Trusting God's Ordered Steps Truly believing that our steps are ordered by God means we don't get out of order by trying to make things happen on our own time. Patience is part of the fruit that comes from living out life with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Having patience doesn't mean it's an easy street, but it's the path that allows you to surrender to God's will and gives you peace about His timing. So many of our wants and desires are God given, yet we fail to rely on the timing of the desire giver (Psalm 37:4). Some people read this as "if I submit to God, He'll give me what I want"...NOPE! I have personally gone through this in the area of relationships and He has literally given me new desires in my heart that align with His will and purpose for my life. It may seem as if the steps are taking a long time or we feel like we are taking the wrong steps, we get frustrated and possibly give up on a God given desire. In reality ...
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Like a Tree And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. (Psalm 1:3 AMP) Most trees that have had the time to be rooted and grounded are pretty steady. They go through many seasons in life, growing each year producing leaves and fruit (flowers, nuts, etc.) the roots of the tree remain steady for 100's of years. How much better is it to be a tree planted by the rivers of living water? A tree that is planted by the water has a source of constant nourishment from the water. John 4:14 speaks of the water that Jesus gives being enough to quench our thirsts so that we thirst no more. It doesn't have to depend on someone to water it, because its source is deep within the ground, yet easily accessible by the deep roots of the tree. The tree is steady in all seasons though the wind ma...
Life in His Garden Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being. [I Cor. 15:45-49.] And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden [delight]; and there He put the man whom He had formed (framed, constituted). And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired–good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life also in the center of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of [the difference between] good and evil and blessing and calamity. [Rev. 2:7; 22:14, 19.] And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:7-9...
Childlike Faith Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4 AMP) I have always heard the phrase "childlike faith" and I always thought I knew what it meant. Unbeknownst to her, this past Mother's Day my youngest niece who's four taught me a lesson on childlike faith. As I looked at her sad face as her family prepared to leave grandma's house to travel home, I told her how pretty she looked in her dress. She said I'm going to miss you, and fell in to my lap. We finished our hug and I buttoned up her sweater. I said to her "oh you got something on your sweater". Her response is one I will never forget. She looked me straight in my eye and said "its ok, my mommy will fix it". Knowing the dedication that my sister has for her family was no surprise to me; yet when she said it, I was taken aback. Had I not personally se...
Ladies, Though the holiday season is over we have the opportunity to be an ornament ourselves each and every day. Acknowledge the beauty God has placed in you; it shines brighter than the external! An Ornament of Beauty for Christ You are an ornament of beauty for Christ.. Therefore the details of your beauty cannot only be told through the features on your face, but in your story of God's grace as time allows it to unfold. You are a woman after Gods heart made righteous and set apart to continue His good works which elevates your worth. You are a queen made in His image who reigns in His Kingdom of Eden. In His presence you shall remain, because you know your obedience is never in vain. You are beauty in its rarest form; even when weak you never look worn. Many trials & tribulations, but you still have the potential to birth nations. It is not found in the way you dress, but your continued efforts to stretch out your hand and bless. Always remember you are beau...
Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. (Isaiah 43:19 MSG) HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! First I’d like to say thank you for supporting Radiant Transparency in 2013.Thank you for taking this journey with me as I seek to improve, inspire others and share God’s word. The past few days I thought about doing a recap of 2013, but decided not to. I acknowledge the lows and I'm happy for the growth that came from it, but even more importantly I am excited about what’s to come. Isaiah 43:19 was the beginning scripture for Watch Night service last night and also the scripture of the day on my Daily Bible app. It still amazes me when these types of things happen, some call it coincidence I see it differently. There are times when I post a specific scripture or blog post on a...
Many of us (myself included) have had an illusion after we have been saved and start changing things in our lives that we will not do this or that or deal with this or that type of person. Now there are times when we will be lead to leave certain things behind such as partying, drinking, gossip, premarital sex etc.; whatever your particular vice(s) may be. Those vices began to be unappealing to you and we get so convicted that we may feel we need to passionately tell others about these changes in you. Feeling frustrated when you tell others about the changes that are happening with you and they don’t get it. Forgetting that we were made in God's image which is perfection; but within in that process of perfecting is also maturity. Maturity means having your own opinion about a subject, yet not forcing it on others. We are all given free will and with that gift God also granted us repentance and forgiveness. As disciples we are to endeavor to live our lives as clos...
14 Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” 15 The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!” John 4:14-15 With all the advertisements of the newest clothes, shoes, homes, gadgets and “reality TV” relationships, many aspire to be what they see paraded in front of them. These visions of grandeur cause us to look at our lives and strive to get the things mentioned in our own way. Once we have obtained the things that society deems important, we look at it and measure it again what others have. This measurement will either give us a false sense of superiority or inferiority, depending on who we compare ourselves to. Some of the things we do include, looking in the mirror and comparing ourselves to others and what they can do. We can either put ourselves on a pedestal because we think we are bet...