Greetings Everyone,
All honor and glory be to God! I hope yall had a wonderful weekend. I just wanted to say that I have absolutely no excuse for not sending out the SOD on Friday or a makeup lesson over the weekend. All I can do is ask you to excuse my laziness and neglect. Anyway, my healthy encouragement today involves water; try to replace at least one or two of your sugary or carbonated drink choices with water each day this week. I happen to find cucumber infused water to be quite refreshing, but others may find it to be an "acquired" taste. There are many fruits that can be used to infuse water as well, such as watermelon, oranges, and lemon. So if plain ol' water just doesn't float your boat, infuse it. All you have to do is cut up some slices of your favorite fruit, or herb (such as mint leaves), and allow it to chill in the water for about 30-45 minutes, then voila - infused water. If you have to have the bubbly sensation that carbonated drinks give you, then use a sparking water as your base instead of normal filtered water. But guess what? I haven't forgot those of you who would rather just avoid water altogether ... Did you know that eating certain fruit and vegetables as a snack alternative such as cucumbers, melons, strawberries, grapefruit, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, and radish to name a few, can substitute your water intake? In addition to hydration, fruits and vegetables also provide your body with rich vitamins and nutrients, and may contain antioxidants. The previously mentioned items are all made up of 90% + water, so if you don't want to drink water, eat it.
On another note, it is crunch time for the first major event my non-profit organization will be participating in (please refer to http://www.fmbs-inc-bytye.org for more information about my organization). We will be participating in the Brain Tumor Society’s 2nd annual 5k walk/run. FMBS Inc. will be walking/running in honor of my dear friend, Jennifer Robinson, a brain tumor survivor. I would love for you to participate in the walk with us. Contact me with regard to your interest in this event, or simply “register” to “join a team” under my name (Tylesha Allen) or my company’s name (FMBS Inc.) for Team Jenn. If you would rather submit a monetary donation, you are more than welcome to do that as well. Either way, just copy and paste one of these two URL addresseshttp://www.braintumorcommunity.org/goto/Team_Jenn_R or http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/goto/fmbs_4_Team_Jenn into your Internet browser to read Jennifer’s story, to join Team Jenn, or to make a pledge that will help us reach our fund-raising goal of $1,000 for the cause. So far, we've only reached the $425 mark, so please remember to spread the word about this event. Many people have suffered as a result of brain tumors and brain cancers; families and friends of those who fall victim to brain tumors and/or brain cancer are victims themselves. Our efforts will bring researchers that much closer to better treatment, a cure, and will ultimately help to better educate society. We thank you in advance for, your support, your donations, your participation, and for SHARING these links with others.
As we continue to work together to spread God’s Gospel, let us also encourage one another to take steps that lead to a healthy overall mind, body, and soul; TRANSFORM your body, mind, and soul by feeding your body healthy nutrition, and being cautious of what things you allow your eyes, ears, and spirits to be exposed to (e.g. media, books, TV, music, etc.). Have you fed your spirit today? CHANGE BEGINS WITHIN, so START YOUR TRANSFORMATION TODAY, because tomorrow is NOT promised. Continue to keep one another in prayer, thanking God for the victory, and refraining from claiming defeat from the enemy; ALWAYS pray for your desired result, NOT the unfavorable outcome. Do NOT lose sight of God in the midst of adversity. God Bless!
Lord please clear our minds, and open our eyes and ears so that we may see, hear, and receive your intended message from this fellowship. In the name of Jesus, Amen!
Passage - James 5:16 (NLT):
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."
***Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible***
Thoughts for Today:
"We need to say "I did it!" to God and to ourselves when we've done something wrong. We also need to say "I did it!" to anyone we have offended or hurt through our sin. Today's scripture tells us if we confess our sins to each other and pray for each other we will be healed. Spiritual healing involves reconciliation with others. When we confess our sin against someone, we need to accept responsibility for our actions. Our confession shouldn't sound like this: "I did this and I'm sorry. But I did it because you . . ." Instead, we should state what we've done without blaming anyone or anything else, without trying to justify or minimize it. We should ask the offended person's forgiveness. If the person is a Christian, we should pray together.
Consider this ...
Confessing and forgiving works two ways. Jesus said if another believer sins against us, we should privately point out the offense. If that person listens and confesses it, "you have won that person back." He goes on to tell the next steps to take if the person won't confess (refer to Matthew 18:15-17). These scriptures leave no doubt about God's desire for us to confess our sins to each other. Is there someone you need to talk to?"
***Reference: Living Free Every Day. (2013). I Did It. Tell Each Other. Retrieved from http://livingfree.org.***
OK, I'm going to be completely honest. I was confused with today's devotional. I wasn't quite clear what the message was. So, I dived in to it a little deeper and turned to other translations of the Bible to add some clarity to the text. I remind you that the Word warns that we should "study to yourself approved" (refer to II Timothy 2:15) - do NOT simply accept my words as truth. Rather, do your own studies so that God may reveal your individual-intended message. My interpretation of the text is as follows ... If or when you get into an altercation with someone where you or the offender is on opposite ends of the offense, then the victim should first attempt to resolve the issue with the offender one on one - following the Chain of Command if you will. For those who are not familiar with the term, that means if or when an issue needs to be addressed, you start at the bottom of the chain and work your way up until you establish a resolution (co-worker -> supervisor -> manager -> executive management -> boss/owner). Thus, if talking to the individual one-on-one doesn't render positive results, then try to introduce a mediator. If that still doesn't work, you simply leave it in God's hands. There are people from my past who I hold some resentment towards, and have prayed to release these emotions. Sometimes it's hard because you really only desire the individual(s) to admit that what they did was wrong, and hope for a sincere apology to follow without them turning the tables back on you. If you can relate, then asses your own fault for a moment ... is there someone or a group of individuals you may have wronged, but failed to accept accountability for your actions? If so, even if that individual believes it's "too late," extend your apology and turn to God for forgiveness; your efforts will not go unnoticed by God, and eventually that individual will come to forgive you in their heart. As a result of your openness and wiliness to be accountable for your actions, gradual peace will develop within. I am a firm believer that we all have the capability to forgive even the boldest of sin against us, yet we fail to forget the way the Lord does. However, I believe that once you develop peace with your past offenders and offenses, eventually, bad memories will be replaced with newer and pleasant ones. Be encouraged!
Prayer of the Day:
Father God we thank you for life, health, and strength. We ask for forgiveness of everything that we have thought, said, or did, that was not pleasing in your sight. Give us the strength we need to forgive those who have wronged us, the same way you continuously grant forgiveness to us. Also, place upon those we may have wronged, the same desire, that we too may be forgiven by them. More importantly Father, whatever guilt we've place on self, allow us to release so that we may forgive ourselves. Lord we have privately confessed our sins to you and know that you have forgiven us individually. But Father we know you don't want us to stop there. Give us the courage to confess to those we have offended so our relationship can be healed. Help us to release all negativity stored within. Bless us with a double portion of your Spirit Father. Close every unnecessary door that is open in our lives, and open supernatural doors to peace, prosperity, clarity, contentment, and happiness. Provide each of us with clear and concise revelations that we need in order to overcome the adversary. Help us to see, hear, and feel your presence through every trial and tribulation. Help us to reevaluate our lifestyles, and to rearrange our priorities, placing you at the top of our list. Provide discernment to know the difference between good and bad, right from wrong, and your will vs. our own desires. We thank you for provision, guidance, and protection from Satan’s attacks. By the authority in our words, we reverse all the negativity spoken into existence within our individual lives and the lives of our loved ones and associates. We take back everything the enemy has stolen from us, and bind every evil and malicious plot, plan, and scheme devised against us, in the matchless name of Jesus. Lord we also grant your angels permission to do our bidding on Earth without recourse. Transform us into an image that mirrors Jesus, so that His goodness is reflected in all that we do. This is our affirmation of faith Father God; we submit our petition to you in the name of Jesus, Amen!
Respectfully,
Tylesha "Tye" Allen
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)
Ministry Blog: http://sodbytye.blogspot.com/
Non-profit Website: http://fmbs-inc-bytye.org/
Your independent Herbalife distributor/health coach: Tye.HL24@gmail.com
Change begins within; work on becoming a better You
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