The Action of Prayer

"I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me"

-Philippians 4:13

People pray a lot. Christians pray a lot. We ask for blessings. We ask for strength. We ask for guidance, purpose, direction, confirmation, husbands, jobs, success, love, faith and the list goes on. But what happens when we get off of our knees? What happens when the pages of scripture is closed and the day begins? Are we motivated to act out our faith? Are we living by Philippians, that we can accomplish anything in Jesus? Do we live as if we cannot fail in Christ?

Time and time again, we get encouraged by other people's stories. We see the effects of prayer in the lives of family members and close friends, even strangers. We read their books, visit their blogs, repost their statuses and admire their relationships with God, but for some reason, we find it hard to grasp the concept that the same God who loves them, loves us. The same God who hears them, hears us. The same God who sees them, sees us, and He is waiting on our action to approach Him in confidence and faith.

A relationship with God is not a VIP members only spot. There will never be a Christian who is better than another. God does not have favorites and He is not more impressed with one person over the next. There is nothing we can do to get more of His attention, we already have it all!!! When we are struggling, He sees us and loves us through it. When we are victorious, He celebrates with us, because He delights in seeing our excitement in Him. Our passions, our drive, our hopes and each complexity of our lives is so very concerning to the Lord and He has given us His precious Holy Spirit to ensure that we accomplish all things that He, Himself, has purposed for us to do. This includes our careers, our future marriages, our current marriages and children, our ideas, our dreams and all of our compartmentalized realities that we face, daily. God is in the midst, but He is waiting for us to acknowledge Him, first and for us to put our faith in Him.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to You." - James 4:8

When we begin to move past merely acknowledging God and start actively seeking Him, He begins to make Himself known to us in ways unimaginable. He begins to move within our lives and develop His strength within us to do "all things". There is nothing that is beyond God and so therefore there is nothing that is beyond us. His power and His authority become evident in our lives, once we invite God to become evident in our hearts. What once seemed impossible to do, becomes possible with the Lord. Millions of people have experienced this, both in the past and in the present. The tools they all use is active faith in a powerful God. Their stories begin with prayer and end in action. They are not the result of privileged access and their relationship with God is not exclusive. Power spills in their lives because they believe and they walk in answered prayer because their faith produces action and confidence in the Lord. Whats more amazing is that God wants to move in your life as well. He hasn't met His quota with people in the past. He is still eagerly anticipating hearts who are earnestly seeking Him and want more of His presence in their lives.

This week, I'd like to challenge us to act out our faith in the doing, not just in the praying and believing, alone. Believing has it's place. Faith has its place; but faith without works is dead. James teaches us, "But some will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18). We need to move past the act of wanting faith and move into the action of living out our faith. We have all the confirmation we need, through Jesus, and as we live out His word in our lives, He will direct our paths! It's easier said then done, I understand, but the best way to increase your faith is to increase your prayer life. Here are some scriptures that can help you on your way as you develop a life of prayer and take those first steps in seeking  God and drawing close to Him.

Start by asking God to help you believe (Mark 9:24)
Confess any sins (mistakes, struggles, wrongful motives) that you have encountered (1 John 1:9)
Begin to read scripture for understanding, not for information (Proverbs 3:5)
Invite God's presence into your life by seeking Him and His ways (Jeremiah 29:13)
Practice Thankfulness and a willingness to obey (Colossians 3:17)

As you begin to move toward a real relationship with Christ, your prayer life will begin to increase, automatically. You will begin to experience the joy of living in God's presence and the confidence in knowing the Love of God, first hand. Power will begin to grow within you, as you begin to grow in God and the faith required to accomplish all things, will be fed through scripture and through your own experience and journey with Jesus. This process is not without it's ups and downs, but we can be encouraged by knowing that God is not distant; He is ever near, waiting for us to call on His name and desire more of Him in the every day living.

Enjoy the living! Be like Jesus! Love like Jesus!
~Pearls

You Are Not Alone

Is it funny that the Michael Jackson song came to my mind as I was trying to decide what to call the title of this post? "You Are Not Alone", the song says.

"Something whispers in my ear and says

That you are not alone

For I am here to stay"

You may not be a Micael Jackson fan, but you have to admit that the words to this song are profoundly familiar to the Words of our Savior: "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the world."- Matthew 28:20

Was Michael Jackson quoting Jesus... probably not. But it reminds me that we as human beings have a deep seeded desire to find a forever place- to find a love that is eternal. Our culture tells us to try and quench this need with thrills or purchases of different products; date that person or get this job. But none of our efforts ease our longing or desire for a constant and eternal promise. We are still left looking and searching for an "always". But all of our efforts are only temporary. They do not last forever.

I remember being in that place in my life once. I thought having the "right" friends would be my answer. So in order to keep those friends, I had to wear the "right" clothes and go to the "right" parties. I wanted to have  a boyfriend, so I needed to find the "right" guy and look the "right" way. Yet all of my efforts left me feeling more alone than ever before. Despite my career, my degrees, my traveling opportunities, my popular friends and my cool boyfriend, I was still searching for the sense that I was not alone. I was looking for the one who would stay forever. Eventually, I realized that person was Jesus. He had been waiting for me all along.

Our beautiful and loving God has given us the promise of forever in the scriptures. Jesus promised, over 2,000 years ago, that he would be my forever and my always; that I didn't need to search, because He would never leave me. What an amazing comfort! I am reminded again of this promise, made by God, in Deuteronomy 31:8, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Could it be that in your heart, you hear the Lord whispering to you, "You are not alone"? Could it be that God is calling you and trying to remind you of His promise that He will never leave you or forsake you? In all of us, there are forces pulling us in different directions. There are voices coaxing us to believe truth or lies. But you, loved one, you are more than a conquerer! You ARE NOT ALONE!!! The maker of Heaven and Earth has called you His own! He beacons you to come to Him and rest in Him. And all your wondering and searching...all your closed doors and disappointments, will grow strangely dim in the light of the Love of our Savior! Amen!

I don't know what any of you might be dealing with today. Maybe  you are going through a rough time in your life; maybe a family member is. Maybe you feel that you have lost your way or maybe you feel unsatisfied with your current situation. Regardless of what you're facing or where you find yourself, know that our beautiful Savior loves you! He died for you, just to prove His love for you! He rose again to validate that love for all eternity. He is here to stay and desires to reside in your heart. Let him in! He stands at the door of your heart and knocks, hoping for an invitation to enter in and become your Always!

Open the door.

~Pearls

CELEBRATING NOELLE!!!!!

Congratulations to Ms. Noelle... or should we say PRINCIPAL!!! She has just completed her cohort program and received her certificate in school administration. Noelle has been a successful elementary teacher with Guilford County Schools. She has her masters in education and now she has one more accomplishment to add to her list. She will begin her new career as an Assistant Principal next school year and we couldn't be more proud of her!
Noelle has also been a tremendous influence in our Bible Studies. Her love for the Lord is an inspiration for us all and we are excited for all God is doing in her life.
CONGRATULATIONS NOELLE!!!!!!!!

Ladies Luncheon!!!

When we first began to meet together, it was always my hope that we could build a community together, where encouragement, accountability and mentorship could thrive. I think, in our generation, we are easily exposed to so many ungodly examples from other women, it's easy to believe that this is the norm or that "I am the only one who is serious about Jesus". I lived much of my High School life this way, which is why I abandoned my relationship with the Lord in college. I was tired of being, "the only one".
The reality of the matter, however, is that there are hundreds of young women out there who also feel as if they are "the only one", so if all the "only ones" could come together, we would no longer feel apart and separated, rather we could gain strength together, in Jesus!

I was pleased to have 3 of my mentors join us for this very special event, in celebration of our ONE YEAR as an official Bible Study! We played games, had AMAZING FOOD, enjoyed sharing and learning from wiser, older women and just had a beautiful time with each other. This Luncheon, for me, was a success because I feel as if the vision and hope of creating a Christ centered community of women has become a reality. We may be small in number, but the potential of spiritual growth and encouragement has no boundaries!

*For more pictures, please visit the EVENTS page.*