~Divine Purpose:The story of Moses~

(Exodus 1:5-14) "All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt.
Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land,"
Therefore they set taskmasters over them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.
So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
Can you even imagine being forced to work as the people of Israel were made to do? Especially a short time after Joseph had passed away, I'm sure after Joseph's death the people of Israel were curious to find out how their world would turn out when a new king had taken over, I'm sure that they were hopeful of their future..They shouldn't be worried for a new Pharaoh to rule..Should they? After all, The Pharaoh before had treated them well and Joseph took care of them! What did we have to fear? Or so they thought!
The people of Israel suffered terribly and were beaten and forced to work long hours, I'm sure their skin was probably burned by the long hours they were made to work out in the hot sun, Not to mention how tired their feet were and how physically drained they were after they worked and slaved all day long!
I've seen so many shows on the History Channel and National Geographic of how "well" the Egyptians "Treated" their workers back in the days of Pharaoh But that is just not so! In fact it angers me so much to think about them telling all of this on T.V when clearly they have never read the truth from the Bible of how the people of Israel were treated under Pharaoh! These poor people were treated worse than a dog! In fact the Egyptians treated animals far better and with more dignity than the people of Israel were even treated!
They had to be set free somehow! There was a person that was sent to brake the chains of the slaves and give freedom to God's people..His name was Moses! Now here's the thing about Moses, He wasn't the strongest or the most brave, Nor could he speak eloquently as others could, But Moses could do one thing better than anyone else could.."Listen" Moses was a very good listener! God needed someone who would hear his voice and follow his leading so God told Moses to "Go!" and Moses went as God told him to! Sure he questioned God and he didn't believe at first that he could be the one that could complete such a task so important as this one was, And Moses' brother Aaron had to speak for him but Moses could clearly hear the voice of God and his brother Aaron wasn't afraid to speak in front of a crowd..So God used Aaron to bring freedom to the people of Israel also! I've always had such an understanding of Moses since as a child I was so very shy and at times still am very shy, Even though I've overcome most of my shyness I still struggle at times with it, That's why I always felt a connection to the story of Moses because I knew just how he must've felt speaking out loud to people, Because that's how I used to feel all the time But God set me free from the anxiety of standing in front of a crowd and speaking to people! I praise God for that because there's no way I would be able to lead God's people into worship like I do today if I was still afraid like I used to be! Moses had a calling on his life and that was freeing the people of Israel from bondage and also freeing them of suffering from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians! Let's start at the beginning of the story and move into the end of the story..
(Exodus 1:1-10) "Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife and Levite Woman.
The Woman conceived and bore a son, And when she saw that he was a fine child, she hit him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.
And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done with him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.
When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, " This is one of the Hebrews' children." Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, " Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, " take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.
When the child grew up, She brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, "because, "She said, "I drew him out of the water."
As children we hear this story often But when you become older I think we are able to further understand the meaning behind this story, It's very compelling and also the story is epic in many ways! The stories in the Bible aren't boring at all! that's why we continue to go to our favorite Bible stories when we grow up I believe! The most exciting part of this story to me is how persistent Moses and Aaron were to free God's people! There were many plagues that were sent to try to convince Pharaoh to free God's people but nothing would convince him to let his people go! In fact it took the plague of the death of the first born before Pharaoh would take it seriously! Finally he said he would "let God's people go." But he still came after them after he had given his word that he had freed them and when Pharaoh came after God's people, God finally ended it and Pharaoh was defeated and God's people were finally free from the Hand of Pharaoh!
Sometimes it takes as past our "comfort zones" to do God's work..much like the way Moses and Aaron had to do, But God only needed someone who would be obedient and would listen to his command and through that obedience The people of Israel were set free from slavery! Amen! That's still such a powerful story to me even after all these years! These stories are so amazing to me..Isn't God awesome?!
~Dani

~Devoted to the point of sacrifice: the story of Hannah~

Many would wonder what does it take to be truly devoted to God, But I think the thing that really shows how devoted you are isn't so much that you have a certain drive within you, I think it's mainly being at the point where you are willing to give it all up for God, There's just something about surrendering that lights a flame within us..It's the fire of God that grows stronger and stronger inside of us to the point that we are willing to do anything to keep that flame inside of us hot! When I think of this the story that comes to my mind is the story of Hannah, Hannah longed to have a child so badly that she fasted and prayed in the house of the Lord, she prayed for God to give her a son and God heard her cry! Out of her troubled spirit and devotion to God her prayer was answered! Hannah wanted a son but she wanted to do more than just that, She wanted to give her son to God in return to do his work and serve in the temple as a servant of God!
In many ways if you'll look closely to this story, It's very similar to another familiar story that we know!
It's the story of God sending his only son to live a perfect life on earth and out of love offering himself as a sacrifice to save the people of this world from damnation in hell so that we may become free from our sins and be with Jesus someday in heaven!
Much like the story of Jesus, Hannah was willing to give out of love, her son, just as Mary gave her son out of love, the only differences in these two stories is, that Jesus who was also a servant to helping others for the kingdom could spare the world from all their sins, While Hannah's son Samuel also being a servant to the Lord helped pave the way for future generations when you think about it since the story of Hannah came in the old testament and the story of Jesus was much later.
But you see my point, it all comes down to this.."Devotion" and "Serving" Now let me tell you the rest of Hannah's story, Hannah was a remarkable woman to be able to give up the very thing that she had many years longed for, "A Child" But instead of praying for a son and just saying "thanks God" She did so much more..She gave her son back to God to serve in the temple and by doing so she had blessed her child beyond measure! That is so powerful to me! I cannot imagine choosing to give up a child knowing that this may be the only child you will ever have to call your own! But somehow Hannah did this! I think the reason Hannah was able to give her baby back to God was because she knew her son was needed in the Lord's house more than her son was needed in her own house.. Hannah saw the need!
(1 Samuel 1-22) "They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, for she said "I have asked for him from the Lord." The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever."
Wow! Hannah loved the Lord so much and was so devoted to him that she gave all she had to God!
So in my mind it's just as simply as this point, being "devoted" isn't just about praying and seeking God to me..I think it's so much more than that! I think being "devoted" means that once God answers your prayer you continue to worship and seek God but you're giving what he gave you back to him because you love him! That's what it's all about to me! Devote yourself to God and Serve in the name of the Lord because you love him and you want something beyond yourself, You want to do everything to bring God the Glory!
~Dani

~ Identifying The Need ~

Today I wanted to do something a little bit different and share this blog post that I posted a few months ago, May these words bring you encouragement and help you to learn what it really means to give to others!
I've heard it said "give until it hurts" But somehow I find that wrong..If you give everything that you have then there is nothing left of your self, You must first be able to see the value within yourself before you can go out there to help others, But some of us are victims of giving too much to the point that we can no longer help because we have become broken Emotionally, financially, mentally, and physically to the point that we begin to struggle in our lives. Now I'm not saying don't give or help others, all I'm saying is we must be lead of God to help others and feel peace about it, Because there's a big difference in "Pity" and "Obedience"
"Pity" is what we feel inside ourselves toward people who are struggling with a need and we feel for them because of their need but we feel badly that we cannot help them.
"Obedience" is something God puts in us and he gives us the peace that we can help this person's need and it's of God and God will provide to you what you need to give to help that person.
This world is in a lot of trouble right now, Due to financial stress, loss of health insurance, loss of jobs, losing their homes etc. There are so many people in need right now But there are also many that are using false needs because they are hooked on drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol, That is why we must be careful these days, Because if we give without praying about it first and the ones that are falsely presenting themselves as ones "in need" then what will we have left to give to the ones that really do have "a need" when we've already given to the ones that really just wanted some money for "a drink" instead of  "a meal" and I know it seems like I'm preaching to the choir right now But this must be said! The first place people of false pretenses always seem to come to is the church first! It's true! And why is that you ask? It's because most of them are the ones that were raised in church when they were just small children! And I know it hurts sometimes when we cannot give, Not because we don't care or wouldn't give to someone, But because you feel like they don't think you would help anyone, when in reality that's what you do everyday is help people who really need the helping hand! Don't let them bring you down by that! God doesn't want you to feel that way, God wants you to feel good that you listened to his voice and Maybe God held you back from giving to someone who doesn't really "need" any help so you would be able to help someone who really does need your help!
When in doubt pray! God will give you a feeling of Peace if it's right, And God will give you the understanding to know when it's not right! Be obedient to God no matter what anyone may say to you!
Have the confidence in God that it's all going to work out and that the ones who have lost their way will find themselves back in church and give up the drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol! Pray for them that they will see the truth that they need Jesus in their life!
Let this feeling of sadness and pity for the ones who didn't really need help roll off your shoulders and give that to God! God knows your heart and that you desire to help others but Satan knows that also and Satan will try his best to make you feel as though this is your fault and that you don't really care about helping others, But Satan is a big fat Liar! don't listen to Satan! Instead listen to what God says about you and remind yourself daily of the value that God sees in YOU! Ask God to help you to see the real need in people and to have the wisdom to identify the ones who have false needs, He will show you if you'll ask him to reveal it to you!
~Dani

~In darkness, God is your light~

Today I'm writing this blog post for the ones that have fallen and cannot find the strength to stand on their feet again, I'm here to encourage you and I feel that this word is going to reach you wherever you are at this very moment, You may feel as though there's no one around to offer you a ray of hope and there may not be anyone to help you right now..In fact you may be surrounded by people who are constantly negative and it may seem like all they do is tear down every good thing that you are trying to do in your life, Whether it be at your Job or in your home. I'm here to tell you not to lose all hope!
Remember..Where the shadow of darkness seems to be, the sun was once shinning in that same place! in other words, Do you remember when you were happy? if you can remember the good times, that means that there is still hope inside of you! You haven't lost all of your hope at all! You just need someone to remind you of your dreams and to remind you of all you've made it through in your life! I promise you that you will get through this, just as you did before and you'll feel happier than you have been in ages! For every single set-back God has a manger come-back! You may feel like you cannot make it through this and that this is too heavy for you to carry but with God's help you're going to make it out of this!
For every negative word that is spoken..speak a positive word in it's place! For every word that in spoken in anger..speak a word of love in it's place! For every tear that falls..offer a smile!
I know that it's sometimes hard to speak words of life into your situation, Especially if it's in a room full of people who don't realize how their negative words affect how the day goes for you and others, Sometimes it's hard to bring life in a house where it seems like death roams it's halls..God sure can though! God will become the candle that's flame will not go out..no matter how strong the wind may blow toward it! The light of God will burn brightly and you will spread the joy of the Lord to your whole family or your co-workers! God is Love, and Joy, and he's Peace! He is an understanding God who is rich in Mercy and his Grace is sufficient for every person out there!
There's no place too far that God can't reach you! He will help you, all you have to do is tell him what the problem is in your life and ask him to give you the wisdom to face the situation in a loving way, with forgiveness in your heart and grace on your lips!
You haven't lost all hope because the shadows simply prove that there was once sunshine in the place you're in now! God will show up when you call his name and he will either send someone to help you or he will show you what you need to do to change things in your life!
Don't worry about it, God's got his hand upon it! all you need to do is trust him and know that you don't have to understand what's going on around you, you just need to let God take the load from you by trusting in his plan, Knowing that it's going to work out for your good! God loves you very much and he sees your tears and is saddened by them, all he wants to do is hold you and give you comfort because he truly loves you and wants Joy to reign in your life!
Jesus makes me happy and there's no greater love than the love of our savior! let his light burn brightly inside of you that all may see! God's blessings to you on this day, May God bring you comfort and overwhelming Joy inside your heart!
~Dani

~Living Life Joyfully~

Where does Joy come from? And how does one live a life filled with daily Joy?
The answer  is.. Through Jesus Christ we can have indescribable Joy! The Joy of the Lord is a feeling like none other..This feeling is something that no one can change within you and though certain circumstances in our life may challenge us in our day, We still have the choice to turn it around and decide to have a Joyful day instead of a stressful day! God sends us many things in our life that helps us to find Joy, such as..Seeing a sky full of stars, watching your children play, when a friend comes to visit or even when you find money in your wallet you didn't know that you had! Those things are all from God! He sends us these little things that I like to call "faith finds" We mysteriously find all of these wonderful blessings in our life because God sees that we need to have a reason to smile, He knows when we're suffering through our week to make ends meet in our lives so God often intervenes for the ones who love him and choose to serve him!
 Often we cry out to God in our times of sorrow and misfortune, Sometimes it seems like it takes a long time to get a response from God But don't worry he heard your cry for help and he's getting everything together right now to meet your need!
In order for us to truly have Joy in our lives we must first desire to be happy and joyful, Next we must seek God for direction in our lives, We must also read the Bible and apply it to our daily lives..in other words what we need is to look around us to realize what area in our lives is God missing from, Once you answer that important question it all seems to fall into it's rightful place with God's help!
Happiness isn't just a mere feeling..It's a choice we must make daily and sometimes hourly..as often as we need Joy we can certainly have it! God wants us to be happy as often as we can be and to claim his word into our lives! We have to learn how to build ourselves up through the word of God and choose to be happy and joyful! Doesn't it feel amazing when you have a smile to share with your friends and family? Doesn't it feel good to pass a smile along to a stranger while you're in town simply grocery shopping?
I don't know about you, But it makes me happy and joyful anytime I make others smile, It's one of the most precious gifts in life, offering someone a feeling of hope, even for a mere moment, it really does make all the difference in the world!
So here's what I want you to do today, Wake up and get out of bed, grab a quick breakfast, read a small verse that you can remember all day long and choose to be happy today! And anytime you start to feel down remember that verse you read and pass a smile along to a friend..That always makes my day.. to make others smile! (Isaiah 49:13) "Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted."

~Why Compromise?~

This time I wanted to talk about something different, I feel lead to talk about this because someone needs to speak the truth about this subject! Here we go..
When a person is growing up and headed toward adulthood we are taught where to compromise in our lives, But what we don't understand is the reason why we should compromise, The better question to me is "what do I gain or lose in compromising?" They say good relationships are built on trust and knowing how to compromise, But the truth is God doesn't intend for us to compromise by giving up our personalities, goals, hopes, and dreams, That is something that I call "The non-negotiable" Compromise is mainly something that we decide to change about ourselves in a relationship that we feel the need to change because we care about someone enough to change, However, Compromise doesn't have to mean that you lose who you are as the unique person that God created you to be. If someone insists that you change and they will not admit that they also need to change or work on a few things in their life to benefit the relationship..They obviously are not focused on what's important in life or how to build a future with another person and that's why I call that "the non-negotiable"
Don't be afraid to ask God specifically who you dream of being with..No matter how far-fetched or insanely detailed it may seem..Dream Big and stick to those dreams! Don't allow yourself to compromise on God's very best plan for your life because you're lonely and you happen upon meeting someone..Sometimes Satan will send in "The Perfect Person" when in reality, it's only someone who is used to using people to only benefit themselves and is a liar to you! Don't fall for that trick from Satan! God's got someone just down the road waiting for you and they're praying for you just like you're praying for them! God has a plan that includes your dreams and their dreams but those plans won't be something that you're forced to compromise on, Sure there are little things one has to "adapt to" but those are tiny issues that we can live with and still be happy while doing so!
Recently, I've decided to follow my original plan that God gave me dreams of when I was a small child of the Man I will someday Marry, I'm not afraid to pray for all of those things again, Somehow when we grow up we form a mind that those things are called "Fairy-tales" when in reality that's just not so! God wants us to be honest with him..He knows the desires of our heart but sometimes all he wants is for us to tell him what we want..We have not, because we ask not! So ask God to lead you to your purpose and to the right person that he created just for you! God's plan means that you don't have to compromise..So why stress and settle for less, when you can Claim God's very best!
Ask God to give you the strength to see his plan through in your life! And ask him to help you to wait for who he has for you! Trust in God and never look back on things in the past! Move forward into what God has planned for your life and let past heartbreaks become healed by God! He loves you and wants you to be happy and most of all..He wants you to be with the person he made you to be with!
Hold on..God's got this handled for you, wait upon the Lord!
(Jeremiah 29:11-13) "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with your whole heart."

~Dreamer Of Dreams~

There are many dreamers in the Bible, Some of those dreamers got themselves into trouble by telling others about what they had dreamed..Such as Joseph. We have to be very careful of whom we share our dreams with because sometimes God gives us those dreams, Not to speak to others but to pray about what we dreamed about! After all..it would be terrible to go through what Joseph went through to get to his destiny!
Most of us know this story, In short, Joseph was his father's favorite son and pleased his father often and Joseph's brothers couldn't stand that! His brothers were already so jealous of him before he shared his dream with them, But Joseph just had to tell someone about his wonderful dream and he thought that his brothers would somehow be as excited as he was about his dream..Wrong! Instead his brothers became very angry toward Joseph and they decided to put together a brilliant plan to get rid of their brother!
They had such an overwhelming envy and jealousy within them that they were willing to kill Joseph but God offered him a way of escape and made a way for him to instead be sold into slavery! And his brothers even went as far as to tell their own father that Joseph had been killed by an animal!
Can you even imagine being that jealous of someone? That is just horrible and cruel!
But at the same time it makes you wonder..What if Joseph had kept his mouth shut and wouldn't have told his brothers his profound dream? Would he have endured such struggle in his life or would he have grow into a selfish and spoiled adult if he hadn't gone through these lessons in his life?
God has a plan for all of us but sometimes we get off doing our own thing and we get off course,
And then God often intervenes just as he did for Joseph! God offers us Mercy because he knows that we are human and full of faults, that is why his Mercy comes new with every sunrise!
He gave Mercy to Joseph too, and even his brother's who sold Joseph into slavery!
While Joseph was in prison he learned a lot, He became very humble and closer to God, One night the Pharaoh had a dream and needed someone to interpret his dream..Yep, you guessed it! It was Joseph who was brought to the Pharaoh because Joseph had interpreted for his fellow prison-mates before!
Joseph indeed interpreted for Pharaoh and of course he knew every single detail that he had dreamed! Joseph knew God would reveal it all to him to tell the Pharaoh! Here's what ended up happening next!
(Genesis 41:39-42) "Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you." And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain on his neck."
Now, isn't that amazing how God works things out! Even though Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, That couldn't hold back God's plan for Joseph's life! Later on in the story Joseph's brothers come back into the story and Joseph's dream comes to pass! There was a great famine in the land and Joseph's brothers seek food from the kingdom where Joseph was in charge of!
Now he could have been cruel in return to his brothers after all these years and he could've brought revenge over them for their faults but instead this happens.. (Genesis 45:3-7) "And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, "come near me, please." And they came near. and he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God has sent me before you to preserve life. For famine has been in the land these two years, and there are five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God has sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and keep for you many survivors."
You see, God's plan couldn't be held back from Joseph! Even though these hard times came into Joseph's life..He chose to give God the glory and take this as a learning opportunity and through that Joseph was used by God and brought into his full destiny and he was brought to his full potential!
You may feel as though you're in the same place as Joseph when he was in prison..But trust in God my friend, He's got a wonderful purpose in mind for you! Reach out and claim it as your own! God says it's yours and it's time for you to rejoice and be glad in that plan he has for your life! Trust in God no matter what it looks like around you at the moment! God is everything you'll ever need and he knows your hopes and dreams! But don't make the same mistake as Joseph did by spilling your guts of the dream you had..sometimes those dreams are from God and it's something you need to keep to yourself and pray about it first before you go off telling everyone about it! Be wise and pray first..It never hurts to pray about everything in your life! I would encourage you to pray about everything..especially about the things you don't understand and ask God to give you wisdom through what you're facing! When in doubt..Pray! When confused..Pray! When worried..Pray! When you're in need of something..Pray!
God will answer you or even send someone to help you out!
~Dani

~Dedication: The story of Daniel~

I don't think there's anyone else in the Bible that was as dedicated to serving God as Daniel was!
And at the same time he respected the King, Daniel was dedicated to helping his King But he made it clear in the beginning of his Faithfulness to God and he also made it clear that he was one of the children of Israel, Daniel wanted to make it clear that he was a Christian and he would not compromise who he was in God for anyone or anything! WOW! what a perfect example of the way we should act as Christians! Now let's get back to the story, Daniel was honest about who he was and that made The King trust Daniel and He found favor in the eyes of The King!
Daniel's Job was to interpret dreams for The King and offer wisdom to The King, Not only that But He was also a friend to The King and he was confident in Daniel's interpretations!
You see, If we act like Daniel did and we are sincere and kind to people, they will want to be around us and our example! We don't have to become pushy or harsh toward others to get it across..in fact if we acted that way it would only push people away from God further and cause them to think of us as "Hypocrites" instead of thinking we are honest and kind, That's why I feel like we need to be totally honest with people but in a sincere way, It does make a huge difference in the response you will receive from others and they will want to hear what you have to say if they become a friend to you! That's exactly what Daniel did and in return he received high honors from The King! Read what happened next! (Daniel 2:47-48) "The King answered and said to Daniel, "truly, your God is God of god's and Lord of Kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery." Then the King gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon."
Now, just because Daniel was faithful to his God that doesn't mean that everyone liked him, There were a few men in the Kingdom that were very jealous of him and wanted to secretly get rid of Daniel!
It didn't take them too long to come up with a plan to get rid of Daniel But God had his hand upon Daniel!
(Daniel 6:7-10) "All the Presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except you, o king, shall be cast into the den of lions.
Now, o king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, He went to his house where he had his windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously."
Now that's what you call dedication! Daniel was faithful to God and the schemes of those men didn't change a thing! He wasn't going to stop worshipping God, No matter what!
Daniel was caught worshipping God But let's read the most powerful part of this story!
 (Daniel 16-22) "Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. the king declared to Daniel, "may your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!" And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. Then at the break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions.
As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in the tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm."
That is awesome! Daniel was blameless and faithful to God and toward his king so God saw that of Daniel and saved him from the hungry lions! I absolutely love this powerful story in the Bible! What an inspiring story of dedication and faith for us to follow as Christians! I want to be as Daniel was, I want to be faithful to God and a living testimony of kindness so that unsaved people may see Christ in me and desire to know Christ too! I believe we could all reach the unreachable if we show people the kindness and love of a Savior! people need the Lord, So let's show them our sincere faith in God and reach out to them in kindness!
~Dani

~Help me to say..It is well with my soul~

We all have struggles in our lives, some have issues that seem to be much harder than our troubles and it makes us realize at times just how blessed we really are! I guess you could call it a reality check, It's good to have these in our lives, It makes us realize that other people have needs far beyond our own and When we realize this it means one thing..We are compassionate toward others! That's a very good thing! It means that we are givers and not greedy to only receive from our neighbor!
As Christians I believe that is part of our duty in a way..to serve and help people where we can, We have needs too but if in faith we can serve others and give where we need to have a need met..God will provide what we need because God sees our heart and he sees when we are sincere while we're helping those in need! You don't have to sweat it..God has everything under control even though it may seem like we're spinning out of control in our lives at times! Sometimes we must let go of the steering wheel and let God drive for a while! God's the divine power that you need in your life and he knows everything in your life that is out of place too! He knows where you'll go tomorrow before you do! God has his hand over your life and he is there to catch us when we fall! Not only will he catch you, He will also comfort you while the tears are pouring from your eyes and he will stay until the tears stop flowing down your cheeks!
God is the comforter, God is your refuge, God is almighty, God is the strength that will keep you moving! You don't have to be afraid anymore because God is going to take over for a while and drive you to safety, He will guide you to your destination! You may think that what's going on in your life is surprising to God But let me tell you something.. Nothing surprises God! God knew what was going to happen and He is there for you, Waiting for you to seek comfort from his loving arms!
God is like a Pilot in many ways, He watches overhead looking over all humanity and when he sees some "turbulence" heading your way, He moves as gently and swiftly as he can to guide you safely to your destination! Sometimes the landings are a bit rough..But God's got both of his hands on the yoke and he's bringing you to where you need to go! Trust in God, Your Pilot! God's got this and he's going to provide for your need..You just need to buckle up and prepare for the landing, God knows just what to do in your life!
(Psalm 46:1-5) " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, Though it's waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at it's swelling. selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns."
Keep a weathered eye on the horizon..God's going to provide for you! Remain faithful to him and He will give you just what you need!
~Dani

~..And He will sustain you~

There are many times in the Bible when David would cry out to God in his times of trouble, I think we could learn a lot from the way David prayed to God! David was confident that God would take care of him through it all! David had many struggles in his life..I know sometimes we think that because David was a King he had it easy, But that just isn't so! King David was like any other Human..He had a weakness! We all have a weakness..Most of us have many weaknesses, David's weakness was that he had a way with the Ladies..And the Ladies liked King David as well, That was a big problem for David when you think about it! I'm sure if we were in his shoes we may have struggled as he did with his weakness!
I must admit that for the longest time I couldn't quite understand how King David could be referred to in the Bible as "the man after God's own heart" In fact I was kind of Angry and Confused because I didn't understand how God could have Mercy for such a Man that would do such horrible things as King David did! He even had a Man killed because he envied the Man's wife and wanted her as his own! But then again when you think about it what was Bathsheba doing bathing where she could be seen by King David if she was a married Woman? Bathsheba was just as guilty as King David was, They committed Adultery and both had a part in Killing Bathsheba's husband, By saying that I mean that Bathsheba was an accessory to murder because she knew David desired that be with her and She knew how powerful he was being a King, She could've said no but instead she gave into the selfish desires of her flesh and didn't stop her husband from being killed! After a few years of reading this story I finally realized that David was only Human and I had no right to be angry the person David was in the Bible! It was silly of me really..I'm sure we've all felt angry or frustrated after hearing a story we didn't like the ending of! But the truth of the matter was that somehow I was Jealous of King David because even though he had sinned God forgave him and God still gave him good things in his life even though he continued to sin against God! You see, I didn't want to see the moral of the story..Which is quite simply "God's unending Love!" I was selfish back then and I didn't desire to know the truth about King David, But now I understand and even appreciate his powerful story! King David really Loved to worship God and he trusted in God!
David taught us that No matter what you've done in your life..even if you've sinned by committing adultery as King David did..God Love's you! No matter where you've been in your life.. God Love's You! No matter how many times you've sinned..God will always Love You with an unending Love! Let King David's story relate to us all in someway, That even when we fail God and we curse him at times in our life..God still gives new Mercy and Grace each morning! God wants to give you a new beginning! He wants you to know that he truly Love's You and He wants you to serve him because he Love's You! God wants to embrace you and keep you safe, He wants you to put your trust in him! I promise you that it's worth it to give your life to him! I've never been more happy in my life than when I gave my whole life to God unconditionally because I know that without God I'm nothing! God gives me Joy and Peace! He gives me strength and a song in my heart to sing unto him! And I've surrendered my hopes and dreams to him..Because I want what God has for me..Not what I want for myself! I've never been happier and I know that if you do the same, You will also be the happiest you've ever been!
(Psalm 55:22) "Cast your burden on the Lord, And he will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved."
~Dani

~Restoration: God's restoring what you've lost!~

There are many stories of restoration in the Bible but I think the story that sticks out the most to me is the story of Job. Job was a Godly man who was so faithful to the Lord that God allowed Job to go through a few trials. One day Satan came to test Job's faithfulness to God, Job went through a lot of loss in his life, He lost nearly everything he had! Animal's, his friends, his family, his fortune, it was all lost!
But Job praised God yet again, even though he cried at times and felt abandoned he knew that God was with him! Job never denied God even though he questioned him at times of trouble! In many ways this happens to all of us at some point in our lives, Sometimes we must go through trials and certain tests, that is part of life and sometimes it seems like God isn't answering our prayers fast enough and we question him for that! But the things is, God wants us to become desperate for him! God is only wanting us to seek him more! God is simply wanting us to talk to him for a while, God is a wonderful listener, you know!
But I've found out in my life that while we are worshipping and seeking God's face.. GOD IS RESTORING! God is restoring every broken thing in your life as you seek him, He is healing your broken heart, He is restoring your finances, God is even healing your family! When hard times come into our lives we must remember the story of Job! He cried out to God until he answered him! Job never gave up on God's plan for his life, even though he could have even lost his own life, Job wasn't going to give up on his God!
When life is pushing at you hard, Push back even harder! Praise God no matter how big the storm is! It may be raining in your life right now but think of how big the harvest will be once the rain stops! Prepare your fields for a mighty harvest! God's going to restore all the things you've lost as you seek him with your whole heart! You may feel as though God has left you right now in your life, But I'm here to tell you that God hasn't abandon you, God is waiting for you to praise him, God is waiting for you to tell him what you need in your life! Worship him and don't give up on God..But praise him until your need is met! Ask and it shall be given unto you!
(Job 42:12-13) "And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkey's. He had also seven sons and three daughters."
See here, God restored everything in Job's life! But he blessed him even more than before! Job not only had everything returned to him but his life was fuller than it had ever been before! Let this encourage you, that it's not over at all in your life! God is only wanting you to worship him through the pain and trials you are facing, And he wants you to tell him what your need is, If you have a need..ask him for that need! You'll see it happen in your life sooner than you could even imagine if you become faithful to him! Even if you've lost your way, start today! Start anew and give tomorrow to God and don't look back! Run toward God and leave behind this world! there's an old song that comes to mind here to me.. "though none go with me, still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back!"
~Dani

~Cool as a cucumber: Letting go of the worry~

When I was little I had a lot of fear because I would have bad dreams and nightmares almost every night, I didn't know why I kept having these terrible nightmares nearly every night, I never watched scary shows or anything like that when I was little because we were always taught to only welcome peace into our house and to even shake off the worry before we went to sleep at night! I remember waking up several times with tears running down my face and shaking in fear from nightmares! I didn't understand why I was having the nightmares but even as a small child I was aware of who was giving me these nightmares..It was Satan! He was trying his hardest to instill fear in my life! He knew that I went to church and was at the church more during the week than at home! He knew that I loved Jesus and that I loved going to Sunday School! He knew that I loved spreading joy to others even though I was very shy when I was little! But Satan knew if he could get into my mind while I was sleeping and if he could put fear in me, then I would become too afraid to try new things, quote bible verses in Sunday School or even make new friends at church! The Devil always has a plan..we must never forget that! We must always prepare ourselves so that when he chooses to attack us in different ways, we will be ready to fight that battle in the name of the Lord!
So what did I do? I started reading my bible longer, I started doing puppets in children's church, I started watching praise and worship video's, I even asked my Sunday School teacher if I could teach sometime! Which I ended up doing every other month and other children started to teach sometimes as well! I wasn't going to let Satan steal my joy and peace at all! I wasn't about to let that happen! I knew that God loved me and that God had a big plan for me someday and I wasn't going to allow myself to become defeated!
If I hadn't fought back I would've never been able to step on a stage and encourage people and lead people into Worship! If I hadn't of overcome the Fear I wouldn't have been able to teach a children's class like I teach now! I would've been in the darkness and overshadowed by overwhelming Fear, And where there's fear there's also Worry, Doubt, depression, low self-esteem, and not being able to trust people!
The list goes on and on of what fear does to a person! That is no way to live your life, God has a better plan for you! I want to encourage you to do the same thing I did when I was a child..Read your Bible, think positive thoughts and remind yourself everyday that God Loves You! Start rebuking the Devil's plan for your life and arm yourself with the word of God! step-out and do something for God..no matter how small of a start it may be! It will be worth it in the end because you will leave behind the Fear and Worry!
God has a calling for your life, his plans are even better than your biggest, most beautiful of dreams!
God can help you to Trust again, he can help you to love again, he can even help you to have a smile on your face again! Put your trust in him and I promise that you won't be disappointed! And you will have put Satan behind you! (Isaiah 57:2) "Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace; they rest on their beds."
(Romans 16:20) "The God of Peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The Grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."
Rest peacefully in knowing that God's watching over you and he loves you! Don't Worry anymore because God's taking care of it all for you while you seek him and read his word!
~Dani

~The Spirit of Oppression~

Tonight as I was sitting in the living room with my parents I suddenly had the feeling of oppression come over me, I've only felt this way once or twice before in my lifetime so far, But it wasn't a feeling that the sudden oppression belonged to me..It was the overwhelming feeling of so many hopeless people out there, The ones without any reason of purpose! I felt the pain and bitterness of someone out there that's struggling to let go of worry and doubt from their mind! I couldn't describe to you the way I truly felt when I sensed a spirit of oppression so I took it upon myself to research into the word "Oppression" so you could understand and relate.
"Oppression" to feel distressed, anxious, or uncomfortable.
The Spirit of Oppression is something that many people seem to carry on them these days, Many of them are also feeling confused, angry, depressed, worried, and the deepest feeling of these is oppression! It just seems to take hold on so many people and they don't have a clue that's the emotion they have been feeling inside of them! Sometimes it's harder to put a label on how you're feeling inside, that's why sometimes you need to talk to one of the elder's in your church, someone who has been serving Jesus longer than you've been alive, When the Bible speaks of "wise counsel" I believe that means to seek and elder who has seen just about everything and made it through it! One can really learn a lot from the older brothers and sisters in Christ..They have lived that long because they were smart and also knew when to say "I'm sorry" early on in their lives! Listen to them..they know a lot and if you'll realize that now and start becoming friends with a few of the elders in the church it will do a person some good!
I'm going to give you a couple verses on the subject of "oppression" to study and help you to be able to recognize this feeling and call it out into the light so you'll be able to get past it quickly and move on from this worry and stress! (Ecclesiastes 7:7-12) "Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart. the end of a matter is better than it's beginning; likewise, patience is better than pride. Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Do not say, "why were the old days better than these days?" for it is not wise to ask that. Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; It benefits those who see the light of day. For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of it's owner."
(Psalm 88:9) "My eyes grow weak because of oppression. I call out to you, O Lord, all day long; I spread out my hands in prayer to you."
I hope this blesses you and I pray that God has touched you through reading this! Be sure to study on these verses some more during your week! May God truly bless you richly this week!
~Dani

~Who deserves the glory..God or Angels?~

I was watching television today and all at once "the Dr. Oz Show" suddenly came on, I normally only watch this show if the subject is "healthy cooking tips" or something like that. Today's Show was about this Woman that had "magical powers" and she could supposedly "Talk to angels" and "Talk to other people's loved ones that have passed away" I must admit that I suddenly became Angry because of this! I was Angry at the fact that they were talking about "praying" to Angels And giving Glory to the Angels through this Woman that was clearly some kind of "Illusionist" And people were believing that this Woman could read their minds and she could supposedly give them messages from their loved ones! And the sad part was..They all fell for it! They fell for every single word she spoke from her mouth! I'm sure that some of these people were "church-goers" But they couldn't have known God very well because it was obvious who they were giving the glory and honor to! They were giving it to "the angels" Not to God, but to one of God's creations, As so many people seem to be doing these days! They will believe anything if they hear those words coming from either a pretty or handsome face! Or if they hear something "in common" with them, they will almost believe them word for word! I'm here to remind you of something Folks..When Satan was Cast down from heaven, part of the angels were cast down with him! Read it with me..(Revelation 12:9-10) "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come for salvation, And strength, and the kingdom of God, and the power of his Christ: For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."
We must be very careful these days, there are so many false prophets out in the world, And they know how to make their words sound sincere and honest to us! They are only instruments of Satan and the desire the same thing that he does and that is to appear as truth to you But they are liars and deceivers to you!
Satan has knowledge and he knows how to play with your heart-strings so well..because He was the choir leader in heaven! There are other areas he is getting into these days, The Music! If you've heard the new music these days you'll realize how corrupt it has become in the past 30 years! Why you may ask? Because Satan is using music to get into our youth and young adults, He knows if he can get into our minds he can start getting into our hearts as well and He knows if he gets there he can move us wherever he pleases!
His hope is to get into the hearts of the "church-goers" especially the ones that are in leadership positions such as..Youth Leaders, Worship Leaders, and children's church Leaders! Because He wants to get to them first, knowing that he can begin to reform their minds and shape them to believe in something as "innocent" as Angels! Don't fall for this trickery folks! (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
Here's the truth folks, I hope that somehow I've changed your mind and opened your eyes to see how Satan has worked all these years to deceive people of the world, I hope that this gave you the answer that you've long searched for, And I hope you can see who truly deserves the glory here!
God deserves all the Glory and honor and praise! Not the angels, creation or man..and especially not Satan!
In closing I'm going to give you one more verse to study. (John 8:31-32) "Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, "if you continue to follow my teaching, you are really all my Disciples, And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!"
God bless you and I hope that you are able to see the truth now and I pray that your eyes have become open!
~Dani

A true servant:The Story Of Ruth

Growing up in Missouri when I was little, The Sunday School Teacher would often ask us kids who our favorite Bible character was and who we related to the most, A lot of the other little girl's would say Esther because She was a Queen and Let's face it..when you're a little girl you only think about growing up to become a princess and of course Marry your prince charming. But My favorite Character has always been Ruth because Ruth decided that even though her husband died, She was determined to get through it and She loved her Mother-in-law so much that she was willing to give up her possible future because she knew how much her Mother-in-law was hurting, she had pity for her and an understanding of the grieving of not only her Husband, but she also lost both of her son's as well! And Ruth knew where she was needed!
 (Ruth 1:12-18) "Go back home, my daughters! For I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons, surely you would not want to wait until they were old enough to Marry! Surely you would not remain unmarried all that time! No, my daughters, you must not return to me. For my intense suffering is too much for you to bear. For the Lord is afflicting me!
Again they wept loudly. Then Orpah kissed her Mother-in-law goodbye, But Ruth clung to Her.
So Naomi said, "Look, your Sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. Follow your Sister-in-law back home!" But Ruth replied "Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God.
Wherever you die, I will die-and I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Only death will be able to separate me from you!"
When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, She stopped trying to dissuade her.
You see, Ruth Loved this Woman so much and admired her, that she was determined to Journey with her and once they got settled she was willing to work hard so her Mother-in-law would be able to live comfortably. Ruth was willing to be a Servant and to do whatever it took to help her Mother-in-law through this hard time after losing her husband and her son's! We can learn so much from Ruth! She was a faithful Servant of the Lord and had such compassion for Naomi..Her love was deep for Naomi and Ruth was proving her love for Naomi to her! What a powerful example Ruth can be for us ladies! She was an amazing Woman in the Bible and in my Opinion she was a hero in many ways, Who knows what would've happened to Naomi if Ruth had left her and returned to her people, She probably would've died of a broken heart grieving for the family that she had lost!
The best part of this story is that Ruth ended up having a wonderful life, all because of her faithfulness, God blessed her with such Favor! She met this man named Boaz and later married him! He admired her faithfulness and humility. And not only that! She was a part of something amazing! A few generations later her Great, Great, Great..Okay so that's a lot of greats But Her Great-Grandson was King David! So through Ruth's Faithfulness and having a Servants Heart she became part of something HUGE!
We can do the big things as Ruth did too! Let's follow her example and apply it to our lives as well!
Think of how much better this world would be if "young ladies" were still "lady-like" And Our future generations also remembered us for our Godly Character! That's why Ruth has always been my favorite Character in the Bible of Whom I most relate myself to and Whom I desire to become as a Woman Of God!
~Dani

~Required: A Servants Heart~

Have you ever been asked to do something in the church that you didn't really want to do?
Such as, cleaning up a mess that someone else left, suddenly had to fulfill the role of "volunteer plummer"
Or even had to teach that class that no one will teach because they're afraid to accept a "challenge".
Sound familiar? Yes, I'm talking about becoming a servant for the kingdom of God, So roll up your sleeves and let's get down to business here!
What do you have to do to grow a servants heart? It can be very simple really, If you desire to help people  that's one good thing, if you are passionate about a certain field of ministry that's awesome! But sometimes before one can do what they desire to do they must do things in the area's that require someone! that's the first test of becoming a servant and the steps of  growing a servants heart!
I remember when I first had do something that I knew I wasn't called to But my heart was heavy for the position that needed to be filled, So what did I do? I rolled up my sleeves, Took a deep breath, And said Okay Lord, I accept this challenging task, even though I may not be called to it as a main ministry I promise I'll do my best, as long as you do the rest Lord! It was hard at first to learn the rhythm of this new ministry that was placed before me, In many ways it was like learning a new and difficult song..It simply took a lot more practice and a lot of patience! When you work in any area involving children, whether it's in a church or school, You must remember to have patience and remember that It's not about you..It's about finding a way to reach each child so that they may learn to their best ability. It's harder to reach them at times but when you finally do..it's the greatest feeling in the whole world, I must say from experience! There's just something about making it past that point and when you do, you know that they are growing to love and to respect you as a teacher!
Now let's move on to the next part, When we are obedient to God by fulfilling this call in the ministry and we get used to the task of serving, You suddenly become passionate about the ministry you're in, even though it's not your main ministry, It is however a calling that becomes a part of you!
To truly have a servants heart I believe that you must first develop an understanding in the place you're serving in, Second I believe that you develop a special bond and have a heart for the people that you're teaching, third I believe that this is the most important part..You must remember why you're doing this and that you are only the vessel, you must remain Humble and keep a heart that would admit any wrongs if you do forget these things, We will all fail at one point in some way but remember to have a good attitude and have a teachable spirit while you're serving and don't give up, keep going with it!
Lastly, you not only need to put your hands to work for the kingdom of God, You need to put your whole Heart into it as well! When they cry, it should move you to cry! When they are glad because of their accomplishments, You should want to rejoice with them! When they are lost and cannot figure it out, It's your place to help them to find their way through that problem! It's about becoming Selfless and willing to rise up to do what needs to be done!
This to me is what it means to have a servants heart, You truly become so passionate for a new found ministry and you begin caring toward others in the name of Jesus Christ! Jesus was a servant to others and We must begin to care as Jesus cared for others! That to me is the whole point!
I'll leave you with a verse to study this week as you seek the Lord that you would develop a servants heart.
(Ephesians 6:5-7) "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; But as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, And not to men."
~Dani

~How can you mend a broken heart?~

I'm writing this blog to help the brokenhearted and hurt ones, In hope that this helps you to begin the healing process and move on with your life. And to teach you something along the way.

1. The Heart-breakers..I've never really understood how a person could constantly hurt the people that they Love, Other than going to the root of it all, Just what has this person gone through in their life that would cause them to constantly break hearts? The answer is..it could be a combination of things. For one it could be that they had a hard home life growing up, Or even that they had parents who argued constantly, It could even be that they were mistreated by their family members. You may never know for sure what it may be that's caused them to do this to You or anyone else, But Remember this, As long as they continue to break other people's hearts they will eventually have the same thing happen to them, that is inevitable.
2. The Lonely..It's not very good to become overly lonely around others because Mr. Wrong or ms. Wrong will come along and they will be a heart-breaker! They know this game and they are professionals at this kind of thing, They can see loneliness from a mile away and they aren't going to always take no for an answer, So watch out for these and keep yourself surrounded by your Girl or Guy friends or both if you have them.."Remember it's better to be single and happy than to be in a relationship with the wrong person!" You deserve much better, give yourself a chance to find someone who will be right for you!
3. The Cocky..Yes, there seems to be a lot of these kind out there..You know, The ones who constantly talk about how great they are and how strong they are, and handsome too..But we are all wondering the same thing here "Why are they single if they have it all?" Yeah..I think it's safe to say that you'll stay away from this kind all on your own because admit it..no one out there likes a bragger.
4. The over-caring.. I need to admit this to you, I fell into this category a while back but now I know better! God saved me from Mr. Wrong and he can do the same for you! I feel like I have the opportunity to help you with this one, since I've been there myself. If most of the people around you are telling you to watch out for this one..Listen to them! Don't even act remotely interested in them at all! If you go out with them and they can't seem to answer a few questions for you Dump them..they aren't honest! If what they're saying sounds like an awful lot of "stuff that doesn't add up" Run away from them as fast as you can..You will thank me later and hopefully you won't fall for their lies and get hurt like I did. 
5. The One.. It may take a lifetime to find But it's definitely worth the wait! I haven't met Mr. Right yet (not that I know of anyway) even though I've met very nice Young Men in my life I haven't met the right one for me yet and I'm waiting for him still..The Man whom I want to share my life with will Share a Ministry with me and will be honest and successful and one who will raise Godly children with me! You see, God wants you to tell him who you dream of marrying someday, He wants us to pour our hopes and dreams to him because he truly cares about us and wants those good things to happen in our lives! Don't give up on finding the right person for you to be with! I know it's hard seeing couples..wishing that was you with someone but God is getting that person ready for you and I promise It's going to be the perfect timing for you and it will be the perfect person for you as well! Keep your head held high and believe in yourself because God believes in you and he Loves You!! ~Dani

~Ready or Not..Here I come!~

Have you looked around you lately? Have you noticed how corrupt the world has become?
Even within the past Ten years that have gone by..If you'll think back to Ten years ago you will stop and realize a huge difference in the world! In school's the Government is trying their hardest to take prayer out completely, And not only that..They are trying to force our children into Learning about evolution instead of teaching them about Creation too, Leaving them to not think about another possibility and possibly growing up believing that we just "Appeared" by some big Explosion! Which Leads me to an obvious conclusion..
They need to hear the truth somehow! If there is any time for them to hear the true story it's right now, Because Jesus is coming! there are signs everywhere that he's coming soon!
Ready or Not..He is coming and I want to take as many people with me as possible!
We have a responsibility as Believers to reach out to the lost, It's our duty to spread the Gospel to a dying world..They're dying and they don't even realize it because they do not know of a Savior who has paved a way for them and took the sins of the world upon himself so that we could be with him someday in Heaven!
God had us in his plans from the beginning, To love and serve him, To obey him and be with him forever and ever But Satan Had his own plans, Satan's plans were to destroy God's people and to lie to us, trying his very best to convince us that he did it all and he wants you to think that He is God! But God isn't a Liar! God doesn't Cheat and break families apart! God doesn't try to kill you and steal your soul!
God is rich in Mercy and slow to anger, He desires to comfort you and not bring harm to you! God created you for his purpose but he gave you the freedom to choose to serve him! Why? Because He Loves You more than anyone else ever will, And his Love never fades away, No matter how many times you've denied him or cursed his name, God's love is an unending love and an unconditional love, Which means He loves you just the way you are! Mistakes and all! He loves you and he wants you to reign in Heaven with him someday!
Once upon a time..God looked down upon the world and saw that Man had sinned but because of his Love God sent his son Jesus to the world..that there would be a future hope for us even though none of us were worthy of it, He watched his Son, who was without sin or blemish to willingly pay the ultimate price and Be Crucified for our sins! He died for us so that we can live with him in Heaven!
WOW! Now that is Love! We should want to tell everyone what Jesus did and share with them the everlasting, perfect, without conditions-Love! We've got to tell them of the one who is coming soon! Someone has to reach out to them and tell them of God's Love for them! Lead me Lord to the Lost ones! Show me where I need to go to reach them! Give me the words to speak that they would hear your love for them in the words that come out of my mouth that they would become saved!
 (Revelation 3:10-11) "Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. "I am coming soon, Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown."
Jesus is coming for those who are ready but you cannot serve God and Love the things of this world because the world will pass away But Jesus wants you to be in Heaven forever with him and have Joy and Peace and eternal Love from a loving God! God Loves You..He will always Love you! No matter what so if you are ready let me lead you in the sinners prayer..it's easy..say this prayer right now..
 "Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I know that you Love me, forgive me of my sins and make me new, my life is yours completely, Change me and teach me, come into my heart Jesus, Thank You Jesus for saving me."
If you said that prayer I want to welcome you to God's family, now you are a child of the most high God and I'm happy to say that you are my brother or sister in Christ! And now your name is written in the Lambs book of life..which means that when Jesus comes back you will go to Heaven too!
I am so honored that you said that prayer and am Happy for you!
Please write to me and tell me if you've accepted Christ as your Savior I'd love to hear from you!
~Dani

~Peace beyond my understanding~

We live in a hectic and sometimes crazy world these days! And I don't know about you but I find myself searching to find some Peace from the Chaos at times, Which is often hard to do, especially if you have a career outside of church. It's sometimes hard for those of you who are around co-workers who speak with a dirty language or tell dirty jokes around you, It's hard to know what to say when they speak those kind of things around you that you do not agree with and aren't comfortable hearing.
One might even ponder the thought of "How could I witness to that guy..he curses like a sailor!"
The answer to that question would be for you to change the subject..Talk about how beautiful the weather is that God made, Or tell them more about yourself! if you show yourself friendly eventually the opportunity of you talking about Jesus or inviting them to church will present itself!
If you pay close attention when you're out there in the world, we are given many opportunities to bring our Faith out to people, One of the most simple ways that I often use as a witnessing tool is I'll say "God bless you!" It's easy to remember and easy to say to a stranger! I would encourage you to try this if you're a Shy person or unsure of what to say, this is an easy way to start!
I love to read verse in the Bible about Peace when there is too much of the crazy out there in the world, It helps me to regain my focus on the positive things and it gets my mind back on the things of the Lord!
Here is a good go to verse for you to study (philippians 4:7) "And the Peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
As long as we seek the Lord and pray for him to give us understanding of how to reach those in the world, God will give us the Peace in knowing that somehow he will give us the right words to witness to people out there. Don't worry or become distracted by what they are speaking at work, Instead pray about it and ask God to give you the right words and an understanding.
People that have never been in church or heard the name Jesus cannot understand the kingdom because they have no knowledge whatsoever of it and we as Christians must try our best to have the Patience and understanding of that. We can reach them and We will reach them if we ask God to guide us along the way!
~Dani

~God's plan vs. Our plan~

(Jeremiah 29:11) "For I know what I have planned for you, 'Says the Lord.' I have plans to prosper you, not harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with Hope."
Why is it that we humans try our hardest to come up with this huge plan in our minds when we know that we have a long History of failing when we go about it solo? It's almost as if we somehow believe after we get saved we suddenly have gained all of this knowledge of how to go about our lives without any help from God! Really what the problem is, is that we still have our flesh trying to resurface itself because after we get saved we suddenly have all of these wonderful new opportunities and Satan whispers in our ear "But what about what you wanted to do?"
What are these new opportunities you may ask? It's God's plan for your life!
After we get saved we then begin to think of ways we could reach others, what is my purpose on this earth? who did God create for me? What am I called to do?
But many times we ask ourselves "But where do I start?" It's simply really..
Start in the Bible "God's Word" When you don't know what your purpose is Read the Bible! It's a map to us when we are lost and unsure of where we need to go next! When you are struggling and you've lost your footing..Pray and Seek God! He has answers for you even if you may not receive a full answer, He will lead you to the right destination, It may not even be the area you thought you were called to, It may be a higher calling that you had to prepare for and you realize years later!
For Example, When I was 12 years old I thought I was only called to children's ministry because ever since I was a small child I always had a way with children and they seemed to want to be around me for some reason, Thinking on it now I believe that they felt safe and comfortable because I took good care of them and would take the time to ask them what they wanted or needed and they would grow to respect me and would like me because of that. Let me get back to the rest of the story. I was thinking that children's ministry would be my main area of ministry But as it turned out, later on I would go into something that I didn't know back then when I was 12 that I had a talent for, It was "singing" It started in children's church standing on the stage singing. But back then I didn't have the knowledge that this could end up being my main area of ministry! When you're that young it's sometimes hard to see that far, When you're that young you're thinking more along the lines of "becoming a fairytale princess and marrying your Prince someday"
You're not thinking about the more important things in life yet. But God had me right where he wanted me, He was already training me into becoming "A Worship Leader"
After I moved from the children's church ministry I moved into Youth and was on the Drama Team and we would stand on the stage and do Human video's and skits as a ministry, Then I moved on into singing backup in the Youth Band with My Sister when I was 14, After a couple years went by I started singing Lead in Youth myself and on Sunday's I would sing backup with the Praise Team..Little did I know that God was Molding me into a worship leader as well, I had no idea that I could possibly become more someday, not that I'm saying being a backup singer isn't an important thing, Because I loved being a backup singer and knew how to "follow" the leader and had great respect for our worship leader, I learned so many good things from our leader, that shaped me into who I am today. When the time came for me to become a worship leader I was 19 and I was fearful, not so much that I was afraid, It was more of "Lord I'm not worthy or qualified to lead!" But I then said "Okay Lord, But I'll need your help to be able to lead them."
I didn't know back then that Leaders are not born, Leaders are made by God!
You see, God was making me into a worship leader and teaching me valuable lessons that I would be able to apply to my daily life! He was stirring a fire within me, a passion for worship! To lead his people into a new place! Along the way I learned that you are never "too young" even though I felt like I was too young myself! Somehow God blessed me with a wonderful team that accepted me and never once thought I was "too young" they supported me and followed me while I was learning to become a leader!
I have grown into a leader since then and even though I haven't learned everything and never will be perfect I'm confident in saying that I'm in God's Will, I'm right where God wants me, Until He tells me otherwise I'm in the right place!
What I've learned along the way is this.. David wasn't "too small" He fulfilled God's purpose for his life and before He could slay the Giant, David had to kill a lion and a bear!
Moses couldn't speak well But God sent his brother Aaron to speak for him and Moses became a leader and God used him to free God's People!
Esther didn't know the first thing about being a queen and God used her to save her own people!
So before you doubt yourself, thinking that you cannot do Big things for God, Think again! God is up to something amazing for your life! He has you right where he wants you! Even if you're out of church right now or you're not sure where to go next, He sees you and He has a Plan for You! ..."Plans to Prosper You and Not harm You, Plans to give you a future full of Hope!" (Jeremiah 29:11)
Believe in yourself as God does and put your Trust in him! He's Got it all planned out and it's a plan that cannot fail, Our plans always seem to fail but His plans will always work out!
~Dani

~Favor to the Faithful~

We all have a place in the Bible that we go to when we are feeling down and out, When we cannot figure it out at a certain moment in our lives. Sometimes it's in the moments of brokenness and in the feeling of  grieving within our spirits that pulls us closer to God! I know that God doesn't push difficulties in our path but when difficulties come our way he does allow us to go through tough times in moments of our lives so that we may grow closer to him! I like to think of this stage as the "molding process" It's something that we all go through in life But it's only there to teach us and shape us into the strong person that we need to become!
We are going to go to the place in the Bible that I go to when I'm broken, confused, lonely, or sad.
I think this is most people's go to book of the Bible! It's Psalms! Let's Read (Psalms 31:22)
"Love the Lord, All you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your Heart take courage, All you who wait for the Lord!"
WOW! That verse is amazing to me! What a powerful Revelation when we are Cast Down to build ourselves up! This Verse reminds us that as long as we continue to put our trust in God HE WILL GET US THROUGH IT! We can also see from reading this verse that we don't even have to worry about evil-doers because he's going to take care of us and supply our every need if we remain faithful to him!
You see, We have nothing to Fear because he gives us the courage to face difficult times!
He even restores our Joy! I love what it says in (Psalms 32:10-11) "Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But steadfast Love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, And rejoice, O righteous, And Shout for Joy, all you upright in Heart!"
Amen! You see, He's going to take care of us, and give us the courage to go through difficult times in our lives But he's going to restore us of our Joy too!! What do we have to Fear? Nothing! Who should we be afraid of? No one! He is faithful to us and gives us favor because we are His Children and we choose to serve him!
Encourage yourselves this day and Read God's word and Declare that Promise into your spirit!
You're going to make it through this and you're going to come out better and stronger than ever before because God's got something waiting for you on the other side of that Mountain!
God shows Favor to the Faithful ones! So get up and take that promise in your hands and Say "This is mine! because God said it is mine!"
~Dani

~Becoming Compassionate~

When we think about the word "Compassion" we automatically define the word as simply "Caring" toward others but It goes so much more than that! The word "Compassion" means to be sympathetic and having pity for other people's suffering or Misfortunes. But it also means that We Hurt for the needy and broken, Our hearts ache and we suffer because we want to heal their wounds or help their situation.
If you read along with me in (Psalms 103:8-13) it says "The Lord is Merciful and Gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding with Love. He will not always chide, Nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, Nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is his steadfast Love toward those who fear him;
As far as the east is from the west, So far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children, So the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him."
When we read this Verse we can clearly see how Jesus wants us to treat others, We should have such compassion for them that we should desire to know what is hurting them and do our best to help them in whatever situation they may be going through, Or even find someone else that can help them with their need if we cannot help them ourselves.
When I was 17 years old I went on a ksbj mission's trip to Honduras to minister with a large group of people, When we got there we weren't sure what to expect, Or even how many people would gather to hear us speak about Jesus, We didn't know if we would minister to adults, children, men or women, or if anyone would receive Jesus as their savior while we were there, That was the reason we were there mainly, that these people would accept Jesus as their savior! But It was our main goal for the week to be Kind, Selfless, caring, Loving and most of all Compassionate to these people!
But let me tell you what ended up happening instead, Yes, many people received Jesus as their savior but It wasn't just them that received kindness and Love! We were the ones that were blessed by them! It was these wonderful People of Honduras that left us amazed and blessed! It was something that is incredible to me! If you show Love, You will receive Love! If you Give, you will in return be given unto!
And that my Friends is what it means to "become compassionate"
You see, it doesn't only mean that we are the only ones that are compassionate toward others, It means that in return we are also blessed by others showing compassion toward us!
God never ceases to amaze me by the people he will place in our lives to bless us and teach us along the way! I thank God for that! And I would also encourage you to also pray about going on a Mission's trip!
I think every Christian should go on at least one Mission trip in their lifetime or do some Local outreaches with their church group, You can change the World by spreading Jesus' Love to others and they will want what you have! They will want Jesus as their Savior too!
~Dani

"We must become as a child"

As I write this Blog this evening after I've come home from Teaching the children's class I Teach weekly,
Of course my mind is thinking about how precious children are and the way a child can minister to our lives if we will accept that lesson from them.
Since we are on this subject, Naturally I'm going to go to the Story in the bible that stands out the most to us all, It's the story of Jesus Explaining to his Disciples how you should never turn a child away and how we should all become like a child if we want to make it into the kingdom of heaven!
Whoa! Jesus said what?! That's right..He Rebuked his own Disciples for disregarding the children and trying to turn them away, As if they just didn't matter at all! But Jesus corrected his Disciples in (Matthew 19:13-14)
"Then Children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The Disciples Rebuked the people, But Jesus said, Let the little Children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
You see, In my mind here's the way that I've always seen this story and what it was that Jesus was really trying to tell us here, I believe what Jesus was saying was simply that we must go back to the beginning and start new, We must be reborn in Christ and Look at this world with "new eyes" And stop being so quick to judge others, By doing so we must look at others the way Jesus looked at these precious children!
We must ask the Lord to give us eyes to see as he sees, Ears that we would hear, that he would give us an open Heart to Love others as he has loved, and the knowledge to say the right words that they would reach into the very depths of their souls, that we would be able to Witness in an affective way!
The main thing is this folks, What Jesus was mainly saying here was "LOVE THEM" We need to learn to Love because The Love of Jesus is truly the only thing that can Heal a broken world, Full of broken people who need to Learn about The Savior that Loves them and most of all about a Savior that can forgive them of all their sins!
I've always had a special bond with Children and I've been working with Children's ministry since I was a child myself, I've always had a bond with Kids because of their Honesty and How loving that can be, They can also be little stinkers too..Can I get an Amen Parents out there?
But A Child to me is innocent, honest, loving, and caring toward people!
Let that be a lesson for us all to follow! Let's Love and be honest as a child is, Let's reach out to a broken World and Tell them about Jesus' Love! Because Love can Heal Your Heart!
~Dani

~ Surrender: learning to follow Jesus~

In this day of age many people seem to believe that "surrendering" to Jesus means your life is over with, Meaning that you cannot have any friends outside of church or to even communicate with the outside world, almost as if being a Christian makes you part of a Cult, Now mostly the ones who think this are the ones that have never been in Church or the ones that haven't even heard the name "Jesus Christ" before.

Let me explain to you what it means to be a Christian and the reason we should Surrender to him,

1. First of all if you'll read along in (Mark 1:16-18) "Passing alongside the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were Fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "follow Me, and I will make you become Fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him."  Now let me Remind you of something here, You've heard the saying "They have the mouth of a Sailor" Meaning that they speak with a dirty language almost constantly, In the bible Simon and his brother Andrew were "Sailor's" at the time they called them "Fishermen" So we can clearly see here how Jesus was Friendly to them and Kind to them! He was basically saying "I can offer you something much better if you'll follow me, we can change the world, if you'll follow me you'll find a higher purpose in life." That's why they laid down everything they had to follow Jesus, It was because Jesus Showed them another way to live, He showed them that no matter what you do for a living or who you are YOU HAVE A PURPOSE!
2. Second. We need to put our past behind us and start new, You have been forgiven the moment that you ask him to forgive you of your sins, You must now Let God begin to Heal your heart, Get into the bible and start with (John 3:16) "for God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" That is a very good place to start in the word of God, It helps you to remember that because of Jesus dying for us we can follow him and spend eternity in Heaven and be free from the chains of sin! We are no longer bound! In Jesus is Freedom and a new beginning! So put the past behind you and start seeing yourself the way He sees you!

3. Third. Jesus went everywhere and preached the Gospel, Now I know that we are all called to different areas of ministry But we are all called to Witness and Spread the news of Jesus Christ! There are so many ways to witness to someone out there! Offer someone a Smile and be kind to them, Pay for someones Starbucks drink in line behind you and tell them God bless you! That is a very good way to be a good Witness and sometimes God will open a door for you to tell them about Jesus! If you following God's voice He will give you the right words and that person will come to know Jesus as their Savior! You can do this, even if you're kind of shy like I am, The Joy of the Lord will shine through so brightly that others will wonder what You have that they do not have and God will lead you further to leading them to Christ!
Have a blessed one ya'll! be sure to follow me for my next blog!
~Dani

~A lot happens in the waiting~

   "Waiting" why is it that we are all afraid somehow of that very word?
  Patience isn't really something that comes included in us humans,
  patience has to be learned and requires time, you have to develop an understanding and even an appreciation while you're in "the waiting period" But like everything else in life, we all have to go through this very thing! Don't worry and don't be afraid to wait, because it will be worth the wait!  Good things are happening in the waiting process. For example..I'm still waiting and praying for Mr. Right  but while I'm waiting for him to safely make it to my arms, I'm learning the value of things in life and in my ministry.
while I'm still single God can use me in ways that maybe he couldn't if I were married or dating,
 God has helped me have Joy and understanding while I'm waiting, I can clearly see that he wants me to be completely ready "especially" spiritually so I will be ready to work in the ministry with the man that I dream of working in the ministry with,  I know that God has me right where he wants me,  I know that he's guiding my steps as I continue to seek him with my whole heart, I have a good attitude while waiting because God is with me, I know that his will is the only way of life for me!
So Use me Lord! Teach me, Mold me into the woman that I need to become!
 I am your servant, guide me in your ways so I can lead others to your kingdom! I am not my own..
I am yours alone! Thank you God for leading me into the right area of ministry!

  ~Dani

~A Sudden change of direction~

 

Why is it that unless a person has passion to drive them, they cannot accomplish their dreams?
I realized this to be true just last week, as I was praying and slightly confused with the direction my life has gone, now I'm not saying this as a bad thing, what I'm saying is I came to the reality that my hopes, dreams and aspirations in life had suddenly change from my own wants to what God wants me to do.
When you line yourself up with the word of God and you build a strong relationship with him, somehow God's desires for your life suddenly become your desires.
I never knew I would ever become more passionate about something other than cooking but now my passion is leading worship and encouraging others in Christ! I've surrendered my whole life to reaching the lost now and I know that it's going to be the best thing for me to do with my life! God is with me!

~Dani

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