Becoming the best version of yourself in 2026

New year, new goals, or maybe just a better version of yourself. 2026 for me begins with asking God to help me have more of Jesus and less of me in all that I do and say. Crucifying the flesh has to be the hardest thing we can do on a daily basis, can I get an "amen". Thank goodness we have the Holy Spirit who keeps us focused, or we can turn to His word to gain insight on how to move forward. God's word shows us a better direction for our mind and spirit rather than to follow our immediate emotions (the flesh) and not give that control. One example for me is cutting back on sugar. I love sweets but they do weird things to my body. So when I am tempted it's only by Holy Spirits' conviction that I can resist. On my own I cannot do it. Apart from Jesus we are weak and will give in. So making that decision each and every day, hour by hour to follow the spirit and not the flesh is harder said than done. I have to say that I have failed so many times, but it's by God's grace which is sufficient I can do better the next time. This is true for other things that come our way on a daily basis. Life is filled with temptation. In this modern world of technology and social media being at every turn, we have so many temptations that our flesh wants to get into. I have been there and done that. But now I turn to my Savior - Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for guidance and usually what happens is if I take the bait, my spirit will be restless, but if I don't, I have peace. I choose "peace" each and every time. So if you'd like to become a better version of yourself, start with keeping God first in your daily life. Study His word, be obedient when prompted by the Holy Spirit, in word and actions. Help others whenever and however you can, as often as you can. Forgive easily, and use your talents and gifts to increase the Kingdom of God. Stay humble and grateful and give God all the glory and praise! Amen! My prayer for you today: Dear Heavenly Father, I come before you with a heart eager to grow and to become the person you have created me to be. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and for your desire to see me flourish in every aspect of my life. Lord, guide me on this journey of self-improvement and transformation. Grant me wisdom to recognize areas where I need to change and the courage to take steps towards personal growth. Help me to embrace Your truth and to align my thoughts, words, and actions with Your will. Father empower me to let go of negative habits, attitudes and fears that hold me back from reaching my full potential. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I may bear the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfullness, gentleness and self-control. Help me to see myself through Your eyes as a beloved child created in Your image. Strengthen me to perservere through challenges and setbacks trusting that your grace is always sufficient. May I glorify You in all that I do, becoming a beacon of Your light and love to those around me. Thank You for Your promises and for the assurance that You will complete the good work You have started in me. In Your Precious name of Jesus - Amen!

If you are interested in this artwork you can find it here on my website!

New Year new beginnings

Good morning, today I just want to offer another prayer. As the new year begins there is always new worries that sometimes overcome us. At least they do for me, until I changed my way of thinking and dealing with certain emotions that are sure to come when living life in todays world. Worry is such a waste of time, causing us so many health issues and sad moments. I have found that God did not send his son to die for us so that we would worry and be sad or depressed. He died so we could live a life full of love, peace, joy, etc. the fruits of the spirit. So, today I want to offer this prayer for anyone who maybe feeling worried or anxious. The world is going through so much anger, war and so much division in our own country, peace is no where to be found, except in Jesus. "Thank Lord that your words say that you don't give us a spirit of fear but divine power, love and a sound mind through Jesus. I thank you, Lord that I can put my trust in you to work all things out for my good. I break my agreement with anxiety and cast out the spirit of fear and worry and command it to go now in Jesus name. I plead the blood of Jesus over my mind and heart and protect myself with the armour of God so that I can fight off the attacks of the enemy. Thank you for delivering me in Jesus name. Amen! Share this prayer with anyone that maybe experiencing worry or anxiety. I truly hope and pray that your life will begin to be less stressed and more alive in Christ. God Bless!

What are you thinking about?

Happy New Year everyone! I wanted to start off the new year with a prayer. It's a prayer I found that really helps me when my mind wonders. It's not very often but when it does it usually wants to go negative, can I get an "amen". I hope it helps you as well. I believe we all go through this at one time or another and depending on how we have trained our mind, it can take a turn that well is hard to recover from. Been there done that. So keeping this post short and sweet, here is the prayer. May 2026 bring only hope, love and Jesus into your lives each and every day. Prayer - Dear Lord, I thank you for the redeeming power of Jesus, who died and was raised from the dead for me. I repent for dwelling on any negative evil thoughts, and bring my mind into obedience to Christ. I seal up any access points that my thoughts have given to the enemy. I seal my mind with the blood of Jesus and wear the helmet of salvation. Thank you for saving me in Jesus name - Amen!

Thankful and Blessed

Good morning everyone. Days after the Thanksgiving festivities is always a time to gather your thoughts and approach the upcoming celebration of Jesus's birth with a whole new perspective. Christmas is just right around the corner, the ads remind me, the songs already on the radio. I wish they would wait until at least after Thanksgiving before they began, but that is not the case. I started hearing them long before that this year. Maybe it's just me, I do not think so. I believe others may be experiencing this too. It is a feeling of being rushed. Shop more, buy more, you get the drift. To me it's supposed to be a time for preparing for the birth of Jesus, and showing more care and love to others right? My Thanksgiving was a quiet one. I was home alone with the flu, it seems I get sick at the darndest times anymore. I am 70 so perhaps it comes with the territory. I was not able to see my family, or friends but they were in my heart and prayers. I gave thanks to God the Father, Jesus, my Lord and Savior and Holy Spirit. I have been blessed so much this past year. The list of things is long so I will not bore you to tears, but I will say God is Faithful! So many times I prayed, cried out to Him and He came through, not always in my timing but His. So what I would like to express to you to day is to stay faithful in your obedience and trust Him. Stand on His promises that He tells us in scripture, believe that He loves you and only has your best interest at heart. Know that He is always with you no matter what life is throwing at you, He cares for you. I hope this is comfort to your souls during this very busy and exciting season we get to experience. Also remember to not go into debt for gifts you cannot afford, I used to do this, until God showed me how to give from the heart, they will appreciate and love you more for it. So now, let's get busy in our lives showing our neighbors and friends more love and compassion. Giving a little more to those in need if you can. Just calling someone who is home alone to check up on them will be such a blessing. Then on Christmas we can rejoice and celebrate the birth of that little baby Jesus who came to this earth so we could have eternal life through Him. It's the best story in the whole world. God Bless you all and may God's face shine upon you each and every day. Mary

God has your back!

Today I just want to remind everyone just how much the Lord loves you. Even in our imperfections, sinful nature at times and even when we do not place Him first in our lives each day, He is faithful! He has your back! I had a situation recently, I prayed that particular morning God would use me in ways that would encourage and help others. I have a sweet neighbor, she is elderly just a little bit older than myself. Anyway, she called me with a heavy heart. She seemed very troubled about something and had a little fear about it. She was worried and anxious and just needed to talk to me. I told her God loved her and to remember God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love, peace power and a sound mind in Christ Jesus. I prayed for her and later on in the day I sent her a scripture that would remind her of God's love and faithfulness. That whatever it was she was going through, He would be right beside her. She sent me a text the next day and said she was at peace that evening and loved the verse. She said she would read it every morning to remind her of God's love. See, the enemy will try and make us feel bad, worried and anxious which these feelings only bring on more fear, but in those times we need to turn to God's words and promises from the bible and remember He will be with us and help us through whatever it is we face. I praised God even more that day! He used me to bring Jesus to my sweet neighbor when she needed Him the most. You are so amazing God, your love for your children is beyond words. May this story bring some hope to you in a time of need when you are sad or dissappointed about life in general, turn to God He has your back. Then pray if forward that He will use you in ways to bring Jesus to others around you. Amen! God Bless you! Mary

Jesus Our Only Hope

When I was going through some dark times in my life, it felt like I was in a dark storm that would never end. It was a very painful time for me. I didn't really understand why God would allow such bad things to happen to me or my family, the ones I loved. Yet now, I can see that God ws removing all the garbage in my life so he could begin rebuilding, restoring and renewing everything bad in me. That is His way of cleansing and helping us begin a new. He used those aweful and painful times to refine me, purify me, by bringing the impure things up to the surface, which by the way is a very tough thing to go through. Then He could remove them only by His grace. I had built my foundation on myself, my family and some worldy things instead of Jesus. So when everything fell apart so did I. In my painting that I have posted here, I can see Jesus extending His precious hand to me, saying "Come to me all who are burdened and heavy laden and I will give you rest." Today I wish blessings for each of you. Grace, forgiveness, healing, freedom and wholeness in Christ. That the fingerprints of Jesus would be seen upon your lives and evident to everyone around you. That Jesus would be at the center of your heart and your home. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Jesus is and always will be "Our Only Hope", this is what I have titled my latest oil painting. It is very special to me and hangs next to my door to greet everyone into my humble home. His hand extending to all who will take it. If you are interested in a print of any size, please visit my Pixels website. May God bless you today and always. Until next time - God willing, have a beautiful day.

How do you view God?

Good day to you. I just finished ready a really good book called "Trusting God when bad things happen" by Shelley Hitz and I had to share. It was an interesting read and really helped me get a better view of who God really is, his character his widsom, and on how much He truly loves us. He gave His only begotten son for us, is there a greater love than this. I also want to leave you with some things to ponder, and things to ask yourself on your view of God. First of all how you view God determines how you approach solutions in your life. Let that sink in, it sure did with me. Many of us may have a legalistic or perhaps rules-based view of God, which would make Him harsh and judgemental and who is angered when we do not do as we should. In this instance God would be unapproachable and our relationship with Him would be of fear and to only follow the rules. Do you view God as Harsh or Loving? Condemning or Grace-based? Angry or caring? Demeaning or Affirming? Hurtful or Kind? Far-off or Present? Demanding or Fair? Perfectionist or Forgiving? To better understand the character of God we need to look at scripture to see how He is defined. My personal view of God is that He is loving, approachable, honest, dependable and faithful. I am comfortable in His presence and spend as much time as I can in His word and trying to do His will for my life. There is a healthy fear of God and I realize that He judges fair and justly. Having a healthy view of God is so important especially before a crisis or in any situation where you need to stay peaceful and in control of a situation. Otherwise we will view God through the crisis instead of viewing the crisis through God and His character. In conclusion, read the book, it's on Amazon and for a very reasonable cost. It is so worth it. Now may your day and week and month be blessed in everything that you do. Keep God first and everything else will fall into place. Happy Valentines day to you all!