Standing Still

Do you ever pray and then want your prayer answered immediately? Or start a new fitness routine and expect to see results right away? Trust me, you are not alone. 

We love the instant gratification. That is why we usually want to skip through the process and forgo the journey. We want the results without the effort. Patience, however, plays a big role in getting what we desire.

This morning as I was reading my Bible, I read this verse:

Psalm 46:10 (KJV)

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

It reminded me that God has a plan, and He will deliver the results in His time. If we only focus on the ending, however, we will fail to enjoy the journey, and the precious time with our Lord. He doesn't leave us through hard times. Our Lord leads us and guides, every step of the way.

Along the journey is where the work takes place, and the transformation occurs. Even though we don’t always understand God’s ways, we can learn something new from Him every day if we embrace our challenges, and follow after Him. While we all want to skip ahead and get to the blessings, it is so rewarding to stand still and wait on Him. When I’m standing still is when those amazing God moments occur in my life. 

 So as the enemy tries to make our situation seem hopeless, we just need to remember that God is in control. He will make a way for us. Nothing is impossible with Him. 

Have a wonderful day!

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Preparing For The Battles

Sometimes things happen in my life that cause me to worry. Like getting my bill yesterday and finding out the cost of my new thumb. The news is filled with panic, heartache, and uncertainty. Despite our best efforts, sometimes we get sucked into the feeling of overwhelm.

The good news, however, is that nothing can take away the peace in my heart. God assures me with His scriptures, gospel, and presence that He will take care of me. I have nothing to fear. 

When I make my way to His house on Sunday mornings, He always gives me exactly what I need. That is why it is so important for me to go to church. I don’t know what is around the next corner. Nor the next challenge that I may face. My Lord, however is all wise. He prepares me for my battles. What I hear today may be exactly what I need to overcome the challenges of tomorrow. And His beautiful word revives my weary soul. 

Have a wonderful day!

Love and blessings, 

Candida

Practicing the Pause

Isn’t it amazing how we can allow the devil to get under our skin? Today, I saw something that infuriated me. It made me want to write an ugly comment to the person who shared it. As I was writing my rant in my head, I paused. Stopped and thought about it for a moment. Then, I had a thought that changed my mind. If I had the other person’s beliefs, feelings, and mindset, would I feel the same way?

While it didn’t change my thoughts, it did help me see the situation with compassion. I will not allow the devil to use me to promote his hate. And I’m so incredibly thankful for that wonderful moment of pause that I experienced. 

Sometimes we just need to turn away from all of the negativity and drama, and think about the type of person we want to be. I don’t want to fight with others. I want to love them and show them my love. Even when it’s hard. 

I’m so thankful that God loves me on my bad days. He loves me when I’m being cranky, and acting ugly. I don’t have to do anything to earn His love. And that’s how I want to love as well—without limitations and expectations. 

The way we treat other people is how we treat God. We are all His children. We don't have to agree to love and respect each other. Let’s please Him with how well we love and treat others. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida 

My Gift To You

Sometimes I am amazed at all the wonderful things that God blesses me to do. Whenever I’m going through a challenge I think, if I can get through this then I can help others with a similar hardship. It helps me to get through my trail. My focus is no longer just about me, or my pain, but rather how I can help someone else. 

We will all go through challenges at some point in our lives. In the midst of the hardship, it is so hard. When heartaches emerge in my life, the need for comfort becomes automatic and I start searching the scriptures. I desire wholeheartedly for God to reassure me that my problem won’t defeat me. His words of encouragement and love soothe my soul.  

Preview

In each hardship, God has always given me exactly what I needed to get through it. During every trial, I have learned something wonderful. And that is what I want to share with you. The knowledge, wisdom, faith, strength, and joy that I have discovered.

A glimpse inside

In my new app, I have compiled a list of scriptures and snippets that have helped me through so many difficult times. I pray they will help you as much as they have helped me. 

This app is my gift to you. Please download it at your app store—it’s FREE. Also share this with your friends and family. 

Blessings and love, 

Candida 

Just Be You: What I Learned From Negativity

Isn’t it great that the Lord can show us something positive in a negative atmosphere? Yesterday, my Facebook newsfeed was filled with hurtful comments. While it mad me sad, I chose not to dwell on the negativity, but instead I tried to pray for those hurting so badly that they would lash out at others.

In the middle of it all, however, God gave me a thought. Regardless of who we are or what we are doing, some people will still not like us. What really got me though was the different opinions about the same person. I would see one post and it would be totally negative, calling the person names, and listing all of his faults and failures. The next post, from a different person, would be positive, listing all of his accomplishments. 

We can’t please everyone, but we can become the person that we want to be. At the end of the day, we should be pleased with ourselves. In the face of negativity, we should be loving and kind to ourselves. If we focus on what other people think about us, then we are allowing someone else to steal our dreams and dictate our life.

When I get unkind reviews it hurts my feelings. At first, it almost paralyzed my ability to write. The hurtful words prevented me from blogging for a while. Every time I sat down to write, the hurtful words entered my mind. It made me doubt my ability. Therefore, it would take me a week to write a single blog post and then another week to publish it. Sometimes, even after I had poured my heart into it, I couldn’t bring myself to share it. 

Now it upsets me that I wasted so many thoughts and opportunities to help someone else. The devil loves for us to dwell on the heartache. He will steal our dreams if we allow him to. When we focus on our abilities, our dreams, and follow the Lord, however, the devil can’t do anything with us.

In a world of so many opinions, just be you! Every day we need to do what we love, and strive to be the person that God called us to be. We all have a gift, and we need to use our gift to the best of our ability. 

Blessings and love, 

Candida

How I Received A Second Chance With My Health

So often, we use the words "have to" in our daily life. We rarely say we "get to.” However, when we change that single word, it totally changes how we feel about the statement. "Have to” sounds like a chore or a heartache, while "get to” resonates a blessing.

For months, I was barely able to walk. As I stood, my legs would tremble. Every step was incredibly painful. I know what it feels like to lie in a bed day after day, and desire to feel better. It was during this painful time that I learned the importance of my health. 

When God blessed me with healing, I decided that I would not take it for granted again. I know what it feels like to be unhealthy, and, praise God, I also know what it feels like to be healthy. I don’t ever want to go back to that old lifestyle. It truly affected every part of my life.

At one point, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t stand for my children to hug me. Just being touched was painful. My whole body felt swelled all the time. My throat hurt. And half the time, I couldn’t remember things. 

Can you believe that food and my lifestyle caused me so much pain? 

Processed food, high fructose corn syrup, gluten, dairy, and aspartame (found in diet drinks) was all harming me. Even though some of my foods were considered “healthy".  It took many months of food elimination, along with food research, for my body to heal. 

So what did I do?

1. Incorporated more vegetables and fruit in my diet.
2. Replaced my old oil with coconut oil.
3. Started using himalaya salt.
4. Stopped eating fast food and processed food regularly. 
5. Completely eliminated gluten, aspartame, and high fructose corn syrup.
6. Limited dairy. I can tolerate it occasionally. 
7. Increased my water consumption.
8. Added exercise into my daily routine.
9. Started using meditation for stress management.
10. Changed my mindset on food and my health.
11. Supplemented with Turmeric, fish oil, and Vitamin D.
12. Learned to read labels and understand ingredients.
13. Walked more in addition to my workouts.
14. Stopped sitting so much.
15. Later added in Shakeology.

It didn’t happen over night, but my body did heal. Now I don’t feel like I “have to” workout or eat healthy, but rather I “get to”. Every day I am so grateful that I received a second chance with my health. Food is medicine. Chose wisely, my friends.

If this all seems overwhelming and you need some help. Send me a message or comment below. It would be my pleasure to share recipes with you, encouragement, workout ideas, and  just help you feel better. 

Blessings and love, 

Candida

The Voice of Prayer

Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the evil of our world. We see the things going on around us and it troubles our hearts. But instead of being sucked into the hopelessness and negativity, we just need to pray.

I can’t find one example in the Bible, when God did not protect His chosen people. He loves us. Therefore, He will protect us. Things may not happen as we would like for them to happen, but we need to remember that God is in control. 

If we come together in prayer, God will hear our prayers and answer according to His will. We have favor with the King. After all, we are His children. He doesn’t want us to be troubled or afraid, but rather to trust Him to take care of us. When we focus all of our energy on serving Him with love and obedience, then the rest of the things won’t be as important. 

John 16:33 KJV

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

God bless you,

Candida