Peace that passes understanding~You are forgiven

Hello, everyone! I have been extremely busy lately with life in general and been having a struggle within myself concerning all of the "bad" things that seem to be falling upon me and my family almost everyday here recently, and have just not been sure what to write to you. I was calling upon the Lord this morning and thanking Him for whatever this miracle is that He is about to work in my life and I just felt I needed to come to the computer. So here I am...
Life is just a financial and mental struggle lately. My internet could go at any moment now as well as my phone. I have been letting this get to me. I need these for my online classes and for my Avon. I can't seem to make time to get my house clean. Emily is struggling with the issue that she does not get a lot of time with me anymore. My cat has become pregnant. Our utility bill is over $300 { in a trailor}. I could go on. I know compared to many, these are not real problems. They are simply facts of life, but I was becoming quite overwhelmed. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to correct my problems more developed. I felt I could not breathe.
On top of all of this, I felt sorry for an aquaintance who ordered some Avon from me. She did not have the whole amount two weeks ago, but I let her take the merchandise anyway. She was supposed to pay the other $50 by last Thursday. By Saturday I was a wreck. I had to pay it for her in order to place the next orders for my customers which left me with $20. My feelings were hurt. I trusted her when everyone told me not to. This began to turn to anger as I thought about it. I began to stew on it. I ironed Emily's name on the pajamas she ordered for her son. This was the one item from her order I still have in my possession. I kept thinking she was disrespectful to MY family...
Sunday morning I felt tired from all of this worry and anger I was letting take hold of me and I just felt "wrong" yet I kept validating myself; stating my case to myself. Then during Bible study and worship God spoke to me clear as a bell~ I am here to serve HIM. I am here to bring glory to HIM. Stewing over these temporary problems is NOT doing this. Stewing over these things is actually an act of selfishness. God forgave us~no strings attached but that we let Him have the wheel~that we let HIM have the glory, NOT OURSELVES. God forgave us. So we are called to forgive. What is $50 compared to the glory I could have in eternity?
I did some reading in the book of Romans late last night. We are forgiven and set free from the things of this world by the grace of God. Nothing that we do or do not do is going to get us into Heaven or gain us any favor through our Lord, BUT if we truly love Him, we will WANT to do what is right. It will become our nature. Yes, there are going to be times when the sin in the world causes us to stumble~ like I stumbled this past weekend. Only God knows the heart and intentions of others. Even when we believe others are in the wrong, we still are to love them and forgive them as Christ loved us and forgave us when we were still living in sin.
The Lord called upon me and I called back to Him. He took my anger. He took my hurt and my anxiety. My problems are still there, but I just feel peace. Call upon the Lord. He knows your pain; He knows your thoughts. He even knows your name. No matter how trivial people make think your struggle is, the Lord takes it seriously, and He will grant you His peace if you only lay your problems and all of your "negatives" down at His feet. Don't take my word for it. Give it a try. Stop right now and call upon His name. Your burdens will suddenly become light as a feather.
May God bless all of you and grant you His peace as He has me this beautiful morning.

God does not create failures

All of my life I have second guessed myself. Before I went through with any decision I made I had to ask others what they thought, and generally, I went with what they thought. Where did that get me? Nowhere. I was a broken person living for those around me. I had no mental strength at all. I thought I was a useless failure. I never felt true happiness. I just sat around wallowing in self~pity. I really believed I had no place or purpose here; that I was useless and mentally ill. Well, I'M NOT and neither are any of you who may think the same thing!! God loves everyone of us and has a place and purpose for each of us. I used to think that was just words to get people to join a specific "church". In some cases, maybe, but when the words are spoken through the Lord~ then NO THEY ARE NOT. Reach out and listen to Him if too many people have failed you; let HIM lead you. That is how I found that those words are true and continue to be blessed as I continue to let HIM show me....
Anyway, I am writing this because I feel that the more I am blessed and the more I do to improve my well being the more people push against me even those I thought cared for me. I know I have failed tremendously in my past endeavors, but let me tell you something~ In my past I had no confidence which caused me to give up and I had no real support which caused me to fail to see the point and made me feel incredibly weak. BUT now I have the Lord God on my side, and I have become a very strong person through Him and I am VERY confident He will not fail me. God DOES NOT make mistakes, and He DOES NOT let people fail when they are working for His purpose. So if you do not support me and you think I will fail, that is all well and good. Everyone has a right to his opinion, BUT I will prove you wrong this time.
I am not saying there will not be times that I or any christian becomes overwhelmed by worldly pressures and breaks down and or makes mistakes. That is a given, but God is there to pick up the pieces. He gently lifts us up and brushes us off as Brother Paul has said. We may break to the point that we feel we cannot take anymore and think that our world is caving in, but if we just cry out to Him and pour our souls out and let Him have our pain and sadness and..He will heal us. He will get us there. We WILL NOT FAIL. I am CONFIDENT. GOD DOES NOT FAIL THOSE WHO ARE WORKING TO SERVE HIS PURPOSE. So if you doubt me being a success in my endeavors, you doubt God.
I had to put this out in the open because I feel that people I expected support from are only offering discouragement, but that is all well and good because the more you try to discourage me, the more I am gonna call upon the Lord's strength and the harder I am gonna push to prove you wrong~just like when people doubted I could raise Emily.... The Lord is my Rock, my Redeemer and my mighty strength!!!! Praise His name. Lord, You are the First, the Last, and the Encore...
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose"~ Romans8:28

P.S.
I am officially enrolled in online classes! I have my first assignment and am ready to roll!!! THANK YOU< LORD!!!

Take My Life (And Let It Be) Chris Tomlin [Lyrics]

In you - Mercy Me (with lyrics)

Rough Start

I know I am rambling a lot on here lately, but I have to share this before I head out this morning. First off, Emily and I slept late. She missed the bus, but that's fine. I did not see why I could not get her to school on time driving her myself. So we ate some chocolate donuts, got dressed and headed out the door. The car would not start. Low fuel + car parked on hill=non~moving car. Hello?! After beating myself up a minute and calling Shannon at work, Emily and I walked over to our neighbor's house and she was glad to help us. She had a gas can full of gas in her shed. So we put some in my car and got it started. I removed the half of my keychain with my house key on it intending to go inside to get money to put another gallon or two in at a gas station to get me out to Madison to pick up my check. My neighbor tells me to just take her gas can with me and get Emily to school. ~I laid the key on top of my car~ so I could make sure Emily was buckled in good and put the gas in my trunk.
We zoomed out of the drive~way, across Hwy. 72 over to Ryland Pike and went up a few more roads over to Mt. Carmel. I got Emily checked in and walked her to her class. I then headed back home. On my way, I was having my quiet time with the Lord. I thanked Him for keeping me from over reacting to the rough start this morning and asked Him not to let the day be too rough. As I was beating myself up, I stopped at the bottom of Ryland and 72. As I hit the breaks, I noticed something slide down my windshield. I stopped cutting myself down and looked behind my wiper blade. It was my house key...It could have gotten worse... I looked up toward the sky and said to my lord, "ok. I will hush. I get it. you are here and I am worrying needlessly again. Thank you!"
You know as well as I do, human logic says that key should have been long gone somewhere back on those curvy roads, but it wasn't. Don't sweat the small stuff. Even if you don't see Him, God is right there with you. Rather than worrying, take His hand and let Him lead you. No matter how lost or out of sorts you may feel, God knows where He is going.
Everyone have a blessed day!!!!!!!

Ssshhh...be still and listen

I think the Lord is looking down on me tonight snickering kind of like we snicker at our children for things they fear, but we know there is no reason for that fear. We prayed in small groups tonight. I wanted so badly to speak out in praise to the Lord for the healing He is doing on me, but I just could not pray aloud in earshot of the group. The more I tried to get up the courage, as the others prayed aloud, the more tense I became. My chest was tight and quite uncomfortable by the end of the prayers and the room seemed to be swaying back and forth. Now that I am calm I am shaking my head at this illogical behavior. These people are my christian family. They are not going to reject me. If anything, they would lift me back up and, yet rather than praising the Lord, I was sitting there panicking. My best friend, Rhonda, tells me to take baby steps and not push myself. she is right. So here is my next lesson in releasing the control freak within myself.


I, once again, am calling upon the Lord to help me to be still and know He is God rather than over~analyzing and anxiously babbling about how I hate this part of myself. I want to be able to stand in front of a room of people {just a small one. LOl} and speak to them with confidence, and you know what? Through my Lord, I am going to get to that point, and when I do I will praise Him so boisterously that that room full of people will fall on their knees and know He is God like He is asking me to do right now. ....


God bless all of you who are reading my words. I love all of you and so does He. Be still and let Him have the wheel. he will let us know when we are ready to step forward. Who knows more about the creation than the Creator Himself? So, until that day, I pray that I will learn to be still and to know.

"The Lord appeared to him that night and said, 'I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, because I am with you. " Genesis 26:24


"Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you" Acts 8:10

Casting crowns - At your feet with lyrics

My Chains Are Gone

I stand truly amazed at wherever it may be that the Lord is leading me. Within a week, He has totally consumed me, He has wrapped His hand around me so tightly I would swear I can feel the lines in His palm...He is AWESOME. I have become someone else almost literally overnight. I accidentally sold alcohol to a minor yesterday which holds serious consequences, I can't tell you how quite a few of our bills will be paid, nothing seems to go as planned....yet you know what? All I feel is this deep, resonating peace. Right after the ABC board officers left yesterday, I was smiling. I am not angry or overwhelmed in any way. I am so filled with joy I feel as though I could burst. Then today, as I walked up the drive at Chapman to tutor my student, I felt no anxiety, my palms were not sweaty at all. I was simply looking forward to seeing my student.And you know what else? I am STILL not on any meds!!!
GOD IS HEALING ME!!!
All of the trauma surrounding me and all I feel is that immense sense of peace. God has sure enough lifted me to new heights in our relationship. Everything around me is new and different. I am new and different. I finally found my release and have been given my life back... THANK YOU< LORD!!!!! Without You, I would literally be nothing....
This turn in the road came so quick and I am still so amazed...
Take a moment and praise Him and lift your burdens to Him. You WILL find rest in Him if you only
ask...

Listen to these lyrics~So beautiful~so true

Healer

Unharmed

  As any of you close to me know, I am off and on my meds for my "generalized anxiety disorder" quite often usually due to finances. Many times I have said I will just let God have my issue and just not worry about taking it anymore. Naturally, for fear of my mental health {and wonderful ability to go on a week long emotional rampage} most friends and family objected to this idea. So I would get a refill when I got the money again. 

      Well, it has been almost a month this go round without it. I believe 95% has left my body. So I obviously feel some withdrawal, but you know what? I am ok. I am tense, and I am anxious, BUT I am happy. My world is out of whack with personal and financial problems, but that really is ok. You know why? God is in control and no matter what happens here on earth, NO ONE can take Him from me, but me. NO ONE...The worse things go in my life is really for the better because the worse things are the closer God draws me. From an earthly stand point, my life sucks, but from my stand point looking through the eyes of my awesome Lord, I am truly blessed!! Because as I just said, THE WORSE THINGS GET THE CLOSER GOD DRAWS ME. AND  on top of that, the more I suffer, the stronger I become within. This is bad...how?

      You know...before~whenever I did not take my meds stress and anxiety over the tiniest things overwhelmed me to the point of something of a tremendous emotional breakdown that many of you have witnessed. It was all in the fact that I was trying to handle it by myself or through the methods of man=medications that numb the emotions and give you this sense of "happiness" all of the time...

      Tuesday night something happened...I was at work. The meltdown was trying to come into play. I felt the worst sense of non~sensical anger that I have felt in quite some time. I wanted to curse at people or felt like slapping them just because they were there. My insides felt as though they were trembling. I felt this intense sense of sadness and failure. I felt as though I had no reason to be here like I was just a burden upon the world. But I was at work...I could not go on a rampage. I kept telling myself I had to get through this for Emily that my "ruin" could  ruin her.  I began to argue within myself when God spoke up and asked me if I was going to let money problems and some temporary emotions tear apart the blessings He had put into play for me. 

     I worked in the cooler and began to pray. God reminded me what He has pulled me through. He reminded me that when I first became a mother I had no earthly possessions to account for besides the clothing on mine and Emily's backs and a few essentials He provided for us. Friends and family fed and sheltered us for some time. And even more than that, He reminded me that through much emotional and even physical suffering He took away my addiction to narcotic pills and my "need" for marijuana Unharmed{ If I could block out life and become numb to the emotions inside I could make it another day. }. God took me away from that long before I even realized He had any involvement in the making of who I am becoming today.

     I cried HARD for a minute or two on the way home Tuesday night. Then all of the sudden, I just stopped...God questioned me as to why I was so distraught once again. He helped me to realize what I have. He showed me how wonderfully blessed I am. He changed my logic on the way home from work that night...I was sitting at the light at Hwy 72 E and Shields road when I looked to the heavens and said "DUH! What took me so long?" 

     I had an awful migraine come on not long afterward..It was bad~it started in my face and stopped when it got down to my shoulders.

 I prayed and begged God to take this awful pain from me. I was supposed to be looking for a 2nd job. I could not procrastinate.  I was so tense and I wanted to do things MY WAY....if I let go of the wheel it is only bound to get worse. Right? .....WRONG.......I rested that day. I got my migraine somewhat under control by that evening, and as it left, part of myself left with it....

   The next day~sure I felt anxiety and had some concerns for monetary and family issues on my mind as I will for awhile, but I let them go. I no longer feel overwhelmed and smothered with emotions. I feel joy. The Lord is simply leading me> and now that I have stopped resisting and have learned what it means to TRULY let go and let God I feel like a new person. As soon as I feel negative or overwhelming emotions come on, I call upon my Lord and throw Him a pass, and you know what? He catches it everytime. I do not know what He has in mind, but I am a part of a plan~God's plan, and I have no good reason to foul it up because of the worries of this world. That is just not logical anymore.

     So I am handing my fears over to the Lord rather than letting them overrun my life and will be starting school online next week to get a degree in psychology. I laugh at the thought of seeing myself as a confident, stable counselor , but my Lord doesn't, and my Lord does not make mistakes. So I guess I better be the sheep and let the Lord be my shepard. I may have an anxiety disorder, but mind~numbing pills are not going to heal me. The Lord is my Healer and He is going to deliver me to the top of the mountain~Unharmed...  :)

Paid Surveys=extra income

SpongeBob Mood Badge

SpongeBob Mood Badge: "Put the SpongeBob Mood badge on your page."

Fear Not~Max Lucado

For fear of doing the wrong thing for God, Some do nothing for God.

For fear of making the wrong kingdom decision, some make no kingdom decision.

For fear of messing up, some will miss out.

But you don't have to. Your God is a good God.

He lavished you with strength in this life and a promise of the next. Go out on a limb; He won't let you fall. Take a big risk;He won't let you fail. He invites you to dream of the day you feel His hand on your shoulder and His eyes on your face. " Well done," He will say, "Good and faithful servant."

His Lord said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. "~ Matthew 25:23

"God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, He's rich in love."~ Psalm 103:8

Be still and Know

Alone in the valley, I cry for you to fill me with your peace.So when the lightening strikes, the thunder rolls around me, still I live in peace.

You ask that I "be still and know You are God. Be still and know you are God. " You are God.

When the fires rage and the storms surround me, still I live in peace. Though the mountains fall, crash into the ocean, still I live in peace.

You ask that I "Be still and know You are God. Be still and know you are God. " 

                       "Be still and know You are God. Be still and know you are God. " You are God.

You lead me through the valleys. You lead me by the streams. You restore me and draw me to You, God. To You , I lift my soul, to You who makes me whole. Gently, You hold me close to You.~Close to You

                        "Be still and know You are God. Be still and know you are God. " 

                        "Be still and know You are God. Be still and know you are God. " 

                        "Be still and know You are God. Be still and know you are God. " 

                        "Be still and know You are God. Be still and know you are God. "  You are God. You are God.

You lead me, You love me, You hold me, You reach me,You still me, You move me,You draw me to You, God.

You lead me, You love me, You hold me, You reach me,You still me, You move me,You draw me to You, God.

                          You are God. 

                          You are God.

Let the fires rage. Still I live in peace. 

                          You are God.

~Rebecca St. James

You will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.~Isaiah 26:3

The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. ~ Romans 16:20

The things which you learned and recieved and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.~ Phillipians 4:9

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body: and be thankful. ~ Colossians 3:15

The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.~ Psalm 29:11

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives youdo I give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ~ John 14:27

For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind~ 2Timothy 1:7

Great peace have those who love Your law and nothing causes them to stumble. ~ Psalm 119:165

Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. ~ Psalm 55:22

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths~Proverbs 3:5~6

Facebook | My Photos - Profile Pictures

Facebook | My Photos - Profile Pictures

Helping Hands

   In my efforts to overcoming my anxiety and to yield to my calling to help others, I have volunteered as a tutor for a sixth grade young man working through my church family. This afternoon, nervous as can be, I drove over to the school and met the young man. He loves to talk , but he, like me I think was a little unsure what to say. With each other's help, we got the ball rolling, though. He appears to be a little ladie's man. All of the friends he spoke of were young women whom he spoke of teasing. I believe his biggest struggle may be his focus, based on the fact he says he frequently gets in trouble for talking to these girls during Social Studies and Reading. He appears to enjoy his other classes. P.E. is his favorite as he was a football player last year and hopes to play basketball next year. He says he also enjoys Science class~loves to experiment and "blow things up". :) He is also learning to play the trombone for the school band. He preferred the tuba , but the band director believes he is a better trombone player. 

    I think I was more nervous than he was. It was a very uplifting day. I am looking forward to being a positive influence in this young man's life and helping him to lift his math grades. At the same time, I believe he will help me to relinquish some of my anxiety and help me start in the right direction to fulfill my calling to help others, although he will most likely never realize this. A child is an awesome gift from God and I earnestly pray that through our Lord, we will lift each other up as we grow together..

~God bless all of you on your many paths through this life!  ~ Jennifer  :)

Fearless~Chapter2~Fear of Not Mattering~Max Lucado Study

"So do not be afraid. You are worth MUCH MORE than many sparrows."~Matt. 10:31
If God takes care of the sparrows, will He not take care of you?

One of our deepest fears is that no one cares about us because we feel we are not worth being cared about.
This causes us to :
~Crave the attention of our spouse or the affirmation of our boss{I relate here. Like many of us, I need other's approval or attention to feel worthy}
~We put silicone in our breasts {or simply won't leave home without make~up on, in my case}
~We add important names to our conversations
~We spend 1/2 of our check on the latest style of jeans~Then,to our dismay,the fad passes & the styles change
~We have children to make ourselves feel significant{I relate here~I never felt needed until I had Emily}

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are numbered. So do NOT be afraid; you are worth MUCH MORE than many sparrows." ~Matt. 10:29~31
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And NOT ONE OF THEM is forgotten before God."~Luke 12:6
~We are worth more than sparrows and God does not leave one sparrow forgotten. So imagine His thoughts toward us!! He has even numbered the hairs on our heads.Besides that, you could buy four sparrows and get the 5th one free.~
Society still holds it's share of 5th/free "sparrows":
~Those who feel "dispensable,disposable, & worth less than a penny":
   ~Some drive in carpools & or work in cubicles
   ~Some sleep on sidewalks or beneath cardboard
   ~Some sleep beneath comforters in the suburbs
   ~Some are in orphanages like those in China for the deaf & mute~these children are told they were born          "broken"

The fear that you do not matter will become a self~fullfilling prophecy & ruin your life.
~You work a simple job. It pays the bills and nothing more. You see an ad for a better paying job and call and get an interview,but end up backing out for fear of failure. {This was me. God has now made me realize I serve a purpose and I CAN do it. So I am enrolling back in school and WILL do it.}
~A girl is asked out by an attractive guy. She feels she is not good enough. So in efforts to get him to "like" her more or not get bored quickly she sleeps with him on the first date only leaving herself still feeling disposable.

"Fear of insignificance creates the result it dreads,arrives @ the destination it tries to avoid, & facilitates the scenario it disdains."~ Max Lucado

If you tell yourself you will never make a difference, you won't. Plus, you are disagreeing with God and questioning His judgement. God says:
~You were "Skillfully wrought"~Psalm 139:15
~You were "Fearfully and wonderfully made"~Psalm139:14
His thoughts of you are "More in number than the sand"~Psalm 139:18

You ask why He loves you so much? He created you.
"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."~Ephesians 2:10

Let everyone else continue to play silly games, but we have found something better.

My Rant~

" The Voice of Truth tells me a different story. The Voice of Truth says 'Do not be afraid'. The Voice of Truth says'This is for My glory'. Of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth"~ Casting Crowns

Stop wallowing in self~pity & LISTEN TO THE LORD. He WILL lift you up. He is the REAL DEAL. Look at the work He has done in my life & is still improving me each second.through His mercy & grace. Don't just trust me; step out on the limb and TRUST HIM. He WILL NOT let you down. Even if you cannot trust yourself, YOU CAN ALWAYS TRUST GOD. What have you got to lose? Really?

Fear and Sin

  As I was praying this morning, the Lord convicted me. As we said in our study on the book Fearless, fear itself is not a sin but it can and usually does lead to sin. I did not realize how much sin my anxiety was the leader of in my life. I have had angry outbursts and have been an awful control freak. I have been asking God to help me with these things, and now He has helped me realize the root of the problem.I am greatful to Him and can't believe I did not see it myself. Now it is time for me to work harder at laying it down on Him and stepping outside of my comfort zone so God can work His miracles once again. Blessed be His name!!
  God pulled me from a pit of adultery, drugs, and selfishness to a faithful, God~fearing, giving wife. Now it is time for me to let Him mature me and help me to completely let go and give it ALL to Him. I am so controlling of my husband. Now I know it is from my anxiety~what if he is unfaithful ? What if he grows tired of my problems and weariness and leaves? What if...? I , without realizing at the moment, try to control my friends and sometimes me co~workers and my mood becomes unstable when things don't go my way because_____might happen if we don't do things this way...
   It is time to learn to give it to God~He does not make mistakes. Look how far He has gotten me already~  :)

Fear not~"For God has not given us a spirit of fear"~ @ Tim 1:7

God bless you all!
  

Study on Fearless By Max Lucado

I am reading Max Lucado's book Fearless and taking many notes as I hope to apply his Biblical principles to my life as I suffer with an anxiety disorder. I encourage anyone who believes they might benefit to follow my notes or read my blogs on blogger or YourAvon.Com/JenniferHand and if you can, buy the book. :)

  Imagine your life w/o fear~ Chapter 1~ Why are we afraid?~ "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"~ Matt. 8:26

Each sunrise seems to bring us new reasons for fear~lay-offs,slow~downs in the economy,flare~ups in the Middle East...a strain of swine flu crossing our border. Max says the plague of our day is terrorism which begins with the word "terror". Our generation depends on more mood altering drugs than any generation before us. 

Fear is unwilling to share the heart, especially for anything positive like happiness. For all of the space it encompasses and noise it makes, fear sure does little good. Max says it "herds us into a prison and slams the door"

Fear corrodes our confidence in God's goodness. It gives us temporary amnesia. We forget how good God is and what He has done for us~{He got me off of narcotic drugs, drew from homeless and needy to become a cheerful giver, He turned my suicidal tendencies to an overwhelming joy~a thankfullness and realization of who He really is and what He has done! I tend to be less angered by certain sin and more hurt for the sinner who is clueless}~but when we are anxious, we "forget" these small miracles

Fear unleashes a swarm of doubts often angry doubts~why is God doing this?

Fear turns us into control freaks. We feel backed into a corner and the only way we know to get out is to control the people and things around us.

Jesus does not want us to fear. The Bible contains at least 15 imperatives not to fear most of them coming directly from the mouth of our Savior:

1~"Do not be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows." ~ Matt. 10:33

2~"Take courage, son;your sins are forgiven"~Matt.9:2

3~"I tell you not to worry about everyday life;whether you have enough."~Matt.6:25

4~"But when Jesus heard it, He answered him,saying,Fear not:believe only,& she shall be made whole"~Luke 8:50

5~"But straightway Jesus spake to them saying,Be of good cheer;it is I;be not afraid."~Matt. 14:27

6~"And be not afraid of them who kill the body,but are not able to kill the soul"~Matt. 10:28A

7~"Fear not, little flock;for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."~Luke 12:32

8~"Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God;believe also in me."~John 14:1

9~"And if I go and prepare a place for you,I come again,& will receive you unto myself;that where I am, you may be also."~ John 14:3

10~"Peace I leave with you;my peace I give unto you:not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled or let it be            fearful."~ John 14:27

11~"And He said to them, why are you troubled? Wherefore do questionings arise in your heart?"~ Luke 24:38

12~"And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars;see that you are not troubled:for these things must come to pass; but the end is not           yet."~Matt. 24:6

13~"And Jesus came and touched them and said Arise, and be not afraid."~Matt.17:7

14~"For God has not given us a spirit of fear"~ 2Tim. 1:7

15~"Why are you fearful,O you of little faith?"~Matt. 8:26

Getting on board with Christ can mean getting soaked. Disciples should expect rough seas and stout winds.~

"In the world, you WILL have tribulation."~ John 16:33

It is not the absence of storms that sets christians apart~it is who we discover in the storm~"an unstirred Christ" ~ 

"And behold, there was a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with waves: but He {Christ} was asleep."

   ~Matt 8:24~

"And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on a cushion..."~Mark 4:38

Fear itself is not a sin, but it can lead to sin. If we medicate our fear with angry outbursts,drinking binges, sullen withdrawals, self~starvation, or vise~like control we are eliminating God from the solution & therefore, worsen the problem. Hysteria is not from God. He does not want us to fear. Fear may fill our world, but we do not have to let it fill our hearts. The promise of Christ is simple:

We can fear less tomorrow than we do today. Simply put:Trust the Lord.

In the words of His disciples " What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him." ~ Matt. 8:27

2010 Avon Representative Recruiting Commercial #1

Visit my site at Youravon.com/JenniferHand today

Into The Wind

     Emily and I were very close from the get go. Many nights ( and days!) she would fall asleep on my chest as I was feeding her and I would just lay back and go to sleep myself. I was learning about real love. It was no longer a hassle to care for a child. Like anyone else, yes, I grew tired and frustrated, but that was ok. I wouldn't have given her up for the world. I wanted to better myself. I wanted Emily to be proud I am her Mommy, not ashamed. I wanted her to keep loving me, and when I felt lonely I prayed for a Godly man to come along who would love both of us, not just one. I set a standard. I was not gonna take what I could get anymore. I did not want Emily suffering for my mistakes. So I brought prayer back into my routine.
     I got a job at a factory, but did not hold it for long. I then got a job at a little country store not five minutes from where I currently live. I enjoyed this job. The customers were so friendly! Anyway, one day a familiar face came in. He was a fairly handsome man with beautiful hazel eyes. I had met him once before, many years ago for about five minutes. It had been during the time I was dating Howard. His name was Shannon. He recognized me as well. He appeared excited to see me and gave me a hug. It sort of threw me for a loop, but I felt drawn. So I returned his hug. Mrs. Lynn sent me on my break. So he went out with me while I smoked. Shannon did not smoke. He left with my phone number.
    Shannon and I began to date. Sometimes we even took Emily out together.By this time she was around six months old. She began to grow attached to him as much as I did. I told myself I would not fall in love, but I did and the relationship grew physical. Therefore, I wanted my own place. So I found a trailor and Emily and I moved into it. The only furniture we had was Em's baby bed, my bed, and an old tv with no stand. Shannon gave us an old couch of his and several other pieces of furniture. He also helped me keep food in the house, although, he was not living there- at least not full time.
    I had found a man mature enough to keep a job with a sense of responsibility and he was falling in love with me. This was one of the most terrifying times of my life. I was so afraid I was going to backslide into my old lifestyle and hurt Emily and probably ruin my relationship with Shannon, but by the grace of God, I didn't. I used the two of them as my motivation to keep my head where it needed to be. Soon I even met his family including his son and daughter. They were such beautiful children who I knew I would love from the moment I met them. I began to confide in Shannon. I told him all about my past so that if any of that was going to push him away I could get it over with, but it only seemed to pull us closer somehow.
     Finally, we gave in to our fears and he moved into my trailor and left his to family. Shannon, Emily, and I became like a little family, but I felt like he was leaving Summer and Michael out. So we began to get them more often and made an even bigger family. I thought I was in paradise when my bad instincts started kicking in. Shannon was sleeping with Emily's babysitter and I knew it, but I could not catch them and they both acted like it was my imagination. I let it go on for awhile, telling myself it was my imagination, but after several months, I could not do it anymore. He wasn not only hurting me, but in the long run, Emily could be hurt by this selfish, immoral behavior. So I gathered my strength and I told him I wanted the truth now or it was over.
    Shannon told me details that to this day, I wish I did not know. I gave him an ultimatum. He chose me, but I struggled for quite some time. I am not sure why I did not end our relationship. Maybe it was my insecurity, maybe it was my love for him, or maybe it was the thought that came to me as I prayed for God to take my pain- The thought that God was letting me know how I had made Howard  and Samuel feel when I turned on them. Only in my situation, Shannon cried for the hurt he caused me and did not turn and leave but tried to earn forgiveness...This was and still is to this day, the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. It felt like someone literally reached in and ripped my heart out. For months I balled myself to sleep. I wanted Shannon gone yet I needed him close to help me keep from feeling as if I would suffocate. He supported me all of the way.
    And the Lord began to call to me again.I began to pray more often and God began to heal me. A year after the wound, I married Shannon at the courthouse. I continued to stay in touch with God and He continued to heal me and mature me. I began to realize that I had gotten through the last ten years because God was pulling me through. I could have died many times on account of the pills, pot, and alcohol use in an extreme amount. I could have died in the many auto accidents I was involved in due to Samuel being high.I could have gotten AIDs. I could have ended up a homeless pillhead and lost Emily to DHR, but I didn't. Insted I was blessed by God and have found out what it really means to know Him. I would not have it any other way.
     Through the continuence of prayer and honest seeking of the Lord I finally connected to Him and was truly saved around six months ago. I plugged into a church to help me build friendships to help keep me strong. I came to discover getting to Heaven is not something that happens by correctly following rules. Heaven is for those who love the Lord in return for His love. He loves all of us and if you invite Him into your heart it will be impossible for you not to love Him back. On top of that those who love Him will be blessed as I have been. I have a now Christian husband, Shannon, and a beautiful family. If God is in your heart, you don't need to worry about any rules. He will guide your steps and pick you up when you fall  and make a mistake. Don't let the stictness of worldly churches pull you down. Just reach out and invite the Lord into your heart and read your Bible. He will do the rest. If God is in your heart you will not want to do those things that are wrong anymore. They will no longer be important. If you do not know God, call upon Him right now. He will transform you and your whole life in the blink of an eye. Believe me, I know..