Friday, July 4, 2014

COMPLAIN AND REMAIN. PRAISE AND BE RAISED



courtesy of http://www.pinterest.com/


Hey Peeps,

So I was listening to Joyce Meyer on YouTube and she said a phrase that stuck out to me "Complain and Remain. Praise and be Raised." I love that. This all ties into my "renewing my mind" challenge that I've placed myself on. A challenge that I hope to become a lifestyle change. 

My future depends on it. :-D

Check out this video that inspired this post as well as the article below.

Stay Blessed...Stay Tuned....







WHEN YOU COMPLAIN, YOU REMAIN; WHEN YOU PRAISE, YOU WILL BE RAISED

Complaining will never improve a situation. The truth is- complaining just aggravates the situation. The reason why the Israelites was not able to enter the Promised land already given to them for almost 40 years, when it could just be conquered within two months, is because of - complaining attitude.

Truth - when you complain, you remain.
You remain in mediocrity.
You remain in your old attitude.
You remain in your old situation.
You remain in your cold heart.
You remain in any struggle you are in.

It has been said that the victory over any struggle lies in what you say during those struggles. When you complain, you will remain in those struggles.

The only way for breakthrough and unto freedom is this -

"Praise God."

In praising God, you lift up all your heartaches to Him. It expresses that though you may be in pain yet you are still firm that you will remain true. In praising God, you are letting it all go and letting God to be God.

Don't be surprised when you praise God- you will be raised.
You will be raised to victory.
You will be raised to promotion.
You will be raised to the fulfillment of your dreams.
You will be raised to become a better you.

It is amazing that God moves in a mysterious way when He blesses us. We thought He raises things in order to promote us but the truth is, He is not raising the things, He is raising us. Yes, over any criticism, over any impossibilities, over any hindrances, over any lack. And in His time, God's glory is revealed and He is honored because you praised Him in advance though you were in a hard situation.

"But in everything by prayer with thanksgiving..."

When you complain, you remain. When you praise, you will be raised

Gratitude Quote of The Day: Gratitude, Like Faith...




Stay Blessed....Stay Tuned

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Power of the Tongue


courtesy of http://deanneleblanc.com/


Hey Peeps!

So I'm sure that I've spoken on this subject before on this blog. But this also ties in to my daily gratitude challenge. WATCHING MY WORDS!!

Lately my favorite thing to say is...I Can't Take This Anymore. I can be referring to a lot of things that I'm dealing with that I'm just tired of dealing with. Like smelly people on the train that just HAVE to sit beside me or stand over me. OR Spending my day on someone else's time schedule. Whatever it is that annoys me the first thing out of my mouth is...I Can't Take This Anymore or I'm so freaking tired of this

You know the drill.

So I want to watch my words carefully going forward especially during my 30 Day Gratitude Challenge. So the next time I get frustrated or annoyed or pissed off or irritated, what will I say? How about...

This too shall pass or 

This is only temporary or 

BE EASY YOGI, BE EASY (I just stole that from Sirena at TinyBuddha.com :-) )


Let's Get It Together people and make the next 10 years of our lives the best 10 years of our lives!

You with me?

Good....now check out this article below that made me think about this!

Stay Blessed....Stay Tuned....





Power of the Tongue: Speaking Death and Negative Words

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”
Many of us have heard this phrase before but have you ever notice that it’s easier to remember the hurtful things said to you than the good ones?  Truth be told, words are very powerful and if used the wrong way, can hurt you.  God tells us in His word that “death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21).   In other words, you will eat what you speak; the outcome of your future is a byproduct of what you speak whether good or bad.  Based upon scripture, your words can do two things for you: curse you or bless you; however, I will focus on how we as Christian curse ourselves (speaking negatively and foolishly).
Proverbs 18:7 (KJV) states, “a fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul”.  For better understanding let’s look at what the NIV says, “The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips”.
Let’s examine this scripture.  According to dictionary.com, a fool can be defined as a weak minded person.  One who lacks judgment or sense.  So according to Proverbs 18:7, the words of a fool (a weak minded person) can bring about their ruin (wreak, destruction, downfall, mess up, collapse and defeat).  In other words, your mouth can lead to your destruction and defeat; it can lead to poverty, lack, unhappiness, a failed marriage, low self esteem and more.  When speaking negative and foolishly, whether playfully or out of anger, what you’re actually doing is cursing the blessings God has for you.  Your negative speaking not only affects your life (including circumstances in your life), but it also impacts the life’s of others as well.
Speaking Negatively: A Solution
Avoid speaking, saying or surrounding yourself around people who are speaking negative around or about you – it’s cursing the blessings God has for your life.  God says he has plans to prosper you, not to harm you; so avoid saying things such as: I’m broke, I have no money and I’m just barely making it by.  This (along with any other negative thing) all goes against the blessings God has in store for you.  Instead say, I’m wealthy, I have more than enough, my God shall supply all my needs, The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.
Begin speaking the Word of God over your life.  Find a scripture in the Bible that tells you what God has to say about your particular situation.  Example: the next time you want to say, “No one loves me” go to John 15:9 and speak what Jesus says about you, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”  How awesome is it to know that God loves you. :)
If you’re in debt, instead of saying, “I’ll never get out of debt”, read Deuteronomy 28:12 and say aloud, “The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.”
As Christian, we need to stop blocking God’s blessings by speaking negatively.  God wants to bless us but we become a hindrance to ourselves in receiving Gods blessings when we speak things that are in opposition of Gods Word.
On today, make a decision.  Proverb 15:4 tells us that a tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.  Decide today that you will watch what departs from your lips.  Make a choice to speak God’s blessings over your life.  Through the power of the Holy Ghost we have the power to speak God’s blessings over our lives and with the same tongue (if used negatively) can speak curses over our lives.
Here’s an example of things we say that sounds harmless but is actually stopping God’s blessing in your life and cursing you:
  • I’m poor; I’m broke; I have no money
  • I have (name of disease), I’ll never get healed from it.
  • I’m ugly
  • I’m a failure
  • I’ll never find love
  • God doesn’t love me
  • My marriage is going to fail
  • I’m going to lose my job
  • I’m stupid
  • I’m a worrier
  • I’m sick and tired of _________.
By speaking these words, you’re claiming it to be so in your life – you’re decreeing and declaring brokenness.  Even if you are sick, don’t go around claiming it, instead say you’re healed.  Do this for every other negative thing in your life.  Remember words are seeds that can yield a good or bad harvest in your life –depending on what you speak.  The very essence of our being was spoken into existence by God.  Monitor what you speak.  Every time you want to speak negative, stop, ask God to change your heart and to renew your mind.  Then, fix your mouth to speak God’s blessings upon your life instead:
  • I’m more than a conqueror
  • I’m prosperous
  • By the strips of Jesus I am healed
  • My marriage is saved
  • My spouse and children are saved in Jesus name
  • I have God’s favor upon my life
  • I’m the head and not the tail
  • I have my career job in Jesus name
Conclusion
Words are powerful – they are seeds that yield a good or bad harvest (depending on what you speak).  There is power in finding scripture(s) on your particular situation and speaking what God has to say about it instead of your flesh.  God wants to bless you.  Don’t let your mouth get in the way of your blessing.  Pray with me:
Heavenly father thank you.  Thank you Lord for your Word and blessings.  Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that you help me to speak life and not death.  Place a guard over my mouth in Jesus name that I may not speak anything that is in opposition of your word and promises I have through your Son Jesus Christ.  Father I plead the blood of Jesus against every idle word I’ve said that was negative –cancelling out its power.  From this day on I make a decision to speak your blessings upon my life and the life’s of others.  I thank you Lord that by your strength and with the leadership of the Holy Spirit I’m able to do this.  Father, I thank you in advance for the blessings your spending my way and I praise your holy name.  I receive your blessings and will decree and declare them daily.  These things I pray and ask, believing that their already done; in Jesus name, Amen.
May you be encouraged and may God bless you in Jesus name.

Gratitude Quote of The Day: A Moment of Gratitude




Stay Blessed...Stay Tuned

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Gratitude Quote of The Day: Each Day...





Stay Blessed...Stay Tuned...

30 Day Gratitude Challenge

Hey peeps so to help me get back to a healthy mindset I decided that I need to change my mindset so I'm going to try this 30 day Gratitude Challenge. I already have a spiral notebook that I purchased probably almost two years ago to use as my prayers/dreams/affirmations notebook so I think I'm just going to use that as my gratitude journal.


I plan to write in my journal daily what I'm grateful for starting today. And I will post on my blog daily for the next 30 days a Gratitude Quote.

I think doing this will help me control the daily frustration I feel regarding my current circumstances. Sometimes in life you are kind of "stuck" in a situation and you want change so bad that the longer you are "stuck" in that situation the more annoyed you get....well that's where I am and that's how I've been feeling for the past...hmmm....two years but it's gotten worse this past year....ANYHOO....enough of that....we are going to focus on WHAT WE CAN CONTROL and that is our attitude!

Let's focus on the great things about life that we have and the great things that we desire and be thankful in advance for those things that we desire.  I had decided at the beginning of 2014 to make the next 10 years the best 10 years and I haven't stuck to that plan needless to say ....life has a way of throwing you so many curve balls all at once you get so focused on trying to keep your head above water that you forget what your plans were to have a better existence. 

But I'm making a stronger effort now to change my attitude about the circumstances that pops up in my life and focus on the positive. I don't like the way life has caused me to be this "Frustrated Woman" and I am determined to stick to my motto "IT IS WHAT IT IS" and really mean that.

Shit Happens....Whatever Is Supposed To Happen In Life Will Happen In Life....And sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for it. 

SO....we have to suck it up buttercups and if you get knocked down by the curve balls of life........PLEASE, PLEASE get back up!

Read below about the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge!

Stay Tuned...Stay Blessed



Attitude of Gratitude

"30 days of gratitude challenge"

Lets develope an attitude of gratitude. The 30 days of gratitude challenge is a very powerful tool to move you to a higher place of gratitude, appreciation, and self awareness. Lets get started shall we...

How it Works



There are several ways you can choose to take on this challenge. The first thing you need to do is commit to 30 days.
The next thing to do is to choose how you will carry out this challenge. The guidelines are this. For 30 days express gratitude. You can do this by writting in your gratitude journal for 30 days, commiting to write down 10 things you are grateful for every day for 30 days.
Say a heartfelt thank you to someone important in your life for 30 days. This can be a new person everyday or you can choose one important person in your life to show gratitude toward for 30 days.
Start an ongoing gratitude list, where you add 5 new things to the list every day for thirty days.
You could choose to send a thank you card to the people that are important in your life. One card for 30 days.
look up a new gratitude quote everyday for 30 days and post them around your work or living area so you can see them. In the end you will have 30 great quotes on gratitude to refer to.
Reciet your favorite gratitude affirmation 3 times a day for 30 days. You will be amazed at the results.
Or come up with your own creative way to supercharge your attitude of gratitude. Just remember whatever you choose, commit to doing it for 30 days.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Trusting God When You Don’t Understand



Hey Peeps,

It's been a minute...I just wanted to pop in quickly today and share something with you. I've been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past....hmmm.....three years actually A LOT of changes in my life that have taken place and have left me in a state of WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? ha!

I want to share this article with you that I read today....hope this blesses you.

Stay Tuned....Stay Blessed






Trusting God When You Don’t Understand


It’s easy to say, “give your cares to the Lord and trust Him” when everything in life seems to be going well.  It’s easy to say, “I trust you Lord with everything I own” when bills are paid on time and when you just got a promotion at work.
However, if God striped you of everything you own; If God told you to leave the very job that’s paying your bills, will you trust the Lord enough to do it?  Will you trust God even when you don’t understand; even when life hurts?  If God told you to leave the familiar and enter the unfamiliar, will you trust Him?
For many of you, God has done just that.  He has taken you from what’s “oh so familiar” and redirected your paths into the unfamiliar.  You don’t understand what’s happening in your life; what to do or where to go.  The only thing you know is that the Lord gave you a word (instruction, a promise, vision, etc) and the only thing you have to hold on to is that word.
I understand the feeling; you’re not alone.  There is encouragement for you today.  Here are 4 things to remember whenever you feel as though you don’t understand what God is doing and/or allowing in your life.

Consider the Source

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13).
Who else can say that but God?  No one, only God can say such a thing.  God knows everything: the past, current and future and our knowledge and understanding doesn’t even compare to the knowledge and understanding of God –  even when it applies to our own life.
Furthermore, when you don’t understand what God is doing in your life, consider the source – Who is it that you’re trusting; God or yourself?
Here is something to remember.  Man is fallible; we fall short and at times we’re unable to keep our promises.  Man can give you instructions that are misleading and imperfect.  With God, none of these things are possible.  God keeps His promises, God gives you right instructions according to His perfect will and He won’t mislead you.
No matter how much you don’t understand life as it is right now; no matter how uncomfortable it may seem or how hard it gets, don’t give up.  If God is with you -  the same God who spoke life into you, the same God who IS and knows the beginning and the end, the same God who knew you before the foundation of this world -is with you, then ask yourself who or WHAT can stand against you.
Consider the source and seek to be obedient to the Lord, even when you don t understand what God is doing in your life; don’t worry about “this or that” because God has provisions for you.

Trust the Lord

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
When you learn to trust the Lord, you will begin to have a sense of rest in the Lord knowing that He has everything under control even when life seems to be out of control.  Trusting God will get you to the point where you make a decision to trust in Him and NOT in your own logic and understanding.
As Christians, we must make a decision to trust Him regardless of how scary the situation may seem.  Trusting God doesn’t prevent you from being in uncomfortable situations but it does allow you to be placed in a position where you seek the Lord’s presence, provisions, guidance and promises.
I encourage you to stop stressing yourself out- losing sleep, being weary, anxious, worried, depressed and sad.  Don’t try to understand the ways of God because it is impossible for you to understand His decisions and ways! (Romans 11:33). The natural man cannot understand the things of God.  For God’s ways are higher than mans, they are past finding out and this is why we must make a decision to trust our all knowing God.

Be Obedient

The bible states that “obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)” which should tell you a lot about our God.  God places significance on obedience.  He’ll much rather you be obedient to His instruction than for you to give Him sacrificial praise, money offerings, fasting and etc.
Why do I bring obedience up?  Because when God gives you instruction and you’re in a situation where you don’t understand what’s going on in your life, you need to be reminded to be obedient and to trust in the one who does understand – Christ.   There are blessings that follow a person who is obedient just as there are curses that follows a person who is disobedient.

God Will Lead You

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).
God told Abraham to leave everything he knew; everything he was familiar with and to enter into the unfamiliar.  God told him to go into a land which he will show him which meant Abraham didn’t know where he was going; He only had the instruction of the Lord to depend on.  Abraham could have easily said, “God, where will I go; what will I eat and drink”, but he didn’t.  He chose to trust God and be obedient and as Christians we must learn to do the same.
“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).
As much as we would like God to give us “what where when and how” upfront all the time (all in one shot), God does not operate like that.  Sometimes, God will place you in a satiation where you have to trust Him and He’ll give you piece by piece as you obey and trust Him.
As a person who’s been in this situation, I will tell you that this only increases your faith as you learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

Trusting God When You Don’t Understand: Finial Words

I don’t know what your story is (your more than welcome to share it below), but I encourage you to trust God even when you don t understand what’s happening in your life.
You may not understand life and all that’s happening; but God will give you a piece to the puzzle as you learn to step out on faith, trust and obey him.
Don’t let the devil fool you into believing that you’re taking a step backwards in life or that you’ll never make it out of this situation; because you will.  What you’re going through is temporary.
Encourage yourself in the Lord daily; read His word; pray without ceasing and seek His face.  The next time you find yourself in a position where you are stressed and worried about what God is doing in your life remember to:
  1. Consider the Source
  2. Trust the Lord
  3. Be Obedient
  4. Trust God to Lead You

Prayer for Trusting God’s When You Don’t Understand Life

Heavenly Father,
I ask that you place within me your obedient spirit so that I may be obedient to your instruction.  Help me Lord to walk by faith and not by sight.  I don’t understand what you’re doing in my life, but I make a decision to trust you God.
In this season, I ask that you place within me your spirit of joy, peace and rest.  Give me joy; peace and rest to endure all that comes my way.  Right now, I make a decision to trust you Lord because I know that you’re in control of my life even when my life seems to be out of control.
Lord, I thank you for clarity, guidance, provision and strength.  I pray and ask for these things in Jesus name; Amen.
Pray and stay in the word of God.  There is strength for you in the word of God.  Trust the Lord and be obedient even when you don’t understand life and what God is doing.  Be blessed and encouraged in Jesus name.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

New Release: Mr. Yummy Chocolate Season One




Hey Peeps!!

So I finally got finished with my 4 part Romance Serial....whew! lot of writing and revising but it's here!

Details below!
Stay Blessed..Stay Tuned




Title: Mr. Yummy Chocolate (Season One: Episodes 1-10)
Genre: Friends With Benefits Romance Serial
Location: New York
Running Time: 4 Romance Novellas approx. 30K words each

*Please note that this story is a romance serial that unfolds over the course of four novellas, released every two weeks.

Warning: this is an adult romance with sex and strong language intended for mature audiences 18+

If You Like Contemporary Romance With An Extra Splash Of Drama, Then You'll Love Mr. Yummy Chocolate!


Starring:
Veronica Strum, a sassy lingerie boutique owner slowly dipping her toe back into the dating pool
Ty Clayton, an irresistibly charming PR exec looking for his next sexual conquest

There’s always some article, blog post, video or TV show trying to “teach” women these how-to-land-a-good-man rules. Please. They are more like how-to-lower-your-standards-to-get-a-man-that-will-be-intimidated-by-your-success-and-eventually-leave-you-because-he’s-insecure rules. Well at least that’s Veronica’s story. But she doesn’t need any help with rules. She has her own rules:
No expectations.
No commitments.
No drama.

For two years now she’s managed to follow those rules with no issues because she doesn’t date. Or have sex. Then she meets Ty Clayton. A man that puts the T in trouble. Trouble wrapped in delicious well-sculpted chocolate. Just the sight of him ignites a lust inside of her that she hasn't felt in a very long time.

Her Plan: A one night stand. Something to take the edge off and possibly hold her over for another two years or until she’s ready to date again. Whichever comes first.

For years Ty has kept women at a distance not thinking too much about settling down. Especially with all the eye candy in New York to feast on. Relationships are messy. He prefers jump-offs. Friends with benefits. Whatever choice of words you want to use. He has simple rules to living his no strings attached lifestyle:
Never fall in love with a jump-off
No unprotected sex
Never make them a priority when they are an option
Never let them spend the night
Never, ever give them a key to his apartment.

Now he’s in search of a new side chick. Someone consistent but with no strings attached. And Veronica Strum may just be what he’s looking for. She’s a beautiful brown goddess with a slim waist and rounded hips that he can’t wait to get his hands on. If he could package up her beauty and sell it by the bottle he would be a wealthy man.

His plan: Give her something she can’t resist then she’ll be putty in his hands. Another chick on his carousel.


Join Veronica and Ty on this roller-coaster ride of emotions as they learn that sometimes plans have a tendency to change.


BUY HERE:

Thursday, January 2, 2014

My 2014 Intentions (No Resolutions)

Image credit: justaa / 123RF Stock Photo

Hey Peeps,

It's the new year and we are all gun ho about starting fresh and new!

Everyone is making new year's resolutions, writing down their goals and plans for 2014, and promising to do better, be better and have better.

I plan to begin transforming into the person that I know I was PURPOSED to BE. (click to tweet)

2014 is all about living life on PURPOSE! (click to tweet)

I won't call what I want to do or plan to do, be , have or change resolutions...I will call them my intentions. If I intend on doing something I think that it gives me more motivation to accomplish those things.

I don't want to just focus on goals...I set a lot of goals for 2013 that I didn't reach just like years before that. I need to also focus on the system that needs to go in place that will make achieving those specific goals more effective.

ACTION (i.e. Process/System) + GOALS = SUCCESS


2014 CAREER GOALS


  • 12 new titles for my publishing company Rome Gibson Publishing (I'll have 2-3 new storylines & they will equal to 12 or more books but they are going to be in serial format not necessarily 12 new standalone titles)
  • Excel spreadsheet tracking royalties, sales, and expenses for tax purposes
  • 14 new short stories (won't be doing this)
  • Work from home full-time
  • 1,000 new subscribers to my mailing list
  • Become a highly read and recommended author in my genre


*this list may change as the year progresses but for right now this is what I've come up with so far!


ACTION STEPS TO REACH CAREER GOALS

My main focus is to create the habits of a successful author, how do I plan to do that:


  1. put my career first, treat writing as my business and SHOW UP DAILY to perform (just like I do for my 9-5 job on a daily basis)
  2. write five days a week, minimum 1,000 words per day which is 1 hour for me (Weekends are optional writing days)
  3. publish a new title once per 30 days minimum (short story, novella and/or novel)
  4. read fiction and watch movies to refill the creativity well on weekends
  5. cut back on TV and other distractions on writing days especially if I have not met my quota for the day
  6. get as much writing done during the 8 hours on my 9-5 job during slow time (sometimes I'm too mentally drained to just focus in the evenings)



MY INTENTIONS

--I intend to write 6k words per day (Mon-Fri) in order to achieve my goal of 12 new titles (minimum for 2014, either novella or novel) and 14 new short stories (free and paid, 8-10K stories on all publishing platforms).
Writing 6k words per day equals to 6 hours of writing time for me. I find that I write better when my mind is clear which is typically during my work day, by the time I get home in the evenings I'm tired from doing the mundane office work, answering phones, commuting and running errands, that all I want to do is eat and go to bed. So if I can fit in as much writing as I can at work during those 8 hours I will have more flexibility in the evenings just in case I get home late one night and really just need to crash.

--I have to start keeping track of my expenses and royalties on a monthly basis starting this month for tax purposes. I'm also going to take a Taxes for Authors class with Diane Kelly on
savvyauthors.com starting Jan 20, 2014. I'm new at the self-employed thing and need to learn all I can because I intend to do this full-time in the near present.

--Participating in giveaways and cross promotional efforts with other authors, as well as some guest blogging, will get my name out there which will in turn help me to become a highly read and recommended author in my genre.

--Putting a link to my mailing list in my emails, website, blog, and in my books, will help to increase my subscribers.

ALL OF THIS.....(plus the sales of my books) will help me to get to the point that I can do this full-time by the end of 2014.

*I can't control the sales aspect but I can control my production level and with more books to buy I increase my chances of more sales. It only takes 1 book to take off guys....out of the 12 that I intend to write....I increase my chances of producing that one! :-D

OPPORTUNITY + PREPAREDNESS = SUCCESS *there is no luck (click to tweet)


Happy 2014 Everyone!
I wish you nothing but the best!

Until Next Time...
Stay Blessed....Stay Tuned!


**updated: 4/19/14

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!

Image credit: yuliaglam / 123RF Stock Photo


HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVELIES!

ENJOY AND GOD BLESS!!!