Promises to Heal Your Heart

Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. (Joshua 21:43-45 ESV)

During one of my four+ hour driving shifts during our trip, I was listening to this passage from the book of Joshua. (Listening to the bible being read aloud? I know!!! How cool, huh?)

The words seemed to jump out of the air and grab my attention.
"Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass."
NOT ONE WORD..."
Wow! This is the God that we serve. And this is hope. He gives hope, because He is faithful and true.

Reading and meditating on these words, I was filled with hope. I began to think of specific words God had spoken over our lives and that others had prayed over us. How wonderful to have the assurance that not one word of these promises would fail.

But these blessings did not just come to the Israelites. Connected to these promises of blessings were promises of trouble and punishment if the Israelites did not stay faithful to God.

"But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you." (Joshua 23:15, 16 ESV)

I began to think of the many promises that are scattered throughout the Bible. They are almost always conditional. Why? Because God is a just God and He cannot do anything that is contrary to His nature. To leave sin unpunished would be contrary to His nature of perfect justice.

But I cannot always perfectly obey God.
I cannot be righteous.
I cannot love perfectly.
I cannot be unendingly faithful.

So that is why Jesus came.

HE is always perfectly obedient to the Father.
HE is righteous.
HE always loves perfectly.
HE is unendingly faithful.

And because He gave me His righteousness, if I choose to accept and live in His righteousness, all the promises and blessing that He has promised are mine.
"Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord..." has made to me, His child, will fail.

Praise the Lord!

What better encouragement could there be as we are driving across the country to serve the Lord in what He has called us to do? All His promises...the hard ones where He has promised to make us like Jesus, and the wonderful ones where He has promised to keep us in perfect peace....are going to be fulfilled in us...are BEING fulfilled in us.

And the best promise is yet to be fulfilled...the promise of heaven. What a beautiful day that will be!

Praise the Lord!

Be blessed.
<3

New

Unfamiliar

I don't know where

Excited

Lost

Expectant

New to me

Freedom

Temporary

Craving consistency

Goodbye

Hello

Home

Where am I

Draw close

Family

Jesus

More of Him

Less of me

Sun

Sky

Clouds and Rain

Unexpected

Ocean

Awestruck by beauty

 Settled

Not at home

Messy

Life

Here we are

God is good

Sometimes its hard to put all of the thoughts and emotions running through you into logical order.

So here they are.

The thoughts of my heart and mind.

Thoughts on moving, on Florida, on current life.

But in the end, no matter what my heart feels, God is good.

God is good!

Be blessed.

<3

My Blogging Purpose/Influence

I wrote this post a little while ago and when I went to write my Girl Behind the Blog post, I realized that it fit perfectly with this post that I had sitting in my drafts just waiting.

So here you go!
My Girl Behind the Blog Vlog
(linking up with two of my favorite bloggers Ashley and Erin)


and
my random thoughts on my purpose in blogging...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I say that I want to start writing again, but I have no inspiration. In truth, it's more like starting for the first time. I suppose I should take my own advice and simply start writing things down...whatever comes into my head, just put it on paper.

But what is it that I have to share? What is it that I want to share? What is it that I am supposed to share? ...And will it make any difference anyways?

I dream of being great. A great author. A great teacher. A great singer. A great song writer. But what are my GIFTS? What are my talents? Why is it so difficult to be content with who I am? With who God created me to be?

What if I am never SPECTACULAR at anything? What if I am never great? Never special? Never important?

Does that matter?

It depends on who I ask...it depends on who I believe.

Everywhere I look says the same thing...the only thing that matters is fame. How many people know your name? That is how much impact you have.

Except for one place...
When I look there for answers I find a different message.
In order to gain your life, you must lay it down.

Whoever is last shall be first
Whatever you do for the least of people...

"...You have done it unto me..."

Jesus gave us a perfect example of this:

He healed many people, but He didn't tell them to go spread the word and make Him famous. In fact, He often told them not to tell anyone at all.

He did not seek power and fame. In fact, He fled when people tried to crown Him king.

He did not seek out the rich and famous of society to be His friends. In fact, He was rightly accused of being a friend of sinners.

He did not try to push His own agenda or forward His own plan. In fact, the night before He died, He said "Father, not my will, but Yours be done."

He did not try to take the glory for the miracles He did or the message He preached. In fact, He stated that He stated that He spoke not to seek His own glory, but rather the glory of He who had sent Him.

He did not Lord Himself over us. In fact, He sacrificed Himself for us. He took our place of punishment. He clothed us in His own glory so that we might partake in fellowship with God Almighty.

And He gave us this calling...
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I had commanded you."
And stated that He is glorified in us.

That is my purpose.

Whether I write or sing or sew or teach or be a stay at home mother...that is my purpose.

As Jesus proclaimed...I am not of this world, just as He was not of this world.
My home is in heaven...waiting for me.
My Father is preparing a place for me.

I am just a stranger on this earth. A stranger seeking to bring glory to the one who sent me.

How will I do that?

Does it have to be clear?

Each day, each breath, each step will bring a new opportunity, a new choice, and a new platform for making Him awesome in my life.

This is my purpose...by God's grace and strength alone will I achieve it.
In fact, I will not achieve it.

He will achieve it in me. He who began the good work by rescuing my doomed life, will complete the work of glory in me...and He will rightly receive all the honor and credit for it.

I choose the second option. I choose that fame does not matter...at least not my fame.

His fame matters.

Be blessed.
<3

Instagram: Our Trip {Washington to Florida - Part 2}

Ready for more photos from our trip?
The details:
- 12 days hauling our belongings in our car across the country
- 3 stops to see family
- This post is days 4-12
- (Note: Day 12 = last day of driving/arrival at our new home = *happy dance*)



{Friday, Sept. 7, 2012}
Day 4:
We entered the land of the living again when we finally found a Starbucks in Minnesota.



Day 4:
Crossing the Mississippi River!



Day 4:
In Chicago!



Day 4:
This was the best deep-dish stuffed pizza I have ever eaten! Sooo yummy! Chicago lived up to it's reputation. =)



Day 4:
Hot tub to unwind after four days of driving. =)



{Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012}
Day 5:
Driving to Cleveland, Ohio!
We ate lunch at a rest stop on the side of the road!



Day 5:
Next time we travel across the country, we're taking one of these. =)



Day 5:
In Cleveland, Ohio!



Day 5:
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame



Day 5:
Lake Erie



Day 5:
Driving around Cleveland



Day 5:
Cleveland Skyline



Day 5:
Dinner time! And a friendly message from Wendy's!
=)



{Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012}
Day 6:
Our route for the day. Destination, my Aunt and Uncle's house!



Day 6:
Cruising around Short Hills and Milburn NJ with my Uncle...in his convertible!



{Monday, Sept. 10, 2012}
Day 7:
In New York City!



Day 7:
The hotel where John Lennon Died



Day 7:
The wrong Apple Store!



Day 7:
Resting our feet in Central Park!



Day 7:
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine - It was massive and beautiful!



Day 7:
Lunch at the Shake Shack...so good!



Day 7:
Times Square - I couldn't believe I was actually there!

See more from NYC



{Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012}
Day 8:
We spent this day with my Aunt and cousins (after school), just hanging around their little NJ town.
View of the Statue of Liberty from the New Jersey Shore.



Day 8:
New York Skyline



Day 8:
Flags at half mast - Remembering...



{Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012}
Day 9:
We spent this day in Washington D.C. - Dream come true!
The White House!



Day 9:
On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial!

See more from DC



{Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012}
Day 10:
We drove to North Carolina to spend time with Travis' sister and brother in law and our 2 sweet nieces!
This was our yummy, Starbucks breakfast!



Day 10:
Cuteness! My niece, Lydia.



Day 10:
More cuteness! My niece, Delany!



Day 10:
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Milkshake with dinner. Yum!



{Friday, Sept. 14, 2012}
Day 11:
We spent this day in NC with our relatives
Starbucks in a house!



Day 11:
Adorable girls during a walk in the park!



Day 11:
I caught a smile on camera!



{Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012}
Day 12:
The route for our FINAL DAY OF DRIVING!



Day 12:
We are in Florida at last!



Day 12:
And it's raining...



Day 12:
Super excited to be almost there!

So yes, we are safely arrived in Delray Beach! Praise the Lord for safe travels and no car trouble.
He is good.
I'll post some pictures of our new home soon, but I'd you want the blow-by-blow, follow me on Twitter or Instagram: @alesha_blessed

Be blessed!
(We surely are!)
<3