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Hi, I’m Lyvita Brooks, a Christian with a busy schedule, seeking daily to spend time with Jesus, just like you. This site is designed to help you create space in your life to commune with God, intentionally and daily. We use the Spiritual Disciplines to help us do just that. Check out the blog for resources and podcast (also YouTube Channel) for practicing and understanding spiritual disciplines with me, Lyvita. Sometimes our journey in Christ is more uplifting when we share our experiences, together.
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Yeah, we went through a lot this year. But …
It’s about how we endured. It’s about standing for Christ.
God told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.” (Joshua 1: 7,9) He said it twice. I say it even more times to you, “Be strong and courageous.”
Be strong and courageous. The end time is coming near. The Disciples even asked Jesus about this in Matthew 24: 3-14. This is what Jesus said, “… many will come in my name… they will lead you astray… you will hear of wars and rumors of wars… nation will rise against nation… kingdom against kingdom… there will be famines and earthquakes in various place… these are but the beginning of the birth pains… you will be delivered up to tribulation… put to death… hated by all nations for my name’s sake… hated by one another… betray one another… love of many will grow cold…”
Be strong and courageous. What we are going through are the beginning of the birth pains, can you see it? Luke 21: 25-26 says, “there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.”
Be strong and courageous. God is sharing with us what will happen. So why are you fearful? Remember WHO YOU ARE!
You are of a royal priesthood, loyal to the LORD, ambassador of Christ, disciple of Lord Jesus the Christ, walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called and eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. You are a sojourner, commissioned by God. This is not your home. Home is heaven, where Jesus lives. Do not dig deep roots on earth, but lay up your treasures in Heaven.
Here are 5 ways to continue steadfast in the faith:
What is the Plan of Salvation? Click Here
Simple Plan of Salvation: Admit that you are a sinner, Believe that Jesus was raised from the dead and it the Son of God, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and commit your life to following the Christ.
Therefore, look up. Be filled with praises as unto the Lord. By ...:
Be filled with Holy Spirit. And go in peace.
Shalom, Lyvita
Thought:
At the time of this writing, I am thinking about my mother. She passed in 2017, and the thought of having another Thanksgiving Holiday and Christmas without her is ever present in my thoughts. She always had Thanksgiving Dinner. I’m laughing because her favorite dish to bring was cranberry sauce from a can, and sometimes, devil eggs. It was a well-known fact that my mother was not the cook in the family. Now Dad. He can cook!
Most Important Aspect:
This brings me to Sarah Bowlings inspirational book on being in step with, as she would say, Holy Spirit. The 5th chapter of the book, “Keep On Keeping On,” is something my mother would say which brought peace to my heart. Sometimes it takes an uplifting book to remind you to laugh and embrace cherished memories.
My mother believed that quitting was not an option. I guess that is something she instilled in me because I wasn’t giving up on her, even when God lovingly said he was taking her home. Till this day, I should have stopped believing right then, but I had a discussion with God. I rant and raved, screamed and hollered, cried and hit everything in my car. I know the security guard in the parking lot thought I was crazy. Eventually, I settled down. And accepted it. Did I quit? No. You see, that’s what is so special about this chapter. It’s not so much about the difference between quitting and giving up, although it was discussed, it’s about understanding your God. It’s about being attuned to Holy Spirit until what you are going through becomes your strength and not your demise.
Additions:
Each chapter contains a prayer and “Go Further” questions. The questions allowed for the opportunity to apply what you learned.
Brief Quote from the Book:
“One closed door often means God has other doors ready to open, if we will just knock!” And the way you know to do this is through infusing your life with God’s presence and power through walking with Holy Spirit. That quote from Sarah’s book hit home. My mother’s passing (closed door) symbolized the opening of a new door. The choice was mine rather to stay at the door weeping, crying, becoming anger with God and never moving forward or knock, “Lord, I’m listening. Where do we (meaning Him and me) go from here?” Something to think about, huh!
Conclusion:
My mother’s book (journey on earth) was closing, mine will also someday, as will yours, but for now, we have more chapters to write, more doors to knock on, more doors to walk through. It’s the adventure of looking on the other side to see what’s to be found. That’s where being in step with Holy Spirit comes into play. Never stop hanging out with Him. Never give up because the battle is tough, it’s going to be because that’s what battles are… tough. Stop cruising through life and live. Get up off that couch and go hang out with Holy Spirit because He has got an exciting adventure for you. Now don’t get me wrong, every adventure is not “peaches and cream.” Like Sarah writes in this book, “Let’s be abundantly clear… following the Holy Spirit does not guarantee our flesh a life of comfort and convenience… it seems… following the Holy Spirit means our flesh will get uncomfortable, challenged and cranky.” No one knows their future, but following Holy Spirit is your guide to living the life you were designed to live. God’s got you. Quitting is not an option.
Call to Action:
Closing:
Until we meet again on the next blog, continue hanging out with Jesus, intentionally and daily. Shalom!
Is there a way to teach our children to practice finding God in their daily lives? I’m not a mom, but a grandmother, aunt, godmother, and educator. Children have been in my life and always around, forever, except for now. Covid-happened. And yet, that is not the end-of-or-be-it-all.
I have two thoughts on how to teach spiritual disciplines to your child(ren).
Let’s begin with the practice of teaching children to find God in their daily lives using the spiritual discipline of Examen. Nope, I didn’t misspell it. Examen is the opportunity to notice where God is showing up in every moment or aspect of your daily life. Check out the episode of Hanging Out With Jesus Podcast for practice, more information and it’s history.
Examen is reflecting on a moment, time, day, year, meeting, conversation, etc. in your life, asking God to open your eyes to see your day (time, moment, conversation, meeting, etc.) as He might see it.”
So how do we ignite a passion for this in our children’s lives? First through play. Then, through repetition and prayer.
That brings me to Punch Buggy and “I Spy”. While drying in the car, ask your children to salute or say “God is good!” every time you make a right turn. Or play “I Spy” while preparing for bedtime, your child(ren) shares where God showed up in their life today. Be Creative! Allow your children to come up with ideas. The focus and goal is to teach your child (ren), teenager (s), and youth that God is with them always, even when it doesn’t seem like it.
Lastly, have them pray about what they just learned in the game about themselves and God.
This can be a great time for bonding, confession and teaching about the God you and your child(ren) love.
Let me know how it went in the comments section below. This way we can help others grow in teaching our young.
Shalom!
(Follow me on Instagram @hangingoutwithjesuspodcast, Goodreads.com and Hanging Out With Jesus Podcast (YouTube). Subscribe to the blog for biweekly updates on the spiritual disciplines and updates.)