It is very important that we spend quality alone time with God.  It is during these times that we are able to hear from God and have a personal conversation with Him.  I have found that many people have an exact science down when it comes to spending time alone with God.  They pray at the same time, same location, with correct posture, and with a certain Bible during this special time with God.  Now please, don’t get me wrong, that is all good if it works for them, but you can rest assure that God doesn’t want to burden you with a certain set of rules about spending quality alone time with Him…He just wants to spend time with you.

Here are four things that I have found that can help you to spend quality quiet time with God:

1.  Quiet your mind.

The first thing you should do is clear your mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to clear and cleanse your mind from all things happening in your life.  Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare a quiet atmosphere so that you can be prepared to hear and talk with God

2.  Focus your mind on God.

I can always tell when God is wanting to spend some alone time with me.  He gives me a song in my heart that I find myself singing or humming all day.  This is my special way of worshipping Him and to get my mind focused on Him before I go into my quiet time with Him.  Ask The Holy Spirit to help you get your mind focused on God.

3.  Pray what’s on your mind.

Talk to God as if you were having a regular conversation with anyone else.  Pray about the things that concerns you or whatever that is on your heart.  Philippians 4:6 says, “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests by made known to God”.

4.  Renew your mind.

It is important that we renew our minds everyday and especially after we have been in our quiet time alone with God.   Romans 12:2 says, “and do not be conformed to this world, but the renewing of our minds, so that we can prove what the good and acceptable, perfect will of God”.  When we are in our quiet time with God, He is giving us direction, guidance, correction, and wisdom.  That is why we should always renew our minds everyday, so that we can apply what God has spoken or revealed to us in our quiet prayer time with Him.

Now, I would be remised if I did not say to not follow these things to the exact “t”…just use them as a guideline.  I am sure with time, you and God will have developed your own special way of spending time with each other.

If you have a special way of getting ready to spend quality quiet time with God and would not mind sharing, then please leave your comment here or post it on my Facebook at…Face To Face TV3.

Thanks for stopping by and please go with Christ today!

In God’s Love,

Tamela

 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint…Isaiah 40:31

LORD when?…LORD, how long?  How many times in our lives have we asked these questions of God when we are waiting on Him?  By design, we are not programmed to be waiters.  We live in a fast-paced environment where we have the convenience of being able to get what we want and when we want it.  It is this convenience in our everyday living that makes it difficult sometimes for us to wait on God who works at a slower pace and on a totally different timetable.

Sometimes as Christians we want a face-paced, right now relationship with God.  We want a “microwave God”, where we can put in our wants, desires and situations, set our timer and then expect for God to pop out a finished product.  Unfortunately, it simply does not work that way.  God works according to His own time and schedule because He has the best outcome for our situation.

In the Bible, there are several examples of God working according to His timetable in the lives of others.  For example, Isaac was the miraculously son born of Abraham and Sarah.  Sara was way past child-bearing years, but God’s timing was such that they would have to acknowledge that it was God who blessed her womb with Isaac…”For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him:…Genesis 21:2  Jesus is the perfect example of waiting on God.  Jesus Himself had to wait until He was 30 years old before God baptized Him with the Holy Spirit and anointed Him with His power to go on His 3 1/2 year miracle ministry before He went to the cross to get all of us saved.

Here are three reasons why we should wait on God:

1. Waiting builds up our faith
2. Waiting teaches us patience – Patience being one of the Fruit of the Spirit
3. Waiting produces God’s best outcome for our situation

As we wait on God, we can rest assure that He is working on our behalf behind the scenes.  He is changing hearts, creating perfect situations and circumstances, closing the wrong doors while opening the right doors.  He is working on a perfect recipe for a great outcome to our prayers.

If you would like to learn to be patient and wait on God, the pray this prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus and ask that You give me the spirit of patience so that I can learn to wait for You as You work on my behalf.  I know that You have my best interest at heart and that You are working on creating the perfect outcome for my situation and in answering my prayers…Amen!

Sharing in God’s Love,

Tamela

Leaving a Spiritual Legacy for Your Children

Ask yourself this question…”What type of legacy am I leaving for my children?”   I am not speaking of a financial legacy; I am speaking about a “spiritual legacy”.  Are you aware that as parents we are supposed to leave a spiritual legacy for our children?   In Deuteronomy 6:7, it states…”And thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up”.   Spiritual legacy is a passing down of a believing faith in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  So when we are parenting in the spirit, we are able to leave a spiritual legacy of faith in God, obedience to God’s Word, a model of Christ-like behavior, and the opportunity to prepare our children to become servants in God’s Kingdom.

I like to parallel parenting in the spirit to that of an investment model.  We have our children as the gifts or products and God as our investor, and we are the trusted stewards.  Anything that God does or “invests” in, He is always looking for a return on His investments.  This can be seen in Luke 19: 12-27 and also in Matthew 25:14-30 where it talks about the Parable of the Talents.   In addition, it is also in scripture in Isaiah 55:11…”So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”.

That is why it is important that we are good stewards over our children because God is looking for a return on His investments…and that is children who are raised in the admonition and fear of the Lord, children fulfilling their God-purpose and plan, and children becoming servants in His Kingdom.  And this can only be done by parenting in the spirit.

Here are some following examples of ways to parenting in the spirit:

1.  Acknowledge and reinforce spiritual truths
2. Incorporate spiritual principles into everyday living
3.  Attend church as a family on a regular basis
4. Let them see you reading The Bible and praying on a daily basis
5. Pray and prophesy over your children daily

If you want to leave a spiritual legacy for your children, then please pray this prayer…

“Dear Heavenly Father, it says in your Word in Deuteronomy 6:7 that we are to teach our children about  You.  Lord, we want to leave a spiritual legacy of faith in God to our children.  Please help us to be good stewards over our children so that we can provide a good return on Your Investment. Lord, help us to parent in the spirit and not in the flesh.  In Jesus Name, we pray and ask…Amen”.

Tamela

Do you lack confidence when you are praying?  I had the pleasure of having Kathy Green, Christian Author, Inspirational Speaker and Publishing Consultant as an in-studio guest on Face To Face Tv3.  Kathy talks about her two books and gives a powerful message on…”Praying with Confidence”.

Have you ever skipped a meal?  Have you been so busy with your day that you forget to stop and grab a bite to eat?  Our physical bodies go through a negative experience when we skip out on meals.  But did you know that our spiritual bodies have the same type of negative experience when we do not daily nourish our spiritual bodies with God’s Word.  In this video, I share a message on the importance of feeding our spiritual bodies just as we are to feed our physical bodies.  Please be sure to SUBSCRIBE, THUMBS UP and SHARE this message.  To God be the Glory!

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them…Ephesians 2:10

The term “Branding” has long been a concept used in the corporate sector and business industries.  Branding is defined as creating a unique name and image for a product or service in the consumer’s mind with a consistent theme.  The ways to build a brand is by  1. The images you share   2.  The messages you post on your websites   3. Your content of marketing materials    4.  Your posts on social media networks.  Your brand speaks about who you are, what you offer, and your promises that will draw people to you and keep them coming back for more.  Now with that in mind, ask yourself this question…are you creating a brand for Jesus?

Don’t worry, I asked myself that same question as I was working on my branding for my interior design business.   Am I creating a brand for Jesus that will cause the lost to come and look for Him or cause them to stay away or question His existence.  The comments that I make on Facebook and Twitter…are they shared in love or in conflict.  The images that I share on Instagram and my website…do they stir up hope and excitement for Jesus, or do they stir up fear, hate, and despair.  I had to also reflect on my marketing brand for Jesus.  Am I consistent with sharing His Word and His promises…. or do I only share out of convenience or my level of comfort.  Is my personal image a brand for Jesus…do people see the Light of Christ in me, and am I a good representation of Christ in my everyday living and interaction with others.  You see, we as followers of Christ are the branding for Jesus.  We should daily focus on building a consistent brand for Jesus that will show His love for others, that all of His promises are true, and that will draw people unto Him and keep them coming back for more of Him.

Do you need a re-branding for Jesus in your life?  Then pray this prayer:

“Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to be more like You in every area and aspect of my life on a daily basis.  Please help me to watch the things that I do and say so as not to lead people away from You.  Please let the light of You shine brightly in me so that others will see and cause them to inquire about You.  Please allow me to be the branding for You and to share Your Word in love.  Amen!”

Sharing His Word in love,

Tamela

This past Saturday was the day to spray for weeds in my lawn.  I am in the process of trying to bring my front lawn back to its glory days of a green lush landscape and bountiful flowerbeds.  Due to my 3 years of neglect, however not purposeful neglect, but lack of time neglect, my lawn suffered tremendously.  Some areas were not getting adequate watering, some areas were attacked by hungry grubs and the Bermuda grass, well let’s say, it went on a serious vacation.  You would think that the disappearance act of my lawn would be my biggest nightmare, but it turned out to be the cracks in my driveway….

You see, as I was spraying for the weeds in my lawn, I also sprayed the weeds that were growing in the cracks of my driveway.  While pulling the weeds out of the cracks, I thought about how we allow cracks in our spiritual landscape to become weed-infested.  Any logical thinking person may wonder how do weeds grow in such a hard tight area, void of soil and water…the necessary ingredients for weed growth.  It is the same way with our human spirit.  When we build up a wall of bitterness, hatred and unforgiveness, our hearts become hardened that eventually will crack over time. The cracks will get bigger and bigger, allowing the weeds of life to grow into those cracks.  The hard surface of the cement driveway does not allow water to penetrate the surface just as God’s love is not able to penetrate a hardened heart.  It is not until you de-weed the crack, fill it up with God’s love and His Word that the crack will be mended, and then our spiritual landscape becomes strong and solid again.

In closing, do not allow the busyness of life cause you to neglect your spiritual landscape.  Just as you water and feed your lawn at your home, you have to water and feed your spirit with God’s Word.  For it states in the Bible, “that no man shall live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceed out of the mouth of God”….Matthew 4:4.

In Christ,

Tamela

Are you dealing with fear in your life? In this video, I share a message on how to overcome fear by dealing with it’s root in unbelief. Please don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE, THUMBS UP and SHARE! To God be The Glory!

In Christ,

Tamela