Insomnia, Ulcers and a Side of Worry

"But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41, 42 (NASB)

I feel like this verse should say, "Mary, Mary, you are worried and bothered about so many things..." That's totally me. And it seems like lately this sentence has defined my life. In a previous article I related to this and about my need trust the Lord. But lately I have really realized that the enemy has  been using my areas of worry and anxiety as an all out attack on becoming the woman, wife and mother God has called me to be. There are days when I wonder, "Am I the only person on earth that worries and has anxiety this much?" A lot of days I feel like a failure as a Christian because I worry and fret so much. I have come to terms with the fact that this is something I have to battle in God's strength to overcome.

Maybe you're thinking.... "It's probably not as bad as she is making sound..."
Well, I wish I could say that is true; but it's not. One of the reasons I started this blog is so that I could take the "Mask" off that we so often put on to cover the difficulties that we face, the trials we have to deal with and the daily battles that plague so many of us. So I'm being completely real. I worry about EVERYTHING. I worry about what people are thinking, I worry about what they're NOT thinking, I worry about my toddler constantly, I worry about my husband's health, our future, our finances, my decisions and how they affect me and others, my dog, what I cooked for dinner, the lunch meat sitting in the fridge (is it still good?), whether or not I offended someone, is that girl mad at me because she gave me a weird look, maybe that person doesn't like me because they passed me by without saying hi. And that's just the tip of the crazy, anxiety, iceberg! I could seriously make a list long enough to cover two blogs. :)

In October we went on a beautiful vacation as a family. But before we even left, I was worried. Worried that satan was going to use my worry issues to destroy our vacay. Sounds pitiful right? Well, because I was so worried that the enemy was going to attack, guess what? He did. And from two days before we left until the day we got home I was worried. Worried that every hotel we stayed in had bedbugs, worried that something bad was going to happen to people back at home, worried, worried, worried. And let me tell you; it wasn't as fun as it was meant to be. And I allowed the enemy to, once again, "steal" valuable time with my hubby and toddler.

Can you relate? Has something happened to you recently that  you're losing sleep over? Maybe that person gave you a weird look, maybe someone asked you to meet with them to talk and you're fearing the worst? Are you afraid of your failing finances, weakening health, inability to have a child, lack of friendship, not feeling "up to par"? I'm sure you have a few things on your list right now. Maybe worry and anxiety is something you deal with regularly or maybe it's something that hits you only from time to time.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

I love that translation of 1 Peter 5:7. God literally wants us to CAST all of our anxiety on Him...

The definition of cast is: throw (something) forcefully in a specified direction.

WOW! I love that... God wants us to throw our anxieties on Him. Not just casually toss them His way.

The definition of care is: feel concern or interest; attach importance to something.

Isn't it amazing to know that God truly cares about every single worry, fret, frustration and anxiety you are facing right now? He thinks it's important and He is concerned about it. I mean, I think sometimes we feel like God is up there too busy to care about the little tiny things we face every day. And sometimes we think that God doesn't care that we're down here getting an ulcer and biting our nails at 2am. But in reality, the Bible says that He really CARES. He wants to help us! And we have a direct command to THROW all of those cares on Him.

Have you ever noticed that most of the things you worry or have worried about never actually turned out the way they would? I could give you about 25 stories right now of times when I was "convinced" that a particular situation was going to turn out a particular way and guess what? It didn't. As soon as I gave it to God; He always worked it out and everything was totally fine. I forget that so easily!

I'll give you an example and you can see if you relate...
My son woke up one morning with three mysterious red bumps on his shoulder and they didn't seem to be going away. We had been planning a short weekend getaway as a family and I just "knew" that these bumps were going to have to cause us to cancel the trip. They just "had" to be chicken pox, mumps or measles. I was convinced. I promptly made a call to the doctors office and we were in the very next morning. Guess what? It wasn't any of the things mentioned above. It was three bug bites. Easily treated and easily gone withing a week or so. And we didn't have to cancel our trip; in fact, we had a wonderful time.

Like I said, I could give you 25 stories like that. But I will save you the drama. :)
To sum it all up: I daily need God's strength, help, encouragement and peace. I believe that worry and anxiety are quite possibly a "thorn in my flesh" that I'm going to daily have to rely upon God to help me with. I'm definitely trying and I haven't thrown in the towel. I know that Jesus commands us not to worry and I realize by continuing to worry; I'm sinning. And I don't want to be in any type of ongoing sin. And I'm sure you don't want to be either.

I love the following verses in Philippians and have committed them to memory so that I can be armed with God's Word every time I get attacked with fear, anxiety and worry. I encourage you to memorize them as well...

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything be worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
Philippians 4:6-8 NASB

Next time you are faced with any type of worry, anxiety or fear remember to throw it straight to God. He cares about whatever it is: big or small. He will help you! And more than likely it won't turn out anything like what you worried it would.

Peanut Butter Snickers Cupcakes! Oh my...

 As you probably already know... I love cupcakes. I'm always on the search for the perfect recipe or on the hunt for a cupcake bakery. Well...a while back I decided I wanted a peanut butter, snickers cupcake. It was one of those days where chocolate and peanut butter were the craving. 

The perfect way to combine all the flavors wasn't difficult at all! First you pick your favorite white cupcake recipe: (My favorite one is listed below...it is from this link: http://www.food.com/recipe/magnolia-bakerys-vanilla-birthday-cake-and-frosting-139518 )

*Here is the recipe with my added additions of peanut butter and snickers...(The link to the original recipe without any additions is listed above)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla 

*1/2 Cup Peanut Butter (crunchy or smooth...my addition to the recipe)

*1 Cup of chopped Snickers (my other addition to the original recipe)

Directions:

1
Preheat oven to 350°.
2
Grease and lightly flour three 9 inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper. ( I used cupcake liners and a muffin pan instead of cake pans)
3
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
4
Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6
Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.

7

*Add peanut butter and snickers and mix until combined. (my addition)

 

 

If you're making cupcakes, line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
  Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full.
  Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20 to 22 minutes.

 (or a toothpick comes out clean)
  Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing.

What  you will end up with is a delicious peanut butter, snickers cupcake! They are pretty rich on their own but you can frost them with chocolate buttercream frosting! That's what I did! 

I posted a delicious chocolate buttercream frosting earlier in the blog!

It's Time to Declare War!

"...and he (satan) went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Revelation 12:17

Don't you love a good war movie? I mean, I love comedies, romances etc. What girl doesn't? But every once in a while my husband and I like to see an all-out war movie where good triumphs over evil! Isn't that why most of us love superhero movies as well? Everybody wants to see the "good" side win. It's always a huge depressive when the "bad" side wins. Whenever a movie ends with the "bad" guy or group of people winning; I'm totally bummed out. 

Lately, at church, our Pastor (Pastor Greg Laurie) has been in the book of Revelation. It's been awesome! I love the book of Revelation because it reminds me of what's ahead...this life we are living right now, in this moment, is just the beginning of what's in store.

Today in my devotions (Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon) the writer was talking about the battle between satan, the demons and us as believers. And he took his scripture from Revelation chapter 12. And it got me thinking; really thinking! There are so many days were I feel defeated, I feel tempted, I feel depressed and it seems like around every turn of my day is another "attack". An attack of anxiety, an attack of depression, an attack on my marriage and my ministry. It never seems to end. And sometimes I lose focus of the fact that I'm in a battle; a real war for that matter! 

But I find myself totally unaware of the fact that I'm just sitting on the sideline nursing my "boo boo's" half the time and not out there fighting like the woman I know God has made me to be. It's so easy for me to slooowwwllly start looking like the world, acting like the world and forgetting that I'm on the war torn path to eternity. When's the last time you read...

"For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." 

Matthew 24:24 (NASB)

"Even the elect"... That's us folks. (if you have asked Jesus in your heart as your Savior). Does that scare you a little bit? That maybe even the most Godly person you know could be mislead? It scares me because I know I'm not some "holier than thou" and "could never fall away" believer. I have to rely on Jesus Christ DAILY for strength to fight. 

I feel like I have seen so many believers get drawn away from Christ lately; falling into serious sin and even leaving the faith. And, I have to take a step back and realize that if I'm not fighting, if I'm not aware, if I just ignore that there is a battle going on for my literal soul; I'm could be in big trouble. And you are too.

I don't know about you but there is a serious darkness that I can feel lately. Not just over our nation but it's trying to creep into our lives as believers. The lines are getting blurry, wrong isn't as "wrong" as it used to be. Compromises are becoming more and more popular. You know what I'm talking about. What are we watching on t.v., what are we wearing when we're not at church, what are we doing when no one is around or watching, what are we thinking, what are we dabbling into? And trust me, I'm not sitting on a soapbox preaching. I struggle too, I sin and I realize how much I really need to WAKE UP and start taking action.

Brothers! Sisters! There is a huge war for our souls going on right now! I believe that we are heading into a very dark time. And when I say dark; I mean DARK! We need to rise up, take out our weapons (Spiritual weapons) and start fighting. We need to stop sitting on the sidelines of eternity. If we sit on the sidelines, satan is going to have the perfect chance to take us down. I don't want to fall, I don't want to be mislead, I don't want to give up my faith. I want to be victorious. But it's not going to happen without a FIGHT. It's not going to be easy friends; there will be days when it just seems too hard or the temptations seem too strong...but what promise do we have? "I can do all things through HIM who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 Wake up and get to work; fight on! Don't give up! One day we are going to be face to face with Jesus. All the temptations, all the trials, everything that was such a burden is going to melt away and it will so totally BE WORTH IT ALL! 

We can give up the fight because we're too tired, enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin, and have hell to pay. (Literally) Or we can battle in Jesus' strength, overcoming our fears and sins day by day, and spend eternity with Jesus in everlasting joy and peace. It's up to you.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of god, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." 

Ephesians 6:10-13 (NASB)

"I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God... And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." 

Romans 12:1a, 2 (NASB)

 

Dog Hair, Poopy Diapers and the Family Wagon...I'm Loving It!

"... I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."

Psalm 84:10(b)

NKJV

Have you ever wished you were someone else, somewhere else doing something else? I think one of the most difficult words in our dictionary today is: content. 

Content (adj.): In a state of peaceful happiness

Are you content? I wish I was, but honestly, content isn't my middle name. I'm a mom of a toddler, the owner of a dog that sheds like nothing I've ever seen and the majority of my days consists of sweeping dog hair, changing diapers, cleaning and cooking.. It's not necessarily glamorous in this day in age. I wish I had the skills to sing like Whitney, be a top "pinner" on Pinterest, a world-wide blogger with 6,000 followers, or the owner of a cupcake bakery that puts Sprinkles to shame but alas, I'm not. I have 3 followers on Pinterest, I sing lullaby's to my toddler and I bake solely for my family's stomachs. :) I'll never be an Etsy maven or a Paula Deen; that's for sure. So why do I get so discontent? Because the enemy constantly tells me that I need to "make something of myself"; that I'm nothing unless I can hold down a full-time job, have a Masters Degree, be a mom and drive a BMW all at the same time. Somehow it's not "fashionable" or "popular" to be a good mother or a great wife. So, I start thinking I need to be something or do something to make my name known to this world. And then, my mind stops and I realize, "wait a minute, what does God say?" 

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." 

Colossians 3:23

Who am I trying to please here? God, or men? Am I trying to accomplish something for eternity or for some fame and fortune here and now. And then the question arises... "What has God called me to be?" Well, truthfully, I know exactly what God has called me to be: His child, a wife and a mom. But not just a wife and mom; a great wife and an amazing mother who seeks His heart above all else. And it's so very, vitally important. No one else can be my toddlers' mother, no one else can be my husbands wife. It is my God given gift. I might not ever have a clothing line at Target with my name on it but hopefully, and more importantly, I'll have fruit in heaven with my name on it. And guess what... I LOVE being a wife and a mother. I have the cutest toddler around and the most amazing husband alive. What could be more awesome than serving them, loving them and helping them be all God desires them to be? Nothing, is more awesome than that. So I want to do it with all my heart!

The other night my husband and I went on a last minute date. We both got dressed up and wore something other than sweats and tennis shoes and went and saw "The Dark Knight Rises". We love superhero movies and couldn't wait to get away to see it. It was a blast and at the end of the night we walked out to our car. And there she was in all her glory, our old, almost 100k mileage, WAGON. Yes, we drive a family wagon. All of a sudden it hit me, and I burst out laughing. "Hun, we drive a wagon!! We're old!" hahaha. We used to hop into the Mustang or his truck, but now, its a family wagon with a few dents. And guess what?! I love it!! I'm so glad I'm not zipping around in a fancy car that my child can't spill milk in or lose a french fry (or two or ten) in the middle seat. Both my husband and I looked at each other and knew we wouldn't trade our life for the world. 

So who are you? Who or what has God called you to be? A great mom and wife, a volunteer at church, a grocery checker, a retail clerk, food server ... ? Instead of wishing you were someone else, somewhere else; be all that God wants you to be exactly where you are at. I love Psalm 84:10(b) "... I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." 

Wouldn't you much rather be exactly who God has called you to be, right where you're at, than to be everything the world says you should be and end up with nothing in the end?

I'll take dog hair, poopy diapers and the family wagon over anything this world has to offer. My name may never be in a magazine or emblazoned on a purse. But my name will be written in the Book of Life.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies...Cookie Monster Moments

Some days are cupcake days and some days are chocolate chip cookie days!!!  My son loves Sesame Street and whenever Cookie Monster arrives on the scene I always laugh. His constant phrase is, "Me want cookie!". There are a lot of days I say the same thing! :) 

Chocolate chip cookies are the perfect little dessert to have during the week...I have made countless chocolate chip cookies over the years; searching for the perfect recipe. I love to experiment with Jesus and make-up our own recipes! We recently made some chocolate chip cookies and they were awesome! I substituted applesauce for the eggs and they turned out amazing! I didn't have any fresh eggs so I needed a substitute and it turned out great.

Here is the basic recipe...

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour (I used a little less than 3 cups)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup applesauce (or two eggs)

1 tsp vanilla (or two :) I love vanilla)

1 bag chocolate chips

A splash or two of milk (if your dough consistency seems to floury) 

Now since I made my cookies without eggs I was free to eat the cookie dough without fear of any bacteria! Whoop Whoop! I could have ate the whole bowl BUT I didn't. :)

Preheat oven to 375. 

Sift together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and set aside. Blend together butter, sugars, applesauce and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour to the mixture and blend it in. This recipe calls for a lot of flour. If your dough seems a bit too floury, add a couple dashes or splashes of milk. :) Lastly, mix in your chocolate chips with a spoon. 

Drop rounded amounts of cookie dough on cookie sheet (mine are probably about 1 1/2 tablespoons worth of dough for each cookie) and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Let set on pan for a minute and then move cookies to cooling rack. Every oven is different so the times may vary slightly. Keep a constant eye on your cookies for the first batch and see how much time they need and then adjust for every subsequent sheet. I usually take my cookies out when they are a nice light golden color.

FYI (The pictures I used above of cookies were from a previous batch I made with a different recipe...I didn't get a snap shot of this posts' particular recipe. They will turn out smaller and more rounded! They are so pretty! I like this particular recipe better)

Enjoy! God bless your weekend!

I'm Not Happy...Searching for Happiness

Are you happy? I don't just mean having a temporary "happiness" that only lasts for a few minutes or a couple hours or a day. But a true, lasting, not-fading joy. Most people would say, "I'm not truly happy". And why? I believe it is because a lot of people don't have Jesus! 

I love having a blog because I know that there are people reading it that I may or may not know, that I've never met and I have no idea what is going on in their lives. Maybe you are searching for happiness. I grew up in a Christian atmosphere but I had some seasons in my life where I was really searching for joy and for peace. I tried things other than Jesus to see if any of them would bring me that joy I was looking for. None of those things worked. In my early teens I realized that I needed more than what the T.V., the music and the magazines were telling me I needed. I needed something drastically different and it was Jesus Himself. 

There is a true story in the Bible about a woman that was thirsty. Not thirsty for water, but thirsty for something more. Her story is told in John chapter 4. I'm going to paraphrase the story and make it a little shorter but in essence she was a woman looking for joy; looking for peace. She had been married numerous times and was now living with a man that wasn't her husband. She had tried to find fulfillment and peace in relationships. But it didn't work and she kept having to try another and another until she came up empty. Jesus knew what she needed; she needed Him. He met her one day as she was going out to get water from the well in her city. He sat and talked with her and said...

"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 4:13 (NKJV)

As you can imagine she wanted this water! She didn't want to be thirsty inside any longer. Jesus talked with her a while longer and after some time she believed Him and her life was changed. 

Are you thirsty for something? Maybe you've tried relationships, sex, money, popularity, drugs, approval from others etc. And yet, you're still thirsty. 

Only a real relationship with Jesus will quench that thirst. God loves you and it says in the Bible that...

"...God so loved the  world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16 (NKJV)

God loves YOU. And He loves you SO much that He sent His only Son to die in your place. All of the sins and bad things that you have done, no matter how bad or awful, can be forgiven because of Jesus' death on that cross. You can have forgiveness, peace and true joy. It doesn't mean that every day of your life is going to be perfect and that you're never going to go through bad or painful things. But God promises us again in the Bible...

"...I will never leave you nor forsake you." 

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) 

He will stay by your side when times are good and when times are bad. He will help you, He will guide you and He will love you. 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

How many people do you know that would die for you? Probably not that many, if any, realistically. But God loved you SO MUCH that He sent His Son to die for you. AMAZING! If you have never asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life; do it today! Don't wait! God loves you and has a truly wonderful plan for your life! :) 

"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." 

Romans 10:9

 

Jesus is alive and wants to save your life! He isn't in that grave any longer...He rose from the dead! You don't have to be thirsty any longer...

 

If you have never prayed to ask Jesus to forgive you or to come into your life you can pray a simple prayer just like this:

 

Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that I need forgiveness. I believe that you died on the cross, and that you rose again. Please forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Change me and make me all that you want me to be. 

In Jesus' name 

Amen.

 

Make it your own. God is listening to YOU; not to some written down words!

 

If you would like to talk to someone about your decision you can comment on this post! Jesus loves you!   

Does God Really Love Me???

"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."

Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV)

Do you ever have those days when the harsh reality of not being "perfect" hits you? I do, almost every day. Today I looked in the mirror and saw flaws; but not just physical flaws. I saw spiritual flaws and character flaws. Last week I lost my temper at my toddler because he threw his dinner on the floor, the other day I had overwhelming anger over my defiant, crazy 9 month old puppy, because she wouldn't listen and this morning, I had a feeling of guilt. Guilt over mistakes, sins and failures in my life. I'm not perfect. I've made lots of mistakes; some bigger and some smaller. Maybe you can relate. Sometimes as Christians I feel like we ask, "How are you?" and the response is always "Good, how are you?". We plaster on a mask and a constant smile but inside we're not smiling. We give the impression that life is perfect, we are perfect and that's that. But how many of us are actually honest enough to admit that we have some really big burdens, guilts and hurts going on inside? That just maybe, we actually lost our temper yesterday or said something we shouldn't have, or did something that might shock someone else. And now we're feeling so guilty, so imperfect.

One thing I've struggled with all my life is really, truly believing that God loves me. I mean, we hear it all the time, sing it all the time and tell other people all the time. But I can't always get it through to my heart that God really loves me. I feel like I constantly fail whether it's in my attitude, actions or decisions. I try so hard to do "all the right things" but then I come up miserably short. I'm not a perfect mother, I'm not a perfect wife, I'm not a perfect child of God. I try to be but it's only by God's grace that I ever "get it right". 

This is where the enemy loves to come in and ruin my day, my week and my life. One word I've become all too familiar with is condemnation. It's an ugly word isn't it? I'm not talking about good ol' fashioned guilt when you do something you know is wrong. I'm talking about that feeling that tells you that you're hopeless, worthless and that God doesn't love you. Have you ever felt that? The enemy loves to take every failure that I have during the day or in my life and turn it into a massive condemnation road trip; even after I've asked for forgiveness from the Lord.

"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns?"

Romans 8:33, 34a (NKJV)

Hallelujah for scripture!!! I love how God's Word comes in and smashes satan's lies! Don't you? You can be in the depths of despair and then read a scripture like that and BAM the fight is over! 

Or how about this one...

"I even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins."

Isaiah 43:25 (NKJV)

Whoa! Back the condemnation truck up friends! God just said, "I will not remember your sins". I don't know about you but I remember my sins. I remember the bad attitude I gave my mom when I was 14 and just about every other sin I've ever committed. But God is saying He does NOT remember! If I've repented of those sins and turned from them, then I can be confident that God isn't the one reminding me of my failures; it's the enemy. 

I love the song, "Jesus Loves Me". I've sang it to my son just about every night from the time he was growing in my tummy until now. I love the words...

Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak but He is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me

The Bible tells me so

Isn't that amazing....it's so simple, yet so true! How do we know Jesus loves us? Because the Word of God shows us over and over. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16 (NKJV)

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 Romans 8:37-39 (NKJV)

So when is the last time that somebody told you God loves you.... 

GOD LOVES YOU! GOD LOVES YOU! GOD LOVES YOU!!! :)

No matter what your past failures or sins; if you have turned from those sins and have asked Jesus for forgiveness, you can be confident that you are forgiven and you are loved. Loved by an amazing Father, Savior and Friend!