Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. I Peter 5:7-11

Years ago, I started using products simply based on their slogan, “take me away” and after a hard and long day of work, caring for a child, and just the day to day grind of life, being taken away seemed so heavenly. My mind immediately thought about being whisk off into a place where no thought was required, nor movement; just peace and relaxation; a place to clear my mind and be calm from the constant barrage of mental activity. A place to cast my cares, worries and dealings from the world… if only for a moment.

Peter tells us in this passage, to not only be clothed with humility but to humble ourselves under the hand of God and that He would raise us up in due time. To cast everything on Him because He cares for us; to be serious, calm and watchful, and by all means be alert and cautious. He tells us to guard ourselves against the dangers of the enemy because he desires to devour us, and given the opportunity, he will. And that you must resist, stand firm, remain steadfast, strong, unmovable and rooted in the faith in order to keep him at bay.

There is a place we can go, a place where we can be taken and carried away to cast and release all of our worries and anxieties, everything that concerns us and turn it over to the Lord, whether it is a past, present or future concern. It all matters to the Lord, from the largest to the smallest of things. There is refuge, a secret place in Him where we can rest; under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91) and then there is place I love, in His presence where I can find fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). These are the places where we can whisk off and we can give it everything over to Him.

The Lord had to show me that you can spend your time trying to figure it out on your own but I have already worked it out. You must give all things over to me because I care for you, I’m concerned about you, and I love you. It may not be in my time, or how I think it should work out but it will be above and beyond anything that I could possibly think or imagine. It has not been easy for me over the years, Miss Independent, Miss I Can Handle It Myself to give everything over, but one that I say I finally adhered to and I'm so glad. Although, I admit I still “accidentally and unknowingly” succumb to occasionally and the Spirit of the Lord has to gently remind me - I got this. So, I urge you to give it all over to the Lord, all of your worries, fears, doubts, and concerns. Whatever your day brings, know that we can cast it all on the Lord and just allow Him to take us away where we can find rest and peace for our soul!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

Have you ever heard a message that spoke to everything that describes who you are, your struggles, your circumstances, and the process you’ve been through? Telling your story, while each word permeates your path, literally step by step; stories that start and end with certain words describing your past, present, and future. I recently had the opportunity to “hear” my life, the events and my purpose, so eloquently and completely proclaimed across the pulpit; from Deborah to Esther, to some of the very specific scriptures (Psalm 138:8; Jeremiah 29:11) I’ve stood on faithfully throughout the years and then some. It was as if it was my life, on program. Honestly, all I could do was listen attentively, while thanking God because I knew this was for my sake and for the benefit of those who had an ear to hear. The Lord had graciously answered my prayer regarding an issue that I was grappling with, through the message. He is so wonderful in that way.

Sometimes, it becomes very taxing when communicating to those who really don’t understand what you are trying to describe or convey in what God is doing in your life. Your excitement level begins to diminish when you realize from their expressions and questions, that they don’t “get it.” There is a Cyndeism for that, “you can’t really know a thing, until you understand a thing.” And so you move on because you can’t worry about whether or not people get it, you simply pray they will become enlightened and understand that there is a time for every purpose and every work.

God has purpose for our lives, I’ve spoken on this topic frequently over the years. We are not just here taking up space in the atmosphere; or living just to go to church religiously every Sunday to hear great singing, warm a pew, or catch the spirit occasionally from a good word. We have purpose while here, we are called according to His own purpose and grace (2 Tim 1:9). It’s up to us to learn of Him and to seek Him in regards to what His purpose is for our lives. This comes from praying, fasting and staying in the Word, as well as hearing and heeding to His voice and knowing when He is speaking. Then when we hear how the Lord is moving even in someone’s life, other than our own, we don’t think it strange, but we yet rejoice in how God is blessing His people so that others in turn, might be blessed.

Our journey, is one of many seasons of preparation, it is a process, as well as God's timing. Everything that we encounter or that God allows is for our good and for His glory in order to equip us to go forth to walk in the vocation wherewith we are called. The seasons come to get us ready for the destiny of each of us, individually. We have to be steadfast and unmovable until that season comes. In Galatians, it says, “And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” I’m not saying that it has not or will not get hard sometimes, or that I haven’t become weak or loss courage at one point or another along the journey, but I came to myself and remembered that God is counting on me to go through and I shall reap or I shall obtain in due season, if I just hold on.

I thank God for my season of destiny which right now, this time, and in in this space. Thanking Him for all that I have endured over the years for such a time as this. I don’t make excuses for it nor explanations to support it. God said it and that settles it and that is enough for me. I was grateful nonetheless, as to how He set things in order with that message. It was a great joy and a comfort to me to know that God takes care of every detail concerning our life, which goes back to the scripture that I have stood on for years, "the Lord WILL perfect that which concerneth me." There is joy to be had by the answer of His mouth: and a word that came and was spoken in due season, yes, how good it is!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

I have been basking in so many things in the last 24 hours, but these words from this song, will not leave my spirit. You could find me singing them yesterday, and when I opened my eyes this morning, the song continued to ring in my heart. I praise God for lyrics that ring true for me, “searched all over, I couldn’t find nobody, looked high and low, still couldn’t find nobody, no, nobody greater than you.” Simply put, there is nobody greater than you Lord!

Can you imagine anyone you know, that would be willing to lay down their life for you? Sure, we hear phrases such as, “I’d die for you“ and as heartfelt as that sounds, not many would actually want to be tested of their love in that way. Yet, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice; just for us and just for love. He revealed the highest degree of love and because of His love, all things were fulfilled by Him; bridging the gap between us and God. He granted us an all access pass to the Kingdom through the shedding of His blood, a sacrifice of love for us. Without Him, and this selfless display of love, we would not have been afforded so great an opportunity.

We could search the world over, but there is no one who could have or would have done what Jesus did. Nobody greater could have reconciled us back to the Father. There is nobody powerful, nobody more significant than He; He is our all in all. His love, His mercy, His grace and favor are a part of His redemptive plan. He is the Omnipotent, all powerful God; He is Omnipresent, the always present, everywhere you want Him to be, continuously at the same time God; He is the all knowing and all seeing God; our ever present help in our time of need. Who could be greater than this? Nobody!

My heart is filled with so much joy and peace as I think on His love and how He has made provisions for me because of that love. It’s comforting to know that we serve such a great God; He is the Great I Am. I have not only found this to be true but I have found him to be a friend. There’s no need for me to search for any other, anywhere, or in any place because there is nobody greater!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1

When I think about living free, I am of the opinion and mindset that the liberties and the freedom I’ve been given through Christ, is a privilege that I’ve been afforded by His grace and mercies. Not taking for granted the deliverance that was provided from the bondages that kept me bound. I know that I live truly free from the oppressions that life brought, free from the difficulties, situations, and circumstances of things that kept my thoughts held captive, complicated, and confused. Today, I live free and stand fast in that liberty; there are no more chains binding me.

Grace has been applied, we are no longer under bondage of the law. This was Paul’s message to the Galatians not to become entangled again with the same yokes that have been lifted from us. The tempter comes with his beautifully wrapped packages of the same old mess. He can only present the old, because he has nothing new to give. But, you are now living in the liberty of freedom, stand firmly in that. The Spirit of the living God is able to keep you from being tempted, failing or falling, if you want to be kept. Even in our living free, let’s remember to stay humble. Paul tells the Galatians that liberty is not a license or an excuse to live any kind of way or indulge in the deeds of the flesh because you have been given the privileges of freedom. Peter reminds us that even though we are free, not to use our liberty as a cloke (or coat or garment) of maliciousness, being deliberately harmful with evil intentions motivated by a desire to cause harm or pain, but be as servants of God, loving, compassionate, and respectable (I Peter 2:15-17). People are watching us, watching our lifestyle, looking to see if we are who we say we are, looking to see if we are displaying the fruit of the Spirit, displaying love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness meekness, humility, and self-control. No law or any one voice can stand or come against these.

We have to learn to live free and to live above and within the application of liberty, it’s a process. Let's put it to use and be bold enough to take a stand for it. Live and walk in liberty, in freedom. The scripture tells us “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36); so live free. Why would you want to live any other way? Live without worry, without doubt, learn to live above the things that which we’ve have been lifted out from; the things that would hinder our progress, or stunt our growth. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Christ came to make us free, being free in Him is to be free from all of that. Through our relationship with Christ, we should desire to live a life that is pleasing in His sight and worthy to be called the sons of God.

Let’s get motivated today to live well and live free.

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but is not made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: Romans 16:25-26

In a conversation I was having recently, we were discussing the telling of God’s goodness and when the Lord blesses you, how it's normal to want to spread the news. However, sometimes He blesses so mightily and so supernaturally, that it's hard to fathom or comprehend. Immediately, if not sooner, the enemy is right there to tell you, “you better not tell anyone, until you are sure that He really blessed you or you don‘t know that it was the Lord who blessed you”; causing you to perhaps stop, think, or doubt for a moment. Of course, he is always going to try and stop you from telling of God's blessings, yet, the fact of the matter is, that him even trying to make you doubt is a good reason to spread the word and bless someone who needs to hear of God’s goodness. Because every good gift and every perfect gift, the scripture tells me, is from above.

When the Lord dropped this in my spirit, I thought about the words to the song, which say, “tell me a story about Jesus Christ, tell me of His goodness, of His mercy, and of His life, tell me of His boldness, of the good works He had done and I must run and tell each and everyone, the secret is out and it shall never be contained.” How can we contain so great a gospel, such great knowledge; this great truth revealed? And not only has the revelation of which been given to us but we have been made known of this great gospel of Jesus Christ, when in times past, we had not been included but praise God, we were called out of darkness into this marvelous light (I Peter 2:10).

Paul so wonderfully praises and sends greetings to the Romans for their work in the local church, and all they have done for the gospel’s sake. He reminds them to be steadfast to the doctrine they’ve learned, be wise and obedient by their faithfulness regardless of the evil that lurks. And also, Paul reminds them of God’s grace and to stay in line with the word of truth and in line with the commandments given. God has the power and is able to keep, strengthen, and secure you according to His word that is no longer hidden and no longer a mystery. God’s plan, His saving grace is made available to those who seek it. The everlasting, eternal God who never changes; the One who had revealed His truths to all to come into the knowledge of the excellency of Christ.

The words of Paul ring true for us today. Let’s stay firm in our stance, persevere with determination in the doctrine we’ve been taught and learned. It gives strength and stability in our faith, not to mention that it brings about hope. It’s no longer a secret and it has been revealed unto us (Psalm 25:12-14).

Your assignment today, if you choose to except it, is to tell someone that the secret is out!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Happy art thou, O Israel who is like thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places. Deut 33:29

Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! That is my claim to fame today and that the blessings and favor of the Lord in my life far exceed the tactics of the enemy. Although, he is diligently on his job, doing whatever he can to distract, discourage, and disrupt, I am yet standing and I’m still strong! I have found him to be a liar and certainly, he is deemed the father of them. However, God has promised complete victory over our enemies according to His promises.

Not only did He tell the children of Israel, but it is for us as well today, that they would have victory and that they would tread on the enemies high places. Tread has two meanings and you can apply it to your life the way you see fit because you have that option, frankly, I love both definitions combined. To tread means to trample, walk on, step on, across, and to crush or damage; to proceed or behave in a particular way. So, here’s what I proclaim: I’m going to put the enemy under my feet, trample on his head and then proceed by the power that has been vested in me, to move on to greater and higher heights, above and beyond what I think or imagine and take possession of what God has purposed for my life. I am applying all of my energy to praising God for what He has done, currently doing, and about to do. Keeping close to my heart, the reminders in His word, that I am more than a conqueror, that my faith is also my shield, my protection, and the word is my sword; and that always and without fail, He is my defender. Regardless of my circumstances or situations, His truth stands up in my defense. Every word of God is truth and the enemy's a lie, because there is no truth in him.

We have to embrace, hold fast to our faith, for He is faithful that promised (Hebrew 10:23). We must serve him in righteousness, holiness and without fear as to what the enemy tries to do to us; knowing that we are covered by His word, covered by the whole amrour of God, as well as covered by the blood of Jesus. God will position us in the high places, places where we have stepped high over the enemies strong holds and crushed that which he has built up against us to tear us down. He reminded me that “every place that the sole of my feet shall tread upon, He has given to me" (Joshua 1:3). Now, that is a promise that the enemy can't touch, no matter what he throws my way, it shall be given to me. It's not only a promise to me, but a promise to you also. This should make us happy to know that we are God's people, the ones the Lord saved and is able to keep us from falling from the lies, the tricks, and the deceit of the enemy. I can rejoice knowing that I'm able to tread on the high places while going on to see what the Lord has for me!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be His glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory, Amen and Amen. Psalm 72:18-19

I’m so enveloped with glory that is God today, I'm reminded that our Lord, the God of Israel, is the same God who said, “let there be light“ and it was; the same God divided the light from the darkness; made the firmament in the midst of the waters and then divided them; the same God who spoke a word and there were lights in the firmament. He is the same God who brought forth every living creature, the One who formed and breathed, and we were. He is the only One who could have done these amazingly, awe-inspiring things, and He still does.

Whether or not you grew up in the hills of West Virginia, boroughs of New York, swamps of Louisiana, the flatlands of Texas, or the coastlines of California; everyone, regardless of your race, creed, or color, background, social status, or religious affiliation, you were created for God’s glory. We are all a part of the wondrous works, that is God. He desires to move in us and through us, He wants to fill, saturate, soak, and drench us with His glory. He wants to spread beyond the limits of our capacity; so much so, that seemingly, we cannot contain all that is Him. When something is saturated, it begins to drip when there is excess, an overflow. I don’t know about you, but I want to be found dripping in excess with the glory of God. I saw this visual in my mind, imagine a person with light beams shining out from them because inwardly it couldn’t contain all of that glory, so it began to just seep out and burst with rays of light.

We were made to be vessels of His glory and in turn, be blessings that would share this glory with others. It is our responsibility, our charge to go out and tell of His awesome splendor, His majestic and astounding beauty; to tell of His saving grace, His wondrous works, and love. If we are saturated with glory, it will show in us and we should bless the Lord continually for all that He is and for what He is doing in us. We should also bless Him for Hiis magnificence and for His excellent greatness toward us.

I read a phrase recently that said, “those who have a passion for His glory also have a passion for His Holiness" (A. Hinthorn). Which led me to think this scripture, and whether we admit it or not, we were created to worship God in the beauty of holiness and to give glory unto His name (Psalm 29:2). We can’t really give glory until we allow Him to saturate us with all that is Him, His glory, His holiness, and understand that for this purpose, we were created. If God created all the earth to give evidence of Him, doesn’t it stand to reason that we should be that much more the evidence of existence, that is God? Undeniaby and without hesitaton, yes!

Let’s not allow others to notice only the earth that is filled with His glory but let them see that we were created for His glory, He formed us; yes, even made us, and wants to saturate us with His glory!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

O taste and see that the Lord our God is good: blessed is the man that trusts and takes refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints. For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with Godly fear. Psalm 34:8-9 Amplified

Have you heard the phrase, “satisfaction guaranteed or your money back?” I’m sure you have because it’s used in various marketing campaigns to denote or signify that if you try this product and it’s not to your liking, you can return it for a full refund with no questions asked.

This made me think about my decision years ago to seek God fervently and passionately. My quest to find out for myself about this scripture that we hear quoted so often. I was at a point in my life where honestly, there was no where else to go but up, I had already hit rock bottom. I knew that if I didn’t get it together soon, I could possibly end up dead. Oh, but God! He had other plans and purpose for my life. I tasted of His goodness, His words were sweeter than honey and I can tell you that I have not had a desire since I began this journey, along with the trials and tribulations, to leave Him. I will continually vouch that it is and has been "satisfaction guaranteed" and it has been my pleasure to endorse the goodness, that is God.

The Lord grants us freewill; we are free to choose even after we’ve tasted or been enlightened to stay or return to our previous lifestyle. God is merciful and gracious enough to let us go back to whatever we were doing but the chances are, that once you’ve experienced Him in a very real way, going back to your way of life, will not be a thought or an option. You will want to persevere onward with determination, trust, and fervor. Why? Because, He is good like that. Of course, the choice is yours to make and if you try Jesus and He is not to your liking, and you are not fully satisfied, you can always return to your life with no questions asked. However, if you take the time to not only taste but seek the Lord, His righteousness, His truths and learn of Him, you will not be dissatisfied. You'll experience the joys and the happiness of who God is and you’ll be as certain as David, trying to tell someone, and anybody to just taste and see that the Lord is good. For there is no want and no lack in Him. If we can get others to experience this goodness and understand this joy, understand our hope, I am thoroughly convinced they would have the same reaction to His love and would willingly give of themselves wholly. All you have to do is taste and see for yourself.

Seriously, what have you got to lose by trying? Nothing. I can guarantee complete satisfaction because the word says, “For I have satiated (satisfied) the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul (Jeremiah 31:25)." He said, that He would satisfy our soul if we put our trust Him. Now, that's a promise, a guarantee we can stand on!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

…kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last day. Wherein you greatly rejoice! I Peter 1:5-6

Waking up singing is always wonderful for me. This words to this song in particular, “just another day, that the Lord has kept me” permeates deep in my soul and I’m reminded of God’s grace and mercy in my life. Also, it not only allows me the comfort of knowing that the Lord is with me and keeping me but it makes my soul happy and causes me to rejoice in the God of my salvation. This is the place of which I know Isaiah speaks, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation… (Isaiah 61:10).”

Understanding the grace of God, is part of the reason for the letter from Peter. He speaks blessings of multiplicity, such as grace and peace; and then tells of the abundant mercy we have been given, the lively hope of the resurrection, and the inheritance that is incapable of being morally affected by decay; being reserved in heaven, just for us. When we understand who Jesus was and all that He did for us, we then can begin to learn how to live and live life more abundantly. When we grasp the magnitude of the benefits we’ve been afforded through Christ, then we can bless God with our whole heart and give Him the glory that He is so worthy to receive. We must asked ourselves, "what shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?"

I want to continuously be able to bless and rejoice in the Lord, who carries me day by day with His benefits, keeps me by His power through faith; who is generous with His grace, favor, and His loving kindness toward me. His mercies, did I mention that they are new every morning (Lam 3:23-26), because His compassion fails not; the peace of mind He gives, the quietness and the calmness of heart He delivers in times of turmoil. It is not hard for me to remember that I have a lively hope unto that day when I receive my inheritance, that is being kept safely in heaven.

Not only is it wonderful to wake up singing, but it is wonderful to know the plan of salvation God prepared for us, the ones who love Him. How great is our God? We must continue to trust Him, encourage one another, staying prayerful, remembering to rejoice greatly because of our hope, along with having the joy that should come with it. David tells us in Psalms 16:11, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy.” This is the place where I long to be at all times, in His presence, rejoicing, full of joy, kept by His power, and grateful for just another day.

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:6-18

Don’t you love it when you finally “get a thing?“ Seriously, like the bulb has been changed to 100 watt and has begun to shine brightly in your brain, so now you can see clearly what’s really going on? As the day’s troubles and situations arise, I am beginning to see how the light is exposing some truths and tactics as they occur. My reaction and my response are quite different from what they were months ago, let alone, a year ago. I praise God for my faith growth in Him.

To embrace means to welcome, eagerly or willingly; to take up, or include as a part of a whole. This is exactly what I’m grasping, that it is necessary not to be moved by the things I see that also come to disturb my harmony because those afflictions are only for a moment. Those things that are working, as Paul says, “together for good to them that love God.” For our troubles, burdens, trials, and tribulations are light, not heavy, not weighing, comparatively to the eternal weight of glory. It simply cannot be compared and we should be focusing on and building our hopes on the eternal things. I know for me now, I am not easily moved or swayed by the things that I see or the things that come to distress me. It is not only how we handle but how we view our afflictions and those things that come to overwhelm us and seemingly appear as giants in our eyes. Nothing we face is bigger than the God we serve (Jer 32:27). We must be able to rise above those things and in time and over time as our faith builds, we’ll see them begin to shrink in size. Remember the movie, "honey, I shrank the kids?" We need to be able to stand up and say, “devil, Jesus shrank the problem!”

We can embrace the moments of our lives by continuing to focus on the eternal things. We won’t be able to avoid the sufferings that come along with this journey and we won’t be able to prevent the fiery darts that the enemy is constantly throwing at us but we do have control over how we view them and how we handle them as we take up the shield of faith, which helps us to quench (put out) those darts. If we focus in on the true facts and not the FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) and remember that God is in control of all things and that He loves and cares for us. He also knows that in our sufferings, it’s for our good, our growth, and His glory. Paul tells us in Romans, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed unto us.”

Welcome and take advantage of the moments that are given to us for our good, embracing them, for they are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. With this thought, we can endure as a good solider of Jesus Christ, no man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Therefore, endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. For if we suffer, we shall also reign with him (2 Tim2)!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39

I had the opportunity to "hear" this phrase, “disturbers of our harmony” in a different light and it began immediately resonating within my spirit. Being the history enthusiast that I am, I had to do some research on it for my own peace of mind. The quote was originally written by Thomas Jefferson in his unedited autobiography regarding his vision of independence and before the Declaration of Independence was signed into legislature. He spoke of and described the English (Britain) as wanting to restrict the well being of the colonies and limit its economic and political growth. He talked about the stages of oppression they were imposing on the people. He saw the country being threatened by their potential of restricting how and with whom the colonies were to trade as well as a list of other strongholds. Yet, Jefferson’s declaration was one that stood firmly on the reliance of the protection of divine providence of our country for the sake of the lives of the people, our fortunes, and our honor.

The more I read and thought, the more relevant it sounded to our spiritual lives as well. I begin to think on what some of the "disturbers" of our harmony were and how we allow the smallest of things to interrupt, distract, upset, trouble, detach, or rouse our harmony in Christ. Nothing should cause us to detach ourselves from the protection and love, that is God. Restrictions, were made to keep the people within fixed limitations for control and Jefferson wanted to identify these things in regards to Britain. Each of which he said were disturbers of our harmony and proceeded to cut the ties that bound them and caused unnecessary suffering from their abuse. How apropos for us today, because we also need to identify the disturbers of our harmony, the spoilers of our peace and quiet; those things that would bother us and cause us discord and distress; those things or people that try and keep us from attempting to do God's will. We must begin to cut those ties that keep us bound and disrupt our lives unnecessarily, the scripture says from such turn away (I Tim 6: 2-6).

If we are eager to restore peace and harmony to our lives then we must stand on the scriptures, stand on the promises of God. It is there, where we will find peace for our weary, worn, and tired souls. He is our very present help during these times of needed strength, times of needed patience to endure. Nothing should be able to come between our soul and glory. If we are secure in Christ, nothing can take us from or separate us from Him. Paul is telling the Romans this very thing, that he was persuaded that none of the things he listed could separate him from the love of God. We have an absolute assurance, a full assurance in Him, and in eternal life, no matter how things appear or seem to try and disturb us. We must know beyond a shadow of a doubt, not death, not life can isolate us from His love, not things happening presently and not even things that have yet to come can separate us; not even the highest or lowest points of life; nor the intensity or complexity of a thing can disconnect us from that love. Nothing and no one can at any time deter, discourage, or dissuade us from God’s love, of course, we can choose to do that, separate ourselves from His love. However, it would only be one-sided because He will still be loving you and waiting for your return to Him. The scripture also said He would never leave us nor forsake us, so we need not fear what man will do unto us (Hebrew 13:5-8). Yes, things will come to rock us, throw us off balance, knock us down but we can get up, dust off, and get back into the swing of things! The enemy will always count you out, but God is counting on you to get back in.

It is wonderful to know that we can live a balanced and victorious life under His grace and through the power of the Spirit of God. Yes, there will be many disturbers of our harmony as we continue on this journey, yet, we must remain focused on that which concerns the faith, continuing on because we are more than conquerors through Him who first loved us and continues to love us. Honestly, if God be for us, who can be against us? That alone is enough to keep my mind in perfect peace and harmony!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; Psalm 96:3-4

I remember a Christian advocate years ago whose sole purpose and slogan was simply, a call to action. He fought hard for many issues and on behalf of the rights of the people. There is a saying, "if we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything." It's time to stand. In the day and times that we live in, it would behoove us to be about our Father’s business with much fervency and diligence; not to sit and be silent, as citizens of the Kingdom, it’s time for our voice to be heard among the people. There is a need to stand and declare God’s glory among the nations; a need for movement in the pews, as well as in our pulpits. No more church as usual, it's time for a call to action for the true and living God.

David, in this psalm, tells us that there are people who don’t know God or acknowledge Him; they don’t know His person, His attributes or His character or Him in all of His fullness. Some might just know of Him and not understand there must be a relationship, which has nothing to do with religion or denominations, even though He is the foundation and the source of all religions. Perhaps, they don’t know the Bible or this way of life. How will they know unless we tell them. The precentage of souls that need reaching are not coming within the walls of the church to hear. So we have to go out to declare His glory and His goodness, His mercy and his love. Compel them, compel them, compel them to come where the table is spread and there is a feast going on. You don't want to miss it!

It should be our pleasure, our honor, our joy to go and tell of His goodness to everyone, everywhere we go. There is a song that says, “you ought to run and tell that.” We ought to be running to tell it; screaming from the mountaintops about how great the Lord is and how great He is to be praised. How He is to be reverenced and worshiped above all. There is always someone who needs to hear of His marvelous works. I love to talk about the wondrous and miraculous things the Lord has done for me and I so love to tell of His glory.

Let's make a call to action today: to declare His glory and His marvelous works among the people! Let a world in search and in need of hope know about the true and living God, who loves, and cares for their soul and unlike man, He is able to do anything but fail!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde

And who is he that will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: I Peter 3:13-15

I am often amazed, well baffled would be a better word, at the way things transpire sometimes. Yes, honestly, it catches me and momentarily disconcerts me, even though I know I shouldn’t be surprised according to the Word of God. Last week, according to the natural eye, appeared tragic and disastrous, and they were traveling fast on two wheels. Flying through stealing money, disrupting the means in which I communicate God’s word, running rampant through my house, along with sickness in my body. Yes, it laid me down to rest for days as if it was on a serious mission to steal, and to kill, and to destroy... OH BUT GOD!

Apparently, it was set out to stop, hinder, prevent progress, and interfere, however, it prevented nothing, yet it provoked more prayer. My hands may not have been able to go up in praise and my feet weren’t able to do a little dance, but my soul praised Him and all the while, still happy and joyful. Needless to say, the Lord is interested in our heart, our conduct, and our words even during our suffering. Jubilant is described as one expressing great delight over a success, achievement or victory; triumphantly joyful. Despite and through it all, I still had joy!

Peter is reminding and encouraging the believers to have a divine perspective on their trials, persecutions, and the struggles because these can cause them to either grow or become bitter as they live for Christ. However, their character, as well as their conduct must be above criticism. They cannot let their lives be ill spoken of. He tells them they should be able to endure all without wavering in their faith and they should not be surprised, but rather count it a privilege. All hardships can be used for testimony (spoken or unspoken), if we sanctify our hearts unto the Lord, so that He gets the glory. Our lives should be a living testimony, epistles, read of men.

With all that happened last week (and I thank God for the Jesus in me), it could have gone differently had I allowed Cynde, pre-Jesus, to handle matters. Yet, the Christ in me knows that I must live the life I talk about. Handling things the ways I know Jesus would and knowing that He is counting on me to do the same. We have a hope in Jesus, a living hope. Yes, we are going to meet opposition along the way and we will encounter those who say they are saved, as well as say they are Christians, but you will be able to discern them by the fruit their bear. They may also think they are fooling man, but you can’t fool God, He sees all. I always want to be found handling myself lovingly with gratefulness, and thankfulness, in order for others to see and hear that through it all, Cynde has hope in the God she serves. It is important to me that He sees it in us and that it’s genuine and not just for show. It's time to stop faking and shaking it because that won't last. I don’t have time to spend playing church, whether I’m home alone, at the physical church, in the market, at the bank or wherever, I’m me in Christ always, it's my lifestyle. My conduct, my life, and my conscience (behavioral sense according to what is right and wrong) is that of such that you won’t be able to speak evil of it (verse 16).

Let’s be mindful of our conduct, our attitudes, and our conversations as we face whatever comes our way; no matter how many time we get knocked down, misused, abused or mistreated (Jesus endured, didn’t He?); don't allow it to cause a stunt in our growth or cause us to become bitter as we live for Christ. It might not be easy, but do you want easy or do you want “well done, my good and faithful servant?“ Verse 12 says, “for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers.” That is enough for me! Let’s remind ourselves to be joyful regardless. Happy is he whose hope is in the Lord (Psalm 146:5). So, we can “count it all joy” as James would tell us!

Until the morning, be blessed,
Cynde