God is Good

The Bible tells us that when we accept Christ into our lives, we receive His Holy Spirit within us as proof that we are now His. His Spirit is a gift that enables us and gives us the strength to make wise and good decisions; decisions that in-line with God's will. I have seen the Holy Spirit work in my life in miraculous ways--both small and large--and I know for a fact that it is the Spirit of God that has changed my desires and inspired me to love others with extravagance. God tells us that it is through His Spirit that "[He] will take out our stony hearts of sin, and give us new hearts of love" (Ezekiel 36:26).

Before becoming a Christian, all my desires were based on being a people-pleaser, and being popular in the eyes of my peers. I sought drugs and other forms of temporary and meaningless fulfillment (and I say meaningless, because they ultimately did not fulfill or benefit my life in any way, on the contrary in fact!) as a hope of feeling satisfied. After becoming a Christian, those desires in me changed completely. I went from wanting to please people, to please God. I went from seeking fulfillment in meaningless voids, to finding a fulfillment like no other in Christ. I went from pursuing only selfishness, to wanting to love and serve others--to feed the hungry and help the poor, and rescue the imprisoned! My mind was transformed completely--just as it says in Romans 12:2 : "Be transformed by the renewing of your minds."

My mind was both renewed and transformed in a miraculous way, that both I and those closest to me could clearly see the radical change.

Despite all this positive change however, I by no means am perfect or even close to being so. The only Perfect One is enthroned in Heaven! In fact, sometimes I feel completely discouraged by how far off of God's will I can get sometimes--I mess up just like everyone else. But the thing that encourages me most is that there is someone to plead on my behalf--and His name is Jesus. I know that when I mess up, He is there to intercede on my behalf, and that I no longer have to live in guilt or frustration because of His sacrifice for me on the cross. His word tells us, "there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). He's taken care of my sin, it's finished. There is no longer any reason for me to live in guilt because He washes clean all who simply ask of and trust in Him!

Bottom Line: I've lived my life on both sides--with God, and without--and I can say from personal experience that the part of my life that I've lived with Him is far more fulfilling than without! His love and peace have transformed me and my life in ways I could have never imagined, and for that, I am so grateful and excited to see what He will do next! Sometimes I laugh at myself because of how much I like to talk about what He's done--but how can I not talk about it? He's saved my life and changed me in more ways than one and I want everyone to experience this kind of self-sacrificing love, joy, peace, and freedom that comes in knowing the One who sets us free: Jesus Christ! And if you want that kind of love, joy, forgiveness, healing, and purposed-filled life mission, then I encourage you to invited Christ into your life. Even if you have hesitation or doubt, you can simply ask God, "Please, if you are real, reveal yourself to me, and let your power work in my life," and I promise that He will! And you will be blown away! ;-)

God bless you everyone, I hope you are inspired and encouraged to know there is a God that loves you and wants the very best for your life! The Bible tells us, "If God is for us, then who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). He is more for you than you are for yourself!
 I wish you all a wonderful week! ;-)

God Knows Best

“Who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” -1 Corinthians 2:16, Romans 11:24

I had a revelation this morning when I was cooking myself some breakfast. As usual, my fluffy little Maltese toy poodle was eagerly watching me hoping for a piece of food to drop to the floor. I looked at her beady little eyes and said, “No Belle, you can’t have any. It will make you sick!” As I sat down to eat, Belle followed me, eyes fixed on my food as she groaned, begged, barked, and made puppy eyes at me. “No Belle,” I said. I looked at her round little fluffy face and said, “Belle, do you know how much I love you?  I can’t give this to you because it’s not good for you.” Just then it hit me. There have been countless times where I have groaned, begged, and even cried to God over something I desperately wanted, and which I would get frustrated when I didn’t get.

My puppy could never fully comprehend how much I love her. She knows she is loved because she is fed, groomed, and well taken care of. But her little puppy brain could never grasp the full extent of just how much we care about her. I realized at that moment, that it is the same with us and God. We could never fully grasp the extent of His love for us—it is just too great for our human minds to comprehend. And when He does not grant us certain requests, He does it for our own good. He’s not doing it to be mean! He has a reason for it—and a good one too!

When we think we really want or need something, just like my puppy really wanted my food, we may fail to realize that if God withholds something from us, that it is after our best interest. Just as I would not give my precious little pup any food that would make her sick, sometimes the Lord withholds certain things from us because He doesn’t want us becoming spiritually, emotionally, or mentally sick. He wants the very best for us—and often times the things we ask for, although we may think are the best, are not really the very best.  I want to encourage you by letting you know that if there is something that you have been praying for, begging for, asking for, pleading for, and have not yet seen an answer to—consider this: That God wants the absolute best for you, and that maybe what you are asking for is not the very best of what He has in store for you. I challenge you to start asking God to show you what He wants for your life, and to help you let go of anything that may not be the very best for your life. I pray that He grants you the patience to hold out for His very best, and to also gain the wisdom to discern the best from the not-so-good things of what He has in store for your life. One of my favorite things to say is, “Never settle for less because you’re too afraid to hold out for God’s best.” Keep patiently waiting, and God will bless you with His very best!

Remind yourself of Isaiah 55:9, where God tells us that “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways HIGHER (better, more wonderful) than YOUR ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

His thoughts and plans toward us far surpass anything we could have thought up or planned on our own. Remember that His thoughts and plans for us are so much greater than we can even imagine! Trust in Him, because He wants the very best for you! J