?

Something that I have noticed lately in the Christian news world and society in general, is how easily people are deceived by the words of men. Do not get me wrong, I have been guilty of it and chances are, you have been guilty of it yourself. However, this does not make it an exception.

There are so many pastors and preachers out there who do a magnificent job of spreading the Gospel and the Word of Jesus, but there are also many who are nothing but wolves in sheep’s clothing. I am not here to judge and bash someone's teachings. I am here to remind you that Jesus is your one and only Teacher. I am here to remind you not to be so reliant on the word of man and instead, remain steadfast to the Word of our Lord.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15 ESV)

It is so easy to get caught up in today's world. Thankfully, we are clothed in the armor of God from head to toe every single day. It is an armor that cannot be broken or dented. 

Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11 ESV)

Sad to say, the enemy has people within his tight grip to try and defeat not only Christ, but also all of God's children. If you want to stay strong and defeat the enemy in the midst of every curve ball he throws your way, prayer and God are the only two things that will help you accomplish that goal. The same goes for false teachings. The only way you can truly stay true to God's Word is if you approach The Almighty about it yourself. There is no way you can travel through this crazy world and try and muster up the strength yourself. It will not work.

One of the many ways the enemy tries to overcome the power of Christ and His followers is by using people on this earth to preach false teachings that go against the Word of God. Believe me when I say it is easy to fall for, especially when it is something that you want to here. If what you are hearing from someone is what you want to hear and sounds like a fairy tale, it is most likely wrong. What comes off as appealing to us is probably not from God.

For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. (Romans 16:18 ESV)

If Jesus preached the same message some ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified.

It is not our job to make assumptions and judgments about people who partake in false teachings, but it is our job to pray for them.

Sugar-coated preaching is dangerous for the soul. 

Do not fall for it. The only way you are going to truly know if what someone is saying is true is if ask God about it and dive into the Word yourself. Go forth and do your own research using the Bible and the Bible only. As Christians, the only moral teachings we should be listening to and following are the ones that Jesus teaches us in the Bible.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 ESV)

My best advice to all of you is to check the Word of God every time you hear someone make a claim about the truths of the Bible. We cannot fall so easily for the word of man. If we want to be true followers of Christ, His words should be our only words.

Pray that God will give you a strong and sturdy heart as opposed to a weak, frail one that will only lead you down the wrong path in the end.

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. (Romans 16:17 ESV)

The more I read the Bible, the more I realize that there are so many false teachings in the church today. There are an abundant amount of so called “preachers” out there who are teaching “prosperity,” “name it, claim it” messages and spending a lot of their time tickling some ears. At first, this teaching will come off as correct because you are going to feel good hearing it. It is a message that it is known for advocating the idea that God wants the best for you and that He will give you everything you want, whenever you want it. Rarely to never does it include anything about Jesus, persecution, the cross, or self-denial. Instead, the prosperity gospel approach teaches about a life that is all about you and what God can do for you.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3 ESV)

If a preacher, pastor, or evangelist, is not keeping their message solely on Christ, and does not address sin at its roots, they are not preaching the word of God. A feel good message does not mean a truthful message.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers song you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed, And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:1 ESV)

Beware of the prosperity gospel. Christianity is not about coming to Christ because He can fulfill all your needs. It is about coming to Christ because He is all you need. How would we feel if someone only used us for our right hand?

I am going to try to combat this as best as I can without coming off as negative here: 

Following Jesus is not going to make you wealthy. 

Following Jesus does not guarantee that you are going to be healthy. 

The message of Scripture is not that, in following Him, everything goes right, but that He is enough, regardless of the outcome. It is not about what Jesus can get you; it is simply about Jesus alone. He is enough.

“This assumes that the glory of Christ is our highest treasure, not health, wealth, family or even life. So preaching must continually show not that Jesus is the means to prosperity but that he is better than prosperity.” -John Piper

This false teaching, which is probably the most common false teaching out there, defeats two of the main factors in following Christ: Self denial and being born again. If you are taking advantage of Christ just so He can give you better things, you are reflecting the very opposite of self-denial and taking up your cross. Life is about Christ, not us. Second, to pray that God will give you a better house, better financial support, better health, etc. only means that He is bettering what you had before. You did not change.

Ladies, Jesus did not come here to serve your unregenerate appetites. He came to give you new appetites. This is why it is called being born again. This socalled ‘prosperity gospel’ teaches that you keep your life the same, using God to make it better.

There is nothing right about this. Because if you do this, then you do not truly know Him...at all.

Now this is a very wide topic, as you can tell from me jumping around so much, so I urge you to look into this yourself and pray about it.

This is not a subject that is commonly talked about, and it can be a bit controversial. My intent for this article was for you all to remember that Jesus is your only teacher. It is easy to be deceived by men and the words they speak. I also wanted to share this with you because it has been a red flag waving right in front of me recently, bright and clear. I wrote this with hopes that it will give you some insight on what is really going on in the world. Again, I did not want to come off as offensive, but God laid did lay on my heart and has made the truth very clear in Scripture.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits the world, not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8 ESV)

Remember:

1.  Pray that God will give you an alert heart and attitude.

2.  Do not let the words of man fool you so easily.

3.  Any time you hear someone say something Biblically or about God, check it yourself from the Word.

4.  Jesus is your ONE and ONLY teacher.

About the Author :

Haley Phelps is an energetic, care-free girl with a tremendous heart for Jesus and open arms that welcome everyone. She is the Vice President of Hope 4 Tomorrow, an organization aimed towards helping youth in Africa using The Gospel. She aspires to spread the love and light of Jesus everywhere she goes to everyone she meets through her everyday actions. Her time is typically spent baking, watching Disney movies, obsessing over kittens and studying that Bible.

Being Single is Not a Failure

"Being single is a gift."

"You still have time."

"God's timing is everything."

These are very familiar phrases that many, if not all of us single ladies have heard at one time (or a hundred) in our lives. And if I am being honest here, I get tired of hearing things like this.

Do You Want to Be Healed?

I teach dance every week and sometimes I have a ton of things going on that are pulling and tugging on me, emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Many times I have to teach a class and push beyond all that I am feeling or warring against and lean upon God. 

This is definitely one of those seasons. I teach self-care in all that I do but I do not always take care of myself. I think God keeps pushing healing to the forefront of my life because it is something He wants for not only my life but for all of children. 

One of my coworkers, as I listed the many things I have to do weekly, says to me, "Francine, if you do not remove some things from your schedule, you are going to burnout." I thought, Lord that is so funny because it is what I am preaching and teaching all the time," and it is something I have experienced first hand.

Being burnt out made all of the endeavors that I was passionate about seem empty and heartless. The love disappeared over the years and I did not want to have anything to do with what I enjoyed most. I have been away from these things for a season and now God is blessing me with new opportunities but I must remember to handle them with His care. I see the build up happening already but I realized that it was not just about all that I am doing, it is also about managing my mental health. 

There were insecurities, emotions and feelings stuffed down into my body and hushed over a long period of time. This left me in a place where I could not see things for what they really were because I was making everything about me and how it made me feel.

My pastor said, "Perception can be more powerful than reality." Sometimes what we perceive is not reality but because of how we interpret it, it becomes our experience. Insecurities or hurts that are not dealt with can be our lens and how we view those around us. Even the ones closest to us can look like the enemy because we have transferred one hurtful relationship or experience onto another; and every time you look at this other person or situation, there may be jealousy, anger, frustration, hurt, pain, rage, and more that comes forth. Sometimes we do not even want to deal with what we are feeling and what is coming up so we stuff it back down.

I have had friends treat me a particular way, not solely based on what I did but because what I did reminded them of someone else. They have even called it out before, and I must admit that I am guilty of this myself. We do not see how much baggage we bring to a relationship until the mirror image of it is staring us in the face. 

Many times we want to blame the person standing in front of us, though they may have done something to us but we also have to recognize that we are a reflection of all that has happened to us up until that very point. 

So this one person and one relationship cannot take on all the blame for all of hurt we have experienced because there is a trajectory of dysfunction that took place even before we were born; and possibly throughout your life that got you to the point where you are today. I am not to disregard anything that happened to you but I want you to see that there is a pattern.

There is a pattern that may be prevalent in all your relationships that you do not recognize and have not been able to see all this time. You cannot change how people treat you but you can change how you respond to them. 

How long are we going to continue to place the blame before we decide to move forward? Yes, healing takes times but hopefully you are evolving with each step you take. 

There may be some serious spiritual strongholds keeping their icy cold grip around the neck of your life, choking you to death. 

Do not let your pride keep you silent. You are making it harder on yourself, and eventually there will be nothing left that you carnally rely to uphold you; we have to lean upon the Lord. 

Only the love of Christ can free you. Ask the Lord to set you free because this is the season where Jesus is going to ask you if you want to be healed. Are you ready to take up your bed and walk after all these years? It is time to let go of the excuses.

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 

The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. (John 5:5-9, ESV).

About the Author :

Francine E. Ott is truly thankful to have a relationship with God and is seeking Him daily for guidance and any opportunities to walk closer with Him in truth and love. Francine is a choreographer/dancer, teacher, and soon to be counselor who has a heart to see God's transforming power, renew, restore, and heal the minds, souls, and bodies of people's lives.