Live to Proclaim

If you've ever read even bits and pieces of the Bible, you've probably noticed that the act of fasting is mentioned MANY times throughout. Jesus fasted. Daniel fasted. Esther fasted. There are many more people in the Bible who did just that. When I first became a Christian and started going to church, I had heard about people fasting, but I really didn't know the significance of it. I realized throughout the years why it is so important to pray and fast. Our church does a corporate fast for 21 days...meaning the whole church fasts in some way or another (by choice of course). The whole purpose of fasting is to deny our physical needs for our spiritual needs. It's kind of like a sacrifice we make to our Heavenly Father. We give up the pleasure of food, to find greater pleasure in the Lord.  The key to a meaningful fast is to develop a more intimate relationship with God through prayer.  While we are in our quiet time with Him, pay attention to what he is wh

Hi friends, It's been a couple of months since I've felt like writing a blog post, which made me think of the reason why. I believe it was due to the fluctuations we, as Christians, go through in our walk with God. The Highs and Lows.  A few months ago, I could NOT stop talking about God and all He had done for me and in me! I was amazed and in awe with every prayer, scripture I read, and prompting of the Holy Spirit! It was a feeling I wish I could have 24/7!   My love for Him and His graciousness had not changed or wavered, but strangely, I was starting to come "down" from the God-high I was on. It seemed that everyday life was starting to take over my days and thoughts again. I found myself reading my Bible, but only for short spurts before I got distracted with something else. I went a few days in between prayers and conversing with God. I really didn't like losing the closeness that I once felt just a short time ago. Just like any good relationship, I

After my experience at the ladies event at church, I felt such a closeness to God. I prayed all the time, read my bible (bible app) all throughout my day, and sought out people that would encourage my faith and my purpose. Doing those things made such a huge impact in my faith and how I felt connected to our Father.  When it comes to the relationship we have with God, it seems (for me anyway) that it is very easy to let it slip. Kind of like a marriage. In order for it to thrive, we need to be intentional with our time and attention. God wants to have quiet time with us! And just like a spouse, He wants us to pursue Him!   During this wonderful time, I had decided, after discussing with my family, that I would sit down with my boss and request to work part-time. I needed more time at home with my family, and at that point, I would've been happy with just getting one extra day off per week. So during a meeting with my boss, I asked him what he thought about the ide

I've always naturally been the type of person to try to adapt and not stress about my situation. I try to "roll with the punches" and not complain about what's going wrong in my life. Of course, I have my rough days when I stress about bills and schedules like everyone else, but I try not to let it become a habit. I knew that I wanted to be at home with my kids, but I didn't let it take over my thoughts and emotions. I also knew that I needed to work and help my family financially, so I tried to make the best of it and split my time up as best as possible. A few months ago, our church was having a ladies event with a guest speaker (Renay West). It was the day before my husband's birthday and I wasn't sure if I was going to attend, but then I got asked to volunteer, so I said yes. I have trouble saying no sometimes. lol  I joked with my husband and said "Well, I guess God made the decision for me." It was a great evening! The speaker deli

For the past 4-5 years, my family and I have been attending church regularly. We've connected with people in small groups and built lots of friendships during this time. My family has seen quite a bit of change within the last couple of years. I went from being a stay-at-home mom, to working full time. It was a difficult transition for me since I really felt like my kids needed me at home with them, but financially it made sense for me to go back to work. I found a job that I liked, but it didn't pay very much. Within a short three month period, I received a call from a previous job, asking if I would be willing to come back. It was almost double what I was making at the time, and didn't require me to work weekends like my current job! I was so thrilled, because I knew that was from God! An unsolicited job offer doesn't happen like that very often, and I truly believe that was all God! I immediately thanked Him out loud while I was in my car. It was an amazing feel

Compromising was a new concept for me at that time. LOL! I've always been hard-headed and don't like to lose. But when my b/f, Craig asked me for the 100th time if we could try going back to his old church, I finally gave in.  I was nervous and worried that we would be judged for not being married and for us both being divorced. He and his ex-wife attended that church with their kids for a few years, and I definitely felt uneasy as the "new girlfriend" even though we had been together for a few years already. At that point, I still refused to get re-married due to my past marriage and the problems Craig and I had been dealing with. He, on the other hand, still hoped that one day I'd change my mind. The first day of attending his old church, I was nervous and uncomfortable. The music was loud and different from what I was used to at the little church I had been attending. There were a lot more people, and the church itself was bigger too. I felt like a small fi