My Story: What I Used To Be

I used to fill empty, walking around on my path of brokenness. Searching endlessly for more, but not knowing where to look. I feared not pleasing others, I feared not being liked, I feared the reality.

My trust was planted in people and possessions. My emotions changed like the wind. And I couldn’t understand or comprehend why life wasn’t perfect. My job wasn’t enough, my relationships were not enough. There was still something missing…

On the outside looking in, the façade looked picture perfect, young, thriving, chasing dreams, the future was bright, but inside I knew things were not sitting right. Something seemed wrong, something was missing and I couldn’t find it. I was hunting; searching for it, but always came up empty.
                                 
Sometimes it’s not until darkness comes completely in, surrounding you to the point it tries to bury you, do you see where the light comes from. It's at this time, it’s at this very moment that you can plant yourself in something that never changes, that never leaves you, that never turns its back on you.

When everything fell apart for me, I was able to understand to comprehend that the only truth, the only solid foundation to plant yourself in, is the relationship you have with one faithful Friend. A Father like no other, a true Counselor, your stability can and only will be found in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In my darkest hour His light took a hold of me, He comforted me, surrounded me, strengthen me and loved me. I traded conflict for His compassion, I traded fear for His faithfulness, I traded anxiety for His answers.

I used to fill empty, but today everything I need, my Savior gives to me.

I hope that my story encourages you to tap into your personal relationship with the One that created you- what I found was not just for me, but it’s available to all those who choose to believe!

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Matthew 11:28-29(MSG)

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19(NKJV)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Alive

Our comfort zones never allow us to grow. They keep us boxed in to what only what we know, we never stretch,we never allow ourselves to grow. In these zones we stay complacent. We stay on the same path, we walk the same road. Part in fear and part in timidness, we never leave our comfort zones, thoughts enter and whisper that the new way will be too different from what we have.  That the unknown territory will be too difficult, too hard. Perhaps we want a change, but can’t muster the faith, that something different just might be better.  Occasionally we  may think, we ponder, that perhaps there is something better.  Take the challenge that the new way, a new change could spark that passion inside, it could change everything and for once or once again you could feel fully alive.

That our soul, our spirit, our heart, our everything could be on fire for something, for someone. That our energy would never run out, that we could face each day with a full tank that we could conquer the problems we face, that fear has no hindrance on us, that perhaps- with something different, we could live, fully, happy, completely.

If there is something inside of you that is yearning for change: a new role, a new position, a move of some kind, an increase in position, or an increase in boldness, a desire to let go of past timid ways and a yearning to be used more. Fellow believers listen to your heart, listen to the direction in which you should go and then act.

It’s time to step up fellow believers; it’s time to live fully for what you were created for. It’s time to not only hear the call, but It’s time to answer the call. It’s time to act. Perhaps the simplest way to feel fully alive is to act on what your Creator has designed for you. God is calling, and He has desires for each one of us, a desire that allows us to rise up. Step outside of your restricted comfort zones, be cognitive of what the Lord is calling you to do.

Feeling alive begins with the One that created you, He alone can change everything, and spark that passion inside that will make you feel so wonderfully alive!

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 2:4-5(NKJV)

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!

1 Thessalonians 5:24(MSG)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

God Whats More Of You

The Lord earnestly works on our behalf each and everyday. He never quits, He never stops. He never runs out of energy. He never gives us excuses, He never puts us on hold, He never puts us last....

Yet we wonder, where is God when times are hard? Where is He in my difficulties, where is He when I feel weak and defeated? Why don’t I hear an answer, why do I feel like nothing is happening, why do I feel alone?

Ladies and Gentlemen the Lord never leaves us, He never has, and He never will. The Lord doesn't change, He is the same God today as He was yesterday.  The only thing that changes in our individual relationship with the Lord is us.

We change our perspective, we change our desires, we change our demands, we change our behavior- to work for our best interest, to work for what we want. We change how much time we give Jesus, how much time we pray. We change when we put God first, and when we ignore Him.  We choose how much we talk to Him and how strong or weak our relationship is with Jesus.  You see the only thing that changes our relationship with God is our effort, our part and our investment.

If you want God to work on your behalf, you must have a relationship with Him. You have to do your part in order for God to work in your life. To gain complete access to His promise, His blessings and His favor you must be connected to Him.  In order for you to grow as a believer you must grow in your faith, your trust and your relationship with Jesus.

If you are missing something in your life, can I challenge you that God may need more from you....

more trust
more love
more prayer
more availability
more time in the word
more communication
more thankfulness
more faith

If you feel like you are at a standstill, that you have just stalled, and you feel like you are losing hope, step up your relationship with Jesus. Get more involved with the Lord. The deeper your relationship is with Him, the more connected you are to His plans and purpose for your life. The more fulfillment you will receive.  You will gain insight, clarity and wisdom for what is to come, or for what you are waiting on. If you feel like your options are running low, start giving less to the world and more to Jesus. Evaluate what you give Him, be intentional in your relationship with Him, give Him more than you currently do.

He is ready to move mountains for you, but He needs more of you!

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

Matthew 6:33

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:7-11

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Fly To Freedom

Like a single bird, flying through the sky,
we have the freedom to rise above the commotion
above the chaos below.
Like a bird, we have the ability to fly to freedom,
to have wings that won’t limit us but allow us to soar.
Like a bird that flies freely,
we don’t have to be bounded or chained,
but through Jesus we are free,
fly , free bird, wherever your wings will take you...

If you are a bird with clipped wings, if you are burdened by the things of this world, if you are tied down and desperately searching to soar. There is a way, a truth that will allow you to take flight. Your peace, your freedom can only be found in Jesus.

If your wings are broken, if you are finding it hard to fly-struggling to keep flight. If the wind is becoming too much, becoming too hard to fight. Know that you can be restored, your wings can be rebuilt, strength can be reclaimed with just the mention of Jesus’ name.

If you are new to flying, and a little scared to take the leap, to take the jump, unsure if you will fall or fly. Know that Jesus will give you courage, boldness to take the leap. Wherever He directs your flight, He will prepare you and give you the wings you need to soar.

You have the ability to not be bounded, to not be chained, the ability to find peace.  Your peace is found through your relationship with Jesus. When Jesus is the center of your life, your foundation, He alone provides the wings for you to fly. He provides the way to peace and He longs for you to be free: free from sin, free from the enemy, free from persecution and freely loved by your Creator.

Today it’s time to find your wings, to find the peace that comes with knowing Jesus. Today it’s time to let go of the chains that are holding you down and to fly freely. It’s time to sing a new song. It’s time to be free.

Fly, free bird, above the chaos and the commotion, fly to Jesus!

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

While You're Waiting, God's Working

So things haven’t turned out like you thought, time keeps passing, you’re waiting… The clock keeps ticking and your promise hasn’t unfolded yet. While you wait you reflect, reflecting on how today is like yesterday, how yesterday was like two months ago, how two months ago seemed like ten months ago….

You start to wonder, start to question what you heard, what you believe. Your heart might get hard, you might start to feel sorry for yourself, and others will tell you to quit.

“Quit holding on to something that no one can see.”
“Quit holding on to your hope that things will turn around.”
“Quit wasting time and move on.”

When our hope runs out we get hard, our hearts get heavy and our guard goes up. We no longer trust; we no longer believe that what we are waiting for will turn around in our favor. We believe the lie that these are the cards we have been dealt, so now we have to make the most of it. Then we run. We run in the opposite direction from God, from anything to do with someone else helping us. We run so we can control, so our hardships won’t happen.  And then we run right into the enemy's arms. The devil loves when we are down.  He loves when we lose hope, because it’s at this time, it’s this dangerous territory,  the devil wins.

Whatever promises the Lord has given you: restoring your marriage, a promotion, an increase, a new job, a family, a significant other, a companion, a ministry, a salvation, know that what the Lord speaks, He keeps.

While you are waiting, Gods working on your behalf, He’s working on all the promises He has for you.  With Jesus any situation, no matter how hard or how hopeless, can be turned, in an instant, if He is involved.

It isn’t up to you to turn your situation around; it’s up to you to turn to God. God's working on your behalf every day, every minute and every second, He never stops. Just because you can’t see it in the physical does not mean work isn’t being done in the spiritual. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, dust yourself off and rejoice that the creator of all beings is working on your behalf today.

                 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

  Hebrews 11:1

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Who’s Writing Your Story?

We each have a story that details our memories, our experiences and our heartaches.  A story that identifies who we are, what we have been through and what we have overcome.  For some of us our story will outline what has crippled us, what bumps in the road we have experienced and will give us our very own war story: to tell, to remember, to define us.

But what about the story going forward? Who are you going to let write it? Yourself?  Others? Or the one that create you?

Will your story of the next year, the next five years, the next decade map out how you want events to unfold. Will you dictate how your life is run, will you single handedly write the details, page by page. Will you control each movement, each memory. Will you be responsible for each void or each mishap?

Will you let your family, friends or career write your story? Will your pages be filled with all the long hours on projects at work? Will your memories be filled with all the hours spent in meetings, conference calls and board rooms? Will your memories be full of doing things for others? Living the life they want for you?  Will your stories retell the times when people wanted something for you, and you put them first- ignoring what your heart desired?

Or will you story be the one that Jesus made for you? Will you follow His plans, His design, His reason that He gave you life? Will each breath be taken under the plan that you are working towards your purpose? Will your stories tell how much Jesus loves you? Will your life retell all the blessings He gave you? Will your memories be about how much love you showed, and how much love you received from the One that created you?

We all get a story. It’s up to us to decide who we will let write it. We can spend our time writing our own story- the story we think we should have. The story that we want, the story that we map out in our own minds. We can let others write our story for us. We can live for others and we can bury ourselves with work and family obligations.And when the time comes for us to tell our story, we will only have what others wrote. Or we can simply rely on Jesus.  We can live a life that is focused on His plan for us, so that when we tell our story it will be God’s story.

God loved us enough to give up His only Son, He loves us so much that He created us. Not only did God give us life, but a true purpose. Don't spend your time allowing others to write your story. And don’t spend time chasing things that don't align with the reason you were created. Let your story be the one God designed.  If you don’t know what that looks like, spend time with God, pray, read His truth- the Bible. In time you will gain insight and clarity on what your story is suppose to be.

Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand.

Proverbs 19:21 (AMP)

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose

Romans 8:28 (AMP)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Boldness Does Not Occur On The Sidelines

Boldness does not occur on the sidelines, a good word, spreading and sharing the gospel doesn’t happen while home alone.   When we don’t reach out we never get the opportunity to escape our comfort zones.

Being a follower of the Lord requires a certain amount of boldness, a certain amount of passion that at times can put you in situations that stretch, grow and strengthen you. When you get off the sidelines and move in the direction the Holy Spirit is calling you, when you lay down your fears because God is asking you to move, you can’t help but grow.

It has been on my heart to move from the sidelines, to get off the bench, and be obedient to God. When you feel nudged to go talk to someone, when you feel led to go pray with someone, when you feel convicted to give, Go. Move. Act. Don’t let fear, or hesitation creep in, don’t let the enemy win you over with your fears or with the “what-ifs.”

Walking up to a stranger, walking up to a friend to give them words of hope; to give them words of life, is the best gift you can give anyone.  People respond well to genuine love, care and compassion.  There are people you encounter everyday that need the words of life, that need to feel love, that need to be tenderly reminded that someone cares for them.

If God is placing on your heart to share your testimony, to reach out to a particular friend, neighbor, acquaintance or stranger, and you are afraid, or unsure, pray for courage, pray for boldness, pray for the words to speak.  If God is calling you, then He will prepare you.  You have to move your feet in order for Him to speak! It is time to step off the sidelines.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

The Key to Happiness

We have all seen the book titles: the ten keys to happiness, finding a career that gives you joy, that if you love what you do you will never have to work a day in your life. We have seen countless TV shows, movies, read the latest bestselling books, been inspired by talk shows and interviews, yet it seems like we will never be fully happy, that our jobs still feel like work, that something is still missing.

That was me not so long ago; searching for the happiness I believed could be possible. I knew something more was out there, that there was more joy, happiness, peace to be found. The problem was I couldn’t find it. It didn’t appear in a career path, it didn’t appear in education, it didn’t appear in the things of this world. What I was looking for, what I was earnestly searching for was a relationship with Jesus.  When my love and passion for the Lord ignited I realize the relationship with Him was what I was missing.

The key to an unlimited supply of happiness, the way to receive joy that surpasses all understanding, the true way to get pure peace in your life is found through one relationship, through one name, Jesus.

When you have a true, genuine relationship with the one that created you, you are positioned in the best way to receive the greatest benefits: special favor, abundant blessings and unconditional love.  When you grow each and every day in this intimate relationship you begin to not only see how awesome your God is, but you begin to understand why you were created, what purpose you serve and you begin to see God in every single thing. When the details of your day matter, when you are doing the things you were designed to do, when the Lord holds you each and every day you cannot help but be happy, you cannot help but be successful.

If you are feeling that your life is going fine, but something seems missing, if you feel incomplete, if you feel like there is more out there, I cannot encourage you enough to look at your relationship with Jesus.

I personally searched tirelessly to find the happiness I have today, the happiness that can only come through a personal relationship with the Lord.  Jesus is the way to true and complete happiness, and the good news is He is available at anytime!

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Through The Storm To The Shore

When you are trying to swim in the largest storm of your life know that God is there. He sees you struggling, He sees you trying to conquer the large waves and He knows you long for safety on the shore. While you are swimming and the waves keep coming over you, remember it’s not about what you can do alone in the storm. It’s about reaching out to the Lord. You are in the storm for a reason, and many times the only way out is to realize you cannot rescue yourself.

If the problem-baring storm was about our ability to save ourselves, then why would we end up in the storm in the first place? Couldn’t we fix everything ourselves before we got there? If the storm was about our ability to save ourselves then we would never put ourselves in the storm in the first place.

When we aren’t able to fix our storms, when a floatation ring doesn’t exist we immediately blame our circumstances, our close relationships, or the unfair ways of the world for the reasons things didn’t work out. We somehow manage to tell ourselves the lie that these are the cards we have been dealt and we must deal with them. Since we can’t fix it, we push blame elsewhere and then try to live with the lie that we have to live with the debris from the storm.

Can I challenge you with one idea? That perhaps it’s not the world, it’s not the people in our lives, that perhaps the reason we are struggling is because the storm is about us. That we cannot be our own heroes, that we are not strong enough or wise enough to solve the harsh storms that we face.  That no matter how much blame is pushed on others that it’s not about other peoples inabilities, or how they have failed us.

The reason why we are in the storm is because we need to understand that our weakness is a reminder of our dependency for the one that created us.

You are not in the storm for you to save yourself or for another person to save you. You are in the storm so you can clearly see your Savior.

 Getting through the storm to the shore simply starts with Jesus.

He will take you out of your storm, heal you and surround you with love. Don’t fight the waves any longer, instead give it all to Jesus and He will calm the waves around you so you can land softy on the shore.

Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,

And He brings them out of their distresses.

 He calms the storm,

So that its waves are still.

 Then they are glad because they are quiet;

So He guides them to their desired haven.

Psalm 107:28-30

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

You Are Worth It

Some of us have been trampled with problems, with decisions that lead us down a troubled road. Our past is ugly. Our sin is great and we have a hard time forgiving ourselves.

We run from what we did. We run from what we decided. We run from the truth.

We might consider our selves not good enough, we might say things like: “I messed up to much,” “I’m not even close to perfect,”  “I am ashamed of what I did.”

But the truth is we can’t go back, we can’t undo what has been done.

No matter what you are hiding from, no matter why you are running, no matter what you face- know that you are WORTH something. You are worth eternity, you are worth everlasting love, YOU ARE WORTH IT.

God created you for a reason and even though you have made wrong decisions, even though you might have known God but turned from Him, know that He is still waiting to hear from you.

He never gives up on you, even when you give up on yourself.

You can blame the world, blame the hurt, you can blame others, blame your circumstances or your past, or you can stop. Stop the blame, stop the hurt, stop running and stop holding yourself to an unworthy standard that God doesn’t agree with.

Go to Him, go to God and lay out all your hurt, your mistakes and your pain. He knows you have been running, He knows your stuff- yet He still wants you; He still calls you a son or daughter, His love never stopped, no matter what you did…

He thinks you’re worth it. He thinks your beautiful, even the flaws and the imperfections. God doesn’t require us to be perfect. He knows that we will fall short, but He does require a relationship with Him. Don’t spend another day trying to run through the pain of the world. Plant yourself with the Lord, talk to Him and proclaim that you are worth it because you are a mighty child of the most high God!

In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor,

Ephesians 1:7 (AMP)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Trials: a True Test of Heart

When you are faced with a trial, when things don’t go as you have planed, when you feel like you are losing hope-what direction will your heart choose? Will you choose your own way, or His way?  Will you go back to the world or move your trust and faith forward with Jesus. Who or what will you let guide your heart? Will your soul stay cemented in the Truth, or will you grasp any worldly thing, to escape, to run, to ignore the pain?

When things don’t go your way, when nothing seems right, remember its bigger then your circumstance, it’s larger than your situation. For what truly matters is your response to those situations. When you feel like things are falling apart do you find company with misery? Do you throw yourself your own pity party and try to escape into the world? Or do you thank God that this trial is happening. Not because you enjoy it, but because you trust Him. That the pain won’t last, that the enemy is a liar, that your faith can’t be shaken, that God has a far greater plan, that ultimately God will reclaim what the enemy tires to steal. Staying true to God when things are hard is a test.

If you always win and are always right, you never really know where your heart is and where your heart wanders. The bad times, the shaky times, and the unplanned times become a true test of our heart; a test that examines where our heart defaults.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Romans 8:18

It’s in these times we must remember God has a beautiful and orchestrated plan for us. And ultimately what is important is that we trust Him. That we give Him glory through the trial, because on the other side of the trial blessings will be abundant, increases and growth will occur at a level that is larger then we know.

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:12

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Making God a Priority When Busy Keeps Getting Busier

The excuses of I’m tired,  I don’t feel like it, or not today I will do better tomorrow all come across our lips from time to time. The burden of life chores, duties and immediate obligations takes over.  The jobs never seem to end or work always follows us home. We get burned out or put under so much pressure we can’t clear our minds apart from the distractions. Perhaps something has changed, we received more responsibility, more recognition, we got promoted, we started school, found a new goal or hobby. Distractions come in various styles, sizes and ways, and perhaps one could argue that they are the devils favorite and best way to keep us from the word, prayer and fellowship.

                When we are exhausted from the day, when the distractions have depleted us, we tend to have no energy and no desire to do anything else that seems like work.

                Perhaps the thought of reading the Bible seems boring or that you have so many other things to do you don’t have time to pray….

                We all, at some crazy chaotic point in our lives, have felt this way. We have 24hrs in a day and yet we still need more time to do all we want, to accomplish all we need to.  The enemy loves it when we think this way, when we are stressed about time, when our earthy duties take away from the time we spend in the word reading, worshiping and praying.

                The devil loves to steal the time we would normally give God.

                It is up to us to be aware of how our distractions and outside obligations impact our time with God, we have to keep God as the priority and we have to be willing and able to shake off some of the distractions.  Set time aside to read the word, if you are having trouble fitting in time to read the Bible focus on reading a verse a day, schedule time for it. Make it a priority. It is up to us to make time for prayer, you can pray anytime, anywhere and the benefit is God is always there to hear you. Driving in the car, in-between meetings or classes, wake up a few minutes’ earlier, turn the TV off a few minutes sooner. Pray when you are tired- God can give you energy, more strength to keep going. When things seem hard, or you need help, pray. God can give you grace, favor, wisdom that you wouldn’t otherwise have.  And ultimately sometimes we just have to do things when we don’t feel like it; because it’s the right thing to do, because our emotions can’t run our lives and because God is the priority. Sign up for the bible study, get involved with people at your church, read your daily devotional, get involved.

                  God is a priority.

                Where you spend your time shows what you deem as important.  We are all busy and that will be unlikely to change, as we age we grow,  as we grow we get busier, so grasp this now- that God doesn’t come after the rest of your day, but God comes first and should be involved throughout your day.  Remember the devil and his distractions want you, Keep God first and the devil will continue to be defeated.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

A Love I Never Knew

You loved me before I even knew you.
Your love runs deep, more love then I ever knew.
For my love was lost, when I turned to you.

You brought me under your wing.
Protected me, shielded me when I couldn’t see.
Oh Lord I give You all the glory.
For you lifted me up, when I fell, and you strengthened me when I was weak.

You are a God of forgiveness, of mightiness and greatness.
You transformed my soul, into what I wished to be.
Now my eyes are open and I can see how you are in every single thing.

For I have found in You a calmness, a peacefulness.
That can’t be found outside of You; now I worship You.
I won’t look back, for the past gave me Your present, a gift of eternity.
And a love I never knew.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:7-8  

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Warrior Anthem

I am a mighty child of God, I am a strong warrior, I follow the path of righteousness which is full of strength, power and determination, I rise above, I conquer, I have a hedge around me,  I defeat my enemy because my God gets the victory.  I have the greatest protection, the best army, the most skilled counselor. I can’t be stopped.   If I fall, I rise again by saying my God’s name. I have the highest favor, an abundance of blessings, and a table formed around my enemies.  God has made me a warrior and my strength is because of His strength. I am strong, I am bold, I am courageous and I fear no enemy because Jesus made my way.  When I am in trouble, I persevere by saying His name. My God has made a way for me even when there seems to be no way.  I am a mighty child of God; I am a strong warrior, not because of me, but because of the one that came before me, Jesus.

Psalm 23:3  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Micah 7:8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me. Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Psalm 27:1   The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;   your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa