Keep Your Head Up

Hi Beloved! I can’t believe it’s the week of Christmas! December is going even quicker than it usually does. I hope you have a blessed Christmas and remember you are righteous, worthy, loved, special, highly favored, victorious, free, and forgiven!

Keep your head up, child of God. Don’t you know your worth?

The creator of the heavens and earth planned your days before your birth.

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Keep your head up, child of God. Don’t you know you’re loved?

No power exists that can separate us from our father up above.

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Keep your head up, child of God. Don’t you know He’s near?

Be strong and courageous, and live freely without fear.

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Keep your head up, child of God. Don’t you know His plan?

To prosper and to bless you. Keep you safe in His mighty hand.

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Keep your head up, child of God. Don’t you know you’re free?

Not bound by sin or bondage. Broken chains are all He sees.

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Keep your head up, child of God. Don’t you know His Grace?

Given to us in the form of His son. The perfect lamb to save the human race.

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Keep your head up, child of God. Don’t you know the truth?

As far as the east is from the west, is how far our sins are removed.

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Keep your head up, child of God. Don’t you know we’ve won?

The blood of one has saved us all. Jesus – the precious son.

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Jesus Loves You,

Alexis

Boldly Defeat Your Giants

“This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17: 47)

Hi Beloved! I hope you are having a blessed week! We are in the thick of winter and over here we are cold and covered in snow. I have to say, I used to loathe cold weather, but now I actually enjoy it! I don’t know when or how that change occurred, but since I live where it gets quite cold, I’ll take it!

Today, I wanted to write about one of my absolute favorite Bible stories! You might know it well. It is such an incredible story and provides us with such a great example of how to boldly defeat our own giants. You may already know where I’m going with this, it’s the story of David and Goliath! Let’s look at the entire fight scene in 1 Samuel 17.

“He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 

Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 

Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.” (1 Samuel 17: 40-51).

Whoa! Every time I read this story, I get so fired up and filled with faith! I just love how God uses the weak to confound the mighty. Goliath was a tall, strong, and mighty warrior. He was protected by thick armor and had a shield bearer with him. David on the other hand, was a young teen boy, with a bag of stones, sling, and a staff.

Don’t you just love David’s faith? The Bible says, once Goliath moved in to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. He was bold because he knew the battle was the Lord’s and that no matter how big this giant was, he would be victorious.

Today, we don’t face physical giants, but we might face giant health issues, financial issues, and relationship issues. Let’s have faith so great that we have no fear and we boldly run toward our giants armed with the name of the Lord and His promises.

Even when our giants come out yelling and boasting, when they are big, mighty, and covered in armor, even when we’ve seen others fall by their sword, remember that the battle is the Lord’s and you will triumph!

One of my favorite verses in this story is when David tells Goliath that the Lord will conquer him and then all the world will know that there is a God in Israel. Our victories will be a testimony to others that the Lord rescues His people. I pray that we will so bodly face and overcome any attack of the enemy that people will hear about the strength and power of our God and want to know more. We can be a remarkable example to the world in these times of ever-increasing giants.

Beloved, if you are facing a giant that seems impossible to defeat, meditate on this story, meditate on God’s word. The Lord is with you as He was with David. He is still protecting His people! If you want me to pray with you or for you, please reach out! May you be bold and empowered in the coming weeks. May the Lord bless you and keep you and your families! Amen!

Jesus Loves You,

Alexis

The Power of Prayer

“I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)

Beloved, I hope you are having a blessed week! For some, it’s “back-to-school” time and things start to get busy with packing lunches, picking out school clothes, homework, and after-school activities. I’m starting a new routine and actually added “read bible and pray” to my calendar. There are only so many hours in a day and spending time with God can sometimes take a back seat. However, it’s so important to spend time with Him! Spending time with the Lord helps us stay focused, calm, and at peace. He lavishes us with an abundant supply of Grace, while our other tasks demand from us.

This post is about the importance of spending time with the Lord in prayer. Prayer – it seems so simple doesn’t it? It almost seems too easy. In our society, we’ve been taught that only big actions that make a splash are effective or worthwhile. We have been taught that we must do more, be more, give more. When a family member or friend is going through a hard time and there is no big gesture we can offer to solve their problems, we say, “Well, I guess there is nothing I can do for them, but pray.” Like, it’s a last resort. Like, really, pray? Is that what it has come to? We can’t do anything else?

But beloved, believe that prayer is effective! Prayer is our most powerful weapon against the enemy. When we pray, it creates a shield that is impenetrable to Satan’s attacks and makes us a magnet for God’s blessings. We can pray for those that are sick and they will be healed. We can pray for those with addictions and they will be delivered. We can pray for those going through a divorce and they will be comforted. We can pray for protection of our loved ones and they will be divinely protected. We can pray for wisdom, confidence, peace, faith, hope, and the Lord will deliver. In Mark 11:22-24 it says, “Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

In 1 John 5:14-15, it says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” The Lord loves you and wants you to have the desires of your heart. He hears our prayers and wants to answer them all, exceedingly and abundantly above what we’ve asked. The best part about prayer is that you can pray anywhere, anytime! You don’t need to be on bended knee, wearing a prayer shawl, in a prayer closet. The Lord wants to hear from you wherever you are!

Just talking to the Lord counts as prayer. I mainly pray while driving in my car. I’m alone, it’s quiet, I’m reminded of the Lord’s goodness through the beautiful landscape. I don’t even have my eyes closed (which I’m sure the other drivers on the road appreciate). I tell Him all of my worries and my concerns. I thank Him for my blessings and thank Him for his love. I tell Him my desires and pray that they become a reality. There have also been times that I don’t even have the words and I’ve simply said, “Lord, I don’t even know what to pray for in this situation. I’m just so overwhelmed, angry, scared, confused….., so Lord, I just pray that your will be done.” In the above scripture, 1 John 5:14-15, it says if we ask anything according to His will, it will be done. We don’t always know how things will turn out, we don’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we do know that we are loved by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, we are joint heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, and our Father’s will is to bless us and give us all perfect things. So, we know that if He works it out according to His will, that situation will turn out better than we could have imagined! It will be in our favor and for our good!

Beloved, I encourage you to pray without ceasing! If you or a loved one is facing a challenge today, pray! If you are stuck in a dead-end job or want a more fulfilling career, pray! If you want perfect protection for your family, pray! If you want to thank God for His blessings, pray! The Lord loves to hear from you. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and James 5:16 says, “…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” If you have a prayer request, please reach out. I will pray for you or with you. If you have a testimony, please share. I would love to hear all the wonderful things our Lord is doing in your lives! For in Him, all promises are Yes and Amen!

Jesus loves you,

Alexis