"Let Your Light Shine"

Joshua 1: 5 " No one will be able to stand against you  all the days of your life . As I was with  Moses , so I will be with you ; I will never leave you nor forsake  you ". (NIV) We've all had those days where it feels like it's just one thing after another, after another, until it becomes an  overwhelming and  frustrating cycle, that doesn't seem to end. It may feel like everything is against you. Picture this, you've just finished work/school/college, you get caught up in heavy wind and rain, you have no umbrella, plastic bag, newspaper or hoodie, and you have to walk a long distance to your home because the bus has broken down. You may have been splashed multiple times by  passing  cars/lorries/buses etc... And before you reach your home you realise that you have left your keys inside your house. There is nobody home, neither are your neighbours. Whilst you were on your way home your phone battery dies, so you have no means of contacting anyone or seeki

" Do not love this world nor the things it offers you , for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you .   For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.   And this world is fading away , along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live foreve r". (1 John 2: 15-17 NLT). There is a lot to be said on the topic of the world and its desires, such as materialism, looking/feeling good, being pressured into things, accepting things which are wrong, being lead astray from good. These are merely a few things which do not, not even in the slightest, last forever! This is why it is significant to ask yourself every now and again, 'what in my life is temporary and what will last forever?' It is a necessity in this world to evaluate your values because without a fixe

" Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus".                   ( Philippians 4:6-7) (NLT). Always thank God in advance and also in all circumstances, situations, and t rials; regardless of what you are going through. Why? Because God is a faithful and awesome  God. He urges you to 'Pray about everything and thank Him for all he has done'. When you thank God, be specific in what you are being thankful for. Why? Because God wants to hear from you. He wants to hear what you're thankful for and also what you are grateful for. He wants you to list the things you are thankful for, from things such as breathing, walking and talking, to depression, surgery, and food on the table.   Whatever you are grateful for, whatever God has done for you,

Do you experience pressure from friends, from family, or work which disturbs your peace of mind? Have you felt that there simply isn't enough time in the day to do all that you would like to do? Do you feel like you simply can't manage/balance your time because of so and so? Many people do find it difficult to do this. This is completely normal because we do live in a hectic world. Countless people seek complete serenity and balance in their lives. Some struggle because they are trying to find the balance, peace of mind, on their own, but it is merely impossible to go through life trying to solve your own issues and situations. It is accepting to seek help. Help from God! With God The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit you are never alone. When the feeling of overwhelmedness exhausts you, you need to begin looking at your relationship with God and also your faith. Do Not allow your Faith to become less because of your temporary feeling or situation! Instead, let your Fa

Yes, there is a need to avoid Bad Company. 1 Corinthians 15: 33 says this " Do not be misled:  “Bad company corrupts good character.” (NIV). Do your friends corrupt your morals? Do you allow your friends to corrupt your morals?  It is important to choose wisely who you allow to influence you. We are humans and are easily corrupted by the company we keep. We need to prevent others bad influences from causing us to become a bad influence on ourselves and others.  Friends can either help us or harm us. Only You can choose the company you keep! God made the statement in His Word, the Bible, which proclaims " Do not be misled:  “Bad company corrupts good character.”  (NIV). This statement reminds us that we are a building board for Jesus and we must not Waiver and stumble off the path that God has set for us. Bad company can have a great influence on our walk with God. It can trick us into thinking that we can keep the wrong type of company and continue on living and w

When giving to others; whether it is your money, time or things which have sentimental value to you, how do you give this to others?  How do you feel towards giving and how do you feel when you give willingly? Remember this: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:  ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’  ” (Acts 20:35) (NIV). Is it in your heart to give willingly? God Gives! So we must be Givers . Psalms 32:21 says "... the righteous give generously". (NIV). When we give, our giving must stem from God's unfailing Love. The most well-known passage reads, For God so loved  the world that he gave  his one and only Son..." (John 3: 16) (NIV). God sent to earth his 'One and Only Son'! This passage holds such an importance about how God Gave! God is generous and He wants us to learn to be generous and Give, to be more like Him. Giving requires having F

In life, we must be more  Grateful and Thankful than anything else. This is because everything that is given to us is a Gift and a Blessing from God. Every breath we take is a gift given from God and we would not be able to take our next breath if God didn't give it to us. Ecclesiastes (6: 9) states, " Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind". (NLT) Do you compare what you have to what other's have? Why? What causes the feeling of envy? Do you find yourself competing with others and what they have? Why? For instance, do you say to yourself 'I want that handbag, it looks good on her. I want one for myself'. Or 'Why does she have a boyfriend/fiance/husband and I don't'. Or 'Why am I going through what I'm going through. Why can't I have a life like hers/his?'. Why did she get a better grade and we completed the assignment together?'.

God's love is Deep, High, Wide and Long! It holds such greatness that it cannot be fully understood! Ephesians 3: 18-19 says, 18   " And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.   19  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God". (NLT) Think about the way you love others. Do you love some and not love others? Is your love selective? Is it wide? Does it stretch out to those you do not know? Do you love those who have done you wrong? Read  Matthew 5: 44   God's love is one that extends, stretches and spreads across the whole world. It includes everyone and everything that He created. God created the world; He made us in His own image (Genesis 1: 27) and He loves us. God's  love for you is unconditional! Whether you like it or not, or want to believe it

Can you get through life on your own? In the previous post I discussed that hard work leads to Success but success does not have to be reached alone. Having support from a team, whether that team is family and friends; it is enough to get you through to achieving your goals. You can achieve your goals by yourself, but it is inevitable that you will need help and support along the way. Fulfilling your dream does not have to be accomplished alone, let others help. There are many things in life that you won't be able to get through or change without help, support, and prayers from close and loved ones. God wants us to understand, to be more aware of loving others, letting people in, and accepting help and support from others. Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 says,  " Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better.   If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he’s in trouble ".  (LB) It's easy to read the Bib

What do you spend most of your time doing? What are you doing with your life currently? Do you talk about doing things but never do them? What's holding you back? How long are you going to keep talking about the things you want to do? When are you going to start doing and stop talking?  Proverbs 14: 23 says, " Work brings profit,  but mere talk leads to poverty!" (NLT).  When you know that you have a particular thing or things in mind that you are determined to achieve, how do you navigate your way to achieving those things? Are you Willing to work Hard? What motivates you to keep going; to work hard and work well? Ecclesiastes 9: 10 says, " Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength. For there is no work or planning or learning or wisdom in the place of the dead where you are going." (NLV). This passage reveals that in what you do, whether that is being a full-time mother, your job, or your responsibilities, do it with enthusiasm. It mean

Do you depend on what other people think to determine your values? “Stop determining your worth and value by what other people say. Be determined by what the Word of God (scriptures) says.” ― Joyce Meyer. She is 100% correct! What helps you to determine your values in life? Is it that you heavily depend on what other people think or what they say to determine your values and worth? There is a major problem if you do depend on what others think or say about you. In this day and age, many people are so consumed by other people's opinions about them, they become blinded and  become lost,  lose who they once were, and lose their values. By listening to other people's comments and what they think of you you begin to get lost in the midst of it all. For example, the world emphasises that beauty is highly significant over character, people become worried about how they look, what they wear, and  worry about if they are wearing the latest trend or the most expensive brand of shoes.

How do you handle Loss? The Bible says, 8 " O my people, trust in him at all times.    Pour out your heart to him,  for God is our refuge". (Psalm 62: 8) (NLT).  As we face inevitable losses in life, we need to remember that we have the ability to pick up and put ourselves back together, and begin to get on with our lives once again. When we experience loss we may get these feelings: fear, depression, worry, guilt and anger. If these emotions are ignored, it may take longer to recover and move on from your grief. This is why it is healthy and okay to experience all these emotions, some people experience these emotions at once, others may be staggered. Everyone goes through them, in relation to Loss, no matter what they may say. People who deal with grief and pretend that everything is okay and that life can be lived as normal, will ultimately struggle with the stress of many emotions. This struggle can last for months or years and y ears to come. Jesus said, 4 " Ble

Do you trust God when it comes to your finances? Who is your first port of call when faced with financial struggles? Philippians 4: 19 says " And my God will meet all your needs  according to the riches of his glory  in Christ Jesus."  (NIV). This passage in the Bible has such significant meaning! This passage says that "God will meet all your needs"; it doesn't say that He will meet parts of your needs or some of your needs or that He might meet your needs. It says "He will meet all your needs", every single need in life. God himself is declaring that "I will meet your needs". This includes issues within your home, friendships, car insurance payments, and the next mortgage payment. Another thing, this passage doesn't say that God will meet all your greeds and wants, there is a clear difference between what you want and what you need. God will not give the things you want, but the things He knows you need. This includes, good health,