As you can probably tell from the title, it's my birthday. But it's not a day to commemorate me but to remember God and His grace because that is what gave me a new year.
This morning I was praying and was reminded of all the great things He's done for me this year:
This was the year I wrote my first song for His glory.
This was the year I wore my first sari (to all those who don't know what a "sari" is, google it :]..i just googled it to make sure it was appropriate and for the most part i think it is)
This was the year for major change in my life.
This was the year God moved my family from one church to another.
This was the year I took Believer's baptism.
This was the year I started a ministry with 4 other girls.
This was the year of my deliverance.
This was the year God tested me and refined me like silver.
This was the year I understood the greatness of His forgiveness.
This was the year of my first spiritual dreams and visions.
This was the year of my first and second (and hopefully last) car accident.
This was the year to begin to understand spiritual warfare and how I'm in it until the end of the war.
This was the year I learned to forgive fully and have compassion for those who wronged me.
This was the [first] year I went to an IBC retreat that changed the air around me.
This was the year God began to spell out my future calling.
This was the year for growth and I'm never looking back because greater things have yet to come.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do (for you) :]
I'm excited to see what will happen this year, and I am glad for the things that happened last year.
All glory to Him.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Frustration
Frustration. Feeling anger crawling up your veins and mixing with disappointment. Frustration. Pleasant thoughts fading and being replaced by annoyance. Frustration. Future regretted words slipping out of your mouth. Frustration. Holding your fists tightly and realizing how close you are to what you want. Frustration.
Today after school I was late to the bus area (yes, I'm a junior riding the bus..) and the buses were about to leave. Stressed about school, I just wanted to get home quickly and relax. So swiftly walking past the doors I approached my bus and its open doors. Then all of a sudden a teacher stood in my way and told me it was too late to get on the bus. I stared, dumbfounded, between him and my 3-yard away bus. Clearly feeling the illogicality of the situation, I calmly and collectively said, "But my bus is RIGHT THERE and the doors are STILL OPEN." He shook his head and never let me get on that bus. All huffy and puffy, I stormed off and called my mom to come pick me up. I thought about him when I waited for Mom. I thought about the situation when I was on the way home. I edited certain actions out and in when I ate my lunch. I just kept on replaying the scene and feeling my anger grow steadily. Small situation, right?
Many times we let the small things get the better of us. One of the last things Jesus tells his disciples in John 14:27 was, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." The peace Christ leaves for us isn't temporary happiness. He gave us a peace that transcends all understanding. He gave us the peace that he had when he was crucified and left to die on the cross. The peace that was with him when he conquered pain, agony, and death is what he has given us. There are many times when frustration tries to creep up on us and pounce on our Christ-granted peace. How many of those times do we walk away in peace? How many times do we walk away fists clenched and curses sitting on our lips?
Dealing with situations that don't go the way we planned them to are difficult struggles. Sometimes we get angry because everything seemed to be going along perfectly when BAM--a curve ball is thrown that disorientates us and our emotions. It's so easy to blow up, reduce to a 3-year-old, and throw a temper tantrum. It's always harder to "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 and know He'll take care of the situation. Always remember that in the end, something greater will spawn from that once "frustrating" situation. Take my account of today for example. Had I not been though that entire situation, I wouldn't be here writing a blog and sharing the importance of peace with you all. God created us in his image. He is the Prince of Peace. In the same way, we are called to be princes and princesses of peace and love. God bless :]
Today after school I was late to the bus area (yes, I'm a junior riding the bus..) and the buses were about to leave. Stressed about school, I just wanted to get home quickly and relax. So swiftly walking past the doors I approached my bus and its open doors. Then all of a sudden a teacher stood in my way and told me it was too late to get on the bus. I stared, dumbfounded, between him and my 3-yard away bus. Clearly feeling the illogicality of the situation, I calmly and collectively said, "But my bus is RIGHT THERE and the doors are STILL OPEN." He shook his head and never let me get on that bus. All huffy and puffy, I stormed off and called my mom to come pick me up. I thought about him when I waited for Mom. I thought about the situation when I was on the way home. I edited certain actions out and in when I ate my lunch. I just kept on replaying the scene and feeling my anger grow steadily. Small situation, right?
Many times we let the small things get the better of us. One of the last things Jesus tells his disciples in John 14:27 was, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." The peace Christ leaves for us isn't temporary happiness. He gave us a peace that transcends all understanding. He gave us the peace that he had when he was crucified and left to die on the cross. The peace that was with him when he conquered pain, agony, and death is what he has given us. There are many times when frustration tries to creep up on us and pounce on our Christ-granted peace. How many of those times do we walk away in peace? How many times do we walk away fists clenched and curses sitting on our lips?
Dealing with situations that don't go the way we planned them to are difficult struggles. Sometimes we get angry because everything seemed to be going along perfectly when BAM--a curve ball is thrown that disorientates us and our emotions. It's so easy to blow up, reduce to a 3-year-old, and throw a temper tantrum. It's always harder to "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 and know He'll take care of the situation. Always remember that in the end, something greater will spawn from that once "frustrating" situation. Take my account of today for example. Had I not been though that entire situation, I wouldn't be here writing a blog and sharing the importance of peace with you all. God created us in his image. He is the Prince of Peace. In the same way, we are called to be princes and princesses of peace and love. God bless :]
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Treasure of the Kingdom
I haven't been writing in this blog lately and this is because Satan has been distracting me and trying to bog me down with so much junk--but I won't stand for it anymore :]
So yesterday I heard this moving message that I felt I needed to share with everyone.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."-Matthew 13:44
The Kingdom of Heaven is more valuable than the greatest jewels of this world. It is so valuable, that this man sold all of his possessions with joy in order to have this treasure. The man did not buy the TREASURE but he bought the FIELD because all of his possessions could not come close to the true value of the treasure. Then we ask, what does the field represent?
The field is people ready to hear the word of God and souls longing for an encounter with Christ. It is our duty to go out into the field and spread--like wildfire--the message God gave us. We at times have to give up everything--all our possessions to serve God but do not worry.
Our God is Jehovah Jireh--My Provider. He will supply all our needs when we give up everything for Him. In our lives, we don't need to worry but instead focus all our attention on God because it says "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" -Matthew 6:33. When I heard this part of the message, I felt convicted because all the junk that's been holding me down were worries about school, friends, my future, college, majors, etc. but God reassures us by saying, " Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" -Matthew 6:26-27 When we feel distracted, remember that is what Satan is trying to accomplish. He is continuously grabbing footholds in our life and struggling to pull himself up as he tears us down so we must always remember to seek God first then everything else will fall into place.
The story of Boaz and Ruth is the representation of Christ and his bride (the church).
When Boaz first saw Ruth, she was gleaning and gathering grain in the field. In the same way, when Christ comes again in order to be reunited with his church, the first place he's going to look, is at the field. The question we must ask ourselves then is, are we going to be in that field when Christ comes or are we going to be somewhere else, distracted by Satan? God is not asking everyone to travel and have the ministry of outreach but he IS calling each of us to have a ministry because he has called us to "Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf" -Isaiah 43:8. We are ambassadors for Christ in the world. We need to spread the message of God's love and Christ's reconciliation on the cross to the people around us. Christ is coming soon, where are we going to be?
I hope this message touches you as much as it moved me. Have an amazing day and God bless. :]
So yesterday I heard this moving message that I felt I needed to share with everyone.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."-Matthew 13:44
The Kingdom of Heaven is more valuable than the greatest jewels of this world. It is so valuable, that this man sold all of his possessions with joy in order to have this treasure. The man did not buy the TREASURE but he bought the FIELD because all of his possessions could not come close to the true value of the treasure. Then we ask, what does the field represent?
The field is people ready to hear the word of God and souls longing for an encounter with Christ. It is our duty to go out into the field and spread--like wildfire--the message God gave us. We at times have to give up everything--all our possessions to serve God but do not worry.
Our God is Jehovah Jireh--My Provider. He will supply all our needs when we give up everything for Him. In our lives, we don't need to worry but instead focus all our attention on God because it says "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" -Matthew 6:33. When I heard this part of the message, I felt convicted because all the junk that's been holding me down were worries about school, friends, my future, college, majors, etc. but God reassures us by saying, " Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" -Matthew 6:26-27 When we feel distracted, remember that is what Satan is trying to accomplish. He is continuously grabbing footholds in our life and struggling to pull himself up as he tears us down so we must always remember to seek God first then everything else will fall into place.
The story of Boaz and Ruth is the representation of Christ and his bride (the church).
When Boaz first saw Ruth, she was gleaning and gathering grain in the field. In the same way, when Christ comes again in order to be reunited with his church, the first place he's going to look, is at the field. The question we must ask ourselves then is, are we going to be in that field when Christ comes or are we going to be somewhere else, distracted by Satan? God is not asking everyone to travel and have the ministry of outreach but he IS calling each of us to have a ministry because he has called us to "Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf" -Isaiah 43:8. We are ambassadors for Christ in the world. We need to spread the message of God's love and Christ's reconciliation on the cross to the people around us. Christ is coming soon, where are we going to be?
I hope this message touches you as much as it moved me. Have an amazing day and God bless. :]
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