What your children need from you...

An example...not just any example, a Godly one! That's what our children & future generations need.

Romans 1:24-28

{Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.}

Priorities should be:

1. Your relationship with God that comes first

2. Your relationship with your spouse 

3. Your relationship with your children

4. Your relationship with your unborn generation(s)

We affect the generations to come with the way that we live now.

What we should pass down to our kids:

-Who God is

-What God has

-What God can do

-Who they are in Christ

-What they have in Christ

-What they can do in Christ

When God was taken out of schools people started putting Him out of their minds. He was no longer a priorty. We must have a relationship with God because we can't take people where we haven't gone, or tell them what we don't know. 

God accepts us as we are but loves us too much to keep us that way.

People must feel liked, loved and accepted before they are open to change. 

Our self esteem is affected by our relationships both good and bad.....as children of God we need to get our self image, self worth, self esteem from our primary relationship JESUS CHRIST! Not other people in our lives.

When we have an attitude of acceptance in our home that opens the door to something powerful in our children. Growth..

Isaiah 59:21 

{As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.}

Teach your children to: Love God's word, Learn God's word, Live God's word and leave a legacy.

You can be a Christian/parent/spouse and not know your word but you can't be a VICTORIOUS Christian/parent/spouse and not know your word. 

God has a covenant and wants it to be known. Parents are the best teachers/trainers! 

Influence might come into our children's life but when they have a good foundation from what we teach them as parents, they will thrive. They do what we do, not what we say. 

Proverbs 6:20-22 AMP 

{My son, keep your father's [God-given] commandment and forsake not the law of [God] your mother [taught you]. [Eph. 6:1-3.] Bind them continually upon your heart and tie them about your neck. [Prov. 3:3; 7:3.] When you go, they [the words of your parents' God] shall lead you; when you sleep, they shall keep you; and when you waken, they shall talk with you.}

Proverbs 7:1

{My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.}

The Word...Put it in when you don't need it so that when you do need it, it comes out of you naturally. Don't wait for a problem to happen in order to get into God's Word. Develop a habit of exalting God, learning His Word, treasure it and store it up! We prepare for battle in times of peace. We are to love God's word, learn God's word and live God's word before our children.

Deut 6:1-7

{These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.}

When we have the word on our lips, our children will have it on their lips.

If we praise, our children will praise!

If we talk the word, our children will talk the word.

It's a way of living. It's not duty or drudgery it's a delight.

Marriage minute!

Hey there, I just wanted to take a moment and share something that I received in an email from Dr. James Dobson family talk ministry! Hope you enjoy it like I did. God bless ya'll! 

1. Reserve time for one another at all costs. 

2. Spend only what you have -- financial stress kills romance. 

3. Leave no room for selfishness -- be relationship givers and not takers. 

4. Make sure the “leave and cleave” principle takes place (Genesis 2:24). 

5. Bring your expectations in line with reality -- the perfect spouse does not exist. 

6. Trust one another and build reasonable boundaries -- jealousy and trust rarely co-exist. 

7. Avoid alcohol or substance abuse, pornography, gambling and other potential addictions that will quickly kill your marriage and your life. 

8. Be content with having enough -- “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (Proverbs 30:8). 

9. Think of your marriage as a marathon -- you will need determination and faith to go the distance of a lifetime. 

10. Keep Christ at the center and remember His words, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Seasons

Earlier, I posted a picture like this to my IG acct and the caption read as it does below:

[the view from my bedroom window] soaking up the last few days of snow before it all melts away. These hydrangeas were once bright and alive, I still find them beautiful even like this. It gets me thinking about seasons both in the natural and in our personal lives how they're so necessary...each season of our life teaches us new lessons, brings a new hope, new experiences and gives us new grace. I'm sure grateful that God knows what He's doing. Although, I love the winter I couldn't live in it all year and although I love the summer sun I couldn't live in that all year...I'm sure glad that God gives us a break with new physical seasons to enjoy all His beauty & new spiritual seasons to learn & grow in Him. 

Can you feel me?

Catch my drift?

Our creator knows us so well that He knows we can't flourish, thrive or meet our potential living in the same conditions forever. We need new seasons, we need changes, we need the challenges. After all, through them we learn, grow, and become who God called us to be. He knows us, He knows YOU. 

Trust Him.

He will provide the right circumstances.

He will make a way.

His timing will be perfect!

He will give you the tools that you need, if only you will draw close. Hear Him. 

Your season is coming.

Hope is rising. 

It's not over. 

Take hold.

He loves you.

Blessings! xoxoXOxoxo

When dealing with people.....

..I wrote this about 2 weeks ago and have been chewing on it for a while (gathering my thoughts) and now I feel like this is ready to be posted....

People are like flowers, they might look alike on the outside but, each one has its own beauty on the inside.

I read something the other day that really got me thinking.... What if we chose to see the best in people, to believe the best in them and overlook the fake/flakiness in them? Because, let's be honest we have all been fake/flakey in some way or another.

We say things that we don't mean.

We commit to things that we don't want to.
We lie to avoid hurting someone's feelings.
We stay shut when we need to speak up.

(Is it just me that has struggled with this, ever?) 

I'm being real here. I need peace too. 

But I've gotten better at it. I realized that it starts with setting boundaries for yourself.

Dig deep to find out what it is that you really want from relationships/friendships.

What are you willing to put up with, stick through and be influenced by?
Be honest with yourself. Not every relationship can be or will be the same.

Does this make sense to anyone out there?

So back to my initial thought.

I've learned that you cannot expect too much from people because we all have the ability to let down, hurt others, and frankly, if we are being honest, we put way too much pressure on our relationships when we expect perfection.

So here is my solution, take it or leave it...

Love hard and love unconditionally. 

Do things for people that they wouldn't do for you.
Expect nothing in return (but really).

Believe the best about people.

Forgive quickly.

Choose gratefulness.

Show grace.
After all, a "problem" could really be just a misunderstanding, a fluke, an accident.
Give grace.
Get grace.

Because when it comes down to it, every relationship in our lives will hurt us, disappoint us, let us down and possibly even end.
But where does that leave us? Shaking our head in disbelief? Tisking the person while saying, "Well, I would never....."? Don't do that to yourself.

That just leaves us upset and bitter.
Don't look for a reason to be mad.
And don't do to others what they would do or have done to you.
I'm reminded of 1 Peter 3:9 "Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it."

As I like to say, "Don't sling mud!" When someone mistreats you don't retaliate, instead step back, think and respond wisely.
When we choose love, grace, optimism....etc. We release ourselves of the pressure and pain of disappointment.

Choose to see the person for what they are.....a human made of flesh & blood with the same ability to disappoint as you have.

I read once, "expect anything from anyone....even the devil was once an angel"

It's true, we are created beings, we will never master perfection.
So choose love. After all, the reason why we react instead of respond to a situation is out of pride or out of fear, fear of rejection, fear of being mistreated, fear of being taken advantage of, fear of not having the upper hand, etc. When we respond in love, that changes the game.

Even the Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear....so love HARD!
Are you catching my drift? 

Trust me, your life will be a whole lot happier and a lot less stressful.

[Quick testimony] I am writing about this because I have struggled with this for SO LONG. I was sick of feeling the pain of disappointment. I have been used, burned, lied to and left feeling empty in relationships/friendships in my own life, but guess what, I've done it to others too. So one day I sat and prayed and truly evaluated my feelings/expectations and that was when I cried out to God to forgive me for my terrible attitude and for feeling like I was "owed" an apology or something. I promised Him that I would love others regardless of what they had done. I started praying for them in areas of their needs and I began to thank God for healing my heart and restoring relationships in my life (fake it 'til you make it, right?) Haha!
But GUESS WHAT....it happened, one day I felt as if something had literally broken off of me. I was released of pain, guilt, hurts and ill feelings. I felt a peace that I can't even put into words. Prayer really works and if you will listen to God as He guides you through the healing process, you will come out better than if those relationships had fixed themselves...it's a miracle.
What will you choose?
What will be your legacy?
What would you like to have said about you once you leave this world?
Love like there is no tomorrow and today is all you'll ever have.
That's what Jesus did.....that's what we ought to do.
Praying the best for you all & that you could experience God's peace in every area of your life!
Hold on....your healing will come.
Push through....you'll make it too.

Love hard....you never know who's watching you. 

Be an example in all you do.


Philippians 4:7-8 "Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."


xoxo.....Be Blessed....xoxo