Forget. Not

Psalms 103:2 (NLT)
Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

Psalms 103:2 (NIV)

Praise the Lord, my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits—

Forget NOT


You must never forget the one who put you there. The one who bought you out of darkness into the marvelous light. In a situation where God has shown true faithfulness and exercised his right to fix our situations, it is easy to forget the prior hardships and act as though we did it ourselves, or we simply forget to say "thank you", as if we were entitled to the blessings we've received. We act as though God was SUPPOSED to fix certain things, and that's just not the case. God is not our puppet. He doesn't do things for us strictly because we want Him to. He does these things because He loves us, and as a great Father, he wants to make us happy...however, He gets offended when we loose gratitude. God has feelings just as we do, but I'm sure His feelings are intensified since He is the creator of everything, feelings and all. He feels hurt and pain in ways that we couldn't imagine.

 How do you feel when you do something nice for someone, out of the kindness of your heart and they don't seem thankful...in that moment when people act as though what you did was something you had to do, instead of something you did by choice, as if you were not deserving of a simple "thank you".

Isn't that the worst???? Just super ungrateful and rude in action...

Well, this is exactly how God feels. When we don't thank Him for things we often take for granted like air/oxygen in our lungs, beating hearts, stuff that is absolutely necessary for our lives, but that we just don't think about until its gone. We hear it all the time that we should be thankful just that we rose this morning, clothed in our right minds, but someone LITERALLY did not rise this morning. We are NOT entitled to the life we live. Everyday is a true blessing. The mere fact that you are able to read this blog is enough for you to give God some praise! Do you know that there are still people in 2012 that can't read????

God is like "really... you really think you're entitled to the many blessings I give you? Do you not know that at any moment, I can shut it down...shut off the oxygen supply, and ALL."

Thankfully, God is gracious (unlike man) and He does all of these things because He loves us. He definitely likes to hear "thank you" because He says so in His word.

Psalm 100:4
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 (NIV)
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:17 
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.

Let us Remember that God doesn't have to honor any of our prayers, nor are we entitled to His blessings. Let us take a moment to say thank you...Thank you God for EVERYTHING. Everything you can think of!

Let me be honest, I'm real bad about giving thanks for my food before I eat. Lots of time, I'm super ravished before I sit down to eat, and I scarf down my food without saying, "thank you for this food, God". I actually just ate, and I forgot to bless my food...I repent right now, and I say, "Thank you God, for the food  I already ate..."

I will make a conscious effort from this moment forward to not eat before I give thanks. Even Jesus gave thanks to God before they broke bread at the Last supper.

Matthew 26:26 (NIV)
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

I had to repent for there is no excuse. God is working double time on our behalf and He's working out those seemingly impossible situations out for our good, When the Father delivers you, and closes some doors on some horrid things, don't lose your humility, remember the one who bought you out. Give thanks, give glory, honor, and praise every time you think about it because it is not by our own doing, but by the blood of Jesus and the grace that is sufficient in our lives. It is by grace that we have made it this far. I just thank God for Jesus, and for His grace and mercy!

Reflect on this scripture:
Ephesians 2:5 (Amp)
Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved ([a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).

If you do not know Jesus, follow the steps in Romans 10:9
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Also, If you haven't already, please check out Journey to Destiny's new web site!

journeytodestinymini.wix.com/jtdm

There is a spot for you to send comments, and prayer requests! We are here for you! Be encouraged!!! :~)

I love you, but God lovess you wayyyyy more!

~Ximena

Power. Love. Sound Mind.

2 Timothy 1:7(NKJV)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Often times, it is easy for us to have fear and be afraid about things that trouble us such as the "what if's" of hypothetical situations...and situations that have already occurred which left us in fear. Whether or not these fearful situations occur depends on the plan that God has for our life. If our faith is in God and we fear Him, we should know that regardless of what comes our way, we will conquer it, and be victorious. If we are Christians following in the path that God set for us, nothing should move us. I know we are human and our flesh sometimes rises up, and in some moments its easy for us to ignore the Holy Spirit within us, however we should not be moved.

We should plant ourselves firmly in the word of God, steadfast and immovable (1 Corinthians 15:58)  like the tree planted by the rivers of water....

Jeremiah 17:8 
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Do NOT fear when HEAT comes!

We have to believe what the bible says regarding us, Gods people. The bible was written to be our guide so that in any situation, such as fear, we can look to see what God says about fear, and be encouraged to activate our FAITH instead of fear. This is why it is important to read our word, so that we can have a solid foundation to stand on when trials come our way. An old hymn says, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other grounds are sinking sand", it is so true, because even the scripture tells us to build our house upon rock.

Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Not only should we read and hear the word, but we must apply these biblical principles to our every day lives. When we are tested, because tests will come, we will not falter and lose faith or be fearful because the battle was already won by Jesus on the cross when he said, "It is Finished."(John 19:30). Everything was conquered at that very moment. There is nothing you could ever fear or even go through that is bigger than God. God Created this whole entire universe and He said that it was good. On top of that, He created you and I. How could we not trust Him with our lives, knowing that His plan is better? Would we believe the report of man over our all powerful mighty and sovereign Lord? Would we continue to live our lives afraid of hypothetical situations and things that could possibly happen? Will we continue to pass up God ordained opportunities because we are too scared to move out of our comfort zones?

If God allowed it, He will see you through.

Lately, I've been having reoccurring dreams about someone breaking into my house...BUT the devil is a LIAR!!! I will NOT allow him to make me live in fear in MY OWN HOME because God is my shield. He protects me, and even in the worst of situations, He is ALWAYS there. I have NO other choice but to trust Him, the man who pre-orchestrated my LIFE! I refuse to be a prisoner in my home.

Isaiah 41:10
Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Apply these principles and speak protection and favor over your life. There is no fear in Heaven, so there should be no fear on earth. We pray that, "thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven". BELIEVE that!!! Do we really know how powerful that is? There is nothing negative happening in Heaven so I believe that my God has me protected from anything I can fear on earth.

GET OUT AND LIVE!

Denounce the spirit of fear and speak power, love and a sound mind over yourself!!!

Meditate on this scripture:
1 John 4:15-18

All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 

If you don't know Christ as your personal savior, take the time to read this scripture.
Romans 10:9:
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

I love you, but please remember God loves you wayyyyy more!!!

~Ximena