Wednesday, April 16, 2008

W.O.W Wednesday

This Words of Wisdom (W.O.W) Wednesday is about resting. Sometimes our schedule can get so hectic, that it seems impossible to put 30 minutes aside to take a nap or even go to bed at a decent time. To tell you the truth, we barely can squeeze in some prayer time.

We are on the go nonstop from the time we rise in the morning (after having maybe 4 hours of sleep) to the time we lay our tired heads on the pillow. To cope, we will drink loads and loads of coffee, energy drinks, caffeine sodas or just about anything to help overcome the sluggishness and tiredness in our bodies. In an essence it's pretty sad, but hey that's how it is 99.9% of the time.

Bottomline, this is not the way God wants us to live our lives daily. The last thing He wants is for us to feel tired all the time, especially too tired for Him. Our bodies is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. So, this is where wisdom has to come in.

We have to be wise when it comes to getting rest. Not getting enough rest can result in a low immune system, not being able to think clearly, and eating an unhealthy diet (fast food nonstop, doughnut for breakfast).

Re-evaluate your schedule. See what things you can eliminate for a day or two so that it will give you more time for your family, yourself, and especially for resting. For example, I will spend literally hours on the internet.......blogging, reading others' blog (which I love), searching for this and searching for that. So I decided to take a few days off from the computer, which means no posting. :( As a result, I was able to get dinner on the table early, study my bible a little bit more, and get to bed an earlier time. Re-routing myself from one thing that took so much time and directing it to few little things that didn't take a lot time was very refreshing to me.

I am even considering taking a day off of work, while my children are at school and hubby at work, to get some "me" time for a few hours.

Once again, see what you can eliminate out your schedule for a two or three days. So, you can use that time to do other things, but mainly get some rest and relaxation. Hey, even God had to rest after creating the world. Now, if God had to take some time to rest, what does that say about us. Please, whatever you do, do not feel guilty for having to take a nap or to take a time out and rest. Taking time to rest will relieve some stress in your life.

Have you ever started to pray or read the bible and find yourself dozing off to sleep? And on top of that, it feels like the best sleep you had in days or months. I believe that's God seeing, within our hearts, how tired we are, so He begins to caress our spirits, like a mom rocking her newborn baby, to rest and sleep in His presence. You may think that sounds weird. But think about it......

If we are tired, we cannot hear God clearly and He cannot use us the way He wants to. The best thing we can do is get some R&R for our sake and God's.

Be wise and get some rest..........now!






Your Sister in Christ,
Toia

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Silly Saturday




You Are an Ice Cream Cake



Surprising, unique, and high maintenance.

You're one of a kind, and you don't want anyone to forget it.

You're fun in small doses, but it's easy for people to overdose on you!





The only part I disagree with is the high maintenance part. That's not at all me, but I do think I am one of a kind.......A Designer's Original ;)




Enjoy your Weekend!!!






Your Sister in Christ,
Toia

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thursday Thirteen ~ The Meaning of 13 Male Names














Thirteen Male Names & What They Mean!!


Last week, I did the meaning of girls' names. Now, let's check out what's in a name as far as the male species are concern........



1. Michael - Who is like God..........Extended form of Micha, meaning "Who is like God?" Michael is the name of several characters in the Old Testament. It is most famously that of one of the archangels, the one closest to God, who has the responsability of carrying out God's judgements. Michael is regarded as the leader of the heavenly host and is the patron saint of soldiers.





2. Jonathan - God has given; gift of God.........In the Old Testament, Jonathan was the eldest son of King Saul and the best friend of the future king David. Jonathan was a courageous defender of Israel and was killed in battle against the Philistines.


3. Grayson - Gray-haired; pleasant


4. Raymond - Advice, Decision protector..........Raymond was the name of seven Counts of Toulouse, up until the 13th century. Raymond Poincaré was a French politician, who was President of France during the First World War. Raymond Chandler was an author.

5. Ethan - Strong, firm, impetuous......Ethan means strong and optimistic, solid and enduring, or permanent. The name Ethan appears eight times in the Hebrew Bible. Ethan the Ezrahite, is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It may be that Ethan was a cymbal-player in King David's court. He authored Psalm 89. Charles Spurgeon theorized that this was the same person as Jeduthun. Ethan was the 4th most popular boy's name in the US in 2006, and was ranked 19th in the UK.

6. Shaun - God is Gracious........Anglicized version of Seán.

7. Cole- Coal, dark one.......Perhaps came into first-name use as a nickname for Nicholas. Cole is also a common surname, derived from the Old English "cola," meaning "coal." Perhaps the most well-known Cole in history is "Old King Cole," the subject of an English nursery-rhyme.

8. Brandon - Broom Hill.........Originally a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "broom hill" in Old English. Brandon is the name of the second-largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and is the name of several towns throughout the U.S. and U.K.

9. Larry (My husband's name) - Crowned with Laurel


10. Philip - Lover of Horses.......Anglicised version of the Greek name Philippos. St Philip was one of the twelve disciples. Philip has long been used as a name in the ruling classes, from the Kings of Macedon (Philip II was the father of Alexander the Great) to Prince Philip, the husband of Elizabeth II, queen of England. Notable Philips include Philip VI of France, the first king of France from the house of Valois, who entered into the Hundred Years War with England, and Philip II of Spain.

11. Brad (Bradley) - Broad wood......English and Scottish surname from the Old English words 'brad' (broad) and 'leah' (wood, clearing).

12. Joshua - God rescues..........In the Old Testament, Joshua was appointed by God to lead the Israelites after Moses' death. The Greek form of Joshua is Jesus.Joshua was the 3rd most popular boy's name in the US in 2006, and 4th most popular in the UK.


13. Timothy - To honor God; To fear God........St Timothy was a companion of Paul, and the recipient of the two letters to Timothy, contained within the New Testament.

If you know the meaning of your name and would like to share, please do.



Happy Thursday!!!






Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!







Your Sister In Christ,


Toia

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

W.O.W Wednesday
Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
(Proverbs 5:24)


There is a saying or old cliche that says....."Actions speak louder than words." Words can be a lot louder than we think. And what about......"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."................Wanna bet?!?

Words can not only hurt you but other people around you. Words can sow discord, slander, lie, hurt, divide, and even kill. You have to be wise in conversation and in what you and how you say things. That's why this scripture say..."Put away from you a deceitful mouth," because you can't when souls for Christ with a deceitful mouth.

According to the Webster's Dictionary, deceit means deception [fraud (impostor)], trick [a craft procedure meant to deceive], and misleading. Part of being deceitful is being a fraud, an impostor. Impostor means one that assumes an identity ot title not one's own in order to deceive.

Let's break this down. When you or someone you know operates with a deceitful mouth is a fraud and an impostor. There are those so-called Christians who have the form of Godliness, but deny power thereof. They are the wolves in sheep clothing. They are the same ones who can quote a scripture just as good as any one else but don't even try to apply it to their everyday lives.

Are you an impostor? Are you a fraudulent Christian? Or are you the real deal or at least striving to be?

As Christians, we have to be real. We have to be real in how we live the life God has called us to live. We have to be real in our conversation and words so that we will draw people close to us and not push them away. We cannot allow our lips to be perverse, which is to twist the word of God to fit our cozy and comfy lives instead of accepting its truth and direction. We cannot be a Pharisee......a hypocrite. We cannot let our words say one thing in public, but our actions say another behind close doors. That's deceitful.

It is wise to let the words from your mouth be seasoned with salt and be full of grace (Colossians 4:6). Another thing to realize is that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34b).....so what does your heart say? If you want to be real and genuine with your words, be wise and use the word of God as an antidote for the poison in your spirit that may cause you to be deceitful with your words and action.

Death and life are in the power of tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Choose to bring life and not cause death (killing of one's spirit). God's words are not perverted or deceitful. So be wise and think before you speak.


Your Sister in Christ,
Toia

Monday, April 7, 2008

Marriage Monday: Marriage for Holiness or Happiness

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Then the crowd goes, "Aaah."



After all that is said and done. It's time to live happily ever after. But there's a catch. There has to be a balance. Let me explain. The topic is "Marriage for Holiness or Happiness."



My response is......It has to be both Holiness and Happiness. This is where everything must balance out. You can't have Happiness without Holiness. And you can't have Holiness without Happiness.



According to the Webster's dictionary, Holiness means the quality of being holy, (sacred, having a divine quality, sanctified, consecrated, pure, clean)



Now let's look at happiness. Happiness is the state of being of happy (fortunate, enjoying well-neing and contentment, pleasant, cheerful, lighthearted, joyous.





When it's time to get married, I believe God doesn't want us to choose between happiness and holiness. He wants us to come into holy matrimony with both. When a man and a woman are both Christians with an intimate relationship with God, they are automatically bringing holiness into the marriage, along with that happiness. Reason being because of the man and woman's relationship with God, they are able to listen to God's voice and allow Him to find and choose their mate and bring them together as one.



"What God has brought together let no man separate" (Matthew 19:6). The holiness side is letting God bring you and your mate together. The happiness side is knowing that once you are one with your mate, no one, not even the devil in hell, can tear you apart from each other. Once again, there has to be a balance.



Having your marital foundation planted on the word of God brings both holiness and happines within your marriage. This is because the bible tells you how to be a loving wife and a help mate for your husband. On the other hand, it tells and teach your husband how to love you as Christ loves the church. When you focus on God and on His word, it will be very hard to become distracted by things and people who can put a crack in your marital foundation. As a result, knowing you and your mate are focus on the word, caring for each other, loving each other, you have no choice, but to be happy and bless.



Holiness and happiness are what make a marriage strong. This strength is much needed because when oppositions come your way and try to destroy your marriage, you will have the word of God and the memories of all the happy times shared to overcome the not-so-good times.



Now if you happen to have married for holiness and don't feel the that fulfillment of joy your are suppose to have in your marriage, it's not too late. You have to look past the sadness you feel in your heart and look to God for answers and instructions on how you can become happy with your marriage. God wants you to be happy. He doesn't desire you to be unhappy. Most importantly, even though you are feeling unhappy, that doesn't not mean you have to sacrifice being holy for the sake of happiness. Sacrificing the state of being holy for the quick fix for happiness will only lead to more strife, eventually destruction. "There's a way that seems right to a man (or woman), but it's end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12). Let God make you happy in your marriage.



For those of you who have gotten married for happiness only, please make it your business to strive to be holy. Having your marriage built on the foundation called happiness is like the foolish man in the bible who built his house on sand. The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew (which symbolizes oppositions, struggles, hard times) and beat on the house and it fell. And great was its fall (Matthew 7:26-27). Don't let just being happy catch you off guard from satan's attacks. Happiness is not a shield of protection from the devil, but holiness is. You can't tapped into happiness so that you can stopped the devil from destroying your marriage. However, you can tap into holiness, (the word of God, praise & worshipping, fasting, praying, the power of the Holy Spirit) and you use your spiritual weapons to fight that devil off with everything you got.



In conclusion, I pray that all married couples find balance within their marriages. Maintain that balance of happiness and holiness. For those who have one without the other, let your prayer be that you can acquire the missing link in your marriage so that you can have balance. Don't give up. God will be with you always.

To check other sites on this topic, click the button below.




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Your Sister in Christ,

Toia

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Scripture Sunday










But God, who is rich in mercy,


because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in trespasses,


made us alive together with Christ


(by grace you have been saved),...


(Ephesians 2:4-5)






Friday, April 4, 2008

Freedom Word Fighters Friday - Free From Self

"He must increase, but I must decrease."
(John 3:30)


This is edition of Freedom Word Fighters Friday is about being free from self. Sometimes it's ourselves that keep us in bondage and not the devil. It's what I like to call the "It's all about me" or the "I, I, I" syndrome.

We can become more in tune with what our wants and needs are instead trying to become more in tune with God and His wants and needs for our lives. The same thing goes for when we are face with a problem. We focus more on the problem and not on the solution, which is in God through Christ Jesus. Many times we petition before God all of our hearts' desires, but fail to search within our hearts the true motive behind what we desire. Are your motives pure? Do they line up with God's will for your life? Or do you ask for these things (whatever they may be) for God's glory or bragging rights?

These are things that you have to ask yourself, if you truly want to remove the idea of self out of the equation. When you put self in the way, you become blind and unable to see the direction to where God is leading you. As a result, you go round and round in circles. Case in point.........the children of Israel in the wilderness. They went around in circles for 40 long years. And it's all because they did not remove themselves, their emotions, their feelings out of the way long enough to see where God was leading them. I believe if they would have decrease in themselves, and allow God to increase in their spirits with no holds barred, they would have enter the land of milk and honey that same day. Definitely, a lot sooner than 40 years.

That's the same with us. If you are tired of going through that same vicious cycle, decrease and be free of self and let God increase. You may be thinking, "Well, I pray every morning and at night before I go to bed." My response is...... after you pray, do you listen long enough to hear a response from God.

"Well, I read my bible daily." And my response is.......Do you just read the bible or do you study what the scripture is saying and get revelation from God.

If you want to be free from self, you going to have make up your mind to do whatever it takes. You are going to have to go beyond the call of duty. And how do you do that???

Simple, first get down on your knees or lay down before God and humble yourself before Him. And let God lead you from there. Doing that is the first step of being free from self. Everytime you humble yourself before God, your 'self' is decreasing and God is increasing. Take down your 'self' and rise up in Jesus. I call you free from your 'self' in Jesus' name.




Your Sister in Christ,
Toia

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Thursday Thirteen ~ Meaning of 13 Female Names














Thirteen Female Names & What They Mean!!


What's in a name?? I always find it interesting to find out meaning of people's names. So, that's why I decided to make this my Thursday Thirteen. These are random names - no particular order.



1. Emma - All containing & universal





2. Melanie - The French form of the Latin Melania, derived from the Greek 'melas', meaning "black, dark". The French spelling is Mélanie.




3. Jennifer - White, fair, smooth (Jennifer joined the US top 1000 names in 1938. It rose until in 1970 it was the #1 name in USA, it held that place until 1985 and has been in decline ever since. In 2006 it was the 51st most popular name in America.)

4. Denise - God of wine; mountain of Zeus

5. Randi - Counsel; beautiful

6. Elizabeth - My God is vow (From Elisabet, the Greek form of the Hebrew name Elisheva meaning "my God is a vow".In the Old Testament, Elisheva is the wife of Aaron. In the New Testament, the name is borne by a kinswoman of the Virgin Mary and mother of John the Baptist.)

7. Rachel - Ewe (In the Old Testament of the Bible, Rachel was a wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.)

8. Jan - God is Gracious (Jan is used as a short form of John in several different languages and is only seen as a unisex name in English.)


9. Rebecca or Rebekkah - To Tie/To bind (Sometimes touted as meaning 'to tie/to bind' or 'heifer', this name is of doubtful meaning and probably has its roots in Aramaic. The Biblical Rebecca was the wife of Isaac in the Old Testament and the mother of Jacob and Esau.)


10. Katherine - Pure (From the Greek Aikaterine of uncertain origin, but associated with the Greek 'katharos' (pure). The name Katherine has been popular since the Dark Ages, and was used by many European royal families over the centuries.

11. Megan - Pearl (Megan is a Welsh diminutive form of Margaret, from Greek 'margaron', "pearl", and thus means "little pearl".

12. Tammy - Twins


13. Amanda - She who must loved (Amanda is the feminine gerundive of the Latin verb 'amo' (I love) and thus literally means 'she who must be loved'. In the US, Amanda was particularly popular in the 1980s. Amanda can also be a male name which is Sanskrit in origin.

If you know the meaning of your name and would like to share, please do. Next week, I will do the meaning of 13 male names.



Happy Thursday!!!






Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!







Your Sister In Christ,


Toia

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Words of Wisdom Wednesday



For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.

(Proverbs 2:6-8)



Today is more important than ever before to start your quest for wisdom, if you have not already. Compare to 8, 10, even 20 years ago, there are so many things and people, presently, who can influence us (Christians) in a way that will poison our relationship with God.


For example, the internet. If you are not careful there are many websites that promote pornography, drugs, witchcraft, premarital sex, and everything else that is contrary to word of God and Godly living. Another example is there are many celebrities who project an image in a way, if you're not careful, that makes you think that you don't need Jesus as long as you have your "bling, bling" and a huge fan base.


And there's the sex industry. The sex industry gives you an idea that basically says, "It's okay to have sex with as many people you like, whether you're marry or not. It's only naturally."


And I say, "Phooey, on them, what a bunch of hogwash!!" Traps like these are easy to fall into, if you are not wise. My bible tells me that my God can supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. And that Jesus came so that we may have life and have it in abundance. And if you are still not convince, My God can do the exceedingly, abundantly, far above I can ever ask or think. So, you don't need the world to create a mirage to show, in their eyes, what Godly living is suppose to be like. That's what the bible is for your Basic Instructions Before Leavine Earth.

So, before the devil can call himself trying to trap me, it's going to be God's wisdom from His word that's going to allow me to be careful in every decision I make and every word I speak out of my mouth. Whereas, I won't become ignorant to satan's devices and get caught in his traps.


Bottomline, the world cannot give you wisdom. True and genuine wisdom comes solely from God. Along with that comes knowledge and understanding from His mouth straight into your heart, which is where wisdom is stored.


That's why it is so important to try to read your bible daily. When I say read your bible, I don't mean in a sense of like you are reading a mere fairytale, because everything that you read in the bible is 100% truth. But as you read, comprehend and study what the word of God is saying. Even if it's just one scripture, study it until that scripture becomes embedded in your spirit.


The more you put the word of God in your heart, the more you will desire to walk uprightly before Him. In return, He will shield you, guard you, and preserve the way (which is your destiny) for you. As you increase in God's word, you will increase in wisdom. So be wise and refuse to get caught in a trap that will put a blindfold over your eyese shielding you from the truth of Godly living.