Good Morning Beauties!

Congratulations!  You are doing so well staying committed and dedicated to your journey.  Your determination to sow time with God with an open heart will reap much reward.  

Royalty...people of royal blood or status.  Do you believe you're a part of the Royal Family?  Not any on Earth of course, but the one that truly matters, THE Royal Family.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior, His redeeming blood allows us to be reconciled to The Father, and so it is TRUE - we belong to God's Royal Family.  

The enemy is most likely telling you, "There's no way YOU are royalty!"  Remember, He's a liar.  close your eyes and imagine what this royal status means for you.  What does it look like?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth....You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.”

— Ezekiel 16:13 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

Are you enjoying your journey?  Have you laughed out loud at what God has revealed?  Some tears may flow, but I pray you are finding strength and joy as you destroy the lies of the enemy.

Do you take Joy in the Beautiful woman God has created you to be? Are you walking with confidence, joy and peace?  Do you take pleasure in the little things you use to walk right by? How will you make today extra special for yourself as you take joy in YOU?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Bold power and glorious majesty are wrapped around her as she laughs with joy over the latter days.”

— Proverbs 31:25 The Passion Translation

Good Morning Beauties!

Freedom, Grace, Peace...these are words we've looked out this week along with their significance to our Joyfulness.  We are free from our chains and elevated to a place God intended for us.  His delight in us displays His grace. Jesus paid the price for our sins and we are reconciled with the Father forever.  Our acceptance by God ends our need for striving to please Him, and we find peace.  

Being grounded in this Truth strengthens us through the difficulties in life.  Today, my husband and I say good-bye to our beloved Cayman. (Our sweet dog, see his picture on the website.)  It's been an agonizing decision, but the right one.  We will be relying on our inner joy to get through the next few hours.  As we share the memories of Cayman's arrival to our home and his time with us over the past 14 years, we laugh and cry, and are mostly so grateful that God chose him for us.

In these painful times, we must choose to rejoice.  We must remember the blessings of God; how He chose us, saved us, gave us new life, and will be with us for eternity.  We must also remember that He is right along side of us through the hardships.  God draws close to us as we draw close to Him.  

What difficulty will you choose to rejoice in today?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

— Philippians 4:4 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

God's Amazing Grace; do you know it?  Does it dwell in the very center of your being?  It's the incredible gift from Jesus that says we find favor with God just the way we are.  We don't have to be perfect before He loves and saves us.  We  could never earn what He has freely given us...but it was paid for - by Jesus' own precious blood.

What prevents you from letting go of the lie that says "you'll never be good enough?"  Once we stop striving to be measure up and receive the Truth of Grace, we are washed in His perfect Peace. A Peace which allows you the freedom to embrace the Beautiful woman He's created you to be.  Do you know this woman?  Selah.

Here's a Beautiful and Peaceful song for you to enjoy this morning....

Jesus the Same - Hillsong

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“May the blessings of divine grace and supernatural peace that flow from God our wonderful Father, and our Messiah, the Lord Jesus, be upon your lives.”

— Philippians 1:2 The Passion Translation

Good Morning Beauties!

Are you Free?  The Truth is, yes.  God has set you free from the bondage of slavery to the law.  Are you free from the fear that crashing waves of trials and turbulence cause?  Jesus brought Grace and Truth, and under Grace, you are Free.   You are free to stand in front of those waves with all confidence that they will not take you under. 

Do you feel Free?  Are you walking in the Joy that Freedom brings? No longer under the power of sin, but living in the power of His Grace and Truth? If not, perhaps you have not received this glorious gift from God.  It's there for you, just reach out and take it.

Please listen to this song and let the words touch your heart.  What is God saying?  Selah.       

Song of Freedom - Hillsong

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Let me be clear, the Anointed One has set us free—not partially, but completely and wonderfully free! We must always cherish this truth and stubbornly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past.”

— Galatians 5:1 The Passion Translation

Good Morning Beauties!

You are so strong and brave.  The commitment to your journey and life change are evidence of your desire to know God and deepen your relationship.  What a wonderful woman you are!

Let's talk about the root word of Joyful - Joy. How do you describe Joy?  Webster's Dictionary defines it as "The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, by the prospect of possessing what one desires."  This definition is how most of the world sees joy - an emotional response to getting something we want.

I think there's more to it.  Pastor John Piper describes it this way, "Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the Word and in the world."  

If we think about Apostle Paul in chains as he serves time in prison, he was not getting anything good by worldly standards; and yet Paul encourages us to rejoice - to be continually filled with joy.  Paul had a Godly perspective as he focused on Jesus and not on his circumstance, and provides for us the perfect example how Joy in the Lord is actually our Strength.

Do you need Strength today?  You may be going through something very difficult right now.  Will you allow God to fill your heart with joy as you Trust Him?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold”

— Nehemiah 8:10 (b) Amplified Bible

Good Morning Beauties!

You are Lovely, and you are Beautiful.  How has God revealed these Truths to you?  What lies were you believing that have been replaced with Truth? 

Looking back at Day 1, how are you seeing your beauty now compared to back then?  Take a few extra minutes today pondering your growth.  Selah.

“How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!”

— Song of Solomon 1:15 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

Do you see it?  Strength and Gentleness all together as one...True Loveliness.  Do you believe it?  

I love Springtime!. I love watching delicate flowers push through the dark hard earth to populate the world with color.  Their determination is inspiring! These little beauties are not defeated by a struggle, no, not at all.  They know what they've be created to be and created to do, and will not let difficulty deter their mission.  

We too are God's creation.  When we are confident in who He's made us to be and what our purpose is on Earth, we don't let the lies of the enemy stand in our way.  We move forward with Truth in our hearts.  The struggle is real;  the battle is real - but we can put our confidence in Christ who strengthens us.

The Message Bible paints a picture we can readily understand, when Paul speaks of His affliction, "Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then He told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become." 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

How has God balanced your Loveliness these past few days?  Has He softened you?  Has He empowered you?  How will you respond?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

— 2 Corinthians 12:9 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

 In our pursuit of knowing more about our "loveliness," let's look at what seems to be a contradiction:  authority and service wrapped into one.  Majesty, (power and authority) have been given to us through the Holy Spirit.  We are strong knowing Christ lives in us, and yet, there is another side of Jesus which is the perfect example of humility.  

What does the Bible say about this matter, and how are we to respond?  "Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross."  Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus loved us so much He left His throne and rightful place to come into the world as a human.  HIs life was filled with love through service, and then He fulfilled His purpose of reconciliation as He died on a cross for you and me.  Jesus' life is the perfect example for us to follow.

What is God asking you to do to live a humble life filled with service to others?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”

— James 4:10 New Living Translation

Good Morning Beauties!

Don't you just love the word, "Majesty."  Webster's Dictionary defines it as, "Sovereign power, authority, or dignity."  There are certain words so grand, they should only be used for God;  I think Majesty is one of them. Do you agree?

Through the Holy Spirit, you and I have been given this same power and authority.  Luke 10:19 says, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you."  We also read, "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms."  Ephesians 1:19-20

So, my Beauties, we who live in Christ are clothed in His Majesty, (His Power and Authority.) What will you do with this power today?  Do you need to take authority over a lie from the enemy?  Listen closely as He speaks to you about the power and authority He's given you. Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.”

— Psalm 104:1 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

Welcome to the second stanza where we will "selah" our loveliness.  You're doing so well, and I applaud your commitment and dedication to your 40 Day Journey.  Have you experienced a change, shift or revelation?  Is the journey meeting your expectations?  If you answered "no," don't worry.  We've only scratched the surface, and there's so much more God has for you.  Keep going, you won't regret it.

Let's start today's truth, "You are lovely," with a question.  Are you hiding?  From God?  From the world?  From yourself?  Do you wear a mask for the world to see and hide the real you?  Do you even know who the real you is anymore? 

God is asking you, the real you, to come and meet with Him.  Mask off, guard down, heart open. It's okay, He's safe, and will strengthen you.  Are you willing to be completely vulnerable with Him? Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Now, my dove, don’t be shy. Don’t hide from me in the clefts of the rock or nest like a bird in secret among the cliffs. Show me your lovely form. Let me hear your beautiful voice, for it sounds so sweet, and your face is so lovely.”

— Song of Solomon 2:14 The Voice Translation

Good Morning Beauties!

Today we wrap up our first attribute - Beautiful.  Have you ever noticed in the Bible, when God wants to drive home a point, He will repeat it three times?  Here in this first stanza of the song, "You are beautiful" appears three times....I think He's trying to tell you something.  

We've looked at how we're just as beautiful as all of our beautiful friends, and today, we're looking at what the Bible says about us as individuals.  Luke 15:4-7 is a wonderful passage about our Good Shepherd and how He will leave the ninety-nine to go find the lost one.  He is a God who sees us as special individuals.  

Luke 12:7 talks about how God numbered every hair on your head - He knows everything about you!  I love what The Passion Translations says about it in Luke 12:6-7, “What is the value of your soul to God? Could your worth be defined by an amount of money? God doesn’t abandon or forget even the small sparrow he has made. How then could he forget or abandon you? What about the seemingly minor issues of your life? Do they matter to God? Of course they do! So you never need to worry, for you are more valuable to God than anything else in this world."

God sees You, knows you, and thinks You Are Beautiful.  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

— Psalm 139:13-14 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

How are you feeling today about your beauty in light of seeking Truth about your position as a Princess and being loved by God?  Are you open to these new ideas and revelations?

Over the past few days while working in your journal, you have most likely thought of some beautiful women you know.  What is it that makes them beautiful?  If you had to put your finger on it, what would it be?  

I'm reminded of a dinner I attended with about 10 women.  A friend of mine joined me as we went around the table and said one word that represented each woman.  Nobody knew we were having this conversation, so we were free to express the words that came to our minds. "Sincere, Strong, Joyful, Determined, Loving, Deliberate." We had a wonderful time enjoying and recognizing the beauty in these friends.  In a world of constant comparison and cutthroat competition, it's liberating to know we can choose love and appreciation instead.  

It's easy to see the beauty in your friends, but do you see your own?  Do you feel inferior in a group of beautiful ladies, hoping someday you will measure up?  Let God help you with your self image today.  He will speak Truth to your heart and reveal just how beautiful you are.  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful...”

— Song of Solomon 1:15 English Standard Version

Good Morning Beauties!

What do you think of today's Truth?  It's one of my favorites.  Right away we're looking at the Truth of God's great love for us.  What's better than that?

God's unconditional Love for us is a difficult to fully grasp.  Nothing in this world is like it; we have nothing to compare it to.  Perfect Love is His alone, and He chooses to give it to us freely.  Spend a few minutes right now thanking Him for loving you with His unending Love.

God loves us above ALL things.  Let's take a look at what this means.  Out of all the wonderful and magnificent things He's created, He Loves you even more. You are His finest creation!  But we can't stop there.  (This is where the enemy lies to us.)  God Loves us above all the "bad things" we've created, which the Bible calls sin.  He Loves us despite every last sin we've done or will ever do.  

Believe this Truth and stop believing your sin in any way diminishes the Love of God.  It doesn't! My beautiful sisters, that is a lie right from the pit of Hell.  Nothing can or will ever separate you from the the full on, 100%, all He has to give, Perfect and Unconditional Love of God....nothing.

His creation and your sin - He Loves you above it all!  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

— Romans 5:8 Amplified Bible

Good Morning Beauties!

You are a princess....the dream of every little girl.  You ARE the daughter of the Most High King!  Do you believe it?  How do you walk out this Truth in your everyday life?  

Bible teacher, Beth Moore, once told the sweet, yet powerful, story of a little girl's birthday party.  The party had a princess theme.  Beth described how each little girl carried herself as a real princess.  Head held high, shoulders back, graceful in movement, delicate in touch.  Yet each princess was kind and gentle with the other girls.  

That story has stayed with me over the years because there's such a lesson of Truth in it.  We ARE princesses!  Do we behave in a way that exudes confidence of knowing our Father is the ultimate King and yet act with kindness and humility knowing that God loves every person with the same Perfect Love?

What does God bring to your mind when you ponder, "Daughter of the King"?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Those of us who have received Christ are literally children of royalty.”

— Beth Moore - Breaking Free

Good Morning Beauties!

Welcome to the very first day of your journey.  You have prepared well and I know you're ready for this amazing adventure with God.

As a reminder, the purpose of the journey is to spend time with God and allow Him to reveal Truth where you are believing a lie.  The process is transformative and not to be hurried.  I trust that you are making time to pray and spend time in God's presence and finding the courage to hear all He has to say.  The Bible tells us, “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’"  Jeremiah 33:2-3

My prayer is that you find this blog as an encouragement through your journey.  I'm going through my own 40 Day Journey and will post insights and revelations God speaks to my heart. You can visit it as you want - each day, as needed, or not at all.  The choice is yours. 

Today He's showing me how each one of us is beautiful.  Of course, I know this Truth, but He's bringing it to my attention this morning.  Take a look at the 3 sweet girls again, so BEAUTIFUL!!! Each girl in her own special way shines her beauty. We've all been created with unique physical features, personalities, and gifts, and we're all beautiful.

What do you believe is the most beautiful thing about yourself?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 
Kendra

“Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house. The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.”

— Psalm 45:10-11 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

Thank you for joining me here for the last day of preparation.  You're already showing great dedication to your journey.  The past two days we've looked at expectation and obstacles, and today we ponder motivation.

Do you have previous experiences in talking with God?  In hearing from Him?  In receiving revelation knowledge from Him?  Or is this "hearing from God" thing new to you?  It's really very easy;  there's no mystery.  God desires nothing greater than to be in relationship with you and has provided prayer as a way to communicate with Him; simply talking to Him and waiting to hear what He has to say.  I'm not referring to audibly hearing from God, but He will give you impressions deep in your spirit of what He wants you to know.  

God is infinite, and no matter where we are in our current relationship with Him, we can always grow deeper.  Any good relationship takes time and commitment from both parties.  It takes honesty and openness to flourish. 

Are you ready to go deeper with God?  Are you hungry for more of Him?  When you're extra sleepy on day 15, and you're thinking about skipping your time with Him, what will get you out of bed and excited to meet your King?  Here is where you need to dig deep and check your true motivation.  Take time to "selah" these questions today.  

God has so much love for each one of us, and has blessing in store as we walk with Him on our 40 Day Journey.  Thanks for preparing.  You won't regret the work.

Love and Blessings, 

Kendra

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

— Psalms 42:1-2 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

Welcome back.  I hope you enjoyed yesterday's exercise of writing down all of your expectations. Today please look at any obstacles that stand in your way of having a successful journey.  Trust God as He shows you what they may be.  

Once again I'm going to ask you to write these barriers down in your journal.  For every hindrance, write your action plan for overcoming the obstacle.  You may have one or many, but try to anticipate what they might be, and create a way to eliminate them prior to starting your journey. 

For example, time is always one of the biggest hurdles we have to jump over for a successful journey.  Most ladies say, "I just don't have enough time to spend everyday."  The answer is to Make time....we've all heard that before, but it's so true.  Overcoming this obstacle may mean getting up 30 minutes earlier for the next 40 Days.  Some ideas to help accomplish this goal is to prepare your clothes, lunch, etc. the night before and going to be 30 minutes earlier. 

I know it may sound easier than it is, but what is your commitment to yourself?  Is now the time to put yourself ahead of the line?  Is growing your relationship with God worth it?  Selah.

Love and Blessings, 

Kendra

“And it shall be said, ‘Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way.’”

— Isaiah 57:14 English Standard Version

Good Morning Beauties!

Welcome to your 40 Day Journey.  I'm so glad you're here.  You are Brave, Courageous and Beautiful!  God has so much in store for you as you open your heart to His revealed Truth.

Today we begin preparation for the journey.  As with any extended journey, we must prepare. On this first day, please think about your expectations of the journey.  Find a place to write them down in your journal.  You will look back at these notes throughout the journey to see if you're on track.  What do you want to see?  What is your part?  What is God's part?  Are you willing to be vulnerable with God as He digs deep?  Selah.  (Stop and think about these things.)

The Late Summer Journey will be my 6th!  I've grown so much through each journey, and have learned that Trust plays a major role in its success.  We must take one step at a time, not knowing or seeing what's ahead.  It can be frightening, but that's when He makes His presence known and brings us security in Him. 

God is so beautifully trustworthy.  He loves you more than you will ever know with an everlasting love.  He has a perfect plan for your life and wants to show it to you, but first He wants to help you uncover the lies you believe and replace them with His Truth.

I've included a beautiful scripture from the book of Proverbs below.  May it bless you as you embark on your 40 Day Journey.

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child He loves that He corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this."   ~ Proverbs 3:5-12 The Message Bible

Love and Blessings, 

Kendra

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

— Romans 12:2 New International Version

Good Morning Beauties!

Today is an important day.  Please look back through your entire journal and reflect on your journey experience.  Look at your Day 1 and compare it to your Day 40.  Do you see change? 

Did your journey exceed the expectations you set on Preparation Day 1?  Most beauties find the experience to be different than hoped for, but more satisfying than they thought it would be;  happily surprised that God used the journal in a way they did not anticipate.

If the journey did not meet your expectations, why?  Did your plan of action keep the distractions away?  Did you find your motivation hard to maintain?  Was it difficult to make time in your schedule to meet with God each day?  Remember, the journal was meant to be used again and again, just as our life is a consistent journey.  If it wasn't as transformative as you hoped, try again.

Every journey has proven to be different for me.  In this journey, God revealed to me just how much I believed the lie of the enemy in regards to impending death.  In the times we live in with active shooters, the enemy brought back my fear from when I was held up at gunpoint years ago.  The acute fear was real for me.  The enemy also used my sister's death to convince me that my health was failing as well, and that I surely would die a horrible death like her.  

What lies!  They kept me bound in fear for the past few years, but God also revealed His Truth.  Psalm 62:1-2 says, "I wait patiently for God to save me;  I depend on him alone. He alone protects and saves me, He is my defender, and I shall never be defeated."

Reflect today on all the Truth God has revealed to you during these past 40 days.  Being a woman of action, how will you walk out your new freedom?  Selah.

Free to Dance - Hillsong

Love and Blessings, 

Kendra

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”

— Proverbs 31:25 New International Version