"You complete me"... Guest Blogger: Dayari

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who
imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own]
eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what
you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen,
and settle you." 1 Peter 5:10

and....

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will
continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ
Jesus returns." Philippians1:6


I often times beat myself up and feel down because I don't feel like
I'm doing good enough. Perfection is a ridiculous and illogical thing
to strive for but I feel like I let God down when I stumble. This verse
is AWESOME because it tells me that God HIMSELF will complete the work
He has begun in me and make me what I ought to be. Right now, I feel
that I am in the "suffering stage" ...like that God is allowing me to
struggle on my own to show me that I CAN'T do it on my own. I am
claiming these verses having full faith that God will complete the
work he has begun in me.

Thanksgiving Family FIGHTS: encouragement! Guest Blogger: Allison

"Don't be discouraged"

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will
reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Early this morning I was sitting in my parents' kitchen with my
parents and sister. I was talking about giving thanks to all of
blessings that we have in our lives, and my sister went on her
negativity kick.

This is so frustrating to me for many reasons. Her and I used to be
very close up until a couple years ago; we have mended the broken ties
but I find myself not wanting to spend time with her. Her constant
negativity and worldly nature are the complete opposite of how I view
life, so it's a constant battle during conversations we are both
involved in. It's not like we are having screaming matches but rather
I find myself walking away to avoid saying something I might regret
later. I miss the close friendship her and I shared for so many years
but I just don't see it coming back anytime soon.

After the conversation about giving thanks for all our blessings, I
began to feel really discouraged about this whole day and was
definitely under attack. I excused myself from the room and I asked
God for a word; he told me to read Galatians. I hadn't yet read the
Book of Galatians, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. I read
all six chapters, which really uplifted my spirit about my walk as a
Christian. And at the end of Galatians was my rhema. I won't be
discouraged by my sister's negative attitude and I will continue to
speak blessing over her because I know that one day I will bear
witness to the harvest.

Thank you God for all of the blessings you have bestowed upon my life
and my family's lives. Thank you Jesus for bearing my sins so that I
could be set free and for the freedom I have by living through you.
Amen!

Regrets, I've had a few... Question of the week:

"Regret is a mistake that you didn't learn from"~ Annaleigh, ANTM's, top 3 contestant.

Silly show, profound words.

What regrets do you still carry in your life? Are there things in your past you would change if you could?

The bible says this about regret:

• 2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV

  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

What situation from your past do you need to allow God to have access to? This verse tells us that if we have one of those situations, we need to allow God to bring us sorrow over it, because it will lead us to salvation, and ultimately, removing the regret from that situation. If we don't, it will lead to death!

Regret, or feeling sorry, is not something we "owe" as a penance after we have asked forgiveness. If we have truly allowed God into that situation and allowed his forgiveness, then regret is actually not an option.

Hmmmmm...

So, put away your rosary, and your whips, and your selfishness in the form of self-loathing.
Accept God's love. Leave regret behind. It is extra baggage you do not need to be carrying if you are to fly through life!

Taking Ownership: Poop or no Poop. Guest Blogger: JEN

Gen 1:28
God blessed them:
Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."

Ownership

God tells us to take responsibility (ownership) in our lives, and that
means for us to know what is ours to take care of and what we don't
need to worry about. It takes wisdom to know what we should be doing,
because we can't do everything. God broke something in me that I
didn't realize was still in me, and it stems back to my marriage and
my ex husband. I realized that I am nice out of fear, this was a HUGE
thing for me this morning I used to be this way with my ex husband I
did everything out of fear, and I see this creeping back in.

"HELLO JENNIFER" God was saying to me the spirit of fear, rejection, and
people-pleasing lay in side of you. WHAT? I thought all of this was
gone. Nope, and it is all my fault because I didn't take complete
ownership of what God has given me.

Now that I start thinking, it is hard for me to realize what are my responsibilities and what aren't. I know that God doesn't expect me to do everything, and now realizing that it shouldn't matter what people in the world expect me to be or do.

This doesn't fall into my daily responsibilities, but this falls
into not doing things for people out of fear that they won't like me.

God revealed to me a vision of a house with a zero lot line and a
house with a lot of space around it, boundaries around my heart is
what God wants me to do. I need to stop having a zero lot line around
my heart and letting people look in my "windows" and letting their
dogs poop in my yard, because I don't want people pooping on my heart
then walk away. Once they walk away they feel better, but then I have
to sit and try to justify that it was ok for me to let them dump on
me because that is the "Christian" thing to do.

Today I will realize what is my responsibility and what isn't!

Turn your Whining into Winning!- Guest Blogger: JULIE

Jeremiah 15(the end of)
{ God speaking}
"Take back those words, and I'll take you back. Then you'll stand tall before me. Use words truly and well, don't stoop to cheap whining. Then, but only then , you'll speak for Me. Let your words change them. Don't change your words to suit them. I'll turn you into a steel wall, a thick steel wall, impregnable. They'll attack you, but won't put a dent in you because I'm at your side, defending and delivering. I'll deliver you from the grip of the wicked. I"ll get you out of the clutch of the ruthless."

Whoa! God was so direct with me this morning. He gave me this
scripture after I asked where I should read, and not until I got to
the very end did the Holy Spirit set my " alarm bells" off.
I have said many negative words about having to work. Even when I
already committed to it, my flesh would cry out and my tongue would
speak negative words. There have also been many times that I've spoken
judgments against my family members, outside my immediate family.

Meanwhile, my number one gripe was that no one seems to take me
seriously. I kept thinking, why do I seem to have such little
influence over people that I "should" be able to give advice to, or at
least be listened to by? The babysitter is telling me I should pull
my daughters long bangs into a clip(Flesh speaking: "Hello? I'm the
mom of a 2.5 year old. I think I know how to take care of my child.")
I'll speak up about something at work, and sometimes just get
ignored.
So while I cannot control how people treat me, and sometimes there's
just nothing I can be or do to change them: God has shown me that I'm
the one stopping Him. Until I (with God's help) CONSTANTLY speak the
words that are true and good, I will be defeated. Because if I really
believe God's words in my heart and expect to see them come true, my
mouth would not be pouring out junk.
My job is a good thing, I am not being stolen from, this is adding to
my life, God will use this time to bring harvest into His kingdom, He
is not punishing me.

... You see me, Guest Blogger: SuperPurple Laura

Rick and I (and in-utero-Baby-Romot) just got back from visiting one of God's majestic creations....the Grand Canyon. I wanted to share a little of my experience with you....

I have come to anticipate my Father to reveal new things to me when I remove myself from my daily life and experience him out in his beautiful creation....and this trip was beyond my expectations.

Crimson handiwork of your canyons
Majesty beyond my understanding
Sweeping strokes of beauty
As far as the eye can see...

I am silenced in the midst of its wonder
As the peaks and valleys scream your praise
Their maker so much bigger than they
And yet....you see me

This is how I felt in the Grand Canyon. By day, we were witnesses to one of the most beautiful masterpieces on earth...a staggeringly huge, majestic, colorful, living, breathing sculpture. By night, we couldn't stop gazing at the rest of God's masterpiece in the heavens....the big night sky with millions of stars representing countless other solar systems.

I wanted so badly to explore the depths of the canyon. We did take a 1.5 mile hike into the canyon and it was AMAZING and even then, we were barely under the rim. God knew when he created this earth that we would have a hard time wrapping our heads around his majesty. I am so glad he created wonders like the Grand Canyon to give us just a glimpse. Even then, to compare that to the heavens....our planet isn't even a spec on the universe's radar. And to think that our Father SPOKE these things into existence....

How could I question you Lord? How could I worry about my micro-problems? How could I not choose you over anyone else? How could I ignore your word? How could I not want your wisdom? How could I not want your BEST? How could I be so inpatient as not to wait for it? How could I think that my life is my own? How could I possibly think that my life could be ANYTHING but death without you????

How could I not be humble before you, my Lord, my All, my Majesty?

Thanks and Giving

As we enter into the Holiday season~ I love to search for new ideas to do that may become traditions for my family.

So I ask you... What are some cool family traditions that you had? What are some that you do with your family now?

Leave a comment with your answer...

Question of the week: Nov. 17th

Hello Purple Princesses!
I have an awesome quote for you this Monday.
Utilize it as something to ponder in your devotions this week and let God speak a personal RHEMA to you through it.

Here it is:
~ "When we are wanting to go to a place that God has not made us for, we are wanting what, in fact, will not make us happy". - C. S. Lewis

What places have you gone in your life recently that God has not made you for, and you know it, but you are trading temporary happiness for true, long term JOY?
What things have you let satisfy the great desire in you temporarily that has quenched that deep longing inside you but not made you truly happy, or has distanced you from your relationship with God?
What is God saying to you about it?
What are you ignoring God about?

In Love,
your Fearless Leader,
Freedom