When you receive the bad news, will you panic, or hold your position?
Will you start to think of all the repercussions that may happen, the what-ifs, the butterfly effect. Or will you stand on His promises? Will you stand on the rock that is Christ and stand firmly?
“When you pray, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” – James 1:6-7
Interesting.
Believe and not doubt.
Remember whose side you are on, and who is by your side.
Remember whose family you were adopted into, and who your Father is.
Remember that nothing formed against you shall stand.
Remember that God, your Father in heaven, is omniscient and omnipotent. He is the beginning and the end and sees and knows all things before and as they happen. He is always working and He promises to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
What comes as a surprise to us does not surprise God. He has prepared works in advance for us to do, and He has equipped us to do those works. He has given us all of these things as preparation:
Our life
The mind of Christ
The Holy Spirit
The promise that He will never leave us
A hunger for righteousness
A refuge in Him
New mercy every day
Hehe 🐙
But seriously, we have a friend in Jesus. He is our friend and is even praying for us CURRENTLY in heaven atm. Amazing.
So when you get the bad news, don’t hit the panic button like usual. Pause, take a deep breath, and remember all of these promises of God. The battle truly does belong to Him, and he wants us to trust Him with the outcome. Meanwhile, praying, worshipping, and doing our part.
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” – 1 Peter 4:12-13
Don’t be surprised! Expect attacks, trials, hardship… and stand your ground! Hold your faith position!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share with others about your Spirit and power to transform and change our lives.
I thank you for changing my life and freeing me from addictions and the need to smoke marijuana everyday. I thank you for rescuing me from my eating disorder and body image issues. I thank you that I don’t hate the body that you gave me anymore. I thank you that I’m not afraid to eat any foods anymore. I thank you so much for giving me joy.
If you’re reading this and you’re struggling with addictions, I invite you to seek the Savior, Jesus Christ! He helped me and he can help you too.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
If you come to God earnestly seeking Him, believing that He can help you and has the power to change you, you will find him and He will do just that! He set me free from darkness and gave me the power to choose joy and choose salvation and choose to do things that bring life and not death. We can choose to live in the light instead of the darkness. He gives us the eyes to see that we were living the darkness before and now can live, alive, in the marvelous light!
Thank you Jesus. I am praying for those that are stuck in a hamster-wheel of pleasure-seeking. I am praying for those who feel as though they can’t get ahead, can’t get out, or that there’s nothing to live for. “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity”. King Solomon, the wisest human king, said this after turning away from God, choosing to live for himself and live in sin. He became depressed because he was living outside of God’s design. When we live outside of God’s protection, we live outside of his provision and blessing and peace as well.
Peace, true, unbroken peace, is found ONLY in the presence of God. And you can only enter into the presence of God with a humble, earnest heart. God is not a fool and cannot be mocked. He sees clearly the motives of the heart. He wants to eat with you! He wants to dine with you! He wants to share in all of his eternal blessings with you. But you have to choose to lay everything down and give everything up in order to have fellowship with him.
Maybe you’re not feeling happy today. Maybe there’s something weighing on your mind. A disappointment. An unmet expectation. A broken relationship. An illness. A death in the family or friend group. A financial struggle.
We all need to stay encouraged, and there’s only one way to do that: by putting ourselves in the presence of God. By coming before God and praying something like the following:
“Lord, I need you! I can’t handle this! I can’t take this! I can’t bring myself out of this. I need your peace, your joy, I need your strength toovercome this battle in my mind. This battle in my heart. I understand that the battle starts in my mind and with my thoughts. I understand that Satan is trying to convince me that my situation is hopeless, helpless and unchanging. He has tried to convince me that the power of prayer is fiction. He has tried to convince me that I’m all alone. He has tried to convince me of these things but I know they are lies coming from none other than the father of lies. Help me Jesus to stop entertaining his liesand to learn how to separate them from what is true. Jesus, this is what is true:
Your grace is sufficient for me. Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. You work everything together for my good. You have prepared every work in advance for me to do! You are omniscient, all knowing, and are not surprised by our present struggles or the state of the world. We know that the government is upon your shoulders! You literally have it all in your control. Thank you Jesus for protecting us, providing for us, and guiding us. Thank you for being our bright light! Without you, we would be in utter darkness. But we say hallelujah! You are the light of the world and you have made us the light of the world as well! We love you Lord.
You. Reader. I miss talking to you. I miss typing the words on the page and sending out energy and positivity. I miss sharing my heart with you and relating to you from across the continent and the world. It’s a small world, with the same moon, and I miss you.
You will be hearing from me more often. Until then, I would like to wish you a very nice Thursday. The last day in November 2023. Make it a good one. How? What is one thing you have been wanting to get done today? Go get ’em tiger.
I would like to share two testimonies from our trip to PA. Here is the first! Enjoy <3
We were driving North on 95 in Virginia as my husband’s eye felt progressively more and more irritated. He was driving with one hand and rubbing his right eye with the other, and we had about five hours ahead of us. The irritation had started the day before, but had come and gone a couple of times. We prayed together for his eye and both of us believed that God would heal him.
Within a couple of minutes, he said “my eye is better”. At that moment, we noticed this truck in front of us:
“God bless you. Have a nice journey”. We were both in awe and so excited for our trip!
😀
🙂
<3
As we got closer to our destination, things began to look a little different.
Welcome to Amish country!
We arrived at the quaintest bed and breakfast and were greeted by a coffee bar and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. After meeting and greeting the hostess, we went up to our room and rested for a while.
Then it was time to get ready for our big event.
We went to the Sight and Sound theater to see a live production of “Moses”. If you’ve never been to the Sight and Sound theater, it’s an AMAZING experience. Here’s a website to their story if you want to check it out! https://www.sight-sound.com/location/lancaster
This is one third of the stage that we first saw when we walked in.
A strong aroma of sweet vanilla greeted us when we first walked into the building, which we discovered was fresh, warm, vanilla roasted almonds. We obliged, of course.
We couldn’t take pictures or videos throughout the show, so you’ll have to go see it for yourself! What I can tell you though, is that the story was extremely accurate and close to the bible, the actors were incredible, and the props and stage crew were better than Broadway, hands down. What has been achieved at Sight and Sound is astounding, excellent work. The show was a true inspiration that challenged me to do better and work harder. Bravo, well done!!
Afterwards, we looked for a restaurant to get something to eat and found that the few restaurants in the area were absolutely SLAMMED from apparently multiple shows happening in the area. After visiting two places and calling four, we got on a waiting list at a Dutch Smorgasbord that told us it would be an hour & a half wait. So we got on the list, hunkered down, and enjoyed some horses behind the restaurant before God moved again.
After waiting for 15 minutes it was only 6:46pm and I wasn’t sure I’d make it. I expressed my great hunger and prayed out loud that God would open up a table in 14 minutes. Thirteen minutes later, I got a text from the restaurant saying our table was ready.
After the one minute walk, we were inside 14 minutes later. Glory to Him who is able! Why did God do that? Because He cares for us 🙂
When we were seated, we were told that they were the last table they were allowed to seat because their dishwasher just broke!! He loves to wow us.
After dinner we went back to the Bed and Breakfast and sat on the porch under a thick blanket of stars and listened as Amish horse-drawn buggies clip-clopped by. We turned in early, slept in late, enjoyed coffee and fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls in the garden the next day and had good conversations with new friends/travelers to end our lovely weekender.
<3
If you made it this far, I want to encourage you that God sees you. And if you sincerely pray to Him, he hears you! He doesn’t always answer right away, and He doesn’t always answer the way we want, but He does hear. These two answers to prayer were a testimony to share with you to encourage you and bring you hope! Be bold when you talk to God, and pray with shameless audacity. Not demanding, but asking with faith and the knowledge that He is able to accomplish immeasurably more than you could ever think of or imagine.
My husband’s eye did hurt on and off again after we arrived at the bed and breakfast. But it was a huge blessing that it didn’t hurt when we were on the road. And to have seen the sign on the truck was extra joyful. It goes to show that God is really in control of our circumstances and is always watching out for us. Sometimes He heals us right away, but other times we have to work through the pain and go through the process of resting, remedying, and trusting Him no matter what the outcome. God is always still good.
It was a short, but great trip to Lancaster, PA. We’re looking forward to the next show that we’re able to attend, the memories we’ll be able to make together, and the testimonies that we will be able to share. To GOD be the glory!
There will always be those people that want to ruin your day. They blindside you with a rude comment. They try to confuse you by contradicting themselves and then denying they ever had a change of mind. They lie to you, plot against you, are jealous of you, and are hateful. The world is full of these people! And there’s only one thing to do.
Smile.
Ohhh yes. Smile and shake it off.
They don’t deserve your power. They’re trying to crush you and rob you, but they aren’t able to for this simple reason:
If God is for you, who can be against you? Romans 8:31
So Smile.
Not in a conniving, evil way. But in a way that is based on a sigh of relief once you realize that Nothing formed against you shall stand. Isaiah 54:17
And ask God to help you forgive that person in your heart… truly forgive them. Forgiveness doesn’t excuse their wrongdoing, but it does release you from their grip on your consciousness and heart.
I look around and see your provision. Everything I see has been given to me! Thank you for filling my life with so much goodness.
Your goodness pours out like sweet honeysuckle
Knowing you is so sweet. Knowing the depth of your love and care and provision is incredible. It’s one thing to say the truth with words; it’s another to believe it in one’s heart.
You are who you say you are.
Creator
What an artist… what a story-teller. An author. What a dreamer, a visionary, a poet. What a romantic. A comedian. An inspirer. You give hope and inspiration to everyone near to you because you embody hope.
I think back to before I knew you and consider the direction of my life. I’m not sure what exactly I was striving for or why, but it probably had to do with acceptance. I wanted acceptance and I wanted love. But I was looking for it from people. And now I know where it’s found.
You are love. Love is found in you.
We love because you first loved us.
I can’t quite put my finger on why. Why you love us. But I know partially. It’s because you created us, and you call us your children. You want to pour yourself out before us and give us yourself. You already fully did it once, a long many years ago. But I find that you are constantly pouring yourself out, in goodness, love and mercy.
I love the life I am living with you. You fight my battles through me. I only walk forward in obedience. You’ve taught me a lot, and I know I have so much more to learn. But I have learned this:
-to listen for your voice
-to give you the glory
-to start my sentences with “but God…”
because I know these to be true:
-you really do know everything, see everything, and are sovereign over everything
-you really do work all things together for my good
-you really do love and care about me… even when it may not seem like it to the world. If my circumstances are troublesome. It’s easy for the world to say “where is your God now?”
But I know where you are. I know that you’re with me. And NOTHING can separate me from your love.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If you’re wondering if you really love somebody or if somebody really loves you or ever loved you, here are a few examples that show what love does and Who love is.
Love inquires when a need is present.Do you need help? Do you need anything? How can I help you?
Love reminds.Remember how that makes you feel when you do that. Remember what happened last time.
Love insists and follows through.Can I help you? No, really. Let me help you. Come on. No, it’s okay. It’s no big deal!
Love cares and pursues.How are you doing? How are you really doing?I haven’t heard from you in a while. I miss you.
Love expresses.I love you! I miss you! You mean so much to me. I appreciate you. I value you. I’m proud of you. I’m thankful for you.
Love tells the truth.It hurts me to see you like this.It scares me that you’re involved in this. It’s not a good idea to keep doing that.
Love confesses, apologizes and asks for forgiveness.I’m sorry for what I said to you. I was angry and took it out on you. I was wrong. Will you forgive me?
Love respects time and space.I’m here for you when you’re ready to talk about that.
Love takes no offense.I forgive you.
Love sets boundaries. We can talk about this in a civilized manner. If you’re not willing to do that, we can talk another time.
Love is patient.
Love recognizes that by the grace of God, we are who we are. Love recognizes that anything can happen to anybody; addiction, homelessness, bankruptcy. Even when we work the hardest and do all the “right” things, circumstances out of our control can change all of that effort in a blink.
Love surrenders.Lord, I realize that I have very little control over most of the things in my life. I trust that you are good, and that you will always take care of me as I walk with you and obey your commands. Help me love like you love. Not based on condition, but because You loved me first. My life is in your hands.
It’s only February 10, but it truly feels like Spring is in the air!
Maybe the fragrance and beauty of these flowers my husband brought me are influencing me? 🙂
I have never been so excited for Springtime in all my life. I’m from northeastern USA where spring is wet and muddy. Snow and ice are melting, and the ground is soft and soggy. It’s still cold and maybe snowy until mid-late April, and sometimes May! But not here in Virginia. Even today, February 10, the weather is warming up to 62 degrees and it’s sunny! Hooray! Just what I needed to lift my mind, body and spirit ^_^ <3
I found this on a list of suggested Valentine’s Day gifts for your SO. LOL I don’t know who would buy this lamp, but it made me laugh a lot. Thanks Retro Den <3
Only a few days til Valentine’s Day 2022! It’ll be my first V-Day as a MARRIED WOMAN! I can’t believe that in just a couple of weeks we’ll have been married for 5 months already! Love is in the air <3 <3 <3 and I will venture to say that my husband is the sweetest and bestest! 😀 Lord, thank you for giving me such a good one 🙂
9/26/21 – I love this picture so much! <3
Life doesn’t have to be so hard. It’s when we focus on the mountains (obstacles/problems) in our life instead of focusing on the One who created the mountains.
Lord God Almighty, I am so grateful to know you and better yet, be known by You. You know everything about me and still love me more than I can understand. I am so thankful for your grace, mercy, provision, and Faithfulness. Thank you for being faithful when I can’t be. Thank you for sustaining me and remaining true to Your promises. Thank you for your patience and understanding and your long suffering. Thank you also for your justice and your might. You are so good, Lord. So holy, holy, holy. There is no one like You, O Lord. You are completely set apart and above all, in all and through all. Thank you for creating me and my family and friends and loved ones, and for delighting to reveal your glory to us in your creation and through our life circumstances. Thank you for teaching me how to suffer well, how to wait on You and how to listen to Your voice. Taste and see that the Lord is good. And I have tasted Lord. Better is one day in your courts, than thousands elsewhere. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, thanks to your gracious gift of faith, that was so undeserved. Help me not stray from your presence O Lord. Fill me afresh with the Holy Spirit today and fuel the fire of the joy of my salvation. Help me live for you alone today, Oh Lord. In the precious and mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
