#JOANSTRUTH

  In a world where image seems to be everything, we are bombarded by the perfect lives that are being lived by simple human beings. These images are positioned in front of the images that God has purposed for each of us. We listen to the noise instead of the whisper that we are great beyond measure and called by the Creator who shaped us.  A perfect example can be seen in the story of Moses. We all are familiar with this great man who was torn between two backgrounds but his purpose would have been initiated when he struck down those Egyptian soldiers in anger in order to avenge a Hebrew. Then and only then, did his isolation led him to have a direct encounter with God!  One perspective: He has an anger issue. Another perspective: The passion of this man, God said "I can use him!" Let us now reflect. We see ourselves as simple human beings, without thinking, these little so-called nuances I have can be the very reason God uses me for something great. Whether, in my home, ...

I am excited to share this message with you! A message of hope for the children of God. I was blessed with the opportunity to share at last week's church school for the African Methodist Episcopal Church Publishing House. https://www.facebook.com/amecpublishing PLEASE SEE VIDEO BELOW AND SHARE! BE BLESSED! AMEC CHURCH SCHOOL - MAY 8, 2022

It is not always your job to fix things and people. It may be in your nature to fix and help but IT IS NOT YOUR JOB . Seek God's guidance first because people will always seek your council because you may seem to be in a better place holistically but it doesn't qualify you to fix them. Spiritual warfare is not a joke! P.S. Even if you are qualified to help, remember you are human too, whole people can be broken too. Broken people can break whole people. Protect yourself and consume as much positive and wholesome content as possible. #joanstruth

  I know we are going through a tough time, being swamped with different emotions and work, but remember to always pray and push through. We will get through this. II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name,  shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,  and turn from their wicked ways;  then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,  and will heal their land. #joanstruth #beencouraged #peace #pray

  Life is filled with memorable moments; the good and the bad.  Enjoy the good, learn from the bad. No regrets. Tell your story, because someone needs to hear it! #joanstruth -Joan Phillips-Bennett

  What if you woke up with only the things you thanked God for? I saw that post today and I realized that this question or statements similar to this, are normally overlooked. We as human beings like to be where we are appreciated and celebrated but not where we are just tolerated. We get frustrated when we give things our all and sometimes even going the extra mile for persons who did not ask for our help but needed it! So, we get upset and decide to lessen what we do to teach them a lesson.  So back to the question.... What if you woke up with only the things you thanked God for?  meaning, what if your life is a clear representation of the value you place on people and things? We may have eyes, ears, mouth, legs, hands, a heart or essentials like air or water. Now when it is taken away, we beg God for the miracles we read about in the Bible. People have disabilities due to accidents, birth defects, chronic illnesses and now COVID. All of these things affect what is thou...

  We are almost finished with 2020 and have jumped so many hurdles already, but God wants us to take another leap this leap year; He is not done with us yet.   For many of us, this year has been filled with surprises; a lot of bumps and turns, a lot of sadness and bad news, some happy news and for some, this year is merely a scary roller coaster ride that just won't stop! It starts off as one that is fun at first but this is now the 50th dive and we are now in November. Nevertheless, we can still appreciate that we have gone through most of the year already. Whew! What a ride! Mental Health Although a crucial part of our well-being, our mental health is usually overlooked and often ridiculed, but this is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is just as important as eating healthy, exercising, getting enough rest and getting your regular check-up.  Being alone comes with many internal ups and downs. We are left to our thoughts which can either be positive or detrimental for ...

With so many things happening around us, what am I supposed to do? This is a question that we all ask and only some persons will have answers to. Solitude is a time for reflection, focus, goal setting, dreaming, relaxing and just time away from others. We do need this sometimes as it helps us to recharge for the next level of our lives. While this sounds comforting and warm, for some, this process is more like a wilderness experience that creates bigger problems. To some this is a time of turmoil, inner fights, panic attacks and sadness because you are now left alone with your thoughts and your thoughts may not be healthy at a time like this where the news around you is all panic in various aspects of society.  Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, we have seen a world we once knew, shutdown, restart and shutdown again as persons get sick, health workers and other essential workers become overwhelmed, essential items become scarce, parents facing a dilemma of having to deal wi...

Today as we begin yet another journey towards a closer walk with God, we are walking away from what we want for what we need, as we serve a God who takes us into the wilderness not to starve us but to strengthen us. He is the supplier of all our needs and He wants us to be able to command the adversary, with all confidence, to flee from us as Jesus did.  In Matthew 4, the adversary used temptations of different kinds such as: using your own human knowledge and power rather than waiting on God because what we see as success may not be what God ordained for us. He used promotion after denying God, even though the adversary knew that Jesus would sit at the right hand of God and he also wanted Jesus to test God.  So as you go through this Lent season, let it not be the same ol' same ol'.  It is not only abstaining from certain foods but also certain behaviours, thoughts and even people who keep us in a spiritually dry place. L eave E very N egative T hing behind as we gro...

The Bible reminds us in Matthew 7 :... "Ask and it will be given to you;  seek and you will find;  knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives;  the one who seeks finds;  and the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7: 7-8 But are we really ready and capable of receiving what we ask for? Do we know what we want to do with what we ask for? Are we going to use the request to become better or is the request for our own selfish gain. While sitting today and reflecting on my life, I realized that most of the things that I have asked God for have been granted to me. The rest; I am waiting on His answer. Asking for patience does not mean you will supernaturally wake up with great calmness, it means God will place people and situations in your life that test your patience. Maybe a difficult child, spouse, a relative who has special needs, or a nagging neighbour. You ask for resources but you don't ...

For some it's their knowledge, their smile, being practical, etc. But Acts 6:4 says...  but we will give ourselves  continually to prayer,  and to the ministry of the word. We try to connect to something beyond our reach in the physical realm not realizing that there is something greater than that realm.  God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent and He wants us to connect to Him so that we have the power. He is our power source.  So how is your prayer life? When was the last time you prayed to God for His guidance? and I am not talking about your personal agenda and saying "in Jesus name" as a stamp of approval. We are not promoting slavery with God's stamp on it. God loves us unconditionally but don't believe one second that He is our slave! Sometimes the answer to our prayer will be 'No'.  We envy persons who seem to be in a situation that we were praying for ourselves but as I said, His answer can be 'No', so your succes...

We are all human and we do sometimes get drained and sometimes even bored when doing what God ordained for us, church and our spiritual life. James 1:22 says... Do not merely listen to the word  and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says. James is highlighting the fact that we listen to the Word but we do not apply it to our lives; we go to church, have meetings, but that's it! So as a result, it becomes boring, it's now just words, predictable. But God's word is meant to be acted upon.  This concept is similar to practical subjects in school. Application is necessary to master and understand the subject in its entirety. So is God's word; it is practical and He reveals Himself more and more to us as we apply His word to our lives.  Blessings! #Blessings #Joanstruth #Action #move #Godsword #deception

I was heading to San Diego and the plane was caught in a little bit of turbulence. This was not the first time that I experienced turbulence but like every unique situation that is repeated or a book that is read more than once or even a movie that is watched a third time; there is always something that strikes you unexpectedly. It was always there but we never noticed it before. As the plane pierced through the turbulence for a few seconds, the pilot announced  "due to the turbulence,  we are going to go up a little bit higher  but we are advising all passengers to be seated at this time  and fasten your seat belts until the seat belt sign is turned off".  This struck me like a tonne of bricks because as humans we tend to run to and through the turbulence. We ostracize people avoiding conversations and situations but just like this pilot who spotted the trouble ahead, he decided to take us a little bit higher.  The person on the outsi...

What we can do is find time everyday to hit the reset button so that we can stand firmly and upright. We need to not allow our challenges to accumulate and become insurmountable. TAKE CONTROL for "Greater is He that is in me, than  he that is in the world" 1 John 4:4 This scripture was not a mistake, it was placed in plain sight for your mind to digest it. This means, if the world is great, you are greater! If your problems, challenges, arguments, betrayal, disappointments and worries are great, you are greater than them all! Remember "our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure" (Marianne Williamson). The truth is this is really the enemy's deepest fear, so he tries to distract us in order to prove that we are inadequate. Therefore, be empowered and know that God made you in His likeness. He creates and look at the various things that man has created so far! He gave us a choice to be inten...

We could come up with long lists as to why another person is wrong and it's always our desire to prove just how wrong you are.  Did you know that God knows who we are? Did you know that He knew us even before we were born? Our personalities, environment and daily routines make us different which creates room for groups to be formed. However, when we disagree with people's actions and how they view life, we immediately want to force them to see our point of view. Especially, if we think they are hurting themselves and those around them with their mindset. We may know that our point of view is better for them to grow into the men and women they could become and it becomes very frustrating when they resist. Resisting becomes resentment and resentment turns into a relationships lost. When you have expressed concern, stop trying to force your ideals on the other person. Knock on God's door and let Him know His help is needed. We are God's vessels for His work but somehow...

Why talk about shame? ...because it affects everyone. Even me! It doesn't matter what social level or income level you are at. It doesn't matter what your gender is or even where you come from. What binds people together when talking about shame is that it is based on FEAR .  So, what's your fear? Is it the fear of: Success Failure Being Vulnerable Being exposed Losing people you love, fans, etc. Not being liked Not being right Being uncomfortable...... It is amazing hearing stories about why persons are so afraid of things that other persons see as minor, but the truth is, Wisdom comes from the lessons that we learn from various experiences. This comes with time and exposure; being willing to step out and being willing to leave your comfort zone. I had a big problem with that for a while and it almost paralyzed me because I was so afraid of failing or making a mistake. I did not like the feeling of being vulnerable so it would take me a while to at...

I woke up this morning very tired, quickly focusing on the various things that I had to cover and the week is almost finished. Yes, I prayed, I dived into the word but my mind drifted. Just thinking about the different things on my list made me more exhausted but I had to do them all; no room for excuses. I wanted to take a break and just isolate myself but leading involves dealing with adversity and challenges. Then I started to think about God; what if He was like us? What if He was afraid of challenges? We would not stand a chance here on earth! So often we wake up and are consumed as leaders, not only leaders of organisations, businesses, clubs, groups, families and the list goes on. The daily tasks take a toll on us and it leaves us exhausted; but God is saying, you have these tasks for a reason and you are a fit candidate for this journey. He gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers but He wants to be with us on the battlefield. When we are exhausted, He is so fi...

Normally after days, even months of working, we get drained. Our productivity slows down as our bodies tell us it is time to hibernate. However, society tells us that success requires commitment, consistency and never slowing down. We see hashtags everywhere on social media promoting constant work such as #teamnosleep #alwaysonthegrind and the list goes on. These phrases are normally interpreted by us to mean 'never rest or you will lose everything' but even animals have mastered how to operate in this world. After a day of work they all unwind. We too as God's people need to unwind through recreation and rest. Lack of sleep affects our health and our productivity so it is okay to rejuvenate. Do not let society determine who you should be because you are not of this world. I used to think that I was an energizer bunny and I kept going, and going, and going..., but it always led to weight loss, not remembering to eat and even #nosleep. "But what was the purpose of pus...

We all struggle with the fear of not knowing, which leads to many questions we ask ourselves. We send ourselves into a panic and then we ask God the questions that we could not answer. What if this doesn't work? What if I am not good enough? What will others think? We all are imperfect in the sight of God yet we try to stay in complete control. We try to look perfect to the world without being honest with ourselves. We want God to drive the car called 'our life' yet we always seem to grab the steering wheel. For some reason we feel He doesn't know where we should go. God loves us so much that he gives us second chances, third chances and he continues to give us the ability to make our own choices but what if we give him everything back? Give him the control and put complete faith in his hand. Let Him guide our choices. In our relationships; whether family or intimate, the longevity depends on trust. If friends cannot trust each other, if spouses lack tru...

I have always thought about the reasons why we hold ourselves back from our purpose. Why is it we block our destiny even when we know what is ahead? This time, we look in the mirror at a fearfully and wonderfully made gift and talk ourselves out of dreams, visions and purpose.  These reasons are locked in our trust. Who do we trust? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself? Really, in whom do I put my trust. But remember.....Be Honest with yourself! The way we talk to people, treat people, the way we act, the way we think can all be lined up with who we trust and our priorities. Here are some things that trouble us, whether it is one, a few or all of these... Self Esteem I remember always comparing myself with great people which propels me to work extremely hard but this can be both a blessing and a curse.  The good side: We become better as we see our role models as a future reflection of ourselves. So we strive and grind as they did. The bad side:   We starve...