Morning Voice

"In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly." (Psalm 5:3 NIV)

In the Bible, David was called a man after God’s own heart. He knew God and saw incredible miracles throughout his life. Notice how in this verse David set his tone for his whole day by spending time with the Lord every morning. It didn't matter what was going on in his life, David had his priorities set. Even though he was mistreated by his family, manipulated, made fun of, hunted down by King Saul, and even made some major mistakes on his own; David realized that each morning held the promise of new hope. Just like David, if we make spending time with God a priority in our lives, we will see Him move mightily on our behalf. We should make it a habit to seek Him first every single day. No matter what is happening, seek Him in the morning. Let Him set the tone for your day and set you on the course for victory in every area of your life.

His Mercy...

"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" Titus 3:5

Isn’t it good to know that no matter what happened yesterday, no matter what you said or did, God’s mercy is new for you today, without having to work for it? Mercy is empowering. It frees us to make the right choices and live in a way that is pleasing to God. We have to always remember that God isn’t condemning us. Romans tells us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. God wants to love us and equip us to overcome in this life. If you need new mercy today, receive it by faith. You don’t have to beg God to forgive you because he forgives you the first time you ask, but it’s up to you to receive that forgiveness. Open your heart today and receive His mercy. Let Him wash over you with His peace and joy.

Paul's Prayer For The Ephesians... And You

"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:16-21

In this prayer for the Ephesians, Paul says that God's love is total. It reaches every corner of our experience; that nothing and no one can surpass His love for us. It is sufficient. It is wide - it covers the width of our knowledge and reaches out to the whole world. God's love is long - it continues the length of our lives. It is high - it rises to the heights of our achievements and elation. His love is deep - it reaches to the depths of discouragement, despair, and even death. Whenever you feel shut out or isolated, remember that you can never be lost from God's love (Romans 8:38-39). God's fullness is only expressed in Christ

"For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority." Colossians 2:9-10 NLT

 In this union with Christ and through His empowering Spirit, we are complete. We have all the fullness of God available to us. But we must appropriate that fullness through faith and through prayer as we live daily for Him. Paul's doxology - prayer of praise to God - for the Ephesians is also for us. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to fill every aspect of our life to the fullest!

Commit to the Lord..

"A rose must remain with the sun and the rain or its lovely promise won't come true" - Ray Evans 

A rose depends on the sun & rain its what keeps it alive & well. If its not receiving sun nor water it'll wither & die & it's promise of becoming this beautiful rose won't come to pass. The same with a person walking in faith. We must remain with the Father & Son or else our promise/the plans God has for us, won't come to pass. If we become distracted or if our passion & desire for the Lord starts to deem down, it could result in us departing from the Lord & falling back into the dirty ways of this world. Which lead to nothing but devastating roads e.g., death, imprisonment, suicide. This is why our DEPENDENCY is on the Lord because without Him we would be withering away somewhere without any hope of a future. 

Psalms 37:5 KJV Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

God is always faithful to His word!

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7, NLT)

     Sometimes, people get discouraged in life because things didn't turn out the way they hoped on the first try. Maybe they put energy into a relationship but it didn't work out. They tried that new business venture, but they are still struggling with their finances. Now they think it’s never going to happen. But, one thing we have to learn is that God honors perseverance. On the way to your “yes” you may encounter some “no’s.” You may encounter some closed doors, but that doesn't mean it’s the final answer. It just means “keep going.”

Remember, if God promised it, He’s going to bring it to pass. Scripture tells us that through faith and patience we inherit God’s promises. This is where patience comes in; this is where perseverance comes in. This is where trust comes in. Just because you don’t see things happen right away doesn't mean you should quit. No, instead, rise up and press forward. Keep believing, keep hoping, keep enduring and keep asking because our God is always faithful to His word!

Put all your trust in the Lord.

Done & done. Lord God I will put all of my trust in you; forever & ever for you are my everlasting rock!

R&D Photos NYC

God is the Lord my God, my Father, best friend, and the love of my life.

We have to give up what we can’t keep, to gain what we can’t lose.

Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” -Mark 8:35

Beauty..