Christian Books – Donna Louis – Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by. So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Count Your Blessings

The above lyrics are from the favorite gospel hymn “Count Your Blessings” written by Johnson Oatman, Jr. who lived between 1856-1922. It is said that over his lifetime he wrote lyrics for over 5,000 songs. – https://amazinghymns.com/count-your-blessings. Check out my website

Do you realize you are blessed even if you don’t think so? Material and worldly things cannot go with you when you leave this earth. We need to realize that whether we receive small or what we would call insignificant blessings or enormous ones they are all blessings. I want to state this very clearly if you have the heart of a hoarder and not a giver you will never be blessed in the way that you want to. Gods word clearly states that, “For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.” – Mark 14:7. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Count Your Blessings

Do you have any of the following?

A place to lay your head and sleep

Food to eat

Any magnitude of good health

A true-blue friend that is there always

Are your parents still alive or at least one of them?

Do you have a vehicle to drive whether new or old?

Do you have family members that are there for you?

Do you have a church home where you are fed the word of God?

Do you have use of your five senses?

Do you have clean clothes to wear?

Do you have clean drinking water?

Do you have the breath of life running through you?

Well, if you have those you need to count your blessings. Anything above and beyond that is God blessing you exceeding and abundantly which is what he said in his word, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” – Ephesians 3:20. By the way we know that all of us have at least one thing from the above list which is the breath of life or else we wouldn’t be seeing or reading this. Check out my website

They say successful people make a list everyday of at least 10 things to be grateful for. Try doing that and see how God will bless your life if you learn to COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Pride vs Humility

Pride – a feeling that you are more important or better than other people. – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pride

Humility – the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people: the quality or state of being humble. – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humility

A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. – Proverbs 29:23

Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. – Proverbs 27:2

By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. – Proverbs 22:4

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. – 1 Peter 5:6

None of us are capable of doing anything if it was not for the grace of God. Those who go around bragging on themselves and tooting their own horn are in for a big fall. It clearly says in the Bible, “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” – Psalm 75:7. Check out my website

There was a man in the Bible named King Hezekiah who was the King of Judah when Sennacherib who was the king of Assyria wanted to fight Jerusalem. King Hezekiah was a godly man and informed his army of men before the fight “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him.” – 2 Chronicles 32:7. King Hezekiah was a sickly man at the time, and he prayed to God to heal him, and God did. He also gave him the victory over Sennacherib the King of Assyria but instead of giving God the glory he became prideful thinking he was the reason for the victory. Due to this God placed wrath upon Hezekiah and the people of Judah in Jerusalem and then quickly Hezekiah humbled himself and God spared his life and the people of Judah. Humility is always the way to go as it will bless your life and open many doors for you. Check out my website

This is the way that John the Baptist was. John went about baptizing many people, but he said one of the most humble words a person could ever say when he stated, “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3:28-30. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Pride vs Humility

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” – James 4:10. Practice humility as Jesus did because with all of the miracles, he did he could have been a very prideful person but instead he was very humble in all things including washing the disciples feet. Practice humility as it will bless and elevate your life. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Pride vs Humility

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Restoration

God is a God of restoration on any level for all things

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. – Joel 2:25-26. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Restoration

God is in the restoration business. If you have lost a job, you had a loved one walk out on you and left you, your health has deteriorated, you have lost your home, you have lost your business, all these any many more can be restored to you by God. Don’t believe those lies that come to your mind that it’s all over, life is forever going to be a downward free fall and you will always be spiraling out of control. The same way that Peter started to drown when he walked on water with Jesus and Jesus extended his hand to Peter and pulled him back up and saved him is the same way that God will do that for you. Check out my website

I am sure you all have heard or read the story of Job in the Bible. Well Job was a righteous man who loved God and lived a righteous life. One day God put Job through arduous testing and took away all that he had. Job lost his business, home, family, and his health. His wife being the only one left told Job to curse God and die. Job did not do that, but he was miserable and at one point did say, “Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?” – Job 3:11. After God was finished testing Job the Bible says, “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.” – Job Chapter 42. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Restoration

No matter what you are going through God can restore you. If it is a health issue call out Jehovah Rapha which means the Lord that heals. If it is a financial issue like your job, your business, paying for your home or apartment, paying your bills etc. call out the name Jehovah Jireh which means the Lord will provide. There are several Hebrew names for God in The Old Testament in the Bible. I have just listed two but you can look them up. Check out my website

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. – Psalm 51:12

For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. – Isaiah 61:7

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. – Mark 11:24

God is in the RESTORATION business.

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Procrastination

Procrastination is the thief of time – Edward Young

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday – Don Marquis

Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill – Christopher Parker

Procrastination meaning – to be slow or late about doing something that should be done : to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy, etc. – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/procrastination

Do these quotes reference you? Do these mirror your life? Well, if so, don’t feel bad. Procrastination at one time or another has hauled us all into its grip. Whether it was for a day, a week, a year, or a decade. Once we finally wake up from the comfort of delaying our lives then we realize just how much time we have lost and are trying to come up with a plan to erase all the time we wasted and execute at the rate of warp speed. Check out my website

In the bible in the book of Acts is a story of a man named Felix and his wife Drusilla. “And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” – Acts 24:24-25. Now you can go to the book of Acts and read the entire chapter regarding these people. What I want you all to understand here is that Felix called for Paul to hear the word of God and get knowledge regarding Christ but then he decided to delay and send Paul away. The danger in procrastinating in life is that we feel we have control over tomorrow which none of us do. In the book of wisdom in the Bible which is the book of Proverbs it states, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” – Proverbs 27:1. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Procrastination

When we procrastinate we are actually committing sin. What do I mean by that? We are professing that we know more than God and that we know what tomorrow will be like when we don’t. Only God knows the future. We can make our plans like we do for a weekend getaway or a vacation, but anything can happen. It is very vital that when we are professing what we want or expect to happen that we include the phrase “God Willing”. My best friend’s cousin just passed away unexpectedly and for years all he talked about was all the places he intended to visit when he retired. He had the finances to travel as well as the time, but he chose to keep delaying it when he could have traveled when he had vacation time from work. Now unfortunately these are dreams and memories that he never created. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Procrastination

We all need to “Live Like We Were Dying” the famous song recorded by Tim McGraw. The Bible says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10. Satan wants us to be lazy and never work and delay everything. This is one of his tactics to prevent us from living the abundant life that Jesus died to give us. “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” – Proverbs 13;4. Check out my website

“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.” – Dawson Trotman

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” – William James

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Choices

Everyday that God provides us with the breath of life we are presented with choices. What am I going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Am I going to do intermittent fasting today? When I go to the gym what type of workouts am I going to engage in today? Am I going to work on that proposal for work today or am I going to clear up some backed-up issues? I have a nail appointment after work what color should I have my nails painted and do I want a design? Should I carry an umbrella today since the weather report says there may be rain? The list is endless of all the choices that can be presented to us each day. However, are we being prudent and using wisdom when we make these choices? Check out my website

“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding. – Proverbs 2:1-3. When we are young, we don’t always use prudence when we are making choices but when we get older, we are supposed to become wiser however unfortunately a lot of us don’t and that is the reality. Recently a man I know wanted to give his girlfriend a great few days celebrating her birthday. He made a reservation at a charming hotel and intended to show her an exciting time. He thought he could just have a wonderful time for the few days and then do a charge-back on his credit card regarding the hotel and get his money back. He issued the charge-back and the credit card company deposited the funds back onto his card. What he didn’t expect is that an investigation would be done and after they completed it when he least expected it all his funds regarding the hotel expense were withdrawn from his credit card and that left him overdrawn and despondent. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Choices

Be careful regarding the choices you make on a daily basis because as we grow older, we should give up foolishness and have the maturity of mind.

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Integrity

Are you a person of integrity? Do you have a strict code of morality? Every day daily we are presented with integrity choices. Are you willing to lie on a job application so you can get the job? Even though you raise your hand in court and swore to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, do you? You are desperate for a loan? Are you willing to lie to the bank or financial institution instead of trusting God for a beneficial outcome? Your goal in life should be to always reflect integrity. This is something that should be reflected in every aspect of your life. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Integrity. Check out my website

What is the definition of integrity? Integrity means having a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integrity. One person who had great integrity in the Bible was Joseph Mary’s husband. When Joseph found out that his wife Mary was pregnant, and the news spread that he was not the father he had to have several emotions surrounding him. Embarrassment, anger, disgust, sadness, betrayal, etc. He had several options he could have pursued such as divorcing Mary quietly; he could have had her killed since that was the penalty for adultery according to the law. According to the law in the book of Leviticus in the bible it states: ‘And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. – Leviticus 20:10. However, he chose to have integrity and stay with her especially after the angel spoke to him and advised him that Mary was carrying the baby Jesus. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Integrity

The bible has a lot to say about integrity: “He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.” – Proverbs 10:9, “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. – Proverbs 28;6, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” – Proverbs 11:3.

Living a life of integrity is always the most prudent thing to do. Check out my website

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Praise & Worship

What do you praise & worship? Is it idols, mankind, material things and a host or others or do you praise & worship spiritual things namely God? Check out my website

Are you praising and saying hallelujah when your stock portfolio bulges and increases? Are you praising & worshiping when your horse wins the race and you’re on your way to collect at the track? Are you praising and worshipping when you find out the value of your home has increased maybe even doubled? Or could it be you are praising and worshipping when a co-worker that you don’t like has just been terminated and now you just know you will get their position? This is an example of being giddy about someone else’s downfall: Cain committed the first murder in the bible by stoning his brother Abel. God had asked Cain and Abel to bring sacrifices to him from their produce and God preferred Abel’s and apparently, jealousy rose up in him and so he killed Abel. Ironically, later in life, Cain died because the stones on the home he built gave away and the house fell on him, and the stones killed him. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Praise & Worship

The list is endless of things that people praise and worship but nothing man made or materialistic will last forever. The items I listed above have all become faulty. The stock exchange goes up and down. One day your portfolio is massive and the next it is sexy slim. The best horses that were guaranteed to win came in dragging up the rear and the longshot wound up winning and leaving all the other horses in the dust. Home values have been known to decrease mightily many times. Did it occur to you that the co-worker you didn’t like who was terminated that eventually that could possibly happen to you? Check out my website

Praise and Worship belongs only to God. God is the one who can keep you lifted up. “Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” – Psalm 75:5-7. “I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,” – Exodus 20:5. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Praise & Worship

There are two things that have proven themselves to be true. Death and Taxes. No matter how many material things you amass you cannot take them with you. God gives you favor, grace, and blesses your life so you can enjoy your life but remember you can’t take it with you when he calls you home. Nobody who has left this life has carried a home, car, boat, plane, etc. with them. Some may have requested to be buried with their money or jewelry but guess what the funeral home and who is left behind has the final say. You are surely out of luck if they cremate you!

Give your praise and worship solely to God. If you are a new believer and not sure what to speak go and invest in some worship music and play that God will be pleased. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. “. – Psalm 149:4. “Praise & Worship God.

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Trust

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6

Where does your trust lie? Is it in mankind or God? Mankind is made up of feelings and emotions which can be very fickle sometimes. The definition of fickle is as follows: : marked by lack of steadfastness, constancy, or stability : given to erratic changeableness. – www. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fickle. So now that you know the definition you are aware that at sometime in your life you have been fickle also. God however is consistent and never changes or is fickle. “For I am the Lord, I change not”. – Malachi 3:6. Since God never changes, we should have our entire trust in him always. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Trust

Why is it so easy for us to trust other things so easily? For example, at amusement parks there is always a big draw for Rollercoasters. The lines to get on the ride are incredible. Why is it though we climb into the roller coaster giddy, sweaty, pumped with adrenaline and trust that the ride will be awesome! We never have wavering trust that our feet will never land safely on solid ground within 3 1/2 to 4 minutes after the inception of the ride. So, if we are so confident and stable and grounded in our trust in a man-made steel object why is our trust so flimsy in our creator?

The most amazing trust story comes in the book of Genesis regarding Abraham. Sarah and Abraham waited 20 years to have a child. God promised Abraham a son, but he was waiting for 20 years. When Isaac was born Abraham was 100 years old and his wife Sarah was 90 years old. God decided to tempt Abraham one day and see where his trust lied by telling him to kill Isaac. Abraham took Isaac to a mountain that God told him to and sacrifice Isaac there. Abraham tied Isaac down and just as he drew his knife to kill him an angel of the lord advised Abraham to stop. The angel of the lord said to Abraham because you have not withheld your one and only son and was ready to kill him God says he will bless you and make of you a great nation. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Trust

Abraham’s trust did not lie in mankind it was with God. Even though he had to wait 20 years for Isaac he still obeyed God and was willing to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham waited 20 years some of us don’t want to even wait 20 minutes for something let alone destroy the thing we have waited so long for. The bible says, “Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” – Psalm 40:4. Where does your trust lie?

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Fear

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. – John 10:10

Fear thou not; for I am with thee, be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. – Isaiah 41:10

Everyday we wake up we have choices presented to us. This is God’s free will that he bestowed unto us when he created us. He presented the option to Adam & Eve about which trees they could eat from in the Garden of Eden and warned them not to eat from the tree of Good & Evil. However, Eve made a choice to listen to the serpent and Adam made a choice to listen to Eve. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Fear. Check out my website

With each new day we are presented with the choice to either have Faith or live in Fear. When we allow fear to take over our lives it cripples and destroys us. It is part of Satan’s arsenal to prevent us from living the live Jesus came to give us. When we allow fear to rule our lives, we are held captive and are going through life with blinders on like what the horses wear. “According to the American Academy of ophthalmology, blinders, colloquially known as blinkers, are a piece of horse tack attached to a horse’s bridle or hood to restrict its rear-side view and avoid distractions. The blinders can either be a full or half cup, depending on the circumstances and reduce a horse’s vision from 180 – 30 degrees.” (This is part of an article from Horse Blaze Magazine written by Janet Williams March 19, 2021). Christian Books – Donna Louis – Fear

FEAR is actually false evidence appearing real. All of us at one time or another were fearful of something happening that never happened. Fear robs our life of all the amazing things we could be accomplishing in life especially the purpose that God created us to do. Author Wayne Cordero wrote a book called Dream Releasers on Nov 1, 2002, and had a chapter titled “Die Empty” and a section of that chapter titled “The Wealth of Graveyards” where he stated that our graveyards are the wealthiest places on earth. Why is this? We allowed fear to take over especially the fear of failure and we’re overly concerned about what people would think of us if we stepped out and was bold to walk into our destiny and follow our dreams. “And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers”. – Deuteronomy 30:9. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” – Jeremiah 29:11. Check out my website

So, are you going to continue to allow fear to rob your life where you are not living your dreams of being an entrepreneur, artist, actor, musician, writer, chef, sports figure, comedian, inventor, and a host of other things or are you going to step out and die empty? Christian Books – Donna Louis – Fear