Fasting Your Addictions

My Fellow Sippers,

As I sit here in the warmth of my home, I can't help but to take a moment to pray for all of those who did not enjoy the warmth of their home last night. I also pray for those who are still trying to get home today. I pray for the parents and children who were reunited today, after the children had to spend the night at school. The severity of this snow/ice in Georgia is something that many people can't understand. Many are trying to figure out who to blame. Instead of playing the blame game, I recommend we just stop and thank God for the blessings of being home and off the icy streets. We fail to realize that in the midst of treacherous circumstances, that our Father is trying to reveal something to us. We're still blindsided and distracted to see what He's trying to reveal.

This brings me to my post for today...
I spent 21 days fasting this month. From January 5-26, I gave up what I thought was my biggest addictions.....SODAS and INSTAGRAM. I don't know, nor do I understand why I am addicted to Instagram, but I would find myself spending a good portion of my day refreshing and scrolling. So here's some things that I learned on my fast.

-My soda addiction was mental. I had gotten to the point where I was jeopardizing my health just to have a soda (sometimes multiple sodas) every day.

-Water isn't as bad as I had convinced myself. In fact, I found myself not even wanting sodas. Drinking water all day for 21 days was refreshing. I didn't struggle those first few days of the fast. To be perfectly honest, it took me a few days to want a soda after my fast ended.

-Drinking nothing but water is good for weight control. I lost inches! I can't say pounds because I refuse to step on a scale for a few months. I knew that I lost inches because all of my clothes were falling off of me. It got to the point that I could just pull my dress pants straight down, without unbuttoning and unzipping. (TMI?)

-Instagram creates jealousy. I officially despise the sublime brought forth through social media. Instagram for one has caused people to become someone else. Everyone is trying to be better than the next person, but they are going about it the wrong way. You are a "nobody" if you don't have at least 1000 followers (I guess I am a super nobody). You are a "nobody" if you don't have the latest fashion, the latest cars, you don't spend countless hours in clubs or bars throwing money that you should be saving to invest in your future. Indeed I officially hate social media for such reasons. It has caused so much hatred, and I am sure that it is the cause behind a number of murders and robberies. But of course, we're blinded by this addiction to portray to be something that we aren't, that we won't even admit how evil social media is.

I've decided to use my social media outlets as sources to spread inspiration, love, and more importantly Christ. So what that I don't have what everyone else has? Guess what? So many people don't have what I have, which is JESUS CHRIST as their Lord and Savior. They don't have the personal relationship and endless faith. They aren't so radical for Christ that they're willing to lose the fame that social media has brought them. But I am! I've learned from my fast that I'm OKAY being YOUNG, BOLD, & FREE!

With all of that being said, I am also excited about what the Lord has revealed to me during this fast. He has instructed me to fast every month. Therefore, I am inviting all of my fellow sippers to fast every month with me. Some months the fast will be longer or shorter than other months. February's fast will begin February 1-February 14. I encourage you to fast something that is distracting you from spending time with our Father, or even an area in your life that you need to learn discipline. For myself, I will be giving up sweets!

Don't forget, Sunday is our last discussion for January. We will be discussing Thessalonians, and what I've learned thus far is that a contextual study is essential in order to understand why certain things are being said. The February schedule will be posted by Sunday as well!!

As always, TAKE A SIP WITH THE KING!

-The King's Daughter

Reading Discussion: James

My Fellow Sippers,

I know that I am a day late, but I am definitely not a dollar short. Charge it to my head and not my heart. I will jump straight into this week's discussion on the Book of James. I have read this book several times before, but this time as I read I found myself understanding and grasping more than I did previous times before. Here it goes...

James 1
I will begin with verses 2-6 which in the New Living Translation is entitled Faith and Endurance. Surely, this is something that we can always attain knowledge on. I love how James begins this section by saying that when we face troubles that we should consider it great joy. Let's pause right here... How often do we find our troubles to be joyous? If it were something to rejoice about, then we would not consider it troubling right? Well he continues with verses 3-4 by saying,

³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Passing the "faith test" means that you have endured. As with our patience, our endurance has to be strong in order to withstand some of the coming things that life has to offer.

Continuing with verses 5-6...
I love how James adds,  ⁵ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 

Verses 13-15 bring light to temptation, and I often hear people blaming the devil for their temptations; however, I believe that in doing so we are giving the devil too much credit in our lives. These verses, however, say that we shouldn't even blame God for our temptations. He does not tempt us to do wrong. Temptation comes from our fleshly desires, and balances with our sinful nature.

In verses 19-24 we are instructed by James to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. First of all, anger is something that I struggle with. Relating this to some of my personal experiences, when something hits that ONE NERVE I don't want to listen and by the time I speak, I'm already angry.
Then James indicates that we shouldn't just read the Word, we should absorb it and obey it.

James 2
This chapter opens with a warning against prejudices. I believe that this section is especially essential for today's society. We often judge others based on their appearances and what they have to offer us, instead of loving others the way that God has instructed us to. We shouldn't favor the rich over the poor, because the poor has been chosen to be rich in faith. We are committing a sin if we favor some over others!

This chapter ends by declaring to us that faith without actions is dead!!! I love how James breaks it down in verse 15, Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? This goes along with the command to love everyone. Our faith should be reflected by our good deeds, and serving our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

How often do we see people in need and we ignore their plea for help? I'm guilty! I can see someone who is needy, but I most times allow my pride to stop me from serving them the way that God desires us to. For me it is not selfishness that hinders me, as much as it is me analyzing their neediness. I typically question the validity of their need. However, my "Christ-likeness" does not show when I do this. It is not for me to decide how needy someone is.

James 3
James begins this chapter by describing the power of our tongues. I often forget how powerful my tongue is and that the words that I speak are a reflection of who I am. My prayer lately has been to Let the words of my mouth be acceptable in the sight of God. I often pray that when I open my mouth to speak that others will only hear "Christ-likeness."

James then ends this chapter by saying that our lives should be honorable in the sight of God. We should not be jealous and selfish and calling ourselves Christians. He says that these are "earthly, spiritual, demonic" (v.15).  Yes! Demonic! What? Again something else that I have been steadily praying about is that the Lord will help me to be more selfLESS and less selfish. I don't want to be demonic and unspiritual. I want to be seen honorable by God.

James 4
One of my favorite parts of this chapter is verses 7-9...

⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

We should be humble... practicing humility before God. Admit to our Father that we have done wrong by Him. We should not be proud about our wrongdoing. Instead we should be sorrowful and remorseful. WE SHOULD BE HUMBLE!!

James then warns again about judging others. This is important... Again in this this book we are warned against prejudices. This shows how imperative it is that we LOVE others!!

James 5
This concluding chapter is another indication of how there is growth of our endurance. This time James says that patience will help our endurance to grow! When I find myself in a season of tested patience, I frequently remind myself that my greater is coming. This is merely a test to see how much I am willing to endure, and to see how long I am willing to wait. In such a fast-paced society like today, we fail with practicing patience. We grow hostile in rush hour traffic. We nearly push people out of our way in grocery stores. We simply rush with everything we do, not realizing that patience will bring about something greater.

Lastly, I love how James tells about the power of prayer. I am a firm believer in asking so that it can be given, and knocking so that the door can be opened. We should pretty much be in constant prayer, whether it be for ourself or someone else. I think that we have forgotten that miracles do happen. If there is illness in our bodies, we should pray for healing. If there is a need in our lives, we should pray that the need is met. We should be commanding the Heavens to open up. Our harvest is reaped when we PRAY!

Let me know your response to this book below. Next Sunday, we will pick up with the Thessalonians!

With Love,
The King's Daughter

Reading Challenge Discussion 1/13-1/19

My Fellow Sippers,

I pray that you all are still enjoying the reading challenge. This week we focused on Colossians and began the Book of James. Along with continuing this reading challenge, I started my first week of my Masters program. Although it has been challenging keeping up with the readings for school, the readings for this challenge, the Prayer Project, and hearing from the Lord during my fast (which I will discuss in another post), I am determined to finish. A song came to my mind as I wrote that last sentence and it says, "I know that I'll have a strong finish because I have strong faith!" *sigh of relief*

I know that we were to read the entire book of Colossians and begin James; however this discussion will only focus on Colossians, as I feel that our discussions can be complete once we read an entire book. I'm wondering if anyone caught on to the pattern of books that we're reading. If not, I'll break it down. We're reading ALL of the short books in the New Testament. In February we'll kick it up a notch and begin reading the longer books. Don't ask why I'm doing it this way, I'm just following the directions that the Lord gave me.
 (BTW... I frequently switch my versions but I mostly read from New Living Translation. Sometimes I'll read from New King James Version or Message.)
Here we go...

Colossians 1
Again in this book we find Paul (and Timothy) praying for their fellow brothers in Christ. For me, it is another indication that we (the body of Christ) have to constantly pray for and be thankful for our brothers and sisters. The verse that stuck out to me is verses 9-14:

⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,^{[c] 12} always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ who purchased our freedom^[d] and forgave our sins.

Then we get down to verse 15-20 which in the NLT version is labeled as "Christ Is Supreme." This label is quite accurate and fitting for what these scriptures say. We are given an in-depth explanation of who Christ is to us. The scriptures say:

 ¹⁵ Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,^[e] 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.¹⁸ Christ is also the head of the church,which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.^[f] So he is first in everything.¹⁹ For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, ²⁰ and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Some people can belittle Christ, and even some Christians understand the concept of God but don't truly understand the depth of Christ and who He really is. I love how verse 15 says that He is the visible image of the invisible God. This means that God reigns over the Heavens and the earth, but He sent his Son, Jesus, to be the physical image (a replica, a reflection, a physical representation) of Himself. Let that marinate. He is first in EVERYTHING! Not some things, but ALL things.

Colossians 2
This chapter begins by touching on our new lives in Christ. Verses 6-7 says,

⁶ And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. ⁷ Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Then we jump down to verses 13-15 which brings light to our new life, our sinLESS life.

 ¹³ You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. ¹⁴ He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ In this way, he disarmed^[d] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

He made all things new about us. The reBIRTH. We're born again. All of our debts (sins) are canceled. They were canceled when He (Christ) died on the cross. All is forgiven through Him. When we surrender our all to Him, our lives are made whole and new.


Verses 16-23 pretty much say that we are not to follow the rules of this world. Even within some churches and denominations there are rules and we are instructed in verses 16-23 not to fall victim to these rules. For some of these rules are merely of human desire and have no connections to the rules of Christ.

Colossians 3
Chapter 3 continues with living new in Christ, or the reBirth. We are now given instructions in verses 5-10 which state,

⁵ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. ⁶ Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.^{[b] 7} You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. ⁸ But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. ⁹ Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. ¹⁰ Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

I don't know how much more explanation a person may need for those verses because it hit home the first time around for me.

When we get to verse 12-15, we are once again faced with being Christlike, being a reflection of Christ, being a representation of Christ.

¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

First of all, I KNOW that I struggle with verse 13. Sometimes it is extremely hard to forgive others when they have done wrong against me. Often when I find myself in those situations, I am reminded that I am forgiven daily. It is my duty...I am obligated to forgive others. No matter the seriousness or the extremity of what has been done against me I should forgive because, MY FATHER IN HEAVEN forgives me no matter the severity of my wrong against Him. Verse 14 says that we should clothe ourselves with love, meaning that love should abide within us every second, every minute, every hour, every day. Again, something else that I struggle with. It is hard to love the person that I struggle to forgive. .

Lastly verses 18-25 instructs us on how we should run our households. For all of my Godly Wives, we are instructed to SUBMIT! SUBMIT! SUBMIT! Verse 18 begins with "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord."

Colossians 4
Our final chapter in Colossians ends with encouragement for prayer and instructions from Paul. I highlighted verse 2 which says, "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." This means that when we pray our minds should be clear of all distractions. Often times when we pray, our minds are racing a million thoughts per minute. We can't focus on praying so rush through our prayer so we that we can focus on our thoughts. We need to reverse that. We need to rush through our thoughts so that we can focus on our prayer.

I will end with my highlight of verse 6 that says, "Let your conversation be gracious and attractive^[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone." Reminds me of what Psalm 19:14 says,

May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

What we speak should be of Christ. Our words should be of love, of kindness, of humility, of grace. When we speak, others should hear Christ in our voices. Just as we are reflections of Christ, our words are reflections of who we are.

I hope that you will continue to enjoy James this week, and we will discuss next week! In the meantime here's an updated schedule to keep you on track for the week. Please note the changes that were made. Be on the lookout for a new post soon on fasting!

January 20 - James 3-4

January 21 - James 5/ 1 Thessalonians 1

January 22 - 1 Thessalonians 2 & 3

January 23 - 1 Thessalonians 4 &5

January 24 - 2 Thessalonians 1 & 2

January 25 - 2 Thessalonians 3

January 26 - No Reading/Discussion Day on James

January 27 - Catch up on readings

January 28 - Catch up on readings

January 29 - No Reading

January 30 - No Reading

January 31 - No Reading

February 1 - Discussion Day on Thessalonians

-The King's Daughter

Reading Challenge Discussion 1/3-1/11/2014

My Fellow Sippers,

As I've been reading along on this challenge, I am amazed at the different aspects that I've been reading. Usually I will read for a good heartfelt word (am I the only one to admit that?), but this time I've been paying more attention to who's writing and truly analyzing the words that they are saying.

I'll begin with Philippians...

I've read Philippians several times before, but again I'll confess that I typically only read out of desire to receive a word from the Lord. This time I understood that it was Paul who was writing, which is something that I'll admit to struggling with. I've always admired when individuals can say "(So & So) writes/says in the book of _______________." I never truly understood how they knew who was writing until I actually paid attention this time. Here are some of my favorite verses from Philippians.....

Philippians 1:20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

- I DESIRE TO BE BOLD FOR CHRIST. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANY SHAME IN PROFESSING MY LOVE FOR MY SAVIOR!

Philippians 2:2-11  Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:13-16 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. 

-HAVE A CHRISTLIKE ATTITUDE! Something that we ALL struggle with is living a life that reflects the attitude of Christ. I know for sure that this is something that I have to constantly remind myself.

Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

-Self explanatory... WORRY ABOUT NOTHING! PRAY ABOUT ALL THINGS! TELL GOD WHAT YOU NEED AND THANK HIM FOR ALL HE HAS DONE!

Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

-ALL OF MY NEEDS HAVE BEEN SUPPLIED!

Now let's go to Titus...

I thoroughly enjoyed Titus. My favorite chapter out of the book was chapter 2. Prior to reading this book I've desired to be like the Proverbs 31 woman, but after reading I want to be a replica of the Proverbs 31 AND the Titus 2 woman. 

³ Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers.^[a] Instead, they should teach others what is good. ⁴ These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, ⁵ to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes,^[b] to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.

I believe that something we lack now is the promotion of right teaching. Many of us have the "She can read the Bible like I do" mentality and refuse to guide other men and women of Christ into living right. I pray that I can have a change of mind and a change of heart, and that I can gain a mentality of "This is my Sister in Christ who needs guidance."

On to Philemon...

Although this book is only one chapter in length, that one chapter spoke a great volume. I loved what Paul said to Philemon in verse 4-6,

 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, ⁵ because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. ⁶ And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.

We are instructed to pray for another, and Paul prayed for Philemon, thanking God for him. How often do we thank God for our brothers and sisters in Christ? How often do we pray for them? How often do we pray and thank God for our friends?

Lastly Jude....

I've never read Jude, and to be honest I often forget that this book exists until now. Again another one chapter book that contains so much. What stuck out to me in Jude was his call to remain faithful, especially verses 20-23

 ²⁰ But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,^[g] 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.²² And you must show mercy to^[h] those whose faith is wavering. ²³ Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,^[i] but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.^[j]

 I interpreted this as Jude instructing us to lead others to Christ. By doing this, we are remaining faithful to Christ.


Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Here's the schedule of what you have to look forward to...

• January 13 - Colossians 1
• January 14 - Colossians 2
• January 15 - Colossians 3
• January 16 - Colossians 4
• January 17 - James 1
• January 18 - James 2
• January 19 - No Reading/Discussion Day
• January 20 - James 3
• January 21 - James 4
• January 22 - James 5
• January 23 - 1 Thessolonians 1 & 2
• January 24 - 1 Thessolonians 3 & 4
• January 25 - 1 Thessolonians 5
• January 26 - No Reading/Discussion Day
• January 27 - 2 Thessoloninans 1 & 2
• January 28 - 2 Thessonolonians 3
• January 29 - No Reading
• January 30 - No Reading
• January 31 - No Reading

Be blessed as I am being blessed through the readings.

-The King's Daughter

Feeding Your Spirit

My Fellow Sippers,

I pray that you are feeding your spirit on this reading challenge, and that you are truly being nourished. I have truly enjoyed reading the Book of Titus. It is my desire to be the Titus 2 woman! I have decided since I could not find a way to do the live chat that we will hold our discussion this Sunday via GroupMe. If interested in joining the discussion, then comment your e-mail address that is associated with your GroupMe and I will add you to the Coffee With The King group or use the following link to join: https://groupme.com/join_group/6780021/xzO6to

To catch you up with the reading plan....

• January 10 - Philemon 1
• January 11 - Jude 1
• January 12 - No Reading/Discussion Day
• January 13 - Colossians 1
• January 14 - Colossians 2
• January 15 - Colossians 3
• January 16 - Colossians 4
• January 17 - James 1
• January 18 - James 2
• January 19 - No Reading/Discussion Day
• January 20 - James 3
• January 21 - James 4
• January 22 - James 5
• January 23 - 1 Thessolonians 1 & 2
• January 24 - 1 Thessolonians 3 & 4
• January 25 - 1 Thessolonians 5
• January 26 - No Reading/Discussion Day
• January 27 - 2 Thessoloninans 1 & 2
• January 28 - 2 Thessonolonians 3
• January 29 - No Reading
• January 30 - No Reading
• January 31 - No Reading

Continue being blessed through the Word.

-The King's Daughter

Made To CONQUER

My Fellow Sippers,

Yesterday morning was a very crazy morning and with the strength that I knew I had, I decided to PRAY IT ALL TO JESUS! By the time I settled in at work, the following scripture came to my mind (if you follow my Facebook, then I'm sure you saw it):

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

After reading this scripture, I just knew that it was the Lord reminding me that I am MORE THAN A CONQUEROR.

With the overwhelming pressures of beginning grad school, I began to question if it is for me. I am truly adamant about school (it's almost like an addiction), and the thought of not being able to survive my first semester of grad school truly had my brain going 1000mph. As I was driving to work yesterday morning, I prayed and asked the Lord to help me to prioritize and organize myself so that I can do this, and that is when He reminded me that I am MORE THAN A CONQUEROR.

The thing that we often forget when we are vulnerable and at our most fragile moments is that we are made to conquer. He won't put more on us than we can bear! So in those moments of vulnerability and weakness, and when we're at the brink of giving up, let us remember that IN ALL THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS!!

Made To Conquer,
The King's Daughter

Let's take a sip!

My fellow sippers,

It has truly been a while since I have last written anything. My life has gone through quite a few transitions since my last post in December 2012. I have graduated with my B.A. in English, I still haven't passed my certification exam after 3 tries (BUT GOD has a unique plan for my life), I've worked at a summer camp for grandparents (and other relatives) raising children, I currently work as a paraprofessional in an interrelated Special Education classroom, I'm engaged to the loving father of my beautiful daughter. Ahhhhh.... so yes my life has been through several twists and turns within the last year. I have come to learn that each of these situations were uniquely designed for ME! I look at what my fellow 2013 graduates have accomplished and sometimes that jealousy spirit can overwhelm me, but I know and remind myself of what Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope" (NLT). In understanding this scripture, I have concluded that my God has a unique plan for my life and I may not understand all the twists and turns that I am going through, but He is preparing me for my place on earth. Won't He do it!!!!

Enough about me...

Let's get down to the main point of this post....

For the past few months I have been led to create another bible challenge. I was planning to just do it alone, but as I began to read I felt led to share it with my fellow sippers as some of you may need to nourish your spiritual body as well. Here's how it will go...

Below you will find a list of all the books and chapters that will be read daily. Sunday evenings will be dedicated to a live chat (once I figure it out lol) here at Coffee With The King. We will discuss anything that the Lord has laid upon your heart from the readings this week. All I ask is that you share this challenge with someone else!

In the meantime join the Prayer Project over at A Love Perfect! It is a 30 day written prayer challenge in which you are dedicating 30 days to praying for one person in written form. I have decided to pray for two people who have been heavily on my heart, and I'm dedicating 15 days to each person. 

Also if you are a friend of Instagram like I am, then join us weekly at @_TheGodlyWife_. We are currently reading Healthy Marriage Tips from A to Z by Matt and Laura Coppinger over at Heavenly Homemakers and we are discussing portions of the book every Friday!!

Ok here's the reading schedule beginning with tomorrow's date (jump ahead if you are an over achiever)

• January 3 - Philippians 1 
• January 4 - Philippians 2
• January 5 - Philippians 3 (No Sunday discussion. Will be held January 12)
• January 6 - Philippians 4
• January 7 - Titus 1
• January 8 - Titus 2
• January 9 - Titus 3
• January 10 - Philemon 1
• January 11 - Jude 1
• January 12 - No Reading/Discussion Day
• January 13 - Colossians 1
• January 14 - Colossians 2
• January 15 - Colossians 3
• January 16 - Colossians 4
• January 17 - James 1
• January 18 - James 2
• January 19 - No Reading/Discussion Day
• January 20 - James 3
• January 21 - James 4
• January 22 - James 5
• January 23 - 1 Thessolonians 1 & 2
• January 24 - 1 Thessolonians 3 & 4
• January 25 - 1 Thessolonians 5
• January 26 - No Reading/Discussion Day
• January 27 - 2 Thessoloninans 1 & 2
• January 28 - 2 Thessonolonians 3
• January 29 - No Reading
• January 30 - No Reading
• January 31 - No Reading

I encourage you to journal your thoughts and what is spoken to you as you read daily. 

As always...

Take A Sip!