Live A Fulfilled Life

When I look at my life I see so many things to be grateful for. I have a honest loving husband who provides for me, helps me around the house and helps me with our two little kids. I have two beautiful healthy children who challenge me to be the best version of myself each day.

Life is not always easy but I have found that changing how I look at things makes things much easier. It's so easy to forget to be grateful for all the beautiful things in life. We can get wrapped up in what everyone else has or what we don't have and forget all the wonderful things we have.

God has a specific plan for our lives and it doesn't look like anyone else's. His plan for each of us is unique just as we are. There is so much beauty in each day. Every morning we wake up is a gift. We get to live another day and make the day what we want.

Not everyday is going to be easy or go our way. But being thankful for the things we have can make a big difference in our day. Being thankful for just waking up and getting to live another day is a beautiful thing. When we have a more positive out look on things our days seem to go better.

We can't keep letting the enemy steal our happiness. He's going to try for sure because he hates us and he hates that we love God. But the good thing is that joy comes for the lord. Nehemiah 8:10"...And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold." So if that was true then why wouldn't it be true now?

Anytime we're doing what God wants for our lives and choosing to live a life dependent on Him the enemy will come at us with resistance. We will come up against some hard stuff. But we can choose joy because it's a time where we can put our faith into practice.

We can't give up just because things get hard or we aren't seeing what we want come to pass right away. Be faithful and trust God. We can't let our faith get shaken. The enemy is so good at distracting us and getting us discouraged.

But we need to stay the course, pray and seek out what God has for us. Then hold on to that dream/plan and don't let it go. Things will get more peaceful when we are in His perfect will for our lives. It's not going to be perfect because we live in a fallen world. But it will be more peaceful and we will be living a more fulfilled lives.

Stop Believing The Lies

James 1:2-3 says: "My Brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

When you fall into temptations, anxiety or depression you often say "God is testing my faith". Or God has put this in my life to teach me something. But that is not true. Satan is the tempter and the evil one. Yes God "allows" it but it's not His will for our lives.

Later on in James 1:13-14 it says "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man; But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of this own lust and enticed."

Satan will draw you away and tempt you. He will test your faith. If you are praying and believing for a certain thing satan will come and put doubt in your mind. He may even bring trails were the situation you're believing for seems to be getting worse and not better.

That is where your faith comes in. You need to trust God with all your heart and not let satan sneak in with his lies. God's word is truth. You don't have to live an anxious life because Philippians 4:6 says "Be anxious for nothing". You don't have to live depressed because Romans 15:13 says "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.

John 10:10 says "The thief comes not but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy; I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly". God wants us to have an abundant life. When are you going to stop believing satan's lies and start believing the word of God?

God says in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope." God has such good plans for your life. The plans he has for you are different then the plans he has for anyone else. You're life is one of a kind, you are one of a kind.

Don't let the evil one steal your life, joy or happiness. No matter the circumstance, no matter how bad things may look. STAND on the word of God. If satan tries to tell you your going to die early or your suicidal you say, NO Psalms 91:16 says "With long life I will satisfy him and I will let him see My salvation. 1 Corinthians says "...But we have the mind of Christ [to be guided by His thoughts and purposes]." You don't have to believe satans lies.

Satan is the kings of lies, but God is the King of life. In God there is HOPE, JOY, true unconditional LOVE, PEACE and LIFE. Don't let satan steal on more minute, hour, or day of your life. Start living the awesome life God has for you.

I hope this can help someone today!

God Bless you all. 

Set your mind on GOOD things

Our minds have so much to do with how our day and even life goes. I've had to do and a lot of retraining my thoughts. I still have to when I see myself falling back in my old ways of thinking.

I used to just dwell on any thought that popped into my head and let it affect my day how ever it may. Lets just say that being in the wrong mind set lead me to the scariest point I've ever been in my life. But once I reach that point I knew things needed to change. I started to slowly changing my mind set by spending time in God's word.

Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, Believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God's word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think CONTINUALLY on theses things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]."

I love this verse because it shows us we can choose to think on good, pure and wholesome things. We don't have to stress and worry about the things in our day. Our minds are what determines how our lives and days go .If we don't have a healthy thought life we are going to be miserable. Trust me I've been there and it's not fun   

1 Corinthians 2:16 says "...But we have the minds of Christ [to be guided by His thoughts and purposes]"

If you are a Christian and have accepted Jesus into your life then you have the all knowing Holy Spirit living inside you. Which me means through the Holy Spirit we have the minds of Christ! So we should cast down every anxious and stressful thought. We should fill our minds with God's word and with all things that are lovely and pure. Fill our minds with things that make us happy not scared or stressed.

I know there is a lot more peace in my house when I set my mind on peaceful things. Our minds are such amazing things and to know we can have control of our own thoughts has changed my life.

So I encourage to be mindful of what you think on during the day. If it doesn't bring peace or joy to your life cas those thoughts down. Then start thinking on good, healthy things. Your life will slowly change and have more joy in it.

My Hope Is In You

In April of 2017 sever anxiety and hopelessness hit me like a rock. I felt so lost, scared and I all the sudden didn't know what I wanted out of life anymore. It was like all my passions and hope for my future disappeared.

I started having panic attacks so bad they were bringing physical pain to my body. I couldn't eat, sleep or breathe at times. I had physical pains in my chest and I would go completely numb. After a couple of days I realized I could fight the good fight of faith or let depression and anxiety settle in and make its home inside my body.

I chose to fight! As Christians we are more then conquerors through Christ. Romans 8:37-39 says "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us]. For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced--beyond any doubt] that neither death,or life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I knew if I leaned with all my might on God and dove into His word I could win this fight. It was NOT easy. There were long nights and super early mornings all filled with teachings from preachers on television and LOTS of times studying the word of God. I also got out and walked a whole lot (almost 4 miles a day).

On rough nights when I couldn't sleep I would lay on the couch and have teaching from amazing pastors on the TV. One night there were to separate pastors on back to back. What was crazy was they were both a talking about getting back into or finding a good home church. We had been out of church for about a year. We quite going because the church was too far away for us with two little kids. But I took the hint from the two pastors and I told my husband we were going to try out a church right near us. That next Sunday we went and have been going every since.

Here almost a year later I have been delivered from the hopelessness and anxiety that once tried to take control of my life. It's all because of God and His word.

I know I've shared parts of my story before. But I want to keep writing and posting about it in hopes that it could help someone and let them know with God you can overcome anything.

Emotions Anyone??

We all have emotions! Many Many Many emotions. Sometimes they can be hard to understand. Sometimes we wonder "why am I even feeling this way?"when there is nothing really wrong in the first place.

I've totally have been there. When my husband and I got married I was still learning I could manage my emotions. I didn't realize at the time that some of the things I was feeling was because of anxiety. Everything after getting married was so new to me. I had a husband who I only had known for 6 months prior to getting married. I moved to a whole new state leaving my family and childhood friends behind. Lastly I had a new family whom I had to get to know because I only met them once before getting married. It also took me three months to find a new job. Emotionally everything was extremely hard for me.

I remember when my husband would leave to go on his hunting trips I would always start a fight before, or get emotional and REALLY sad and cry A LOT. This happened for the first 3 years of our marriage. So last year we sat down before his trip and talked. Through the guidance of holy spirit during that conversation God revealed to me I was dealing with issues of abandonment from when I was really young. At the age of six years old I was taken from my biological parents and placed into foster care. I felt scared, abandoned and very alone. That same abandoned feeling would come up every time Zack would leave for his trip. 

The last two years as Zack's trip approached we hadn't had any problems. God revealing that to me helped us diagnose the problem. So even when the feeling did try to arise I would run to God's word. This year I started to feel that way as Zack's last trip was getting near. The Lord showed me through his word that I was never alone and God would never abandon me EVER.  He brought me to Psalm 91:14 "...[He confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no never]. All we have to do believe and trust him at His word. God doesn't lie if he says he will never abandon us we can trust Him.

If you haven't read Psalms 91 I truly encourage you to do so. It bring me such comfort in the hard time and even more peace in the good times.

So in closing I just want to say emotions can be a tricky thing. Sometimes they can even stem from things that are lingering from our past. But God knows us, he knows our hearts and he wants you to lean on him for help. He will show you how to manage your emotions. Just seek him and get in the word of God daily. It will change you for the better!

God Bless

How Essential Oils Healed My Husband Cyst

Essential oils are a power natural way to help heal your body.  Before I jump into how essential oil help my husband let me tell you a little about what essential oil are. Essential oils are highly aromatic substances found in specialized cells or glands of certain plants. They go through distillation process and are bottled and are used for their therapeutic benefits.

Our story:

My husband had a awful acne cyst that started out small and started to slowly grow. He left for about a week to go on a hunting trip and when he came home his cyst had ended up growing a little bigger then a quarter. It bulged out and was super painful for him. The last time he had one this bad was before we were married. He had to get a round of antibiotics and then the doctors cut it out.

So this time around I told him, "Babe, I would like to try something before you go to the doctors." I am a huge believer essential oils and aromatherapy. He was skeptical but let me make up a blend for him.

With in a week and a half, things started to improve for him. The cyst came to a head and he was able to drain it slowly and safely. He told me his last cyst never did that! He was so happy. I had made an essential oil believer out of him!

Here's what I did:

In a 5 ml Cobalt Blue Orifice Reducer bottle I added Jojoba Wax, Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) essential oil, Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia) essential oil and Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) essential oil. 

I get my essential oils and cobalt orifice reducer bottles at aromatics.com. You can use my link to get $10 off your first order. aromaticsinternational.com/?ai=Z95QtrIqSB

Why I chose each oil: 

I chose Jojoba Wax as the carrier oil because my husbands skin is pretty sensitive and this oils is very skin loving. 

I chose Frankincense for it's skin nourishing properties and that it helps to prevent scaring. 

I chose Lavender for it's antibacterial properties and for the fact that it reduces pain (which the Cyst caused him a lot of in that area). 

Then last I chose Tea Tree because it's amazing for getting rid of acne because of it's antibacterial properties and it reduces swelling (which there was a LOT of).

The Recipe:

I filled the Colbalt Blue Orifice Reducer bottle about 1/3rd of the way with Jojoba Wax. Then I added 25 drops of Tea Tree oil, 20 drops of Lavender and 15 drops of Frankincense. Then put the cap on and mixed it up. 

He applied it topically to the area 2-3 times a day with a cotton ball or q-tip. As the symptoms lessened he backed off and only applied it 1-2 times a day.  

I have gone through some aroma therapy classes so I had some prior knowledge before making up this blend for him. I made sure if was safe for my husband to use by making sure I used a carrier oil.  I don't recommend making this blend without it.  

Disclaimer: This was what worked for MY husband. This is for informational purposes only. In no way I am claiming this to cure or prevent anything. Talk to your healthcare professional if you are pregnant or have any health issues.

Keep Dreaming!!!!

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

   God loves us so much and has just wonderful plans for our lives. He wants us to live a life filled with hope for our future. He puts dreams and desires in each and everyone of us specific to HIS plan he wants us to fulfill.  

   The dreams and plans you have in your heart you can fulfill them with God's help. God wants us to listen and follow his lead on things. We can't just jump ahead and think that we know better the him. Then we tend to make a mess of things because we are trying in our own strength.  

   But when we take things at God's pace and let him open the doors you will see your dreams come true. It's so good to dream and plan and take action. But make sure your pray and make sure it's God path for you. 

   Don't let your life get stale and boring. Ask God what steps you need to take in order the live out His plan for your life. He will guide you and it may not always be easy. But don't give up on what God is calling you to do just because you hit a road block, it gets a little hard or your not seeing progress fast enough.

   I was always dreaming, starting something and then giving up on it because I lost interest or it was seem like it was impossible. But once I found God TRUE purpose and calling for my life I have been SO happy. My calling is encouraging others in their daily walk with Christ. It's so much fun and I enjoy every minute of it.

   Finding out what God wanted me to do took searching of my heart, praying and asking God what He had planned for my life. Then when I went to Him with an open heart ready to have him lead me where he wanted me. That when then and only then God started showing me what He wanted me to do.

   Some good questions to ask yourself if your wanting to figure out God's calling for your life are the following:

•    What am I naturally good at?

 

•    What do I enjoy doing?

•    What are my dreams for my future?

•    Has God already given me a dream for my future awhile ago that I forgot about?

   That last one hits home for me. God had placed on my heart a long time ago what I was supposed to do with my life. But I had pushed it aside after I got married and focused on what I wanted. Well lets just say that lead to a lot of unnecessary unhappiness. Which could have been avoided if I just listened to God in the first place.

   So figure out what God has planned for you and pray about how to get started or what steps to take towards that life. Be patient and be joyful in the waiting period because it's worth it to see God's plans fall into place!! Keep the dream at the forefront of your mind and don't let it go!

  

                              God Bless,
                                  Casey