The Lord is My Light and My Salvation

 

Enjoy the Word of the Lord on today!

Psalm 27

A Psalm of David.

 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.

³ Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.

⁵ For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

⁹ Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.

¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

¹¹ Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

¹² Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.

¹³ I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

~Peace and Blessings~ 

Image: Inkwell Greetings

Review: Pursuit of Proverbs 31 by Amy Bayliss

I remember several years ago when I used to pass over reading Proverbs 31 because of my feelings of being inferior to the woman I could never live up to. Does that sound familiar? If you have ever felt intimated by living up to the expectations of being a Proverbs 31 woman, you don’t have to any longer. Once you read Pursuit of Proverbs 31, you will gain much more confidence in yourself.

When I came across the title of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I have heard several different studies on this particular topic and I thought I should give this one a try to see if anything fresh would come to mind. Then it happened! I was extremely excited when I was chosen to give review a on this book. It is absolutely like no other.

Amy captures your attention from the beginning by speaking to the readers as if she is sitting right in your living room.  To be honest when I read over her subtitles, I was looking forward to begin reading the book even more. She definitely has a sense of humor and approach makes it more relatable for all women. I like the way she kept things simple and straight to the point.  Throughout the book Amy shares her own thoughts and perceptions along with some of her personal stories as examples.

Pursuit of Proverbs 31 is not your typical Proverbs 31 Study. Amy literally takes you through the bible by having you read and study the scriptures for yourselves. Her goal is for you to know His word so you are capable to teach His word with confidence. She also provides a list of tools to help aid you in studying the bible. At the end of every chapter you will find five sections broken down into key thoughts, memory scriptures, fundamental objectives, useful tips to ponder, and bonus exercises to help everyone grow a much closer relationship to Christ.

This study teaches you it is okay if you don’t get things right the first time. Don't get discouraged because God will never leave you. Remember you are not in competition with a “Proverbs 31 Woman” or yourself. You have to seek God for His will for your life and to do that you must have a relationship through prayer and reading His word. You must also be willing to obey what He will have you to do. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

I highly recommend adding this to your reading list. This book is not preachy and is very meticulous. I would suggest taking your time and really work your way through the book thoroughly. You may want to read through it first and then go back and journal your way though. It’s only 145 pages so it’s certainly not a long read.

Thanks Amy for sharing your battles and achievements of trying to maintain the perception of being the Proverbs 31 Woman so we don’t have to feel alone.

To purchase the book on Kindle, visit Amazon.  For those of you, who would like a downloadable and printable PDF version, click here .

Checkout Amy's Website: http://www.cajunjoiedevivre.com/

Join Amy on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/amygbayliss

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

 

Our Deepest Fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 

----from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson. 

 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

July SIS (Sister in the Spotlight) : Kennisha Hill

Kennisha Hill

 Welcome Kennisha. Please tell us a little about you.

I am an author of fiction and non-fiction books, a motivational speaker, journalist and the Founder and Chief Operator of NyreePress Literary Coaching Group. My novel series, The Tamara Files, consist of the books Awakened and Uncovered and my latest book release is a memoir entitled “Once Upon A Child.” I am passionate about sharing words of hope, grace and empowerment in every area of my career. It is a delight to help other’s discover the grace of God in their lives and operate in their gifts.

Information regarding your ministry (when and why did you begin.)

I have always been writing with a heart to help people. It all started when I was a little girl journaling and creating stories for my mom. Fast forward 25 years later, God revisited my desire to write and gripped my heart to serve him in that way. I started blogging, writing freelance articles and penned my first book-- a devotional entitled “Simply Wisdom.” God has given me messages of grace and truth for ordinary life. That’s my aim and my mission and by God’s grace I hope to continue walking this path as long as I can.

What is the Vision of your ministry?

My vision is to simply share grace and truth for women in books and blogs and to inspire and motivate people to do what they are called to do. That’s my vision. I equip people to walk in grace, truth and purpose in their everyday lives.

Share some information regarding your latest book. What or who inspired you to write your book? At this point, do you see any more books in your future? Was it a difficult process sharing your thoughts or translating your thoughts to paper when you wrote your first book?

My latest book is a memoir entitled “Once Upon A Child: Finding Grace After a Pregnancy Loss.” This book chronicles my journey after experiencing three pregnancy losses after marriage. God has shown me a lot about his love and tenderness for us during our times of suffering. This book shares that message of hope for many women who deal with such a tragedy. I recently experienced another miscarriage at 15 weeks-- and it happened just weeks after the book released. It was equally devastating, but God continues to show me why I needed to write this book. I needed it too.

This book did bring me great challenges. Writing a memoir can be challenging because in order to grip your readers with the truth of your story, you have to go back and sort of relive where you’ve been. I had to do that with Once Upon A Child. Many nights it brought me to tears. Mostly, the Lord just reminded me of the purpose of that book and that he’ll help me get through it to serve as a blessing to others.

You have written several books with small children. What would you say to those who may think 

they don’t have the time or that it cannot be done? 

It is very possible to be a full-time mommy and have a career / ministry at the same time. The key is prioritizing. My children--my home-- is my first ministry. The bulk of my day is filled with arts and crafts, coloring, dolls, toy dishes and superhero men. We dance and love each other all day. I always keep them in mind as first before any work is done. Pray and ask God to show you the best way to manage your home and he will. He’ll give you the strength to do it. By the way, having a great calendar on my Macbook and iPhone makes my life easy! (smile)

It seems as if your books are being written rather quickly. What would you say to someone who may find it challenging to finish their book and may be beginning to become discouraged?

Don’t give up! It takes time to pen a book together, but once you find your niche, you’ll be just fine. Writers write very differently. When people learn of new books of mine that release, they are always surprised. I believe the Lord gives me the ideas and the ability to type fast. I’d like to encourage aspiring writers to not give up. Consider how you can make room for writing in your life and when you find the space, start writing. Don’t give yourself extra stress over a deadline. Take your time!

Now you know I am a fan of Tamara. The character in Awakened and Uncovered. When can we expect Captured? 

Thanks, Aretha! Captured is almost finished and I hope to have it published in early 2013!

Great! I'm looking forward to it!

Will there be any more Sequels?

It’s possible. Tamara is really just getting comfortable with her career as a government agent. There’s definitely room for another book to follow Captured. If not a full length novel, it’ll release as a novella or a short story series!

Tell the readers something you would like for them to leave with.

God loves you tenderly, has a perfect plan for your life and has already equipped you with the ability to deliver. Your gifts were given to you so that Christ may get the glory out of your life. We glorify the Lord by being fully satisfied in him.. and when we are satisfied in Him alone, it’ll reflect in our work performance and success. Trust the Lord and allow him to guide your path!

Please share your favorite scripture or quote.

I have many favorite scripture verses. Lately, 2 Corinthians 12:9 has been encouraging me. It reads, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

I also love this quote!  “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”-John Piper

To purchase

Amazon Kindle $.99 http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-A-Child-ebook/dp/B0085FLE52/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1340637162&sr=1-1&keywords=kennisha+hill

Hardcopy https://www.createspace.com/3836454 

Thank you so much for taking time to share with us. It is always a pleasure. You are such a sweetheart. I am always here to support you and your ministry. God Bless You!  

If you have  never purchased one of Kennisha Hill's books, you are definitely in for a treat. You will not be disappointed!!!