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 Image of Transparency

The Image of Transparency

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

You all up on here carin' about your image like Cain

While I'm just doing damage with the transparency of what I say.

I ain't perfect.

I make mistakes.

But you just on here tryin' to imitate..

The world

With the words you spill 

And the poison you hurl on Saturday nights.

That's what I used to be like

But now on Sunday mornings I learn to be like,

Love like Christ

Instead of loving like those one stand nights.

I'm new.

Let me tell you

It wasn't worth it when the night was through.

Love with no attachments led to other people's misjudgments about me.

Slut, hoe, whore.

Well with that night I thought I won..

The heart of the man who I adored 

In place of the innocent lamb who I ignored..

Swapped..

For a man in a mask,

A man who played around like it was an important task.

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater.
Had another and didn't love her.

Spiritual maturity like a nursery rhyme,
Recognized, realized, and brought into the light.
I was confused.
Heard so many "God bless you's."
Which "god" are you talking about!?
For the first time in my life I started to doubt
What I really knew -
The truth.
Yet the one and only God pulled me out.
I was blind, but now I can see
The ugliness of deceit.

Let this be a lesson.
Not of defeat,
But of victory and freedom..
Because He was watching over me.
Protected by the blood..
From
Wolves in sheep masks.
Always declare, "Let there be light" and ask..
For discernment,
What a beautiful, beautiful adornment.

New Creation

New Creation

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

They'd call me little miss goody two shoes.

Little did they know I was wearing two shoes

Pulling me in separate directions,

One, the way of correction, protection

The other a way of defection.

When did the ways of the fool ever become cool?
When did this get to me, a duet consisting of sin and me?
I ignored the debt that was paid for me.
I let them push me, peer pressured and they used me.
Those ways never pleased me, appeased me, freed me.

Those were the ways of the men that chained me up.
They always gave me an empty cup,
Never fulfilled my thirst.
I was cursed.
Yet in His grace I had been immersed.
Through Him I have found freedom
By what I have become in Him.

I am saved by grace,
The old has been replaced
Through faith.
I am a new creation.
He has lifted my burden.
He has ended this famine.
He has given me joy to spread to all nations.
Through only Him I am a new creation.