There is Nothing Like the Presence of God!

There is nothing like the presence of God! In His presence, pain will leave, your mind will be calmed, your heart will be comforted, your past will disappear.  It is a place that you cannot describe but literally feel like you are floating in thin air with not a weight in the world to carrry.  When you really surrender to the presence of God and allow Him to take over your heart, your mind, and your soul there is nothing you can't overcome.  Everything you have been carrying begins to fade away.  And it is because you realize His power. Psalm 97:5 says "The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth."  So, even the elements that He created are subjected to His authority.  There is nothing that He created that supercedes Him, not even the devil and any hell that has come your way.  So, walk in His presence, talk in His presence, and when you feel like you have gone astray, RUN to His presence.  He is always with you and will never leave but you have to SURRENDER your will to His.  You have to lay on your face, bow down, and say your will not mine Lord!  Do it in me!  Crucify my flesh!  Help me to experience the Savior that you are and rest in the grace of your unconditional love.  It is in His presence that there is fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11).  So, stay there. Stay in His presence, stay in His Word and worship Him daily.  He will give you everything you need, the peace of mind you so desire, the deliverance you are praying for, and even MORE...

In His Presence,  
First Lady J

Live Free & Experience the Wonders of God!

I sometimes struggle with how often to write, battling in my mind what should be said or what shouldn't.  It's how we feel in life sometimes.  We wonder whether to reveal how we really feel or hold back and conceal it.  However, I have just recently gotten to the point in life where I now realize that I need to be real with God every day and not be afraid to share what I am going through. I cannot hold back but share with others what it is to be free from even your own thoughts.  I need to be real with God and not be afraid to be me, no matter who I am around. Life is too short they say but the reality is that life is abundant and full of time to experience what God has for us in it.  So why hold back, fret or worry what others will think?  Why get caught up in our own fears and not live life the way God wants us to, free from sin and bondage.  Exodus 15:11 says "Who is like unto you, O LORD, among the gods? who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?". God is miraculous!  And He is doing wonders every day but we will miss it if we are bound by our own restraints.  So, enjoy life! Don't be afraid to be real about with Him, share with others as God leads, and live free of the ties that bind, especially in your mind.  That is the miracle that He has given us through Jesus Christ and we can live in that freedom every day. So, let's LIVE FREE and experience the wonders of God as we draw closer to Him!

Love,
First Lady J

BREAK OUT!

Have you ever just wanted to break out of something?  You feel overwhelmed, bogged down, overcome with emotion and you see no way out!  You feel uncomfortable, uneasy, and there is something on the inside of you that wants to cry out.  Well, today my son was making a fort and he decided to pile all of the pillows on top of himself like he was buried so he could not get out.  Immediately, my rescue mentality kicked in. My human survival instinct was like "Break out of there!"  And I realized at that moment, that I needed to break out of the mental rut that I was in.  I don't have to feel overwhelmed by circumstances and I don't have to be bogged down by my own emotions.  I can, through Christ, break out of this thing.  I John 2:4 says "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."  And I know that God has said that I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus.  Therefore, I need to keep His commandments and stop living a lie. The truth is in me and I am going to break out!  I know who my God is and I do not have to believe the lie of the enemy that I am bound.  So, I speak life unto you as well right now in the name of Jesus!  Believe that God has given you the power to overcome any situation or circumstance you are in.  Do not let the enemy or even yourself hold you down or back any longer. Like my son eventually broke out of those pillows on top of him and roared with a smile, I challenge you today to break out of what you have been in and break forth into your destiny!

Hallelujah!
First Lady J

A Sweet Place of Grace

There is a place of grace that you have to stay in during even the most toughest of times.  It is a sweet place where God gives you the strength to hold on and keeps you so that you can see beyond your circumstances. It is during this time that you have to sacrifice your doubts and fears and realize the necessity of God's word to get you through it.  Romans 5:3-5 says "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  By whom also we  have access by faith into this grace, wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God".  The awesome thing about this place of grace is that it could be in the midst of the joy of your favorite worship song unto God or in the peace of being on your knees at 5:00 a.m. in the morning when everyone else is sleep. It could also be in the lifting of your hands when you have nothing else to say and most of all in the profession of God's word when you are telling the enemy to flee.  Whatever the time or the test just remember that God is doing something on the inside of you that will be a blessing for someone else. It is in this place of grace that God is increasing your faith and bringing you closer to Him!

In His Grace,
First Lady J

New Year, New Level, New Life!

This is a New Year and a new level for you!  It is a new place and time in your life to do something you haven't done and to accomplish what you have yet to achieve.  It is an opportunity to leave the past behind and grab ahold to your future, your God-given destiny. So, don't let anyone or anything stop you; not even yourself!  I had to say this to myself the other day.  I  had to say I can write my blog, work on my second book, and most of all love and serve the Lord my God with all my heart!  I can still be the best wife and mom I could ever be and enjoy time with my family! I can have peace in Christ in the midst of my full, busy and sometime hectic days and still expect the impossible that only God can do!  In reality, I had to crucify my flesh, my own ways, and my own fears of not balancing it all, that I had become so comfortable with.  I had to ask God to baptize me in mind, soul and spirit and teach me how to live on this new level in my life that He has brought me to.  And this is what God said to me in Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with Him in baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of God the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life." Jesus died and rose again just for you to experience new life in Him!  So, embrace the deliverance He has given you from your past and let God be your guide to fulfill all He has ordained you to do!

Praying with you on the journey,
First Lady J

Step by Step Go Forth!

Have you been making plans for this year? I mean really... have you been writing down things that you want to do? Setting goals? Strategically planning how you're going to accomplish it? If you haven't already done so you need to do so now, because if you don't, you never will! Time is of the essence. There are things that God wants to do in you right now. You have heard his voice and know in your heart what you are supposed to do. So, seek His direction and receive His instruction on what to do first. Ephesians 5:15-17 says "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." So, take the time to do so. Everyday do something new. Little by little, step by step, you will meet your goal if you stay consistent, persistent, and diligent with what God has called you to do. No one can do it better than you! Believe that. I am praying for you as you go forth!:)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year!!! There is something about the freshness of the first day of the year!  There is hope and joy and a feeling that great things can happen.  However, for the believer, there is a different type of assurance.  There is a belief that God made a way out of no way for us!  That He allowed us to see another day and that He graced us to see another year!  We are grateful, unequivocally grateful. We are humble that we made it and that we are alive to say it!  But to take it a step further, we have this grave surety that our God is going to do something in our lives greater than He has ever done before.  We know that He can and we draw closer to Him as we crossover into the New Year because we know we cannot make it without Him.  So, I leave you with this Word from God to encourage you and to move you closer in Him towards your destiny. "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."  Isaiah 43:19. Whooo...I receive it for you!