Welcome 30s: The Age of New Beginnings

This month I turned 30! I can't believe the years have gone by so fast! It seemed like just the other day I was 7. Well, maybe not, but the years have crept up on me. 12 years ago I graduated from high school, 8 years ago I graduated from college and now I am a working girl in the Big Apple. This is not where I thought I would be. I had my life planned out by the age of 13. It went like this:

1. I would attend FIT (like Lisa Turtle from Saved by the Bell) and major in Fashion Design. Instead I graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Apparel Design.
2. Then, I would meet my husband, who would major in finance, and start his own company. (Instead I dated a wannabe rapper for 7 years and it went no where)
3. By the age of 23 we would be married and living in a fabulous condo on the east coast with a second home in West Africa or Europe.
4. By the age of 30 I would be a stay at home mom with 5 or 6 children, 3 dogs, a mongoose and a farm out in the country. Oh and an Aston Martin, his and her black on black Range Rovers and a small yacht for vacations on the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.

Well, needless to say, my life turned out differently. Maybe some of those plans would have happened, but God intervened. I believe if the plans I laid out happened, I would not be in Christ the way I am in Him now. The Lord saved me from a destructive path. There were times that I considered living with my then boyfriend, moving out to NYC or LA right after college but God closed every door. At the time, I didn't know God was preparing me to become the young lady that I am today. I know Jesus as my Lord, Savior, Best Friend and Brother.

He is showing me that He has bigger and better plans in store for me than I could ever imagine. Not material/earthy wealth or worldly success, but the things that are eternal and everlasting. Because all the worldly things shall pass away and things that I am growing spiritually are all for the glory of God. The beautiful thing is that I am seeing it. God is using me in my workplace, family, church and friendships to bring Him glory. He is pruning me to be the sister, friend, daughter, servant, intercessor, future wife and mother that He has created me to be.

I was talking to my sister about how significant the age of 30 is. Jesus started His full time Ministry at 30, Joseph became Governor over Egypt at 30 and David become King of Israel at the age of 30! On the Christian resources today website, it states that the meaning of 30 is "the marking of the right moment." So I know that God has a lot in store for me. Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. NLT

To all my brothers and sisters turning 30 this year or who are already in their 30s and feel like they have not accomplished the goals or plans they set out to complete by the age of 30; believe me the best has yet to come. God has everything planned out! Trust Him and live in His Will and you will see miraculous things happen. Remember to be obedient and He will lead you into your calling.

No More Christian Nice Girl by Paul Coughlin

My friend emailed me this article and I just had to share it with my fellow stormriders! It is a great article from crosswalk.com by Paul Coughlin. I hope it intrigues and edifies you as it did me. I have always prayed that Jesus would help me to be more direct, firm and kind when speaking to people than to be nice, wishy washy and timid. Christ definitely illustrates in the Bible how we should conduct ourselves when faced with confrontations and certain situations. In the end it is all with love and truth. Click on the title to read the article or click the link below, enjoy!

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/PCoughlin/11633154/

Embracing Rejection as God’s Protection in 2011

Often times we have so much pain from things that happened in our lives but God says in His word that:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. I know that in my life I have experienced all types of rejection; personally, professionally, and academically. Even through all the rejection and disappointments I have learned that God has always kept me from destruction. We have to learn that the pain we would have experienced if we had not been rejected would have been worse than the pain of rejection. Sometimes we pray for jobs, spouses, education endeavors etc, and we don’t always get what we want. Could you imagine if we got everything we wanted? If we received everything we prayed for? Our lives would be a big ole mess! In all situations we should learn that what we considered rejection was God’s divine protection. God says in Psalm 91: 11 – 12 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. God only looks to protect you. He has set a path for you and has designed a unique destiny and place for you. If some of that rejection did not happen where would we be? We do not know what’s best for us. God’s way s are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We may not fully understand the rejection but what we can know for certain is that God sees the bigger picture. He knows your past, present and future. I would encourage all of you to regard any rejection in 2011 as divine protection from the Lord. Remember that God is guiding every step you take. Remember that through it all worship God even when you are hurting, when His presence is surrounding you His love will over power any pain you feel. 2011 will be a year of trusting God’s big picture. Know that all things work for good. Acknowledge his hand over your life and know that when you proclaimed Him as Lord of you acknowledged that He never fails. See your rejections as God’s divine protection and watch Him reveal His truths and plans to you.

We need Compassion

As I was shopping on Christmas Eve with my family in NYC, my sister and I noticed that some many people around us were unhappy. That spirit of depression and sadness really comes out this time of year. Many people are alone, down casted, broke, unemployed and angry. The world is a very cold and a difficult place to live in. Many people are consumed with material things and self love.
In Matthew 9: 36 it says that Jesus moved with compassion because he saw in the villages that the people were weary and scattered like sheep without a shepherd. The definition of compassion is to recognize the suffering of others, then take action to help. In the next verse it says Jesus turns to his disciples and says, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”Matthew 9:37-38
Christ with His never ending compassion saw that there was a need for the people in these towns and took action. He healed their sick, cast out demons, made the blind see and gave a word from the Father to encourage them. But Christ did not want to be the only one doing this, He wants us to also move with compassion as He does. He has commissioned us to reach out to people and take action!
I pray leading up to the New Year that when ever we see people upset or depress that we gave them a smile, say "God bless you", "Jesus loves you" or "I love you." Whatever it is move with compassion and God will give you the words to say.

True Stormriders: Christians Fleeing Iraq To Avoid Violence

There is an article on The New York Times website about Christians fleeing Baghdad because of the increase violence against them. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters over there. Pray that their faith does not grow weary and that they are reassured that the Lord is with them. Here is a video piece from the website and the link to the article is below.
Iraqi Christians, continue to ride the storm. God Bless



Link to article

Share Christ With Your Loved Ones This Thanksgiving

It is that time of year again, Thanksgiving! It is time to be around family and friends that we haven't seen in awhile or just being introduced to. This is my favorite time of year, not only because of the food but also the time of fellowship with the ones you love. This is the perfect time to catch up on what everyone has been up too. Our lives can get so busy with work, school, ministry and our families that we hardly have anytime to call or meet up with our loved ones. If you are blessed this Thanksgiving to spend time with your family please take this opportunity to tell them how much you love and care for them.
Let them know, even though you don't see each other often or hear from one another, that you keep them in prayer. This is also a perfect time to reach out to friends and family members who are not saved. Tell them what God has done for you in your life and what you are thankful for. Tell them how Jesus has blessed you to see another year and has kept you. Sharing how much we are thankful for Christ in our lives is one of the best ways to share His love.

In Ephesians 3:14-19, Apostle Paul gives us this encouraging word on how to pray for our loved ones:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

I pray and hope that the Lord blesses you and your family this Thanksgiving Holiday!
I want to share this song that I love! It is called "Thank You" sung by Mary Mary. Hope you are bless by this song.

O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known His doings among the peoples!
1 Chronicles 16: 8

True Stormriders: Christian Motocyclist Attacked in Haiti

I just saw this article and had to post it. CNN reported today, that a group from The Christian Motorcyclist Association were in Haiti to donate motorcycles to local pastors in the city of Cap-Haitien. They were attacked by demonstrators that believe that peace makers started a cholera outback. Everyone on the bus, that was attacked, survived. Please take time to read this article and continue to keep Haiti in prayer. My sister and I by God's grace will be going to Haiti next year on our next mission's trip. That country needs a lot of healing, so let's pray that God continues to send His people down there and that there is a hedge of protection around them at long times.

Click here for article.

A Picture of Salvation

Zechariah 3: 1- 4

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

I love this portion of scripture! God in His total love for us gives us a glimpse of what happens in the supernatural once we come into salvation. In this passage we see Joshua the priest (not to be confused with Joshua from the Book of Joshua) Standing before the Lord. He is dressed in filthy garments and Satan was standing at his right hand to oppose him. Then God says something absolutely amazing; God says, “Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" In John 15:6 Jesus says, “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned." It is when we turn from our wicked ways that we are plucked from the fire. In essence, until we know Jesus, The Word of God made flesh, until we abide in Him, we are basically hell bound. We are in the fires of hell until we cry out to the Lord and ask Him for forgiveness and to change us into new creations. This is the picture that we get to see through the experience of Joshua. We see how we are plucked from the fire and allowed to stand in the presence of God.

Something important to note; in this passage Joshua stands before God filthy. He is in the presence of the Almighty God, filthy. Why? Because we can’t make ourselves clean, only God can make us clean. He is the only one that can change who we are. So many people feel that they need to come to God in a perfect state; that we have to clean up our act before we come to God and God is saying “no”. He is saying that He is the only one that can change our filthy rags and make us whole.

Also, in this portion of scripture we see God as a protector and a defense. Joshua didn’t open His mouth and neither do we. God will always speak on our behalf and will always rebuke the enemy from the ones He calls His own. Just as Jesus did not open His mouth to speak when He was being accused, neither do we. Because I believe that while Jesus was silent God was proclaiming amazing things in the heavenlys. And what’s even more amazing, there is no indication that Satan even spoke. It says that he was standing there to oppose Joshua, it didn’t say that he started opposing him, or had opposed him it said “to oppose” him. There will be times in our lives at various stages in our walk where the enemy will want to oppose us, but God won’t even let him speak. Right before he can say anything God says “I rebuke you Satan”. God puts an end to the accusations before they can be said. Why? Because God already know the things we have done, He already knows what we will do and He doesn’t care about our past. He washes it away! And God won’t let anyone try to bring to remembrance what He has already pardoned.

There is so much to glean from this passage and in essence God is saying that He alone can redeem us and clean us. He alone can protect and defend us. He alone can cause us to be a new creation. He pardons our sins and removes them far away from us. God’s love for His people is so strong and I thank Him for His love, protection, defense and cleansing power.

Magnify Him!

I don't know about you but I love to worship the Lord. No matter what I am going through, worship music always helps me feel better and encourages me to worship the Lord. Below is one of my new favorite songs. I like this song because it simply says Magnify Him! No matter what we go through or how we feel we ought to magnify the Lord. He is worthy of all our praise. I notice if I have some worship and devotion time 1st thing in the morning, I tend to have so much energy! Worship puts me in a good frame of mind and adds a pep to my step! I hope you all enjoy this song. In everything that we do let's remember to Magnify Him!

Get Alone With God

We recently went on a weekend retreat with our young adult ministry from church. We were able to get away from the busyness of the city and relax out in the country. It was a wonderful time to reflect and get alone with the Lord. Like we have discussed in previous posts, it is so important to build your relationship with God. One of the ways to do so is to be intimate with God.
The healthy relationships that we invest in with our family members, friends, co workers and spouses are earthly examples of how our relationship should be with the Lord. We need to get alone with Him to learn more about Him. We can experience His love, joy, pain, concerns, compassion and spirit by just taking the time to be in His presence. When you want to get to know someone better, you spend time with that person. You build a level of intimacy with the person. You learn that you can confide and trust that person. You also find out what the person thinks about you, if they love you or care about you.

God wants that same level of intimacy with us. He wants to hear about our concerns, deep thoughts and desires. On the flip side we need to also ask God about what concerns Him about us. Are we walking in His will, are we obeying Him and loving Him? Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days to get alone with God, before He started his ministry.

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness John 4:1. Jesus got alone with his Father to gain wisdom, strength and understanding of His plan. Jesus also got alone with the Lord when John the Baptist died and before he feed the 5 thousand (Matthew 14:10-14:21). There are other times throughout the gospels that Jesus went out to be alone with the Father. And every time he went out to pray something miraculous happened! So if our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ could find the time in the short 3 years of His ministry to pray and get alone with God; we need to follow His lead and do the same.
I pray that you get into the prayer closet and get alone with God. He is the reason why we are still here, so give Him your time and attention every moment you get.
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:5-8