POE - Lois

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

John 10: 1-5 New Living Translation Bible tells us Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” and we are His sheep!   

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice”.

#PATHSOFENCOURAGEMENT #POE

 My thoughts: Jesus enters thru the gateway or door of our hearts by invitation, we welcome him; HE then enters and calls us HIS sheep. HE knows HIS sheep and we (HIS sheep) recognize HIS voice and we come to HIM and HE calls us, HIS own sheep; by name, we are HIS. HE has chosen us to follow HIM!!

HE leads by HIS voice! We are HIS sheep; HIS sheep do not follow the voice of a stranger; they run from a strange voice because they do not know the voice of a stranger; only the voice of the Good Shepherd! And they follow HIS voice because they know the voice of the Good Shepherd and trust HIM to keep them safe from harm and danger; and to assist them to fulfill their purpose in life! HE is Not a Hireling! Who would abuse and abandon the sheep; He will protect and provide for the Sheep with his own life; He will get in harm’s way or contend with evil face to face for the sake of HIS sheep! 

He will protect HIS sheep from wolves, thieves, devils or anything that comes to steal, kill or destroy the sheep! He will gather the sheep, and lead them in and out of the gate; He goes before them; not just “with” them, but “ahead” of them; and lead them to green pastures and fresh, living waters; and give them abundant life; and meet all their needs, because he loves and cares for HIS sheep deeply!

Praise God! I love you Jesus! And I am so glad you chose me to be one of your sheep! So glad I am YOURS and YOU’RE mine; that I am covered by your precious blood that you shed for me; and you’ve empowered me by your Holy Spirit, who raised you from the dead to eternal life to live forever more; and for the awesome love of God, our Heavenly Father! THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE VICTORY! AMEN!

Meditation by Guest Writer -  Lois D. Reeves 

Servant and Handmaiden of the Most High God!

When the Flood Arose

I just have to write this... this morning my driveway actually flooded.  I could not (and would not) try to get my car out of my yard due to all the water.  I've been living in my house a long time and I've NEVER seen the water build up like it did today. Sure, we're under a flood advisory but it all happened so fast; I didn't have time to bring my car out of the garage. I kept thinking "when the rain lets up I can move my car so I can make it in to work". That never happened. When the rain slacked off some, the water didn't recede fast enough before the heavy rain started up again. So here I am telling you my story, my journey. 

These past 6 years have been years of flooding in my life. Today was a literal interpretation of that fact and I DID NOT "go off the deep end". Yes!!! In fact, I took the time out to Enjoy myself. I had "Taco Tuesdays", watermelon and played my favorite game. All while thanking and praising God for being with me along this Journey. Aside from the fact that there was nothing I could do to change the situation, there was no part in me that feared, dreaded or doubted that all would be well in the end. Add to the fact that Luke 6:48 kept repeating through my head, I knew God was allowing me to know that my foundation was sure and true: deeply rooted in Him. 

I don't know where you are right now in your life but I do know that when you purpose in your heart to get rooted in the Word of God, no Flood: downsize on your job, end of a relationship(s), financial troubles or health issues can stand against God's love, protection and provision in your life.  No matter your outward situation, as long as you walk in the inward peace in your heart, your foundation cannot be shaken. Trust God today with every area of your life and see him do exceeding, abundantly and above all you can ask or think. 

Scripture references: Luke 6:48  Ephesians 3:20

POE - KJ

Today's post is an interview I had with a coworker who suddenly found herself facing a health crisis. I was new on the job and she was in the process of training me when she had to leave work and focus solely on protecting her health. The longer she stayed off work, the more real the situation became to all of us to not take for granted the people who are in your life. Tell them you love them, Encourage them and most of all just be "present" when you are with them. 

Thanks in advance KJ for helping me to encourage others as we all... Enjoy the Journey!

#PathsofEncouragement  #POE

POE: Tell me a little about yourself?  
KJ: My name is KJ and I was born in Birmingham, AL.  I attended A.H. Parker High School and Jefferson State Community College. After college I worked various jobs until I finally settled in with the County. I have two children and one grandchild.  My hobbies include crocheting, crossword puzzles and helping others.  I like movies and going out to eat. I attend a local Baptist church.

POE: We only worked together for about a month before you left on medical leave which means I didn't know you well enough to know how this affected you mentally. Will you explain your thoughts/feelings and plan of action to handle this medical challenge? 
KJ: I was frightened of the unknown.  Before and after each procedure I prayed diligently. Prayer was most important especially while waiting for an answer to find out whether it was cancer or not. The only reason I ate differently was because of the lack of an appetite I had. But knowing that I did have to eat, I ate small portions every hour. It was ironic because I felt fine the day before my appointment and the day of the appointment I felt different. On the day of my appointment, I explained to the doctor how I felt. She ordered the blood work and my numbers were elevated. That alarmed her and she ordered other tests to be done.  She asked that I bring somebody with me to my follow up visit and that alarmed me. But she knew that I needed someone with me with a clear head that could take in what was being explained.  I went to the doctor one day and had surgery the next day.  This kept me from having to go back-and-forth with it in my mind.

POE: Now that you've been to the doctor, read all the reports and heard all the comments from friends, family and coworkers, what did you do to protect your heart, mind and health?
KJ: I’ve had more time to get in God’s word which has strengthened me in so many areas.  My faith has increased, my prayer life has increased, my witnessing has increased and my love for God has increased.  

POE: How has your faith and belief (positive or negative) changed (increased or decreased) in God?
KJ: My faith has increased in God. I had my plan but God had His plan in this issue.  My plan was to retire but God said to use this time to recover.  I thank God that I had favor in that area and that I was not sick a lot throughout the years that enabled me to have enough time to take off work.

POE: What's the One thing you wish people would stop asking you about this medical challenge? 
KJ: Stop asking me about my WEIGHT! My thing is, when someone is ill the weight just naturally comes off.  That vexes me when people ask.

POE: If you could encourage just one person today who's being physically challenged, what would you say?
KJ: I know we put our faith in doctors, but they don’t have all the answers: we have to truly rely and depend on God. 

Sleeping with the Enemy

As I write this, it's 1:30 am in the morning and I'm up. Why? Because the enemy to my sleep has waken me up to an almost full blown anxiety attack! I woke up with thoughts running through my mind about how "this was it". How I "wasn't gonna make it" this time.  Not only that but my body was reacting also.  I was itchy, hot and felt like something was really wrong this time.  Yeah, I said this time because I've been to this place before; only now I know better. I now know that this attack is truly the enemy trying to steal from me the peace that God has given me because I put my trust in Him. 

Last month, I talked about my Journey to Debt Freedom and how my faith in God is propelling me toward that freedom. Well, you better believe that since that avenue of testing was blocked, I was tested in another area - my health. Or the belief that my health was failing and I was gonna die. I'm not talking about getting sick and maybe one day recovering. No, those thoughts said, "die", "death" and "dead" and they all pointed toward me. When I woke up, I had to basically arrest those thoughts by first getting my body under control. I had to speak words of life over myself and know that God WILL NOT bombard you with evil thoughts when He deals with you. So I had to recognize where the thoughts were coming from and choose what I was going to believe.

I chose to believe that God was with me in that situation the same as He was with me when my finances ran out.  That just as there was a way of escape from the previous test, there was also an escape for this test.  But I had to calm myself enough to be able to hear from God and know that He was with me: no one else was there to pray for, lay hands on or help me. To understand that I would not die but live and be bold enough to share this process with others.  So, the next time you're in a "midnight hour" and the enemy comes in to steal from you, don't just lay there and accept it. No matter the time, get up, stay up and rise up in your authority as a believer in Jesus Christ.

Scripture reference: John 15:4-8

Journey to Debt Freedom

It all began "again" during the month of February when I was expecting an unexpected retirement cash withdrawal. I know, I know, I can think of at least three questions to ask just from the first sentence alone. But give me a minute and I'll do my best to explain. See, I'd been living from paycheck to paycheck; only thing is, I didn't see this as a bad thing -only an inconvenience. But when the bottom fell out and my accounts were completely wiped out, only then did I clearly understand God's directive to "get out of debt and stay out". 

For the last few months, I've been operating on a barely there financial existence. It's been a real eye opener for me.  I now see debt as the enemy to my financial freedom that I've believed God for all these years. A few months before the downturn happened, I'd been blessed with a new job and a new car.  Then all of a sudden, I was hit with a situation that's never happened to me before - I couldn't pay my bills and I had no money in the bank! How did this happen? It happened because I was "robbing Peter to pay Paul" and when the finances that were due to me didn't show up in time (plus tax season rolled around and the refund I got back was the lowest amount I'd ever gotten since I've been working), I had no emergency fund or fall-back plan in place. This was a major hit to my keeping myself afloat until the next paycheck. 

Today, I see myself debt free for life and that's the direction I'm headed. I don't plan to make friends with debt ever again. See, God has delivered me from debt not once but twice before in my life. Now I truly understand His directive to stay out of debt because each time has been worse than the last time. I can't even begin to tell you how I ended up with no money in the bank. But what I can tell you I did have was my faith in God and I knew that there had to be a way out of what I'd found myself in financially.  I read books, watched YouTube videos and participated in YouVersion plans.  I needed to change my focus from my lack of finances to getting the knowledge I needed, seeing examples in people who've done what I was about to do and getting the worry out. 

Book: Debt Free for Life by David Bach
YouTube videos: His And Her Money - Talaat and Tai McNeely
YouVersion: Plans about worry, anxiety and fear
I went on a six week #Noworries fast

Scripture reference: 1 Corinthians 10:13

Question?

While at work one day, I overheard a lady say "my ex-husband" as she was giving her statement to the clerk and for some reason the words "ex-husband" jumped out at me.  I know that dating relationships and even friendships end and we move on with our lives but my Question to You is "Why do people end a relationship that they thought would last forever?" Aside from there being abuse or continued adultery in the relationship, how easy does it have to become to say "I've had enough of This and You and I want out!" 

Over the weekend I had meaningful conversations with a few friends and out of the four of us, I was the only one never divorced. Is the fact that I've never been married the only reason why I haven't experienced the death of a relationship through divorce? Hmmm... We each had different takes on what and how relationships and even life was supposed to happen. But what should be the deciding factor when those differences arise? Hmmm...

I've been through rough and tough relationships in my Single life; those times when I felt like giving up and especially those times when I couldn't see my way through. On this side of those tests, trials and temptations I can't  imagine what could happen in a marital relationship that would cause one or both parties to give up on the relationship they hoped would last forever. But after taking the time to think on the matter, I've come to realize that the differences of opinions about the same situation, selfishness from one or both parties and the unwillingness to compromise is the most dangerous factors in any relationship. 

Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 6:14 MSG

Willing to Walk Alone

Every year for the past few years my New Years resolution has been to streamline the relationships in my life that don't promote growth. The ones where I'm the only one giving and not really receiving from the relationship. I've even gone so far as to confide in a friend my reasoning behind my actions so that I could be held accountable for allowing people I know that only want to get from me but not give anything to me remain unchecked. This all lasted about as long as any New Years resolution lasted. I'd find myself within the first few months of the year falling back into the same patterns as I had the year before. The patterns that told me that the relationship was one-sided and that I needed to set boundaries or get out completely. But something happened towards the end of 2016 that now has me totally Willing to Walk Alone in 2017. 

My Pastor has this saying "If you're willing to walk alone, God will give you someone to walk with you". I've fully embraced the concept of that statement this year. Whereas at times past, I thought I knew enough about the concept to make a relationship work. However, I now fully understand that I was only accepting what was placed before me whether I wanted it or not thereby not really receiving what I needed from the relationship.  One thing that sticks out in my mind is the fact that I was willing to date a man that I had absolutely no attraction to just because I wanted to be in a relationship. So, was I really willing to walk alone?

The answer to that question is a resounding NO! Now I know it's not just about being attracted to a person in order for a relationship to work; but that sure does help. Ever since I started checking my motives (as well as the attraction level) of the men I meet, I've come to realize that a lot of them are friend material -but guys don't want to be put in the friend zone- that could have the possibility of becoming more if given the time and chance to build. In 2016 I had to end a relationship (the attraction level for me was off the charts) because when it came to walking in agreement about the direction of the relationship, we just couldn't see eye to eye. It's one thing to say you're willing to walk alone if you don't have someone you're willing to walk with in your life. But when you think you have that someone and things still don't work, being willing to walk alone so that God will give you someone to walk with adds so much more value to the kind of relationship that you desire.

Scripture reference: Amos 3:3