No Regrets

Hello people and it is that time again! Let me just say that the balancing act of this semester has not been so successful, and we do apologize for the lack of posts this past week. Fearless Faith will be back on track and if any feels Led by God to help write email us at fearlessfaith14@gmail.com.

Alright, so let's get into the topic of discussion. The picture above gives a great illustration of today's encouragement. Funny, because I was just having a conversation about certain reservations I had at the top of the year concerning a job. It was a risk, but I allowed others to talk me out of it. Now, from time to time I wonder what could have happened had I actually pursued that opportunity? Pretty sure we all have those moments in life when we are left wondering, "What If?" Nothing wrong with wondering unless it happens too often. Life is all about taking risks. Our faith can be looked at as a risk. Even though spiritually we know we are good, carnally speaking we wonder. Is this the right decision? Is he/she "the one?" Am I doing this for nothing? Is this the right job? Where should I move? All but not limited to are risky questions we ask ourselves. The best way to take a risk is with a SURE God, The ONLY Wise God to be more specific. He already knows what certain doors unlock in our lives. So it is best to be risk takers with Jesus and not on our own judgment. 

Like the picture portrays, no one wants to be on the third row. Especially, being on the third row of your own life while others are basking in fearless, faith-filled adventures! Partake in yourself, and what  new possibilities are in store for you. What are you afraid of? Many are scared of being hurt, so they choose not to open up. Is that you? Or some have a comfort zone the size of California and fear change like cats fear water. Is that you? Only person stopping us from enjoying life is us! Live regret free, fearlessly, in the guidance of God of course. I challenge all to do something before the year is out that you were afraid to do whether it be small or big. Trust God and let live! 

#NoRegrets 

Get on Beat

Psalm 26:2 "Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.   

The physical condition of our hearts reveal a lot about our health. How much we exercise, the types of food we eat, and etc. Let's continue the "Change of Heart" post from Monday. The heart is a vital organ, it is actually the first sign of life in the womb of an expectant mother. A normal heartbeat is steady and often times beats to a rhythm. The pace of your heart is indicative of the condition of your heart at the moment. For example, a fast heartbeat can indicate anxiety and puts stress on the heart which could negatively alter your heart's condition over time. Contrarily, a slow heartbeat can indicate an interruption in the electrical pathway of the heart affecting the function of other parts of the body as well. See, the condition of your heart is critical. 

Let's look at it from a spiritual perspective. Your heart is the place you feel your emotions, most importantly it's where you feel God's presence, His love. The moment you stop feeling within your heart is the moment your heart stops beating spiritually. God places His desires for you within your heart and there you will feel what it is you need to do as He guides your footsteps. In order for you to be on one accord with God you must be moving at the pace He has set for your life, within your heart. What will God find when He examines your heart? Are you on beat? Or has your heart stopped beating spiritually? It's time to get on beat with God, don't slow down and don't move too fast. Go at the steady rate that He is setting for you.  

I Am He!

Isaiah 48:12 "Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.

It is the middle of the week and it is time for another Word of encouragement! I Am He, God says to us. These are words we should never forget. This scripture can give life to so many seemingly dead situations in our lives. When we feel like all hope is gone, we can remind ourselves, "I Am He!" Those moments the enemy tries to sneak in, "I Am He!" We have no reason to worry or fear because God is always here for us. He was here before us and He is not going anywhere. So, our best bet is to get to know Him. Now in the King James Version the scriptures begins with, "Hearken unto Me..." That is one thing we fail to do as people of God. Throughout scripture, we will find that God is speaking to His own. Although He loves everybody, He expects those whom call Him Father to love Him back and obey His Word. 

Just a quick testimony, I was working two jobs briefly this summer. My body was tired and I prayed to God about what I should do. School started which made me all the more tired. He told me to leave one and I didn't listen at first. I was wondering how I will pay certain stuff and He kept saying trust Me. Well, the one He told me to leave didn't put me on schedule for two weeks. I laughed because my bills still got paid and He was basically showing Himself to me even in my doubt. I worked one last week at the job He wanted me to leave. Finally, I decided to trust God and quit. Ever since then, I have been promoted twice within only two months of me working the job God planted me at. God just showed me once again that I can't go wrong trusting Him. It is no sense in running my body to the ground when I serve an awesome God Who WILL supply. That was a product of not only God's Grace, but me finally listening to Him. When was the last time you really listened to God? Are you praying in vain? Could you be asking God for guidance with your lips, but your heart is still embedded on what you want to do? Look at the church today? Does it look like The Body of Christ is listening? Are we forgetting about the mighty God we are suppose to serve? Is I Am He satisfied? We would know if we were listening, right? The answer is...well the answer is waiting on us. God speaks every day which is why we shouldn't just talk to Him when we need Him. His words of Wisdom and guidance is offered with every breath He gives us. Just look around, silence yourself, and Hearken unto God. Here is a video I want to leave you all with. Make the commitment to put God first, listen to your Father, and never forget Who He Is to you. 

Change of Heart

Ezekiel 36:26 " I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" 

It's Monday....a new day and a new week. For many the beginning of the week is not symbolic of a fresh start because the same feelings from last week are present, same situation just a different day. They're still lonely, still hurt, still broke (broken), still on the same unfulfilling job and etc. They read our "Motivational Monday" posts and still feel blah inside. Now, here's the motivation I have today for those who are feeling that way: don't allow your current situation define who you are and who you have the potential to be. More times than not we are our own hindrance. Yes, it is true that we can't control the things around us, but one thing we can control is how we react to them. Do not let your heart be filled with doubt, despair, and unrest. There is always always always some good in any given situation you just have to have the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the heart to feel.

So what should we do? We should check the condition of our hearts today. Make sure our life experiences haven't caused us to harden our heart to the point where we can't feel anything good or bad. Our heart is a vital line of communication between us and God, so it is imperative to have our heart in working order so that God can reach us and teach us His way. Times may get hard but be sure to stay calm and trust the One calling the shots.

What's in your heart? Do you even know? The Word tells us that our treasure is where our heart is. Which means you can't do anything of value without having your heart in check. Your situation is not designed to make you give up, instead it is designed to make you get up. How much longer will you allow your situation to have control over your heart? It's time for a change, a change of heart.

#FearlessFAITH #ChangeOfHeart #MotivationMonday

Time well Spent

1 Samuel 12:24 "Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you" 

It's Freedom Friday and this has been the longest "short" work week ever!!! Let's be thankful for all the things that God has freed us from this week, this month (so far), this year, and this lifetime. God didn't free us from this world of captivity for us to do what we please, when we please, and how we please. He freed us to live freely in Him but still by His laws (which benefit us more than we like to acknowledge). We have to make it a priority to spend time with Him because time spent with God is time well spent.  As our calendars become filled with tasks and events from sun up to sun down each let's not forget about God because He certainly doesn't forget about us.

Things may not always be perfect in your life, but He still requires your time. Also, that time may be the time you need to find peace in the midst of your situation. There's a saying "When things seem to be falling apart, they are actually falling into place" before Monday I believed that statement to be true, but I now have a change of heart. Perhaps things are falling apart because we have fallen astray from God. We follow the motions of being a dedicated Christian by going to church events, Bible study, Sunday school, and Sunday Worship while in the same token we aren't spending personal time with God. Imagine having a spouse who only acknowledged you in public, but ignored you in private when it matters most.

My perspective on the aforementioned saying changed after seeing the movie War Room in that it really spoke to my spirit. Sometimes God will allow things to fall apart in order for us to realize that we need Him. So if you're free this weekend I highly suggest seeing this movie and I won't elaborate on my take away points in an effort not to spoil it for you all. It will definitely be time well spent.

#FearlessFAITH #FreedomFriday

Am I?

Hello good people and it is that time again for your mid week word. This would be more of a self evaluation than an inspiration. Well, it could be a little bit of both. Every now and again we have to ask ourselves are we giving God our all? Can you imagine living your whole life and forgetting God? I know us good saints will never do that, huh? Probably can't even fathom ignoring such a great God, right? In all honesty, it is not that hard to put God on the back burner, especially in the times we are living in. Society is designed to worship everything else, but God. It is fairly easy to put work, family, bills, friends, etc...before our King. He wakes us up, we rush to work. He blesses us with food. We rush to eat with no thanks whatsoever. Now it is the end of the day and we barely recognize Him. Is that fair? Of course not. Listen, we are unable to give God what He deserves, meaning we can't thank Him enough. However, we can give Him our ALL which is what is required of us. Get that, I said our ALL. Anything we do outside of God will fail. There have been plenty of times that I stopped doing school work to just commune with Him and passed my test with flying colors or the test got pushed back the day of so I could get more study time. 

I was told when I first began my relationship with God that you can't go wrong pleasing Him. Our flesh or satan may have us thinking that if I don't pay this bill instead of bringing my tithes and offerings that I will be broke. Wrong, God always provides the increase and it is not our money anyways. He blessed us. Just like He blesses us with everything else we have. Let's not live our lives in vain. Ask yourself, am I really living for God? Am I impacting my community, surroundings, people I encounter? We don't have to do something spectacular. All we have to do is be true in our relationship. People notice the small things in our character that we completely forget about that points to Jesus. Am I treating EVERYONE the same? Am I living life in His Will?  The truth of the matter is, our way of living will come up again. So let's make sure we are giving God our all no matter the cost. Jesus paid the hugest cost known to man. Let's return the favor. 

Fear Not!

Jeremiah 30:10 Therefore fear not, O my servant Jacob, says The Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. 

Hello all and today is not only Friday, but it is a #FearlessFriday! Make the hashtag come to life today by resting on the sure Word from The Lord. Think back to early childhood. I'm certain that many if not all who reads this has experienced a frightful moment during that time. It could have been those dreadful five minutes in the store looking for a parental. Perhaps, it was a horrific movie that prevented a good nights rest. Somehow once our parents came to our rescue, the terror in our minds quickly vanished. Just like that we felt relieved of all anxiety because mom and dad was present. See where I am going with this? 

Even as adults we still may feel troublesome while walking through dark times in our lives. However, we must not allow ourselves to become afraid. Why? Because God is ALWAYS present. When we were children we had to wait on mom/dad. Even now as adults we have to wait on law enforcement if there was trouble in our home. Not with God! God shows up within an instant because He is everywhere! That is why we can cheerfully go through obstacles because Jesus walks with us. Rest assured we are only walking through the valley, but should have the confidence of David which concurred, "I know YOU are with me." David knew God was with Him no matter what. Jesus promised to never leave or forsake us. Of course being humans, we tend to fear terribly too much. See it that we are believers, fear should not reign in us. Our faith should be the boldest element about us. Trials should be a launching pad for our faith, not a silencer. God wants to put us at ease, but He never said this walk would be easy. What are your fears? Talk to them, write them down, and speak The Word against them all. Speak with confidence, rebuke the devil, walk in boldness and wait on The Lord. Not that He is slacking, but He is simply building our trust through our trials. Fear not! Don't be dismayed. Your God will make a way! #FearlessFriday 

Less of Me

Matthew 23:12 "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" 

Humility is the most underrated characteristic a person can exhibit and is often never spoken of. Back in January I received a promotion at work, no big deal to me I told who I was going to tell and went about my business. Approximately two months later another coworker got a promotion in which a big show was made of it. Expressing how much more money the new position offered, getting a personal shopper, forgoing duties deemed lesser of the new position, purchasing a new car, and many other bouts of arrogance. At my place of employment promotions are accompanied with a 6 month probationary period to ensure that you are capable of fulfilling the duties of your new position. It is during this period that if you cannot fulfill the duties you are at risk of being terminated without the lengthy process it would normally take. I say all of that to say this, last Friday was that person's last day because in the midst of glorifying and exalting thyself the opportunity to learn and grow was missed. 

There are two lessons that should have been learned here. #1 If you think you know everything you'll never learn anything. #2 Wait for God to exalt you because if you don't He'll humble you. When God gives you a humbling experience it could mean one of two things. Either you have exalted yourself and He has to bring you back to where you should be OR He is preparing you for something extremely amazing. If it is the latter the humbling experience is to prepare you to be able to handle the power, authority, money, fame, or whatever God is going to do in your life.

So when someone has to describe you in 3 words let's hope humble will be one of those characteristics. Think of Jesus, He has so much power in His hands yet He still sat amongst the people. He talked with them, He walked with them, He ate with them. His promotion didn't exempt Him from any duties deemed by society as "less than". He washed the feet of His disciples!!! Being humble is not thinking less of yourself, but it's about thinking of yourself less. Try it!!!