May 11, 2019

Visit To California

By Christina

California really helped me a lot! It was so needed. So necessary. So vital for me to get out again for a while. It was an amazing 4 day getaway. Spiritual rejuvenated experience. Love and laughter. Family and friends. And just time being in a DIFFERENT place doing DIFFERENT things, hearing and seeing DIFFERENT THINGS!!!

Doing the same CRAZY busy things every day is extremely draining. Internally and externally. I’m tired every day. Pure exhaustion! Fully depleted of any energy and drive. I don’t want to do a thing but love my blanket. I’m walking around like the Charlie Brown character. But mostly frustration, overwhelming frustration. I feel trapped most days from obligations.

Ya feel me?

And I want an escape because then I start to mope and count the losses. That’s not good either. Or I think about what is taking so long to get to a more fulfilling place. I need a real rest so I can do things that not only bring me joy but move to my true calling.

And boredom. Yeah that could have seeped in too. That’s just been my reality on battling with the mundane. I know there’s more. But where’s it been hiding from me? I can’t be doing this day in and day out and not have no joy. I’m not supposed to be frustrated 24/7! No! No! No!

Then came Cali! Wow. Everything I needed right there. Word. Breathtaking scenery. Mountains and trees. Great weather and sun. Shops and walkway streets. It was spiritually blissful to my aching soul. I was able to breathe again.

Take me back.

Most importantly, keep me rejuvenated! People actually like my strange smile. I like it more! I like how it feels to be free INSIDE and not congested with the responsibility of working life.

The 212 conference in San Jose was a purpose and destination. But it became way more than that. It was life again. Drive again. Energy again. Hope again. Resilience again. Birth again. Every message spoke as answered contemplations right from my journal. The unseen tears were wiped away. God was doing it again. Making me feel like it’s a good day again and a good place that I am in.

I shook Bishop TD Jakes hand. I soaked up every word on his night!

Just be who you really are
And be good with you!!!
I AM ON MY SIDE!!!
You are enough!!!!

Inside my heart pushed away the numbness. And I felt those words deep. They were well received by me. Well received!!!! Selah…

Joel Osteen rocked the house with his message on “Designed to Withstand” as it spoke to the adversity we all face. We can move through this triumphantly.

Dharius Daniels reminded the preacher in me to be a water walker and keep praying those powerful simple prayers that I do. It works! It’s heard! I am one of the twelve. I will always be an exception. God will find a way to make an exception for me because I am heading down the humble path He has for me to learn in this journey now. It’s a perfect plan God… let’s do this.

Ron Carpenter reminded me to keep the wonder! To seek God and know that He has given me authority to triumph as well.

And the people I was with— reminded me how nice it was to laugh again and get fired up inside. It was amazingly nice. 9 of us went. 9 lives forever impacted.

I’m never going to forget this LIFE BUILDING experience!!!! Thank you God because you selected me to be somewhere so I can be a part of something out of the ordinary. That was extraordinary. ♥️😇

““Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” Matthew‬ ‭14:29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Celebration, Encouragement, Health, Inspiration, Restoration

May 8, 2019

Time To Refine

By Christina

“This is GOD ’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
Jeremiah‬ ‭29:10-11‬ ‭MSG‬‬

How often can many quote this scripture? “I know the plans that I have for you, to give you a future and a hope.” But I love The Message translation, because it contains the details that we all seek!

As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up…

Yes! That’s called process. It’s the process within the process. The process within the promise. The process within the plans that God speaks over you. And we all have to go through it. There is no shortcut, back door escape or way out of His plans! There just isn’t. And we can fool and disappoint ourselves when we forget “after the seventy years are up.” That is very important detail.

Now for Babylon it was seventy years. Maybe for you it’s seven years. Maybe mine is 17 years. Maybe someone is in a season where it is 7 months, days, etc. Whatever that may be just know we all have to go through what we are going through. It is always to refine us.

Refine is to remove impurities or unwanted elements from (a substance), typically as part of an industrial process; improve (something) by making small changes, in particular make (an idea, theory, or method) more subtle and accurate.

We must be ready. God is not going to fund our confusion. He is not going to give the keys to the car over in the hands of an infant. He will not bring you into a place that you are not ready to move in. So when those things hurt the most, we must comprehend that every removal is for improvements!

Now we are surely designed to withstand, but the very moment that we are taking on more of what He has planned is the moment that we can easily collapse. Don’t collapse while you wait for that plan to carry out.

Just go through that timeframe and trust the One that orchestrated your life from the beginning of time. He is a God of order and we know this but still fuss over because of that wait. Give it to God. The longer we wait the better it will be for us. It’s always worth the wait for good things.

I would rather wait in any fine italian restaurant for a dish like zuppa de pesce than for a slice of pizza. Those better meals require more time and preparation. And it is oh so good! Topped with dessert and coffee, God knows what He is doing.

So as soon as your time in this process is up, you will have all that He planned for you. We just need to enjoy where we are at today because we really don’t want to miss every special season. Every promise starts with a plan. If you find your promise in an infancy stage just give it time to grow, prepare and mature. Eventually it will happen the right way and in the right process of time.

So stay filled, hopeful and trust in Him. Be at peace. He said He is going to show up and take care of you, just as He promised to give you the things hoped for.

He just needs time to refine.

Leave a comment | posted in Encouragement, Hope, Inspiration

April 13, 2019

What’s Roaring

By Christina

What a beautiful event today at “She Roars”, hosted by Evangelist Claudia Morales. It was amazing.  It felt so good to be there.  And I felt so good. So positive. So energetic again.  There was life in me today for real! I was super happy and just being the better version of me that I know exists!

I think that is what is roaring inside me the most.

Wow –because for how long am I going to be quiet?  How long am I going to be silenced?  How long should I be in a state of isolation against myself?

The message today brought so much insight.  Even after once again receiving not so good news.  I was happy.  I was good. I was in an atmosphere that was roaring!

And I asked myself –what is really roaring?

It’s when the enemy of our soul is telling us that maybe if we were something else we’d be accepted.  Maybe if we lost some weight we’d be accepted.  Maybe if we were looking a certain way, we’d be accepted.  Maybe if we tried a little better here and there we would be accepted.  Or perhaps if we didn’t make so many mistakes –oh yeah! We’d be accepted!

BY WHO!!!????

That is what is roaring the loudest! Just like Pastor Kim Pothier [Real Talk Kim] spoke today.  The four things that steal our roar –our territory –our identity!

  1. Negativity
  2. Self-Doubt
  3. Fear
  4. Procrastination

Yup–Yup–Yup and YUP! That would be it in a nutshell! Because I have done all those things and if not more.  To think that we don’t really matter when we are everything to Him! We are everything that He made us to be and that is so great. We can do everything that we put our hearts to do and what we have been created to do.

It just sucks when the things that have been roaring the most have been your own negative mindset.  When you have allowed yourself to be plagued by so much self-doubt.  The moments when you have allowed fear to snuff you out!!! When you have procrastinated because you thought you weren’t ready or good enough or much compared to everyone else! Oh come on! Those roars have been trying to tear you down mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally.

That roar was stopping you and not helping you. We have allowed all those things to take territory.  Now we need to regain the control back! We need to quit magnifying every weakness, every lie, every thing that tries to attach itself to the womb of our spirit that has brought hindrance!

Now I am not an animal, not a lion, not an eagle, not a bear, not a dog, and not any pet.  I am also not a victim! I am a victor and certainly way more than a conqueror!

What I do know is that I am a powerful and mighty woman of God! A woman of virtue.  I am a woman of the Word.  Because no matter what happens –I get back up some how and some way which is THROUGH God.  I can no longer allow the roars of negativity, self-doubt, fear or procrastination to take territory.  I have to allow the power of His Word to dominate in every way!!!

Thanks for being real –women! AND the men that showed up to support.  It was beautiful. He’s working. And the “what” that roars the loudest is written.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Ephesians 3:20 MSG

Women! We need to rise up! We cannot be silent anymore! We are the storm! We need to live! We need to get up! We MUST move forward! Because everything we need is already within us. ❤

With Love,

Christina

3 Comments | posted in Inspiration

April 13, 2019

Higher Than I

By Christina

Life’s rough.

I’m just waiting.

Things on standby been the theme.

I stopped for a quck cup of tea, read a verse and reflected.

“Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah”
Psalms 61:1-4 NKJV

Isn’t it so lovely that we can pray anytime, anywhere.

That’s where I chose. Because the standby for me has kept me in such a restricted position. Many times I feel like I’m gonna break or that I’m just really not cut out for this. Life… then I think about so much stuff.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, because God! You know what I needed, what I need and what I’m gonna need to make it through. It’s been filled with some sharp stuff but what can I say but that You know best.

You HAVE to keep me, You are what I got and who alone I can turn to. A shelter. A strong tower. A rock. A tabernacle. A place of real refuge especially when I have to let go. In order to go higher I have to let go of it all, because holding on is what keeps hurting the most. It’s exhausting.

Selah.

2 Comments | posted in Inspiration