Guardian Angel

Matthew 19 hit home for me. Being a newly wed, marriage is hard. So when I saw that the first section was titled "Divorce," I was intrigued. Work at togetherness and protect your marriage. marriage should not be separated. Do not leave your spouse except for marital unfaithfulness. (I know this is tough, but you have to try and save it at all costs.) Some people are born adulterers, some are made into them. People of all ages, including children, are welcome before Jesus. To get eternal life, you have to follow ALL of the Ten Commandments. You can't pick and choose which ones to follow. You have to give up everything for God. He doesn't care about possessions. He cares about faith. Remember, WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

I learned quite a bit from this chapter in Matthew. To start with, whoever humbles themselves is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Something I already knew but was reiterated, children are the most innocent people on this planet. Anyone who makes them sin will drown. Jesus tells us that we, the children of God, need to have the approach of a child. Be like a child. Angels surround me. They surround you. Start with one-on-one confrontation. Start small and grow your attempts if necessary. Back in the day, Whatever body part caused you to sin, you got rid of it. God wants the lost to wander back to Him - He will be forever grateful. Forgive as you would want to be forgiven. Grow in His fellowship. We need to rally in the name of Jesus. If you beg for mercy, give mercy - as many times as the situation occurs.

Matthew 17 is broken into three sections: Transfiguration, The Healing of a Boy With a Demon, and The Temple Tax. The transfiguration begins with Jesus transforming before His disciples, "There he was transfigured before then. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light," (verse 2). This reminds us that Jesus is the light. We have to remember that God gives orders. The resurrection must happen in order for people to know about the transfiguration. In the New Testament, the Son of Man is John the Baptist. He will have to suffer at the hands of the people. He has to be mistreated by the people for things to be restored. The Healing of a Boy With a Demon is where Jesus shuns a demon from the body of a boy, or in todays terms, an exorcism. It reminds us that Jesus will take all of the time you need in order to heal you. Nothing is impossible if you have great faith. Have big prayers. John will be betrayed by the hands of men, and 3 days later he ...

Being an adult is literally the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Troyce and I struggle, a lot. We live paycheck to paycheck. We overspend. We've put $5 in our gas tanks before, and we've filled them up. No one said it would be easy, they just said it would be worth it. We have everything as long as we have each other. That's what we hold on to. The bills get paid. We have a roof over our head and cars to drive. I wouldn't have been able to do it without him just like he wouldn't have been able to do any of it without me. He's also trying this health/work out kick with me. I am so glad we finally have something we can do together. We don't share many common interests, so it's nice to be able to spend this quality time together getting fit and cheering each other on. That's what our marriage is based on: support and guidance. Some days I feel like I want to give up, and I know he does too. That's part of it. As my mama once told me, you have ...

Everyone deals with things differently. What I have recently learned is a hard lesson. Don't settle for the 20% when you have 80%. Because when that 80% is gone, all you have left is 20%. Instead, focus on growing and nursing that 80% to 100%. Just because life gives you lemons doesn't mean you become sour. You make the sweetest lemonade. Acting out and rebelling isn't going to get you anywhere in life. Sometimes you need to take a step back, reexamine the situation, and grow. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That is something I've most definitely learned in the past week. In relationships and marriages, we get into a rut sometimes. We spend so much time together that we don't have the opportunity to look forward to seeing one another. Sometimes you have to take that day or two to really figure out what it is you love about one another, but you have to do it separately. You have to get your mind straight and focus on yourself, then your marriage. You have to fi...

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3 These verses remind us of the holiness of God and to fight off Satan. Bring Him your mind for rest and don't get stuck in a renewal rut. Have your mind on things above. Jesus rose above things. You have to rise above the pettiness, declutter your heart. Don't live your life with worry, rise above the concerns. Above all else is the dove. There is nothing that can separate us with the love of Christ. Have life and have it abundantly. You need to be a blessing in the real world. Fill your mind with heavenly things, and find a moment in your life to restore a moment with Christ. Life your thoughts above. Rise above these things. RISE ABOVE!