Fifi's Muse

James 1:5-6 in the NLT version. Most versions write about doubt in verse 6 but here it calls doubt having "divided loyalty". The presence of that divided loyalty causes inward instability. It's like constantly switching between one of two options without picking one. The book of James has a very practical matter-of-fact approach and it encourages us to just make a choice. In this particular verse, it encourages us to pick faith over doubt.  " But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:6 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.1.6.NLT #faith#doubt#waivering#faithblogger#bibleverse#christianinspiration

Do you believe that God understands how you feel? Do you believe He feels your pain? This verse is a reminder that He does. It's part of the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha after their brother passed away. He told them that God would get the glory and that their brother would rise again. They didn't understand that He meant that he would rise again based on his command. Jesus didn't go ahead with the miracle to prove himself to them, instead he stayed with the sisters and their mourners. His soul was troubled. Jesus wasn't more interested in proving that He was the son of God who could work miracles than he was in connecting with Mary in her pain. It's the same way with us. Sometimes we just don't understand what God is saying but He still feels what we are feeling and weeps with us. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there! Here is a mother's day prayer from my heart to yours♥️! #mothers#happymothersday#prayerformothers#encouragement#encouragementformothers#fifismuse

My notes from Women's Prayer Banquet "Become a Better You" September, 2021. There were so many wisdom nuggets being released at this online event. I just got to write down a few. Men out there will find this information useful as well.  Kids need hands on play-time: puzzles, lego, creativity from drawing e.t.c. This allows them to build creativity. On the other hand, always watching TV will create hyperactivity. (My kid's pediatrician actually taught us this at a yearly checkup, so this is standard medical information as well). This is the reason why a lot of adults cannot meditate, our minds are not calm enough. Excuses are made whether they are valid or not.The 1st person you have responsibility to is yourself. Age, marriage and children are not excuses to give up on yourself. No one is better than you, they just know something that you don't know. Prayer is not a substitute for building skills and building up yourself to establish wealth. Some peopl...

Inspiration#inspirationalquotes#emotionalhealth#positivity

I came across this statement in a Joyce Meyer devotional. It offers a good dose of practical wisdom. We have so much going on that can cause stress and it is easy to get stuck in that state. On the other hand, we can stop, re-evaluate and redirect our energy towards letting go of that stress and enjoying life. #inspiration#stress#stressreduction#relaxation#joycemeyerquote

I remember listening to Pastor Dotun speak one day and she said something that wasn't supposed to be shocking but I later figured out why it was. She said "God loves men and women equally." I thought about it and realized that he did. I had heard so many messages from humans that made it seem like God feels men are superior. That's not from God. We have to be conscious of what we subconsciously accept. Don't listen to the voices that say a male child is superior to a female child or the voice that blames a wife for her husband's bad choices. Choose not to listen to the voice that says you are not thin enough, fair enough, tall enough, smart enough. Choose not to listen to the voice that makes a fellow woman an opponent instead of a sister. #happy international women's day#womenhelpingwomen#youareenough#selflove 

I think the greatest benefit of faith is that it creates hope. In Psalm 27:13 David says he would have been discouraged if he had not believed that he would see God's goodness.  He then encouraged us to wait on the Lord. It is a two step process: believe that you will see God's goodness, so you won't be discouraged; Then wait on him.#hope #faith #faithblogger #positivity 

 Pastor Creflo Dollar has been praying on facebook everyday since the coronavirus increased social isolation. I have loved the sessions that I have been able to watch. Today he shared this nugget above and it spoke to me a lot. I have been hearing a lot about personal growth and I have had to grow a lot this year. I think it was striking to think about what would happen if we don't grow. If we refuse to be stretched. We leave space for unhealthy things to grow in our lives and we leave space for idols to take the place of God.  #spiritualgrowth#faith

Have you ever had a moment when you realized that you have grown through bad experiences? Yes, bad experiences can mature you. Negative people can make you learn to not get upset about people's opinions.#encouragement#positivequotes #positivity#fifismuse#fifismuse.blogspot.com

I read this verse today and an idea jumped out at me. Funny thing is, I have read it before and never really thought much about it. In this season there is more context for this verse because there is so much of a need to know the future right now. We need to know when things will go back to normal and sometimes that makes it difficult to adjust to the new normal. In this verse Jesus was saying to his disciples that it is not for them to know the times and seasons which are in the Father's hands. That statement reminded me that faith is trusting when we don't know. We won't always have answers or find them but we can find peace when we decide to let go of the need for answers and decide to trust. It's easier said than done but it is a process that we can work towards. 

We all have highs and lows in life. I pray that as you go through valleys, you have the strength to keep moving and not stay there. Psalms 84:5-7 talks about going through valleys and making it a spring. If we do not look to God we won't find that spring in the valley. We could decide that the valley is all there is and there is nothing else to look forward to. Thinking that way will keep us from getting to a place where we feel alive again. Verse 7 talks about increasing strength. This strength doesn't come from ourselves, it comes from God, from holding onto Him, from calling on Him in prayer from trusting Him when everything around us seems dark.

I have had two experiences this Christmas season that left an impression on me. One was being part of a line in a gas station and the guy in front of me turned around and asked what I was getting and how much it cost. I stated that I was getting gas for my car and what it cost, then asked why he was asking. He responded by saying that the person ahead of him paid for his items and so he was paying for mine. This really brightened my day. I had been getting over congestion and a struggle with the weather among other things, it made a difference. I turned around and asked the guy behind me how much his items cost (of course I had to make sure I could afford it). I paid for his too. The store clerks were pleasantly surprised and one remarked that she "needed to be on the other side of the counter." It is always great to see a total stranger showing that there is goodness in humanity. They said the Christmas cheer had been started by a lady earlier in the day.  My second ex...

A few weeks ago I was listening to a live stream of a sermon in which Oneka McClellan talked about how Mary and Elizabeth in the Bible encouraged one another during a difficult season. Something else dropped in my mind about their situations. They both received promises that they had to embrace and carry although it was difficult or even somewhat inconvenient.  Mary was a virgin girl engaged to Joseph. An angel appeared to her and told her that she was to chosen to carry God's son. He would be incubated in her and she would give birth to him. It wasn't a convenient time. She was engaged, what will her fiance think? What will her neighbors say when they see her body starting to change? It was a lot to take in but she accepted the angel's message. God took care of her fiance behind the scene and he had his own visitation. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was elderly. She didn't have the option of accepting or refusing the promise but she had joy in the mids...

When life gets too hard to stand ..kneel. I actually saw this quote while watching a show and looked it up. It's very catchy and encouraging at the same time. Life can be tough sometimes and on those days the first thing that may come to your mind is tackling the issue. How about pausing and kneeling? Or just plain praying in whatever position, handing over the situation to someone who can handle it, God. I am talking to myself too  🙂 .

It is often said that time heals all wounds. I think it depends on what you do with that time and what your wounds are. Medically, a deep wound will not heal on its own with the passing of time. In the same way, an emotional wound will not heal if the work is not put in to go through the process of healing. The work could be reading the bible, listening to seminars by psychologists, reading books, listening to messages, therapy, being around loving people e.t.c, things that build your soul. "A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired" Proverbs 17:22(MSG version ). The NLT version says " A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength." A wounded heart leads to a broken spirit. Any wound needs attention.  On, the other hand you could let a wound fester. You will not heal by holding onto unforgiveness or bitterness. It will only deepen the wound and keep you in a constant cycle of ...

We all have fears but we also have some measure of faith. Let your faith be greater than your fears.

In a space of one week, I met two people who said to me that they did not feel a place existed in the world for them. This statement shocked me. I guess I would have understood depression but that's not what this statement expressed. It expressed a sense of futility, a sense of wandering. If I were to create imagery for it this, it would be one of a well-dressed man walking consistently down a long and dusty road without a sense of direction. He does not stop to ask for direction but on he goes down a path that seems to have no end to it. When asked he says he does not understand it but somehow someone put him there. If you are feeling this way, here are some thoughts to let you know there is a place for you. You are not an accident: The miracle of conception is not a coincidence. I have the privilege of being a mother. The transition from being pregnant to actually seeing the child who was kicking inside me finally kicking his little feet out in...

image credit: istockphoto.com This poem is a journey through different facets of trust to create a synopsis Oh achy heart  with no one to trust the weary soul with no place to call home, The heavy head with no shoulder to rest on How your internal war isolates you It is indeed a hard decision to make An arduous road to take   When you consider that words first be can sweet  yet the truth about them is bitter you travel down that road once more  Oh, naive heart,  look once and then again because the one you trust is not worthy, it is one who reads from a well-written script, listen more than you feel is necessary, because the puzzle is solvable,  when the pieces do not fit it is not a mystery but a clue. If only you could see the truth  then you would soar  over the isolation,  over the heaviness There is but one that is worthy of all trust God alone But on earth, there are a few he has placed   B...

Why starving yourself is not a good way to lose weight It’s been ages since you stepped on a scale. You wake up one morning and decide summer is getting close or that you have a big wedding coming up that you just have to look amazing for. If you’re a guy you may want to be able to show off toned muscles like a Hollywood star. You step on a scale and realize you have added 15 pounds since the last time you weighed yourself. It may not seem like a lot to some people but it is shocking to you. The pounds added up in 2 months! How can this be? Maybe there is something wrong with your scale. You start thinking about it and realize you have a good excuse. Life has been hectic. You may have started stress eating without paying attention. You may have had a crazy college semester or a turbulent couple of months at work. You just have not had the luxury of time. Time to pay attention. Time to care about yourself or time to even think about working out. It’s not your fault, it’s just...