Lemonade

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2 NLT).

Have you ever turned down a nice glass of lemonade? It tastes great doesn’t it, especially when someone that knows what they are doing is making it. No two people make lemonade exactly the same because our taste buds are so different. Some people like really sweet lemonade, but I personally prefer for my lemonade to be a little more tart. I want to taste the lemons!

Some of us have spiritual taste buds that require us to taste the lemons of life. Everyone will not have a sweet journey, but the things that we go through will be enough for us to make a glass of lemonade to be shared with others.

“There isn’t any temptation that you have experienced which is unusual for humans. God, who faithfully keeps his promises, will not allow you to be tempted beyond your power to resist. But when you are tempted, he will also give you the ability to endure the temptation as your way of escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13 GWT).

What are you doing with your personal basket of lemons? Are you making lemonade or are you allowing your lemons to sit unused and purposeless in your basket (heart)? God created lemons for a reason. They add freshness to dishes (your situation) and are the secret ingredient to some desserts.

Again, I ask, what are you doing with your basket of lemons? Beyoncé made an album and many others have written books, movies, and other great manifestations of this sour, but useful fruit.

I will both admit to and volunteer to be the first one to raise my hand as I hold my basket of lemons filled with fear, uncertainty, anxiety, and insecurity to saying that sometimes I think about giving up. Sometimes I want to stop, cry, and burn my basket of troubles, but I know that the lemons in my life have a purpose that is beyond my temporary feelings. I know that God will use each and every lemon that I carry for His glory and I know that some amazing glasses of lemonade will be made in my lifetime.

Lord, I thank you that your promises are true no matter what my circumstances attempt to tell me. I thank you that all things are working for my good and I thank you for covering each and every one of my hurts with your sweetness. Lord I pray that you help me to carry on and to cast each and every one of my cares on you. I pray to walk in the fullness of your joy and I pray that others will seek you because of it. I pray that you renew my hope and that you teach me how to make lemonade, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.

· Be encouraged today: There comes a time when you have to stop sipping on everyone else’s lemonade and make your own. I love Sara Jakes and so many others. I love the manifestations of what God has used them to do with their hurts, but both you and I have our own basket of lemons that we need to squeeze for God’s glory <3

Lemonade Ingredients:

(Water): Tears
(Lemon squeezer): Intense pressure

(Lemons): hurt, disappointment, fear, anxiety

(A lot of Sugar!): grace, mercy, love, hope, submission to the will of God!

Comments

See Yourself the Way that God Sees You

In 2010 I was lost. I did not know who I was or where I was going. I was sinking. I was not living a life of purpose, but I was merely existing. That all changed when God injected Himself into the mix. I cannot say that I was looking for Him, but I can say that He definitely took the opportunity to change my heart through love. God loved me during a time when I placed a man’s attention over seeking and falling in love with the attention that He was showing me. God had already placed so much in me that He saw fit to not allow what He had already started to be wasted. I was in a backslidden state, but yet God loved me enough to still use others to show me what He thought of me. When God begins a work in you, He is faithful to bring it to completion. I desired God, but I was not running after Him. God meant me in a dark and lonely place. He continued to shower me with His love and He allowed the roots that He had already planted in my life to go from a dormmate state to a growin...

Visionary: See It Before You See It

One of things that I ask God for in my prayer time is the ability to be able to hear Him. I want to hear God clearly when He speaks to me. I don’t want to drown out His voice which is easy for me to do because I have a tendency to be easily distracted. When God has shown us something, we cannot allow ourselves to get off task. We have to be able to listen to God and we have to be able to envision what He is saying to us. For the past few nights, the word see has been jumping out to me as I read my bible. Before God gave certain people instructions, He told them to see first. Sometimes the personal words that God has for me can be hard to believe because they are things that I don’t see in myself. Life can sometimes have a way of making us not believe the things that God is saying to us, but we have to be able to see His promises mentally before we actually see them tangibly. Despite what may be going on around you, all you need to do is see . Sometimes you have to see what...

The process of being stripped

The destruction of your plans allows God to give you a greater anointing and build up your character to how He wants it to be. Israel has endured destruction many times on their road to greatness. God had to tear them down in order to get rid of all the sin and disobedience that they were subjecting themselves to. What you are going through is meant for your good child of God. God is trying to burn up everything in your life that is unlike him. Submit to the process. God is humbling you. As a chosen vessel of the most high God, you cannot act like the world around you. Their god is not your God. Stop prostituting yourself in every club to fit in with the devil's kingdom. What is your character like child of God? Can you handle the success that God wants to give you? God is not trying to punish you Child of God. He is trying to build you up. God is your strong and mighty tower, lean on Him. He is the guard at your city's gates. Those friends, that man/woman in your life have ...

Answer The Call

I think that we all know what it’s like to miss an important call, right? We move our schedules around and we keep our phones glued to us; but unfortunately, there are still times when we end up missing that call that means so much to us. How about times when we miss a call that was important, and we were not expecting it? We may recognize the number on the caller id, but the person on the other end has already hung up or they do not answer their phone by time we are able to call them back. To make a long story short, it’s not good to miss an important call. When we do, we become inconvenienced and have to wait for that phone call to come again. We all know what it’s like to miss an important call from a person, but what about the times that we have missed a call from the Lord? We all have so much to do and think about that we miss a special call from Jesus daily. We get so caught up in tradition and prayer times, that we miss the call to be the church at all times. Church is not...

Real talk: My view of me pt1

I am 27 years old, so it is an odd time for me to decide that I want to give my all to Christ. I mean my ALL! Not just my Sundays or my times my prayer, but my whole life, relationships, finances. Ok, God has to work with me on the finances part, but I want him to have all of me. After all it’s his money and I am bought with a price. Do not be bitter in your singleness. It’s cute to have a boo and everything, but it’s beautiful when you have the resources to pick the right boo. My goal in dedicating everything to God is just to have a closer walk with him. I wanna do everything with God. I wanna walk in the park, have dinner and late night talks with Jesus. In a relationship we get all wrapped up in our mate and do these things so why not do them with Jesus. I am at a place at seeing me. God is showing me that I am not the best the friends. So my desire and my prayer is to be a great friend. I don’t want anything from anybody; I just want to give of myself in Jesus name, weather ...

Kairos:God’s Opportune Time Table

There are moments and seasons that are not defined by man or their opinions. In those moments “their” opinions don’t matter, your background does not matter, and your last name does not matter. Those moments are the ones that define your destiny and triumph over your past. Those seasons are the ones that you are born to walk in and nothing can steal them away from you. That moment and that season is specified as being your kairos moment. Your life, your destiny, your ministry, and your purpose are all in your kairos moment. Everything that you are and ever will be, boils down to that moment. Your kairos moment cannot be defined, manipulated, or determined by man because it is a moment that is determined by God alone. King David was the underdog. He was the youngest and most different when compared to his brothers. Even the prophet Samuel could not identify God’s chosen vessel in the flesh because God had to reveal to him who the next king would be. Being alone and being the u...

Know your Position!

The story of Joseph is so awesome. This morning God dealt with me about character advancement. In order for Joseph to get to the high place that God was placing him in, he had to learn a few things. He had to learn love, loyalty, faith, relationship, vision, and forgiveness. Joseph learned love from his brothers. Even though Joseph was a favorite, he experienced hate in his own house hold. I can just imagine the mean things that he heard his brothers say about him or the way that he felt when he was left out of things they were doing. Joseph had to learn how to love the ones that were closet to him in order to love other people. When you can love a family member that has hurt you, you can love anybody. Joseph needed that love so that he wouldn’t grow bitter in the 13 years that God had in him Egypt. He also needed that love in order to effectively serve the people that God was sending him to. I also believe that he compassion for people that were in a bad situation. Now, Joseph was...

The Private, Matters

“And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” ( Luke 1:1-20 NKJV). Zacharias’ prayer was not answered in the way that he thought that it would be. During his prayer time with the Lord, he asked God to allow him and his wife to have a baby, but years passed, and they got older. Zacharias’ went on with his life until his season changed, and it was time. Time for what you may ask; it was time for the blessing of the Lord over this man and wife to come to pass. The issue was that Zacharias had allowed this prayer to leave his heart, and unbelief took its place. Wha...

Why I won’t date

So many women define themselves by their relationship status. I used to be one of those women. It didn’t matter if that man cheated on me, lied to me, or insulted me; I was not going to leave him. I needed a relationship to make me feel beautiful and wanted, but at the same time I knew that the men that I was trying to make love me were not ordained for me. Women don’t consider that word, ORDAINED. It’s easy for a man to make us feel loved, wanted, less lonely and desired, but that man cannot make us feel full. That is what I need in my life, fullness. I understand that God is my husband and that my fairy tale love story has to begin with him before I bring a man into the mix. You see, marriage is a union. You become one with your husband. You live with him, you love him, you worship with him and you fight (spiritually) with him. The not so tricky thing about the before mentioned aspects of marriage is that all of those things have to begin in your singleness. I have a tendency...

Renew and Restore: Trusting God

“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” (Jeramiah 29:11 ). I often wonder how it will all happen. God’s plan for my life. How will it come to pass? I’ve been told so many awesome things, but I wonder how it will happen. This process is teaching me to trust God and depend on him instead of my own reasoning. Is this lesson easy? No! I want all of these amazing experiences, but I am challenged to ask myself if I am really ready to take on the assignment that I am called to. Everything happens for a reason. Even when we don’t understand tough situations and pray that trouble will leave us, we go through so that others can learn from the lessons that God desires to teach us. I have to learn to listen and to spend time with God. I know that I am easily distracted and my purpose requires me to be focused on Him. Everything is about Him. My life, my talent, even my salvation is a gift ...

JaNina B.

Search This Blog