God's Favor

Hello and TGIM! Now you may be asking yourself, "What's 'TGIM' ?" TGIM stands for 'Thank God It's Monday". I know for most of us, Mondays can seem like the worst day of the week; the weekend is over and a new work week is starting all over again. But the reality is, seeing a new Monday is a blessing. We're reached another Monday; another day and that's definitely something to be happy and grateful for. So while I will always be happy to say TGIF at the end of the week, I think Mondays deserve a shout-out, too! 

Now on to the other part of this post, God's favor. I had to speak on this today because I have seen through very recent events that have happened in my life that I definitely have God's favor and I want to publicly acknowledge and thank Him for that. God's favor... that's a pretty touchy subject. Well, let's start out with the question that some may be asking, "What is God's 'favor'?" Now this is just my opinion, and I am no theological expert, this is just my interpretation, but God's favor is when it seems that God is ordering the steps of your life, you are being protected from harm and danger, even when you try to do wrong, God pulls you back in the right direction, He knows the future is always looking ahead for your good, even when you don't realize it, so He orders the steps you make accordingly. Now all of us have God's favor to a certain extent; we're living, we're breathing, we're here! But I think the big difference is most of us don't listen when we know it's God who is talking to us. That right there could be the difference! Listening to that little, soft voice that tells us right from wrong. I try to listen to it more times than I ignore it, but I'm not perfect. I don't claim to be any more special than you or anyone else walking on this earth, but recently, and as I look back at my life, I know that God has been looking out for me from the beginning and is definitely protecting me from harm. Maybe because I asked Him along time ago to order my steps and just as He promised in His word, ask and you shall receive because He has been ordering my steps for a long time. So if you're reading this and going through some hard times in your life at the moment, I urge you to pray and allow Him to order your steps as well. (And when I say "order your steps" that doesn't mean He's going to make you a robot that will only move on his command, but He will give you the wisdom to know right from wrong and most importantly, the wisdom to hear His voice when He speaks to you and obey.) God can't and won't fail so if you keep your trust in Him you can never go wrong! And remember, sometimes God has you go through some trials in your life to be a learning lesson for you that will make you a stronger, better person. (This is always the hardest pill for me to swallow but it never fails, whenever I come through a bad situation, I learn from it and I'm stronger & wiser from it.)

So to sum it all up, I think we ALL can have God's favor, if we just listen and trust in Him. 

TGIM eveyone! And have a wonderful week!
Jonelle

Sunday Inspiration: A Spirit of Gratitude

"Don't confuse your path with your destination. Just because its stormy now doesn't mean you aren't headed for sunshine." ~Unknown

How would you feel if you woke up today with only what you thanked God for yesterday? So many times, we’re so focused on everything that’s going wrong in our lives and what we don’t have that we fail to give thanks for the many blessings we DO have. Acknowledging the good things that are happening in our lives ensures that we attract more of the same, and helps us develop a spirit of gratitude.
 
By focusing on our blessings, we attract more joyous experiences to come into our lives, opening up channels of positive energy that allow our hopes and dreams to flow. Acknowledge that God shows up in our lives daily in the form of dreams manifested, goals accomplished, hopes fulfilled and prayers answered. By giving thanks every day, we are telling God that we appreciate the blessings we receive, and that we believe we are worthy of receiving all the good things in life we so desire. So give Him thanks, everyday, no matter what's going on in your life, good or bad.

Have an amazing week!