looking back on the 28th yr of my life.........

I celebrated my 29th bday, as I look back at this year it has had its ups and downs.  I remember crying and pouring my heart out, wanting God to change things. I remember giving up and deciding going to church and not being active was enough.  I remember living life like a zombie and having a routine I wouldn't break but no heart in anything I did.   As these memories kept coming i started to see I am not the same person.   God has turned things around in my life. There was 4 major things that happened that changed my life...

I had to stop complaining- Things happen to good people.  That's just life, its OK to be human and be upset, get hurt, tell God ur angry, but when that's done, get over it.  See because in those hard time, we can grow, we learn, we love more, and most of all we depend on GOD with all our hearts.  

Give it to GOD- after we expect our hard time, we need to say..... OK GOD, i am going through this and its hard, i feel like i am drowning, i feel like i cant get through this, lord i am giving it to you.  U are my healer my provider, there is nothing impossible for you.  LORD this burden this hurt, pain, hate, unforgiveness, this burden is urs lord.  Give it to GOD, the enemy loves for us to hold on to our burdens, why?  so we stay there and focus all our energy on the problem, we start to focus so much that it becomes our life.  We live, walk and breath in our burden.  We stop being effective at home, our jobs and in ministry. 

THE TRUTH, GOD WANTS US FREE- The thing that happened that changed my life is i realized GOD wants me free.  Free from sin, free from hurt, anger, unforgiveness,hate, all our burdens.  God wants us to walk in a life that is blessed.  “SO SIMPLE”  yet it took me so long to see that GOD wants me free!!!!!! 

Obedience- when i realized God wants me free,  and live a life that is victorious I had to obey.  When I fell before the lord, stopped complaining, gave my burden to GOD and realized GOD wanted me free i repented for not being obedient.  When i started to obey GOD in every area of my life, work, marriage, ministry, and the little things, my life began to change.  OHHH did my life change.  EVERY AREA of my life.  I felt free, felt I was walking in his will, this is an awesome feeling!!!!!!! 

Why am i telling you this.....Well because even if we know Christ, AND have been going to church a long time, sometimes we get stuck, and we don't even know it.  HOW do i know this is possible, because i was there not so long ago and now i am free.  DON'T take me wrong I have a long ways to go, but i have come a longs ways.  GOD is such a GOOD GOD he wants us to live life to the fullest, why are we letting ourselves and the enemy stop our blessings...GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE FREE!!!!!

EVERYTHING STARTS WITH A PRAYER

I have been reading Nehemiah, about a ordinary guy who changed the world.  The city walls of Jerusalem were broken and burnt down.  GOD called this Man to rise up and build it up again.  Everything changed with a prayer.  the bible says hes he wept, prayed and fasted before the lord for many days when he found out about the city.  He went to see the walls for himself and saw them broken and burnt down.  He spoke to the people and they began to rebuild with help.  The walls were built in 52 days....WOW.... when i read that i started to ask myself about my city.  ABOUT SAN ANTONIO.  There are so many lost souls and people hurting.  San Antonio is our home and our walls are broken and burnt down.  As believers we need to seek GOD they way Nehemiah did and cry out to GOD...

1) we need to know who GOD is.  He is our GOD a GOD who can change the world

2) we need to repent for our city 

3) we need to remember GOD promises and the condition we have, which is to follow his commandments

4) we need to build with one hand and fight with the other ( prayer, fasting, the word, and worship)

See GOD promised his people freedom, but it looked like that promised was gone because of the walls, but the people fell away from GOD.  They did not meet the condition of the promise, which was to remain in him and his commandments.  if we think back to the promises GOD made us, Ministry, Family, Business, relationship whatever it maybe, we may feel, or see the promised have been broken down, or burned with fire. I am here today to say its not over, God not through with you yet. God wants to rebuild us to remind us of his promises...it not only our dreams, GOD is calling San Antonio and wants to raise up people to call back San Antonio, our walls are broken and burned down, look around.  GOD is looking for Nehemiah’s.  People who will stand up and cry out to GOD for repentance, and who has a heart to build.  How many of us want a spiritual change in San Antonio? if we want that we have to be like Nehemiah ....

everything starts with a prayer.....

GOD IS CALLING, ARE WE GOING TO ANSWER?

You know its funny, we fail God all the time.  He sets paths for us, he tries to direct us and we don't listen, or were scared and run.  God is good all the time, he loves us beyond our comprehension.  Yet we fail.  He gave his only SON and we ignore his call. We wake up go through the day and he is calling us.  Calling us to spend time with him, just to say "hey GOD its Jess, just wanted to say i love you".  BUT we don't.  I have those days where I don't want to get up go to work.  There are days were all I want to do is stay in bed watch TV and sleep.  BUT that's not life I have to get up, shower and go to work, I have bills to pay.  Work is and should be a priority, but why cant we make GOD a priority the way we make work or family? 

 The bible says we have not because we ask not.  I can sit there and Say GOD why is this not working WHY...WHY...WHY..., but I did not ask him for his help, or guidance.  Why are we a generation who wants things now? A generations who expects GOD to bless us with all the desires of our hearts yet we aren't close to GOD. 

God is calling his people to seek him.  This world is crazy, there is so much happening that we don't understand.  God wants people to be ready in any season.  There are so many lost souls who are looking for peace.  IF we are close to GOD we can be that light.  Sisters, Brothers we need to Fall in LOVE with GOD.  He wants to us to be a light in this dark world.  Lets give God all, everything. 

Oh GOD, Lets be a generation who cries out to U....GOD change our hearts, Give us a great desire to Serve you, Give us a love for others who do not know you.  GOD let us be a generation who hears your voice in this Dark world.  Lord let us be a generation who love you beyond anything.  Lord bless your church with our 1st love.  God your word says be hot or cold.  Lord give us a fire in our souls to spread your word.  GOD IS CALLING, ARE WE GOING TO ANSWER?

STOP & LISTEN....

When everyone is a room shouting its hard to concentrate on one voice.  Were live in a world were we play so many roles, we are, employees, friends, wives, husbands,cousins, aunts, uncles, mothers,fathers, the list goes on and on.  We all have roles we have to live but are we putting them before GOD? Don't take me wrong we cant all quit our jobs, but are we taking the time to listen to GOD.  Sometimes there is some much going on its like were in a crowed room, everyone is yelling and we cant hear the one voice that matters.  

We are living a time were GOD wants to go great things in our lives but were so busy “PLAYING” our roles we don't hear GOD.  God wants to break strongholds, rise the dead within, heal the sick, fill us with his great LOVE, but were to busy.  lately GOD has been telling me “ if my people would only listen”.  We ask God to help us with our problems yet we try to fix them.  God is there with his open arms trying to pour his LOVE and there we are to busy to listen. 

 WE need to stop what were doing , lift up our hands and say “SPEAK LORD FOR UR SERVANT IS LISTENING”.  God desires to spend time with us.  To tell him about our day, to cry out to him when we are hurting, to fall into worship and spend that time with him.  IF we only listen to what he has to say, our lives would flow better.  LETS stop being TOO BUSY and start Listening.  

LIVING A SNOOZE BUTTON LIFE.....

The last two weeks have been very interesting.  About 2 weeks ago my alarm went off to wake me up.  I hit the snooze button  twice, on the 3rd time I had a thought, “what else in my life do I hit snooze button on”.  The question cross my mind “ I am still being effective”.  Am I being effective at church? Am I being effective at work.  Am I working hard? These questions kept on coming.  I got out of bed and started to write a list, am I effective in the things of GOD, at church, my marriage, my relationship with my family.  WHAT AM I DOING.... I was was living a snooze button life.  I am not living life to the fullest.  I started to ask GOD how can I be effective? I am tired of just waking up going to work, get off work ,go to church, eat, sleep, wake up again an do it all over again.  God began to show me  How to be effective. 

1. know who GOD is...

He is the GOD who who created the world, the GOD who parted the red sea, 

the GOD who sent his only son to die for us.  THAT GOD is our GOD and GOD 

wants to breath life in those dead dreams.  IF that dream is in the ministry or a

career, or even a relationship GOD    wants us to live that dream in reality.  But we must know who he is....

1. We are not perfect...

we gonna mess up.  We all fall short of the glory of GOD.  GOD knows we are 

flawed, so if we fall get up.  dust yourself off and start working for his kingdom.

( thats not an excuse to fall on purpose)

1. intercession

We need to pray...in praying we pour ourselves out and he pours himself in.

  this helps us with ministry, work, home , and in our relationships.  We start walking in the spirt and are less in the flesh.   AND most importantly prayer changes things.  When we start praying for others strongholds are broken.    

1. DONT HOLD BACK..

if we want that ministry, Job or relationship DONT HOLD BACK.  NO matter how 

big our dreams are they are never to big for GOD.  He wants to fulfill our dreams in every part of our lives.  DONT hold back.... 

God Wants us to live Effective FULL lives, In ministry, in our work environment, in our relationships.  Lets stop hitting that snooze button and start living....

STUCK IN MUD

Sometimes in our lives we feel stuck.  Like we cant turn to our left or right.  I have been in that place, I know God is a good, I know he loves me and wants me to succeed in life.  God wants the best for me in my life, ministry in my marriage, but i felt like I was stuck in mud.  I prayed, I would talk to someone for encouragement, but no change.  For months it left like I did not belong, like God was not hearing me.   I saw the big picture, I knew what God wanted me to do, but I could not get there.  Finally I STOPPED what I was doing and told GOD “look, I know this place where I am at it not where I am supposed to be, but I am going to serve you with all my heart not matter where I am at.  If playing for the drums for the church is all you want me to do right now, ill do with with all my heart”.  When I made that decision I still felt stuck, but as months went on I started to grow a great passion for worship.  I began to grow closer to GOD through worship.  I began to pour myself out, my thoughts, my plans, my desires.  God began to show me things about myself that needed to be addressed.  God took me to 2 Samuel 15:22, it is better to obey than to sacrifice.  GOD began to show me in my case in order to get out of the mud I had to obey, even if I don't agree with his plans and I needed to worship.  I learned sometimes were are stuck in mud because we missed what God is trying to show us.  Sometimes we think we know more than GOD.  God knows where we are, where were are going and where we are ending up.  Our thoughts are not like his.  GOD knows what is right for us.  GOD wants to start taking people out of the mud.  IF you feel stuck, What is God trying to show you?  Whats holding us back from Gods plans? Maybe he just wants us to let go of OUR plans and trust in his.  

WHY A BLOG ????

When I told my Husband I wanted to start a blog he asked "why a blog"?.  Good ?.... I wanted to share what was in my heart.  You see, all my life I have known that God is real.  I have read the Bible, prayed and I have gone to church, but recently I have grown a great passion to encourage others.   We all have ups and downs we all at one time or another question our faith, but one things remains...GODS LOVE FOR US.  Sometimes we just need read or hear an encouraging word.  That is what this blog is for.  Just to be an encouragement.  I hope this can be a blessing to someone, anyone....