Love Thyself?

I was studying my bible this morning, and I came to the scripture "Love thy neighbor as you love thyself." (Gal. 5:14, Matt.22:40, Lev.19:18). That is one of the greastest commandments for all of us to follow. The question that struck me is, do you love yourself? I know we hear people say this a lot, but really how can we love anybody else when we don't love ourselves? How much do we really love ourselves? If we love ourselves then why do we put ourselves in situations that is harmful to us? Some examples: abusive relationships, drug addictions, alcoholism, fornication, gluttony, lasciviousness, hatred,etc. Someone may ask, how are these things harmful or hurting me? All I can tell you is to look back over your life and ask yourself that question.

Be anxious for nothing

Phil4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing or about anything; but in ALL matters of life by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which you will not understand shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. In other words, have you found yourself praying about something and worrying about it at the same time. sure you have, ...we all do at some point. but this shall not be. when you pray give it to God and have the faith in God to know that He is working it out. that's why we are to pray with thanksgiving. once we pray about our situation whether it be finances, children , spouses, relationships, job, etc. we are to ALLOW God's peace to guard our hearts and minds from worry or anxiety. I say "allow" in lg print bc God gives us peace but sometimes we choose to fight off or go against that peace bc we think we gone change things by worrying. NOT! If you're worried or anxious about anything get down on your knees or pray right now bc that spirit is not of God. While you're praying ask God to forgive you for your unbelief/lack of faith

Is Our Heart at Peace with God?

Guard your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

What is in your heart? Is your heart at peace with God? Don't you know that our heart is like soil? It soaks up whatever has been planted into it. Are we guarding our hearts? Is our heart at peace with God? I'm pretty sure we know what that means. We've had situations where there was tension between you and someone else. We can recognize that tension or bad vibe. Do you recognize that same vibe between you and God?
Guarding our hearts: there are 3 gateways to our heart, the eyes, ears and mouth. There is also another gateway, the company that we keep.
Eyes: we should be aware of what we set before our eyes. When we see certain things we start to have a desire for it or begin to act upon it (Psalm 101 verse 3)
Ears: what are we listening to that is being planted into our hearts? Could it be the music, gossip, lies, cursing, etc. I'm pretty sure we know music can be influential. Music sets the atmosphere, right? Who wants to hear Gucci when it's time to make love :) What you hear changes how you feel. You ever had someone talk negatively to you about another person and it changed your feelings toward that person and they haven't even done anything to you. don't lie.
Mouth: the words that come out of our mouths can be a dangerous thing. The tongue is small but dangerous (James 3 verses 6, 9-10) What we hear others say can be dangerous too. Have you ever hung around someone and they kept cursing and eventually you began cursing. because we didn't turn away from it. we allowed it to soak in.
Company we keep: I don't care what you say, we know that we can allow others to influence us. It can be a good influence or a bad influence that depends on the person. People can change you. It could be a friend, family member, spouse, mate, co-worker, etc. Who is influencing you?

What is it or who is causing our hearts not to be at peace with God. What are those issues of life that is coming out of your heart? Is it evil thoughts, fornication, greed, pride, wickedness, etc? (Mark 7 verse 20-23) Don't blame your issues on satan. Look into your heart.

Before I Leave Here: Preparing for Death

Many of us do not like to talk about death or here others speak of it. I'm sure there may be times when we hear our love ones talk about dying we may say "don't talk like that." I know that I am guilty of making that statement. Why? Why do we not want or like to hear others talk about death. Many of us make the statement "we gone leave this earth one day." So why not prepare yourselves or others for that day? I admit I don't like to talk about dying. I don't like to hear my parents or grandparents talk about it. Am I afraid of dying? I'm not going to lie, yes I am afraid. I am not afraid of my destination because I am saved, but I am afraid because I do not want to leave my loved ones behind. There are things i want to experience and see before I leave this earth. But I do know that is not my call.
The topic of death may not be an amusing conversation but it is important. Even Jesus spoke of his death with his disciples. They (disciples) didn't like to hear Him speak of it, but yet Jesus prepared them. (Matt. 17verse 22-23) We have to do better at being prepared as well as preparing our loved one. I believe the first preparation is salvation. I pray that souls will be saved. But even for those who are saved, it doesn't just end there. How many of us have a will? I know I don't. How many of us have already made our funeral arrangement? Most importantly, how many of us have life insurance? Wow! I better get busy. Thank God that I am still here, me and my daughter.
So, if I am not prepared for death then why am I speaking of it? One reason is my lack of knowledge on death preparation. Also, my grandmother has been talking a lot about her death. Her burial plots and making sure that everything is in order. It bothered me at first to hear her talk like this, but I come to understand that she is doing what she's suppose to do. She is prepared and she's preparing her family. I understood even more once i read the scripture mentioned above. I've witnessed family members struggle to give their loved ones a proper burial. And, I know we have seen families fuss and fight over "unfinished business" their loved ones might have left behind or did not specify before leaving here. Jesus prepared His disciples for His death. The difference is Jesus knew when His time was approaching. We don't know.

Below are different links that can provide us with helpful information on preparing for death.


http://www.ehow.com/how_8711519_prepare-death.html
http://wills-probate.lawyers.com/wills-probate/Preparing-a-Will.htmlhttp://www.funeralresources.com/funeral-guides/choosing-a-funeral-home-guide/
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%2010:9&version=NKJV

Peace

Tonight I was spending time reading God's word and I was studying scriptures relating to prayer. I began to meditate upon some of the scriptures and the word peace is strongly on my mind. I will admit that I am going through some tough times right now, but I recognize that I am not the only one going through tribulation. I will say this, in the midst of our trials and tribulations God want us to have peace. God does not want us to worry about ANYTHING, what we are going through nor worry about what is going on around us. I understand it is easier said than done, but that is what faith is all about. We are suppose to put our trust in God no matter what the situation looks like. God knows what is going on and nothing is too hard for Him. It may be hard for us and God knows that. That is why He tell us to cast all our cares (situations and troubles) upon Him instead of us trying to carry or fix the problem. God's word also says that in everything we are going through or dealing with, whether good or bad, we are to give thanks because our situation is the will of God for our life. So do you know what that means? That means God is in control. We are not telling Him anything that He does not already know. If God is at peace then we should be at peace. If God is resting during the time of a storm, we are to rest as well. We are not to worry. We are not to worry about what we should eat, wear, our bills, health,etc. Instead we are to talk to God, with confidence, about how we feel and give our troubles to Him. So that we may have peace in our hearts and minds. When we don't have peace we are not fully trusting God. We pray and ask for peace, but the problem is we are not allowing ourselves to be at peace. We have it backwards. It's seems as if we think that we are suppose to worry. That if we don't worry then we are not concerned about our situations. That should not be. We should be aware of our situations but not worried. What can we do by worrying? Nothing, but destroy our own selves. What can do by casting our troubles on God? We can enjoy the peace that He will give unto us.

Scriptures:
Phil. ch.4 verse 6-7
1 Thes. ch. 5 verse 17-18
Hebrews ch.4 verse 14-16
1 Peter ch.5 verse 6-7
Matt. ch. 6 verse 24-34 (one of my favorites)
Matt. ch.8 verse 24-26

His Thoughts

Has God ever told you to do something that just sound crazy or doesn't make any sense? And because it doesn't make any sense to us we start questioning whether or not is it God really speaking or just our minds. God has instructed me to do something that if anyone else knew about it they would think that I am stupid. I know that it is God because He has done it before and of course I didn't listen. I listened to others opinions instead of the one who knows best all because what He told me to do did not make sense to me.Well as you may know God rewards obedience just like we do with our own children. You also may know that God is not like us. He doesn't think like us nor act like us. Isaiah 55 verse 8&9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
This is where our faith in God comes in. Do we trust Him enough to follow His directions even when it does not seem reasonable? Do we trust Him to realize that He knows what is best for us even when others try to tell us different? Do we trust God's thoughts and His ways?

Word of Encouragement

I just want to give a word of encouragement. Do not be ashamed of your accomplishments or success just because others are not where you are. People may view you differently, say things about you or decide that they don't like you. Don't let other peoples' attitude or negative mindset allow you to become stagnant in your goals. The problem is not you it is them. If you're making good grades in school keep making those good grades. If you are successful in your career remain successful. If you are making a change in your life, whether it's physical or spiritual, continue to make that change. You should not feel like you have to lower your standards to someones level in order to please them. Instead, make them step up to your level.  Do you think Tyler Perry will stop making movies or plays because they become Box Office hits or sell out shows? No, he's moving forward and climbing higher. That's the direction we all should go, up not down. We all have our own choices. If you choose to do better and accomplish more in life, then be persistent in the choice that you have made. Be a leader not a follower. Remember who you are. You are Royalty.