encouragment, glam, peace, Purpose, suffering

F.O.E.

Family/Friends Over Everything?

(Matthew 12: 48-50) 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, β€œHere are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

(Matthew 10:32-39) 34 β€œDo not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.

Also See 2 Timothy 3 (w/ emphasis on verses 16 & 17), James 4 (w/ emphasis on verses 6 & 7), and John 3:16-18

Let’s Pray!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You.
During these last days of the thanks + giving challenge.
We honor and acknowledge You! For who You Are.
You Are the Most High and Lofty One.
Seated in Majesty and Supreme Authority.
There is none like You and we bow ourselves before You in Worship.
For YOU Alone are worthy of worship (Prostrated Homage, Reverence, and Adoration). For You alone do we fall to our knees and lay upon our faces.
We know that we Worship You, not just in word,
but in deed through our complete obedience,
and surrender to Your Will and Way. This is our prayer,
In Jesus Matchless Name we pray, Amen.

Blessings Kings Kids
What a privilege and honor it is to be called a Son or Daughter.
In our weekly student teacher sessions we were reminded
that before we are/were anything else
(wives, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, husbands, fathers,
grandfathers, brothers, uncles, career titles & positions, etcetera)
we are/were FIRST God’s Sons & Daughters!
It is His spirit that gives & bears witness to this
through our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!
HALLELUJAH!
My Friend, that is worthy of celebration!
As we close out the month of November & soon the Fall season
let’s enter in with Thanksgiving & Praise (See Psalm 100:4).

Quick story: I live across the street from a Lexus car dealership (I’ll give you my testimony on that later) and it’s positioned on the right hand side of the street (take mental note of this). As I was passing by, on my way to work I saw a sign that said December to Remember & 3 shiny new Lexus vehicles topped with BIG red bows.
At that moment God began to remind & speak to me concerning His promises.
This was my regular route to work, but someTHING was different this time. The
scenery had changed, and I realized it was a setup/positioning for what was NEXT!

@HPCD3Β©

Created By K. Joi

I love moments like these, where God speaks to us out of the smallest & simplest things, people, and/or places. These things, people, and/or places serve as a reminder of what God said, and that His promises are YES & AMEN. God Does NOT change, therefore neither does His Word/Promises. Oh friend we change, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the not so good, but GOD IS FAITHFUL (See 2 Timothy 2:13). And It is only by His Holy Spirit that we also can come into a place where we don’t vacillate between two opinions. The Bible states in the book of James chapter 1 verse 8 that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

In this time/season of reflection, growth, and development, let’s take some time to ask God to reveal and help us to fine tune the areas of our lives that are unstable. We all have them. Maybe it’s in the area of putting God First, loving others as ourselves,
time management, caring for the things entrusted to us by God,
stewarding/using the gifts & talents He placed within us, etc..
Whatever it is, God is willing and able to help us to get it right.
With time & practice we will find ourselves excelling
beyond those things that once had us stuck.

On that note, let’s take some time to reflect, write down, be prayerful,
and put in some spirit led practice for improvement.
And Remember, God’s got Us (See 2 Peter 1:3)!!!

encouragment, glam, Purpose, suffering, Uncategorized

Cry Now, Laugh Later. Laugh Now, Cry Later.

Psalm 34:17-19 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Revelation 21:8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” 

Psalm 10:13-14 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.

Greetings In Grace ❀️ Beloved Ones,

I pray this post finds you well. Today’s post is a little impromptu as I didn’t realize it was the 5th of the month. It’s been a very eventful past couple of weeks & days, and I am still β€œgrasping my bearings” βš–οΈ per se. So just a few updates, I attended a live recording a few days ago that was AWEsome. I’m still gathering myself from what took place that night. I will soon be incorporating more music posts on my blog, this will include my personal creations and the creations of others that I know will be a blessing to you. 🎢 With that being said, as soon as the recordings from that night are released I will be sharing it! Also our ministry is doing a 24 hour emergency fast until this evening AND Y’ALL IT’S BEEN QUICK & POWERFUL. βš”οΈ Looking forward to finishing strong and joining the saints in prayer & the word in a few hours. We’d love for you to be apart, it’s a collaborative Kingdom effort, so ALL are welcome (message me or comment below for more details).

As many of you know today is also a very important day in history, as our new commander in chief or president πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ will be selected this evening. With that being said there is a lot of activity going on right now in the spirit realm, and I encourage everyone to be prayerful πŸ™πŸ½& watchful/vigilantπŸ‘€. I just reached out to my loved ones to make sure everyone will be settled and safe as things are unfolding both spiritually and naturally. I encourage you to do the same, check on your loved ones and BE safe.

So God was impressing upon my heart ❀️ a few scriptures over these past weeks (see scriptures above). As I was pondering on them I heard today’s title. And I admit this time I had mixed emotions πŸ₯Ή about what God was putting down. I was excited because I’m saved, but I know and love several others who are not. The bible says God DOES NOT want anyone to perish, but for all to be changed/saved (see 2 Peter 3:9). And beloved as God’s daughter & friend I feel the same. I’ve heard and seen stories 😱 about hell and it’s heart wrenching to think of that being anyone’s ending. Non-stop pain, suffering, torture, and eternal death is not the way to go. The bible says it will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (see Matthew 13:47-50).

See the enemy, the Devil, is always up to no good. He roams about the earth seeking whom he can devour (see 1 Peter 5:8). He does not fight fair! He lies and schemes to trick people into believing that if they serve him and live any kind of way (indulging in pleasure/flesh) they will be happy. And yes this may be somewhat β€œtrue”, but as the old saying goes it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. 😒 And beloved someone ALWAYS GETS HURT! You get strung along on this quick & easy magical fantasy ride until next thing you know it all comes crashing down/disaster. No matter to what extent we allow the enemy to have room in our hearts/minds and lives, it never ends well. For this reason I made up my mind 🧠that he can’t and won’t 🚫have any place in me or mine.

On the contrary God promises us just the opposite. He says that if you deny yourself now and suffer with HIM ✝️ you will have an everlasting abundant life (See 2 Timothy 2:12 & John 10:10). One may ask well why does God want us to suffer? The thing is friends, suffering is inevitable. We will either suffer with God or suffer without Him. But with Him πŸ™ŒπŸ½ it is so much better. We will suffer for various reasons including: choices/decisions we & others make, living in a sinful fallen world, doing what’s right, doing what’s wrong, etc. But in the end it all comes down to who we suffer with and why we are suffering. Are we suffering for good or for bad? πŸ€”Perspective is everything!

It’s important as we are going through the trials of life we ask God what it is He wants us to get from what we are going through. ⁉️There are always lessons to be learned in every test, trial, and tribulation. The thing is sometimes because we don’t ask or seek God as to what that lesson is we can often find ourselves going through the same troubles again and again. 🏫 Think of it like we are in school, when we fail a significant test that’s required for our next level, we have to keep taking it until we pass. The good news is our teacher (God/Jesus/Holy Spirit) wants us to pass. In fact the bible πŸ“– says His divine power has given us everything we need as it pertains to LIFE and GODLINESS (see 2 Peter 1:3).

Comedy and Tragedy theatrical mask isolated on a blue curtain background. http://www.freepik.com

My leader says it like this: God wants us to LIVE LONG and LIVE WELL! Unfortunately our adversary the devil doesn’t want us to have either, but on the contrary his desire is for us to die prematurely and die full of sin/sickness. BUT NEVERTHELESS GOD IS FAITHFUL and provides us with a way of escape (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). And let me admonish you that any one who does not want you to live long and live well IS NOT INSPIRED BY GOD but by the devil. πŸ›‘ Stay Away. Transparent moment: it was really hard for me along my journey to think that I had anything in common with the enemy. It wasn’t until I had a wake up call that some of my behaviors were proving contrary. See beloved, our flesh/carnal mind is an enemy of God! This is why God says we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds (see Romans 12:2). We are all sinners in need of God’s grace to save us from evil, including the evil right within our hearts.

But I’m so glad, God again, gives us a way of escape. He says repent, change your mind and actions. Yet, again He doesn’t want us to even try to do this alone. He says that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of ALL πŸ™‡πŸ™‡πŸ½β€β™€οΈπŸ™‡β€β™‚οΈ unrighteousness (see 1 John 1:9). All we have to do is be honest and humble enough to come before God and say Lord I NEED YOUR HELP! And in our humble cry He will hear and answer! PRAISE GOD!

Let’s πŸ™πŸ½ Pray: Father thank you for loving us unconditionally. Thank you for giving us a way of escape through your Son Jesus. Who came to suffer, die, and be resurrected in power so that we could do the same. Forgive us for every sin, known and unknown. Wash us and purge us with hyssop until we become whiter than snow. We don’t mind laying down our life so that we can receive a greater one. And we acknowledge we need and want your help.

 In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen.

XOXO πŸ’‹ Grace, Love, and Mercy, Signed K. Joi

Uncategorized

Ascend N.O.W.(No Other Way)

Photographer Credit: Stefan Cosma @ Unsplash

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Cast all your care upon Him for He careth for you.

Greetings In Grace,

And blessings be multiplied unto you in the favor of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. I thank God for His continual lovingkindness and faithfulness even toward us. One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Timothy 2:13, it states “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” It’s a reminder that God is constant and doesn’t change, in an everchanging world and in our transitions in life. Let’s press in to His faithfulness.

The word humble (G5013) in the passage above means to bring low, lower, depress, assign a lower rank, bring ones soul(mind 🧠, will, emotions) down of its pride, think modestly/less of self. I heard someone say it like this it doesn’t mean to think of yourself as less but to think less of yourself. Then it says under the mighty (powerful) hand of God. This makes my heart β™₯️ leap with joy because in the last post we were talking about feeling/touch, and God’s ability to be touched by our infirmity/ weakness, and to touch us back to impart into us His strength. When we allow God to bring us under His power, direction, and guidance He will lead us in THE WAY.

Let’s talk about some practical ways of humbling ourself. The first thing is making up in our mind that we are going to give our lives over to Him. The bible πŸ“– says we cannot save ourselves, Salvation only comes through Jesus. John 14:16 Jesus said to him, ” I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” If we believe in our β™₯️hearts and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord we receive His eternal salvation. If you are reading this and are considering giving your life to Jesus I both encourage and admonish you to DO IT! I am going to attach a prayer πŸ™πŸ½ of salvation at the end of this post, feel free(literally & figuratively) to use and/or share it.

Take note we are not saved by works (see!!! Ephesians 2:8-10), yet when we are saved there are works that come with and aid us in walking πŸšΆπŸšΆπŸ½β€β™€οΈout our salvation (victory, help, health, safety). These works done in sincerity of heart are ways in which we humble ourselves under God’s hand: prayer, fasting, hearing/reading/meditating/studying God’s word, serving/considering others, sacrificial giving, etc. For these are all things God has instructed us to do in His word (by His leading/strength/power) as a means of turning us away from the worlds wrong 🚫way of doing things, unto his perfect way. As we continuously turn towards God, seeking Him first, we continually grow, advance, and prosper as He changes our heart(see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Now let’s look at the word exalt. It comes from the Greek word hypsoo (G5312) meaning to lift up, elevate, exalt, to raise to opulence, prosperity, honor, dignity, and happiness. The passage goes on to say in due ⏰time, meaning the proper/set time. One of the most important concepts i’m learning in life is time & place. Have you ever heard the saying being at the wrong place at the wrong time? Well just as that saying goes there is a such thing as being in the right βœ… place at the right time. And when we allow God to lead & guide us He always leads us in the right direction. 🧭

This is why Jesus prayed to the Father during one of His most agonizingly painful moments, if you be willing remove this cup far from me, nevertheless NOT MY WILL , BUT THY WILL BE DONE. At that moment Jesus felt all the feels, 😩 as this Generation would say, and the weight of every ungodly sin pressing on his body & soul that we would ever commit. Yet He knew no sin, He is righteous in every way! But He chose to take our failures, flaws, and mistakes upon Himself so that we would be set free from everything that holds us ⬇️down & back. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelations 12:11).

I find great comfort in the part of the passage that states, casting our cares on Him for He cares for us. The word care there means through the idea of distraction. In a time where there are so many things pressing to cause us to take our πŸ‘οΈ focus off God’s Way, we must come pray like Jesus for willful determination to yield and keep our eyes on the prize. The prize is everything on the other side of where we are now, that God has promised 🌈 us (more peace, joy, love, blessings, glory, understanding, breakthrough, etc.). My friend God never runs out of goodness and He wants to πŸ’ gift us with it. When we trust Him with everything He exchanges our current reality for a greater one.

C.I.A. Call in Action: πŸ’­ Ponder what things/cares have been distracting us from spending time under God’s guiding? Let’s pray πŸ™πŸ½ and ask God for strength to surrender and strategy to press in and on to greater.

Grace, Love, And Mercy (G.L.A.M.)

XOXO K. Joi ❀

glam

οΌ©ο½†οΌŽοΌŽοΌ§ο½ο½„ οΌ’ο½… For οΌ΅οΌ³οΌŸ

Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and BE clothed with humility, for β€œGod resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due timecasting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7 *************************************************************************

Greetings Fellow Kings Kids,

What a Blessing, Privilege, and Honor to be called a Son or Daughter! During my time with the Lord this morning He brought me back to a topic and verse I had planned to write about a while ago but never felt like the time was right. Then I came across a song on YouTube called Humility by one of my favorite worship teams UPPERROOM and it blessed my soul. I will post it at the end so that you can check it out, you won’t be disappointed! The song, a series of conversations, and world events confirmed that this was indeed a relevant NOW word for where we are as a whole!

As I was looking at the title of this post and the scripture above certain words stood out as if they jumped off the page. The first one being IF. When I looked up the definition of IF I found; (introducing a conditional clause) on the condition or supposition that; in the event that. We often quote that scripture if God be for us who could be against us when we find ourselves faced with some form of opposition that’s meant to stop us from going forward BUT what if God is the one opposing us? Let me take a moment to clarify that God is and always will be GOOD, JUST, LOVING, and UNCHANGING! HE IS the only constant in an ever changing world. Nevertheless, there are times when God may resist us when we are unwilling to YIELD to HIS word, will, and way.

There are multiple instances in the bible where we see this. When God gives us an instruction it’ s to our benefit and never to hurt or harm us. His plans for us are GREAT! He knows what we need and how every one will come to pass. In His infinite knowledge (knowing everything) He allows us to experience certain things in order to draw us nearer and see HIM clearer. I’m reminded of the disciple turned apostle Peter who rejected Jesus’s words when He told them He was going to die and be brought back (Matthew 16: 21-28). Jesus responded Get Behind me Satan. At that moment Peter was more concerned with his way than God’s.

There are times in life where God will allow us to experience things that bring us to our knees, cause pain, and even suffering for a greater purpose and to BREAK our will. It’s not that He withholds everything from as some form of punishment, but their is just a certain posture that causes us to receive his desires for us. The bible says to not despise Humble beginnings. These moments of humbling keep us from being lifted up in pride which destroys. Our daily time in prayer and the word with God is a form of us humbling and yielding ourselves to our Father. This posture says to the Father I NEED YOU DAILY TO LEAD ME!

God knows our heart, the “good”, bad, and the ugly. Although we would all love to believe we have “good” hearts the word says our hearts are wicked and deceitful, WHO could know it? This is why We need to come before God Daily to create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit. We’re ALL a mess in our flesh (Fearful, Anxious, Proud, Selfish, Jealous, Ungrateful and Sin-FULL) apart from HIM! Even in all that He still loves us so much that He desires to be with us and has provided a way of escape from ourselves IN HIM! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! IF we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Oh Give Thanks unto the Lord For He is Good AND His Mercy Endures Forever! During this time/season where we gather in thanksgiving, let’s remind ourselves that we ought to BE THANKFUL to God! In God’s MERCY He doesn’t give us what we really deserve (unfavorable judgment) and in His GRACE & LOVE He gives us what we don’t (FAVOR, Blessings). And in knowing this lets abandon our will and way to His!

Grace Love And Mercy , XOXOXO