Lord, Thank You For My Life

If you're my Facebook friend, then you may have noticed a song I posted on my wall today.  The song is "Dear God" by Smokie Norful, and it is one my absolute favorites.  For me, the song is a testimony, and perfectly expresses how grateful I am for my life.  When I listen to the words, I feel like they were taken right from the pages of my journal, and tears flow from my eyes and my heart is moved to worship the Lord.

I've had Dear God on repeat for the past few hours, and the gratefulness that has flooded my heart is completely inexplicable.  My spirit is filled to the brim, and at this very moment my cup is running over.

I wish I could explain it, but all I can say is that I'm SO thankful for my life...

Today, I just want to share the lyrics to this heart-gripping song with you, and encourage you to give the Lord thanks and praise for YOUR life. 

It may not be what you envisioned it to be.

It may be tough, and filled with trials.

It may be full of hurt and pain.

It may not seem to make much sense.

But you know what? It could be worse.  And no matter what your life has been, or is right now, the Lord has always been with you...keeping you from being consumed, giving up, and going crazy. And He will continue to do so, and carry you to your place of purpose and destiny.

For that alone, you should be thankful for your life.

Take a listen to the song, and let the words posted below penetrate your heart.

It feels so good to make it this far

And I didn't think I could take it so long

There were days I wanted to quit

I said surely this is it

But I held on

And I watched as so called friends turned and walk away

It hurt so much I didn't have words to say

But even when my day turns to night and nothin seems just right

Lord I thank You for, for my life

For my life, Lord I thank You

For every victory in You I've seen

And all the moments I know it was You who kept me

So I thank You for, for my life

And I watched you take my family from there to here

And when times where a little rough God I know You were near

And the moments I thought I'd fail I was reminded of your nails

So I held on

And if I never live to see another day

There is nothing I would change or take away

I've had so many ups

That they far out way my downs

Lord I thank You for my life

I realized some didn't make it...

I could've been one of the ones who lost my way

And there was times Lord I know I almost went crazy

But I'm still here, with my life

It may not be all that I hoped for

And every dream has not yet been realized

And to see your face one day God

I know it's all gonna be worth it

So I thank You

Thank You for every mountain, every valley,  God every thing You brought me through

Thank You!

I know I know it was You

Just wanna take the time to say thank You Jesus for my life

Embrace Your Uniqueness

A few days ago, I spoke with a young lady who struggles with constantly comparing herself to others.  Because she feels that her life isn’t what society tells her it should be at her age, she looks at the life of her peers who appear to have it all together and are doing well, and it causes her to believe that her life doesn’t hold a candle next to theirs.  Based on what she sees in other women around her, and in mainstream media, she doesn’t think she’s pretty, smart, accomplished, fashionable, or gifted enough to say that there’s anything special about her life.

My heart ached as I listened to my acquaintance criticize herself. I wanted to reach through the phone and shake her until all of those self-demeaning thoughts flew out of her head, so I could bag them up and send them to the trash pile.  Instead, I extended my heart, hugged her compassionately with words from the Lord, and encouraged her by sharing that I knew exactly how she felt.

I once walked in her shoes, feeling inadequate and inferior.  I compared myself to every woman I believed had a better life than mine, and in my eyes, everything about me enormously paled in comparison to those around me.

Read the rest here.

God Is Faithful

"Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me..."

This morning during my Jesus Moment - what I call my daily time of prayer and meditation - I asked the Lord to speak to my heart and show me how I could be a blessing to His people today.  Once I stilled myself in His presence, He gently whispered "Remind my people of my faithfulness."  I knew it was the Lord, because thoughts of God's faithfulness have flooded my heart this week.

Over the past few days, my mind has drifted back to those times when I found myself stuck between a rock and a hard place...those times when pain and trouble were so deep I couldn't see a way out.  I reminisced on the seasons when it seemed God had completely forgotten about me, and I had reached the end of my rope. My thoughts took me back to that place where I had prayed and cried,  and worried and stressed, trying to figure out how situations would work out in my life.

As I sat reflecting over my trying times, I realized something - God came through for me. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Without fail, He came to my rescue, met me at my point of need, and held true to His promises to me in His Word.  Whether the situation was great or small, something I'd brought upon myself or occurred from being tried in the fire, even when I'd been faithless, the Lord has always been faithful to be and do all that I have needed.

Worry is a natural reaction when situations grow beyond your ability to solve them.  When what you see, or feel, shows you that the thing you're dealing with is bigger than you, it's easy to panic and believe that there's no solution to your problem.  And sometimes, no matter how much you pray, because your problem seems so enormous, you forget that God is all-powerful and there is absolutely nothing He can't handle or fix. Once you have tried everything you know to do - that didn't help - you feel like there's nothing else that can be done to bring the resolve you need.

But wait, don't give up just yet.

Before you stress yourself another day, think about this:  Has God ever failed to come to your rescue? Has His mercy and grace ever failed to cover you?  Has His hand of provision ever failed to meet your need?  Has He ever failed to keep a promise?  Has He ever failed to answer your call?  Has He ever left you alone?

If you answer truthfully, you will see that God has always been faithful to you...and He forever will be.  There's no need in worrying when the God you serve has a track record that lacks any ounce of inconsistency.  Even if it's at the ninth hour, God will always prove Himself to be faithful.  He is totally incapable of letting you down.

God is reliable. God is trustworthy. God is consistent. You need only trust him.

In your marriage...

In your health...

In your pain...

In your struggle...

In your finances...

In your ministry...

In the call upon your life...

In every single thing that concerns you...

Great is the faithfulness of our infallible God.

Here are a few scriptures to remind you of the Lord's great faithfulness:

"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." 1 Thessalonians 5:24, NASB

"God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  1 Corinthians 1:9, NLT

"For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them." Deuteronomy 4:31, NASB

"Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9, NLT


"God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?" Numbers 23:19, NLT

"For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you." Isaiah 54:10, NLT

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." 2 Corinthians 1:20, KJV

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23, NKJV

Today, may you be reminded that God is faithful.

Thanks for reading!