"Faith is trusting God even when you don’t understand his plan.” Anonymous

Meaning of if Condition, stipulation: the question … depends on too many ifs to allow an answer. 

IF? appears, between the opening of the Old Testament Book of Genesis to the last word of the Bible in the New Testament Book of Revelation, precisely 1,595 times in 1,420 different verses of the King James Version of the Bible.

Such a small word that can hold many questions and uncertainties. It is also known as the biggest word in the Bible. Is it? Or maybe it’s a bargaining tactic. Do you ever make deals with God? Do you ever give Him ultimatums? Do you use that small word IF?

It makes me wonder How or what He thinks? I know as a parent when my child has said I will only do it “IF”.  Hold on did I hear that dreaded two-letter word “if” ...? And my immediate response is this, it is not let’s make a deal!!! Go and do what I have to ask you to do!! 

What are your thoughts? Does God react the same way? Do we treat Him like Monte Hall? For those who don’t remember Monte Hall, he is the show host for the game show Let’s Make a Deal.  I am sure without a doubt before my Holy Spirit experience I bargained with God on such a superficial level. Many treat God like Monte Hall or as a magical genie. We close our eyes and fill the air with wishes instead of genuine prayers. We throw in the IF word in an attempt to make bargains... 

I can only share from my own experience. As I have grown to know my Heavenly Father, I have learned to trust Him with my heart, my soul, my mind. I no longer find the need to bargain with Him. I know He knows best...its then the word IF started on a new journey in my life. .. Just think, If “I” can love Him with all my heart, my soul, and mind how rich would my life become... If “I” could learn to listen to His gentle whispers just think how less complicated things in my life might be? If I could be more like Jesus and less of this world think how much better of a person I might grow up to be? It is not a dream it is an attainable little word.  But it must be used to grow and not to shed doubt or for making bargains with God. Because I am of the belief that He is in control of everything. He has superpowers and a loving soul. Only “If” I knew Him on such an intimate level long before now? But I am grateful for the time He has given me to find Him, to love Him, and to share Him with anyone that is willing to listen. 

“ If “ you know what is good for your soul... I would listen for His whispers. If you could just start building that relationship today. Time is not on our side. It’s ticking slowly by.  “If” is a very big word. But if used correctly it can be used to make the biggest changes in your life.  I say “if” you take the time to find His intimate love. Your life will never be the same. It will be enriched in so many ways. Some are even hard to describe. He is such a feeling of the heart. He leaves me speechless. 

It’s Him, it’s always Him

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,  - Psalms 95:7 – 

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” - Mark 4:23 – and Revelations 13:9

As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” – Hebrews 3:15, 3:7, 4:7   

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music: YouTube

Owen Mac If Jesus Comes Tomorrow

“I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually, they make the difference between winning and losing.” —Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -

Meaning of win a successful result in a contest, conflict, bet, or another endeavor; a victory

The word win is in the Bible approximately 43 times in ten translations of the Bible. 

The word win was on the lips of many last night.. As the coin flipped and the whistle blew… and we said let the game began. Many fans shouted victory while many cried in their beer. It was a Superbowl that would make history. So many fans across the nation placing wagers.. taking sides… choosing teams. Finding our decisions pit many friends against friends and families against families. 

So how does this game of mind, body, and soul stack up against life? How does this word win show its victorious head in the Bible ??  Are we in a game? I would venture to say it could resemble a game… We are all on this amazing race we know as life. 

When I look around many are choosing sides… There seem to be only two teams, The team of light and the team of darkness. There are some that are having difficultly deciding and are dance the dance of chance… We must search our own hearts and see what team we are on? The game seems to be getting intense. Time is a crucial factor! Some may stay in the game until the last whistle sounds. But what if you are injured and carried off the field?  Where will you go?  Light or dark it is a choice. 

I can only answer this question on a personal level… I have been touched by this amazing light, I know the franchise owner on a personal level… I am forever drawn to His light… I am like a moth to a flame… With an insane drive to chase Him to the finish line. He has promised me I will share in His victory dance for eternity.  I have it by a reputable source that He is the winner of the game of life. He is the winner of many hearts ... He is the ultimate winner of the game of thrones!!!!

It’s Him, It’s always Him!! 

Go TEAM JESUS ❤🕊

Many have unsuccessfully tried to disprove my source ❤click on the link below and give it a try.  You may be surprised what you might find!! ✝🕊https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible/id282935706

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5 ESV

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music: YouTube 

The Champion- Carman

I am His by Election. I am His by Donation. I am His by Creation. I am His by Redemption.I am His by Presentation.

The meaning of mine: used to indicate the one or ones belonging to me: 

The word mine appears in 825 instances in the Bible.

When I see the word mine my mind drifts to the thoughts of children as they fight for what they think is rightfully theirs. Resulting in its mine syndrome. 

I do believe many people still operate under those guidelines. And selfishness raises its ugly head. 

Come with me as we explore what we can discover about this word in this amazing Book we have taken ownership of. This copy is mine. Rightfully so it has my name on the cover to prove it...It's my copy of my Bible. However, the story that is tucked so lovingly between its pages is for all mankind... So again is it truly mine? 

Are our earthly possessions truly ours? Or are they just on loan for a short time while we are here on earth? Why are we so possessive of our personal treasures?  When I think of the word mine with my spiritual eyes. My mine becomes, me! the true essence of who I am. The memories that I have made with others .. and the relationships we have cultivated and lovingly shared. But even these things are not things we can keep and say they are mine. Because when we leave this earth the memories and relationships that were shared become ours .. Yours and the ones we have left behind.

When we boil it down all things are a gift from our Heavenly Father. The only possession we truly can say it’s Mine is our relationship with Him... The Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the true and only constant in our lives.. and they have given us this promise for eternity...

But I have discovered that sharing Him with others enriches my life. 

Because He is Omni-mine. He is the great I-am... I am everything to everyone... I truly do not understand how He does it. But I just know He is mine and I am His...and if you stand in my presence I plan on sharing Him with anyone who is willing to listen... I hope that my sharing Him plants a seed in your soul that makes Him yours. 

It’s Him, It’s always Him 

Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine. 

Leviticus 20:26

Photo Design & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music: YouTube

The Dead South - This Little Light of Mine [Live

ref: https://www.wordsoflife.co.uk/bible-studies/study-8-i-am-his-and-he-is-mine/

If you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. Desmond Tutu

Meaning of Enemy a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something:

The word "enemy" is in the King James Version of The Bible 107 times. It is in 106 verses.

Who wants to peel this word back for me ??? Such a dark word. Who is this enemy? Where do we find him? Does this enemy cause us pain? Does he live within our hearts? Are we our own worst enemy? I do believe it comes from a dark soul that does His best to see us fall. He does His best to see us fail, to see us cry out in heartfelt pain. I do not give him credence or power by mentioning his name... He is not worthy of my tongue uttering his name! But I am sure you have heard his name!! 

As I discover these words, I can only speak from experience. I do believe we all have experienced the enemy living within our hearts... It’s known as fear. It’s known as doubt. It's known as darkness.  Darkness can take us to a place of sadness.  A place of beautiful surrender. A place of self-discovery. It’s in the darkest hour, we hit our knees, and bow our heads and say I cannot do this alone!  God, please help me!! Take this from me! Some even try to make deals with God? Why do we wait to call His beautiful name? Why is it in the bad or uncertain times we search for Jesus? Why do we forget the Holy Spirit is the greatest comforter? They have been with us since birth. And then this Scripture came to mind. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22.6 -

We are His children! He is our morning light, He is our Joy, He is our soft place to fall in our darkest hour... He is our power and strength when we find the need to fight the enemy. Even if the enemy is darkness within. 

I can only urge you to find the child within... It's the innocent child that has never forgotten Him... It's in our adult state we have forgotten the inner child and the inner child holds the key to God's heart... And with Him, we can be victorious over any challenges that we may face in our earthly life!! 

The enemy within is real, it sometimes is a subtle whisper or it can be a raging war. 

Don’t wait, arm your inner child. Give them the greatest weapon to fight the enemy! Give them Him !!! 

You will fall in love with Life and His Love. You will find the power and strength you never knew existed. He is our lifeline. Call 📞 Him, Find Him, Love Him! Arm yourself, give your inner child the tools, to be ready for any battle.. He has promised us to never leave us!!! 

It’s Him, It’s always Him! 🔑

He is my protector, my confidant, my love, my guiding light... with Him darkness dissipates like a vapor in the wind! 

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

“The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. Joshua 10:19

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and it displeases Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.” Proverbs 24:17

Photo Design & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music: YouTube

Phil Wickham - Children of God (Official Lyric Video)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1 

Meaning of chapter: the main division of a book, typically with a number or title.

When I started my quest to find out more about the word chapter it immediately brought me to these statistics. Which I found quite interesting and thought I would share.

Number of books in the Bible: 66

Chapters: 1,189

Verses: 31,102
Words: 783,137
Letters: 3,116,480

https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/q10_bible_facts_statistics/

This amazing Book never stops amazing its believers. I will confess I chose this word today because I wanted to chase the chapter that is known as the LOVE chapter. 1 Corinthians 13. After all, February is a month where many celebrate LOVE. 

When did LOVE become so commercialized? When did we have to be reminded to LOVE? We have been given a LIFE manual we lovingly call the Bible. It’s a book that holds a wealth of information and it teaches us how to conduct our lives. This amazing treasure goes back to the beginning of time.

Here is a peek at the Chapter on LOVE.

1 Corinthians 13

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.⁸ Love never fails. 

After reading the scripture above, I remembered I actually read these very words at my cousin's wedding. But as I read these words today my soul leads me to another place. These words speak of the very character of our Heavenly Father! I challenge you to think of Him and now re-read the above scripture. 

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:6

But now that we have embraced these character traits. The question becomes, how do we own them, carry and execute these traits for ourselves? How can we own them for more than just one month a year? 

I say Ask. 

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 

We are all a work in progress, I can only suggest that you make each day better than the last. Wishing that you are blessed by His abundant LOVE.

 It's Him. It's always Him. 

Photo Design & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music: YouTube

Hillsong - Deeply in love

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrew 4:13..

Meaning of naked (of something such as feelings or behavior) undisguised; blatant:

According to one source, there are 104 references to the word " naked " and its derivatives in 87 verses of the King James Version of the Bible.

When I say the word naked for a Bible word study it may raise a few eyebrows... But I have been challenged by a good source.. so let’s see with the naked eye where this word might take us?? 

We all have grown accustomed to adorning our bodies with clothes that reflect our own self-worth and our personalities and style. And we seem to think that our own beauty will shine for others to see. But do you ever wonder why we come into this world naked? Because you are a beautiful miracle from God. He loves us as we are... But as we grow we began to apply layers to protect ourselves from a cold sometimes cruel world. But God will always see us through all layers, all the scars.. all the beautiful moments of life... But as we build our perception of what we want others to see. We begin to hide the beautiful child within. 

If we are fortunate enough to find God!! Again !! He will strip our layers one at a time. This sometimes can be a beautifully painful experience. But with His love, you will emerge into the true you. A beautiful creation from God. 

We will begin to shed the layers we have built to hide the child within... We will see past the outerwear that covers our bodies. We will be reintroduced to our naked soul, the naked child that lives with our hearts... And as we feel this freedom. We will begin to emerge naked for the world to see... And God will say hey it’s you. I love the nakedness of you welcome back. Being naked in front of God is one of the most soul-opening experiences you will ever imagine!! You don’t even need to say no peeking. Because He knows everything about you inside and out ... There is No one else that we know that knows us that well. 

It’s Him, It’s always Him. 

Go and be the beautiful you! The beautiful child that God has always seen... 

“And said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”Matthew 18:3 NKJV

Photo Pexel & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music: YouTube

Natalie Grant- The Real Me

"If you don't know, ask. You will be a fool for the moment, but a wise man for the rest of your life." Seneca

Meaning of ask: say something in order to obtain an answer or some information.

The word ask is mentioned 119 times. 

The first thing that came to my mind is the proverb  “Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies If you want the truth, better not ask directly.” It’s listed in the Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, this saying recurs throughout 150 years of English literature. 

Have you ever spent a day with a child when they are in the WHY stage?  Do we ever ask the hard questions? Do we ever ask God? Why me?  I have. Do we ever ask a stupid question? Wait a stupid question ??? Never? I come from the school of not asking, is a stupid question. Because not knowing the answer can leave you void of knowledge.  

During my discovery of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  I asked a question on Social Media? Who do you pray to? God? Jesus or the Holy Spirit? And that brought a mixture of responses. Even  “that's a stupid question?” I did not take it personally I genuinely wanted to know? And I asked openly so others that may be too timid to ask could also grow. 

I will ask you who do you pray to? Some say I pray to God. Some say I pray to Jesus. Few say I pray to the Holy Spirit. Some say I pray to the Father in Jesus' name? Some say, Lord. Let’s not cloud the issue with the multitude of names they are known by all over the world. Now I will ask do you believe in the Trinity? Do you believe that they are one? Do you believe that they are all the Father? 

Hmm, so now I ask you who do you pray to? 

I can only share my answer...During my journey with the Three, each of them playing a significant role in my life. It was a struggle to know who direct my thoughts and prayers. But it unfolded like a beautiful flower. One day during prayer to my Heavenly Father I said these words, Father, Father is too formal I have to call You something else. I then said I know I will call You LOVE because that is what I think of when I think of You! ❤. And then roll it forward a few months and I found myself deep in the meaning of Easter. And with conviction in my heart, I felt I was leaving a part of my new Divine friends out of my prayers and out of my life.. and on that very day, I started calling them LOVEs. So when I pray I address My LOVEs and that is for My Heavenly Father, Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit.. You see for me They are all one in my heart. 

So now I will ask you who do you pray to? 

Ask Him the important questions. My Father in Heaven knows His Children are full of whys and He loves to hear our thoughts. He may chuckle but He does this in the most loving way. He knows by asking questions is how His children grow. 

Have you ever thought of the vast amount of questions and thoughts that are asked of Him on a daily basis?  When I thought of this statement I had to change my direction and my questions turned into the following: 

Good morning LOVEs. Let me ask You what can I do for You today? How can I lighten Your load? What do You want of me?... 

And now I will ask My LOVEs why me? And His answer is Because I love you! And that is a WOW. Because I have felt His LOVE... and it will blow your mind... 

I will end this with my thoughts. Find the name to call your LOVEs that resonates with your soul. There is no stupid answer. It’s a personal choice that will fit in your heart perfectly. And He will wrap your voice in His loving arms.

It’s Him, It’s always Him

Photo Design & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music: YouTube

Austin French - Why God (Lyrics)

Jesus makes you happy in reality. The world makes you happy escaping from reality. – Jack Hyles

The meaning of escape an act of breaking free from confinement or control:

There are approximately 23 verses in the Bible that reference the word Escape...

Have you ever felt trapped? I am sure if you are taking the time to read my thoughts on this confining word. The word may have been trapped in your subconscious mind at some time in your life. 

But are we trapped in the physical or does it go deeper? 

When we think of our souls are we trapped in our earthly body? Does our soul yearn for a freedom that we once knew? Does it crave love from a place it calls home? 

The closest thought I have on this subject matter is meditation. I have found this gift to be amazing. I was introduced to meditation in a very unconventional way... 

The day after my heart and soul felt a love like nothing I had ever experienced here on earth. Without any coaching, intervention, or knowledge... I placed my earbuds in my ears, listened to music, laid my lazy boy chair back and I found that I drifted to an unconscious state of meditation. I started this activity at 5:30 am and I escaped to a place that I did not understand. I can only tell you how it felt. 

It was a time of love on a spiritual level where I communicated with my Heavenly Father. I did not know Him before this encounter. I knew of Him but I did not truly know Him. I was a state of bliss, a state of oneness I was in a state that I could not escape... But in reality, I did not want to escape from my piece of heaven on earth. I remained in this state of communication for approximately 12 hours. 

Don’t ask me how I did this? Because I myself do not understand what happened on that day. The mood broke at 6:00pm with the ringing of my phone! I can not tell you what we shared that day. I can only try to explain this moment in time and share Him and His beautiful gift of love with anyone that is open to listening.  I did escape that day... it is a time in my life that has left me forever changed... 

But the story did not end there. He lovingly waltzed me through the most amazing journey of discovery. I discovered me.

It’s an escape, that I chase and willingly pursue. My Heavenly Father is our refuge, His beautiful Son, Yeshua is the key ... and the Holy Spirit is the love that lives within my soul. 

He is the best escape that anyone can pursue.. without ever leaving home.

It’s Him. It’s always Him

Join me, earbuds in.. music on.. layback .. and .... meditate on Him.  Warning ⚠️ your life may never be the same.  

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Photo Design & Written by Lori Garner

Inspiring Music: YouTube 

Kari Jobe - Favorite Place (Live)

Kari Jobe - Favorite Place (Live)