Guard your mind

This sickness is not to end in death

April 10, 2014

This sickness is not to end in death

As I was reading John 11: 3 – 6 (AMP) this morning, verse 4 where Jesus said, this sickness is not to end in death but it is to honor God and to promote His glory struck me. Although Jesus was speaking about the death of Lazarus, my spirit was speaking to me about other forms of sickness.

Some may have these forms of sickness at this point or another point in life:

·        Sick finances

·        Sick relationships

·        Sick jobs

·        Sick vehicle

·        Sick something or another

But the word says this sickness is not to end in death it is to glorify God. God is wanting to get the glory from our sickness – sick situations – if we don’t give up. We have to trust that He is working. We have to believe that all things are possible to him that believes. We have to know that we know that we know!

So today, trust that that sick situation(s) can be raised up from sickness to glorify God. If He did it before, He can do it again.

Be Blessed – love ya.

An empty vessel, LaDena

Have you lost your sense?

Today my morning devotion was on Luke 15:11-24, The Parable of the Lost Son. I have read or heard this story many, many times in my life but today verse 17 hit me hard. The verse reads, 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! (New Living Translation)

When he finally came to his senses…mmm hmm! I have been a fool quite a few times in my life. There were times no one could tell me anything and like the lost son, just give me what I want and let me be was my attitude. I had family trying to talk some sense into me with the wisdom they had but I wasn’t hearing any of that. So after they had had enough, they let me go. Go I went and fell I did. I fell hard.

After years of roaming in what seem like a circle I came to my senses! I began to recollect the words of wisdom that was spoken over me. I began to realize I was a lost child that needed to find her way back home. Most importantly, I knew I had lost my mind and that common sense that my grandmother said I had to have to make it in this world.

Have you lost your mind? Are you not using the “good sense” God gave you? Take it from a girl who wasted a lot of years without her sense, God will restore and repair. There is one very important part to Him restoring, you have to want it. How bad do you want your sense back?

Love ya. Be encouraged. From an empty vessel - LaDena

Words

I'm amazed how I have become more aware of the words that come out of my mouth. For example, a co-worker saw me today and said, "LaDena when I see you, you look like you have all the money in the world." Without thinking I said, "thank you but I don't have a dime."
As soon as those words left my mouth, the Lord shook me and said you won't have a dime with those words and attitude. WOW!
I have been in great prayer for a long time (seems like forever) that God would help me to change the words that spill forth from my mouth. I realized that a lot of my problems and mishaps were all caused by me and the words I spoke. WOW!
I was a chronic complainer, a chronic finger-pointer, and a chronic put-myself-in-a-depressed-state! Boy, oh boy could I put myself in a depressed state just by constantly saying I'm depressed...LOL...now I can laugh about it but before I could only cry. Plus to be all those things were so tiring. Whew, I was
T I R E D!
So I begin to cry out to the Lord; Lord please help me with the words that come from my mouth. Lord show me how to pay attention to what is coming out of my moth.  It has taken some time, plenty of slip-ups, but I can see God working IN my mouth. Thank you Father.
Proverbs 16:24 reads, Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. YEEESSSS! I need sweetness for my soul and health for my bones. I need pleasant words for myself and pleasant words to give. So, Lord, please help this ole'girl with her words! What about you? Are you watching your words?

From my heart to yours.
Words of encouragement.

Hopeless to Hope

There is a song that says, they say I’m hopeless like a penny with a hole in it.  Hopeless…hmmm…yes, I have been hopeless. I’ve been hopeless just as recent as… well recent. Being hopeless is not having that feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen.

So, what makes us hopeless? For me it can be my ongoing battle with impatience. See, there are times that I want what I want when I want it and even more how I want it. Just writing that down makes me cringe but it’s true. I have flesh. See, when things do not happen in that “my” time that I have set; I lose hope. I begin to feel that it will never happen. Or, I feel that it was never suppose to happen for a sinner like me – that’s a different story.

But the Word of God says a lot about hope. There are many, stories in the Bible full of hope. In Psalm 31 David speaks about hope. Psalm 31: ²⁴ Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

If I’m going to put the Word of God to practice in my life, then I have to know that I’m not hopeless. I have to know that I shouldn’t feel hopeless for God is strengthening me as my hope is in Him. Therefore, I will choose to wait on God to give me the best in His timing which is far greater than my timing. Having hope is to be expectant. Having hope in God is knowing that He can do exceedingly, abundantly above all that I could ask or think.

Today live hopeful! Live expecting God to do mighty things in and through you. Live knowing that when you become hopeless, that your it – whatever your it may be- is never going to happen for you, but remember BE OF GOOD COURAGE, AND HE SHALL STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART, ALL YOU WHO HOPE IN THE LORD. Keep your hope in Him and He will see you through.

From my heart to yours. Encouraging myself while I encourage you.

Get it back

I was just thinking about the faith I had when I bought my first house at 106 Walnut in 1997. I didn't know what was to come but I had faith. I didn't know how I was going to have all the money they said I needed, but I had faith. I didn't know what was going to happen to my kids, but I had faith. I didn't even know what fear felt like because I had faith. I had unmovable, unstoppable, unshakable faith and when I signed on the dotted line that day and moved into 106 Walnut...I praised God for that FAITH.

So what is going on now? Where did that faith go? Life threw some curve balls, I made some foolish mistakes, I LET some things be taken from me because I was not in God's will. But baby, oh baby MOVE AROUND FOLKS, DEVILS, AND DEMONS CAUSE LADENA WITH THAT UNMOVABLE, UNSTOPPABLE, UNSHAKABLE FAITH IS BACK!

Take a stand with God and get restoration, reconcilitation...get back what was stolen from you. God is able.

Transforming

I have a friend that has been saying "I'm transforming" for almost a year now.  So I asked her, "how much transforming do you plan to do and will I be able to recognize you after all of this transforming?"  Her answer was "yes you will be able to recognize me, I'll just be a better me." 

Dena being Dena had to go to the dictionary and look up the meaning of transform.   Webster's states transform, verb, to change the form or appearance of; 2 to change the condition, nature, or function of.  Interesting.  So my friend is changing the form or appearance of herself?  Maybe she is changing the condition, nature, or function of something? 

When I think of transform, I associate it with renewing because my biblical mind kicks in.  Webster's define renewing as to make new or fresh again; 2 to reestablish; revive.  In the bible Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When a person makes a decision to transform they want to change something.  Does the person want to change the outer condition, nature or is the person looking, attempting to renew their mind?  In my opinion I believe a person should renew their mind and the transformation will follow.  If you change what is going on in the mind; thoughts coming in and going out, images, sounds, etc, transformation will begin to take place on the outside.  People will look at you and know that you are transforming and you will not have to tell them.

I'm excited to know that my friend wants to be a better person.  We should all strive for that at all times.  I'm also excited to know that my friend recognized that she needed to be a better person.  That is the hardest part for a lot of people.  What I would like to say is YOU GO GIRL, RENEW YOUR MIND AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW!  You will look, feel, act, and be better. 

My favorite motto is: If you know better you will do better. 

During this holiday season, I pray that we all take some time to look within ourselves and see if some renewing needs to take place.  Think about how we can be better not only to ourselves but to others.  You will be happy that you did. 

Renewing your mind will also free you from bondage that may have held you captive for a long time.  Its time to let it all go.

Peace and Blessings