Hey y’all! Hope you are doing well. At the new year, we are bombarded by all the messages New Year, New You! It’s time to get in shape, lose weight, exercise more. Perfect the outside of you. But the Word says, “….For the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
It’s so tempting to fall into this. But what if you started this year just as you are…..In Christ?
Be thankful that God made you or be in awe of all the things He’s done for you.
What if we chose to be grateful for where God has placed us? Instead of always striving to be somewhere different.
Sweet friend, YOU were purchased by the blood of Jesus, and He can turn your darkness into light.
See His mercies are new every day…..every single day, not just the first of the year.
Instead of working on changing our outward appearance let’s work on coming in alignment with what God says you are. It’s the principle of agreement.
I AM A CHILD OF GOD
I AM BEAUTIFUL
I AN BRAVE
I AM STRONG
I HAVE A FUTURE OF HOPE
I AN FORGIVEN
I AN NEVER ALONE
I AN LOVED
I AN FREE
Speaking God’s promises becomes SOOO powerful when we also function in His law of agreement. It’s God’s plan!
When you come into agreement with what God has for your life you are saying saying YES & AMEN!
So this year, I am not trying to become a new person, I’m trying to come in agreement with what God has for my life.
If I’m trying to live better and healthier that means I’m trying to come in to alignment with what God says about me…..And He says my body is good today!
Your body is good friend!
New Year, New Me….NOPE! I just want to grow into more of what God has made me to be, NOT a new person. If you are IN CHRIST, you’ve already been made new…..walk in that!
Hope you have a blessed and wonderful weekend!
I say yes to what You’ve promised Amen to the word You’ve spoken I say yes to what I can’t imagine I say yes Lord I say yes
I say yes to what You’ve promised Amen to the word You’ve spoken I say yes to what I can’t imagine I say yes Lord I say yes
If you are struggling with body image issues, sweet friend you are believing lies. Please hear me when I say God designed you beautifully and perfect just the way you are. He didn’t create us to hate ourselves. I’ve been there, I know what it’s like. No amount of weight loss will make you happy. At my smallest I hated myself more than you could know. I was stuck in an eating disorder, past trauma, and shame and guilt. I was believing the lies the enemy was whispering to me. I bought it hook, line, and sinker, maybe you have too?
The enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy us. He wants to steal your joy and peace and often uses our insecurities to do it.
Sometimes the lies we believe are loud and other times they are very subtle. But they can become so deeply rooted in us and we not even realize it.
Society/diet culture has sold us the BIGGEST lie…..If we look a certain way or weigh a certain amount you will be happy and your life will be better. That’s a lie straight from the pit of hell.
Your happiness has nothing to do with your looks or weight sweet friend. Don’t buy into that. You are more than a number and more than how you look. You have sooo much more to offer than an image. God has given you gifts and talents that only you have. He has an awesome plan for you but if we are stuck believing the lies the enemy is speaking then we cannot fulfill our purpose.
Let’s kick the devil in his teeth by doing the work to overcome the lies he’s tried to distract us with.
👊TRUTH…..YOUR TRUTH is YOU are unique, wonderfully made, and there’s no one else like you.
👊He knew you before he created you, knew the mistakes you would make and STILL chose to create you ON PURPOSE..FOR A PURPOSE.
👊You are saved and completely made whole IN HIM.
👊You are forgiven and redeemed.
👊You are called and you are free!
👊You are victorious, accepted, and healed.
👊And so much more.
When the enemy comes at you telling you lies, “you are not enough” you come back at him with I AM MORE THAN ENOUGH because God calls me daughter of the King. I am here for a purpose with gifts and talents someone else needs. I WILL rise up from the ashes and be ALL that God has called me to be! Devil you are under my feet and defeated and I WON’T believe your lies anymore. Amen!! Speak truth and scripture over your life and walk in Gods plan for your life and family, in Jesus name, Amen!🙏🙌
I don’t know what you might be going through, but I just wanted to encourage you today. The storms of life come to each one of us but Jesus is there with you…every step of the way. You may feel alone but you are not alone.
It’s because of your trials you are being made stronger with every wave crashes against you.
Keep breathing my friend.
Just take one more step.
Don’t stop.
I can promise there will be times when we all want to quit. Wanting to quite is human nature and totally understandable. You just want the pain or the problems to go away. Been there, done that…..bought the T-shirt.
We all get weary and tired, often times it’s during the weariness we stop doing the life giving things that help keep us going. We say to ourselves, “What’s the use?” I totally get it. But when we’re tired we don’t always make the right decisions because our mind is cloudy and our feelings are all discombobulated. Then we forget our purpose and that’s never good!
Lots of things happen in the middle of our trials and it’s especially important to not quite and keep going. With each crushing blow we can doubt the love of God. Have you ever doubted the love of God? I know I have. We can also doubt he can cause anything to work out for our good! I’m guilty of thinking , “There is absolutely NO WAY God can turn this around or make it turn out for me good.” We can think he’s forgotten us too. Oh, but can I just tell you “Precious one, He hasn’t forgotten YOU. He sees YOU and Oh how He loves YOU and with a resounding YESSS! He can work ALL things out for your good…..And He will!”
This moment, this trial, this storm….it’s time to find your BRAVE.
It’s time to keep going!
It’s NOT time to quit and give up.
YOU ARE ANOINTED FOR HARD.
Understandably, you may look defeated and even feel defeated but YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE KING. Walking in VICTORY AND PURPOSE.
DEFEAT IS NOT YOUR NAME!
OVERCOMER IS YOUR NAME!
Perseverance is in your blood.
You were born for such a time as this.
We gotta get in agreement with His word and say what He says about us.
Prophecy to those dry bones!
Speak life to the broken places in your life.
The power of life and death is in YOUR TONGUE.
Hope y’all have a blessed and wonderful weekend.
Big hugs,
Nicole💗
The word says “For the spirit of heaviness” “Put on the garment of praise” That’s how we fight our battles (yeah) This is how I fight my battles. It may look like I’m surrounded. But I’m surrounded by You. This is how I fight my battles🔥🙌💗🙏💯
Coronavirus…it’s on everyone’s mind. Whether you say it is or not, all the lines, shopping, hoarding, and empty shelves at the stores shows it. I still don’t get the toilet paper selling out🤷🏼♀️🤣
Here’s what I’ve noticed, some have gone from one extreme to the other. It’s crazy. Some are like “Its just a cold. Why are you acting so ridiculous?” Then others are screaming “It’s the end of the world!”
If we listen to what the doctors say and follow what YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS are, meaning whether you’re a healthy individual or if your elderly or immunocompromised that kinda tells you which direction you should go. It’s not a guarantee you won’t get it, it’s a guideline for you.
Personally, I fall in that immunocompromised category and I have several friends that do as well. I have CVID, so I do have to use wisdom and caution with what I do. You may decide to go to movies, church, small groups, etc. and that may be right for you but for others like myself that is not a good idea. What bothers me is when I hear people say “Well your living in fear when you stop going to places.” No, on the contrary I’m not living in fear at all, I’m living in wisdom and doing what’s best for me.
We shouldn’t judge other people’s decisions when we don’t know what they deal with. So many people have health issues or they have loved ones with health issues and all that needs to be taken into consideration when making a decision on what you will do or where you will go. It’s based on you and your family….not based on what someone else thinks. But that’s just my opinion 🤷🏼♀️
I just want to remind you that during all this chaos, the Lord is near.
When fear of the unknown threatens to bog you down, and steal your peace and joy and you find yourself scared and anxious, your not crazy, it’s normal in times like this.
We are human.
Fear of the unknown does that.
The difference is you don’t want to LIVE in fear. We have to choose faith over fear but also use wisdom for your own circumstances.
The Lord is near.
We all face fear and anxiety from time to time but just let me encourage you today sweet friend that God never gave us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and of sound mind. He didn’t cause this but I can assure you, He will work things out for your good.
The Lord is near.
For some, jobs are uncertain.
I know with the economy fluctuating like it is, it’s scary and unsettling.
But the Lord is near.
Some moms and dads just found out schools out K-12 for almost 3 weeks and your thinking “Y’all gonna make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here.” 🤣🤣
But the Lord is near.
Like Joseph, God can cause you to prosper during a famine. Put your trust in God and get in the Word. God will bless you to be a blessing.
Pray! Pray! And pray some more my friends.
Check on your neighbors or elderly family or friends.
Pray for our healthcare workers.
Pray for our government officials, all branches whether you like them or not. Pray they have wisdom.
Put on the whole armor of God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Sword of the Spirit:
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” Psalm 56:3
God will “instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” Psalm 32:8
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
I pray you start to see the goodness of God and His supernatural provision in your life and family.
Prayer:
God answers prayers sweet friends and it says in James, The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. So Lord we come before You with praise and thanksgiving. We worship You for who you are and thank you for loving us and saving us. Father there are so many people sick and in need of healing, help them regain their strength. Refresh and restore them. Bring healing from the top of their heads to the soles of their feet. Bring supernatural healing to every cell, every organ, repair dna, and we declare it must come in alignment with Your perfect Word.
We come against that spirit of fear that is so evident in our world today. We declare you have NO place here. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and sound mind. When fear, worry and doubt come against me, I’m reminded how big my God is. How he holds my future in his hands. He has a great and mighty plan for my future.
Lord bring provision where provision has been lost. You are Jehovah jireh, my Provider. Give divine wisdom, ideas and creativity to your sons and daughters. Bless us in the famine and open up the windows of heaven Lord.
Help us to point others to You. To show love to others and be a light in the darkness. Thank you Lord for what your doing and that through all this You will get the glory. We give You all the glory and honor, in Jesus name, Amen!🙏🏻
Here As In Heaven
A miracle can happen now For the Spirit of the Lord is here The evidence is all around That the Spirit of the Lord is here A miracle can happen now For the Spirit of the Lord is here The evidence is all around That the Spirit of the Lord is here
“Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident…For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock.”
He’s got you precious one!
Big hugs,
Nicole💗
Put on a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness….
Hey y’all! Hope all my TOG readers are doing great! Another beautiful hot day here in Bama.
So much has been going on in my heart lately, dealing with things and issues from my childhood, past, and present. Things that have made me who I am today. But I realize those things don’t have to keep me broken and stuck in the past. They may have had a hand in who I am but they DO NOT DEFINE ME!
In a counseling session this week, as we were going over my life timeline, and wow that’s a job let me just say. As she would repeat back to me my timeline and the things that have happened to me, I could hear it but it was hard to feel some of it. I don’t know if that makes sense or not? I’d think “Wow, yea that really did happen to me” “Oh and that too, and that too” but I’ve tried so hard in my life to shove things down and not feel the pain or emotions of life, maybe you can relate?
For me, if something happened you couldn’t talk about it….it may hurt a family member or make them angry….forget that it hurt you. That was the message I heard.
Then if you did, your feelings were wrong and not relative. So what does one do especially when you’re a child? Well, you quickly learn what’s acceptable and what’s not and then you learn to SHOVE DOWN EVERYTHING ELSE!
For me an eating disorder developed, it was something I could control, or so I thought.
I carried shame and guilt for things that had been done to me, and later things I had done. But it wasn’t mine to carry, neither is it yours sweet friend.
I have felt alone, numb, unworthy, unloved, unwanted, wrong, insecure, the list can go on and on. Maybe you feel those thing right now. You are not alone precious one, you are in good company. God is with you and He loves you at your darkest! He isn’t scared off by your brokenness, He is just waiting for you to invite Him in.
ARE YOU CARRYING THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THAT DON’T BELONG TO YOU?
Guilt.
Shame
Regret
Resentment/Unforgiveness
Habits/Addictions
Anger
Past Relationships
Stress
Worry
Anxiety
Fear
“And He caused me to pass round about among them, and behold , there were VERY many (human bones) in the open valley or plain, and behold, they were very dry. He said to me, Son of Man can these bones lives? And I answered O Lord God, You know!! Again He said to me, Prophesy to these dry bones and SAY to them, O you dry bones, HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD. Ezekiel 37:2-4
As I’m on this journey of restoration with God, I’ve realized some things.
One, I’m not alone in this.
Two, I have to let go of the things (or people) I cannot change…I am powerless to fix it but My God is NOT! My God is BIGGER!
And three, the things that need changing, the dry places in my soul….I have to Let Go and Let God.
Today, I can say I’m doing a new thing! I don’t always get it right, but thank God I’m not where I use to be.
Those dry places in my soul and in my life, I’m choosing to feel them, be more vulnerable, and speak life to them. You can do the same thing my friend.
If you need something in your life to change, let me remind you when you let God in ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! Healing and restoration are possible and I’ll even go as far to say it’s inevitable. Because where God is, there is LIFE and there is FREEDOM!
There is life and death in the power of your tongue! Speak LIFE!
The same power that raised Christ from the dead, lives IN YOU!!
Speak God’s word out of your mouth every day and call those things that be not as though they are!! Get in agreement with God’s promises!! Your life and circumstances WILL CHANGE!!
Prophesy to those dry bones!! And keep prophesying till what is dead comes to life. Don’t you dare give up!!
God bless you! I’m praying for y’all and I’d love to hear from you.
Focus has been my word for quite sometime not just for the task at hand but also in life issues as they arise. If you think about it we are always focused on something, good or bad our attention goes somewhere. I’m learning as situations come up if I stay focused on Jesus, and keep my eyes on him instead of the problems going on around me, my thought life is better and my emotions are more stable. Which makes for a happier life, cus let’s be real if Moma ain’t happy nobody’s happy. As the saying goes, “Happy wife, happy life”😂
Believe me I’m not saying that this is easy because sometimes it’s darn right hard and feels impossible at times. But we always have a choice. When I choose wrong that’s when I begin to get sidetracked, I focus on my problems, I think about it, talk about it, think about it, talk about it, and that’s when every goes haywire for me. The committee in my mind convenes and then I’m in BIG trouble. Maybe you can relate to that?
The Word says the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy but I’ve also learned that if the enemy knows you have enough of God and His word in you he knows he cannot destroy you so he has to move onto Plan B…..Distractions. He will work so hard set up distractions to keep you derailed from walking in your destiny and that’s exactly what he wants. He doesn’t have to destroy you just distract you.
The enemy knows YOU are a danger to him and that you walking in your destiny will destroy him and benefit the Kingdom and that’s the last thing he wants.He doesn’t want you or I to fulfill the call on our lives.
Do you recognize the distraction in your life?
Do you recognize the things that crop up to steal your peace, joy, past victories, freedom, etc?
We’ve gotta learn to stay focused on Jesus, speak life, speak His promises over ourselves, over our families, marriages, problems, etc. That negative talk will get you NOWHERE but further in the pit!!
YOU ARE NOT A PIT DWELLER!
No matter how bad things are in your life, no matter how deep you’ve fallen into the pit of hell let me assure you God is right there with you! He IS in control and He will never loosen his grip on you.
So stretch your hands toward Heaven and He will lift you out of the pit, out of the hopelessness you feel, and set your feet upon a rock giving you a firm place to stand and direct your steps my friend.
You are a Trophy of Grace precious one so stand firm and focused, don’t give into the distractions and never give up. Every one of His promises is for YOU and YOU are destined for greatness!! He loves you with an everlasting love and He’s got great plans for you!!
Sometimes it feels that we are going through life alone but let me encourage you God is right there with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He’s coming after you.
In the last few months going through all this sickness and crazy stuff, it’s been one thing after another. I have felt scared and I have felt alone but I have to say it’s been in those moments of pressing in God has been more real to me and I have felt closer to Him. He has shown me his goodness and kindness. He’s helping me to trust Him more and depend less on my feelings and what I see going on around me. He has even sent precious new friends to lift me up.
So what do you do when fear comes at you?
Do you bow to fear?
Do you isolate?
Do you lash out?
Do you let it take over?
If I’m honest, I’ve done it all, maybe your there now too. Don’t be ashamed it’s ok but now is the time to rise up precious one. It’s time to change your confession.
Lately God has shown me that I have to fight back with His word, the sword of the Spirit more so than ever before. It’s part of our armor we need to put on every day like getting dressed. But it’s our choice, we have to choose to pick up God’s word. We have to choose to fight against fear, anxiety, sickness, addictions or whatever it is your going through. His Word is alive, active and sharper than any 2 edged sword and so powerful that it cannot return void.
Your circumstances may look dark and you may not see a way out but God has a way of lighting up the darkness or kicking down walls that are hurting or hindering you. He’s coming after you, He’s coming to your rescue.
We have the power within us, we just have to choose to use it. The power of life and death is in the tongue, so CHOOSE LIFE! SPEAK LIFE!
“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
Remember YOU are a trophy of grace and God loves you and has a perfect plan for your life! You have a destiny to fulfill!
Blessings,
Nicole💗
Enjoy the video Reckless Love, clock the link below.
“There’s no shadow You won’t light up. Mountain You won’t climb up, Coming after me.There’s no wall You won’t kick down. Lie You won’t tear down. Coming after me.”
Hey y’all! Hope all my TOG readers are doing great! Another beautiful hot day here in Bama. 
Focus has been my word for quite sometime not just for the task at hand but also in life issues as they arise. If you think about it we are always focused on something, good or bad our attention goes somewhere. I’m learning as situations come up if I stay focused on Jesus, and keep my eyes on him instead of the problems going on around me, my thought life is better and my emotions are more stable. Which makes for a happier life, cus let’s be real if Moma ain’t happy nobody’s happy. As the saying goes, “Happy wife, happy life”😂
Trophy Of Grace 