A Single Mother's Joy

I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.
Jeremiah NLT 10:34 NLT


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My life was never my own to begin with but that became very evident after becoming a mother. "My" time now rests upon someone else's schedule. I eat when I can and when I do I almost always have to share. Bathroom privileges, including 🚿, you got to get in where you fit in. It may be the wee hours of the night 🌃 or early sunrise 🌅.  Alone time - I miss those days where I could just lay in my bed all day and do nothing or be alone with my thoughts, get up and go when I want to. Sleep 😴 - I'm still truly amazed at how your body and mind gravitates to not sleeping. I have days or moments where I'm super exhausted but after my day gets going I kind of forget about it and I'm good to go! LOL I have gotten better and DO take advantage of the opportunity to sleep when my baby is sleeping. Some of my work around the house is completed late at night. There is a lot I want and need to get done but sometimes we do have to leave that pile or issue for another day.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
James 1:2-3 NKJV

My son will be 9 months this month and I am no longer ashamed to admit publicly that I have still been struggling to balance my time with the LORD and my time with my son. When I do set time for GOD and make HIM priority by praying, reading, praising, writing to HIM, there is a difference in my day! There is a difference in my spirit. Only by keeping GOD 1st in my life am I even able to carry out this motherly job! I know in the beginning HE graced me because I was a new mom and still adjusting and etc. but I know I'm now passed that season and need to make some sacrifices. The time & schedule that I set to for my time with GOD will not be the same as everyone else's. My time with HIM may be when everyone else is sleeping. It may be the early morning or it may be the middle of the day. During The War in the Mind classes, I distinctly remember my Pastor saying we have to figure out what schedule works for us and stick to it. GOD will honor that. If it starts off as only being 15 minutes a day - at least we are sacrificing and making that time for GOD.

Do I miss the life I had before I became a mother? Yes & No. Yes, I miss being able to do absolutely nothing when I wanted to. I miss staying up late (your girl can't hang anymore these days) to watch movies; I miss getting up and jumping in my car to shop or wherever I wanted to go and staying as long as I wanted. Yes, I miss sleeping in. I miss my nice long naps. Yep - I would get in at least 2 a day! Hahahaa

All that I miss has no comparison to what I have gained. The Lord blessed me with a beautifully handsome son who is such a great joy to everyone that comes in contact with him. GOD allowed me to get pregnant when HE did and by who HE chose because the LORD knew that I was on the path of self-destruction and had HE NOT intervened when HE did...WHOA JESUS!!!!!!! That's a scary thought to think where I could have ended up. BUT GOD!!

When the LORD intervenes on our behalf and disrupts the plans we thought we had, count it all joy! Once we have said YES to GOD, our lives are no longer our own. We are to glorify GOD with our lives, with our actions, and with our words.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV

I am a single mother but my circumstances doesn't dictate the joy and peace that I have. I will have joy in my heart in spite of what I go through.

I pray this post has blessed & encourgaed you IN the LORD today!!
🙏 ❤😍

The Wrong Way

Early morning Luvs! I first want to thank you for checking out my new blog post. As always, it is my hope and prayer that you are blessed and encouraged IN the Lord by the things HE places on my heart and in my spirit to share with everyone.

I woke up around 2:30 and I was just thinking..randomly, and the Lord dropped this into my spirit: How funny (maybe not so much) is it that we KNOW NOT to drive down the wrong way on a One Way street (not talking about those few that actually do drive the wrong way) but we don't know or don't stop going the wrong way towards someone or a situation when GOD has clearly given us signs?!? 

I heard in my spirit that going in the wrong direction on that One Way street doesn't and won't make it a Two Way street. So, why do we think that by continuing on with someone that we KNOW GOD has showed us is the wrong way or the wrong direction that we can make them into something they aren't supposed to be??! HELLO 👋  SOMEBODY!!

Now, I'm not saying that they can't or don't turn One Way streets into Two Way streets because they have.

My whole point is that GOD gives us signs about a person or a situation almost immediately but we choose to NOT yield to them. 

Going in the wrong direction of a One Way street is just going to put you in danger and at risk of an auto collision or worst.

Let us learn how to thank GOD for HIS signs and to be grateful at just how much HE loves us. GOD doesn't have to warn us about anything but HE does because HE loves us and cares about us! GOD's ways and thoughts are higher than ours.


“For  as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:9 NKJV


If GOD is telling us NO! Or to NOT ENTER! Or DON'T GO THAT WAY! or ONE WAY ONLY! HE is telling us for a reason. It's for our good.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
Psalms 84:11 NKJV

GOD is our light and protector  (sun and shield). If we walk upright - are on accord with what is right, more importantly, with the things GOD says is right, then HE will not withhold any good thing from us.

If you are going the wrong way my prayer is that you ask GOD to open your eyes 👀  to see what HE sees. Ask the Lord to give you a sign. Ask the Lord to show you the sign again if you missed it or ignored HE.

HE cares about your well being and only wants the very best for you. If you are reading this it's not too late!!!

I love you with the love of the Lord and I thank you for reading my blog. Be a Blessing to somebody somehow on today!! 🙏❤🙏❤

Fornication Got Me Pregnant & Alone

Blessings to all who took the time to read my post. I greatly appreciate it! SPREAD THE WORD!! Much Love to each and everyone of you..

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The Holy Spirit put this in my spirit last week and I've been attempting to finish it up because I feel it's a needed message for right now. For those who read my blog or any of my writings that I post, you're probably aware that a big majority of it are my own personal testimonies and the other half is something the Lord places in my spirit that usually comes from something I've heard or watched or even from something someone has shared with me. That's just the way the Lord has chosen to use me and the way the Holy Spirit works through me. I'm very thankful for the gift!

I pray that you are very blessed and encouraged by my writing(s). All glory and praise goes to the Lord above! I'm just a vessel He has chosen to use..


Let's start with the definition of fornication: sexual intercourse outside marriage; voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried people (not married to one another).

The Bible's definition: sexual immorality; spiritual whoredom (2 Chronicles 21:10-14)

Fornication caused me to get pregnant, which resulted in me being left alone in the end You notice I said, fornication and not sex. I know that line right there went over a lot of people's heads. Married couples can legally have sex with each other in the eyes of God. I'm not married, nor was I married when I conceived my baby.

"There are numerous Scriptures that declare sex before marriage to be a sin (Acts 15:20; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; 10:8; 2 Corinthians 12:21;Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jude 7). The Bible promotes complete abstinence before marriage. Sex between a husband and his wife is the only form of sexual relations of which God approves (Hebrews 13:4)."
http://www.gotquestions.org/God-hate-sin.html

Now, lets talk about the definition of the word alone: separate, apart, isolation from others; unique, unequaled and unexcelled.

Isn't it ironically funny and very interesting how the words separate, apart and unequal are mentioned for the meaning of the word alone? Have any of you made the connection yet?? :)

SIN separates us from GOD! "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2)  The Bible also says, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)

I just want to first off state that the Lord dropped this into my spirit last week, If there is anyone who feels offended by this message, TAKE IT UP WITH GOD! As my Pastor lovingly says, "I know this is God." :) My post is not to judge or attack anyone, but it was put into my spirit to share this message. This is what the Lord gave to me regarding me but I also know this is for SOMEONE else as well! No longer can we feel ashamed and hide regarding our faults and disobedience! If you have repented and turned away from these sins and asked the Lord to deliver you and help you with your daily struggle(s), YOU HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN! The Lord convicts; the devil condemns! STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP AND DWELLING ON THOSE THINGS! Your story needs to be told to help FREE others!

Now, in regards to be being left alone in my pregnancy, it is very much true that you can be a married woman and get pregnant and still end up alone. The husband can get scared; he may not have wanted kids or be isn't for kids; he may not be working and think it's a burden because their fiances aren't right. There could be many reasons. What I believe in my heart when it concerns married couples in those situations, is that because there was a covenant and solid foundation established from the moment they said "I do", that husband, who is the father, can easily be drawn back to his wife, who is his rib, versus someone he has soul ties with.

FYI: Soul ties are very powerful and hard to break away from, but that's another story.


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THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO TO RELEASE, BUT I FEEL THERE'S MORE GOD WANTS ME TO ADD TO IT. UNTIL THEN, STAY STRONG IN YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD!

IT..WILL.GET..BETTER!!!!

God's Hand: My Personal Testimony

So, it has definitely been a long time sinceI've published any writing on my blog. I have a lot of poetry and inspirationals I've written which I've posted via my Instagram writing account, but nothing on my blog site. A lot has changed since my very last post back in January of 2014. I plan on being active with my blog account again.

As always, I am blessed by the support and I appreciate it along with the feedback. I thank God for using me to be a blessing to so many. Be encouraged in the Lord!!!

~Raven J. ❤💋❤💋❤

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Last week Tuesday, July 7th, I had somewhat of a nervous breakdwon. It could hae been a lot worst and I anticipated it being as such, but God interceded! You know when you feel a head cold coming on and you try to remedy it right away? You buy or make sure you have your orange juice, cough drops and some soup on deck and attempt to nip it in the bud that night?! Well, I forseen myself just flipping out and just giving up. I literally felt myself no longer caring and just feeling completely helpless! "So a man thinketh, so is he."


Ironically, I did just get done praying and speaking positivity into the atmosphere regarding my situation. I was naming & claiming it..Now, either I didn't really have faith in what I was praying, I didn't pray hard enough, or the prayer(s) that I spoke was like that seed that fell on on the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Either way, I instantly became depressed and just felt like giving up and that everything that I knew to do or was supposed to do was just not helping me in any kind of way. I felt helpless and I got scared and started worrying about how I'd be able to care for my little Prince.

No matter what I'm going through or how I'm feeling, 95% of the time, taking a shower always seems to make me feel better. Well, on this particular day, I took my shower and it didn't make me feel better, which I have had happened a few times before and I went on with my day. On this particular day, I took my shower, cleaned myself up and whatnot but afterwards, I just sat in the tub with the water runniing down on me for about a good 30 minutes.


Earlier, before I even got ready to take my shower, I just sat in my bed and I wanted my mind to wander. I just sat there and and just wanted it to just go! So, when I was just sitting there in the shower tub all of that time, that's what I wanted to happen, too! I just sat there and tried to disappear from within myself. I did cry out to God and asked Him to not let me drown. (Figuratively, not literally)

 I asked Him to save me from myself. I asked Him to come down and rescue me! I asked Him to help me and to make a way out of this situation. I kept rubbing my stomach and looking dowb at it and was thinking about my baby and still feeling helpless. After a while, I became numb again and just continued to just sit there and attempted to let my mind go one more time. I didn't want to think of anything. I didn't want to be going through what I was going through. I hated feeling helpless.

During all of that, I still managed to think of something to pray over myself. I said, "God still has His hand on me. God still has His hand on my baby. I still have a purpose." Even though I was completely lost and down and depressed, the Holy Spirit was still able to reach me! I still was able to remember one of the Lord's many promises to me. The Lord will NEVER leave me nor FORSAKE me!!!

I share this very personal, detailed, and raw testimony to say this: ENCOURAGERS NEED ENCOURAGING, TOO! People who are always smiling seem to be the ones who have the most unimaginable stories, who's smiles hold the deepest scars. There's a lot behind someone's smile. A phone call can actually save someone's life! A text message can save someone's life! A visit can save someone's life! Simply saying Hi and asking someone how they are doing and/or how their day is going can make a HUGE difference in a person's day.
I remember when Hulk Hogan was doing the new American Gladiators show wtih Laila Ali, he talked about how he was in a really bad place and was at the point of committing suicide just before his co-host Laila Ali called him on the phone. I believe he said he had a gun in his hand..


***IF SOMEONE IS ON YOUR MIND, REACH OUT TO THEM! WE MAY NOT ALWAYS KNOW WHY GOD PLACES SOMEONE IN OUR HEART OR MIND. YOU MAY JUST BE THAT PERSON WHO HAS THAT ENCOURAGING WORD THEY NEED! DON'T GO OFF OF YOUR FEELINGS & THOUGHTS. THE LORD WILL LEAD YOU AND TELL YOU WHAT TO SAY IF ANYTHING. IF YOU CAN'T CALL THEM, TEXT THEM. IF YOU CAN, PAY THEM A VISIT AND LET THEM KNOW YOU POPPED UP UNEXPECTEDLY BECAUSE YOU WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THEM. IF YOU CAN PHYSICALLY REACH OUT TO THEM RIGHT THEN & THERE, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND COVER THEM IN PRAYER! LIFT THEM UP TO THE LORD AND MAKE SURE TO REACH OUT TO THEM TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE INDEED OKAY!!!***

We all have our own personal journeys & walk that is designed specifically for us. Even though no person can walk someone's else's path, they don't have to walk it alone. At the end of the day, we ALL are trying to survive and make it one more day!!

Love on somebody today!!!! I love you and God bless each & everyone of you!!!

Stay ENCOURAGED in the Lord!!!

Photo Credit: Google Images and Zedge Wallpapers for the black & white photo with my poem on the bottom.

Be Happy

"All I really want
is to be happy
And to find a love that's mine
It would be so sweet"

I'm sure most people know that song. It's called Be Happy by Mary J. Blige.

Philippians 4:12 NLT

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

No, a man or woman doesn't or shouldn't determine our OWN happiness! They SHOULD, however, add and bring their own happiness into the relationship!

I just want my OWN LOVE! My own FOREVER! But NOT just with any man! With the man GOD ALREADY HAS MOLDED & SCULPTURED OUT FOR ME ALONE!!!
A few exes in my past, I would have almost bet my life they were "The One" God had for me. 1 of them I know I was in fact willing to bet my life that he was to be my husband. But that was 4/4.5 years of my life that I can't get back!!!! (TESTIMONY)

I REFUSE to go through that again!👎👎👎👎 I CANNOT put my emotional, mental, and spiritual health through that again!!!

When I'm in a relationship, I'm dating with a purpose! I'm not dating just to pass the time and to see how long it can last or because it's fun. I date with the intent on a serious commitment where it's HEADED towards the alter! That's where I was headed with that long relationship I mentioned earlier. Or shall I say, that was MY intent and where my heart was at, but that other side of the coin never got to see the results.

Yesterday, my cousin posted on my Timeline and said,
"If I could give you anything in the world it would be the key to the heart of a God-Fearing, well rounded and handsome man! A guy customized just for You! ‪#‎youaresodeservin."

Psalms 139:14 NLT

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

That truly touched my heart what my cousin posted because even though deep down inside I KNOW I deserve better and to have the best God has for me, my outer self has a very difficult time with that realization. I settle for less.. and keep settling for less! I put up with things and except things I don't deserve. What it all boils down to is I accept what I can get. Or in "my mind"', I accept what I think I'm only able to get. A lot of the times, my conscious makes me think I really don't deserve better and that I won't ever have that dream come to past. I DON'T want to have the "girlfriend" title for the rest of my life or be the side chick/other woman or the woman it's okay tojust have sex with but NOT good enough to be in a relationship with.

1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT

for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

The Lord knows my struggles and weaknesses. I have such a strong desire to be married and have a family. I'm about to turn 31 soon and my inner-self thinks that I'm getting too old and am running out of time. God's clock isn't like the world's clock. True, it's not my dream to be 40 and having my first child, but who am I to say that's not what God has planned for me?? I don't believe it is. I truly believe when He delivers me from all these strongholds and the things I'm battling, which I know is preventing me from meeting my future husband, only then will my future be TRULY revealed to me.

No Healing

We don't want the be healed. A lot of us can't be healed or delivered by God because that very thing He's trying to heal us from, we keep going back to!  

A lot of people doubt the power of God when it comes to Him healing people because they can't fully comprehend how it works. For one, doubt hinders God from healing. How can you expect the Lord to heal you when you doubt that He can do it?  Faith as small as a mustard seed is all you need but some people don't even have that. So, if you don't believe it, He can't do it. 

Secondly, we continue to bring illnesses on ourselves. I'm not talking about chronic illnesses per se. Smoking cigarettes is a proven fact to cause cancer. Liver disease is caused by people who drink heavily. AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is proven to be the result of people who have unprotected sex. Where is the wisdom in doing those things?! 

Exodus 15:26 NKJV

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

I Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If you have a drinking problem, smoking problem (not just cigarettes) or a sexual addiction and deep down you want to quit, there are some things you have to change in regards to your lifestyle in order for that deliverance to take place. Don't deliberately put yourself in temptation situations! If you know alcohol is going to be all around, don't go! If people are going to be smoking, don't show your face! If there's going to be provocativly dressed men or women or just a strong sexual environment, don't you dare walk out that door!

I Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

I believe this scripture is for when we don't willingly put ourselves in such situations. Where we weren't prepared and are cut off-guard. If you have your regular circle of friends, you pretty much already know what kind of festivities they'll be getting into. If it's going to cause you to suffer and hurt yourself physically, morally and spiritually, you needn't to be there. 

Some of us end up missing our friends, the lifestyle or just that atmosphere and put ourselves in those environments before the Lord has completely healed us. Even when He does, it's not wise for us to go back to such things. 

I Corinthians 8:13 NKJV

Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

If people are really, truly your friends, they'd support and encourage you. Now, if they start acting funny towards you and give you a difficult time and make light of the situation, maybe you don't need them in your life like you thought. Lung disease isn't cool! Lung cancer isn't cool! Going into a drunken sprew and having blackouts isn't cool! Having chlamydia or AIDS isn't cool! 

These are serious, real LIFE & DEATH matters that we can't worry about people no longer being our friend. 

Romans 14:21 NKJV

It  is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do  anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

When JESUS died on that cross,  He paid our debt of all things! So, not only did He heal us from those examples I mentioned, but also from lying, stealing, cheating, adultery and thousands of other things! God can and DOES want to heal us! But at the end of the day, the choice is ours. Either we'll stay in bondage to our illness or we can be FREE, healthy and alive in the Lord! 

Be Blessed & Encouraged in the Lord today! ♡♥

Fears and Doubts

Fear will cripple you. Doubt will restrain you.

Fear of living or trying, or allowing fear to have any control over your life and what you do will cause you to be enslaved to it. Jesus came to set us free and says in John 8:36 NKJV

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Doubt will box you in, which is another form of enslavement! Jesus can't move in our lives when we doubt. Doubt actually hinders our blessings. Doubt hinders God. "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:6 NKJV

We have to walk out on faith and not what we see or hear. Faith and doubt are the opposite of each other. Don't allow the troubles of this temporary world get you so down that you doubt the power of God's love and His promises. Don't let the sadness and disappointments of people and situations cause you to live in fear and be afraid of going on and continue to strive for your dreams & goals. We can't hide or run away from the world. It's going to keep turning whether we get out and live it, or lock ourselves away in a room somewhere.

The Bible says in II Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

This was definitely for myself first, but I pray others are encouraged and inspired as well.

Life can be so wonderful and so beautiful. At the same time, it can be a very scary and sad place. Death happens. It's inevitable. Disappointment happens. We're all human. Things and people change. That's the cycle of life. Despite the hard times, we have to stay or get reconnected to the ONE True person who will see us through it all! That person is the Lord Jesus! He knows our pain; He knows our fears, hopes, doubts and struggles. All we have to do is commune with Him and give Him our burdens. It won't always be easy to face our fears and let go of any doubts we may have, but little by little and day by day, we'll start to fill whole and alive again! By the grace of God, we can make it! 🙌 

Romans 8:37 NKJV

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

**This blog post is a dedicated memorial for James Jones. I'm still having a difficult time accepting your sudden passing and my subconscious denial to the fact. But I'm trusting in the Lord for my healing to help me with all the feelings and sadness I've been carrying within me. I miss you..Thank you for being part of our lives for over 25 years!!!♥***