Surrendering to His Will

 God has a plan for each of us and it is always far greater than our own plans. His plans for us happen in
His time and in His way, and though our choices in this life may alter things - depending on how we use our precious gift of agency - we can never force His hand with our impatience, nor can we with our willful disobedience. All we can do is pray that His will be done, stay close to Him, and watch things unfold. Of course, there are times when He does give us what we ask for, even though it may not be good for us, but there is usually a lesson attached and He is hoping we will learn from it. We just need to remember that waiting on God's time is never a waste of time, because He know us individually and knows what is best. He always has.

We never know where God's will will take us, but if we let Him lead, it promises to be an amazing journey. Sometimes the journey is brutal, but He never leaves us to travel the road alone, and He does promise us that it will be worth it.

My testimony of this grows with each passing day, particularly during the past year, and for me, the journey truly has been worth it.

Have a great day!

Suit Up!

The main issue that spurred the conflict between God and Satan was agency. It is the very thing

over which the war in heaven was fought- and we are still fighting that war.

We have got to remember that Satan is always on the job. He takes no time off - no sick leave and no vacation. He is continually waging a war that he thinks he can win . . . but he can't, so he will leave as many casualties as he can. Satan destroys souls every minute and second of the day. He is a master strategist because he never gives up. And if we let our guard down for even a second, he will take an accounting of our weaknesses and do all he can to crush us. Each and every time we give into a weakness, we give the adversary a leg-up in the battle.

Satan has his own playbook with his own set of rules, and just as the Savior knows each of us, so do he, and he knows how to draft new players. We must not join his team, and we must not give away the precious gift God gave us.

Because no matter how good the captain of darkness is at his job, the King of Heaven is a far better leader. And He will always win in the end.

Have an amazing day!

Relying Solely on the Lord

 Each and every trial we face in this life prepares us for greater blessings. Our task is to learn and grow
from adversity, then endure well. We can only endure well when we involve the Savior, leaning solely on Him and not on the arm of flesh. Flesh can wither away to nothing, but the Lord never will. His love has - and will - endure all things. His ways will always be higher than ours, His thoughts higher than our own. And no matter how hard we try or how capable we may think we are, we can do nothing that is worth doing without Him.

Personally, I've learned that the times when my heart is fully in the Savior's possession, there is no doubt or despair in me. There is only gratitude for His help through the rough times and gratitude for the lessons. When I allow Christ to have full claim on me, He is able to do amazing things. Then my faith and hope in Him is strengthened, and I rejoice in God's eternal plan for me.

May we all embrace trials - both present and future adversities - relying on the mercy, grace, and comfort of the Lord.

Be Joyful!

 Times are hard and they are about to get harder than we can imagine. Because of this, so many people are
finding it difficult to find joy in life, and the darker the world grows, the more miserable we seem to become.

But it was never meant to be that way.

No matter how tough times are, there can still be joy. We are meant to have joy, in both good times and bad. Personally, I believe anytime we invite God into our lives, there is joy. Anytime we involve the Lord in anything, we can find joy.

Like everyone, I have days when I feel a little down, and then there are days when I feel downright sad. But the Lord never allows me to stay there for long. As soon as I let Him into those moments, He takes them, absorbs them, and helps me to remember just how much I have to be grateful for. I love it when that happens!

Happy Sabbath!

Letting Christ Reign

 Even though Satan is currently allowed to reign on the earth and is indeed the god of this world, his reign
is only temporary. However, when we allow the Savior to reign in our hearts and homes, it takes away any power the adversary has over us.

I pray that we will all fix our focus on Christ and never waver in our devotion to Him And may we all continuously express our gratitude to the Father for the precious and priceless gift of His Son.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

What a Privileged Life Really Is

 I had no idea what I was going to share this morning. I actually hadn't planned on sharing anything, but apparently that wasn't the Lord's plan for me today, and the prompting was too strong to deny.

When reading this, just remember, I am only the messenger.

People are constantly speaking of others growing up in a privileged life - specifically "white privilege." Well, for those who feel that way, I'm sorry and my heart aches for you, because either you have no idea what living a privileged life really means, or you have lost sight of it. And forgive me, but what the world now touts as being privileged is without a doubt one of the most asinine things I have ever heard.

We all know that I was raised in poverty and physical and sexual child abuse. We know I lived in inner-city housing projects and made some poor choices in life that temporarily put me on a path to destruction - the keyword being "temporarily."

So, having this disparaging beginning, what kind of child of God would I be if I looked at people living comfortable or prominent lifestyles - back then and now - regardless of race, as being more privileged than me? Why is this their fault? Why are trials that I have faced as a black woman the fault of those of the white race? God gives each of us agency, and yes, many times in life, others infringe upon our agency, but even then, we still choose how we will let life affect us. We still choose how we will allow the world to deem our worth.

There are so many definitions of the word privileged: Restricted to a select group or individual. A special right granted to certain people.

Do you realize who that describes???

ALL OF US!

We are privileged to be children of THE MOST-HIGH! We are privileged to call Him Heavenly Father, and to be placed on this earth to learn and grow in the ways that are most important. We are privileged to have Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, and to have access to His atoning sacrifice, and to recognize what a priceless blessing that is. We are privileged to call on and pray to God in every situation. We are privileged to strengthen and increase our faith in the Father and the Son by following the Lord, obeying the commandments, and believing He can do for us exactly what He says.

And finally, we are privileged to be recipients of the Lord's grace and mercy. And we can look forward
to sharing in His glory, and receiving the promised heavenly mansions prepared for us should we endure to the end in righteousness - meaning, enduring the tests placed before us in this life well.

To this end, I feel like the most privileged person in the world!

And so should we all.

Happy Sabbath!

Upcoming Short Story Release

 Coming March 2021

Mary Magdalene

Beloved of the Bridegroom

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