Life Saving Examination

Step by Step Self-Examination - SkinCancer.org

 Pls. do this, it may very well SAVE YOUR LIFE! 

Wonderful. Perfect. Beautiful. YOU!

Following is a message that I shared this past weekend at a Mother's Day Tea that I was given the opportunity to speak at.  May you be blessed by the message that the Lord gave me to share.  Your sister in Christ, Karen Rae



Today is a day to celebrate YOU!  YOU are BEAUTIFUL; you are fearfully and wonderfully made!  (Psalm 139:14)

YOU are beautiful to God.  He knows YOU. He loves YOU. He has a plan for YOUR LIFE.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

I pray that each of you see yourself as the Lord sees you.  YOU are beautiful inside and out through the eyes of God. 

Some of you may be thinking that you’re NOT beautiful on the inside because of past sins, which is a lie from the pit of hell!  God's word says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  2 Corinthians 5:17 

Start thinking about the new person you are in Christ.  Forget the things which are behind and press forward.  Paul says in Phil 3:13, "...this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." 

YOU are Beautiful inside and out!  YOU are made in His image; your identity is in Christ! 

The world has defined beauty in ways that GOD has not. When GOD looks at us He doesn't see a specific color, size, age or hair style as beautiful. He looks at us; sees His Son in us and sees us as beautiful! He looks at us and sees who He has created and who calls Him Abba Father and He sees beautiful daughters!

Once I fully surrendered my heart to the LORD and was healed from past pains, sins done to me and sins I committed; it was then I could begin to see myself through HIS EYES and in doing so that is when I saw HIS BEAUTY and realized; I'm Beautiful in Christ! His Hand is on me (and you) and we have been Hand crafted by Him so how can we possibly be anything other than BEAUTIFUL both physically & spiritually?!

Once we KNOW whose we are (GOD's) then we begin to know who we are, which is His Beautiful creation.  It is time we take back what the world has stolen from us – our worth and beauty just as we are! 

Just tell the lies in your head to be quiet because it is time to start speaking God’s truth over yourself and to yourself!  Then start telling those around you His truth too. 

He cares about you, your sweet spirit and your soul. He loves you, just as you are.

No matter who you are:  a stay-at-home parent, a single parent, one who feels alone, one who is dying or just someone who is hurting in this sometimes cruel and harsh world, remember God is always with you. He loves you and you will always be beautiful in God's eyes. 

Whatever your reflection in the mirror is telling you today – look past it and deep within to the beauty that matters most – His love alive and well within you! I pray you will open your eyes to see yourself both physically & spiritually as He does – BEAUTIFUL!

Don’t let the world shape how you see yourself one more day. Don’t allow the enemy to remind you of your past sins, remember that you are a new creation in Christ.  Don’t compare your body, hair, eyes, nose, clothes, shoes, feet, etc. to anyone else – because God made NO mistake in creating you to be you! Wonderful. Perfect. Beautiful. YOU!

Stand in the beauty He has created – YOU are WONDERFULLY FEARFULLY AND PERFECTLY made!!!!

I pray right now in the name of Jesus that the men & women reading this post will see themselves through your eyes, Lord, and be SET FREE from insecurities. I pray, Lord, that they will see your love and beauty that live deep within each of them.  I pray that each of your sons & daughters will boldly step out in faith and become ALL that you have created them to be.  Thank you, Lord, for the FREEDOM we have in YOU.  In your precious Holy name we pray, AMEN!   

Be CONFIDENT in Christ, Sisters! The Lord has a GREAT PLAN & PURPOSE for your life, and remember that YOU are BEAUTIFUL because YOU are His!  

With Love & Blessings, Karen Rae

The Hamilton Family: A Soul Surfer Journey

Life's Purpose by Terri Szaronos, Amazed by You Ministries

Are you at peace? If not, the Lord is likely trying to tell you something!

How do we know if we’re in OR out of the will of God?  One clear determining factor is whether or not we have PEACE in our lives; I’m talking about the kind of PEACE that surpasses ALL understanding.  (Philippians 4:7)  We may be faced with many challenges, but we are still at peace because we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.  

Are you at peace?  If not, the Lord is likely trying to tell you something!  It may very well be time to make some changes in your life!  

I have found that Colossians 3:15-17 offers a practical outline for determining God's will. In these verses are found three elements. These elements, taken together and applied to our lives will direct us to God's desire for our lives. The three elements are: let the PEACE of Christ rule in your hearts, let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, and whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

For many years, I lacked peace in my life as a result of walking out of the will of God.  I was a Christian, I loved the Lord and I was mostly living my life for Him; HOWEVER there was one thing in my life that I had NOT fully surrendered to Him.  

The definition of surrender is to yield (something) to the possession or power of another, which requires total TRUST!  WOW!!!  

It wasn’t until this past October 16^th, 2011 that I decided to fully surrender EVERY area of my life to the Lord, which required that I TRUST Him, not mostly, but completely!  Since that life-changing day I have been completely set free from the bondage that I was in, and I have peace in my life that truly surpasses ALL understanding.    

That day, the Lord revealed a portion of His plan for my life to me and I had a choice to make…YOU have a choice to make, either fully SURRENDER every area of your life to the Him OR continue hanging onto that one thing or those things that are holding you back and continue being miserable as a result of it!  

Friend, I urge you to TRUST Him with EVERY area of your life; it will be the best decision YOU have ever made!  I also urge you to do whatever it is that He’s calling YOU to do, whether it makes earthly sense or NOT, JUST DO IT, and if you’re not exactly sure what IT is, Be Still and KNOW that He is God, He will reveal His plan for your life to you, just be willing to listen and you will hear His voice!  (Psalm 46:10)

TRUST in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths.  Proverbs 3:5,6

Be set FREE today, my friend, choose to TRUST in Him, He’s got YOUR back!  (Isaiah 46:10)

Scripture References: 

Philippians 4:7 NIV And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15-17 NIV Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God.

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

Beautiful Testimony of Christ’s Redeeming Love by Stefanie (Shock) Jeffers

He (God) is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.  Ephesians 1:7 (NLT)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) 

I need not say more, other than Praise God! 

WHY would we rather live than die?

This coming Friday I’ll turn 41 years old; I’m thankful that the Lord has granted me another year of life!  As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma Skin Cancer last January, which is the most serious & deadly form of skin cancer, thankfully my cancer was detected BEFORE it spread throughout my body, which would have greatly diminished my chances of survival.  

I’m sure most of us would agree that life isn’t always a bed of roses, therefore WHY would we rather live than die?  WOW, that’s a deep question to ponder!  

I can only answer this question for myself, and my answer is based upon my own personal experience.  The minute I found out that I had cancer and there was a chance that it had spread, I cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord, please spare my life, for their sake, NOT my own!”  

My thoughts immediately shifted from myself to my children, husband & parents; how would my death affect their lives?  I believe that anyone who has faced death would agree that our focus immediately shifts from ourselves to others!  I’ve learned through studying God’s Word, that this is how we should LIVE our lives.

Becoming concerned about and reaching out to others is one of the best things a person can do!  When we forget about ourselves and focus on others, our spirits are lifted and we please God.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Philippians 2:3,4 (ESV)

We are called to be others-centered (Acts 20:35) and God-centered (Matt. 6:33), yet everything in our society contradicts this by telling us that we need to be self-centered.  Well, I’m here to tell you, when faced with death, self doesn’t matter anymore and that’s when true LIVING begins! 

WHY would we rather live than die?  Simple answer:  "...for their sake, NOT my own!”

TODAY is the day; CHOOSE to make your life count, to matter, to be meaningful!  Ask yourself, “HOW can I (my life) make a difference in other people’s lives?”  In answering this question, you will discover YOUR life's PURPOSE!  (Isaiah 43:7, 1 Corinthians 10:31)  

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  

A Prayer of Thanks:

Lord, thank YOU for giving us the GIFT of LIFE.  Thank YOU (in advance) for revealing our life’s PURPOSE to us.  Thank YOU for giving us everything we need to accomplish your will and plan for our lives.  We praise you, Lord, we give you honor & glory.  In Jesus name we pray, AMEN (so be it)!

Scripture References:

Acts 20:35 (ESV) In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Isaiah 43:7 (KJV) Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Written by Karen Rae Hickam

www.KarenRae.com

www.StriveForGreatness.com