For those days when you just feel completely alone.

If you ever find yourself feeling alone, or lonely......here are some facts that are true that you can focus on today. I challenge you to not just read "over" them, but to truly stop to ponder each one until it sinks deep into your heart.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:37-39 - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:4-5 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, evenwhen we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved ...

Romans 5:8 - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Zephaniah 3:17 - The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

1 Peter 5:6-7 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Psalm 86:15 - But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Want to see what I did the past few days? Why not, right?

What do you do when you have a day off? Most people rest, go for a hike, run errands... 

Not me. I paint.

I get old wood, sand it and cut it and then break out the brushes and my imagination.

What do you think? This one is my new fav.

I think my next one will be an old church in spring. 

Yep

Sounds like a plan.

www.etsy.com/shop/GazelleMuralDesigns

Because YOU ARE IMPORTANT and because you DO MATTER

Ever feel as if the world is closing in on you and you find it hard to even breathe? Or maybe you are so stressed out that if you have to endure even one more thing, your head might explode into a million teeny tiny bits all around the room?

Ya............I have too.

Listen, you are important and you do matter. I dont care what that person keeps telling you, what magazines try to portray that you just "dont measure up", or what that x boyfriend or girlfriend of yours liked to tell you every day.

You are an incredible you. The only one like you actually. Even identical twins are not identical. You have a gift inside of you that is a treasure. You matter to someone. You may be the last hope for someone. I guarantee you that you have a purpose in this life.

You can not base your worth on what abusive parents have told you, or what the world might like to tell you. You are not a failure. You are incredible.

So chin up. And my advice for you today? Be your OWN KIND OF BEAUTIFUL.

Because you are ya know.

Absolutely beautiful.

Confession For Today

Confession for today.....Today I choose to be God focused, God minded, and God led. I purpose to submit my will and my life to the One who can go before me, to the One who is always for me, and to the One who never fails me. In Him, I am free.

Matthew 6:25 - 34 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?'

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I Wanted To Tell You Something............

Hey ......that voice in your head that keeps telling you that you are a failure? Ya, well, its not worth listening too. It's a total lie.

You are not junk. You are entirely unique. No one in the world is exactly like you. Even if you have an identical twin, your fingerprints are different.

You are an incredible masterpiece. You are valuable. There is unreached potential in you just screaming to be released. That dream you have had in your heart, take step one towards it. Why not?

That voice in your head telling you that you failed before, so its not worth trying now? Tell it to shut up...then read this.

Do you know why you can have those lights on in your room right now? Thomas Edison's teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs for being "non-productive."  As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

You know, when I started painting, it didnt look like much at all. But I didnt give up. I kept trying. I believe in God, so I also kept praying. The point is, I didnt give up. I dont want you to give up either.

You only lose if you quit. Refuse to quit. Even if it takes a 1000 steps to get there. 

Be strong. Be proactive. Be your own kind of beautiful.

#livingeachdayonedayatatime

To Love or To Hate?

So, you are at a restaurant on a Sunday afternoon. Here they come. Droves of them.

You are standing in the long burger line glaring at the Leave It To Beaver family in front of you. 

What is up with them? They are just weird. They smile and laugh.... a lot. 

Then theres those two people behind you. They are not much better. They are also completely overdressed for this establishment. They are not smiling, they are too busy glaring and being rude to take the time out to be annoyingly happy like the "Beavers". 

Drones. Mindless Drones.

Or so you thought.

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The other side of the fence

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The two fighting behind you just had "one of those nights". You know, the kind where you are still red, puffy eyed in the morning. Which no amount of makeup can ever hope to cover. 

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Then theres the "Leave It To Beaver" family on the other side of you. The "smiling ones". How could you forget them? What in the WORLD could be going on in their head?

Turning on head xray vision machine now.....getting it into focus, yep, here it is. Their thoughts.

Man: Sunday...YES, my son is getting baptised today. Well, he is my son now after the adoption last month. Poor kid. Im sure it wasnt easy having a dad who was never around and a mom who used him for a punching bag when life didnt go her way. No wonder he chose to run away and live on the streets. I guess selling his body for money was his way of trying to survive. But man...he was an angry kid because of it all. Didnt, and still really doesnt trust anyone. But it will take time, and healing I guess.

He is a great kid. Im lucky to get to call him son. You should see what he did with a broken radio I had. Not only does it work, but Id even say it works BETTER. Just incredible. On the way over he was singing to a song on the radio when I realized that I might just be sitting to the next big music star here. 

Now we are here celebrating. Not my first choice of lunch, but hey. We are after all, celebrating HIS big day, not mine. 

I find myself glancing at the young man behind us several times.Wondering if he might be like my son. I wonder what kind of hell he has had to live in up until this point. If I say anything to him he will probably just take it as an insult that I tried to speak to him about Jesus. I dont want to do that. Man I wish I knew what to do though. I can tell he is having a rough day. Poor kid. 

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Look, you read this for a reason. Either you have been hurt by someone, or been through something tough, or both. Or maybe you feel like there is more, and you want that, but dont know where to find it or how. 

I obviously dont know the thoughts and feelings of all who are in church and all who are not. Each person is their own individual self. There are going to be some who are prejudice jerks on either side of that fence unfortunately. Why? Because we are human. We are imperfect. 

But there will also be some who have learned, grown, and matured and are full of compassion, understanding, and acceptance. 

If you left church because you got hurt or offended, try again. Find one where you fit. Then stay there. If someone offends you, tell them. Tell God about it. But where you are planted you will flourish. If you keep uprooting yourself it will be like taking a tree and pulling it out of the ground every few weeks and putting it somewhere else. Eventually it will die. 

If you are the one reading this who has no idea about God or Jesus and you want to know the simple truth. Here it is. Here are simple facts that I know. 

He loves you. Just as you are, right now. You dont have to get yourself cleaned up to become His child. Infact, you could never clean yourself up enough. That is why He sent His Son Jesus to this earth. Jesus never sinned. He only did good. He was without sin. He chose to then take a beating, be persecuted, then be hung by nails through His hands and His feet to a cross. Why? Because someone had to pay the price for all of the sin. So, knowing that. He died for you.

That wasnt the end though. After He paid the price for your sins and died....on the third day, God rose Jesus from the dead. Jesus conquered not only sin and hell, but death itself. This is great news for you. 

This insures, that if you are a child of God, if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, then when you die, you will go to Heaven. Not just for a short time, but forever and ever and ever. Thats a long time. Thats eternity. 

You see, you are not just a human being. You are a spiritual being. When your body dies, your spirit lives on. It will either be unsaved and go to hell, or be saved and go to Heaven, but make no mistake, it will be one of those two. 

God wants you. He desires you. He wants to be your Father. Jesus wants you to be a joint heir with Him and be your Lord and your Savior. 

How? Simple as this...

Do you believe what I just told you about Jesus? Because I know Gods Spirit is telling you it is true right now. That is good!

Then pray this to God right now...

God, I believe Jesus is your Son. I believe that He died for my sins. I believe that He rose from the dead and is alive today. God please forgive me of my sins and all the bad things that I have done. Jesus, come into my heart and be my Lord. I want to serve you. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

Congrats! We are now brothers and sisters in the family of God. Its a big family too!! So if you didnt have one before, dude!!!....you have a HUGE one now. 

And there is more. God will never leave you, forsake your, or give you up. Never. 

Where to begin? Well, find a bible. Or look up the bible online. Id start in the book of John. 

Let me know if you prayed that prayer for the first time, or if you rededicated your life back to God.

Id love to say hi and pray a blessing over your life.  

-----Tabitha

For Those Days That You Have To Go To Battle....

Every one of us will face trials and tribulations while on this earth at some point or another. Why? Because we have an enemy. His name is the devil, lucifer, satan. Oh, ya, I know.....you are saying that the person or persons you are dealing with are very human...but let me tell you something that you may not know. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Not to worry though if you are a Christian. That is that you believe in God, His Son, Jesus Christ and that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. (If you haven't just message me and I will tell you how. Its so easy...)

Now, where were we? Oh yes! Your authority. You see, the Word of God is powerful. It is sharper than any two edged sword. When you speak it...it accomplishes something. What does it accomplish you might ask? Well, it accomplishes what God sent it out to do in the first place. You see, He watches over His Word to perform it. It does not return to Him void, but it accomplishes everything that it was sent out to do. 

With that in mind. Trust Him. Speak His Word outloud. Daily, multiple times daily. Any time that you feel any sort of fear try to creep in....grab your list. Here it is....and may God bless you and keep you in all things and deliver you from the hands of the enemy. In Jesus Name. Amen


 Deuteronomy 3: 22
You shall not fear them, for the Lord your God shall fight for you.

2 Samuel 22: 3-4
My God, my Rock, in Him will I take refuge; my Shield and the Horn of my salvation; my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Savior–You save me from violence. I call on the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

Psalm 144: 1
Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my keen and firm Strength, Who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which raises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD.

Isaiah 59: 19
So [as the result of the Messiah’s intervention] they shall [reverently] fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives].

Matthew 4:10
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”

Matthew 25:41
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Luke 10:19 
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

1 Corinthians 15: 57
But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2: 14
But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere.

2 Corinthians 10: 3-4
For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.

Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Ephesians 6: 11-12
Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.)

Ephesians 6: 14
Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God.

Colossians 2: 15
[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].

1 Timothy 6: 12
Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4: 7
I have fought the good (worthy, honorable, and noble) fight, I have finished the race, I have kept (firmly held) the faith.

2 Timothy 4: 18
[And indeed] the Lord will certainly deliver and draw me to Himself from every assault of evil. He will preserve and bring me safe unto His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

James 4: 7
So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5: 8-9
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1 John 5:4-5
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Who You Are and What You Can Do - Just The Simple Truth

WHY YOU WERE CREATED, AND WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 3:8-12  Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 

Ephesians 4:24  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Colossians 3:10 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

John 17:23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

Romans 8:15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father."

Romans 8:29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

WHO THE DEVIL IS AND OUR AUTHORITY OVER HIM

ISAIAH 14:12-15 “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.

For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.

EZEKIEL 28:13-17 You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone—red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold.

They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.

Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.

Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.

You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more.”

REVELATION 12:7-9 Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Ephesians 6:10-17 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

LUKE 10:19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.

MATTHEW 18:18  “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

Heaven in this verse is the Greek word Ouranos : the aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds and the tempests gather, and where thunder and lightning are produced

JAMES 4:7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

You are a son and daughter of the living God. Maker of Heaven and Earth. The One Who was, and Who is, and Who is to come. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. There is power in the Name of Jesus. It is not just a song, it is the truth. It is the Name above all Names.

Read and Reread who you are in Christ. Stand firm. You are a warrior in Christ who will not fail because He will never fail you.

----In love, your sister in Christ.

Have you ever believed for something...and it didnt happen?

Have you ever prayed for something and you didn’t get it? Believed for something, believed God for something….then it didn’t come to pass? In fact, it went the opposite way. Did you ever say to yourself “Why doesn’t God care”, “God didn’t hear my prayers”, “God must not love me”, or even “God must not be real”?

Lets switch gears. As a parent, have you ever told your child “no” to something that he/she keeps asking you for over and over again? “Please let me go to Tylers house and stay the night”. However, you know Tylers house to be unsafe.

You child only sees and knows that Tyler is a great friend. He sees that knows that Tyler is fun to play with.

What your child cannot see are some facts that you, as a wise adult, know. Maybe Tylers parents do drugs and drug deals go down there. You don’t explain all of this to your child because they are too young to understand that. However, every time the child asks you….you keep telling him no. For his/her own good.

Sometimes God says no. If we could see what He see’s and know what He know’s we would understand. You can be sure that God loves you. He wants the best for you. He desires to bless you.   

Sometimes as a parent you keep telling your child over and over again, don’t touch that stove, it is hot. However, day after day your child insists on touching the stove. One day, you see them going to touch it AGAIN for the millionth time.

This time, you see they are not going to pull a pot of boiling water down on themselves, but only touch the door of the stove. You know that it will sting, but not bring much harm, so you let them do it. Why? Think about that for a moment.

Over time the burn healed. What it taught the child though, was that you tried to protect them. You told them the truth. Their own defiance and stubbornness caused them to get that burn….not you. Even though they may not have known that it was for their own good at that time….you knew. You love them and always want the best for them. It was better for them to get that sting, then to pull that pot of boiling water down on themselves later on down the road.

In the Bible, Jesus said to have a child like faith. Why? Matthew 18:3 Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Even though children can show great defiance and stubbornness at times….they still love and trust their parents. (Now, I am not speaking of abusive parents. I am speaking of good parents.) Have you ever noticed how a child will, without fear, jump from something into their parents arms? They know that they will catch them. They know that they will not let them fall. They feel so safe in their parents arms.

If they are sick, they go straight to their parents. If they need advice, they go straight to their parents and ask. If they are in need of some provision, they ask. They know where their help comes from.

I believe Jesus used that comparison to show us a few things. We should be like little children with Father God. Our relationship should be like that of a child to its parents. After all, He is our Abba Father. We are His adopted children. He loves us with such a great love.

Look at this…Matthew 7:11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

“Well, I prayed”, you say. Well, maybe what you were praying for wasn’t a “good” gift. It wasn’t what was best for you, or for those around you. In our minds sometimes we cant understand it. But even though we don’t understand the why, we should always trust in Him because He loves us.

His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways are higher than our ways. The next time you run into a problem and you think He didn’t answer. He did. It just wasn’t the answer you wanted or expected. But He answered.

Always go to Him. He is there for you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will never give you up. It gives Him great pleasure to bless you. He has great plans for you, to prosper you, not to harm you. He will do a great work in you, if you let Him.

God is a living Spirit. We are spirits living in this human body. God is eternal. Our spirits are eternal. Even when someones body dies, they, their spirit, is not dead. It lives forever and all eternity. That’s why God doesn’t see death as the end. It isn’t.

We all have free will, we all have a choice. Choose to be His child and run and jump into His arms and know that He wont drop you. He will never drop you.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Why do bad things happen such as sickness, death, and evil?

I am going to attempt to answer this for you with Gods help and with the understanding that I have from not only reading the Word, but from watching and learning about God all throughout my life. Through real life experiences that I have been through and through watching miracles on mission trips. Seeing His divine power and watching Him reveal Himself through each and every experience.

Follow me here.....I have to lay down a few beginning facts first.

God created everything. Heaven and Earth, you, me, animals...everything. When God said, "Let there be light", it was and has been and continually keeps increasing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ya12I036lg

He never said "stop", so it never has.

He created us to have a relationship with us, fellowship with us, it brought Him great joy to bless Adam and Eve beyond measure.

God is a God without sin. He is pure. Only good, only light. There is no evil or darkness in Him, nor can He associate with it or around it.

Satan, who is also known as lucifer, the prince of the air, beelzebub, or lord of the flies....he was once a beautiful angel of God. He was an anointed cherub. He was in Heaven with God. But his heart got lifted up with pride and full of violence. He wanted to be God.

Because of the evil in him, he fought a great battle in Heaven....and lost. Because of his choices, he was cast down to earth and became satan. God did not create evil. Satan become evil.

In Ezekiel, it speaks of how satan was here in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to sin. Satan was jealous of them and what they had. They were, after all, created in Gods own image. They walked and talked with God. Had an intimate friendship with Him. They were loved and provided for. Something satan would never get to have.

The devil lied to them. They bought it, hook, line, and sinker. Their sin separated them from God. Although their sin brought consequences with it...God did not abandon them or love them less. In fact, He already spoke of a "way out" for all man kind. He prophesied of Jesus.

Nonetheless....sin had entered the earth and has been here ever since. Also, when satan got cast out of Heaven and down to the earth, (Luke 10:18), he now seeks to destroy human kind. (1 Peter 5:8)

When Jesus walked the earth......one day he was in a boat. A great storm came and Jesus was just asleep below deck. The people with Him woke Him up. Shocked that He was sleeping they asked Him, "Dont you care if we die?". Well of coarse He cared, but He just wasnt worried. With one command the waves settled and the wind ceased. Satan has been referred to as the prince of the air. However, he was defeated in Heaven, and when Jesus died on the cross, then rose again, He defeated satan again and defeated sin and death. Satans days are numbered, so he wants to try to take us down with him.

In Romans 8 it talks about how the world is groaning, awaiting its deliverance. It is decaying due to sin as well. In Luke 5:23 it talks about Jesus healing a man. In doing so those around Him ask if He has the power to forgive sin. He replies "Which is easier to say? Your sins are forgiven you or to say get up and walk?"

That would imply that sin caused the sickness. That if the sin was forgiven...healing would just be there. Now I dont believe that man sinned. I believe that when Adam and Eve sinned, it brought sin into the world and that sin has been here ever since.

John 9:2-3 someone asks Jesus why a boy was blind. Was it his sin or his parents sin. Jesus told them, it was neither.

So evil is here because lucifer made a choice and messed up bad and was cast out of Heaven. He sealed his fate. And knowing my God.....he had several times and chances to make amends. Lucifer made a choice. Just as God gives us a choice.

A choice to believe in Him, or a choice to reject Him. John 15:6  Jesus told him, " I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

How do you do that? Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Is it really that simple? Yes, it is. Its that simple. Dont let anyone tell you any different. Do you have to "clean yourself up first"? NO WAY.

Jesus died for you and I while were were still sinners. He looked through time to today..this day. He saw you and He determined in His heart "You are worth it". 

And you are.

If I can think of anything that He would want me to tell you right now, it is this....

I love you, I love you, I love you 

Just as you are right now.

Come to Me, and I will give you rest.

I will give you peace, not as this world gives, but a peace that 

will surpass all understanding and a joy unspeakable.

I am here, I am waiting, and I will always love you.

Because you are important and because you matter.

If you are reading this, then I believe you are meant to. So read to the bottom. Even if you start to roll your eyes....do it anyway. You've come this far. Why not?

You are loved. Not just by anyone, but by the Creator of the entire universe.

He has plans for you, to prosper you, not to harm you...plans to give you a future and a hope.

God loves you so much He sent His Son for you. His Son loved you so much, He gave up His heavenly life for you, to suffer for you, die for you, and pay for your sins. He sees the good in you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you.

When He ascended back into Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit back down to you. He wants you to have a constant Helper. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you and quickens your mortal bodies.

If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, then you are sons and daughters of the Living God. Adopted. Not alone. Accepted, not condemned. Wanted, not rejected. Thought of, not ignored. Important, not trash. Forgiven, not forgotten. You are a treasure in the arms of Christ.

John 17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.[a] 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them[b] in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself,[c] that they also may be sanctified[d] in truth.

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ya12I036lg

Perfect Person? NO such thing. Frustrating day? Read this.......

Want in on a little secret? That person that you see on Facebook with the perfect life, the perfect marriage, the perfect kids and even the perfect pets....they are not perfect. They more than likely have a pile of laundry on their table that has yet to be folded, one in the washer that is now officially the cleanest load in the world because it has been washed about five times (due to the fact that it keeps getting forgotten about in the business of the day), and those perfect pets have chewed the table legs, made the back door look like scrap firewood, and created that permanent stain on the entry way rug. 

One of those perfect kids deals with depression, the other one battle with making right choices. The perfect marriage just suffered a huge fight where of coarse, no one wins, and as far as the perfect life? Well, I think we basically just set the record straight on that one. 
People tend to idolize the Apostle Paul too. But they forget, before he became Paul...he was Saul. He stood by as Stephen was stoned to death. He arrested and persecuted Christians for their faith, relentlessly.

After he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and as his savior...he still didnt just suddenly become perfect. In the book of Romans chapter 7 you can read how he struggles with doing right. He wants to...but he doesnt always make the best choices in life. Thats why Romans 8 is one of my personal favorites in the Bible...simply summed up? Jesus, our Savior.

Now dont get me wrong, Paul did amazing things. Wrote ALOT of the New Testament. Served Jesus well. Represented Him well. He also, STILL had struggles, things that happened to him that were NOT fun. You can read about some of those trials in 2 Corinthians 11:16 -30.

Just because you are a Christian doesnt mean your life will just "poof" be perfect, free of trials and tribulations. Infact, Jesus warned us we WOULD have trials and tribulations. But dont forget the ending of that..."But be of good cheer for I have overcome the world". We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, understands our daily struggles, and sympathizes with us. Did you know He is your advocate? He is rooting for you today. He is on your side.

So do what you have to do today, one thing at a time. He is with you. And hold your head up, you are in good company. You are SO not alone.