#JOANSTRUTH

  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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

Today, you may not be feeling like your usual self. You may be down thinking there is no possible way to get back up again. As a result, we continue to feed our disappointments with constant feelings of doubt and hopelessness. Why do we do the things we do? We hope for the best BUT we expect the worst. We start off a task with a Plan A (the ultimate desire of our hearts) BUT, we still have a Plan B "just in case things do not work out". Are we not trusting God enough to order our steps? Are we failing to recognize the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made? Jeremiah 29:11&12 states.. . " For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the   Lord , thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you." As prosperity flows, happiness grows. As pain expands, FAITH demands, so leave everything in God's hands. I thought about som...

It is not selfish to think about yourself. Take care of yourself before you can take care of others. You can't give love with hate in your heart. You can't give things away that you don't have. Be true to yourself, Love yourself then spread that love. Have an abundance in order to share. Be happy with where you are now, Be happy with where you were, Be happy with the people in your life, Be happy with what you have And you will be happy with where you will go. If you don't accept these things, then you become unhappy. You then compare your life with someone else's definition of happiness and when you achieve this (their definition of happiness), you'll still be unhappy! If you are not happy with your life, then you won't be happy at all. Be Happy to Be Happy #BHTBH #LoveMore #JoansTruth

Anger is not a virtue, it is a vice and should not be kept within. It is a felling that happens in an instant and it should be released from your being in that same instant. In reality, this is not the case. We hold on to the negative energies that make us worse each day. We worry, complain, get upset, hate, and the list continues. Each time we welcome these energies, we increase our risk of being sick and stressed out. I used to get upset for the simplest thing but it never hurt the person who I was upset with, it only hurt me and THAT MADE ME EVEN MORE ANGRY!!! There is no person in this world who has not been angry or who will never feel upset at some point of their lives but the difference with some persons is that they make different choices. The choices that we make in each moment of our lives will not only affect our present but affect our future. When you are angry, in that moment, what do you do? Do you... 1. shout and argue so that everyone in the room hears your pain? ...

"OMG!!!! My day was horrible! Nothing that I planned was done. Something always came up!" Do you ever have a day like this? You are extremely upset at the way your day went or should I say THE day because you never owned it! Why does this happen? You plan to go to the store, your brother calls you to help him out with an urgent situation. You plan to go to the beach after bringing home a family member but the family member becomes ill and you need to stay a little longer. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT??? Maybe there was something that God was trying to keep you from, had you gone to your planned destination. Maybe you would have hated the experience more than these unexpected happenings which detoured your plans. Instead of quarrelling about how bad your day goes, be grateful! DARE: I dare you to welcome unexpected changes, just say: "Lord, I trust you because you alone know what's right for me and you alone can take care of me and my situation better than I can". ...

The Holy Spirit has a time when it reveals things about our friends, our enemies, family and even our dreams! How many times have we toiled in order to reap the harvest in our lives and in our future. We go beyond ourselves and we run before God, even when God says "Slow Down!". Did you know that God has your worries all figured out? Therefore it makes no sense to worry. You prepare and keep working until it is time to reap but do not try and speed up the process. The quality of our lives are so important yet many of us remember when it is too late. So STOP! SLOW DOWN! TAKE YOUR TIME! God wants to walk with you.  Oh house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:5) At times, the waiting period for our blessings may get us weary, but it is at that moment when we are completely broken that we get our breakthrough. Continue working and walking with the Lord. We all have big dreams, continue to dream big and be not afraid of the endless possib...

It is amazing how we are quick to criticize each other when the other person steps out and does something positive with his/her life. We are quick to give advice and tell them everything that was done wrong.  Have you stopped to think they are still a step ahead and maybe they did something right? We don't want to commend them for their efforts, after all, we were not taught to make mistakes. We were taught to get all A's on our reports. REALITY CHECK: A's on a report does not equal a fulfilled life. Are you at your climax? Or are you at the lowest point of your life watching others succeed .  I DARE YOU TO REACH YOUR CLIMAX! DREAM AGAIN AND GO FOR IT!  Repeat the words of Les Brown :- "It is not over until I win!" #YOUCANDOIT #ReachUrClimax#JOANSTRUTH 

Be faithful with the little things in life and you will automatically open the doors to your biggest dreams. It is the #LawOfAttraction #JoansTruth

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF because NOBODY is going to believe in you until you accomplish your goals! STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR PROCRASTINATION AND DO IT NOW!!!!!! #DOITNOW #JOANSTRUTH

Do not allow bitterness, anger and ignorance to eat at your emotions. It makes you MORE BITTER, ANGRY AND IGNORANT . Talk about it and LET IT GO! #MoveForward #BeHappy #JoansTruth 

Do not make assumptions or draw conclusions on the behaviours and decisions made by the persons around you because these things DO NOT define who they are. They may shock you, whether negatively or positively! So keep your eyes in the mirror and not on other people. #BeBlessed #LiveYourLife #JoansTruth