Tag: God Page 4 of 9

Be Thankful

On November 6, 2017

https://www.facebook.com/thekimberlyjoy/videos/534653223553750/(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW: The Thanksgiving Prayer Challenge)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE THANKFUL
My personal motto is Know Yourself, Be Yourself, Love Yourself. Knowing who you are in God, being who you are with no apologies and loving who you are wholeheartedly includes being THANKFUL to God! When we’re thankful to God, we don’t take what He has done for us lightly or take Him for granted. We are just as thankful for the small blessings as we are for the big ones. For instance, if my dad gives me a brand new car that I don’t have to pay one dime for and that is, in fact, completely paid for with my name on the title, then that is a big blessing.

In my eyes, it’s a big blessing because currently I don’t have the money to pay for a brand new car in full.

On the other hand, if I’m standing in line at Kroger when I realize I’m $4 short, and if the woman standing behind me offers to cover the rest of my bill, then I would call that a small blessing. I consider it a small blessing because I CAN afford $4. As a matter of fact, that actually happened to me. In that particular incident, I miscalculated how much money I had in my purse. Nevertheless, I didn’t worry about it because I wasn’t in dire need of everything I had placed in my cart. However, the woman still offered to pay for the remaining items.

Although it was only $4, I recognized it was still a blessing from God. Let’s be honest, most people wouldn’t do what she did for me. So, when I got to the car and sat behind the steering wheel, I took a moment to thank the Lord for that unexpected blessing.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE THANK GOD?
I Thessalonians 5:18 (King James Version) says:

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

As the verse states, we are to be thankful in every situation. Yes, EVERY situation! I’ve come to realize we can be thankful even in difficult, uncomfortable situations. For example, about 20 years ago my brother, who was a recent high school graduate at the time, was given permission one night to take our dad’s Cadillac, so he could go out with his friends. Later as he was driving home, he fell asleep at the wheel. When he woke up, he realized the car was crashing into a guardrail. In that moment, he decided to open the car door and jump out. Why did he jump out? I don’t think he even knew at the time. Some might say it was instinct, but I say it was an angel of the Lord protecting him because that same Cadillac wound up getting TOTALED!

When he got to a phone, he called our dad. I remember my brother saying how terrified he was of making that phone call because of the condition of the car. Although he was 18 years old and about to go off to college, he just knew he was in serious trouble. When our dad got the call, he was very angry at first. Needless to say, once he saw how bad the car had been wrecked, his anger was suddenly replaced with relief and thankfulness. He no longer cared about that Cadillac. He was just glad his son was able to walk away from that accident with only a bump on the knee. A fancy car could never compare to the life of his son!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, the time of year when we get together with family and friends to love on each other and EAT, to laugh and EAT, to play and EAT, to watch football and EAT, to shop and EAT, and then to EAT some more. You get my drift, right?

In addition, this particular holiday serves as a reminder that we are to be thankful for our blessings. Naturally, as believers in Christ, every day should be Thanksgiving for us. However, if we were to be honest, that’s not always the case. Sometimes we get caught up in everyday happenings and neglect to thank God.

WHAT IS THE THANKSGIVING PRAYER CHALLENGE?
I want to present you with The Thanksgiving Prayer Challenge. For one week during your daily prayer time, instead of presenting God with a list of things for Him to do, I challenge you to present God with a list of reasons why you’re thankful. In other words, spend time in prayer just THANKING Him. Although Philippians 4:6 tells us to make our petitions known to God, it also tells us to be thankful. Don’t you like it when those around you just appreciate you? God’s the same way! Let me give you an example.

When I was younger, even in my early 20s, I typically only called my father when I needed something, whether it was money or his help. So, whenever I called, he would say something like, “What’s wrong daughter?” or “What do you need?” And that was the norm for us! It wasn’t until I got older, when I realized that, although our dad is always willing to be there for my brother and me, he still wants to feel loved and appreciated. Sometimes, he wants us to call him just to (as he likes to say) “shoot the breeze”. So, now I make it a point to call my dad JUST BECAUSE, and he absolutely loves it!

So, again I CHALLENGE you! Instead of presenting a To-Do list to God, just spend time thanking Him.

Lord I thank You for saving me!
Lord I thank You for waking me up this morning healthy and in my right mind!
Lord I thank you for loving me, for keeping me, for encouraging me, for guiding my footsteps!

Lord I thank you for my family!
Lord I thank You for saving my loved ones!
I thank You for blessing my parents with long lives and healthy bodies and minds!

I thank You for my nieces and nephews, for being a hedge of protection around them every day, for keeping them from being abused and violated in any way and for them growing up to be successful men and women of God!

Lord I thank You for my job, for my home, for my clothes, for my shoes, for my food, for my car!
I thank You God for not giving up on me when I wanted to give up!
I thank You God for loving me when I didn’t know how to love myself!

Lord I thank You for those who are reading this article right now! Thank You Lord for drawing them closer to You and for meeting every need in their lives!
Lord, I thank You!
Lord, I love You!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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Ordinary Is Just Not Good Enough

By Kimberly Joy

On October 30, 2017

In Inspirational

WHY IS ORDINARY JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH?
According to II Corinthians 5:17, once you accept Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior, He forgives you of your sins, purifies your heart, and makes you brand new!

Thus, you’re no longer defined by your past sins, by your past mistakes, by your present circumstances, by your surroundings, or by the negative things people still try to say about you. You are now a child of GOD! And I’m not just talking about any god, but THEE GOD!

“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth…..” Psalms 8:1

“Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.” Psalms 24:8

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised…..” Psalms 145:3

As the Bible declares, no one and nothing can ever compare to God for He is EXTRAORDINARY! Since we are made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), we too are far from ordinary! Therefore, God expects us to follow His ways and represent Him appropriately (Ephesians 5:1).

Legendary Gospel group Commissioned, which introduced artists like Fred Hammond and Pastor Marvin Sapp to the world, recorded back in 1989 a song that has become one of my favorites entitled “Ordinary Just Won’t Do.”

“Have you ever needed someone,
A shoulder just to cry on,
To ease the agony
And find tranquility,
Or just have
A sweet and gentle touch
That speaks of words,
Speaks of words of love that mean so much?
Ordinary just won’t do,
I need someone, my Lord, I need someone,
That someone is You, that someone is You!”

As the song so beautifully explains, the ordinary is just not good enough! Rather, we need the EXTRAORDINARY God who loves us unconditionally, saves us, delivers us, heals us and empowers us to do great things!

Recently on my radio broadcast The Kimberly Joy Show, I had the privilege of interviewing Elder Benita Florence. Benita, a woman I’ve known for over fifteen years, shared her personal testimony. Growing up in the projects, at a young age Benita recognized that she is indeed extraordinary in God!

https://www.facebook.com/thekimberlyjoy/videos/534628340222905/

KJ: Welcome Elder Benita to The Kimberly Joy Show!

BF: Hello Kimberly Joy! How are you?

KJ: Oh I am great! I am awesome! I’m so glad to have you here! Elder Benita will you please take a moment to share with us your personal testimony of how you came to recognize that you are indeed extraordinary in God?

BF: Amen, I’m honored to share part of my story with the listening audience Evangelist Kim. You know, I thank God every day for the journey and where He brought me from. And I love Him so much. I’ll start off by saying I am a proud product of the West End. I am a West End kid.

I grew up in the Laurel Holmes Housing Projects, even though I spent a lot of my time in the Lincoln Courts Projects because that’s where most of my friends lived.

BF: But, being extraordinary and daring to be different started early on in my life, and I thank God that I know now that He had been with me even as a child. I am a proud graduate of the great George Hays Elementary in the West End and also of Jennie D. Porter Junior High School. I graduated from the Robert A. Taft High School down in the West End.

BF: Because of growing up in the inner city, you are exposed to various elements, whether good or bad. But most of my experiences I can honestly say were all good, and I am grateful for my humble beginnings. I do believe and now know for sure that God’s grace and mercy were with me even as a young girl. His unmerited favor, His compassion, His love for me. Even as we (me and my friends) faced several challenges, God was there for us, and I’m grateful for everything He has done in my life. I’m grateful He heard my cry, and He granted my requests even at a young age.

BF: I was baptized and introduced to God and Jesus Christ at an early age. My family went to Zion Baptist Church in Avondale. The late great Reverend Booth baptized me, and I had an awareness about Jesus and His Father God. Even though our family didn’t attend church every Sunday, the awareness was there.

BF: I knew who Jesus was, and I spoke with Him as a child growing up in the projects because sometimes people can have preconceived notions about children who might grow up in challenging situations or poverty or might not have a lot of material type things.

But I thank God that at an early age He gave me a spirit of tenacity. He gave me the determination and will to overcome things. And I don’t take it for granted. I am so grateful. I am so grateful to God for that.

BF: God has strategically placed individuals and situations in my life to help propel me forward to be successful in my life. I’m grateful for teachers. I’m grateful for school employees who took the time to encourage and just love on me. And if I really had to pick someone out, Judith Moore, if you’re out there, God bless you! I love you! I appreciate all the time and energy you put into me to make sure I got where I needed to go. Ms. Judith Moore, she was over the Career Development at Porter, and she later took over Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates at Taft High School. This lady took an interest in me and made sure I got specific things I needed to be successful in my life. And I just wanted to thank her.

(Benita, far right, and friends at Taft)

BF: As I journeyed on and graduated from Taft High School, I had the opportunity to move forward and go to college.

I entered into The Ohio State University where I graduated with a bachelor’s in Nursing Science, and that was with challenges, as well. For the entry Math and English tests I took, I didn’t score at a freshman level, so I had to take some remedial classes. But to God be the glory because it set a foundation for me, and it set a support system up for me, and I was able to transition through the five years and get my bachelor’s degree.

BF: As I moved forward (and we all have issues, trials, tribulations and tests), my family was facing some issues. I was one of those who might have clubbed and done things that were contrary to the Word and that weren’t helping me. They weren’t balancing or managing my thoughts, my life decisions. So, I sought the Lord, and I’m glad I sought the Lord! It was the best thing I could have done because I got the road map for my life, which is the Bible. I realized God is a God even in our suffering. And even as issues, trials, tribulations and tests came about, I was able to balance things and know that God is our peace, and we can rest even in the midst of the storm. We can quote the Word to ourselves and say:

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them [Satan and your enemies]: for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee,” Deuteronomy 31:6.

BF: I thank God even in my journeys as a Christian. As I studied to learn the Word of God, I wanted to get to know the Word deeper. An opportunity came available for me to attend Liberty University, and I received a master’s degree in Theological Studies. That was another answered prayer. I just wanted some personal time with Him and some personal knowledge to help deepen my relationship with the Lord. So, I’m grateful that I graduated in 2014 with my master’s.

And I’ll say I won’t take anything for my journey now. Everything me and my family went through, it makes you stronger. It’s good to know you can survive a storm and to know that a project kid, like myself, can make it!

BF: I just want to encourage the listeners, just keep yourself rooted and grounded in the Word of God. No matter what the people say about you, it’s all about what God’s Word says. Whatever God says about you, it’s true! We’re more than conquerors! We are victorious! We are somebody in Him, and it’s good to know that our self-esteem and confidence are rooted in the Lord. The enemy will try to steal, kill and destroy, but we have power over the enemy in Jesus’ name!

KJ: Elder Benita, thank you for that awesome testimony and encouraging word!

Benita Florence, a registered nurse with The University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and her husband Melvyne Florence serve as the assistant pastors of our church Power and Faith Ministries in Fairfield, Ohio.

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

If you find value in this article, please share.

To subscribe to The Kimberly Joy Blog and receive new articles by email, please leave your email address in the box marked SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL provided at the end of the article.

Please follow The Kimberly Joy Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

God Created You To Be Extraordinary

By Kimberly Joy

On October 24, 2017

In Faith, Inspirational

https://www.facebook.com/thekimberlyjoy/videos/529244240761315/(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW-“Extraordinary: Dare to be Different Part 2”)

GOD CREATED YOU TO BE EXTRAORDINARY

Psalms 139:14 (New International Version):

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

I appreciate the above verse because it reassures me that God didn’t create any junk when He created me. Rather, He delicately crafted me in His loving, yet powerful hands. Also, as it says in Genesis chapter one, everything God created was good. I’m good! You’re good! I’ll take it a step further and say we are extraordinary!

WHAT DOES EXTRAORDINARY MEAN?
According to the dictionary, extraordinary is “going beyond (superior to; more than; over and above) what is usual, ordinary, regular, customary, the norm; exceptional in character (moral quality–honest, courageous, disciplined, hard-working); noteworthy (worthy of being noticed or recognized due to some special excellence, standing out in the crowd); remarkable; having a special task or responsibility.” When we break down the word, we get EXTRA-ordinary.

II Corinthians 5:17 (King James Version):

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

People of God, when Jesus came into your lives to save you, He made you brand new! Therefore, what you thought you couldn’t do before, through Him now you can! Matthew 19:26 and Luke 1:37 state that with God all things are possible. The key is GOD!! We must keep GOD number one! He’s the one who empowers us to be extraordinary.

WHAT DOES EXTRAORDINARY LOOK LIKE?
Let me tell you about an extraordinary woman I know. This woman happens to be my longtime friend and sister in Christ. I’ve changed her name to protect her identity.

Victoria grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating from high school, she went to college where she ran track and majored in Exercise Science. While in college, she became a lifetime member of the sisterhood of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. The sorority was founded in 1920 by a group of African-American women. After graduating from college, Victoria decided to enlist in the army where she served this country for six years. She later returned to Cincinnati where she got a job working with heart patients who were going through rehabilitation. Soon after that, she purchased her own home and went back to school for her masters degree.

When I first met Victoria, I can remember admiring her drive and determination to strive for the best! Although she wasn’t surrounded by many college graduates in her family, she didn’t let that stop her from pursuing her dream of earning a college degree. In fact, her story of success doesn’t stop there! Just a few years ago, Victoria decided to enroll in college for a third time. However, it wasn’t to earn her Ph.D. Instead, Victoria decided to think outside the box, step out on faith and pursue her desire of becoming an actress. Yes, an actress! She auditioned for the school she wanted to attend, was accepted into the program, and four years later, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Dramatic Performance. Today, Victoria is living in New York. A dream come true!

When people first discovered that Victoria had decided to become a full-time drama student, I can just imagine some of the conversations:

“Did you hear about Victoria?”

“No. What happened?”

“She decided to go back to college to become an ACTRESS!”

“An ACTRESS?!!! Girl, you’re kidding!!”

“No, I’m not! She told me herself!”

“But, isn’t she in her 30s? She’s a little old for that!”

“You mean her LATE 30s!!! Yeah, she’s too old! I don’t know what she’s thinking! She has a good job already! Owns her own home!”

“Shoot! I know some women who would give anything to have her life!”

“THANK YOU! She needs to let go of that pipe dream and just be happy with what she’s got!”

Oh yes, I can just imagine!

Nevertheless, one thing I know about Victoria is that she has never been a person to live in fear. She’s never been one to allow others to dictate how she’s going to live her life. I believe at an early age she recognized that God had made her extraordinary. So despite the naysayers, Victoria decided to listen to the voice of God and trust He would continue taking care of her. And that He did! While she was a full-time drama student, God provided her with everything she needed. She was able to pay her tuition, her bills and her mortgage!

ARE YOU PASSIONATE OR PRACTICAL?
What are you passionate about? Are you pursuing your dreams or are you settling for what is easy and practical? Do you have those questions of “WHAT IF?” swarming around in your head? Do you want to look back over your life one day and wish you had taken a chance, stepped out on faith and pursued your passion? I know I don’t! I’ve had enough regrets from allowing fear to stifle me, which is why I’m now writing blog posts, books, and plays and sharing inspirational messages on my own radio broadcast.

I can truly say I am most happy when I’m doing what I love! How about you? Oh yeah, you too? Do you know why? It’s simply because God put those passions in our hearts. God made you and me extraordinary. So, I encourage you, like Victoria, to step out on faith and pursue your dreams! Don’t believe the notion that you’re too old. God’s not saying that! Why do you think He’s still nudging you to go back to school, to write a book, to write songs, to start your business, to start your own clothing line, etc.? Even if you are older, do you not believe that God can make up the time you may have lost? Oh yes He can! He’s GOD!!!

There are people out there who need you! Yes, YOU! They need to hear YOUR testimony! They need to hear YOUR music! God has a people waiting for YOU who will gladly support YOUR business and buy YOUR products. Like Victoria, you just have to trust God to order your footsteps, to bring the right people your way, and to provide you with what you need. Remember this, an extraordinary person settling for an ordinary life will never be fully content!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

If you find value in this article, please share.

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Please follow The Kimberly Joy Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

You Are Free: The Sermon

By Kimberly Joy

On October 20, 2017

In Freedom, Jesus

I had the privilege of ministering this message at my church a couple of weeks ago. I pray it blesses you!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

If you find value in this video, please share.

To subscribe to The Kimberly Joy Blog and receive new articles and videos by email, please leave your email address in the box marked SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL provided at the end of the article.

You may also follow The Kimberly Joy Show on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

You Are EXTRAORDINARY!

By Kimberly Joy

On October 18, 2017

In Inspirational

https://www.facebook.com/thekimberlyjoy/videos/529235934095479/(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW – Extraordinary: Dare To Be Different)

WHAT DOES EXTRAORDINARY LOOK LIKE?
As a believer in Christ Jesus, who are you? Who does God say you are?

I Peter 2:9 (King James Version) says:

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light…”

What is the verse stating? God says you are EXTRAORDINARY! Yes, EXTRAORDINARY! What does EXTRAORDINARY mean? What does EXTRAORDINARY look like?

Let me tell you about Victor (I’ve changed his name to protect his identity). I am pleased to say Victor was one of my students during my years as a high school English teacher. Although he’s very successful now, he didn’t always have it easy growing up. Victor, his two brothers and their sister were all raised by a single mother. Because their father was an abusive man, he left her no choice but to take her babies and leave.

As a result, they wound up in the projects with little money. Nevertheless, money means nothing when you don’t have peace of mind or feel safe in your own home!

I’ll never forget one particular incident which occurred while Victor was in college. One morning while getting dressed for work, I heard a channel 9 news reporter say that a man from Cincinnati was lying in a hospital bed with a serious gunshot wound which he had given himself after killing his ex-girlfriend. He soon died. Later that day, some of my colleagues informed me that the same man I had heard about on the news was Victor’s dad. Yes, he was the same man his mother had escaped from years before!

While Victor was a student in my classroom, he would sometimes talk to me about his aspirations. He even talked about how angry he used to be because of his father. Although he had always been an A and B student, because of the hurt and anger he held, he often got into fights at school which resulted in suspensions. Fortunately around the age of 14 or 15, Victor decided that enough is enough! No more anger! No more fights! No more school suspensions!

Why did Victor make this decision? First of all, he was tired! He was tired of fighting, of getting into trouble and of worrying his mother! Secondly, somehow he knew within himself that he was EXTRAORDINARY. He could be anything he wanted to be, but he had to change his attitude. I believe he heard the voice of God. In his (as Oprah Winfrey likes to call) “aha moment”, he realized he didn’t have to allow the abuse and abandonment of his father to define who he was and who he would become. So, he let go of the anger, adopted a new mindset, and dared to be different! He dared to be different from the person he had been before. He dared to excel in school and on the football field. Moreover, he dared to become a young man of kindness, love, and integrity.

While in college, Victor was named homecoming king and became a lifetime member of the brotherhood of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. If you’re not familiar with the Alphas, it is the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity founded by a group of African-American men in 1906. After graduating, Victor traveled to Japan on a scholarship to study business relations.

Today, Victor is a successful business owner. He regularly gives back to the community and serves as a mentor and role model for young African-American males. And did I mention he is only 30 years old?

HOW DO YOU DISCOVER THE PERSON YOU REALLY ARE?
As a child of God, you are not like everyone else. Have you ever noticed that you don’t always seem to fit in? Perhaps you have even found yourself being a loner because no one seems to get you. But, you don’t have to worry because GOD gets you! After all, He made you who you are, and no matter how hard you try, you just don’t fit in with the crowd. I completely understand! There were times when I, too, tried to fit in. I wanted to be accepted by my peers. Needless to say, in those moments, I felt like a fish out of water. I wasn’t being true to me! I was only pretending.

God doesn’t want me pretending. God doesn’t want YOU pretending. He wants you to be true to the person He has created you to be. Who is that, you ask? As you spend time with God, you discover the person you really are. You discover what you like and don’t like.

You discover your gifts, talents, and skills. As you study the scriptures, you come to realize that you are indeed EXTRAORDINARY. Again, I Peter 2:9 (KJV) says:

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light…”

As the verse says, you have been hand-picked by God. God has used people to pray for you and minister to you because He chose you!
You are royalty! You are priests! During the Old Testament times, the priests were the ones who went before God on behalf of others. However, as believers in Christ, you have the distinct privilege of going to God for yourself. You are also holy (sanctified, set apart to be used for God’s glory). Furthermore, you are special and unique. You are not the person you were before Jesus saved you. You are now new! You are EXTRAORDINARY!

I encourage you to live as someone EXTRAORDINARY! Don’t settle for less. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Like Victor, don’t allow your past, your present circumstances or even your family to determine the person you will become! Please know that you serve an EXTRAORDINARY God who has EXTRAORDINARY blessings in store for you!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

If you find value in this article, please share.

To subscribe to The Kimberly Joy Blog and receive new articles by email, please leave your email address in the box marked SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL provided at the end of the article.

For daily inspiration, please follow The Kimberly Joy Show on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Words of Death or Life…..What Will YOU Speak?

By Kimberly Joy

On October 16, 2017

In Faith, Words

(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW: Teaching Our Youth to Speak Life)

WHAT ARE WORDS OF DEATH?
The longer I live, the more I realize just how important and powerful words are. I personally believe we can accomplish more and see greater things, like healings and miracles, when we learn how to cast down words of death and embrace words of life. What are “words of death”?
The following are a few examples:

“You’re ugly!”

“You’re stupid!”

“You’re worthless!”

“You’re pathetic!”

“Nobody wants you!”

“I hate you!”

“You can die for all I care!”

Some pretty harsh words, aren’t they?! I’m reminded of one of my favorite movies The Color Purple.

The movie, which includes legendary actors Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey, is deemed a classic. I believe it’s a classic because many people connect with the storyline. In the movie, the main character Celie is a woman who endures abuse most of her life, especially from the men who are supposed to love and take care of her. She’s not just beaten down by her husband’s fist, but by the words of death or hate that spew from his lips. Consequently, she doesn’t love herself. She walks around with her head hanging low, ashamed of who she is.

One of the more popular lines from the movie, a line viewers often find funny, is in actuality a very hurtful statement. When Celie first meets blues singer Shug Avery, a woman she happens to admire very much, Shug looks her straight in her eyes and calls her ugly. Now, one would think Celie wouldn’t want anything to do with Shug after that insult. However, she doesn’t seem offended. Why not? She’s accustomed to being verbally abused.

Have you been the target of hateful words or words of death? Maybe your experiences haven’t been as bad as Celie’s, but the words spoken to you still hurt. Pain is still pain! I get it! As a matter of fact, it took me years to get over some things that were said to me. Why? I allowed certain statements, even if they weren’t true, to take root in my heart.

WHAT ARE SOME SOLUTIONS?
Fortunately, I learned how to pray and take my concerns to God. I also became a student of the Bible. I adopted scriptures which ministered to my specific needs, memorized them and spoke them aloud so I could hear them and start to believe. In due time, those same hurtful words were uprooted, and I am now free!

Now that I’m free, it’s my desire and prayer to encourage others, particularly young ladies. After all, I know what it’s like to be a young lady who doesn’t truly love herself.

Personally speaking, I believe we, who make up the body of Christ, need to really encourage our young people and teach them the importance of words.

HOW CAN WORDS OF DEATH AFFECT AN INDIVIDUAL?
Words of death or hate are designed to kill a person mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Such words can also physically kill a person. For instance, an individual can feel so low and depressed because of words which have been spoken to him or her, that he or she doesn’t want to live anymore. If they could, they would just go to sleep and never wake up again. That’s scary! But it’s reality! Words are just that powerful!

Let’s consider our youth. We’re hearing more news reports of children and teenagers taking their own lives. Young people, who have their whole lives ahead of them, would rather die! Some people believe that today’s youth aren’t as tough as they were once upon a time. However, we must consider that we older adults weren’t exposed to nearly as much as they are now. For example, back in the day, if a child was bullied, it was typically at school or on the playground. Unfortunately, now there’s cyberbullying (bullying via the internet). Basically, a person can be humiliated and threatened on social media. “WWW” stands for “world wide web” because information can be spread all over the world. So, a child or teenager, who is very vulnerable, can feel like the ENTIRE WORLD is against him or her simply because of WORDS.

HOW CAN WE HELP OUR YOUTH?
Whatever role you play in a young person’s life, whether you’re a parent, guardian, aunt, uncle, grandparent, older sibling, teacher, coach, mentor, youth pastor, pastor, etc., I believe it’s important to teach our young people that words are indeed powerful and should, therefore, be used wisely. We need to teach them the importance of focusing on the positive instead of the negative. We must teach them how to cast down the words of death that may have been spoken to them, and embrace words of life, which can be found in God’s Word. Such guidance will enable them to see themselves through GOD’s eyes. The following are a few scriptures which can be memorized and recited daily for personal motivation:

Joshua 1:9 (New Living Translation), “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.”

Psalms 139:14 (New International Version), “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…..”

Philippians 4:13 (New King James Version), “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

As men and women of God, we have been given authority to speak life. We should therefore speak life over our children every day. We can declare what will and will not happen to them. For example, around this time last year, my brother and his wife were given some bad news regarding their two sons. One was said to have an enlarged heart, while the other was said to have a rare, bone disease. When I got the news, the auntie in me wanted to fall on the floor, cry and beg God to heal my nephews. However, before I could shed one tear, the Holy Spirit stopped me! He said, “Don’t cry and have a pity party, but stand and declare their healing!” I heeded His Words, and our parents did the same. As a result, a week later, the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with either one of my nephews!

Hallelujah! Glory be to GOD!!!

I encourage you, as a son or daughter of God, to speak life in every situation. Don’t allow what you see or hear or the current circumstances in your life to intimidate you. Realize and understand that YOUR words have POWER!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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Empowered To Speak

By Kimberly Joy

On October 11, 2017

In Love

https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.j.thomas/videos/10211615551759068/(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW: Taming the Tongue)

HOW ARE WE EMPOWERED TO SPEAK?
When God created man, He created him in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). Consequently, as humans we are empowered to speak with authority. In fact, when we look at the first man Adam, his first recorded assignment in the Bible was to name each animal God had created. That was a big, important assignment when you think about it! God entrusted Adam to give each animal its own unique name.

Like Adam, as children of God, we are entrusted to use our words to make a positive impact. Consider the apostle Paul. In Philippians 3:1, he explains that he never gets tired of telling the people about Jesus and encouraging them to remain faithful. Just like Paul, we are to use our voices to tell others about Jesus. We are also to use our words to pray and encourage someone.

Unfortunately, some believers in Christ or Christians choose to use their words in a negative way. I’ve attended church all my life, so I’ve witnessed church members say some really cruel things about others, including other believers.

I’ve even been guilty of it myself. If we were to be honest, we’ve used our words to judge, criticize, ridicule, belittle, backbite, and gossip. Basically, we’ve used our words to tear down and hate on other people.

WHY DO SOME OF US SPEAK WITH HATE?
Why do some of us speak with hate when we are supposed to show the love of God? It’s a learned behavior. We model what we see and hear, especially as children because, more than likely, we don’t know any better. Then after we grow up, mature and gain more knowledge and understanding, we still use our words negatively because it feels good to the flesh (the sinful nature). Thus, we speak what’s in our hearts. Luke 6:45 (New International Version) says:

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Some are simply comfortable criticizing and judging other people. For instance, if I can harp on someone else’s faults (or what I THINK are someone else’s faults) then I can ignore my own faults and pretend I don’t have any. If I magnify someone else’s so-called issues, then I can convince myself that my issues aren’t as bad as theirs. Moreover, some of us have a tendency to make excuses for our behavior. Here’s an example:

“Oh no! This isn’t gossiping! We need to discuss this so we know what to pray about.”

Another example:

“Hey Sis! How’re you doing? Have you heard the news about Sis. Watermelon? Well, I’m not trying to talk about her or anything like that! I’m just calling to let you know what I heard so….you know….so you can pray.”

And then another one:

“Look, I’m just keeping it real! I’m not biting my tongue because the devil needs to be exposed!!!”

Do any of the above examples sound remotely familiar? The problem with these statements is the motive behind them. There’s no LOVE! Now, I’m not suggesting that if an individual is guilty of using his or her words in a negative way, that he or she doesn’t possess love for other people. I’m not suggesting that at all! What I am suggesting is that every believer must learn how to tame his or her tongue. As humans, it’s easy to lean towards what’s negative or evil. Why? Although we’ve given our lives to Jesus, we are still in this flesh and there’s nothing holy or righteous about the flesh. Therefore, we need to adhere to Galatians 5:16-17 (NIV), which say:

“16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit [desires] what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

In order to not yield to the flesh, we must be guided by the Holy Spirit. In order to be guided by the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God, we must spend time with God praying to Him, praising and worshiping Him, and studying and obeying His Word.

HOW CAN YOU TAME YOUR TONGUE?
If you find yourself talking negatively about someone, do a self-evaluation and check your heart. You may even ask yourself, “Why am I saying these things? What’s really going with me?” And be honest with yourself! Then change your thinking. Change your words. Turn that negative statement into a positive one. In some instances, it may be better to not say anything at all and just pray about that person or situation.

Although the tongue is capable of causing great harm, as children of God, we are responsible for taming it. We must be mindful of the words we speak on a daily basis. God expects us to be witnesses for Jesus Christ, not just when we share the Gospel, but by being examples of love and righteousness. Remember, people watch what we do and they listen to what we say. God is holding you and me accountable!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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To subscribe to The Kimberly Joy Blog and receive new articles by email, please leave your email address in the box marked SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL provided at the end of this article.

For daily inspiration, please follow The Kimberly Joy Show on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Reaping the Consequences of What You Speak

By Kimberly Joy

On September 25, 2017

In Faith, Inspirational, Prayer

https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.j.thomas/videos/10211513751694130/

HOW MIGHT YOU REAP THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT YOU SPEAK?
As I shared in my previous article “A Flame of Fire: The Power of Words,” God designed words to carry power or authority. When we read the first chapter of Genesis, we see that God spoke things into existence. He then gave Adam authority to speak when He instructed him to name all the animals. Therefore, just like Adam was given authority to speak, we too have been given authority. Proverbs 18:21 (New Living Translation) says:

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

Wow! That’s a strong statement. We reap the consequences of what we speak! For instance, people either achieve greatness or fail to ever achieve because of words. Some children excel in school, and then later flunk out of high school because of words. Many choose to live their lives to the fullest, while some see suicide as their only option because of WORDS!

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is a quote I heard often as a child and even quoted myself. Although I understand the message the originator was trying to convey, simply reciting what seemed to be a catchy phrase didn’t stop the pain certain words caused me.

I wrote an article last year for my blog entitled “Why Can’t I Be Beautiful?” In the article I discuss how certain words caused me to feel ugly as a teenager. The boy who called me ugly didn’t throw sticks and stones to break my bones or put his hands on me at all. I remained physically intact, but mentally and emotionally I was a mess! I was humiliated and felt alone because no one sitting with us in the school cafeteria on that particular day came to my aid. Even though nobody laughed at his hurtful comments, they didn’t try to defend me either. So, I assumed they agreed with everything he said, which only made me feel worse. Although that was the only time he ever insulted me, his words stayed with me for years to come.

HOW CAN YOU MOVE PAST HURTFUL WORDS?
That young man’s words were powerful enough to knock me down, but his words couldn’t destroy me! Why not? I have family and friends who have always loved and encouraged me. Most importantly, I have a relationship with God, and my Heavenly Father loves me with an everlasting love! While I was still in high school, God began directing me to His Word and teaching me how to cast down the words of hate and embrace His words of love! So, I now know that God’s Word and the words of life I choose to speak can overpower and annihilate all lies of the enemy!

As a matter of fact, God wants us to speak His Word in every area of our lives and in every situation. God’s Word gives us life, hope, encouragement, instruction, guidance, and so much more.
Do you realize that you believe what you speak and you live what you believe? If I believe I am a failure then I’m going to talk like a failure and throughout my life I will continue to fail. On the other hand, if I believe I am a success, then I will speak like a person who is successful and will encounter successes along the way. However, it doesn’t mean everything will always go well. Facing disappointments from time to time is part of the human experience. Nevertheless, how and how soon we move past the disappointments are contingent on the words we speak. In the midst of trouble, heartache, and pain, we should still speak God’s Word! We should still speak words of life!

WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF OUR WORDS?
As children of God, not only should we be mindful of how we speak concerning ourselves, we must be mindful of how we speak concerning others. In my article “A Flame of Fire: The Power of Words,” I mentioned how a number of Christians were insulting a particular pastor all over social media because they didn’t agree with how he handled the hurricane situation in Houston. Personally speaking, I don’t believe God was pleased with what was being said about this gentleman. James 3:9-10 (NLT) say:

“9 Sometimes [the tongue] praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes [the tongue] curses those who have been made in the image of God.

10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”

Whether you and I agree with a particular individual, we must remember that he or she is still God’s child. Even if we’re complaining and criticizing about something that is true, God STILL holds us accountable for our words. If we don’t like what we see or hear, what is the best use of our words? Yep, that’s right…..PRAYER!
Otherwise, we’re only adding fuel to the fire, and God is not getting the glory. Consider the children of Israel in the book of Exodus. As Moses was leading them to the promised land of Canaan, they often complained because things weren’t going their way. As a result of their complaining and disobedience, it took them forty years to reach their destination. Their choice of words delayed the promise!

So, beginning today, I encourage you to really think before you speak. You don’t want YOUR choice of words to delay God’s promises for YOUR life!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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To subscribe to The Kimberly Joy Blog and receive new articles by email, please leave your email address in the box marked SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL provided at the end of this article.

For daily inspiration, please follow The Kimberly Joy Show on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

A Flame of Fire: The Power of Words

By Kimberly Joy

On September 18, 2017

In Prayer

https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.j.thomas/videos/10211513520648354/

WHY IS THE HUMAN TONGUE COMPARED TO A FLAME OF FIRE?
Words have power! Did you know that? As a matter of fact, in the third chapter of James, the writer compares the tongue to a flame of fire. Now, why would he compare that tiny organ, which God so carefully placed inside your mouth to assist with eating and speaking, to fire?

It’s safe to assume we all know what fire is. So, what does fire do? For one, a fire can provide light. Now, we are living in the 21st century where we use light bulbs to see. But, what if the power goes out for whatever reason? You use your cell phone, you say? But, what if your phone dies and you have no way of charging it because there’s no power? You use a flashlight? Yeah, but what if you don’t have any batteries for the flashlight? What do you do then? You can use a match or a lighter and light some candles, and the little flames that appear will provide you with the light you need.

Besides providing light, a fire can also provide heat for keeping you warm and for cooking your food. However, if something goes wrong with that fire, those same flames that were giving you light and heat can get out of control and cause considerable damage, even destruction. People have lost homes, businesses, cars, valuable items, and, unfortunately, loved ones, due to an out of control fire.

James 3:6 (New Living Translation) says:

“And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body…..”

Although very small, the human tongue is capable of doing some serious damage, even total destruction. Why?! Words have POWER!

WHAT IS POWER?
When an individual has power, he or she has the ability to make things happen or to get something done. A person with power has authority or even control over an individual or a group of people. Power can also refer to having might or strength. Therefore, God designed words to have power! How do I know? Let’s go back to the beginning. In Genesis chapter one, the sun, moon, stars, sky, ocean, grass, trees, flowers, and animals were all formed by God. HOW??? God simply spoke WORDS. Genesis 1:3 (King James Version) says:

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

Then verse 11 says:

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”

In other words, it HAPPENED…..it happened just as God said it would.

Verses 26 and 27 say:

“26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”

As the verses state, we are created in God’s image and likeness. Thus, the words we speak are also designed to carry authority or weight. Consider the first man Adam. According to Genesis 2:19, God gave Adam authority to name all the animals. Although God created them, He allowed Adam to determine what each animal would be called. Whatever Adam named each animal, God approved it. So, just like Adam, our words have power. Therefore, God teaches us in His Word to be mindful of what we speak. Ephesians 4:29 (New International Version) says:

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

HOW DOES GOD WANT US TO SPEAK?
God doesn’t want His children speaking words which are corrupt or unhealthy to those who hear them. Rather, He wants us using words that will help someone. For example, a few weeks ago, a well-known pastor received a lot of backlash during the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas. Because he has a very large ministry, he was accused of not coming to the aid of flood victims as quickly as he should have. Even after he opened the doors of his church, many people still attacked him.

He was accused of being selfish, money hungry and a false prophet. He was basically called everything but a child of God——even a demon!

Honestly, the things people said about this particular man disturbed me. I wasn’t so much bothered by non-believers, but by those who profess to be believers in Christ. Why? Instead of just using their words to uplift and pray for this man and for the flood victims, they spent valuable time using their words to try to tear him down, especially on social media.

Whether a person is right or wrong, God still holds us responsible for what we say. So, I encourage you to be mindful of your words. Recognize that the words you speak carry much power or weight. Do you want God to hear you using your words for evil or for good?

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

If you find value in this article, please share.

To subscribe to The Kimberly Joy Blog and receive new articles by email, please leave your email address in the box marked SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL provided at the end of this article.

For daily inspiration, please follow The Kimberly Joy Show on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

A New Life

By Kimberly Joy

On September 4, 2017

In Freedom

(The Kimberly Joy Show: God Says, “You Are FREE!!!” Part 4)

HOW CAN YOU HAVE A NEW LIFE IN GOD?
God wants you to KNOW who you are in Him. He wants you to BE true to the person He has created you to be, and He wants you to LOVE yourself wholeheartedly. And that CAN happen if you have an intimate relationship with Him. II Corinthians 5:17-18 (New Living Translation) say:

“17…..Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ…..”

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they brought sin into the world which caused a rift between God and man. Fortunately, Jesus came to this earth as a man and sacrificed His life on the cross on our behalf. So, now when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, He reunites us with God the Father. As we grow in our relationship with God, He shows us who we really are in Him.

WHO ARE WE?
As believers in Christ, we are people who are now free! For one, we are now free from sin. Romans 6:23 (King James Version) says:

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

According to the verse, when we accept God’s gift, sin no longer has control over us. Therefore, once we leave this life, we won’t suffer eternally. Instead, we will reign with God forever. Ultimately, as believers, that is what we should look forward to. So, it’s very important we stay focused.

As children of God, we have also been set free from sickness and disease. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, He took on the sin of all humanity. As He took on our sin, He also took on everything attached to it, including sickness and disease. Isaiah prophesied about Jesus’s crucifixion. Isaiah 53:4 (New International Version) says:

“4 Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering….”

This verse is not just referring to mental, emotional, and spiritual pain and suffering, but PHYSICAL! Verse 5 then says:

5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

So, again, not only are we set free or healed spiritually, but we are healed physically.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DON’T BELIEVE?
We must believe we are free, healed, and made whole. When we don’t believe God’s Word, we suffer from fear, worry, and stress. Worrying and being afraid can really take a toll on a person’s mental and physical health. Fear can stifle you. You’re less willing to take risks and to move when God says move or speak when God says speak, because you’re more worried about the outcome. You may say to yourself:

“Ah no, I’m not going to do that!”

“Something will go wrong!”

“The people won’t like me!”

Any of those statements sound familiar? How about the last statement?

“THE PEOPLE WON’T LIKE ME!”

What have you been reluctant to do because you’ve been afraid of what others will think or say? Well, no need to fret any further! I have good news for you! God has also set you free from the opinions of others!

Sometimes we make choices, and some of us even live our lives based on what other people think, including family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and society, in general.

There’s nothing wrong with receiving advice or getting ideas from others. That’s why we need each other. However, it becomes a problem when you can never seem to think for yourself. It is definitely a problem when you’re not being true to the person God has created YOU to be. You’re too busy trying to look like someone else, act like someone else, or worse………BE someone else!

My personal motto is “KNOW YOURSELF. BE YOURSELF. LOVE YOURSELF.” Why do I make that declaration? Several years ago, God began speaking two words to me: “BE YOURSELF!” Initially, I didn’t understand why God was saying this to me because I thought I was being myself. However, as time went on, I got a clearer understanding. Although I was living my life, I wasn’t living it with full confidence and joy. In my mind, I was always comparing myself to someone else. I still didn’t think I was good enough. This negative thinking caused me to be very sensitive and get offended more easily. Therefore, God had to begin teaching me how to embrace the woman He has created me to be and to not worry if others approve or not.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUTH AND OPINION?
It doesn’t matter what others think or say about you. Honestly, there will be some people who just won’t like you no matter what you do or say. You can try moving Heaven and Earth to please them, but they still won’t be satisfied! We waste valuable time making decisions based on other people’s opinions. An opinion is not the truth, facts or the Word of God. The dictionary defines an opinion as “a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.” It is simply what someone THINKS.

(“In My Honest Opinion”)

You can receive sound advice from an individual, especially if he or she is an expert in a particular area or field. However, don’t allow his or her advice to replace the mind God has given you, and definitely don’t allow that person’s advice to replace the voice of God. For example, in I Samuel 16, God instructed Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king. Needless to say, Samuel had his own idea or OPINION of how a king should look. Therefore, God had to correct Samuel’s thinking. In I Samuel 16:7 (NIV) God said to Samuel:

“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Ultimately, when it’s all said and done, what matters is what GOD knows and says. God says you have been set free, you are His child and He loves you with an everlasting love!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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