A Surrendered Heart

I want to be a blessing! As tears fill my eyes right now, God knows the deepest desires of my heart, that that I hold dearest to me. I surrender it to Him.... trust! Trust is so hard to come by these days and so hard to give, but He's proven Himself faithful all these years. He's never allowed us to slip or fall without standing ready to catch us if we'd call upon Him. He's never left our side or changed His mind regarding us. He's never given up on us! He knows the need you have and the weight you're carrying on your shoulders. He sees your tears and stands ready to mend your broken heart as soon as you're ready to surrender it to Him. He loves you! It's not what He does, but who He is. He is the way, the truth and the life... He is love!

Do Not Fear

Genesis 15:1; 21:17; 26:24 "Do not FEAR..."
Exodus 14:13 "Do not FEAR..."
Numbers 4:19; 21:34 "Do not FEAR"
Deuteronomy 1:21; 3:2; 3:22;31:8 "Do not FEAR..."
Joshua 8:1;10:8,25 "Do not FEAR..."
Judges 6:10,23 "Do not FEAR..."
Ruth 3:11 "Do not FEAR..."
1 Samuel 12:20 "Do not FEAR..."
2 Samuel 9:7;13:28 "Do not FEAR..."
1 Kings 17:13 "Do not FEAR..."
2 Kings 6:16; 17:35,37-38 "Do not FEAR..."
1 Chronicles 22:13; 28:20 "Do not FEAR..."
2 Chronicles 20:15,17; 32:7 "Do not FEAR..."
Proverbs 3:25 "Do not FEAR"
Isaiah 7:4; 8:12; 10:24; 35:4; 40:9; 41:10,13,14; 43:1,5; 44:2; 51:7; 54:4 "Do not FEAR"
Jeremiah 3:8; 10:5; 30:10; 46:27,28 "Do not FEAR..."
Lamentations 3:57 "Do not FEAR!"
Ezekiel 2:6 "Do not FEAR"
Joel 2:21,22 "Do not FEAR"
Haggai 2:5 "Do not FEAR"
Zechariah 8:13,15 "Do not FEAR"
Matthew 10:26, 28, 31; 14:27 "Do not FEAR..."
Luke 5:10; 12:7 "Do not FEAR..."
John 12:15 "Do not FEAR..."
1 Peter 3:14 "Do not FEAR..."
Revelation 2:10 "Do not FEAR..."


Fear cripples, blinds, discourages, torments, tortures, embarrasses, distorts, defames, slanders, misrepresents, deceives, damages, silences, paralyzes, distresses, imprisons and enslaves it's victims. No wonder God told us so often NOT to fear! Fear replaces faith, erases trust, manipulates hope and destroys opportunity. Chained as a prisoner of fear, you shrivel into an embryonic state and waste away day after day, after day. Depression engulfs you with a tidal wave of despair and like a hopeless caste away, you're washed up on the island of "if only". Ever been there? Are you there now? I can offer you hope!

Through out scripture, God implores us to resist fear and embrace faith. We are told to be of good cheer (Matt 14:27 KJV) and to take refuge in Him, our present hope in time of need (Psalm 46:1 NASB). We find solace under His wings (Psalm 91:4) and are promised hope for tomorrow, strength for today and courage in the midst of our trials. We're comforted by the knowledge that He'll never leave us, nor forsake us, (Hebrews 13:5) but that He will go with us... even to the end of age (Matthew 28:20)! For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

I encourage you today to take a step into the direction of FREEDOM, resist the urge to fear and embrace Faith in God. Trust Him!


Morning Prayer of Trust in God.
Psalm 3
O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah
But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.


Evening Prayer of Trust in God.
Psalm 4
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.
But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself; The LORD hears when I call to Him. Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the LORD. Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.


A Devotion by Kimberly Waters
February 18, 2010

Desire, Discipline & Determination

Several years ago, I endeavored to teach a class, of ten students, how to play the piano by ear. Using a method my grandfather, Rev. Marvin R. Howell created, I asked my mom to duplicate the piano chart my grandfather had made her, that I had also used. Though I was hardly qualified to teach, I was asked so often I thought I'd give it a try.

Weeks before our first session, I began making notes, trying to remember how I started learning to play. I failed miserably at piano lessons. Once the teacher would play the song, I would play it back for her without reading the music. It didn't much reprimanding me for me to lose the desire to learn anything from her.

Night after night, I'd go to sleep listening to soothing piano instrumentals. Day after day, I'd sit at the piano for hours, crying and begging God to teach me to play. I bet I spent more hours praying than practicing. It wasn't hard to pick out the notes to my favorite songs, but that wasn't the same. I wanted to play! Using the same piano chart my grandfather made for my mom, I taught myself every chord and their inversions (root, 1st & 2nd inversions). It wasn't long before I could take the notes I had picked out for a song and could begin chording it with my right hand. Using my left hand was tricky, considering I'm right handed. My left hand just seem to be useless on the piano. So I remembered a few runs from previous piano lessons and incorporated them in my class.

After making special notes, based on how I learned to play, I found three principles that carried my desire to learn from a dream to a reality. I like to refer to them as the 3-D's: Desire, Discipline and Determination. A goal set by a DESIRE to play, required DISCIPLINE and DETERMINATION. The goal could only be reached through endurance and patience. Though I'm hardly the pianist I'd like to be, I am encouraged and fueled by the knowledge that I can be as good as I want to get. Continuing to implement the 3-D's, there's nothing we can't do.

So whether it's learning to play a musical instrument, training to be famous athlete or whether you're studying to become a doctor or lawyer, remember this. As long as you have the DESIRE to grow in knowledge, as you DISCIPLINE yourself with the DETERMINATION to succeed, you can make any dream a reality! For behind every excuse, there's a lack of desire, but behind ever success there's a person who never failed to give up!

What's in a title?

Lately, I've been debating changing the my blogger title from "Relevant and Real" to something, well, anything else. I've brainstormed continuously hoping to think of something more creative, distinctive, perhaps something more appropriate. Much to my surprise, I've discovered there's no title quite as fitting as "relevant and real". I guess I could go with something like, "Thoughts & Prayers", "Random Thoughts" or, "Living Out Loud", but what's in a title?

Here are my thoughts. I tend to "shoot from the hip" and just write what comes to mind. Sometimes I share sermon outlines, devotions and/or poems I've read or written. There's no telling what you'll find on here, but this much is guaranteed, it'll be relevant and it'll be real. Like this blog entry, for instance. It's 11:42pm. I need to go to bed, but I just couldn't drop the ball again and end my day without bringing closure to the idea of naming this blogger. So, for now, I believe we'll just stick with "Relevant and Real" and see where it takes us. ;)

A Genuine Friend

True and genuine friends are like precious jewels hidden in God's creation. You can search the world over, dig and sift through the muck and the clay, but only if you search hard enough, long enough and in the right places, will you find the jewel whose value can't be measured or bought.

There Are Days...

There are days when life seems to be
Nothing more than a nightmare, a really bad dream.
I want to wake up and run from the scare
Only to find you standing right there.

There are days when life's a big joke.
We laugh till we cry and we cry till we choke.
Our smiles seem to carry us on
like the breeze in our sails, smooth sailing we're sailing right on.

There are days we'd rather never speak of
When our faults are exposed and we must share words, in love.
It's then I find how priceless you are.
For a true friend is hard to find, but a true friend you are.

There are days when it's imperative to
Count our blessings, evaluate our selves and assess our relationships, too.
It's important that those dear to us should know
That they're always on our minds, in our hearts and we love them so!


Written By: Kimberly Waters
Feb 8, 2010
"There are Days"