Something to be Glad About

Welcome to a new week! There's a lot of negative energy floating in the air. I think it's a result of all the ugly things that has taken place globally, nationally and locally in some places. You would think there's not a whole lot to be glad about. Oh but I'm here to give you some good news! If you are a believer of Jesus Christ, then you definitely have a reason to "Be glad about it!

Let me just lay it all out in the form of scripture. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” -Acts 1:8a NLT

This is the same Spirit That Came Upon Mary and she became with child. Jesus gave the same powerful gift to each of us who believes that by the spirit He taught God's way. And by the same Spirit He died and rose again. So you see, you do have something to be glad about; the Holy Spirit resides in you. 

And another thing, it is by the same Spirit that we are identified as belonging to Jesus. "And he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us." -2 Corinthians 1:22 NLT

Now, that's truly something to be glad about! Hallelujah for the Holy Spirit! 

Praying is as Easy as Breathing

Good morning my YST family! I pray that you had an awesome weekend and are ready to tackle another week!

I want to talk about prayer for a moment. Let me be the first to say I used to be afraid to pray out loud. I felt that I didn't know how to pray. I didn't know what to say. I've heard so many Pastors and Preachers pray that I was scared I would not pray like they do. Then someone told me that praying is having a conversation with God. It is as easy as breathing. Did this easiness happen for me overnight? No, it did not. As a matter of fact, I would simply pray and ask God for things I wanted and needed. Now that was easy! There was nothing hard about telling the Lord about the material things I wanted or situations I needed to get out of. God wants us to pray. He wants us praying simply, directly and truthfully as ourselves and not pray like anyone else.

You can pray while you are driving, cooking, cleaning or quietly in your room behind closed doors. There are no special words, dress code, ritual or posture when praying. You don't even have to close your eyes if you don't want to. No one said you had to do any of these things to offer up prayer unto God. Just be yourself, open your mouth wherever you are and talk to God about whatever is on your heart. Praying is as easy as breathing. Give it a try, right now!

Let’s pray together:

Father God, thank you for the special and awesome way that you created me. Please help me to pray simply: to get rid of complications from my prayer life, to shut the door to all distractions and to freely talk with you. In Jesus name. Amen


Now, go and have an amazing day!

Valerie 

Promoted by God

Good day World!! It's a new week and I'm so grateful to be here! Smile.

Some of us have been on our job for an extended period of time. We have been in the same position, doing the same functions and but have yet to be promoted. We applied for the new position but was overlooked once again. Of course, we are a bit emotional, (heck may have even cried about it, like I did) that the promotion was given to someone else. We can start to feel inadequate, unwanted, unneeded, unappreciated or undervalued. But I need for you to get this, God wants you, needs you, appreciates you and values you more than anything else in this world.

The One who created you knows what your gifts and talents are since He is the giver of them. He knows what, where and how you are to use them for the furtherance of His kingdom. He is the One who does the promoting and the exalting for He is the only Judge. God has put you in position to mature in your gifts, skills and talents. You are gaining the knowledge and experience you will need when HE GETS READY TO PROMOTE YOU! Jesus said in Matthew 19:30, "But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then." So, don't let your emotions get the best of you.

But how do you deal with being overlooked for promotion? You simply direct the negative emotions toward the One who cares deeply for you. Don't get anger, upset or mad about someone else being chosen over you. Seek the direction, protection and guidance of the Holy Spirit and watch how you will be promoted by God!

The authority to reward someone does not come from the east, from the west, or even from the wilderness. God alone is the judge. He punishes one person and rewards another. - Psalm 75:6-7 (GW)

Have an amazingly blessed day and week!
Valerie 

 Picture Courtesy of https://bit.ly/2tEEzNO

Be Aware of Your Snare!

Welcome to a new week! You probably wondering what's up with this week's topic. I know somebody is probably saying, "What you talking about, Willis?" I love that line and it probably went right over some of y'all's head. It's because your too young to understand. Any who, I'm here to tell you to be aware of your snare!

What is a snare? And no, I'm not referring to a drum. A snare is a trap for birds and other animals. It's said to be easy and simple to do but very effective. It catches its victims by the neck or body. There's no escape. I've seen many times on television the extreme measure taken to release a snare from the leg of a human. In other words, to be caught in a snare has dire consequences.

In Job 18:9 it says, "A trap grabs them by the heel. A snare holds them tight."

 A snare in the spiritual sense is "something by which one is entangled, involved in difficulties, or impeded. It something deceptively attractive" Let me ask you, what is your snare? What is it that you do that traps you every time? It could be in your words or your actions. It's as if it has a hold on you and you're in dire need of escaping. How do we get released from the snare? How do we protect ourselves  from falling into any snare? 

Take real action! The Scriptures tells us that "fear of God offers an escape from the snares of death." That's our solution. God. The word hasn't come up yet but our snare could be causing us to sin, if it's not a sin itself. Only God can free us from our sin.

In order to protect yourselves, be smart and do as the Scripture suggest. Seek the "instruction of the wise to avoid the snares of death". Don't be afraid to ask for help. If professional assistance is needed, by all means get it. Talk to your Pastor.  And seek God at the same time. So I urge you again, be aware of your snare. 

Reminder: 

Never give up! 

Pray about everything. 

Have faith. 

This too shall pass! 

Enjoy your week! 

Something for you:  check out Mama Goose Tells podcast on Google. 

Get in Position

Good morning to you all!

We have all been positioned by God for a purpose. In Exodus 7, God positioned Moses and Aaron to help deliver God's people from the hands of the Egyptians. David was not only positioned to kill Goliath, God positioned him to be King of Israel. We read in God's Word where many were positioned by God to win their battles; some without lifting a sword. My question to you is, are you in position? Do you know where God has placed you for your mission. In your position, you have the responsibility of sharing the Good News of Jesus. Our God has positioned you right where you are to share His love with those around you. He has positioned you to share salvation offered through the sacrificed blood of His Son. God has positioned you to share the gifts He has placed in you. If you are not already, then get ready and Get in Position! Seek God!

Make an intentional decision to get in position to fulfill your purpose! Get in position to open up and start using your God given gifts for the sake of the kingdom. You may have times when you want to go at it on our own, don't do it. You will end of out of position. You will end of missing your mark or delaying your purpose. Neither is good; stay connected to God. You have often times asked God for something but when the moment came, you found yourself not ready to receive what you asked for because you were not in position. So, with all of this in mind, don't you think it is time to Get in Position?

I pray that you receive this message. I pray that you are ready to get in position and walk out your purpose. I pray that you will always seek God first for directions. I pray these things and all things in Jesus name. Amen

Now, praise God and go have yourself a very wonderful and blessed week!

with joy & love,

Valerie 

How about a Valentine's Day photo session? Click for one of Atlanta's best photographers: JolyeToi