"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love," 1 John 4:18. This country is allowing fear to dictate policies that are inhumane. I understand the need to protect our country. I encourage it, but this is not protection. We are keeping people out of this country that are going through some ungodly experiences. Yes, there are some people that want to hurt us. Again, I understand this, The majority of immigrants are not desiring to harm us, but want a chance at a normal life. Muslims are not bad people. My experiences with Muslim Americans have been pleasant. The woman that took my blood was the sweetest person that I have ever met. She was just like me. The only thing that differentiated us was our religion & skin color. I work with a Muslim American. Again, no problems. How can we justify this act? If we have Jesus, we have no fear. We have no paranoia. 2 Timothy 1:7 states "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Let us not allow fear to consume us, but let Jesus overwhelm us w/ love & peace. Be loving & peaceful to others. Show compassion! Allow the Lord to do His thing! God Bless!

#lightthelamp

Light The Lamp

     President Trump’s victory does not give anyone the mandate to mistreat others. Recently, I have had my intelligence questioned, & have been called sweetheart. Let’s get this straight: I’m NOT your sweetheart! Insulting others is no way to get what you want. I treat people w/ respect; I expect the same in return. You may throw shade, but I light the lamp (Matthew 5:15-16)! I will not repay you w/ vile, demeaning insults but w/ love & compassion. Then, I’ll lift you up in prayer. To paraphrase the former First Lady, Michelle Obama, when you go low, I’ll go high. To my fellow sisters, let’s lift each other up. No more tearing each other down. To the men, love women as Christ loves the church. With that said, pray for this President & for him to be successful. We’re in this all together. Having said that, I will not be your Jack to your Rose…That is all. #Godbless #love #politelydisagree #lightthelamp

Dear Atheists

Dear atheists,

Your lack of belief is your problem & when you die, it will be permanently your problem. As a Christian, I pray that is not the case for you because I love you & Jesus loves you. I pray that you find your way to the Way, the Truth, & the Life. In the mean time, please stop hurting people that are already hurting. If you don't like the material that is handed to you, politely discard & keep on moving. Your constant complaining is really, not to be mean, but senseless nagging. You want to remove statues & Nativity scenes when you can simply look the other way. You want to remove crosses when it honors our fallen, when you can simply look the other way. It does not impact you. Now, you complain about a comfort leaflet. Really? Now, others won't get that comfort. They will get some material that probably won't be as comforting. It's time for you to shake the devil off & grow up. Think about others-not yourselves. God Bless!

Election Day

     Thank the Good Lord that election day is almost here. The nastiness & viciousness of this election have left a bitter taste in my mouth. This has been a worldwide embarrassment. We have sunk so low as a nation, it will be hard for us to climb out of it. Of course, if we have the Lord Jesus Christ, He will get us out of it. Having said that, it requires that we go back to the Lord. 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV states, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." We have to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, & turn from our wicked ways. We as a nation have to admit that we need help, & stop allowing sin to pollute our nation. My hope is not in any man; it's in the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this nation will turn back. I pray that my brothers & sisters in Christ will draw closer to Jesus. I pray that I draw closer to Jesus & that I, too, get back on track.

     Praying for this Nation.

Beauty

     I have been struggling w/ my body image for awhile. It seems to have increased w/ the weight loss. The Word of God let's me know that I'm fearfully & wonderfully made. "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well," Psalm 139:14 KJV. I love this scripture, but I still struggle. My body seems to be blah. I'm disgusted w/ the shape of it . I try to tell myself that it will be better when I get the skin removal surgery.  Yet, I can't help but feel that I will be disappointed no matter what.
     No matter what, societal pressures do not help. I try to ignore what society values. However, I look around & see all these skinny, beautiful blondes. Even though I'm a size 12 & no longer 380lbs, I still fill fat. Beauty is dictated by society, but also by ourselves. The truth is that I have to accept my body & my image. If I was supposed to be something else, God would have made me something else. Prayerfully, this self loathing will go away.

Prayers for a Sister.

Restraint is a Blessing

     I have to say that I believe that the ability to restrain oneself is a blessing from the good Lord. Let's think about it; restraining yourself means you're not allowing yourself to do something that could be destructive: emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or physically. One of the fruits of the Spirit is Temperance, which is self control (Galatians 5:22-23). Clearly, God would have us to restrain ourselves. After all, He has restrained Himself.
     God has given us mercy, grace, & compassion. By this, we are allowed to see another day. We're allowed another chance. God could destroy us, but He hasn't. I have lacked temperance in my food, causing me to become overweight. Praise be to God for the surgery & help losing weight, but I have found myself slowly losing control. I have also lost temperance in my anger, allowing myself to cuss. I'm hurting myself physically & spiritually. As I'm blogging, I'm ignoring my stomach telling me to stop.
     Restraint is much needed in our lives. God has it. Don't we want what He has? Don't we want paradise? Don't we want an eternal home with Him?

Restraint in Actions-not Just words!
Mary

Lacking

     It's been awhile since I've blogged. Reasons: laziness, sin, & barely clinging to my Savior. I haven't abandoned Him, but I haven't been pleasing Him either. I pray to get back on track and not just cling, but firmly grasp Him. He is my Lord; He is my Savior. He is my All in All, and yet, I have fallen away from Him. What is wrong w/ me? Simply put: the Bible a day, keeps Satan away. If I'm not reading His Word, I gave no sword, I have no armor. I'm weak. I have nothing protecting me. That's what I have allowed to happen. Pray that I get back on track my Brothers & Sistersn in Christ.

With Love,
Mary