The Prayer of Faith

 God is my help in every need;

God does my every hunger feed;

God walks beside me, guides my way

Through every moment of the day.

I now am wise, I now am true,

Patient and kind, and loving, too;

All things I am, can do, and be,

Through Christ the Truth, that is in me.

God is my health, I can't be sick;

God is my strength, unfailing, quick;

God is my all, I know no fear,

Since God and Love and Truth are here.

~By Hannah More Kohaus

Love Lesson's101: You Can't Receive the Blessin's Until You First Learn the Lesson's

The wisdom of the message on the above attached image sounds like simple common sense at first glance. Yet the statistics showing the astounding number of broken homes and families torn apart due to the increasingly alarming number of break ups, sparations and divorces is evidence that says, far too many of us are missing the boat when it comes to really understanding that, "good relationships don't just happen". They obviously take more mental, spiritual, and emotional time, attentiveness and investment, than the impatient, "drive-thru", society we've become is clearly willing to make for the sake of saving love anymore.

It both seems to me and deeply saddens me that we now live in a age where maximum results are expected in love and life with minium effort invested. Likewise, it's become too easy to throw in the towel and walk way when life and especially love don't seem to be progressing at the warp speed our, "microwave mentality", society has now conditioned us to adopt the new accepted way of living and approaching life and unforuntately...Love.

So I used my poetic license to creatively share some insights I've come to learn and appreciate from lessons taught by my life experiences with love and relationships. Some of those insightful lessons came very easy for me to quickly see, understand and apply. Yet, there were a few that felt like I was an oyster irritated by the sand trapped in its shell. 

Still, as frustrating as it was while going through those love lessons being learned, the blessings that have come as a result having those challenging experiences are priceless.
You see, my experiences in love that felt like the aforementioned analogy of the oyster and the sand came to bless me not hurt me though they felt deeply painful at the time. 

What I now know on a level of profound understanding within my being is that the oysters reaction to the undesirable, unwelcomed irritation he endures from the trapped sand in his shell, is what ironically produces his valuble string of pearls. We metaphorically call those precious gems pearls of wisdom.  Hence the title for my Inspirational Love Note for today, Love Lessons 101: You Can't Receive the Blessin's Until You First Learn the Lesson's.  

If you have a good relationship and you know it, be willing to invest the time, patience, and effort it takes to not just maintain it but sustain it. While you're at it, don't forget to sprinkle it with lots mutual affection, which means expressing your love in words, actions AND deed. 

Listen with your ears NOT your ego and an open heart of compassion and understand. Always be kind and considerate to one another. Disagree without being disagreeable (there is a BIG difference). 

Focus more on your commonalities not your polarities. Be willing to be wrong sometimes. Also, be more concerned about how you make your partner feel than you are about being right. Remember you always have a choice to be right or be happy. So what good does proving that you're right if the end result is you being alone at night. 

Never take each other for granted. Always do little things together to help you remember what sparked your initial attraction that led to you falling in love in the beginning. Spontaneously leave each other hand written Love Notes on any given day of the week to keep the element of surprise alive and keep each other inspired by your mutual love.

Be attentive to each others needs and desires. Show your level of commitment by showing genuine interest in the dreams, passions and personal interest of each other in order to get to know each other better. Never stop having a genuine thirst to learn more about each other. 

No matter how long you've been together you can never know everything about a person and assuming you do is just another form of taking your partner for granted. Anything you really want to understand you must study and this truth applies to your personal relationships as well. So study your partner like a good book you enjoy reading and can't put down. 

Remember, just like anything in life you desire to succeed at, love is a full-time that requires the full-time effort of both people involved. So you must be willing to make your relationship a top priority and bring your A game even after the honeymoon phase is over. Which means, don't bring half-hearted effort to a full-time job. Think about it this way, when you prayed for someone special to enter you life you expected God to send his best. Therefore, be willing to always give your best to your relationship and your partner because they are the answer to your prayer and God's gift to you. Which brings me to my next point.

Never take any opportunity to love and be genuinely loved in return lightly. It is always a blessing from God that should be held closely and treated with an attitude of gratitude. This is wisdom it would especially behoove you to take heed to in the rare occasion you are doubly blessed to no only have an opportunity to love and be loved but to share this experience with someone who is a really good person that truly loves you, and accepts you as all your area's that still need work, wholly and completely.  

Lastly, remember this if nothing else you've read here today, a love that grows is a love that knows how to accept responsibility and take accountability for your part active participation in creative whatever the relationship has become. Therefore, pride has no place in a relationship where the mutual goal is to win the race.  Admit when you've made a mistake and remember that words have the power to heal or kill. 

So always choose your words carefully and speak to each other respectfully because the long-term damage caused by a temporary angry outburst is not worth the expensive price you later end up paying at the expense of the broken trust, emotional distance and break down in your bond your relationship will suffer. Keep in mind the wisdom of Proverbs 14:1, Homes are made by the wisdom of women, but are destroyed by foolishness. 

So instead of arguing and bickering all the time, a better alternative is to not take yourself, each other, or life so seriously. Spend lots of time having quiet pillow talk to increase you intimacy (which doesn't necessarily mean it has to lead to sex all every time). Laugh a lot with other and at each other. Never stop praying with each other and for each other daily. After all, a family that prays together really does have a better chance at staying together. 

And I save this one as my absolute final love lesson because I just can't emphasis it enough. A love and relationship that thrives, not just barely survives, is one that knows forgiveness is the key and actively practices forgiving one another constantly. 
So if you think you have a good thing standing before you and you still genuinely love each other despite all you've been through. Then never give up...never say die....never let go...never say goodbye. God is still well able because He's still the Most High. So keep you heart open...put your trust in God...and give love one more try. 

Until next time...I surround you in LOVE & light! So always keep your heart open and let your love light shine bright. 


A One Love Production
By Anna M. Hendricks
Copyright 2014
Reference: Holy Bible, Good News Translation, http://www.biblegateway.com/

My Heart Filled with Peace...

Dear God,

As I rest in Your presence, my heart fills with peace.

Even though there may be turmoil around me,

 I turn to You 

and feel Your loving hand lifting me

 above all concern.

From my higher spiritual perspective, 

I know, truly know that nothing can disturb 

the peace of my soul.

Nothing can separate me from Your love,

for You and I are one,

now and forever.

In Your presence, dear God,

I am renewed.

I am enlightened.

I am comforted.

I no longer fear the unknown, but approach it

with the sure faith that through 

Your infinite wisdom,

I will be guided to my good.

Thank you God, for Your light

that shines continually on my life's path.

Thank You God, for guiding me,

for holding me close in Your love

that never ends.

I rest now in Your presence,

my heart filled with peace.

~Author Unknown

Until next time...I surround you in Love & light. So remember to keep you heart open

and your love light shining bright.

~Anna M. Hendricks

  

Twelve Days of Christmas:Uprooting Your Unforgiveness Weeds and Planting New Love Seeds

Today marks the countdown to the 12 days of Christmas. So continuing with my Inspirational Love Note theme on forgiveness this month, let's bring it to a culmination together by trying a little forgiveness exercise.

For the next 12 days think of, mediate on, pray on and ponder what weeds of resentment, anger, and unforgiveness you need to pull up from the garden of your heart and mind.

When Spirit reveals to you who or what you're still harboring resentment toward and need to forgive, past or present, write the persons name or the situation down on a piece of paper. Once you have your list pray over it everyday for the next 12 days. Then on Christmas Eve night, light a candle and hold the piece of paper with your list on it up to your heart and affirm:

"Through the power of Christ in me, I now forgive every person & situation on this list. Divine Love is now adjusting my life and healing my pain. I now release you and bless you so that I may go free to continue my life path in peace and harmony." 

Then burn or flush that list down the toilet and wake up on Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ, with clear intentions, expectations and a proclamation of it being your day of emotional rebirth, healing and a new beginning on your path of Love. 

Until next time I surround you in Love & Light! So always keep your heart open and your LOVE light on. 


A One Love Production
By Anna M. Hendricks
Copyright 2013
Affirmation enclosed are the original words by author of article

Dare to Stretch Your Faith: A 40 Day Challenge That Will Transform Your Life

Although I have many things in my life for which I deeply appreciate and feel grateful for, I have to admit that I'm still not yet where I'd like to be. Nor do I feel I'm expressing at the level of all that I know I have the potential to become. Truth is, no matter how much we accomplish or how much older we get, as long as we are still alive and on the journey of  this human experience there is always room for growth. There is always more we can learn to help us evolve to the next level of spiritual awareness to become a better version of ourselves.

There is always room for us to learn how to love more deeply and unconditionally. We can always learn how to be more compassionate and express more patience with ourselves and others. There is always room to over come some fear we're secretly struggling with that's blocking us from achieving a goal, realizing a dream or living at the level of spiritual awareness we would like to be at. We can always learn how to experiencing a greater level of joy and happiness in our lives. And no matter how spiritual we may consider ourselves to be, there is always room to stretch our faith a little bit more. I know this all rings true for me. If any of this sounds like you too then this Inspirational Love Note is written just for you. 

Attached below is prayer of faith from one of my favorite books in my personal library, Until Today! Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind, by Bestselling Author, Inspirational Speaker, New Thought Spiritual Teacher and TV Personality, Iyanla Vanzant. I have been using this prayer for the few days during my daily prayer and meditation time and have already seen results in my life. In addition, I have been led in my spirit to take a challenge of  faith by continuing to say this prayer for the next 40 days and see how God proves Himself by helping me grow in my faith and transform my life from the inside out.

I invite you join me on this journey to greater faith and life transforming experience by committing to take this 40 day faith challenge as well. It's easy! And it only takes about 5 minutes of your time every morning and every night with potential results that I'm sure will prove to be well worth your time and effort.

Just use the prayer I've shared with you below, by Iyanla Vanzant, and say it every morning upon awaking and every night before retiring to bed for the next 40 days. Beware however, this prayer is a very powerfully written prayer. And as with any prayer for transformation in your life, if you say it with conviction believing in your heart to see results, things may suddenly appear to go wrong in your life circumstances. If this should happen, don't stop doing the prayer.

In fact, that is the moment you should dig your heels in deeper and continue the prayer with even greater conviction of heart because that is sign it is working. Whenever begin doing spiritual work that stretches us beyond our comfort zones and moves us to a new level of personal growth and development, there is often the appearance of chaos just before the new order sets it. Another way of  conveying this concept is the old saying, it's always the darkest just before the dawn.

So hang in there because should you take this challenge it's important that you stay committed and not break the 40 Day chain of thought, as it takes 40 days for the spiritual transformation to be completed. And there are various ways that transformation may take form in your life. It may be a mental transformation where you begin change your perception about a person or situation in your life for the better. Or an emotional transformation compelling you to forgive something or someone where your unforgiveness has been keeping you blocked or holding you back from receiving your own blessings and greater good.

It may also come in the form of a transformation in a long standing health situation you've been praying to see turned around. Or a relationship transformation you've desired to see mended and have harmony between you and the other person involved restored. Then of coarse it may be a physical transformation in the form of a job you've been in need of suddenly manifesting. Or a breakthrough with a goal or dream you've been waiting to see materialize finally start to move forward showing signs of success. My point is, there is a myriad of ways God can prove Himself and transform your life through your commitment to taking this 40 Day challenge to stretch your faith.

Remember, when you take one step toward God, He will take two steps toward you. So consider your commitment to taking this 40 Day Faith Challenge one very big step toward God on your behalf.

I'm excited to take this challenge with you. I'm also looking forward to hearing from you and sharing with you all the wonderful life transforming changes that I'm expecting to see unfold in my life and yours as we take the next 40 days to stretch our faith together. You can share your comments and feedback on the transformations that begin to occur in your life as a result of taking this challenge either here on my blog or in my Inspirational Poems & Love Notes group page on FaceBook if you're already signed up as a member there. Don't forget, as with anything in life, it only works if you work it.

Prayer of Faith:

"I now call the activity of the Holy Spirit into every cell, every tissue, every organ of my being. I invite the Holy Spirit to lovingly transform every energy, every belief, every idea, every understanding, every decision, every expectation, every judgment, every motivation and every behavior, bringing them into alignment with the perfect will of God, so that I may take the next step toward the divine plan for my life.

I now call the activity of the Holy Spirit into every cell, every tissue, every organ of my being. I invite the Holy Spirit to lovingly transform every energy, every belief, every idea, every understanding, every decision, every expectation, every judgment, every motivation and every behavior, bringing them into alignment with the perfect peace of God, so that I may take the next step toward the divine plan for my life.

I now call the activity of the Holy Spirit into every cell, every tissue, every organ of my being. I invite the Holy Spirit to lovingly transform every energy, every belief, every idea, every understanding, every decision, every expectation, every judgment, every motivation and every behavior, bringing them into alignment with the perfect love of God, so that I may take the next step toward the divine plan for my life. For all I have received and all that is yet to come, I am so very grateful! And So It Is!" ~ Iyanla Vanzant

Until next time...I surround you in Love & Light! So remember to always let your Love light shine!

A One Love Production
By Anna M. Hendricks
copyright 2013

A Christmas Prayer

Let us give thanks oh Lord,

a special thanks to you

Let the bread we break bear testament

that your undying love for us is true

Let us give thanks oh Lord,

for the abundance on this day we share

Let our hearts be fountains

of your love and may we spread

joy everywhere

Often the worldly meaning of Christmas

makes us forget to celebrate in your name

So let us give special thanks oh Lord,

for this day on whence you came

A One Love Production

By Anna M. Hendricks

Original Copyright 1996

Revised copyright 2012