The Finished Canvas

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This too shall pass by India Arie

“For we know that all things work together for the good of them that love God and are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28
If I would have never failed I wouldn’t know what it was like to overcome
If I was never sick I would never know what it means to be healed
If I would have never experienced a broken heart I would never known what it was like to be mended
If I never suffered I wouldn’t know what it means to endure
If I would have never gone without then I wouldn’t know that God will supply
If I never experienced a weak moment I would never know what it means to be strong
Somethings that we have gone through at the time didn’t show a good scenario or picture. At times it almost looked hopeless, but the more that we trusted God and followed His lead things still worked and in some cases better than what they were. Just like the painter in the beginning stages of the painting it may not even look appealing and it may even cause you to wonder how will it all come together, but once the picture was completed it turned out to be a masterpiece. God will take the broken pieces of our lives to make a masterpiece. It is because of our experiences in life that has caused us to be who we are today. Nothing that we have gone through in life goes wasted. He will still turn it around for our good. #CLEANTHISHOUSE

For Every Mountain

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 Indescribable by Kiki Sheard

As I was traveling today and I was coming down the mountains as if to go into the valley, there were several things that I noticed.1. How windy and narrow the roads were.2. The barriers and fences they had over certain parts of the rocks to protect the road in case of an avelanche.3. The closer I got to the valley which almost seemed to be in the heart or middle of the mountain felt like they were closing in on me and I started feeling smothered as if I couldn’t breath. The mountains seemed right on top of me and I became overwhelmed almost to the point of fear.4. Half way down the mountain my check engine light came on and my car began to sputter when my speed got up to 50 – 70.  I prayed Lord please let me make it safe to my destination. Nothing like already going through and now here comes something else out of no where.5. As I began to get back on level ground the mountains that seemed to be on top of me I could now see them at a distance, the roads straightened out and that changed the way I felt. My breathing changed, I no longer felt overwhelmed or had any fear. Even though it didn’t solve the fact that my engine light was still on, I was closer to my destination than I was before and I had a sense of peace.In life we will have experiences that will almost seem like we are on a roller coaster ride, but we can’t stop in middle of it we have to keep going. It is what we do in the midst of it that will sometimes determine the outcome. We will come up against some mountains or giants, but God has given us everything we need to fight and to overcome them all. Just like the barriers they had to protect the highway in case of a rock slide are some of the barriers God will put in our lives to protect us. We have to trust God even when we don’t understand. Life circumstances are only temporary, but with every challenge He will give us away of escape. God will sometimes use the engine light, caution lights, red signals as a warning sign. How often do we pay attention to them? A lot of times we will go right by them or ignore the signs and then when something happens we question God when He already forewarned us but we chose to ignore the warning signs.#CLEANTHISHOUSE

Its Never To Late

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It was at the age of 21 that I found out I was pregnant. It was in my life at that time that had God come back I was probably catching the 1st plan ticket to Hell. My life was sooooo jacked up as I was struggling with low self-esteem, trying to fit in, find my identity, looking for love IN ALL the wrong places. So much had happened at that time in my life the last thing I needed to do was get pregnant. The 2 things I thought were my daddy gon kill me, what church folk gon say, my daddy gon kill me. Regardless of the matter all I knew is that I was going to have this baby and I’m so glad that I did. I have always told her I felt like God gave me an Angel when He gave me her and that he sent her to save my life. I was at the point, on the very edge of letting go. She has been my rock through out the years and Lord knows I couldn’t have made it without her. And look at her now. “ALL things work together for the good of them that love God and are called according to His purpose” Looking back I loved God, but I wasn’t in love with him. I didn’t have a true relationship and I didn’t know who I was because I didn’t know Him. Now that I am truly in love with Jesus Christ, I have a deep relationship with Him and because of that I know who I am. My desire to love and please Him has become greater than my desire to please my flesh, to have sex outside marriage and wait for my Boaz. Stop believing the lie that it is too late. Holiness is still right and you can live Holy. God can purify you, sanctify you and make you whole again. No it isn’t easy, take it from one who has been married and is now single, but it’s a choice and a life style. I’m determined to live the life I preach and teach about. Don’t always make the mark, but I don’t stay there I get back up and try again. The cleaning starts on the inside out not the outside in. #CLEANTHISHOUSE

Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover

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/>Follow You by Todd Dulaney

A couple of days ago my front desk received a new credit card machine. I had the option to take the new one or to keep the old one and of course with the excitement of it being “new” I took that one. It was smaller than the other one, had new fancy gadgets and because it was “new” it probably was more efficient. The 1st day I noticed that in fact it was faster in speed but every time I made a transaction it went off-line and had to reconnect again before accepting the transaction. Then today I made an error in the dollar amount and needed to void the transaction which was a longer process in itself. On the older cc machine all I had to do was press void and enter the ref#. Well with the “new” one there was no void nor cancel button. In fact I had to call the 1-800# to get help with making a void transaction. What I thought would be an easier, quicker or more efficient process ended up adding a lot of unnecessary steps all because I judged a book by its cover thinking it would be better and actually it wasn’t. Now I’m stuck with it. It is just like us in life we up grade our cars, our homes, our churches, our friends, our spouse or our relationships all because we think the grass is greener on the other side when in actuality it’s not. Don’t get me wrong , some up grades are necessary. It’s all how we look and value what we have. Like a house that over time builds up equity we look at it as a debt instead of an investment. In a relationship we only scratch the surface of who they really are because it is too much work, but if we ever dug beneath the surface, underneath the dirt and hit the core of who they really are we would find we have a diamond in the rough, a jewel of great value. If we can ever learn to take care of our own grass flowers will grow eventually. #CLEANTHISHOUSE

Delayed But NOT Denied

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What’s Coming Is Better by Deon Kipping

He Will Do by Deon Kipping

As I was looking out the window today and I was pondering on somethings I found myself questioning God, Lord how much longer do I have to wait? Have you ever been right at the threshold, but for God to say not yet. You can see it on the other side of the glass and God says, wait just a little while longer. What seemed so far away is now standing in your face, but yet you haven’t been granted the access to enter in. We live in a microwave generation where we want everything now and don’t want to wait for anything. There were times I was stuck in traffic and how impatient I would become because I had somewhere to be, but to later come across an accident. Standing in a grocery line that would just not move,  but someone in the parking lot just got robbed. We may never understand the reason for waiting, but we must trust God still.  “Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season you will reap if you faint not” Gal 6:9 When God has us in awaiting or holding position it is because it isn’t time yet. It’s not that we have been denied access, but only delayed. He’s preparing us for something that we can’t handle right now. While in waiting it’s so easy to lose hope,to give up, become discouraged, to turn around and go back to the familiar. The process is necessary so don’t give up, don’t lose heart. He will do just what He said. #CLEANTHISHOUSE

Shinning In The Midst of a Dark Place

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With You by James Fortune

We were leaving out one morning and I realized how dark it is now. When we first moved into our new home I realized we had NO street lights and it was pitch dark. I would have to turn on the porch light so we could see. So I went to get some of the lights that you stick in the ground to keep you from stumbling in the dark or fall off into the ditch. I asked one of the sales clerk for assistance because I had no idea how to use them. I asked him what kind of batteries do you use when they go out and he said that they are solar so they charge in the light during the day. It is amazing that we know that night is coming, but what do we do to prepare for it? We get comfortable and relaxed in the day time when things are well that we don’t take the time to build up our strength through fasting, through prayer and reading God’s word that when night comes we are still stumbling in the dark. I put the lights in the ground right before it was getting dark and I noticed how they started flickering one at a time until it was strong enough to stand on its own and it would shine bright.  When I would drive around the corner and though the lights were small because it’s light shinned bright I could see it a far off.#CLEANTHISHOUSE

Don’t Go Uncovered

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Cover Me by 21:03

I was cleaning out the microwave it wasn’t as bad as I thought but there was still residue of food in certain areas. I always tell my children to make sure they cover their plates with a paper towel to protect their food and from food splattering all over the microwave. I almost became disgusted when I thought about when you’re reheating your food and it goes uncovered the potential of food that was left in the microwave and had been reheated numerous times fall on your food. I never thought about that until now. It’s amazing how we go from day-to-day uncovered, unprotected and put ourselves at a greater risk of not only injuring others but ourselves even more if we are already broken or wounded. We put ourselves at risk of an infection or contamination because we left ourselves open and exposed to anything. If we don’t take the time to daily clean ourselves from the inside out instead of walking around acting like everything is ok not only will we be damaged goods but then we put others at risk of being harmed. Whatever you do before going out COVER UP!
#CLEANTHISHOUSE

Identity Theft

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Lord Make Me Over by the Walls Group

Identity by James Fortune

The thing that I have learned most when everything was stripped from my life was the fact that I found “ME”For most of my life I was wrapped up in the identity and opinions of others and who “they” thought I should be; therefore, instead of becoming a God chaser I became a people pleaser that eventually stripped me of who I really was.I felt like the caterpillar who went through the metamorphosis stage which on the outside wasn’t a pretty sight while on the inside it was a painful process transforming from what was to what she was called to be.Most of us will never have or be more than what we are right now because we 1. Want die to ourselves 2. Refuse to change our frame of mind 3. Want go through the process John 10:10 “I came that you might have life and that you might have life more abundantly.”Abundance is more than materialistic gain, but what about wisdom, joy, peace and freedom that NO ONE can take from you.I feel like the butterfly that is slowly coming out of her cocoon.NEW LIFE is beginning for me.#CLEANTHISHOUSE

The Gift of Goodbye

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He Is Exalted by JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise

I woke up this morning super excited because today was the very last day I was going to have to go the apartment. So you know how we do when we are getting ready to say goodbye we look to part, put on our perfume, blast the music, but something I noticed the closer I got my energy level was dropping, I became nervous, there were butterflies in my stomach as I passed by a corn field that at one time was barren but is now in full harvest. Tears began to fall as I pulled up to the apartment and I couldn’t even move. So I stayed in the car until I was ready. I finally got out and got the rest of the stuff that was left and said good-bye to some neighbors. I took my last look around to make sure nothing was left behind and I noticed something I never had before. The scars, the scrapes, the chipped paint, the dirt marks all because it was covered up. To you it may just be a house, but to me and my family it’s more than just a house. When I saw my house I was still married and never thought I would be going into it alone. This was my 1st and only apartment of 13 1/2 yrs, I raised my children here. You don’t know the sweat, the tears, the struggles, the nights I cried, the times I wanted to give up or even thought suicide was an option, but God. I lost a lot but I have gained so much more. God ALWAYS gives you more than he takes away. So with that being said, as I exit the thing that was and walk into what is, I lift up my countenance and I do what I do best which is give God praise. My conclusion to the whole matter is that GOD has BETTER!#CLEANTHISHOUSE

Something In Me Refused To Die

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I Shall Live by Jason Nelson

I had finished cleaning up the apartment for the most part, my car was getting detailed and everyone else was gone. So as I was sitting there waiting I realized I had awhile yet before my car was going to be ready and I no longer wanted to sit here. I had emotionally and mentally dealt with everything so being in the apartment no longer held the same substance. What once was a place full of life was now empty. So I went to see if my neighbor would take me up the street so that I could get something to eat. She gave me the keys to her car and said I could use it as long as I needed to. Reluctantly I said ok, inside I was scared to get in it. She was a sweet older lady that would do anything for anybody if she could and it was nice of her to offer me her car, but I thought about how small her car was compared to mine. I already started feeling smothered and I hadn’t even got in the car yet. I have very long legs, inside her car looked cluttered and the thought of having to drive something other than mine. I got in the car and tried to adjust myself, but no matter how much I adjusted myself the more uncomfortable I felt. It is just like us how we continue to live in situations and circumstances that we know we have out grown to the point that we have become uncomfortable. God gives us the necessary  tools to get out, to overcome, but yet we stay in bondage, in a tight place, a ucomfortable place when God has called us out. It’s just like the elephant who was chained with a ball at his leg and even when he was set free he still would only go as far as the chain would allow him to go. Though physically he had been set free mentally he was still bound to the chains. There had to be a renewing of the mind. When I was going through what I called my wilderness experience I had a choice which was to LIVE or DIE. When I made the choice to LIVE and not just exist that meant I had to change and it all began with the way I was thinking.  “And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” Romans 12:2 When my way of thinking changed, it changed my thought process,  which then changed my whole life.#CLEANTHISHOUSE