ANOTHER VOICE NOTE FROM KEVIN!!!

Yayy! Honestly, I didn’t get a chance to listen to it clearly until the day after he sent it. But when I really heard it clearly, this part has significantly changed me forever: Here’s what K had to say:

“Neeks, it really ain’t that serious. It’s an adage. It’s a cliché. But it’s the truth. It ain’t that damn serious. Don’t ask God for things not to happen to you; ask him for STRENGTH to deal with whatever comes your way because as sure as we are right here today, things are gonna come. Put on your boots. Grab a hold of that rope. Tuck yourself in the saddle and enjoy the ride. Smell the coffee. Admire the roses. Smile. Laugh at the movies. Laugh at the jokes. Compliment people. They are all pieces, links put together to make this world LIFE for all of us.”

I laughed at myself and all the silly things I’ve been taking too seriously! Especially when I add in the God factor and the fact that He is forever saying and showing me, ‘Neeks, I got you.’ I laugh at myself even more when I say I’m the God maniac here teaching everyone about having faith in God, but yet, I’m the very one taking life too seriously and stressing too much instead of trusting God.

Speaking of this strength, though, hubby and I had a great appointment with God yesterday morning, listening to Dr. Charles Stanley’s (may his beautiful soul rest in peace) sermon about having a strong life:

“A person who has a strong life consistently obeys God as a habit, and attempts and tries to leave all the consequences to Him. Sometimes we don’t. That’s why I said trying. If you have the habit of your life obeying God, for example, think about this. As a follower of Jesus Christ, to disobey God should be an exception in your life. To obey Him should be the norm for your life, why? Because that’s who we are. And a strong life is a life that is built on obeying the truth of the Word of God. Then, of course, one of the areas of a strong life is that we see the Lord Jesus Christ as the strength of our life.

Now, think about this for a moment. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He’s in jail, beaten, chained, locked up, you name it, and you know what? His foundation was so solid that no matter what they did, they never discouraged him. They never made him quit. They tried their best to stop him, from attempted assassinations to everything else they did. Why? Because he was strong. He was strong in the Word of God. He was strong in his relationship to God. He was strong in his obedience to God. And he knew in his heart that the strength of his life was not in his body but was in his relationship to Jesus Christ. That’s where our strength lies: in relationship. And all these other things are part of that relationship.

So, ask yourself the question: How strong is your life? How much of your life– for example, you get up in the morning and you say, “Well, I’m gonna do this, that, and the other.” How often do you get up to say, “Father, I want to thank You that You’re my strength today”? And if you have a job that’s very difficult, do you ever say to Him, “Lord, I need Your strength today to get this done. I don’t even know how I’m going to be able to do what I’m supposed to do. You’re my strength.” Now what you’ve done is you have invited the Lord God into your life, so to speak, through His Holy Spirit, to enable you and strengthen you and encourage you and don’t–does not let you quit, because with Him, you can accomplish anything God has set before you to accomplish. Then, of course, expressing love and care for other people. If you can’t express love and care for other people, you’re not strong. If you can’t love, you’re not strong.

Love is one of the basic– listen, listen, when Paul describes the fruit of the Holy Spirit, where does he start? Love, joy, peace–love. Loving somebody else, you’re giving yourself away to someone else. You may give them things or you may give them yourself. In other words, but most of all, loving someone is making yourself available to them, cheering them up, encouraging them. A person who really loves is an encourager.

A person who really loves is a person who makes a difference in the people around them. So, ask yourself this question. The people who know you, do they think of you as a person who loves or a person who complains all the time? How many of you love being around a complainer?
None of us. People who are just complaining about everything. It doesn’t make any difference what happens; they find something to complain about. Godly people, strong people, find something good, something good, not something to complain about all the time. Loving is very important.”