365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 315

Admitting your weakness, that you need help or you can’t do it on your own is fairly common. It is the way God designed us. However, it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can take this weakness and turn it into a strength that will glorify God. He made us with these potential weaknesses within our temperament so that we would turn to him and ask for help. He wants to help us in every way possible and nothing is impossible with God. I came across a person who didn’t like the idea that God would make us with weaknesses but it is only a weakness when it turns us away from God or creates barriers between us and God. He designed us to be in communion with Him. It is through our weaknesses that we are made strong with the help of the Holy Spirit. Do you have fears of failure, rejection or afraid nobody can love you? God does. He thinks you are fabulous. He thinks you are wonderful. He knows you can be a success with His guidance and wisdom. If a weakness is plaguing you, it is time to take it to God and ask for help. Let Him turn your weakness into strength.

2Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 206

Yesterday I played hookie from work to attend an all day class on basic pistol training. We were off early in the morning to get my daughter to her camp and down to the Honda dealership to drop off one of our cars for a maintenance service. So, the plan was to go to McDonald’s for breakfast and do Burger King by the class for lunch. I was ready for sacrificing the hash browns at McDonald’s but was completely thrown off by the donuts at the class. Yep, I failed miserably. I keep thinking of a song that says, “your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me.” I am so thankful to God for this unfailing, never-ending love he gives to me. He won’t give up on me and with his help I won’t give up on growing and being able to glorify and love him by my actions.

This scripture about David giving counsel to his son Solomon really speaks to us about our own temple.

1Chronicles 28:20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 20

I am looking at the beginning of verse 8 in 1 Corinthians 13 today: Love never fails.

The opposite in my mind of failure is success. In looking up the definition of failure, I am particularly looking at this definition I found: The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends.  When it comes to love, what is the end-result that God wants for us? Are we loving everyone with all the aspects of love we have looked at: patience, kindness, without envy, boasting or pride, without anger, or totaling up the wrongs, not delighting in evil, rejoicing in the truth, protecting, trusting, hoping and persevering? That is a very tall order but each day we can achieve more and more of these aspects in loving others and grow to love others as Jesus loves us. Will the end-result happen? Maybe on some days and maybe we can grow in our consistency? Love never failing points to perfect love which is only seen in our perfect God but though we cannot reach that point of perfection, we can continue daily to try to achieve a little bit more towards that end. Yes, we will fail but that is the most important reason why we teach our children about God’s perfect love for them and us. God’s love will never fail us and it is our hope when those people in our lives do not live up to this end-result. We have to accept this failing part of who we are and ask the Holy Spirit to give us what we need to love without failing. We have to let go of the past and focus on loving today always remembering that the Holy Spirit in us will give us what we need. Just ask.

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “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.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 130

I have much to do in preparing for my upcoming workshops at two different churches starting in April and May. It's so wonderful that I have actually gotten to this point. I was talking with my hair stylist yesterday who has contemplated for many years to take her business out of her home and have her own salon. My question to her was, "what are you afraid of?". She fears it will fail and in the end they will loose money. I told her she just has to dream and write it down like I have been instructed to do from my master mind group. Believing you can do it and with God's help it is possible. So, as I am in the final preparations for my first workshops, I am praising God for getting me this far and am going to continue to beleive that it will be gloriously successful.
1Corinthians 9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.