We live in an incredibly fast paced world. It is a world of “me”, “now”, “want”, “desire”. It is too easy to get caught up in this mentality, and get carried off by the pace of society and absorbed into the instant gratification mentality.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
When we rest in the knowledge that God always taking care of us, we are reminded that there are so many benefits to sticking to His plan rather than going with the flow of the world. Rest your trust in God who provides for all of our needs and gives us the desires of our heart, which when our heart is focused on seeking God never lacks satisfaction, peace and joy. Thirst for the Lord above everything else. It is a challenge we all face as visitors on this earth but remember your home is with God and that take a lot of patience, faithfulness, obedience, and hope.
If God came to you and said He was buying you everything on your Amazon Wishlist, would you start thinking of what you want next, or would you be content and appreciate the things you have? Would you appreciate the things more, or the grace that provided it? We live in an incredibly materialistic world. This is a world of “me first” and “I want it, so I will have it” but Jesus teaches us a different lesson.
When we seek the Giver more than the given we lack for nothing. Everything we have is from the Lord, but when we focus on those want, want, wants we forget where they come from. We think we earned them, we worked for them, we got them of our own accord - but we would have nothing if it weren’t for the grace of God.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
The Lord will provide for all of our needs and we will lack for nothing in His care. Bring your focus back to Him who gives all good things and you will never be left wanting. You will be left feeling inexplicably content with all you have, knowing it is from Him who values and loves you.
Sometimes it's hard to know how to pray and what to say. Sometimes we aren't sure how we feel, or we have so much moving around in our minds we can't slow it down enough to tell God about it. Sometimes we just feel so drained, so empty that we can't even find the words to Express the emptiness. Sometimes we just need some help just to understand what's going on inside ourselves.
It's okay not to be okay. It's okay to not know what you need. It's okay to need help. It's okay to pray even when you can't find the words.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
Sometimes, we just need to lean on God more and let Him sort through the chaos and fill the emptiness.
We don't know everything, nor were we meant to handle everything on our own. When life gives you lemons, let God make lemonade out of it. Then drink that refreshment and be filled with His peace. God has so much to offer you. When you turn your focus back to Him and lift up your stress, anxiety, chaos, depression, hurt, suffering, struggles, finances, relationships, and your whole life up to Him, He will work wonders in and through you. Let Him use you. Allow yourself to be His vessel.
It's okay to not know how, you only need to open yourself to Him and let Him do the heavy lifting.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Who are you when you're at home, in your comfort zone? Who are you behind a keyboard? Who are you at work or school? Who are you with your friends, family, strangers?
I am sure you've heard the saying you should "practice what you preach". It feels like a hit to the pride if it's ever been directed at you, but it actually holds some real value. See, God knows who we are, truly. He knows our inwards most being, He know the things we hide from the public eye, and He knows how we are when were comfortable. He sees us as we truly are.
When we come to God as our true selves and are the truest versions of ourselves with Him it is much easier to be ourselves with the rest of the world.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord , plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
God doesn't want us to hide. He wants us to have pure integrity by being who He designed us to be in every aspect of our lives. It can take a lot of work to figure out who we are, but when we focus on who God intends us to be we will discover ourselves and become the best version of ourselves wherever we are, no matter who may or may not be watching. We can rest in the confidence that God designed us. He wove every piece of us together and He wants us to honor Him by being who He made us to be.
I spent much of my childhood bullied, beat up, and gossiped about. The people around me hated me and I started to believe the things they would say about me. I let their words chain me to a hatred for myself. I would ask God why He made me so ugly, so strange, and so despised. Their words hurt me badly.
Years later, I heard a sermon on 1 Peter that changed how I felt about all those hurtful words.
'Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. '
I didn't totally understand it yet, but I understood well enough that the hurt I felt for so long could not compare to the love Christ had for me and the healing powers of His kindness toward a broken, sinner like me. Christ loved me even when the world hated me, even though I was broken, even though I was hurting.
Kindness goes a long way and even when we feel no kindness around us we can find hope in the loving kindness of Christ. He is always there ready to help us, support us, love us, and heal us with His kindness and mercy. No matter how broken we feel or how damaged we think we are Jesus love us and is reaching out to heal our wounds and remind us how precious we really are.
Don't let the world convince you or your worth. Remember that your true value is with Jesus, who sacrificed Himself for you so that you can find healing in His love and kindness and a healthy, satisfying, blessed relationship with your Heavenly Father.
When you're feeling beaten, broken and hurt seek Jesus' healing kindness. He can heal any wounds you have and set you free of the pain you've been holding onto for so long.
Sometimes it is very difficult to know what to pray for, or what we need help with. It is hard to ask for direction when we don't know where we are going. Fortunately, we don't have to know everything because God already does.
'And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. '
We have the beautiful gift of the Holy Spirit that helps and guides us. When we lack the words to say and don't know how to pray, what to ask for, or where we need help the Holy Spirit knows our heart and intercedes for us with God. The Holy Spirit fills us up with God's peace, wisdom and grace and everything we lack.
If you are feeling overwhelmed or unsure you can trust in the knowledge that no matter what you are facing God knows the past, present and future and He also knows exactly what we need every step of the way. Lean on Him even when you don't know what to say to ask for, even when you don't know what to be thankful for, and even when you think you have everything you need. Seek Him and His love and guidance. Seek his purification in your heart and He will not let you down.
Have you ever felt rejected? Have you ever thought you would never be accepted anywhere, or by anyone? You ever think maybe you have gone too far, sin too much, broken too many "rules" to find peace or acceptance?
This is the lie Satan wants you to believe, but I promise you it is all far from the truth.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
"Love covers a multitude of sins." In other words, love is unconditional. Love does not give up. Love prevails. Love has the power to bring you back to spiritual life, and God is the source of love. God loves us no matter how far we run away, how badly we mess up, and no matter how many people may reject us.
Think about this - Jesus was sent to earth to be rejected and sacrificed so that we could have a relationship with God. God wanted a relationship with us, us sinful creatures, so much that He sent His son to earth knowing what He would experience so that we could be with God. There was an incredible purpose to the suffering and rejection Jesus experienced. He was the most rejected man in existence, and now He sits at the right hand of God.
People are sinful, hurtful, hateful, dirty creatures. We need God and God wants us despite the filth and grime, despite the sin and human rejection we receive. God seeks us out even when the whole world rejects us, hates us, persecutes us. God went the furthest lengths possible in order to pull us close to Him. He made us special. He made us who we are. He made us to be in relationship with Him and He will do whatever He needs to in order to show you the love and blessings He has stored up for you.
With God, you are welcome even when the whole world feels like it is against you. You are never alone, never unloved, never lost. You are special to the God who created you because He simply loves and wants you no matter where you have been, no matter where you come from, no matter what you've done.
I want to challenge you for a moment to think of this differently than we normally do. We automatically relate this verse to loving others, but let's take a moment to think about self-love and self-care.
'And a second [commandment] is like [the first]: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. '
How can we love our neighbors if we don't first love ourselves? It is simple - not very well.
We usually think of self-care and selfish actions. We think that if we put ourselves first then we are selfish, so we neglect the self-care in an attempt to avoid that selfishness. The problem is not the actions of self-care, but the intentions. When we take care of ourselves, show ourselves love, allow ourselves to breathe, relax, enjoy things for the sake of our own amusement, but with the intention and purpose of taking care of and loving ourselves so that we can in turn love others better, treat others more kindly, tackle work, family, life less stressed and more productively - that is the right way to love yourself. Love yourself so that you can then love others better. If we don't love ourselves well, how can we possibly listen to commandment two and "love others are yourself"?
Selfishness is the opposite of love. Selfishness is not just putting yourself above everything else, your wants above others', but it is also the act of neglecting yourself for the sake of others. Neglecting your own needs tells God you don't trust His commands and teachings, and that you think you know better than He. It also says you don't trust God with your stresses, anxieties, and most importantly with your life. But let me tell you; when you let God lead you in every way and appreciate His teachings, listen and follow His instructions for your life, that is love.
'And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. '
Love God by being obedient, and by respecting and following His commands and instruction, which includes all kinds of ways to have self-care. So don't be afraid to take a step back, take a little "me" time, collect yourself, refresh, breathe, and appreciate yourself in a healthy, God-centered way. Self-love is important. Self-care is not selfish with the right motives.
When I was about 14 years old, a rebellious, depressed, and utterly miserable teenager my dad told me something that at first I scoffed at but later would change a vital piece of my outlook on life.
"You can choose to be happy, or you can choose to be miserable. That is your choice and only you can make that choice for yourself."
I thought he was crazy. How could I be happy in such unhappy circumstances? He couldn't possibly understand what it was like, how hard it was to find happiness in my chaotic life. But after years of being completely hateful and resentful I grew completely exhausted of being upset all. the. time. And all of a sudden his words started to make sense.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.
We have a choice. We can choose to be at peace in our circumstances or we can choose to deny the blessings we do have in the midst of chaos. Everyone has trials, everyone suffers, everyone faces their own challenges. And everyone chooses how to respond to those circumstances. Everyone has light in the darkness to focus on, even if it is a tiny little light. We all also have God to help us move from darkness to light, from chaos to peace, from hate to love.
Strive to be a peacemaker. Strive to be an example. If you find yourself judging, resenting, lusting, hating, miserable, and upset - take a step back and seek God's wisdom. Seek His peace and He will not fail you. It is not too late to let go of the darkness and pull back into the peace that only God can provide. You got this.
Do you need to let go of some darkness and find that light again? Where can God infiltrate your heart and guide you back to the peaceful life?
Dear Lord, Help me be a peacemaker today. Help me to see where I can be a better example, where I can release control to you, where I can let go of hurt and resentment, where I can treat people better. God please help me where I am struggling and heal me where I am broken. Bring your peace and light back into me. Please, Lord, fill me with all that is you so that I can put you on display today in the right way. Amen.
Growing up I had a really tough life. One night I got into a pretty bad fight with my mother. In my anger I stormed out of the house in the middle of the night, raining, no jacket, no shoes, no phone. Only wearing sweat pants and a tank top in the cold rainy night. I was so upset I just kept walking.
About 3 miles away from my house I noticed a car had been following me for some time. I approached a parking lot before walking across a bridge and the car parked in front of the sidewalk and two guys got out. I was freaking out, totally terrified that I was about to be thrown in the car. But something extraordinary happened instead.
These two guys had stopped to make sure I was okay. I insisted I was fine, and told them I didn't need anything from them. So one of them took the shoes off his feet, took the jacket off his back, and laid them on the sidewalk for me. I said, "I don't want them, you can take them back!" He responded compassionately with "well, then I supposed someone else will have a nice new pair of shoes then" and he got back in his car and left. They drove off, and I put on the five-size too big shoes and jacket on and kept walking.
I went across the bridge and landed behind a theatre I'd spent much time at. I was sitting behind a building, under the bridge, at the edge of a cliff when a white pickup truck pulled up and parked. Again, I was terrified thinking I was about to get thrown in the truck or throw off the property...but an old man got out and asked me if I was okay.
I was crying my face off but told him I was just fine and that I was just getting some air after a fight with my mom. This man went back to his truck, came back, handed me what looked like a $20 bill, and told me with compassion I should head home where it is safer than the back of a theatre in the middle of the night.
As he left I unfolded what I thought was money and found a slip of paper that read:
"Disappointed?
Jesus won't let you down.
Make Jesus Christ Lord of your life!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
That night, those people had no idea what was going on in my world. They also had no idea that their simple and extraordinary acts of compassion and generosity would have a permanent impact on my life. They changed my perceptive, and planted an incredible seed for me.
That was a defining night in my life that ultimately played a vital role in me coming to Jesus many years later. That night I knew I was not alone; I knew God was with me. I received incredible love from these strangers in circumstances you'd never expect and they changed everything for me.
Never, ever discount the impact your simple acts of generosity and compassion may have on someone else. Never throw the crazy acts of kindness God compels you to do out the window. Trust that God knows best and don't miss the chance to do something either simple or crazy that could change someone's entire course for such incredible good.
Watching the movie Saving Private Ryan, a Captain Miller and his command went on a mission to find a specific soldier in the middle if war. Their mission was to find him and send him home safely. They finally found Private Ryan, and shortly after the Captain was shot. With his dying breath he told Private Ryan "earn this".
At first I was left feeling like that was a really messed up thing to say with your last breath...but then it hit me. That is what Jesus did for us. He came into a sinful war-zone to find his people and save them from the war of sin. He sacrificed himself so that we may go home to the Father in safety and live a life worthy of the sacrifice He made.
Will we ever really be able to earn what He did for us? No, but we can sure live our best life trying to every day. God has given us so many blessings. Everything we have is because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. We are exactly where we are, have exactly what we have, connect with specific people, all for His purpose.
We have so many ways to worship Him and show our gratitude for everything the Father and the Son have done for us. It goes so much further than studying His word and prayer, which are absolutely vital pieces of the puzzle, but don't ever discount the opportunity to just take a step back and appreciate all the wonders and blessings God has placed in your life.
God has blessed you with gifts, talents, love, kindness, work, people, and relationships so that you may use them all for His glory. Use your skills for His good. Worship Him by using the gifts He gave you. Strive to live a life worthy of the sacrifice made so you may have these blessings. We will never be able to earn it, we will never deserve it, but we can sure show our gratitude by using them for His good.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
We are here to grow, to learn, to be strengthened through suffering and trials. Job is an incredible example of someone who suffers immensely but remains faithful. He understood that God was still there with him and that He would restore him in His time. He knew that through faith he would be blessed. It is so easy for us to think there is no hope for a situation to get better, that there is nothing good to be found in a crappy circumstance.
It is far too easy for us to throw faith out the window when we suffer - but God tells us to keep the faith and keep going. God will make us uncomfortable so that we can grow. We cannot grow if we are never challenged. We will never learn if we don't struggle first. Sometimes our most valuable lessons and most important growth comes from the darkest times of our lives.
Remember to keep faith and keep focused ESPECIALLY while you are struggling.
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
This post coming on April Fools Day is a bit ironic. A day people are worried, afraid and anxious about pranks at every turn. This is a holiday celebrated around the world. In France they may worry about having a picture of a fish pegged on their back. One might spend the day paranoid that favors requested in Scotland are a fool’s errand. Portuguese culture may leave you fearful of turning a corner and a having flour thrown at you.
What are you afraid of? Is it an April Fools joke? Spiders? Snakes? Lions, tigers, and bears? Or is it something deeper? We spend so much of our lives living in fear of the unknown, a broken heart, being alone, getting hurt, getting lost, never finding our purpose; the list never ends.
But what if I told you that you don’t need to be afraid of the practical jokes or any of the deep fears that feel embedded in our DNA? What if there was something that could tackle anything you may ever be fearful of? What if you didn’t have to live in fear anymore?
' But now thus says the Lord , he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.'
God tells us not to be afraid 365 times throughout the Bible. We are given this command once for every day of the year as a reminder that He is with you wherever you go, and will carry the weight of your fears if you let Him.
‘The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’
I lived in a constant state of fear most of my life. I knew God was trying to pull me in, but after everything I’d suffered, I didn’t want to trust Him. One day about 5 years ago, in one single moment, my fear miraculously melted away in an instant. I was in a terrible and abusive marriage and that day was the breaking point. I remember the sudden rush of impossible courage well up in me, a feeling I had never felt before or really knew I could feel. I snapped. In that instant I traded my fear for perfect love.
‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
When my fear was lifted up and I trusted God to provide, He showed up and changed my entire life in ways I never dreamed He would or could. God transformed me from a broken vessel into a strong, faithful, courageous woman. God wrapped my entire life up in pure, unimaginable love. I am still a work in progress, but allowing God to take the fear from me changed my entire life in the best possible ways.
Are there still challenges, struggles, and pain? Of course. That is a fact of life. But I can get through all of it and come out stronger knowing God will always show up when I choose His incredible and perfect love over my human fears.
' The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.'
There comes a point in your life when you have to make a decision. We always try to make this decision about ourselves and how it will effect us either direction we go. We focus on "me, me, me" and we forget. We forget what is important. We forget who gave us the choice. We forget what we are really making a decision about. We don't want to admit that this decision is to listen to God or to deny God.
I am at this crossroad. I have come to peace with the fact that God is calling on me to do something big, something drastic, something life changing. What I have to keep reminding myself of (and asking God to shove into my face) is that this decision is for the glory of God and not for me. This is an opportunity to show my faith and trust in God that He will carry me and deliver me. This is an opportunity to surrender myself fully to His mercy.
Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”
Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water and she couldn't understand why he would be speaking to her let alone asking her for anything. I mean, come on, she was a Samaritan woman and he was a Jewish man. How could HE talk to HER? Isn't that how we feel sometimes? HE is Christ and I am just ME, a sinner. What could HE want from ME?
This may be how we think sometimes, but this is not how He sees us. He blesses us every day and in retrospect there is not a whole lot He expects in return. He asks for our love, devotion, faith, hope and trust. In return we are blessed beyond our own comprehension. When we freely and lovingly give God what He requests and commands of us, we are given the gift of living water.
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again.
Fortunately we have a gracious and loving God who does not scoff at us the same way we do to ourselves. We all ask Him why He would want anything from us. We all doubt His plan sometimes. We all lack faith sometimes. And every time we do God puts His hand out to us and says "let me show you". God creates miracles in our lives. We wonder why, but the answer is because of His unending love for us. He wants us to love Him and live for Him and His will, and in return He provides a place for us in Heaven and blesses us while we are here on earth.
But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”
God calls upon all of us, each of His children, to worship him in spirit and truth. He wants us to know Him. He seeks us. He knows us deeper than we could even know ourselves, and He wants us to know Him. You don't add Jesus to your life; Jesus adds you to His.
God calls us to be humble and selfless. He wants us to "love our neighbors" and look at other's interests as well as our own. Our God is a selfless God by giving us all of His love, attention, strength, carrying our burdens, answering us, hearing us, teaching us...we are meant to live by His example. Jesus came to us to be an example of how we are supposed to live as Servants of Christ.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Here is something that I feel we are too often confused by - being selfless does NOT mean you have to be there for everyone else whenever they need or want you to be. Being selfless does not mean that you can't think about yourself ever.
Being humble doesn't mean you have to just bow down and say "yes" all the time, let people push you around, allow others to pour everything on you that they need to be lifting to the Lord.
You are not God. You need to stop assuming responsibility for other people's hardships. It is not yours to bare. You carry your own to the cross and lay them at the feet of Jesus...but you don't have to carry the weight of the world to the cross. Their burdens are not your crosses to bare.
What does God tell us about this?
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
We are given a warning about those who will be "lovers of self" and instructs us to avoid them. They consume us, "capture" us when we are weak. They pour their burdens onto us out of selfishness. Those who have a true relationship with Christ do not do this to other people. They seek their own pleasures and will destroy you and watch you crumble beneath them.
Unfortunately, I think everyone has someone like this in their life at one point or another and we never really know how to handle the situation. I know personally I always want to help people. I'm a "fixer" - that is what everyone who knows me well calls me. But what you have to remember is that you can't fix the world. That is the burden of Christ, not of us, His humble servants. Our job is to live by His example and surround ourselves with like-minded people and grow in our relationships with Christ and lovers of Christ. Through this we shine our light and spread love and knowledge.
3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
He tells us to remember that our sincere and true faith brings us through any trial we face. God has given us all our own gifts to use. He reminds us to "fan into the flame the gift of God". He gives us self-control which aides us in leading a selfless and humble existence.
Our Lord wants us to use the gifts He gave us to spread His light through us. This does not mean we have to be the light for those who refuse to see the light. Avoid people who consume your light and drain it out of you. Avoid those who make you forget your true destiny, your true calling from Christ. Avoid those who put you in the shadows.
Stand up and love yourself by surrounding yourself with other selfless lovers of Christ. Don't be afraid. Fear is not from Christ. Hand your fears to Him and walk in faith that He will always be there for you.
I am a wife, mom, writer, crafter, and above all, a Child of God. I love to study the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and serve God. I am thrilled to invite you to join me in seeking to satisfy our thirsty souls with the Living Water of Christ, which is what Water On Thirsty Land is here to do.
