Whats Your Desire?

.Webster defines desire as…An emotion or excitement of the mind, directed to the attainment or possession of an object from which pleasure, sensual, intellectual or spiritual, is expected. So many have misguided emotionally driven desires basically because they are looking at the wrong things and have an appetite for less that what God desires. In the Garden Eve was shown a piece of fruit hanging on a tree and the account reads that when ” she saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” A lot of things look good and can bring wisdom, but are they necessarily good? NO! You have to be careful what you look at and what you have an appetite for. If you acquire the wrong desire, then you will possess less than you are destined for! Desire is formed by what you see and then acquired by what you have an appetite for. What are you consuming? That’s what you desire! Whatever you are hungry for (appetite for) that’s what you desire! Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good.

Do you really desire God? The test is in your eyes and in your appetite. Do you have eye that want to see the Lord? Are you hungry for the presence of God? Hungry for His word? Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

God really wants to give you the desires of his heart!

New Day... New Year....

Lookin' back on yesterday
There are things that I regret
But I put the past behind me
And I never will forget
You have covered my mistakes
And my broken dreams
Now over the horizon
I see the dawn is drawing near
And I realize the sun did rise
Tomorrow's finally here

Today begins a New Day.. A New year... A New Time... A New Journal... A New Decade... A New Chapter..

As this new year starts I have been seeking God the past few weeks, and fasting social media since I'm addicted to social media (facebook, twitter,ect..):-).. I began to pour my heart out to God, and telling him how I dont understand why things have happened the way they have this year and why I had to go through what I did, that thing from the year before were still haunting me, that I felt everytime I turned around that I was under attack, that I would fast and the day I came off the fast, that the very thing I was fasting over would come back and blow up in my face and I just didnt understand why???.. and that I want this next year to be diffrent that I want the past to stay in the past..

As I began just tell God how I felt he began to show me, that 1. I was holding on to the past and wouldnt let go. and give him full control, once agian he showed me the verse

"Isaiah 43:18-19 (GOD'S WORD Translation)Forget what happened in the past, and DO NOT dwell on events from long ago. I am going to do something new. It is already happening. Don't you recognize it? I will clear a way in the desert. I will make rivers on dry land."

.. As i read that verse, I started to realize that God was moving the whole time, in little ways and changing me in the progress and that yes he was moving in the situation but I was still holding on to some of that and not saying ok God this is yours. I belive many times that's what we do we look at a situation that we may have cause or that somone else cause, and we refuse to let it go. that we choose to hold on to the hurt, and we make the trial harder on ourselves. Instead of saying ok God I cant do this on my own and giving it to him. We hold on to it think about and sit there and dwell on what we cant change.
I did that I held on to what I couldnt change, even when I did everything God told me to, everything that lined up with the word, and instead of releasing it after I did all I could do, I didnt STAND. I didnt say ok I did all I could do its yours God, I dwelled.. We cant dwell on the past and think that tomorrow is going to be better the next year is going to me diffrent. if all we do is think what I could have done diffrent, how I wish I could change the past.. at the end of the day.. month.. year.. you cant change the past.. but you can change your future.

I love the song "oh how he loves us".. because there is a line in the song that sticks out to me it says "I dont have time to maintain these regrets..When I think about the way he loves us" I wish I has relazed it eariler that I dont have time to maintain the regrets of the past that I dont have time to "dwell" on them!.. because when I as God for forgiveness he foregave me out of Love,Mercy and Grace.. that all i had to do is leave the regrets behind and look at what he was doing and seeing that through the trails he was changing me that I've learned from the past so I can move on..It's a New Day....

It's a new day
Oh, it's a new time
And there's a new way
I'm gonna live my life
All the old has, passed away
And the new has come
Thank God, It's a brand new day

So in this new year its going to be diffrent because im leaving the past behind because "the old has passed away & the New has Come". I no longer have time to maintain my regrets.. because God's doing somthing New this year in me.. and Im going to follow.. and move forward... 1 Peter 2:9 says "But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you" .. We have been choosen and we have been called. Not to dwell in the past.. but to reach the nations. And show people that even we have messed up and have a past.. but God's changed us and we all have a future in him..

Now when I wake up thinkin'
'Bout the things I've done before
Memories I could not escape
Well they can't haunt me anymore
Now I can hold my head up high
'Cause I am not the same
You've changed my whole perspective
And with new eyes I see
I've become a new creation
'Cause of what You've done for me

I cant live a day without you.....

this is so true, as I listened to this song this morning, I began to think how lost I would be without him, it because of Jesus that im alive, that I can wake up in the morning and know that whatever I face that day, that i'm not facing it alone, because I stand on his promise that he gave in Hebrews 13:5 when he tells me that "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," (message version)

Come as you are....

This is one of those songs, that really shows you how amazing our God is. That no matter what your going through, no matter the shame you carry, he is waiting for you with arms wide open, ready to hold you, ready to wash your sins clean to make you brand new. and all you have to do is come to him just as you are.


He’s not mad at you
And He’s not disappointed
His grace is greater still
Than all of your wrong choices

He is full of mercy
And He is ever kind
Hear His invitation
His arms are open wide

You can come as you are
With all your broken pieces
And all your shameful scars
The pain you hold in your heart
Bring it all to Jesus
You can come as you are

Louder than the voice
That whispers you’re unworthy
Hear the sound of love
That tells a different story

Shattering your darkness
And pushing through the lies
How tenderly He calls you
His arms are open wide

God Can't Love Me...

Romans 8:31-39 (The Message)

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.


So many times I read this scripture growing up,and knew that God is LOVE and that he would always love me no matter what, but that was until I messed up... and Satan had me believing that there was no way that God could love me now...

John 10:10 (NIV)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy

I’ve learned a huge lesson the past year and a half and it was a hard, and when I say hard I mean HARD lesson that I learned, I was broken and thought that God couldn’t use me, that the thing I had done was unforgivable, and I couldn’t even forgive myself and that there was NO WAY anyone even God could ever love me. Because when you hurt someone you love its hard to even conceive the thought of forgiveness and just being hated even by God. The past year I went though a time where I came to a place where I finally understand GRACE. And I understand that the enemy used everything he had to bring me down and to even, end it all… he knew the right things to say, he knew what to say to just break me to pieces.

"My mistakes are running through my mind and I’ll relive my days, in the middle of the night When I struggle with my pain, wrestle with my pride Sometimes I feel alone, and I cry"

Here I was, believing a lie of God doesn't love me, that no one does, and I didn't even love myself, and that if I couldn't forgive myself that God couldn't either. I went through months of going to church, and trying to break through this but I couldn't. As I tried to worship I'd sit there and beg God for forgiveness, but it was like all I could hear was you really think God could forgive you? that he loves you? after what you did?.

It was a dark time where I was tormented with this day in and day out. During this time I'd believe every single lie that Satan would tell me. On days when things seem to get better, all of a sudden I felt like I was being hit from every direction and could find shelter.

"Well the past is playing with my head & failure knocks me down again I’m reminded of the wrong That I have said and done & that devil just wont let me forget"

In late June, I just had a bad day at work and wrote a email to someone and said "UGH!!" on my way home I seen I had a new email on my blackberry, so I opened it and it said " bad thing just follow you". In that moment while I was driving home I yelled at God and said "See God!.. Everyone hates me everyone thinks bad of me!" and it was like Satan was just laughing at me...

When I arrived home, my mom was asleep and I wrote her a note that said "I love you, Going off". I got in the car and begun to drive to Starbucks and while I was driving all I could hear was, "don't you see you'll never be anything that not a person loves you and bad things are always going to follow you around.. you should just end it now you have a gun.. just pull it out, because no one is even going to care your gone" I went through Starbucks ordered my drink and pulled in the parking lot and sat there.

I didn't think I could take much more. So, as I drank my coffee, I opened up my console and pulled out my gun. I sat the coffee down, and placed the gun to my head. I yelled to God and said I guess this is it I have someone who hates me and most of all I know you have to. So in that moment I pulled the trigger.... and the gun clicked.. and all of a sudden a song began to play from my cell phone

" Please lay down your arrows 'Cause they're sure to pierce the skin and water from a broken well will make you thirst again When all things you've acquired are tested by the flames and you can see them melting then will you call His name?..Did you know that you are dearly loved?"

In that moment God said how many times have I told you I loved you?.. and the memories came of when a lady at a conference came up to me and hugged me and said "God said to tell you he loves you".. than again a month later when I was at church a usher walked up to me and hugged me and said "God told me to tell you He loves you".. and I remember shaking my head saying how??? how can you love me??.. and he said I love you no matter what you have done I love you,that it doesn't matter if anyone else in the world loves me or not that he loves me, that he loves me so much he wouldn't let me hurt myself, he reminded me that he wouldn't have sent his son to be beaten beyond recognition for someone he didn't treasure that he didn't think was valuable?.. He showed me that I was worth something that he loved me that much that he did send Jesus to pay for that mistake that mess up.

No matter how much you or I've messed up, no matter the sin, he loves us. Just like the lady who was brought before Jesus, who had committed adultry and all the people were trying to see what he would say since the rule was to stone the person. Instead of condeming her for her sin, he reached down and started drawing in the sand, it was almost like he was saying I'm not afraid to get dirty to save you, i'll reached down and clean your mess how ever many times it takes to show you that I love you, and that I want you in eternity with me, and I love the part where he says the first among you with no sin cast the first stone, and one by one they left. You see no matter what he will to forgive and love you. because he WANTS you. people may not forgive you or love you, but the GOD who created the universe cares for you and loves you more than me or you will ever deserve. and all you have to do is ask for forgivness and he gives it freely.

"Spread wide in the arms of Christ there's a love that covers sin No greater love have I ever known; You considered me a friend Capture my heart again"

Even though the "trail" wasn't over yet for me, That moment changed me, it changed me from being the person I was to being someone who finally understood who there God was, and that he cared for me, and that I don’t have to carry the weight of who I’ve been because I was forgiven. even though it hasn't been a easy road, I know who's hand I'm holding walking down this road.

..Picture Grace...

Grace – Grace is God's unmerited favor. It is kindness from God we don't deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor we can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift from God. Grace is divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration (rebirth) or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine favor

If there was anyone in the bible that understood grace, it would be the apostle Paul, he started out as the chief of sinners, and he ended up the chief of the apostles. The way he made the transition from the chief of sinners to the chief of the apostles was because of GRACE.
Someone once said that if you ever seen a turtle on a fence post he didn’t get there by himself,. So if you ever seen a saint of God seating in church with there bible and there life straighten out there addictions broken and there name written in the lambs book of LIFE.. You know this that they did not get there by themselves or if you have ever seen someone praising God in freedom you know this they didn’t get there by themselves. You can know that God and his grace lifted them up to where they are at. You see Grace is a gift that gets us to the place that we could not get on our own.
The estimate of any object is determined by what a person is willing to pay for that object. When God looked at us, silver and Gold wasn’t enough to pay the price for us. That our worth was more than silver and gold that it was worth his only son’s blood being shed, and if you ever wondered if God loved you, Calvary is God’s answer. You have great worth to him.

In 2Corinthians 12:8-9 Paul is talking about sufficient grace three times he asked God, get me out of this trial, and three times God said my grace is sufficient for you, I will not remove it, because I am teaching you something I am allowing you to go through the darkness there is treasures out of this darkness, Jesus says what I teach you in the darkness you will proclaim in the light ! (Matthew 10:27). Your going through something and you don’t understand and it’s so dark and you almost want to give up and your on the brink of surrender and walking away from everything. But you have to understand Jesus said that I will talk to you in the darkness about things that you will proclaim in the light. You see the law came by Moses but the grace by Jesus Christ.
In John 8:3-11 there is this woman caught in the act of adultery, meaning since she was caught in the act she was probably barely clothed and dragged in humiliation and thrown down at the feet of Jesus, and the Pharisees said Moses and the law says stone her. Well you see one problem with judgmental people is they don’t know when to shut up. They hear something and They will text and talk on there cell phone about it until the phone is dead and than go home and get on the house phone and talk and talk, cause they don’t know when to shut up and they talk to much. You see if the Pharisees would have just stopped talking and said Moses and the law says stone her. They could have picked up rocks and been in line with the law. And Jesus may have watched it happen. But they talked to much, and they turned to Jesus and said what do you say Jesus?.. But at that moment Jesus made a transition out of the law that came by Moses, but grace and truth came by JESUS, he stepped in Grace stepped in and looked at the woman and listened to her accuser and than.. he stooped down and began touching dirt, maybe the reason he started touching the dirt was a sign to the woman who felt so dirty that he didn’t mind getting his hands dirty to rescue her, that when you cant get to him he will stoop down and touch dirty messed up shameful filthy lives with his nail scared hands that he isn’t so high and holy that he cant get his hands dirty. That’s enough but than he stood up and said if any of you with out sin throw the first stone, they all dropped the stones and walked away, and Jesus stood and he said where are your accusers now? And she said there none. The only one who could have accused her because he was the only sinless one didn’t have any rocks in his pocket. The bible said as though Jesus thought she still didn’t get it. John 8:8 says he stooped down again, put his hands in the dirt as to say to her that I don’t care how many times I have to stoop, I don’t care how many times I have to get my hands dirty , or how many times you do this over and over I’m going to stoop down and I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty Im not afraid to touch the dirt in your life because I love you so much I’ll keep stooping down and getting my hands dirty until I get you saved.
Sometimes we think God, I’ve messed up to bad you cant use me, but you see he stooped down and through his basin of mercy he has poured his grace on you to clean you up. He doesn’t care about your past the messes you have made. He is offering his grace, he paid a price for you and he will turn the bad in to good for his glory.


You see there is NOTHING that you can do to separate you from the love of God. And its not what you have done but its about what Jesus has done he has stepped in and he gave his life, so you may live. Don’t let your past hold you back from where God wants to take you, because by his grace we are saved. And by his Grace my sins are washed away.
God can and will move in any circumstance, just give it to him and let his grace set you free..

Leave The Past Behind

Stop
dwelling on past events
and brooding over times gone by;
I am doing
something new;
it's springing up - cant' you see it?
I am making a road in
the desert,
rivers in the wasteland.

- Isaiah 43:18-19

Reading this Scripture I knew that God wanted me to understand that He was indeed doing something new in my life. In fact I had heard those verses before and really liked the idea of His doing something new that He would make a way for me where it looked dry and wasted. But this time I knew He wanted me to see verse 18 and that the two verses really did go together. That got me to thinking.

I didn't need to ask if I really was dwelling on past events. I was the queen of brooding over times gone by. When the God brought this to my attention there were a few things that I found interesting. First of all, whenever I would start dwelling on past events, on wrongs done to me or on wrongs that I had done to others, I would start to relive the feelings of the past and get angry, depressed, you name it. If I had either forgiven or asked for forgiveness, then I was purposely going back to the filth of those sins and wallowing in them probably not such a good thing to do. Then there's the word "brooding." Now, some folks use that word to mean fuss or fume over something, but this is the same word that the God uses in Genesis when He says that the Spirit of the Lord was brooding over the face of the deep during creation. There is a sense of care and nurturing attached with this word. Was I really caring for and nurturing my feelings of pain and frustration that are attached with those times gone by? You bet I was! Lastly, if I really was dwelling on past events and brooding over times gone by, if my attention was focused there, could I really see the newness that the Lord was bringing to my life? Very simply, it was extremely difficult to do so because my attention was not on the Lord.

God is indeed doing new things in our lives. He wants to bring us to new places of intimacy with Him. He wants to heal us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. But we have to cooperate, let go of what lies in the past, focus our attention on the Lord, and be amazed at what He does for us!

Through the Red Sea..

·

“Tell…[your children]…the mighty things I have done.”

Ex 10:2 NKJV

It’s not enough to escape your past, its power over you must be broken; otherwise it’ll chase you the rest of your life. When you break away from something that keeps trying to recapture you, it’s crucial to get victory over it; otherwise you can’t move forward and enjoy the blessing God has in mind for you. It’s jarring to think something’s over only to find it isn’t. But remember, it was God who permitted Pharaoh to pursue Israel all the way to the Red Sea. Why? For two reasons: (1) “That I may show [you] these signs of Mine” (Ex 10:1 NKJV). God wants you to see that when you put your trust in Him, obstacles and opposition mean nothing. He wants this experience to be a ‘“landmark memory” you draw faith from when you face your next problem. (2) “That you may tell…[your children]…the mighty things I have done.” You don’t have to live under Pharaoh (Satan’s rule) any more. Like the Passover, when the blood of Jesus was applied by faith to the doorposts of your heart, your status changed. You’re no longer a slave but a child of God. The generational curse is broken. Your children can now grow up under God’s blessing. Abuse, alcoholism, anger and abandonment may have been the story of your past, but it’s no longer the truth about your future.

God can solve your problem in different ways, but sometimes He takes you through the Red Sea so that when you get to the other side you can look back and see Pharaoh and his armies “dead on the seashore” (See Ex 14:30) and know the battle is over!

To Trust You

Do you hear me crying out to You?
Do you hear me I'm doing all I know to do

I can choose to ask why. I can choose to be angry.
I can wrestle when life is not what I thought it would be
I can wish that all the pain would simply go away
And at the same time I can choose Lord to trust You

Do you see me I can’t do this on my own
Are you near me just let me know I’m not alone

To trust Your ways are not my ways
To know there’s purpose in this pain
To trust that you will bring my joy again
But I’m still asking why…

-Melissa Greene "To Trust you" -lyrics altered**

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know “Thus saith the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more

Facing YOUR Giant..

All of us face "giants" from time to time. These "giants" try to do the same thing to us that Goliath did to the army of Israel to intimidate and bring fear. When the giants come we have to make a choice are we going to let them make us afraid or stand up to them through the power of the God?. David made the choice to not look at the size of the giant, but at the size of His God.So instead of running away in fear, he went out to meet his enemy.

You can't run from your giants, you have to face them. If you keep running from them, they will keep taunting you, and you will not have any peace.They will be out there every morning waiting for you, just like Goliath was there every morning. "in their face". If your knees are weak because of the giant that keeps oppressing you, if you are feeling the urge to run, if you are wanting to go and hide somewhere from it, the word to you this morning is the same one that David spoke to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him.". Actually, it's your word from God. Don't let your heart fail because of it. Because the GOD is with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. You aren't facing it alone, "Lo, I am with you always." God will fight your battle for you just like He did for David if you will put your trust and confidence in Him instead of fleeing in fear. The Lord hasn't given you a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. Do what David did, look at the size of your God instead of the size of your giant. When you do, you'll discover that your God is bigger. If the earth is His footstool, then in proportion, how big is that giant now? Besides, if God was big enough and powerful enough to bring down David's giant, He's still big enough and powerful enough to bring down yours today. He hasn't changed!!!!. So, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, because God in you is greater than any giant.



"And David said to Saul, 'Let no man's heart fail because of him: thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.'"1 Samuel 17:32

The Place of Power

We all have times when people or circumstances come against us. Times when we feel cheated, mistreated, wronged, or taken advantage of. Maybe you're facing a difficulty today and you're not exactly sure how to handle it. If we look to the Word, we see that Jesus set a powerful example for us to follow. Here He was the King of kings and the Lord of lords in human form. He carried all the power in Heaven and earth inside of Him. Yet, when He was about to go to the cross, when the people were mocking Him, ridiculing Him, persecuting Him, and lying about Him, He didn't try to defend Himself. He didn't try to set the record straight. Do you know what He did? He just rested in the place of peace. He rested in who He was. He stood strong knowing that God, His Father, would deliver Him and He would have victory in the end.

When things aren't going right or you feel like you're being treated unfairly, you can do what Jesus did and stand strong in the place of peace. You can find security knowing that you are a child of the Most High God and He promises to deliver you. Remember this: Jesus said, "Peace be with you." He said, "My peace I leave with you." Hold on to that peace because nothing can take it from you unless you give it away. Don't let offense creep in. Offense is a liar. It will steal from you and drag you down. It will erode your self esteem and rob you of everything that Jesus has already done for you. Instead, find confidence in knowing who you are in Jesus Christ. Because He died, you can live in power. Because of what He bore, you get all the rewards–you get the peace, the power, the strength, and the anointing to overcome every obstacle you will ever face.



So, how do you put on love? It's interesting that with the principles of God, we always have to do something. Wouldn't it be nice if God would just come and put love on us? You know, in the middle of a heated discussion or when someone cuts us off in traffic, if He would just come and drop love right on us, then we would always do and say the right thing. But that's not how it works. We have to choose love. We have to choose to be patient, kind, humble, and giving. We have to choose His Word. We have to decide between what our mind is screaming and what our heart is whispering.

I encourage you today, read what First Corinthians 13 says about love. When you choose to read and meditate on God’s Word, you are "putting on love" and empowering yourself to make the right choices. And, even if you've made some mistakes in the past, today is a new day. Receive God's love and forgiveness. Put on His royal robe of righteousness today and don't forget to put on love!

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let you heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27, NASB).