Why we remember 9.11.01

To Remember is to Honor, to Honor is to Value, what we Value shapes who we Become

Remembrance gives purpose to our past by drawing wisdom, strength and resolve from our pain and loss.

Remembrance brings gratitude, for those ordinary people became extraordinary heroes.

Remembrance strengthens community, as we discover what God does through us when we are unified.

Remembrance provides prospective, of what God has done on or behalf in spite of our fears and worry.

Remembrance reignites Hope, in what God will bring us through today and forever.

Because God is faithful, even in our darkest hours

God is always there, for whatever we face today and whatever trial it seems we can’t endure

Remember God has always brought us through and He always will

This is why we remember

To be a lady No. 044

You're fearfully & wonderfully made.
(Psalm 139:14)

You're a WINNER!

What if They Don’t Believe?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“What if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?”

(Romans 3:3, KJV)

From Joel & Victoria Osteen

So often, people allow the opinions of others to hold them back and water down their dreams. We have to realize, there will always be critics and naysayers in life. One of the most important things you can learn is that other people don’t have to believe in you in order for your dreams to come to pass. Other people don’t set the limits for your life — you do. It’s not what others say about you that affects your life, but what you say and believe about yourself. In today’s verse, the apostle Paul is saying, “It doesn’t matter if other people don’t believe. Their unbelief is not going to keep me from believing in my dreams.” When God puts a promise in your heart, it’s not up to other people to bring it to pass, it’s up to you! You don’t need everyone to validate you. You have to follow the voice of God for yourself and allow Him to order your steps.

Today, know that God sees the hidden treasures inside of you. He wants to bring those treasures out and make your dreams reality. As you get rid of the old, defeated thoughts and replace them with what God says about you, you will remove the limits so you can live the abundant life God has in store for you!

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to see Your goodness in my life. Help me to see myself the way You see me. Help me to see the plans You have for me so that I can be empowered by You to fulfill my destiny. I love You and bless Your name today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

Speak to Your mountains

Speak to Your Mountains

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done”
(Matthew 21:21, AMP)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

We’ve all had seasons when the challenges of life feel overwhelming. During those times, it’s easy to be tempted to talk about how bad things are. Maybe you received a bad medical report, or maybe you’re facing a financial obstacle. But the more you talk about something, the bigger it becomes in your mind. Instead, you’ve got to dig your heels in and say, “No, I am not going to give life to that defeat. I am not going to speak sickness over myself. I’m not going to speak lack. I’m not going to speak fear. I’m choosing a different report. I believe the report of the Lord which says I am blessed. I am favored. I am prosperous. I am healthy. I am whole. I’m a victor, not a victim.”

Remember, even if you don’t see how things could ever work out, God does. You’ve got to speak to those mountains in your life and declare favor over those situations. Instead of talking to God about how big your problems are, talk to your problems about how big your God is! As you speak to your mountains, they will be moved, and you will move forward into the victory God has prepared for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which is life to my spirit. I receive Your strength today and choose to speak to the mountains so I can move forward in the victory You have in store for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

SERENITY

SERENITY

"In quietness and trust

is your strength."

Isaiah 30:15

FROM THE FATHER'S HEART
My child, deep below the turbulent ocean's depths is a region marked by silence and serenity. Likewise, nestled deep in the eye of the "storms" you face is a place of rest. For wherever I am, there you can find serenity. No matter what is going on in your life, regardless of the confusion around you, I never change. And I will give you that peace for the asking.

A GRATEFUL RESPONSE
Lord, Your serenity calms my spirit daily. In the quiet moments of my life, I find the strength to persevere. In the silent spaces of my heart where You speak, faith finds a resting place. Thinking of You chases every worry and fear away and brings peace in every situation.

SIMPLE TRUTH

In the eye of the storm, God whispers peace to our hearts.

Courtesy of Rebecca Barlow Jordan
www.rebeccabarlowjordan.com

Who we are

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

- French Philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

A balanced life

At the beginning of the year I wrote a post about "Balance", and what an important component in life it was is to have a well rounded life. As we just embarked on the middle of the year I thought it would be fitting to revisit the subject of "Balance".


Here is the link:

http://changemadesimplek.blogspot.com/2011/01/balance-is-key-are-you-time-waster-do.html

I read a great devotional this morning that I want to share with you. Think of it as a "follow up post" to help you stay on track! Trust me, I follow these tips also, because its so easy to get distracted and lose focus of what our priorities should be.

In life we have many things vying for our attention and devotion at the same time, that there's no wonder how we can easily place things in the "wrong spot". Hence becoming unbalanced, stressed, unfocused, or drained.

I pray that you enjoy this devotional, and that it provides you with the tools you need to live a well balanced life. Be blessed & balanced today.

XOXO - Khalilah


Dr. Charles Stanley
A Balanced Schedule
Proverbs 16:1-3

The Lord wants us to reach our full potential—to become the people He’s designed us to be and achieve the tasks He’s planned for us to do. In our pressurized society, we need to have balanced schedules if we’re going to live according to God’s purposes. When any area is out of balance, our relationship with the Lord and others will be affected, diminishing our effectiveness as servants of Christ.

1. Our top priority is spending private time with the Lord each day to develop our relationship with Him and receive guidance.

2. Time with family and friends is also essential because relationships are such an important part of God’s plans for our lives.

3. The area in which we are most likely to become imbalanced is our work. Although the Lord doesn’t approve of laziness, He doesn’t want us to be overly consumed with our careers either.

4. If we are to accomplish the Lord’s purposes in our lives, we need to take care of our bodies, allocating adequate time for exercise, rest, and recreation.

5. The Scriptures also clearly command meeting together regularly with other believers for worship (Heb. 10:24-25). While some people have limitations that hinder doing this, most of us have no excuse for being too busy for church.

These general areas all need space in your life, but I cannot tell you how to allocate time for them. The Lord has specific plans for each person, and He is the only one who can accurately direct your schedule. Seek His guidance, listen for His voice, and make the changes He brings to mind.

Life itself is beautiful.

Morning Goodness: The Impact of Prayer

By: Charles Stanley
May 24, 2011

The Impact of Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Prayer is the lifeblood of an intimate relationship with the Father. But believers often have questions about its power and effectiveness. Don’t hesitate to take your queries to the Lord, dig into Scripture for answers, and seek the counsel of a trusted spiritual mentor. Prayer is too important to neglect.

Will God’s plans fail if I don’t pray? God is not subservient to believers or dependent upon their prayers. The time we invest in speaking with Him involves us in the work that He is doing in our lives and in the world, but He will carry on without us.Laboring alongside the Lord is our privilege.

Does my prayer (or lack thereof) impact God’s work? I believe that Scripture indicates the answer to this question is both yes and no, depending upon the situation. There are times when God’s purpose is set. He is in control and has determined the best course. In the Old Testament, the Lord often prophesied what He would do and then brought those events to pass.

In other cases, “you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). There are some good things that He holds back until we put out prayerful hands to receive them. But because God is a loving Father, He also pours our blessings that we wouldn’t even think to request.

Believer’s prayers have tremendous impact, particularly on their own faith and life. Do you understand what an awesome privilege it is to kneel before the all-powerful Father and know that He listens and will respond? God loves to be good to His children and answer their prayers.

We must alter our lives in order to alter our hearts, for it is impossible to live one way and pray another.
-William Law (1686 -1761)

Happy Friday!

May, 20, 2011

Embrace the newness of today. It's fresh and exciting! Stay optimistic and look forward to God's favor to be evident in every area of your life. Live, love, laugh & be a blessing to someone in need.

XO

The Power of Love

By: Charles Stanley

The Power of Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-6

Today’s verses teach that love does not “rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.” This means believers aren’t to dwell on another man’s wrongs and give up on him as a hopeless, despicable criminal. Love enables us to hate the evil unjustly visited upon the innocent while valuing the one who committed the act. More simply, we hate the sin but love the sinner.

In spite of everything that seems apparent about someone who’s been driven to sinful actions, God has created him or her with the potential to be made into something good. Outwardly, it may seem as if substandard upbringing, poor treatment, or negative influences have corrupted a person’s morality and worldview beyond repair. For such individuals, the capacity to love and rise above circumstances can get buried so deep that it may seem nonexistent.

God still considers the most evil and corrupt person worth saving. How do I know this is true? Because in the first verse we teach our school children, He said that whoever believes in God’s Son will haveeternal life (John 3:16). Many of us are guilty of thinking we deserveHis love because we look so good compared to unlovable kinds of people. God doesn’t work that way. He loves every single person, no matter how awful his or her sin may be.

God doesn’t want anyone to mistreat others; such sinful action will bring repercussions or divine discipline. But the Lord does extend His care, His mercy, and His salvation to anybody who wants it. He keeps no record of wrongs. He loves without conditions. And He wants us to love in the same way.

We must alter our lives in order to alter our hearts, for it is impossible to live one way and pray another.
-William Law (1686 -1761)

You're the Victor!

Written By: Dymonique Colon

We are not Victims...

We must rid ourselves of the Victim Mentality: The excuses that allow us to delve into immature and childish ways.

We stomp our feet when we can’t get our way, say “This is too hard” and walk away. We settle for the convenient rather than challenge ourselves to blaze new trails. We dishonor the memory of men and women who fought to give us opportunity. We waste our time as though life is but for the moment; the only thing eternal is God.

We must rid ourselves of the Victim Mentality. “My father left me”,” my mother abused me”,” my life isn’t fair”, we cry out… So we make excuses for rash behaviors and poor decisions. We’re more interested in seeing the bottom of liquor bottles and inhaling the loss of our senses…we numb the pain for as long as we can, refusing to face the growing epidemic. I’m tired of the Victim Mentality. I’m tired of settling and believing that what I am is enough. Tired of going in circles, playing the same games, predicting the next steps and still falling into the traps. Tired of watching and listening to my community spiral out of control, and watching the next generations inherit depression, anxiety, turmoil, lust, anger, and pain.

I’m tired of seeing children with the Victim Mentality; that’s their inheritance from us and our parents. We pass down excuses, debt, and an entrapped mind-state rather than CD’s, Savings, homes, and the love of Christ. We listen to the lies the World teaches us and believe that this is all there is, and will be. We are not Victims.

Christ died so we didn’t have to be in bondage any longer. With His blood, we’ve conquered the Victim Mentality. So when you feel yourself slipping back into the old you, finding excuses, chasing the same doomed relationships, remember: Jesus conquered the Victim Mentality.

Reflective Scriptures:

Romans 8

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[b] from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.[c] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

Peace & Love.

Life's 3 C's

The 3 C's of life...Choice, Chance, Change.. You must make the Choice to take the Chance if you want anything to Change

Reality

Change isn't always easy, but it is necessary to accept change in order to achieve new goals.- Jeanette Jenkins

Meditation

The Discipline of Meditation

Joshua 1:6-8

As God instructed Joshua about how the Israelites would take possession of the Promised Land, He included a vital instruction: to meditate on His law day and night and to obey everything it said. This would guarantee success.

Meditation is still crucial for believers today. In our culture, we are inundated by worldly values and godless priorities. Unless we guard our hearts, they will slowly begin to accept these unrighteous standards.

Therefore, we should discipline ourselves to meditate daily upon God’s Word, focusing our attention on His character and His ways. This involves prayerfully reading Scripture, being silent before the Lord so we can hear from Him, and applying biblical truth to our lives.

Of course, these things don’t just happen. Distractions take away from our ability to focus, so it is necessary to set aside a time when we can be still and listen. Consider the benefits of doing so. Meditation . . .

• Quiets our spirit and provides an avenue for God to purify our hearts.

• Develops a hunger for the Word so we can gain deeper understanding of Jesus and greater sense of His power.

• Improves our discernment about direction for our lives.

• Sharpens our awareness of His presence.

Meditation may involve a small sacrifice of rising earlier or giving up free time during the day. But living a Christ-centered life filled with peace and joy depends upon our commitment to focus our minds and hearts on Him regularly. Are you willing to discipline yourself to set aside time each day?

Take rest.

YOU choose!

Change, it's your choice!