Like the fresh start of the New Year, Springtime gives us a 2nd chance at renewal. However, we need not wait for certain times of the year or for certain events, like taking summer vacations, to make us feel alive and for that chance to unwind mentally, physically, emotionally, and most importantly spiritually.
If we would cultivate a lifestyle of being in God's presence, we would experience more times of refreshing and each experience would be deeper and more meaningful. It definitely would build your faith and trust in this God we can't see with our natural eyes.
It's time to get rid of everything that holds you back, keeps you down, and suppresses your right to grow and feel alive in Jesus. 
Eph 2:4-6 says  4)  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made to be alive] us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6) And hath [past tense-it's already a done thing] raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. [emphasis mine]
Sometimes living a life of faith in God is not always easy but it is always right. To learn more about living by faith, read my blog Flying by Faith and you might also want to read Defying Negative Gravity.

Below are 5 steps you can use today to position yourself for and create for yourself that river of living waters for times of refreshing.  John 7:38 says, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." These living waters can be a constant source of refreshment both for you and for others as you learn to encourage others. This all depends on how much of  yourself you put into Christ.

Step One:
First, we must see God as our provider in everything, not just some being out there waiting for us to get to heaven. He is real and desires to be involved in our everyday lives.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
So get it fixed in your heart now, that God desires to work with you to establish his covenant blessings and his plan for your life. Don’t expect much help if you are not lined up with his word and plans for you. About the only help you’ll get is him helping you to refocus on what he has for you.

Step Two:
As in the Hebrew scripture above, we must go to God diligently. He can tell when you are just somebody that wants something from him and has no plans to honor him. Going to God for everything builds a relationship of trust and faith. When you can prove to God that you are serious about loving him, and wanting to serve him, when you show him you have been in his word about your situation, he’ll come shining through. Wait patiently and full of hope-fully trusting that he will be there and bring you those refreshing explanations that will make you alive in him once again.

Step Three:
Be prepared to know what you want and what you need God to do for you. Don’t just mouth off asking for any and everything. While God has a sense of humor, he’s also a serious God and he’s more than capable of meeting your needs. 
James 4:3 says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
This Is clear evidence that you can’t just ask for anything on a whim. It also gives a good indication that you need to want what God wants you to have. I know that can sound selfish of God but remember that his ways and thoughts are far higher than our own. He authored this life, and we should honor him in it and in every way possible. Isaiah 55:9 says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth; so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

​Step Four:
Obedience is big with God. He desires that we learn his commandments and follow them all our lives, trusting him to make the promises work in our favor. We need to truly learn to love God not just for what he can do for us but simply just because of who he is. He is love. John 4:8.  Mark 12:30 says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Read verse 31, as well.

Step Five:
Make sure you understand what God’s kind of love, called Agape, is all about and that you are walking in it to the fullest you possibly can.  Galatians 5:6 says, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision: but faith which worketh by love.” 
Do you see that? Your faith will not work if you are not walking in God’s kind of love in every situation and towards every person. What this verse is telling us is that it doesn't matter what kind of life you live, or where you go to church. If you are not using God's kind of love in every situation, your faith will not work. It's as simple as that.
Ask God to help you in this because this is the single most important thing you can ever do as a Christian and that is to see others the way God sees them. You need to see yourself as God sees you. 

Additionally, to get to know God on a more personal level, I've created the 29 Days of Loving God package. It's free. I've included instructions and 29 scriptures to journal each day. Although it was originally intended to do during the month of February, anytime of the year is a good time to get to know God.  All you need to do is contact me and I'll email it to you. 
Be assured that this is the only time I will use your email unless you opt in for updates. I don't really have material to send out on a regular basis except for The Net Magazine which goes out monthly for free. 
Make this year the year of refreshing in Jesus.

La Donna

If you've been studying the bible any length of time, you have probably come across some scriptures that seem to disagree with each other.  For example: we see in the book of Psalms the word fear is used extensively.  Not every use of the word means to be afraid of God.  In many of those instances where you see this word, it means to have a reverential respect for God.  You can't stretch your imagination far enough to see any relation between those two uses of the word fear.
How do you get past those times and still trust  God?  What are you supposed to think about those?  Can you come to a reasonable conclusion and continue to study the word of God?

Listen, in times like this, the first thing you will have to do is to shut down most voices.  Even well meaning folks will argue there are discrepancies in the word.
I can't say this enough.  There are no discrepancies, there are no controversies in the word.
It can't be because God cannot lie.  Did you get that?  God cannot lie!!!
Let's explore this.
Titus 1:2 says: In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" 
This is also in Heb 6:18, "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"
So, if God cannot lie, what do we do with discrepancies?  First, you need to understand the bible was not written in English.  The OT was originally written in Hebrew and the NT was written in Greek.  Why our translators chose some of the words they did is anybody's guess.  I personally think they could have done a much better job. 
This is where having a Greek and Hebrew Lexicon will help.  Strongs has a good concordance with references to Greek and Hebrew words with explanations.  It behooves any student of the word of God to obtain a good Lexicon.  Another resource is to use E-Sword, it's a free download and they use Strongs. 
My husband likes using a Brown, Driver, Brigs, concordance. 
So, anytime you get hung on discrepancies just realize it's not a discrepancy because God can't lie and you just simply need some understanding on whatever you are studying.
As always, if you need help with understanding the word of God, please don't hesitate to contact me. I have a tons of resource material, I'll be glad to help.  Just shoot me an email and I will get back with you.
I hope your new year is off to a great start. Get on fire and stay on fire for God - it's the best decision you will ever make.  God loves you and so do we.
​
​La Donna Holstine

Recently in doing a bible study, just trying to hear from the Lord, I heard Him say these words to me, Defy Negative Gravity.  That was some very interesting words to me. Those words, when I think about them and apply them spiritually in the recent faith fight I had, set me free.  It has the power to send me over the hump that's been holding me back.  That hump was keeping me from sensing my own spiritual strength that took years to build in my spirit.  I wanted to share more of this with you.
Defying Negative Gravity involves identifying things that pull us down, that lead to depression, anxiety, keeping us in grief, anything that keeps us from having and enjoying the things of our God and from living a life of faith.  Negative Gravity is anything that keeps you from walking on water, from doing the impossible, from moving mountains.
If you are a born again child of God, you have everything in you necessary to pull down negative gravity, strongholds.
Now that we know what negative gravity is, here's two key points on how to defy them.
1) Grow in Grace & Knowledge     2 Peter 3: 18-
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
This is simply you studying the word and learning more about God everyday.  You can join me right here each week for new teaching and inspiration.  Go through the older blog posts.  Click the Encouragement tab  for articles to help strengthen your faith in God.  Faith comes by hearing so if you never give your spirit food by reading or hearing - taking in the truths of God, your faith won't grow at all.  Stay with us.  Everything we share with you here, we live it.  We can tell you by our own personal experience that the more you work the Word of God in your life the more the Word will work for you to bring you to a good place the word says in Exodus 3:8.  No matter what you face today, no matter the bondage's holding you back, God can bring you out of your Egypt and put you into a good and large place with blessings overflowing. Consider Psalms 31:8 and Psalms 40:2. 
2) Strengthen Your Mind      1 Peter 1: 13-
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Keep your mind strong by believing only the things you read in the word of God.   Anything else, toss it out of your mind immediately.  This is not dismissing you from attending a good church.  A good church is one that not only teaches you about the victories in Jesus but how to obtain and accomplish them.
In closing, Romans 15:13 says: Now the God of hope FILL YOU with ALL JOY & PEACE in believing, that YE may ABOUND in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (emphasis mine)
Have a great week.
​La Donna

Every one of us is well acquainted with challenges that rock us to our core, challenges that seem to yank the carpet of faith right out from under us.
And I'm not talking about some little situation that is just simply aggravating at best; in these situations we often see how to deal with it, it just always seems to happen at a not so good of a time and we'd rather not deal with it.
No. I'm talking about situations that shut us down, circumstances beyond our control that leave us in a deep and dark realm of grief beyond control.
You know what I'm talking about? Sometimes this is just the death of a loved one that can send us spiraling downward in our faith walk.
Since April of 2018, I found myself in such a valley. A valley in which I was convinced that for whatever reason, God no longer wanted to have anything to do with me, He wasn't answering my prayers and I could not figure out why. What on earth had I done?   Why is this happening to me? Is this real or did something happen to me and I'm in some state of a coma? Will I ever wake up from this, will I ever know the Father and His precious promises as strong as I had believed them before?
Friend, let me tell you something. John 16:33 says, "these things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
None of us are exempt from tribulations. I don't care how much money you have. I don't care about the color of your skin. Unless you are some alien from the planet whatever, you will have tribulations. 

When you find yourself in such a valley remember this. Nothing grows high on the mountains. It is, at times, necessary for us to enter the valleys below.  While we are in such a place, keep in mind that it won't be long until tender shoots of fresh foliage will begin to spring forth. Faith will arise again. Just as I learned, you will come out stronger, ready to shout from the roof tops.
​2Corinthians 1:20 says, "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 
The promises of God are yea (yes) and amen (I said it, so be it). I struggled hard to hang on to the truths I had learned about standing in faith trusting God. But in the end, I had to shut down. I couldn't keep living the way things were. I needed some answers and I needed them right away. Those answers didn't come right away but just as the Psalmist says in 30:5, "....weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. ​
When I was finally able to spend time just getting still in my spirit and quiet down, I saw light at the end of my dark tunnel. Gently, and graciously the Lord led me through.  
Recently in prayer, in my spirit, I saw the Lord had led me to a place where I could crawl back up into my throne chair. But it was still different. I wasn't no longer able to fill my chair out. My faith had been damaged so much that my spirit had shrunk a bit. I'm still on the road to healing but I'm confident, I will grow up again into all things of my Father. I will be big enough to fill out my chair and I will wear my crown again some day soon.
So, I invite you to join me here at my new blog, Mornings with La Donna. I may not post something every morning. But please check back often.
​Come heal with me. Come learn with me. Come grow with me.
See you soon,
La Donna