Tag: Trusting God

Store Up Treasures In Heaven

Matthew 6:20 NIV, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Yesterday I was driving home from the store, and as I was driving, I started thinking about all I hadn’t yet done, and all I didn’t yet have. In those few moments, I managed to convince myself that I should be further along in life by now. I mentally started compiling a list of things I wish I had. Of course more money was at the top of my list. I reasoned that if I had more money, I could do more things, have more things, and be more successful. There is a pretty high standard in society today to achieve more. More money. More houses. More degrees. More status. More vacations. More of this! More of that! More, more, more! Then all of sudden, in the midst of it all, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Store up treasures in heaven.” Immediately the discouraging thoughts came to a halt and there was a sense of relief. I felt at peace.

I’m thankful that in my moments of self pity, God reminded me of my true purpose in Jesus Christ, and the reality that Earth is not my final home. As Christians, our greatest rewards and our greatest fulfillment await us in heaven. It’s a blessing when we are successful, but nothing we ever achieve in this world will be greater than the ecstasy of eternity with Jesus. The most important legacy we can ever leave behind, is one that points others to Him.

Photo by: Sindre Strøm

Sharing the saving grace of Jesus Christ with a dying world, through our words and actions will bring life. I pray that as Christians, we will never be blinded by the temporary pleasures of this world. Instead may we find joy in storing up treasures in heaven. When our hearts are in tune with the Spirit of God, we are able to stay focused on what matters most. I’m thankful for the assurance He gives us during times of doubt. He assures us that, the “more” we are looking for is found in Him…

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33 NLT).

God does want us to be successful and enjoy life, but above all else we are to seek Him. He will guide our steps and put us in position to receive the right opportunities. Keep storing up treasures in heaven, and trust God to bring the “more” you truly need as you continue to serve Him.

Photo by: Min An

Enjoy Jesus Everyday

Regular fellowship with our Savior always makes things so much better. Time with Him refreshes us and gives us strength to face life, which we all know life can be tough. Everyone has something going on but as we meditate on His goodness, we are reminded of His love, protection, and provision. This helps to keep fear away from us, and to keep our focus in the right place. We are never without hope as long as He is near. He fills our life with good things…

Psalm 103:5 NLT, “He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!”

Looking to Jesus, keeps our hearts full of faith, and in tune with His voice. Hearing his voice as He gives us gentle confirmations brings us assurance of His presence. Enjoy spending time with Jesus and find contentment in His everlasting love for you.

Photo by: Andy Vu

Hurt At Church

Colossians 3:13 NLT, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

As I was writing, “You Are Not Alone” a couple of days ago, I kept thinking about those in the body of Christ who have been hurt at some point by fellow believers. It’s still heavy on my heart right now, even as I write this. Some are so hurt that they have made a decision to no longer attend church, or even if they do, the pain they feel keeps them from experiencing the joy that God wants them to have. Or they may isolate themselves by not getting involved in the ministry because they fear getting hurt again. They have no peace because of the wrong they believe was done to them.

Photo by: Polina Sirotina

The reality is that every believer may not feel safe in God’s house for whatever the reason. It’s never God’s will for any of His children to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in His house. He intends for us all to find a church home that is right for us. He is willing to lead us to the perfect place of worship when we ask.

As I thought about believers who have been hurt at church, the only word that kept coming to my mind is forgiveness. Forgiveness is what God requires of us, regardless of circumstances. There are no excuses, He calls us to forgive. When forgiveness is a struggle, we can pray and ask for His help, and He will help us. Forgiveness opens up the door for healing and restoration. Every strained relationship may not necessarily be reconciled, because some people are better off not being a part of your life, but even so, there still needs to be forgiveness. Having a forgiving nature, causes us to continue to progress in our walk with God, unforgiveness hinders our walk with God.

People are not perfect, so naturally the church is not going to be perfect. However as Christians, we do need to show love to those around us. One thing I have heard over and over from people is that they feel left out in church. They feel that certain people or families in the church are more important than others. That should not be the case, because in God’s eyes we are all valuable and He is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). We all have gifts and talents that He wants us to use for His glory.

Photo by: Luis Quintero

Once you know you are in the church God wants you to be in, then you can trust Him to open the right opportunities for you. Sometimes we can attend a church for years, and then God will call us out and into another church (This has happened to me a couple of times.) It’s important to go if that happens, because otherwise you won’t be content anymore. Things, including relationships, won’t work out if you are not where God wants you to be. Don’t let having a certain social status or position keep you in the wrong church. God has plans for you at the new place of worship that are good.

It’s important to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. People will fall short, because we all fall short sometimes. We have to forgive, walk in love and keep serving God. Our Father’s house should be a place of love. Every member of God’s family and those who visit, should experience that love when they enter His house. Someone once told me that she hadn’t been to church in over a year because someone did her wrong. Then it occurred to me that even when people do us wrong at work, we have to keep going because we need our paycheck. It works the same with church, we have to keep going because we need the spiritual strength and the fellowship with our spiritual family.

John 13:34 NIV, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Don’t let the sin or carelessness of others cause you to miss out on worshipping with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. God is faithful and He knows your every need. I pray God will help anyone reading this who is struggling in this area. Let love and forgiveness rule and reign in your heart. On the other side of the hurt, discouragement, and unforgiveness that you feel is freedom, the freedom Jesus died for you to have. Don’t let the enemy steal that freedom from you. Trust God to bring you comfort and healing, and then move forward in His grace.

Photo by: Michael Morse

You Are Not Alone

1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV, “8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

This verse encourages us to never feel alone, because we are part of God’s family of believers. The enemy wants us to feel alone and isolated so that we will become discouraged in our faith. He is always seeking to destroy our relationship with the Lord. But the Lord wants us to stand firm in the faith! Even when we stumble we are to keep pressing on in our faith. God assures us that every single believer in Christ is going through the same kind of sufferings. The enemy is trying to kill, steal, and destroy those who are seeking the face of Jesus. However in Christ, we are more than conquerors, He came to give us life (John 10:10)!

We all have situations that are beyond our control. We all have issues that we are waiting on God to resolve, rather it be personal or rather it involves other people. We overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. Because of Him, we are able to persevere.

Photo by: Min An

We must stay alert, and not give in to the temptation to become relaxed or nonchalant in our faith and quest to know Jesus better. Instead we must be intentional and vigilant to pursue the Savior and the things of the Lord. But be encouraged and know that no matter what your struggle is, God forgives you when you confess your sins to Him (1 John 1:9) and He empowers you to move forward in His grace and love. Keep your eyes fixed on Him, not people or problems.

Just decide each day, in every situation, in every hurt, and through every struggle to keep trusting Jesus. He is faithful, and He will carry you through. And remember, you are not alone in your struggles. Through Christ you are part of something greater…God’s family.

Photo by: Tirachard Kumtanom

Father,

For those who may feel like they are alone, please let them know that you are near. Place the right people in their lives who can be true friends and really care. Give them confidence in who they are in You.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Move On In Faith

Exodus 14: 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.

The Israelites were terrified because the Egyptians were pursuing them. In the midst of the chaos they lost their faith and begin to complain and worry. They started wishing they had never left the life they had in the past. Even though their past life wasn’t comfortable, it was familiar. They longed for the familiarity that they knew.

Photo by: Pixabay

Today things are not much different for us as Christians. It’s easy to be comfortable with what is familiar. Stepping out in faith and going into unknown territory can be scary. Once things don’t go as we thought they would, we want to run back to what we knew. Or we begin to question God’s faithfulness. We wonder if it’s really worth it.

I like Moses response to the grumbling Israelites in verse 14…“The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still.” Then it gets even better when the Lord speaks to Moses in verse 15…“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” We have to move on in faith knowing that the Lord will fight our battles. We can’t let fear of the unknown rob us of the blessings God has for us.

The blessings He has for us are not just at the finish line, where we see the manifestation of what we are hoping for. Our whole journey is filled with blessings, because through it we are standing firm, growing in our faith and learning to trust God. On our journey we can see how He provides for us in ways big and small.

We don’t have to run away in fear or try and return to what is familiar when the enemy pursues us. We can remain calm and be still in our hearts. God’s love covers us, and He himself lives inside of us. Therefore we can keep moving on in faith. Everything we need to accomplish God’s purposes and go through unknown territory is available to us through Jesus Christ.

Florida Memories: Sharing With My Sister

My big sister Angela who lives in Michigan came to visit me in October, a couple of weeks before I left Florida. She was in town for seven days, and we had a lot of fun! I wanted to share some pictures from our time together.

She flew into Miami International Airport, and we started our afternoon off with a short tour of Hollywood, which is where I lived for my first two years in Florida. The last two years I lived in Dania Beach, but still did almost everything in Hollywood, since it was really close.

We had dinner at a restaurant called GoBistro in downtown Hollywood. We both had the ramen which is delicious (I never eat the seaweed on the side of the bowl lol.)

Later that evening we made these Pumpkin Muffins from Michelle at Blessings By Me. They came out really good! They were very tasty and moist, and all you need is two ingredients!

We were praying for good weather with no rain, and God did bless us to get all of our outdoor activities done, without any interference from rain. One of those activities was bike riding at Key Biscayne. Key Biscayne is a little island near Miami.

Angie & I

After the bike riding, we overcame our fears by going to the top of the lighthouse located on the island. There were 109 steps to the top! It was kind of scary because we don’t like heights, but thank God we both made it to the top. I went first then my sister went.

Cape Florida Lighthouse
Steps inside of the lighthouse (I had to recite Psalm 23 to make it to the top!! Lol)
My view from the top of the lighthouse

I couldn’t let my sister leave without taking her to my favorite place in Miami, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. It’s an old mansion that belonged to a man named James Deering. Vizcaya was his winter vacation home, where he would come to escape the cold winters up North. It was built between 1914 and 1922. It feels like another world when you step in. It’s worth a visit if you’re ever in Miami.

Vizcaya Musuem
Vizcaya’s swimming pool

Miami is a very diverse place and is rich in food and culture. My sister enjoyed trying Cuban and Jamaican food for the first time. She loved the Jamaican Beef Patties! I had to take her back like three times to get one lol. I think I like the vegetable patties best. We also made it to Ft Lauderdale Beach (it was so hot!)

My Cuban plate (fish chunks, yellow rice, and plantains).
My sister taking a picture of Ft Lauderdale Beach
Jamaican Vegetable Patty

Although I was sad to see my sister go, I was thankful for the time we had together. I was also happy I only had four more days after she left before making my move to Virginia. Her visit was the perfect ending to my four year season of living in Florida. We shared talks, laughs, great food, time in prayer and God’s Word. It was a blessing.

Below is a picture of my view from the balcony at my apartment in Florida. I always loved looking out and seeing the trees and the lake, especially in the mornings before leaving for work. I’m thankful for all God’s goodness.

Psalm 126:3 NIV,“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” 🥰

The Desires Of Your Heart

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

This scripture always brings to my mind the word “worship“, which is reverencing God and loving Him for who He is. When we live a life of worship towards the Lord, we delight in Him. When we delight in Him, we find joy in spending time with Him, and we find pleasure in living in obedience to His commands.

1 John 5:3 NLT, “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.”

When we find delight in the Lord, He finds delight in granting us our hearts desires. The more time we spend with Him, the more understanding we will gain about who He is. As we become more like Jesus, we will have the same desires that He has for our lives, and for the lives of those who are around us. Fulfilling His purpose will be our main agenda. The motive behind our actions will always be love, loving God and loving others.

Photo by: Ric Rodrigues

There may be times you feel that your faithfulness to God has not been properly rewarded. You may at times feel weary as you seek the Lord. If so, don’t hesitate to call out to Him in prayer. Cast your cares upon Him and allow Him to give you rest. One thing I’m learning about the Lord, is that His Word will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). He will bring to past the words He has spoken. His promises are true, and His timing is perfect. The work He performs in our hearts and lives is thorough. He desires for us to be perfect (mature) and complete lacking nothing.

James 1:4 NJKV, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Keep persevering in patience as the Holy Spirit does a work in you. Keep being faithful as you serve God and walk in love toward others. He is working all things in your life together for good (Romans 8:28).