I will be 33 this year and it seems like I was just 23 last week. It is amazing how time flies. So many parts of my life are just a distant photograph in my mind. Here are 10 things that have changed for me in the last couple of years, maybe these are true for you. Let me know what you think or what changes you have seen in yourself.

1. I enjoy being at home instead of going out

2. Cooking for my family has become gratifying 

3. I seem to be gaining weight in all the wrong places

4. You start to have pains you never felt before

5. Prescription glasses are your new favorite accessory 

6. You think about saving money more than spending 

7. You shop at store like Pier 1, Home Goods and Bed Bath and Beyond

8. You try not to you fall asleep at the movies

9. You enjoy going out on dates during the day

10. When you look in the mirror you see you Mom

   
  
  

God is using your pain. The very thing you hate, and the very thing that has caused you much suffering is the thing the Lord allows to perfect you. The things you wish were the most removed from your life are often the very things God is using to shape you, make you into the believer God has called you to be! 

For so long I have been crying why Lord! Take this away Lord! Make it better Lord! Now I am saying prepare me, strengthen me, shape me, mold me, perfect me! Make me better! I mean Paul was a prisoner, Jesus was crucified! So this pain and strife will produce purpose and it will work together for my good! I can’t see it, but I expect it! 

It’s the enemy’s job to make you feel all alone. Like you are the only one in the world that has gone through this. He wants you to feel isolated and depressed. He would want you to drown yourself in your suffering. Throwing yourself a pity party allowing life to suffocate the little oxygen you feel you have left. But it is a trick! 

I can be glad knowing God sees and won’t put more on me than I can bear. Yes I want a child, yes I want a problem free marriage, yes I want to live without financial burdens. Yes, you may have just lost a family member, yes you may have just received devastating news from the doctor. Yes, your children are driving you mad, yes your life may seem like it is turning upside down. Yes we will all go through somethings. I just pray it keeps you on your knees crying out to God. Then after you have suffered you will look back and see how you have made it over! 

  

This is something my grandmother would always say. As a child I really didn’t understand the true meaning, I just figured if I didn’t do what she said I would be punished. Back in the day, punishments were not just time out in a corner, they were good ole fashion whooping or spankings. But all she would have to say were those few words and it would really get my attention. I was scared and I didn’t want to be in trouble. I feared my grandfathers belt, which we nicknamed Mr. Bee or something like that.

However, true obedience comes out of love, not fear.  You are obedient because you don’t want to offend or hurt your parents in any way.  It is the same way with God. When we sin or become disobedient he is displeased. Just think about it like this, you raise a child in the way he should go. You instill in them morals and values, but they chose to go there own way. The child rebels and strays away. They never speak to you except for when they need something. Then once they get what they want, they leave and go right back at it again.

Look at what was happening in Isaiah 1:2-3 The CEV version says it like this, “The Lord has said, Listen, heaven and earth! The children I raised have turned against me. Oxen and donkey know who owns and feeds them, but my people won’t ever learn.” They thought they could fool God with there filthy offering and worthless sacrifices, but he saw right through them. God knew there hearts were not in the right place. He promised them if they willingly obeyed, they would get a reward.

When you are living in sin and being reakless it can be a brutal life. It comes with pain, sorrow and heartache. If you remain in sin it can bring about death spiritually or even naturally.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God wants us to walk with a repentant heart before him. God can see right through your attempts to look good or put on a show for others.

I know I may not get everything right. I am far from perfect. I thank God for Jesus, for he paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross for all of our sins. I know I can go to God confess and repent of my sins. I want to do what is right out of the Love I have for God. 1 John 4:18, (NASB) “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

It has always come down to a simple truth for me, if we really love the Lord like we say we do we would do what is pleasing to him. God says, if you love me you will keep my commandments. So obedience truly is better than scarifices. If you are just saying words, they are empty promises because true obedience comes out of love with heartfelt meaningful actions.

This young lady has a beautiful anointing on her life! Here are the lyrics for this song! Please enjoy!

Failure

Not worth it
It’s too late to start again
And I’m sure I’m useless in the hands of the Creator
I’m not enough to salvage
And I’m not enough to build with
So don’t try
No, I won’t try
But then came your word

Healing
Affirming Word
Write it on my heart
Write it on my mind
So I’ll never forget it
Your word
[x2]

Walking around
Fearful
What if someone finds out the truth
That I’m shattered
Pieced together by the love of You
Not worthy of Your attention
I’m so guilty and ashamed
Please don’t use me
No, you can’t use me
But here comes your Word

Healing
Affirming Word
Write it on my heart
Write it on my mind
So I’ll never forget it
Your word
[x4]

I believe
What you think about me
So I’ll repeat the confessions of Your love for me
Now I breathe
The life of Your Word in me
So I’ll never forget it
[x4]

You know me completely
And yet You love me so deeply
Help me (help me never forget it)
And when mother and father forsake me
God, You promise to take me up

Sing help me never forget it
Help me never forget it
Tonight we believe that we’re purposed by You
Yes we are
God we’re purposed by you
(Help me never forget it)
You love me so deeply
God your love is unchanging
God your love is unfailing
Sing help me never forget it
Help me never forget it

So this is the moment
That God is going to write some things
Upon our hearts
And whatever your posture of worship is
I just ask that you get to that posture
So when God speak you hear him really clearly
And it may not be for everybody
It may just be for some of us
That really have some things
That we need God is going to write over our hearts
There’re some things we said that didn’t sound like him
There’re some places we have gone
That we had no business in
But tonight God will write some things over our hearts
If we confess him with our mouths
So tonight we’re going to release a sound of confession
And whatever you hear God saying about you
You can sing it,
You can say it,
You can cry it,
You can call it out
But confess what he says about you

 

So one evening I get a notification from Twitter stating I have a new follower. I checked the message and it read Bishop Charles Blake. For some of you who don’t know him he is the presiding Bishop for the Church of God In Christ. So I already thought this to be strange because I couldn’t figure out why he would want to follow me. I didn’t think anything of it.

So the next morning he started direct messaging. Again I thought this was odd. So I checked my twitter account and realized I was already following Bishop Charles Blake. The two pages looked identical except for the underscore at the end of the username. So I knew I was dealing with a fraud. I entertained him for a minute. Then he put it out there he wanted money!! I immediately exposed him as a fraud and he blocked me.

I just don’t want any of you being mislead. Prophetess Juanita Bynum also has been victimized by people using her name on social media and asking for money. So I said all this to say you might come in contact with people like this. Whether they people fraudsters, false prophets, or preachers who would try to use God’s name to do you harm, pray to God for discernment. He will lead you and guide you on how to handle these types of situations. Trust the voice of God. He told us in his word, My sheep hear my voice and a stranger they won’t follow!

One of my favorite childhood games of all time has to be hide and seek.  Some of my best memories growing up were playing that game at my grandmother’s house.  Her home was pretty big and it had plenty of good hiding places.  I think my favorite part of the game was hiding because I would try to find the place you were least likely going to look. Sometimes I was never found and the seeker would just surrender.

If we were to play a game of hide and seek with God, he would win every time. There are no hiding places in life.  Whatever you do or say, God is always watching.  The beautiful part about this is that God knows who you are. God told the prophet Jeremiah in verse 1:5  “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb”. You can not hide from God.

In fact, God is requiring you to be the seeker.  Isaiah 55:6-7 (NIV) says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” God will not force himself on you.  He wants you to build a relationship with him.  He wants you to fall in love with him. Of course, not in a romantic sense but he has Agape love for us. Sacrificial love that requires no conditions.  Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” He wants you to put 100% of you into seeking him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

God is the one who must be found and the fortunate thing is he has the best hiding places. Psalms 32:7, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” When you find God there is safety and protection in his arms.  How blessed we are to serve a God like that.  My prayer is that as I seek the Lord more and more he will reveal more and more.  I want to know him in a better, deeper way and I pray you to do! Just SURRENDER today!

It’s that time a year again and everyone is focused on New Year’s resolutions. The most common resolutions are usually about health and fitness. You see it everywhere right. I like to diet the first of the year to help me lose all the unwanted weight I have gained around the holidays. However, this year I am choosing to Fast. You might ask well what is the difference? Well, fasting is a way to get closer to God. 

 I would say sometime around the end of November! I prayed and asked God to draw me close to Him. I was feeling like I was in a dry spell. I recently moved away from my hometown and my job had me working all these crazy retail hours so I was unable to really find a church home. I would watch internet church, but it really wasn’t the same. I hated feeling the disconnection. I know God was with me, I just couldn’t feel it. So I prayed and said God put a stronger desire in me to seek your face. I want a hunger and thirst for your spirit like never before. I want to feel your presence. 

All I can say is ever since that prayer, I have never felt the same. I have been consistent in my goals to pray and read my bible. On my lunch breaks I worship him, when I get home from work I worship him. It has been awesome. 

I bought a book called “Fasting” by Jentezen Franklin. He says fasting is “opening the door to a deeper, more intimate, more powerful relationship with God”. Jesus said it like this,”But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you“. Matthew 6:17-18.  

So dieting has its benefits, but fasting brings about a reward! I want everything God has for me in this season.  I feel like Jacob when he told God, I won’t let go until you bless my soul! Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer. I’m ready for 2016! I’m expecting the unexpected! Let’s Go!

Jessica Briel