Up or Down??

Earlier today, some things were said to me that left me driving home with a very heavy heart.

I had some uplifting music on and my windows rolled down in hopes that it would heal my soul.

But no relief came.

I'm an emotional eater and rather than taking care of myself tonight, I grabbed some food on the way home and started to stuff my face with unhealthiness.

My bitterness grew stronger.

My heart became even heavier.

I decided to turn off the movie I had started watching and began to browse YouTube.  I came across a beautiful version of "Hallelujah," which is one of my favorite songs.

It was an instrumental version, done by piano and a violin.  I then proceed to listen to other artists sing this song and came across the Canadian Tenors and Celine Dion's version.

As I was listening to not only the lyrics, but the harmony in the song, I started to feel my heart fall apart.

Tears filled my eyes and I knew what I needed in that moment.

I was then reminded of scripture I've study more than once in the last several months.

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." -Colossians 3:2   

I remembered a song by Across The Sky called "Broken World."

We live in a broken world where promises are shattered, answers don't come when we want or need them...

Sometimes plans come undone, dreams get crushed, and lies get told...

Words can turn cruel and hearts can grow cold...

But through it all, Jesus is our strength and our refuge.  

If we choose too, we will hold onto Him through this trying times.

As I was studying this particular scripture and remembering the powerful lyrics to this song, I started to feel my heart slowly piece itself back together.

How we set our minds, will determine the outcome of our thoughts and emotions....Will give our words and actions power.

Tonight, I was allowing my thoughts and emotions to dwell on the negativity from my earlier conversation.

I kept getting this vision in my head of how I should be on my knees right now, begging God to help me and change what was on my heart.

I chose not to for a while.

In this scripture, Paul encourages us to set our minds on things above, which in turn gives us joy, hope, patience, and kindness.

All positive thoughts.

Our journey in faith often times is the battle of the mind.  We typically allow the matters of life control our minds.

I wanted to let myself curl up in a ball, go to my dark place, and let this awful food cure this pain within me.

But before I allowed myself to get too far, I looked up.

I chose to ask God to guide me to the light, to give me hope and strength through this time in my life.

To forgive those who are judging me in this moment.

I want to enjoy God's grace and peace, even when my heart is heavy.

I did not bear the cross that Christ did, nor will I ever feel the pain and agony that He did.

We are not guaranteed a perfect life.  We will face many hardships.

As this holy week approaches and one of the most wonderful days of celebrations draws near, we must remember that Christ died for our sins, but rose again on the third day and sits at the right Hand of Our Father.  Because of this...we are reminded of His promise to us of a beautiful life with Him, even if our life here on earth is tough.

I choose Him.

I will fight to remain positive and flee from negativity.

God is truly amazing and is blessing me with all of this. 

What do you choose?

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." -Romans 12:2

He Ain't the Leavin' Kind

I was listening to Rascal Flatts earlier (anyone one who truly knows me will not be surprised by this AT ALL as I have been on a Rascal Flatts binge lately), and a song started playing that I hadn't heard by them.

"He Ain't the Leavin' Kind."

I just thought it was a romantic song like most of their songs are.

It WAS indeed a a romantic song....

For God.

"He ain't the leavin' kind,

He'd never walk away.

Even from those who don't believe,

And wanna leave him behind,

He ain't the leavin' kind."

The bridge of the song is even more powerful:

"No matter what you do,

No matter where you go, 

He's always right there with you."

God is with us every moment of every day.

We show our faith in Him by giving Him our trust.

I read a devotional today in a book called "Jesus Calling" that talked about trust.

"I'm taking care of you.  Trust Me at all times.  Trust Me in all circumstances.  Trust Me with all your heart.  When you are weary and everything seems to be going wrong, you can still utter these four words: "I trust You, Jesus."  By doing so, you release matters into My control, and you fall back into the security of My everlasting arms.  Before you arise from your bed in the morning, I have already arranged the events of your day.  Every day provides many opportunities for you to learn My ways and grow closer to Me.  Signs of My Presence brighten even the dullest day when you have eyes that really see.  Search for Me as for hidden treasure.  I will be found by you."

He ain't the leavin' kind.

God is still with me through all the darkness and pain that I've experienced, especially recently.

Even if you don't believe it at this moment, He is there.

Whatever weighs on you tonight, I hope you find peace knowing that He ain't the leavin' kind and He is always by your side.  

You may have a lot of people you can't trust in your life right now.

Try to remember that you have at least 1 person that will never take that trust or you for granted.

He loves us unconditionally.

He ain't going anywhere!

It doesn't matter how far off track you get, or what you've done...

He is always waiting for you, with open arms, ready to help you overcome all obstacles in your life.

All Praise to God!

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." - Deuteronomy 31:6

When there is nothing left to say...

Today I wasn't my best version and I'll be the first to admit that.

On top of not feeling well, I let worry take over and my emotions spun out of control.

I'm completely drained.

But I still have something burning inside of me...

my passion for God.

As I lay here pretty drugged up hoping that rest will be the cure for not only my physical sickness, but also my emotional and spiritual well-being....

I'm left with silence.

But a silence filled with peace.

God is in control and when you get to a point where you have nothing left, whether you have nothing left to say or nothing left to give....

Just say Jesus.

Cuz He is what matters.

He will always rescue you.

You got this.

Hold firm to your passion for God.

Whatever you are going through, know that what is to come is the best thing yet!

Amen and all praise to God.

Goodnight.

I Won't Give Up

"I will be by your side

If you ever fall deep in the dead of the night

Whenever you call

And I won't change my mind

No, I'll see you through

And I won't give up

No, I won't give up

I won't give up on you."

This is the chorus of a song that has a lot of meaning to me.  Not only from a romantic stand point, but also on a faith-based side too.

Lately I've been able to turn romantic songs into a song that describes my relationship with Christ.

Take this chorus for example...

God will be by my side, even if I fall in the dead of the night....Whenever I call, He will never change His mind and will always see me through...He will not give up on me.

If God's love is so strong and unconditional, and we have this intimate and trusting relationship with Him, can't we give the same kind of love and trust to someone in our lives?

For years, I always wanted an intimate relationship with Christ, but never knew how to get there.  During that time, I did not have the capacity to love someone unconditionally.  I didn't know how to trust someone fully.  I certainly tried, but I always found myself doubting, living in fear, and never satisfied.

Why??

Because I couldn't give someone something I didn't have myself.

But God healed my heart, and I no longer walk around in search for attention.

I no longer live in doubt and fear.

I've learned true acceptance and trust, not only with myself, but with God and others as well. 

God's love has never failed me and I know my love will not fail either.

Not with God.

Not with the man God has made for me.

Not with those important in my life.

I will not give up on YOU.

Will you give up?

God will not give up on you.

Keep pushing through and let Him bless you with a love that is indescribable.

A love that will last a lifetime.

I Can't Get No... Satisfaction!

Or can you?

My last blog post was about things that mattered.

I've come to learn the importance of needing God every day, every minute, every second.  There are so many things that are thrown your way each day and sometimes it can get so overwhelming that your body, mind, and soul shut down.

That's when things become dark.

Anger fills your soul and heart.

Negative thinking and complaining fill your mind.

Your body becomes tense and sometimes it'll even shake due to the anger your soul is being filled with.

Stop in that moment and remember what matters.

Look up!

HE is what matters.

HE is where you'll find your satisfaction.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

God is shaping your life, especially during these bumps in the journey.  He uses these tough times to guide us to what we need to live a fulfilling life.

Tribulation tests our identity as Christians.

Matthew 13:1-23 is a perfect parable that Jesus uses to prove how trials can test us as Christians and Jesus explains how and why he uses parables to teach us lessons.  

Tribulation tests our faith.

"These trials will show that your faith is genuine.  It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.  So when your faith remains STRONG through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." - 1 Peter 1:7

Tribulation tests our sense of purpose.

"....when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when you faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when you endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." - James 1:2-4

Tribulation tests our obedience.

"I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions." - 2 Corinthians 2:9

Through tribulation, we learn to rely on God.

"We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia.  We were crushed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.  In fact, we expected to die.  But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely on God, who raises the dead.  And we did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again.  We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.  And you are helping us by praying for us.  Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety." 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

God's got your back.  

The chorus in this song is pretty powerful.

"Hold on" - KJ-52

Jonah

Hold on, you got this.

Don't throw it away.

Learn to forgive but don't forget.

Even when it feels like the worst.

Hold on, you got this.

Don't throw it away.

Make more memories than regrets.

If nothing else, just live and learn.

Hold on to His truth.  He will give you strength when you are weak.  Every enemy will flee when He is present in your life.  Just hold on tightly to your faith.  Know that God is shaping you into something extraordinary during these times.

You got this.

Does It Really Matter?!

This world often encourages us to put our own prosperity above God's House.

Think about it...

Those who are Christian's at some point made a commitment to Christ.  

We all were on fire at this time in our lives....

Reading the Bible daily, going to bible studies, getting involved in the church.

Nothing was more important than Jesus.

Slowly our lives began to take over.

Our jobs, bills that needed to be paid, family that needed to be taken care of, sleep!!

Slowly we stopped putting God first and our lives began to fall deeper into a slump.

Here is the part that makes it worse...

We began to justify it and make excuses!!

So all these worldly things became more important.

That's when everything seems to fall apart.  

Our mentality at work goes from positive to negative thoughts every single hour each day.

Our actions and words that were once kind towards family become aggressive and impatient.

Driving to work, we get cut off or bullied.

Relationships start to have more tension.

Our God is an understanding God.

But these things are happening because He is causing them too.  He is making it known that HE is in control and that our priorities aren't right.

Just like in the book of Haggai:

"You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor.  And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away.  Why?  Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses." Haggai 1:9

In the new testament in the book of John, it is reiterated:

"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." John 6:27

Below are questions that will give you a reality check:

How are you spending your time?

How are your spending your money, which indeed is God's money?

What do you think about most?

"If God is for us, then who can be against us?" - Romans 8:13

What matters in your life today?

Do you work against God and lose your spiritual light to your path?

Or is it your goal to put Him first always and receive His many blessings and promises?

Remember what truly matters.

When life gets tough, we must remember that He has never left us.  He is always here to help us carry the crosses we bear.  

HE matters.

Every day.

Amen.

I Am NOT A Victim

Life is tough.

Emotions are real.

Pain is present in this broken world.

How we handle and react to all of these tough moments is how we will view every day life.

I've always been one to see the positive or try to see the positive each day.

I've recently been taught how to be vulnerable in a whole new way.

I get daily devotionals from my mom during the week, and each one seems to be perfect for the day ahead.

Reading these devotionals and reading scripture can be enlightening and powerful.  However, at the beginning of this week, I was taught to turn those devotionals into a personal prayer and to say it out loud over and over until it was imprinted in my heart.  Until I truly believed it.

Saying it out loud, knowing God not only hears you, but is guiding you to His healing grace.

Yesterday's devotional was:

Here is the prayer I created from this devotional:

"I have come through very difficult times in many ways, but I see there are lessons you've taught me, Lord.  You have given me opportunities to overcome adversity.  I am NOT a victim of life's circumstances.  I have the strength to make changes and establish myself in a new position.  Amen."

I was having a really tough day yesterday.  During a mental break at work, I wrote this and kept repeating it until my heart started to feel the strength behind it.  It became real to me.

God is real.  His love is real.  His strength is real.

You are not a victim.

Today will only be difficult if you allow it to take over your life.

Make that change.  Be strong and confident in yourself that God is guiding you always.

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." - Colossians 3:12