~Don't remind me!~

I don't know if you've noticed this but just when you think that you've escaped your past and everything is going so well in your life..it suddenly sneaks it's way back in, totally unexpected and unwelcome! It happens to the best of us and the fact that we all have an ugly past that sneaks up from time to time only reminds us of two things..1 we're human and 2 we are weak and in need of God. 

Although we work hard to rewrite our story, we still have to remember that we aren't perfect and we do have a past that we sometimes reflect on but that doesn't mean that we walk backwards toward it..we're not going that way anyway!

The thing that Satan often uses to hit us by surprise is sending the person that once caused us to stumble back into our lives to shock us and cause us to dwell on the ugly face of our past, I'm not talking about the person but the temptation that came from trusting in their word and by following their lead as they blindly lead you into danger that you never saw coming yourself, although we may have our eyes looking ahead of us..it's who's holding our hand leading us that can become an issue, that's why we have to be careful and to choose to spend our time around people that aren't going to lead us down a dark and dangerous path!

Now let's get back to what I was talking about earlier..

Just because you are going on the straight and narrow now, that doesn't mean that your past will keep quiet while you move on with your life, oftentimes what happens is you'll hear a song that reminds you of your past or something else that has etched itself upon your mind that causes you to put your thoughts on repeat of your painful past! That's something that isn't ever welcome..no matter how strong you are or how you think that you might handle your past coming back to say "hello" you never want it to happen! The only thing that any of us want to say to our past is "goodbye" and no more!

I can't promise you that it's going to be that simple every time but as long as you always know that the answer will always be "no" then you won't have major problems revisiting your past when it comes by to "catch up" in sorts.

It's important to dig your hills in and declare that you are a child of God and you are forgiven of your ugly past!

Move forward! Take a deep breath and let it out! Make your future something great and stop being mediocre and strive to become much more! God has BIG PLANS for your life so start walking in that divine purpose and leave your past behind!

~Dani

~Family under attack~

"Family" when we hear the word, the meaning that comes to mind to us is one thing..A warm home filled with people who love each other, value each other and protect each other at all cost..

It sounds nice right? 

The only flaw in this arrangement is something is missing from this idea and that thing is involving your family in church.

You see, if you totally remove going to church and building a relationship with God as well as other Christians..something is lost and even stolen from your family's life and when that happens..Satan finds his way into your family's life!

All Satan wants to do is steal, deceive, lie, He will make things seem as though everything is fine without church and you will develop the mentality that you are a higher power.. the one that holds it all together..that's how families get torn apart is when one person has all the strain on themselves and they don't have a higher power to relieve that strain, when that happens and the strongest person in the family falls apart..so does the family and that's why it's so important to take your family to church so they can put their faith in God and build a close relationship with him!

We all need someone but when the one that you always run to for help..your mom or dad or sister or an aunt or uncle can no longer be that refuge for you..to whom will you run to? Run to Jesus..He is always strong and the right Man for the job!

Take your family to church, build up your faith together, learn to trust in God together, You won't be sorry about it and when Satan comes a knocking on your door..You'll all be prepared and see him for the deceiver that he really is and you won't allow him to come in to cause confusion in your family's life! Kick Satan out of your house and take your family to church this Sunday and the following Sunday's from that point on! It's time to take our families back again and the only way we can fully do that is to get involved in church again!

~Dani

~Unanswered Prayers~

Have you ever prayed to God about something only to find out that your prayer had not been answered and down the road you thought..

"Thank God that He didn't answer that prayer!"

I think about it all of the time, I'm so happy that God knows what I need and He knows my heart's desire, even when at times I don't fully understand why some things don't work out ideally as I would have figured in my mind..

thinking back now, I am so glad that God took care of me and guarded me from walking don't a certain path, 

even when we stray off course at times..God knows what we are called to do and what purpose we have over us!

Rest easy today and when you find out that your prayers weren't answered..don't fret because God has a much better plan, job, person or whatever it may be..He has that special thing in mind for you and it will be so right for you that you'll also be left saying "Thank You" to Him!

Proverbs 19:21

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man,

but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand."

~Dani

~Surrounded~

"Negativity" it's the very thing that we try so hard to escape from or we try to avoid those who radiate it.

It's the killer of dreams, the deepest form of doubt, once you begin to think in this frame of mind..it's hard to be optimistic or to have hope and faith that God will get you through it all. 

Negative words or thinking can be dangerous and deadly..especially in the church in the leaders or in a business of any kind! It can destroy a person or make things that are "possible" to seem "impossible" with a single word or thought it can hold you back from ever succeeding and can even stop you in your tracks, because with negativity comes doubt and with doubt comes shattered faith!

As Christians it is our responsibility to declare a positive environment surrounding us but if you have to be around people who are constantly negative and dried up in spirit..it can be tough, it can be really tough!

Perhaps if we would start praying more in the house instead of just at church..maybe our world would change, maybe if we started speaking to the negative people around us by declaring the hope that God gives you..they may also begin to see it in their own lives!

This world can be such a cruel place to live in if we don't ever try to make a difference, the only reason why so many people are so scared of being in the world is because they have allowed their doubt that they'll become someone better to die and they are afraid to hope for something more in their world!

We have to resurrect these people who have allowed their optimism to die!

We have to reach out to those who have become blind to the good things left in this world! We have to speak life to them and hope that they will begin to speak life back into their own environment!

There are a few things that a person should never give in to..

#1. Don't ever let someone else tell you who you are, those dreams belong to you and God has a purpose for those dreams..don't ever let someone speak over what hopes you have for yourself!

#2. Don't ever start something that your passionate about and stop in the middle of it, if you are passionate about something either do it or don't do it but make a decision and stick with it so you won't complicate things in your life or allow for more stress in your life, pick one thing you're passionate about and be successful in that area! 

#3. Don't hang out with people you know are negative if you can be easily brought down, no one is forcing you to be around them and I'm sure that there are plenty of other people that they can talk about their problems with instead of you and it's best to learn to appreciate time with yourself to achieve your goals until there is someone positive for you to hang around. 

#4. When you start to doubt..PRAY! Don't allow doubt to set in, that's when problems begin to happen..no one needs more problems to deal with, so why not pray about it and ask God to take this burden off of you or to help put things in perspective for you to better understand why someone is so negative! God can always put things in perspective for us when it comes to people and when it comes to our personal lives, so ALWAYS PRAY for answers and pray that God will protect you from anyone that doesn't belong in your life..There are people that are sent by God but there are also people that are sent by Satan to distract us long enough so Satan can destroy us..remember that!

Talking about all of this reminds me of this verse, I hope this blesses you..

Job 11:17-20

"And your life will be brighter than the noonday;

its darkness will be like the morning.

And you will feel secure, because there is hope;

you will look around and take your rest in security.

You will lie down, and none will make you afraid;

many will court your favor.

But the eyes of the wicked will fail;

all way of escape will be lost to them,

and their hope is to breathe their last.”

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Ecclesiastes 3:1

​“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”

~Dani

~I'm not who I was~

As Christians it's very important for us to be able to look at our lives at the end of the year or at the end of a season and see how much we've changed for the better in our lives!

There are things that we go through that tests our faith at times and times when we ask God "Why?" 

But if we can somehow trust in the almighty God and hold on to a good attitude, then that struggle can benefit us and it can even help others around us to be lifted up out of their struggles that they may also be facing!

Never underestimate the power of your testimony! If someone sees the way that you made it through, it will help them to keep the faith and not give up! 

You can help others to realize that their life isn't over and that God still has a plan even if they have fallen short of God! We can show them that God loves them with an unconventional love and though they have messed up..God's love is unchanging toward all of us!

We have to believe that God is going to take care of us, because he sees around every corner and he sees our breakthrough up ahead! 

He knows everything about us and still he loves us!

When we make mistakes..He forgives!

When we DOUBT..He sees a way OUT!

When we are hopeless..He fills us with hope!

When all odds are stacked up against you..He is right there with you!

When we are sad..He is our shoulder!

He NEVER changes! He sees all things and yet..He loves us more deeply than anyone ever could! He wants to better us and He wants us to improve as days go by!

I can't describe to you how much I've changed within a year, I was really struggling last year even though people didn't see it written on my face but I didn't want pity..I wanted to give it to God so I could change for the better!

Pity doesn't always benefit us..It can cause us to remain in our problems longer and we will become comfortable in our pain, when we do that and we allow people to step in where God should be stepping in..We cannot change, instead we end up staying there longer and that holds us back from changing for the better!

I don't know about you but I don't want a pat on the shoulder and remain in that painful season in my life..I want to change so I can move past it and become stronger in the Lord!

I gave it to God and He gave me strength, joy, peace, confidence, courage and so much more than that!

I am a better person today and I'm not who I was!

~Dani

~Verse of the day~

Psalms 95:1-2

“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”

~Dani