Tag: Love

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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 💖💖

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

God Makes All Things New

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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

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Where’s the Love?! 🤔❤ (Part 1: Dating, Relationships, & Self- Esteem!) 🤷🏻‍♀️💖

God Makes All Things New

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Hey guys!

Last week, I posted on my IG that I would be writing a blog post about love. And this is it LOL. I could basically write a book on love because there is a lot that the Bible has to say about it.

God is love… We’ve all heard this verse I am sure…

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

— 1 John 4:8 NIV

Obviously, the Bible says a lot about love, & in the next few weeks I’m going to look more into this topic! I really am in love with…. love! Lol. Today, I am focusing on modern relationships & what the Bible says about it. I’m going to Ephesians 5:21- 33, where Paul is talking about how we need to treat each other within relationships. I strongly suggest you read the entire chapter 5, you will love it! 🙂

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Submitting… That one word makes everyone cringe nowadays lol. Nobody wants to do it! But they want the other to do it! LOL. These verses have SO MUCH to teach us about relationships! At least it taught me lol. 😂 So not only are we supposed to have Christ as the center of our relationships, but these relationships need to reflect that of Christ and the church, submitting to ONE ANOTHER. 😀 Many men are so quick to say that women are supposed to submit to them, lol, but then they turn around and treat them in unkind and unloving ways. They disrespect them, yell at them, and even emotionally or physically abuse them. I am talking about supposedly Christian men here. (Lord deliver me from these types of men!!!!) And there are women who want to be the head of the household, they want to control everything, and routinely disrespect and put down their partners. (Lord, don’t let me become this!!! Lol) Both of these things are out of God’s order… it clearly states that each person must submit to one another. You have to love and respect one another!

The husband is the head of the household, but that is not a pass for abuse. He must show the kind of sacrificial love that Christ showed for us. Wow! That is quite amazing. If I think about choosing the men I date according to THESE standards, and me behaving this way as well, things would have an order that I can honestly say none of my past relationships have ever had. God’s perfect order! This is my guide :)💯✔

Relationships are complicated lol. And now more than ever it seems. Modern society is presenting an even bigger threat for the family unit, therefore since the family unit begins with love and with one man and one woman loving one another, in an agape, sacrificial way, with Christ as the center, the enemy is really trying his very best to destroy that. Relationships between men and women are most definitely under attack. It is God’s order, it is His creation, so the enemy absolutely hates it of course! And I know nowadays a lot people are very quick to blame this on “feminism,” but I don’t believe this at all. Women having the right to vote, drive, and being appreciated and loved, is hardly to blame. There is nothing wrong with women doing any of these things. The problem is that people, both men and women, nowadays have a tendency to practice “self- love” ABOVE all else. They’ve become their own idols! Sounds crazy right!? Well, it is written in the Bible that this would happen!

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. — 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV

Jesus also said in Matthew 24:12-13 (NIV) the following: 

12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

All I can say is… WOW! My mind is blown because this is exactly what we are seeing! Have you noticed this? You can and should love yourself of course, after all, God loves us and we are His. But as Christians we need to remember this:

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 NIV

So God must always be FIRST in our lives! The problem is, we’ve actually taken the idea of loving ourselves to a whole other level, and have erased God from the equation completely and put OURSELVES up there! Oh no! So everything is out of order. What a mess. Then we wonder, what is wrong?! 

Commandment #2 is the kind of “sacrificial” love spoken about in the above verses from Ephesians. However, our society as a whole teaches us to be self- seeking instead of God- seeking. They teach us to completely forget the needs of others (this includes our family or spouses!) and just to satisfy ourselves. This message is completely against the Bible, yet it is fed to us constantly. People who are lovers of themselves get highly rewarded in this society. Have you noticed that? They get put on a pedestal by others who are also lovers of themselves. But they are always broken inside, their families are broken, and their lives are a MESS. I understand that a lot of people deal with self- esteem issues. I did as well. But I have to say, nothing ever worked for me to heal my self- esteem, until I came to Jesus. He is the ultimate self- esteem healer! I could’ve gone to a million spa self- pampering sessions, but I still would’ve left the same broken, depressed, anxious girl I was had I not found Jesus! 💖🤷🏻‍♀️

Maybe it’s just me, but that saying to “love yourself first before you find a relationship” always made me feel like I was never going to find love because I am so flawed! How in the world could I possibly really love myself? I didn’t know where to begin. I used makeup, clothes, etc… but nothing worked. My ego was just so incredibly FRAIL inside. But guess what? All we have to do is love God & follow Him! The rest will take care of itself! I now understand my real worth more without even trying, because I know what I’m worth to God!!

More and more, I am understanding that the reason why I’m single, is because God is preparing me. ❤ He’s showing me that in order for me to have a successful marriage one day, I don’t have to be this perfect person. I just need to LOVE HIM. I just need to put HIM FIRST. He’s showing me that I will need to love my husband the way the Bible says, submit to him and respect him ( I know that sounds appalling to today’s modern woman, I KNOW. But this is God’s order and actually God’s plan is not designed to demean us as women in any way, but actually to help us because He’s our creator!). He’s showing me little by little what that looks like, as I had been selfish and self- seeking in the past, and have had to forget the erroneous patterns that this culture has taught me, and learn a new & correct way of looking at things. 😍🌟

He’s showing me that I deserve to be respected and deeply loved. But that’s also not a pass to disrespect. He’s teaching me that my husband is not going to be perfect either so I will have to be patient and forgive, and he will be this way with me! Mostly He’s showing me that as a woman, I am special and I have value! He created me that way! Not because of my body or my looks, my job, or my education and accomplishments like the world says, but because I am a daughter of the Most High God! Isn’t that simply amazing?! I’m not knocking any of those things because I believe everyone should pursue goals in life and get trained, educated, take care of yourself, etc. But I used to let those things define me. And God says, we are so much MORE that those things…  💖

God is also showing me that I need to give up trying to take control over my dating life, and just give it all to Him! I don’t have to stress or chase down dates for myself. The current dating scene may be horrible, the hearts are growing cold & the odds seem bleak, but I can’t focus on that. I just need to focus on God. He will be the one to provide that person,  He will work the miracle, I just need to be obedient. I used to think that because I can cook (somewhat lol) and have certain other attributes, that I am ready for marriage lol. But God looks at other things because He has a plan..When I get married, I want it to be forever. And I know for a fact, the only way this will happen is if I make God first in my life, and have Him as the center of my marriage and entire life. ❤❤

Thank you so much for reading this! I know this was super long, I tried to make it shorter but somehow it only got longer LOL. 😂 Next week, I will be posting more about love, God willing. Stay tuned!!! Hope you enjoyed this and are having a blessed week! Xoxo 💖😇

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Three Day Quote Challenge! (Day 3)

God Makes All Things New

This is my last day for the quote challenge! I realize I forgot to nominate a person yesterday, so today, I will nominate 2! 😀 (I won’t forget this time lol.)

Here’s my quote! It’s from one of my ALL- TIME favorite movies, Legally Blonde lol. 💖🙌👸

This quote means a lot to me because in the movie, it’s the point where the main character Elle realizes that Warner, the guy she loved, is never going to love her back. No matter what she does, how much she changes herself into his stereotyped image of what she SHOULD be, she will never be good enough for him to love in his eyes. He never thought she was smart enough or good enough for him. However, he pretended & stayed in a ltr with her, only to dump her out of the blue right before leaving for law school. This is a situation that sadly, happens everyday. 💔

But Elle’s quote is a liberating realization to have. It breaks her free from that pattern, where she was a slave to Warner’s will. I’ve certainly had those moments in past relationships, where I came to that realization. I identify with this movie because, & I believe it’s been so successful because, many women have been Elle. Even men too!! We’ve tried to change absolutely everything about ourselves for a person we’ve given our heart to, seeing that they don’t love us back. But there comes that point when you realize, nothing I ever do will ever make this person love me. After this, Elle moved on, & we all know how awesome this movie ends. Elle becomes extremely successful, far exceeding Warner, & in the process finds true love with a guy who truly loved & accepted the real Elle. 💖😍

I certainly had a Warner in my life lol. A couple, actually lol. I think this applies well to my life as a Christian woman because I should only be changing myself this way for God. Not for people. To do this, is to idolize people. And that is a sin! 😱 Sure, we want relationships to work out. But the right person will just love you, for you. You shouldn’t have to change your core personality or characteristics. Sometimes, the best & most liberating thing you can do, is accepting when a relationship simply isn’t working out with dignity & grace. Even though it might hurt at first, choose to trust in God, that He has a plan for your life, & that He will bring that person who will truly love you because he/ she will also put God first in their life.

Another lesson, is not to let anyone put you in a box. I wish someone had told me this when I was younger lol, but don’t let people dictate what you are capable of. God gave you gifts & dreams. Don’t let people put you down for them or tell you that you’re not capable! God says you are! 🙂 Some people are experts at disencouraging others & keeping them from pursuing their dreams & reaching their full potential. It can be for many reasons, selfishness, envy, greed, etc. But don’t let the opinions of any one person have more weight than God’s opinion. 💖

I hope this quote was helpful & uplifting! I don’t watch a lot of TV or movies but this one is one of my faves!

So my 2 nominees for the challenge are:

If you’re not able to do it, it’s ok! Only if you can & want to. I skipped 2 days in my 3 day challenge lol.

The rules are as follows:
Thank the person who nominated you.
Post a quote for 3 days, & explain why it appeals to you.
Nominate bloggers each day!

Toodles for now, hope you’re having a great day!! Xoxo 💖💖

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Double- Minded Christians 😓

God Makes All Things New

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I felt God put this topic in my heart because I know nowadays many churches are full, yet at the same time, they are empty! Why is this? How can this happen? 🤔

One reason may be because of the double mindedness that’s occurring within the church. Double- minded Christians are Christians who just can’t make the FULL decision to follow Christ. They really, really struggle with the decision, and refuse to let go of their old habits and the old person. They say they follow Christ, but in their actions & desicions, you see they are still following the world & are attached to the things of it. They actually still ARE the old person somewhat, because they haven’t let God into their lives to do the work He needs to do in order to transform them. A full transformation still has not occured. Their faith is very weak to almost non- existent! Which is why they’re not willing to be obedient.

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. — Matthew 12:30 NIV

Meeting double- minded Christians can actually be very confusing because they talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk. Meaning, they are disobedient and their testimony is not that great as a result. They seem to change their core personality, their values & beliefs, depending on who’s around! It’s quite confusing to the outsider & they experience confusion internally. I’ve met many people like this, who act one way in certain moments, but then in other moments you just would never know this person was a Christian. I’ve been actually left literally STUMPED by finding out that certain people I’ve met were Christian. That’s how important our testimony is! Not only that but our character needs to show the fruit of the spirit. This is a tell- tale sign. And most importantly, God is watching everything! All of us, every second of the day. You may be able to fool some people, but you will certainly never be able to fool God!! LOL. God wants real honest commitment & He wants our whole heart! 💖💖💖

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. — Galatians 6:7-8 NIV

Some double- minded Christians are actively participating in sin. Many of them are having premarital sex, going to clubs & getting drunk, etc etc!!! 😱😱😱 We are ALL SINNERS. But we repent and try our best to remain in obedience, & CHANGE our old ways that are not pleasing to God. We are not supposed to be actively living in sin. Double- minded Christians, or lukewarm Christians, however, are more prone to be actively living in sin without repentance because they have no close relationship with God. Some are quite comfortable in sin; they are totally unaware because they lack actual knowledge of the Bible & that what they’re doing is wrong. Or some are fully aware, but they choose to disobey regardless. This is a very dangerous way to live:

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.   Revelation 3:16 NIV

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. — Matthew 6:24 NIV

I really don’t want it to come across like I am judging anyone. I was actually a double- minded Christian myself for a long time before I completely left God’s ways, & thanks to God’s mercy & grace, I returned (only this time not double minded & fully committed thanks to God!). The danger of being double minded, is that you’re lying to yourself because you may think that because you attend church you’re ok. BUT, the reality is if you’re not actually APPLYING God’s word & being OBEDIENT, you are living in a spiritual danger zone. Living this way puts your salvation at risk & can leave you wide open & vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks! When you have little to no faith & a tough situation comes along, it will simply knock you right down like a heavyweight champion boxer would knock down a scrawny person whos never exercised in their entire life lol. You will have absolutely nothing to stand on, because our relationship with God is what gives us a fighting chance. But even in the midst of any storm, God is merciful & He helps us when we call out to Him!! 💖💖

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So if you’re reading this today, & are a Christian but are lukewarm, I encourage you to make a REAL commitment to Christ today. God is ready & willing to forgive all of us, at whatever point you are in your life.❤🙏 Ask for forgiveness in Jesus name, make the changes in your life, & don’t look back. Trust me, its the BEST decision you can ever make. The world has nothing to offer but heartbreak & pain (trust me I did the research LOL, there’s simply nothing, worse than nothing LOL) Only in Christ is there hope & true life. 💖

Have a blessed Monday!! Xoxo

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. — James 1:6 NIV

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Modern- Day Jonahs 🐳🌊

God Makes All Things New

20180328_234436_0001Sometimes, even as Christians we can be living our lives like Jonah… We all know the story of Jonah. He ran away from God & his purpose/ calling (or so he thought), & tried to hide so God wouldn’t find him. But little did Jonah know, God not only knew where he was the entire time, but He was with Jonah & had control over everything! Thanks to God’s mercy, Jonah was sent right back to where he was supposed to go, & he did what God instructed him, which was to deliver a word from God to the people of Nineveh who were lost. They got saved! 💖🙌

Of course, nowadays, we surely all know better. As Christians, we’ve all heard this story by now, and if not, we’ve been told various times the fact that God is everywhere and we cannot hide from Him. So we don’t even try to hide physically, but, this doesn’t stop us from trying to hide our hearts from the Lord, from turning away from Him spiritually & running away from our purpose. There are many “Modern- day Jonahs” running around the world today lol. Sometimes, it can be us & we may not even realize we are doing this. Our society is so conditioned to live such a shallow, non- self- reflective life (not sure if that’s a word but you get the idea lol), that asking God to examine us and/ or having our hearts examined by God, simply does NOT come easy. We are full of pride. And I get it. I’ve been guilty of this too. Until God shook me awake (numerous times), and pointed me in the right direction. Like Jonah, God simply wasn’t going to let me go the way I wanted to. And I am grateful to Him for it! As my way would’ve led to destruction! 🙈🙏

23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

-Psalm 139: 23-24

Living for the Lord is really not always easy. It’s difficult many times. We will have to endure rejection, do things that are challenging, that go against our fleshly desires, or that simply don’t make sense lol. But we need to keep our heart humble and obedient to God’s calling in our lives, even if we don’t fully understand it at the moment. Having the Lord examine us and work with us, change our hearts, is really not easy work. But the truth is that if we want to reach our purpose, we have to do this work and we have to keep relying on God and not on ourselves. We need to be humble before Him and not be prideful.

Pride can come in many forms. And I truly believe that if you are too worried about what others may think, and you put the opinion of others before the opinion of God, then that is pride and it is something you need to ask God to remove from your life because it will stop you from doing what God has called you to do. Nowadays, people live on the opinion of others. Social media has created a world of people who simply live for the approval of others. But we cannot be like the world. We need to have the courage to really live our faith.

We also have a tendency to do what is easy. I have been really guilty of this at times in the past 😳. To me this is pride in the sense that we’re not willing to do what God has called us to do if it seems like too much work. We think we have a better idea, just like Jonah thought when he went the exact opposite way of where God told him to go! Jonah questioned God on the task that was given to him. He didn’t understand God’s reason for wanting to save a city full of sinners. So he decided to go on his own way. This is also pride!

I love convenience and I love things that are simple. I am just so used to having everything delivered to me, the more simple the better LOL. But even though we have grown up with all this technology, God has also taught me that the things of the Lord aren’t always convenient and they aren’t always easy. But they are the right choice. If I always go with my desire for convenience, I will be choosing the wrong path a lot of the time. So I have to be wise and not over- indulge in my desire for instant things and then miss out on what is really important. Just like in a romantic relationship or any relationship, when people get lazy the relationships suffers; Well with God its the same way. If we get lazy & become used to this culture of convenience all of the time, our relationship with God will suffer. We need to put in time and effort continually. 💖🙏

The Narrow and Wide Gates 

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

-Matthew 7: 13-14 NIV

Thinking about life and about faith in rational terms is just not a good way to go about it. Faith is the opposite of rationale, & many times it won’t make sense. I tend to do this for a lot of things in my life, like everyday decisions, I tend to go for things that make most sense. But when it comes to my faith, I have learned, I just have to be sort of irrational LOL. I can’t care what people think. I can’t care if it’s the harder, more inconvenient choice. I can’t care if it doesn’t make sense to my friends from facebook, or to family members, coworkers, or friends who don’t agree. I am kind, loving, and respectful to them of course. But I can still have my views, and I need to not only defend my faith, but live it out and live my life according to it. If I don’t do this, then I wouldn’t be sincere to myself & worst of all, I wouldn’t be acting in complete honesty with God either. It’s like keeping an essential part of my heart turned away from God, just to please others. God wants our WHOLE HEART.

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. -Matthew 22: 37-38 NIV

We don’t have to compromise our views just because it doesn’t please other people. You don’t need to offend people, just be obedient and let yourself be led by the Holy Spirit. It may not make sense, pride may try to tell us to do something different, but as long as we’re being led by the Holy Spirit, we can be confident we’re making the correct desicions. 💖🙌🙏💯

I hope you are having a blessed week! Xoxo💖🙏

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Snow Day! ❄☃️

God Makes All Things New

PicsArt_03-21-03.23.46I love snow days, this season hasn’t been as bad here where I live, and tbh I just miss the snow. Actually I think this is the first real LEGITIMATE snow day we’ve had because there have been others but it’s been like less than 3 inches of snow. That is not even real snow imo LOL. 😂

Anyway I just love how snow days simply stop everything. People can’t go to work, children can’t go to school, families are just forced to stay home and well, be together!! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 It’s such a rare thing these days. We’re so rushed, so busy that a snow day where we can actually take time to have some breakfast with family, is really welcomed. Many people work from home so this is still a work day technically for some, but it’s still so nice to break out of the norm and have some extra time either to yourself or with family.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, of course I never had snow days lol. We did have however, hurricane days. 🌬🌀 These were days when school and work was cancelled due to incoming hurricane. And this was serious lol. First of all, there’s the immediate threat that you might actually die LOL, or lose your home. In Puerto Rico, hurricane winds cut off power and water, so that further complicated things. People need to buy weeks of supplies (drinking water for your entire family, flashlights with batteries, a gas stove, non perishable food to eat, etc etc, oh and don’t forget to collect rainwater so you have a way to clean!) to be ready for a hurricane. But, even in this situation, I feel like as a kid you still have fun no matter what. You’re just so happy to be out of school and home with your family.

We would play, and simply watching the hurricane (when we could take peek), was really exciting! My mom would cook in her little gas stove, and made us hot chocolate with cheese (a tradition in Puerto Rico when there are gatherings lol), and then after, instead of cleaning up snow you clean up leaves and branches lol. But it’s so nice back then and even now, how everything stops, and it makes you think of what is really important. At least for me. 🤔😌 We really have no control of anything, God is the one who is in control. God can make the weather do anything, whether it’s a hurricane or a blizzard. Nature really is simply gorgeous, it can leave us in awe of its power, and God is control of it all. It’s truly amazing! 😮😌❤

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
 and his hands formed the dry land. — Psalm 95:4-5 NIV

Hope you are having a blessed week! Xoxo 💖

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Top 10 signs he’s not into you- A Christian girl’s guide ❤

God Makes All Things New

PicsArt_03-08-01.00.38Harsh reality in life. Sometimes, some people will not be interested in us romantically. I strongly believe, if a guy isn’t into you, it’s best to save yourself the emotional turmoil & pain, and just move on. Find someone with whom you have a real connection, and who reciprocates those feelings as well. It feels amazing when you’ve found someone that you click with, but we cannot force these things to happen. I wrote a little bit before about creating boundaries/ standards in dating, & in life in general, based on God & His word (you can find these blog posts here & here). 😉❤

So today, I wanted to share with you 10 signs he’s just “not that into you.” These are just 10 signs he’s not treating you properly because he doesn’t care about you all that much. Keep in mind, when men behave this way, treating us poorly, it is just a reflection of their own low sense of self- worth. Try to learn from experiences, but don’t take rejections too personally or take it to heart because at the end of the day, that person was simply not who God intended for you. ❤

BTW, I first heard this term from the book “He’s just not that into you” by Greg Bernhart. It’s a dating classic and I believe this book started it ALL. As some of you know (or maybe not LOL), I love reading, and anything about God like devotionals, psychology, self- development, and dating is my jam lol. Right now I’m into Matthew Hussey because he’s a dating coach plus he’s BIG on self- development and simply living a life that is, well lived basically! We all have our definitions of that but I like how he just gives you a blueprint sort of. He knows A LOT about human behavior and emotions. If you want to get better at understanding people, I suggest watching some of his life videos. Even his dating videos offer a ton of great advice that can be applied to any life situation. 😀

Anyways lol, these tips I came up with are just things that I’ve either experienced myself, or that I’ve read & heard about other women experiencing, & thought I’d include them. Some of them might seem obvious, but trust me, I know some people lower their standards for a person they like. I’m not judging bc I know feelings cloud our judgement, but I use these as a guide to “override” my feelings & make good decisions. No matter how I feel about the guy, if these behaviors appear, I move on. So these signs are red flags that a guy isn’t treating you the right way or taking you as seriously as he should. And of course, this is just my opinion, I’m not an expert or anything! These are just things I’ve noticed 🙂 I know some are a little simplistic, but I hope they’re somehow helpful. 💖

10 Signs he’s “not that into you:”

  1. He’s rude to you, mean, disrespectful, lies to you, or is even angry or aggressive
  2. He doesn’t put his best foot forward for you-None or little effort
  3. He is inconsistent, flaky, or ghosts you (or worse, dumps you!!), & if he sends mixed signals or breadcrumbs you
  4. He forgets important things about you
  5. He stays distant from you, physically and emotionally. Keeps you at “arms length.”
  6. There’s no progress happening in the relationship.
  7. He never or rarely initiates. You do all the work.
  8. He criticizes you, important aspects of your personality & your life.
  9. He has a wandering eye, flirts with other women online or real life, or even cheats on you.
  10. He doesn’t respect or value your God- based boundaries or standards. 

You can’t make people like you or fall in love with you. If a guy isn’t sharing your values, or SAYS he does, then in his actions he is clearly disrespecting them, you cannot change that about him. Having different values is a recipe for disaster & heartbreak. 💔😭

14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

— 2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV

Furthermore, if you have a pattern of falling for people who treat you poorly, are emotionally unavailable, or have different values, you need to ask yourself why. Ask the Lord to help you overcome this unhealthy habit. Seek a counselor. Learn to be aware of signs when a man is unavailable, so you can avoid them.

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. — 2 Timothy 2:22

Lastly, stop giving men chances who simply do not deserve it, who do not meet your standards or try to disrespect your boundaries, just because you think he’s so cute or funny, or you have a connection, or his hair is cool, whatever! Just, no. LOL. We’re better than this! We can teach men how to treat us right by our own actions and what we choose to accept. Even self- proclaimed Christian men try to pull this all of the time, so it’s up to us to filter these men out of our lives so we can live a happy and drama- free life, and find a truly fulfilling relationship! Not only that, but most importantly, we need to remain in obedience to God. Do not compromise your God- based standards, & risk losing your salvation for a guy! Putting a guy before your obedience to God’s word is not pleasing to God, because God needs to be in first place in our lives. If it’s in God’s plan, the right person is out there. And that guy will not push you to separate from God or be disobedient to Him, but he will push you to be closer. You will push each other. 

Remember we need to be willing to let go of the things of the world, including toxic relationships, e.g. the players, emotionally unavailable men, etc. Important note- Not every man who says he is a Christian will act like one. Any guy who truly has a relationship with Christ, will not only agree with your God- based standards, but he will love you and respect you for them. So remember, always watch his actions and effort, that is what counts. Don’t pay attention so much to his words or excuses. Above all, have faith in God, keep doing your best & living for Him, & the right person will come. 💖

I hope you found this helpful! 🙂 God bless Xoxo

 

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Happy Valentine’s Day 😘

God Makes All Things New

PicsArt_02-14-08.03.34I honestly thought about not writing anything related to Valentine’s day, because it seems a lot of people get down on this day. But I wanted to write about something that will cheer anyone right up: the love of God! 🙂 hehe 🙂 🙏💯

People everywhere are looking for love every single day. They look for it everywhere! In the most odd things, in objects that cannot possible give them love, such as money, jobs or careers, pets, alcohol and drugs, whatever! And while some of these things can give you some sort of temporary “love,” happiness, and fulfillment, they cannot fill the void that only God can fill within us. That void that makes us feel empty, alone, or depressed, or that nagging sense of dissatisfaction, even when things are seemingly PERFECT in life. Only God can fill that void! Only God can give us that perfect love that we need as humans. We cannot even get it from other people, because other people are not perfect. They cannot fill our every need. They will always let us down. Only God’s perfect love will fill the void. 💯

People wonder, why is it that there are some poor people who are so happy? They are so satisfied with life, with so little?!

It’s really not about money, it’s about knowing the love of God. There are both rich and poor people who are miserable, so money has nothing to do with it, although it is important to have it yes. We need it to live. But it isn’t everything in life. Just like receiving chocolates on Valentine’s day is also not everything in life, it is something nice when it happens, but we shouldn’t let it get us down if we don’t receive it. Not receiving it does not mean you are not any less valuable or important to God! 💎

Although it can be frustrating to not have something you feel you should have, the main reason why people feel sad on this day is because they are comparing themselves to others. If they just stopped comparing themselves, and started really looking at their life and appreciating the blessings, helping others, the end result would be more happiness and satisfaction. Also, when your identity is based on what chocolate companies or card companies think you should receive or should be doing on this day, you will live your entire life being pretty miserable LOL, because guess what? They ALWAYS have something to sell and some impossible standard for us to reach. These holidays are highly commercialized and as Christians we should be wise and not let ourselves be stressed or feel pressured. I love Valentine’s Day, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating. I just think if you cannot afford something, or simply did not receive some big gesture or anything at all, you should not let these things get you down. ❤

I for one, am single. So I don’t really get anything from a significant other on this day, and I don’t even have a date lol. I do always get a small present from my Mom on this day lol. (She is so sweet haha, she does that every year!). Maybe it’s because I grew up in Puerto Rico where this day was more of a “Friendship Day,” but I just do not feel the pressure as much. I actually took today off, not because it’s Valentine’s Day for another reason, but I am truly grateful because I got to spend the day with my one true love, God! I was able to fast this morning which is something I hadn’t done in a long time, and I’m glad I decided to do this again. It was amazing. I highly recommend to any Christian, if you have neglected fasting like I had, you should start doing it again. I am going to be doing it on a weekly basis because just doing it, reflecting, and spending that time alone with God, praying, was just like amazing. It was just what I needed.💖💪

So imo, this day could not have been better!😍

How are you spending your day? Whether you are single or not, Valentine’s Day is a good day to tell the people you love that you well, love them lol, care for them, & appreciate them! 🙂 😚💖 A quick phone call, a text, a note, whatever! 🙂 

I hope whatever you do, you include God in your plans. Have a happy and blessed “Valentine’s” day! 💖😚😍

Xoxo

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18 KJV

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My Testimony

God Makes All Things New

PicsArt_02-04-04.18.10I realized I’ve never actually posted about my complete testimony on this blog. Although I did explain why I decided to start this blog on the “About me” section of this blog, I feel very compelled by the Spirit to write about my whole testimony more in depth.

It’s actually been really hard for me to talk about these things in the past, the enemy always made me feel very ashamed. But now that I am walking more in faith, I am realizing there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and that it’s necessary that I share this in order to help others who might be going through the same struggles that I went through. I was reading Derron E. Short’s book, “ Perfecting the Saints,” and he has a very interesting quote that says:

“Your misery will be your ministry.”

That one really stuck with me. It is really important that everyone tells their story in order to lift one another up. Even if you think your story does not matter, you never know how it might be helping another person, so here it goes….

The year was 1988… A beautiful baby by the name of Melanie was born… JK JK LOL

(I WAS NOT born in 1988 lol)  Not entirely denying the beautiful baby part though… LOL 😂

The truth is I was born to a good family, believers, church goers, and I was raised in the church! Throughout my teen years I was super good and stayed in the church, and it wasn’t until college when I totally strayed from God and His ways. It all started because I fell in sin in college, I started having sex before marriage. Then it was like everything just started to unravel and fall apart in my life. It was horrible. My parents found out about this and they are very conservative, and although I was over 18, they just hit the roof. They almost threw me out of the house, took away my car, they just did not know what to do with me. I was so rebellious but tbh I did not understand why they did not understand me more? They overreacted and were quite judgemental which added to the conflict. I wanted so badly, more than anything, to be loved and understood. But that was not what I received, and things only got worse for me from there.

Tbh, in my family there have always been “boundary issues.” To explain this further, I was raised in a family who was over involved, overly controlling/ perfectionist/ strict, yet at the same time, a bit unattached emotionally and cold. Let me tell you, this can do a NUMBER on a person LOL. It was just very confusing because I grew up thinking that this overstepping of boundaries, & this cold attitude, meant love. It was all I knew. (It led to some bad relationships down the road.)

Anyways this scenario really frustrated me as a teen, yet at that time I kind of chose to ignore it. Eventually as a college person, this caused me to rebel. I just didn’t understand it but I couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. I couldn’t handle the emotions, and I was just looking for love. I just was never allowed to think for myself or any form or self- expression was met with put- downs, disrespect, or passive- aggressive “jokes.” So perhaps it was my way of trying to affirm my own identity because I felt like I was not allowed to have my own identity, since it was such a strict upbringing (that is why, when I have children, Im going to raise them differently!).

But either way, I started to rebel and do things I felt were just different from what my family had taught me. In college I was exposed to different people, ideas that seemed great, but were actually quite deceiving and led to a self- destructive path. But I didn’t know, and I wasn’t willing to listen to my parents because I felt a lot of anger and resentment, so I just did my thing.

It reached the point where I considered myself “agnostic,” I really did not believe in God anymore! I abandoned everything that had to do with God, my family, and His ways. And let me tell you, those were the absolute worst days of my life. I was so separated from God. My parents just hated me. They didn’t, but it felt like it because they hardly spoke to me & were very cold the little that we spoke. This was so hurtful I kept on this downward spiral. Basically all of my relationships in my life were a mess. I was a ruin. I was an emotional wreck. I had depression, later developed anger issues, and bad anxiety. I was on antidepressants but they did nothing. It was just a horrible, horrible feeling.

I felt so alone. I sought to fill this void with guys. I dated quite a bit, I had relationships and one particularly toxic long- term relationship which left me completely destroyed. When it ended, I didn’t want to live. I know! Crazy right?! It seems like I am talking about a different person!!! But no, that was me!!! I remember going to a “therapist” and telling this person desperately, I really need help (this was before I even broke up with that person). I am having such bad suicidal thoughts, I just want to kill myself. Do you know what the therapist replied? “Well, why don’t you just kill yourself”

YES. THAT IS WHAT HE REPLIED. 😡

Thank you Lord, I had the good sense to not listen to that buffoon sent by Satan, and walked out of that office and never returned. I wish I knew that person’s name now, I would report them to the Board.

Anyway, I remember one particular day, I just wanted that pain to end. I took a bunch of pills, I honestly do not remember what I took because this was already like 10 years ago. I think they were the anxiety pills, not sure. I drove around like a mad person. LOL, and came home and went to bed. And by God’s grace, I woke up the next day.

I also was not able to keep a steady job because of my emotional instability. This sadly affected my career in the beginning, because when I first graduated and began working was when the break-up happened, and I simply could not cope. I had a great first job, but it was actually quite challenging. It would have been stressful for a “normal” person, but for me, I was having panic attacks in the bathroom! I couldn’t handle the stress from the job, plus all the stress in my personal life. With the depression and all those mental health issues, I unfortunately had to leave that job. (But God turned that around!)

But now I have gotten my career back on track. It’s been because I’ve gotten my life back on track, and that’s because I got my relationship with God back on track!!!!!

I will never leave God again, I am simply nothing without Him. He’s been so faithful!

Btw, I have been living depression and anxiety- free for like 7 years!!!! Absolutely no medication!!!! Ever!!!! God truly healed my soul. And have restored my relationships!!!

Now, I am not saying that if you have to take meds right now that you shouldn’t take them, I was actually a psych major LOL, you cannot just STOP these meds like that. But I slowly & gradually improved until I was able to get off them permanently. I cannot say this all happened over night. It was actually a SLOW process that took years, but now looking back, I am amazed!

If you are a person who suffers from a mental illness, just remember, you are not alone. YOUR life has a great purpose!!!! I know it can truly feel like we are alone in this big scary world. But don’t believe Satan’s lies. He wants to see you down and defeated. But in reality, he is the one who is already defeated, for we already have victory through Jesus!

Always believe in the hope that there is a better tomorrow. There is healing, and even though it’s hard and some days you may have some setbacks, just keep pushing forward. It is 100% worth it. Just trust God 100% with all of your heart and you will be amazed. Believe in all His promises wholeheartedly. He will do it. God does miracles every day. I consider what God did in my life a miracle. 💖🙏

God truly made beauty from the ashes, and He made everything new again.

I now live life as a Christian (I am a Christian lol), I have remained single mostly after that bad break- up, but I’ve made the decision to not have sex again until I get married, if that is in God’s plan for my life. I was seeing a Christian therapist during that recovery period (she was so awesome), to deal with some of my issues, and it really helped so much. I highly encourage anyone to find a Christian therapist if you feel you have these issues. I preferred a woman because I am a woman and there were so many issues I needed to talk about without feeling like it was awkward or anything. A good Christian therapist will simply listen, be non- judgemental, and tbh she didn’t even offer any incredible advice LOL. Just her listening and not judging me was like, incredible LOL. She helped a lot and somehow helped to put things into perspective for me. Wherever she is, I hope God blesses her!

It all makes me think, sometimes in life, there are situations that are unfair. Yes. This is a fact. I feel my upbringing wasn’t fair. BUT,

  1. I am grateful for the good things about it.
  2. I have learned not to take a bad situation and make it WORSE with my bad attitude, therefore prolonging my own time in that bad situation. Always stay focused on the positives and just try to think of the solutions, and ask God for answers.
  3. And of course, just TRUST GOD ALWAYS. ❤

So that is my testimony. I hope you guys like it and that it somehow resonates with someone out there going through the same thing or a similar situation. Always remember there is hope in Christ, never ever give up. You are one of a kind! 💎

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. — Isaiah 60:1

God bless! Xoxo

PS- As for my parents, everyone who has hurt me, I forgive all of them. God has restored my relationship with my parents, & I am grateful. I realize this doesn’t always happen. In my case, it was possible. Sometimes it isn’t. The Bible says we have to forgive regardless. Psalm 27:10 says “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.” Issues with these relationships can be painful. But we must remember God is our comfort & healer, & He is ALWAYS there for us. 

My parents were doing the best they possibly could. That is the only way they knew how. I forgive, but I have learned as an adult to set my boundaries. Keep moving forward!!! In Jesus name!!! 🙂 👍💯