Author Archives: marysmithcreative

Growing up we always celebrated Easter and also learned about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.

However, as a child my focus ofcourse was on Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets, colored eggs, and candy. As most children’s focus is on these things. The resurrection of Jesus was talked about during our kids class but every child was focused on the egg hunt to come waiting for the “story” to end.

I understand the reality that the Lord made spring and we are to celebrate life and the beauty in His creation. Worshipping the ONE who made it and not the creation itself.

With this said, as a young adult someone wished me a happy resurrection sunday instead of Easter and I remember thinking to myself, “how strange” that person must be super “religious” and “legalistic”.

Yall. 🙈 I was so naive and unaware. Thank God for his loving kindness and mercy.

I didn’t really focus on that, I focused on the spring dresses and service we went to and the kids and their fun activities.

But after that sunday, it got me digging deeper. I came to the realization that this person wasn’t  religious and legalistic. They were walking in closeness with the Lord. As they grew in their faith they began to have deeper convictions and celebrated what truly mattered. As I began to study the origins of Easter I realized that it was originated with paganism. Which as a believer we are called OUT of. The church assembly began taking what the world did and making it about Jesus. What the enemy meant for evil the Lord will turn for good. That verses is about the LORD turning what the enemy meant for evil not MAN turning what the enemy meant for evil and calling it good.

The Lord gave me a visual when explaining to the boys why we are no longer partaking in Easter egg hunts.

Imagine a plank of wood with the word “pagen practices” carved into it. Then putting a sticker over it and calling it Christian.
I asked them, would that remove the carving? They said, “no that’s dumb, it’s like putting a mask on”.

Bingo.

So now our Ressurection Sundays will look different.

Learning about hosting a Sedar Dinner and how they “hide” the afikomen. It’s like a game. Interesting, right…
Making it fun for the kids but still about Jesus. Because Sedar points to Jesus.

Anyways, this is why we are celebrating Easter different this year. It’s about Passover and Sedar.

It’s about Jesus. I want the kids to KNOW it’s about Jesus. Not be distracted by other things.

Is it ok to give our kids gifts and candy, ofcourse it is. It is a blessing to be a blessing. But the actual tradition of the baskets and the “nests” and the colored eggs, were originated in paganism practices.

Learning to keep Jesus the focus, and still bless our children without making it feel like we take all their fun away is important. Especially when the Lord is teaching us these things, we don’t want them to see serving Jesus as a fun ruiner. Instead we can teach them that being blessed isn’t sin. Having fun isn’t a sin. However, if we are aware of something that doesn’t please the Lord, we need to repent and adjust. It’s learning that we are free from sin that leads to death, and that we want to live lives that glorify the Lord and not continue in something that points to paganism traditions. It’s a process. I’m unlearning a lot and learning a lot in my walk with the Lord. It’s messy, and I have to seek the Lord for direction and understanding.

Matthew 5:17-18 NLT
[17]  “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

🌟[18] I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.

– Jesus takes everything to a higher standard.-

Matthew 5:19-22 NLT

[19] So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. [20]  “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! [21]  “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’

➡️[22] But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. 🔥


I love how Jesus addresses the beholder of the eye. Not the one being lusted after in this instance. It’s up to each individual to keep their eye gates pure. It is not other peoples responsibility to keep your heart and mind pure. We live in this world and WILL see plenty. It’s what we meditate on is what matters. Not judging others but keeping ourselves in check. We are the LIGHT of the WORLD what good is that light if we hide it. No instead its to be placed on a hill top for ALL to see. It doesn’t say instead hide away from the world. No. We live in this world but we understand our eternity is with Jesus in the heavenly places.


Matthew 5:27-29 NLT
➡️[27]  “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’

👀 [28] But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

👁[29] So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.


Jesus goes on to say that UNLESS our righteousness is BETTER than the righteousness of the Pharisees we will never enter heaven. (5:20) but we understand that we are counted righteous BY FAITH. Not by works. This is where it’s easy to get tripped up. Understanding BY faith we have been saved not by works that any man shall boast. The works will be evident in our lives just as the fruit of the spirit will be. So if we are trying to work our way to heaven then we must be BETTER then the religious Pharisees. And we know we can’t be. This is by GRACE we have been saved. This is why motives of the heart matters and only God knows a man’s hearts and thoughts.


Matthew 5:37 NLT
[37] Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Did you know that many health issues can be helped with supplements?

(Ofcourse always Diet, Exercise, and Proper Rest)

Let’s talk

• High cholesterol

Research shows that Red Yeast Rice that has a large amount of the compound monacolin K in it can lower total cholesterol. The supplement also may lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, also called LDL cholesterol. This is the “bad” cholesterol found in the blood that can raise your risk of heart disease.

Many traditional Dr.s will be quick to put people on
Statins. *Taking red yeast rice with statins might raise the risk of harmful side effects*

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-red-yeast-rice/art-20363074

It works best when taken at night before bed.

If you’re looking for a more holistic approach for a Dr. be sure to check out Anti-Aging & Regenerative Associates located in Port Orange. They are self pay and do their blood lab work IN house.
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Looking for a good holistic dr. Who can also prescribe a zpack when needed and isn’t into the witchcraft side (there are a lot of holistic practices that are creepy). This is the place. They take the time to find the root causes to problems and actually help you improve your health verses JUST treating the problem.

I am taking a lot of supplements, which I’ll share on throughout different posts and can testify that not only do I feel better, my bloodwork has improved tremendously.

This brand is from Peggy’s Whole Foods
https://share.google/XMmHci3h7KGX5JqrY

And to clarify, I am selling nothing. Just hoping by sharing, it may help one other person.

Do the research. It’s worth it. I have high cholesterol and triglycerides and this is helping lower it. (Plus diet and exercise)

The enemy wants you to confuse weakness with defeat.

Weakness is a condition – this can change, weakness says I’m tired.

Defeat is a conclusion – defeat says I’m done. Weakness is just a moment when your strength is insufficient.

Defeat is when you decide the moment is final.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT[9] Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

This word is 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Grace. God is not just concerned with you doing. He is concerned with you becoming. God doesnt just give you grace for what you can accomplish. He gives you grace so you can transform. 🔥

Paul was weak not defeated.

Weakness says I need help.

Defeat says its over. Stop applying earthly definitions to weakness. When I am weak HE IS STRONG! God wants to expose your dependency.

HUMBLE YOURSELF YOU CANNOT RECEIVE WHAT YOU REFUSE TO ADMIT YOU NEED. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

The enemy confuses definitions by deceiving you to live to definitions that are earthly not biblical and he confuses roles. ➡️He makes you assume responsibilities that are not yours. ⬅️

In this world there is so much chaos and confusion, intimidation and fear being thrown our way. With all the online and broadcasted platforms we get news of things happening around the world  in a matter of seconds, sometimes even live streamed.

This can cause fear and panic. This can cause chaos in our lives simply by allowing our minds to be fixed on what’s going on and what could possibly go wrong.

Does this mean we burry our heads in the sand? No. There is a time and place to be aware of what’s going on around us. However, the moment our awareness shifts to any place of fear it no longer is “wisdom” its an open door to the enemy.

Fear can creep in ever so slightly. Even when making plans for the future. The Bible tells us a man plans his course but the Lord determines the steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

We have so much information being thrown our way, it can be difficult to discern the Voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of our flesh. We love to say everything’s Satan, but we forget we are also in fleshly bodies. Yes we are supposed to be dead to our flesh but the reality we are called to take up our cross daily because all it takes is a moment to give into our flesh. Our flesh wants pleasures of this world. (1 John 2:15-17) We are to crucify our flesh. Does it give glory to God or man?

A crucified flesh won’t seek to be right (one of my biggest struggles), it won’t seek its own way, it won’t seek to be seen, it won’t seek needing to know what’s next, and it won’t seek control. A crucified flesh will seek the King of kings, it will seek the Kingdom of God. A crucified flesh won’t have any reason to be intimidated because nothing can be lost when it all belongs to the Lord. A crucified flesh won’t be fearful because it knows it has the Spirit of the Living God in him/her. A crucified flesh won’t have need to worry because it knows that the Lord blesses those who work and He will feed those who work. And those who chase fantasies will end up in proverty. (Proverbs 28:19-20).  He will give more to the man who stewarded the 10 well by taking what he gave to the man who buried his treasure. (No one likes to talk about this biblical principle). (Matthew 25:14-30)

1 Peter 5:7-10 NLT
➡️[7] Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

🌟 [8] Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

[9] Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

[10] In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

Our way of standing firm against the enemy is by seeking First the Kingdom of God. It’s by keeping our gaze of Jesus not looking to the left or right. Not looking to the intimidation around us, not looking at the chaos next to us. It’s being a becan of light walking IN PEACE when those around us are driven by fear.

It’s learning to walk in Step with the Holy Spirit and yielding to His every leading, even when it’s not what we perceived or fantasized about.

The enemy is lurking, he is looking for an opening to plants deceptive thoughts. He is working. However, we must not look to him, we are to be alert and aware of his tactics, but we are the fix our gaze of Jesus.

Look straight ahead. By keeping our gaze on Jesus in the midst of the storms of life, chaos, intimidation, and fear around us, we can and WILL walk in the shoes of peace.

The shoes of peace aren’t just for us to have peace. It is being prepared to STAND FIRM which is produced in us by the Gospel of Christ. We must STAND against the enemy not swayed.

Ephesians 6:15 AMP
[15] and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. [Is 52:7]

The enemy is real, but my God is also very real and so MUCH bigger and my God holds ALL the Power.

Yeshua is his name. Jesus Christ. HE IS GOD AND HE IS THE SON OF GOD. HE SENT US HIS HOLY SPIRIT WHEN HE ROSE AGAIN SO THAT WE COULD WALK WITH HIM AND IN HIM.

So fear not. Worry not. Don’t look to the things of this world for comfort or satisfaction. We are in this world but not of this World. Our Spirit is from heavenly places.

Walk in the assurance of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Put on the armor of God, and seek the Lord. Fear not. Give NO place to the enemy.

Fear is a doorway. Shut that door and TRUST the Lord.

When you’re trusting God, you’ll be at peace. You won’t feel the need to know and understand everything. You will be able to obey Him in which he leads today and trust him with tomorrow.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Another translation says in all your ways submit to Him.

Submit to his leading. It’s soft and gentle. We must listen closely.

Be lead by the Holy Spirit today and trust Him with tomorrow.

Psalms 27:4 NLT
[4] The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.

David wrote this, desiring to be in the Lord’s presence often. As believers it is easy to take for granite of the fact that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. That the spirit of God dwells within us. We are carriers of His glory. Not because we are good enough but because thru Jesus we have been made righteous.

If we truly got the revelation that we carry God’s presence within us, we would worship him like never before, praise him like never before. Seek Him like never before. We would host his presence like never before.

David longed to be in the presence of the Lord. He couldn’t wait to be. And yet we have access to God’s presence 24/7 and don’t? Do we wait til Sunday morning to “feel” his presence?

We ought to be in it daily. So if that means we turn off our devices and spend time in his presence, so be it. Our lives would look different.

One sunday morning last year when I was helping lead worship at my old church, the Lord reminded me of the scripture that He inhabits the praises of His people. Well recently at my church the pastor mentioned it, and it reminded me of that moment the Holy Spirit spoke it to my Spirit. I was all nervous about leading a song, but His gentle spirit reminded me that He inhabits the praises of His people. It wasn’t about how perfect I did, (although I believe I gave it my best) it was about the fact that they Lord shows up when we praise Him. He shows up when we glorify him. It was never about the music it was about Him showing up. And that was the sunday He did tangibly show up. I felt his presence so strong.

He will show up like that anytime we worship/praise Him. It wasn’t a special service, it wasn’t my favorite song, it wasn’t because I was so good, no. It was His glory filling the room because we turned our attention to Him.

David longed for this. We have it. Let us not take it for granite. Instead let’s host His presence regularly. Let’s be truly walking by His Spirit daily reflecting His image, carrying his glory.

We are HIS temple. He dwells within the believer. Meditate on this.

Zechariah 8:12-13 NLT
For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will produce its crops, and the heavens will release the dew. Once more I will cause the remnant in Judah and Israel to inherit these blessings. [13] Among the other nations, Judah and Israel became symbols of a cursed nation. But no longer! Now I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of blessing. So don’t be afraid. Be strong, and get on with rebuilding the Temple!

I believe that the Lord is rebuilding his Temple in us. We are temples of His Holy Spirit. We Receive the spirit in part. Jesus received it fully. We get to carry his presence and dwell in his presence. It’s so beautiful. He inhabits the praises of His people. When we close our eyes and sing unto the Lord from our hearts, his weighty glory just sits on us. It’s beautiful.  It’s never been by our might nor by our power but always by His Spirit. HE IS THE GREAT I AM. HE IS ALPHA AND OMEGA, BEGGINING AND END. HE IS TIME. THERE IS NO TIME IN HIM. He is patient in coming back because he wants everyone to have the chance to turn towards him. He wants all the children to come unto him. But not all people are God’s children. Only those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and savior and follow him.

Elijah was as human as we are.
Reading the books of the Prophets and about the Kings like David, we realize how much these “great and Holy men of God” were human with a sinful nature that had to be crucified to the cross just as ours does. What set these men apart from the others though was the fact that they were repentant, humble, and willing to do what the Lord asked of them. They sought the Lord whole heartedly. Jonah teaches us that even a prophet of God can get in the flesh and want things that aren’t in God’s will. David teaches us that even an anointed king can battle with the lust of the flesh.
Nathaniel’s response to the coming of Jesus from Nazareth was one of doubt and negativity. (John 1:46) if we read through the scriptures of the lives of these men, we begin to see the humanity of them instead of just the “stories” of God working great miracles through them. When we see the big picture we see that every miracle was 100%  God, and His choosing of whom he would use and when he would use them.

This should keep us all humble and on our faces before the Lord. We are but a speck of dust. Here today and blown away tomorrow.

James 5:17-18 reminds us that the prophet Elijah was just a human. Just like you and me. Someone who can lose his temper. Someone who can doubt. Someone who can battle fear like Gideon.
The reality is these people were people equally in need of a Savior. We can’t think for a moment because God answers our prayers that its because we are good enough or doing the right formula. The only formula is repentance and surrender.
Trusting his ways are higher then ours. Trusting that he has a good plan in-store for us but understanding we don’t actually know what it is.

[17] Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! [18] Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

If an fallible human being that loves God and seeks Him can opporate in authority given by God, and we are now given that same authority by Jesus who lives IN us…

Our prayers matter. What we declare and ask for matters.

Keep on asking for His will to be done, keep seeking His face and knocking on Him for direction until he shows your the right door to walk through. Until he GIVES you a door. Maybe you don’t even have a door near you, Keep seeking Him, his word,  his ways, and being patient on His timing and His plans.

We are human. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Stay humble. Know its all about him and give him the glory!

– sharing this for myself over here as a reminder – 💓

This morning on my walk with Israel I kept getting this scripture in my spirit.

Matthew 7:13-14 NLT
[13]  “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. [14] But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

As I approached the bridge I examined the sidewalk and how bumpy it was for Israel’s little car stroller. I thought to myself this pathway is narrow and it isn’t smooth, if anything it’s rather beat up and needs repairing. It definitely wasn’t easy pushing Israel on it. I looked over and saw the broad bridge for the cars and how smooth, repaired, and easy it looked. Then the scripture hit my heart again. I felt like the Holy Spirit was reminding me that the narrow safe path that leads to life is actually the one that’s a bit rough, but it’s the safest one for us. It’s the path that leads to eternal life. So keep pushing Israel on it.

I looked at the broad path for the cars and thought, “the cars go so fast on the bridge with such ease. I’m over here sweating and pushing Israel to the other side. I was reminded of “broad is path that leads to destruction.”

Ofcourse as I am having these thoughts this song begins to play on my walk back over the bridge, so take a listen. Such a good song, that even mentions this scripture!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=dvH0XPleAZc&si=u4s5P8Dvq7ba3T-E

Keep on the narrow path that may seem hard but it is the safest for you and I. Press forward, and reach the prize. Train and equip yourself for the good work ahead.

Run this race to win it.

I love how David wrote the book of psalms. One Psalm he is in total despair, stressed out, and anxious. The very next Psalm he is praising God for his faithfulness. Sometimes the praises happened after the Lord helped him, other times the praises were written in the midst of the chaos around him. His enemies may have been physical enemies (in opporation by spiritual enemies), and our enemies may not be physical war but spiritual warfare. We can trust that Jesus defeated the enemy and he is under our feet. We just have to know who is in us is greater then who is in the world and walk in our full authority and identity in Christ.

We too can cry out to God in total frustration and anguish one moment and praise him in the next. Our faith will overcome the moments of our weaknesses, and Jesus in us will be strong for us. The reality is that like David, we are human and sometimes we see what’s coming at us instead of looking up to the one who is our shield. I find that reading Psalms is so helpful because it reminds me that I’m not that different from David. (In the emotional sense). He was a man after God’s own heart who struggled and had hard emotional days, then had days of great faith and thanksgiving. But he always knew who the Lord was and that he could talk or sing unto him and that the Lord would listen. We can find comfort in knowing the outcome of David’s story, but we have to remember that David didn’t know the outcome, he just knew the struggle right in front of him. He had to seek the Lord daily for a renewed strength just as we do. People love to talk about the GREAT faith moments like David defeating Goliath, David being anointed as king, and eventually being a great King, but we must not negate the in between moments, and there was A LOT more of those then those great hill top moments. We too may have a lot more valley moments then hill top moments, but like David, we know God is faithful and deserves the praise, even when we don’t feel like it.

Psalms 34:1-19, 22 NLT
[1] I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.

[2] I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.

[3] Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.

🙌[4] I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.

😃 [5] Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

💓[6] In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles.

⚔️[7] For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

[8] Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

💓[9] Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.
➡️ [10] Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

[11] Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. [12] Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?

👅 [13] Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!

[14] Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.⬅️

👀 [15] The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.

[16] But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.

[17] The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.

💓 [18] The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

[19] The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

🙌[22] But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Amen!!!