About this time last year, I felt a sudden heat wave within me! I was reminded by someone close to me that she was about my age when my dad passed away from cancer! The sudden stillness filled me, as I noticed fear trying to sneak in my day! It made an attempt to steal, rob and destroy! My mind started to go from one place to the next! Before it took me, I found myself in prayer! How can this happen again after it has been so long? I lost to much time worrying about my life, and if I would be there for my kids! God knows the numbers of hair on our head and worrying about my life won’t give us more time! 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” The spirit of fear (timid) doesn’t come from God, it will lead us astray, and blind us if we choose to let it in! It will keep us away from what is true! Then we would be robbed of life that Jesus came to give us and have it to the full (abundantly)! Instead, fear would end up causing us to loose our lives while we lived! John 10:10 NIV, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” We would miss out on the blessings of the day, as we would be living our life like viewing it from a rear view mirror of a car moving forward! The good News is our solid foundation to stand on as we abide is in Jesus! We can choose to continue to trust God with All of our hearts when everything around us is uncertain! We know love come from God who loved us first! He was thinking of you and me, and knew us and loved us already, when He sent His one and only Son to save us from our sins! 1 Corinthians 13 shows us how to love! Love is patient, love is kind but the part I’ve been praying about is love always trusts! What does this mean, always trust? It’s hard to trust when you have been hurt and more! We need to look to what God says about trust because we can easily fall in the patterns of the world! Romans 12:2 NIV, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We are not to conform to the patterns or ways of the world including trust! The patterns of the world is shifting and sifting like sand! It even has a shape like solid Rock but actually it sandstone made of sand! When the storm comes, it will seem solid but soon it will crumble and crack! Hebrews 13:8 NIV, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God never changes and His love never changes! James 1:17-18 NIV, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” Love based on what the world says leads us astray and away from truth! The world’s ways in love is self centered and not dependable by constantly changing like shifting shadows! 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous , rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” We are not to conform to the patterns of the world! We are supposed to love God and love everyone as we love ourselves! Matthew 22:37-40 NIV “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” No one is perfect but we need to trust God who loves us all! Love is not from this world! Love came to this world to saves us, Jesus! Love is trusting God with all of your heart knowing God is there working in us and around us for good! It’s seeking Him during the storms and valley and His righteousness! Filling your mind with His living words! It’s depending on His understanding even when nothing makes since while you step out in faith! Its loving each other the way God love us by looking at who they are, the way God sees us and not the way the world does! Love is choosing to trust God when fear tries to strike you down! Instead, you pick up your cross and run your race in confidence, because you know even in the unknown in your situation, God is doing a good work in you and will finish what He has started! It’s trusting the people he brings in your life. We can’t do this journey alone, we need sisters and brothers in our life too!

We need to fan into flame, meaning we need to put into action by breathing in the breath of God who gave us His words (the Bible)! 1 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” The Bible is God breathed meant to give us life through His one and only Son Jesus! By fixing our eyes on Jesus who is the Author and perfecter of our faith, all day! As I choose to take the thought of my dad captive, the one that circled in my mind for so many years, I felt peace and comfort! I know I lost my dad when he was young, but I don’t have to live in fear of that! I chose to talk to God as I prayed through this struggle! We can take everything to God because He cares for us! It didn’t matter how many times we go to Him for the same thing, He forever cares for us! It surprised me that this tried to happen again after so long! But, just because the thought came in, it didn’t mean it consumed me! Instead, remember God gave us a spirit of self discipline, I chose to allow God to consume me with His peace as He gently reminded me of what is true, that worrying about my life won’t give me anymore time! (Luke 12:25-31 NIV) I was reminded about what, I chose, and will continue to choose to give God each day as His will for my life will be done in me! We don’t know how long we have to live! Each day is a gift from God! Everyday I struggling in pain due to my injury and the unknown with my mom! I’m hoping to get better soon and praying for my mom! However, as I sang out in prayer, God said to me in my heart! My grace is sufficient! 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” I’m praising God with all my heart! Words just don’t seem like enough for how thankful I am for His mercy and grace! While I am working? I find myself on my knees more often and in these moments I notice things people hide for me to clean! One time, I found a rolled up burrito with crushed chip stuffed in a corner! Another day, I found clear tape put on the edge of the counter! The one that took me off guard was the carefully placed nuts put neatly under the legs of the table and chairs with ear plugs stuffed in the cracks! Normally I would of swept like normal which is cleaning under the table and moving things, but these few examples are things that might of been missed unless I was at floor level! I never would of seen it, if I didn’t go down to that level! Spiritually, God is doing a good work in us and it take being on our knees, at floor level for God to reveal the unseen in us, as He weeds the garden of our hearts! God is the gardener pruning us so we can bear much fruit for His glory! (John 15) Isaiah 61:11 NIV, “For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” We need to be humble to receive and sometimes it’s in our pain that we can be open to hear God’s small still voice!

My life Is His as I will follow Jesus all the days of my life! I want to do what God wants for me, His purpose and will for my life as I continue to trust Him and hold onto hope with all my heart as I trust Him in everything! We can trust God who starts a good work in us will finish what He started! Philippians 1:6 NIV, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Even if fear creeps in, we can be confident that it did not come from God, we know God is right there and will lovingly hold us! He will not let you be snatched out of His hands! John 10:25-30NIV, “Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life,and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” We need to be reminded of this when struggles in life come, God will bring people in your life to encourage you to keep going! Fear has no power!