If I Won The Lottery
What would you do if you won the lottery?
If I won the lottery, I would graciously collect my check, incognito.
Then, I would quickly get my plumbing issues resolved. Our plumbing issues have gotten worse and we cannot keep up. When it rains, it pours. No pun intended.
I would add some of the money to an emergency fund and pay off debt. I would definitely add to my investments as well as my savings of currently $5. And I would let the Holy Spirit lead me into who or what to give to.
Then I would go grocery shopping. I bet you are saying “is that it?” Nope. But that is all I am sharing. Until next prompt,
Have an amazing day!
I may delete this prompt response, lol.
How I ♥️ My Fur baby 🐶
If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?
A gift from God, a comfort in my fight with anxiety, and my little walking buddy. My petstie (pet bestie)!
Psalm 23
New video on YouTube:
Two-Sentence Prayer Thursday: SOS
Originally Posted on December 15, 2016 via former Fruitful and Fabulous Blog.
God is not impressed with our extensive vocabulary or how elegant we can sound with our words. Rather, He is looking for undivided hearts and true dependence upon Him, daily communication with Him, and relationship. With that said, we will take Thursdays and post Two-Sentence Prayers to pray. We pray we are sincere, yielded and responsive to the answers, love, and wisdom God gives us as a result of seeking Him wholeheartedly even in the simplest of prayers.
You ever feel like you were drowning in a sea of troubles, discouragement and hopelessness. Current news and the state of our nations even draw more despair. We, for a second or maybe an hour, feel like giving up and that God doesn’t care. Then the Holy Spirit reminds us that God will never leave us nor forsake us. He knows the plans He has for us, and plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and futures. So, let’s cry out to God in our distresses and our messes. We need immediate deliverances and permanent restoration. Enough is enough.
Today’s Prayer
Father, the only thing we can manage to say between globs of tears and discouragement is HELP. Don’t let us give up on trusting in Your Word that cannot return to You void. In Jesus’ name, amen!
12 Ways To Live Simply
Originally Posted on December 3, 2016
To simplify means to make something easier or simpler. We live in a work-consumed, comparing and competitive, busy and fast-paced, social-site and cellphone addicted world. Our homes and work places have become even more stressful and we are reminded daily by that tomorrow is not promised.
With that, people are desperately seeking to lead lives in which they can be more present and less stressed. They are determined to live simply in a chaotic world.
Tweet: Determined to live simply in a chaotic world. –Fruitful & Fabulous
People are downsizing their homes, switching careers, resigning from their jobs, decluttering their homes and donating used goods to help organizations. People are looking to declutter and live simply physically, financially, mentally, etc.
So, how do you begin to simplify?
- Declutter your homes, office/workspace, even emails, etc. Decluttering puts us in a great mental space as well as helps us create tidy, more organized and inviting spaces.
- Stop multitasking or at least much of the time. Many of us are great multitaskers; however, multitasking can leave us stressed and failing to give adequate attention to the tasks at hand.
- Subtract first before adding. Yes, in order to make room for something new and that something that should be occupying your time at that moment/season, you sometimes have to part ways with the old. This is even true about destructive relationships. If you are friends with or dating someone that is detrimemtal to your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, pray for grace to let go and move on. Freeing up that space allows the right person to come in.
- Pray & meditate on God’s Word. This should have been first honestly. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things shall be added unto thee. Nurture your relationship with God first and foremost. Noone has ever regretted putting God first. He loves us beyond measure and knows what is best for us.
- Prioritize and organize. We honestly don’t know if you can find a 100% balance between everything in your life. But what we do know is that you can prioritize and organize, and make life that much better. Prioritizing also means learning to say no or when to say no.
- Delegate and ask for help. Despite the “S” we may feel like we wear on our chest, I guarantee you that even Superwoman needs help.
- Don’t be so hard on yourself and don’t overthink everything. Make sure you give yourself enough care. And forgive yourself for not being able to save the world today. We also tend to make something worse than what it is or bring something to doom in worry alone. Trust God.
- Laugh alot. Laughter is surely a great dose of medicine and a great distraction when anxious and feeling overwhelmed. Laugh a lot.
- Check your thoughts. Train yourself to fight and extract those thoughts that have no place occupying your mental space. Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ Jesus.
- Live in the moment. You can’t live in the past and you can’t go to the future but you are in the present. So Tweet: So be present in the present–Fruitful & Fabulous.
- Develop an emergency fund. That small cushion of funds saved for emergencies only can eliminate some stress and make it much easier to handle financial difficulties.
- Prepare. Prepare for the next day, assignment, trip, project, life changes as best as you can. It frees up your time and allows you to add something, if you must, or take something off your schedule.
Would You Recognize Him?
Originally Posted October 3, 2016 via fruitufulandfabulous.wordpress.com
Open Your Eyes
It is often said “when people show you themselves, believe them”. But what if they disguised themselves and if you, like Mr. Ellington, didn’t recognize the signs of whom the person really was?
“I-I didn’t believe you. I saw him and didn’t recognize him,” gasps Mr. Ellington. “That is man’s weakness…and Satan’s strength,” stresses Brother Jerome.
How many times has the devil disguised himself or you failed to recognize what he was doing before it was too late?
How well can you recognize him, his work, and why can’t we recognize him?
Twilight Zone
I have always loved watching reruns of the Twilight Zone. One of my favorite episodes is called The Howling Man. On a rainy, stormy day, David Ellington recalls of another rainy, stormy day he endured. Déjà vu or not? That day he was wearied, lost and had stumbled across a place of refuge. He needed help. Mr. Ellington pleads with the strange man who answers the door to let him in. After being let in and waiting for further approval to speak with the leader about resting there for the night, Mr. Ellington collapses from sheer exhaustion.
The men at this sanctuary reluctantly give Mr. Ellington shelter to rest. However, Mr. Ellington discovers where the howling he had been hearing, since he arrived there, is coming from. No one acknowledges at first his discovery. But throughout the night, the howling continues to capture his attention. Behind the bars is a homely man with a gentle appeal for freedom from the men who have imprisoned him. The man behind the door pleads for help. He tries to warn Ellington also that the men are not who they say there are.
“They’re mad, Mister Ellington. All of them, raving mad. Listen. I was in the village in Schwartzof. I was walking in the street with my woman. We paused to rest by a tree. And we kissed. Is it wrong to kiss? Tell me,” begs the man.
He Let Him Loose, Ya’ll
To make a long story short, Mr. Ellington sets the man free, only to discover he had been tricked. He had let loose the devil and had to spend years and years chasing him to bind him again. Now Ellington has captured him, has him bound and is sharing his account of when he let him loose. But will that person fall for the devil’s tricks; will that person doubt who the devil really is, only to let him out again?
“I know. It’s –it’s an incredible story. I, of all people, know this. And you won’t believe me. No, not at first. But I’m going to tell you the whole thing. Then, you will believe, because you must. You must believe.”
As I watched this, I thought, if I was in Ellington’s shoes, “Would I recognize the devil for what he is?” Would I trust what the brothers were telling me? Would the devil appeal to my flesh, my emotions, etc. to deceive me into letting him go? How many times has he deceived me already?
Father of Lies
The devil is a deceiver. In fact, he is the father of all lies. He can masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). In the appearance of man, a homely one, the devil appears even as a victim, falsely accused while accusing the brothers to Mr. Ellington. He draws Ellington’s curiosity and appeals to his emotions as well as sows seeds of doubt into his heart. And he does it at such an opportune time, when Ellington is weary, exhausted and in the midst of a storm. Not saying the devil doesn’t come at other times to distract us, deceive us, and let loose in our lives, but he seems to come and have his way the most during tests and trials as well as when we are unarmed and feeling weak.
So how aren’t we recognizing him?
- We aren’t consistently in the Word of God. “Truth is dogma. We believe it to be man’s greatest weapon against the devil, who is the father of lies,” says Brother Jerome.
- We are building our doubt and not our faith. Doubt means to lack confidence, to consider unlikely, to distrust.
- We are being led by our flesh, emotions, etc. and not by the Spirit of God.
- We are not putting on the armor of God. Ephesians 6:13-17
- We forget that there is a spiritual war going on. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12
- We are not fixing our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2
- We are in a spiritual state of slumber. We are not growing in our walk; our prayer lives are dull; our hearts are numb and our appetites and pursuit of God and godly things are growing cold. 1 John 2:28
So, I encourage you to not be deceived by the enemy and let him loose in your life.
- Seek God first, pursue God greatly and nurture your relationship with God intimately daily.
- Saturate in the Word of God daily. Ellington asks, “But if he’s the devil, how do you keep him locked up?’ Brother Jerome responds, “with the staff of Truth!” Read it, obey it, use it, speak it, and believe it!
- Pray. Pray for God’s discernment and help. He knows everything and has already overcome the enemy and the world. He knows what the devil has planned and can protect you from his deception and attacks.
- Build your faith and not your doubt. Faith comes by hearing by and hearing by the Word. Trust God and believe Him at His Word.
- Know and believe that God has good intentions towards you.
- Pray for wisdom and revelation; and when the Holy Spirit gives you insight into where the devil is at in your life and what he’s doing, call the enemy out on it in the name of Jesus. I know, Lord, the devil is trying to distract me and I rebuke these distractions in Jesus’ name. I pray I will fix my eyes on You, Lord, for You are the author and perfecter of my faith.
- Check the condition of your heart and check unchecked sin and repent wholeheartedly. James 4:7-8
M.I.A
The M.I.A (Most Important Accessory) that a Christian should have in their possession is The Holy Spirit & The Word of God. They are something we don’t hang up or sport from time to time, but something we must wear daily, second by second, minute by minute. It is through His Word and through the Holy Spirit we can stay alert to the devil’s schemes.
–Written by Tannika Moore
Check out The Howling Man: click on link below.
The Blazing Furnace
Originally Posted September 17, 2015 via FruitfulandFabulous.wordpress.com
There are ten lessons I learned from the account of Daniel’s friends thrown into the large, blazing furnace.
Here are they:
- The three young men didn’t do what the masses did. Daniel 3:8-12 says: At this time some astrologers[b] came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” They remained loyal to God even under pressure. Pleasing Him was far more important than what others thought, getting in trouble, or losing their lives. They were truly set apart.
- The three young men knew they didn’t have to defend themselves. Daniel 3:16-18 says: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” They believed that if they obeyed God, He would take care of them and the end results.
- They knew God would deliver them. Period. Daniel 3:17 says: If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand.
4. They were willing to obey God no matter the cost. Daniel 3:18 says: But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
5. The world’s attitude of you will change when you disagree or oppose something they think is logical or that feeds their selfish desire. Their love is conditional. Daniel 3:19-20 says: Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seventimes hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.
6. There is deliverance in the midst of the fire. Daniel 3:21-25 says: So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
7. Jesus is right there with you while you’re going through. Daniel 3:25-26 says: He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God,come out! Come here!” They didn’t have to fear because the fourth was our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Don’t fear, just trust and believe God’s Word. Know that He will never leave you, nor forsake you.
8. God can bring you out of something and the only evidence you went through will be His glory and your deliverance. Daniel 3:26b-27 says: So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
9. There’s only one God! Well, I knew that already; however, it must be reiterated! Daniel 3:28-29 says: Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” There is none like Him that can save in the ways He can and the Way He has!
10. God was with them and delivered them before they stepped into the blazing furnace. Thank You, God, for that revelation. Daniel 3:22-23 says: The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. It amazed me that the furnace was so hot that it immediately consumed the soldiers but not the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Surely God gave them the grace to speak up, carry out their obedience despite persecution, and even withstand the heat and flames of an extremely hot furnace. Jesus was right there with those young men and He will be right there with you.
The M.I.A (Most Important Accessory) that a Christian should have in their possession is Their Trust In God. It is something we don’t hang up or sport from time to time, but something we must wear daily, second by second, minute by minute. Trust God enough to step out on the water of seas, go into the lion’s den, or even in the blazing furnace. And if that is too big for your faith, trust God for the small things, first steps, and the faith to walk out on waters of ponds. And keep saturating in His Word and obeying it till your faith becomes bigger and stronger.
–Tannika
Have you had some “blazing furnace” experiences?
In The Presence of God…
Repost- Money $eries Week: Relationship
Relationships are essential to our lives. They are crucial to our development, growth, and existence. They are so crucial that the Ten Commandments show us how we are to protect our relationship with God and our relationships with others. Jesus takes it a step further by instructing us “to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
Today, however, we will talk about OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY.
There are some of us who have healthy relationships with money and some of us who do not. Let us talk about the unhealthy relationships with money some of us have. Money controls some of us. Money leads us toward making poor decisions. Money runs away from us and it spends all of its time with our bills and/or bad habits. Money makes us feel good–until it goes away.
Okay, let’s not put all the blame on money and make this one-sided. We are at fault for having money control the relationship. Moreover, we don’t see its worth. We don’t value it. We don’t get to know it. We either have unrealistic expectations, too little expectations, or too high expectations of our money. And we don’t tell our money what we expect it to accomplish. We don’t see our money’s potential. We don’t invest in it. We don’t let it rest. We don’t even let it just sit and catch its breath sometimes. We don’t use wisdom and care when handling it. Then we expect it to do what we need it to do and be what we need it to be.
What about our management of someone else’s money (credit cards). We pretend its fully ours until its time to pay it back. Then we get stressed and our finances look even more a mess.
Stats: Pew Charitable Trusts reports that 80% of Americans are with debt. (www.pewtrusts.org)
But God desires for our relationship with money to not be a stressful, debilitating one, but a healthy one. He desires that money not master us and that we trust in Him, the One who supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
Today’s Scriptures:
Mark 12:30-31 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. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, please help us to have a healthy relationship with money. We desire to serve You and not money. Break the yokes of poor stewardship and debt in our lives. Forgive us for building such a dependence on earthly things and for our love of money. Help us to trust and depend on You and to love You with all of our hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Living Life the Fruitful Way
Disclaimer
We, at Fruitful & Fabulous, are not certified financial planners or financial advisors. We do research and reference the sources that we use within our writing. The information provided should not be used as financial advice; it is used to promote financial literacy, financial literacy based from the Bible as well as discussion. The views, some of the experiences, and opinions on this site are that of the authors. Any suggestions or investment advice should be reviewed by a financial professional before acting on them.
This website will never share your email address or any of your personal information with a third party for any reason. We are excited to encourage financial literacy and health but it is your choice whether or not you use the information provided and at your own risk.
Tannika Nikeya 