Phrase of the Day: I must tell Jesus

Sunshine’s Reflections

Happy Monday to you all!  I hope you enjoyed your holiday break.  I know I did.

Today’s phrase: I must tell Jesus

Matthew 6:6 (New King James Version)

⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

The song writer says, “I must tell Jesus, All of my trials, I cannot bear these burdens alone” Raise your hand if you feel like you MUST tell JESUS.  As long as we live on this earth we will face trials and tribulations, persecution and judgement, disappointment and failure and so much more.  We can’t control what we may face, but we can control how we react to the challenges of life. 

Stop running to everybody under the sun and making Jesus last.  When life throws you a curve ball, say “I MUST TELL JESUS”.  When people try to give you unsolicited advice on your situation tell them thank you, but I MUST TELL JESUS.  When people inquire about things that you are dealing with tell them that you MUST TELL JESUS. 

Sometimes we cause ourselves undue stress when we get other people involved in our situations and circumstances.  The first problem is we tell people with no power or authority all of our business without first consulting with God.  When you go to God in prayer He will direct you to the appropriate people (if necessary) to listen to you here on earth.  But when you go to people first you will end up going to people who do not have your best interest at heart. 

When problems come and they will come say, I MUST TELL JESUS.  When people disappoint you, instead of complaining say, I MUST TELL JESUS.  When you become overwhelmed say, I MUST TELL JESUS.  Tell Jesus all of your desires and problems.  Tell Jesus all of your failures and disappointments.  Tell Jesus everything and tell Him FIRST.  Talk to Jesus more often and see how things will change in your life.  He may tell you to change something personally and He may even tell you to change some people you hang around.  No matter what He tells you, just TELL HIM FIRST!  Make God a priority in your prayer life.

GET IN THE HABIT OF TELLING JESUS!  HE HAS THE POWER AND AUTHORITY TO CHANGE THINGS AROUND.

I don’t know about you, but I MUST TELL JESUS!

Have a blessed evening.

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now in person, by mail order or Pay pal! Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Let the Word dwell in you

Sunshine’s Reflections

Good Morning!  Happy Saturday to you all!    I pray that everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.  Cherish each moment with the ones you love.  Life is precious and there is so much to be thankful for.

 

TFTD: Let the Word dwell in you

Colossians 3:16 (New King James Version)

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

We live in a world full of influences; both positive and negative.  We have to be careful what we watch, listen to, read, and even the people that we hang around.  We have to make sure that the negative influences and spirits are not dwelling in us.  When something dwells in you it takes permanent residence within you.

We should let the word of Christ take permanent residence within us.  Light and darkness cannot dwell in the same place.  The more you read God’s word and allow it to penetrate your soul the more light will shine in your life.  All the negative things will have to go.  Stay in God’s word and serve the negative influences an eviction notice.  Stop feeding the unwanted guest or they will try to become a permanent resident.

The word of God will help you to make better decisions in life, will equip you to teach others about the Lord, and will help you to love and respect others.  The things of the world show the opposite; they cause us to make the wrong decisions, they do not teach us about the Lord, and they show us how to become disrespectful and mistreat others.  Remember to let the Word of Christ to dwell in you.

Food for thought: What has taken permanent residence in you: Christ or the world?

Have a blessed weekend!

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now  in person, by mail order or Pay pal!  Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours.

I pray that you take time and examine how thankful you should be.

Love hard, laugh harder, and live life to the fullest.

God bless.

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now  in person, by mail order or Pay pal!  Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Always be thankful

Sunshine’s Reflections

Good afternoon!  Happy Pre-Thanksgiving day to you all.  I pray that you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

TFTD: Always be thankful

1 Chronicles 16:34 (New King James Version)

 ³⁴ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
      For His mercy endures forever.

There are a million reasons to give thanks, but I’ll just name a few; God sent His Only begotten Son to die for you and me.  He wrapped His Son in flesh and He who knew no sin died on the cross and carried all of our sins away.  If that is not reason enough to give thanks let me add that Jesus could have come down from the cross and destroyed the earth, but He stayed on the cross, died for our sins, His blood washed us white as snow.  And if that is not enough He went to hell, snatched the keys and took deaths evil sting with Him.  He rose with all power in His hand so that you and I may have a chance at everlasting life.  Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for HE IS SO GOOD and He spared us what we deserved.  He is so merciful.

Psalm 100:4 (New King James Version)

 ⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
         And into His courts with praise.
         Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

 No matter where you go you should have a thankful heart and a praise on your lips.  God has been too good to you to walk around ungrateful or as if the world owes you.  When you walk into the sanctuary you should be thankful that God woke you up and carried you through another week.  When you walk into your job you should be thankful that you have a job when so many people are without work.  When you walk up to your car, it may not be all that you want it to be but you better praise God for your transportation.  I don’t care what is going on in your life when you come into the presence of God and His children you should be filled with thanksgiving and praise.  Don’t wait for one day out of the year to give thanks.  Be thankful everyday of the year.  Be thankful every moment of your life because God has ALWAYS been good to you.  Even when you don’t acknowledge it, God is still GOOD!

Always be thankful!

Have a blessed day and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now  in person, by mail order or Pay pal!  Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Are you a true worshiper?

Sunshine’s Reflections

Good Morning!  Oh give thanks unto the Lord.  I have so much to be thankful for, how about you? 

TFTD: Are you a true worshiper?

John 4:23-24 (New International Version)

²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

What do you bring to the table when you attend church on Sunday mornings, bible study during the week, your job, in your home, in your class room, at the store or anywhere that you go?  Do you come with worship already in your heart and on your lips or do you come waiting for someone to get worship started in you?

A true worshiper carries God with them at all times.  A true worshiper does not need a choir, a praise team, dance ministries or even the preacher to get them to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.  They tap into the fact that God has been and continues to be so good to them.  A true worshiper finds ways to worship God consistently and not just on Sunday. 

Your worship should not be contingent on what happens in the church service.  You should come filled to the brim that when service begins your worship will transcend to new heights.  God is looking for worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth; not those who will only worship Him when someone else “entertains them”.

If you come to church on Sunday morning thinking that the praise team, the preacher, and the choir better get you fired up then you are not a true worshiper.  You need to check your personal relationship with Christ.  You cannot just worship God on Sunday.  Worship is showing reverent honor to God.  Solely based on who God is should be reason enough for you to worship Him.  If you have to come to church expecting someone to entertain you and move you to worship Christ then you are not a true worshiper.

If the piano broke down, the choir missed all of their notes, the dance ministers missed every step, and the preacher forgot his text you still should be able to come into the presence of God and worship Him for who He is!

Are you a true worshiper or just a church goer?

Stop looking for reasons to worship Christ because there are a million reasons to worship Him.  Start looking for ways and places that you can worship Him at all times.

Have a blessed day. 

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now  in person, by mail order or Pay pal!  Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

We love because He loved first

Sunshine’s Reflections

Good Morning!  Happy Friday to you all!  We’ve made it to the end of another work week.  Glory to God.

TFTD: We love because He loved first

1 John 4:19-20 (New International Version)

 ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

We are incapable of loving without Christ.  The reason we are able to love others is because Christ loved us first.  By nature we are selfish creates, but once we accept Christ we take on a new nature. 

Before we accepted Christ we were unable to love people properly or able to love each other at all for that matter.  After we accept Christ we should begin taking on His characteristics.  We should love others because Christ loved us first.

You cannot say that you love Christ and then not love the people who you see each and every day.  We have to be intentional about loving one another and recognize that in our own strength we can’t love one another.  With God we can and should love one another because He first loved us.

People offend us and hurt us, but we should love them anyway.  Christ loved us while we were still sinners and we have the audacity to walk around “hating” people for not being the way we want them to be.  We have to learn to love people blemished and bruised.  Why?  Because Christ loved us and still loves us blemished and bruised. 

Loving others should not be contingent on how they treat you, but based on the fact that Christ loved us first and so we need to love others.

Food for thought:  How can you say you love Christ yet do not love your brother or sister?  Do you know that when you do that it makes you a liar?

I love you all because Christ loved me first.  That’s the way Christ wants us to be.

Have a blessed weekend.

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now  in person, by mail order or Pay pal!  Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Happy Birthday Sunshine’s Reflections

Happy Birthday Sunshine’s Reflections!

Six years ago the Lord told me to start sending out TFTD (Thought for the Day); which was a short email filled with encouragement to friends and family.  God knew the potential of sending out kind words.  The small email ministry grew beyond measure.  Thus Sunshine’s Reflections blog was born.  It was time to reach more people.  First the email, then the blog, now a book entitled, Reflections of the Son is just a small part of what God has in store. 

Thank you for reading the blog and sharing it with others.  Thank you for supporting this ministry.  God gives us all gifts and talents and we have to make sure we use them for His glory and not ours.

I am so grateful that God chose me and that I was ready to hear Him.  I pray that the blog will continue to be a blessing to you as it has been a tremendous blessing to me.  I look forward to serving you as a messenger from God.  God bless.

Happy Birthday Sunshine’s Reflections!  To God be the glory!

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Don’t become the great pretender

Sunshine’s Reflections

Good evening blog family!

TFTD: Don’t become the great pretender

Matthew 16:25-27 (New International Version)

²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

I must admit that living a Christian life that is pleasing to God can be a challenge at times.  We live in this world, but are not of this world.  We have to constantly resist the urge to conform into the place that we live in.  We have to resist becoming the “great pretender”.

Halloween comes once a year; this is a time where people dress up and become a different character for one night.  For one night a person gets to pretend to be someone else.  Unfortunately, some believers make Halloween a way of life.  They become the “great pretender”.  They are so busy trying to become the person they think the world wants them to become that they can be coined, “The great pretender”.

You may have seen this person; they proclaim to be a Christian yet they are more concerned with what people think about them that they will compromise their spiritual life to be accepted by many.  The great pretender loves self-preservation.  They are always looking for ways to save their life from being persecuted by others.  It’s tough being a Christian and when you take a stand as a believer there will be times when people won’t want to be your friend anymore.  Your way of life is uncomfortable for those who live for the world.  Sometimes you will be alone, but it’s worth it to be disliked by the world, but loved by the Lord.

The “great pretender” is too busy trying to be accepted by the world that they are constantly changing thus resembling the world.  The more time you spend in an environment you will eventually become like your environment.  I caution you to take a stand and spend more time with the Lord.  Because the more time you spend pretending the more likely you will become like the world.

Don’t become the great pretender, compromising your beliefs and morals just to be liked by a world that can’t and won’t save your soul.

Ask yourself: What good will it be for me to gain the whole world, yet forfeit my soul?  Are you the great pretender?

I pray that you have a blessed day.  Stop pretending and take a stand!

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now  in person, by mail order or Pay pal!  Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Walk by faith

Sunshine’s Reflections

Good Morning!  Happy Monday blog family!  I pray that you had a blessed weekend.

TFTD: Walk by faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 (New King James Version)

⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight.

When you walk by faith you must have confidence and trust in God.  You must know that He will lead you in the right direction.  We must walk by faith and not by sight.  To me, faith is walking towards your destiny without even seeing if there is a road beneath your feet.  The only way this is possible is by trusting in God.

We must walk by faith, but many believers walk by sight thus leading them to walk in fright.  When you focus on what things look like you can become discouraged.  Many people allow the appearance of a situation, challenge or trial to keep them from their destiny.  There is something that you want to do in your life right now; you may want to own a home, but when you look at your finances that dream seems impossible.  You are walking by sight because you are focusing on what you see.  You may want to start your own business, but you do not have any examples of successful entrepreneurs in your family so you become scared.  You are walking by sight because you are allowing the poor examples that you saw to keep you from pursuing your dream.  Marriage may be your dream, but you see failed marriages all around you, higher education may be your dream, but you see a rise of drops outs in your age group, no matter what your dream is I caution you to walk by faith and not by sight.

Stop looking around at your situation and begin walking by faith.  Trust in God more than you trust the people around you.  Fear is false evidence appearing real.  When you begin allowing what you see to keep you from pursuing your destiny you are not only walking by sight but you are walking by fear.  You are allowing the false evidence of you not succeeding to become real.  STOP IT!  Walk by faith and not by sight.  God wants to do a supernatural thing in your life, but you are too busy looking around when you should be trusting in Him.

Earlier I said that faith is walking towards your destiny without even seeing if there is a road beneath your feet.  You should be so confident in the vision that God has placed within you that you will achieve your dream.  You should be so confident that God will lead you in the right direction that you could close your eyes and follow His voice and end up at your destination.

Now I never said that walking by faith is easy, but it’s worth it.  Anything worth doing is worth  doing to the glory of the Lord.  You second guess God when you walk by sight.  You underestimate the power of God to change a situation when you walk by sight.  But when you walk by faith you elevate God to his rightful position in your life.  When you walk by faith you are telling God that your life is in His hands and it doesn’t matter what it looks like now because you are confident that it will be different in Jesus name.

Food for thought:  How are you walking today; are you walking by faith or by sight?

Have a blessed day.  I’m walking by faith because God has something greater than what I can see in store for me.

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now  in person, by mail order or Pay pal!  Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Poetry Corner-Parents get involved

Poetry Corner

Good Morning!  Happy Friday to you!  I pray that you had a blessed and productive work week. 

Parents get involved

by: Nicole L. Ellis

It takes more to being a parent than simply bringing a child into this world

There are great demands on training up a child to be polite little boys and girls

Women, child-birth is a task I know this first hand

We push and we push bringing a new life into this land

However, just merely giving birth doesn’t make you the parent you need to be

Parenting requires work in order for you to be a good role model for others to see

Men; being a father is a tough job to do

There are so many new demands placed on you

However, contributing a seed and walking away should not be a child’s way of life

When you abandon your responsibility in training a child you will cause them to live in strife

Parents get involved! 

Get off that chair!   Invest time in finding out about that child that looks so much like you

You might be amazed by all the creative things your child is able to do

I understand you provide a roof over their heads and clothes on their back

However,  more is required in parenting in order to keep your kids on the right track

Parents get involved!

Take your child on a date; one where you do more than stare down at your plate

Open your mouth and create a dialogue more than criticizing and preaching

Reach out and give your child a hug and look for moments to begin teaching

It takes more to being a parent than simply bringing a child into this world

There are great demands on training up a child to be polite little boys and girls

Parents, your involvement today will affect who your child grows up to become

What seeds are you planting; ones with fruit or empty ones?

Little girls will become women and boys will become men

If asked about your parenting will you score a one or a ten?

Parents get involved!

However, don’t compromise your beliefs

Train your children to be like Christ and they will conquer the highest feats

Parents get involved!

Do the things that your children like to do

Allow them to see a different side of you

 

Food for thought:  It’s a blessing to be a parent.  Parents do not allow your status of mother or father go to our head causing you to neglect building and nurturing a relationship with your children.  Parenting is a full-time job and requires a lot of patience and work.  It’s time to get involved in our children’s lives; their lives depend on it.

Have a blessed weekend!!!  Do something to create a new memory with your children-plan something today! 

Reflections of the Son by: Nicole Ellis is available now  in person, by mail order or Pay pal!  Contact me at niklellis@live.com or click on the BUY BOOK NOW page on the blog*

Mrs. Nicole “Sunshine” Ellis

Can’t breathe: Try Spiritual CPR: Consistent in praying, Persistent in pursuing the knowledge of God, and Resistant to temptation.

© Nicole Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog, 2009 to 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicole L. Ellis and Sunshine’s Reflections Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.