community

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47 NIV)

My brothers and sisters, this should not be

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3:9, 10 NIV)

{He calls - we answer}

"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish."

"Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again." And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me--I'm too much of a sinner to be around you." For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, "Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!" And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus." Luke 5:4-11

Jesus blessed abundantly more than they were able to do in their own strength or power. He then comforted them before explaining their new job description. They would be fishers of men.

& with those words they left everything & followed Jesus, without question.

If you're afraid to follow Jesus into the life that He has for you, He's saying, "Don't be afraid!" He will never leave you, He will never forsake you.

he word of the Lord endures forever

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:24, 25 NIV)

The Word stands forever. 

{Work for The Lord}

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23, 24 NIV)

WHATEVER you do!

Something to think about...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

Do not give up!

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9 NIV)

DO NOT GIVE UP! 

{with all your heart}

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

God listens. When you come & pray, He listens. When we seek Him, we find Him. Seek Him with your whole heart. 

<3

None of my Business

What other people think of me is none of my business. -Eleanor Roosevelt

I stumbled upon this quote today while reading Brandi Wilson's blog, "none of my beeswax..." and I absolutely love it. The more I thought on it, certain scriptures came to my mind. 

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." Proverbs 25:29 NIV

"The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in GOD protects you from that." Proverbs 25:29 MSG

When we consume ourselves with the opinions others have of us, it can pull us down or put us on an emotional rollercoaster. For example: when the people around us have positive oppinions, we are up; when people have negative opinions or negative words to speak about us we are down.

I want to encourage those of you that are reading this to focus on the Lord and what He has to say about you. The Lord knows you and the desires that He has placed within you. There are going to be encouraging people that God places in our lives and there will inevitably be those that are out to hurt. Remember -- hurting people, hurt people. The Lord wants to speak life into you today - get in His Word and let Him.

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Lord, save me!

 I was reading Matthew 14 this morning and I was reminded of a few things...

1. Jesus had alone time.  "When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place."                                                                                                                   
2. Jesus was moved by compassion to do His God given purpose. "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick."
3. Jesus was a great leader who had vision, could delegate tasks while never forgetting the main task at hand. "Jesus replied, 'They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat...Bring them here to me,' He said. And He directed the people...He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people...Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd"
4. Jesus had alone time."He went  up on a mountainside by himself to pray."      

Ephesians 5:1-2 tells us to "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Not only are we to live a life of love, but I believe there are other things that we are to imitate. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit teaches us in all things, but I am also thankful that we have The Word that gives us encounters with Jesus to know what exactly we are to be imitating. Jesus says in John 14:12-14 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." {Does that get you pumped up!?}

As I read Matthew 14 I was reminded that Jesus had times of being alone, on purpose. In verse 13 when Jesus had just found out that John the Baptist had been beheaded. He heard the news and went to a solitary place. He needed some time alone. There are times that we are to have some time alone - time to pray - time to disconnect from the world and reconnect to our Heavenly Father- and having those times of solitude are okay & encouraged! Jesus had time alone, so that gives us permission to withdraw at times to receive life from our source of life, God.  He had time alone, but He didn't stay there forever. He saw the crowd and was moved by compassion and healed their sick. Even though Jesus was probably hurting because He just found out His friend had passed away, He was still moved by the people that were around Him to do what God had commissioned Him to do. 

What comes next is probably one of my favorite passages. After Jesus had some more alone time on a mountainside, He went to meet up with His disciples. How did Jesus get to His disciples? He walked on the water, of course! His disciples were terrified because they thought He was a ghost. Jesus comforted them immediately,"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." How beautiful is that? Jesus doesn't condemn them for being afraid, but He encouraged and comforted them. I love that!

 "Lord, if it's you tell me to come to you on the water." - Peter

So Jesus says, "come."

Peter did something filled with faith, He walked out into the unknown (because I am sure he has never walked on water before) towards Jesus. As he walked on the water, he saw wind, fear struck,  and he began to sink. He cried out, "Lord, save me!' 

Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught Him. "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 

They got into the boat and then the wind died down.

A few things -

Peter did step into the unknown, he was walking in faith towards Jesus, but even though He knew Jesus was right there...he got scared.

Doesn't that happen still today? Many of us are walking in faith, but there are still times that we get scared. We know that Jesus is right here with us, but at times life grabs us & we get scared. I love the fact that Jesus immediately grabbed Peter and held him even though the storm hadn't even passed over yet. It says the wind died down once they were in the boat. If you are going through something right now and you are screaming out, "Lord, save me!" Please know, that even though that particular storm of life may still be happening...He is holding you.  He promises to never leave us and never to forsake us. {thank You, Jesus}

Dear Lord,

I thank You that You hold us in the storms of life and in the good times. I thank You for your patience and steadfast pursuit of us. I thank You for teaching us and guiding us. I am so in love with You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Words of encouragement from Jesus: 

"Take courage! it is I. Don't be afraid."

today & forever

I like to imagine many times that God is my Daddy wrapping me in His arms with all comfort. He is my constant throughout life. My hiding place when the world is too much.

He is my everything.

Over the past year I have been the furthest away from my hometown that I have ever been. God is doing great things that John and I are so excited to be part of, but it's not always easy being far away from family & friends. God knows what is best for us, but missing birthdays, some holidays, or the fact that once in town it is physically impossible to see everyone that we would so love to see is...tough. We are thankful for technology, but let's be honest, nothing compares to actually being in the presence of those people we so dearly love.

Last night, I was worshipping God at our Downpour service when I was so wrapped up in my "Daddy's" presence. You know, it got me thinking. How many times do I grab my Bible in haste to check it off my daily to-do list instead of savoring moments in His Presence. The truth is, we all have the opportunity to walk in His presence daily without taking it for granted. Just like there have been many times before moving away that John and I took for granted the availability of seeing our closest friends and family -- we so often take for granted the availability of God's presence.

His Presence is so sweet --nothing can take His place.

I planned on blogging what I got out of Proverbs 16 today, but as I began to type...this is what came out. Maybe some of you need to be reminded that whether you are in a mountaintop season or a valley season --His presence is still sweet and available to you.

He is good, regardless of our circumstances.

He is unchanging in an ever changing world. 

My prayer is to be more aware of His presence.

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are good. You are more than good. You are my everything and I pray I would walk throughout my today and forever always aware of You and Your goodness.

In Jesus Name

Amen

"learn from Me"

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light"

Matthew 11:28-30

NIV

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn from unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly"

Matthew 11:28-30

The Message

How better to learn from HIM than to get in His Word? 

He is a great teacher...the best. 

The Holy Spirit leads & guides in all truth. 

Get in His Word today and learn how to walk in this peaceful rest He talks about. 

Pray for Him to lead and guide you to this rest He is talking about - He will guide you.

{You know me}

O LORD, you have searched me 

&

You know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise; 

You perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down; 

You are familiar with ALL my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

You know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in -- behind & before;

You have laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, 

Too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Where can I flee from Your Presence?

If I go to the heavens, You are there;

If I make my bed in the depths, You are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 

If I settle on the far side of the sea, 

Even there your hand will guide me, 

Your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

& the light become night around me,"

Even darkness will not be dark to you; 

The night will shine like the day, 

For darkness is light to you.

For You created my inmost being; 

You knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise You because I am fearfully & wonderfully made;

Your works are wonderful,

I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from You

When I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

Your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me 

Were written in Your book

Before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are Your thoughts,

O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

They would outnumber the grains of sand. 

When I awake,

I am still with You.

If only You would slay the wicked, O God!

Away from me, You bloodthirsty men!

They speak of You with evil intent;

Your adversaries misuse Your Name.

Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD,

& abhor those who rise up against You?

I have nothing but hatred for them 

I count them my enemies.

Search me, O GOD, and know my heart;

Test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, 

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139

This psalm is one of my favorite chapters in The Word.  God knows you. He has memorized you. He knows me. He knows every thought, even the ones I am not proud of. He knows the dreams and desires that are in our hearts. Why? He made us. His hand is upon me, His hand is upon you. How comforting is that?! The promises in Psalm 139 fill me with so much peace. I am so thankful that God knows every detail of my life and that He leads me in the way everlasting. He knew me when I was in my mother's womb, He knew me in my days of rebellion against Him and His Truth, He knew me in my days of college and during the start of my teaching career in Florida and He knows me now in my days of marriage & ministry. I am still HIS, no matter the season of life -- and that brings me more comfort than I could put words on. Before being anything else in this life I am His. Before anyone puts a label of what "I am" in this life I know that I can turn to the Great I AM and rest in simply being His. 

Oh Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You so much for this day. I thank You for who You are. Lord, I thank You for knowing me. I thank You Lord for knowing whoever is reading this. I thank You Lord that You are an all knowing God & You still want us. You still love us no matter where we have been or what we have done. I thank You for Your guidance & provision. I thank You because You are good and worthy to be praised for all of my days. I praise You Father because you are great. 

I love You with all that is within.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Rejoice & Be Glad

Blessed are the poor in spirit {realize their need for God}, for theirs is

the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is

the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you 

Because of Me.

Rejoice & Be Glad

because great is your reward in heaven, 

for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Matthew 5:3-12

[acts 5:41]

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, 

rejoicing 

because they had been counted worthy 

of suffering disgrace 

for the Name." 

{Acts 5:41 NIV}

Read Acts 5:17-42

The apostles [apostles are those sent by someone else to be a messenger] were going out in Jesus' Name performing many miracles and sharing the 'full message of new life.' It says in The Word that the high priest & his associates were filled with jealousy and put them in the public jail. However, during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors to the jail, brought them out and told them to, "Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life." People have been trying to stop the full message of The Gospel since the beginning, but it continues to spread. The apostles obeyed the angel of the Lord and went into the temple courts and taught the people. Later the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin [the supreme Jewish court] to be questioned. They reminded the apostles that they had been given strict orders to NOT teach in Jesus' name. Peter and the other apostles told them, "we MUST obey God rather than men! (these apostles were messengers sent on a mission by God, not by men) The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead -- whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given those who obey Him." 

They wanted to kill the apostles after hearing this truth.

But Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, advised them to "Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, IT WILL FAIL. BUT if it is from GOD, you will NOT be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves FIGHTING AGAINST GOD." 

He persuaded them to let the apostles go after they had flogged [punishment by repeated lashes or blows of a whip or rod]. They ordered them again to not speak in the name of Jesus. 

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, 

rejoicing 

because they had been counted worthy 

of suffering disgrace 

for the Name." 

{Acts 5:41 NIV}

It then says that day after day they were in the temple courts and went house to house teaching and proclaiming the good news that JESUS IS THE CHRIST.

WOW. There is so much to take away from these Holy Scriptures.

1. God's purposes will never fail.

2. The apostles rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer disgrace for His Namesake -- if we are ever disgraced publicly because of representing Jesus' Name, it is an honor. God counts us worthy to carry His Son's Name.

3. We are always to obey God before men.

4. We are messengers sent by God on PURPOSE.

5. Jesus Christ is GOOD NEWS!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You so much for Your Word and Your promises. Thank You Lord that you trust us with Your Word to go out and be messengers for Your purposes and for Your namesake. 
I love You.

In Jesus Name

Amen

[irrevocable]

Every detail of your life is ordained by God. 

This morning I was listening to a podcast from women leaders across the nation. One of the speakers mentioned her life verse, Ephesians 4:1.

{Ephesians 4:1}

4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

She mentioned that in it's original language the word, "called," actually means, "invited."

God invites us to our roles/calling. 

It is God who invites us! 

God doesn't make a mistake with His invitation. 

He knows what He is doing. 

Walk out your calling!

We cannot control what the people around us say or do, but we can control what WE do. Don't let others rob your joy, peace or the calling God has given YOU! 

With all of this being said I am reminded of a verse in Romans 11.

^{{Romans 11:29}}

²⁹ For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Irrevocable means not able to be changed, reversed, or recovered; final. 

xoxo

{shauna nicole}

My Heavenly Father,

I thank You for each person that read this post. I pray Lord that You would stir up the God given passions and desires within them and that they would change the world around them for YOUR glory! 

In Jesus' Name

Amen

I was dead, now I am alive! I was lost but now I am found!

Every time we let Nole (our Toy Fox Terrier) out, Stitch (our cat), thinks he needs to walk outside with him. This morning Stitch in his usual fashion walked out with Nole, but he came in before our pup. I turned my back to do something in the house for just a minute and when I returned to check on Nole, he was no where to be found. I called Nole's name and there was no Nole. I was in PJ's, barefoot walking all around our yard and the neighbor yards searching all over for Nole ...and still, there was no Nole.

I began to think crazy thoughts, "what if a huge bird swooped down and got him?!" I kept searching for him, determined to find him. I was in our backyard when some movement caught my eye. I saw Nole. He was behind a fence looking at me. I ran over to him, pulled him under the fence and held him in my arms. I didn't care that he had muddy little paws, I was thankful he was okay and that I had found him.

Now, as I am blogging with Nole in my lap,  the story of the prodigal {a person who leaves home and behaves in such a way, but later makes a repentant return} son comes to my mind.

If you have never read this story in the bible it is found in Luke 15. I'll recap-

The tax collectors and sinners were listening to Jesus speak, which led to some complaints from the Pharisees {a member of an ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity} and scribes.

"This Man receives sinners AND eats with them."

SO...Jesus told them some parables {stories}.

{side note} [these parables are some of my favorites because I feel like I can relate to the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son]

Jesus tells a story about the lost sheep.

Luke 15:4-7

⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

He then tells the story about the lost coin.

Luke 15:8-10

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’¹⁰ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Finally, He tells the story about the lost son.

Luke 15:11-32

¹¹ To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. ¹⁴ About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.^[b]’
²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on.²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Okay, so maybe that wasn't a recap...that was basically the entire chapter, but it is so good! 

I am so thankful that I serve a God that is willing to come into our mess and pull us out to rescue us. Just like I wasn't afraid to pull Nole out from under that fence with mud all over his paws, Jesus doesn't mind finding us a little dirty. I ran from God for YEARS but when I came back to him he picked me up right where I was and turned my mess into His message of grace and compassion. I am so thankful that I serve a God that loves me no matter where I may be in life, but he loves me so much that He doesn't want me to stay there. God wants us to continue to run the race set before us.

Hebrews 12:1
[ God’s Discipline Proves His Love ] 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 

God gives us free will.  Just like the prodigal son chose to squander away everything he owned, we can choose to do the same; but, that's not what He wants for us. He doesn't wish for anyone to perish.

2 Peter 3:9

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

If you feel you are too far gone for God to save you, you're wrong. 

Repent{realize your need to turn from the direction you've been going, ask God for forgiveness and receive}. 

God is waiting to give you your own, 

"I was dead, now I am alive! I was lost but now I am found!" story...receive it.

Dear Heavenly Father, 

I thank You for this day. I thank You for Your goodness. I praise You for coming after me when I thought I least deserved to be sought after. I love You Father and thank You that what You do for one man You will do for the next, because you are no respecter of person. Lord, I pray many would come running to You just as the son did in the story You told so many years ago. 

We thank You for Your grace.

I love You. 

In Jesus' Name

Amen

Who do you say that I am?

Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, 

Who do  people say that  the Son of Man is?

And they answered, 

Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

He said to them, 

But who do you {yourselves} say that I am?

Simon Peter replied, 

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Then Jesus answered him,

Blessed {happy, fortunate, and to be envied} are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood {men} have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter {Greek, Petros --a large piece of rock}, and on this rock {Greek, petra -- a huge rock like Gibraltar} I will build My church, and the gates of Hades {the powers of the infernal region} shall not overpower it {or be strong to its detriments or hold out against it}. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind {declare to be improper and unlawful} on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose  {declare lawful} on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.

Jesus already knew who He was. He was secure in His identity even when those around Him had no idea who He really was. Peter had a revelation of who Jesus was. Peter recognized Him as "the Christ, the Son of the living God." After Peter declared who Jesus was, Jesus gave Peter a new name, new identity, & new purpose. 

In a similar manner when we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that He rose from the grave on the third day (Romans 10:9-10) --we also are given a new identity. 

God uses US.

God gives us a NEW name whenever we are saved.

As His children we have purpose.

Our purpose now? 

To advance HIS Kingdom as His sons & daughters by loving Him outrageously and loving others with all that's within us.

But.

There is an enemy that would love to distract you from your new identity and purpose in Christ. He would love to tear you down, make you question who you are and especially make you question the purposes and plans that He has for you. 

Don't let him.

People doubt. People say mean things. People hurt.

But. 

Let's follow Jesus' example --when people questioned who he was and oftentimes mislabeled Him--He continued to walk in all the authority that God, His Father, had given Him to accomplish all that was in front of Him every single day.

People won't always recognize the potential in you, but that's OKAY because God, the one that put those purposes in your heart, is the one that can make them come into fruition.

Be steadfast. Be consistent. Be faithful.

God is for you!

You are hidden in Christ. 

Keep the faith.

"..being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completionuntil the day of Christ Jesus."

Amen!

{Shauna Nicole}

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray right now in the name of Jesus over every person that comes across this post. Lord, may the desires and purposes that you have placed within them COME TO LIFE. I pray against the enemy and all of his tactics and schemes. I pray their identity would be found in You and that they would hold tight to that identity and NOT the lies that may have been spoken over them. 

Lead and guide them in Your truth Lord. 

I love you. 

In Jesus' Name, AMEN!

finding beauty in the storm

I was born and raised in Florida.

Summertime in Florida is wonderful, but also full of thunderstorms.

This past weekend John and I made a trip from Florida to Louisiana. While we were driving it was mostly cloudy with a chance of rain, but after hours of cloudy skies, the sun came out. 

I can't even put into words how beautiful the sky was.

The sun came out from behind the clouds majestically.  

John and I took it in for ourselves and didn't even post it to our social networks (gasp!).

Ever since that drive home God has been stirring a word within me. 

All of us go through various storms of life. Our storms aren't identical, but we all have them.

Some are public storms while others are private that are only between us and God. 

Whatever the type of storm, there is still beauty in the storm, {Jesus}. 

God is shown even more magnificent in the hard times.

Sometimes life leaves us wounded, unable to see God in the situation, or leaving us so hurt/weak that we don't even WANT to see God in the situation.

But, God...

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 

Psalm 34:18

He is with us through it all. 

He never leaves us, He never forsakes us. He is with us in the good times and the bad times.

He is our faithful Friend, Comforter, Father and Savior. 

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

Hebrews 13:5

To forsake means to abandon. God NEVER abandons His children.

Although the clouds and storms of life try to block our view of the glorious "Son," it doesn't mean that He isn't still there. 

When we take our eyes off of our own personal storm and look past the clouds we see Him there. 

We see how beautiful and faithful He really is  in every and any situation. 

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You for the storms of life. I thank You that in them we experience you in a way that wouldn't be possible without them. I love you with every bit of who I am.

In Jesus' Name

Amen