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!
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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.
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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!
It wasn’t really raining, but it had been all day long. The sky was completely gray, but it was a light gray so as to let a percentage of sun shine through the clouds. 45%, I would say.
So it was something like this, except one shade grayer. Where it still felt early enough in the day, and it was a cool dusk. My smartphone was at home, on my bedside table, and I was glad to be accompanied by only God and nature.
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It felt good just to be out there, walking. Taking in all of the scenery. And pondering.
Who am I? What type of woman am I becoming? Someone whose company I would wish to seek?
Have I grown colder, or warmer?
Rougher, or softer?
More kind or less.
More patient? Or less.
Has pressure made me into more of a diamond, or a broken vessel?
I want to be on a boat and hear the sound of the waves lapping up onto the sides. I want to see sea foam and watch it bubble onto land with the flow and quickly disappear into the sand. It’s so cliché but I love watching the water form a circle around my feet when the waves break on the shore. I taste the salty air in my mouth and feel a breeze circling around my head. I’ll be back to you soon.
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And I began singing. Prayers, mostly. Giving thanks for all that I saw around me. And prayers for my feet and legs; the ability to walk. My mouth, my voice. I gave thanks for simple things that are usually subconscious; realizing that it was only by the grace of the Giver of these gifts that I was blessed with them.
Lord, I thank you that not only do You have my life in your hands, but You gave me my life. Now I ask you for Your strength to walk this life uprightly. To not grow weary of doing good works. To keep a perspective much bigger than myself. To look into the unseen, and see with Your eyes.
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
Help my spirit worship You in every situation. Help me listen to Your voice and not miss a beat of what You would have me to do.
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.
Listen up everyone! Today is a new day so let’s make the most out of it. Whatever things you keep putting off saying you will do it tomorrow…. do it today! Tomorrow is not promised.
These flowers don’t look like anything very impressive but I am proud to say that they have been living in this vase for over 3 weeks. Actually, it’s been 1 month. I’m truly shocked and delighted in these little guys. It’s amazing what pouring a little bit of water onto something living will do.
Speaking of living water, let’s pour “living water” of encouragement and love into our relationships. Everybody out here is living this hard life and trying to make the best out of their situations. The least we can do is support one another and show compassion. Things may be easy for me today and hard tomorrow, and vice-a-versa with someone else. We don’t need to add to the hatred in the world and kick other people when they’re down and add to the madness.
It’s amazing what a smile will do 🙂
I just want to take a moment to show some gratitude to God. I look around and realize that everything I have came from Him.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
God does not change. He’s not nice today and rude tomorrow. He doesn’t get tired of loving us. He doesn’t give up on us and stop pursuing us and fighting for us. He’s not fickle and flaky.
He’s firm. Foundational. Strong. He doesn’t crack. He’s supportive. He upholds. He protects. He’s welcoming and inviting. His presence is comforting. He is peaceful to be around. I am so thankful for Him.
Lord, thank you so much for letting me know you. Thank you for answering my prayer ten years ago. When I asked for your help. Thank you for leading me in righteousness and helping me to choose your ways. Your ways are so much higher than my ways. I choose selfishly and narrow-mindedly when I’m not relying on your wisdom to guide me to make the right choices. You long for me to be dependent on You and trust you to live this life with you, not apart from you. You are my best friend, my guide, my Truth. I live because you live in me.
I hope your day is more fragrant than this rose, more pleasing to your eyes than its’ petals, and flourishes more vivaciously than its’ leaves <3
always surrounded you. Usually in the form of Cheetos cheese puffs, oreos, pringles, and anything chocolate. “Snackage” was one of so many words that we generously added to the English language in all of our astute intellectualness. We renamed objects that had perfectly “good” names but were no longer suitable to the environment that we were building for ourselves. One that surpassed reality and added layer after layer of silliness, life, and drama.
There’s so much I want to say about you but I don’t know where to begin. One of my favorite ongoing memories of you was when I would take leftover food home from bible study and bring it to you. After a few weeks of telling everyone “it’s for Barb” people began to question whether or not you really existed. So then you became the fictional “Barb”. They even went so far as to all take a permanent Sharpie marker and sign their names on one of the Styrofoam clamshell containers that probably contained some of Brenda’s famous chocolate cake. Even “your friend Dennis” signed it. They kept this up until one day, whether a couple members of bible study met you at a Christmas concert at the Ferguson Center at CNU. They couldn’t deny your existence any longer. In other words, you were secretly famous.
-goodness, faithfulness and provision of God. I can’t even being to write everything He has done for me.
-vision of the future and what’s to come!
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I woke up feeling excited this morning. Excited about getting some stuff done. Excited about making some plans. About getting outside on this beautiful day. Excited about future prospects and opportunities. About changes. About new beginnings. About starting fresh.
Thank you Lord. For teaching me.
You are not done yet. The good work that you begun in me WILL be perfected.
