Casting Crowns - Courageous [Official Music Video - HD]

The Strength to Stand

Hello, everyone! I hope that the new year will bring you many blessings. And that this will be one of those years that you look back on one day and say, that was the year that changed my life. Wouldn't that be wonderful? But what do you think it would take to make that happen? A miracle? Winning the lottery? Most of us can think of at least a thousand things that could happen to us that would make all the difference. What if you discovered that you had everything you needed within yourself to make the necessary transformation? Intriguing, huh? We do but we can actually only attain the true measure of what we were designed & created to be when we know the Lord. As I've stated before He had a specific purpose for creating us and He has instilled in us everything necessary to fulfill that purpose. But unless we're tapped into Him & allowing Him to guide us in the path He has for us we aren't "activated", so to speak. The reason I'm bringing this up is because those of us who desperately tried to tell everyone what was going to happen if Obama was reelected are beginning to see all of our worst fears coming to fruition and then some. On my part, it is actually so much worse then I even imagined. Even though, as believers, we know we can be confident that God is control, and that ultimately everything will work out for our good, it doesn't mean that things are not going to happen to us that could be challenging. In the words of a wise friend of mine, the world just feels "icky" right now. There's no other way to describe it. Things just seems to feel evil, foul. But we need not despair, we just have to learn how to dig deep, to hold on to God and allow Him to use us during this time to strengthen us & to allow us to emerge victorious from this time of tribulation. The Bible says, "In all thing give thanks". That's what we're called to do and now is the time when we must come together as God's people and be strong & courageous, standing up for what we believe in and who we are, in Christ Jesus. We knew this was going to happen. It's all been prophesied. I know I was hoping it would be more later than sooner but it is what it is. God is in control & His timing is perfect. And to be honest, we've brought all of this on ourselves. We've continued to remove God from everything in our country. So now we must be prepared for Him to remove His hand of protection from us as He promised He would. And He always keeps His promises. I am amazed at the number of people who think that He had nothing to do with the prosperity that this country has experienced. That we have somehow done all of this ourselves. Ha! What arrogance! But now the music will be faced, ready of not! The hardest part for me is understanding when it's time to act and when it's time to just be still & know that He is God. I have recently rediscovered the Serenity Prayer. I didn't know how much there actually was to it. Here it is in it's entirety- The Serenity Prayer God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. Reinhold Niebuhr Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3, 5-6 I am praying that someday I will look back at 2013 and say that this year was one of the most incredible years of my life. That I learned more about God & myself then I could have ever believed and that He was able to use me in ways that I would never have dreamed possible. I'm going to ask Him to give me the courage and boldness that I need to stand strong, and to not allow myself to ever waiver in my faith & my actions. I'm going to discover new things about myself & about my fellow believers. We're going to rally together in ways we could never have imagined. I'm attaching the song Courageous by Casting Crowns from the movie of the same name. It is my favorite movie of all time and I love this song. I hope it motivates you to make a change.

Happy New Year 2013!

Hi, everybody! I'm sorry I haven't written much lately but it's been crazy the last month. I promise I will be back on here soon enlightening you with my wit & wisdom! LOL!

Love you guys. I hope your Holidays were wonderful & blessed with the love of family & friends but you remembered what it's really all about.