Hey y’all! Hope you are doing well. You guys have any exciting plans this summer or fun trips? We are busy bees here. We have our younger daughters wedding in July. Just had her bridal shower a couple weeks ago. 
Ain’t she cute y’all?
Eythan’s aunt made the cake. It was very pretty. I’m sure it was delicious, sadly I couldn’t eat since I have to eat gluten free.
Just celebrated my 49th, I mean my 29th birthday LOL this past weekend. 
OMG! It’s my mommy’s birthday 😂
The fam💗
So for the last few years I pick a word for the year that I will focus on. This year my word was JOY. I always have some kinda confirmation of my word but this year it was so crazy at the confirmation God gave me. You can check out these 2 post from last year JOY and I Got A Little Joy https://nikhop320.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/hes-in-the-details/.
Of course, as the year has gone by things have happened, lots of things have happened and we can lose focus….well know I can sometimes lose focus and get caught up in what’s going on and forget what the Lord told me. Kinda like those New Years resolutions, LOL.
I think sometimes we need this reminder from John 10:10 that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but He came that we “may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”
I don’t know about you but the enemy has come at me so hard this year, things with our family, extremely difficult things. Things I never thought I’d have to deal with. Things I still am not sure how to deal with. It is teaching me a lot though. Boundaries, self care, and changing the things I can and let go of what’s not mine to fix.
The truth is…..Hurting people hurt people.
Loved ones are not excluded. Sometimes they are most painful and the hardest to deal with because our heart is attached to them, our emotions, memories and so much baggage there. Learning what’s yours and what’s theirs to deal with is so important for your own health and sanity. I’ve always been one to come to the rescue, Mrs. Fix it to my own detriment. Can you relate? Do you try and “help” or “fix” people?
We almost lost my grandmother a couple months ago. Of course, with that comes uncertainty and stress from just dealing with the situation. Thankfully she has recovered. My Aunt called yesterday and my grandmother has had another episode but doesn’t seem to be nearly as bad but nonetheless please pray for her. She was actually able to go home yesterday afternoon, praise God. He’s so good!
A few weeks ago our sump pump backed up into the basement, praise God we caught it in time but it’s just another one of those distractions. We all have them, car repairs, washer goes out, etc. but it’s just the enemy trying to get you off course and discouraged.
Then last year we found mold in our air vents, I’m highly allergic to mold. We had it fixed or so we thought and had the Remy Halo installed. Which is supposed to take care of that. I’ve had tons of sinus infections, asthma, and bronchitis. I had to have sinus surgery last year, and one the year before which didn’t make anything better. I kept telling my hubby I was smelling something funny in our bathroom the last 2-3 months. It had gotten so bad I had to leave an inhaler in there. A couple of weeks ago I opened the vent up and there it was….mold😡 How in the world was there mold, I had a Remy installed??? That’s why I hadn’t gotten better. About 8 weeks prior to finding it, I was diagnosed with mold in my sinuses. Craziness I tell ya! But it all made sense now.
The AC people did some things that caused the problems and didn’t install my Remy Halo properly but praise God they owned up to it and are fixing it. But in the meantime, I couldn’t stay there any longer so I’ve been staying with my daughter and son-in-law and grand pups. They’ve been so good to me and hospitable but I’m ready to be home and I know they are ready to have their house back too. Zach has introduced me to PokemonGo so we’ve had a few nights out doing that LOL, it was so much fun. I’m such a nerd😂
I guess it’s at this point where I’ve realized, all the devil has been doing is distracting me with different things and trying to steal my JOY, trying to steal my strength. The same JOY and STRENGTH the Lord knew in December when He gave me the word, that I was gonna need for this particular season of my life.
But I’m here to serve the devil notice I WILL NO LONGER BE ALLOWING you TO STEAL MY JOY AND STRENGTH!
I love what Joyce Meyer says about joy, “Now this joy is not just a “happy feeling” based on our circumstances or on the things we possess-it is an unshakable stability in our inner man (spirit). Joy can range anywhere from a calm delight to extreme hilarity, and it is the joy of the Lord that is our strength (see Neh. 8:10)“
Calm delight, I really like that! Anybody else needs some calm delight in their life?
It’s amazing to me how God knows what we need long before we need it. He knew I would need extra JOY to get through this season of my life. You may find yourself here today as well. Do you need some JOY or calm delight in your life? Do you need STRENGTH? You can’t have one without the other.
The Word says “….Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Here is just a few verse I have been using to help me increase my JOY.
“The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
“When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.” Psalm 94:19
“You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7
“A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
“…..Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Maybe someone is out there right now really struggling. You’ve lost your joy, peace, and strength. You feel like you just can’t go anymore and you feel like your in deepest darkest pit, everything is pulling at you and you just feel like your going under.
You might even feel all alone and that no one could possibly understand what you’re going through.
I’m here to remind you that God delights in you precious one and He is singing over you right now. He loves you and cares for you. He has a purpose for your life. He wants you to see things from his perspective.
God wants to renew your spirit, revive and refresh you. Fill you with purpose and passion. Let him come in and do what only He can do sweet friend. God bless you.
Big hugs,
Nicole💗
God says,
Good morning beautiful TOG readers. 
Happy Saturday y’all! Hope you are having a good weekend so far. Any exciting plans? We are moving our daughters furniture and some things to Tennessee tomorrow, and the rest when she moves up there after the wedding.
Do you realize the same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells on the inside of you? That’s right! God’s resurrection power is in you! 
What happens when the trials of life seems to overtake you?
Give Him your pain and sorrow. 
Trophy Of Grace 