The "Right Nows" of Life

For those who follow me on social media; for the past couple of weeks- even months, I have been sharing a lot on the subject of contentment. The Lord has been leading me into this place of contentment, and I know it transcends beyond the “four walls” of my life, He wants everyone to be content in the season they are in.

You may ask why? Why be content when I can do better, I can be better. Aren’t we supposed to have a spirit of excellence and not of mediocracy? The answer is yes, yes and yes. Of course, God doesn’t want us to stay stuck; He wants us to go from glory to glory. It is His desire to see us grow and prosper in everything that we do.

 

What I mean is to enjoy the “right nows” in life, in spite of what season you find yourself in. It’s a choice. How will I react upon adversity? Will I count my blessings or my troubles? Will I look over my shoulder and see how everyone else’s beautiful curb appeal is while my grass is withering? (Maybe they just put really cool filters to make it look greener…I mean, I’m just saying) The point is that contentment starts within. It's a decision, a decision to be happy. Decide to be happy with what you have today without being consumed with the worries of tomorrow. In every season there is a beautiful lesson to be learned and before you can advance to the next level, you must learn the lesson and pass the test. So often we are sucked into this idea that if we don’t have what we want now, we are not happy. I want to make something clear to you today, the devil is a liar. You may have 99 problems, but that one solution, that one blessing, that one ray of light is enough for you to stop yourself and say “Wait a minute, let me take this time and be grateful for this ONE thing.” If you were to take a piece of paper and draw a line in the middle, on one side you put blessings and on the other side you put problems or goals, or dreams; I can assure you that your blessings will outweigh your troubles.

Don’t ever allow the enemy, or people make you feel that you need more. You are enough; you are complete in Jesus Christ. I quoted this a few weeks back on Facebook, “Don’t be consumed with what lies ahead that you forget to enjoy what’s right in front of you. God has provided everything you need for today and new provisions will be added on for you tomorrow. God wants you to be happy with what you have now, instead of worrying about what you need later.”

I strongly believe that God wants His people to be appreciative with what they have today. Celebrate your small victories. Enjoy your every milestone. Be thankful for the small dosages of progress that you’re making each day. Stop comparing your custom-designed journey to someone else’s; you will never fit in because you were not meant to fit into someone else's mold. You’re meant to fit in yours and yours alone.  No matter how little or insignificant it may seem today, if you genuinely decide to be happy with what you have, God will open up the heavens and pour out abundant blessings over your life.

Learning to be content with what you have will bring complete fulfillment. Comparisons create unnecessary voids while contentment offers unconditional joy. Enjoy the “right nows” of your life, no matter how your season may seem. Don’t look for validation in anyone else’s life; everyone has a distinct journey they’re traveling. God has orchestrated every single detail in your life to His perfection. You may say, Landy you have no idea how my life looks like, it’s a mess. I tell you today, it may be a mess, but it’s beautiful. As disastrous as it may seem, as disappointed you may feel right now, it’s still your beautiful life and it’s perfect and fitting for you! A single season does not determine your destiny or the outcome of your life. A season is simply a fragment of your life; it’s not your entire life. It does not define you.

Learning to be content with who you are and what you have, gives you grounds to experience a liberating feeling like none other. You’ll be able to enjoy and savor the “right nows” of your life; leaving absolutely no room for the worries or concerns of tomorrow.

Decide to be happy, decide to be free.

“Learn to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.” –Jim Rohn

 

For further Scripture readings, take a look at these: Philippians 4:6-7, 10-14,  Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, John 10:10,

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!

landypf

Slaves of Fear

I can’t believe I haven’t touched based with you guys since last year! Actually, it’s only been about a month but you know what I mean… Happy New Year!!! I am declaring a year of fulfilment in your life. May 2016 be a ground-breaking, bold and fearless year for all of us.

Last weekend we had an amazing Women’s event, a true Night of Encouragement. We had about 90 women; some brought their children because we offered an amazing childcare experience. And to think that this is only our second year and God has blessed us and this incredible opportunity to minister to so many women is just mind-blowing. This is only the beginning of what’s to come; we are looking forward to next year’s event on Friday, January 6, 2017. The theme of the night will be “Beauty for Ashes”. It’s going to be transformational and we invite you beautiful ladies to join us. More information will be shared as the time approaches.

 

As we settle into mid-January, I want to talk about Slaves of Fear. One of the definitions of the word slave is a person who is strongly influenced and controlled by something. When you are under the influence, you lose control of your actions. It’s a power that affects and takes over the person, thing or course of events. And for many, fear has been that stronghold. Fear has become a powerful influence; it has gained control and has dictated the course of the lives of many people. Take for example 2015; can you honestly say that you accomplished everything you had set out for? Be honest. Only a small percentage can probably say YES, the grand majority will say NO. We get answers like, “I tried but I didn’t get around it “or “I was going to but then something came up and I got discouraged”, “Maybe next year”, “I wanted to but I got scared”. And there it goes again, fear creeps up until it takes complete ownership of our lives. And what’s sad is that we begin to believe all of the lies that the enemy infiltrates in our minds. We become Slaves of Fear.

The bible declares in Romans 8:37 that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. That’s powerful, isn’t it? His love makes us more than conquerors, His love makes us face our biggest fears, and His love assures us the victory; therefore, we shouldn’t live in fear. 1 John 4:18 tells us that “there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…” and that perfect love can only be found in Jesus. Last weekend, we were encouraged not only to Be Brave but despite what unforeseen challenges we may face in this year, we will declare victoriously that We Will Not Be Shaken! In order for that to come alive in your life, you have to live in complete freedom of fear! Yes, that means kicking that little sucker to the curb. John 8:36 says “so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” As children of God, we are no longer held in bondage, we become free in Jesus. And that goes for any situation. Through Jesus Christ we are free from bondage, strongholds must come down, addictions must be broken, sinful activities must cease, and our past must be forgotten. And yes we must be free of fear. Fear can no longer control you. Is it easy? No. Will it happen overnight? Not really. Will you struggle with it? Maybe, but remember Romans 8:37! Ask Jesus today to help you and He will. Be receptive to His Word, because His Word will guide you into all truth.

When we are in Jesus, we are free, it’s not something temporary. This does not consist of being free on Sunday mornings during worship and then we become captive on Monday afternoon, I’m talking about a permanent freedom; free indeed as the bible states. Do not be captive by the lies of the enemy that try to bully you. Do not be a Slave of Fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 assures this, “for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”. Fear does not come from God, the only spirit that comes from God is the Holy Spirit; therefore you have the authority to cast out any fear that wants to come over you. Whatever the Lord has placed in your heart to accomplish in this New Year, I pray that the Holy Spirit guides you into completing His perfect will. Something interesting happens when you surrender your dreams for God dreams; they become a lot bigger and bolder than what you could have ever imagined. And although the dreams may seem scary at first, it just feels right. A sense of peace comes over you and the sweet whisper of God tells you, “Do not fear; I am with you, everything will be alright.” When this happens, you will begin to see how much more productive you will become in whatever you do because you just know that …God’s got this!

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!

~landypf

Do You Trust Me?

Do you trust me? Then let it go! –God

Allow Me to take over your life completely; every single area, surrender it to me. Do you trust me enough to put your guards down, be vulnerable and just be real for a moment? No front, no masks, no walls; just pure transparency. It's hard, isn't it? 

Trust God with your heart, trust Him with your emotions and let go of everything that has been weighing you down. Let go of the dead weight, it causes fatigue and  unnecessary delays. Let go of the old baggage that is causing frustration because you're not at the level or the place that you know you should be. Do you trust Him enough to let go? Only you know the answer.

With a few days left in 2015, I urge you to refuse to enter into a new year with the old. God cannot give you something new, if you don’t relinquish the old. Make room for the new; it will change your life. Clear out the clutter in your mind and in your heart and accept only the good. The bible says in Philippians 4:8 “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

This leaves absolutely no room for the negative, the past, or the hurt. Romans 12:2 says "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." To renew our minds is to subject it to the Word of God. It is a daily decision, not just one day, but every day. Filtering our thoughts through God's Word will help us gain grounds when the enemy tries to bombard us with his filthy lies. 

Take a moment to think about the things, the words, the people, and the actions, the past and present experiences and filter them through the Word of God. Be intentional about every thought that consumes your brain and measure it up to Philippians 4:8. Is it true or is it false? Is it honorable or is it untrustworthy? Is it right or is it wrong? Is it pure or is it immoral? Is it lovely or is it hateful? And is it admirable or is it shameful? If the answer is yes, then you're on the right track, continue to indulge in those thoughts because they are excellent and praiseworthy! But if the answer is no; then the question is, do you trust God enough to let go and allow Him to replace it with the good? Only you can check yourself, only you can admit it, only you can desire the change. God is willing, are you?

Today is a good day to unravel layer after layer of  past hurt, deception, unforgiveness and failures; strip yourself completely bare into the presence of God and allow Him to do a new thing in your life. 2016 is around the corner and He has new things lined up for you. When you surrender it all to God, He will give you His all; because you have gotten rid of the old and made room to receive the new.

 

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all." - Proverbs 3:5 (MSG)

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed! 

Landy Perez-Feliciano