You Will Make It

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Luke 12:22

In a time where there is great uncertainty in the job market, the world financial markets and every other market on earth. May are founding themselves stress about this or that. How they will pay the bills with the cost of everything going up from milk to gas?

The stress is even in the Christian community, a community of faith, where we serve the God who is able to make the impossible possible. We must remember the same God who fed the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness is no respecter of person, if He did it for them, He will do it for you. Who kept them so much that the Word tells us, their clothes did not wear out.

Jesus on the matter of worrying asked this question, “Who of you by worrying can as a single hour to his life?” The answer is simple not one of us can add a day to our lives. Worrying can actually shorten your life and kill your faith. 1 Peter 5:7 says, Cast ALL your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Peter goes on to say, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”

And since we know Jesus is the life, in which, we as Christians gain our strength. We should not worry about the things the world concerns themselves about. Our Heavenly Father, has promised to provide each one of our needs; the need for shelter, food, good health and employment. He knows that which we have needed of.

I know many may say it is easy for her to write this, it sounds good! I do not write about things I have no clue about. I know what it is to be kept by Jesus in these rough days. I have been unemployed for three years and it is not because I have not tried. But each day I look to the hills and I know my strength is coming from the LORD to endure this season.

I have made up in my mind to trust in Him! For in Numbers 23:19-20, it states, “God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.”

My friends God has given a command to bless us because we are His children. He promised to prosper the plans He has made for us. If we look over God’s track record concerning His children, we should be assured, strengthen and encouraged! Whenever the Israelites were in trouble or danger, God brought them out. In Exodus 3:7, “The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave masters (problems) and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them!”

The LORD is coming to your rescue! Peter said of the LORD concerning suffering, “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

So, do not worry today about how the bills are going to get paid! Do not worry about what the doctor said! Do not worry about your children, or anything else! Chose to live by faith! “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

You can make it because you are blessed by God…walk in it!

Israel and New Breed It's Not Over (When God Is In It)

I Feel Like Going On

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

Every Christian has heard or read Jeremiah 29:11 at some point on their journey. It is the scripture where God tells the Prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I have read this passage of scripture over and over again. Not only have a read it, I have commit it to memory and I believe every word of it.

Here is where fear enters the picture and tries to keep me away from the prosper plans of God for my life. Over the years I have grown familiar with death and pain. It seem death was apart of me. Every couple of years there seem to be an unexpected death in my life. The death was always it seem at a transition period for me. Whether it was me transition from middle school to high school, when my sister was murdered and my mom, brother and another sister were shot. Or when I was making the transition from high school to college my brother was murdered. When I was making the transition from college to the workforce a dear friend was murdered. As I was making the transition from the world to a closer walk with Christ my best friend was murdered. Then as the gifts of God begin to awaken in me, my cousin and granny died two weeks apart.

However, all of this has not stop God’s plan for my life. I feel Him even the more urging me to accept His plan for my life. I know there is no failing in Christ. That whatever you put your hands to do for God, He will prosper it. I have the faith to move forward but not the works. James 2:17 states, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” I would start out with great action and intent but fear would grip me. The things or ideas God had planted in me would be left undone. I have numerous ideas for movies, plays, books and articles on my labtop, in my notebooks that I have never worked on. I have plays and books I have started and left undone.

Due to my fear that I would loss someone I love by accepting God’s next level for me, I did the bare minimal, if I did anything at all. Coming up with excuses after excuses, never really wanting to tell anyone the real reason why I have not lived up to my fullest potential, yet. Why someone with my kind of faith is not living out God’s plan for my life. It was this fear that has kept me trapped and frustrated in this position that I currently find myself. 

This fear has also kept me from being true to the real Ryane. So much that no one but God knows the real Ryane! I have hidden behind mask, never wanting anyone to really see the real me for fear, they would not know how to handle me. This extends to my family as well.I will show people glimpse of me but never really being me.

Yesterday, as I pondered what to write about for my blog, God begin to too talk to me about this fear. This fear that has kept me locked away from living the life He has purposed me to live. I found myself sitting with God, allowing Him to minister to me. Asking, when was I going to let go of this thing and walk into the prosper plan He has for me.

This morning I awakened physical and spiritually! I had a dream last night that I was with my cousin Tonya, who passed away three years ago and some friends. There was a dark presence there trying to discourage us from moving forward. In the dream, there was a flow of beautiful clear water amongst the dirt. My cousin Tonya starting singing, I Feel Like Going On, we joined in with her.

My friends I feel like going on! I feel like being that fearless woman that I know I am. I am a child of God, created to serve out His purpose for my life. It is in His loving hands that I have been placed. As the scripture says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” God is driving this fear out of me and I thank Him for doing so!!!

I do not know what fear is stopping you from walking in your God given purpose but I do know God is the answer to that fear. I know because I am “confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Be blessed and walk into your God given destiny knowing the gracious hand of your LORD is upon you!

I Feel Like Going On

Silent Tears

The Sandusky case at the University of Penn State has once ago put a national spotlight on victims of child molesting, rape and incest. It has brought to light what many survives of these heinous acts continue to deal with in their adult life.

For many victims of child molesting, rape and incest it is a silent struggle. It is one where the victim feels like no one else understands the pain and violation they feel. Like it has only happen to them! Sadly hundreds of thousands are being molested, rape and incest all over the globe each day. What further saddens this issue in our world is that the offenders are people the victims trusted in some way.

Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that in the United States: "Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Every year, there are about 207, 754 victims of sexual assault."

I wish I could tell you this is a new thing but sadly it is not. We can open the Word of God and see that even then sexual predators where walking the earth. The story of Dinah (Genesis 34), Tamar (2 Samuel 1) and the woman who is brutal raped, can all be found in the Word. I know many asked the question, “Why does God allow these kinds of things to happen?”

I myself asked that very question of God. Why did he allow me to be molested? Where was God and why did it He protect me? I was only twelve years old. To be perfectly honest, after asking these questions for nearly 18 years, I still do not have the answer. However, I do have peace with what happen to me on that night so many years ago in my bedroom. The night a family friend thought it was okay to first invade my private space, then violate and take something so precious from me that was not his to take. But God has healed my wounds, He has loved me pass that pain. He has given me strength to share my story with others. He has also given me the strength to forgive the man who molested me.

As hard as it was I have forgive him for what he did to me that night and the things that happened as a result of what he did to me. The struggle with being molested, rape or a victim of incest is that it extends beyond that encounter. It goes with you into relationships with other people. You begin to look at others with a cloud of suspicious. Wondering if this person going to hurt me too. When you do not deal with what happen to you, it effect’s the way you live and how you react to situations.

For me, I begin to think my worth was nothing more than sexual. That all men would ever what from me was sex. I thought if people could just take it from me, “why don’t I beat them to the punch”. So, I begin having sex as a teenager. Not understanding fully that my action stem solely from the one encounter. It was an encounter I kept to myself for many years, until a situation forced me to tell my brother and cousin what happen to me.

For those who hold that secret like I did for years without telling my parents or anyone, we deal with the burden of carrying that weight all by ourselves. Something we do not have to do.  To those who have never shared your story with anyone else. I beg and plead with you to tell someone you trust and seek help. You cannot continue to carry that weight around with you. It is hard I know but God will see you through this. I know He did it for me! It took some years but He as He promised turned my ashes into beauty.

Please remember it is not your fault. It is nothing you did wrong. Leave the blame at the foot of the person who molested or raped you. That is not your burden to carry at all. It is their issue and I believe God will deal with them one way or the other. While the man who molested me is not in jail for what he did to me, he is there for the rest of his life, for another crime. Locked away so that he cannot hurt anything little girl.

For more information please check out http://www.rainn.org/ or call 1-800-656-HOPE.

Prayer: God I pray that you would bring peace to every person who has been violated by a molester, rapists or someone they trusted. I prayer Your peace and comfort into their lives. Those who are still holding on to anger, give them the strength to let it go, so the real healing process can begin. Lord, Tamar and Dinah brothers dealt with those who harm them. God I ask that you would deal with those who have harmed Your children. For God you said “I will defend your cause and avenge you.” I ask that you would do so for every victim as you heal them from the pain that was inflicted upon them. In Jesus Name Amen!