A Grace FULL Life

We live in a society that is all about rewarding performance. Work hard and "earn" it. Of course, that's not always a BAD thing. After all, God discourages idleness (Proverbs 19:15). However, we sometimes try too hard or take it too far. This is particularly true in the case of God's grace. It's hard for us to understand because accepting God's love and free gift of salvation doesn't compute. We think we have to "earn" our right to heaven by doing the right things, following all the rules, and living up to an impossible standard of perfection.

God's Word says that it's our faith in the GRACE of God that saves us, not our works (Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace has nothing to do with US and EVERYTHING to do with HIM. It's all about the cross; His sacrifice, His blood. If we could save ourselves through our own works, then Christ died for nothing and we would need no Savior (Galatians 2:21). Do we "deserve" it? No. Does He give it anyways? Yes! Why? Because He loves us; He's a compassionate and gracious God (Psalm 86:15) and His thoughts towards us outnumber the sand!

Our pastor, Larry Sprinkle, listed three ways that God's grace will benefit our lives:

1. God's saving grace removes guilt. - Through the blood of Christ, we are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7-8, 1 John 1:9). His abounding grace cleanses us of our sin and He removes them as far as the east is from the west. Think about how far removed that is. Not across the street. Not in the next state. From the furthest east to the furthest west (Psalm 103:11-12). It's gone; like that Casting Crowns song (this YouTube video I found is amazing!).

2. God's strengthening grace reshapes our lives. - His grace gives us strength and sustains us! It fuels us and brings confidence and peace to our hearts that is indescribable! Only God can do that! No amount of self-help from any guru or "enlightenment" can ever compare to God's grace! (Hebrews 13:9).

3. God's sustaining grace removes our hurt. - This is a big one for all of us because everyone gets wounded from time to time. His grace covers us; we are weak but He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9). We just need to allow Him to heal our hearts or the wounds will fester and poison us; resulting in becoming toxic to ourselves and others (Hebrews 12:15). Don't be bitter, be BETTER!

GRACE and peace to you, my friends! In closing, watch the video below by "The Skit Guys". It was featured in church and I have also posted about them before (I just can't find the post for some reason lol). They have a real talent for illustrating Biblical concepts! Lay down your pride, surrender, and accept from God what you can't attain on your own. Be infused...with STRENGTH and GRACE! God bless you!

Integrity: Maintaining Yours When People Lose Theirs

"Know that the world is full of ugly, but beauty too. Don't let the bad in people override the good, the evil override the miracles. Above all, there is always love and love never fails." 

- Jama Smith. 

The above quote comes from a dear friend of mine who had posted these wise words of advice in a recent Facebook post. Jama's words couldn't have been more timely because in the past couple days, I have been needing to mediate on those nuggets of truth in order to attempt to cope with some rather unsettling behavior and underhanded actions of a couple people. It seems that no matter how cruel, competitive, and wicked this world is becoming day by day, there still exists that sweet, naive little girl inside of me that is always amazed that someone could behave so nastily and immaturely. It doesn't matter that I have had tons of experience by now in dealing with people who have no character or integrity (or the ones that appear to have some and then flip a switch and show me that they don't). Deep down, I always believe that people are generally decent, grew up with some kind of basic faith and/or manners, and would treat others the way they would want to be treated. Sadly, that's not always the case.

Of course, there are a lot of emotions that one feels when someone purposely hurts you, betrays you, and then happily twists the knife some more for their sick satisfaction. Sometimes, the sweet little girl inside doesn't always want to play nice. The anger can sometimes make you want to fight back in a way that would hurt the one that would hurt you. However, I am incredibly blessed by the fact that faith and experience has taught me that reacting in anger and matching the perpetrator's cruelty isn't only ineffective and fruitless, it damages your own integrity and character. That is something that I am never willing to sacrifice. As Jama said, it's important not to let the bad in people override the good; whether it be in the world around you or in yourself. People who exude maliciousness and seek to be abrasive, toxic, and cruel aren't people you want to emulate. I would never want to mirror someone's ugly heart just because they have sought to poison me with their venom. Instead, I choose to stay true to one of the highest compliments that someone has ever given me (which, ironically, came from Jama) and it was when she remarked that I was one of the most forgiving people she knew. How humbling! Yes, that's the person I strive to be; and praise God, it can be seen by others! It makes me want to work all the harder to retain that virtue! Evil comes easily (because we have a sin nature) but CHARACTER has to be taught and developed. There's no way I'm going to let anyone hit my "reset" button to go back to any sort of "default" setting. I have learned and grown too much to ever be a person like them or a person like who I was.


I continue to compose these blog posts for so many reasons (and this makes post #200 already! Yay!). I don't do it simply because a lot of Team Beachbody coaches do it. I do it because I truly have a heart for people and a desire to help. Anyone that knows me know that to be a fact. So, I share with you what I have shared today as a reaffirmation of the kind of person I am and the kind of business that I run. Infusion 413 has heart, character, and integrity at its core because God is the foundation of who I am, the motivation for why I do what I do, and how I conduct this business (as well as my life). It is my hope that people will see that I'm genuine and caring and that the mission of Infusion 413 is something they would proudly want to be a part of (because I'm certainly happy and grateful for every single person who choose to be a part of my team and allows me to be their coach!).

Grace and peace to you, my friends! Remember, we all get hurt, double-crossed, bullied, and used in our lives. However, we should continue to cling to what is good and not let evil corrupt or change us (and, actually, allow the pain to help us grow instead). All things will work out for good according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Continue to act in love no matter what because love really does conquer all and cover a multitude of sins. Evil isn't conquered by evil; it's overcome by GOOD (Romans 12:21). Rest assured, God is JUST and HE is the avenger and equalizer; not us. He's not mocked and everyone reaps what they sow (Galatians 6:7). Keep living a life of love! Know what love is and isn't and how to "fight fair" when you've been hurt (I just posted about that a while back lol). Stick to God's Word as the blueprint for your life and you'll succeed! Be infused! God bless you!

What Love Is (And Isn't)

I never stop learning what love is (and isn't). There have been so many times in my life where I felt like, "Hey, I get it!" only to discover that there is so much more to learn and experience. It's amazing when you realize that you just reached a whole new level of understanding! 

Learning to love (and be loved) is such an amazing gift! It helps one understand the pure, perfect, flawless love of God. Though, in order to do this, it's helpful to understand what love is and isn't. One does that by contemplating on the Word of God. God didn't just speak it; He demonstrated it. Love is action. Love is virtue and character. NEVER is it described as a "feeling". Of course, love can generate strong emotion, but those emotions aren't love itself. Emotions and feelings are fickle and varied. Someone that ACTS in love does so as a result of genuine character and virtue. 

Knowing this, I composed a sort of reference guide. I referred to it earlier this week as Chris and I were conversing in depth about what it means to love. I had actually compiled the guide last year in the midst of a difficult relationship I had had with someone who DIDN'T understand love at all. I showed it to Chris and remarked that he fit the bill so well and how glad I continue to be regarding the fact that we display genuine love, respect, and care for one another. I can't tell you how amazing it is to read through something and realize the fact that the man who SAYS he loves me really DOES because he's demonstrating it the way it was designed by God! 

Just like when I took this picture,
I was distracted from what I was doing by his goofiness;
but I love him. ;)

However, human love isn't perfect (hence the "fighting fair" part of the guide for how to act in love in the midst of conflict). In fact, even as I type this right now, I had to GENTLY remind Chris to give me a few minutes to type this blog (if we are on Skype as I'm trying to do this, he can be a little noisy and/or distracting while I'm trying to work lol). Because he loves me, he doesn't get offended by this. He is gracious, apologetic, cooperative, and patient. It helped that I approached him in a kind manner, but even if I had been a rude and snippy female, he's the type of man that would still treat me with kindness because that's just the kind of character and humility he has. The way he demonstrates love to me helps me to love him that much better (and reminds me of how kind and generous God is to me; whether I deserve it or not). 

Grace and peace to you, my friends! I hope that the following guide helps you as much as it continues to help me. I know that sometimes, we try to figure out whether or not someone loves us based on the advice of our culture, other people, past relationship comparisons, or who knows what. However, God's Word is the measure and the mirror that we should be using to figure that out. Only then will we truly understand how to love and be loved. Be infused! God bless you! 

*****

1 Corinthians 13, John 15:13, 1 John 4:7-21, Galatians 5:22-23  

Love IS

God (He is love. We love him and others).

Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness,self-control). 

Patient (long-suffering)

Kind

Enduring/Persevering

Truthful/honest

Protecting

Hopeful

Forgiving (keeps no record of wrongs)

Sacrificing (even one's life) and puts others first

Love is NOT

Fruits of the sinful nature (sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like - Galatians 5:19-21).

Envious

Boastful

Prideful

Rude

Selfish

Angry/easily provoked

Fearful

Hateful

Unforgiving

Fighting Fair

1. Truth, honesty, and communication. Expressing and listening to each other with open minds and hearts and doing so in love. Meaning, building up and not tearing down (Ephesians 4:29, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Hebrews 3:13). No name-calling and personal attacks. Any emotion should be expressed tactfully and respectfully without accusations/assumptions, judgement/condemnation, bad attitudes, and vocal/body language expressions that can wound as well. Appropriate breaks and constructive methods of dealing with anger should be used (like "time outs" and breaks for some down time). Additionally, while input and help from family/friends is often helpful and needed, it needs to be limited. Not everyone needs to know or needs to no everything (or know every instance). When they do, it's important to let them know when/how a conflict is resolved so that they know we're ok. 

2. No games. No "blame game", excuses, ultimatums, threats, or manipulation. It solves nothing and only creates more problems and wounding. Adam and Eve played the blame game, but it did nothing to help and there were still consequences (Genesis 3). 

3. Taking responsibility,ownership, and apologizing. "Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?" Choosing humility over pride and looking at one's own errors instead of the flaws of someone else (Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 13:10, Proverbs 14:3, Proverbs 16:18, Ecclesiastes 7:8, Matthew 23:12, Ephesians 4:2, 1 Peter 5:5). We all have planks in our eyes so we shouldn't throw stones (Matthew 7:3-5, Luke 6:41-42, John 8:7 ). 

4. Compromises, solutions, resolutions. Both people have to be willing to sacrifice and be willing to come up with a solution to the problem; as well as resolve how to prevent that type of thing from happening again and repenting/doing better (2 Corinthians 7:9, Romans 2:4).

5. "Forgive and forget". Forgiving and moving on (and not dragging up past issues and mistakes into fresh conflict). Unforgiveness is a poison that will eat away at a relationship and breakdown intimacy. It's not always easy to forgive, but holding onto grudges is so much harder. It drains you of energy and is a load on your shoulders. Without forgiveness, restoration isn't possible; nor can we expect God to forgive us if we don't forgive others. The judgment and measure we use will also be measured to us (Matthew 6:15, Matthew 7:2, Luke 6:37). 

The most important thing to remember is that we can and will make mistakes. Relationships are tough and require a lot of grace, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness (sometimes a little more than we would like). No one is perfect or loves perfectly, but we will strive to be made more perfect in love and remember that true love covers a multitude of sins (Luke 17:4, Proverbs 10:12, 1 Peter 4:8).

All About His Business

The first piece that I did; an old end table
that Casey used for his toys.

"Your passion is giving new life to old things." This was the heart stopping sentence that brought me to tears and made me feel as if my purpose in life was put into the perfect words. This phrase was uttered by the lips of my soulmate (yes, my soulmate....we have finally found each other! More on that another time lol). We had been talking about a variety of different topics and I was sharing about how I had discovered just how much I love redoing old furniture. So, when he uttered that simple and profound sentence, I burst into tears because it hit me at the core of who I am. My heart completely melted. I was like, "Ohmiogsh! Yes! That's me! That is what I love; life, restoration, and newness!" Is it any wonder that I do? After all, isn't that what Jesus is all about? And since that's what He is all about, isn't that what WE should be about? Jesus was all about his "father's business" (Luke 2:49). If we are in Him, we are about the Father's business too; no matter what our "business" in life is. We find a way to make it about Him.

I have a lot of "business" in my life. This very blog is a big part of my Team Beachbody business. Though, more than anything, this business is ultimately about God's business. It's precisely why I have given this business back to Him and have sought to glorify God by giving Him the credit as I help others. I'm here to help; that's always been my goal! Not only do I want to help someone get into good physical shape (taking care of the bodies that God has given us) but into good spiritual shape too! It truly is my passion to help people; to help them transform into a better version of themselves. I've always been one to build up, encourage, and help fix things (broken hearts in particular). Helping someone discover the purpose and potential in themselves that God created in them is an extremely rewarding thing!!

The old end table; made "new"! :) 

How about you? How have you made the "father's business" YOUR business? In what way are you serving others? Whatever you do for someone in His name, it is done unto the Lord (John 14:13-14). Jesus is all about restoration; making the old new again. In Him, we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). We need to exude that newness of life so that others will be drawn to it and want it as well.

Grace and peace to you, my friends! I encourage you to be about HIS business by making all of "your" business centered around Him! Be infused! God bless you!

Live to Love and Love Living!

Love definitely makes you feel empowered. Love makes you sing. Love envelopes you; swallows you up. You feel it coursing through your veins. It's embedded into your soul. You pursue love and it pursues you. It's a unique song. 

To know love is to know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8). When you experience His presence and sense that amazing love He has for you, you can't help but feel lost in it. Blissful. Content. Perfect. You ponder it and meditate on it. You think about the very essence of it. 

Paul says that love is patient, kind, and unfailing; that it hopes, protect, and perseveres (1 Corinthians 13). It's pure, unselfish, and forgiving. Love casts aside all pride, anger, and jealousy. Love, real love, is TRUTH and joy. 

Those verses are always rooted deep into my heart. Whenever I think about what love is, or how to love others, I measure it by those verses. Does my love look like that? Is God at the heart of it? Is it virtuous? Is it good? Is it truthful, patient, kind, and unselfish? How strong is the love in my heart? I want it to be genuine; fueled by God, for He IS love. He enables me to love.

Grace and peace to you, my friends! I hope that these words, verses, and this song will empower and motivate you to love! At this time of year, people seem more inclined to act in love. We feel generous and compassionate; wanting to bless others' lives during the holiday season. Though, we must remember, love shouldn't just be a seasonal thing. It's God's greatest command (Matthew 22:36-40). Live to love and you'll LOVE living! Be infused (with God's love)! God bless you!

Having a Content Heart

A while back, I was reading about contentment in a Joyce Meyer devotional. She said: "There's nobody happier than a truly thankful person, a truly content person. The word content means 'being satisfied' to the point where nothing disturbs you no matter what's going on, but not satisfied to the point that you never want any change." Additionally, she also mentioned that, "contentment is not about fame or being well-known, how much money you have, your position at work or your social circle. It's not found in your level of education or what side of the tracks you were born on. Contentment is a heart attitude."

Content and blissfully happy!! 

I couldn't agree more! Contentment isn't about a feeling, it's about a way of being. Contentment is a result of thankfulness. When you're thankful, you really can be satisfied in whatever stage you are at in your life because you have a joy in your heart that can't be altered no matter what is going
on in your life.

I just felt like today was the day to share those quotes about contentment. I have been reflecting so much about how different and amazing this year has been. Even as I look on the terrible years before that, I can still say that overall, I have always been content because I've had the peace of God inside my heart no matter what. There have been lots of moments of extreme pain, loss, and sadness, but the love of God has sustained me and infused me with strength. Remember these verses:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:12-13

Grace and peace to you, my friends! May you all be blessed with a heart of contentment! Thanksgiving is the key! God will infuse you and give you all you need! Be infused! God bless you!

Consider the House "Warmed"!

Tonight's blog is going to be short. I'm pretty tired from such an eventful day lol. But, it's a very good kind of tired because I had my house warming party today and I think I can definitely say that my house has been "warmed"; with laughter, love, friendship, and the beginning of many memories!

There were a lot of special people that didn't make it, but I am very thankful for the ones who took the time for me and made an appearance. This is only the first of many gatherings and I look forward to having people over more often! :)

I don't know what else to add other than the fact that simple things like this are truly the best things in life! Gathering together to talk, laugh, share stories, and show one's love and support is something that is such a priceless treasure! My heart has been warmed more than anything!

To the wonderful people in my life, I dedicate these verses:

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. - Proverbs 17:17

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. - Proverbs 18:24

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another - Proverbs 27:17

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10


Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25

I am so BLESSED to have several friends that are like family to me!! They love and encourage me, and "meeting together" is always a joy (and we definitely won't stop meeting up lol). I am thankful for the ones that have helped pick me up and support me when I've fallen or been knocked down. I definitely pity those that DON'T have good friends like mine and have to manage things alone!


Grace and peace to you, my friends! I'm glad that I don't have to go it alone in life! I have God, my kids, my family, and my friends! I hope you have those things too! You definitely have God if nothing else (and you have me - I'm here!). Be infused! God bless you!

Do You Want to Be Blessed or Cursed?

When it comes to whether or not we want blessings or curses in our lives, the answer to that is really a no-brainer. I can't imagine anyone saying, "Yes, I want to be cursed!" No. We all want good things for ourselves, our family, and to have a wonderful life.

If this is true, WHY do we still choose to be cursed? I have been pondering that ever since the other day when I was reading Joyce Meyer's daily devotional on the WONDERFUL Bible app on my phone. She mentioned that Deuteronomy 28 describes a blessed life and a cursed life. The difference between the two is obedience to God. Read it and see the huge contrast between the two! The one who listens to the Lord is BEYOND blessed and life is good, prosperous, and abundant. Then, it goes on to say how difficult, disastrous, and calamity ridden a disobedient life is. It's a very bleak, distressing, and depressing picture! Seriously, take a moment and read it for yourself!

After I read it, it really got me to thinking about my own life. I had always tried so hard to please God and be a "good girl". The closer I walked with God, the better my life truly was and I can honestly say, those were always the happiest times. Any time I wandered astray, that's when I saw things in my life fall apart and bad things happen left and right. I've never saw it more plainly than in these last three years. I've always had my faith, but I'll admit that it was by a thread for a good while. I'll tell you what, I've never had a more heart breaking, miserable, lonely, depressing, and horrific time than when I was so lost and losing hope in the Lord. My worst moments of my life have been during these past three years when my faith was so weak. However, I have noticed that my life truly began to get better again due to the profound and simple choice I made on Easter Sunday of this year to rebuild my faith. That day, I was talking to the boyfriend I had at the time. Our relationship was very new; we were about two weeks into it (I think). Unfortunately, that was all the further it would go because he decided that he didn't want to renew his faith. I had told him that I was watching church online and asked if he was going anywhere or doing anything for Easter. That's when he told me he believed in God, yet wanted nothing to do with Him. It was a heartbreaking thing to hear; especially when that is not the kind of thing he had originally told me when we got together. He assured me that he wasn't going to change his mind on it, so I had to make the painful decision to let him go because I knew that being unequally yoked never works and that anyone who chooses anyone over God isn't worthy of Him (2 Corinthians 6:14, Matthew 10:37-38).

It was that choice that started changing my life all over again; this time, for the better. I started out by watching my brother's church online and committed to doing so each Sunday until I found a local church home. Later on, I started watching Blackhawk Ministries instead and was considering attending there (even though it's a 45 minute drive from where I am). I hadn't been to church in a long time and even though I tried a few churches, I hadn't found one in which I felt like it was "home". Yet, I knew it was important to find somewhere local, so I went to a few churches last summer. It's funny where you end up because the place where I finally felt like I belonged was the one that my parents' go to. I have went a couple times, but didn't feel like I connected (and mostly because I think I just didn't want to). However, I feel like God wanted me there because on the Sunday that I went back, it was due to the fact that I missed the service of another church. I was driving to it, but couldn't find a way to get there due to the road construction. It was like God was literally road blocking me lol. I didn't want to just give up and go home, so I figured I would surprise my parents and show up at theirs since it was about time for it to start anyways. Not only did I surprise them, but God surprised ME. The church was welcoming, the worship was full of heart (it always gets me teared up!), and the people there just have an attitude of servanthood (as evidenced by the testimonials they were having from the youth group that day; it really blessed me and melted my heart). The church is all about love, serving, prayer, ministry, and missions. It's so genuine and does EXACTLY the kind of things a church SHOULD do!

Over the next few weeks, I realized that I knew I belonged there. Not only that, but my kids love it there and they have a sign language interpreter in the service that my son loves to watch. I was also able to jump right in and start getting involved when I heard about the Steps of Faith Walk that they were going to have. I was very blessed to take part in it (she ended up getting well over 600 pairs of shoes to send to Africa!). I love getting connected with people that I already know, as well as getting to know new people. This church family makes it so easy! I am so grateful for them and look forward to getting to know them all more!

It is pretty obvious to me that Deuteronomy 28 is right on! I am seeing how blessed my life is again now that I have renewed my faith and started making choices for Him again. As you've read in my recent posts, He has blessed my children and I with a new house and so much more! I just can't even begin to tell you all the ways that he has provided for us and how wonderful my life is becoming more and more each day! I'm leaving the life full of curses and entering a life full of blessings when I choose Jesus!

In Joyce Meyer's devotional, she says: ""you can get free from one thing and go on to another thing and another thing and pretty soon, you'll start to realize that you have some real authority in Christ." I am definitely finding the bliss and freedom of working on all the things I need to work on in my life. I'm embracing each stage and step; learning, growing, and changing (even if it's uncomfortable, painful, or difficult). Joyce says, "Don't live your life without the thrill of growing and changing or you'll miss out on the good things God can do through you." Amen! She couldn't be more right about that! She also suggests to, "Take some time today to visualize the person you want to be and start pursuing God's freedom. Because one day at a time, you and God can do anything!" Amen to that too!

Grace and peace to you, my friends! Take it from me, it's a lot better to be blessed than cursed; and it's within YOUR power to decide which of the two you want to be! Your heart, attitude, and willingness to lay down your pride and be submissive to the Lord is what will bring forth transformation, renewal, and blessings into your life! So, if your life is a mess, full of stress and turmoil, etc. pause for a moment to think about whether your choices have invited curses on yourself due to issues of disobedience in some way/area to God. Do you have an addiction? Do you fear/worry to much instead of surrendering control and trusting God? Do you hold onto hate and unforgiveness? What's the condition of your heart? Be honest with yourself and then bring it before Him and make those issues right. Make a choice to be a better you and have a better life through obedience to Christ. There truly is blessing and freedom in abiding in Him! Be infused! God bless you!

Preparing a Place

"It won't be long now," I keep thinking to myself. Every day, I survey the progress that has been made in my house and see the old interior continue to change and transform into something new and better. For me, it gives the verse about being a new creation fresh meaning (2 Corinthians 5:17). Watching the old, dingy, gross, and filthy things be made clean and new makes me think about what God does for me in the interior of my heart! It's amazing to think about and to witness!

I have mentioned in my blogs lately about how emotional things have been for me. I'm still trying hard to process it all and allow God to work in my heart bit by bit just like we've been working on the house. So many things have been stirring in me. There have been many moments where I have been overwhelmed to tears; both happy and sad ones. I am so humbled, blessed, and grateful to have this new house (as well as so much help and team effort from my parents in making it a home). I have also been wrestling with the sad tears and have cried here and there as I've been painting by myself and frequently listening to the music of Jeremy Camp as I do my work. His music has always been so heartfelt, genuine, and full of praise and gratitude towards God. I also want to have that same humble heart that's fixed on God; a God who loves and heals me of my brokenness. I even wear the shirt I got when I first saw him in concert in 2005 when I was pregnant with my daughter. It says "Restored" on the front of it. To me, it couldn't be a more appropriate shirt to wear when I'm painting because not only is the house being restored and made new, but so is my heart and my life!

These past couple days, I haven't been able to shake Jesus' words from my mind from John 14:1-4:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 

Those verses are resonating with me more than ever before! This house, that God so graciously provided, is for my children and I. At this moment, I am preparing this place for us. We will be together; living and thriving in our new home. We also invite the Lord to be with us; giving back to Him what He has given to us. This house will become our home together and I pray it will be abounding in the fruit of His Spirit as we invite and welcome His presence into our home and our hearts. Where we are, may He be also! Always!

I can only imagine the place He is preparing for every one of us! I think about all the work that my family and I are doing on this house and just how much is being put into it. Though, even as we do our best, there are going to be mistakes and imperfections. Nothing usually ever looks exactly right. You end up finding flaws and living with the "it'll be ok for now" type things until you can put more time and money into something later. Yet, it's alright! Our earthly homes don't have to be perfect (and they aren't/won't ever be). This home, even as homey as it's becoming, is still not my true "home". My real home is in heaven; with Jesus in the PERFECT place that He is preparing for me. I kind of laugh to think of Him constructing a place, painting rooms, and doing home improvement work. Heck, he could just say the word and things would be completed without him ever having to lift a paint brush or power tool! But, I'm sure that it's not anything like that at all. He's not in heaven doing heavy construction. I don't think He meant things quite like that. I'm not sure exactly how or what He's preparing, but I believe that He's just waiting for God to say "Ok, it's time! Go and get them!" It's like when you are preparing to receive guests into your home. You prepare for an event (like the house warming party I will most certainly have) and you receive your guests at the proper time; when everything is ready. Right now, I don't know the day or hour of my own house warming party, but I know the day is close because my house is becoming more and more ready as it gets completed. That's just like how these end times are. Prophecies are being fulfilled and soon, everything will be completed. Then, the day and hour will come and it will be time to go home!!

I am just so awed and amazed by all these thoughts! It not only thrills me, but comforts me and helps me to remember that no matter what, my home is with Jesus and I'm never alone. I just keep thinking about the words to Jeremy Camp's song "Right Here": "Everywhere I go I know you're not far away. You're right here. You're right here." I feel like He's always saying that to me, "Melissa, I'm right here." He is. He's always right here with me. No matter what. I am SO GRATEFUL for that!

Grace and peace to you, my friends! Watch and listen to "Right Here" (right now lol) and let it speak to you. Jesus is ALWAYS right there with you. He's not just in heaven preparing that place for you, He IS with you. We don't have to feel alone or like He's far away from us. He never leaves us and wants us to be with Him. We need to invite Him to be with us; to be at home in our hearts. Nothing feels more like home than when you've made Him at home in your life! Be infused! God bless you!!

The Beauty of True Love

It's amazing how God can touch your heart through music and movies in such unexpected ways!  A few nights ago, while I was painting in my new home, several songs from Disney's "Beauty & the Beast" ended up playing on one of my specially created Pandora channels (yes, I'm a dork and I listen to Disney songs and musicals lol). Of course, this caused me to think and reflect a lot about the movie. It's been a while since I've watched it, but I've always enjoyed it. It's a fun and delightful treasure for kids and adults alike. It also has a lot of depth and substance that probably gets overlooked.

I feel as though we all need to learn the lesson of true love and surrender that is at the heart of this movie. The Beast learned that love is only love when it's a choice. When he realized that he truly loved Belle, he put his selfish desires aside. He was no longer rude, angry, or demanding his own way. He became a good example of the definition of love when He put HER first (as well as her ailing father, whom he had previously shown no mercy or compassion for). He realized that forcing her to stay, and making her his prisoner, could never be true love. I think it was truly a turning point in the story where he told Belle that he was releasing her. Moments later, he told Cogsworth that he "let her go" and that he "had to". Cogsworth was in shock and asked him why. The Beast's answer was simple, "Because...I love her." 

Belle's own realization of true love came later after she confronted Gaston when she returned home. While trying to save her father from going to the asylum, she proved via the magic mirror that her father wasn't crazy and that the Beast existed. When Gaston realized that she was defending the beast, and that she had feelings for that "monster", she had the guts to say that Gaston was the true monster. To me, that was a very profound thing because if you look at the Beast and Gaston side by side, no one would dare to say such a thing. Though, that's because people usually look at appearances instead of the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

If there's one thing that God has constantly reminded me of over the years, it's this very powerful and simple truth: "It's all about the heart, Melissa." Whatever or whomever you're judging, it all boils down to the HEART of it. The heart is all that ever truly matters. Belle could definitely see that the Beast had a good heart despite what he looked like on the outside. The opposite was true of Gaston; pretty on the outside, but a rotten heart on the inside. I probably don't even need to mention how the story ends, but of course Belle came running back to the Beast. It always thrilled my heart how the Beast was so overwhelmingly touched that she did. He thought that even though he did the right thing in letting her go, he had lost his chance not only to have his curse broken, but to have the woman he loved. So, having her CHOOSE to come back to him (and to love him) was the most amazing thing in the world to him!

True love; it proved to be stronger than any curse....even death. That fact, my friends, is no fairy tale! That IS real life! The best example of that is Jesus' true and everlasting love for us. Through His sacrifice, He conquered the grave for us! He brings us back to life when we are dead inside and gives us life eternally! But, of course, we have to choose (like Belle did) to love and be loved. Just as He came (and is coming back again) for us, we have to come to HIM! 

I've learned so much by pondering on the deep lessons found in that movie. I'm glad that God found a way to bring it to my mind from something so simple as those "random" songs from my Pandora station. Though, nothing is random with God. His timing is so perfect! He knew I needed to reflect on such things right now because as I mentioned last week, getting my new home has been a very emotional thing for me for so many reasons. I will officially move in after some minor interior work gets finished. Though, as that time grows closer, my many emotions continue to surface and intensify. My primary emotion: loneliness. I've never lived alone before. I married young, so I went straight from living at home to being a housewife. Then, it was back to living with my parents after the kids and I were forced to leave. Granted, the kids DO live with me, but it's still a lonely and incomplete feeling when you are so used to having other adults or a spouse in the household. This reality is what is finally drawing out the last bit of grief that has been hanging on since the divorce. I have been anticipating this, but have dreaded it even though I welcome the closure of it all. 

Like I stated earlier, God's timing on this is perfect. Today would have been my 12th wedding anniversary. Yet, here I am...single. In my marriage, I was always like Belle; trying to tame the Beast and loving him no matter how much he raged. Though, in my case, I didn't get a happy ending. The prince that exists somewhere inside that raging creature never emerged. His heart hardened instead of softened until terror and rage took over completely and now, the Beast is all that is left. I mourned then, and I mourn now, as I continue to hope and pray for peace & change in that heart and that he truly will allow God to transform him into who he is meant to be. God showed me then, as well as now, that it's in HIS hands and not mine. Surrendering someone or something is SO HARD, but it's only when we give up control to Jesus that everything gets set right again and He can stabilize our lives. We just have to learn to let go. 

 

Letting go of people has never been easy for me; and I feel like I have had to let go of so many! I hate it, but sometimes it's necessary for one reason or another. Actually, I think that the main reason God wanted me to think on that movie was so that I would face the reality that there was someone else that I needed to let go of. When it truly dawned on me, it literally brought me to my knees because I knew that God had been nudging me for a while to release this person to Him. It's someone that I love deeply, but knew that God was asking me to let go and release this person into His hands. I have been avoiding it and living in denial that I was even holding on in the way that I was. However, when God worked on my heart through those crucial lessons of the movie, I couldn't deny what had to be done any longer. I cried and cried and felt the need to kneel and raise my hands to the Lord and say out loud, "I release _____ to you."

When I raised my hands to the Lord, I also remembered the story of Jenny's pearls that has always meant so much to me. In the story, Jenny's Daddy asks her to give up her cheap pearl necklace to him (which she loves more than anything). She refuses and keeps clinging to them until one day she hands them over. In return, her Daddy's gives her a REAL strand of pearls. I felt like I was giving up my prized "pearl" necklace. To me, this was someone I felt was such a treasure and that I was meant to have, but God asked me to trust Him and hand that person over. I don't know what God is going to do in that situation, but I trust Him. It doesn't mean that that treasure is gone, but God will do something with it. It could be that I'm not meant to have it, or maybe I'm just not meant to have it right now or in the way that I thought. Or, maybe he will give me something totally different. I don't know. All I know is that this person belongs to the Lord, not to me. When and if they are meant to be "mine" is up to God. It hurts so very much, but I know that I had to make the same kind of decision that the Beast did by "releasing" them. In doing so, I'm demonstrating that I truly do love this person by giving them their freedom. Maybe they'll have their moment like Belle did and come back. Or, maybe they aren't my "Belle". Either way, I am open to whatever God is determining for me. He will give me something genuine. I don't have to settle for fake pearls!


My heart has been broken more times than I could ever count. Yet, I still have hope  that I will get a "happy ending"; it just may not be in the way that I think (or with whom I think). All I know is that God's new beginning for me was a whole lot different (and better) than anything I could have imagined, so I know that He has the rest in hand too! It took these past three horrible years (well, probably my whole life) to get it, but it's finally here! Maybe sometime soon, some of my other dreams will come true too! I just have to keep trusting and believing that God will do it (because He WILL when He chooses to - and when I'm ready for it). Just like in another Disney movie ("Tangled") we sometimes find a new and better dream. A classmate of mine had reminded me of that fact three years ago when I told him that my dream (my family as I knew it) was now dead and he assured me that it wasn't, but that it was just different and that I would have a new dream. I've always held onto that and I believe that he's right. God is restoring me and building me bigger and better dreams; new and improved versions of the ones I have always had. He is so amazing!
 

Grace and peace to you, my friends! I hope that what I've shared will help you as much as it has helped me. Learning (and re-learning) about true love, surrender, and sacrifice is something that never gets old. It's also important to remember (like Cinderella would say) to "have faith in your dreams...no matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true." Things may not always happen as soon (or in the way) that we would like, but God knows our hearts. If we continue to delight in Him, and seek him FIRST, He will give us our heart's desires (Psalm 37:4, Matthew 6:33). We have to keep persevering and having faith in Him. He is greater than any fairy godmother could ever be and the TRUEST love we'll ever find (because God IS love)! He is a dream come true all by Himself! Anything else is just a bonus! Believe in Him! He'll come through for you...because He loves you!! That's the beauty of true love, dear ones!! Be infused! God bless you!! 

Working Towards Completion

It's been a week since I've become an official home owner. I still don't think that it's sunk in yet! As my parents and I paint the interior rooms, it feels more and more like mine the more that it transforms. It's kind of like when you're downloading something on a computer and you watch that little bar fill up from a small percentage all the way to 100%. When it's below 50%, you're impatient and a little irritable as you wait. Then, the higher it climbs to completion, the more excited and relieved you are that you have finally gotten to the end!!

Not only do I feel this way about my house, but about this weight-loss journey as well. As I strive to improve my nutrition, fitness, and overall wellness, I feel just like that percentage bar. I am working and waiting. I'm impatient and frustrated about it a lot of times, but I'm progressing! Maybe it's slow, but I will eventually reach completion!! Oh, how AMAZING that will be to reach the end goal! I'm going to keep going no matter what! I MUST finish!

If there's one tip I can give you about all of this, it's that while you do have to remember the big picture, try not to let it get in the way of the "now". It's so easy to get frustrated about how far you have to go that you miss seeing how far you've come or how much you are accomplishing in the moment. This is something that I have to remind myself of a LOT or I'll get frustrated and want to give up. Therefore, I make it a point of reminding myself of what I have accomplished. I think about it and let my thoughts dwell on those accomplishments when I'm feeling overwhelmed so that I have the boost I need to keep going. Trust me, it really does help!!

Grace and peace to you, my friends! Remember, He who began a good work in you will see it to completion (Philippians 1:6). Be patient with yourself and keep persevering! He is with you! You can do ALL THINGS through Him who INFUSES you with His strength (Philippians 4:13). Embrace it! BE infused!! God bless you! 

"This is the place to be!"

Life is unpredictable. I never expected to be where I am now; and I mean that in SO MANY different ways! I don't even know how to begin to describe all that I am feeling right now. It's pleasantly overwhelming, but getting here was horribly painful!

Last Tuesday, an amazing dream came true for me. It was months in the making (well, YEARS if we're looking at the bigger picture). I am officially the owner of my own home! It's unbelievable to me, because I never expected to be buying a house at this time (or in this amazing and convenient location)! It's just one of those instances in which God brings something about that is bigger and better than the vision that you even had for yourself!

Years ago, I had a house when I was married. My Dad said that it was a great "starter home". I always thought that was odd because I was very content with it (even as small as it was) and never imagined having to move out of it. Though, I always thought it would be nice to live in a neighborhood like my Dad's, but I knew that would never be possible because I knew how much those houses cost. So, I didn't entertain any ideas beyond what I already had.

Oh how things change over the years! I wish I could say that I ended up buying this house in my Dad's neighborhood (and right NEXT to my Dad!) under happier circumstances. Unfortunately, however, it didn't happen how I would have liked. I never dreamed that I would be getting a home on my own as a single mother of two children. Yet, here I am; three rough years later. I still wish that things were different, but I believe that this is going to be a crucial part of my healing process. To me, it feels like the final piece that will end this tumultuous journey and be the official new beginning to our lives. I can't wait to finish the interior work to the house and move in! It's exciting, but scary at the same time! It will be quite the adjustment, but an overall positive one!

Enjoying my front porch swing!!

I am extremely grateful to God for being so good to my children and I. I am also grateful to my family, friends, and the good neighbor and her family that was BEYOND gracious in making such a good deal with us to have this home! To everyone who always assured me "it will get better" and that we really do reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9) it's TRUE! It really does payoff to persevere and to continue doing what is right. It comes back to you! Likewise, those that sow wickedness reap it too (Job 4:8). I've wept and sown many tears, but now it's time to reap some joy (Psalm 126:5)!! As Solomon says, there's a time to weep and mourn; but then there's a time to laugh and dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4). It's FINALLY time to laugh (a LOT!!) and dance, dance, DANCE in celebration!!! :) I'm overjoyed!!! My daughter particularly relates to the dancing and laughing part because she has been giggling and running through the house shouting how happy she is and that "this is the place to be"! I couldn't agree more!! This is the place to be; the place that God has given us (which we gladly give back to Him). We finally have a place to call "home"!!

Grace and peace to you, my friends! If you're reading this, and going through a hard time of your own, I hope that this encourages you. Your hardships won't last forever! You will have your time too! Keep persevering and sowing good things and you will reap the rewards as well! Just like Job, the Lord will rebuild, restore, and bless you beyond what you could ever imagine! He did it for me, He can do it for you! I can't even begin to fathom what else He has in store for me! I felt like I had lost so much and that I would never recover or be the same again, but He is showing me that nothing is hopeless. He is faithful and He is good! It does take time (and waiting is horrible sometimes) but it is worth it! I'm making it, and so can you! With Him, you can overcome everything! He is there and He NEVER fails!! Be infused! God bless you!!

You Can Do It!

I'm sure a lot of you have seen "The Waterboy". There's a recurring character in it that is always saying, "You can do it!" As funny as it is, it's also one of those simple and encouraging things that we all should have in life; people cheering us on and reminding us that we can do it! I don't know about you, but I am extremely grateful for the "cheerleaders" in my life who always remind me that I can do it!

Tomorrow, I'll be talking about the last of Dr. Phil's 7 keys to weight-loss freedom which focuses on support. We ALL need support; no matter what we're trying to accomplish. We aren't meant to be loners in this life! Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us to keep gathering together and to encourage one another. We need to keep lifting each other up and inspiring one another to keep going!!

Grace and peace to you, my friends! No matter what you have going on, remember that "you can do it!" I'm here to encourage you and be there for you! More than anything, though, GOD is there to supply you with the strength and everything you need to accomplish all things! Be infused! God bless you!!

How to Hear from God

Today has been one of those days where I wasn't sure what to blog. Sometimes, I almost worry a bit until I focus and remember that God ALWAYS gives me something. I don't have to be concerned about running out of content to post on here to help others because GOD is in charge. He always supplies me with something to share! Yet, sometimes I also get concerned that I won't hear Him even when He is speaking.

Today, I was absolutely wowed by a verse while listening to a sermon at Huntington Baptist Church today. It spoke to me about that very concern that I just mentioned. It wasn't something I didn't already know, but for some reason, it hit me in a fresh way:

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. - Isaiah 59:2

Iniquity. Sin. If we can't hear, if we feel separated from Him, it's because something isn't right in our hearts. We are holding something back from Him; our unconfessed sin. When Jesus was on the cross, He had the sin of the whole world on Himself and He had asked God why He had forsaken Him (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34). God is holy. Sin can't stand in His presence. It becomes a barrier between Him and us. Until it's torn down by our confession, and the forgiveness through Christ's blood (1 John 1:9), we're going to continue to feel distant from God. We have to make it right! God wants to be near us. He'll draw near to us if we draw near to Him (James 4:8). He never leaves us or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:8). We're the ones that build up that wall and cause that distance by running away from Him and letting sin build up in our lives.

I've been struggling for a few years to feel God's presence like I used to (and yearn to). I keep praying for the wisdom to see and hear Him clearly and to be aware of the things that I need to do to accomplish that. I am a constant work in progress. I'm doing much better, but I still have a lot of work to do. I'm going to keep praying for God to sensitize me and to keep learning how to die to self more and more every day (Matthew 16:24-25).

I want God to hear me; and I want to hear from God. I don't want His face to be hidden from me. I want to SEEK IT! I want to connect with God, but building a wall of sin brick by brick is going to make it impossible unless it's torn down by confession and the blood of Jesus. Dear Lord, give me the strength I need to do whatever needs to be done!

Grace and peace to you, my friends! May we all have humble and open hearts to the Spirit of God; sensitized and never callused. Watch the video below. It's a powerful illustration of how God chips away at us and molds us into his masterpiece if we allow Him to work in us and remove the things that don't belong!
Be infused! God bless you!

The Simplicity and Necessity of Rest.

If it's one thing that has been on my mind this weekend, it's the fact that sometimes we just need to REST! Our lives are so busy and we do SO MUCH that we forget to just stop and "be" for a little while. I have been on the go so much this weekend that I felt rushed and crunched for time in regards to posting my blogs on here. I felt bad for not sitting down to take as much time to work as I usually do, but then I also reminded myself that it's ok. Life pulls me in all different directions and it's not always possible to get everything done how I want. Sometimes, I just have to give myself permission to not work so hard and cut myself some slack so that I can invest my time in other people, things, and in resting in it all.

With all that being said, I'm going to leave this post at that. Just ponder the simplicity and necessity of rest and of taking the time to purposely slow down and refocus. Take a break from the demands of life; even if just for a few minutes. Think on this verse and let it sink in:

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. - Psalms 46:10

Grace and peace to you, my friends! On this Sunday, this day of rest, remember that God created a time for rest on purpose. Not only are you rejuvenated and better able to resume your busy lives after you've recharged, but you open yourself up to hearing from God when you rest in the quiet and stillness of just "being". You'll hear His voice and know Him better! Watch the video below and listen to the song by Sonicflood in which the lyrics talk about that very thing! Be infused! God bless you!

What Are We Learning?

If you've ever watched Veggie Tales, you're probably familiar with the "What We Have Learned" song. It's played at the conclusion of each Veggie Tales lesson (and in various styles; much to the dismay of Bob who dislikes the song for some reason lol). It's a simple and catchy song that reminds us to think about what we have learned and how to apply it to our lives.

So, what have we learned? Well, yesterday we learned a humorous but important lesson from Cookie Monster about impulse control; which is one of Dr. Phil's 7 keys to weight loss freedom that I have been sharing over the last few weeks. Dr. Phil says: "There's only one reason why you haven't changed the bad stuff in your life. You're getting something out of it. I'm not saying that you're getting something healthy or positive, but people do not continue in situations, attitudes or actions that do not give them a payoff. This key helps you identify those payoffs, unplug from them, and replace bad habits with healthy behavior."

How much did that lesson sink in? I think it's a very vital one because without self-control and discipline, there's no way that we're going to succeed! What are our habits (whether good or bad) and what are we getting out of them? What are our payoffs? We need to evaluate our behavior patterns and determine whether or not they are truly beneficial to us or not. If they're not, we need to make the necessary changes in order to get positive results in our life. As Dr. Phil would also say, we don't "break" habits, we "replace them with new ones." It's not enough just to stop a behavior. You'll go right back to it if you don't have something else to do instead. Even Jesus warns against vacancy like that. Once you clean house, you better fill it up with good things or the bad is going to creep back in and be even worse than before (Matthew 12:43-45). That kind of explains why a person can lose weight and then gain it all back and THEN some, doesn't it? Think about it!

Grace and peace to you, my friends! I hope that this blog is helping all who are reading and that it's being applied in your lives! I would LOVE to hear from you! Please, don't ever hesitate to comment on here! I would love to have this blog become a place where people interact and support one another! Be infused! God bless you!

How You're Impacting Over 5,000 People!

Last night, my son was reading from his Goodnight Warrior Devotional Bible before we said our prayers. The story was from John 6:3-13. It's about the boy who shared his five loaves and two fish with Jesus so that he could feed a crowd of 5,000. I'm sure most of us have heard the story before. However, I think we've heard it so much that we forget just how deep that story is!

For some reason, it resonated with me in a whole new way. I paused to think about it in a more modern aspect for a minute. When we have holidays or special family gatherings, there is a LOT of work that goes into food preparation. You not only have to have money to buy all of the food, but you have to prepare it all and estimate how much you'll be able to feed. Having too much is always better than not having enough (and leftovers are usually a plus). Now, imagine that you have to prepare food for more than just a small family. Think about having to buy and prepare food for several families; enough to feed a small city! In my case, that would be around HALF of my city (our population is roughly 10,000). It is mind-blowing to think of feeding that many people! I could never afford to buy enough food for ONE MEAL to feed THAT many people; let alone prepare it all! To do that would take an act of God!!

An act of God; that's exactly what happened in the Bible passage. The disciples were stunned at Jesus' suggestion that they should feed all those people! Philip told Jesus that it would take over half a year's worth of a person's income just to be able to buy enough bread for everyone to have a SMALL piece! Can you imagine the panic the disciples could have felt? How could they afford to feed the people? Would they even be able to find THAT much bread nearby to buy even if they could? It seemed like an impossible dilemma!

Of course, God always makes the impossible possible (Matthew 19:26)! Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, that a young boy unselfishly offered to the Lord, to feed everyone! What a kind act and statement of faith! Can you visualize opening your pantry and giving what sparse food supplies you had to feed half of your city? I wonder what went through that boy's mind. I wonder if he already had the faith to know that Jesus would do something amazing with it or if he just simply had an attitude of "well, it's not much, but maybe it will help." Either way, Jesus took it and multiplied it! Not only did everyone eat  until they were satisfied, but they had TWELVE baskets of food leftover!! That is BEYOND amazing!

When I let all of this soak in, I thought a bit more about how this applied to me. Sometimes, I feel like what I have to offer isn't "enough". I always find myself wishing I could do more for God and others. I think "if I had more money, I could give so much more to help" or "I wish I could donate more time or goods to worthy charities." What an apathetic attitude and a poor reason to maybe not even give at all just because we can't give as much as we would like! Where is our faith?! We have to remember that God blesses EVERYTHING and MULTIPLIES it beyond what we can see or comprehend! Every donation of your time, money, food and goods, and even your prayers, hugs, smiles, and every act of kindness MATTERS! He takes it all and does wonders with it! We have no idea how many lives we are touching and how many people are being blessed in everything that that we share! Jesus said that even a widow's two copper coins are worth more than the excess of the rich.

Grace and peace to you, my friends! Watch the video below. It's a classic song that reminds us all that everything we do unto the Lord makes an impact! We may not even know it while we live on earth, but in heaven, we will finally understand! I can't even begin to list all the "little things" that people have said or done for me that have meant SO MUCH and have stuck in my mind and heart over the years. They have no idea the degree of an impact they have had on me; even if I try to express it to them! Likewise, I may never fully know the kind of effect I have on others. I smile at people. I'm friendly and polite. I do whatever I can to make others around me feel encouraged and blessed (that's one of the many reasons I blog too!). Every time I have ever had someone say "I needed to read that today" or "thank you for the hug" or "your smile made my day" or I see that someone or something I've prayed for is improving, I feel so blessed inside! IT MATTERS to them and it matters to God! Do everything unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24)! Who knows how many people you're reaching (and the ripple effect it causes!). You could be impacting way beyond 5,000! Think about it! Be infused! God bless you!!

You Live What You Believe

For yesterday's media Monday, I featured Dr. Phil's book: The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom. In it, he mentions 7 essential keys to weight loss success that I'll be featuring in these Tuesday blogs for a while.

The first key is "right thinking." I think most of us know that positive thinking is always better than negative thinking, but I don't think most of us realize just how much power our thoughts can have over us. The truth is, you live what you believe! If you are thinking negative, condemning, and defeating thoughts, that is what you are going to believe about yourself and the manner in which you'll behave in. It's important to learn and be aware of what you're thinking and to CHALLENGE the negative thoughts that have no place in your mind. Click here to view the types of "faulty thinking" that you might be prone to. Then, resolve to challenge those thoughts. Become aware of what you're thinking and evaluate it to see whether it's true/false and whether it helps or hurts you. Journal your thoughts and find out what's really going on inside your head!

Whenever I think about the difference between wrong and right thinking, I remember a book that I read in high school that dramatically impacted my life and changed my perspective for the better! It's a book by Joyce Meyer called: Battlefield of the Mind. She talks about how important it is to "think about what you're thinking about" because there are so many times that we fall into negative thinking patterns that go on auto-pilot and we don't even realize it anymore. I think she even mentioned putting each thought into a sort of "time-out chair"; putting it on trial and evaluating it. She cites the verse from 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says: "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every though to make it obedient to Christ."

Take your thoughts captive! Hold them hostage and hold them up to the knowledge of the Word of God to see if it lines up! If it doesn't, reject them and then replace them with the kind of thoughts that DO line up! Think on good things (Philippians 4:4-9) and renew your mind (Romans 12:2). If you don't, you'll stay stuck in the same destructive thinking patterns and you won't be able to accomplish anything positive. Take the Israelites in the wilderness, for example. Joyce points out how they endlessly kept going round and round the mountain instead of entering the promised land because of the rotten mindset they had. Their negativity kept them in bondage and their generation didn't even get to enter the promised land! How tragic (and unnecessary!). Why do we needlessly punish and deprive ourselves of success?! Thankfully, we don't have to! We CAN choose to think differently and transform our minds (and our lives!).

Grace and peace to you, my friends! Remember, take your thoughts captive and challenge them! Reject the sabotaging thoughts that may be plaguing your mind so that you can not only reach your weight loss goals, but ANY goal that you are aspiring to reach! Think on good things; things that line up with the Word of God! Watch your life change! Be infused! God bless you!