Hello everyone,
 
I hope all is well. The other day, we talked about the importance of Prayer and having that one-on-one conversation with God.  Prayer is critical to find our destiny, learn our purpose and to stay connected to the vine.  In life, we don’t know what we’re going to get and sometimes life is way too much to handle. Somethings in life are tough so in addition to prayer, it’s good to fast here and there as well.
 
Now, I know this is hard for people, it’s hard for me too but I’ve learned that even if it’s a little fasting at a time, it’s worth it because we stay focused on the Lord and we’re constantly in prayer even if it’s for a short period of time. The definition of fasting is to not eat but my definition is to take baby steps for example, know where you are in life, know the importance of fasting, the purpose of doing it and how you can go about making this a part of your life. Sometimes, I just give up something for a while or take more time to pray during the day.  You have to know who you are, why you’re doing it and the best way to stay connected to the vine.  God said somethings just won’t happen unless we fast so it’s very important.  That’s deep but once you gain that relationship with God, you’ll know what to do, how to do it and so forth.
 
While fasting, it’s very important that we be humble and keep it to ourselves.  We don’t need to broadcast what we do but just continue to utilize that time with God.  It’s special when we fast and pray. God is truly a wonderful God, and He just wants us to stay connected to Him so that we can have joy, be happy, be at peace and most importantly give hope to the world.  Let’s be humble and get closer to God one day at a time with humility and love and if we decide to fast, make that time special to have with the Lord.
 
Please take time out to read the word about fasting, the poem about humility and click on the link to listen to the song that relates to all of the above. (Fill me up Lord)
  
Matthew 6: 16-18
When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites do, they neglect their appearance, so they appear to others to be fasting.  I say to you, they have received their award.  But when we fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you may not appear to be fasting except to your Father who is hidden.  Your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.
 
Humility
Being humble is loving God with your heart and soul
 
Being humble is understanding God and having a relationship with Him
 
Being humble is serving God in fulfilling your purpose
 
Being humble is interacting & forgiving others when they do you wrong
 
Being humble is helping others when they’re thirsty or hungry
 
Being humble is taking time to listen when people need you the most
 
Being humble is respecting others all the time
 
Being humble is becoming dependent on God
 
Being humble is knowing how to live with the simple things in life.
 
MATTHEW 18:3
"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKWkYxikygQ
   
Amen and Thank You Lord.

Hello everyone,
​
I hope all is well.  Today is the start of Advent, meaning preparation for the coming of our Lord.  It’s sort of like a spiritual preparation that involves, prayer, fasting, repentance, hope and joy.  It’s pretty much thanking God for coming as well as thanking Him for being present in our lives.  Most importantly, it allows us to get more focused on our purpose and the mission set by God for us to follow.  Let’s take this time to reflect on our lives, give a self-evaluation and work towards bettering ourselves to be what God has called us to be.

Today, I’m going to focus on prayer.  Prayer is very important in our lives and God tells us to pray morning, noon, and night.  I think He said that because the world is full of temptation and prayer keep us focused throughout the day and allows us to maintain a good relationship with Him. Remember what He said in John 15:5, I AM THE VIINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES.  WHOEVER REMAINS IN ME AND I IN HIM WILL BEAR MUCH FRUIT, BECAUSE WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.

In listening to those words “without Him we can do nothing” tells us that we need God, and we should always know that He’s the core of it all.  At times, life may seem like it’s too much to bear but prayer is real, and God is always listening.  We may not get an answer right away but trust that He hears us.  Sometimes, when our lives are full of chaos, we may not see or hear Him, and this is why we need to refresh our relationship with Him daily and stay focused on what’s really important on our journey.

Let’s pray for guidance, wisdom and understanding because we should always prepare to be ready for the coming of our Lord.  We don’t know what tomorrow may bring and it’s very important to practice prayer and always talk to God.  In the bible, Matthew 6/9-13 God teaches us how to pray by saying the Our Father. So let us pray.

Our Father in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever Amen
 
Dear Lord,
Thank You for today and every day.  As we start our day, please help and guide us to do whatever You have called us to do and give us the strength to do it. Also Lord, help us to get through what’s on our plate and guide us to do and say the right things as we walk with the cross with You. Lord, You know sometimes it’s hard so please continue to hold our hand through the storms, walk with us, talk with us and when we’re weak continue to carry us through.  We thank You and we love You. Amen and Amen.

Below is a wonderful poem about prayer and a link to click on that talks about being ready for the coming of our Lord.

PRAYER

Pray in the morning, noon and night
Pray when things are good and bad
Pray and thank God for living
Pray when you feel down
Pray for others in need
Pray for guidance to serve Him
Pray for confidence
Pray for forgiveness when we do wrong
Pray for strength to get through tough times
Pray for faith in all situations
Pray for wisdom to know what’s good for you
Pray for peace to get through all things
Pray for whatever you want God to do for you or know
 
MATTHEW 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
 
I'm Gonna Be Ready - YouTube
 
Amen and Thank You Lord

Hello everyone,
 
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family.  It’s always good to spend time with one another because we never know who we can help or who can help us especially with wisdom and understanding in what people are going through and what we’re going through as well.  It’s all about giving hope to one another and sharing our gifts to benefit the entire Body of Christ.
 
As we prepare for Christmas, the Birth of our Lord, let’s reflect on our lives and thank God for all that He’s done and all that He has planned for us in the coming New Year.  God loves us so much that He sent His son to die for our sins.  That’s special and that’s the unconditional love that we all need to get through tough times on our journey.  This month, the daily inspirations will be all about preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ and reflecting on how we can contribute to His mission; to love and be disciples so that our light will shine for all to see Him in us.
 
There are three important ingredients that I think is the core of following that mission.
 

• Put God first;
• Love who we are so that we can serve and;
• Love People

 
If we can do that, I think we’re on our way to following the mission set by the Lord.  When we put Him first, we gain an important relationship that gives us peace in life, when we love ourselves, we have confidence to do what we have to do with wisdom and courage and when we love people, we can look beyond ourselves and learn humility and how to give hope to others.

It’s very important that we be examples for others or disciples because it gives purpose. Sometimes, we don’t have to go the extra mile but just be the light through our actions.  It’s a wonderful thing to witness and it brings joy.
 
God said in John 15:8
BY THIS IS MY FATHER GLORIFIED, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT AND BECOME LIKE DISCIPLES.

When we can understand the importance of all of that, we can have peace and enjoy life as it comes to us one day at a time.

Please listen to the wonderful poem below and click the links below that talks about being a disciple.  

DISCIPLE
A disciple is full of love and loves unconditionally all the time
A disciple knows how to forgive in all situations
A disciple takes time out for others even when their tired
A disciple feels your pain when you are sad
A disciple is a good listener when you need someone to talk to
A disciple will walk through the storms with you when life is tough
A disciple always has faith in God even in painful times
A disciple is a good friend to call on always
A disciple will pray with you any time of the day
A disciple is definitely a child of God to serve in doing His will
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZuAST3zte4
 
Cedarmont Kids - Twelve Disciples - YouTube
 
Amen and Thank You Lord

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,

I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy your family and friends.  I love you and please know that God is with you always. Let's continue to pray each and everyday and make sure we refresh our relationship with the Lord.


GOD is Here!     God is Here!       God is Here!
 
 
God is here to give you strength to start a new day
 
God is here to give you confidence to serve Him
 
God is here to guide you in the right direction
 
God is here to give you patience to deal with life
 
God is here to give you forgiveness when you mess up
 
God is here to give you wisdom to know what to say and do
 
God is here to love you even when you fail
 
God is here to give you faith when there’s no hope
 
God is here to give you peace when you need it the most.
 
Know that God is a friend.  He has an Open door policy and He Deals with each of us individually. 

Amen and Thank You Lord

Hello everyone,

I hope you have a good day and enjoy your friends and family over this Thanksgiving holiday.  If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family, I hope you still know that God loves you very much. Thanksgiving is a special day (even though it should be everyday) because it allows us to take time out to show appreciation and gratitude to the Lord. It also allows us to come together in unity to thank God for His blessings and thank one another for being a part of our lives.  Let’s thank everyone this Thanksgiving holiday and especially God for being so good to us.  Thank You Lord!!!

As I mentioned before, the way to appreciate God is to love and respect His children so let’s start with us and talk about how we can do better in how we react and respond to others.  I had mentioned before in a previous daily wisdom that what we do, has a good or bad effect on others and ourselves too. We’re in this together because we all are The Body Of Christ.  We’re one big family whether we like it or not, whether we’re black or white, whether we’re rich or poor, whether we’re young or old and I can go on and on and on.  We need to be in the same mind with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing just like it says in the word:

PHILIPPIANS 2:2
COMPLETE MY JOY BY BEING OF THE SAME MIND, WITH THE SAME LOVE, UNITED IN HEART, THINKING ONE THING

ROMAN 15:5
MAY THE GOD WHO GIVES ENDURANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT GIVE YOU THE SAME ATTITUDE OF MIND TOWARD EACH OTHER THAT CHRIST JESUS HAD

What I’m saying is if we really what to thank God and be appreciative of His grace, we should work toward being on the same page with each other to help one another, motivate each another and be available to serve.  Please listen to the beautiful song about Unity as well as read the poem that God helped me to write to bring us all together as one.

Unity
 
We all are one in Jesus name
God doesn’t have favorites, He loves us all the same
 
We are here to serve & to win
The victory of salvation till the end
 
Everything else in life is irrelevant you see
That’s the mission for us to follow and to be
 
The child of God to respect & obey
God said “listen to Me & everything will be okay
 
You all are under My roof rejoice you can
You all need to get along & follow My plan
 
I have rules & I have them written in stone
If you find yourself lost, someone will guide you home
 
When you do wrong, don’t give up still live each day
I will love & forgive you when you turn away
 
It’s okay to make a mistake & fall
Learn from it, get up and always know who to call
 
I don’t care what time it is when you need Me, I’m there
Trust Me, I’m not going anywhere
 
You have Me & your brothers and sisters around
Be an example, don’t let us down.”
 
U.S.A. For Africa - We Are the World (Official Video) - YouTube
 
Amen and Thank You Lord

Hello everyone,
 
I hope you have a great day and know that you’re blessed.  I just have to give God all of the praises and this week is reminding me how blessed we are to know God, to have someone who loves us and who’s always there to comfort us when we go through tough times.
 
Let’s take this week to reflect on how lucky we are to have God in our lives to show us how to have peace and joy even through the chaotic moments in our lives.  If you have time today, please read “Footprints in the sand” below, as well as the poem about being appreciative of God’s Grace.   Also, there's a link at the bottom of this message that have a beautiful meaning of why we are thankful. 
 
Footprints in the sand 

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the Lord

Scenes from his life flashed across the sky
and he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life had flashed before him,
he recalled that at the lowest and saddest times of his life
there was only one set of footprints

Dismayed, he asked, "Lord, you said that once I decided to 
follow you, you'd walk with me all the way.  I don't understand
why, when I needed you the most, you would leave me."

The Lord replied, "My precious child, I love you and I would 
never leave you.  During those times of trial and suffering
when you saw only one set of footprints....

THAT WAS WHEN I CARRIED YOU
  
Thanksgiving Poem
 
Thanksgiving is a time for love
To come together and to thank God up above
 
For all that He has done for us each and every day
We don't have to have much to thank Him in a very special way
 
We all are here to give hope and joy in all that we do
Always remember God appreciates you for just being you
 
Let's continue to love, forgive and so much more
We have to know what's important like never before
 
It's so much going on but God has us in the palm of His hands
Let's never give up but always get strength from God in order to stand
 
This is just a token to say "Thank You" to God for loving us in so many ways
I hope God continue to bless you in all of your days
 
Happy Thanksgiving week from me to you
Know that you're bless, and I love you too
 
Thankful - YouTube
 
Amen, Amen and Amen.  Thank You Lord​

Hello everyone,
 
Today is a new day and a new week.  Let’s thank God for this day and for always being there for us through all things.  Even when we think He’s not there, He’s there, even when we think we can’t get out of situations, He’s already taken care of it so let’s respect and appreciate His wonderful deeds to know that God is holding our hand every single day. 
 
God is a good God, and He loves us unconditionally so we should never think that we’re alone or think that it’s not going to be alright. He always comes through, but we should accept and respect whatever happens in situations because He knows what’s best for us all the time.  On our journey, God teaches us how to have joy, how to give Him our burdens so that we can have peace through tough times and how we can be a vessel to give hope to others.  Let’s continue to appreciate that kindness and respect everything that He’s doing and has done in our lives with Thanksgiving.
 
To really appreciate God, is to love and respect His children because He loves us so much and when we love and allow His children to see Him in us, that’s giving Him the praise.  Please read God's precious words in Psalm 21, about Thanksgiving and enjoy the poem as well.  I also added a link to listen to that reminds us the importance of giving God the glory.  Again, when we love and respect God and His Children that’s the true meaning of Thanksgiving.   
 
Thanksgiving and Assurances for the King — Psalm 21
2 Lord, the king finds joy in Your power;
    in Your victory how greatly he rejoices!
3 You have granted him his heart’s desire;
    you did not refuse the request of his lips.
4 For You welcomed him with goodly blessings;
    you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
5 He asked life of You;
    You gave it to him,
    length of days forever.
6 Great is his glory in Your victory;
    majesty and splendor You confer upon him.
7 You make him the pattern of blessings forever,
    You gladden him with the joy of Your face.
8 For the king trusts in the Lord,
    stands firm through the mercy of the Most High.
9 Your hand will find all Your enemies;
    Your right hand will find Your foes!
10 At the time of Your coming
    You will make them a fiery furnace.
Then the Lord in His anger will consume them,
    devour them with fire.
11 Even their descendants You will wipe out from the earth,
    their offspring from the human race.
12 Though they intend evil against You,
    devising plots, they will not succeed,
13 For You will put them to flight;
    You will aim at their faces with Your bow.
14 Arise, Lord, in Your power!
    We will sing and chant the praise of Your might.
 
Please click on link below to worship the Lord and give Him some praise
Because of Who you Are-Vicki Yohe - YouTube
 
RESPECT
 
Have respect for others and yourself too
Because it’s important for all of us to do
 
Represent yourself with class and always know
You are special and have a remarkable glow
 
Control your actions in what you say and do
Learn how to do that in order to get through
 
Live with a smile each and every day
Respect will give you that joy in every way
 
We deal with people on the job and at home
If you don’t respect others, you will find yourself alone
 
That’s the truth I must say
Because people would not give you the time of the day
 
Have a desire to respect others everywhere you go
You will receive respect back and everybody will grow
 
In love and wisdom to do God’s will
To respect one another and always feel
 
The joy from God interacting with others
That’s why we are here, to help one another.
 
To receive respect, you have to give respect.  Represent yourself well and represent God by Respecting all people.
 
MATTHEW 7:12
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
 
Amen and Thank You Lord
​

Hello everyone, I hope all is well.  As you know, it’s almost Thanksgiving so I think it’s appropriate to spend the time to thank God this entire week for the things that He has done in our lives.  To be honest, I don’t even know where to start because He has done so much.  It’s absolutely amazing to reflect on His Grace and Mercy.  Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes because if it wasn’t for Him, I don’t know where I would be on this journey.
 
I truly believe that Thanksgiving is every day because each day, hour, minute and moment are blessings from God.  We owe it all to Him and He’s worth all of the praises.  Let’s take this time to show gratitude and appreciation.  We just don’t thank Him enough because if we’re able to see the morning and the night, we’re blessed. There’s a quote that I love and it says “If the praises go up, the blessings rain down”.  It’s the truth because when we put Him first, we make a difference and we change the world.  If you can, please take the time to listen to the song on the link by Marvin Sapp and read the poem below: 
​
Marvin Sapp - Thank You For It All (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

Gratitude

Thank you God for life
It's the most precious gift from you

Thank you God for good health
To be able to walk and talk
 
Thank you God for loving me all the time
Unconditionally every day
 
Thank you God for listening to me
When I need you the most
 
Thank you God for forgiving me
When I do wrong
 
Thank you God for giving me confidence
To stand up tall before people
 
Thank you God for giving me strength
To get through pain
 
Thank you God for guiding me
In the right direction
 
Thank you God for giving me peace
With the good and the bad
 
Thank you God for giving me a good heart
To be able to forgive others
 
Thank you God for a good mind
To know that I can be happy
 
Thank you God for all things
In life that you bring    
 
Thank You God and Amen

Hello everyone, 
I hope all is well and you have a great weekend.  I know the other day, there was a discussion about gaining peace in our lives.  It’s very important that we work towards that and it’s also important that we be ourselves and have the courage to stand up for what we believe in.  We can’t gain peace if we don’t have the courage to say what we want to say, do what we want to do or worry about what other people think. Let’s be who we are so that we can clearly see God working in our lives to give hope to the world and make a difference.
 
Life can be stressful and sometimes we get caught up with things or people.  It’s normal because when we’re not focused on God, that will happen and most of the time, we don’t even see our lives diminish until it’s too late.  Life comes in stages.  When we’re children, we learn, when we grow up to be teenagers, we’re feeling ourselves and we think we’re on top of the world, when we become adults, responsibilities come and that’s when we deal with stress, we don’t take time out for ourselves because we’re so busy and we’re just doing what we think is best.
 
Being who we are is critical to life because God is trying to move and guide us and we can’t be what others want us to be in order to serve.  God made all of us special and unique. We should be proud and appreciative of what God has made and know that we all have a reason to be here and a purpose. At times, we get side-tracked with others or what we’re doing but we live and we learn.  I’m here to tell you that it’s time to be who we are even if others don’t like it as long as we’re living with integrity and treating people with love and respect.   
 
Also, at times we don’t be who we are because we put people first before God or we think we can’t get out of a situation.  For example, one may make excuses by saying “well I have to do this because of …..  WE HAVE GOT TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD.  HE WILL GIVE US EVERYTHING WE NEED EVEN IF WE THINK IT’S IMPOSSIBLE.  LET’S REMEMBER THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD SO DON’T EVER THINK WE HAVE TO LIVE A CERTAIN WAY OR DO THINGS BECAUSE OF WHAT OTHERS ARE HOLDING US ACCOUNTABLE TO DO OR WHAT WE THINK WE CAN’T DO. GOD MAKES ALL OF THE CALLS AT THE END OF THE DAY AND THAT’S REAL TALK.
 
Let’s be optimistic and have the courage to be ourselves.  If we don’t believe in who we are then how do we expect others to believe in us?  Let’s be dependent always on God, not doubting Him and live a free life.  Be you and God will show you the beauty that He has made. Please enjoy the poem about courage below:
 
Courage
Are you afraid to be you?
If so, let me tell you what you need to do
 
You need to challenge yourself each day
To be you in each and every way
If you’re shy or scared to cross the line
Pray to God and he will help you to find
 
Courage to be able to walk with Him
To fulfill your purpose so we all can win
 
Go with your heart and do what you want to do
Don’t worry about others, just be you
 
God wants to use you in every way he can
 So that you can serve him, he will hold your hand
 
Be brave, you are not alone
God said “come to Him you’re welcomed in His home”
 
He will help you to challenge the day
Trust in Him every step of the way
 
Live and don’t be afraid
You are a child that God made
 
Life was given to you by God you see
Stand up tall, hold your head held high & be all that God made you to be.
 
 
2 Timothy 1:7
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
​
Amen and Thank You Lord

Hello everyone,
​
I hope you have a great day.  Yesterday, I talked about practicing virtues so we can bear good fruit.  In doing that, we grow in the name of Jesus, and we learn to have peace.  Peace is such a gift and a joy.  It gives us a peace of mind and teaches us to enjoy life one day at a time. 
 
Peace only comes from God and when we gain a relationship with Him, we grow to be dependent and put our burdens in His hands.  When we do that, life is less stressful, and we don’t worry about trials and tribulations that come before us.  We have got to have faith in God and trust Him in order to be at peace.  That’s the only way anyone can have peace.  When we encounter situations that are hard to handle, we need to give the battle to God.  I don’t know if you ever heard the song; “This Battle is not Yours, it’s the Lords” by Yolanda Adams but if you haven’t, please take time out and listen to that song on YouTube if you can. Actually, I put the link at the bottom of this message as well.
 
The beauty of peace is we learn to be happy even with the small things in life, when we fall, we learn to let go and let God and get back up in due time.  Peace is not worrying about life.  It’s like putting mail in the mailbox and knowing that it will be delivered. When we trust God, we know that He will deliver so when life gets tough, let’s not give up but know that He’s with us.  Don’t worry about it and be at peace.  Even if we find ourselves in a tough situation, don’t worry.  God looks at our hearts and when we trust Him, He will give us peace.  Enjoy the words below regarding peace:
 
PEACE
 
When you can get through trials and tribulations
You know you have peace
 
When you can deal with the stress in your life
You know you have peace
 
When you go through pain and grow from your experiences
You know you have peace
 
When you are able to walk on bumpy roads
You know you have peace
 
When you fall and try again
You know you have peace
 
When you cry tears and know that God is holding your hand
You know you have peace
 
When you awaken with such happiness
You know you have peace
 
When you feel joy, when your life is a mess
You know you have peace
 
When you go through battles and give it to God
You definitely have peace.
 
Always have peace and know that God will take all of your burdens.
PHILIPPIANS 4:6,7
 
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
 
Let’s always remember that each day is a new day and God is working in our lives.  Let’s learn to be at peace just like God said in Philippians 4:6,7.  Enjoy the words of the song because it's so powerful.  “This Battle is not yours”.
 
Yolanda Adams - The Battle Is Not Yours - YouTube
 
Amen and Amen. Thank You Lord