Friday reflections - week 11

My Friday reflection posts are a bit sporadic. Sorry about that. It's not my intention. Things seem to be so topsy turvy in my life at the moment. What's up? You may ask. Well a lot of things really. God is making some big changes, which although seem hard to bear are very necessary. And you know what? He is giving me the grace to keep smiling, rejoicing and giving thanks throughout it all.

In years gone by, I would have been an emotional, depressed, stressed out wreck having to deal with what I'm going through now, and that was without having kids in the equation. I am telling you God provides strength in weakness. I am a witness to this fact. On my own I am weak, but by casting ALL my burdens on Him, I can soar high like an eagle. Hallelujah to my provider Jehovah Jirah!

My situation is hard to explain at the moment because I'm still trying to discern it all properly for myself, but I know what is happening is for my greater good, so I continue to keep the faith and press on.

I follow some truly godly pages on instagram and came across this post from @godquotes which pierced my heart and I really felt God was speaking to me through it. Needless to say it bought some beautiful clarity to my situation. Thank you Jesus.

Without a shadow of a doubt God truly does bring indescribable peace in the midst of life's most crazy storms.

"6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Phillipians 4:6-7

Seek Him out today, He can give you strength in your brokenness. All you need to do is call on His name and He will meet you at your point of need.

Friday reflections - week 9

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So I'm truly practicing what I preach! After dropping my girls to school yesterday morning,  I went on a mission (son snuggled up in his buggy) to seek out people in my local community who are in need. I had a bag with some jeans, a body warmer and a thick cardigan jacket courtesy of my brother who purged his wardrobe the night before and donated a large amount of clothes.

I headed out, praying to God as I went, asking Him to reveal to me who He wanted me to reach out to. First port of call was my local 'Savers' shop, (if you're not familiar, it's a bit like Wilkinson and the Pound Shop rolled into one). It stocks well known brands at great prices, so I bought toothbrushes, several pairs of gloves and a bumper pack of pocket sized tissues. Well you never know what someone might need do you?

I walked through the shopping mall and saw several people who caught my eye, in particular a lady with tears in her eyes, who looked directly at me and smiled, but before I could say anything to her she hurried off on her way, all the people I saw were not obviously down and out (not that they had to be), and they all seemed to be in such a rush. 

Undeterred I hopped on the train, determined to find someone I could give to. When I got to my stop I felt led to walk away from the town centre and towards the local park. As I crossed the road I saw a disabled boy crossing the road with someone who seemed to be his carer, they appeared to come out of a building on the corner. I approached a lady as she was about to enter the building and asked her what went on there. She said that it was a home for disabled children whose parents were too ill to look after them. Wow! I looked to the heavens and thanked God for leading me there. I was amazed. I had driven past this building numerous times and never once had I really noticed it or known its purpose. I asked if they took donations of any kind and they said 'No'. Not giving up, I asked to take their contact details so I could speak to the managers and see if there was anything I could do for them.

With a bounce in my step I went to the park, hoping I might find someone to give the clothes in my bag to, but since it was so bitterly cold the park was understandably rather empty. I let my son go on the swings for a bit then made my way to another train station to get home, again hoping I'd see someone to help. On this occasion it wasn't to be and I ended up giving the clothes to two charity shops instead.

Today I went out armed with some more clothes, it was wet and windy and quite difficult to determine who I could help. I'm going to continue with this approach though. I know in time I will build my confidence and find people to help. And I can't forget about the home I came across. I'm excited to discover how deeply I'll be able to help out there! 

I'm going to leave you with a blog post from Francis Chan's tumblr here. He is such an amazing preacher and he has truly inspired me to be a more radical follower of Jesus. Maybe you will be inspired to do something too.

Glory to God!

Friday reflections - week 8

Wow. I have to share an amazing Joel Osteen sermon I had the pleasure of listening to this morning. I have been feeling forlorn lately. I'm struggling in my situation and I feel a bit overwhelmed at times. Well that weight was lifted  when Joel spoke God's words of hope, joy, peace and life into my own life today. He made things a whole lot clearer for me. I tell you, God uses people to speak truth into your circumstances and turn things around for you when you least expect it. 

For a few weeks now I've felt rather 'bleurgh', and quite frankly; I DON'T WANT TO FEEL LIKE THIS. I have no reason to, I have life, health, healthy children, healthy family and friends, a roof over my head, so much to be thankful for. Well you know what? I have authority over my feelings.  I am an overcomer through Christ who strengthens me. God hears my prayers, He knows the desires of my heart. My job now is to stop grumbling and dwelling on how my situation is going to change and start praising God for the changes He is already making. Amen!

Joel's sermon went something like this;

When we pray, yet our situation continues to look bleak we can sometimes begin to beg God for deliverance by praying the same prayers over and over. This is not the correct approach because God hears our prayers the first time. The right approach is to switch worry, doubt and complaining into PRAISE. We must thank God that our prayers have been heard and He is changing our situation even though we can't see it yet.

Praise, worship and thanksgiving is what changes situations. Joel gave the analogy of his family. When his son passed his driving test he bought him a car, his 13 year old daughter asked if she could get a car when she passed her test. Joel said yes. From that point onwards she trusted her father's word and even began to speak as though she had the car already, giving thanks to her father for his love and kindness. She had faith in her father and believed she would have the car she was promised. Imagine if his daughter on a daily basis kept asking 'Daddy, can I have a car? Daddy where is my car?'. It would make no sense if the car had already been promised. And would only serve to upset her father who would be heartbroken that his daughter had no confidence or trust in his word. That is what God must think about us when we don't have faith in Him and His glory.

Be a believer not a beggar. Pray then Praise. Believe God will do what He says He will. We grab God's attention by thanking Him for the answers to our prayers before they come. We must thank Him for His grace and mercy, for the favour that he pours in our lives and the abundant blessings that are in store.

'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight'

Proverbs 3:5-6

Let us learn to speak positively into our lives, to have faith, hope and joy.

Have a blessed weekend x

Friday reflections (a late one) - week 7

I really wanted to get my Friday reflections post up on Friday, but hey stuff happens and things kept cropping up, so here it is on Monday. Will try not to make a habit of this..... 

I've realised that I've been pretty hard on myself lately, what with everything that's been going, (or not going) on. But I must always remember how far I have come, not how far I have to go. It really is all too easy to forget, when you are in the midst of a storm.

I've been listening to a few Joyce Meyer sermons to feed my faith; for those who don't know her, she is a spirit filled woman of God who motivates and encourages through God's word. She's like a teacher, preacher and Momma all rolled into one. She's been through some terrible things in her life, but through God's magnificent grace and mercy she's turned her life AROUND and has been ministering the Gospel to millions for over 30 years. Glory to God! Anyway her sermons have been speaking  to me massively. 

So many of us have God given talents that we just sit on. We don't use them to bless others or ourselves we just let them go to waste and wonder why nothing good seems to happen to us. I'd like to encourage everyone out there to take whatever talent they have, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem and use it to make a difference to the lives of others NOW. Often the cure to lifting your own spirits is to lift the spirits of someone else. 









Go and be a blessing to someone today! 

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Friday reflections - Week 6

I'm not gonna lie. This week has been tough. There have been a variety of things that haven't seemed to 'go my way', so I've been pondering my actions and digging deeper into God's word.

I don't want to do anything if God's not 100% in it, so I've been praying intensely for His wisdom and guidance. I want to be sure I am following His will for my life and not my own. It hasn't been easy, but by taking each day at a time He has slowly revealed to me the way I should go. Thank you Jesus. Today I'm feeling recharged and back on top. God is so good.

I'll leave you with some words of encouragement - truly, nothing beats the word of God.

'Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.'

1Peter 5:6-7

Have a blessed weekend x

Friday Reflections - Week 4

This image has very little to do with this post, but my sister took it (she is in Barbados enjoying these views as I type) and I love it, and it is very uplifting don't you think?

Exciting news alert!! Yesterday I bought my wedding dress!! Hallelujah! Praise God! I could gush about my ridiculously fabulous, bargain basement find, but I'll save that for another post....today is reflection day and I want to do as the title suggests so here we go....

On Monday afternoon I had the most wonderful experience with my children. It was so simple yet it made me so thankful for the three little lives the good Lord has blessed me with.

We were on our way home from school and my eldest was telling me about her day in a really odd voice. I asked her why she was talking that way and then I noticed her very wobbly, bottom front tooth pointing out awkwardly. I started saying (in the funny voice she had been using) 'Hello there, my name is toothy and I'm going to be falling out soon...' well that just tickled her beyond belief and she started giggling hysterically. It doesn't take much to set her off and when she starts she doesn't stop and it is very infectious. So there she is laughing away, which sets me off, then mid mimmick I get the most hilarious bout of hiccups (that'll teach me) which of course sets my little boy off. He starts copying me so every time I hiccup, he giggles manically and copies my hiccup and then daughter number two starts laughing and my eldest is pleading with me to continue doing my silly 'pretending to be her wobbly tooth' voice, and I'm trying to do that whilst driving, still hiccuping and lil man still copying me and lil sis giggling. It was complete chaos, but I can honestly say my heart was so swollen with love at that moment I thought I would burst. I was so completely happy and the reason couldn't be more simpler. Love and laughter. Thank God for moments like these.

Friday reflections - week 3

This Friday reflections is a rather EXCITED one. I don't know if my explanation will do what I am currently experiencing justice, but I feel God moving in my life in a powerful way.

All those who read my blog frequently will know that at the end of July I had a profound experience whilst at a women's conference at my church. It moved my inner being so much that I knew it was time for me to stop playing and give my life to the Lord. Submitting myself to the Lord and claiming Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour is the most empowering thing I have ever done in my life, and seriously as I write this my heart is racing, I am brimming with excitement.

You see when I got saved, the Lord also convicted me. Conviction is when God speaks to your heart to turn away from a particular sin you may be indulging in, either knowingly or unknowingly. Mine was fornication (I wrote about it here). I am not married to my fiancé - the father of my three children, so of course if I am saved, if I am a Christian I can not continue to carry on with behaviour that is not pleasing to God. Needless to say this has caused a certain amount of discontent in my relationship. Not because we are not doing 'that' per se, but more so because he is not where I am in his walk with Christ.

I have been praying non stop, with all of my heart on this matter, I have been on my face pleading with God to show me IF we are meant to be together and that He would draw my fiancé closer to Him and place a sense of urgency in his heart for us to be married; if that was in His will for our lives. Well slowly but surely I believe my prayers are being answered. Firstly, we have been meaning to get our son's passport sorted for months. My fiancé lost his and he didn't seem to be concerned about finding it or replacing it, so rather than nagging him to death, I just left the situation for God to resolve. I refused to waste my energy getting stressed. Been there done that. It don't work.

Well on Wednesday OH starts asking me if he thinks we'd be able to fly out to Barbados this Sunday. Excuse me?? I was dumbfounded. I mean he's always been a spur of the moment kind of guy, but really?? You and your son have no passport bruv!! Then I began to think, what if this is God working in my situation? Nothing is impossible for Him.

Anyway to cut a long story short the OH is making the 10 hour round trip to Durham tomorrow (yes, Durham near Newcastle)  to get his passport, and our son's fast tracked to arrive in a week's time. No amount of nagging I would ever do, could have got him to do this. I am telling you God is working in my situation.

Now maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but if we go on holiday to a tropical paradise in a week's time, I'm sure a wedding can be arranged whilst we are out there too?? Then a blessing in the UK in the spring, for the rest of the family?? I can in no way second guess God's plans, but I am stepping out in faith and positioning myself for the blessing, so I'm buying up all my holiday supplies over the next few days, so I don't get caught short. I'm buying outfits the lot ( actually I've already got my daughter's dresses. Do you remember this post? hmm hmm)...I'm not messing around.

God has revealed to me that my fiancé is The One, and by this I mean He has placed a strong sense of knowing in my heart, there are no doubts, there is no fear, just a sense of peace. So who am I to argue? The enemy's speciality is breaking up the family, but not mine. NO WAY!! I got a Holy boldness covering me. Glory to God!!

To those of you who don't believe in God and his supernatural power, this whole situation may sound crazy or not much of a big deal, but this is all truth and it's completely rocking my world right now. I can't sit still. Prayer is powerful!

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
Matthew 21:22

I'm going to leave you with some messages to give some food for thought. Keep the faith, keep praying and keep, keeping on. God is good. Hallelujah!!! Amen!

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Friday reflections - week 2

This week's Friday reflections is short but sweet, quick yet powerful and very appropriate for me right now. Maybe it'll give you the encouragement you need too.

No matter what situation you're going through keep praying, keep the faith and keep pressing on. The road may seem long and hard, but if you believe, and God wants you to have it, you shall receive it no matter what. Amen!

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For last week's Friday reflection post just click here.

Have a blessed weekend x

Friday reflections

I've decided to write a weekly 'Friday reflections' post dedicated to uplifting, rejoicing and reflecting. I'm finding that it's all too easy for me to forget how blessed I am sometimes.This morning for instance, I woke up in a good enough mood, but slowly things started happening which began to seriously throw me off course, you know the usual stuff; kids not listening, kids moaning, kids bickering, a certain somebody still sleeping. I was irritated that such minor incidents, in the grand scheme of things, can really, and I mean REALLY, upset my whole mood. That ain't right!

Choosing to remain upbeat and positive is precisely that, a choice. It is so easy to see the negative in a difficult situation, to let  it pull you down and ruin your whole day, week, month, year, LIFE. I say this because we all have people, weaknesses or scenario's who and for whatever reason seem to bring out the worst in us, throwing us off our positive stride. What I am beginning to realise however, is that whatever we feel has nothing to do with anybody or anything else and everything to do with ourselves. After all, we can only control and be accountable for our own behaviour, no one else's.

I am learning to lay all my anxieties and worries at God's feet and by this I mean conversing (praying) with Him in the midst of my trials. My prayers go something like this;

"Dear Lord, you know I'm struggling with keeping it together right now, please help me to remain calm and in control in this situation. I can not do this on my own. I lay this burden at your feet Lord and I give you all the glory. Amen."

If we really think about it what does fretting actually achieve besides giving us knots in our stomachs, aches in our heads and seriously bad attitudes? If we choose to remain focused on being joyful and allow God to take care of everything else, we come a step closer to achieving real inner peace.

I joined Instagram nearly a year ago and as with all things it took some getting used to, but as I've become more familiar with it I am growing fond of this social media tool. I especially like the uplifting word and picture messages I come across from day to day or that my sisters send to me. If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed I've been posting my own messages too. Below are a selection I thought I'd share. Along with praying, reading my Bible and listening to sermons, these little messages really do lift my spirits on a daily basis. I hope they do the same for you too.