Dear Future Husband

First and foremost  the LOVE of God has to be present. Being as one is a must! That eliminates you and me.
It's important that we live our lives in such a way that when we look back at an milestone or a simple accomplishment we can say together, " We did it!!" Personally the sound of  "POWER COUPLE" is awesomeness!! We have one another's back no matter what, enduring  knowing that you are not alone.  Considering the other's feeling and opinion with respect about anything. When one is feeling bad the other doesn't have to ask..."What's wrong?"
Being excited seeing one another at the end of a long day or business trip. Planning that date, like it's our first.

  1Peter 3 Worldwide English (New Testament)

1 Wives, respect and obey your husbands in the same way. Then the husbands who do not obey the word of God will want to know God. They will want to know God because their wives live good lives, even though they say nothing about God.

² They will see that you live holy lives and respect your husbands.
³ You should not be fine on the outside only. Some women make their hair nice. They wear gold things. They have fine clothes.
⁴ But you must be fine in your heart. Have a heart that is gentle and quiet. That will not wear out. And God thinks it is worth very much.
⁵ There were holy women long ago who trusted in God. They made themselves nice in this way. They obeyed their husbands.
⁶ Sarah obeyed Abraham. She called him her master. You are her children if you do what is right and are not afraid of trouble.
⁷ Husbands, also live with your wife the way you know is right. Respect her because she is a woman. She is not as strong as a man. Also respect her because God has given her, as well as you, the blessing of life. In this way, you will not stop God from doing what you ask him to do.
⁸ Here is one thing more. You must all agree. You must care when others have trouble. You must love your Christian brothers. You must be kind. You must not be proud.
⁹ You must not do wrong things to those who do wrong things to you. You must not say wrong things to those who say wrong things to you. But ask God to bless those people. This is what you have been called to do. Then God will bless you.
¹⁰ The holy writings say,`A man who wants to live and have good days must not say wrong things. He must not say anything that is not true.
¹¹ He must turn away from anything wrong and do what is good. He must try hard to find peace, and keep on looking for it.
¹² The Lord watches over those who do good. He listens when they talk to him. But the Lord is against those who do wrong things.'
¹³ Who will do something bad to you if you want to do what is good?
¹⁴ But even if people trouble you because you do right, God will bless you. Do not be afraid of them. And do not be troubled.
¹⁵ Worship Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have. But be gentle and respect him.
¹⁶ Keep your hearts clean. Then when people say wrong things about you, they will be ashamed because they have talked wrongly about your good Christian life.
¹⁷ It is better to have trouble for doing right, if God allows it, than to have trouble for doing wrong.
¹⁸ For Christ died that once because of our wrong ways. He was good and he died for those who were bad. He did this to bring us to God. His body died, but his spirit had new life.
¹⁹ His spirit went and gave his message to people's spirits who were in prison.
²⁰ In the days long ago, they did not obey God. God waited for them to do so while Noah was building the big house on the boat. A few people, only eight, were saved by going through the water.
²¹ The water of baptism is like that. It saves you. It does not save you because it washes dirt from your bodies. But it saves you because you bring yourselves to God with a clean heart. It saves you because Jesus Christ has been raised from death.
²² He has gone up into heaven. He is now at the right side of God. Angels, rulers, and governments obey him.

Love You With My Whole Heart,
Carla

I Apologize

I was always told that sometime you have to let the wrong go for what is right.

“Apologizing does not always mean that you’re wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.”—Positive Outlooks
It’s not about me. It’s not about me. It’s not about me.
I repeated the mantra in my head over and over again. I set it to a tune. I hummed it in my mind. But it still wasn’t sinking in. It felt like it was about me. In fact, it felt like I was under attack. Being falsely accused of something I didn’t do.
But, it didn’t matter.
It’s not about me. It’s not about me. It’s not about me.
It wasn’t about me. There was a larger story at play. The one of my family, especially my children, suffering the consequences of an argument that I didn’t start, and couldn’t seem to end. It had gone on for years, and my attempts to get anyone to even acknowledge my viewpoint, were futile.
David struggled with this as well. In Psalms 69, he calls out to God in the midst of his accusers:

“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.”

He was forced to restore what he did not steal. Accused of things he did not do.
Relationships are messy. And Jesus clearly understood. In fact, he specifically instructed us on what to do should we find ourselves in a disagreement with others. In Matthew 5:23-24, He said:

“This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.”

I love how this doesn’t specify who is at fault. To God, who is at fault is not the question. It is about making things right, regardless of who is at fault. It doesn’t mean that we are taking the blame, but instead, taking the initiative to live in peace with that person. I know—it seems impossible. But, as believers, we are called to a higher standard. Called to love others as we would like to be loved—not as we are loved. A much different thing.
The truth is, there is an art to disagreeing. And, like most art, it’s not always easy to understand at first glance. The meaning, and the methods used, may not be clear in the beginning.
When it’s time to apologize:

• The relationship with the other person is one that has lifelong potential, such as a family member, spouse, or long-time friend, and you value the relationship in spite of the disagreement.
• You have approached them in love, and been refused.
• You have tried to find a common ground, willing to give in, and been refused.
• When you approach the person who has offended you, there is a rehashing of what happened—as if it just happened—instead of a willingness to find resolution.
• The matter is affecting other people who were not part of the original disagreement.
• You avoid gatherings where the person might be.
• You have prayed about the situation and don’t feel the need to create a permanent boundary (you should not compromise in situations that involve physical or mental abuse of any kind).
• You feel certain that if you apologize, the matter will end.

How to get your mind around apologizing when you’ve done nothing wrong:

• You can show regret for the feelings the other person has incurred as a result of the situation without taking blame for the situation itself. This assumes that you did not intend to hurt feelings, or that the original action was intended for good and had unforeseen consequences for which you were not responsible. When doing this, make sure that you apologize with no caveats. Instead of “I’m sorry if you were offended by something I said” (putting the reaction back on them), say something like “I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you” (putting the responsibility on you).
• Decide what you are apologizing for, and state it plainly. An open-ended apology that makes you feel exposed to accepting something you did not do, will not end the disagreement. More than likely, it will cause bitterness that may escalate it. Instead, you can show grace to the person who offended you, and apologize for the part you played in the situation that followed the offense (such as: isolation from that person, bad feelings towards that person, etc.)
• Don’t dwell on the truth. In many cases, the truth will lie between you, the offender, and God alone. In long standing disputes, the truth doesn’t matter as much as the separation it has caused.
• Don’t make excuses for the person who caused the offense. Instead, offer mercy, knowing that you are freeing yourself as much as you are freeing them. They don’t have to answer to you for their actions, but you do have to answer to God.
• Agree not to discuss it again. When both parties have been hurt, and an agreement of wrongdoing cannot be settled, it is best to let the situation go. In order to move forward, both parties need to agree that it is forgiven, and that it is best not to discuss it for the sake of the relationship.

In long standing disagreements, it’s not really about who is right or wrong, but who is willing to listen to the other person, and show understanding toward them. Most people don’t want conflict between themselves and others, but pride keeps them from admitting wrongdoing. Often, the person who suffered the mistreatment will be the one who is forced to end the argument with no apology from the other side. Showing grace and mercy to another who has offended you is not only an incredible gift to that person, but a living testimony of how your Savior would treat you. And, that alone, sisters, is enough to break the silence.
Article taken from LauraPolk.org.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit

Before I was saved I use to be a HELL RAISER. I thank God for taking the fight out of my life, that behavior of strife and bitterness.

Today I will avoid any kind of confrontation. I will do all I can to reason with you without it turning into a full blown out argument. I have learned to listen and talk to people, that's called a conversation. Having self-control is must in my life.

Recently I had a couple of family members literally turn on me and it caught me off guard, but I was not really surprised when it was all over. Thoughts ran cross my mind, but really the hurt  is what consumed me.

Ephesians 4:25-32~ Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”for we are members of one another.  “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,  nor give place to the devil.  Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.   Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.   Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

No matter what temptation comes up before you, you have the power to resist it.

God’s Everlasting Love

 

Romans 8:31-39

 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?   He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?   Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.   Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.   Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?   As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Are you a USER?

I thank God daily for my freedom to LIVE!! JESUS died on the cross for my SINS and today I am FORGIVEN. Grateful for His GRACE and MERCY.
If this does not fuel the soul...you are dead inside.

I've learned that we can walk around and enjoy the freedom that has been handed down, but we do not embrace it as the LOVE that God gave. We exist in this blessing of having a life and not fully living it.

When we fall into that pit of trouble .. the first thing we say is "Oh God!" Yes, we can be users when we want to be. Why call his name when you don't even praise Him daily. Oh yes, because you know He will forgive, might even help you  out once again.

For all users:

Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God." Deut 8:19,20

Re-think your actions and this time when you ask God to forgive you, be committed to keeping your promise because He will keep his.

I AM THE VINE

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

Birthday Prayer

 

Thank you, God, for giving me another year of life.
Thank you for all the people who remembered me today
by sending cards, and letters, gifts and good wishes.

Thank you for all the experience of this past year;
for times of success which will always be happy memories,
for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness and of my need for you,
for times of joy when the sun was shining,
for times of sadness which drove me to you.

Forgive me
for the hours I wasted,
for the chances I failed to take,
for the opportunities I missed this past year.
Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,
and through it to bring good credit to myself,
happiness and pride to my loved ones,
and joy to you. Amen.