Journal of Faith: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2:12

By now it is no secret that most of us want success, but it can sometimes be the worst thing to happen to a person.  It sounds odd, but the truth is that anything that creates a rift in our relationship with God is a catastrophe including so called success.  An interesting thought that the Lord shared with me today is that he won't give us anything that will keep us from him.  That means that if a certain form of success is going to strain our relationship with God and the things that he has given us to do then it isn't from God.  This form of success is no success at all, but a precurser to stress, strain, and emptiness. The Bible tells us to examine ourselves and this includes in our ambitions. We may be allowing ourselves to be "promoted" right out of our peace and into pieces. We can only find true peace and satisfaction in God's purpose for us because he made us with certain things in mind for us. The worst place in the world to be is OUT of purpo...

Sometimes I know that I may come off to people as if I am preaching to them, but the truth is when I speak or write I am preaching to myself.  Everything that I write comes through my fingertips, but the insight is for me not necessarily from me.  Some of the thoughts that I share are due to experiences and sometimes they are from talks with other people that give life to a new train of thought.  God is working on me through my own writing, and I am thankful.  I believe that while the writing is for me that it is meant to be shared with you.  Please don't misunderstand me and make me into some perfect person that is condescending to you in my writing.  I am writing from a standpoint of struggle and redemption.  I wish that all of the things that I wrote I don't have a problem with anymore, but that isn't true.  My pastor said something that blessed me though.  He said that you know you are doing something right if you are struggling...

I don't doubt that most people who are married, dating, or single are reflecting on who they love and who loves them.  Some of us may feel unloved or even reviled in this world, but I am learning more and more that after God the person that should love us the most should be US.  I should love me more than any other person should love me.  I should take care of myself; I should believe in myself; and I should forgive myself; I should deal with myself with a soft heart and prayerful handling versus abusive language and neglect.  It doesn't matter how many people love me if I don't love myself, so this year I am pampering myself for Valentine's Day, and at least one day a month for the rest of my life.  This may sound selfish, but only if we believe that love is in short supply.  Love is not limited and neither is our capacity for it.  We always have room for more love.  Yes time is limited for us,not for God, but that speaks...