Your Loved Forever

YOU ARE ACCEPTED, NOT REJECTED.

- John 15:16

I want you to know that "Your Loved Forever". I don't know where you find yourself today, but I am here to tell you that You are Loved Forever, no matter what. So many things can come at us and we find ourselves in despair. But you need to know that God says you are... 

Accepted, Wonderfully Made, Forgiven, Loved, Blessed, Chosen, Cherished, Enough, Known, Strong, Delightful, Valuable, Beautiful and His Forever.

I recently went to a TobyMac Christian Concert in Tampa and like I Love all his songs. But one of the Artists "We Are Messengers" that he brought along with him sang one of my favorite songs called "Maybe It's Ok" The song is more than lyrics, it's truth. It is real. A lot of us have these huge walls up around our weakness when in reality letting them fall down and be vulnerable you are able to be truly free in Christ. No one is perfect. No one has the perfect life, like that isn't possible because we all fall short of God's glory. Today whether you are reading this from prison or the free world, please know that coming clean and being real makes you enough. We don't have to have it all together, but realness comes in being authentic, the real you. In realness we can willing share our struggles, laugh at ourselves, face fear, get back up when we fall, avoid gossip and just Love one another unconditionally. Your are Beloved, and I am thinking about you. Don't give up, miracles happen every day, like you are one of them...you are a miracle. Don't ever forget that! Ok, back to the song, I prayerfully hope these beautifully written lyrics touch your heart. 

If I didn't know what it hurt like to be broken

Then how would I know what it feels like to be whole

If I didn't know what it cost like to be rejected 

Then I wouldn't know that Your Love coming home

Maybe it's ok if I'm not ok

'Cause the One who holds the world is holding onto me

Maybe it's all right if I'm not all right

'Cause the One who holds the stars is holding my whole life

If I didn't know what it look like to be dirty

Then I wouldn't know what it feels like to be clean

And if all of my shame haven't drove me to hide in the shadows

Then I wouldn't know the beauty of being free

Father, let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done

Here in my heart as in Heaven

Maybe it's ok if I'm not ok

'Cause the One who holds the world is holding onto me

Maybe it's all right if I'm not all right

'Cause the One who holds the stars is holding my whole life

Now I'm alive in You

The best that I deserved

Now I'm alive and I can see You in everything

Maybe it's ok if I'm not ok

Mistakes help us learn.

Sin is a choice we deliberately make even though we know better.

Mistakes are done with innocence.

Sin comes from a heart that holds rebellion.

Mistakes lead to growth.

Sin leads to decay

- Holly Gerth

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of The Holy Spirit.

- Romans 15:13 

You are so awesome! 

So Smile...

Your Loved Forever.

Beautiful you!

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, I thank You Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  
- Luke 10.21

I Love this! These things are revealed to babes! That is beyond beautiful. Love it!
You are beautiful Jesus, you are the most beautiful, the most glorious.

In the summer of 2017 God revealed some things to me. I was really struggling in some areas of my heart and was really upset with myself. I mean really upset with myself. It was like God sent me on an assignment and then I got my heart involved. Yet when I cried out the Lord told me that He had put those things in my heart. I cried more. After that God began to change my heart completely and tell me more things to come. I am so thankful. I have many dreams, a heart full of God and I am ready to step into my God-given purposes. I am overwhelmed by His Love and kindness.

Today, if you find yourself troubled by things that God might have changed in your heart for the better, just embrace it. God is control of everything that goes on in our lives. Even if it's really hard, continue to press into what God has given you. Don't give up. God will never leave you, He is with you and He will never guide you wrong. God created you with a uniqueness and He knows very well what you need. He Loves you. 

As some of you begin your journey into the free world take those God-given things and really plug into all that God has for you. Don't waste a minute pursue everything He has given you. Life is too short to sit by and watch your life pass you by. May God give you all the desires in your heart and make all your plans succeed more than you could ever imagine.

Beautiful you.
Blessed you.
Beloved you.

You got this!
God's got you!

The power of The Cross has set you free.

The Love of the Light

I am the light of the world. 
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. - Jesus 
John 8:12

December is a beautiful month celebrating the birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ. It is also a very hard time for many that have lost family and friends and those who are alone. Let's not us forget them and pray for God's Love to be upon them during this time. 

As we approach the closing of a year into the New Year lets reflect on all the memories and moments we had. May we always seek to Love the Lord with all our hearts. May we always be obedient to His Word and to things He calls us to do.  May we embrace the New Year with gladness for all God has done in our lives and still yet to do. 

God Loves you so much.

For God so Loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -John 3:16

That is the gift, The Love of the Light... Jesus!

Praying you have a very Blessed Christmas & New Year.

The Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt in case your not familiar is a party game, an outdoor game in which participants have to collect a number of miscellaneous objects on a list created by the organizer. It's actually fun. The last time I played was with friends on St. Augustine Beach until recently I played the game with God. Back in St. Augustine I just had my girl scout knowledge and a determination to win, but this time around I had my Bible and prayer. I took this journey led by God completely, nobody knew about it. But the thing was I told God I will do these things to disprove what He was telling me was true. Like in the movie God's not Dead, the devout Christian student must prove the existence of God to his professor, I was set out to disprove not God but things about myself that He was telling me. It's like is that me God? Or is that you speaking? God gave me His list of items to do and not to do. I followed intently with prayer and my Bible. A journey that I may share one day, but for now it remains with God and I. This invested time for eternity sake proved to be one of the most beautiful in awe times in my life with God. He revealed way more than I was asking for about myself, others and life. But He is like that as the Bible tells us in Ephesians 3:20- Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think. 

Today you sit on your bunk hanging with your bunky or at chow or your the one at work in the free world reading this. This message is for you today. God loves you. God is crazy madly in love with you. But God wants to hear from you, it's been way too long. He misses you. Your struggles have been more than He ever wanted for you and He has never been blind to them. He has been relentlessly seeking you with His Love. Will you consider today to take your own scavenger hunt with the Lord? Will you consider investing sometime in with Him to draw closer to Him? The girl reading this in confinement, you can do this too, just start by talking to Him. If your not sure about all this, perhaps take the rest of November and thank God each day for something. He is worthy to be praised and thanked. I promise you if you take the time to hang with God you will be refreshed with clarity, liberty, boldness, sensitivity, insight and free from all the petty worries around you that will not matter in the bigger picture. I pray in Jesus Name you wait no longer and start today! I'm believing for you and if nobody has told you lately, you are loved and special. Your so special that He only created one you. Be yourself and if you think of it, look up, God is an amazing artist, literally the best.

The Judge & The Jury Box

When I was 14 years old I went to youth hall which is like a jail for kids. I was placed there for something I didn't do. After about two months the Judge placed me in a half way girls home for about a month. This was my first experience with judges and it started a fear cycle in my life. This person was able to take away my freedom.

Many years later I got involved with a guy who went to jail and prison many times for stealing large amounts of money from places like fast food chains to banks to bakeries to neighbors. He also had a drug problem. I was in and out of courts with him and felt that fear once again of a judge having that control over his freedom and well mine too.

Then years later I married Steve. I spent literally over 10 years as his paralegal, counsel and the Pro Se behind the scene. I had no peace as with each court hearing something else happened or didn't happen and once again at the mercy of a judge. The fear grew deep within even though I was not the subject at hand, just entering into a court room or the thought of one made me full of fear and to be honest literally sick.

I knew my fears yet I didn't think it was something that was a big deal in my life since court hearings eventually end. However, the end still leaves you with yourself. In January of 2012 I got a summons for Jury Duty back in Miami. I had them numerous times in the past and dealt with it. This time I was so fear stricken that when Steve asked me what I wanted for valentine's I told him get me out of going to jury duty. I was at the end of recovering from knee surgery so it was all good and I was back happy, but yet nothing was really resolved within my heart.  

On August 1, 2013 we moved to Davenport and within in a few months I got a jury notice as seen in the picture above. I began crying out to God for help. That fear rose up and I knew I was in total bondage of a Judge who really was just a man or a woman. I fasted and God showed me that they are just people. They sleep, eat, get dressed just like me. I am no different than them and He created them like me. He also reminded me that if I could kneel and fall on my face with Him I could stand up to any giant in my life. I reported for Jury Duty, feeling better but still somewhat uneasy. Out of the pool of 500 of course I was one of the ones selected for a jury questioning. As I began to enter the courtroom my name was called separate from everyone else... of course it was...I was placed in the "Jury Box". This is the place where they asked you more questions than the other perspective jurors. After it was over I had a peace come over me and I believed I was totally free of the fear of man. 

God put me to the test in 2016 when I was placed in Federal Court and had no fear and won the case in the middle of 2017! A true David and Goliath story. So I said all that to say this. There are many of you that are in fear of man or the judge in your case because they hold your future. Please hear me..only GOD holds your future. He is the one that no matter what you've done or haven't done He loves you and He goes before you. DO NOT place a judge or a person above GOD! He is the only One that holds your future and when you place your trust in Him you will find peace and be kept safe.

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

Today, honestly I have zero fear of man. God has made me totally strong in my weakness because I have placed my trust in Him and Him alone. He is in control no matter what. I pray if you struggle with a judge with pending court hearings or with your boss, your family and friends whoever that you too will lay it down and let Him free you in Jesus Name. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. I promise you that He will free you as He did me! And just so you know...I'm thankful for God pushing me past what I couldn't handle in that Jury Box because now I only fear out of Love the Judge on The Throne. 

Let Me Remind You-

Let me remind you that He loves you. 

No matter where you find yourself today, 

in the valley, 

the mountain top and 

everything in between 

He Loves you. 

I pray these lyrics Bless you.

David Crowder Band

"How HE Loves"

(originally by John Mark McMillan)

He is jealous for me,

Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.

When all of a sudden,

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, 

And I realize just how beautiful You are,

And how great Your affections are for me.

And, Oh how He loves us, oh,

Oh, how He Loves us,

How He loves us all.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes.

If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.

And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest.

I don't have time to maintain these regrets

When I think about the way...

That He loves us,

Oh, how He loves us

Oh, how He loves us,

Oh, how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us

But First She Prayed

“When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. 

And if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:15

These are the very courageous words of the Queen of Persia, Esther, as she prepared to approach a very young, inexperienced and emotional King Xerxes to plead with him to stop the TOTAL annihilation of the Jewish people. If the king was in a bad mood that day, he could have her killed instantly, even though she was Queen, and more importantly, his bride. What courage this must have taken, what a magnificent statement of faith Queen Esther displayed as she unselfishly prepared to sacrifice her life for her people.

Do you know that the Name of God is NOT mentioned anywhere in the story of Esther in the Bible, yet we see such magnificent evidence of HIS Hand all over the story. And the greatest evidence that we see of His mercy and grace in Esther, the absolute beauty of what we call “Reversal of Destiny”.

 

In Esther, we are given a close up look at the ongoing struggle of satan against the purposes of God and especially against His promised Messiah. The birth of Christ into the human race was totally dependent upon the existence of the Jewish race. Just as Haman plotted against the Jews in order to destroy them, so has satan set himself against Christ and God’s people. Just as Haman is defeated on the gallows he built for Mordecai, so does Christ use the very weapon that his enemy devised to destroy Him and His spiritual seed. For the cross, by which satan planned to destroy the Messiah, was the very means through which Christ “having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” Colossians 2:14-15

Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, 

so the devil was crushed by the cross he erected to destroy Christ.

Esther proved to have a godly and very humble spirit that also showed great strength and willing obedience. Esther’s humility was very different from those around her, 

and this caused her to be elevated into the position of queen.

Woman everywhere would do well to emulate her godly attitudes in all areas of life, but especially in trials. Not once is there a complaint or bad attitude exposed in the Book of Esther. Many times we read she won the "favor" of those around her. This “favor” is what ultimately saved her people. We can be given such favor as we accept even unfair persecution and follow Esther’s example of maintaining a positive attitude, coupled with humility and the determination to lean on and fully trust in God.

So, in closing, it does not matter whether in prison or the free world, Jew or Gentile, white or black, rich or poor. We are all placed here to show love, grace, mercy, humility and unselfishness to ALL people, regardless of our circumstance, regardless of the cost!

Who knows but maybe God has placed YOU in such a position, for just such a time as this?