New Life

Hey Friends,

For about 8 months now, I’ve noticed that I have begun giving less life into the mental and physical diagnosis. By giving life, I mean, I’ve stopped giving it so much attention. I thought I was spreading awareness by blogging about it day and night and making new Instagram and facebook post. But at some post, I had to not only bring awareness but bring solutions.

When you go into a doctors office and you are diagnosed with an illness that you’ve never heard of before, your next question is, “now what? What do I do next?” You’ve become aware of the illness, so how do you deal with it? What treatments are available to your recovery?

As a society, it is my opinion that we give too much life to bad situations that we are dealing with in our lives. Yes, we want people to know. Yes, we want them to be aware that there is an epidemic. We may even want empathy and compassion. But what about the people who are going through it themselves? I like to call them the “middle man”. The middle man is aware of the problem because they are dealing with it. But what do they do next?

I was following this young girls page on Instagram. She struggles with a few mental disorders. I couldn’t help but feel that she was attention seeking because her page was dedicated to bringing awareness to mental illness, but she never offered any solutions. She would post when she felt suicidal. She would post about all of the different therapy sessions she had to attend, but then there was one post that let me know that she had no intention of dedicating her life to getting better (from my perspective, anyway).

When I first started following her, I thought she was a middle man. That was a mistake.

When I would offer her encouraging words and advice on ways to live a happy life with mental illness, she immediately became offended. Here’s my theory on why:

Some people are addicted to their misery. Some people are addicted to the attention that they receive from their struggle. Some people are addicted to being the victim. So, we continue to give life to those struggles. We then create a non-stop cycle that becomes impossible to remove ourselves from.

I was in that cycle at one point. I had to learn to stop giving life to those situations and give life to solutions. For me, Jesus was THE solution for the illness’ I faced, amoungst ones that my therapist would suggest; taking a walk, eating healthier, plays games with my children, etc. Whenever I felt bad or became manic, He received more and more of my attention. I began giving life to His Word in my life.

We have the capability of manifesting the good and bad things that happen. I believe this is why negative people are always negative. I know someone who has nothing but negative things to talk about, every time I talk to her. No matter what is going on, good or bad, she’ll see the negative perspective; melancholy personality type.

If you find yourself in this cycle it will be hard to get out of, but it is possible. This is why Jesus says he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the way through your struggle. He is the truth through the enemies lies. He is the life that your heart desires.

Thank you for reading my thoughts today. May God bless you and please remember to pray for one another.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” -John 14:6

Advertisement

Who Taught You How To F***ing Drive?

“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” -Galatians 5:14

Hey Friends,

As a Christian, I’ve heard, read, and said this scripture a million times it seems. I’ve even “preached it” to those I’ve felt were being mean to me, but I don’t think it that, until this morning, I’ve actually meditated it. I don’t think I’ve actually looked at it from Jesus’ perspective. Maybe it’s because I am older and I now understand the true ramifications of not loving each other the way Jesus loves us.

I’ll give an example I’m sure we all could relate to; road rage. How frustrating right? I will admit, I have flipped the bird at someone a few times in my life. I’ve cursed and screamed out of the window, “Watch where the f*** you’re going!” or how about “Who taught you how to f***ing drive!”

Afterward, I would feel that rage coursing through my veins. I would be upset even after I arrived at my destination. Sometimes, I would even think about what I could have said to piss them off, even more, to let them know how upset I really was at their inability to drive in an acceptable fashion. Oh, and let’s not forget that it was always their fault, never mine. *wink, wink*

But what good did that do? My frustration at their driving would most likely turn into frustration about something else, and so on and so forth. Then it hit me. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ What if we were to show people the same kindness that Jesus shows us. Not just when they are kind to us, but especially when they are not so kind.

One day, when it seemed like everyone was driving like they were smoking crack behind the wheel, I practiced loving them instead of cursing them. It was not easy. I had to call on Jesus more than a few times, but it worked. I wasn’t frustrated. I wasn’t angry and the best part is, once I got out of my car, I didn’t think any more about it. I was able to carry on with my day with a positive attitude. It felt great.

When we are able to practice loving each other in small situations like that, then we make room in our hearts to love each other when our loved ones make us angry, or frustrated, or when it seems they aren’t so lovable themselves. It is my personal opinion that while Jesus was on earth, he was the most betrayed person on just because people weren’t able to accept the truth, that He was the Son of God sent here to save humanity. But he still loved the same people who persecuted him and hung him on the cross.

Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” -Luke 23:34a

He still continues to love those who persecute him and his followers. It is his love for me that saved me from suicide and eternal damnation. In John 14:17 Jesus says that his command is for us to love each other. He could have chosen any other thing for us to; fight each other, pray consistently, go to church every Sabbath. But he didn’t. His greatest command is for us to love each other. Could you imagine a world where everyone loved each other? It would be truly awesome.

In order to love each other, we must practice forgiveness. Ask the Lord to help you forgive anyone who has wronged you. This will accomplish 3 things:

  1. Heal your heart
  2. Please God
  3. Help you to move on

Forgiveness will not help you forget, but it will open up more opportunity for you to become blessed. Always remember that Jesus and bitterness cannot and will not coexist in the same heart. You have to choose one.

Thank you for reading my thoughts this beautiful morning. I pray that each and everyone is having a blessed day. It’s super cold here in St. Louis, so I’m going to bundle up with my favorite, Chai Tea and Gods Word. Love you all and please remember to pray for one another.

 

Restoration

Good Morning Friends,

God is so wonderful, isn’t he? God does wonderful things in everyone lives, including yours. Even when it seems that everything is going wrong, God is right there beside you, guiding you with the Spirit that lives inside of you.

What Spirit you ask…The same Spirit that rose our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead to make us right with God (Rom. 4:25). Isn’t that powerful? Thank you, Jesus!

Sometimes it’s hard to see the blessings that are right in front of us because we may be distracted by what is going wrong in our lives. I am guilty of this and quite frankly, it’s frustrating as hell. But, when we know and acknowledge the love that God has for us, we are able to see our problems from a different perspective.

We like to blame God for our issues. We may see Him as cold, heartless, distant, or even cruel. My daughter told me that God is the reason why she is having a hard time in math. I’m going to tell you the same thing I told her…God is not at fault. The god of this world is at fault and his name is Satan. Since we live in a broken world, no one is perfect. So, we struggle with things and situations. Here is where God is awesome. Because He knows that we are not perfect (nor does He expect us to be) He has promised that He will be there for us and love us every step of the way towards RESTORATION and PEACE.

As of lately, the Holy Spirit has been pointing me in the direction of restoration and faith. I love when God answers prayers. It’s so cool! A while ago, I started praying that He speaks LOUD and CLEAR for me to hear. I become confused by His whispers because I doubt whether or not it’s Him speaking to me or my own will speaking to me. So, He has done just that.

For example, I’ve recently begun taking a precept class at my church that is now talking about faith and it is coinciding with my daily devotional of Walking In Freedom by Neil T. Anderson (which all Spirit lead, meaning, I didn’t know that these two studies would touch basis on such topics). Also, last night, I was able to attend my Overcomers support group that I haven’t been able to attend in months, and guess what? We were talking about restoration and faith.

At this point, God is not only speaking loud and clear, but he is slapping me in the face with it. By bringing restoration and faith to my attention, He is gently answering a prayer that I have been crying to Him about for so long. I was starting to wonder why He hasn’t been answering me, why He is leaving me stagnant. But He’s not, He hasn’t. He is speaking loud and clear saying, “Ashley, I am the God of restoration. Just have faith and hang in there.”

 God, your God, will restore everything you lost; he’ll have compassion on you; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered. -Deut. 30:3

How wonderful is our God! How glorious is His kindness and mercy! I am so proud to call myself His daughter and Jesus my brother. They love all of US so much.

If you are feeling like God is being distant, don’t! He is right next to you (Psalm 145:18). Remember, our feelings can betray and deceive us, just like the enemy. Don’t fall into Satans trap of deception. Understand and know the truth of Jesus and his promises:

  1. Whoever seeks God, they will find. Whoever knocks, it will be open to them. Whoever asks, will receive. All according to Gods will in the name of Jesus Christ (Matt. 7:7-11)
  2. Whoever trust Jesus will be able to not only do what he does, but they will be able to do more. Whatever we ask for in the name of Jesus will be done to glorify God our Father. (John 14:12-14)
  3. Jesus chose us to bear great fruit (love, joy, kindness, goodness, self-control, faithfulness, gentleness, peace, and forbearance) and that it shall remain. (John 15:16)

Thank you for reading God’s words today. I pray that everyone is having a wonderful start to their week. Please remember to pray for one another. Love you all and God bless you.

“[Jesus] was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” -Romans 4:25

Taking Thoughts Captive

Good Morning Friends,

I have been struggling lately. I have been struggling to find the time to do the things that I love; blogging and spending time with God. Sometimes I question, it is laziness or mental illness. There have been a few days where I do nothing but cry all day and other days where I do the bare minimum. I know that those are the symptoms of deep depression; the same symptoms that I experience at least once a month, so does that mean that I’m in denial?

When I go a period of time having really awesome days, I forget that I struggle with mental illness. I forget that one day, deep depression will come rushing back like a flood and try to destroy the hope that I have built up over the past few weeks. Even though it happens time and time again, I always feel thrown off and unprepared. Like, “wait, what? Why is this happening? Why am I so sad?” Then I have to claw my way out like a tiger trapped in a pit of sorrow and self-pity.

I’ve come to the realization that I have to push through and force myself to do the things that I love even though I may not “feel” like it. One thing that I have learned is that feelings lie to you. Feelings have the ability to make or break who you are and what you want to become. I will never become a successful writer if I only blogged when I felt like it. And even though I have a condition that makes it more difficult, I will not allow it to become a crutch nor an excuse for failure.

I see people using mental illness as a reason to feel sorry for themselves, for not accomplishing their goals, for being mean and disrespectful, or even falling back into harmful, risky behaviors. Mental illness is just like any other illness. Yes, it can cause limitations. Yes, it has the ability to delay goals and aspirations that you have set for yourself in life, but it is no different from any other illness that others face on a regular basis.

For those of us who struggle with mental illness, it does not define us or make us who we are. It’s just a challenge that we have and EVERYONE has a challenge that they have to face in life. It’s easy to feel sorry for ourselves and boo-who to and from the doctor’s office. It’s easy to allow the feelings of hopelessness to plague our minds and entertain the thoughts of suicide. I see so many of my brothers and sisters “talk” about how mental illness is ruining their life, but I see few talk about what they are doing to overcome it (besides taking medication).

How do we do that? How do we overcome the sad days and push through thoughts of suicide and hopelessness? The answer is right in front of us. BELIEVE IN JESUS AND HIS TRUTH!

I believe in Jesus’ truth because when I am doing well, when I am having good days, I believe that I am loved. I believe that life is worth living. I am able to look at up the clouds during the day and the stars at night and see the beauty of the universe. I am able to see how glorious it is to hear my children laughing and playing and causing all kinds of “kiddy hell” in their rooms. I can see that. But when the dark days come, I become wrapped in my own pity. I can only see how badly I’m hurting and how dark the world is.

Life isn’t about how dark the world is. The world has always been dark since the beginning of time, but there has always been beauty forged from the darkness; art, love, and redemption. You’ve had artist struggling with their own mental illness make history by painting, drawing, or singing about their pain. Lives have been changed for the better because of it.

Jesus is the truth. He is the way to true freedom (John 14:6). He is the light to get through the dark days. Darkness cannot outdo light. It’s virtually impossible. Allow Jesus into your heart and allow his light to shine through when those dark days come. When you don’t feel like doing what you love, press into Jesus who loves you! Take a breath and ask for strength to get through it because you know one day, you’re going to wake up and be able to see the beauty of life once again. That won’t be by chance or accident. It will be because of God’s mercy and love that he has for us.

Thank you for reading my thoughts today. Usually today I would post Funny Friday, but I had to get this off of my chest. Please remember to pray for one another. Love you all and God bless each and every one of you.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” -2 Timothy 1:7

Funny Friday

Hey Friends!

I’m so glad to be back. Writing is the source of my calm. Even if I wanted to stop ✋, I couldn’t! It’s my life’s passion. It’s like breathing for me. Do you have a passion like that? Do you find yourself missing something that used to be your “calm”?💆🏽‍♀️ Make sure you make it a priority to get back to doing whatever made your heart flutter. 💕We all need a healthy escape from life sometimes. 😉

Anyway, welcome back to Funny Friday! I pray that you all have a wonderful weekend filled with many blessings and Gods endless grace and love. Please remember to pray for one another and don’t forget to laugh! 🤗

A BUS FULL OF UGLY PEOPLE

A bus full of ugly people had a head on collision with a truck. When they died, God granted all of them one wish. The first person said, “I want to be gorgeous.” God snapped his fingers and it happened. The second person said the same thing and God did the same thing. This want on and on throughout the group. God noticed the last man in line was laughing hysterically. By the time God got to the last ten people, the last man was laughing and rolling on the ground. When the man’s turn came, he laughed and said, “I wish they were all ugly again.”

Can I Get A Lil’ Bit Of That Anointing Oil, Please?

Happy New Year, Beloveds!

Early yesterday morning after the ball dropped, I watched a movie with my little ones. I love spending time with my kids. I remember a time when it was hard to spend time with them. I was so convinced that they deserved a better mother, so I began to put a wedge between me and them. Now that I think about, my thinking was so warped. What a great example of how the enemy will use such tactics to get inside our heads to destroy our families and each other. Praise God that I decided to allow God to heal my heart, soul, and mind. Now my children not only have the mother that they need but the mother that they deserve.

After our movie, at around 3 a.m., we decided to anoint our home. I’m not sure how often we should do it, but I thought to start the New Year off, we should do it. Plus, my children have been complaining of nightmares so what great way to get rid of the evil spirits that are trying to plague the minds of my children.

There are so many benefits to anointing our homes and our families. Through the blood of Jesus and Psalm 91, we are PROMISED protection from every danger, which included but not limited to sickness, disease, assault, crime, tornadoes, fire and any other threat to your safety and well-being. But God’s protection is not automatic. There are things we have to do in order for God to be our refuge.

4 Steps to Anointing Your Home and Family

  • Obtain Olive Oil – I’ve been told that extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil is the best to use because of its purity, but I’m sure any olive oil will suffice. You can also grab anointing oil from your local religious and secular stores.
  • Pray over your oil – Some people believe that only a religious leader can anoint oil. I believe that we can do it ourselves as long as we have Christ living within us. We pray to Him about everything else, right? Here’s an example of the prayer that I used to pray over our olive oil:
    • In the name of Jesus, I set this oil apart to be holy anointing oil. Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice so that we can have complete healing and wholeness. This holy anointing oil speaks to the perfection of your finished work. I thank you that whatever this oil touches, the fullness of your grace, power, provision, and healing virtue will flow according to your living word. I pray that wherever this oil is applied, it will bring glory and praise to your name. Amen. 
  • Understanding Anointing Oil – Understand that the power of the oil is from God and God only. Anointing oil is a symbol of our faith, trusting that God will fulfill his promises of protecting us. And if you don’t know God is incapable of lying! He is a God of His word:
    • “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” -Number 23:19
    • Please know that without faith, anointed oil is useless. You must believe in the power of God and the authority that Christ has given you. *Remember, the same power that raised Christ from the dead is living inside of each and every one of us (Romans 8:11)*
  • Using Anointing Oil – There are many things that we can anoint; ourselves, our home, our children, our vehicles, our office, etc. When I anointed my home, my mentor told me to take the anointed oil, put a small amount on my finger (many people place it on their right thumb), and rub it around the entrance of each room while praying Psalm 91. Remove all objects that have evil roots attached to them; false idols and/or statues, evil masks, etc. If you are unsure, pray for God to reveal those items to you so you can throw them out. God revealed to my husband and I that a wooden table that was donated to us had evil spirits attached to it. Once we got rid of it and prayed over our home, you could tell the difference.
    • When anointing my family, I placed a small amount on my thumb, made a sign of the cross across the foreheads of my children and my husband and prayed Psalm 91.
    • If you are using anointing oil for healing, you can rub a small amount of oil across the damaged area of the body while praying for healing.
    • When I prayed Psalm 91, I made into personal prayer. God loves it when we repeat scripture back to him, especially when we pray His words. It not only glorifies him, but it also turns him into a blushing papa.

I pray that this helps you and your family start anew this year. Although I feel this should be done more often than once a year, at least we’re all starting off on the right foot. This year, I would like for whoever is reading is this to be free from the strongholds that Satan has on you and your loved ones. We must accept who we are in Christ and begin to see ourselves how our Abba Father sees us; more precious than anything in the universe, in order to do so.

I love you all and please remember to pray for one another. Don’t forget to hit the follow button to the right so you can receive email updates on new blog post. Oh and let me know in the comment section on how you anoint your home and other living spaces. Peace and love!

“Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, anointing him and making him holy for his work.” -Leviticus 8:12

Suzette B's Blog

Inspiration and Spirituality **Award Free**

The Christian Tech-Nerd

-Reviews, Advice & News For All Things Tech and Gadget Related-

Heartshare

Sharing words of Support, Motivation and Compassion

Self Mastery Blog

A complete guide to actualizing your potential