Open Our Eyes

Stressful situations or just being busy in life can make us, at times, miss what's right in front of us. Unfavorable circumstances can allow us to forget that God remains the same even when our situations don't. God is faithful and He's shown us that throughout the Bible as well as in our lives. In Genesis 21:19 it reads, "Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink." Due to being in distress, Hagar didn't see what was right in front of her, God had to open her eyes to see it. Sometimes God has to help us refocus our vision to see what we don't see at first. When we learn to relax, we'll begin to see how much has been in front of us. When you understand that there's purpose for your life, you also understand provision will always be made to carry out the purpose, regardless of how it looks. Also, as the above scripture mentions, Hagar "went" to fill the skin with water, so action was required on her part even after her eyes were opened to the provision. You have to be willing to move when God shows you what's in front of you to possess it.

 When you're in a situation that seems impossible that's just an opportunity for God to remind you of who He is. God is the impossible specialist. He takes what seems impossible to man and makes it possible every time, if you believe. So let God "open" your eyes to see what's always been there. Don't let an unfavorable situation blind you from the truth. The truth is God has you covered and has released everything you already need, you just have to be willing to refocus to begin to see it then be willing to act to possess it. Keep trusting God.

Prayer:
Lord, help us see what's already been there. Help us refocus to see what you've already released. Help us to trust you with every fiber of our beings. Help us to know who you are even the more and to know that you'll always have our back, front, and sides. Help us put actions to your Word and to what you allow us to see in  front of us. Open our eyes Lord, In Jesus Name, Amen.

Let Your Actions Speak, Encouragment

Keep showing love. When you don’t have the words to say, let your actions speak. Sometimes our actions can say it best. Grow into the person God created you to be. Learn to listen , make the necessary adjustments, and get better. We’re all made with what we need, time & experiences just brings it out of us. Your steps are ordered to where you are for a reason, so pay attention to the lesson to be learned. Ask God to let you say and do what you’re supposed to in every season of your life. As seasons change, growth should be apparent. Each test, trial, and experience, refines us and helps mold us to be like Christ on a daily, they help us to become a better person.  Never hide your light, let it shine bright, and never be shamed of who you are. You were hand-picked by God for this time, so keep a smile on your face, you’re going somewhere. God loves you dearly! :) Much luv, -Erica. #Soar #John3:16, #NeverForgotten #Psalm37:23

Shine Where You’re At

Regardless of your environment, never stop shining for Christ. Know that your environment doesn't determine or stop your faith, you do. Don’t allow challenging or dark situations to smother out who God called you to be. Know that because of Christ, you are the light and salt of this earth (Matthew 5:13-16). You’re not supposed to compromise your faith or identity to fit in. Know that God doesn't put you in high places to fit in and be like everyone else but you’re placed in high places to be like Christ. Know your call and never forget who you are. Regardless of how they may look at you, or how weird they may think you are, never compromise your faith. When you don’t forget your purpose, God will excel you to realms you never even imagine. Think about Joseph and Daniel (Genesis 41:37-57, Book of Daniel) . They weren't in Christian environments but look at what God did for them. Favor never left them and neither did God. Because God was with them he excelled them beyond belief. God can make you Pharaohs right hand man, just like Joseph. God can be setting you up for promotion. Don’t despise or fear your environments.  We can’t be afraid to shine because of the ruler we see in place. Who we see in power today, can change tomorrow. The world need to see who God is too. Remember, Jesus came for the lost. We have to remember who God is and what He is capable of.  Know who YOU serve, the ALL powerful One. Just because a Pharaoh may be in high places doesn't mean God can’t put you in high places too. God will use who he pleases, remember that. So let the world know you’re not ashamed of the Gospel and you’re not shamed of who God created you to be. Don’t be religious but be real. Show the world what God can do when you keep Him first and refuse to compromise. Shine for Christ and never put your light out. Forward.

Even Alone

Even the disciples weren't always there for Jesus when he needed them most. At the Garden of Gethsemane they couldn't even stay up and pray with Him (Matthew 26:36-46). They fell asleep right before the greatest event in His life was about to take place. But Jesus pushed forward and went through His test anyway. Never get discouraged when it seems like you're facing this world alone. Know that God is with you through it all and with God you can make it through anything. Our job is not to depend on people but to depend on God. Just like Jesus, some things we face in life everyone can't face it with us. Everyone won't be allowed to go through the complete tests with us. We may have people with us as we start out in a test but by the end of it, it may be just you and God. God will place who you need in your life so never fear that but never view people as your savior. God does work through people and they can assist & encourage us but it's God that ultimately saves us. So keep your joy, you won't go under, God got you! Even if it seems like you’ve failed you can get back up again and start over (Proverbs 24:16). God's given you the ability to do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). Keep your focus right, whatever you go through you're victorious. Know the truth. Stay encouraged.

The Chilling Truth

If you're not happy, you can make changes..We hold more power than we think. Some walk around sad and distraught because of their situations. The truth is wecan change most things and for the things we can't change, we can change our mindset about them. Your mindset, the way you think, can propel you into your future or hold you back from moving forward in life. A lot of times we can let small situations overtake our lives. God said, we have dominion over all things on earth so we must act like it (Genesis 1:26). Of course there are situations that only God can fix but in those situations we must refuse to let our joy be taken away. If God is handling a situation then you know it'll be taken care of. There is NO situation too hard for God, remember that.

So keep a smile on your face and know who you are in God. God has our back, He has us covered. Learn to rest in God's word and continually do what you have the power to do. Don't lose your peace or joy over a temporary situation but keep your eyes fixed on the permanent God. So choose to be happy. Stay encouraged.

Unity

Psalm 133
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore."

Amazing things happen when we dwell together in unity. God seems to show Himself in mighty ways when we unite. Unity brings strength and motivation. Acts 2:1-4 is a great example of what type of amazing things can happen when we‘re on one accord.” When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  Also in Matthew 18:19 it speaks about the power of agreement, “
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Another great verse that speaks of unity, is Amos 3:3” Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”

Not only do we need to walk together in unity, be on one accord, with other people but we need to be on one accord with the Word. We have to agree with the Word of God if we want to see it manifest. In order to believe what God says, you have to agree with what God says. It is impossible to see the Word manifest without agreeing with it. Jesus made agreement so clear in the scriptures.  When people needed something from Him, they would get in agreement with what He told them in order to see the desired results. We must continually allow our lives to be aligned, be in agreement, with His word. There’s so much that God desires to do for us, through us, and to us but we must learn to agree with Him and end double-mindedness (James 1:6-7).

We must also encourage each other to keep believing the Word of God and stay aligned with it. When we stick together we can hold each other up. The more you connect with others the greater bonds you can build. The more united you are with others, the easier it becomes to accomplish corporate tasks. It’s easy for the evil one to attack one but it’s harder to attack more than one at a time. Some people have talked themselves into isolation and that can be a dangerous place. When one is going through and they have no one to talk to, they become very vulnerable and the evil one loves to attack at what he believes is your most vulnerable moments. You must be willing to get out of your comfort zones and connect with others even when you don’t feel like it.  We must set aside our differences and refuse to allow division in our lives. As Jesus said, a house divided cannot stand (Matthew 12:25). We have to be willing to love and give no energy to foolishness or anything else that would cause division. There’s purpose for our lives and it’ll require unity in some way. So if you have a problem staying united with others, ask God to help you. God will show you the root of your issues to help you deal with it properly. Now is not the time to be isolated but it’s the time to come together to see God move in a greater way. So do your part to stay united with others and to stay aligned with His Word. It’s time to see more results. Stay encouraged, stay in the race.

Loyalty

Just a couple words, Stay loyal. Regardless of what you give people or what they take, stay loyal. Never let a person's actions take you out of character or cause you to give up. Learn to stay faithful when few seem to be. Learn to keep moving when times get challenging and learn to keep your word. Remember, in life if you can't keep your word, don't give it. Know that faithfulness and consistency pays off. Stay encouraged and keep moving forward.