Hello!

There are some moments that will pass you by and never return to you again! Enjoy your everyday life today and make the most of what you have!

Hello Ladies,
You may have wonedered where in the world have I disppeared to. Well, I am still here, busy as ever, but sill after all that God has for me. I have the best intentions to get my encouragement blog back to work. It has been interesting times between August and now. I have 3 kids keeping me busy, my husband started a new business, and I have had new opportunities. I started teaching Christian Release Time one day a week to 6th-8th grade girls. I hosted a Free to be Me Weekend for Women and was a speaker too. I attended an insearchofaprincess weekend for teen girls with Kimberly Powers. I still have my life, husbands, kids, family/friends and church in the equations too. Busy, Busy, Busy, but still no excuse not to write.

The whirlwind seems to be slowing down for now and I need to get a focus while it is slow. Do you ever feel that way? Kinda running by the seat of pants sometimes hoping to hit it right? In the midst of it all enjoy the journey. Some moments only come by once and they are gone. Don't let those good moments pass you by.

Drop me a line if you will and let me know how you are. I would love to hear from you.

Sweet blessings to you and Happy New Year!
Lesia

Amazing!!

You made me in an amazing and wonderful way... Psalm 139:14

Imagine with me for a moment the great God in heaven creating His children, His daughters. He thinks of all the daughters and creates them all so unique. He thinks of this daughter and decides that she will have brown hair and brown eyes. The next will be tall and have red hair. The next one will love to sing and dance. And as He creates, he looks back over His work and smiles at His creation. Can you see it? God created us all different and we are all unique. He created each of us with our own special DNA, personality, beauty, talents and even shortcomings! We are all unique and He is pleased with us.

Everything about us is a gift from God. He created us in an amazing and wonderful way, but the sad thing is that we often grumble about what God has created. We stand in the mirror and fuss; we compare ourselves to others and condemn never seeming to be pleased with what we see. Gals, I think we need to rethink this concept of not liking ourselves and focusing on our flaws. If God is pleased with what He created, and He is, then we need to change our attitude, mindset and words about ourselves. We need to begin to see ourselves as amazing and wonderful. When we realize whose we are and know the heart of the One who created us we can change. Then, we can finish Psalm 139:14 as praise to the Lord, "What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well" We can truly say we know this as a daughter of the King. We are made in an amazing and wonderful way; however, we must not talk the talk when we truly do not believe it.

Sadly, in the past I have not always seen myself in an amazing way. I had too many issues, flaws and weaknesses for God to call me amazing, beautiful or wonderful. However, God in His great love, grace and mercy reached down into my heart and saturated me with His love. In the midst of His love, He revealed TRUTH to me as a daughter of the King. The TRUTH he revealed to me changed me from the inside out. I could truly read Psalms 139:14 believing His Word and understanding it. I became grateful for me, and could praise Him for me!

My passion is to share this TRUTH with others just like me. I challenge you to think about "you" and the amazing gifts, talents, and special beauty that you have. Rejoice in knowing that God made you amazing and wonderful. Believe it, it is the TRUTH, and live it in an amazing and wonderful way as a daughter of the King!

Sweet blessings to you,
Lesia

Free to be Me

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.... A unique Princess of God.

You are invited to a

Free to be Me

Self-Esteem Celebration Weekend.

November 5-7, 2009 at The Crowne Plaza in Greenville, SC.

In this weekend you will focus on the value of a true esteem in Christ- discovering the "princess within" that God uniquely created. You'll discover a new hope, joy, victory and freedom in your self-esteem.


Registration is $139 for the weekend. This includes:

• 2 night stay at The Crowne Plaza with double occupancy room.
• Breakfast each morning of your stay.
• Weekend Registration
• All Weekend Conference materials

T-shirts are available for $10. They must be ordered and pre-paid in advance.

What to expect:

Free to be Me will offer times of worship, small group talk times, teaching sessions and encouragement times. There will also be quiet times with the King for personal reflection on your self-esteem.

Speakers: These speakers speak from a heart of love to women as they share their own self-esteem journeys and victories. They share and inspire through heart warming and challenging teaching to motivate and encourage your true-esteem in Christ.

Lesia Glick, Speaker/ Author of Free to be a Princess Self-Esteem Bible Study for Women.

Debra Chapman Epps, Licensed Christain Counselor/ Speaker

Melanie McConnell, Speaker

More information available.

To register please e-mail freetobe@lesiaglick.com Registration in limited and will end October 6.

Relentless..

Some things to think on for today. This blog is for Relentless Women so I thought it would be a good day to think on the word "relentless". Relentless is defined as "never slackening, but continuing always at the same intense, never giving up," according to my computer dictionary. So let's make our relentless personal today.

R- Real
E- Excellence
L- Love
E- Extraordinary
N- Noble Character
T- Trustworthy
L- Life of Joy
E- Elegant
S- Strength
S- Special and unique
Can I be intense about the qualities above being evident in my life today?

Relentless to be like you, Jesus. May the qualities be evident in my life as I represent Jesus to others. May I have a relentless spirit, determined to follow and be more like Jesus everyday. Intensify us Lord in our walk with you as a relentless woman. In Jesus name.

Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:11-12

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 14

Relentless Women loving a Relentless Jesus!

Blessings to you!
Lesia

Taste the sweetness...

This past weekend I attended the She Speaks Conference through Proverbs 31 Ministries. The weekend was awesome and unexplainable. It was a refreshing time to break away and learn more about His plan for me. I went to define my speaking and writing skills and I did do that, however, I got so much more. God joined me on purpose in a very sweet way. I felt as if I could melt in the arms of God! He was so melting my heart for His love even more. His presence and sweetness to me was sweeter than a Hershey's kiss melting in my mouth. A line from P31 Speaker Wendy Pope says it all, " I could take me a big ole' bite of me some Jesus!" Hmmm! That is how good and sweet Jesus was to His me and all His daughters. His presence was so sweet and tender as...

He spoke,

He loved,

He cared,

and He embraced His daughters and affirmed us in Him.

He defined and refined to be more like Him. He showed true purpose in writing and speaking and then released all his daughters to go and spread the message.

As the conference ended with hugs,tears and good bye's there was one common sense of peace. His sweetness and tenderness went with each of us. Just because the conference closed didn't mean that the sweet feeling of His love or His presence ended. We can taste and see that the Lord is good everyday right in our own home. He desires to lavish His love on His daughters and He is wild about us! I am all about my Jesus being wild about me! We can have the same melty, sweet experiences everywhere. He has a wild desire for us, however, we have to be wild about Him too. So, now renew the excitement to love on Jesus and indulge in a refreshing way tasting His sweetness. As His daughters, we must slow down from the busy schedules, the cooking, the kids and so forth to take time to experience the sweetness. Sometimes we miss it because we are so busy or have our own plans. The challenge is in the everyday walk of being close to a true love and that is taking the time to " taste His sweetness". The sweetness of Jesus will leave us forever changed.

So, may I leave you with this... God desires to lavish His love on you. He desires to hold you and tenderly love you. He desires to lead you and show you the way you should go everyday, every second. I would love to share my sweet, tender Jesus with you. He is the love of my life and He knows how to make my heart melt. He will melt your heart too. Will you invite Jesus in and taste of His sweetness?

Dear Sweet Jesus, Thank you that you lavish your love on us, your daughters. May you melt our hearts in the sweetest way as you draw us closer to you. Allow us to taste and see the goodness of the Lord every day and every second. May each of the ladies reading this experience you Jesus, and may she come to know how sweet, faithful and lovable you are. In Jesus name.

Sweet blessings,

Lesia

Sweet verses to indulge on:

How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalms 119: 103

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a

Psalms 34:8, Psalms 45:11

Show me how to manage the whirlwind!

Good morning ladies!

I write to you today with a heart of excitement and renewal. It is a new day in the Lord and I am excited. This summer has been crazy, but it has been a lot of fun. In keeping up with three kids it is a whirlwind of fun, sibling rivalry quarrels and something new everyday. They keep me busy! I have been overwhelmed with entertaining kids, trips to the pool and the normal everyday stuff that still has to go on. This morning in my prayer time I asked God for order!God has to be in control or my whirlwind will turn into a damaging tornado that will reek havoc on my life if I am not keeping God as the first priority. I need him to show me the way to guide my whilrwind!

My verse for today is Psalms 25: 4-5, Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me. For you are the God of my salvation: On you I will wait all day.

My goodness! What a great truth and revelation for today. God show me your way, so that through my whirlwind of life I walk in your steps. He is forever teaching me in the little things as I go through day to day. How about you? Did you have your morning coffee today? Do you have a plan that includes God? I have to admit so many times I can have my prayer time and then hit the day running hard only to reach about mid day frazzled and frustrated. Why is that? Often times our morning prayer times can be routine. Check that off the list and move on to what is next. However, I have learned great lessons by inviting Him in my day, while I do laundry, wash dishes, referee the sibling rivalries, and make trips to the pool. I am the woman who can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan all while I multitask and control the world! NOT!! We think we are Superwoman sometimes, but we have to stop and say okay, God show me your way and your truth about life just for today. When we do that the daily grind becomes a PEACE of cake with our favorite icing! So for today, I want the PEACE of cake and icing too, that God has to offer when I put Him first and include in my life. I am excited to indulge in all that He has for me in my whirlwind of life. If I put Him first I will make it through the frazzled times with peace.

Can you be renewed in Him today and be excited about He has to offer you? The challenge is don't just include Him in your morning, but in all that you do for today. Include Him and allow Him to show you the way and enjoy your PEACE of Cake!!!

Sweet Blessings,
Lesia

I welcome you to visit my new online home! This home is in addition to my blog home. The address is http://www.lesiaglick.com/ There you can read more about the self-esteem ministry and the Free to be a Princess book.

I encourage you to visit and consider purchasing the Free to be a Princess Self-Esteem study. You can order the book from http://www.amazon.com/ There is a link from my website.

While you are there be sure to drop me a comment and say hello.

I look forward to hearing from you! Blessings to you all!

Lesia Glick

Is it enough?

Compliments, validation, and praise... Don't we all just love it? Nothing better to stroke our ego's than a few compliments or praise. Right? We can be self-seeking looking for validation. Why? What are we looking to gain? All those things are good, but when we only look to those things to esteem us they give us a false sense of security and esteem. They last for a moment. Sure we may remember the words, but what about the next time we need a little pep. Are we down, discouraged and out of sorts?
We have to be healthy in this area. We have to live balanced in the fact that compliments, and praise are all good however, we do not need them to validate our worth! We have purpose, value and we are cherished. Who or what are you looking to for validation in who you are as a woman? Do the compliments and praise sustain you? Does it last? Is it enough?

I hope that you are looking to Jesus Christ, the Creator and the Holy Spirit to confirm and validate who you are. Think on this awhile. I'll be back with part 2!

Blessings!
Lesia

Reminders from the birds

One of my most favorite things to do is to get up early and go out on my back deck to enjoy the sunrise. With coffee in hand, I find my comfy chair to relax and this morning something new got my attention. I can hear the most beautiful music. There are no car sounds and everything is still except for the beautiful music. The music is an early morning symphony of praise for the new day. All the birds of the air are singing their praise! The melodies are sweet, joyful and yet they all are different.
That music brings to mind the verse "Early will I seek you.." First thing in the morning the birds are singing their happy tune before the movement of the day starts. That is a life lesson in itself. All is very still yet the birds are singing their song. Who am I that I will not praise my God first thing in the morning, but the birds will? What does that teach us? There is something to the early morning praise that can set the tone for the whole day. The time I spend with God encourages me greatly and reminds me to praise Him early in the morning. If a bird can then so can I! We have so much to be praising him for each day. Don't let the birds be the only who does the praising.
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirst for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for you in the sanctuary, to see your Power and Your glory. Because your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Psalm 63: 1-3, NKJV

He's Alive --- Are you? Cont.

He's Alive! Are you? If Jesus lives in your heart then you should be very alive today. So many times we live so far beneath what Jesus intended. When He endured the cross HE thought of you? Are you fully receiving the gift of Jesus Christ and living life to the fullest?

Self-Esteem can be a negative thing for women in keeping them from being alive and living! If your self-esteem is holding you back it is time to take steps to turn it around. Give it to God and live life like Jesus intended! God created you with purpose! Are you walking it out and fulfilling it? OR, are you just sitting, whining and complaining? Sad to say that is what some of you are doing, but whining and complaining will not get you anywhere. Are you stale and stagnate? If you are waiting on someone to tell you that you can do something then stop waiting. God is waiting on you to take some steps of faith and get busy. He is alive in you, right? Then act like you are alive and get moving. Move with the intensity that you know Jesus Christ lives in you. Greater is He that is in YOU , than that which is in the world. HMMM> That is a scripture girls! Stop living beneath what Jesus Christ paid the price for you to have. Reach out and grab hold to truth and get moving. With each step you take things will get better when Jesus is the leader. Encourage yourself! Do not wait on others to do it for you. Jesus is alive and He is alive in you so don't live beat down, discouraged and as if your life is over. Pick yourself up and get moving with Jesus! He is alive! Are you living life as if He is alive in YOU?

This feels like a good kick in the back side. Maybe that is just what we need sometimes. Be encouraged! You are so valueable and God is pleased with His daughters. You are a masterpeice, you are free, forgiven, and new in Christ. Live like it today! There are so many scriptures for this. I'll name a few and you go in search of some more! Ephesians 2:10, 1 John 4:4, Col. 2: 13-14, 2 Cor. 5:17

Be blessed!
Lesia

Jesus made the choice!

Enjoy this poem for today! Happy Easter. He's alive and I can live because of the choice He made!

The to be continued will follow in the next day or two. Be sure to stop back by. Blessings! Lesia


Choices

Arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane,You could have called on heaven's armies;yet You allowed them to take You captive.

Falsely accused in a mockery of a trial,You could have denied who You were;yet You convicted Yourself.

Physically and emotionally abused,You could have struck down Your tormenters;yet You remained silent and turned the other cheek.

On the way to the cross,You could have thought only of Yourself;
yet You spoke with compassion to Jerusalem's daughters.

Nailed to the cross and spit upon by the crowd,You could have cursed Your enemies;
yet You prayed, "Father, forgive them."

Taunted to "Come down from the cross!"You could have done exactly that;
yet You chose to suffer and diethat I might have the choice to live in You.

Marlene BagnullReprinted from Spring 1984 issue of Face-to-Face

He's alive.. Are you Alive for Him?

He's Alive!!

Happy Easter to all! I am so thankful that I serve a living God. A God that is alive in me everyday! I can rejoice in WHO I AM because of WHO HE IS! I am nothing without Him, but with HIM I can be the woman He created me to be.

He created you with a purpose, destiny, and joy to walk out life to the fullest. Think on these things. As Jesus went to the cross He thougth of you. He knew that one day you would need a Savior, so He had to perservere. He went for it all with you in mind. I encourage you to show God glory and go for it all with Him in mind! He did it for you, so show Him glory by doing the same. How can you show Him glory? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you . It may be just the words of your mouth, the little things you do. Look around. You are God's glory because you are His daughter, and He created You . As you look in the mirror reflect on His glory. As you reflect on life reflect on His glory. Go for it all... Keep Him in Mind as you go through life. May your life bring Him glory! He's alive! Are you ALIVE for Him?
To be continued..............................

Happy Easter!
Lesia

Thomas Nelson Book Review.

The New Generation Mp3 Bible Review

The New Generation Mp3 Bible is great for tweens and teens. I wasn't sure at first how I would like it. The Bible is presented by great speakers that add some pizzazz to the recordings. It is presented in a way that it will appeal to the younger generation. The younger generation are all into the technical stuff so this is a great tool for them to hear God's word. This would be nice for a long drive to listen to the Word. I listened and passed it along to my 16 year old. Thanks for taking the time to minister to the teen generation. It is definetly worth getting for a teen.
This MP3 Bible can be purchased at your local Christain book store.

Be encourage today in your self-esteem! You are beautiful. Say that to yourself a few times today. Look in the mirror and say it to yourself. God is enthralled with your beauty...(Psalm 45:11) He is wild about you. He created you in His image and calls it very good. Look in the mirror on purpose with a smile and call yourself beautiful! Encourage someone else today too! As you are affirmed in Christ, affirm someone else with your joy and your beauty. Be encouraged in who you are today and you that you are created BEAUTIFUL!!!! Blessings! Lesia

Greetings!!

I would like to invite you to visit my new website home! It is www.lesiaglick.com

Have a blessed week!
Lesia

Beauty tips!

The King is enthralled with your beauty, honor him, for He is your Lord. Psalm 45:11


The Part 1 message to this is on the previous post. Be sure to read it first so you can grasp part 2 clearly.

Honor Him, for he is your Lord. How can we honor God with our beauty? 1 Peter 3:3-4 (paraphrase) tells us that God is concerned with our inner beauty. This is of great worth in God's sight. So my thinking is that if it is of great worth, and it is, then we should be concerned about it. The Holy Spirit showed me 4 jewels that we, as women, can work on for more inner beauty. The 4 jewels are as follows:

1. Attitude- Our attitude is of great worth in God's sight. How are you doing with yours? Romans 12:1-2, paraphrase, Says that everything we do is our spiritual act of worship and that we are not to conform TO THE WORLD/ BAD ATTITUDES around us. (emphasis mine)

So, are you worshiping God and honoring Him with your attitude? You ask the Holy Spirit and you will get your answer.

2. Words- Ladies, our words are hurting us! Check your words that you are saying to others, about others, and about yourself. Yes, I said about yourself. You are God's handiwork, that He is pleased with, so guard yourself as to what you say about YOU. Words speak life and death. Once again, are you honoring God with your words?

3. Body- Your body is a temple of God. Are you taking care of it? Enough said. Are you honoring God with your body?

4. Character- Who are you when no one is looking? God sees everything you do. Let's talk about the little things. In the Song of Solomon it says that the little foxes spoil the vine. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the little character flaws that need to be refined. You usually know the biggies, but if you ask the Holy Spirit you may learn more about yourself. How true are you in your character? Are you honoring God?



I encourage you to spend time in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. He will show you which jewel to work on first. Listen to His voice and then honor him, for He is your Lord. I encourage you to be the best that you can be for God. God calls you beautiful, and He is wild about you so honor the King!



May your inner beauty become of great worth in God's sight and to you.



Be blessed,

Lesia Glick

True Beauty - The best tips!

Part 1 of 2

The King is enthralled by you beauty, honor him, for he is your Lord. Ps. 45:11

God is so captivated by you, his daughters. You are beautiful to him and he is pleased with His creation. I love what The Message Bible says, " He is wild about you". HMMM.... some of you there say "not- don't get it". Let me help you. God created you beautiful, in His image and he calls it " very good" Ponder on that. Everything about God is beautiful, so everything about you is beautiful. Ask God to give you His eyes to see what He sees in You. Maybe no one has told you latley how beautiful you are. Well, let me tell ya sister- YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! And as beautiful as you are there is more!

God has more beauty for you! It does not come from the salon, the hair color bottle or the latest fashion fad. It all comes from Jesus Christ. When you accept Jesus into your heart you have a great heart change. The Holy Spirit gets busy and starts refinement. Every beautiful peice of gold or silver has been refined for impurities before it ever reached its most beautiful potential.

I encourage you in that if you have not accepted Jesus that you do that now! He is for you and it is so easy to invite Him into your life. You must first admit you are a sinner, believe in Jesus and confess Him with your mouth. If you already are saved, I encourage you to INVITE Jesus in to have a close relationship with Him. Invite Him in to your heart, body, mind, and life to show you the way to go.

Like I said, He is enthralled with your beauty. He wants to be close to you and spend time with you. He desires your company. Rejoice in Him today. You are beautiful. Tell yourself that a few times and enjoy the JOY that it will bring.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 on beauty tips!!

Blessings to all!
Lesia

Where are you?

Greetings to all!

I have been missing the communciation with you. I have clicked on the blog several times only to find no comments from the readers. I notice that there are now 12 followers of the blog. Wonderful!

I enjoy connecting with others and reading their input. It is great to have that communication.
However, as much as I enjoy it, there is none at this time. I miss it. I keep checking and there are no comments. The Holy Spirit so sweetly brought something to my attention. This is how God feels when He desires to talk to us! God keeps trying to communicate, but often it is one sided. He is trying to share, but we are not responding! We are often too busy, tired, or following our own plan to communicate with God. The way I feel about the commnicators on my blog reminded me that God wants a communication line with us 24/7. He wants to converse with us and help us through life. However, it is sad to say, but how often do we just not take the time to communicate. Maybe we do communicate, but we give God our "needs"lists to God, check it off and move on.



I have missed my blog followers. I am concerned about what is going on in each persons life, but as concerned as I am, God is even more so! He is waiting for you to talk to him. I challenge you to examine your communication relationship with God. Are you communicating or are you too busy? Take time to talk to God. Make him a priority today.

Rejoice always. pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17.

Blessings to you. I look forward to us reconnecting again on the blog world!

Lesia

Free to be a Princess

Princess,
Happy Valentine's Day!

May you be encouraged all week in God's love for you. As a child of God, you are His Princess and he is enthralled with your beauty. You are so beautiful to God. He takes great delight in you and rejoices over you with singing... He is so overtaken by you! What a great love! No one on earth can match that love for you.

I don't know your situation this Valentine's, but God does. You can rejoice in God's love no matter what man rejoices over you. You are loved.

Scripture references: Psalms 45: 11, Zephaniah 3: 17, 1 John 3:1

As women we often search for love to make us "feel" special. Many times we go about it all the wrong ways and sometimes in the wrong places. We have to come to realize the truth that we already are special. We are special to God. Often in our self-esteem we don't feel anything like a Princess. Oh, but we are! We can not go by our feelings we must live by truth. Feelings will leave us looking to the husband to love us like a Princess and he may not do that. He could, but what if on a given day he doesn't? However, in God's love and discovering who we are, we can rest in the fact that we are God's Princess. Truth is we are loved and that love never changes. And to prove He loved me so much that He sent Jesus - Our King!

We don't need others to validate or affirm us in who we are. We can discover who we are in Christ. We can establish true-esteem in our life. I challenge you to go to the scriptures this week and let the Holy Spirit affirm his love for you.

Make this Valentine's one to remember with your TRUE LOVE. Your husband may forget or he may not treat you like you want, but you can know the truth. Maybe you are single or going through a difficult marriage and wishing Valentine's Day would disappear. I don't know what it is for you, but I do know God will lavish His love on you as His daughter. Will you search for a true love? A True love that will love unconditionally and take delight in you as His Princess.

You are loved. You are beautiful and your God is rejoicing over you with singing. What a great encouragement as we celebrate the "Love Month"! Nothing can be greater than God's love for you. Receive it this week!

Living free and loved as a Princess of God,

Lesia

Think on theses things...

Do you have a Deadly D in your life? I challenge you to take a good hard look for a deadly D! Deadly D's are dangerous and destructive to our life.
Deadly D"s
1. Distractions
2. Discouragement
3. Doubt

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal these to your in all areas of you life. They creep in before you know it and cause havoc in your life. Check yourself, identify them and spend time with God to remove them or change your focus.
Blessings,
Lesia

Determination

Let's talk about determination and commitment.

Leave me a comment on your thoughts.

What does it take for a woman to have determination and committment in 2009?


What are some of your commitments for 2009?

Do you have any tips to share for success?

Let's hear it ladies.......

Be sure to read the blog for Friday, January 9, 2009.


Lesia

I will, I will, I will do what?

I will lose 30 pounds this year, I will start an exercise program, or I will spend more time with my family are popular resolutions for the New Year. I will, I will, I will forget by the end of January what resolutions even are. So, why make them? The New Year brings about a sense of newness and renewal that we humans all want to tap into. We try to change and make promises, but to no avail we fail. Few may succeed, with great strength and determination, but not near enough. I myself, decided years ago not to even bother with a resolution. However, I do make commitments. Why commitments and not resolutions? My commitments come through my convictions, corrections and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Not what I want, but what He wants. Resolutions come from my own desire and will just because it is the thing to do at New Years, right?

Commitments made by the prompting of the Holy Spirit are not easily broken. Commitments to God far out weigh a simple resolution I can make to myself. I mean, come on, do you think I will discipline myself when I do wrong? Oh no! But God! He will lovingly correct me and set me on track when I get off course from the commitment that I have made to Him. With the New Year, I have made some fresh commitments that only came by the direction of the Holy Spirit. I need to be a willing vessel to change what He wants and not what I think is good for me. I know that when I honor God with my commitments, keeping my vows, He will honor me with the strength, determination and a sense of loyalty to persevere. With God on my side, I win! He encourages me more than a bunch of resolutions that I can make, break, and soon forget they existed. If it not something I plan to do all the time.. . Why bother with it?

Here are my questions for you: Have you asked God this New Year about what needs to happen in your life? If so, have you listened and made a true commitment to change and obey His direction? Or, do you like to make resolutions because everyone else does and you want to fit in the crowd? I challenge you to dare to be different and make a commitment to change what the Holy Spirit leads you to. You will be blessed and rewarded. What you honor God with, He will honor in your life as well.

Make your renewed commitment today. Pledge your loyalty to listen and obey what God is calling you to do in 2009. And, if I may get you started, make Revelation 2:4-5 your first prayer of the New Year and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you on what is next.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first Love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first… Rev. 2: 4-5

I will ... I will commit to return to my First Love in 2009.

Be blessed on your journey in the commitments you make to your First Love.

Lesia

Happy New Year! May you have a blessed 2009!

Lesia