Distractions

Magicians utilize distraction to execute their illusions. They make you focus on one thing while their hands or assistant is doing another. Fake news works the same way. The controlled media creates news cycles to divert our attention from the real issues. The enemy does the same thing. We find ourselves caught up in conflict when God wants to deliver us. We find ourselves focused on the storm when God wants us to walk on water. What distractions are you currently facing? What is being deliberately put in your line of sight when you should be paying attention to something else? What are you worrying about when God has already handled? Don’t let these temporary distractions steal your joy. Don't let these uncertain times steal your faith. Don’t let one defeat steal your victory. Distractions are a tool of the enemy to keep you bound.

John 8:36 NKJV Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed

Distractions

I’m not a person that gets overwhelmed easily. I can typically take myself out of a situation and try to see it from all sides. I can usually agree to disagree. Sometimes, I must admit that I do get distracted. I lose sight of my goal. I get in my feelings, and it’s usually all bad. It’s amazing how much what we see and our mind processes controls our point of view.

Distractions are meant to keep you focused on temporary problems or obstacles. They are meant to frustrate you in the moment. They are meant to make lose sight of what’s ahead. Distractions are there to deter your vision. Keep that in mind, when your day doesn’t go as planned or when the kids are acting up. Distractions are obstacles designed to obstruct your vision. It all goes back to your vision. What are you looking at? What do you see? Do you see opportunity or distraction?

Remember

The Israelites built an altar of twelve stones when they crossed the Jordan. Elijah built an altar of twelve stones when he was in a competition with the prophets of Baal. The twelve stones represent the twelve tribes of Judah. The altars are memorials of God's faithfulness. When we get into certain situations, we may find it hard to remember what God has already done. We can't see the forest for the trees. We can't see past our own circumstances. We can't see beyond our own pain and disappointment, but God is still faithful. We just need to remember that God is a faithful God. What altars have you built in your life to remind you of God's faithfulness? If you haven't built an altar, I challenge you to build one, as a reminder of not only what God has done, but what he continues to do in your life. Remember!

I need you

God does not let you graduate until you maximize the blessing, learn the lesson, and pass the test. My husband and I often say that we could not have reconnected any earlier than we did because we we're not ready. We had not learned all the lessons from past relationships. We had not mastered our singledom, nor had we learned from our brokenness. Isn't it funny how God can use our pain to bless us?
 
What do you mean? Well, most of us don't truly learn who God is until we need him. We don't know he's a healer, until we are sick. We don't know he's a deliverer, until we need deliverance. We don't know he's a savior, until we need saving. The same can be same about our mates. I'm not talking boyfriends or significant others. I'm talking about those who are in covenant relationships. We don't know how much we love and appreciate our mates until our marriages are tested. We don't know how much we can endure until we are forced to endure it.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that marriage is about need. God said that it was not good for man to be alone so he sent him a helpmeet. Before I got married, I didn't need a man. I just wanted one. I didn't understand that I was a stubborn, fiercely independent woman, who was a Stone in name and theory. Yet by the grace of God, I recognize that I needed to be loved. I needed to be protected. Just like my husband needed me. He needed his rib. He needed a helpmeet. We need each other. Marriage is vulnerability by design.

Today, I celebrate my husband's life. I am so proud to be his wife. I do not take it lightly that God chose me to be his wife, the one with whom he will spend the rest of his life. I love you. I want you. I need you. Happy Birthday Babe.

Jubilee

Celebrate the small victories. You woke up this morning. You made it home safe. There is food on your table, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head. You didn't get in that accident you should have when you were paying more attention to your phone than the highway. You didn't get sick when you ate what you weren't supposed to have in the first place. Your co-worker didn't work your last nerve today. You actually made it to the gym. Every day is full of blessings, we don't always acknowledge. Every day you wake up is a jubilee, because someone didn't. Don't be so hard on yourself. Cherish the time you spend with family and friends. Savor the life that God has given you.