Christian Books – Donna Louis – When You Feel Like You’re Drowning

“When you feel like you’re drowning in life don’t worry—your Lifeguard walks on water.” – Anonymous

Life is a journey, and, in all journeys, you have highs and lows. You will have some straight paths as well as some crooked paths. You will have some smooth roads as well as some bumpy roads. You will have some areas that are well lit and then some that are completely dark. You will have peaks and valleys, as well as ebb and flow. You will encounter mountains to climb as well as straight paths to walk. Check out my website

Life can be beautiful and messy at the same time. You must make a choice if you are just going to lie down and allow the dust to cover you and eventually with weather conditions just disintegrate and die. Disintegrate – to undergo a change in composition. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disintegrate

Your other choice is simply just to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again and just keep moving forward. Or as the phrase says, “cowboy up.” The phrase cowboy up it means when things are getting tough you have to get back up, dust yourself off and keep trying. – https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cowboy%20up.

When you feel like you’re drowning remember that God is with you, and he is an ever-present help in times of trouble. This is what the bible tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46;1. There is no trouble that we bring on ourselves or that comes to us that God cannot fix and make disappear. A prime example of this would be the story of Peter walking on water coming to Jesus and then he allowed doubt to creep in his head, and he immediately started to drown, and Jesus extended his hand and saved him. Christian Books – Donna Louis – When You Feel Like You’re Drowning

“And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” – Matthew 14:22-33.

So, remember when things seem the darkest that is when God’s light shines the brightest. Keep the faith, trust and believe in God and remember what his word says, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” – Isaiah 43:2. Christian Books – Donna Louis – When You Feel Like You’re Drowning

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Receiving

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

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. – Colossians 3:23-24

Are you good at receiving? If not, that is something you will need to cultivate. I don’t mean receiving on those special dates during the year. Sure, ever since we were children, we have been able to receive for our birthdays, graduation, Christmas, and growing older for dates such as Valentine’s Day, wedding anniversary, etc. I am speaking about being able to receive daily. It’s not just receiving gifts it is receiving on other levels. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Receiving

Many of us have difficulty receiving compliments. Women maybe better at this than men especially when it comes to glamour. Women receive compliments quite often about their makeup and that’s a good thing since it takes time to apply it. However, compliments come in all types. People give compliments about makeup, dress, hair, mannerism, etc. There are also characteristics compliments such as integrity, ethics, conscientiousness. People can also compliment you on your voice, your smile, how you make them want to be a better person. All of these are forms of receiving. Check out my website

When Jesus was here on earth, he gave us an extraordinary example of receiving. “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore, said he, Ye are not all clean. So, after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” – John 13:1-17. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Receiving

So, you can see from the previous passage that Jesus had to rebuke Simon Peter and chastise him when he told Jesus you shall not wash my feet. Jesus clearly showed us in this example that we have to be willing to receive at all times and the master is not greater than the servant.

Cultivate the attitude of receiving as it will bless your life.

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Pain

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. – Lance Armstrong

Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave. – Mary Tyler Moore

You can’t get around pain and opposition, but you can try to be joyful in the trial, and thank yourself for the trial, and thank God for the strength to get through it. – Mary J. Blige

We have all felt some type of pain at one time or another in our lives even infant children. Whether it is the pain of a headache, toothache, birthing a child, the death of a child, the death of a parent, the loss of a home or apartment, the loss of a job or a business, the death of a spouse, the loss of a person walking out and leaving you, not getting approved for the loan, a bankruptcy, the loss of a limb, losing out on a promotion at work, the repossession of a vehicle, a devastating medical report, the list is endless. However whatever pain we may be enduring we must remember what God said, “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. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Pain. Check out my website

There are a lot of buildings that are engineering marvels and for everyone of them there was great study and detail that went into the construction of them. According to where a building has been erected the engineers had to consider what havoc the elements might bring. For example, in Florida they need to consider the hurricane element and make sure the building is sturdy enough once completed.

Our heavenly father God almighty has considered all of that when he created you as to how much pain you would be able to endure. If you are still here and I’m sure you are because you are reading this then that means you have endured 100% of the pain that has come your way. While going through the challenges, tests, trials, and pain you thought you would never make it but here you are still standing. You are stronger than you think. Remember what the Bible says, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. – Ephesian 6:11-18. Check out my website

Don’t waste your pain because it is there to grow you up and develop you into the person God designed you to be when he created you. You have a bright future ahead of you. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Pain

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 – 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