Tag: Christian

Uncategorized

New Season Coming Soon!🍁🍂❤

God Makes All Things New

20180816_162357_0001

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m soooo ready for fall!! It’s the end of summer where I am, and temps are already kind of dropping! It’s not 100 degrees anymore everyday so I can feel it… Fall is just around the corner! I live on the east coast of the US and here, the seasons are very… seasony LOL. Summers are HOT, winters are COLD and we get snow (some years we’re buried in it! lol), in spring everything blooms (which is incredible to see after everything has died in winter), and in fall, leaves change color, and it is just AMAZING. Fall is my FAVORITE SEASON. And I’m not talking just Pumpkin Spice lattes here lol. Not only is the weather always perfect in the fall, but my birthday is in the fall, and then we have Thanksgiving which is one of my favorite holidays. Fall to me is always a time of new beginnings and transformation. Of going through those necessary changes and of growth. It’s about that process, that work God has started within us! I mean He is always working in us, but this season reminds me of that.

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. — Phillipians 1:6 NIV

Maybe it’s also because I worked in education. Fall always means a new school year! Fresh new start, which means new challenges, new friends, new adventures, and GROWTH! Learning new things! Like the trees shed their leaves, we shed our old ways. 🍁🍂We’re adults now and many of us are done with studies, but I feel like the same principle can still apply. We can take our relationship with God to the next level and keep learning and growing in Him! 💪🤓

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. — Romans 12:2 NIV

It’s so weird, Thanksgiving was extremely difficult for me back in the day. I used to hate Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not because of the holidays themselves and what they represented, but because they were just such difficult times. I don’t know why, but the pressure was always too much for me. I was already depressed, & those holidays used to make me so much more depressed. I used to get depressed about the fact that I was depressed! And it was a downward spiral. I’ve noticed in general, at least in my life, the enemy uses special occasions to carry out his most vicious attacks. Have you noticed this in your life? As I’ve kept growing in the ways of the Lord, I’ve learned to discern when situations present themselves, and when the enemy is trying to whisper things in my ear that are against God & His perfect will. I’ve noticed a pattern. He always tries on special moments & occasions. He tries his very best to steal happiness and ruin those special moments. Lord rebuke him! He is not and will not be successful, in Jesus name. We need to remind the enemy that he’s already defeated! 🙌💪🙏

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33 NIV

Those are times we need to be reaching out to people in need. Even those who SEEM to have everything, like material things, but emotionally, may not be doing so well. Many times, people can have everything they need materially speaking, but the one thing missing is not there, which is Jesus. So they still feel empty & alone, even though they may be surrounded by people even. Thank you Jesus for rescuing me out of that pit! I hope every person who is going through a depression, sees the transformational power that only God can do in one’s life. I never thought I would get out of that depression. But one day, in my despair, I decided to believe Jesus. We ourselves have to make that decision. ❤

Anyways now I love fall and I really do look forward to it! 🍂🍁 🍃 I decided I’m going to give my blog a fall/ winter theme “makeover” lol, and I will also be sharing with you other really cool things… So stay tuned 😉 😎🤓

I also want to welcome all the new followers I’ve received over the past few weeks/ months! I am so grateful & look forward to getting to know people & sharing God’s word. I hope you have a blessed weekend!  Xoxo 💖💖

Uncategorized

Becoming like Children 💖👧🏻😇

God Makes All Things New

20180810_223006_0001.png

I have worked a lot with children throughout my life, and always find it to be one of the most rewarding things on planet earth lol. It really is a privilege to be around kids day in and day out. They just have so much wisdom to dish out, it’s really quite amazing! While I no longer am working in education, I do have nieces who never cease to amaze me!

My little toddler niece, who does not even speak yet, has taught me some of the greatest lessons in life lately. Children, they just simply understand the importance of what’s important. They just get it. God has given them this wisdom. As adults, we can get so busy and so bogged down by life, that we sometimes forget the most basic things. And kids have the most amazing way of reminding us!

My little niece, the youngest of the family, simply adores my father (her Abu, or grandpa). She just adores him. There is nothing more special to her in this world than being in his arms. She loves every second of it. She looves playing and being with me but when Grandpa shows up, everyone else is 2nd place lol! If grandpa is there, she just wants to be in his arms! And wherever he goes, she follows lol. And if he goes to the bathroom, she hits the door and waits for him to come out lol. And she loves the most, going to the park and car rides with her grandpa. Even if they are short. She simply will not let him go without her, she has to go along lol. She hurries up and gets her little shoes lol. If he goes outside to get something in the car, she sits at the front door window, and stares and stares and stares at him. Just waiting, for the expectation that my dad will come in and pick her up, and take her along. And he always does haha.

I think it’s amazing because she lives with that expectation, that faith. That her grandpa will come pick her up. She doesn’t care how long she has to wait. She is ready and lives with that hope that her grandpa is coming back to pick her up for a car ride or a walk in the park. This really made me think so much of how we should be with Jesus. To me, my niece’s behavior is just a perfect, living example of how I should be. I should be waiting like that for Jesus to come pick me up. I should too be living with that expectation that He is coming any minute, and He is taking me with Him! Because He is coming any minute! I should delight myself in being in His arms. I should put off anything and everything else, for being in His presence. I should persist, knock on His door, and even if I don’t hear an answer at the moment, just wait patiently, with the expectation that He will come!

The Bible says in Matthew 18: 1-5

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Wow, this is so powerful. We must change and become like children to enter the Kingdom of heaven!  Have you noticed how children always have hope? No matter what the adversity. They are always happy and they always have expectation for the impossible and the best outcome. Simply put, they don’t give up. And we are all born that way. It is amazing to me how, when we’re infants, having no conscience, inside our mother’s womb, we fight for our lives. We want to live, why? Why do such tiny little humans have this hope? This incredible, awe- inspiring hope! It is only us adults who lose hope in situations! After many years of being in the world, we learned to listen to the wrong voices and internalize them. Voices who tell us to not trust in God, in His promises, or in His timing.

But like the verse above says, we must change! We have to become like children! We have to ask God to transform our heart, to remove all the negative voices who told you not to believe in Him. We have to humble ourselves before Him. We are supposed to be that way because we know that God created us, and He is on our side. So we know we have the power of Jesus. When we accept Jesus we can be confident in that hope. Our hope is not based on something empty or false. It not based on man- made philosophies, or empty positivity. It is based on God’s promises, which the Lord never breaks and always fulfills in His perfect timing. They are living and real, they’re His word! It can be easy to get bogged down by life’s problems if we let it, but remember that as Christians, we have real hope in Christ. It is THE real hope that saved us! That’s reason enough (at least for me lol), to believe and to have an attitude of hope and expectation in the Lord everyday. ❤🙏😇

Here’s a quote from Dr. Tony Evans, about hope. ❤😇 I found it to be very profound & inspiring, so I wanted to share it… HOPE is a JOYFUL EXPECTATION about the future! 😃❤😇🙏👧🏻 Have a wonderful & blessed weekend!! Xoxo 💖💖💖

20180714_072023

Uncategorized

New Music Friday!! 😎❤🎧

God Makes All Things New

20180504_005656_0001Happy Friday! It’s the end of a long week but we made it! Thank you Jesus! Lol. I haven’t done a music post in a while, it’s quite overdue, so I figured I would today lol. 🙌

Before I get to the music, I also wanted to share with you a resource. You guys know I listen to Pastor Tony Evans a lot, well this week he had a great series on Christian Singles. He even has a book. I have to tell you, I haven’t finished listening to all the sermons on the app, I believe there are now 4 half- hour sermons, but the first two are amazing. If you are single and are a Christian, this is a MUST LISTEN for you. You can download his app or to go http://www.Tonyevans.org. (I know I sound like an ad lol, but this is in no way paid hahah, I just simply LOVE his messages! They are just like fire! Such incredible teachings!) Anyways, I hope you make some time to check that out because it will really be worth your time!!

IMG_20180808_102452_462

So today’s songs are just a few songs I’ve discovered lately, random artists lol. Obviously, all Christian music as usual because that’s all I listen to.❤🙏 I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 🙂 I’m starting to listen to some Christian music in Spanish! I know Spanish but for some reason never really listened to Christian music in Spanish, and it’s awesome! I am also including some of those songs here! 🙂

  1. Tauren Wells- Known

https://youtu.be/x6T28lsTPwc

  1. So will I- Hillsong

https://youtu.be/oLURTvUQoTM

  1. The Way- Housefires

https://youtu.be/uCfveSHHwXo

  1. La tierra canta- Barak

https://youtu.be/pCtHNZEC3Vs

  1. Ven Espiritu Santo- Barak

https://youtu.be/IlC3q_hiAcI

  1. Soy amantes de tu presencia- Ingrid Rosario

https://youtu.be/yaGYv0jWTBI

  1. No hay lugar más alto- Miel San Marcos

https://youtu.be/tgzm16pQ92U

I hope you guys have a fantastic and blessed weekend! I have a another post I will be posting soon, stay tuned!! Xoxo 💖💖

Ps- I’m not sure why all the songs say 1. 😂🤣 I couldn’t change it, so yeah. Lol.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

IMG_20180725_003628_771

Uncategorized

God Desires to Bless Us ❤🙏

God Makes All Things New

IMG_20180731_153846_185

Did you know, that God wants to bless you? God wants to A. SAVE US, and B. Bless us, each and every one of us! We just have to choose him back, because he already chose us, he chose to love us first! Isn’t that an amazing thought?!

So why is it, that sometimes people do NOT choose God in times of difficulty? When things get tough in life, when they don’t go the way they had hoped, they lose their faith in the Lord and feel as if He let them down in some way. They choose to walk away from the Lord, and lean on their own wisdom or their own human understanding of things instead. They are being led by their physical/ human eyes, instead of being led by the spiritual. So how can we keep the faith during times like this?

If God wants to bless us, His children, why then, do we see that we go through such difficulties in our lives? Aren’t we children of the Lord? Doesn’t he desire to save us and bless us? Why then, do we see that people who are NOT believers, who do evil, who are definitely NOT children of the Lord, are so incredibly well off? They SEEM to be blessed beyond measure! ☹😭😦

Great questions and I’m glad you asked! Lol.🤓

Before we begin, just to clarify, God’s children are NOT ALL the people of earth. Some people mistakenly believe this. God’s children are the people who have chosen Him. Who have repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their personal savior, and live life accordingly. These are the children of God. Not everyone of earth. I’ve heard people call themselves a child of God, and they’ve never accepted Jesus. Sadly, they are mistaken because if you haven’t accepted Jesus, you are not yet a child of God. But you can be anytime you just need to repent and accept Him, and stop living in sin.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — John 1:12

So as christians, why do we go through difficulties? The first answer that comes to my mind, is disobedience. Many times, God is ready and willing to bless us, He has things and plans prepared for us, but we are simply unwilling to follow His voice. We are disobedient to the will of God. 😔 And this bring repercussions, setbacks, negative results, etc.. Sometimes people completely lack discernment. I have been here before (trust me lol 😓). It’s crucial that we ask for discernment and wisdom daily through prayer, and not make decisions based on our will and desires of our heart. So, we just want to do what we want to do, and when things go wrong, we blame God, when He had nothing to do with it lol. He was telling you to go right and you didn’t listen, you went left. You got lost and stranded and then, we blame him! 😞Still, He is SO GOOD and SO MERCIFUL, that when we cry out to him in these moments of despair, He comes to our rescue. So disobedience/ lack of discernment is my top choice as to why we go through difficulties as Christians.

My second choice is related to the first. Sometimes, God disciplines us (as a result of us being disobedient). Like the loving father that He is, when we get out of line, out of control, He needs to discipline us in order for us to learn the right way of doing things. His ways. If we do not learn, we will never know the correct way, and that can lead to our own demise. And He loves us!!! He loves us too much to see us self- destruct. If we are left to our own devices, we would all be lost. But God loves us too much. Think of it like a rebellious teenage child and a parent. What sort of parents let their kids do anything they want? Smoke, do drugs, have sex, stay out all night? Not very good ones right. Good parents have rules. Why? Because letting your children self- destruct is not love. It may seem painful. Especially for the child who does not get it and wants to rebel. We rebel against the Lord. Our flesh wants to do what it wants. Which is why we need to again, ask for discernment and wisdom because the Lord loves us. He is for us and He has plans for our good! He will help us conquer the flesh and save us! 🙌

The third reason why I believe Christians go through difficulties, is because sometimes, it is the will of God. There are things that are simply, a mystery to us, and this lifetime we will never have the answer. But we can be sure that God wants to save us and that His plans are for our good. His plans, His will, will happen. Sometimes, you may be upset that it is going against what you desired in your heart. But we must follow God’s will first and foremost. His will will be done and we have to understand this & accept it. 

Things to remember:
God wants to bless us but his blessings aren’t always focused on material things, although he does always provide what we need. It is a promise from the Lord. We shouldn’t use material wealth as a measure for how much God loves us. The enemy uses material things to bless those who follow him. So not all material things come as blessings from God and we shouldn’t use this as a measure of our faith or of God’s love for us. He does want us to have victory, but just because you are not in that stage in your life, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t love you or has forgotten about you. Look at the story of Joseph in the Bible. And King David… Both stories of men of great faith who also went through great trials. Too many people use material wealth as a measure of God’s love for them. So they become discouraged when things get tough thinking, God must not love me, or God betrayed me, and quit before they even start. God would never do this. It is a process, & we have to understand money isn’t a “measuring tool” of God’s love for you. 

Sometimes in life, we’ll go through difficulties. It says so in the Bible. We will have trials, just because we’re Christians it does not mean we will not have trials. What it means is that God will be with us through it all. He will sustain us, He will provide what we need, and He will give us strength. We just have to believe in him and not on ourselves. It might test your faith. But we shouldn’t let money or anything else, be a cause for breaking with God. Remember the story of the rich young ruler? (Matthew 19: 16- 26). He was not able to part from his possessions to follow Jesus. He loved his money & possessions too much to give it all away to the poor and follow Jesus. He was looking with his physical eyes. He didn’t understand that Jesus owns, everything!!!! Lol. He didn’t understand the eternal. He didn’t understand that Jesus is the Messiah. There are many people like that today. They love their money too much. Little do they know, it has no real worth eternally speaking. In no time at all, that money will be gone. And where will they spend eternity? We cannot let money take the place of God in our hearts. Or anything else. Remember, we are only here for a little while. We need to focus on eternal things…

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. — Isaiah 46:4

God’s love & salvation are the goals here, the prize, and the most important thing, and they’re available for everyone. We just need to choose Him back. Only the Lord knows people’s hearts. Just focus on doing what God has called us to do, on being obedient. I know a lot of us go through trials, and I hope this message has encouraged you. I like to think about the story of Joseph and King David a lot during hard times. Being a Christian, sometimes it can even feel  like we’re losing lol. Because there’s so many seemingly great things you pass up because of your faith. But it is not so. We will be rewarded greatly for our faith one day! If you have time, I hope you can read about these two men. I’ve included some links below! 🙂 They will greatly encourage you. ❤

And always remember, that God desires to bless us! Because we are His children! Just like a good father loves to bless His children. I even feel spoiled by Him often lol. The more obedient and faithful we are to Him, the more he is able to bless us. The more we delight ourselves in His presence, the more amazing things we will discover & be blessed!! Hope you have a great weekend! Xoxo 💖💖💖

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 37:1-4

https://bible.org/seriespage/4-david-man-after-gods-heart-1-heart-hope

https://bible.org/seriespage/1-joseph-man-faith-1-responding-rejection

 

Uncategorized

Proverbs 3:6

God Makes All Things New

Happy Tuesday! And happy August! (almost LOL)

I am so happy to finally be able to sit peacefully and blog again. I wanted to post this very short reflection I wrote for the ministry page I help. Every morning I am picking a bible verse, a different promise from the Bible, and writing a sentence or 2 about it. It wasn’t really my idea haha, it was my friend’s idea, but it’s really awesome. Anywho, here is one I did, which I loved because although I knew this verse already, I really felt like I understood it more and saw new meaning in it. I hope you like this reflection. I did add a little more for this post, because the ones for the other page are for facebook, and I make them shorter because they’re meant as a short AM reflection. 🙂 So I added but I hope you like it lol. I am also working on another post for later on this week. I am so happy to be writing again, and back to my routine!! It was a blessing to be with family, and now on to what the Lord has next, feeling excited! 🙂

Anyways here is the reflection!

In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths. — Proverbs 3:6 ESV

Acknowledge =
• Accept, show gratitude, distinguish, recognize the fact or importance or quality of, admit as legitimate or authentic …

These are the definitions of the word recognize! In ALL our ways (all areas of our life), acknowledge Him (recognize, honor Him), and He will straighten your paths.❤❤❤ Are you acknowledging God today? In what ways? You can do so by giving your plans, projects, family, work, everything, to God! 😃❤ And in each area, acknowledge Him. Show Him gratitude, distinguish Him, recognize Him, lift Him up, & He will straighten your ways. It is a promise from the Lord.

To me this verse has taken on new meaning because in the past, I did not really live for the Lord. I did not desire to do so. But now that God has touched my heart and I’ve opened myself up to Him, I do feel that desire to let God put things “in order” in my life, and He has! It’s been amazing, and I know He still has so much work to do in me, but I’m just amazed at seeing His work. I’m not perfect by any means, but I’m just not the same person I was a year ago and that is just incredible! So when we acknowledge Him, He will do in our lives what only He can do. You could try to straighten your ways on your own strength, but it will never be enough. We need God. We have to acknowledge our need of Him, that without Him, we can do nothing.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. — John 15:4-5 ESV

I hope you’re having a wonderful week! God bless Xoxo

Uncategorized

God Makes All Things New is Away on “Vacation” 🙂🌞

God Makes All Things New

20180724_102300_0001

Hi everyone!! I hope you’re having a great July!! I wanted to update you because I haven’t been able to post in the last couple of weeks. I’m putting my blog on “vacation” mode LOL, until next week. I have family visiting & I really did not expect to be this busy. Also this week is vacation Bible school at my church, I am so happy to be helping out there. I haven’t had the time like I usually do to sit & write my longer posts, I am working on a couple posts which will be up next week. For now, I apologize that I haven’t posted anything. 😢😢😢😭😭😭 If you are on Instagram, please follow me there! ❤ I post short reflections on there & daily inspirational messages. 💖🙂 I’ve still made time to listen to Tony Evans & its so funny, I decided to fast once a week, it’s something I try but then I forget & neglect but I shouldn’t. So I’m recommitting. & he has a sermon this week on the importance of fasting!!! Coincidence? I think not! Lol. 😀

The Importance of Fasting http://subspla.sh/mn3bz5m

Fasting for Deliverance http://subspla.sh/4x66n2p

What are you guys doing this summer? Any plans with family, church, God? I hope you guys are having a wonderful  & blessed summer! Xoxo ❤🌞

Uncategorized

What do you need to let go of?

God Makes All Things New

20180707_125751_0001

This is my question for you today! What in your life, is stopping you from having a truly intimate relationship with Jesus?

In my personal life, I used to have a lot of things I needed to let go. God helped me with this when I opened my heart to Him and asked. Many things I clearly knew, but some I really was not aware were blocking the flow of the Holy Spirit in my life.

There was one big one last year that I had no clue was there, but then I felt the spirit telling me so clearly, over and over, that I needed to stop and let this go. I am certainly glad I was obedient (though it took me a while to be honest hahah), and although at first it was difficult, it was really one of the BEST DECISIONS I’ve ever made in my life. I’ve seen exponential growth after this. AFTER I did that, God spoke to me and told me to start this blog. And now thinking back at it, I am amazed! I’m just in awe!

You see, I was a very “political” person in my past. And not even THE most political. But I was absolutely CONSUMED with worry about politics and the news. I never did anything about it other than just, WORRY!!!! LOL. I considered myself a Christian, but I never understood conservative politics in the US and it drove me, basically insane and it consumed my mind. I always talked about, thought about it, and basically obsessed about it.

I understand the political “atmosphere” is just, BAD right now. It’s crazy. But we NEED to focus on Jesus. We just have to. Now more than ever! If we want to survive this madness, if we want our families to be saved and we want to be saved, and others to be saved, then there is no other way than to look to the ONE who can save us. Or we can easily get corrupted ourselves, become like the world, & let seeds of hatred & resentment take root in our heart. This simply cannot be! 

Yes, there are things we can do to make a difference. And I’m not saying we should turn a blind eye to suffering. That would be, WRONG and against everything Jesus ever taught us. But what I am saying, is we simply cannot let anything take the place of Jesus in our minds and in our hearts. For me, politics, were my identity. Sure, I was a Christian. At this point, I was saved, not depressed, etc etc. But a big part of my identity was STILL on the things of the world. Some things, the enemy uses to infiltrate the deepest part of our hearts, and fool us into thinking it is “JUST WHO WE ARE.” But of course, that is not true. You are more than a political party. You are more than some friends at the bar who keep asking you to drink and hang out when you know you shouldn’t. You are more than, basically WHATEVER is blocking the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life. If we don’t clean out these hidden things the enemy tries to put in our heart, they can grow & become big things & even cost us our salvation! 

So what is it that you need to let go of today? If you’re unsure as to why your relationship with God isn’t growing, maybe you should ask God to examine your heart, and reveal to you, what is in your life that you need to remove? God is faithful and merciful, He will surely reveal the answer to you. On Saturdays many people clean out their house, make sure you are always asking God to clean out your heart. 💖 He will remove everything that doesn’t belong, but you need to do your part & let it go. He is faithful & He will help you. Our reward in Him is much greater than anything you’re trying to hold on to in your own strenght. 💖😇 Hope you are having a fantastic Saturday! Xoxo💖

Uncategorized

Where’s the Love?! Part 3: Serving & Being Equally Yoked! ❤🍳

God Makes All Things New

20180706_215259_0001Hello! I hope you guys are having an awesome 4th of July weekend/ week! It’s so weird that this week the holiday is right in the middle of the week, but really cool I must say!!!

It was my niece’s birthday last week, & we celebrated to the full, as we always do in my family lol. We love celebrating birthdays & especially when it’s for one of the kids! She was spending that day at camp, then we were picking her up & going to take her to eat!

Earlier that day, I found out she was the “hopper” for the day at summer camp (one of my friends is a teacher there and she texted me lol). She was basically one of the kid waiters in the lunchroom. On her birthday. This made me think… had this been an adult, I think most people would’ve been sad and maybe even offended by this fact. But, not kids. She spent part of her birthday at camp SERVING other people. Serving her peers. And she was happy as can be to do it!! To her, it was an honor! The world wants us to think that serving is beneath us. That it is not worth your time and that people who serve, are “less than”, and that we deserve to be served all of the time. But this could not be farther from the truth:

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

–Matthew 20: 26- 28 NIV

We’re so busy nowadays taking care of #1, that we forget as Christians, we’re called to serve. Yes there need to be clear boundaries (I am huge on personal boundaries), & yes it’s good to take care of yourself because if you don’t, you cant help others either. But everything has a balance in life. It can’t always be all about us. We have to take time to help the people around us, because these are opportunities the Lord is giving us to serve. Chances for us to be a blessing to others in need & in turn, we will be blessed by the Father. We are always so busy, or looking at our phones, making sure we’re all caught up in social media. But we have to stop that bad habit & be more “in the moment.” Sorry to sound so terribly cheesy lol. We can’t notice what’s in front of us, the blessings and opportunities, if our mind is constantly somewhere else. I have to say, this used to happen to me a lot. Rather, I used to do this a lot lol. It was a huge source of my past unhappiness. The enemy wanted to keep my mind either stuck in the past, or constantly dreaming of the future without taking any real action. Constantly distracted by random things, and never focused on what really matters. Never living & enjoying the present moment & appreciating the blessing. When we ask God to remove the blinders the enemy has placed, in Jesus’ name, we can then take an active part in our lives & we can help others.

So you might be wondering what serving has to do with being equally yoked? Lol. Well, let me try to explain the concept of being “equally yoked” first. It has nothing to do with egg yolks like I used to think in high school (not equally YOLKED, equally yoked) 🤣😂🍳🤣 LOL. 

This term is found in 2 Corinthians 6:14, and it actually applies to basically every relationship in your life, not just marriage:

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what [a]fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what [b]communion has light with darkness? — 2 Corinthians 6:14

I don’t know where I heard this, but it’s a great analogy. They explained being equally yoked like 2 oxen working on a farm, they are yoked together. Yoked meaning they are bound together, working. I am sure you’ve seen a picture of this of farms from the olden days lol. This is a scene that was very common in Puerto Rico where I am from! Anyways, so if you have 2 strong oxen, you will get a lot done! They keep up with each other & will go even farther together. But if you have 1 strong ox & one weak ox, the weak ox will bring down the strong ox, because the strong ox is carrying the weight of the weak ox. The weak ox is literally dragging down the strong ox. So it will slow down the strong ox’s progress, or even stop it from moving forward completely. So that’s what it means to be equally (2 strong oxen), vs. unequally (1 weak and 1 strong ox) yoked.

So when you’re married (when we single peeps get married lol), you’re working together for the Lord. You’re bound together by marriage (yoked), working for the Lord. You’re serving the Lord. That’s what marriage should be for us Christians. We belong to Christ, and we take care of each other, not just physically but spiritually as well. We want to make sure our partner is growing in Christ right?! So if you’re not equally yoked, you won’t be able to serve the Lord as well as you would if you were, if at all. It means you are putting in danger your personal relationship with the Lord. People who are unequally yoked, often stop serving. Because if I pick a spouse who loves the world, he probably would not be happy about me serving the church. He might be even embarrassed by it, as people of the world often are, and will probably discourage me from having a relationship with God, instead of encouraging it. So they become ineffective because they’re not thriving, they’re merely trying to survive themselves. They’re being weighed down by the “weak” ox. That is the result of being unequally yoked. Now, this does not mean that one day the spouse who doesn’t believe won’t come to Jesus and start serving. That happens. But there is just no guarantee. The Bible warns against being unequally yoked, for a good reason!! Being unequally yoked puts our relationship with God at risk, and our effectiveness as Christians and our ability to help others in the Kingdom. Like I said in my last post, we cannot give to others what we ourselves, do not have. So if our relationship with God is suffering, our service for God will suffer as a result as well. 

I am not married. I say this, as a “warning” for other single people, to just follow the Bible and look for a person who also loves the Lord & shows it in their behavior and their lifestyle (this is not for people who are already married, that’s a different scenario). As singles, we should look for someone who is committed to the Lord, committed to serving and growing in Him. Also, if you’re looking for that type of person, we also need to BE this way too, because if we’re not, then that also would not make much sense lol. 

Serving others is an essential part of loving others, which is why I decided to write about it as the last part of my love series. I believe if you are led by the Holy Spirit, you will just be naturally called to serve in certain areas. God will place you there. You don’t have to force it and you won’t feel like you hate it lol. I used to think that was serving, but it is not. You should want to do it, with love and joy in your heart. God knows our talents and he places us where He can use them. I personally feel like I’m still trying to figure out in some way, where I should serve in my church. I help with events and such (as part of the women’s ministry), but there is no “adult singles” ministry so for people like me, it can be hard to figure out. For anyone, actually. For right now, I just look for when they call people to help, & volunteer. It may seem like what you do is small sometimes, but trust me, it is not in the eyes of the Lord. Even the smallest thing, when done in His love, can make the biggest impact. Our work for the Lord is never in vain. We should follow the leading of the Holy Spirit when it’s telling us to help in a certain area of ministry or in a certain moment. Even the smallest things, when done in His love, can have the biggest impact.   

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10

Lastly, let’s not forget, serving the Lord is a way to show our love for Him and worship Him too! So when we do His work, from the heart, and live our life in obedience to His word, submitted to His will and not our own, we are showing God that we love Him!

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. — Romans 12:1

I love writing these blog posts, because I always feel like God ministers to me through them. I always learn a lesson. I hope this has been a blessing for you too. God bless you, I hope you enjoyed my love series! Have a fantastic weekend!! Xoxo 💖💖

Uncategorized

Where’s the Love?! Pt.2: Learning to REALLY Love

God Makes All Things New

20180613_161511_0001

It’s finally Friday! Yay! I hope you’ve had a blessed and productive week!

So my last post about love and relationships, was based on Ephesians. Today, I wanted to write about love again, based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

To me this is, love defined! I used to think this describes God’s nature only. But these verses also are a guide for how we should be treating each other. It makes me think of love within marriage too and other relationships as well. Afterall, we are made in His image, and we are to be imitators of Christ! While some of the verses seem pretty straightforward and “simple”, in my opinion these attributes are very deep and can seem so hard to reach. We all have different struggles. For some people, being patient with anyone can come easy. But they struggle with envy. Or vice- versa. We all have a struggle. But the only way to do it is with the Holy Spirit’s help! There is just no other way!

When I read these verses, I think of the image of leaving your old self behind, that “old version” of yourself dying. That person no longer being there because you are a new person in Christ. Surrendering completely to Christ. Nobody is perfect. We just need to strive to be these things on a daily basis. And yes it can be a struggle but without God and the Holy Spirit’s help, there’s no way we can learn to really love the way He wants us to. Of course forgiving and loving does not mean you have to let people step all over you. But I think it means you still serve them and even respect them. You show them love. You are still good to them. While at the same time, if it’s a person who is offending you, sometimes it is wise to keep your distance in order to keep the peace. But not harbor any sort of resentment in your heart or keep bringing up offenses of the past.

At least for me, before I met God, I was not loving- kind! Lol. Not in the way the Lord requires at least. Though I thought I was. Even with my anger issues and everything, I did think of myself as a loving person and, I guess I was. I wasn’t all evil LOL, there was a lot of goodness in me. I certainly was aching for love and it was apparent. But, I had poor self- control when it came to certain things, and I did not exhibit the fruit of the spirit. I’m sure you’ve met someone like this. So how could I really love people the way that is described above, if I didn’t know God’s love? If I hadn’t experienced it for myself? The Bible says that it’s easy to love those who love you. Everyone does that. But we have to love those who don’t love us, our enemies. The people who want to destroy us!

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. -Matthew 5: 43- 48

The world has their OWN definition of love. But of course for us, followers of Christ, who have experienced the love of Christ, our definition is quite different. When I was in the world, it was easy for me to love those who loved me. I had nothing but love, patience and kindness for them. All those great things. The challenge comes in loving those who are against us, our enemies.

Applying all of the above verses from Corinthians, to an enemy… Can you even imagine that? Or loving the people who love us, but are behaving in ways we just don’t like? That’s what makes the difference. And only having a heart for God will make us do that. Only when we are truly transformed by God, will we be able to do it. Otherwise, it simply does not even make sense to us.

The world calls that crazy. And many Christians simply refuse to follow the Bible. They doubt it. But we must simply follow the word, and let ourselves be transformed by it. 💖😀 It does not matter how much work you do for the church, if your heart is not in the right place. Pride is not right in the eyes of God. He loves us and gives us a chance of course, but we cannot hold pride in our hearts. Especially toward the things of God. If God has given us a directive to love people (see above verse from Corinthians again to see what it means lol), then why are we acting in unloving ways toward them? 🤔

If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 NIV

The reality is, that many Christians, have not actually experienced the love of God for themselves. There hasn’t been a full transformation. Therefore, it is impossible for any Christian to really give the kind of love described in these verses, when they themselves, simply don’t have it. 🙁 You cannot give what you don’t have. It’s really as simple as that. If you don’t have God’s love in you first, you won’t be able to give God’s love to others. 🙁

So my message is simply, that we cannot try to love others in the way it says in these verses, on our own strength. It might work for a while, but eventually you will fail at it again because it’s not the real deal. We need to experience God’s love for ourselves first and then, with the Holy Spirit helping us, we will be able to extend this kind of love to others. So the first thing is just opening our hearts and putting aside all pride and doubt. We have to ask God for the Holy Spirit, to come help us in this area. Loving others is something I think everyone struggles with at some point or another. But the first thing is, you have to be willing to admit you need help in this area & ask the Lord for help. Otherwise, no changes will take place. In these verses, we have a clear guide as to what God’s love is. But we cannot rely on our own strength, as this will be fruitless. We need to rely on God. It starts with humbling ourselves before the Lord. 🙏💪 Just as in Galatians, we read of the fruit of the Spirit, here we can’t possibly see this character change without the Spirit being in us. ❤🙏 These verses are very closely related imo. ❤

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5: 22-23 ESV

I hope this message was helpful and that it inspired you in some way! God is truly amazing and if we open our hearts to Him and just humble ourselves before Him and listen to His voice, He can mold our character and shape us into the very best we can be for His glory!! We must ask for wisdom & discernment. ❤💯 I am actually going to do a 3rd & final post about love, God willing I want to have it up early next week! I also will be doing my Friday music posts every other Friday, that way I have more time to do more “reflection” kinds of posts.❤🤓🙌 Have a great Holiday weekend!! 🤗🙏 Xoxo

Uncategorized

Remaining Grateful & Faithful through the Seasons 🙏❤

God Makes All Things New

Sometimes in life, there are periods that we go through that are just simply stressful. They’re more intense, for many reasons, and those are periods that we have to go through. They bring situations that are really outside of our control. And it is in these times, that we are the MOST tempted to abandon our faith in God. However it is in these times that we NEED to hold on to God the most and must remain firm in our faith.This is because these are also periods that God uses to develop great character and growth within us. He’s getting us ready for our next level, for bigger blessings, to use us in even bigger ways for His glory! If we remain grateful and faithful during these seasons of stress, we will see greater blessings from Him in our lives. Not to mention, we will be saved!! If we don’t show that faithfulness, we won’t pass that test, & how is the Lord going to promote & use us if we cannot even pass the smaller tests? We will remain on the same level with the same problems. Struggling with the basics of faith. Unless our character is developed, we won’t be ready to receive those blessings. So God prepares us for the seasons ahead.

It is vital that we let God shape us and that we make sure to keep an attitude of humility before the Lord. The enemy knows God is preparing us, which is why he wages his biggest war against us during times like this. It feels like the pressure knob of life is turned up to the maximum it can go. But we must take off the blinders the enemy tries to put on us, and recognize all the blessings we do have and that we often take for granted when we’re in the midst of difficult situations. We must remember that God is our provider, so whatever it is we need, God will provide it. That is a promise from the Lord.

Most of all, we should rejoice. Because these trials are the great opportunities the Lord is using to make us grow. He wants to see us develop & grow closer to Him & learn to trust Him more and more. And we need to see this as our reality and not be resistant to the Lord when He is trying to change our hearts. That is THE reality. Don’t believe any other distorted version of the Truth that the enemy tries to sell to you. Otherwise, we will not grow and remain stagnant spiritually. The enemy likes for us to be blind to the blessings we have in our lives, that way he can corner us and make us feel frustrated, and like we have no hope and no way out. He like to plant seeds of doubt in your mind & heart, he likes to make us think that God has abandoned us. But of course, these are all lies from the father of lies. We have to focus on God. Not on the size of the problem, and not on what season anyone else may be currently going through.

Would you ever date anyone who abandoned you when things got even a little bit difficult in your life? Would you be a friend with anyone who stopped talking to you when you had a rough situation, only to reappear when things are good again? I don’t think anyone would lol. But this is exactly what some Christians do to God. And can you imagine how incredibly FAITHFUL God is to us, that even though we’ve left Him like a million times, He remains? He always takes us back? He’s open to us, wants to save us, & wants a close relationship with us! 💖😃 That thought to me, is simply amazing! But if we want to move on to the next level, we have to remain. God has never failed us & will never fail us. We have to stop looking at the distractions surrounding us, at all the “evidence” or reasons why something in your life is so wrong. We have to stop believing the enemy’s lies. Listen to God’s voice. Listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life. ❤🙏

So no matter what you do during your trial, just always remain faithful to God, with an attitude of gratefulness and humility before Him, and He will make a way in any situation. 💖🙌

Hope you are having a blessed week! Xoxo 💖

IMG_20180504_173615_977