~Verse of the day~

Romans 8:27-28

"And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

~Dani

~Why are we stopping?~

Have you ever been on a peaceful road trip and you were smiling and singing songs when suddenly out of nowhere..you have a blowout or someone rear ended your vehicle?

In life sometimes we feel all cool, calm and collected when suddenly we have the wind knocked out of us and we are forced to realize that we just weren't as ready as we originally thought we were.

In life there are setbacks, times of confusion and even unwelcome surprises that we have to deal with, but even though we know it's for the best..sometimes it still hurts terribly and we have to swallow that bitter and unpleasant pill that no one enjoys swallowing, we need to breathe and keep our focus on things ahead, take things slow and force the worry to leave our minds even though we are struggling day by day! 

We mustn't ever lose hope and faith in the things to come, we must look forward and look to the future with bright eyes, never losing sight of what our purpose is, the purpose that each of us is meant to complete! 

What is it that makes us think that because everything is going good in our lives that we need to have all of the good things at once? Why can't we just stop and enjoy life as it comes to us? We don't have to worry about everything at once but instead just enjoy what little things we have and focus on each little thing at a time instead of stressing ourselves out with everything at once!

What if in this life..it's not so much about how much we have but instead it's about the attitude that we decide to have when it all comes to a halt?

Whatever life brings you..don't worry, just breathe and let things happen if they decide to or if they don't happen decide to breathe in and let it out..letting go of things as you must let go of when the time comes!

Life isn't a smooth ride..life is quite curvy, bumpy and even storms come to cloud our journey but don't ever allow the halt to stop you from traveling on into the things in the future! 

Walk on in your life, don't stop unless it's only to rest for a brief time..then continue on your journey and if someone catches up to you to say "hello" smile and embrace them into your life.. for everything there is a purpose under Heaven.

~Dani

~Battles:How to be an overcomer~

There are many things that we all face from time to time, some things that we feel inside ourselves are from scars of our past, some from mistakes that we've made, oftentimes we don't know why we wake up and feel a certain way..

When we don't have the words to describe the way we feel..I call those days melancholy moments.

Although we don't always have the answers for the way we are feeling, it's going to be alright, 

I know how it feels to be in a place of silence where you simply cannot explain why you are sad or sometimes we cannot tell anyone the reasons behind that sadness..it is in those times of sadness though that we reach out to God for his healing! 

When we cannot speak, 

when we need comfort!

King David had many moments in the bible when he felt so overwhelmed that he would cry out to God in such urgency and distress! 

You are not alone in this feeling! Everyone has a battle going on, 

one that can only be won when you realize that you need help to make it through! 

It's okay to have days when you're not okay..just don't close yourself off when someone wants to be there for you! 

If you need to be alone however that is fine too..just find the best way that fits you and when you begin to feel sad out of nowhere again..go to your place of refuge and most of all give that to God and just let go of it all! 

God is there at all times and when no one is available to offer help to you..reach out to God and he will comfort you!

There are also times when you are hurting that God will send someone to offer you help..don't push them away when they come to your aid! 

It's hard sometimes to talk at first but once you do..the pain oftentimes subsides and you can smile again!

I feel like this may help someone else, so I feel that it's time for me to tell you something about myself..

I am the kind of person that is happy most of the time, but with that being said..it's not easy because I still have battles going on from time to time,

Like admitting when I'm hurting and I need help, I don't want anyone else's day to be ruined just hearing about something I've gone through that day so there have been many times when I just dismissed my problems because I wanted to make others around me smile but that's the hard thing about being an optimist is that oftentimes we will ignore our pain and problems or even put off our sadness because we want to somehow reject the feelings inside us at that moment!

I've realized that I don't want to live that way through the years, I've realized that it's not worth it to pretend that everything is "fine and dandy" when in reality..you are everything but "okay"

I've realized that everyone needs someone at some point and it doesn't make you weak..it makes you grow and people admire you more for being honest about what you're going through..it brings people closer together and allows you to have a deeper desire to reach out to help others as well!

Talking about your pain doesn't make you inferior to anyone..on the contrary, it allows people to relate to you and come to realize the reason behind why you choose to smile and serve the Lord!

I cannot make it on my own..no one can and that doesn't make any of us weak..it only makes us human!

So when you are going through something..allow someone to be there for you if they want to be but if there isn't anyone..remember that God cares about your sorrow and your battles and he wants you to trust in him and to seek him until you are able to smile again!

As for the way I was feeling today, I know that the purpose was so I could write to you and offer you hope that it's going to be alright and that you are going to get through this day and the good news is that tomorrow is a new day full of hope and the joy of the Lord! Don't worry..the pain won't last forever, pain is only for a moment and someday when Jesus returns..all our tears will be wiped away! Keep looking up..God is with you even when it feels like you're alone!

Psalms 42:11

"Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God."

~Dani

~We're waiting..He's working!~

If you're having a hard time being patient and in waiting upon the Lord, then I want to reach out to you today,

I promise you that there's a purpose for everything..even in the waiting! 

But don't be afraid because amazing things are happening while you are waiting on God!

For instance, while you're in the waiting period in your life..you are growing in so many ways! 

You are learning lessons that will help you through other areas later on! 

You are learning how to listen to God! You are even praying more frequently! These are only a few of the many things that is happening in the waiting! 

But most of all..you are learning to trust in God and also to learn how to lean not on your own understanding but to understand that God is doing something amazing behind the scenes,

While you're waiting..God is working! Don't worry when God is being silent because God is working things out that you've long prayed for! 

Trust in his plan and let go of the worry today! 

God's got this too and it's going to be so worth it when his plans are later revealed to you! 

Trust me when I tell you that it's worth it to wait upon God..He really knows what we need in our lives!

Psalms 37:5

"Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Deuteronomy 31:8

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

​"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Proverbs 3:3-4

"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Psalms 40:1-3

"I waited patiently for the LORD;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the LORD."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Psalms 37:10-11

"In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;

though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

But the meek shall inherit the land

and delight themselves in abundant peace."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Psalms 37:5-6

"Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Psalms 33:18-22

"Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his steadfast love,

that he may deliver their soul from death

and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him,

because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Romans 8:37-39

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

~Dani

~Refocus:Don't lose sight of what's important~

Have you ever lost sight of what you were most passionate about because of a traumatic event that happened in your life?

Life comes with so many unexpected issues at times and often we will find ourselves in need of finding our way back to what we're most passionate about!

Sometimes we need to have someone to encourage us to go after those passions again and oftentimes we need to be reminded of how good it once was when we were involved in those passions!

I want to share something with you about this very subject about myself,

For a few years I've struggled with this very thing..it all started when a dear friend of mine passed away and I never would allow myself to talk about it, I felt like a part of myself had ended because of what happened to her suddenly and I didn't know what to feel, I was hurting, confused, sad, and at times even mad because of losing her in such a terrible way..

it's really something how we sometimes shut down in ways without realizing it until later on and that happened to me recently, I didn't understand how deeply I was taking it even after all these years later and tonight while I was singing a certain song..all of these feelings started coming back..I was feeling restoration inside of myself and I was starting to remember the good times again, as well as remembering that my passion was truly in this level of worship and singing! It was amazing to feel this way again!

I'm sharing this with you today because I want you to know that..if you are facing something difficult in your life that is distracting you from following after your passions in life and you're looking for someone to encourage and to remind you of where your heart is..I'm doing that now! 

I want to lift you up today and help you to get back to your love in life..that God given ability that you have inside of you! Don't give up on your passions just because you've been hurt or oppressed or if you're struggling or even if someone is telling you that it's impossible..

Don't listen to negative words or even listen to Satan putting lies into your ear that is telling you that you cannot do what you're called to do! 

If anything allow the words "You can't" to fuel you and give you that determination to do it anyway! 

When you hear negative words in your life..do what you want to do anyway because it's something that you're passionate about and it's something that God has called you to do!

If God is for you..why then does it matter who chooses not to stand with you? You're not alone in this because God is with you at all times even when you're hurting or someone has hurt you..don't be discouraged but allow yourself to give that pain and heartache to God so you can continue in the purpose that you know you're supposed to be in!

Romans 8:31

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

1 John 4:18-21

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Psalms 10:17-18

"O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more."

~Dani

~Scars remind me~

Have you ever stopped and wondered what would've happened if you hadn't made that decision in your life?

True, there are times when we wish we could go back to the simpler times before we had made mistakes but at the same time..if you are happy right now in your life, isn't it about time you realized that maybe you wouldn't be where you are today if you hadn't first made a mistake?

I've decided in my life that I'm thankful that I'm wiser from the mistakes in areas  of my life because I am a better person today and much more loving toward others around me than I used to be, I'm thankful for the ministry that God has entrusted me with, I'm thankful that I'm much closer to God in so many more ways!

The fact is, when we sin against God..somehow we discover a strength that we never knew we had within ourselves but the strength comes from God above..not something that we were born with but a strength that takes time to develop! If you've made choices that you're not proud of..it's time to turn it around and allow God to strengthen you! Yes, we remember our missteps but we need to also look for "his steps" because it is God that we draw strength from in our own times of weakness! Keeping going, give your pain to God and you're going to make it through!

~Dani

~Hopeful Words~

Our lives are made up of so many things, good things and bad things,

There are times when we need someone that hasn't arrived yet, 

there are times when we cannot find the words to express the pain that we've gone through and we need someone to listen to our jabbering until we find the words to express our pain that has been buried for too long, 

God sends us Angels to help us cope with scars that others have put upon us, sometimes God gives us the strength inside ourselves to cope with things on our own..that's where most of our strength comes from, 

many times he sends a person ready to help us and is able to inspire us to become a better person and sometimes they help us to heal up old wounds and to discover our very purpose.

There have been many times in my life when I was hurting and I would allow God to help me, but there have also been times when I needed someone to talk to and God would send them my way!

Whatever season it is in your life..don't give up! I encourage you to continue on even when you're so weak that you have to crawl..keep going! 

God has a purpose for your life and even the hard times can make you stronger if you'll raise that problem up to God!

Your life has purpose..seek God to discover what that purpose is and He'll give you the means to complete that purpose He has planned for you to do in His name! 

Don't give up..instead, look up!

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Psalms 23

​"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

forever."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Romans 8:31-32

"God's Everlasting Love

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Romans 8:24-28

"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Colossians 3:12-17

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

~Dani

~Even in the pain..give God praise!~

Life has many challenges that we sometimes allow ourselves to forget what our biggest purpose is..it is to give God praise in the good times and in the bad, it is to realize that though you don't understand his plan..you hold on because you know what kind of God he is!

So whatever you're facing today..God is with you in the midst of the struggle and the pain..He is with you to get you through it! 

Don't give up just because the world has given up on God..hold on to the faith and with it you will be brave enough to leave behind that which is of this world!

Don't ever lose sight of His purpose for your life because of temporary setbacks..because let me tell you..God is setting you up for a major comeback!

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

1 John 4:18-21

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Psalms 18:1-3

"​I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

1 Peter 3:8-11

"Suffering for Righteousness' Sake

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For 

“Whoever desires to love life

and see good days,

let him keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from speaking deceit;

let him turn away from evil and do good;

let him seek peace and pursue it."

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Job 42:2

“I know that you can do all things,

and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Haggai 2:9

“The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.”

~Dani