Happy 2013!
I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas break! I know I feel refueled, refreshed, and excited about this new year. When I was praying and seeking the Lord about the upcoming year, and what He wanted me to touch on for the blog, I kept hearing "Confessing the Word."
Confess in the dictionary means, "To own or acknowledge, to declare to be true, to publicly declare a belief!"
People "confess" things over themselves all day ,everyday. The majority of the time it's negative things like, "I'm so stupid", "I can't do this"," I am SO fat", " I'm always sick"...and so on! I know I catch myself saying things to myself but quickly comeback with a " I CAN do all things through Christ " or whatever the situation might be.
Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eats its fruit."
Meaning if you confess good things about yourself and what the WORD says about who YOU are, and what YOU can overcome, your life will be that more enriched. If you confess negative junk all the time, you will find yourself down, sick, and depressed because that is what your confessing!
Watch what you CONFESS.
I know in Middle School, I would always say that I was fat, ugly, and all kinds of things. I became very down about myself. I wouldn't eat and I was very close to having an eating disorder. Thank God for a praying family. That's all I would say though, and I believed it.
Say your enrolling in a hard class or your studying for this big exam. Most kids would say, "This class is to hard" or " I can't pass this test."You are already setting yourself up for failure. Instead say, "I have the MIND of Christ!"
Start now and train yourself to watch what you say, EVEN if your just playing around or joking. It is a daily thing that you will have to teach yourself, and it will make life a whole lot easier..:)
Here are some examples for you...
Psalm 119:11 "Lord, your WORD I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against YOU."
Phil 4:19 "God, YOU supply all my needs, according to Your riches and glory."
Psalm 17:5 " Lord, uphold my steps in YOUR paths, that MY footsteps may not slip."
Psalm 51:10 " Create in me a clean heard, Lord, a renew a steadfast spirit within me."
James 1:22 " Lord, that I may be a DOER of the Word and not only a hearer"
Let's be real for a minute. When you get to school you are surrounded by temptations, bullies, peer pressure, and the list can go on. Sometimes going to school can be very hard because of the junk that you hear and see. How much better would your daily routine be if before you got up to start your day, you start confessing the Word over it, so that you can overcome and not be led astray. You got the Word filling you up and when that happens, you wont want to be tempted or become "apart" of the world.
I want you to get out your bible and search through some scriptures that will help you live a better day. I guarantee that whatever you are dealing with and the things you are confessing negatively about yourself, there is a counter active scripture that can help you out. Whether it's having a hard time making the grades you want, temptations from your friends, or even going through some health issues...there is an answer for every negative in the bible. YAY!
Hebrews 11:1 " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
When you start confessing the Word, do it with faith. Even when you still aren't feeling well, or whatever the case might be. Believe what you are confessing and it will come to pass. The Word of the Lord never comes back void.
My challenge for you is to write down your daily confessions. Hang that sucker on your bathroom mirror and speak it over yourself while getting ready. Put it in your notebooks, hang it in your locker...just put it somewhere that you can see it everyday. Start training yourself to CONFESS THE WORD!
Blessings,
Jessica
Awake My Soul
Monday, January 14, 2013
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Jesus is the reason for the season!!!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! J
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind
when you think of the upcoming holiday? The majority of the people today would
say shopping, presents, decorating, cookies, santa, the annoying song that
everyone can’t stand “The Twelve days of Christmas”, NO SCHOOL for a couple of
weeks and so on. Shouldn’t our first thought be of Jesus?
My favorite Christmas song EVER is “O, Holy
Night”
This song is so anointed; I get teary eyed
every time I hear it. I especially like the Celine Dion version…that women has
some serious vocal cords! JFUN FACT: O Holy Night' was written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Cappeau was asked by the parish priest to write a poem for Christmas.
O Holy Night! The stars are brightly
shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior’s
birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error
pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt
its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world
rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious
morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel
voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ
was born;
O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!
Truly He taught us to love one
another,
His law is love and His gospel is
peace.
Chains He shall break, for the slave
is our brother.
And in His name all oppression shall
cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus
raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy
name.
Christ is the Lord!
It’s one of
those songs that people just sing because they know it, but they don’t really
LISTEN to the actual words. When I hear this song I imagine what it would have
been like if I was actually there that night Jesus was born. Wouldn’t that have
been awesome!!!!! I would have LOVED to be one of the shepherds that night…..
Luke 2:8-14 That night there were shepherds
staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an
angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory
surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t
be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all
people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in
Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You
will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”13
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the angels of heaven—praising
God and saying 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to
those with whom God is pleased.”
To hear the
angels sing and rejoicing that Jesus was born…WOW!!!! I can imagine a rockin’
birthday party that night!
As we start
this Christmas season let’s not forget the TRUE meaning of why we celebrate it.
What a great time to talk about Jesus with your friends these next couple of
weeks before you get out for the break. Let’s bring Jesus back in CHRISTmas!
He came to
this earth so that we could be redeemed. He came to give us hope, peace and
love. The awesome part is that He isn’t that little baby in the manger anymore, He is coming back for us soon! Let us celebrate Jesus
this season and help others around us so that they can know Him too.
I will leave with this cool little story about the Candy Cane. Maybe while you and your friends are hanging out and eating some, you can tell them about this story you heard.......
The candy
maker then shaped his cane into the form of a "J" to represent the
precious name of Jesus, who came to the earth as Savior. It could also
represent the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which He reaches down
to reclaim the fallen lambs that, like sheep, have gone astray.
Thinking that
the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with red stripes. He
used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received.
The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we
could have the promise of eternal life.
Be Blessed!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
My God, My Friend!!!
When you hear the word "friend" what do you think of? I think of a person who has a close relationship with you. They know your likes and dislikes. Your hopes and dreams. Your serious side and your silly side. They listen to you and give advice, they are someone you love and can always count on.
"Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the FRIEND of God. -James 2:23
Now if you don't know a whole lot about Abraham, you need to do some reading. This guy was awesome. Not only was he called the "Father of Faith" but the bible said he was a FRIEND to God. I love reading about Abraham because he was the ULTIMATE friend.
Abraham's life was full of faith...
* he left his country and family to never return
*he believed the promise of a son, when it was naturally impossible
*he was even willing to sacrifice his son Isaac when God commanded him to
He did absolutely everything that God told him to do. No question, no hesitation..just action. He trusted and he loved the Father so much that no matter what He told him to do, he did it. ( Everyday you should declare that "I have the faith as Abraham did")
Because Abraham did those things...God was able to bless him so abundantly!!! Guess what? He wants to bless us like that too!! YES!
Do you know that you can have that kind of relationship with God? He created us for that purpose, so that we can have fellowship with Him! He wants so badly for us to be intimate with Him, to have a close relationship with Him.
Everyday we should seek His face! Just like chatting with your friends at school or sending a facebook message to them. We should be sitting down, reading and just talking with Him on a DAILY basis. God has a sent you a FRIENDS REQUEST, you just need to accept Him and get to know Him. You already know that HE knows all your thoughts, worries, fears, hopes and dreams. He loves you so much that He gave His Son for you. He goes before you in battles. He charges His angels to protect you. He gives you health. He gives you peace. No matter what you do, He will never leave you or forsake you. Friendship takes two people for it to work.One person cant do all the work by themselves. Friendship is two sided. You now need to do your part and choose to obey and honor Him. That means being righteous, being set apart from this world. The bible tells us that even though we are in the world, we don't have to be of it. Meaning we can be out and about but not have to act and do the things that hurts Gods heart. Just because its the cool thing to do, doesn't mean you should watch that show or listen to that music. You want to be pure so that you can have a good relationship with the Lord. If He tells you to do something, even though you may not want to or believe you can do it....have faith and trust Him. Our job is to seek His face and to have fellowship with Him. Not to just get blessings, though He wants to give it to us, but because we truly have a heart to KNOW Him. Not just pray about how we want Him to do this and that, but just to read the Word and talk to Him like you would your best friend.
You will probably laugh at me but sometimes, when I am ALONE, I will just wink up at the sky or give a high-five in the air to God. LOL....!!! I love Him. He is my best friend. I can be silly around Him sometimes..:)
Lets strive to be more like Abraham, lets be more then just an acquaintance with the Father. Lets be His Friend.
Be BLESSED!!
"Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the FRIEND of God. -James 2:23
Now if you don't know a whole lot about Abraham, you need to do some reading. This guy was awesome. Not only was he called the "Father of Faith" but the bible said he was a FRIEND to God. I love reading about Abraham because he was the ULTIMATE friend.
Abraham's life was full of faith...
* he left his country and family to never return
*he believed the promise of a son, when it was naturally impossible
*he was even willing to sacrifice his son Isaac when God commanded him to
He did absolutely everything that God told him to do. No question, no hesitation..just action. He trusted and he loved the Father so much that no matter what He told him to do, he did it. ( Everyday you should declare that "I have the faith as Abraham did")
Because Abraham did those things...God was able to bless him so abundantly!!! Guess what? He wants to bless us like that too!! YES!
Do you know that you can have that kind of relationship with God? He created us for that purpose, so that we can have fellowship with Him! He wants so badly for us to be intimate with Him, to have a close relationship with Him.
Everyday we should seek His face! Just like chatting with your friends at school or sending a facebook message to them. We should be sitting down, reading and just talking with Him on a DAILY basis. God has a sent you a FRIENDS REQUEST, you just need to accept Him and get to know Him. You already know that HE knows all your thoughts, worries, fears, hopes and dreams. He loves you so much that He gave His Son for you. He goes before you in battles. He charges His angels to protect you. He gives you health. He gives you peace. No matter what you do, He will never leave you or forsake you. Friendship takes two people for it to work.One person cant do all the work by themselves. Friendship is two sided. You now need to do your part and choose to obey and honor Him. That means being righteous, being set apart from this world. The bible tells us that even though we are in the world, we don't have to be of it. Meaning we can be out and about but not have to act and do the things that hurts Gods heart. Just because its the cool thing to do, doesn't mean you should watch that show or listen to that music. You want to be pure so that you can have a good relationship with the Lord. If He tells you to do something, even though you may not want to or believe you can do it....have faith and trust Him. Our job is to seek His face and to have fellowship with Him. Not to just get blessings, though He wants to give it to us, but because we truly have a heart to KNOW Him. Not just pray about how we want Him to do this and that, but just to read the Word and talk to Him like you would your best friend.
You will probably laugh at me but sometimes, when I am ALONE, I will just wink up at the sky or give a high-five in the air to God. LOL....!!! I love Him. He is my best friend. I can be silly around Him sometimes..:)
Lets strive to be more like Abraham, lets be more then just an acquaintance with the Father. Lets be His Friend.
Be BLESSED!!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Are You Ready?
The Lord showed me something the other day that I
posted on my Facebook page and I felt like I should share it on my blog.
Above all, you must understand that in the
last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our ancestors
died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
But do not forget this one thing, dear
friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are
like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand
slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a
thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed
by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in
this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly
lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will
bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt
in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new
heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
So then, dear friends, since you are
looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and
at peace with him. 2 Peter 3:3, 4:8-14
Are you ready?
There are many out there that THINK they are
living godly, but are not. Remember those bracelets.... WWJD.. What Would Jesus
Do?? Do they still even make those?? I used to have like 50 of them.
What would Jesus do? Would he act a certain way
one day and the next go out partying, cursing, and treating others badly? I
think everyone should wear those around to keep them accountable..:) Would
Jesus watch that movie, say those things, lie, etc.....!
The Lord has really been teaching me to live HOLY.
It's not easy. It’s a choice that everyone has to make, all day, every day.
It's a choice to bust out those bibles and read daily. He wants to get with us
one on one and have a relationship with Him. I can honestly say He is my BEST
FRIEND. I can tell Him anything, and I know He listens and hears me. That He
always has my back.
You know what is one of the most bestselling books
out there right now? It’s those “How to books”…….
Here are some ACTUAL books that I looked up that
people ACTUALLY buy….
How to Fossilize your Hamster*How to survive a
Robot Uprising* How to survive a Garden Gnome Attack* How to Knit with Dog
Hair….these seriously made me LOL! These are FOR REAL!!!!!! People are
buying these!
How to become a Schizophrenic*How to become a
Wicked Witch* How to say Goodbye to Depression…
Isn’t that sad that people are so lost they need
these books. You know what? God made a “How to Book” long before man ever did.
It’s a book of HOPE and PEACE. A book that can set you free in every
aspect of your life. The Bible is the best “How to Book” you can ever get your
hands on. It teaches you how to have a life of joy, free from depression,
temptations, and to have an EVERLASTING LIFE! How to treat others and love
them.
Personally, I am working on loving others more like
Christ did. Honestly, some people just get ON MY NERVES! LOL! FOR REAL! So, I
ask the Holy Spirit to help me treat others well, EVEN when they are being
rude, annoying, and mean, etc... (I could go on and on...) :)
Don't be luke warm people. The bible says...
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot
nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that to
happen to me.
Don’t act one way at church and turn around the
next day at school and have a potty mouth and treat others unkindly. Be an
example to your peers. They shouldn’t have to ask if you’re a “Christian” they
should see Christ ALL over you. By how you walk, talk and live your life!
The Lord wants us to live Holy. There WILL be a
day when He comes back for us. Live everyday like it's your last. I want you to
be ready when He comes so that we can have one BIG party in HEAVEN. I can't
wait!! :)
Be BLESSED
Jessica
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
CAN I GET A WITNESS!!
The Spirit of the Lord
God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the Gospel of good
tidings to the meek, the poor, and the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and
heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual]
captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound.
Isaiah 61:1 AMP
The other
morning I was sitting in my living room listening to my praise and worship
music. All of a sudden I just started crying! The Lord was showing me all the
lost souls out there. It was as if my heart was broken for them.
My Pastor is
teaching a series right now on, “Taking Ownership of the Gospel.” I am telling
you, it has really put a fire under me. I am going to share a couple of things
that has helped me out. I wish I could share ALL he has talked about, but my
blog would be to FULL....:) I highly recommend you get on youtube or download
the podcasts to this series. It will help you understand the proper way to
sharing the Gospel.
Everyone, young and old, has a purpose. Your
purpose is to go out and do what Jesus did. What did Jesus do?? The bible says
He went about preaching, teaching, and healing all kinds of sickness and
diseases. This is our purpose, to go out and do these things!!!!
Okay, so I
LOVE music as you can tell from past blogs. Here is another favorite of mine…
“Where You Go I Go”…by Kim Walker!
Where you go I go
What you say I say
What you pray I pray
What you say I say
What you pray I pray
Jesus only did, What he saw you do
He would only say, What he heard you speak
He would only move, When he felt you lead
Following your heart, Following your spirit
He would only say, What he heard you speak
He would only move, When he felt you lead
Following your heart, Following your spirit
How could I expect to walk without
you
When every move that Jesus made was in surrender
I would not begin to live without you
For you alone are worthy you are always good
When every move that Jesus made was in surrender
I would not begin to live without you
For you alone are worthy you are always good
I mean, if
you listen to that song and don’t get PUMPED up, you crae, crae!!!
John 14:12 says, “I
tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have
done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”
WAIT a minute,
hold the phone!!! Did you read that?? We
will do even GREATER works then Jesus did? That is some, GET EXCITED, JUMP UP
AND DOWN, cool stuff right there. WOW!!!
We need to
do what Jesus did. We need to go out
there and preach, teach and heal the sick. This should be the norm for us. Every
day, walking in the supernatural, and telling people about Jesus. Now some of you may be intimidated about
telling people about Jesus and winning souls. ere Heh
Here is
something my pastor pointed out that really helped me out….
2 Timothy 1:6 says ,”For God has not given us
a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and of a sound mind.”
This scripture
is talking about the fear, the timidity of sharing the Gospel. Not having the
boldness to go out and reach the lost. Not feeling qualified enough, or
thinking you might say the wrong things. Sometimes I feel like this. I don’t have
a problem with caring what people think of me, as much as caring if I might say
or do the wrong things. I see so many “christians” out there that have really
made the believers of today look BAD! They don’t know that proper way to share
and help people to know Chirst. I was worried that I might say something not
biblically correct and REALLY mess them up..:)
God did not
give us a spirit of timidity. This has really set me free.
God sent us
a Helper and that is the Holy Spirit.
Don’t be fearful
of telling your family, your peers about Jesus. Guess what?? We don’t have the
ability to do it ourselves, that is where the Holy Spirit comes in to help us.
We rely on what the Holy Spirit tells us to say and not on our words. That right there
is so amazing. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and you will see some amazing
things happen.
School is
almost out for the summer. I encourage you to use the rest of your time and
start telling your peeps @ school about Jesus. Go up to those kids who are lost
and have no friends. The kids that everyone picks on because they don’t wear
the “right” clothes, or they aren’t in the “cool” crowd! Good grief, kids can
me so mean sometimes. Even going up and saying a kind word can lift their
spirits up. Do you know that I told more people about Jesus in High School then
I have in my adulthood. Maybe because I am a stay at home mom and don’t get out
much, but that is still NO excuse. The Lord has really been dealing with me on
this. As I preach to you, I’m preaching to myself..:) I have a lot of friends
from High School on my facebook, and although I block what they post because I don’t
want their language and pictures in my mind, I ask the Lord to give me
scriptures and I pray that they will read it and get something from it. Facebook
is a fun way to play games and talk to your friends, but let it be a tool you
can use to reach out to others.
I pray that
the Lord will give you a heart for the lost. That He will light a fire under
you, so that you can go out and fulfill your purpose. Your generation is crying
out for help. Your generation needs Jesus. Get excited, this is the coolest
thing you will EVER do. Start now, so when you are my age you will be a SOUL
WINNING EXPERT..:)
Be BLESSED
Jessica
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
His amazing LOVE 4-25-12
Okay, here
are some bible animal facts for you:
If I were to
ask someone on the street to quote me a scripture, the most popular verse that
everyone seems to know is John 3:16….
“For God so loved the
world, they He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall
not perish, but have everlasting life.”
I think many people memorize this scripture, but not many people KNOW what this scripture means.
One of my FAVORITE songs to listen to is…”How He Loves Us”. I love listening to Kim Walkers version. SOO GOOD. ( if you have never heard this song, find it, download it, and listen to it)
Isaiah 52:14 says ,”Just as there were many who were appalled at Him-His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness.”
Marred in the dictionary means to disfigure, deface, or scar.
This is a good verse to write down and put it somewhere where you can always see it.
"I am convinced that nothing can EVER serparate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries for tomorrow- not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love." Romans 8:38
The sheep is
the most frequently mentioned animal in the bible, and the only domesticated
animal not mentioned in the bible is the cat. Which in my personal opinion is
AWESOME, cats creep me out. Sorry all you cat lovers out there…they do.
I think many people memorize this scripture, but not many people KNOW what this scripture means.
One of my FAVORITE songs to listen to is…”How He Loves Us”. I love listening to Kim Walkers version. SOO GOOD. ( if you have never heard this song, find it, download it, and listen to it)
We are his
portion and he is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking
So, heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way
He loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves
Yeah, he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking
So, heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way
He loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves
Yeah, he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves
Say
this to yourself, “God sent His only Son
into this world, who LOVED me and GAVE Himself for ME!”
Do
you know what Jesus went through for us?
He
was mocked, beaten and bruised. Isaiah 52:14 says ,”Just as there were many who were appalled at Him-His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness.”
Marred in the dictionary means to disfigure, deface, or scar.
Isaiah
53:7 says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He
was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is
silent, so he did not open His mouth.”
-Oppression means to weigh down, to lie heavily upon( the
mind), and Afflicted means to
distress with mental pain, trouble greatly or grievously.
Can
you imagine going through not only the physical pain, but the mental anguish
that He had…and He kept silent, he didn’t open His mouth. Wow, thank you Jesus.
As
a mother of two, I can’t even think for one second how I would feel watching my
babies get hurt. Just watching them fall on the ground and scrape their little
knees hurts my heart.
Can
you imagine what the Father was going through, looking down and seeing his Son
being crucified. Yet the bible says that, “It was the Lords will to crush Him and cause
Him to suffer.” Isaiah 53:10
God
Loved ME so much that He gave His only Son….WOW…
Don’t
you know that you are HIS FAVORITE??!!
Galatians
2 :19 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. The life I now live
in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself
for me.”This is a good verse to write down and put it somewhere where you can always see it.
My
heart gets so sad when I think of all the young people out there that don’t fully
understand the knowledge of God’s love. If they could only see just how much He
does, their entire world would change. You need to grasp this. You need to know
the love of God, you need to know what He did for you, so that you can go out
and tell your friends, family, class mates. Let His love shine through you so
you can be a witness!
Here is my last scripture for you that happens to be one of my favorites:"I am convinced that nothing can EVER serparate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries for tomorrow- not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love." Romans 8:38
Be
BLESSED!
-Jessica
Sunday, April 15, 2012
"OVERCOMING" 4-16-12
Here is your random fact for the day:
Did you know the longest word
in the Bible is Mahershalalhashbaz found in Is 8:1? I would like to hear
you say THAT 3 times! Wowza!
This week as I was planning my next blog,
the Holy Spirit (who is so COOL by the way) reminded me of my High School days.
Oh, how I miss you DRAMA days…NOT!
High School memories bring mixed emotions
for me. It was a FUN time filled with good memories and then there was a time
that wasn’t so fun. In the beginning of my Sophomore year, I came upon a
horrible wreck after school. I saw some things that no 15 year old should see.
Something happened that day that changed me. As I looked upon the scene before
me, FEAR like no other came upon me and from then on I started having MAJOR panic
attacks.
To keep a looonng story short my panic
attacks were the worst throughout the end of my Junior year. I was very
involved in Cheerleading and the Drill team. I was a good student and was
friends with everyone, but not many people knew what I was going through. I
felt embarrassed and ashamed and didn’t want anybody to find out. It was like I
was 2 very different people. They didn’t see me in the mornings when my mom
dropped me off at school, crying and weeping in the floor board begging her not
to let me go. They didn’t know that during practices it was all I could do, not
to just scream and run out the door, because the pressure in my mind was so
severe. They couldn’t hear me cry from the time I got home to the early
mornings. They didn’t know that I had to take medication for anxiety and depression. (which DID NOT help)
I was very involved in my Youth Group. My
grandparents were pastoring at the time and I had the best youth pastor. I had
my family supporting me and trying to pull me through my horrible nightmare. I
remember at the football games, the only way I could get through my
performances was knowing at the very top of the bleachers my mom and grandma
were up there interceding and praying for me. I watched them the entire time.
Although, all the support and prayers did
help a little, I still was miserable. I knew that to overcome this attack in my
mind, I had to be the one to speak over MY BODY, MY MIND. My best friend in the
whole world was my prayer journal, it was my very own prayer closet. It was
here that I started really having a deeper knowledge and relationship with the
Lord. To this day, I still keep a prayer journal. I love to look back at all my
entries and see the work of the Lord and what He has brought me through.
As I started to write I grew bolder in the
Lord and the Word. I would find scriptures and speak them over myself. I would
write them on my notebooks, have them inside my locker…
JESSICA-
You can do ALL things through Christ
who gives you strength. Phil 4:13
You have the MIND of Christ
For God has not given YOU a spirit of
fear, but of power and love and of a SOUND MIND. 2 Timothy 1:7
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and Life
are in the power of the tongue”….
YIKES, that’s some pretty serious stuff.
When I would wake up and say, “ I just dread going to school”… “I can’t do this
anymore”…..”I feel like I am losing my mind”…..
I had to change up my vocabulary and speak
what Jesus says about me. “ I AM GOING TO HAVE A GREAT DAY AT SCHOOL” and so on and so on.
Watch what you speak over yourself. Speak
life to yourself. SPEAK.THE WORD.
I could start seeing a difference. When that
panic started to rise up I would excuse myself, go to the bathroom, look into
that mirror and start talking to myself (and not in a CrAzY way..;) )
Ephesians 6:11 says, " Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil"....
I remember one time while I was LITERALLY
putting on my armor in the bathroom. A girl walked in and I was pretending to
put my shield of Faith and boots of Peace on…HAHAHA, she looked at me and then
walked right out. She probably thought that I WAS cRaZy..:0)
Even to this day sometimes that little
panicky feeling tries to creep up on me. That’s when I say,” OH NO, I don’t think
so. You get away from me Devil, I KNOW who I am in Christ!” GO.AWAY!
Find some scriptures that will help you with
whatever you are dealing with. Write them and put them where you can read it
and speak it over yourself. Put it in your notebooks and in your lockers at
school. Maybe it will be a witness to your peers. Tell them about if they read
it!
Be BLESSED!
-Jessica
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