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! ;-)

Be Persistant in Prayer

 In the last post I talked about the power of prayer, and the importance of reminding yourself of God's promises when you don't see immediate answers. Today, I want to discuss the importance of being persistant in prayer. One of my favorite verses is one in which Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray, and to be persistant in prayer. In Luke 11:5-13 He says this:

“Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need."

 How cool is that! Jesus is saying that if you don't get an answer to your prayers, keep persisting, and you will get what you asked for just because of your persistance! He continues on to say,

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

If sinful, imperfect human beings know how to give good things to their children, just imagine how much more God wants to give to you! If you have a child then you know the depth of love that you have for them. You want the very best for them. God is the same way. We are His children, and He wants the very best for each of our lives. Don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate answers to your prayers; keep persisting and you will surely see God's blessings flow into your life!