(While I was driving today to practice, the song “I’ll Show You How To Live” by Sanctus Real was playing)
Me: My life….it’s just the beginning. From now on I start to experience all the things of growing up. Soon…my life is finally going to begin.
God: No, Child. Your life starts today. In fact, it started from the first day. From your first breath. You don’t wait for a certain time or a certain moment to begin living your life. You don’t wait for a certain mark to begin living. Life starts in every single moment that I give you another breath. If you wait to live your life, you will only waste it. Don’t waste the life I’ve given you by waiting to begin to live. I will show you how to live.
(Source: allforlovephoto)
Back into the habit because God deserves much more than I’ve been giving. #daily #devotion #God #Jesus (Taken with instagram)
God has been completely open, honest, and straightforward with me for a long time now of what He simply just doesn’t want for me. “It was pain that I wanted to protect you from,” He said to me tonight.
From the chat, to friends, to whispers from God, to the vision, to the two symbolic dreams, through what the pastor said when the Holy Spirit took over him….all of it was so straightforward.
And yet God opened up the path and said that if I choose it, then I would feel pain. He said that from the start. He said that I’d be thankful for the pain and that He’d make it work out for good in the end.
I thought that was better. And I told Him every single day that I’d rather get what I want and then learn from it. That would be better, right? Touch the hot stove and learn from my pain, right? But no….that’s not what He wants. ALTHOUGH He IS giving me the choice, it’s PAIN He wants to stop me from feeling.
Tonight though,
I finally LISTENED to Him about something other than what has been my main and only concern for the past few months….
“You’re finally listening,” He said.
And what He said tonight, what He is promising…well…truly sounds way better than what I’ve been wanting.
It’s terribly difficult though.
“Then I shall give it to…..but only if you leave behind what you want.”
How am I going to do that?
Simply, over time.
That’s why He’s giving me such a large amount of time to be freed. To be okay, and away. So that I can find my way back to Him.
He wants me to use the next few weeks to draw closer to Him.
And I believe….that in the next few months, what He talked about tonight will come to place.
I honestly can’t even imagine it though.
But God…..
Who can even comprehend His ways, right?
Man.
I’m just blown away.
I don’t know how I’ll be able to let go the thing I’ve been holding on to for almost close to a year now….and something I’ve wanted for months now (something that is even SO CLOSE within my grasp; yet something that God doesn’t want me to grab), and just trust that He WILL give me what He wants for me…something that would bring gratification.
Trust. Faith. It’s always the word.
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
Jesus Culture || Let It Rain
Psalm 27:13-14
Psalm 27:13-14
Something about myself and the change that needs to be made in me. And who knows, maybe in others too.
I’m posting that comment not to boast in myself, but to boast in God. Her comment is honestly one of the nicest and most amazing things that has ever been said to me, and I’ll admit it makes me feel awesome about the choices I make. But what she says in the end….it just goes to show how our actions and choices to help someone else can TRULY open a door for God to enter and begin to WORK.
Here’s me being completely honest about myself. I truly am completely 100% genuine when I talk to people and pray for them. I don’t do it for publicity. But the truth is, there are way too many times where I’ll go home and be alone and think to myself how much I “should” be recognized for how nice I am to people.
My school gives out awards for your character. For how you treat others. For how you display the love of God. And almost consistently I will get the thought that I deserve it. That I SHOULD be awarded those things, because hey, aren’t I a genuinely good person? I help everyone, I’m nice to everyone…so I deserve it, right?
And then oh man, if I’m not noticed for things then it’s like, “Oh? Did I go wrong somewhere. Or maybe God’s just humbling me.”
The point that I’m trying to make is that is NOT a good mentality. It’s quite a bad one to have actually. Like in Matthew 6:1 it says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”
Doing good for others isn’t so that I can gain something in the end.
It’s not so that I can get noticed.
It’s not so that I can be liked more.
It’s not so that I can be looked up to and exalted.
It’s so that GOD can be seen
It’s so that GOD can be exalted in a way that makes HIM likeable. That makes them want to Know Him more.
Even if I truly am genuine when I help people….I shouldn’t feel the need to gain things. Because then it becomes about me…and when that happens, then what I did basically has no meaning.
There’s no I in Jesus. But there is an E. and there is an US. Because everyone deserves to be loved. And it is not about US….but God has given redemption through His son to all of US.
We (Christians) are meant to reconcile the world. We’re meant to spread the good news. And we’re meant to do it for HIS KINGDOM. Not our own wordly kingdom build up of things that fade.
Because even if I do win whatever awards and titles that I want. Who is going to remember or know that in a few years aside from me? In the end it WILL NOT MATTER.
But what WILL matter is the genuine love that I give to others…that through God will have the power to draw them closer to God.
Our love can open up passages and gateways to the Heavenly Kingdom.
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will follow.” (Matthew 6:33)
I’ve been praying so, so hard these past few days that God will remove my desires to win these things that won’t last. And I realized tonight that the best way might be just to not win those things. So maybe I won’t. Maybe that’s how God will teach me. Or maybe He will just teach me through these realizations. Who knows.
But I truly pray that all of you who actually take the TIME to read this…will also come to the point in your lives where you realize that it is not the recognition that matters. It is the things done in secret that open gateways to winning another soul to the kingdom of God. That’s what matters. That is what lasts forever.
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold…” (I Peter 1:6-7, NLT).
We all face disappointments and setbacks. Life is full of things that try to push us down. Maybe you got bad news concerning your health. A relationship didn’t work out. Maybe you lost your job. It was a setback. When we face setbacks, it’s easy to get discouraged or lose our enthusiasm. Too often we are tempted to just settle where we are. But if we’re going to see God’s best, we have to have a bounce-back mentality. That means when you get knocked down, you don’t stay down. You get back up again. It means when disappointments come, you shake them off knowing that what the enemy meant for your harm God is going to turn around and use for your good.
When you’re a bounce-back person, you know that adversity is not permanent. Weeping may endure for a night, but you know joy is coming in the morning. There is wonderful joy ahead on the other side of this trial. Keep standing, keep believing, and choose to be a bounce-back person because you are coming out better off than you were before! You are rising higher, and you will fulfill the destiny God has in store for you!
True Love.
“But I’m always initiating things. Just for ONCE in my life….can somebody fight for me? Can somebody initiate things for me because they actually want me? Because they’re actually brave enough to fight for me…or because they actually think that I’m worth something? Can’t somebody for once in my life fight for me because they’re afraid to lose me to someone else? For once in my life can I just feel that somebody loves me enough to try…?”
“But….Isn’t that what Jesus did for you? Isn’t that what God does for you every, single day?”
The Truth About Beauty.
- God: What is your definition of Beauty?
- Me: Oh, Don't ask me that......
- God: What is your definition of Beauty?
- Me: I--...
- God: You see the Problem is that you're definition and perception of beauty has conformed to that of Society's. You see Beauty as being tall, skinny, light skin, colored eyes--
- Me: Well because THAT is what everyone falls for. That's how it is!
- God: But don't you see that that entire mentality is faulty? Why? Because it makes others feel UNWORTHY. I did not create my children for them to feel unworthy. I did not send my son to die on the cross so that my people would feel UNWORTHY. I sent Him to prove to my people that they are worth SO MUCH MORE than they could ever imagine. The problem with the society's definition of beauty is that it completely limits what true beauty is. True beauty is of the heart. True beauty is of a thoughtful mind that thinks good thoughts. True beauty lives in you, and radiates from the inside, out. You see my child, I created you to be beautiful not only on the inside, but also on the outside. Look at yourself in the mirror, child. You always see your flaws. You always focus on the imperfections that no one else even cares about. Satan wants you to only see your faults, whereas I long for you to see all the beauty in every little thing that the world sees as an "imperfection." You were made beautiful. I did not make a mistake when I made you, and YOU might think that I did. But I spent time. I fabricated every single part of your being. So look at yourself and tell me that you are not beautiful. Because you see, I see every part of you and I made every single part beautiful. Your hands, your skin, your face, your eyes, your legs, your feet.....Stop believing that you don't measure up, because you measure far beyond the limited view of Beauty. Their view of beauty falters and dies down, but my beauty that I instilled in you is everlasting. It will never die. You are beautiful. Don't buy in to the lie. You are beautiful. Don't cry because someone says you are not good enough. You are good enough, you are beautiful. You are worth so much more than this and you need to see that. No more crying because all you see are your IMPERFECTIONS. You have no imperfections. You are beautiful. The heart shall be made pure under my light, mercy, and love, but child--know that because of my love, I created you to be beautiful. And beautiful is what you are. Beautiful is what you will be. Beautiful is what you will remain. So as you finish with my words, take it to heart. And do not be deceived when the testing and trials come. When the world begins to throw you the lies that say YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH, remember all that I did for you. Remember that I made you with my own hands. Know that before I even knit you together in your mother's womb, I knew my plan for you. I knew you by name. I knew you. I know you. You are beautiful. Never forget that. My child, my beautiful child, I love you so very much.
omg. this.
Reblog if you’re a Christian/ Inspirational Blog! Let’s spread some love! <3
(Source: dreamingupconstellations)
Unconditional Love.
I was thinking about something either last night or this morning…and I just thought I’d share what I felt God tell me…
For a while I was just wrestling with the thought of dating someone who was not a Christian, because there is just always controversy about it at times..
And when my mind came to that Bible verse about not getting yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14)
I suddenly felt God say,
“Sarah, that verse that you thought of…when I use that verse, I am meaning that you shall not become one with them…You should not be yoked with them, meaning that you should not become involved with the things that they do…
If you were ALWAYS surrounded with believers, then what would your true purpose be? Things would be too easy.
Your job is to bring unbelievers to me by revealing my light to them.
Remember what I told you before:
….WHEN YOU HAVE FOUND A REASON TO LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY, THEN OPEN THE DOOR, FOR THAT MY CHILD..IS THE KEY.
So Do Not be afraid to love someone, just because they were not a Christian..for that my dear, is your job. To love them.”
And after He said these things, I got the image—-that image of a key unlocking the door to a heart or whatever.
And the heart in this image was of a person who completely isolated himself from love and such…one who built up walls, casting others away in order to protect himself from pain.
And I realized that that’s what it truly is all along..that’s what it always has been—-
What TRULY unlocks the door to the hardest heart is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE,
and that is the love that Christ has always had.
Not merely love, but unconditional love..and that is the love that we must have..for ourselves, for others.
A person who has been so beat down by life will not be swayed by simple “love,” because circumstances may reveal that the idea of “love” being broken is what put themselves there in the first place.
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE is different. There are no boundaries, there are no breaking points…even if unconditional love is hurt or even broken, it will ALWAYS be repaired.
If God has given to us His unconditional love,
then we must reveal it to the whole world, without fear….for love does not contain fear.
