All posts by Treva Barnard

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About Treva Barnard

She is the mother of 3 beautiful girls, an author, a mentor, an inspirational writer and a minister in the gospel.

The Bump In The Road

Read

Galatians 5:7

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth

Thought For The Day

Friday Night I was traveling to Richmond, V.A. and we had just passed the state sign saying, “Welcome to Virginia”. I had yelled out, “Yes” because I knew we were almost to our destination.

Maybe 30 minutes or so after that Pastor Lacy said, what is that and as I looked all I saw was the tail end of something as it hit the front of the car and heard the bumps as it went underneath the car. I looked back in my rear view mirror, but I didn’t see anything.

It all happened so fast. It was as if someone literally threw something at the car. We were trying to figure out what in the world did we just hit. It had to have been a deer or something. It threw me for a loop because I wasn’t expecting that at all.

When we finally got to the hotel we got out and looked at the car and we saw the evidence of what had to be a deer. The front of the car was damaged. I was grateful to God that he spared our lives, because had we not been in a bigger car it would have been a little different. But yet, my heart was sad.

Needless to say I didn’t sleep well that night. I started thinking about the what if’s. I also wondered if the deer made it out ok. I had never hit a deer before, so I was a little traumatized. I prayed that it was ok.

When I woke up the next morning I was still trying to analyze what had happened and I heard the Lord say,

Don’t panic, it’s just a bump in the road

One of the things I dislike most about speed bumps is that I feel they are so unnecessary. Especially if I am in a hurry to get somewhere. Sometimes there are just too many in the same location. I even sometimes forget they are there until I run up on them. However, I do realize that those speed bumps were created in areas where we need to slow down.

Even though the speed bumps are permanent fixtures within the road, they only cause you to temporarily slow down. The only things that becomes permenent in our lives are the ones that we choose to.

Have you ever had anything happen in your life that caused a slight delay. It caused you to stop, pause, think and reflect. Maybe it even has caused you some discomfort, some pain, some heartache, some scars and some bruises. There are some things that can happen to us in life that will totally catch us off gaurd and if we aren’t careful it will keep us from moving forward.

God simply reminded me that the bumps I am experiencing in my life are only temporary and he’s using them to create a greater purpose in my life. As hard and as challenging as the process can sometimes be, we must remain focused and keep going.

Reflection

What are some of your bumps in the road? Have some of those bumps hindered you from moving forward? Are there areas in your life where you might need to slow down?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for who you are in all of your glory. I am grateful that in spite of the detours, delays and mishaps they didn’t cause me to check out before my time. Thank you that you have a purpose for everything that happens in my life and that you are causing them all to work together for my good.

Song List

“It Is Well” by Tori Kelly

GET BACK UP AGAIN

READ

For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes”

Proverbs 24:16-18

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT

Several weeks ago my two youngest children had their last track meet. My baby girl, came in 4th place for the season and she was heartbroken. After she calmed down, I asked her to re-evaluate her performance. She admitted to not starting off good, she wasn’t focused and she didn’t give her best. I then had her reflect on the track season as a whole. She concluded that she did a very good for her 1st year and had something to be proud of.

Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down

and got back up again.

Nelson Mandela

Sometimes we can be very hard on ourselves when we feel we’ve missed the mark, made a mistake or failed in some way. We forget about our accomplishments as well as others which at times will keep us from trying again. It is not, however, how many times you fall, it’s how you get back up from the fall that will determine where you go next.

It takes a lot of courage to get back up and to keep going, but that’s what overcomer’s do. Though the weight seems heavy at times and the crowd dies down, there is someone that is depending on your survival. Your survival gives instructions or is used as a guide for someone else to win.

Quitters never win and winners never quit. Get back up and keep going.

PRAY

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for not judging me when I haven’t always gotten things just right. I am grateful that you have never given up on me. When I stumble and fall, I am grateful for your grace and mercy that allows me to get back up again.

REFLECT

Where have you fallen in life? How might God be encouraging you to rise again?

Song List:

Appeal by Kirk Franklin – Hero

Beloved Women Daily Devotions

https://www.belovedwomen.org/get-back-up-again/

MOVING FORWARD

READ
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ” Philippians 3:14

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT

One day I was driving in the pouring rain and I could barely see. People were pulling onto the side of the road but I kept going. By the time I got home, the rain stopped. Storms, no matter how bad, don’t come to stay, they will eventually pass over.

Have you ever found yourself in a place where every time you take a step forward, you seemed to get knocked two steps back? Life happens to us all and sometimes it catches us off guard, but no matter what, you have to keep going! Press on toward the goal of hearing God say, “Well done!” Giving up could mean that we would not fulfill all that God is calling us to do.

PRAY

Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes I admit it seems easier to quit than to keep moving forward. The thing that causes me to keep going is knowing that your will for my life is best for me. On my darkest days, help me to remember your promises for me. In Jesus Name Amen!

REFLECT

What are some obstacles in your life that are keeping you from moving forward? How might God be leading you to surrender them to Him?

Song List

Moving Forward by G.I.

Be The Light

READ

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16 ESV

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT

The other day as I was going into Starbucks, a lady smiled at me as I entered so I spoke. I had no idea who she was, but thought it was the polite thing to do. While I was waiting on my order the lady asked if I was a believer?

“Yes,” I replied back and smiled. She then said, “I could tell because my spirit bore witness with yours.” She introduced herself and we went on about our day.

The light we carry should be evident to others. It should be so bright that it draws others that may not even know us to Christ. People may never walk inside of a church, but your life will be the only bible that some people will ever read. It’s not what we say alone, but how we live our lives each and every day.

PRAY

Dear Heavenly Father, I am grateful that you chose me, in spite of my flaws. I pray that as I draw closer to you that you will become the image that they see. In Jesus Name Amen

REFLECT

What is preventing others from seeing the light of Christ in your life?

When people look at your life, they should be inspired. They can be mentored from a far and you not even know it. We can be the difference that causes people to change.

Song List

“I Am Light” by India Arie

It’s Your Season To Live

READ

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT

At the age of 17, I stood in my parent’s bedroom with a gun to my head, contemplating whether to live or to die. It was then I heard God’s still small voice say, “I have better for you.” I debated with God, and of course, I did not win because I am still here. It was at that moment I decided to trust Him and to choose life.

There is nothing in this world that you could ever do that would stop God from loving you or remove the purpose He’s placed on your life. He died on the cross just to prove how much He loves you and wants to be in a relationship with you. The enemy will try to rob you of your future by reminding you of your past, but God wants to use you in spite of it. Jesus Christ died and rose so you can now live, so let’s choose life.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for being such a merciful God, that in spite me You still love me. I pray that as I grow more in You, I will show the same love and mercy to others. In Jesus Christ Name, I pray. Amen

REFLECT

When you think about the decisions you are making are you choosing life by believing God’s truth and walking in His ways?

Song List

“Live” by Marvin Sapp

The Power of Connection

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”

What are you connected to?

I was at work the other day and this lady was trying to find a USB cord so that she could charge her phone because her battery was about to die. She was asking everyone in the lobby, but no one could help her. She noticed that there was a USB cord behind the counter and asked if she could borrow it. She said, you can keep my phone back there while it charges. I took her phone and she walked away. I went to try and plug it into her phone and it wouldn’t work. I looked at the end of the cord and noticed I had an iPhone charger and her phone was an Android. I had to call her back to the front and let her know it didn’t work because it wasn’t the right power cord. She thanked me for trying and went about her way.

I kind of felt sorry for her, but then all kind of questions start popping in my head like:
Why would you leave home with out your charger?
Do you not keep an extra one on you?
But who hasn’t left their charger at home and likely to have a spare one at all times. I also don’t know her situation.

I started thinking about how in life we sometimes connect to the wrong people or things that will drain the very life out of us. And if we would truly be honest, we have at one time or the other created little god’s out of them as we have looked to them to be the source to fuel the fire that God placed on the inside of us.

Where you are going has a lot to do with what you are connected to. Whether it is people, your job, your church, etc.

I believe being connected to the RIGHT people and things is very important as they are part of pushing your further into your destiny; however they aren’t to replace your relationship and connection through Jesus Christ.

Nothing can generate power unless it is connected to a power source. Even when something is generated by a battery, after awhile even it has to be recharged or replaced in order to keep working.

Not matter what goes on in your life make sure that you stay connected to the source.

More Than Anything by Anita Wilson

What In The World Are You Thinking

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Did you know that the very things that you are thinking can either cause you to go back, stay stagnated or to move forward?

Our thoughts are so powerful that they can either be a hinderance or a progress.

Where are you in the process of your thinking?

No matter how much you change your lifestyle, if your frame of mind has not changed you are destined to repeat the cycle. Change your mind, change your life!

You can put someone in a new home, but if their mentality hasn’t changed they won’t appreciate it.

Someone can continually go from relationship to relationship, but if their mentality hasn’t changed they will never be satisfied.

You can move to the other parts of the world, but if your mentality has not changed what you ran from will follow you.

We can get so caught up in changing the outward man with materialistic things, but yet our character still remains the same. Could it be because the way we think has not changed that our inner man remains the same. Are you focusing on the wrong things?

Today’s Word: 

Think

  • have a particular opinion , belief, or idea about someone or something
  • direct’s one’s mind toward someone or something; use one’s mind actively to form connected ideas
  • consider the possibility or advantages
  • have a particular mental attitude or approach
  • imagine

Scriptures on Thinking

Every thing that has been created in life began with a thought.  How you process the thought will channel the direction that your life will go in.

A person can be very creative and have great ideas, but if their thoughts don’t motivate them beyond what is in their head those things will never be brought to life.

What is your motivation?

How do you see yourself?

And where do you see yourself?

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used

when we created them”

Albert Einstein

There have been many times that I have had great ideas in my own life, but the things that I thought towards myself talked me out of them. My own doubt, fears, insecurities and the opinions of other people.

The power to believe in yourself is HUGE!

It wasn’t until the moment that I realized who and whose I was that I started believing in myself. My thoughts begin to change and it has changed the course of my life forever.

It has given me a different out look on life and has changed my perspective on how I look at things. Though I feel like I still have a long way to go, it’s a start and  I never want to go back.

Change Challenge: “Let It Begin In Me” Psalm 51:10

  1. Mindset– the process in the way you think
  2. Focus–  Whatever you focus on becomes a part of you. Focus on those things that will push you forward
  3. Motivation– channel in on the things where you are able to draw strength from so that you can create beyond the ideas, dreams, visions and goals that only stay in your head
  4. Plan– if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten. Out of your head, onto paper, into reality. Do you need to go in a different direction?
  5. Become- the thing in which God has called you to be.

In order for life to change there has to be a transformation in the way that we think.

GO AFTER IT and BE GREAT!!!!

 

 

 

 

Unlocking Your Potential

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“Jesus said unto him, If you can believe; all things are possible to him who believes”

Mark 9:23

Lack of Power Mark 9:14-29

Pos-si-bil-i-ty

  • The fact or state of being possible
  • Something that is possible
  • One that is capable or of being made real
  • Potentially for favorable or interesting results

The other day I was watching the Iron Man, which I have seen multiple times, but this time God showed me something that I had never  noticed before. This was the beginning of Iron Man and how he became who he was created to be.

He inherited a multi-million dollar company that was passed on to him after the death of his father. He was then expected to live out the legacy of his father, but not what was on the inside of him. His fathers best friend who was helping with the company had corrupted the company and even set out to kill him so that he wouldn’t find out and then inheriate the company for himself. He didn’t know until he almost lost his life.

The very thing that tried to kill you, can also be the very thing that saves your life

It was through this life experience that he was changed and he realized who he was created to be.  Against all odds and against what others wanted him to do or be, when he tapped into his potential he didn’t allow anything to hold him back to where they left him.

People will expect you to be where they dropped you, but they don’t realize that by the time they try to come through looking for you again (the old you), you will no longer be in that place where they left you. And they have the nerve to even get mad. lol

Potential known, but never realized is like a dream that never comes true

He knew that he had potential, but never realized his true potential until this life experience altered his perspective and the way he thought about things.

There were three things that I noticed that he had to do in order to accomplish his goal.

  1. hide “He that dwelleth in the secret place” Pslams 91:1  He got out of the eye of the public and went down into his secret room where he works. Sometimes we have to let go of some people and things so God can do the work within us.
  2. focused “Seek ye first the Kingdom” Matthew 6:33 He didn’t let others, but those he trusted know what he was working on. Even in the ones he told, he told them very little.  He wouldn’t stop until it was just right.  And when it didn’t work he went back to the drawing board.  It is hard to focus and complete anyone thing if our hand is in too many pots.
  3. finish it “Being confident in this one thing” Philippians 1:6  He didn’t let anyone persuade and deter him from what he knew he needed to do. He was confident, he didn’t give up when it seemed hard, her perservered and he didn’t stop until it was complete. Even upon completetion he still continued to build upon it and improve himself.

Everyone has potential, but most of the time the potential is never brought to fruition because we are looking to the wrong source or in the wrong things. Until you let go the of the expectations of other people, you will never be able to live out what God has called and created you to be.

When you can tap into what God’s plan is for your life, there is nothing that can hinder nor stop you unless you allow it to.

God will always finish what he has started, but we have participate in the process and do the work.  Somethings are never completed or have not yet come to past, not always due to the things that have happened in our life, but because we want to do our part.

“Faith without works is dead” James 2:26

Live out your full potential in God. GO AFTER IT!!!!! 

Song List

Fighters by Cheryl Fortune

I’m here to

Speak hope to you

If I made it

You can make it too

You may feel like, life is over

I won’t let you go

Together we’ll make it through

We fighters

Never gonna give up, never gonna give up

I’ll take your hands and you’ll take mine

We’ll through this like life

We’re fighters

 

CLEAN THIS HOUSE

I never thought that I would be going through divorce, a single mother again, no church to call home or to own my own home alone. I realized that as I am going through this transition there are some things that I am going to have to deal with mentally, emotionally and physically. Before I can enter a new season, I must properly close out the last one.

Transition is the closing of one season and the opening of another. Transition isn’t always easy. For us to walk fully into the next season, we must bring closure to what was, so that when we enter our new season we don’t go in carrying baggage.

Go with me along this journey as God reveals to us how we can forgive, be free and stay free, love again and regain the very thing that we lost. I hope you will find the courage to #CLEANTHISHOUSE

Stay tuned for my 1st up coming book #CLEANTHISHOUSE #NEWLIFE #FaithgirlTreva

Graphic Designer: Chelsie Gregory/Rae Design

CLEAN THIS HOUSE Song by Isaac Carree

Lyrics

I’m calling on you heavenly Father. I’m down on my knees. You said call on you no matter the hour, Lord I’m in need. I’ve been messing up , done lost my house, done lost my job, wife walking out? These church fold say they my friends, but I’m all they talk about. I’ve been doing wrong, I’m so sorry Lord please forgive me

We confess to him he’ll remove all wickedness, the blood from your son will wash me from my sins

Clean this house, from he inside out. Restore me, take away my impurity.  Lord I nee you to, Clean this house from the inside out. Restore me, take away my impurity.

Keep Moving Forward

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Have you ever felt like you wanted to give up? That what you were going through was just too much for you to bear?

“Brethern, I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind , and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”

Philippians 3:13-14

A couple of months ago I was in my very 1st 5k Chamber Challenge. It is a big event that happens in our city every year to promote wellness and health living. My job always participates each year. This year I decided to go. I walk often and the hills that we have at my job I thought that I would be prepared, but boy was I wrong. Some people ran and some people walked and even though I love to walk and do it often, it showed me just how out of shape I was.

TODAY’S WORD

en-dur-ance

  • the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation
  • denoting or relating to a race or other sporting event that takes place over a long distance or otherwise demands

My co-worker and I were standing at the starting line waiting for them to begin the race. I had this nervous energy because I kept feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom and I had already been twice. We were standing in the beaming sun and which made it even hotter, though there was a little bit of breeze. I started moving side to side hoping this would help calm my nerves and the need for me to go to the bathroom.

Finally, the race had begun and 30 minutes in I was feeling the pressure, the tightness in my legs. Once we had gotten to the top of the second hill I started thinking to myself , “Are we there yet?” I was definitely feeling the need to stop, but I kept going.

My co-worker told me earlier that she wasn’t ready, but she was doing better than me and I walk way more than she does.

We had another co-worker who came in and joined us on the walk. Truth: I felt like she was becoming a hinderance because she was wanting to socialize and I wanted to complete the race. That was causing me to lose my pace, but I continued to stay focused.

Dont’t allow the box of other people’s mind keep you from moving forward. They will never see what you see.

You know the old saying, “I look back to see where the Lord has brought me from”. It is good at times to reflect back, but sometimes if we look back long enough we can desire the things of old.

Memories are great to have, but the string of emotions that come along with them can sometimes cause you to have a set back. Have you ever reflected back, reminisced on the past and before you know it, it had you feeling some type away. You got all up in your feelings.

Paul knew that he wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but his goal was to be more like Christ and in order for him to obtain that he had to say good-bye to the things of old. He had to focus on the things which were in front of him.

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangelth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be soldier”

2 Timothy 2:3,4

Along this life’s journey we are faced with so many different obstacles, challenges, set backs, distractions, surprises, etc. but the goal is to keep moving forward. The challenge becomes when become weary, vulnerable and lose focus on the thing that it before us.

Life isn’t easy, in fact at times it can be very hard. In order for anything to be great you have to be willing to make the sacrifice. It’s not how many times that you fall, but how many times you get back up. You will get hurt, you will make mistakes, you will stumble and fall and at times be disappointed, but our life expereinces are only temporary. It is through them that we can grow and develop into just what we were created to be.

God has so many great things ahead of you, but you have to want what he has for you. There are somethings and even some people that you will have to let go off, but the most encouraging thing that I have found through my faith in God is that he has better for me than where I have been or even where I am now. It is that hope that keeps me moving forward even when what I see doesn’t match up with what he has shown me.

Moving Forwar Motivational Video