Burn the Candle

As the new year has begun, I have decided I am not going to do a bunch of goals for the year as I have in times past to bog me down and overwhelm me. This year I was going to pick a specific few and just go with it. One goal I set every year and am keeping is to have a word or phrase in the forefront of my mind throughout the year. In a separate post I can explain how I get my word or phrase but for now I am just going to jump into it's meaning for my life. 

I suffer with depression and anxiety. Either of those things can be debilitating and so having both is no picnic. I don't typically leave my house unless it's to go to work or church, I just don't find a reason to nor do I get asked to do a lot of things, which is how I prefer it to be. This can be very secluding and over time I got comfortable with being by myself so I began to say no to the few opportunities that did arise. It was starting to take a toll on me more than I even knew. 

When praying about what my new word or phrase should be I asked God to make it clear and to give me confirmation. I was scrolling on my phone one day in December when I saw a video about burning a candle. I like candles and didn't know at first glance it was metaphorical so I watched the video. It talked about how a girl was ridiculed for spending a sum of money to go to another country for her 21st birthday and her response to the ridicule was something that really resonated with me, she said something along the lines of she would never be that age in that country at that time again and while it did cost a sum of money, that couldn't replace the memories she was creating. 

Something that goes along with depression and anxiety for me personally is overthinking but this concept has opened my eyes to realize not everything is that deep. Some situations you're in can feel like it's going to be your 'end all, be all' but when you shift your thinking to this is just a moment in time that will soon pass, it make these moments tolerable. 

The exact phrase I'm keeping in the forefront of my mind "burn the candle" comes from someone who was explaining in the same video that she had been gifted some expensive chocolates from a family member traveling back from another country and they were Mozart themed. She wanted to cherish them and not eat them because they were so pretty. She eventually realized she'd better eat them before they get bad only to find they'd literally became dust. She gave another example talking about people who buy or are gifted expensive candles and they just let them sit out or in a closet never burning them. She said that life is too short and we should just burn the candles and eat the chocolates and take the trips. We will never be in this exact moment ever again so we need to choose wisely what we're doing with each one we're given.

In December, I had a friend pass away. He was only 21, the age I am now. Around the time of his passing is when I saw this video and that was the confirmation I needed to start making some different decisions about my life. The Bible says that life is but a vapor and that is so true. Only God knows when our time will come to an end in this life and how we spend the short time we're here on this earth matters. It matters to God and it matters to those around us. Depression is a thief and can try to make us believe our actions in this life don't really matter, that's something I am currently battling, but they do and if we don't make the good choices and the right decisions, one day we will regret it. Although life can be so hard and heartbreaking, how we persevere is what is really going to matter in the end. 

I want to leave you with this, everyday is filled with choices and everyday has new mercies from God. You may feel like you are tired of putting yourself out there and getting your heart broken, you may be tired of dreaming because they seem stationary and hopeless but God offers His love to us and His Son's saving grace through His blood for us to gain those new mercies daily so we can choose Him and His ways. God doesn't offer us a perfect life, but He does offer a perfect eternity. I hope and pray for you that no matter how many times life mows you down, you get up again and you fight every day to make the most of them until God takes us home.

-Kadesia 

Food For Thought Thursday

We are the generation of technology, and we have brought down, or some would say that we helped out, other, older generations with us. As you can tell technology isn't always great, sometimes things fail, get lost or misinterpreted, and sometimes they're really confusing to try and understand.Well, technology is definitely something that is an idol to us and can become very harmful in our walk with God. Whether it be accidentally seeing something and then making it a habit, or doing it purposefully, it could be that we even post good things but we just get too caught up in it that it hinders us and becomes a bad thing because we aren't spending enough time with God.

Technology can be good sometimes, it helps us reach people and makes us stronger when we just need a friend that happened to move away. It helps me when I'm writing for God, and writing for you guys because I get to share the gospel, thank God. It can be a helpful tool when doing math problems, looking up words, and learning all around.

God is not like technology, He can be compared to in it ways but honestly He is greater.  He doesn't run out of battery, He doesn't need updates and He doesn't need or lose connection when it seems like we need Him most. We don't have to ask Him if He can "hear us now" because He's always listening. If we can't hear Him, we do have a lost connection, but it's our fault for that, because He is always here to listen and reply. He may not reply immediately but He will when the time is right. You don't need to charge Him and you don't have to worry about forgetting Him at home. Though, we can't save the messages for later in a sense, He is very patient with us and waits for us for when we have time, He won't always wait forever though. His storage is never to full for our problems, memories and knowledge He's given us. He deserves, demands and a long time ago earned, more than any respect, and loyalty than we could ever offer Him.

While yes technology is great as I said, God is greater. We can always use technology to further the Kingdom but I'll add on what I said in the earlier paragraphs, we could hinder our walk. I struggle with this at times. If you stroll my social media accounts, you'll see strings of godly posts about salvation, overcoming things, and stuff of that nature. But if I don't spend quality time with Him, and dig into the word, I won't be ready for my next spiritual battle. That could even make me fall in my walk with God. Don't be fooled, many people do these things, it's not just you, and it's not just me; we just have to fix it while we can. I fall short but God helps me learn and in turn can help you guys learn through my mistakes. At times we don't see how God can turn so much pain into goodness, but He does that with us. We go through something just to help someone else go through the same thing, and that as the saying goes "puts another jewel in our crowns".

I believe technology is both a blessing and a curse. We can spend hours on end looking at our phones, computer etc. searching the internet, looking on social media platforms, finding friends in other countries because we fake who we really are, some people are too afraid to show themselves in the real world, but not over the phone. Our generation is capable of doing horrible things with social media at times. Not always is it so bad, we can use it for helpful things, but too many people take advantage and ruin it for others. Technology is one big distraction from God, now is the time people, and I have to do it too, we have to run like we never have before and never look back. We have to serve the LORD like we never have before, before it's too late. Because the clock is ticking people.

Don't be afraid to reach out to that person that's been stuck on your mind for days. You don't know how much they need your prayers, even if they're far away, that's a perk of technology, you can still reach out. One little prayer message, one little 'I'm praying for you' could be all they need to be saved. Sometimes all people want to know is that somebody loves them. Show them that you and JESUS both do. Just listen to God, put your spiritual earbuds in and block everything else out, God won't lead you in the wrong direction. I will say it again, you never know how big of an impact you're making on someone just by telling them you're praying for them, and you can even tell them that you love the. If it works out that your prayers were answered and God gave you what you needed for that person, don't be afraid to say you prayed for them because you honestly don't know if they would look at that and see how great God is, and change their souls. Be bold, be courageous for God, and don't be afraid (2 Tim. 1:7).

We have one impression, one life, one impact. Let's make it good, let's make it big, let's make it righteous.

God and I love you so much, God bless you,

Kadesia

What Does and Doesn't Define Us

Hello everyone!

      As you know, it' so hard being a teenager, and adult; I guess you could say that it's just hard being human. We deal with puberty, which comes with weight gain, acne, sweat, hormones galore; we deal with trying to find out who we really are and try and keep friendships while doing so; we deal with growing more mature, and becoming who you truly are! We often get caught up in what/who defines us. We have all seen the "My past doesn't define me" quotes and for the most part those are true, I believe I have said that quote a time or two when somebody decides to bring up something about what I had done a year or two maybe even a month or two, before because a lot can happen in matter of years, days, months, even hours! I believe that you aren't defined by a lot of things society wants you to believe. But the other side of that is people know you by things you've done in the past. So we have to be careful. 

    Allow me to explain what things define us. I don't believe that we are defined by our weight, our face, our clothes, how good we can do makeup, how many people we are friends with, and things of that nature. I believe we are defined by whoever God wants us to be, He wants us to be holy, and set apart. He wants us to be different so people can see the love of Christ.

    To ingrain the idea that you are beautiful and God made you perfect, and He defines you, tell yourself each day that you are beautiful and you are fearfully and wonderfully made and that no weapon formed against you shall stand, and yes, sweet Child of God, words are weapons! They can hurt worse than something that physically pains you because they last longer, they're sometimes burned in your brain. I don't want you to allow yourself to believe it when people tell you you're ugly, even if they laugh, tell them, or maybe just tell yourself that you are beautiful in the sight of God, and that He made you the way you are for a reason. He made you and you don't want to disrespect Him by telling yourself you're ugly, or letting people get to you. I know it's hard, but it's a process that is essential. Even if you're not a girl, you are still amazing! You are still fearfully and wonderfully made and God made someone for each of us, they'll appreciate you! When people tell you that you're fat, or ugly DO NOT believe them! You may be a little overweight, but you can do what you can to get your temple of God healthy, and you may not be the prettiest but you are gorgeous, and you are so lovely in the eyes of God!

    I want to share a story with you, it's about a time about two weeks ago, that I felt so sad and fat honestly that I believed that this issue defined who I am. So I'm sitting in the doctor's office waiting on the nurse to call me back to get weighed and to go in for a follow up appointment on an issue I was having. After a few minutes the nurse called my name and told me which room to go in. I went in and got on the scales and it wasn't in pounds but I knew it was more than it had read last time, I was nervous. "Uh, could you tell me what that said please?" I asked the nurse. And she replied, "203, I believe." I cried, right there in that room, and I couldn't even answer the mandatory questions she asked me, my mom had to for me. When the nurse left and said my doctor would be in there in a few minutes my mom asked me if I thought that I was fat. I shook my head yes through the tears and she said, "Do you want a hug?" and I again shook my head yes. As she hugged me she said something else, "Do you know that you aren't? You aren't fat." I then shook my head no. I let that define who I was in that moment. It wasn't until the next day at school, when school was almost over, God spoke into my spirit and I wrote down the words, "203, doesn't define me". I knew I had to write a post about it! Of course I was mortified and didn't want my parents to tell anyone and of course they didn't. I wasn't going to tell anyone, I was going to just eat better, do more exercises and try to get skinnier. But, I need to tell you guys! 

   Even though my doctor didn't say I was over weight, or unhealthy, I want to lose 20 pounds, and I wanted to just drop it off right there in the doctor's office at the very moment she told me my weight. I know, I know, not happening! I chose to not let my weight define me now, and yes, I will lose weight and eat healthier, because it's the right thing to do but I won't let it get me down. Our body is a temple of God and He wants us to take care of it. 

   I urge you to make a list of things you think defines you and cross off anything that doesn't say anything about your character. What does define you is like I said, your character, how you treat people and how you react to the way people treat you, your maturity level, your generosity, and things that make you feel good! If you feel that makeup is something that makes you happy, then you can put that on your list, but pray about it first. But if you notice, it's all about your heart, mind, and soul, it has nothing to do with outside appearance. There's nothing wrong with looking good because we aren't supposed to look trashy, our bodies are temples of God (1 Cor. 6:19) remember? We should treat them that way. But don't take too much time in the mirror seeing how you look, instead just take enough time to see if you look presentable and tell yourself that you are going to have a good day, and you're going to be kind that day. Just by speaking things over your life and trying to do them that day, and always go one day at a time, you'll see results that are amazing!

   Do something for yourself, everyday tell yourself three things that you like about yourself, maybe your smile, your hair look amazing that day, you are intelligent, you were kind to someone who wasn't kind back or kind in the first place that day. Anything that makes you feel better about yourself because you look good, feel good, and act good the majority of the time. Don't let other people influence what you think defines yourself, you worry about you and try to build one another up.

  I hope this message helped you as much as it always helps me! Email me, message me on social media, if you need prayer, or anything! :)

                                                           God Bless You,
                                                               Kadesia :)

Freedom Friday

What Is Pain? 

Pain is something that we feel either externally or internally. Today I want to talk about the internal pain. 

Internal pain, is pain we feel in our souls, or spirits. It can be felt by anxiety and panic, heartbreak, even something that seems as small as hurt feelings. I want to give you examples of each and give you scripture to heal those wounds, scripture is like healing salve to our souls. 

A certain kind of pain I am very familiar with is, anxiety, to where you are having to tell yourself that God is with you no matter what sometimes every minute of every day, you get no rest. You are worried about what you wear, what you look like, what you say etc. Sadly, it's such a successful tool the enemy uses. Let me just explain one thing to you and let it soak in. Totally wrap yourself up in knowing that we are made perfectly how God wanted us to be made. We go through things for many reasons, but one reason is so we can help others when they are down and out. Here is a scripture that I hold so very close to my heart:

Psalm 139:14King James Version (KJV)

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

I want you to do one thing for yourself: say this everyday! Speak this truth into your life. When you feel ugly, tell yourself we were made in God's image, (Gen. 1:27) When you feel anxiety washing over you and you feel unsettled, speak Philippians 4:6-7 over your life. If you feel like you're going to fail tell yourself you're more than a conqueror through Christ JESUS, (Romans 8:37). 

My mom once told me as a little girl that everything is in the Bible that you could ever need. If you need rest, read in Matthew chapter 11 verses 28-30. If you need peace read in Philippians. On and on. And as any little kid would, I asked, 'Well what about this?' and 'How about that?' and my mom said "Yes" to everything that I asked. I had to find this out for myself and so that's what I've done, God has blessed me so much with knowing if I ever need anything I can go to my road map, which is my Bible. Over the years I truly saw that everything I ever needed was in the wonderful book of God.

Yes, it can seem impossible, but we have to fully trust God with our pain, with our anxiety, with our doubts, shame, whatever it is because that could be what is holding us back from doing what God wants us to do. For a long time, and still sometimes if I don't fully surrender to God, before writing blog posts, or before I talk to someone about God or He tells me to say something to them, I am nervous and at times doubtful that I, a mere human, could contain the knowledge that God needs me to use for Him. 

Pain can come in so many forms, even forms we don't realize, I encourage you today, to reach out and grab onto the LORD, grasp freedom and let it wash over you and cleanse your soul so you can do whatever you're called to do; whether that be a writer of any kind (author, journalist, etc.), or a police officer, worship leader, preacher, or whatever it is! Don't put God in a box! Don't use Him as a crutch, just when you need Him and then forget Him when things get better. He is there for you, He is there when you call on Him, so praise Him in the good and in the bad. 

As hard as it is, we have to leave the past in the past and hold on to the future with everything we have. DON'T PICK IT BACK UP!! This is so hard for us all, but we have to be sure that we don't pick it back up, it is just going to hinder us. 

This Friday, or whatever day you're reading this, declare your freedom, declare your hope in JESUS' name and just live your life without fear for God!

If you ever need a friend to pray for you, or talk to you about God, or if you have questions, feel free to contact me. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram (@kadesia_shae_owens) or email me @ kadesiaowens50@gmail.com and I will message/email you back as soon as I can. 

God bless you!

Your friend, 
Kadesia

He Will Be There

Hello everyone! In Joshua 1:8 it says to meditate on scriptures day and night, so today, I would like to do a S.O.A.P. Bible study! I got the idea of S.O.A.P. from my mom, and she has a video on YouTube if you'd like to check it out here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAThD2GeKjY&list=PLj0Ss5uXqIpToiMtu8gEvEN1F4z_coNT6

The scripture we will be focusing on today is Isaiah 43:2. If you don't know what S.O.A.P is, and you haven't watched her video yet, you use the letters to do you study like I will show you below, the 'S' stands for Scripture(s), the 'O' stands for Observation, which is what we think the scripture, means and what it means to us, the 'A' stands for Application, as we do this we apply this scripture(s) to our life, and the 'P' stands for Prayer, which is when we pray the scriptures' truth over our lives.

Let's get going : )

S: 
Isaiah 43:2- When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 

O: 
My observation of this scripture is when we are in the midst of the storms in this life, God will be with us, and nothing will over take up, when we walk through the fire, which in my opinion is the devil's tactics, we won't be burned because God is protecting us, and He won't let us be burned in any way. 

A:
I can apply this to my life because I go through a lot every day, like every other teenager I know, just little things usually, but sometimes big and they add up; but I can be reassured that God is with me no matter the situation, no matter where I am, and no matter what I've done, He's standing there with open, loving, merciful arms, waiting on me to just trust Him and let it all go. I know that the LORD is always with me though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Ps. 23:4), I could be on the brink of dying and God is still right there with me, protecting me, loving me, making sure that I have peace in knowing that He will never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5)! Praise God!

P: 
Dear LORD, I thank You for always reminding me that You are my God and You can do anything, and can get me out of anything like it says in Your Word (1 Cor. 10:13), I thank You for all You've done in my life and I thank You LORD that you go with me and before me to protect me and show me your love and mercy. I pray You help me each day to not forget that in trouble I can just trust you and I will okay. 
In JESUS'  Precious, Holy name, Amen.

I hope this helped you learn a new, easy way to study your Bible, to really get it down deep in your soul. If you have any questions feel free to email me, my email is kadesiaowens50@gmail.com and I hope you have a very blessed day! May you always feel JESUS near and know that He loves you so much!

Your friend,
Kadesia : )

The Hard, Reassuring Truth

"Are you going to the dance?"

"You're coming to the dance right?"

"Everyone is coming, you have to be there!" 

These are things we, as high schoolers, middle schoolers, and sometimes elementary school students, hear from our friends and peers. It's one of the hardest things to hear, that all your friends are going to the homecoming dance, or prom, etc., but you know down deep in your heart and soul it isn't a place for you, a strong Christian. It's so easy to get caught up in wanting to go to the dances because you want to fit in and be like everyone else. I have had this trouble from a young age, and I want to encourage you that you are not alone if you are feeling this as well! In my doubt, fear, and sadness God reassured me that I was going to struggle with this all my life, BUT!! I won't ever have to go through it alone.

A few years ago in my 6th grade year, I had a boyfriend and I decided to go to the dance with him and so we went. I ended going home early crying my heart out because of the loud music making me nervous along with the fact he had kissed another girl right in front of me! It was heart wrenching! But I quickly learned to listen to that still small voice telling me that's no place for a Christian. So when I transferred to another school the next year, I signed up to be apart of the Honor Society. I got it, and in 8th grade I was inducted in! But then, uh-oh, I looked at our schedule and we had a dance to raise money, and I was so nervous about it. I decided to go and just support the Honor Society and sell concessions, and I did. But then my shift was over and I went to go sit with my friends. The beginning of the night I didn't notice the music as much but when I went to sit with my friends I found it overbearing, annoying and the strobe lights just topped it off. I then called my mom to once again pick me up from yet another school dance.

I'm in my freshman year and haven't been to a dance since then. There was recently a homecoming dance that I decided I would talk to my mom about to see if I should/could go. And now that I see it I think "What was so appealing?" And our amazing, loving, merciful God let me know that I would not have fun, I would be miserable like any other dance, because I try to stay away from ungodly music, and I can't really dance, which I think there's absolutely a reason to that, and many other reasons. I knew immediately that I wasn't going to that dance even though my friends were.

Let me just explain to you how great our God is, I saw their Snapchat stories, and Facebook posts, and they weren't even having a real dance, it was kids playing games such as Monopoly! And while you might be saying, "Well see you could have gone and everything would have been fine." That's not the point, the point is is that God let me know that I was never alone in this and I did the right thing by not going when He told me not to.

So I urge you today to:
1. Don't let others influence you! They will lead you down the wrong path even if they don't mean to. As Christians you know as well as I do, we are being watched like a hawk, and we have to do our very best all the time, no matter if the entire world is watching us or if we are just alone with God. If we are no different than the worldly, lost people, then why do you think they will want to know about JESUS and what He is like? They won't, and I can tell you that from experience. It is better to stand alone with God and be judged by the world then to stand with the world and be judged by God. It is hard to do this, I understand, but in the end it will be so worth it!

2. PRAY before you do things! It is so important to pray about everything; every choice you make! It could be something as small as what grocery store to visit to buy groceries when you are low on money, because God could lead you to some really great sales, or it could be something as big as whether or not you should pursue a relationship with someone because if you are going to date someone then God should be the center of that relationship, if not very bad things could come of it.

And finally
3. Dare to be a Daniel! This is going to be a future blog post and I will further encourage you to to do so, but for right now, I want you to know that it is absolutely great to be different for Christ! I have dealt with this for a long time and for the longest time I was not okay with being different, because I was either made fun of or just judged in general. I want to encourage you to just accept, and embrace the fact that you are a follower of Christ and that you carry different beliefs/actions than the ones around you.

I hope this blessed you and if you have any questions, feel free to email me, @ kadesiaowens50@gmail.com

God Bless You,
Kadesia 

How To Pray For Someone

Hello everybody, and hello to the wonderful person reading this!

On the prayer series today we will be learning how to pray for others. Join me in prayer before we begin if you don't mind.

LORD, I thank You for this day, and for waking us up this morning. I ask that You would bless each and every person reading this and that You would help them as they continue in this prayer journey. Anoint this message I bring that You have so kindly given to me and help me to get the point across. We love You LORD, and ask this in Your Precious Holy name, Amen. 


When someone asks me to pray for an unspoken request, I completely understand! At first, I didn't know how to go about praying for these unspoken needs, but the LORD revealed it to me! He told me to pray for God to simply meet their needs. God knows, we don't have to know, and that's the reason that people ask us to pray for them in that way, they know that God already knows.

I would like to explain how to pray for a few scenarios, and if you have anymore questions feel free to comment or email me with them!

If someone asks you to pray for them, or someone they know for healing, in your own way of course this is a prayer you could say, LORD, I come before you today, and You said in Your word that if we would ask believing that we would receive and we do ask, believing that You would heal this person, Your child God, and like is says in Your word, by Your stripes they are healed. We thank You in advance for this healing Father, in JESUS' Precious Holy name, Amen. 

Important Note *In prayer it is so important to quote scripture, it's like writing a paper on an article you need to cite evidence, to prove you've read it and possibly believe it. Quoting scripture is your way of proving we believe what we have read.

For another example, someone asks you to pray for a financial need, a nice prayer could be: God, I come before You today asking in JESUS name that You would please meet this financial need according to Your will and show them LORD to put You first and You will give them the desires of their heart. Please show them God that You will supply all their needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ JESUS. We know this will be done and we believe it, in JESUS Precious Holy name, thank You Father, Amen.

One last example will be when someone asks you to pray for a test they have to take. Dear Heavenly Father, I come before You today, thanking You for *insert persons name* and that they are able to see that I pray, and would be willing to pray for them. I ask that You would bring the answers to their remembrance and give them wisdom that only You could give. Help them to give 100% during this time and throughout their life to honor You, in JESUS name I pray, thank You God, Amen.

I hope this helped you and blessed you and if there is anything I can do to help, or maybe make things more clear, feel free to comment or email! My email is kadesiaowens50@gmail.com


God bless you,
Kadesia Owens