~ My Thought Life ~

My pastor said something yesterday that resonated in my soul. He said ask God to help your thoughts stay on his word. There are many times that my thoughts wander. At times, they go off and think about this and that and mainly they start to focus on my past and never the present. I do know that this is not of the Lord and I am to cast each thought down and replace them with the word of God. 

What happens when you do not know the word of God like that just yet?
What happens if you are new in your walk with the Lord and you do not have the weapons stored in you to fire off at the enemy just yet? I may have somewhere in my blog shared some declarations that you can use in situations like this at some point BUT just for the sake of time I wanted to share some again with you today. 

Please print these out if you must or write them down and carry them in your purse. But always stay prepared and have resources in your walk with Jesus. Don't wait for others to encourage you there will be many many times you MUST encourage yourself.  Something that is powerful is looking yourself in the mirror and reciting declarations and/or the living word of God out loud. It stirs your spirit and feeds you like no other. Live like you belong to Jesus and go out and be blessed today.

Declarations:

v  I am the head and not the tail (John 14:30)

v  I am a child of God (1 Peter 1:18,19)

v  I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength (Mark 9:23)

v  Jesus is for me and I do not have to fear (Psalm 23)

v  No weapon formed against me shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17)

v  I am a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17)

v  I am a blessed seed of God (Colossians 1:13)

v  God lives in me (2 Corinthians 6:16)

v  I am the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15)

v  God has a plan for me to prosper and to succeed (Jeremiah 29:11)

v  Sin has no power over me (Romans 6:14)

v  I separate myself from everything unclean (2 Corinthians 6:17)

v  I resist the devil and submit myself to Jesus (James 4:7)

v  I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2: 16)

v  In righteousness I am established (Isaiah 54:14)

v  I live and walk by faith and not by sight or my feelings (2 Corinthians 5:7)

v  I can think of things that are lovely and pure, worthy of all praise (Phil 4:8)

v  My faith is in Jesus and his word (1 John 5:4,5)

v  I overcome  the devil by the blood of the lamb (Revelation 12:11)

v  I believe  that I will live  and not die (Psalm 118:17)

v  By HIS stripes I am healed (Isaiah 53: 4,5)

v  I am strong and of good courage (Joshua 1:9)

v  God is for me (Romans 8:31)

v  I have a spirit of love and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)

v  I follow Jesus (John 10:27)

v  My steps are ordered of the Lord (Psalm 37:23)

I encourage you to do some work on your own as well. Get in your bible and start writing God’s promises down so that they can be etched in your heart, mind and spirit. You are victorious and do not have to bow down to fear you have weapons to fight with. You are the blessed seed of God, stay encouraged.

Prayer Starter:

Jesus, you are for me and you never leave me. You said in your word that I have a spirit of courage and of sound mind. Please help my thoughts to stay on your word and let them never wander off. You are my strong hold and provider and I truly can do ALL things through you because you give me strength. I do not have to be fearful and let my thoughts and emotions take over because I can focus on your truth. Thank you for loving me and convicting my spirit. I love you, Lord and I will serve you in my thoughts today. In Jesus’ precious Holy name I pray. Amen

~HELP, I am Mad at God ~

Do you know that as a human you were only built to sustain a certain about of pressure? That is why God says for when you are weak; I am strong in 2 Corinthians 12:10. He knows our weaknesses. He suffered through the same life we live today. It is because in our weakness (frail human state) HIS grace (God’s favor) is enough for us to relax. Jesus provides blessings to those who are patient and learn to wait and trust in Him. We were not built to bear constant stress, hardships and persecutions in our own strength, we will buckle every time. Sure we can sustain much and you probably already have BUT at some point there comes a time of surrender, throwing in the towel because it really is just too hard to handle life alone. When we are stressed our body is in a slumped position, we are down, weak and feel extreme mental discomfort. We are under pressure and can and will take matters into our own hands and then get mad at God when we make a mess.

Just a couple of months ago something very unfortunate happened to my family. I was so angry, hurt and truly disappointed in God. I felt entitlement because in my mind I am God’s CHOOSEN child. I am being honest. I totally questioned how God could let this happen to me. So for about 2 weeks I pouted, cried, and was holding resentment toward the Creator of our universe. First of all, who does this? Like who gets mad at God for life? I was stressed to the max but it really was not cute to blame Jesus. I gave up, got up and gave up again. I was so back and forth and wanted relief. Sisters, I was not built for that much stress. In that entire very unfortunate incident, I shifted. I did not stay in the presence of my Father; I left him (peace, two fingers). I followed my emotions and decided to let life suck me in to the vortex of defeat. I truly let the enemy have his way because my heart was so broken. I had no peace and that was because I was anxious and refused to trust Jesus.

You see Christ came so that we do not have to suffer in mental torment. Fact of the matter is life is hard and there will be many things we do not understand. However, in our feeble state we are to look to Christ. We are to do our very best in everything and TRUST Jesus to do the rest. Trial doesn’t mean run away from God and do everything by yourself. Trial says this is a test of your faith will you pass it? Will you lean on your Father and still trust Him at his word? I know when circumstances look chaotic and it really is easier to satisfy the desires of our flesh because it is what we are used to. But Jesus died for us to have a life full of abundance and peace. I know I let my situation steal my joy and life from me that day because I was no good. Truth is I had a choice and I failed. But you know what, it is okay. The God we serve keeps no records of wrongs. He will put us right back where we need to be because he loves us that much. God really does work ALL things for our good. We may not see it then but later we will. Life is simple but we really do make things very complicated, at least I know I can. God says be still, but we move, cry and panic. He says rest and here we go moving a mile a minute working endlessly on the “to do list”. Clearly, I don’t take instruction well at times and I am stubborn so you are not alone.

In Matthew 6:34 (Message version) God says “Give me your ENTIRE attention to what I am doing right now and DON’ T get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. I will help YOU deal with whatever hard things come your way WHEN the time comes”.

How crazy is it to actually trust GOD at his word. To relax and breathe because God says he will HANDLE our issues. Each time I read that verse I find so much peace because it reminds me that I am nothing and my GOD is EVERTHING!

My friend, today, is a good day to pause for air and breathe in God’s spirit. We do not have to handle life alone nor do we have to stay in anger or resentment toward our Father when life tests us. We do have a Savior who is patiently waiting for us to release our grips on life’s circumstances so that he may step in and work. Our renewed spirits can offer us right thinking and righteousness in Christ IF we allow for it.

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

Lord, I am nothing in my own strength. I cannot attempt to be a decent anything if I leave you out of any aspect of my life. I need you with every fiber of my being. I am completely lost without your presence. I am so thankful for whom you are and everything you represent. I pray I remember your sovereignty in every step of my day. May I worship you in spirit and in truth. I pray I am vigilant, willing and loving to myself and others. I do not want to keep failing tests, Jesus. I want to grow more in you. I love you and I pray in your precious sweet name. Amen 

~ Who do YOU Worship? ~

What is idolatry? It is defined as an extreme adoration, love, or reverence for something or someone. Who or what do you worship this much? That is my question to you today. Who or what gets ALL of you? Friends, if we are not careful we will make idols of many things or people in this life and love them more than God. If and when we do this we leave nothing to offer Jesus because we are to busy giving our ALL to something or someone else. 

In Exodus 20:3-6, God tells us point blank “you shall have no other Gods before me”. We are to not make carved images or anything in its likeness. We shall not bow down and serve any one thing or person is what God goes on to say in Exodus. Just because we don’t carve out little wooden figurines of our kids or spouses doesn’t mean we do not worship them or bow down to them. Jesus is a jealous God. He does not like when his children cherish others or any earthly possession before him. May I share my heart with you?

I had a problem with this. It was unhealthy and destroying my life. I worshiped my husband. I loved him with an extreme adoration that was not healthy. I knew Jesus but not like now. I made my day revolve around what my husband was doing and sometimes thinking. If he was angry I was sad. If he did not like how I did something, I changed it. If he wanted something over the kids I made sure he had his way. If I had to jeopardize me for him, I would. This took place prior to marriage and a little shortly after we married. You see, biblical submission does not look this way. Biblical submission is to honor your HUSBAND unto the Lord, not LIKE he is the LORD. My husband never ever ask me to do any of these things. I am sure sometimes he looked at me with irritation. I just wanted him to love me, REALLY BAD….I looked to him to be my God. When he did not treat me like I FELT he should treat me I was devastated. I had high expectations for this KING of mine. 

I will say during this time I did this, our relationship and marriage was in shambles. Why did I do this? Why did I make my husband this little God in my mind? I will tell you why I did this. I did this because I did not know Jesus for myself in my heart. I did not trust Jesus nor rely on him so I trusted in who was earthly in front of me. I wanted to find ALL my security in my husband. Boy, was that a HUGE mistake!!!! I did not know I was doing this until my relationship with Jesus grew. He opened my eyes to so much. God is a jealous God and when we love, praise and honor anyone or anything above him? Umm, I guarantee your life will fall completely apart. Why? Because we were not made to worship or treat anything or any one person with that much adoration. Idolatry is a sin and is very dangerous. God made us with this deep desire and love ALL for himself, not for our spouses, children, jobs, careers, cars etc. 

Moms, if you are not careful your kids can become an idol. Sure, we are their mommy. They need us. We have an unconditional love for them like no other. But your children DO not come before Jesus. There is an order for a reason. If you do not know this order I encourage you to pray. Ask God to show you what he desires for you in this area. Ask him to reveal himself to you in a way that is only relevant to you. I have no doubt in my mind that he will do just that.

Your careers? Good Lord HAVE MERCY. Many make their jobs their Heavenly Father. They spend so much time and energy trying to advance themselves, it is so ridiculous. If you are loving, praising and worshiping your job what do you have left? Your so tired ripping and running for your company that you cannot even sit quiet with yourself for two seconds without moving on to the next advancement of the ladder. STOP THE MADNESS!

Sisters, I ask you with a sincere heart, WHO or what do you worship? If you are struggling with this I suggest you fall on your knees and ask for forgiveness and pray that the Lord rids you of making false idols. Be honest and open with Jesus. I mean he already knows your heart, it is not like you are hiding something from him. He needs you to voice these sins for yourself and acknowledge your faults and turn to him for forgiveness. 

Today, life is different for me. I know Jesus. I am nothing without him. He is first. I have released all expectations from my husband and I am me. I am a women that LOVES JESUS first. Then comes my husband and after follow my kids. I am so thankful the Lord showed me this. May you worship Jesus and only him. 

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

Oh Heavenly Father, we come to you with a sincere heart. Forgive us for making others or material possessions, our jobs or our children our GODS. Help us to know you as our Risen King and Savior and nothing else. Purify our hearts, Jesus. Wash us completely clean. My desire is to get to you know you more. Come personally alive to me. Take off my blinders and I pray that I learn to worship you and only you for the rest of life. I love you, Lord. I magnify your name. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen  

~ YOU are NOT your PAST ~

What do you do when you come across someone who knows the old you? The you who use to live for this world? What happens when this individual or these individuals still see the unsaved you and don’t understand this “new” you? It seems that all they can remember is the way you USE to be and really are not happy that you speak about Jesus now. They mock you and think you are some “Jesus Freak”. What do you do? They turn their nose up at you because now they notice a change in you. How in the world do you respond to these individuals or perhaps just that one person who you feel has it out for you?

Sisters, it is so important that you are still in these moments and not respond just yet. If you can hold off your response then at all cost do that. While you are doing that, pray. If you can find a quiet place go there and cast your worries unto the Lord. Ask the Lord how you can specifically handle the situation. Ask the Holy Spirit for his perspective before you do anything. It is crucial you are careful with these individuals. They are drawn to the light they see in you for a reason and if you respond in a harsh way they won’t see Jesus. These individuals do not get why you chose Jesus instead of the world. Their hearts have not be softened towards Jesus just yet and God may be using you in the situation.

Deciding to leave your past behind you and taking up your cross daily to follow Christ is very brave. It was thee best decision you made to date and you will come across people who knew you before Christ and I am here to say, don’t be afraid. This is the time to focus on who you are in Christ and keep your foot. If you forgot who you are in Christ let me remind you:

You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

You are justified (Romans 5:1)

You are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)

You are now God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)

You are free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2)

You are a minister of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

You were bought with the blood of Jesus and are his temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

You are anointed (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

You are a member of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Sisters, when you know who you are in Christ you can handle situations like this with grace and excellence. You can have compassion for these individuals and remember how Christ won your heart. We all fall short of God’s glory and because we are Christians does not make us better than unsaved individuals. Because we are Christians we now have hope. We have a Savior who is for us and we now belong to HIS kingdom. We are HIS child. 

I encourage you to not get frustrated with the individuals who do not get you and your new life. Let these situations strengthen your faith and see it as a chance to give your testimony to these individuals in a way that does not freak them out. Be honest and speak from your heart. Politely say” I am not the person you use to know. I am new and whenever you have time we can talk about it if you would like”. If and when they do take you up on your offer. Explain why you no longer live the way you do and share how Christ saved you. When you are of Jesus, he will direct your steps (Psalm 37:23). If they do not take you up on your offer do not get discouraged. Pray for them and let Jesus do the heavy lifting and move right along. It is my prayer that you are blessed and you remember YOU are NOT your PAST!

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

Jesus, sometimes it gets hard in my walk with you because others do not understand and they say or do hurtful things to me. Help me Jesus to have compassion for these people and to respond in love. Help me to not waver in my service to you. It is my desire to do what is right and never give up. Father God, I wish to show others you and I do not want to interrupt your plans with being harsh to people. You love me Lord and you treat me with a grace I do not deserve. May I hand out grace and forgiveness to your people if and when I come across situations where people are mean to me, Thank you for your guidance and love, Father. I pray in your name, Jesus. Amen 

~ Activate your Faith~

Weeks before my birthday, I had blood work and an ultrasound done with my gynecologist because of abnormal bleeding. I had to wait weeks to get the results. On the day of my birthday, my doctor explained I have a fibroid or polyp on the top lining of my uterus and that he needed to go in and get a biopsy. I listened as he talked and started to write down exactly what he was saying. I left his office overwhelmed and my heart was scared immediately. I sat in the parking lot with Jesus. I begged for his perspective because mine wanted to panic. I called hubby and he immediately encouraged my heart, he is a faith filled man and I thank God for that. He told me that I will be just fine to trust the Lord. As I drove home, I was in deep thought. I thought back to all the prayers and times in my prayer closet that I asked God to stretch my faith. 

With fear trying to choke me, I said “Lord, your will be done”. Peace did not come immediately. I sat in defeat for about 5 hours, mind you it is my birthday. I kept saying “Your will be done”. Doing this I believe, was activating my faith. By the end of the day, I had peace. I go into surgery at the end of this month and I am not fearful. I will take this test as a challenge and truly activate my faith. I know Jesus is for me and sisters, I will pass this test. Now is the time!!! I cannot shrink back in fear and give the devil a foothold. My body is doing funky things and I am in pain BUT I still will plead the blood of Jesus. I will fight with all I have and choose JESUS. This life is not about me. This life is about my Father. I am to glorify him with my life and that is what I will focus on. 

This life is temporary. Jesus never said that we will not have trouble. In fact, he said the opposite. I believe he wanted us to get one key thing out of John 16:33. Jesus wanted us to grasp that HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD, so we need to cheer up when adversity strikes. He gives the hardest orders to his strongest soldiers so with him we truly can do ALL things. Trusting God in the unknown is everything we say we represent as Christ followers. Even though things seem a little dim and we really have no idea what God is up to we can choose to still be that light on a hill that will shine bright for him.We can activate our faith. 

If you face something right now that is threatening your life mentally or physically I encourage you to plant your feet on solid ground. Get on your knees and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Pray that you are steadfast and that by God’s grace you can look that circumstance right smack in the face with the eyes of the Lord. Jesus will never give you something he knows you cannot handle. This circumstance you face is to glorify his name. NOW FIGHT SISTERS! Fight for your Father’s sake.

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

Oh GRACIOUS King, your will is most important, Father, Your ways are higher. I am nothing without your unmerited grace. I pray that I am steady, immovable, planted and ready for whatever you need me to face. I love you Jesus and you are my life. I will decrease so that you can increase. May I fight for your name sake. In the name of Jesus. Amen 

~ Instead, Be Filled with MY Spirit ~

This will be long so grab some coffee.…..What I share is personal but I hope to help someone.

A couple of days ago I had a very weak moment an “emotional melt down” you can say. I was in much fear and doubt and used alcohol to cope. I drank 2 glasses of wine and a beer and would have drank more if not for the Holy Spirit. I felt so horrible after. I knew I was doing wrong and just pressed on in it because I was believing so many lies. I was under a spiritual attack this is for sure.

After I left my friend’s house, I felt horrible because some of my testimony is that I use to drink heavily when life thru me curve balls and Christ helped me see the lies in all that years ago. I had no desire to drink but I did it because I was sad and did not even turn to Jesus. 

Years ago I would find the nearest corner store and fill the bag up with my beverage of choice and just get drunk. When I would wake the next day I would always feel bad. That little buzz was not even worth it because I felt so ugly about myself each and every time. Alcohol and drugs are meant to strip you of your hope if you do not already know that. They come promising a fun time and then leave you completely empty. I remember I would try and “get drunk” when my kids were not around or when I knew my husband was home so I could be irresponsible for a little. I would blast my “mariachi music” and feel so sorry for myself. In Mexican culture, this is the norm: to drink and have a big BBQ on Friday and Saturday and have a good ol time “partying” and forget about your problems. Was not until I was older and found Christ again that I understood that I was living in complete lies. That whole way of living would have destroyed me if not for Jesus.

Some, would say “well, Monique you are being too hard on yourself” “what is wrong with what you did, your human” or the kicker is “Jesus, drank remember? surely you can”. For me, this type of behavior is not acceptable. Just because I am given grace does not mean I get to live a sloppy life. Drinking to drown my sorrows is unhealthy, point blank. Now, to occasionally have a glass of wine here and there is okay in my book BUT to drink with the sole intention of getting “drunk” for me, is a sin. Although the bible does not say drinking is a sin, the bible does say in Ephesians 5:18 why we should not do it: “do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit”. What is debauchery anyhow? According to Webster, this means indulgence in sensual pleasures, scandalous activities involving sex, alcohol and drugs. Hmmm. All that just is a bad mix that I do not care to put myself in. It is a life that screams more of me and less of Jesus. Proverbs 23:32 also says “in the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper” and it truly does. How do I move on when I do something bad? I give it to Jesus. I repent and truly seek his face with all my heart. Until I am really sorry about my behavior Jesus cannot do anything with my mess.

Why do I share all this with you? I mean because it is really putting my business out there. I share because someone somewhere has exchanged their identity in Christ for indulgence of this world. They have forgotten about the hope Jesus provides for a little and has focused on what this world can provide. I raise my hand in complete guilt. That is what I did. Someone somewhere is wrestling with this bad and I want to share what the Lord put on my heart to help encourage your spirit. You are NOT alone and NO MATTER what we face drinking will not help. Jesus can truly exchange your worries, doubts and fear with his spirit instead IF we release our grips on our thoughts and circumstances. See? I did not want to release my grips I wanted to sulk and feel sorry for myself. I did not even bother to capture each thought down. I wanted to cope in an unhealthy way so Jesus let me be. Jesus cannot dwell in that type of environment. I share my sin with you all to say EVEN in my mess that I created Jesus loves me. He will always be there to lift me out of any pit. He saves the lost that is what he specializes in but I cannot continue in my sin. Asking God to show me why I did this is what is my heart's prayer. 

If acquiring minds what to know, I drank that day because I was sad my husband was gone in travel and I started doubting him and my marriage and I started listening to the enemy. For some crazy reason I thought just the craziest things about my husband and started to call them truth. I started going backwards instead of forward. I was visiting my past is what I was doing. I started to feel lonely and to top it off I did not spend time with the Lord for 2 days, which is unusual for me. I have mentioned many times that when I try and do this life alone I fall flat on my face.

What all this taught me was that I cannot function without Jesus. I need him every second of my day. I need him in good and bad and when I leave him out of my life I can sometimes do very stupid things. Did I lose my salvation? NO. Will I fall back into past destructive behavior again? NO! I had an isolated moment that lasted all of 4 hours and I can now take this mistake and learn from it. I will tell you that when I got home that night, I asked for forgiveness. I sat and prayed with my Father and was so ashamed. He sat with me in complete quiet that next day and I heard him say “You are still mine in whatever mess you create, I am your Father and no earthly thing can ever change that. Nothing or no one can separate us, now get up and fight”. 

Isn’t like our Jesus, to just not care about what we did or whatever mess we created? He wants our hearts and when we give him our mess he will turn it all around. We are to be filled with his spirit not this world’s. Clearly, when we try and fill ourselves with poison our body rejects it, we are his children and will always be protected. NO devil in hell can take us from our Father. The devil is still a liar and God still sits on his throne.

If this is your struggle, I pray for you. Inbox me privately and we can pray together. Please know you are not alone. Jesus loves you and strongholds can be broken.

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

Lord Father God, I am so sorry for trying to live this life my way and leaving you on the back burner. All that this life has for me will destroy me if I leave you out of it. Holy Spirit, convict my heart when I am not aligned with your Holy instruction. Lord, I desire to live a life that pleases you, not me. Work with me in this area, Father God. Thank you for your love and your everlasting grace. Thank you for saving me. Help this unhealthy habit flee in the name of Jesus. May I be filled with all that you are and less of who I am in the flesh. Amen 

~ The Condition of Your Mind ~

We change our minds so much. At times, we are sure about one thing and then the next minute we are fixed on something else. One minute we have peace and the next minute we are so utterly disturbed and worried that we literally make ourselves sick. We tell the Lord we trust in Him and then we are anxious about something shortly after.

I could remember on countless occasions where I was able to stand on faith so easily one day and then the next day I was so drenched with doubt and unbelief I felt completely crazy. Why was I so double minded? Sisters, my mind wandered all over the place and I had no control over my thought life. I was double minded because I was not renewing my mind in Christ. When I was in defeat I did not seek the Lord. I was not in the word much so I had nothing to stand on other than my ways of handling defeat. My ways were/are pathetic. 

In 1 Corinthians 2:16 it tells me that I am to have the mind of Christ and to hold the thoughts of his heart. I remember being so frustrated because my mind did not look like Christ what so ever but I knew I so desperately wanted a renewed mind. The condition of my mind needed help.

As Christians, when we first get saved and receive Christ as our personal Savior, we must understand there is a process that needs to take place with many new decisions. We will not immediately have some “super powers” that some might think. We have lived life our way for a long time so we must now include Christ in our lives and work with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit imparts new revelation to our spirit. The Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts and minds (Luke 24:45-47) and will teach us everything of the Lord (John 14:26). But we have to ask for help. We have to pray and invite the Holy Spirit into our lives daily every step of the way. The condition of our minds MUST be renewed and the only way we can have that done is with our Father each and every second our our days. In Romans 12:2 we are told to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. If we want to change the condition of our minds we must not be conformed to what this world thinks and how we use to live. In Christ, we are new sisters so this means we are to take on a new way of living and thinking. 

God is the source of ALL things. God is the channel of ALL things. God is the goal of ALL things and our only proper response is to worship him. When we daily depend of God what happens is that we transform into the image of Christ. When we seek to discern the will of God we commit ourselves to biblical principles. When this happens slowly the condition of our mind changes. We become steady in our thinking. We are being molded and shaped for God’s will and our life changes.

I encourage you to step out in faith and grab a hold of God’s truth for your life. Seek the Lord in all you do. Surrender. Repent. Study. Listen. Be still. Fast. Pray. Love. Believe. Hope and repeat it all again over and over and over each day. The closer you stay to the Lord the more the condition of your mind changes. 

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

Lord God Almighty, your love is so loyal. You never just leave me to handle this life all alone. You’re more faithful than the rising sun. Thank you for your grace, for your truth and for always being here for me. You listen every time I speak. I want to grow deeper with you Jesus. Holy Spirit, I invite you to invade my life. Come now, please help me. I need you. I am nothing without you Father. May I continue to stand strong in your name each day knowing that when I abide in you, you abide in me. Amen 

~ God Material ~

I use to always think that I could not come to Jesus until I was pure and clean, without any blemish basically. I thought that in order to be “God material” I had to fix myself first. This is one of the lies that I use to believe that prevented me from being who God needed me to be. This lie is the farthest from the truth. In fact, this is exactly what the enemy wants you to believe. Sisters, this lie will cripple you if you are not careful. When I admit that I am a mess, absolutely nothing without Jesus is when Jesus comes to me. I do not have to have it “all together” to be a child of the highest King. God is attractive to me because I am not all that attractive. In my brokenness, Jesus appears. But I had to “let” him, which is the operative word.How did I come to this realization? Not on my own for sure. I will tell you that I had to go around many mountains and live a foolish life, every day the Lord guides me. I made so many mistakes and dumb ones at that. Heck, I still mess up so many times BUT I now know the truth and it did/does set me free. 

See, back then I did not think God heard or cared about his lost, messy kids; the ones who were roaming around this life negatively living life, absolutely broken. I thought he only truly helps and cares for the kids that obey him in everything and live this “holy” life. I thought I had to be perfect to call myself a Christian. I did not think I needed to involve God in my life because I lived a “messy” one. I thought how could God help me out when I am selfish, mean, rude, bitter, and hurting people? How can he help me when I keep drowning my sorrows in alcohol? Or when my heart is so full of pain, shame or pity? How can he help me when I was so ugly to my husband and kids? Until I started spending time with the Lord and truly understanding his character and his great love for me is when a light bulb went off. Until I cried out to the Lord asking for forgiveness, for another chance is when he just came and sat with me. He put his hand in mine, picked me up from the floor and whispered that he loved me. Jesus was always with me BUT I did not understand that he doesn’t dwell in the environment I created for myself. He is so patient and will wait until I “want” to include him in my life.

The many intentional days that I sat with Jesus, he reassured me that I am “God material” and that I do have a spot in his kingdom (Galatians 3:26). Jesus showed me what my specific instructions were on this earth in his commandments and all throughout the Bible. Day by day Jesus showed me how to live an abundant and victorious life (John 10:10). He also showed me what he loves and what he does not (Psalm 97:10 & Romans 12:9). He started replacing all those lies I had been told over the years by that evil snake and replaced them with HIS truth. But you see, I had to read his truth in order to see all this. I could not rely on pastors each Sunday, Joyce Meyer books, or any others to give me this truth. He wanted me to sit with him and need him. He told me in his word that I do not have to be perfect and that is how it all changed. The bible shows us many verses that deal with the thought of this “perfectionism” if you struggle with that (1 John 1:8, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Romans 8:1-39, and James 3:2).

The more I spent with my Father, the more he showed me that I was his material. He showed me that I do matter and that I do have purpose (Jeremiah 29:11). I believe what Jesus has been doing all along was/is molding me. He wants to mold each and every one of us but the problem is we show him we do not need him so he sits back letting us do what we want. 

To be his is to believe he died on the cross for us and rose again 3 days later. To be his, we realize we are nothing in our own strength and need him to come into our lives. To be his, we take our eyes off of ourselves and keep focused on him. We are no longer live in bondage, we let him change us. To be his, is to read his word and apply it to our lives. To be his, we love, sacrifice, endure and find true joy in serving him and others. To be his, is to develop a relationship with him. I could go on and on, I hope you see my point. 

Sisters, we ARE God material and I encourage you to stop believing lies people are whispering in your ear and most importantly stop listening to any foolishness the devil is saying. All that is of God will produce good, never evil. God is not of evil. He is pure and righteous. Open up your heart and his word and start to figure out for yourself who God is and I promise you your life will change.You are a child of God, it is now the time to act like it. 

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

God, we hide things occasionally from you that we need to admit. Forgive us. Have mercy O’ gracious Father. Give us the courage to speak up, surrender and the strength to face the disappointment and move on with you. Replace all those lies we have believed with your truth. Jesus, may we yearn for your word each day. May we desire to sit with you and learn to love the things you love and hate the things you hate. You are molding us. You love us and we stand in hope and faith. Thank you for your grace and mighty arm. In Jesus’ name. Amen 

~ God......Your Provider ~

Yesterday I was laid off of my job. They were gracious enough to let me work a couple weeks from home part-time so I am grateful for their flexibility. I will tell you that I felt relief yet excitement at the same time. The old Monique would have just panicked and cried and had a huge pity party thinking on all the negatives. I do need to work do not get me wrong. We have bills to pay so I do not have the luxury just yet to stay home and not work BUT sisters, I do know that God is up to something and I am too thrilled.

I am excited because I get to bear witness as to what God will do in my life within these next few months. Do I know what he will do? Absolutely not. But I do know he will take me on a journey and I just know it will be good. Sure I probably will have some trials but I will tell you that I am not focused on that. I do not even want to know what his plans are. My prayers are that I am obedient to his plans and sensitive to his spirit when he calls me to act. I do not want to live this life for me and keep having to wonder about our bank account. I trust that the Lord will somehow provide for us in that area, he always has. A job loss is not the most unfortunate thing IF you switch your perspective. Any loss for that matter is not bad, IF you focus on what God’s promises are for your life.

·         God promises that I will prosper – Jeremiah 29:11

·         He promises me rest – Matthew 11: 28-29

·         He gives me power when I am weak – Isaiah 40: 29-31

·         He promises to supply ALL my needs – Philippians 4: 19

·         He will give me peace if I listen to him – Proverbs 1: 33

The list really can go on and on. Fact of the matter is God will provide. He is constant, faithful and loving. So in this situation I choose to see it as a blessing and not a hinderance.

IF you are going through a challenging time right now, I encourage you to look to your Father and focus on what he promises, not what this world will. This world will chew you up and spit you out alive BUT he promises life….

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter:

Jesus, you are for me, Father. You said in your word that you will not abandon me. You said that I am your child and that you will supply all my needs. I choose to focus on ALL that you are and not ALL that I do not have. You are my provider, my stronghold and anchor. I am nothing without you. I love you Lord and I cannot wait to see what you have planned. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen

~ Take up YOUR Cross ~

Jesus said in Mark 8:34-38 that we as his believers must take up our cross if we want to be his followers. So this means that we must forget about ourselves and get out of our comfort zone. We die to the way that we use to live and put on new perspectives that is of the Lord and daily fight the good fight of faith. What always felt so good in the flesh will not no more, now is the time to suffer. Jesus talks about if we want to save our lives that we must destroy our life it and give up the very life we live for “the good news” (Mark 8:35). I don’t know about you but all this is kind of scary right? All the talk about death, sacrifice and forgetting me? As a new believer, this had me thinking that following Jesus was just too much. Sounded like I had to live a life of so much discomfort and that seems crazy right? May I explain some things?

If you have read any of my previous posts I talk a lot about being sooooo rebellious as a new believer. I had the whole gospel wrong. If someone was outside looking in they would have thought the gospel was about making Monique feel good. I was all about me. I wanted to become a Christian so that I can see what God can do for me and the crazy life I created for myself. I will be completely 100 percent honest. I wanted a new me, new marriage, new peace, a new life all together but I did not know that I needed to work with the Lord to change me. I thought being a Christian was this sense of entitlement. Like you know when you are a child of a King, you just automatically are born into a kingdom. You get the robe, new fancy gold, and an area you reign over? Well, I thought in my warp way of thinking: “I am now a child of God” where are my benefits?” I had no idea following Christ came with a great deal of suffering and sacrifice and when times got hard I bailed. I did not like how I was feeling in trials and I just thought it was too hard to “take up a cross”.

I thought what does that even mean anyway? Take up a cross? Like how can I even do that? Duh Monique, it’s metaphorically speaking. The cross represented the ultimate sacrifice Jesus was nailed to. The cross represented love. True love….Jesus died on a cross for me. For my sinful life so that I can have a new life. When I focus on the cross and all that it exhibits I can follow Jesus knowing that I am honoring him and all that he did for me. I am to nail my past to that cross and stop looking at the things I nailed to it and endure daily, fighting for what is true in Christ. When I start to “feel” a certain way I give that “feeling” to the Lord and do what the Holy Spirit tells me which 9 times out of 10 will make me feel uncomfortable. But when I switch my perspective to the cross. In that moment, I remember the ultimate sacrifice and know that my little feelings are nothing compared to what Jesus endured. So I pick up my "metaphorically speaking" cross and I carry it with pride honoring my RISEN Savior. I die to me and step by step (daily, every second) I carry that cross knowing that my Father is well pleased in my service to Him. He smiles when I die to me and put him first. 

Sisters, I had to switch my thinking about what the cross meant. How did I do that? Every day in the word sitting at the feet of Christ asking him to fill me with wisdom and his presence. Praying that he gives me his perspective and not mine. Taking up our cross each and every day is hard and yes we will suffer but at the end of that suffering is a beautiful exchange and a eternal reward that this earthly life cannot give us. Sisters, this earth is not our permanent destination, heaven awaits us.  When we follow Jesus we enter HIS kingdom and we are safe but we have to constantly follow Jesus. We cannot follow Jesus when it is convenient for us only. We are no longer this world’s (meaning we don’t just do what we want living in sin) we belong to Christ so we should change. We are his children BUT we need to act like it to. We cannot live messy just because grace exist (that’s another blog post). J

I see taking up my cross daily as a privilege and when I do take up my cross my Father meets me right where I am. He gives me all I need to with stand its weight. We should never be ashamed to carry such a high honor. Jesus says in Mark 8:38 “don’t be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with Holy angels”. I don’t know about you but I find it exciting to live a life following Jesus and carrying my cross daily. I do not want Jesus to be ashamed of me.

In Christ,

Monique Smith

Prayer Starter

Lord, Father God…..I am nothing without you. You came into my life and made me new. You saved me by dying on the cross for me even when you did not have to. You made it possible that I am in right standing with my Father. When I sit with you each day Lord, please open up my heart and mind to your word so that I can be convicted. I want to follow you at all costs and I will take up my cross daily knowing that I am doing so in your name. I cannot do this alone and I need you every second of the day. May I never lose my passion for you. Thank you Jesus, for my salvation. I Love you!! Amen.