Tag: Jesus

Trust God’s Perfect Timing

After writing “Our God is the God of Abundance” yesterday, I kept thinking about God’s timing. I thought about how although we know God is sovereign over all things (Colossians 1:16), we must still wait for His plans to unfold.

Knowing that God is an abundant God with unlimited resources, it can be a struggle at times to patiently wait. When we are anxious, we can easily find ourselves wondering why God is taking so long to move in our situation. After persevering in prayer for days, months, or even years we may feel tired and discouraged.

Psalm 27:14 NLT, “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.”

There are times when God chooses to move suddenly and turn things around, but He doesn’t always do that. We don’t always know the reasons behind our waiting. God may reveal details to us, but other times He requires us to just trust Him.

I used to have a picture on the wall that said, “Faith is trusting God when you do not understand.” That’s what is great about putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we don’t have to understand. Everything does not have to make sense to our human minds (Proverbs 3:5-6).

We can find comfort in knowing that He will strengthen us as we persevere through our waiting. We can cry out to Him at anytime of day or night, and He promised to hear our cries for help.

Psalm 18:6 NLT, “But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.”

He promised to give us His peace in exchange for our prayers (Philippians 4:6-7). As you are waiting, remember that God will never leave you. With every trial you face, God has a purpose and a plan, so don’t lose hope.

Sunshine Blogger Award – 3

Thank you Mrs. Holliman at GOD’S LOVE for nominating me for The Sunshine Blogger Award. When I stop by your blog, I encounter the truth and love of God’s Word. Thank you for being an inspiration.

Please check out her blog! Here’s one of her most recent post: Living Your Best Life with God’s Promises

Rules:

1. Use the sunshine blogger award logo

2. Give thanks to the blogger that nominated you

3. Answer the 11 questions that you’ve been asked

4. Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 questions

Question For Me:

1.What place would you like to visit? Rome, Italy 🇮🇹

2.Who is the most important person in your life? My relationship with Jesus Christ is always first. 🙏🏿

3.What is the last place you traveled to and why? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for my uncle’s funeral. ✈️

4.What good did GOD bring into your life? He has brought a lot of good, but learning to understand His love for me has been life changing. ❤️

5.What is your favorite color? Green 🌿

6.What got you to start your blog? I decided to start as a way to encourage others by sharing about God’s faithfulness. 🖥

7.What is your favorite food? Pepperoni Pizza and French Fries. Love them! 🍕🍟

8.Do you like to play sports or watch sports? I don’t play any sports, but I enjoy watching baseball. I’ve been to several professional baseball games. New York Yankees are #1!! ⚾️

9.How do you feel about what the world became to be? The world is becoming worse everyday. It’s becoming more like it’s father, Satan. The Bible said things would get bad in the last days. On the other hand, us Christians should strive to become more like God our Father. We should spread the truth and love of Jesus Christ. He died for the sins of the world. 🌎

10.Do you like being in the snow? If yes why? No I don’t like the snow. I lived in Michigan, outside of Detroit for 11 years. I don’t miss those snowy, brutally cold winters at all. ⛄️

11.What beach do you like to visit? I’m not really a big beach person, but living in Florida I’ve been to many. I grew up in Virginia, so Virginia Beach was close by. I don’t really have a favorite. 🏝

***I’m nominating 11 of my most recent connections. 😊 Participation is optional, but thanks for your blogs!! I appreciate your writings. ❤️ My questions are below.

1. https://joycottage.blog/2019/05/23/i-thought-it-was-just-a-memory-on-facebook/

2. https://godinspiredart.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/im-back-well-not-just-yet/

3. https://inspiredgrisele.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/whats-your-we/

4. https://imeellasblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/im-back/

5. https://wonderblogz.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/our-dreams/

6. https://husnayot.wordpress.com/2019/05/24/pen-and-paper-sketches-from-my-past-pt2-2/

7. https://fayannswearing.wordpress.com/2019/05/01/god-is-our-refuge-and-strength/

8. https://florenceezekafor.com/2019/05/25/how-my-life-got-messed-up/

9. https://briannaheaden.com/2019/04/26/fear/

10. https://missionloved.com/2019/05/13/pygmy-chiefs-village-transformed/

11. https://hhhigh.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/weeks-after-weeks/

My questions for you:

1. What’s an important lesson you’ve learned in life?

2. What is a good book you’ve read?

3. What is your favorite characteristic about yourself?

4. What are your hobbies?

5. Why did you start blogging?

6. What topics, if any, have you wanted to write about but haven’t because you feel your “fan base” would not approve?

7. Are you married or single, kids or no kids?

8. What are you passionate about and why?

9. What is your favorite food?

10. What is one of your favorite memories?

11. If you could wake up in the morning in a different place, where would that place be?

The Desires of Your Heart

Psalm 37:4 ESV, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

As we delight ourselves in the Lord, our desires will begin to line up with His. We will think more like Him. We will act more like Him. We will make loving Him and pleasing Him a priority.

Even though God allows us to go through situations that help us to mature into godly people, He still wants us to enjoy our lives. The good thing is that, He knows what we are mature enough to handle. He will not give us blessings that we are not ready for.

I remember when my daughter was little and I would drive her to daycare. I would always pass a park (River Bends Park, which ended up becoming my favorite park). I used to think to myself, if I didn’t have to go to work, I would go to the park to walk and spend time with God. God heard this desire, and about a year later, I felt He was leading me to leave my job. After a few months of making excuses not to leave, I finally left. Almost every morning after I put my daughter on the bus, I would head to that park.

River Bends Park in Shelby Twp, Michigan

In order to have my desire fulfilled, I first had to obey God and leave that job. For me, it was a huge leap of faith since I was a single parent. I knew leaving my job would mean putting myself completely into God’s hands and trusting Him to provide for me and my daughter. I also knew I would have to make sacrifices financially.

It was amazing though, how God allowed those closest to me to be so supportive. He wanted to grant me my hearts desire from the moment I fell in love with that park as I was driving by. However, I had to mature enough spiritually before I was willing to take that leap of faith so it could happen.

God had an even greater purpose for me during that time than just walking in the park. I got to be a stay at home mom for that period of time, and be there for my daughter. She still remembers how nice it was for me to bring her Subway during her lunchtime at school. God also gave me this time away from work as a season of rest.

What are your hearts desires? Do you trust God to grant them to you? Just remember, it may require you to step out on faith and go in a different direction from what you planned. Or you may be challenged to do something that is not quite “normal” by the world’s standards. God has unique, and often unexpected ways of blessing His children. The best thing we can do, is have willing hearts that are ready to obey Him.

Delight yourself in Jesus Christ, then trust Him to give you the desires of your heart.

River Bends Park in Shelby Twp, Michigan

The Thorn In Our Flesh

I, like most people, have wondered what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. There are many speculations, but we don’t know for sure. He did say that this “thorn” helped him to stay humble. It kept him from thinking too highly of himself.

2 Corinthians 12:7 NIV, “or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”

I know for me, there is always something that I struggle with at different times in my walk with God. Even if I think I’ve gotten pretty good in one area, then something else will pop up that I need to work on. God is always stretching us. He wants us to be a reflection of His Son. He desires for us to have an impact on those who are around us.

We are constantly in need of God’s grace and power to be effective. Our “thorns” will keep us sensitive to the fact that without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are nothing. It’s Him who causes our efforts, gifts, and talents to touch the lives of others. It’s Him who gives us the ability to follow Jesus.

Give your thorns to God in prayer and trust Him to use your weaknesses for His glory.

Live Confidently By Faith

Hebrews 11:1 NIV, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

How can we be confident in what we hope for and sure of what we do not see? We do this by placing our hope and assurance in Jesus Christ. He is our firm foundation. Living by faith in the Son of God is the way God has chosen for His children to live (Galatians 2:20). He expects us to trust Him to take good care of us and supply us with all we need. A life lived by faith can certainly be challenging. When we do not understand the details of what is going on, fear can creep into our hearts. But it’s during these times of uncertainty, that we must cling to God even more. Meditating on His Word will increase our faith and help us to stay strong…

Romans 10:17 KJV, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

God’s Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). It changes our hearts and brings life to what seems dead. There is power in His Word. Living by faith gives us hope, because we know that what we see is not all there is. Instead we can believe God for more. Even when we don’t yet see what it is we are believing for, we can keep walking by faith. We can be confident in the sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nothing’s Too Great for The Love of Christ

Psalm 136:3, “Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.”

There’s no hurt or pain that’s too great for Our Lord Jesus. He lovingly carries every burden we have, if we will only give our burdens to Him. We can tell Him anything, and He still loves us. Over and over again, He still chooses to love us. Nothing can stop His love for us, not even our darkest sins.

His faithful love endures forever…

He knows all there is to know about us, because He knows us so intimately. In His presence we can completely be ourselves. He meets us where we are and patiently waits. He waits while we grow and learn. He waits while we learn to love Him. His love never ceases to amaze me.

His faithful love endures forever…

I’m so thankful for His love today and everyday. His love and grace remain the same. People may change. The world will change. But Jesus Christ, He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever more (Hebrews 13:8). No one or nothing compares to Him.

His faithful love endures forever…

Jesus, The Light Of The World

John 8:12 NIV, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Light of Jesus will always shine no matter how dark the world becomes. As long as we follow Him, we will never be overcome by the darkness because He will always be the Light that gives us Life. Even when we ourselves are going through a dark time, we can trust in Jesus to shine the light of His love and truth into our situation. He will empower us to persevere through the obstacles that we face.

When we feel like giving up, we must remind ourselves that if we do give up, we’ll never get to do the things God has called us to do. We’ll never get to help the people He wants us to help. We’ll never become the people He wants us to be. During a time when I was feeling discouraged, God spoke to my heart and said, “I need you to be strong and you can be strong because I am your strength.”

God needs us to be strong, so we must rely on Him to be our strength (Philippians 4:13). Don’t give up. Keep shining for Jesus. You are a reflection of His Light in this dark world. There are people out there who need what God has called YOU to give them. Stay focused on the truth of Jesus, The Light of the World.

Riverbends Park, Shelby Twp, Michigan – 2015