Your guilt is holding you back

Lately I have been receiving prayers from people, mostly teens saying that they have a hard time believing that God keeps forgiving them when they make mistakes. They want prayers so that they don't make mistakes anymore. Now, it's good to always strive for righteousness but feeling like you have to become perfect in order for God to forgive you is not. It says in 1 John 1:8-10 "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." This means that God acknowledges that we are going to make mistakes and that we are to believe in His forgiveness! The devil wants you to stay in guilt. The devil wants you to feel guilty more then he wants you to fail. It would be easier for him to get you to dwell on a sin that you did weeks ago then to get you to keep sinning because that burden will make you feel like being a Christian is hard and to get you to give up. The mistakes we make won't stop us from accomplishing God has for us, it's dwelling in those mistakes that will. Jesus said in Luke 15:7, "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." Your repentance is important to God! God knows your heart and He knows that you are trying to live for Him. Reach out to Him and lay all your guilt and sin before Him. If God had no need for people to do that..He wouldn't have never sent His son to die.

JUNE 22 1980

June 22 1980 I was born. I grew to endure many challenges and hardships and to make many mistakes. But here I am, a blessed, loved child of God in despite of it all. And I believe that God has much more greater things for me in the future. Praise God for bringing me through! And always loving me and welcoming me home with open arms. I praise Him today and forever more.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5

your struggle...your answer

Sometimes your struggle in life could be the answer to your prayer! I realize that a lot I am going through now is because I have been praying for wisdom, patience and humility. Below is a list of ways God could be improving your life through your struggle:

We pray for patience, and our Father sends us demanding people who test us to the limit, because... Suffering produces perseverance" (Romans 5:3).
We pray for a submissive Spirit, and God sends suffering again, for we learn to be obedient in the same way Christ did, "learned obedience from what he suffered" (Hebrews 5 :8)
We pray to be unselfish, and God gives us opportunities to sacrifice by placing other people's needs first and by laying down our lives for other believers.
We pray for strength and humility, and "a messenger of satan" (2 Corinthians 12:7), comes to humiliate us.
We pray to the Lord, just like the apostles did saying, Increase our faith!" (Luke 17:5). Then when our money seems to take wings and fly away; our children become critically ill; an employee becomes careless, slow, and wasteful; or some other new trial comes upon us, requiring more faith than we have ever needed before.
We often pray for a Christ like life that exhibits the humility of a lamb. Then when we are asked to perform some lowly task, or we are unjustly accused and given no opportunity to explain, for "he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and...did not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).
We pray for gentleness and quickly face a storm of temptation to be harsh and irritable.
We pray for quietness and suddenly every nerve is stressed to its limit with tremendous tension so that we may learn that when He sends His peace, no one can disturb it.
We pray for love of others, and God sends unique suffering by sending people our way who are difficult to love and who say things that get on our nerves and tear at our heart. He does this because 'love is patient, love is kind...It is not rude, it is not easily angered...It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-5, 7-8).
Yes, we pray to be like Jesus, and God's answer is: "I have tested you in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10); "Will your courage endure or your hands be strong?" (Ezek. 22:14); "Can you drink the cup?" (Matt. 20:22). The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance and every trial as being straight from the hand of our loving Father; to live "with him in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 2:6), above the clouds, in the very presence of His throne; and to look down from glory on our circumstances as being lovingly and divinely appointed or selected.

Talking to your problems

Today I woke up in the dumps. Just thinking about financial problems and this and that and I began to sink. But then I remember what's the best way to immediately raise yourself up again. I didn't feel like it at first but I just began doing it and I began feeling better and better. I spoke out loud to my problems. I said, "you will not get me down, God is my father and He loves me and will make a way." I continued to say, "God loves me so much more then the birds and yet they are fed and taken care of" I began to speak aloud scripture like, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Some may say this sounds crazy, but it really isn't. It makes you feel great and reminds you the truth when the devil start sneaking in lies. So try it! I bet you will get great results.
Below is a poem I wrote on just this subject:

Talk To It
By Telika Howard

words as a weapon
speaking your shots
to kill your fears
and your doubts
say out loud
what you know you know
that eventually
you will receive and grow
Don't believe the lies
that you won't make it
declare the truth
you're not crazy
it's crazy to wallow
in your sorrows
pick up your voice
and reign your cheers
your problem will flee
when it hear

Worldly Wise Vs. Truly Wise

I was thinking about my wisdom series I blogged in April and what the Bible says on being wise. If you remember, the first thing about being a wise person is fearing the Lord. But many famous people that are considered wise because of money they have made or business decisions or fame they have been given do not fear the Lord or the words in the Bible therefore in God's eyes they are not truly wise. Sure, they may have donated alot of money or may be able to say the most insightful things but if they don't have Christ in their heart they are not of God and they are not truly wise. Stop to think about who you admire. Does that person honor God and His words? If not, God doesn't consider them wise. Oprah Winfrey is known to be a very wise woman. She has changed many lives, but I have never heard her speak of Jesus Christ. I never heard her say that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. I know I have heard Oprah speak on meditation(a commonly known buddhist practice) and finding yourself but I have never heard her talk about finding God. (I have heard her mention a "higher power" but she never says what she believes that is) Maybe I'm wrong, but if the most influential woman of this world is not saved then she is not wise in God's eyes. Sounds harsh? Not really, everyone has the opportunity to become wise and to accept the gift God has so graciously given He doesn't hold that back from anyone no matter how many mistakes or what they previously believed.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline

Hosea 14:9 Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

Matthew 21:31-32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I can't be stopped! (June Issue)

I had problems left and right getting this June issue out. I was promised this and that and suddenly people changed their minds on me. I almost wanted to give up but I can't be stopped! The June issue is out and ready to read! so...what are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go!

About the issue...

June! The start of the summer! School is out, the sun is shining and yes, my birthday. (Just had to throw that one in, haha) But what also sometimes come with the beginning of summer is temptation. Skin is everywhere and just the feeling to act a fool begins to bubble up in some of us. But if you follow what you think is fun you end up with emptiness, regret and sometimes much worst. Read the cover article, summertation and find out how you can have fun in the summer without falling for the "heat fever" I am also happy to have aboard Angel Ortiz who will be writing a monthly column for Beyond It All. He is a youth pastor who knows how to come with it to help you succeed in life. Take the quiz and find out how healthy is your thought life, it is so important to get your mind right for peace and happiness. Lastly don't forget to check out some cd reviews and the continuation of what Deanna Jones is up to in her life.

Humiliation...A good thing

Last week I got in a fight with my brother. The first time he saw me he began to verbally bash me. I did nothing to provoke this. I tried to ignore him but eventually let my anger get the best of me *big mistake* next thing I know we are in a shouting match and everyone is taking his side! At first I was so angry and frustrated but then my dad lectured me. He said that I should know better then let my brother get to me, that God wants us to always humble ourselves and stay in love. I couldn't believe this! My dad, who smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish and the last time he went to church Moses parted the red sea was preaching to ME! But then I had to check myself and my thoughts. He was right. I was humiliated at my weakness. Even though humiliation is seen as a bad thing God doesn't think of it that way. He doesn't want anyone thinking they are better then anyone else. We are children of God, yes, but we are to work towards saving others and putting others needs above our own. It says in Ephesians 4:2, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." If I could do it all again I would've met my brother's harsh words with gentle ones and I would've reacted in love. But I had to feel like I had to win and to "one up" him and that was what caused me to become humiliated. God will humble you and teach you when He finds you thinking you are above another person.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29