The Safest Place in the Whole Wide World…

Hey y’all!

Sorry I haven’t been on here in a few weeks. Things have been  kind of crazy and busy for me. As most of you guys know I started this blog for a communications class for my grad program.Although each post is for a grade for my class, I really try to pray and seek God on what it is He wants me to say. But being completely honest. I haven’t been praying as much and haven’t been spending much time in my word lately.  Life has just been so busy. School, work, weight loss journey, and kids. It has been down right crazy.

I saw this picture on Facebook and it really made me think about some things.

 I love this quote! Im not sure who said it. It didn’t have an author on it. But when I saw the picture it made me say to myself. OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH I GET IT NOW!

Everything that we go through is preparing us for something we asked the Lord for.  Yea, it’s kind of hard to see things that way but I really believe this statement is so true. My mind of course started thinking about all the bad stuff has happened to me. I realized again how true this statement really is!

I think about when my home was broken into. It taught me how to be content with much and content with little. When my car was stolen, it taught me how to be thankful. Thankful that my son wasn’t in the car when they stole it. When I lost my job it taught me how to be content. I hated that job and I really didn’t want to be there.  I even thought about sad moments where my heart felt broken and crushed. I think of  how it taught me what I truly wanted out of life. I truly learned my worth and what I deserved and now I’m confident, bold and unashamed to say what I want, feel, and deserve.

I think I’ve mentioned this scripture before but the Lord keeps giving it to me as I write this post so I’m going to give it to you again.

1 Peter 2:19 For one is regarded favorably (is approved, acceptable, and thankworthy) if, as in the sight of God, he endures the pain of unjust suffering.

There are somethings we are going through that are just unfair! We complain about it,, get angry about, get content, and then repeat the cycle all over again. We pray and ask God to remove the situation without even understanding what we are supposed to learn from it.

I used to work for a company where my boss made a difference with me in my race. I was the only black person in the department and she would always say little things to me about my race, area I lived, how I talked, and sounded. Although it she felt it was all in fun, it wasn’t funny to me. I grew to really dislike the job and it showed in my work. She would be extremely nice to me in my face, but then tell upper management that I wasn’t doing my job properly. She really started to pick at me. Needless to say, I started hating the job. I dreaded going to work everyday.

Months later I lost my job. Right after I bought a house. I had not even made my first mortgage payment. I was a bit relieved but then again, I was a bit afraid too. I had no other income. Through that situation the Lord begin to show me contentment. I kept thinking, I shouldn’t have complained about the job so much. I should have been more grateful and asked the Lord to help me while I was there instead of removing me.

Thats the thing I find we tend to do the most. Instead of staying and asking the Lord what are we to learn from a situation, we run instead. we run away from it. The problem with running is that we will continue to go through that situation time and time again until we learn the lesson the Lord wants us to learn. Remember the above scripture. You are regarded as favorable when we endure unjust treatment. When we stay and handle things God way He has a way of developing us through the situation. Theres a blessing on the other side of it if you can stay and endure Gods way.

I know its not easy. Think about it like this. Would you rather be in Gods perfect will, or His permissive will? I looked up the definition to permissive will and there are a bunch out there, but in short Permissive Is what God permits to happen many times because we ask. There is still a purpose and plan behind it but its the hard way through the test. His perfect will is His thoughts and plans for our lives unfolding.

For example. You hate your job. You complain, complain, complain about your job. You cry out to God and ask you Him to help you get another job. He tells you over and over its not time, but you keep praying about a new job. He says ok and gives you the new job. (thats permissive will) But guess what? the new job is worse than the last. one!  So you are miserable all over again. Get it?  His perfect will was for you to stay at the first job and let your line shine so bright that you bring people closer to Him. Or He may have wanted to develop you in patience or in love, or witnessing to others. That is His perfect will.

The safest and best place to always be is in His perfect will. There’s a purpose and a plan for all we deal with. With God on your side you are the VICTOR! You serve a God that has a flawless record. And even when we mess up, He’s right there with His loving arms to catch us.

I don’t know about you but I want to be in His perfect will for my life. I know His perfect will is not always easy but I know it will always be worth it.  🙂

I’m continually praying for you all.

Andrea F.

DONT GIVE UP!

Hey y’all!!

When you read the above picture that should have made you shout for joy right there. If it didn’t, read it again, read it over and over again. Read it slowly and meditate on where the Lord has brought you from.

Did you read it again? Ok, you should at least be smiling from ear to ear now! God has brought you a long long way! He didn’t leave you. and the fact that you are still here, should be proof that God LOVES you!

When I read that post, it really started me thinking about my past. Not in a  bad way, but just remembering how the Lord kept me. When I think about it, I get happy and excited, and my heart is filled with gratefulness!

Some of us are battling some SERIOUS, SERIOUS stuff, illnesses, death of loved ones, depression, and so much more.

But I want to tell you. DONT GIVE UP ON GOD BECAUSE HE WONT GIVE UP ON YOU.

We sung that song at church on Sunday  (He’s Able, by Deitrick Haddon) and it really resonated with me. The song says “don’t give up on God cause he won’t give up on you, He’s Able”. We pray, we get excited, and we have hope, that God is going to do what we are believing in Him for, and then after a couple of months we don’t see it. So we get discouraged and give up. We stop praying, we stop studying our word. We start speaking defeat and start complaining. BUT, don’t give up on God! He didn’t give up on you!

How long did it take you to surrender your life to Him? How many times have you prayed and gave up? How many times have you went back to your old way of thinking and living? Several times right? ( I know  have) but He never gave up on you. Even though He didn’t SEE his plans unfolding for me due to my disobedience, He never gave up on me. He kept loving me, blessing me, and welcomed me with open arms when I truly gave my life to Him. So don’t give u on God!

You have to stay in faith that God is working your situation out. You have to see yourself the way God sees you. He sees you VICTORIOUS! You have to think it, believe it, and meditate on it. You have to take possession of a victorious lifestyle.

I don’t know what some of you are going through, but God is the answer to whatever you are facing. God can turn a situation around in the blink of any eye, If you just trust him.

Philippians 4:19 says And my God will liberally supply ([i]fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 91: 7-8 says A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.

St. John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the worldyou have tribulation and trials and distress andfrustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcomethe world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

Luke 12:32 says Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give youthe kingdom!

Don’t you see that God loves you?! You just have to stay in faith. BUT HOW?? I know, you are saying, “How do I stay in faith, How do I keep going? That’s a lot easier said than done, You just don’t know what I’m going through.”

You are right. I have now idea what some of you guys are facing BUT, I know I serve a God that is bigger and stronger than ANYTHING you are going through. You stay in faith by staying in the word of God. Every time that situation comes up, you speak the word of it. Don’t dwell on the problem, you dwell on the word of God.

I heard  a minister once say, this is not about  positive thinking. This is about WORD thinking. Its believing Gods word over your situation.  It’s about not complaining about it, but trusting in what God said. When you know a situation has been worked out, you don’t have a reason to complain because it’s over and done with. You KNOW it’s worked out. Well that’s the same with whatever you are facing. You know God is on you side.

I follow a minister, Heather Lindsey on Facebook and IG and she always says, whatever you give attention to will grow. So the more you plant seeds of complaining, the more that seed will grow. It will get bigger and bigger and you will tell more and more people. How do you feel when you are complaining? Not good! But what if you gave attention to the word of God? How much better do you think you would feel if you planted seeds of the word of God? Your faith would increase, your peace would increase, joy would increase. Give attention to the scriptures and let it grow in you.

I am a big complainer and I have to check myself on it often. I have to remind myself to focus on the word of God. I’m also grateful for friends that remind me too.

1 John 4:4 says Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

God is so great on the inside of you! YOU have no reason to fear. There is a gospel song that says, Don’t wait until the battle is over, you can shout now. You can be excited right now, because you know you are a winner with God on your side. You KNOW you are VICTORIOUS!

Most of you guys know, I’m on a weight loss journey. I recently started working with a personal trainer. She has me doing some exercises where I feel like my muscles are just about to give out! lol but when it gets really hard, and I feel like I can’t go anymore, she always reminds me “you’ve got this, you can do it.” It gives me that extra umph I  need to keep going. One day she told me, “tell your body to shut up, and keep going.”

That really resonated with me, because that’s the same thing we have to tell out emotions. We have to tell them SHUT UP!!! You will not control me! I KNOW, THAT I KNOW, THAT I KNOW, what the word of God says about my situation and I’m going to trust in that word and walk VICTORIOUSLY right now! I’m not going to wait until the battle is over, I’m going to be at peace and be happy, right now!

My own Pastor has been preaching a series “Its Time for Change” and I believe in my heart, Its time for us to stop giving up. I wrote a post like this before in the past, but sometimes, I need a reminder to just have faith in God. Its time to stop trying to do things the worlds way and do things Gods way. Its time for us to stop making excuses as to why we are always depressed, mad, or sad, and its time for us to start thinking about the above statement. Here it is again:

You have made it so far. You are still here to tell your story, to give a testimony. No, Life is not perfect, no, you might not have everything you want, but you are still ALIVE.

Don’t give up on God. He won’t give up on you. Believe Him, Trust His word. Some of us are so close to receiving our blessing but we quit just short of receiving.  You have survived. You are still here. You CAN make it!

I’m praying for you all!

Andrea F.

 

The Basics

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to come on here and remind you about Gods love for you. We listen to messages and preachers telling us all theses things we should and shouldn’t do. We listen to all the messages about having faith.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with it all. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with thinking about everything I should and shouldn’t be doing and saying.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Those messages are very important. As we grow up from baby christians to adults we have to grow up in the things of God too.

But today I want to remind you of the basics. John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

God loves you so much! He has you in the palm of His hand. There is nothing that you are going through that He can not handle.

I don’t have much immediate family. Both of my parents and both sets of grandparents are all deceased. I often feel very alone. One day I had a talk with God about it and he told me. I love you, I think you’re to die for, and you are my number one priority.Wow!!! That blessed me so much y’all.

So I want to remind you of the basics. Just remember that God loves you. Don’t focus on all the wrong you may have done, or all the times you didn’t get it right. Focus on God and His love for you. Remember that you are His number one priority.

Don’t get so overwhelmed with all the do’s and dont’s. When you continue to love God the Holy Spirit will give you a check in your spirit when something isn’t right.

All you have to do is remember God loves YOU!

Praying for you all,

Andrea F.

It Ain’t Over!

Hey guys!

So today I want to share my friends testimony with you. This has been a rough year for her. But what I love about her testimony is that she never gave up on God. Even in the rough times she held on. I loved her video giving praise to God for what He has done  for her this year. I don’t know about you, but I can FEEL her praise through this video. Please watch it and share it with someone.

What I hope you take away from it, is to sit back and think about what the Lord has brought you from. Understand there is purpose for everything that you went through. It was to develop you and make you stronger. Take a few minutes and think about some of the challenges you faced this year. But guess what, YOU MADE IT and you are still here!

Understand that what God does for others He can do the same for you. I  pray this video blesses you as much as it blessed me!

Be blessed. I’m always praying for you!

Andrea F.

Please view: Testimony