Month: September 2018

Taking off the Mask

Taking off the Mask

Written by Kim Johnson, Author of “I Am My Sister (Women helping Women)” LLC @immysister.org

Every morning that I wake up, I thank the Lord for another day.  I pray to God that He shows me myself, and that there be more of Him, in my life, and less of me. Just knowing that I represent God, makes me want to be completely free of anything that might be holding me back from receiving all of His blessings.

I honestly believe that in order for us to be our very best, we need to evaluate ourselves and our motives. Shoot! When I asked God to show me, me, it wasn’t a pretty sight, lol.  But I was glad that He revealed me to me, because I was able to repent and ask God for His forgiveness.

Saints, too often we think we have all the answers, and that we are living the perfect Christian life.  The truth is, we are all sinners and that Jesus was the only One that was perfect.  When we don’t ask God to reveal things to us about ourselves, we may be sinning unknowingly.

Furthermore, when God shows us ourselves we are able to repent for the things that are not pleasing to Him. We walk a closer walk with our Father and we are able to make changes in our lives.

In the bible it says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (NIV, Psalms 139:23-24).

Moreover, yes, everyone has skeletons, yes, everyone can play a part and wear a mask, yes, everyone can deceive others about who they are, but we can’t do anything about them, we can only do something about ourselves (The Ministry MAMA, 2013).

Sister to Sister do you hear me? Are you “wearing a mask, revealing a sinful lifestyle, covering the light of the Holy Spirit? If you are, it is to flirt with spiritual disaster both for yourself and the eternity of others. If we picture ourselves kneeling before God on the day of the Judgement Seat of Christ with our current lifestyle in hand. Would you regret it? Are you wearing a mask and covering the light of God within you? Are you causing others to stumble because you’re in open rebellion? Or is your breastplate of righteousness shining God’s light to the lost? Hypocrisy and sinful living should be dispensed of! (The Ministry MAMA, 2013).

References

The Family Place Church. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://www.tfpchurch.com/taking-off-the-mask.html

The Ministry MAMA. (2013, November 12). The Hidden Dangers of a Christian Wearing a Mask. Retrieved from https://theministrymama.com/2013/11/12/the-hidden-dangers-of-a-christian-wearing-a-mask/

Copyright – Kim Johnson and immysister.org, 2017- 2018.  Unauthorized use and /or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.  Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kim L. Johnson and immysister.org with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Put it on the Shelf

Put it on the Shelf

Written by Minister Kim Johnson, Founder of I Am My Sister (Women helping Women) @ immysister.org

My cousin and I used to talk about putting things on the shelf and leaving it there. For us, putting things on the shelf is a metaphor for “stop worrying, God is in control.” It is also a reminder that God hears our prayers and will take care of everything…so RELAX.

In fact, the shelf, has taught me personally how to stay in peace, over and over again. It’s the mental mind map that I use to visualize God working out my problems. You see, I’m the type of person that has to use visuals and images to get things deep down into my gut; but once it’s down in my gut, it becomes a part of my immediate and instinctive thought pattern.

The bible tells us, “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Basically what I am saying to you is, stop stressing over things you have no control over. Put all of your financial difficulties on the shelf, put your health issues on the shelf, your depression on the shelf, your job worries on the shelf, your unemployment on the shelf, your home on the shelf, your relationship on the shelf, your marriage on the shelf, your boss at work on the shelf, that rejection on the shelf, hope, love, expectations or your WHATEVER on the shelf! And let God take care of it for you.

Brothers and Sisters do you hear me? “Do you know that God is the only One who has the power and wisdom to deal with every issue perfectly, and that you have nothing to fear?” (Stanley, 2009).

So why not just put it on the shelf….

 

References
Osteen, J. (2018, September 2). God’s Got This. Retrieved from https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=god%27s+got+this+joel+osteen&view=detail&mid=2824BE8044E7949DD8652824BE8044E7949DD865&FORM=VIRE
Stanley, C. (2009). Life Principles. La Habra, CA: New American Standard Bible.

Copyright – Kim Johnson and immysister.org, 2017- 2018. Unauthorized use and /or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kim L. Johnson and immysister.org with appropriate and specific direction to the original content

The Healing Power of Writing

                                          The Healing Power of Writing
Written by Kim Johnson, author of I Am My Sister (Women helping Women) LLC @immysister.org

I was thinking about my dog Ashlee and how much I miss her, and so, I decided to write. For me, writing is very therapeutic, it eliminates my stress, helps me connect with my emotions, keeps my mind healthy, it helps me to relax and I get to spend quiet time with the Lord.

With that being said, below is a snippet of how I am feeling right now and how I use writing to ease my grief and sorrow:

“I thank God for the Animal Shelter that rescued Ashlee and for allowing me to adopt her in the latter part of her life… I can only imagine the experiences Ashlee must have suffered prior to her rescue, because the scars of them were evident in her behavior.

A part of me still can’t figure out why anyone would want to deliberately abuse an animal, but I do understand the world that we live in today. I’m just grateful that my Ashlee was one of the lucky dogs who escaped.

When I look back on my relationship with my loyal friend, I think about how much she did for my state of mind during the most difficult years of MY life. In hindsight,
I guess it’s safe to say, we rescued one another. We were both broken and needed to be loved and repaired which we received from one another.
Ironically, now that I am all better and feeling joy once again in my life, God took my Ashlee home to doggy heaven. Oh, but in my imagination…Ashlee is no longer suffering from diabetes or the trauma of her earlier life, she’s running free, and happy as can be in heaven.

If I were to write a letter to Ashlee, it would go something like this:

Dear Ashlee,
How do I begin to tell you what you have done for my life? People think it’s crazy to cry over your death because you are a dog. But to me, you were the most loyal and dedicated friend I have ever had. You got me through some rough times too. Remember that time when my marriage ended and I cried all the time? You were the only one who knew… oh, how grateful I was that you were there.
Remember that time when I had a hard time at work and I came home stressed out? You were right there with your head on my knee, letting me pet you. I could tell in your eyes that you wanted to comfort me.
Remember when we took those long walks in the park and how I cleared my head and talked with God about my dreams? And, and, remember when you used to run up the middle of the street, and how I ran behind you screaming at all the cars to stop so that they wouldn’t hit you, LOL, you were so naughty.
And remember when I broke up with RKO and you laid your head in my lap to comfort me as I cried; I never felt alone or scared with you by my side. Those were the days my friend and you will be forever missed.”

Rest in Heaven,
Your mother, Kim

Sister to sister do you hear me? Do you have a story you want to write about? Have you ever thought of writing or journaling as therapeutic?

 

Copyright – Kim Johnson and immysister.org, 2017- 2018. Unauthorized use and /or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kim L. Johnson and immysister.org with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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Walking in Obedience

Walking in Obedience

Written by Kim Johnson, Author of I Am My Sister (Women helping Women) LLC @immysister.org

Walking in obedience can be very difficult at times, especially when you don’t know that you are being disobedient. But one of the things I have learned, is that, the voice inside of you (the Holy Spirit) will always let you know when you are doing something wrong or not pleasing to God. You just have to listen.

Look! I’m just as guilty as anyone else of being disobedient to God, but know this, I am praying for my deliverance, because I want to be a victorious Christian, living for God in all my ways.

I’m not interested in letting any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth anymore. I don’t want to hear any negativity or gossip about anyone, and I definitely don’t want to participate in those things either. I want spiritual eyes, so that I can look past a person’s faults and their outward appearance. I want to be a better me, and I want to walk in obedience with the Lord.

I was reading over Pastor Charles Stanley’s sermon when I was preparing this blog and a few of things he spoke about, lead me to believe that I still have some work to do with myself. He writes, “obedience is doing what God says, when He says it, how He says it, for whatever reason He says it, or with whom He says it. There’s no room for passivity when it comes to obeying the Father. This level of commitment requires an active choice. Partial obedience is the greatest enemy to obedience. If the Lord gives instructions, He expects us to do exactly what He has said. Yet, some believers choose to obey only when it’s convenient. Going to church, reading the Bible, and praying are all good, but if we’re allowing things in our lives that don’t fit our identity in Christ, we’re only partially obeying Him.”

Basically, what I am saying saints is, it is hard to walk in obedience. Even Adam and Eve were disobedient, but we must try. It takes practice and discipline, but when we do this, we know that we are pleasing our Father. But thank God, when we fall short we can repent. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Sister to Sister do you hear me? Are you listening to what the Lord told you to do? Are you walking in obedience?

References
InTouch Ministries. (2015, October 30). Obeying God – Sermon Notes. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/kim/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe/TempState/Downloads/Obeying-God%20(1).pdf
Stanley, C. F. (2009). Life Principles Bible. La Habra: Thomas Nelson.

Copyright – Kim Johnson and immysister.org, 2017- 2018. Unauthorized use and /or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kim L. Johnson and immysister.org with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.