John 1:5 ESV “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Divine Comfort
I am comforted as a believer knowing that Jesus, The Light, is never overcome by darkness.
Are you tired of living under a dark cloud? Are you desperate for hope and deliverance from the bondage brought on by the wrong decisions that you have made?
The Sin Dilemma
When humans are born we are born into sin. We walk in darkness as long as we are walking life without Jesus as our Savior. Jesus is the light who shows us that we are sinners in need of salvation. We need redemption from a life and existence in darkness.
Sin is present and constant in our world. The good news is Jesus prevents believers from walking through the darkness brought on by sin. Jesus, the Light is truth. He purifies our thoughts so that we can be aware of right from wrong. Jesus shows us how to live based on the example he left for us in the Gospels.
When we become saved, the darkness of sin no longer has a hold over our lives. We are redeemed from the curse of sin (death) and are free to walk in the light. We see the presence of God when we no longer walk in darkness but in light. Knowing God’s presence brings us hope, strengthens our faith, and shows us His gifts of grace and mercy over our lives.
His Sacrifice Matters
Jesus was persecuted and crucified by enemies who were of darkness. But, as John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” In His death, Jesus was glorified and victorious in His resurrection.
This selfless sacrifice provided us a way out of darkness through salvation.
Here’s Why You Should Become A Believer In Jesus
Becoming a believer today will free you from sin’s darkness. You can begin to walk in the light as your life is transformed by the renewing of your mind. Life may not always be easy, but you will have the hope found in your savior moving forward.
Becoming a believer today gives you the knowledge of God’s presence through the Holy Spirit living inside of you.
And you also have the promise of eternity with God according to John 3:16 which says,
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
3 “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.””
Choose this day, the light or the darkness.
Read the Gospel Message according to the scriptures thoroughly and a prayer of salvation here!
Thank you for reading! Please share this post with someone who needs to hear or be reminded of the good news.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
As you look at the world that we live in, do you see the lack of love for one another? The lack of joy and peace? The absence of empathy and support for one another is a realistic description of our world. Many of us walk around saddened, embittered, and in torment because of this.
Jesus came with a great example of how we should live and treat one another. True unity comes about when we stand as one together with God’s desires. God chose to send His Son Jesus to redeem us from sin. His desire is for us all to be purified of sin and never separate from Him. Jesus did not please himself, but He carried the weight of our sins on Him as he journeyed to the cross. He fulfilled the Father’s mission for him!
Do you find that you are void of joy and peace at times? If yes, this could have a large part to do with a lack of God’s hope. As humans we look for security, especially in the world. Security can be found in others on a physical level to an extent, but more importantly security in God always restores us. Without God, we have no hope of living in unity with God’s desires, finding joy and peace.
Do not be saddened or worrisome because Romans 15:13 describes our God as one of hope. This hope fills us with joy and peace by the power of the Holy Spirit. Only through the Holy Spirit do we abound in hope.
God gives us loads and loads of hope when we trust in Him.
If you are doing life alone, you should acquaint yourself with the God of hope. God has showered you with His grace to do so. He is the God of hope for every Jew and Gentile. By the power of the Holy Spirit, receive God’s hope and live in joy and peace.
As we all believe, receive God’s hope, selflessly stand in support of each other and with God’s desires, we will strengthen one another instead of taring one another down.
Let us pray for hope, joy, peace and unity with one another concerning God’s will.
Dear God, Strengthen me to walk in your desires and support others around me. Thank you for Jesus, my example. Help me trust in you so that I may experience your hope. I want to live in joy and peace, experience a life of love and support for others. I pray for us as a world to turn our desires away and live in your godly desires. You alone are our only hope for joy and peace. Help us become more like your Son Jesus everyday. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.
Before you go, name your greatest takeaway from this devotional in the comments.
Have an amazing week!
P.S. – Do you want to become a believer today? I’ll show you how here.
Do you ever have an attack of condemnation that causes you to doubt God’s grace and His forgiveness of your sins? This is a normal area of doubt, but it’s not the truth to believe that if you have repented you have not been forgiven. Will the Holy Spirit help me understand God better? Let’s explore this.
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Crossway Bibles 2008).
Before any of us become saved, we are wicked and will live a life separated from God for eternity. But when we turn from wickedness and unrighteous thoughts through repentance, God has compassion for us. With His compassion, He forgives our sins instantly just as He did for the wicked in Isaiah.
Coming from a sinful nature, it may be hard for many of us to understand the power of grace initially. God created grace and by His thought pattern, way, and through Jesus’ sacrifice, it causes grace to be enough for the forgiveness of sins.
Remember that repentant believers are under grace. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s love and purpose for grace. When you understand how much God loves you, you will rest assured that the free gift of grace through faith is sufficient for the forgiveness of your sins and you personally.
Just as we have little understanding of the heavens, we have minimal understanding of God’s ways and thoughts. But, when we find ourselves in confusion, we can rely on the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent to show us love, give us spiritual understanding, and peace.
Pray Today:
Dear Lord,
Please help me never underestimate your gift of grace. Lead me Holy Spirit to understand the Father’s thoughts and ways better. Lead Holy Spirit to find peace in God’s love.
Do you want to become a believer today? I’ll show you how here.
Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time in your day to do much more than say a quick prayer and a thank you to Jesus when it comes to your time with God? I did a poll on my Instagram stories and it was abundantly clear that time with God is a struggle for many women. We get busy, we get tired, we fall asleep, and then the day is over with no time spent with God.
Well Sis, I want to help you get some quality time in with God. Here are 5 quick things busy women can do to have meaningful time reading the Bible daily.
Devotional & Meditation On the Word
Idea number one is for you to choose a devotional and single out the anchor scripture of that devotion. Once you’ve done that and before you read the devotional, read the scripture word for word and then meditate on its meaning. You can follow this up by completing the devotional or taking this bonus step.
Open your Bible and read the entire chapter that the verse comes from in your study Bible. Use the study notes in the Bible for further understanding.
You-Version Bible Plan
Another idea is to consider picking and using a YouVersion Bible plan for your time with God. This is similar to the devotional idea, but many of the YouVersion Bible plans for example, can be 5 to 30 days long.
Additionally, follow the bonus step above for the Bible plans anchor verse(s).
Remember that there is no pressure to do the bonus step. It’s just a way to get deeper study in during your quiet time.
Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time in your day to do much more than say a quick prayer and a thank you to Jesus when it comes to your time with God? I did a poll on my Instagram stories and it was abundantly clear that time with God is a struggle for many women. We get busy, we get tired, we fall asleep, and then the day is over with no time spent with God.
Well Sis, I want to help you get some quality time in with God. Here are 5 quick things busy women can do to have meaningful time reading the Bible daily.
Devotional & Meditation On the Word
Idea number one is for you to choose a devotional and single out the anchor scripture of that devotion. Once you’ve done that and before you read the devotional, read the scripture word for word and then meditate on its meaning. You can follow this up by completing the devotional or taking this bonus step.
Open your Bible and read the entire chapter that the verse comes from in your study Bible. Use the study notes in the Bible for further understanding.
You-Version Bible Plan
Another idea is to consider picking and using a YouVersion Bible plan for your time with God. This is similar to the devotional idea, but many of the YouVersion Bible plans for example, can be 5 to 30 days long.
Additionally, follow the bonus step above for the Bible plans anchor verse(s).
Remember that there is no pressure to do the bonus step. It’s just a way to get deeper study in during your quiet time.
Start A Book Of The Bible
The next idea is to begin reading a book of the Bible. Choose a book of the Bible first, then learn the context of everything that’s taking place in the book. Ultimately, this involves reading a summary of the book. I like to use The Bible Handbook by Daily Grace Co for this step.
Now for the reading part, you should read the book section by section. In each book there are chapters and in each chapter, there are usually sections. So read one section per day. In most books this should take no longer than 5 minutes per section.
If you want a deeper study, read the study notes in your Bible for more clarity.
Email Devotional
The second to last idea is to sign up for a daily email devotional from a Bible-believing and teaching pastor.
For instance, I love Rick Warren’s email devotionals.
Podcast
Finally, there are biblically sound devotional podcasts that are great to listen to as you get dressed for the day, are cooking, working out, commuting, etc.
One of my favorites is the “God Is Within Her” women’s devotional podcast with Valarie Reynolds.
I also have A surprise!
I will be starting my very own Her Faith Walk – Women’s Devotional Podcast in a few months. If you want to be notified when I launch, join the HFW Circle when you sign up for one of my freebies here.
Do you want to become a believer today? I’ll show you how here.
I’ve got a new smoothie recipe creation for you to try!
Btw, if you didn’t realize it, I create these recipes myself and experiment with the ingredients in my kitchen. I have to say that it is truly therapeutic. Who knows, maybe I will get into some food recipes at some point. Of course, that would take me having to cook more in general, lol!
This smoothie is really creamy, which I like! It actually reminds me of a milkshake.
It has a fresh taste to it and you’ll experience the fruity hints of strawberry and peach as you drink it.
It is considered a green smoothie as well because it includes spinach.
Check out the ingredients below, make it yourself, and enjoy.
Btw, let me and the community know your thoughts on it once you try it. I would definitely appreciate your feedback sis!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients I decided to use in this creamy green smoothie and how some of them have mental health benefits.
My smoothie ingredients measured and ready to blend. by Priscilla Henley
Spinach:
According to Science Daily, the following can be said about spinach:
“Something as easy as adding more spinach, kale, collards and mustard greens to your diet could help slow cognitive decline, according to new research. The study also examined the nutrients responsible for the effect, linking vitamin K consumption to slower cognitive decline for the first time.”
According to Medical News Today, I found the following about Greek yogurt (probiotic yogurt):
Research suggests that consuming probiotic yogurt is beneficial for a person’s mental health.
A 2016 study found that workers who ate 100 grams of probiotic yogurt a day or took a daily probiotic capsule experienced less stress, depression, and anxiety than those who did not.
This effect is likely due to to the relationship between the gut and brain, and the ability of the gut to make neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine (Burgess).
Flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a polyunsaturated fatty acid that can help fight inflammation and keep cholesterol levels in check. “Research has also shown that omega-3s can help boost your mood and help improve mood disorders like depression,” says registered dietitian Brigitte Zeitlin. “Use flaxseed oil as the basis for your salad dressings, and reap these mood-elevating benefits.”
Chia seeds have a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, one tablespoon of chia seeds contains 1,769 milligrams of omega-3s. These nutrients play a role in the functioning of serotonin and dopamine, both critical to mood and mental health.
Furthermore, chia seeds contain magnesium, which is sometimes referred to as “the stress antidote.” Some doctors and scientists believe that depression rates are increasing because we no longer get enough magnesium in our diet. “Top 10 Foods You Should Eat Every Day.” Newport Institute, 7 Aug. 2020, https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/top-10-foods-you-should-eat-everyday/
Almond Milk
Organic Agave Nectar
Prepped Smoothie
I use a single serve Ninja with Nutrient & Vitamin Extraction.
Prepped Smoothie by Priscilla Henley
RECIPE with nutritional facts
Peachy Green Mental Health Smoothie
This healthy and delicious green smoothie is creamy with a sweet taste of peaches and strawberries. Grab it in the morning as a quick breakfast to go.
Single Serve or Large Blender
1 cup spinach (I use baby spinach)
1/2 cup peaches (Frozen)
1/2 cup strawberries (Frozen)
1/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt (I use the brand Chobani)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (I use Almond Breeze)
1/2 tsp organic agave (I use Organic Agave In The Raw)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tbsp flax seed
Place every ingredient into your blender. Blend the mixture until smooth.
Serve & enjoy your smoothie immediately.
Breakfast
American
anxiety & depression smoothie, health smoothie, mental health smoothie, smoothie, smoothies for mental health
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