Tag Archive | God

Out With the Old and In With the New

Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. II Corinthians 5:17

Where have you come from? The person you were before Christ came into your life should be gone. The habits and attitudes that defined you then should be changed. You are a new creature a door has open in your heart that Christ walked through bringing love compassion, concern for others, honesty, justice and self-sacrifice with it. Every characteristic that defines Christ can now define you. The struggle is to keep that old person with all her old habits and attitude away old habits die-hard begin each day by asking the Lord to help the new person shine over the old person.

I have not arrived but I am definitely not what I use to be!!! God is soooo good!

Love Lee ♥

Oh What a Day

Jan7

Wow…what an intense day this has been! It started arriving early to my office in order to meet a reporting submission deadline; Whew made that one!!! Then off to two meetings back to back. Finished up the meetings at noon then flew out the door to attend a funeral. After the funeral headed home changed clothes and it was off for a date night…WooooHoooo the time together we have been waiting for all week!

Last Saturday Richard asked me if I would like to go out for a date on Friday evening. Well, of course I said, “Yes”…time alone with Richard, Duh that’s a no brainer!!! Then the work week began and forgot completely about the conversation and with Richard working nights we had not had a chance to talk. Wednesday I received a call at work and it was Richard. He said, “Hey are we still going out Friday night? I have been looking forward to it all week.”

Oh how that man can brighten my day…Yes, I had forgotten but thought of an evening with him totally elated me!!!

Now it is Friday, at 11:30 pm and I am finally able to write my post. It is still Friday and I got the post in before the end of day! Goal met…

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Good Night My Precious Friends!!!

Love Lee ♥

What’s In A Name?

Jan6

I will never forget when Cheyenne (my granddaughter) was almost 3 years old and we had been working in the flower beds (oh how that child loved to dig) when she decided it was time for a “Popsicle Break”. So, of course I stopped what I was doing and the popsicle break became the priority. As we were sitting on the glider near the back door having our popsicle and chatting, a HUGE clap of thunder came from out of nowhere. Immediately I yelled “JESUS”, grabbed her up, and ran into the house. As you can imagine it took me several minutes to calm her down and get her to stop crying.

About three months had passed and Cheyenne and I were hanging out. She was playing on the back patio and I was making us a cup of coffee (we took many types of breaks…LOL) when I heard thunder in the distance. Almost immediately Cheyenne walked thru the back door and announced, “Meme, Jesus is back”. What a Doll that girl is!!!

Ya know, I have endured some thunder in my life; some distant rumblings, and other outrageously loud shaking me to my core. I have had heartbreaking events in my life when I thought I would never recover, times when my heart hurt so bad I didn’t know if I would be able to breathe again. But I can say through those times when my world was rocked or I hurt to the core I always called out one name…

JESUS

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

I call out His name frequently and I say it out loud. I say His name in times of happiness and in times of devastation, in times of loneliness, celebration, and loss.

The song by Martha Munizzi says it all…

Say The Name of Jesus

My Friend, Just Say His Name…

Love Lee ♥

Who’s Your Daddy

Jan5

In a recent conversation with a friend we discussed the effects of growing up without the presence of her father in her home. In-fact she did not even know who her father was. Life was challenging and many of her emotional needs were not met resulting in poor life choices, acting out, and feelings of insignificance.

Statistics show that children who grow up in a fatherless home are:

5 Times more likely to commit suicide
32 Times more likely to run away
20 Times more likely to have behavioral disorders
14 Times more likely to commit rape
9 Times more likely to drop out of highschool
10 Times more likely to abuse chemical substances
20 Times more likely to end up in prison

Wow…this is mind-boggling and is so dismal.

Fatherlessness is not only those who grew up without a father but also those who had one he did not meet the emotional needs of his family. The father that is consumed with his own personal wants and desires without regard to the effects it will have on the family.

Growing up my home life was less than perfect…I was not fatherless but on the other hand did not receive the unconditional love and acceptance a daughter seeks from their dad. My parents divorced when I was 16 and my mother remarried. My Pappy is a wonderful man and as an adult provided me, my sisters, and brother with unconditional love and acceptance. He loves us and would go to the moon and back for us.

When it comes to my childhood…

Am I bitter….NO
Am I sad…A little
Do I miss him…at times
Would I change anything…NEVER!!!

You see, it was during those times of feeling like I didn’t measure up or feeling I had been abandoned by my earthly dad that my Heavenly Father made Himself known to me. He showed me that He:

Loves and adores me
Wants to spend time with me
Cares about what concerns me
Celebrates my successes
Knows what makes me tick
Disciplines me when I need it
Takes care of all my needs.

If you are fortunate enough to have an earthly father who has met your physical and emotional needs growing up…Yeah. But for those of you who have not please know all is not lost and you my precious one are not fatherless and you do not have to be a statistic.

The Lord your God is with you He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

My Daddy is God… Who’s Your Daddy?

My friend, you have a Daddy God! I encourage you to crawl up in His lap and let Him comfort you, love you, delight in you and let Him sing you a lullaby!

Love Lee ♥

Whose Opinion Defines You

Jan4

My Sister Cheryl recently posted the statement below on her Facebook Status which lead to a quite lengthy list of comments…Because I am very passionate about the subject matter I just crawled up on my soapbox…

I share this because just this morning I realized Cheryl and I are not the only ones who have or are dealing with the opinions of others…

This New Year, stop listening to others’ opinions… about who you are, what they THINK about you, about who you are or what they think YOU should do or be! Stop speaking things over yourself that contradict who God’s Word says you are. Open His Word to see what He says about you. He’s a LOVING Father & wants His best for you. Don’t believe me: believe HIM. ~Cheryl Kimbrough Fairbank~

Lee’s Soap Box Session

I have sayings that helps me deal with those who attempt to steal my joy and suck my spirit out of me.

I am not warring against flesh and blood: If people say or do things that contradict God’s nature …then it is not of God…Satan knows he can best get to us through those we love. By using them to whittle away at our spirit his mission is accomplished. My prayer is I will stay prayed up, read up, and filled with forgiveness and love so I am never that person for someone else.
I am not the enemy: If Richard and I get crosswise. I remind him I am not the enemy. This helps us recognize exactly who the enemy is.
On my list of opinions that count…Your Name IS NOT on my list: This one can get tricky…As an over achiever and a people pleaser, I have always valued the opinion of others especially those who I call family or friend. But as one who DETESTS conflict, lies, cheating, stealing, laziness and spirit suckers (Negative Knit Pickers) it helps me get the right perspective when making my list.

My list is a static list and names are added or removed as needed. God has blessed me with the Spirit of discernment so it becomes very easy to add and remove names due to the sensitivity to He has given me.

Sister, I so proud of you! You are so right…God is a good and LOVING God but He is also a JUST God. Everyone will be accountable for their actions and woe be to those who allow themselves to create conflict, speak lies, cheat, steal, waste their life away, or attempt to suck the life out of others…They will be accountable before the Lord on judgment day! People may think they have the world fooled but God ALWAYS knows!

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1 John 4:7

OK can you give me a hand and help me get down off my soap box but before I do…I ask…

Whose Opinion Defines You?

Love Lee ♥

The Invisible Woman

Jan2

Feelings of Worthlessness or Inferiority…Perhaps Others Treat You As Though You are Invisible…

After viewing this video, Every Woman will want to be an Invisible Woman!!!

Love Lee ♥

There is a Plan

Jan1

2011 is Here and people everywhere are making New Year’s Resolutions while others have no clue or plan for their future. For those of you who have no goals or plans for your future there is great news you are not free-floating out there in oblivion… there is a plan for your life. And even if you don’t know what that plan is at the moment God does!

God’s plan may not be the same as your plan but as you assess various situations and set priority as to how you spend your time energy and money you definitely want to get in touch with what God wants for you.

It’s comforting to know that He is involved in your life and cares about what you do and how you spend your time. He isn’t trying to hide His plan from you, but you will need to a exert some effort to discover it. Spend some time with God asking for His direction and guidance in making goals for your future.

Having a Goal to work toward is very important. The purpose of having goals includes:

Providing a focus
Defining a beginning and end point
Providing a vision for things to come

When you have vision it affects your attitude. Your attitude is optimistic rather than pessimistic. Chuck Swindoll

During my research I found an article on eHow which does an excellent job of explaining the how to’s of setting life goals. “How to Set Life Goals”.

Everyone has a success mechanism and a failure mechanism. The failure mechanism goes off by itself. The success mechanism only goes off with a goal. Every time we write down and talk about a goal we push the button to start the success mechanism.
Charles ”Tremendous” Jones

Set your goals wisely and align them with God’s word. Then if the plan changes be flexible and know God is large and in charge!

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

There is a Plan…

Love Lee ♥

New Beginnings

Dec31

As we look to start a new year, many people build lofty resolutions only to fail. Remember that you can acheive anything you truly want but don’t wait until conditions are “perfect” as perfection rarely comes. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ~Theodore Roosevelt~

Perfection

“Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.”~Robert Schuller~

Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable. ~Lord Chesterfield~

We are often ineffective and immoblized due to fear and there are two fears which exist in the world.

Fear of Success: That which will happen if you succeed; the changes success will create; not only for you personally but for those you love and are close too. Will your success change your life style, draw attention to you, or create a change you are not able or willing to deal with.
Fear of Failure: That which will happen if you fail; the changes failure will cause such as embarrasement, depression, and possibly loss of self esteem or motivation.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ~Jesus~

Hmmm…puts a whole new spin on perfection doesn’t it

Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are

What a profoud statment! I can not tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I don’t have —” or “My—is too small or not good enough. To that I say HOG WASH!!! God has placed you right where you are…given you what He has seen fit to give you…so get off your pitty pot and embrace what you have with a heart felt since of grattitude and appreciation. You will never have more until you learn to appreciate and care for what He has already given you.

So, while you sit and contemplate what your New Years Resolution will be this year perhaps you should resolve to be grateful for

Who you are in Christ
The talents He Has blessed you with
The possessions He has entrusted to you
Those whose lives He has surrounded you with

Resolve today to give Him the Glory and Honor He is due rather than complain about what should, could, or would have been…

With Jesus Every day is a NEW BEGINNING so resolve to begin anew and…

Choose to Live, Love, Laugh TODAY!!!

Love Lee ♥

Let Others See Jesus In You

Dec30

Where have you come from? The person you were before Christ came into your life should be gone. The habits and attitudes that defined you then should be changed. You are a new creature!!!

When you opened the door of you heart and asked Jesus walked in so did love, compassion, forgiveness, concern for others, honesty, justice, and self-sacrifice. Every characteristic found in Christ now dwells in you.

You are no longer defined by the old you but by Christ who dwells in you.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Does that mean you are perfect? NOPE…old habits die-hard!

So, begin each day by asking God to allow Jesus to shine in you; for others to see Jesus in you. As Jesus begins to shine, His light will illuminate the darkness and you will be known as a child of Light…His Light!

So, Out With The Old & In With The New…Let Others See Jesus Shine In You…

Love Lee ♥

Gotta Get It Right

Dec28

No one can be wrong with man and right with God…

Profound statement and so true! Man is God’s greatest and most complex creation. We are the sparkle of His eye. But…God does not like it when His kids don’t get along. In fact so much so He commands we love one another and in so doing we fulfill the law of Christ.

By no means am I saying I have arrived! In fact at times it is just the opposite!!! As I grow in this area I become keenly aware those difficult personalities placed in our path are to either distract us or define us.

The Distraction…is satan’s way of removing our focus from God and placing it on people. Our focus becomes selfish and we focus on the negative traits of people rather than honing in on their beautiful attributes God has blessed them with. When we become focused on the negative our attention is drawn away from the Lord and viola…satan’s mission is accomplished.

The Definition…God does not allow failure and He expects us to rise above the temptation of being mean and hurtful to others. It is when we focus on the positive and beautiful attributes of others we are able to see God more clearly and we are drawn into His presence.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John 4:11

O Lord, I know that You are aware and care about each person I will face today. Please let others see Jesus in me and allow me to extend Your love as commanded.