Tuesday's Praise note!!

Things have been testing me lately and I can admit to myself and to God that I have slipped, backslid, and left my faith somewhere. This wasn't easy to admit, but now I am back on the right track and trying to stay out of my own way! Negativity is a powerful thing that takes over my mind at times, I am now saying, "Get thee behind me satan!"
God is too good for me to be thinking negative thoughts! I have made made up my mind to stand on his promises on a daily basis, seek his favor, and most of all, thank him for all that he has done, given, and forgave!
I'm not perfect! I realize that! The good news is he blesses us in spite of our faults!! Over & Over& Over again!!! Isn't it awesome??? I love it!!!!
So for this Tuesday, I pray for peace of mind! I pray for forgiveness for all of us! I give thanks to God for keeping me and for the FAVOR that he has in store for today! I thank him that I can see, smell, love, hear, taste, walk, talk, forgive, drive, teach, and share! There are many more things that I am grateful for, but I have to go to work!

God is great, good, awesome, amazing, and fantabolous!!!!! If you don't know him, please get to know him. I know him! I'm still learning more about him, but from what I know through personal experiences, songs, stories, and other people experiences, He's all that!!!

I love HIM and he loves us all INSPITE of our faults.........don't you have some too??

I'm not perfect......but God can still use me!!

I have looked in the mirror, talked to myself in my head, and become angry at myself sometimes. The way I look, my personality, the things I've done in my past, the trhings that have happend to me in my past, my current state of life, all these things have made me unhappy. I've always known that we all have flaws, but today I have come to the realization that God can use my imperfections and my past to help me along my journey and to help others in life.

Joel Osteen's message this morning was titled, "God Will Use You with Your Limitations". This message challenged us to not to go through life being against yourself or beating yourself up because of the things in your past. Look at your flaws and tell them that they aren't going to hinder you any longer. I take this as a personal challenge because a lot of times, I feel that I don't fit in.....I'm shy, personality is different, I don't talk much, no kids, no husband, etc. But NO longer will I worry about fitting in. God made me who I am, he has laid a path for me. I'm not perfect but I am so thankful that I am not who I used to be. I can take various aspects of my past and see a lesson in it.

In the lesson, Joel showed how God has used those with imperfections and flaws. Example: Peter had a temper, Moses stuttered, David committed adultery, and many other. If God can use them, why can't he use us. We may not perform miracles, but we can make someone happy using the talents that HE gave us.

So today and for now on, I'm gonna use the imperfections, flaws, past, and talents to help someone along the way. If I can put a smile on someone's face, then I've done my job. Another important aspect that I will do for now on is to put a smile on MY own face. No more feeling bad about me, if I don't love me, how am I gonna love anyone else.????

So if you've ever thought Erica was a little weird, you ain't seen nothing yet!!

Loving the skin I'm in!!!!

E.

Giving God the Credit!

Yesterday's devotional of Our Daily Bread made me realize that I give God the credit, but I don't give him the credit. Sure I praise God in the morning, during the day, and late at night to myself and in the comfort of my own home. The devotional said I should testify to the goodness of God because he is simply good! Growing up, I have always heard that God is good! Indeed he is AWESOME! Within my 28 years of life, I have come to the realization that he is AMAZING!! I mean think about it.........look at all the wonders of the world, look at all the amazing sites, look at the human body and all the intricate details in its function. Truly, God is WONDERMUS!!!!
If you can't seem to look at the details around the world, take a look at your life. I have looked back on my life and I am just so thankful. If I had to post all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon me, you'd be reading for hours. But, all the blessings the past 28 years has shown me that he is Good!!!

I am a person who keeps things to herself. Maybe due to the way that I was brought up or just bc I don't want everybody in my business. Maybe it's pride or just not knowing how to trust people. I look back at my life and I realize that I've been blessed. Blessed with family that maybe dysfunctional, but they are MINE!!! I love them!! There are many things that could have happen to me and my brother but look at us, we are both successful, intelligent, and law-abiding citizens. I thank God for the advice, encouragement, emotional support, and love from the family. It takes a village to raise a child and I am proof of that. There have been so many individuals in my life that I am so appreciative of.

I give God the credit for all of this and many many more! God is good, amazing, wonderful, awesome, and FANTABOLUS!!!!! If you do nothing else today, just give God the credit for your breath, strength, functioning body parts, job, family, friends, hair on your head, wet eyeballs, 2 legs, etc. There are so many things that I am grateful for, what about u?

God is Great and Greatly to be praised!!! I just wanted somebody to know!!

The Simple Things in Life!

This morning after my 8:00am wake-up call from Myra, I turned on the TV to catch a word from Joel. The title of the message was Enjoying the Journey. Joel's message in a nut shell was to enjoy the simple things in life. Life isn't that long. No man knows the day nor the hour when we are to behold HIM. James 4:14 says, "We are but a mere mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Enjoy the SIMPLE things in life.

I am a person who is sometimes consumed by assignments, student problems, and work. I am also a person who is extremely family oriented. I love my family with all my heart. Right now all of the cousins are kinda scattered about. It is now a reaffirmed mission of mine to get back together, do things together, and get together to talk about NOTHING!!! We used to have conference calls where we just talk and reconnect.....now we are busy with work and boyfriends. We will reconnect and enjoy the simple things in life again.

Goals and dreams are normal in life but we don't need to be consumed by them. Why?? Once you achieve that big event, all the hoopla is gone...all the celebration is gone....now what? Your family is still going to be there......don't throw them under the bus. Don't become so stressed out where you push them under the bus. Family and friends will always be there. Someone has to support you when you are accomplishing your dreams...who's taking care of your child, who's keeping the pets, who's encouraging your spirit. Someone who loves you!

Don't take for granted what God has given you. SLOW down. You don't need a lot of money to have fun....(we all want $$). There are memories to create, people to love on, and roses to smell. Enjoy life.......sometimes it's not the fact that life is too short, it's the fact that we wait too long to enjoy it. What's the point of being stressed out? Hair falling out, weight loss, no appetite, just plain old miserable! I will not...I refuse to......I claim that I will not let stress consume me. I will enjoy my life, my family, and my friends. That doesn't mean that I won't still go after my goals and dreams but I won't let them take over my life to the point where I have no fun. What about u??

I heard a word!!

I was down! I was feeling like crap! I was gonna give up! God is amazing! God is good!! God has matured me and allowed me to realize that he's talking to me. I heard him loud and clear!! It makes me feel good to know that he's speaking to me and I can understand!! I just thank him for confirmation!

I was slipping in my prayers. Slipping in my time with God! I appreciate the fact that he has allowed me to come back to the fold and grant me another chance. He didn't give up on me and he is still providing for me! I encourage everyone to come on back and give him another chance. I love him for loving me and being just AWESOME!!!!

Have a good day in the Lord!! I'm not perfect but thank GOD I am slowly changing!!

God's Favor....It's always there!

God has placed seeds of increase on the inside of us before we were even conceived. We were meant to grow and not inhibit what God has in store for us. His FAVOR! His favor is upon us but we have to tap into it. We have to ask God to show us his favor upon our lives.
I am not perfect. I will admit that to anyone. I am not perfect! There was a period in my life where it seemed like everything was going my way. I was happy, finances were straight, was healthy, and just plain old HAPPY! Every morning I woke up and I thanked God for his blessings. Eventually, things started to change. Maybe I started to relax or I just stopped thanking him for my life and everything in it. I sit back now and I try to pin point the problem. I see that I wasn't happy with my life and not happy with myself. On the outside I was so bubbly and happy but on the inside I wondered why God loved me in spite of me.
Now it's to the point where I am in the process of being happy again. I am enjoying my life, and I am receiving the Favor of God upon my life. So, I have a past. I've made mistakes. I am alive, blessed, surrounded by family and friends. I am so glad God loves in spite of ourselves. I didn't have the sense enough to stop beating myself up. Through faith and my up bringing, I have clinged back onto God and I am not letting go.
What are you going to do? Tap into the favor of God and get your life back. I'm getting back to EDEN so I can live on top of the WORLD!!! I love life and I love GOD. I am not perfect but I am happy!!! God's favor is AMAZING!!!!!

Activating fear and not faith

I am a worrier. I have fears. I am a scardey cat. As of today, I will work on this habit. I have faith but at times I let my fear get the worse of me. It stops TODAY!!! This is the day where I will be guided by faith and not my fear. I learned today from Mr. Osteen that fear is contagious. Here we are worrying about Swine Flu and other germs. Our focus....my focus will be on the negativity that can seep into my mind from my environment.

Peoople will complain, talk about people, and fear the worse when it comes to life's situations. If you continue to hang around these people, you will find yourself doing the same thing. At one point in my life I was living expecting God's favor and just being happy. Hearing this message today, I realize down the line somewhere I lost my faith. I pray but I have stopped expecting. This changes TODAY!!!! I am no longer poor, no longer sad, no longer lonely. I will live a fulfilled life with great health, realtionship, and pleanty of healthy babies. The Lord said he will provide and that's what I'm believing.

Job 3:25 says, The thing that I feared came up on me. So if you fear it constantly, it will come to pass and something will happen. So let's live in faith and continue to believe in the great things that God has in store for us. He is Jehovah Jirah.......he will provide for us. With him being my provider, savior, and Prince of Peace.... I have nothing to fear.

Fear is contagious.....stay prayed up and get your vaccinations. Faith is also contagious....expect God to work in your life. Be thankful, grateful, and live in expectations! He did it for others, why will he not do it for you? He is a God that will never fail you.

Prayer: Father God in the name of Jesus. Lord I just want to thank you for this message on today. Thank you for your favor upon my life. Thank you for being a providing God and a loving God. I thank you for all you've given me. Thank you for helping me reflect back on my life and realizing that I lost it somewhere but now I have the opportunity to try again for you are a God of a 2nd chance. Lord, thank you for what you have in store for me and thanks you that my mind will be right in order to receive these blessings. I thank you for family, my house, cars, children, and loving husband, and everything else you have in store. It is in your gracious and holy name I praise you and wait in expectation. Amen

Hey, the Lord gives 2nd, 8th, and 144th chances. I am the last person who is "right". He loves me in spite of my faults and I am happy about that!! Let's thank God for another day!!