Two words...

Prayer & Perspective.  Yup. My advice is  TRY IT,  it never fails, especially with such an amazing God we serve. I have just experienced an amazing crazy busy day yesterday at work but throughout the day remained in such a calm & confident attitude with a smile, truth in mind, & ability to put on an armor of God and conquer the day with the greatest weapon: Love. I started by praying the night before that I know in all situations Jesus is in control no matter what happens I trust Him. He never leaves us or forsakes us that is the truth. He loves us sooo much that is the truth. He is "kind, smart & important" and that is the truth.  


When I was told two of my co-workers were absent normally I would have all these anxious thoughts running "omg what do I do, how? I don't think i can I need to go home" nope. Nada. Not of it. Wasn't gonna have it. I kept on going throughout the day talking to God and singing praises and did the best I can.


Perspective is hard sometimes. We tend to easily feel the need to run away from a situation or throw  a pity party. Truth its, it happens & it's okay for a short time cuz that's being real, but it's how you look at it. When you realize the Truth, that you're beautiful, you're a shining light from above, you're in great Hands, that's surrendering and believing He is the Truth. He is gentle. He doesn't lie. and I'm happy to call him my Best, Friend, Jesus. 


that evening, I've encountered something from the past that God has delivered me from. I didn't go with my feelings this time. I trusted God to be there in the moment. I was quiet, said a few words and then reached out to my friends to help me pray for my heart. My heart not to get deceived by a man whose words may be lies. I wasn't gonna go down that road again, not when God has done so much for me to get out of it. Truth: we go through a series of tests in life and the enemy is there ready to rob the joy away, ready to lead you into temptation, tells you all sorts of things that seem out of the ordinary and lead you to sin.   In my amazement I prayed to God as I got into my car and on the way home 'Blessed be Your Name" came on the radio. My thought: Thank You Jesus for reminding me of Your love.  


It's now Thursday and I'm excited that this is has been a great week so far. In two of my bible studies this week, God has really showed me a lesson & was present in both times and it just blows my mind!  I learned about the term "unchangeable labels" those are labels that you call yourself, whether you're blind, deaf, diabetic, a widow.   Now some people choose to use that as  an excuse not to go through life. Others choose to use it as something positive.   Truth is: we were given unchangeable labels by God who has entrusted us to use it in our lives as a testimony and trust God and not our feelings.   


our flesh is so weak but our spirit is so much stronger. I sometimes think "I'm deaf, who's gonna love me?" Truth: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ~ Philippians 4:13   Trust the Lord, be brave & strong and trust the Lord ~ psalms 27:14    more importantly, I have the greatest Love I wouldn't trade it for the world.  He spend some 30 years on this place we call a temporary home, went through everything we humans go through, died on the Cross for all our sins (past present future) rose again in 3 days and now is in us in spirit because that's one of the promises He made. That my friends, is Jesus Christ who is the Great I am and nothing can get through the Father but through Him. ~ John 14:6




On a last note I'll leave you with a song: "The Desert Song"  ..."all of my life in every season You are still God I have a reason to sing.I have a reason to worship.I will bring praise I will bring praise no weapon formed against me shall remain.I will rejoice I will declare God is my victory & He is here. this is my prayer in the harvest where favor and providence flow I know I'm filled to be emptied again this seed I received I will sow...."

new day

they say there may be pain in the night & joy comes in the morning... often that is true... I was totally out at sleep last night that when the alarm went off 5:15 this morning I so did not want to get up. But be faithful with little I did, I showered then went back to sleep to get a few minutes more. Finally was up & about by 6 am and ate breakfast. It's Friday it should be exciting right?!?! Not really kicking in until I was brushing my teeth and looked at my wall of quotes in the bathroom and saw "One light that's all I am"  brought me back to a song we heard in church a while ago by Ten Ave. North "Hold my heart"    

"One tear in the driving rain One voice in the sea of pain could the Maker of the stars hear the sound of my breaking heart One light that's all I am right now I can barely stand If You're everything You say You are won't you come close & hold my heart"


it's a pretty song and it reminds me of this weekend that we're about to do something exciting instead of going to church we're going out to BE the church... to show our love for Jesus by serving in the community with little projects like picking fruits/veggies, painting, praying etc...  I'm really excited... it's about the one main thing in life: Love and I can't wait to pour it all out like a million yellow M&M's :o)

Happy Friday!

Be faithful with little...

a very wise precious friend of mine, whom I call sunset buddy, once told me a few months ago "be faithful with little and much will be given"  she explained what that meant to me and I found in Luke 16:10 "whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with very much and whoever is dishonest with every little can be dishonest with much."

at this moment I should be in bed sleeping but I'm so excited on this topic that I have to share my heart.   

I'm so blessed to understand this verse because in almost everything I do when I feel anxious or get a thought that influences me to hold back to something I think "be faithful with little"...  whether it's going to church when i don't feel like it, going to work when i don't feel like it, going to bible study when I don't feel like it...

It almost reminds me of a phrase from a book I'm reading..... the phase goes "we serve a communicating God ~ a God of Words. He created, healed, encouraged, rebuked, guided, prophesied, assured, loved, served & comforted with a Word. This isn't the issue whether or not God is speaking, it's whether we have ears to hear what He says." 

At this point I'm super excited because it's like connecting the dots the big picture is God is speaking.....  He speaks through anything from dreams/visions to songs on the radio to people you meet or people you text/email....

in the end it is soooo worth it because truth is, our flesh is nothing.  our Spirit is worth so much more. when we die our flesh just crumbles and goes nowhere  whereas our spirit flies up to meet Jesus and that's the best place to be :-)

I was emailing a friend and was telling her about how I was dreading going to work tomorrow... I love what I do it's different than where I used to be but I was nervous about meeting/working with new patients I don't know because I've never done this kind of work before, and she reminded me "keep reminding yourself that you are the light of Jesus shining for them in their time of sickness" 

DEEP!!!!!    I actually learned today that the patient I had been working with who is blind, is now discharged from therapy which means I don't need to see her for therapy anymore. I was kind of sad because I enjoyed working with her while she couldn't see, I couldn't hear so we matched! :o)   I came in today to find one of the nursing aides to tell me that the patient was worried about me because I wasn't in yesterday.  I stopped by to see her today and told her I wasn't feeling well but that she was done with therapy and that I would try to stop in once a while to say hi. She was very happy to hear that and may I add this precious lady is 90 years old!!!! the little time I had with her was so fun a real blessing....  she actually told me the other that that she was glad I was working with her because I could understand what "normal people" couldn't.... and I basically went "yup and we can laugh about it right??? and laughed we went...    Thank You, Jesus, for just pouring your heart on mine to see what breaks yours and for helping me to become the person You want me to be. So that I may glorify you in everything I say & do and in the people I meet, short term or long.... 

Even just saying hi, or a smile or something sooo simple it really goes a long way because you truly never know what someone is going through during the day. People may fake a smile on the outside but in the inside they're hurting.   When you shine a light for Jesus, people see that or sense that and may feel Jesus too... He's everywhere, even when one should be faithful with little!!!

What's in your closet?

So we started a new study in bible study called "Me, Myself & Lies"  the title itself may sound intimidating but it's actually an awesome study so far.   By the end of the study, I felt a bit overwhelmed but I know it was a good kinda overwhelmed. I learned to analyze what is in your closet? Some may say it's messy some may say it's neat and organized in colors or in sections some may say it started out clean and now it's a pile of junk. The interesting thing about what is in your closet compares to who you are as a person. We all long to find ourselves in this big world at times we feel alone at times we feel like we're driving ourselves crazy not knowing where to go. But if you really stop and think, take a minute to breathe. Listen. Listen to your Heavenly Father who knows best and who is definitely trying to get you to where He wants you to be. So often we have this longing of control and the happenings of life. the thing I learned so far is that if you don't control your thoughts, your thoughts will control you. Not to worry 'cuz there's a way to prevent that, you can start by monitoring your thoughts.   So how would you describe your self talk?  Would it be constructive? destructive? Ineffective? Powerful?  


For me, for the longest time most of my self-talk has been destructive based on my upbringing. As I came to seek Jesus as my best Friend my self talk has been powerful but every now and then the little voice of destructiveness will come in. that's the enemy dude!  while it's hard I have to believe and try so hard to seek joy in my Father because I know that is what is best for me and to glorify Him. More recently, my self-talk has been on the fence of powerful & destructive which leads to spiritual warfare. Sometimes I'll think "omg that was so stupid you're so dumb! but then I know I'm a child of God  so it basically comes down to once you wake up in the morning your first thought is how your day would go. I strive to wake up with "rise & SHINE!"  Today's the day the Lord has made! Throughout the day there may be things that make our self-talk go bonkers but at least we try We live in a fallen world and the enemy is sooo strong and soo on the move BUT we have to stand firm & keep in the Word and tell the enemy He has got to go because with the Great I am, we have the greatest weapon....


I also learned that if you sow a thought you reap an action. if you reap an action you sow habit. if you sow habit you reap character if you reap character you sow destiny. it sorta reminds me of the verse from Romans 5:3-5 "not only so but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character; and character hope and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the holy spirit who has been given to us."


in the study the author broke down closet in terms of:
C- cares/concerts "what if"
L- "likes/dislikes -your personality
O- objectives/goals - your plans in life
S- secrets - things you never want anyone to know about you... they're like potatoes they grow and pollute everywhere and eventually affect everything
E- eternity - in Ecc. 3:11 God makes everything beautiful in his own time - the holy spirit is connected in us
T- treasures - what matters most to you, your values


so basically what your closet compose of is how you are as a person...the standard of our self-talk is what is acceptable to God... Note that sometimes what we think is acceptable may not be acceptable to God...   Your thought closet is basically everything that was said to yourself over the years.  That took to heart for me because in my upbringing a lot of it was so negative so it had taken time to clean out those thoughts to make it a positive and believe which voice to listen to...


 I learned that bricks are used as a name for ourselves. it is man-made while Stones are God-made.  As mentioned before we have that need for control therefore we end up building up our own bricks and labels, when in reality we already have an identity... God has created us all to be a living stone.  I found by the end of the study when I mediate on the verses the next day it's almost like bricks are the same thing, it's ugly, it's thick it's rough. On the other hand, stones are colorful, smooth, and different. It reminds me of the song "Tear down the Walls" - 


I don't know about you but I don't want to spend my whole life building up bricks after another when I can tear down the walls with the Truth, wearing my armor of God, standing firm to become a living stone. That's the beauty of it, God already sees us all as beautiful finished products. So why keep trying to fix ourselves? 


Lastly, I learned in psalms 19:14 "let the words of my mouth & mediation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord for You are my strength & my redeemer"