The World’s Viewpoint Needs a Change

“Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.” 1 John 4:5 NLT

 

Like many of you, my heart has been heavy for the family of Trayvon Martin. Sadly, it is much like the heaviness I felt for the families of Sandy Hook Elementary not so long ago.

I have three children. I cannot imagine how I would feel if I lost one or any of them in such a horrific manner. I believe I would be devastated and grieved beyond belief. There would be no words, no comfort, no relief, and no justifiable explanation, especially for killing a child- my child.

As a parent, I would feel guilty for not being there or somehow protecting my child. I would beat myself up over why I did not teach them enough about self-defense. The haunting question of why I couldn’t save them would compel me into madness. I would wish for more time to spend with them and hug them without letting go. I would profess my love for them every moment of the day.

I feel the fear now, as my family and I go out into the world each passing day. There is a lingering “what if” scenario that plays out in my mind. I wonder if we will make it back. I wonder if we as a family or individually will be confronted with the horror of a violent person waiting to ambush us. What would I do if I feared for my life or my family? Would I take a life to protect us?

Nonetheless, it is clear that the fear that grips my heart is compelled by the escalating ignorance of this world and its views. The world we live in has allowed its very morality to suffer because it chose to accommodate convenience.

The world used to teach and emphasize the protection of children by all means necessary. At one time, children were considered special possessions regarded as worthy inheritors of this world. At one time, adults were especially preparing a world worthy of inheriting.

Somehow, the view point of commitment to the future became an inconvenience. I further suggest that the commitment was broken right about the time when people who spoke the truth were killed for doing so. The people who tried to effect changes for the good were killed for doing so. The people who fought for the rights of other people were killed for doing so.

The world that once boldly pronounced, “We, the People,” changed its viewpoint. The longstanding viewpoint to protect and defend at all costs, progressively killed everything that was true, good, and right. Truth, goodness, and righteousness were all deemed inconvenient by the standards of this world. The world taught people how to kill the truth, goodness, and righteousness in this world.

Everything that is true, good, and right has the face of a child. Suddenly, people were free to kill, molest, corrupt, neglect, and abandon children like wild animals. Indeed, the world we live in wrote a license for open season on our children. Now, the blood of children, our children, speaks from the grave.

The world once taught that we are entitled to justice. What is the standard for justice now in this world? Could it be that justice is now based on convenience? In the lurking depths of a painful heart, would there be that indignant desire to retaliate and seek revenge. Would upstanding citizens stoop to the level of a killer believing it would free them from their pain? Would they convince themselves that killing was justified because their heart hurt so much? The laws of this world teach that vigilante killing is unacceptable and punishable. However, is this not a contradiction based on the learned judgment that people we fear should die? Should we not seek justice on our own if the entitlement is lost due to someone’s convenience.

The point is that this world has taught many erroneous viewpoints. The world cannot even comprehend its own contradictions. By substituting principle for convenience, the world now adapts to its erroneous viewpoints instead of enforcing correction.

Therefore, it is not the world or the people we must focus on. We must focus on the reflection we see in the mirror. The reflection that knows the difference between right and wrong. The reflection that understands that the world will never change unless we change ourselves first. We must focus on the motivation and the mission for the change we wish to accomplish. Our children. Save our children.

The World We Live In Needs A Change. We cannot live in fear of continuing to do what is right. We cannot resort to the world’s ways of handling situations by accommodating convenience. We must all do our part to restore truth, goodness, and righteousness that this world once stood for. Our children are depending on us.

WHERE IS YOUR FAITH

Here’s Petey! ❤

MATTHEW 6:25-33

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

More often than not, when I hear people speak or when I am reading I hear what I call, “TITLES” in my head. This morning while reading it happened again. What I read was, “Where is you faith,” but what I heard was “Where IS you Faith?” Is your faith in yourself? Is in the government, your job, your bank account, your friends, or is it in GOD?

So many times because of disappointments, distractions, and let downs we tend to lose our faith in God or we just lay it aside not really realizing that it was ever missing. When we do that we unknowingly are putting our faith in ourselves or other things and not in God. Through the distractions and disappoints that arise in our lives the enemy has lulled us in to putting our shield of faith down. God does not want us worrying about anything at all. I know that is a hard thing to comprehend sometimes especially when life is hitting you hard but its the truth. We see from the scripture God is saying, “What are you worrying for, if I can feed the birds, if I can clothe the fields with beautiful flowers, then surely I can handle what you need.” Its our job to BELIEVE that, to put our faith and trust in Him and His word.

Philippians 4:19 And My God shall Supply ALL my needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.

So today, I challenge you to ask yourself, “Where IS my faith, where did I lay it down?”

CHANTEEA

HAPPY “RE” NEW YEAR!

HAPPY "RE" NEW YEAR!.

Accessing the Spirit of the Lord

Created by Monica Cannady using MS Powerpoint

The Lord led me on a wonderful bible study last week regarding the Spirit. I stumbled on Hosea 4:12 that says, “My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God” (NIV). Right away my eyes fell on spirit of prostitution. In the prior verses, Hosea states that the priests, prophets, and people were sinning to the point of destruction. The spirit of prostitution that was on them and they were unable or unwilling to overcome it.

A spirit can simply be defined as an angel or a demon. Dictionary.com further defines it as a divine influence working in the human heart, feelings, or mood. The people who Hosea was addressing had a heart for prostitution and adultery.

When we are baptized as believers, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:38, after Peter informs the crowd that they crucified Jesus he says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Although we have this amazing gift of the Holy Spirit, we are not accessing the power that the Spirit possesses. Instead, we are functioning on our own human spirit. The human spirit was contaminated when Adam and Eve ate the apple. When they physically consumed the apple, they accessed the sinful nature of mankind.

The Spirit of the Lord is embodied with power. In Exodus 35:30-35, Moses conveyed to the Israelites that the Spirit of the Lord had been given to the chosen people: “Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³¹ and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— ³² to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ³³ to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. ³⁴ And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. ³⁵ He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers”

These men are examples of being filled with the Spirit of the Lord and were given wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all kinds of skills. When we possess the Spirit of the Lord we have access to His power and these gifts too. What spirit are we accessing and why? Is it a human spirit or the Spirit of the Lord? Is it spirit we need to overcome or are we unwilling to do so?

Honestly as of late and in addition to the usual demands of life, I have felt a spirit of tension and fear as the holidays approach. In general, I fear the unexpected. Since we have moved away from our family, our holidays will be different and I do not know what to expect. There are no travel plans as usual. There are just things on my heart that I have to deal with because the human spirit tries to rule me. These are spirits that I constantly have to battle against and rebuke. The sinful human spirits take our power away. It is important to be on guard, read the Word, and stay prayed up.

I have learned to extend an invitation to God in prayer to please grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. My prayers access the Spirit’s power. If I commit my spirit to him he will rescue me. Therefore, I have to believe that the holidays will be just as wonderful because God planned it all out in advance.

Here are a few biblical references to those human spirits that we need to pray off of us.

Evil/Impure Spirits- Mark 3:11; Mark 5:2-8, Mark 7:25, 1 Timothy 4:1

Embittered Spirit – 1 Samuel 30:6; Psalm 73:21-22

Haughty Spirit- Proverbs 16:18

Anger- Ecclesiastes 7:9

In obedience, we should commit our spirit to the Lord. Our goal is live our life by the Spirit and work toward gaining the fruits of the Spirit (Romans 8:41). In doing so, our spirit can be a lamp God uses to light someone’s path. Fred Hammond’s When the Spirit of the Lord song says, “When the spirit of the lord comes upon my heart, I will dance like David danced.” Start dancing, singing, and praying today and let that song led you into accessing a godly spirit.

Prayer Starter

Heavenly Father, I want and need the power of Your Spirit. Please attend to me as I fight off the human spirit that drives me to feel fear, anger, bitterness, pride, and a multitude of sinful spirits. Help me not to succumb and dwell in the negativity around me day after day. I believe you have good plans for me and want the best for me. You have plans to prosper me and give me a future. Your love for me has no limits. In Jesus’ name I pray for your Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to come upon me this day and every day. Amen!

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ISAIAH 40:31

I know it’s been a minute since I have written anything, I have been trying to gather my thoughts. I am still in the P.E.C.K.ing process and lovin it. Although I have hatched and am on my way to the “New Beginning” that God has for me, I have learned some things in the process. It is my prayer that you can learn from this process as well.

Sometime in August, I listened to Bishop Jake’s preach a message entitled, “Don’t Die In The Nest”. This was way before The Woman Thou Art Loosed conference. It’s funny how God had me to hear that message even before I heard “The Pecking Order and knew that I was a “Chick” that wanted out. I understand this message even more so now as it ties right in with what was preached at the conference.

Since I have hatched I’ve noticed lately that I have just been sitting in the nest not really doing anything, feeling comfortable, yet uncomfortable at the same time if that makes sense. The nest is a comfortable place, it was designed to be that way, at least for a while anyway. It was also designed to be a place of protection from the elements of the outside world, but it’s not a place for me to stay forever, especially after hatching. Now part of this sitting is necessary for my growth. As with any baby chick it is necessary to be fed by their parents. It is during this process that God has to hand feed me the necessary food and encouragement that I will need in order to gather the strength that I need to fly out of the nest. I have received some of this necessary nourishment while at other times just like a stubborn child I refused to eat what I knew was only going to help me.

God has begun to stir my nest because it has become a place of comfort. Sure I have hatched and I’m free, I’m out of the shell, but there is more to this then meets the eye. The process of life is always evolving. That New Beginning I talked about in my previous post, it can only take place as you spread your wings and fly out of the nest. Like the egg I had to peck my way out of was a place of frustration so now the nest has become the same. My Father is stirring the nest. He is saying it is time to spread your wings and learn to fly. Get out of the comfort zone or you will die here. Life will pass you by. I have noticed my self struggling to fly lately. So since I am a baby chick I decided to research the “Fledging Process”, which is the process in bringing up a young bird until it is ready to fly.

After the bird reaches a certain age the momma bird will start to fly over the nest with the food causing the baby bird to stretch upward out of the nest. As the baby continues to struggle to reach upwards its strength continues to grow. The baby will have days where it is ready to stretch and reach and days when it will say I give up, not today momma, this is too hard, but the momma never gives up on its baby, daily she encourages her baby bird with the reward of what is to be if the baby continues on in this process of fledging. Soon the baby bird will then have gained enough strength to hop out of the nest and take its first flight and once out of the nest the baby is rewarded.

After reading about the fledging process it all begin to make more since to me especially since I felt like I had hatched but wasn’t going anywhere. It almost felt like I was going back to place of frustration I mentioned earlier. I guess I didn’t realize that I would need to grow stronger in some areas before I could take off and fly. I needed to deal with some fears and other issues that were still trying to hold me down as well. I didn’t realize that the mistakes and struggles I was facing were actually there to strengthen me. They are a necessary part of the process of becoming all I am created to be.

I read the following quote today that kind of summed it all up for me. It’s by C.H. Spurgeon, taken from a book written by John Stotts entitled, The Birds Our Teachers. It reads:

“Brother, your failure, if you fail, will begin in your faith. The air says to the eagle, Trust me; spread thy broad wings; I will bear thee up to the sun. Only trust me. Take thy foot from off yon rock which thou canst feel beneath thee. Get away from it, and be buoyed up by the unseen element.’ My brethren, eaglets of heaven, mount aloft, for God invites you. Mount! You have but to trust him.

Isn’t that the key to it all? Trusting God. Taking that step of faith out into the unknown. Yesterday in church my pastor said, “Your Blessing is in motion.” How true is that. You cant just sit there and expect things to change in your life. You have to make a move. That requires trusting God. Sometimes we don’t make moves because we aren’t sure of where we are going or what lies up ahead but if we wait on God, trust in Him and spread our wings so we can fly He will lead us right to the place where we belong.

I don’t know what flying out of the nest means for you, it could be a new job, a change in your life style, a change in the way that you think. It could mean anything. I only know it’s time to step out. Its time to get moving. Time is running out. You have gained enough strength know and its time to spread your wings. God has been stirring the nest and just like the egg was an uncomfortable place so has the nest become such a place. Don’t let life pass you by my friend spread your wings and fly.

Soaring High,
Chanteea

Fighting Back Against the Desire to Die

16He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalm 18:16-19

 

Suicide is never an easy topic to discuss, but at one time I had to face it in my life. I went through about a four year period where I was just stuck spinning my wheels in grief. There were days that I didn’t want to get out of bed. There were times when I just wanted to be alone. There were times I just wanted to scream because I could not communicate what was going on with me.

I was grieved to the point of thinking suicidal thoughts. I would run and hide in the bathroom or the closet because while I was suffering and struggling to survive, so much was demanded of me at the same time. I felt like I would be better off dead. I imagined I would stab myself in the heart because that is where I hurt. My heart ached as if something in me had died. I thought about an overdose because that was less of a mess and I wouldn’t hurt any more.

I sought the Lord, over and over again with no relief. I finally told someone close to me how I felt. That discussion was even worse than what I was thinking of doing. The other person asked me why I wanted to kill myself and told me that it didn’t make sense. I remember being upset thinking well, what good is it to talk to someone when you end up feeling worse off than before you said anything?

It occurred to me that when you announce that you want to die or you thought about harming yourself, everyone will not understand. You cannot just talk to anyone about your situation. It helps to talk to someone who has been in that situation. When I found someone to relate to me I was able to get more in touch with the root of my issue.

You see, when you go through something that wounds you to your soul, it’s hard to recover. Yet, the people around you tell you, you need to get over it. You want to and you just can’t- at least not on their timeline. You have to work through your grief on your time, not somebody else’s. When you get to the point where you want to die, it’s dangerous that the desire is in you. It’s not too late to get help. Be prepared because it may take overcoming some hurdles to get resolve.

I finally had a breakthrough realizing that although I hurt deep within my soul, there was a reason for it. I got into my bible more, and it became clear that God had a plan for my life. The devil has never, ever wanted me to succeed. Satan also knows the plans God has for my life and he knows it’s good! I am such a threat to the enemy he has to plot to take me out by my own hand! I couldn’t make the devil’s plan for me easy. I fought back. I empowered myself with God’s word. The word led me to Psalm 18:16-19. I was emotionally flooded as if in ocean waters. God rescued me because he delights in me. He delights in you too!

The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) reports that “every 14.2 minutes someone in the United States dies from a suicide”( AFSP, Facts and Figures, 2009). By the time you finish a 30 minute lunch break close to 30 people have died by their own hand. In one day, the number of people is over 1,300.

Praise God that I never attempted what I was thinking. Yet, I’m sharing this today because I know somebody is thinking about it. Please do not suffer in silence. Get help. I am living proof that the best times of your life are yet to come. Let God show you how much He delights in you.

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Life Prayer

Dear Lord,

I remember clearly when I was going through that time in my life wondering why you made me and why you allowed me so so much misery. It seemed like you were not even there, but you were. You delivered me, you rescued me, and you saved me.

You gave me a testimony to share with other people. Thank you! I pray that the right people who need to read this will know that you are speaking to them personally and there is a reason for the struggle. Trust and believe in God’s plan and do not give the devil a “W” in his game against you. To God be the glory. AMEN!

The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Facts and Figures; 2009; Retrieved on September 12, 2012 from http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?page_id=04ea1254-bd31-1fa3-c549d77e6ca6aa37

Whatcha Worrying For, God’s Gotcha!

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. MATTHEW 6:25-33

The message in church last Sunday was, “I am To Blessed To Be Stressed.” Let me just tell you, I have been screaming that all week! What is gonna take for me to fully put my trust and faith in God? How many times has He shown His love for me through answered prayer, but like the Israelites I seem to suffer from memory loss at times. God had brought them so many things yet they still questioned His ability to take of them. Why? Why do we continually worry about things when God has promised us in His word that He would provide for us. He will protect us, and He will make a way when there seems to be no way.

I Remember the back to back blizzards we had about three years ago. The world called it the “Snowpocalypse.” I don’t think I have ever seen that much snow in my life. Talk about worrying. I mean stress was kicking my butt…. What are you gonna eat, what if you cant make it to work, you know you have bills to pay, what if you lose electric, if you lose electric you wont have heat, and on and on like the pounding of a hammer it went and this was before the storm actually hit! God, the faithful loving, Father that He is, showed me some things during this time, that I am ashamed to say I must have forgotten. I have to have or why else would I even give worry the time of day now.

Honestly, I had been listening to the weather report all day the day of the first storm, and in the back of mind I thought its not going to be that bad. Well I was wrong. It was about 7 o’clock when I got off work that night and that’s when the reality of it had hit. They had issued a State of Emergency, all cars needed to off the road. Well I had to go to the store so I ignored that. Thank God there are several grocery stores I would pass on my way home because the first one was EMPTY! I mean ZIP, ZILCH, NADA! No bread, potatoes, milk, eggs, chips, meat, and even the produce section was bare. I have never walked into a store and saw anything like that. Fear really kicked in then. I called my husband and told him about the situation and he told me he had stopped to the store when he got off work at 4 and he had some stuff. Although that reassured me a little bit I wasn’t satisfied. My second stop was at Giant, and it was there I made out much better. They didn’t have much meat but that had much more food on there shelves. I made it home safe and sound and food in hand. I was happy.

Upon arriving home I learned my hubby had to go into work and most likely he would be stuck there. Well I didn’t like the idea of that at all. All I could think about was him out there on the roads and what if we lost electric. After seeing him off I made my way into my room to talk with God. It was there that I learned my first lesson. It seemed I had been praying about us not losing the electric more then anything else so it was during one of those prayers God spoke to my heart and said, “When you pray, believe that you receive.” My next thought was well I do believe so I just need to start thanking God that we will not lose electric. And that’s what I did. I started thanking the Lord from that point on that we would not lose electric. When it blinked, I thanked God, that it was going to stay on. During both storms we never lost electric on our street. The streets parallel to us lost it, but not ours! We kept our electric it never went out. The lesson I learned was sometimes there comes a point when you have to stop praying about a situation and just start thanking God for the answer. Some people may think that’s silly but not me. When you pray, you must believe that God hears you and if you believe He hears you then He will answer you so why not thank Him in advance for the answered prayer.

It was also during these storms that I took up a love for feeding the birds. There would be no work for me that week. I couldn’t even get out of my driveway. I was really worried, I had bills due that week and we needed more food so being out of work for a week was not really working for me. So since I was stuck in the house all week and had nothing else to do I fed them. I would put my boots on and walk in mounds and mounds of snow just to feed them. I popped popcorn for them and everything. (LOL) While watching them eat one morning the scripture about worrying and God taking care of the birds came to mind. Why do you question God’s ability to take care of you. Look at these birds, God puts it on peoples heart all over this world to set out feeders and watering stations for them so that they are well provided for so what makes you think He wont take of you? Silly me! I started thanking God for the provision we needed to get us through the week. My husband could get back and forth to work because his job let him use a vehicle with a snow plow. He is the Maintenance Supervisor in a huge housing development. People were coming to him and asking him to plow their driveways so they could get out. While he couldn’t do it on company time, he did it on his lunch hour and after work and they paid him!! He made tons of money that week and God had provided for us!

God is so faithful even when we question and doubt His ability to do as He said He would. Thank goodness He never gives up on us! So why do we worry? Why do we continually walk in fear instead of faith in Gods Word. He says in Philippians 4:19, that He would supply ALL our needs according to HIS riches in Glory. Why not rest in that instead of wrestling with fear, doubt and unbelief. Fear and faith cannot operate at the same time. We are so accustomed to taking care of ourselves so when situations arise and our ability to do so is question we become afraid and faith goes out the window. The truth of the matter is our faith should be in God anyway and not ourselves.

Look back over your life, can you remember the times that God has provided for you when you didn’t know how or where your provision was coming from. Those are the times you need to revisit and build your faith back to the point where you say, “Ya know what, I been here before and I know the Lord will make a way.” If He did it before He will do it again.

Father,

Forgive for putting our faith in our ability to provide for ourselves. Forgive us for worrying and doubting You and Your Word. It is only by Your grace and mercy that we have made this far. Thank You God that even when we are not faithful, You still are! Thank You for Loving us enough to never give up on us. Thank You God for making away when we see no way. In Jesus Name Amen.

STAYING FOCUSED

Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, LET US RISE UP AND BUILD. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. (NEHEMIAH 2:18)

So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof; for THE PEOPLE HAD A MIND TO WORK. (Nehemiah 4:6)

It’s so very easy to start a project, the dilemma then becomes staying focused long enough to complete it. Ask me how know! (LOL) I have several things I have “started” writing about but never finished. I have papers and folders and notebooks everywhere. I have notes and greeting card ideas tucked away waiting for who knows what. Writing is something I have always wanted to do especially after becoming a Christian. You would think that since starting this blog I would have been on top of my game especially since I now have an avenue that I can share some of my work. Not the case. I used to call it “WRITER’S BLOCK.” Well this morning I have learned otherwise! It’s called PROCRASTINATION AND LACK OF FOCUS!!!!

It’s been a week since I posted my last blog, why, you ask? UHHHH, I don’t know what to write, by the time I get home and get dinner, clean up, and shower it’s late, you name it I can find an excuse to keep putting it off. I have heard people say several times, “you make time for what you really want to do.” I hate that sentence! (LOL) That’s not the case with me. I know my problem. I am a procrastinator and I am easily distracted. Take for instance this morning. I have been up since 6 o’clock and it is now 8:30 and in just that short period of time several distractions came up. First I put a load of laundry in and then got my coffee and sat down. While sitting at the table I notice my hummingbird feeder needed to be refilled, I can’t let Petey ( my nickname for him) drink old nectar. Then it was back to the laundry, and I noticed the other bathroom needed hand sanitizer so I had to get that. The hubby got up and it was time to make the bed after all I can’t stand an unmade bed. (LOL) I go back to the laundry room and what stares at me but clean unfolded clothes and pile of dirty clothes waiting to be washed. I ignore the sight for sore eyes, shut the doors and proclaim, “I shall return after I have finished my post!”

Lord, Help me stay focused has been a prayer of mine for as long as I can remember! My Pastor says it all the time. If you are going to get anything accomplished in life you MUST stay focused! Especially if it is a goal or desire you have. So why is that I have such a hard time. Why cant I be like Nehemiah, he knew what he had to do , he set his mind to do and despite the distractions that arose he got the job done. I know I wanna be a writer, my mind is set on that so why am I so easily distracted? Could it be my thoughts and feelings? Am I thinking too much instead of doing. After all a writer, writes not thinks, right…hmmmm or perhaps it’s my feelings, fear of failure, fear of success, just all out fear!!! In any case I see from the story of Nehemiah that the one thing he did was never take his eyes off of God and his purpose. He never lost focus. He stuck it out. So I will take a page from his book and persevere in prayer and direction from God and once I get that I will have reestablished my self with my goal, which is to have a post up at least every other day. 🙂

So what is it that you have lost your focus on? What is it that you are putting off doing. What dream or goal have you set on the back burner because of to many distractions in your way. Toady let’s go before God and ask Him for a fresh start. Lets ask Him to show us the distractions that are hindering us and how to handle them. I believe God has big plans for you and I but we must stay focused. The distractions are only sign that you are headed in the right direction. They only arise to get your eyes of God and where He is trying to take you. Just think of them as “DISTRACTIONS FROM DESTINY.”

Father, In the Name of Jesus, we ask you for a fresh start today. Show us the things we have allowed in our lives that distract us. Awaken all that You have placed within us once again and give us the tenacity and strength to push past all distractions from our destiny. Give us the Spirit of Nehemiah. Help us to become people of character, persistence, and prayer. Help us not to be just “thinkers” but to become “doers.” Once You have given us the plan and purpose for our lives may we never give up or allow ourselves to become so easily distracted that we forget where we are headed. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN

I have to tell you how thankful that I am to have finished this post right now without allowing anymore distractions to pull me away from this computer. But for now I must bid you a fond farewell because I have a FLY TO KILL!!!!!!!!!!! (LOL)

Here’s Petey! ❤

Can You Hear The Voice of Hope

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumes, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I HOPE in Him!
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24

What does the Voice of Hope sound like to you? Have you ever heard it? It doesn’t have to be an audible voice. It could be the voice that comes from listening to another share their story. Especially if there story is liken to something you are going through and they are telling you how they made it.

One of the definitions for the word voice is, something likened to the speech as conveying impressions to the mind. That is what this blog site was designed to. As we share our life experiences and struggles it is our desire that the voice with which we speak is conveying hope in your mind. The kind of hope that says, you know what, if they went thru that and God brought them thru then surely He can do the same for me. God is no respecter of persons, (Romans 2:11) and He loves you just as much as He loves me.

One thing we lack in our lives is transparency. People don’t want you to know their struggles. They just want you to see them shining, later for the ugly parts of life. Just get to the good part. We see the effects and scars but the story of how they made it over is hidden out of fear of judgement or shame. I can only speak to you from my experiences and in return this should offer you some kind of hope. How can I give you directions to get to New York if I have never been there myself? Sure I can maybe sorta guide you but if I have actually driven there myself and I know the ins and outs of the city then surely that would give you a little more confidence in taking directions from me, wouldn’t it?

When you are going through things in life you need to find someone with which you can identify with. Someone that can say, “Hey, I been there and done that and because I made it through you can too.” A couple of years ago I found a lump in my breast and fear was waiting to greet me with thoughts of dying at a young age. I knew I had better get a hold of those thoughts or else they would overtake me and win. The first thing I did was search the bible for healing scriptures so I could speak them over my life, then I asked God to put a song in my heart to carry me through, and He did. The song was by, Dewayne Wood, it’s called “Let Go.” I also knew of some women of faith who had battled breast cancer and won so I read their testimonies. The purpose of doing these things was to feed my faith. I also went on the Susan G. Komen website to read the stories of women who had cancer. Doing those things gave me hope during that dark scary time in my life. Turns out it wasn’t cancer (Praise God!) but just in case it had been I was getting myself in the position to hear the voice of hope come from others experience.

When you see that someone else has overcome the same thing that you maybe be struggling with and they survived it, that gives you hope. I was listening to Bishop Jakes on TV the other day and He was talking about this very same subject. The man he was interviewing was talking about a time in his life when he had lost his job and had his car repossessed. He felt like he had failed his family. He was struggling on the inside and was too ashamed to tell anyone. He said, he would go to church and look around at all the people who he “thought” had it all together and he would leave church feeling worse than when he went in. Then one day he met a fellow who had been through the same exact thing he was going through and he shared his story of how he made it through that season of his life. Hearing this mans story encouraged him so much. It gave him some hope and placed something within him that said, “EVERYTHINGS GONNA BE ALRIGHT!” People love to share the glory but not the story that goes with it.

In your everyday life you may come across hurting dying people. I don’t mean dying from a sickness or anything like that. I mean dying for lack of hope or strength to carry on. All you have to do is look around they’re everywhere. The things you have been through in life may not have been all that good but like I said before God can use it for your good. Especially to help another person. No experience you have in life will God waste. Just take a look at Saul in the bible, he was a murderer, he killed Christians for a living. (Acts CHAP 9) Then one day God got a hold of him and not only changed his name from Saul to Paul but He changed his life forever. He was forgiven, his past was wiped clean, and he became a new person. That story alone should give you hope. Surely if God could give a person like Paul a new life, imagine what He could do for you! Paul went on to become the author of thirteen books of the New Testament and its in those books that you can find, if your listening, “THE VOICE OF HOPE!”

~~ Be Blessed ~~

Chanteea

LET GO ~ Dewayne Wood

I Know Who I AM

[The Lord said,] ” My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 New Living Translation

No one likes to admit when they are weak. At least I don’t think I know of anyone who does. Who wants to admit they’re flawed??? I mean to expose things about yourself puts you in such a vulnerable position. Exposure leads to all kinds of mental attacks. After all YOU talk to YOU more than anyone else. You know what I mean. Those conversations you have in your head about yourself. The things you tell yourself about yourself. I shared some things in my previous blogs and in doing so I found myself in that place of vulnerability. The mental attack I came under ALMOST got me, I said, ALMOST. It was like the enemy, who knows, I have a purpose tried to distract me. God would then take me back to the first blog I posted, PRESERVING IN THE FACE OF DISCOURAGEMENT, and say, keep going, I AM WITH YOU! SO with shaky hands and a trembling heart I press on.

I received an email from Tyler Perry the other day that really struck a cord with me. This email came right on time as I was being overcome with these negative thoughts and emotions. The email was entitled, “DON’T LET PEOPLE DEFINE YOU.” As I sat in my car and thought about those words that had come at the exact moment I needed to hear them, I realized it was not people, who I have allowed to define me as much as it was me allowing what people THOUGHT about me to define me.

I titled this post I KNOW WHO I AM, because there was a time in my life where I didn’t know who I was. I just felt like I was just here, I existed, for no real apparent reason. When I became a born again Christian I did so because I didn’t want to go to hell. I had read a book by Pastor John Hagee, that scared the living day lights out of me. It scared me to the point of salvation.
It wasn’t until I started attending church and reading my bible that I found out that my salvation brought me more than just a ticket to heaven. I found out that I do have purpose, I am here for a reason and that God would use everything in my life that had already happened for HIS good. I came to realize that the things I had gone through in life God would use to propel me into what He had for me and at the same point in time the enemy would try to use it to paralyze me.

My past and the events that led me to Christ is MY TESTIMONY. If God had removed all the hurdles I had to overcome in my life then I would not be properly prepared for where He is taking me. Everyone who comes to Christ has a story of how they overcame. The bible even states in Revelation 12:11, that they overcame by Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

I refuse to be defined by what the enemy thinks of me. I Am who God says I am. It took me a long time to get to this place and I will fight tooth and nail to stay here. I heard some one once say, “GOD CAN HEAL YOU EVERYWHERE YOU HURT,” and He has begun that process in my life and I will not be controlled by or defined by anything other than THE WORD OF GOD. God wants all us to experience His love and freedom, the joy and peace that can only come from walking with Him. SO if you don’t know Jesus Christ as YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR, you can. All you have to do is pray this simple prayer and you to can proclaim to the world YOU NOW KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Heavenly Father I come to You now acknowledging that I need a Savior. I have tried to live this life in my own strength. I believe that You sent Your only son to die on the cross for my sins so I can be free and have eternal life. (JOHN 3:16) I am asking You to come into my heart, wipe the slate clean, and give me a fresh start as well as new perspective on the life You know give me, this I ask in JESUS NAME AMEN!

Posted Below is the link to the Tyler Perry post

http://www.facebook.com/#!/thetylerperry