FRUITS AND SEEDS | LEARNING TO TRUST GOD IN FULL FORM

You know that snatchy feeling you have within your stomach when your secret crush walks into your same room? Or the sudden rush of excitement you feel when someone says that they have a surprise for you? What about when you’re sitting in a restaurant starving and you see the waiter walking your way with the food you ordered in hand? That’s how it feels when Jesus gives me inspiration.

Right now, at this very moment, he just gave me a word. He gave me words of assurance and reassurance all at once. He just told me what will change my perspective forever. The Holy Spirit has just comforted me regarding my future and now I can truly put my works to work. God just told me,

Not only will I bless your fruit, but I will bless the seeds within your fruit.

For the longest time, I have aspired to be a full-time editor and author and am praying and hoping that this desire comes to pass. I am faithful, but the thought of being an entrepreneur is extremely daunting. To some, it is doable. There are no worries of a supervisor monitoring your time. No one to report to, other than oneself. There aren’t too many rules other than one’s own. To others, it is impossible. There seems to be no possible way to survive without a W-2 tax form for employees. Well, I am a part of another group—a group that aspires to go beyond the norm and actually put my faith to action.

Outside of dreaming, I am using the creativity that God has given me and I am devising a plan to exit being an employee for the rest of my life. The Lord has allowed me to have this desire for a long time and I will do my best to achieve it.

It is best to move silently and remain humble, no matter what. Although I am filled with rich determination and perseverance, I will do what my Heavenly Father says which is,

“BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION, WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD; AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS” (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7).

I am learning the wisdom in silence and the power of praying in secret (Matthew 6:6). There is nothing too hard for God to handle and I trust that no matter which route I take that He will use me to my fullest capacity and forge me in the direction of His success and prosperity.

God Blesses Your Fruit

I have seen the Lord bless the works of my hands. He does it every day. When I work with writers and show them the route to publication, I can feel His presence in everything that do. There is never a meeting that I have where He is not present. Each writer feels the love of God in my work and I consider this an anointing. I am fully dependent on the Lord when I edit books and consult with aspiring authors. After each book is published, I know that it was by God’s grace that was completed. Because I include the Lord in everything that I do, He blesses me. I cannot meet anyone without thanking Him for the opportunity. I cannot get an increase in any aspect unless I give reverence to Him.

God Blesses Your Seeds

The Lord blesses my seeds in that every idea that I develop is so profound that I will be nearly bursting at the seams with perplexity. I am always in awe of what the Lord shares with me. Many times, I have to jot them down because the ideas flow heavily. Our God is so abundant in what He gives. Simply think of anything that is created. Everything that the Lord created is able to reproduce. Whether plant, animal, or mammal, it is able to produce more. He blesses the living as well as the indweller. He will bless your outer being as well as your spirit. He will bless your works as well as the ideas that are provoked.

Once you learn the amazing power of believing and trusting in Jesus Christ, you will be able to put your faith to action. Know that He created you with your best interests at heart and you will always be fruitful and able to multiply every good thing that you do. Think of a something that you want to accomplish, pray for the ability to get it done, wait for the Lord to direct your spirit, then GO!

A Book for Starving, Hungry Souls | Now Available As Audiobook

So...I am super excited to announce that my book, Midnight Snacks for the Hungry Soul, is now available on audible.com!!! Now, I have to warn you: the book is EXTREMELY filling and soothing. I was very careful with selecting the best and most calming narrator and I was very blessed to have Stephanie L. to work for me.

My book is a little over 1 hour and is perfect for listening on-the-go, in the car, while working out, or going to bed. You can listen to it anytime and anywhere. I highly recommend AFTER MIDNIGHT.

For a limited time, Midnight Snacks for the Hungry Soul, is F-R-E-E. Zero dollars.

In 3 easy steps, simply
1. Go to audible.com.
2. Search "Midnight Snacks" to find my book or CLICK HERE.
3. Get your copy for FREE!

Enjoy and thanks for following my blog! Your reviews are welcomed. Please comment directly on this site.

Midnight Snacks for the Hungry Soul is also available on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and thebrownorangebooks.com.

Put Some Soap in Your Mouth | 6 Keys to Taming the Tongue

For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. - James 3:7-8

I have said some nasty things. I have hurt other people’s feelings. I have had regrets. I have held grudges and blurted out whatever I felt after letting it boil for a time. I have been devious. I have been unkind. I have said many things that I wished I’d never said. Truly, it is God’s grace and mercy that has followed me all the days of my life. Because of His gracious will to forgive me freely, I have time to improve my behavior and move forward.

We all have had times when we don’t want to hold back our words for fear of hurting someone’s pride or feelings. Sometimes, it’s that last word that would perfect the argument or the small, yet piercing comment that would shut the entire conversation down. But is it really worth it? Is your time really worth arguing or fighting over anything? Does it matter who gets the last word or says the most mean comment?

God did not create us to bicker or fight or have wars with one another. Our purpose for being created is to serve and worship Him through His son, Jesus Christ. Our purpose for being planted on this earth is to walk in our own purpose to carry out any assignments that He gives us. Our purpose for being created is to live holy. There is nothing righteous about spitting out harsh comments at one another. We were born to serve and do everything for the glory of God, not be ugly, as my grandmother would say.

So how do we fix ourselves? How to we refresh everything we have done and make it better. After a fresh, hot, and “ratchet” argument, what then? Do we continue to sit and bake in our anger and frustration? It is only human to be upset, but the Lord outlines in the Holy Bible several things to keep in mind:

1. Be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26).

Just because we are upset does not give us permission to react in a mean way.

2. Speak with a soft answer (Proverbs 15:1).

As some people say, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.”

3. He [God] gave us a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

Self-control comes from the Lord. He did not create us to be reckless.

4. We must be dead to sin and alive in Christ (Romans 6:11).

Saying and doing evil things should not be a part of our everyday living.

5. Do not repay anyone evil for evil (Romans 12:17).

Although some people can be unkind, we must not give place to the devil and be the same.

6. Turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).

There are more scriptures to fit controlling one’s anger and being careful with the words we say. Our Lord is forgiving but He commands us to be obedient to His will. I struggle sometimes with offense, but I am always practicing after righteousness. I yearn to do better for my life and if I keep falling, I fight that much harder to do better.

Jesus knows our struggles more than anyone else, which is why He is merciful. He knows that we are fragile; however, He gave us precepts to follow. Because He implanted within all of us a sound mind, we have the ability to humble ourselves and be obedient to His commandments. Many times, pride will stop us from living within His will. We get annoyed with God when we have to change. If you’re like me, sometimes I ask, Well how come ____ doesn’t have to change? I focus on what the other person isn’t doing. That is a distraction. We must lower our pride and not “think higher of ourselves than we ought to think” (Romans 12:3). We all have to stand before the Lord on judgment day. Nevertheless, we must focus on our own path and obey the Lord’s instructions.

Our tongues are tiny, but can drive our lives up- or downhill. What we say, we tend to attract. The Bible says that no man can tame the tongue (James 3:8), but guess what? God can.

“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.”

One Last Time to Be LATE!

It took me one final time to be late...AGAIN! I learned yesterday that time truly is of the essence and if I kept going the route that I was going, I will miss out on the most significant things, whatever they may be.

I was asked to be a featured panelist at my alma mater and I was excited! Couldn't wait! I shared the opportunity with family and friends and began to mentally prepare what I would present to the future audience. I listened to good music, spent time in meditation, all while sending my correspondent the necessary information to include within the agenda and media. I was ready! Beyond my excitement, I didn't know what I would face. I didn't know that I would be so majorly disappointed in myself that my life would change forever.

All my life, I've been pretty much late to everything. Unless someone else was the driver, I was late. Now that I have my own car, it has been worse getting a handle on my time. It began in childhood. I used to live right next-door to my elementary school, but was late every day. My teacher even mentioned, "Neely, you live two houses down from the school and you are late every day." I couldn't help it, I thought. I'm always late. It's ingrained in me.

As time progressed all the way through grad school, I realized that I also had a bad habit of procrastinating. I bragged to friends and others about how I "work better at the last minute" when really, I just had a bad habit of not valuing time. I would know well in advance about particular assignments and still wait until a day before or day of to complete them. Sometimes, I would work on assignments up until class had started and ended up being late for completing late work. My bad habit was consuming me. I worked hard and passed all classes, but I created a stressful experience all due to untimeliness and straight-up lateness. It made me want to rebel against being on time for anything.

The more time passed, the more opportunities came and stalled. Skill sets clashed with my procrastination and I would have all types of projects and goals unfinished. Lateness was plaguing my life. Now that I think of it, I have many tasks that I have not completed because of my problem. But all that was fixed yesterday.

Yesterday was the day of the amazing and wonderful panel discussion and I was stuck in traffic. 

The event began at 6:00pm sharp and I was still swirling and twirling in the streets looking for a parking ticket. I was on the college campus and students flooded the sidewalks. I cringed as I approached the unnerving stops signs, bitter that they had to to cross the street and I could not go around them. I was running way behind and they were in the way.

I darted my eyes at the clock on dashboard. Almost 6:35. I was livid. I hated myself for showing up and I wanted to speed back home and wrapped myself with covers and dissolve in guilt. But I managed to find parking and walked what felt like half a mile toward the building where the event was held. I clutched my book and notes with weak confidence and held my head high enough to see where I was going. Once I got inside, I wanted to turn around and go back out the door.

There was no way that I could be this late, I thought. I am way too late. 

I entered the room and eyes turned to me. The panelists were all lined up onstage, the presenter was speaking, the camera was rolling, and the other camera was flashing. I found a seat at a table in the back and sat quietly...

....I listened to the speakers speak...

...could barely look at them...

...I spotted an empty seat beside one of the panelists....

...that was my seat.

But I was too late.

I felt so much pain. I showed up 45 minutes after it had gotten started. I was much too late to scramble toward the panel to join everyone. I sat in the back feeling defeated. I wrote notes from the speakers. I wrote notes to myself. I felt like a failure. But that was the last day that lateness would be mys excuse. No more will I jack up an opportunity that is presented to me. I will be more humble and timely, moving forward. I promise to no longer struggle with procrastination or lateness. I dare myself to change forever, for that moment in time was earth-shattering for me. I learned yesterday that sometimes you have to learn the hard way. Sometimes you have to show up so late that you have to sit in the audience when you're really supposed to be sitting on the panel.

God's Timing Is Always Perfect

I am learning in hard and easy ways to trust the Lord's will. He has spoiled me with so many blessings that sometimes, I get out of hand with my expectations of Him. Jesus has blessed me so much and so quickly that I sometimes feel that He should continue to hurry up and bless me, but that's not how He works. Many times, I am forced to be patient, even when I don't want to be. It's more difficult as I get older and my needs change. I simply want what I want when I want it.

The Lord's word gives comfort to those who want to rush Him. I love the Holy Bible because if we get out of our feelings fast enough and direct them toward reading the holy scriptures, we will develop patience. We will begin to calm down and gain focus. We will realize that it really isn't all about us and that greater plans lie ahead. Something miraculous will happen:

 WE WILL BEGIN TO FULLY TRUST GOD'S TIMING.

I was whining about how I didn't have the income or employment that I wanted the other day and began to feel that irking, miserable feeling again. I'd felt like this before, but found peace after reading scriptures and confiding in encouraging friends; however, I was yo-yo'd back into the same, depressing hole. My despair had returned and I wanted to be somewhere else doing something else. I felt stuck and helpless.

As always, I confided in my fiance who encouraged me that things would get better soon. His motivation was helpful, but I still yearned to grab my belongings and run out the door. I frantically searched for scriptures on the computer so that my desperate soul could be coaxed. I found one verse [John 6:27] that fixed everything:

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

I also began reading articles about how deception occurs and how many people are turned after God to serve after their own lusts or desires. I didn't want to be that person. I want to serve God with all my heart--not an opportunity!!

Woman visiting Montmartre, Paris

Instantly, my wild and distraught spirit was tamed. I no longer wanted to remove myself from where He'd put me for a purpose. I also reminded myself that I needed to plan if I wanted anything more. Proverbs 16:3 says,

 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

So, I was made new again. My mind's REFRESH button had been pressed and I could smile knowing that the Lord had everything under control. Not enough people know that God's word can do miraculous things. It can heal the sick, take away pain, and even remove impatience from a person's entire being! I didn't think anything could shake the feeling that I had but I was so wrong. God's word literally fed my starving soul enough for me to get through the day and remain inspired up until now.

God's timing is impeccable and I am determined to trust Him. Rather than complain the next time that the waves of miserability come crashing upon my shore, I will be steadfast in the Lord. I will practice remembering His promises for a better future. I know that the ripples are forming now and will grow begin enough to return. By the time they approach me, I will be ready to flatten them with the word of God.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. - Jeremiah 29:11

Be encouraged.

Get Neely's 3rd book, Midnight Snacks for the Hungry Soul on www.thebrownorangebooks.com (BookStore). FREE SHIPPING + FREE BOOKMARK.