Stretch.

This picture perfectly identifies with the stretching, on my toes, I had to do this week.  

Here I am only weeks out from graduating from Nursing school only to fail my exit exam. I was beyond devastated and a little angry. Why was this happening to me? God you said that this was the path you wanted me on the how could you have possibly let me fail ? All these kinda questions ran through my mind all because of my fleshly anger. But in my spirit however something totally different was taking place. My spirit was speaking the promises of Gods word over me even in my despair. So I studied for my next big test the same week only to fail it as well and dropped my average below passing. OMG . This can't be life , definitely not my life. How and why is this happening to me?! In the midst of all of this I realized God was teaching me a lesson, as well as testing my faith and endurance. I was being stripped on my self-dependency (which I didn't even realize had snuck back in). This had nothing to do with me not being smart, knowledgable, and intelligent.  This had everything to do with my dependence on God and trusting in Him and what He had told me I was called to do. I had forgotten that even the purpose of my life wasn't for me but all for Gods glory. I was/am humbled. 

So yesterday I went in to take my last test which I needed an 82 on in order to pass the course and retake my exit exam again. I had such a peace in my spirit and I had decided that no matter what happened I wanted God to have his way. I walked out of that test knowing I had did my very best and God would handle the rest. Yall, GOD showed up and showed out . I got exactly an 82 on my test and brought my average up to passing ! Can you say speechless. 😭🙌🏾. I appreciate this journey through nursing school all the more than I did before. It wasn't anything I did, but ALL GOD. All the stretching, strengthened my faith muscle !! 

Reception: Recognizing The Voice.

There are many ways in which God speaks to us. The knowing we have in our gut (intuition), that soft still voice, and no peace about a certain person, place, or situation just to name a few. Although most of us know the many ways God can speak to us we long to hear from Him more clearly. Here are a three ways I have learned to Recognize The Voice.

 1. Be in range.

For example, say you're on a football field in the end zone, during a band rehearsal, and you have a friend on an opposite end screaming something to you. You can make out that they are trying to tell you, but you can not hear them. Once the instruments stop playing and you and your friend begin to walk towards each other, the closer you get to each other the better you can hear what they were trying to tell you. You couldn't hear at first because of noise that was happening at first. It is the exact same way when we are trying to hear from God. He's talking to us but we can't hear him over our busy schedule, school, work, lack of time with him, etc.

•  The Lord's voice is heard through scripture. 
• Reconnect with Him. 
• Spend time in the word.

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he will go ahead of them and his sheep follow him because they know His voice. But they will never follow a stranger, in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize his voice. 

John 10:3-5

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "this is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

                    Isaiah 30:21

                 

2.  Be tuned into the right station.

 Many of us know how we used to have antennas on top of our house back in the day trying to watch television. You had to twist and turn the antenna just to get a clear picture or to get the volume to not be all fuzzy (sometimes you even put aluminum foil on the end of the antenna lol). If you don't know anything about that then I'm sure you know about listening to the radio in the car and all of a sudden static takes over the station. You turn the knob in constant search looking for a station you can audibly listen to the music.

•  Get rid of ALL static. 

• God's Word is static free, clear, and concise. He always speaks consistent with scripture. He will never contradict it. 
• Compare what you hear to Scripture. Seek wise counsel.

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. 

           Jeremiah 33:3

Therefore we must pay close attention to what we have heard.

           Hebrews 2:1   

3.  Be willing to make necessary adjustments.

• Don't let logic try to come into play here. Logic and human reasoning can be the very reason we end up being disobedient to God's instruction.
• Align yourself with God's word. 

My sheep know my voice; I know them and they follow me. 

         John 10:27

God is talking. I hope you're listening. Clean out your spiritual ears. 

from my heart to yours. -Q 

Obedience.

Hello Everyone. Its been a few weeks since my last blog. Nursing School is getting all of my time. Okay so lets get straight into it (this blog will be super short). Today the Lord placed the word "obedience" on my heart as my word of the day. So all day long I'm meditating on what it means to be obedient and what obedience looks like. So on my way home, I became so hung up on getting my friend to her house so I could get to mine. I'm driving while talking to her and didn't realize I had to begun to speed. Soon as I saw the sign that read 40 MPH I hit my brakes. Just as I hit my brakes I spotted the police car and they spotted me. As I am sitting there while he runs my license, insurance, and registration the Lord brought the word "obedience" back to my mind.

"Obedience: complying or willing to comply with orders or requests, submissive to another's will" (dictionary.com)

To be obedient is a choice as well as disobedient is a choice. One brings you closer to God and His will for your life and the latter separates you from Him. Often times we ignore the early signs to be obedient until its too late to stop or we focus on our surroundings so much so that we don't see the warning signs. Like for me with my speeding earlier today. If I wouldn't have been so caught up with my own agenda of trying to get where I wanted to be at a certain time I wouldn't have gotten pulled over. So with my decision to be disobedient and break the speed limit I had consequences to face. Luckily I got a warning and not a ticket (Praise God because I'm a broke college student lol).

"Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered." (Hebrews 5:8 NLT)
When we think of Jesus we think of Him in all his majesty and glory. We give special honor and reverence to Him. We're supposed to. As I read the above scripture I realized that Jesus learned to be obedient just like you and I have to. Jesus knows all too well what it is like to be human, in this world, and not understand the things God wants to accomplish in our lives.  However, even though Jesus didn't understand God's reasons as to why until later; He ALWAYS obeyed Him in the present time.

"He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a Cross" (Philippians 2:8 NLT)
The debt that should have been ours to pay Jesus paid for it with His life. Even though he had the power to remove himself from the Cross he took a different approach. One that is an example for all the world. He was obedient to God all the way to the point of death! (Wheeeeew!!) Jesus didn't think put what He thought and understood over what God had said and commanded. Jesus was and is a True Disciple because although He had disciples (today more than 12 :) ) He was a disciple to the Father first and foremost.

"So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then." (1 Peter 1:14 NLT)
When you know better you do better.  I hear people say this a lot. But this saying holds a lot of truth. Progression NOT regression.

"Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good." (Titus 1:6 NIV)
How are you living?
Nothing good comes from disobedience. Most of the time we get into trouble or make mistakes simply because we didn't listen or comply with the rules set before us. Do what God tells you. Don't question it. If you have been disobedient I urge you to stop. Don't try to rationalize why you've been disobedient just admit your wrongs to God and make the conscious decision from this day forward to Trust God and obey him. God knows ALL things. Sees ALL things. Trust Him to make the unknown, known to you. Whether you choose to be obedient or disobedient know that either choice has its consequences.

from my heart to yours xoxo -Q