Thursday 22 May 2014

Just Let Go!




And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. " Mark 11:25
 

Forgiveness is a big topic, dealt with in all religions and spiritual practices. It is so important because as human beings we will all at some point hurt another person physically, emotionally, psychologically. Carrying hurt is like carrying a huge stone on your back and never putting it down. It poisons you against others and flavours all of your decisions. Research has shown that your body responds to your emotions,  carrying hurts has a physiological consequence...illness and depression.

 
It is important to forgive others and ourselves. It is a process. You may not be able to do it quickly or without prayer but  god can help us do it. Truly forgive....do not let it just be words or on the surface. We are only human we have vengeful hearts and are prone to wanting revenge or to remind those who have hurt us that they hurt us.

Forgive  but do not forget. Everything happens for a reason. God puts us in situations so that we may learn from them. Move on  from your hurts and the past but do not forget the lesson it taught you.

“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget” Anon."The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.""To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Lewis B. Smedes"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Lewis B. Smedes

What about when you hurt someone? Just saying you are sorry is not always enough, or even what the person needs to be able to truly forgive you. You can seek guidance from God to help you to make things right. Remember that your acts/words may seem like just that to the one you have hurt. Give them time.



“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you” Lewis B. Smedes

 

 

Saturday 17 May 2014

When you just cannot pray...


Right now, I cannot pray, I just don’t have the words. Or even the desire, despite the fact that if ever there was a time for me to wear out my knees....this is it. Why?

You won’t believe how many hundreds of people are in the same boat. We always say 'pray, just pray' but sometimes when it comes down to it you just can’t.  And we never talk about that. Often the reason people will give you is ‘it's the enemy blocking you’, yes, sometimes he is causing your mind to race and fail to focus on God, sometimes it’s grief; anger; fear; analysis paralysis....the reasons are myriad. Our problems can make us numb, to the point that we don’t even know what to say or where to start.

I have had these disturbing phases where in the middle of a ‘standard’ prayer I just burst into tears. It is at those times when I really cannot think or put into words the deepest things that I am feeling. Some people thought it was nerves but that was when I had to pry but felt nothing, so resorted to the age old tradition of the ‘rote’ prayer I have been praying since I was a child

Remember and try this......

·         Praying is conversing with God. It doesn’t have to be formal and with a particular style

·         Make it a routine

·         Say whatever you need to say

·         Ask others to pray for you too.....Gal 6:2
 


The holy spirit is also there to intercede for you, when you can’t, to step in and take over for you. Lean and rely on the promises of god....he will never take you where you cannot go.

Monday 12 May 2014

Ordering my steps


The Lord is my shepherd I have everything I need (Psalm 23:1)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28), and isn't that the truth!

Do you ever sometimes stop and think, oh my goodness everything seems to be going my way. Recently I was preparing for a project and all I kept seeing was the relevant bits and pieces that I didn’t have, information I needed, suggestions, ideas, it was amazing! Everything I looked at was connected to my project.

It’s an amazing feeling! But really, why are we surprised when this happens? For are we not the Lord’s? Does he not say Ask anything in my name and I will do it (John 14:14)? He knows our hearts desires and needs even before the idea has formed in our minds or hearts.

                                                                       
He orders our steps even when we have no idea what is going on. 9 years ago, my mother got sick, I was a student, with a couple of part-time jobs. It was crazy hectic but after she died it came to me that, had I not been a student with flexible jobs, I would not have been able to spend time with and care for her before she died. It sure did not feel like a blessing at the time, but of course it was only in retrospect that I realised this. A full time job, a husband and family would have made it nigh on impossible to be there.
                                                       

I was in a bar a few weeks ago and ended up sitting with some girls (most of whom I had just met) and one of them shared her story and testimony. Now some people were not that impressed at her “preaching” in a bar, but I believe that God meets you anywhere and everywhere. I was touched and blessed by her testimony even as I drank my wine. I believe God sent her at that time and place to meet a need in me or some other person who was present there.

What more when you reach out to God with purpose? He is there, waiting to reach out to you and help you. And god will generously provide all you need (2 Cor 9:8). It might not be today or even next week or next year. But when he does answer your prayer, need or desire, YOU WILL KNOW IT and feel it. He is never too late, or too early, he has perfect timing. While we are busy ‘waiting’ he is busy ordering your steps  
 

Thursday 8 May 2014

LOVE NEVER SHOULD by Jaye Cherie: Guestpost

I'm so excited to present you all with this very exciting author. I read one line of her free sample and was hooked.
I hope once you receiving from her what she has to share, you will go a step further and support her work with a purchase of her book. 
I love writers and God loving folk who deal with difficult issues of life and inspire real people who go through them to rise above them. That's what this blogs about.
Now ladies and gents, help me welcome Jaye Cherie, author of The Cost of Love and Sanity



Love never should

I used to hear people ask for the definition of love. I had even tried looking it up in Webster dictionary but found myself unsatisfied with the description. For years, I didn’t really have a definite answer, until I went searching online for a Bible verse on a different subject. I ended up coming across the most complete definition of love I’d ever seen. It came from 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. I’d seen and heard references to it several times over the years but, in that moment, it clicked and made much more sense to me.

Don’t get me wrong. There are many poignant verses and stories in the Bible on the topic. Jacob and Rachel. Hosea and Gomer. Not to mention the many references to God’s love for us. All of these stories and verses provide concrete examples of love, showing the qualities required for it to thrive. But to me, the most influential verses about love are in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. It’s so plain and to the point that I chose verse 7-8 for the Dedication page in my current novel, The Cost of Love and Sanity.

“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
This sounds like the stuff of greeting cards. Almost like make believe, even though it shouldn’t be.

The reason this ideal feels so unattainable is due to the ups and downs we experience while pursuing love. When we enter a new relationship, we don’t have to be told to hope for the best. We do it naturally, expecting love to endure and flourish but that isn’t always what happens, is it?

Sometimes the other person does something wrong and we feel the need to terminate the relationship. Or we do something wrong and they feel the need to call it quits. Or maybe circumstances beyond our control cause the relationship to end. Our response to this is rarely positive. We usually worry. We cry. We become bitter. Some of us have had our emotional and even psychological skin scratched so raw believing in love’s perseverance seems “impossible.”

The worst part is that our hearts eventually harden toward love, even though we’ve already been told the truth; love is long-suffering. It will never be easy and it requires much. We forget that our struggles don’t mean love is not worth fighting for or believing in.


Love requires a cultivation of faith and you don’t have faith, if you can’t hold fast to it through challenges. We all pay for our relationships. We pay with our time, attention, emotions, bodies and, yes, sometimes money. But the next time you decide to give up completely, remember that love never should.


About the author

The world of entertainment has always been a priority for Jacksonville, Florida native Jaye Cheríe. Her unwavering passion for music and movies led her to photograph, interview and write articles on entertainers and personalities.

After working on her writing skills and receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, Cheríe embraced the challenge of helping to build a new fashion/beauty magazine. It was there that she, not only played a fundamental role in its launch, but also decided to follow her instinct and return to her entertainment pursuits.

Her lifelong interest came into focus when she formally created Entertainment Wire. Entertainment Wire is an online media that covers news, reviews and interviews in pop and urban culture. Since 2006, Cheríe has reviewed movies and music, interviewed entertainers and kept audiences informed on celebrity news.

Jaye is currently an author with Strebor Books, Inc, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Her debut novel, The Golddigger’s Club, was released in Mass Market December 2013. Her second novel, The Cost of Love and Sanity, came out this month and is currently on tour with TLC Book Tours. The world of entertainment has always been a priority for Jacksonville, Florida native Jaye Cheríe. Her unwavering passion for music and movies led her to photograph, interview and write articles on entertainers and personalities.

After working on her writing skills and receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, Cheríe embraced the challenge of helping to build a new fashion/beauty magazine. It was there that she, not only played a fundamental role in its launch, but also decided to follow her instinct and return to her entertainment pursuits.

Her lifelong interest came into focus when she formally created Entertainment Wire. Entertainment Wire is an online media that covers news, reviews and interviews in pop and urban culture. Since 2006, Cheríe has reviewed movies and music, interviewed entertainers and kept audiences informed on celebrity news.

Jaye is currently an author with Strebor Books, Inc, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Her debut novel, The Golddigger’s Club, was released in Mass Market December 2013. Her second novel, The Cost of Love and Sanity, came out this month and is currently on tour with TLC Book Tours. 


support jaye's work.