​Hello everyone…and a very “Happy Monday” to you all! I am so glad to be back with you today…and my prayer for you; is that Christ will become even sweeter in your life, with each day you walk through…Amen!!
The other day, while getting around for my evening; God was taking me back to a moment in time, when I had fallen as low as I could go emotionally. While receiving counseling for a past sexual abuse, along with a very bad dysfunctional home life; I never truly saw how much I was giving up on life…that is until God used my counselor to help me see that.
After being hospitalized…the nurses that were being used to help me were actually counselors. One day, after leaving a session of counseling, I went out into an open area, where the patients could sit and watch TV or just relax. As I sat on a couch…all to myself…I remember just feeling numb to life.  
As my counselor was leaving the glass cubical, where we had just had a session of counseling; I remember seeing her from the corner of my eye, with an arm full of papers and files…and as she approached the place where I sat…all of a sudden, everything in her arms came crashing down to the floor. Within a second or two, she called me over there to help her. I said…“ok;” but yet I still remained on the couch. As she saw me still sitting there, she said…“now Diane,” which actually got me off that couch. At the time, I thought she was being kind of rough on me; but as I look back to those moments; I see that she was using that situation, as a means of getting me back into life. Oh how God works in ways that we don’t always see at the time.
Anyways…when I am having a rough day of pain or tiredness…I remember those words she spoke to me…and they become a constant reminder, to never give up on life.
A Bible verse that truly touched my heart today is found in Galatians 6:9…and we read… “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
The other day, as I was thinking on these past moments in my life; God was helping me to see how easy it is to give up on life, due to the Coronavirus or any other thing that may be taking place at the time. We must remember that Satan afflicts us; but he just doesn’t stop there. In fact…I have come to see that he longs to use the affliction to wear us down…to the place where we feel the only way out is to give up.
You know…I’m not saying that life is easy to overcome right now…because it isn’t; but instead of listening to the deceptive voice of evil; we can find so much hope and a reason to keep pressing on, when we listen for the words of encouragement that God longs to share with our hearts.
Just like me…we can become so caught up in what is going wrong at the time; that we don’t even realize how much we may be giving up on life. This is why we need a close and loving relationship with Christ…and not only talk with Him; but also listen for the response that He so longs to share from His heart to ours. In this way, we will truly come to see that we aren’t so caught up in what is happening around us; but rather, we are more caught up in the hope He is longing to give us…a hope that will help us to get up…shake the circumstance from us…and press on!
Have a great day everyone and remember to keep pressing on; for just at the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessings…so never give up!
Many blessings on your day!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane

​Hello everyone! I truly hope and pray that your Sunday is going well…and that you will truly experience God above all else in your day!
Today, I thought I’d post a great God inspired writing, from one of my favorite pages… “A Journey of Thoughts from God’s Heart to Yours”. My prayer for you today; is that this God inspired writing...from His heart to yours, will help you to trust the Lord completely, as you blindly walk down the uncertain and unknown paths of life…Diane
 
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6) in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
 
Trust can sometimes be a difficult path to follow. It's a path where the blind have to depend on someone greater than themselves, to walk them through the unknown moments that lie ahead of them. We all experience moments such as these, where we learn that the only way to make it through life; is to follow the One who knows the way.
Sometimes this path can mislead us and separate us from the One who is guiding us down the path; but that is only due to a lack of trust. Seems like we become caught up in the darkened moments we're experiencing, along with the fear of the unknown; that we find our hand slipping from the only One who knows the way.
When we are willing to trust the Lord completely and allow ourselves to fall behind the One who knows the way; then He will direct us through life and be the eyes we need, to safely walk us through these unknown and blinded moments of life.
You know…this path of trust...that we sometimes struggle to walk down can definitely seem as if we are crossing a game board of life. As moments of evil surround us and attempt to remove us from the path we're on, we find that the only way we are going to survive these times; is to listen to the One who is our guide through life. The more we listen for that still small voice...and the more we choose to walk in His ways, rather than our own; the more we learn to trust the One, who is here to safely guide us through life. It's when we choose to follow His lead; that we are directed through an unknown territory of evil. As we put each effort forth, through steps that choose to trust His ways; then in the end...each effort and each step put forth, will be crowned with success.
​Through these thoughts, we come to see that working together with God, not only builds trust...but also a closer and deeper relationship with Him...One that will always carry us through life...Amen!!
Have a great day in the Lord and I will see you soon! God bless!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
PS…For more of these God inspired writings…check out “A Journey of Thoughts from God’s Heart to Yours”!

Hello everyone…and a “Happy Friday” to you all! So how is your day going? Mine has been busy; but life is still good…praise God!!
You know…this afternoon and even this morning, I was thinking on how big our God truly is. I wonder why we don’t always see Him in this way. Could it be that we have allowed the cares of this life to be our big God, rather than the God that reigns and rules over all things?
As I’ve been sitting here…enjoying my time alone with God; He led me to two great Bible verses that are found in Isaiah 55:8-9…and we read… “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9) As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Let’s stop for a moment and compare the power of God, to what we seem to see as a powerful circumstance. First off…what good comes out of a weak circumstance and what is it that attempts to convince us that this so-called power of a circumstance can defeat us?  If we were to answer these questions honestly; I think that we would come to see that nothing comes out of weakness…only weakness. These circumstances we face from time to time are only being used by Satan to deceive us and make us believe that God isn’t the strong God that we once thought He was, which ends up becoming bait from Satan, as he attempts to catch us in these acts of weakness, as a means of taking us down and away from the God we need so much.
As I sit here and think on this…I wonder how many of us have been caught up into thoughts that have convinced us that the Coronavirus is greater than God. We sit and listen to the news and see all that is taking place around us. People are wearing masks and gloves…and the free society we once experienced…now seems to have taken us into a prison cell of the Coronavirus and much more. The problem with this kind of thinking; is that we have allowed these forms of weakness, to become greater than this awesome, magnificent and powerful God we serve. In fact…thoughts such as these are actually adding fuel to a fire that is already burning. Isn’t it amazing, as to how we can see God as someone so powerful…that is, until something like the Coronavirus hits us? Why do we allow our eyes and thoughts to be caught up in weakness, when we so long to experience a good life that can truly be strengthened to the place, where we find ourselves above weakness, rather than face to face with it?
As the early birth pains open us up, to the soon return of Jesus Christ; we should be rejoicing…for we not only have a powerful God who controls all things; but these moments we are facing, will soon usher every believer, into a life that will be free of all pain and suffering…for all of eternity.
No matter what we face…and no matter what these difficult times attempt to convince us of; we truly need to live with the hope that nothing or no one can supersede the power of this God we serve. You know…we need to quit letting weakness deceive us into thinking that it will win out…and begin anew by focusing on the power of God, while walking away from weakness…to experience a strength and power that truly supersedes the ways of evil…Amen!!
Have a great day…and a very special weekend! God bless!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
PS…If you haven’t found Jesus to be your eternal hope; may I encourage you to visit one of my newest pages… “Come to Jesus."

​Hello everyone…and a very “Happy Thursday” to you all! It’s so good to be back with you today and I praise God that His timing makes everything beautiful…not only in our lives; but in the situations and circumstances we face…Amen!!
Today I was thinking on how we as humans tend to hold tightly to life. Is it that we need to keep in touch with what is happening, while fearing the worst or is it that we are afraid to let go and trust someone else to handle the matter?
About two days ago I started to feel pretty rough. At first, I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that my hands were shaking and I just wasn’t coping very well, with what was happening in my day. Within a short time, I came to see that it was my blood pressure. You see…when I am dealing with a lot of chronic pain; it tends to not only affect my nerves but also my blood pressure. After taking some medication and getting some rest, I began to feel much better this morning.
You know…even though I knew I needed the rest; there was a part of me that wanted to hold on and keep working yesterday. I thought to myself…am I lacking faith in what God can do, if I give in and rest rather than work? As I began to ask myself this question; God quickly reminded me that there is a time and a purpose, for everything under the heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) As I began to focus on what God was laying upon my heart, I began to think on what He may be up to. In other words…maybe He was allowing this difficult time in my life; so that He could work in other ways at that time. No matter what His reasoning was, I am learning more and more to trust God, rather than placing expectations on my life, while trying to make God work my way, rather than the other way around.
You know…these past couple of days has been a reminder to me; that there just may be times when we need to let go…lay back and trust a God who does know what He’s doing.  When we can follow God’s lead, rather than trying to get God to follow us; that is when we will see that everything does fall together, in a timeframe that makes everything truly beautiful.
Another thing we need to remember; is that our lives are not only set up in a timeframe with God; but the circumstances we face are in God’s timing too. Oh how we would love to snap our fingers and see these circumstances erased from our lives; but the thing that I have come to see; is that behind every circumstance is a purpose too…a purpose which is attached to God’s plan for our lives…and when we try to get ahead of God; that is when we fall out of His timeframe, which only twists everything up, while causing the circumstance to worsen with time.
Just as Ecclesiastes 3 says… “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:”…so you know…sometimes we just may have to let go and rest in God and trust Him; that a time will come, when everything will be made beautiful and complete once more…Amen!!
By the way…I’m so glad that I listened to God and rested yesterday, so I could be with you today! Have a very blessed day…and remember…God has not forsaken you; for everything is in His time!
Many blessings on your day!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane 

​Hello everyone…and a very “Happy Tuesday” to you all! Well…this has been a busy morning, with things to do online and offline too; but you know what…God is so good, isn’t He?!
Lately, I have been thinking on how easily we can get caught up in every detail of the day; that before we know it, we are overwhelmed…and I don’t know about you; but moments like these can sometimes make it difficult to accept another new day.
One thing I praise God for a lot; is that every day is created in a way that allows us to start anew. In other words…we can leave our yesterdays behind…no matter what we we’ve experienced…to start over and even be able to have the chance to view life in a better way…that is, if we are willing to do so.
One of my very favorite Bible verses that has brought hope to me during moments such as these; is found in 2 Corinthians 4:16…and we read… “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
You know…our minds and even the feelings we experience with a circumstance can make us not only see life differently; but they can also attempt to convince us that we aren’t making it. In this way…I see this as another tactic from Satan, to try and keep us low and out of commission with God; but like the Bible verse says…though outwardly the signs and symptoms of our problems may give us a bad view on life…inwardly we are alright…because God is at work…renewing us even more through these difficult times.
I don’t know what you may be experiencing; but I can find myself looking in the mirror, at a face that looks worn and tired from pain. Now if I was to constantly focus on this; I just might convince myself that I’m not making it…and in the end, I just may give up.
The other day, while I was thinking on this, I began to think on something new that truly brought hope into my day and that is that even though I struggle to feel well…and even though the pain has taken a toll on my body…I’m still standing and functioning every day…and why? Because God is at work inwardly…giving me strength to continually press on through these hard and difficult times. Once I found myself focusing on this; that is when I began to see a strong God holding me up, during this time of chronic pain.
As we face this Coronavirus or really any other thing in life; moments such as these can attempt to lead us down a road of no hope and before we know it, we find ourselves longing to give up and quit life altogether. One piece of hope I would like to leave with you though; is that even though you may feel this way; there is a God at work and He is never going to fail or forsake you…believe me, I know.
No matter what you are walking through today; try to look beyond what you see with your own eyes and get in touch with a God who is with you…working deep within the soul, as a means of keeping you going. Remember…a deceptive lie will only take you down; but the truth will always keep you free and lifted up; so focus on a God who has promised to never leave you alone during these troubled times…Amen!
As we part company; I pray that you will have a great remainder to your day…and just know that you are never alone…for the God of this universe is with you…working to renew you day by day!
Many blessings on your day!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane

​Hello everyone…and a “Happy Monday” to you all! I truly hope and pray that your week is off to a good start and that you will come to truly see how God’s reasoning in your life; is what actually makes each moment of each day fall into place, according to His will…Amen!!
This morning as I woke up, I knew another week was before me…and sometimes it’s not always easy to understand why life can be more difficult for some than others. I guess that sometimes, we just need a reminder that God is in charge…and no matter what we may walk through…He is there…working out His complete plan for each of our lives and for this world we live in.
As I got around and began to start my Monday…God began to speak to my spirit and this is what He shared from His heart to mine… “God has a reason for everything…and His reasoning is what makes life work.” Can I get a “wow” from you today; because this is exactly how I responded, after writing this down?
You know…it’s so easy for us to get caught up in what is happening to us at the time; that we just don’t stop to think that it’s His reason and purpose that makes everything come together in our lives. I know that there have been many times, when I didn’t think of my situations in this way…that is, until I had stuck my head out the door and got a quick reminder the other day, while looking at my pink rose bush.
Anyways…as I looked out the door, I noticed a small bud growing all by itself near the bottom of the bush. I didn’t know if it was going to make it; so I decided to go out there and prune it off the bush and put it in a small glass of water on my computer stand. By the next morning, I noticed that it was trying to open a little more; so I said to it… “Come on, you can do it…I do it every day”…and you know what; it is now completely open on my table in the office.
The one thing that God taught me through this rose; is that everything does have a reason behind what we do each day. Just think…if I wouldn’t have cut that rose and brought it in the office to care for it; then it probably would have never opened…and I wouldn’t have been reminded that what we see as impossible; is truly possible with God.
In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we read… “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven…” When I think of this verse, I also think on a puzzle…for as each piece of the puzzle is put together in time; that is when we gradually see what the picture will look like. In a similar way…God has a picture drawn out, as to how our lives will appear and become…and once we choose to let His reasoning be greater than our desire; that is when we will see how His reasoning truly makes our lives come together.
With all that is happening right now, we may find it difficult to understand God’s reasoning, for all that is happening around us; but when we choose to trust Him above all else; that is when we will understand His plan for our lives and this world we live in.
As we end this time together, may I encourage you to try and see life God’s way, rather than what you feel it should be. One thing I have learned and have been greatly reminded of these past few days; is that when we let God be God; then that is when peace will take the place of turmoil, as we watch a big God display His master plan before us.
Many blessings on your day!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane

​Hello everyone…and how are you doing today?! I truly hope and pray that your day has been going well…and that you will truly experience God above anything you may be walking thru at this time…Amen!!
Well…we’ve reached the end of another week and as I look back on the week, I see where the footsteps of Jesus have definitely been…and I praise Him so much today, for all He has done for me!
During this past week, I went through a time of great disappointment. In fact…these moments made my life feel as if I had gone through so much for nothing in my life. I can actually say that there was a moment when I wanted to give up, especially as I have felt so tired and drained lately from pain. As I look back on these moments, I see where Satan must have seen me as wounded prey…one that could easily give into all that God had taught me over the years.
I would say that within a day or so of this disappointing news, I found the strength through Christ, to get my head up and off the floor, from where I had fallen so low…and from there; I began to let God lead me away from this disappointment in my life. As I let go of everything except for God; that is when I began to see Him pick up every broken piece and turn my life around. He not only fixed what had been broken; but He made it into something even better…and today, I am praising God for His love and faithfulness to me!
I have many favorite verses in the Bible; but the one that is standing out in my thoughts today, is found in Isaiah 43:19…and we read… “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
You know…there can be times, when all we feel is the wilderness of despair and the barren wastelands that seem to take us nowhere in life; but one thing God has reminded me of this week; is that when we let go of what we see as a failure…to look to the One who is greater than failure; that is when we will see what God truly longs to do through the broken moments in our lives.
One thing I have definitely come to see about God; is that He doesn’t just repair what’s been broken within us; but He repairs these moments with brand new parts…parts that are stronger than before…and parts that can carry us through life and last for a lifetime.
No matter what you may be facing right now, just know that there is a God that is greater than these moments you’re walking through…and once you are willing to let go of everything that seems to be spelling out defeat; that is when you will once more experience a powerful God at work…One that will spring up something new within you!
Have a great day…and a great weekend too!
God bless!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane

Hello everyone…and a “Happy Thursday” to you all! I truly hope and pray that you are having a nice day…and that you will ALWAYS experience the presence of God, above every problem you may face in your life…Amen!!
This afternoon, as I’ve been sitting here in my office, I have been reminded that even though bad times may come…God is ALWAYS faithful. I think the problem we face; is that we find ourselves continually overwhelmed by what is going on around us…to the place where we stop looking for the things that could remind us of God’s faithfulness; the things that could give us a lifeline of hope to hold to.
Today, I would like to share a very special Bible verse with you; that has truly helped me over the years and it’s found in 2 Timothy 2:13, which reads…“If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
I will never in my life forget the moment, when I was going through a very hard time in my life…one that brought me down to nothing. Yes…I had been through multiple knee surgeries and the loss of many things; but this moment made it even more difficult to believe that there would ever be a way of escape for me. As I sat in a room to myself, I just stared at the floor and thought to myself…how are you ever going to overcome these moments that are now standing before you. I would say that within a short time… the spirit of God began to work with my heart, as if to say that He was making a promise to me; that He would bring me out of what seemed so impossible to overcome at the time. As I got up from where I was sitting…I wanted to believe and take hold of that piece of hope that He was offering me; but somehow, the thoughts of what I was facing at the time seemed to be overpowering. Even though I didn’t quite believe in what God was conveying to me at the time…He did keep His word…and He was more than faithful to me. As I think back to these moments in my life, I know one thing… “That which He promises to do; that will He do!!”
As we face these very overwhelming moments with the pandemic; it’s so easy to get caught up in the virus and what it is doing; that we soon find ourselves getting up each morning with no hope…and why is that? Because we haven’t searched hard enough, to take hold of the faithfulness that God gives to us each day. I know that when I’m in a lot of pain, it can be so easy to not see anything but the pain; but when I begin to see how God is caring for me thru the pain; I soon see that His faithfulness is there and that His sustaining love does surround me.
Maybe it’s time for us to start sifting through the things that take place in our day; that we may pick out the moments, when the hand of God was truly there with us. I’m sure that once we do this; that we will come to see that even though God hasn’t healed our land; that He is there…suspending us above a pit that could take us to destruction.
Don’t we realize that this powerful God we serve can allow His will to be accomplished, while keeping His own children safe and secure? I think that it’s time for us to stop imagining the worse and begin looking for God’s faithfulness thru the worst…for when we choose to do so; that is when we will see the sunlight of His faithfulness…shining brightly in the midst of the storm.
Have a great day in the Lord…and God bless!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
​

Hello everyone…and a very “Happy Wednesday” to you all! It’s so good to have you with me today…and my prayer is that you will come to see that hope can be found, even in what seems to be the worst moments of life…Amen!!
As we begin our time together, I would like to ask you a question. What can help us during this pandemic?  The only answer I know; is to just let God have it His way, rather than exhausting ourselves, while we try to fix what can only be fixed by Him.
Yesterday…and even most days, I seem to get a hint of what it’s like to just let God have it His way. As I begin my day…it’s God that goes before me and walks me through every unknown moment of my day…and you know what…it’s amazing as to what I come to see and experience…things that I never thought would ever take place in my day.
As I’ve been sitting here this afternoon, I came across a Bible verse that truly brought my thoughts even deeper into this writing and the Bible verse is found in Proverbs 16:9...and we read… “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Do we realize that we can perceive a way out of the problems we face; but until the steps are actually formed before us…steps that can lead us in the direction we desire; then we will never truly find the way of escape?
Right now, I’m thinking back to a time in my life, when all life seemed to be for me was going in circles. You see…I was trying to figure out the way and not only that; but I was attempting to create my own footsteps to walk in…one step at a time. The only bad thing about that; is that I became exhausted and my own footsteps never lead me anywhere, except for in a circle. I remember seeing in my mind’s eye, a dark and dingy forest. I was standing by a big tree, where ugly moss hung from its branches…and it didn’t matter which direction I tried to take; it seemed that I always ended up at that tree once more. It was when God began to speak to my heart and show me that He could be my sunlight by day and my moonlight by night; that I began to follow Him, rather than the way in which I thought was best…and before I knew it, I began to walk out of that wilderness of despair.
For most of us right now, we can find it so tempting to want to figure a way back to life…one where there is no Coronavirus; but one thing we must remember…only the One who allows these moments has control over these moments, which means that no matter what we try on our own…it just won’t succeed.
If I was to give you a piece of advice right now, I would suggest that you get up in the morning and ask God to walk you through the day. In this way…you will always be in tune with Him, rather than what is taking place around you. I have truly come to see how amazing God can work…and in ways that I could have never imagined…and why…because I chose to let Him do it His way. Also, when we let go and let God have His way; then we are truly learning how to place our trust in Him, rather than the things that are attempting to get us to believe otherwise.
As I was preparing to write you today; God led me to an old hymn titled… “Have Thine Own Way Lord”…and a few of the lyrics go like this… “Have thine own way Lord, have thine own way; thou art the potter I am the clay. Mold me and make me after thy will; while I am waiting yielded and still.”
You know… we need to slow down and focus on where God is longing to lead us, during these hard and difficult times. One thing I know for sure…He knows the way…and once we are willing to walk in His ways, rather than our own; that is when fear and other negative thoughts will be exchanged for a perfect peace…one that will truly help us to rest in Him.
Have a great day everyone…and many blessings on your day!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane