Does Satan Have Power Over You?

"I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me..." John 14:30 NIV. We should speak these words with confidence like Jesus did. After you watch this video I want you to ask yourself, Does Satan Have Power Over Me? The devil don't want you to watch the video...so that's why it's not coming up...but go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz2LTIkWIB0

Scripture for 2DAY Psalms 33: 20-22

Psalms 33: 20-22 "We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone." (New Living Translation) Don't you just love the Lord, and His Word. This scripture came right on time. I was sitting in Starbucks, completing a Spanish Quiz, and my computer had a malfunction...and wanted to reload...in the middle of my quiz...OMG! I began to scream NO, NO, NO, out loud. I was calling on him for help. My God came to the rescue and told me exactly what to do. I finished my quiz (which is timed by the way) with 18 minutes to spare. I was thrilled. God can be trusted even with a Spanish Quiz...LOL...I just love him!

Today, I celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & the King in Me

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.-1Peter 2:9 NIV

Every year on my birthday, my mother would reminisce about the day I was born. January 14, 1986, I came into this world, and I'm pretty sure my mother was elated to add another edition to the family. She said that I was born at Gardena Memorial, (located in Gardena, California) somehow my father's insurance did not cover our stay and postpartum treatment, so that loaded her, and I in an ambulance and rushed us over to Martin Luther King Hospital. To be in Martin Luther King Hospital during his birthday celebration was an experience to remember. She recalls, after 26 years, how joyful the nurses were to see such a baby, and for us to have come to this hospital on this special day was a joyous occasion. Sure I have no recollection of the festivities, lol, but my mother said they treated her very well (poor I may have been when I came into the world, but to them I was royal). After everything my mother had experienced leading up to my birth, God was about to throw her the best, mommy and baby party she had ever seen. "Music was playing," she said, and there was decorations of Dr. King...how cool is that! Dr. Martin Luther King meant something to those nurses, doctors, and patients. There may have been other little princes, and princesses born on January 14, and 15, that may have a different account of their stay, depending on how their mother's story, but I somehow feel very blessed to have been rushed to that hospital, on that day, with my mother, and God's guidance. Even though that hospital was located in the poorest part of Los Angeles, they had a pride about them. They too realized the struggles Dr. King had endure for the rights and privileges of all. Because of the spirit in him, we can now attend any private or public sector. We can worship together lifting up the name of Jesus and not feel condemned or judged because of the color of our skin. For we know that Christ died for all, and that one day we will be joined together with him in the air, Thank you Jesus! Furthermore, Revelation 7:9 says, "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." This will be us one day. Standing before the throne of God. I can't wait for that glorious day! Today, I celebrate your legacy Dr. King, that you left to each of us, a legacy that will out live us all, and when we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be. I somehow feel apart of Dr. Kings dream, and so should you, and one day we will be apart of John's vision in Revelation. Thanks Dr. King for your selfless sacrifice. You modeled Christ, and you will always be apart of my life. Happy King's Day! Source: Picture:Courtesy of the University of Michigan-Flint

You too can Live, A Righteous Life!

Knowing what I know now, I have a deeper love for Jesus Christ. Today in my devotional time I was reading about the righteousness of Abram (before he was called Abraham in Genesis 15:6), and thought to myself wow! How can one live a righteous life? Then I continue to read a commentary that said "it's your belief not your actions that makes a person right with God." This was a great way of explaining it to me, but I needed to understand righteousness more. In the quest to find out what the bible had to say about righteousness I penned a few questions in my journal call *My beliefs* 1.) Do I believe God is who He says He is? If so...then I must serve Him as Lord. 2.) Do I believe He did what He said He did? If so...then I must praise Him for His marvelous works, sacrifices, and purpose... 3.) Do I believe He will do what He said He would do? If so...then I must follow Him, read his word, obey His commands and live according to his perfect will. I began to quietly pray, 'Yes, I believe who you say you are Lord, and what you said you did, and what you will do, but I feel that I have let you down by my selfish actions and that I will never be righteous. Instead, I feel like Cain instead of Abel.' In Genesis 4:2-7 reads (in the NIV) "Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brough some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brough fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast (or dejected meaning sad, or depressed). Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at you door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." I put myself in Cain shoes and asked, 'how in the world do I master this, so that I can do what's right in your sight O Lord and be accepted by you.' 2 Peter 2:19 (is now one of my favorite scriptures) says, They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity-for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him." What is depravity? Depravity is moral corruption-it is considered the innate corruptness of human nature, due to Adam's fall. Okay yes, I know that we were born in sin and shapened in iniquity, now how can I die to sin so I can become righteous. It can only come through Jesus Christ, but I have accepted him, so what now? Romans 5:12-17 says, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-for before the law was given, sin was in the world." *The law did not come until Moses brought the 10 commandments penned by the finger of God on Mount Sinai.* "But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come." This is where I leaped for joy vs 15. "But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgement followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brough justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who recieve God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." I've heard this quoted many times "shall we continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid," but did not understand the depth of that passage. In the NIV it says, (in Romans 6:1-4), "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life," *and that life is righteous because of Jesus Christ.* I continued to read future and found out that "Obedience leads to Righteousness" in vs 16. I also learned that I need to offer my body in slavery to righteousness, which leads to holiness, and the result is Eternal Life. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" vs. 23. Amazing!

New Year...New Creation!

Happy New Year! Even though it is now the 7th of January, I figured I give myself a few days to enjoy the new year alone with God, and my family before I jumped back into blogging/inspirational musing. I don't do new year's resolutions because it's just not for me. Whatever I want out of life I will seek God, and pursue it, and if I "remain in him, and in his words, I may ask for anything I want, and it will be granted" (don't believe me check St. John 15:7 NLT). I will say this much my future looks bright because I have high hopes. I was talking to someone recently and said, 'my future looks bright!' and they said, "Why?, are you coming into some money, buying a bigger home, or going on a vacation this year." That statement bugged me a little because it seems as if people can't see a blessing unless it's wrapped in materialistic, or monetary wrapping paper. I see a brighter future because I see God as the center of it all, holding me and leading me, and I'm so relaxed in his arms. I've been the one who has always wanted to take the lead. There is something about the word new that makes me smile, and we are given so many new experiences each day. New simply means, "not existing before; made, introduced, or discovered recently or now for the first time." Everyday we wake to a new day, and his mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). I feel like the life I am living in 2012 is NEW, never have I been so happy and optimistic about life. This is the life God was talking about, the abundant life where I don't have to be fearful, forgetful, angry, lost, and frustrated. I love how the New Living Translation quotes 2 Corinthians 5:15-17: "He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! The words from this passage of scripture is so refreshing...This is how I feel and how I wish most people would feel everyday about their future and about living for God. The old is gone, and I am so glad. 2011 was a tough year, but I got through it. I did not see death, so that's all that matters. I am still in the land of the living, giving God the praise for who he is and what he has done. I'm not worried about what was done, said, thought, unaccomplished, wasted, or sabotaged, I'm looking forward to new experiences, new dreams, new creations in Christ Jesus! I am totally Blessed, and feel New!