Prayers – She Believes 3

Prayers January 14, 2026

A New Year A New You!

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.^[a]Jeremiah 29:11
¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Psalm 20:4
⁴May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
Philippians 4:19
¹⁹And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Let me start with Happy New Year! Can you believe that it is already 2026? It seems that 2025 went by so quickly. I guess I was just so busy that

I didn’t keep track of how quickly time was passing by.

As we embark upon this new year do you feel the excitement that a fresh start brings? I know for me personally I was ready for 2025 to go far far away. A lot happened in 2025 that was physically challenging for me. No one over fifty wants to be told that they have to have a tonsil removed and boy was the recovery of that one a bear. Not to mention a strained shoulder that took weeks to recover from and other ongoing ailments that I won’t bore you with. If I keep going at this rate, someone is going to decide that I should check into my nearest nursing home. Sorry I am not ready for that one yet.

I do have good news though. I saw God’s deliverance in every single challenge that I faced this past year, no matter what the challenge was. I must say He is ever powerful to deliver us from our places of pain, whether physical, spiritual, emotional or even financial. When you hear that Jehovah Jireh is our great provider that is not just for our financial needs it is for all of our needs no matter what they are. So I hope that once the excitement of this new year starts to fade you will look to Jehovah Jireh your True Source of all that is good and perfect for your life.

My next question is are you a goal setter? If life has been crazy for you since the first of the year, and you rolled out of one year into the next without getting still for reflection, no worries, start today. Just as you would make a doctor’s appointment or a dental appointment, put yourself on your calendar and take some time to pray and ask God what He would like to see you accomplish this year. Give him full permission to do His best work through you. When you totally release your plans to His direction and care, big things will start to happen for you. You will need to commit to daily time with Him in order to receive your daily marching orders. What a powerful year you will have when you trust His timing, His promises, His provision, and His power to work for you and through you.

My prayer for you is that you will surrender your will to God’s will this year. So even when life gets a bit challenging for you, simply trust and obey because He is always faithful to those who love and trust Him. May you have a powerful 2026 and may you carry His light wherever you go.

¹⁹And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 34:10
¹⁰The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.^[a]Jeremiah 29:11
¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Psalm 20:4
⁴May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Prayers December 10, 2025

Loving Difficult People

Have you ever met someone who was extremely difficult to work with or simply to be around? Maybe it’s one of those things where your personalities just clash.

I think that we all have experienced people in our lives who absolutely grate our nerves. They frustrate us to no end and don’t even realize that they are doing so. And then there are others who may do so, and they simply don’t care that what they are doing annoys you. Or it may be a case where we are dealing with a person who is unbelievably self-centered.

As Christians we are called to a high standard, and that standard is to love everyone just as Christ does. It definitely is not an easy thing to do, however with God’s power working through us all things are possible. Today I want to share a few tips that may help when we are dealing with difficult people.

My first tip is to pray and ask God to help you with the situation and to help you see the person through His eyes the way that He sees them. He will give you the strength and the heart to do so.
Read your Bible daily. find scriptures that you can stand on as you go through this challenging time.
Just take a moment and breathe. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly. You may want to do this several times to help you release some of your anxiety.
Don’t react, respond. Take time to assess how you can effectively handle the situation. Don’t be in a hurry. You want to get clear before you respond. Even if it takes several days, don’t speak until you are crystal clear on what you need to say.
If necessary and if possible, separate yourself from the situation for a while. If it becomes unbearable it can become unhealthy for you and you may have to make some hard decisions, but you must protect our peace.
If at all possible, try to have a loving, civil conversation with the difficult person in your life. Don’t point fingers or play the blame game, simply say when you do this (fill in the blank) I feel this.
Take a walk. A walk is great to release stress.
If it’s really affecting you negatively you may want to seek Christian counseling.
You can also speak with a Christian friend who you feel comfortable confiding in.
Journal! Journaling is great for helping you to process your feelings. It helps you to get those pent-up feelings out of you and on paper.

Try to live peacefully with everyone. Remember, God commanded us to love. It was not a suggestion, and He didn’t say love only those who are easy to love.

We are to love everyone and be the example that God has called us to be on the earth.

Have you ever met someone who was extremely difficult to work with or simply to be around? Maybe it’s one of those things where your personalities just clash.

I think that we all have experienced people in our lives who absolutely grate our nerves. They frustrate us to no end and don’t even realize that they are doing so. And then there are others who may do so, and they simply don’t care that what they are doing annoys you. Or it may be a case where we are dealing with a person who is unbelievably self-centered.

As Christians we are called to a high standard, and that standard is to love everyone just as Christ does. It definitely is not an easy thing to do, however with God’s power working through us all things are possible. Today I want to share a few tips that may help when we are dealing with difficult people.

My first tip is to pray and ask God to help you with the situation and to help you see the person through His eyes the way that He sees them. He will give you the strength and the heart to do so.
Read your Bible daily. find scriptures that you can stand on as you go through this challenging time.
Just take a moment and breathe. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly. You may want to do this several times to help you release some of your anxiety.
Don’t react, respond. Take time to assess how you can effectively handle the situation. Don’t be in a hurry. You want to get clear before you respond. Even if it takes several days, don’t speak until you are crystal clear on what you need to say.
If necessary and if possible, separate yourself from the situation for a while. If it becomes unbearable it can become unhealthy for you and you may have to make some hard decisions, but you must protect our peace.
If at all possible, try to have a loving, civil conversation with the difficult person in your life. Don’t point fingers or play the blame game, simply say when you do this (fill in the blank) I feel this.
Take a walk. A walk is great to release stress.
If it’s really affecting you negatively you may want to seek Christian counseling.
You can also speak with a Christian friend who you feel comfortable confiding in.
Journal! Journaling is great for helping you to process your feelings. It helps you to get those pent-up feelings out of you and on paper.

Try to live peacefully with everyone. Remember, God commanded us to love. It was not a suggestion, and He didn’t say love only those who are easy to love.

We are to love everyone and be the example that God has called us to be on the earth.

³⁴“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35
³⁴“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Leviticus 19:18
¹⁸“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Prayers October 27, 2025

When Things Don’t Go As Planned

¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Have you ever sat down with your calendar at the beginning of a month and planned your schedule, only to have something come up that totally derailed your plans? Well, it has certainly happened to me. As a matter of fact, it happened just this month.

Initially, I was so frustrated. I had scheduled doctor’s appointments, my hair appointments, meetings, and had even planned to treat myself to a massage. Now I am left trying to figure out what appointments I can keep and which ones I will need to cancel or reschedule. So, what I have just shared is called Life!

Life is unpredictable. Things happen without warning and without our permission. Life gives us constant reminders that we are not in charge. We cannot even claim time as our own.
As Christians, we know that during those times we simply need to trust the one who transcends time. God knows and sees all, and His plans will always reign superior over ours.

So, when your schedule has been thrown a curveball, you may have to do like I did, and just take a deep breath and say a prayer. Ask God to help you figure it out, and I can assure you that He will. Not only will he help you figure it out, but if it is something that is going to create a lot of stress in your life, He will give you the strength to go through it.

Today I just want to encourage you to trust God’s timing. He never makes mistakes, and there is always a purpose in all that He does. Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good. So even though in your particular situation you can’t see how things could ever possibly work for good, trust that He is not a God that will lie.

Know that in time, you will see that His interruption of your plan was actually a gift. So, get ready to praise Him for His goodness. After all, who doesn’t like gifts? Be blessed this day and always.

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose.

Prayers September 14, 2025

Have you Stopped To Smell The Roses?

⁹What do people really get for all their hard work? ¹⁰I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. ¹¹Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. ¹²So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. ¹³And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Have you noticed that in this crazy world that we live in, everyone is always busy rushing around? I know that recently I had a day where I just felt overwhelmed

with all that I was trying to accomplish in a short amount of time. I was starting to feel a little anxiety and stress creeping in. I knew that I needed to stop and breathe.

It is truly amazing what just inhaling and exhaling slowly can do for us. It helps us to reset physically as well as mentally.

Life gets so hectic at times that we forget to schedule a time to enjoy the simple things that bring us joy.

By the way what brings you joy, may be totally different from what brings me joy. Only you know what elevates your joy scale.

You see, what I have come to realize is that life is rolling by quickly and I have spent most of most of my life working. Most of you have probably done the same. I have also come to the realize that I don’t want to die without having lived. I want to have some moments and even days and weeks where I intentionally and purposely stop and take time to smell the roses.

So here’s my advice and this is something that I actually plan to do. I want to encourage you to make a list of things that you can do in just a few minutes of your day. This list should have things on it that will help you to escape the mundane and quickly get you into your joy zone. You may consider making several lists of things that you can do within different time frames. It will be a Bucket List of sorts of the things that make you feel like you have taken a few minutes to smell the roses.

When you are free from work for two or three weeks, plan a trip or visit a friend who is dear to you, that you haven’t seen in a long time. Maybe plan a road trip instead of flying so that you can really enjoy all of the wonderful sites along the way. If that’s too costly for you right now, take an afternoon and go to your favorite park. Go see a great movie. Dine with a friend at your favorite restaurant. Take a bubble bath or schedule a massage. Go buy yourself a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Eat the chocolate. Do something that brings you joy and do not feel guilty for loving and taking care of you.

I truly believe that God did not intend for us to walk around overworked and stressed out all of the time. He wants us to enjoy life. Sure there will be hard and stressful days and even hard seasons from time to time but overworked and stressed out should not be our lifestyle. Let’s take a break and go have some fun! Don’t forget to smell the roses along the way, afterall their fragrant smell is for our enjoyment.

²²A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
⁷So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!

Prayers August 10, 2025

Are You Afraid

Has God ever asked you to do something that was absolutely scary to you? Maybe it was something that would require a great sacrifice on your part, or maybe it was something that would take you way out of your comfort zone. It could have been something that you just felt totally inadequate to achieve. And honestly,

sometimes we simply feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the assignment God gives us.

Our Bible gives us a great example of this when we look at the life of Moses. I venture to say that Moses experienced several situations where fear could have easily shut him down. Below are a few situations that are shared in scripture.

Sacrifice

Moses would have to sacrifice the comforts of life, to be a leader for a group of people who spent most of the time being very ungrateful and complaining a lot.

Numbers 11:1-9
11 Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. ²When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. ³So that place was called Taberah,^[a] because fire from the Lord had burned among them.

⁴The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. ⁶But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

⁷The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. ⁸The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. ⁹When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

Moses’s response to God asking him to lead His people, revealed that it would definitely be out of his comfort zone and that he also felt inadequate to lead them.

Exodus 4:1
4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Exodus 4:10-17
¹⁰Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”¹¹The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹²Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”¹³But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”¹⁴Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. ¹⁵You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. ¹⁶He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. ¹⁷But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
Moses felt that the load was too heavy to bear.
Numbers 11:14
¹⁴I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.
Each time that Moses came to God with a problem, God did not change the assignment that He had given him, nor did He let Moses off the hook. He simply arranged for him to have help for the situation. Many times when we are afraid or when things get hard, we want to give up. During those times we must remember that just as God had answers for Moses, He also has the perfect solution for our problems and insecurities as well.

I want to encourage you today to be ok with feeling fear. It is absolutely normal to feel fear when God asks you to do something that is totally out of your comfort zone or sphere of experience. Be very clear, where God guides He provides. God will never ask you to do something that He will not provide either the people or resources for it to be accomplished. All you have to do is show up with belief and faith. Trust me when I tell you that He will have everything else to make it happen. So no more fear, doubt and excuses, because with God’s help you are more than capable.

So if you know that God has given you an assignment and you have been reluctant to move forward, I want to encourage you to go be great, because God and the world are waiting on you! Blessings for a life of obedience and stepping out in faith when the Master beckons you to do so.

Moses was concerned about his ability to speak and God allowed his brother Aaron to be his voice piece.

—

Faith June 16, 2025

Chemo Day

Chemo Day

Psalm 25:5
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Hello Sweet Friends

Today is my chemo day.
As I am sitting here I started to think about all of the things that God has taught me while I have been on this incredible journey. If it’s ok I would like share just a few of them with you.

1. God is in control. I may make plans, but it is truly God who orders my steps.
Proverbs 16:9
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
2. The Lord is my Shepherd and I am a sheep in His pasture. He has led me and guided me each step of the way. He is faithful.
Psalm 100:3
Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his.^[a]We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
3. God is my protector. He has protected me and placed me in the hands of the best physicians for this disease that I am fighting. I truly trust His judgement for my life. He makes no mistakes.
2nd Thessalonians 3:3
³But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.^[a]
4. When I go through my storms and trials, God goes before me. He has people in place to support me and help me through the difficult times.
Deuteronomy 31:8
⁸Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
5. I should never take my family and friends for granted. They love me and they will be there for me when no one else will. I am so thankful for my support group.
6. Each and every day of life is a divine gift from God. Don’t even think about wasting it. So many didn’t get to see this day.
Psalm 90:12
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.
7. Living my life with gratitude has helped me to see God in everything that I have gone through. Gratitude shuts the door to complaining. I could have it so much worse. I must remain grateful.
1st Thessalonians 5:18
¹⁸Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
8. God has blessed me to extend my ministry about His kingdom to doctor’s offices, Oncology Centers, hospitals, and even family and friends. In my most difficult time, God has used me in my weakness to experience and reflect His strength working through me. He has given me an opportunity to share Him with so many. My pain has purpose, but I have to stay close to Him for my purpose to continue to be revealed to me. Also there are facets of His character that I would not have ever seen or experienced had I not been on this journey.
9. I can be smart and do as my doctors suggest, but I don’t have to accept the diagnosis as my final outcome. I choose to not only to have faith that God can heal me but that I am already healed.
God said by His stripes I am healed and I choose to believe I am healed.
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded^[a] for our transgressions, He was ^[b]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes^[c] we are healed.
10. I must work and live my life each day with excitement and positive energy. I refuse to allow negative thoughts or negative people to cloud my judgement or cause me to doubt what God has already told me to be true.
11. I must continue to set goals and run the race that He has set before me. Because the battle is His and what a sweet victory it will be when my goals are achieved and more women’s lives are enriched.
12. I must be transparent with my story. If not who will grow from my testimony and my experience? And when I stand to tell my story trust me, God and only God will receive All of the glory.
Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
13. God has given me the strength for each new day. Thank you Lord! Only God could carry me through the unimaginable.
2nd Corinthians 12:9
⁹Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
14. God is a Master Encourager. He has gently whispered to me many times during this journey “Don’t be afraid”. Oh how soothing and comforting those words have been to me.
Genesis 15:1
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield,^[a] your very great reward.^[b]”
15. God’s timing is perfect. I have seen it over and over through my journey. He is always right on time.
Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
16. He holds me in the very palm of His hands. He carries me through the storm. He’s got me. He will never leave or forsake me. Praise God!
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
17. Prayer works! God hears every single prayer. I have learned to give Him time to respond. His delay is not my denial. Prayer changes things, most importantly it has changed me. Thank you Lord!
James 5:13-15
¹³Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. ¹⁴Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
18. I am so grateful for the days years ago that I worked my business even when I didn’t feel like it. I am thankful for every sacrifice I made years ago and for every woman that said yes. and even those who said no. I grateful for the times that God gently whispered keep going. I am thankful that He encouraged me to push through. I am thankful that I obeyed. Who knew back then that my life’s journey would go this direction? I certainly didn’t. He was preparing me for the unseen.
Ladies work while you are healthy, strong and able. We don’t know what’s around the next curve. Most importantly
He has blessed me with an amazing group of women who have been there for me and cheered me on. I am truly blessed!
19. To have a wonderful Church Family is everything! Oh how I have been showered with prayers, Get Well cards, gift cards and food. I absolutely love my Church Family.
20. I trust God! I pray that when you encounter your trials that you will remember just how much God loves you, and that God is Always good whether you are on the mountain top or in the valley. His character is not changed by our circumstances Trust Him no matter what it looks like. Just know He has not forgotten you. He is faithful!

Love you and immensely grateful for you,
Marico

Prayers May 20, 2025

Peace Comes When We Surrender

²³When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
Mark 11:24
²⁴I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

Have you ever been rolling along pretty content, and all of a sudden out of nowhere you were thrown a curveball? Well that happened to me yesterday. I have a goal that I have worked on all year to achieve by June 30th. The news that I received would interfere with the timing of completing that goal. It means what would have clearly taken two months to accomplish, now has to be completed in one month. And did I mention it has to do with my job? So clearly that would mean it’s a bit important.

I became so frustrated by the news that I received, that I almost let it ruin my entire day. This news was regarding a medical procedure that I was told that I needed to have. I tried really hard to get it scheduled past my goal date, but I couldn’t. I even made phone calls and sent text messages in the portal, and the answer from my doctor’s office was, “you need to do this as soon as possible”. I had wrestled with it long enough. Something inside of me knew that I needed to listen and not fight it anymore and definitely not ignore it. I didn’t want to live with the regret that having a hard head can sometimes bring.

In the very moment that I decided to listen, I said “Lord I release it to you. The only way I am going to reach this goal is with your help”.
When I look back on it I now realize that I simply did not want to relinquish control of what I thought was my plan and my schedule. Once again God has shown me that I am really not in control of my life. He owns it all. My life, my time, my plans and my schedule. When will I learn?

Today I feel much lighter, as I have decided to trust God’s timing and His provision for this set of unforeseen circumstances. This will be yet another opportunity for me to see how God will masterfully work His plan for my life. I know that I will be stronger and wiser on the other side of it all. I will continue to work towards my goal, in the time frame that I now have to work within. And I will be ok with God blessing my efforts as He sees fit.

It is truly amazing how much peace comes when we surrender our will to His will. Have you been wrestling with something that you need to surrender to God? Trust me when I tell you, you will not have true peace until you do. When you trust His timing, His plan and most importantly His love for you, you can never go wrong. Because He always unselfishly does what is best for us. Take a deep breath. Now Surrender!

Acts 17:28
28 “for in Him we live and move and have our being..”
1 Peter 5:6-7
⁶So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ⁷Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Proverbs 19:21
²¹You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Romans 8:28
²⁸And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Faith February 24, 2025

The Power Resides Within You

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the POWER of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Ephesians 3:16
That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with POWER through his Spirit in your inner being.

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more that we ask or imagine, according to his POWER that is at work within us.

Acts 1:8 you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God DWELLS IN YOU. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

John 14:26 But the HELPER, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have to you.

Have you ever been in a difficult situation, and you just didn’t know how you would make it through it? Maybe you are one of the thousands that are stressed to the max and you don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. There are circumstances in life that can make you feel overwhelmed and powerless. Today I want to assure you that you have the power to be victorious over anything that life throws your way, and that power resides within you.

From this day forward with God’s help we can choose to be victorious women of God and not hopeless victims of the enemy. Please read the scriptures below and see what God’s Word says about the power that we possess within us, as well as the help that He has provided for us through the Holy Spirit. By the time you finish reading these scriptures my prayer is that you will know God’s provision for you in times of Spiritual Warfare and that you will truly feel POWERED UP for the battle.

Ephesians 3:20
²⁰Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
2 Peter 1:3
³By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
Luke 10:19
¹⁹Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.
Ephesians 2:10
¹⁰For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
2 Corinthians 12:9
⁹Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
Philippians 4:13
¹³For I can do everything through Christ,^[a] who gives me strength.
Ephesians 3:16
¹⁶I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
Isaiah 41:10
¹⁰Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
1 Chronicles 16:11
¹¹Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.
John 14:12
¹²“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
2 Peter 1:3-4
³By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
Matthew 19:26
²⁶Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
Psalm 28:7
⁷The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Fruit of the Spirit December 31, 2024

What’s Your Plan?

¹⁸Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,^[a] but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Isaiah 32:8
⁸But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.
Proverbs 16:9
⁹The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

In some households, the Christmas tree comes down the day after Christmas. Typically, at my house the Christmas tree will be up at least until New Year’s Day. In all honesty, there have been some years, that it has been up way past the New Year.

It seems that each year on January 2nd, I start to shift gears mentally and I am excited and ready to focus on what’s ahead, not behind. I want all signs of Christmas decorations and wrappings, and the tree back in a safe place until next year.

Don’t you love that a new year is God’s way of blessing us with a fresh start and a clean slate? It’s a time to hit the reset button and it’s the perfect time for us to contemplate where we want to go, and what we want to achieve in the coming year.

I do want to encourage you to remember while setting your goals, to leave room in your plans for God’s divine interruptions. In other words, don’t have your plan so stuck in concrete that you are devastated when He takes you in a different direction. God’s plans are usually totally different from what we are planning. Be willing to stay open to change, be flexible, and be available to whatever God desires of you. Remember He always knows what’s best for us.

Here are some things to contemplate as you set your goals for the coming year.

1. What was my best achievement in 2024?

2. What happened in 2024 that I am most proud of?

3. What was my biggest disappointment in 2024, and what did I learn from it?

4. As I look forward to 2025 I am most hopeful about?

5. What are the five things that I would like to see happen in 2025?

6. My top priority in 2025 will be?

7. What is my goal for 2025?

8. My spiritual, emotional mental, physical, and financial goals for 2025 are?

9. My word for the year is?

10. Because I am fully aware that God is on my side I will do what this year?

11. What is the one thing that I am afraid to do, but I will choose to feel the fear and do it anyway this year?

12. Write a letter to God expressing your heart’s desires for 2025 as honestly as you know how.

13. Who do I need to forgive so that I can move forward freely in the New Year?

My prayer is that as you take time to sit and contemplate the answers to these questions. I pray that God will bless you with clarity and wisdom for the New Year. I pray that you and your family will be blessed abundantly this year. May you be blessed spiritually, emotionally, and financially. I pray that you will be in great health throughout the year and that you will have the strength and stamina to run the race that God has set before you. I also pray that you will surrender completely to His will for your life and that you will know and experience God’s abundant love every second of every day!

Have a Happy and prosperous New Year.

Proverbs 16:3

3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 17:20

20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”[a]

Proverbs 3:6

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,  and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 21:5

5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,  but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Psalm 20:4

4 May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!

Faith July 28, 2024

Squash The Negativity

If you are one that is paying attention to politics right now, you know that this past week has been a political roller coaster. My purpose in writing the blog on this topic today, is not to encourage you as to whom you should vote for. You will come to that conclusion on your own. Also, I believe that who we choose to vote for is a very personal decision. However, what I would like to do is encourage you to remember who you represent at all times, and that is Jesus Christ.

Let’s be the change that we want to see in our political climate right now. Let’s not add to the current negativity that is brewing in politics each and every day as we get closer to the election.

As Christians we are called to a much higher standard. A standard that calls us to love and respect others even when we don’t necessarily agree with their viewpoint. We are called to use wise judgement and to choose our words wisely. We are called to love and not hate. Let’s not spread this evil poison called negativity.

We know that negativity is another tactic that Satan uses to destroy what is good. Don’t fall prey to his antics.

Choose to be a part of our country’s solution, not its problem. Choose to take the high road when you see something ridiculous posted on social media. Just simply choose not to comment. Not all things are worthy to be dignified with a comment. Let it go and move on. Win by making your statement in the voting booth. Continue to let your light shine and remember God is still the One in control and He will ultimately have the final say. it is His will that will supersede everything. May God bless us all, as we navigate through this political season.

⁸Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

²⁰and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
²¹He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

¹³Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!
Proverbs 10:19
¹⁹Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Matthew 12:36
³⁶But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
Ephesians 4:32
³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.