Through The Years

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus 2:11-12 NIV

3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (‭‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. It is a fact of life! However, Jesus did not leave us without leaving His Spirit in the form of THE HOLY SPIRIT to guide us and lead us to Eternal Life with HIM.

Recently, I have become more aware of the importance of being present in the lives of those I love. I allowed myself to become more reclusive and to dwell on things I have absolutely no control over or would not know what to do if I was able to do anything. It is so important that I am available to those I love and desire to make a difference in their lives.

Our Heavenly Father made it clear that we should always watch over the needy, young, and less fortunate. I have been blessed with wonderful opportunities and people who care about me. I try to always be available for anyone I meet who needs me. God blesses me richly, and I want to be a blessing to others.

Losing someone I love makes me want to do something more for those who suffer loss and are grieving. Praying is something we all can do, and it is free—absolutely free to everyone. Prayer makes a difference. We don’t always get what we pray for, but God Knows Best. His Will and Plan for each of us is always the right answer. Grief takes time to process, but Joy can replace the grief. Our goal is eternal peace, love, and happiness which we can accomplish by trusting and believing in Our Heavenly Father.

Please 🙏🏻 pray for me and all God’s Children, as I am praying for each of you.

No event in the life of Jesus more powerfully demonstrates the nature of His dependence on God and His obedience to God’s will than the prayer He offered up in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion.

Jesus knew the brutality execution by crucifixion was. The drawn-out process was humiliating and excruciating. Jesus knew He would feel the full force of degradation and pain, trauma, betrayal, injustice, and hopelessness. As a human, He was anxious. He told His disciples before He entered the garden,

My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. — Matthew 26:38

Once Jesus was by Himself, He fell face to the ground and prayed:

My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine. — Matthew 26:39 NLT

He prayed this prayer not just once, but three times. Jesus pleaded for a stay of execution. Could any of us blame Him? He knew there was no other way for salvation to be made available to the entire human race. He was the spotless lamb, the Messiah about whom the Old Testament prophets wrote. He was the sinless Son of God. He had not allowed any temptation to blemish His life. This was the only possible solution. If not Jesus, then who? If not Jesus, then humanity would be without hope. Yet Jesus petitioned the Father to see if there might be another way.

Jesus finished all three prayers with a declaration that had been true throughout His entire thirty-three years walking this earth. He surrendered himself to his Father:

Yet not as I will, but as You will.

This is the purpose of Jesus’s life. The gospel does not record the Father’s answer, however, Jesus’s actions make it abundantly clear that He understood the Father’s will.

He then returned to the disciples and said:

Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes My betrayer! — Matthew 26:45–46

He had received a clear answer. It was the Father’s will for Jesus to face the cross for the love of humankind. When He said. “Rise, Let us go!” Jesus was saying, “I know without a doubt what I am to do. There is no turning back. Let’s get this done!” — That is a picture of total surrender to the will of the Father. Ohhhhhh, that each of us would be able to surrender to Our Heavenly Father’s Will and Plan for us. Three days later, Jesus was alive again and the path was laid for all people to come into a relationship with Our Heavenly Father for eternity.

Jesus showed His complete dependence upon God the Father. That is the dependence that we need to walk in with Our Heavenly Father. We are desperate for His will in our lives! How better to honor the sacrifice of the Savior than to walk with Him?

When we embrace God’s offering, our lives will never be the same. Please pray for all God’s Children as I am praying for each of you!

“Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

My blog today is a little different from previous writings. God has been leading me to share some things about my Earthly Father. He was not perfect by any means, and his life was extremely difficult. He never met his father because his father left his mother before he was born. He quit school in the seventh grade to help his family which included his older brother and grandparents. He led a hard life.

My daddy was the most unselfish man I ever knew. He would literally give you the shirt off his back, and I have actually seen him do it on several occasions. He met no strangers. It did not matter to him what color you were or if you had everything or nothing. If you needed help or anything, he was always ready, willing, and trying to be helpful. I don’t remember him ever saying anything about expecting anything in return. I cannot remember every person my daddy helped, and I probably do not know of many of them. Since he owned several businesses, people were always asking for help. I remember many of the preachers of many of the churches in Waycross, GA were frequent visitors to my parents’ places of business. They were always seeking his help and support for others who were in need. After my daddy passed away, I learned of many who had received his help. Even this past week I met someone who said my daddy saved his life when he stopped him from doing something that was wrong and turned him another direction.

The main reason I wanted to tell about this incident was to remind myself and others that we can make a bigger difference in our lives if we will get out of our comfort zone and reach out to those with whom we come in contact. In future blogs, I will relate some more incidents that helped to change lives. We do not have to be wealthy, highly educated or highly skilled. We only need to have faith in our Heavenly Father and be willing to reach out to those in need.

Please pray for me and for all God’s children, as I am praying for each of you.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (‭‭‭John‬ ‭3‬‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

So much has happened and too many changes have occurred since April 1, 2014. One thing that I wish Clyde had the opportunity of experiencing is for him to be able to view “The Chosen” ; however, I truly believe he is experiencing much more in the Presence of Our Heavenly Father. My prayer is that Clyde knew how much he is loved and appreciated. He made such a difference in our lives.

September 18, 1935, God blessed our family and friends with a precious gift who would live to become a caring, courageous, and wonderful man who loved his family, and worked tirelessly to provide for them. He dedicated his life to many things which included law enforcement, farming, hunting, serving his country, working in his church in many capacities, and helping others every time an opportunity presented itself.

Spending time with grandchildren and family was extremely important to Clyde. Almost every Sunday, and many other days, food, fun, and entertainment was enjoyed by family, friends, and visitors. Everyone was always welcome. When we were Youth directors for our church, it was open house at the Guest’s home all the time.

On April 1, 2014, Clyde Bennett Guest, Jr. , suffered a massive heart attack and joined God’s Heavenly Angels. His journey here on earth was over, but his presence is still felt. All the efforts he made to help others left an impact on those he loved and those who returned his love and friendship.

Your children, grandchildren, family, and friends are proud to be a part of your life and your Legacy. Until we see you again, we will remember your love and guidance.

28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (‭‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

My heart is so happy! When I awakened this morning, I realized My Heavenly Father has again answered my prayers. I feel more confident and assured HE is always with me and watching over me. Even when I doubt or feel lonely and anxious, HE is busy taking “care of me!” I get so frustrated and aggravated at my own insecurities; however, HE is forever faithful.

I keep reminding myself that I was given the task of being joyful in all things, and that means “ALL” things. Even when I am facing adversities, I must always look for the joy which can be found. Sometimes it will be the realization that nothing lasts forever, except God’s Love! Thank You, Jesus, for giving your precious and sin free life and gives us the opportunity to live life more abundantly.

More than anything else in this life, my heart desires to share this Truth with everyone I meet. I pray for all people, every single, solitary soul, to know Jesus as their personal Savior, and Our Heavenly Father as the only God (God—Father, —Son, and —Holy Spirit.

Please pray for me and all God’s children, as I am praying for each of you!

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (‭‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Many times we take the little things in our lives for granted. One example is the ability to get up and do simple things like getting something out of the refrigerator and carrying it into another room. I must say, in the past few weeks, I have learned many little tricks to make my life easier. Now I want to concentrate on some of the little things in life that have been neglected.

Friends and family can be something we take for granted. We think that they are okay and don’t need us, but that isn’t true. We all need a reason to smile and to be thankful. A phone call can be one of the best ways to let others know we are thinking about them. A card or letter in the mail really communicates we are thinking about them. A friendly hug or handshake makes most of us feel good and happy.

So many times, we look around in church functions and realize someone is missing. I wonder how the missing person would feel if he/she received phone calls, cards, or letters from other members of the church. I venture to say, they would feel cared about and even warm and cuddly. I made it my mission to make a difference by trying to reach out to others. I want to walk the walk not just talk the talk.

Jesus sees everything we do and say. I believe He would smile and say, “Well done, my child.”

Please pray for all God’s children as I am praying for you.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 1 Corinthians 13:6 NIV

Oh, be careful little tongue what you say. The tongue can be like a two edged blade of a sword. It can cause trouble and damage that is difficult to repair. Have you ever spat out words that you wish you had not used? Almost every single person who occupies space on the Earth has been guilty of this kind of behavior. What can one do about this type of action? It is not as easy as hitting the delete button. Words can keep on hurting or helping the person who receives those words.

All of the words we use have the power to tear down or build up others. One of the most powerful things my mother taught me was that we are responsible for the words that come out of our mouths, and only the individual has that control. No one else has that power. Words used in gossip are extremely toxic. It does not matter the purpose of the gossip.

“They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Gossip is deceptive. It can fool us into thinking that we are justified. There are times when we have to share what we have been told or what someone else has done, but those times are few and far between. My prayer is that I will stop and think twice before I share what someone has done, what I have heard, or been told. I do not want to be a stumbling block for anyone.

Please pray for me as I am praying for you.

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. (‭‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Our Heavenly Father is Faithful in All Things, and He desires us to be Faithful, also. My heart and mind strives to always remember this and to be consistent in my actions. However, my human self often struggles with this because of my inconsistency in my prayers. I allow myself to feel and think things that cause me to be hurt, angry, and upset about circumstances and situations that occur.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” – James 1:2-4 NKJV

If I keep my focus on God and the fact that HE is in control of everything that concerns me, I am much happier and more content. I am able to do what I need to do, and I can make better choices and decisions. If I allow my Heavenly Father to take control of my life, HE provides and protects me in my daily activities. Faith and patience work together when it comes to growth in our relationship with God. We need faith because, without it, it’s impossible to please God Faith gets you going, but patience keeps your faith growing.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Faith believes God will do what He says, but patience keeps us strong until we see it with our eyes. When we don’t have faith, we are not convinced that what we are waiting for will happen. People in this state usually use the statement “it is what it is.” However, if we are living by faith, we know that God is going to come through. It may not look like we thought it would, but He will do it.

Please pray for me as I am praying for you.

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalms 51:11-12 NIV

My heart, mind, soul, spirit, and body craves my Heavenly Father’s Presence. With all the disastrous and tragic events occurring at this time in our world, it is clear that what we all need is a closer relationship with Our Heavenly Father!

We were created to be HIS and only for HIM. It is positively crucial that we read HIS Word and understand HIS Plans for us. HE knew everything that has happened in our lives, and HE gave us freedom of choice in our decisions. HE forgives us and gives us the freedom to choose HIM with all of His Grace, Mercy, Love, Forgiveness, and Amazing Blessings. All we need to do is allow HIM to be the center of our lives, be faithful, read HIS Word, communicate with HIM by praying, and PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME.

“he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

My heart breaks when I see, hear, and learn about all the suffering, pain, and trauma that has been inflicted on God’s children. However, I am confident HE is truly in control. HE IS ALIVE! HE WINS!!

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Please pray for me and all God’s people, as I am praying for you.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I asked someone I respected to please pray for me. When they asked what about, all I could think to say was that I just felt like there was something wrong with me. Like, deep down, at my core, wrong with me. I didn’t have the words to express what I felt. However, I knew it was shame.

It was not guilt. Guilt is about recognizing you have made a mistake. Shame is feeling that you are a mistake. Big difference. Shame convinces us that the real us must stay hidden, because no one wants to see the real us. It leaves us afraid of the thought that the real us is exactly who God sees. That is what I was experiencing because of things that were said and done to me a long time ago. Those words and actions embedded themselves in me and became a false lens on my self-image.

God sees the real us, every bit of us, and He still opens His arms with love for us. When He looks at those of us who follow Christ, He sees spotless daughters and sons because Jesus died to take the place of our shame. I can let go of shame and embrace the value He places on me.

Letting go of shame isn’t a “once and done” deal. For me, shame is removed like layers stripped away as I realize and reject each lie I have believed. I check each piece of shame off my list and remove it from me as I discover truths from God’s Word to replace each lie. Letting go of shame may not be quick, easy, or simple, but it is freeing. God does not believe the garbage we have believed about ourselves, and He will remove it, if we let Him

Please pray for me as I am praying for each of you.