Operation: Address the Mess

   I arrived home from work and walked into my apartment building only to be greeted by a bird flying almost square into my face last night. I guess that's what happens when you live in the ghetto burbs ha-ha. After that I was finally able to relax, but admittedly not for long. I have my gorgeous, softhearted friend who I haven't seen since last year coming into town this weekend. My apartment wasn't ready for company and my schedule is pretty much booked for the rest of the week. There was a small trail of clothes starting at the front door that led to my bathroom. There were magazines, mail, and newspapers forming a club on my coffee table. The way my shoes trickled out of my closet, and the way the sleeves on my shirts seemed to be reaching out for my attention would have had you believe that there were surely monsters in there. I was exhausted. Surprisingly, my kitchen sink was empty.

    I couldn't help but look at next month's schedule after that: my brother coming into town, a bridal shower, a bacherolette party, a mixer, two weddings, another wedding the next month, you name it. I dared not complain though because there once was a time where I probably complained about being bored. In fact, I'm actually looking forward to all of these fun filled events and cannot wait to reach each weekend, and hopefully with grace. Here's where I started to get things a little twisted: I was dwelling too much on what I have to do to get ready for these events and not enough on slowing down so that I will be able to enjoy them. As I look back, I am reminded of the Bible story about Mary and Martha. 

    Martha was so consumed in making everything perfect for Jesus while Mary sat at His feet and enjoyed His presence. My problem wasn't that I was not spending enough time with God. My problem was I wasn't spending quality time with God by basking in and enjoying His company throughout the day. Because of this I was worrying and full of anxiety instead of resting and putting my trust in Jesus. I know that the only way I can deal with the problems that I face and the busyness of life is by spending my time in His presence so that He can heal my pain and give me rest so I can recharge. While I spend time in His presence He reveals to me my true state and truthfully, it's not where I want to be. I yearn for so much more. I want to get to know Him deeper. I want to have a divine revelation of His love. I want to understand His power more and more. I want to be a dedicated slave to Jesus. I want to obey. I want to be content in my circumstances, but not in my relationship with Him. I want more.

So today I will relay the word that the Lord gave me this morning for you all:

Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, again I say rejoice! No matter what you're struggling with, no matter what temptations grab for your attention, no matter the busyness of your schedule or the lack thereof, no matter your circumstances - good or bad, no matter your home life, no matter your work situation, no matter your social "status" REJOICE. There is a shift that takes place in the atmosphere and in our thoughts when we give Him thanks instead of complaints. You can do this today. I believe in you and most importantly Jesus believes in you.

    You see, beloved, as we put our trust in Him to do the work in us it starts to happen. We come to a place where we learn to fully rely on God and not on our own efforts. We have to address the mess and realize that the only one who can truly free us is Jesus. This is where we arrive at a place where we can successfully advance to what He has for us next because we are willing to deal with the now. For example, you can't arrive at your destination safely without taking your car to a mechanic to get your oil changed, to have someone come and change your flat tire, or to have a mechanic check under the hood for any underlying problems. We don't just stop the car and quit. We don't just trust that the car won't break down or that the problems won't grow bigger when there are already red flags. Therefore, we stop being stagnant and come to the realization that God already has the solution to every single situation. We give it to Him and realize that we CAN face each and every day with exuberance. We see that we can be sassy in the Spirit and that with authority we can tell Satan to stick that in his juice-box and suck it. We see things for what they are, the importance of the state of our hearts above all else and the ability of God to reform, restore, and transform us into strong soldiers in God's army. So again I say, "REJOICE!"

2 Timothy 2:3 - "Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus."

1 Corinthians 1:29 - "......so that no man may boast before God."

Philippians 4:4 - "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice!"

Throwback

Throwback

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

#Throwback to a time when

Wrinkles and lines belonged in your clothes

 And when the only thing that you would have blown..is your nose..and dandelions,

 When starting over meant beginning with...A-B-C...

When watch out for that weed meant it was in the middle of grass,

 Not something that you'd see in your boyfriend's hands,

 Pressuring you...

When recess meant you got to go and play your little heart away,

Not when it meant a period of time when activity in a court of law...

Stops. 

Slow down.

 There once was a time when we wished to be older,

But now that the world spun...

And it's gotten colder

Do we wish that we could have taken a nap on mother's shoulders...
Instead we take the world upon our own shoulders...

 And this is why our Heavenly Father...

Tells us to receive the kingdom of God like a little child

Full of life discovering new wonders,

 Innocent, and pure.

(The First Grade)

When to Speak, and When to Be Silent

    Sometimes silence can be violent or diamonds and sadly, in a culture so consumed with social media, the line is becoming more and more blurred. I came across a tweet the other day from @SwedishCanary that said, "Never has a generation so diligently recorded themselves doing nothing." That hit home. It boggles my mind that so many can sit behind a screen and yell and scream and preach, but their lives are selling the opposite from sitting and staying stagnant. Over the past couple of months God has been stretching me more and more out of my comfort zone. That's a story and topic for another time. But my point is: are we really saying what we should be? So in this post I'm going to be speaking about when it's okay to speak and when it's okay to be silent.

    God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason, but I wonder how much we would contradict ourselves if He gave us two mouths. In a way, He did. Our second mouth is called our actions. They speak the loudest and they are what determines reactions. This day and age many have the habit of speaking without thinking and it often gets them into trouble. We have filters, but only on Instagram, pic apps, and Twitter. We rarely ever use them for our mouth. Speaking our opinions have become more like partitions than help. Knowing what to say can be more important than when to say it.

So what kind of things are okay to say? 

• Things that express encouragement. (Ephesians 4:29)
• Things that give thanks. (Ephesians 5:4)
• Things that answer gently. (Proverbs 15:4)
• Things that reply graciously. (Colossians 4:6)
• Things that declare truth. (Ephesians 4:24)
• Things that show courtesy. (Titus 3:2)
• Things that mouth righteousness. (Proverbs 12:6)

    There is a time and a place for everything, including your words. Seeking the Lord for discernment in when to say something is also important. Have you ever tried to resolve something with somebody who just wouldn't have it? It's a killer! When people are all riled up at least one, if not all of these three things happen:

1. They're not in the right state of mind. (We've all been here. We're so focused on being right that our state of mind becomes wrong. Our words can be right along with our intentions being wrong.)
2. Their filter is on defense mode. (We feel attacked so we're more concerned about sticking up for ourselves than openly hearing others out.)
3. They won't listen. (We heard what we thought we heard so we just want to speak instead of hearing them honestly.)

    Have you ever gone back to those types of conversations that didn't go well at first after your feelings dissipated? Conversations tend to go much better when you're not on fire. (James 1:19 - "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;") Learning to be silent than what to speak is a tougher feat. It draws me to people so much more when I can tell that they're pondering what was said instead of them piling up what to say. (This is something I definitely can work on.) It is a sign of wisdom to me; and it clearly was in the Bible as well. It even says the foolish man who is silent appears intelligent (Proverbs 17:28). There are so many other good things said in the Bible about those who are silent whose mind remains steadfast on the Lord. I definitely want to develop those characteristics.

These kind of people are:

• Understanding. (Problems 11:12)
• Wise. (Proverbs 29:11)
• Beautiful. (1 Peter 3:3-4)
• Peaceful. (Isaiah 26:3)
• Prudent. (Amos 5:13, Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 12:23)

    Like I mentioned and demonstrated above, silence is a beautiful thing unless we're being silent about the truth. We are to speak what is true 100% of the time. In that case, let's NOT be silent and NOT back down. Let's NOT be intimidated into silence any longer. What do we have to lose in speaking the truth? I'm not going to say nothing. We will lose our fleshly desires, we will lose our comfort, we will lose our self-dependency, BUT we will NOT lose our souls. So today I encourage you to stand up and speak out now to whoever God lays on your heart!

The People Pleaser Reader

    Have you ever went out and fed the homeless and had someone tell you that you're focusing on works to be saved? Have you ever preached about grace and had someone tell you that you're using it as an excuse? Have you ever preached against sin and had someone call you legalistic? Have you ever preached about God's will and had someone say you believe in the law of attraction? Have you ever preached about reaping what you sow and had someone say you're this or that because it's karma? Have you ever preached about humility and had someone say you're prideful because you're preaching about humility? Have you ever preached the law of righteousness and had someone tell you it's not love? Have you ever felt confident and had someone call you conceited only to make you go back to feeling insecure? Have you ever preached about purity and had someone tell you that because of your past you can't? Have you ever used wisdom and had someone demand that you can trust them? Have you ever tried to reconcile God's way only to have someone reject you? Have you ever told the truth to a friend only to have them say you're judgmental? 

    Have you ever? I know I have many times. First off, I want to encourage you to examine your motives. 2 Corinthians 11:28 - "Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe."  Please take into account that what people say might be true and that we're all going to be put to the test. From experience of impure motives I had to take a look at my actions before I could see others reactions in the right light. Proverbs 16:2 - "All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD." Secondly, if you put your words to the test of God's and find that you're in right-standing with Him then please don't let people's misinterpretations and assumptions discourage you from your walk. So many times I've let people steal my peace just because I let in what they were pushing on me. No. More. 1 Corinthians 2:11 - "No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own spirit." If we are all doing what we're supposed to be doing by testing our hearts and testing spirits then our lives are pleasing to God.

    Life gets dangerous when we take our eyes off of Jesus. Many words, lies, assumptions, and hurts come our way and if we aren't living in the Spirit then those spirits can severely damage us. If we aren't living in the Spirit we are living in the flesh and if we're living in the flesh, we're focused on flesh. I used to let other people's words and actions affect me tremendously. I began to look at those people for my identity, my approval, and my affirmation. Believe me when I say that I'm still not perfect when it comes to that now, but I think we all do that at times and it hurts us even more so when those people were once close. We then start to live to try to please them, but we can't take things personally because people hurt us purposefully. When we accept what they say we reject what God's Word says about us. (Click Link For More) Ephesians 6:12 - "For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness of the unseen world." When we focus what's really at stake in the Spirit we see it for what it is - Satan using people to work against us. We start to see that their spirit is not in line with the Spirit. Luke 6:45 says, "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." After first examining ourselves we are able to execute righteous judgments about spirits when we test them. When we focus on Jesus we're able to see who we really are. We become a God pleaser like we should be because let's just be real; nobody has the time or the energy to please everybody! So honey, do yourself a favor and live to please your Father.

"V" is for Victorious, not Victoria's Secret

    Today while singles are complaining about not having a Valentine and couples are complaining about trying to make last minute reservations, while the majority of men who are of this world actually view this day as Happy "V" Day and while the majority of women in this world view this day as the only day where love means they get shiny gifts of jewelry and sweet gifts of chocolate, while Hallmark is making big bucks off of last minute purchasers buying cards with cheesy Valentine's Day poems in them and flower companies are running out of red roses to sell, let's just stop and remember what love really is. Love isn't just a word; it's an action, it's a person whose name is Jesus. I could take this post in a number of different directions. In fact, I already wrote this post and deleted every paragraph that was already written except what I have written above. Isn't God funny? I had written all about what love is and what love isn't, but then God showed me the ideal act of love.

    Well today I fully believe that God wants me to write about forgiveness. He has already spoken that clearly to me and I feel such peace about it. How many of us have been hurt by an ex? I know I have! Well what I'm about to write is something that God wants you to apply to every relationship that you've had and every relationship that you will have. I went through two major heartbreaks this past year by breaking off an engagement and another relationship after that. I can't say that I was completely devastated because I was thankful God had revealed what He had to me, but I can say that I was severely damaged and upset, and rightfully so. I had asked God to help me to forgive and after that I really thought I had done so. Wrong. Every single time someone would bring up something related to the situation I could feel my face heating up. You could say that my blood was boiling out of bitterness, but Ephesians 4:31-32 says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

    It wasn't long ago that I started reading the book Bait of Satan by John Bevere. I'm actually still in the middle of it and I am being utterly wrecked by that book so far. I feel like an advocate for this book because I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. It helped me understand so many things that I was in need of understanding and it helped me realize the importance of forgiving from the heart. I was severely wronged and you might be reading this and relating to that admittance. You might have been cheated on over and over again, you might have been raped or molested, you might have been lied about, abused and misused, you might have been thrown in jail for something you did or didn't do, you might have had your purity stolen from you or you might have given your purity to someone who told you that they loved you but didn't mean a thing they said. Guess what? I've been there and I understand the pain that you're feeling deep inside. I understand the tears that well up in your eyes at night. I've been there. I know what pain is. But beloved one, He says in Luke 6:37 - "Forgive, and you will be forgiven." If we negate the premise, it negates the conclusion. "Don't forgive, and you will not be forgiven."  Do not put limits on forgiveness. Someone could have been utterly wicked to you, but we still sinned against God while He was blameless. The same goes for you and forgiving yourself. What a slap in the face it is that God forgave you and you cannot forgive yourself. His grace allows you to be FREE from your past iniquity. It changes us, wrecks us, reforms us, restores, and transforms us!

    He forgave a debt we could NEVER repay so how dare we not forgive a small debt in comparison to that. (See The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:21) They might never change their ways, but you do not want to live the rest of your life being stagnant because you've held onto those offenses. There was one quote from Bait of Satan that struck me (along with several others I might add): "We are to be so far removed from avenging ourselves that we willingly risk being taken advantage of again." Now please don't take that and put yourself in a position where you could risk getting abused again. We are also told to use wisdom, but what a revelation that is. Luke 17:3-4 - "So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times he comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." Romans 12:20 - "On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." What a blessing it is to love those who do not love you back!

    One of my favorite Bible stories lately has been the one of Saul and David. David loved Saul, he looked up to Saul as his leader! They were super close, best bud status. But Saul grew jealous of David and sought to end his life. David was devastated. David ran for his life! (Oh, Sweet Brown ha ha! That YouTube video is absolutely hilarious.) Anyways, David had the chance to have revenge two times. The first time Saul was pursuing him vehemently. Saul had gotten close enough to kill him, but he didn't even know because David had hid in a cave. David could have taken Saul's life at the swing of a sword, but instead cut Saul's jacket and made an appeal to him of his innocence and integrity. Saul left, but even after knowing David's heart Saul went after him again intentionally. The second time David could have gotten revenge was when him and his military leader, Abishai, went into Saul's camp while they were sleeping. Despite Abishai's encouragement to kill Saul, David would not relent his stand. He refused to avenge himself and ultimately proved the purity of his heart. Romans 12:19 - "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." Only God's justice is righteous! Later on in the story we find out that Saul dies at the edge of his own sword. What was David's reaction? He mourned. Not only did he mourn; he composed a song in his honor. That is truly the definition of a man after God's own heart.

    This past week I also realized that I had an offense toward a place that I needed to forgive (yes, a place). I was angry about all of the things that happened there. I want you to realize from this that it is possible to have bitterness in your heart that doesn't even concern people. You might have bitterness in your heart towards, say, Valentines Day. You might not have gotten chocolate or flowers or even somebody simply telling you that they love you. Well first, I want to say that I love you dearly and Jesus loves you perfectly. I encourage you to look at this day as one out of many days to celebrate the definition of love. Jesus is SO worthy of your glory, honor, and praise! You can do what I do and use this day as an excuse to buy yourself a box of chocolates or (as long as you can afford it) use it as an excuse to buy a shiny piece of jewelry from Jesus. (It works!) Also, radiate the love of Christ to those around you. If He lives inside of you then you should be that light of love. SO many people need to be aware of how much they are really loved especially on Valentines Day, but also on every other day. I'll leave you with this: love your brother, love your enemies, love strangers! God knows each and EVERY single one of them personally and remember this Valentines Day that "V" is for victorious, not Victoria's Secret. This means living a life of forgiveness.

Sticks and Stones, Honey

    Most of you who know me on a personal level know that I'm a very sensitive person. When I'm not thinking deeply I'm feeling deeply. Well this past year I have probably felt more emotions than every year of my life combined, but let's throw it back a few years. In 2011 I felt the Holy Spirit come into my life and lead me for the very first time. I was freed from addictions. In 2012 after coming back from backsliding I gained a little more wisdom. In 2013 I thought I was entering into ministry that came in the form of what I desired to do for the Lord. If you can call it ministry then it would have been best described as masked ministry. It ultimately put me right back into the very thing it preached against. In this time of my life I am gaining more wisdom than ever before mainly in the subject of the spiritual realm. I blindly stepped into the season I'm gladly exiting out of. I did not have much knowledge of the Word as a whole at the time.

    Besides being sensitive I'm also someone who believes the best in people, gives people second chance after second chance, and someone who trusts in man too easily. Man, has that gotten me into a lot of trouble and my heart broken time and time again. That's how I got to the place where I am now. Psalm 118:8 - "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans." I sure am in the process of learning this now and if I would have learned it a year and a half ago I would have saved myself a lot of pain which is why I am sharing this with you all. I was talking to a wise pastor a week ago who asked me, "Would you leave a child molester alone with your children?" I thought the question was absurd! "Of course not," I exclaimed enthusiastically! I immediately had to take responsibility for letting people into my life that were not only sinning against me, but tempting me back into sin. (Note - We are all responsible for our own actions.)

    You might be saying, "Well I already failed that and now I'm broken as ever." Well there's good news. God heals! I'm going to quote my tweet from earlier today: "Let's be real. Emotions can suck. But God heals and that healing INCLUDES your emotions, not just the physical! Rest in His presence" (Psalm 107:19-21, Psalm 30:2, and my favorite Psalm 147:3). This past year I was called everything from a whore from the same lips who did the same thing to delusional and crazy for listening to what the Holy Spirit was telling me. I suffered many accusations that weren't true because of my sin and for letting there be cracks in my life for demons to enter into. I texted my spiritual mommy in tears while I was at work about how hurt I was to keep myself from going off the deep end and into real insanity from all that I've had to endure this past year. She simply told me to look at it from a spiritual perspective and that God will heal my broken heart. Yesterday I realized that God is doing two more amazing things in me by going through this: 1.) He is purging me of my pride and getting rid of all my self-sufficiency and will. 2.) He is teaching me the fear of the Lord.

    This little girl who was once made fun of for being so sensitive is also learning to not care what people say about me or scheme against me because God knows, and if I take into consideration what He thinks about what's going on all around me then I don't have to worry or defend myself. Words, words, words? They're sticks and stones, honey. I've spent the last three months trying to defend myself and fight for worth and it didn't work, but thing is, none of us have to! God avenges (Psalm 94, Nahum 1:2, Deuteronomy 32:35). God says you're worthy (Psalm 139:13-15, Jeremiah 29:11, Luke 12:6-7). Take rest in that, weary soul.

(Credit to Anthony Young for the photo. Go like "The Reading Group" on Facebook)

The Power of Prayer

    I'm just getting back into praying because if I were honest with you all then I would let you know that I am exiting a season of disobeying and into a season of communicating. I've been in and out of this habit of prayer a few times in my spiritual walk with God and I cannot say that when I was out of this habit that I had a relationship with Him. I am now doing better with this, but only because I have been spending time getting to know Him all over again. I've said it several times: you cannot have a relationship with someone who you're not communicating with. It's easier said than done however. It's easier to get out of the habit than back into the habit. I want to bring to your attention Jude 1:20 - "But you, dear friends, by building you up in your most holy faith, and praying in the Holy Spirit.." So how important is prayer? Let's find out.

What does prayer do?

•  It brings you the promises of God.

1. Take note - We are not to ask with the wrong motives (James 4:3).
2. (James 5:13-15, John 14:13-14, Ephesians 1:13, Acts 2:38, Matthew 13:11)

•      It brings us into the presence of God.

1. When we call someone up on the phone we enter into their presence through conversing with them.
2. (Psalm 145:18, Luke 6:12, Exodus 3:14)

•   It brings us the wisdom of God.

1. (James 1:5, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 John 4:1, Proverbs 17:27, Acts 16:25)

Does God answer all of our prayers?

    God answers every single one of our prayers, but not always in the way we want him to. Sometimes the things we ask are not beneficial to us, beneficial to others, or line up with the will of God.

What are God's answers?

• Yes. (Prayer moves the heart of God; prayer with the right motive that is.)
• No. (Like I stated above not everything that we pray is in the will of God. He knows best.)
• Wait. (Sometimes our timing is off. Scratch that. A lot of the time our timing is off. When it is God's timing things will go smoothly. You won't have to push to make things happen and you won't have to pull anyone or anything on your own bandwagon.)

    I hope that this will help you get back on your knees and talk to our Heavenly Father. He yearns to have intimacy with you and me. I don't want to see believers rise up, but lower themselves in humility to the Father's teachings; because it is only then when we can rise up with the right heart and focus. If you would like to tell me all about how you're doing with this or if you simply need prayer for anything you are welcome to e-mail me at: confessionsofachurchkid@gmail.com

Forgiveness Like A Crown

Forgiveness Like A Crown

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

I know that I have forgiven

When the tightness in my chest loosens

And the substance of my heart softens..

Towards that person.

I know that I have forgiven

When I realize that we're all human

No matter how wicked

And when forgiveness..does not mean revenge

But me leaving them in my Father's hands
To avenge

And that my hand..

Will not touch them.

So that I don't sow discord among the brethren.

I know that I've forgiven

When I realize my own flaws 

And disobedience to the law of holiness,

When I realize that I'm a mess

And I need Him to desperately heal my brokenness,

And reteach me about what trust is.

I know that I've forgiven

When I learn that I am worth it,

Repentance,

Forgiveness..

Like a crown.

Drown me now

In Your grace.
Come, let Your love abound.

Carry Us

Carry Us

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Is there an end to this season?

Maybe one day we'll find out the reason,

But I don't dare to count this as the fifth year

Because I hold onto hope that maybe,

Just maybe the end is near.

So..until then
We're all learning now that we don't lap up what others spill;

But that we wait for what God reveals.

Holy Spirit bear witness.

Bring us discernment

Of these words, words, words.

Bring us all into one accord

While we pray

And supplicate.

Separate..the lies from the truth

In our hearts

And start a great healing among us.

Keep the violation far from our memory

And carry..us far..far away from stagnation

By furthering us along on the road of salvation.

Cry Of My Heart

Cry Of My Heart

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Until I reach the promise land

Don't..let go of my hand

Mold me into an iron band

So many temptations I will withstand..

Because of You.

Do you see me here..

Drawing near..

Crying deep oceans,

Tears yearning for more devotion,

Bearing past all my emotions

I keep perse-vering through..

Holding onto You..

 I praise..You past the pain

Because of the sovereignty of Your reign..

Waiting here in the rain..

I'm kneeling amazed.

So come while I wade in the water..

Come and cleanse Your daughter

Come hell or high water

Make me bold like a martyr..
And continue..to author my steps.
 

It's Okay To Cry

It's Okay To Cry

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

God knows every tear you've already cried,

The reason why,

The pain you've tried so hard to hide.

He knows.

It's okay to cry.

He knows the feelings you've tried to subside,

The trauma that you've internalized,

Every single escape from Him that you've tried.

Honey, He knows.

It's okay to cry.

He knows every feeling of worthlessness stemming from your insecurities,

Every heartbeat stolen by your anxiety,

Every yearn and plead for some security.

He knows.

It's okay to cry.

He knows your feelings of inferiority,

The places of your vulnerability,

The deepest cries of your heart that want to experience purity.

Honey, He knows.

It's okay to cry.

So fall to your knees desperately,

Cry out earnestly,

Sing a song expressing your calamity,

And raise your hands in honesty

Then praise the God Almighty

And brace yourself!

Because you're about to feel..FREE!

You Are Who He Says You Are

    Hello. My name is Elaina as most of you know...but not because my parents named me. You see God knew my name before I was in my mother's womb. God knew what I would look like. God knew what I would be like. God knew the numbers of hair that would be on my head...and on my body. God knew how tall I would be. God knew how much I would weigh....before eating that bacon. God knew my eye color. God knew me from the inside out and that...that wouldn't stop when I was born...He knew me intimately then and He knows me intimately now.

 

    He wants me to get to know Him intimately too. He wants all of us to and we all have that choice to make, but it is so very important to be in prayer and constant communication with Him. I remember when I was in such an emotionally and spiritually abusive relationship that I didn't know how to get out of it. I couldn't at all do it on my own strength...because I had tried. I had tried many times to. It took me over a period of a year to pray the words three or more times, "Let there be light." God wanted to know how much I wanted Him and how much I wanted to get out of that situation that almost killed me. When I finally called He answered.

 

    I always knew prayer was powerful, but after that I understood it on a deeper level. He saved me from my life being potentially destroyed. All I had to do was communicate that I wanted to be free to Him. All I had to do was remember the One who I got to know through prayer and reading the Word, the only One I needed and need forevermore. When you hear people tell you to read your Bible it's for a reason. That's how we get to know Him. How do we know what is right and wrong? How do we know what steps to take? How do we know the direction to go in? How do we know Him deeper? It's the same in getting to know people deeper. We spend time with them, we communicate with them, we find out their likes and dislikes, we get to know their family, and we come to understand why they do what they do and why they say what they say.

 

    If you looked at my Twitter a few months ago you would probably have seen a lot more "don'ts" than you do now. You would have seen me giving more pointers before looking at my life first. I have come to a realization that I need to take care of my life more and that alone would be the truest message. I don't tell people what not to do anymore because I have seen people tell you what not to do and then not show you what to do. Without God we are nothing. Without love we are nothing. If I'm not pointing you to God above all else ESPECIALLY when I'm speaking don't, don't, don't then I have failed.

 

    I can't change you. I can't change your situation and neither can anybody else. Only God can change you and He changes you by grace through faith. As you let the Holy Spirit enter in and as you let Him lead you there will be evidence of change. There will be evidence of the fruits of the Spirit. There will be evidence of a heart of stone softening because of the love that only Jesus can give. There will be evidence of one living by the law of righteousness and not by the works of the law. You will experience a deep encounter with God that you cannot find with anybody else. You will experience a euphoria basking in His indescribable presence. He is called Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, Mighty God, and Prince of Peace. His name is Jesus and YOU are who He says you are - a child of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You are His.

 

   I said I wasn't going to make any resolutions that I'm not going to follow as we all head into the New Year, but let's all make one together if we're all serious: let us all come to a place where we're completely relying on God instead of anything or anybody else. We must be willing to give our lives for Him so whatever is holding you back from getting to know Him more be willing to lose. Let us all seek a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord our God. Let us take time to bask in His presence and to sit down and truly think about all that He has done for us - together and individually.

 

 

 

*Challenge yourself - Come up with ten things individually or as a family of what He has done for you that you are truly thankful for. Read Romans 8.

 

Ephesians 8:2-9 - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."

 

Romans 8:4 - "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

 

Promising Humility

Promising Humility

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Christianity shouldn't be a race towards

Popularity.

Where some of our ministries..

Are looking more like idolatry

And becoming a series of don't s

Where the world just looks at us and says, "I won't,"

Because our don't s..

Are focusing on ourselves to be perfect..

When we're human...imperfect

Which is why Jesus was resurrect..

So He could direct

Our paths that don't lead to foolish pride

And haughty eyes

That will ultimately lead us to fleshy lies

That we can do it on our own.

Did we forget about the One seated on the throne?

We've become plucked from grace 

By sitting in that place of thinking,

Running the race of dreaming

About that popularity

Instead of humility.

So that whole living holy is really based on strategy

Instead of depending 

On the Holy Spirit to do work.

We're pretending to be right in the midst of our dirt.

Pride.

I've said it before.

It's suicide.

We should have one focus:

That's HIM.

And one last thing..

It's interim.

God's True Grace

God's True Grace

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

 

 

God's grace is sufficient..

But there's a point

In which

God hands people over to their wickedness.

 

Allegedly they're handed over to their own frigidness

Because they decided..

To despise..

The warnings of the wise.

 

It's one thing to struggle..

And another thing to juggle

With sin..

And to twist grace to deceive many men.

 

It's one thing to fall..

And another thing to be immersed in it all

With no remorse

Or change of course.

 

Especially when grace is used as an excuse..

To misuse, accuse, and abuse..

And curse...

The innocent in an instant

 

As well as confuse infants

With fake brilliance.

Let's make it our mission..

To be in submission to Jesus Christ.

And recognize flaws and faults..

From the false.



The Reality of Innocence

The Reality of Innocence

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Murder capital.

Sin city.

This was around when I was 

Twenty. 

Ha.

Arrested in Flint for a crime I didn't commit -

At least this time..

 A crime..that I didn't commit.

So much injustice..

In a city of violence

This time..

I was innocent.

Later my case was dismissed.

But I want to tell you about the experience.

Betrayed.

By somebody who was supposed to love me.

But all I could think of was that

Some of these prisoners were more free

Than the people you see..

Walking on the streets.

Some of the police..

Were missing their hearts

While some of these prisoners had missing body parts.

And when I say they were missing their hearts

What I really meant was..

 That their hearts were brutally dark.

Mocked.

By men in uniforms

And I surely..don't mean

Orange..ones.

But by men and women with badges that they supposedly..earned.

Who were still given grace if they could only learn..

To accept it..

And to stop rejecting it.

If they could only learn to see..

That they were no better than anybody.

In cuffs

While I was waiting to see the judge

All I could think of was the man hanging up on the cross -

Jesus.

He was betrayed by the people he walked among..

The very people that he still died for..

To love.

The ONLY innocent man who was hung upon a tree

Gave me peace.

You are my child - protected by the blood.

All things I have worked together for your own good.

You are called according to my purpose and you've got to

Forget those who are still being remorseless.

Forgive and forget the pompous.

Move on because you deserve..

Love.

Move on..

Because I have something greater.

Someone who is faithful.

Not only..

Faithful..

To you, but faithful..

To me.

So Much More!

    My heart over the past couple of weeks has been to encourage my fellow believers in Jesus Christ with the following: First off, I want to tell you all that this is not about me, but about God who has been working through me. I had been feeling discouragement in where the direction of my life was headed. He had given me big dreams, but I had no idea where they were going. It seemed like a dead end, however my passion was obvious. Over the past week or so I had been praying that God would expand my influence so I could speak into many young ladies' lives and let me tell you, He answered that prayer and not because it was my timing, but it was HIS timing and not because they were in the way I had envisioned them, but in the way HE envisioned them. I am joyed to be able to tell you that He had answered them in an even bigger way than I had EVER dreamed.

 

    How does this apply to you, precious ones? I am not telling you to discourage you if you are in a dry season. I am here to encourage you to have FAITH. God did NOT put you on this earth to be ordinary, but EXTRAORDINARY and to be able to share in HIS glory. Do not envy anyone else's call because He is going to use you in the areas that you will be the most effective. BUT, you HAVE to take ACTION. It is dire. When He says move, MOVE. When He says stay put, STAY PUT.

When He says speak, SPEAK. When He says listen, LISTEN. Staying put, however, disregards staying put in your relationship with God. We are called to GROW and NEVER to be stagnant and I do NOT care what it takes for that to happen. Be WILLING and CONTINUALLY be in prayer about being humble.

 

    Most importantly, we must live by the HOLY SPIRIT. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide. Cover yourself in the blood of Jesus. Pray purity over your hearts, minds, emotions, words, and your desires. Pray that HIS will be done, not yours. When God moves pride can become a huge epidemic in your relationship with God and it will not be able to thrive in it. Be on WATCH. Beloved ones, I pray that you will be encouraged to stay in tune to the Holy Spirit and this will be the start of your COMPLETE deliverance.

 

2 Corinthians 6:6 ~ "We prove ourselves by our PURITY, our UNDERSTANDING, our PATIENCE, our KINDNESS, by the HOLY SPIRIT within US, and by our SINCERE LOVE."

Daughters of Christ

Daughters of Christ

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Ladies, if you wouldn't want your future daughters

Wearing low shirts, short skirts, skin tight, the works

Then don't wear them presently.

Better yet let's be dressing modestly

Because you're supposed to be.

Encouraging purity.

Daughters of Jesus,

 Being cautious

 Of what we wear,

Taking God's promise

Looking in His mirror.

 He looks at our hearts

Helps us dodge all of those flaming darts

Of insecurity,

All the dirty.

He'll quench all you thirsty.

For eternity.

You don't have to look like Barbie.

Or go to parties

Speaking malarkey to be liked.

Quit using your own psyche.

Clothe yourself with the mind of Christ, See

To it, you agree with it?

 Holy Spirit and you should be tightly knit.

Admit your sins

Fall on your knees in repentance.

You're the one choosing your own sentence.

Love Changes Everything

Love Changes Everything

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

We're too consumed with judging other people's sin

When we need to remember we were once there with them.

No judgement changed us, sustained us.

It only shortchanged us

But then we go and do that to one another like we forgot what it felt like.

We start showing dislike.

By that they're only a confirmation of their condemnation,

An abomination.

No, what does God's word say?

Because of His love the price was already paid.

So stop delaying what God already said.

Stop weighing all of the fabric of their sin

'Cause they won't realize that they'll win 

If they turn from it accepting Him.

It was His love that changed us,

You know Jesus?

His love turned things around.

Thorns as a crown,

Beaten to the ground

He did it willingly.

On such a ghastly day

We killed Him in such a nasty way.

But just as he promised He rose in three days

In such a glorious way.

Now how are they going to see their life changed

In a way that glorifies His name

If all we do is shoot a lofty glance,

Cast a look off like they don't even deserve a chance.

Well let me tell you,
 None of us do.

Yet He still made all of us brand new.

So why do you treat them like they're any different,

And so blatant?

The problem isn't with them.

It's with us.

Start showing love and stop throwing people under the bus

Because it's love that changed everything,
 If anything

And it's not our job to be disparaging.

'Cause that only breaks the church up

So instead start building one another up,

Lifting one another up in prayer.

And start showing people that you really, truly care.

God's Giving Grace

I actually wrote this poem towards the end of 2010. Grace is my middle name so I am often very enthralled with the heighth and depth of what grace truly is and how God is the only one who can have true grace in every situation. He's never bitter. He forgives and forgets and every day I am very thankful for His grace because I know that without it I wouldn't be here because I would have no hope to live on with how much I have failed.

God's Giving Grace

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Grace is undeserved
It is so indescribable
We are immersed
Grace undeniable
How is this so?
Gods grace is sufficient
Only God knows
Mercy expedient
God enables
It is deserved
In which we are capable
God of grace
His riches at Christ’s expense
We don’t have to chase
God’s grace is so immense
Man of mercy
Seeking after God
With all we have
Taking away our façade
Following Him to the end
Giving thanks
For the heart he mends

Copyright: Elaina Morgan, January 13, 2011

Hesitant Steps

I wrote this January 9, 2010. I don't have much to say about this one except that this battle is real.

Hesitant Steps

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Hesitation in my condemnation

To run back to your arms

Lost in this dry desert

In the way of harm

I need you to take me home

I'm trying to get to you

but I'm running in place

Doubt is getting through

Past grasping me

I want to turn to you

Lost in my failure

Calling out for you

Little bloom of hope

Blowing in the wind

Little flame of light

Guiding my way again

Hope for all the things I've been

I'm falling more in love with Love

Light so I can see the end

I'm falling more in love with You.

Copyright: Elaina Morgan, January 10, 2011