Rooted Sunflower

Galatians 2:20 “… I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” The Holy Spirit is not concerned more on getting us to try to be “better”, but to repent deeply of the sin there is. In the low places where I confess my worries, He gives me His own faith just like it says here in this verse. When we feel convicted about not being able to love someone with as much love and compassion towards them as we should, or we lack faith in certain matters or that we have been prayerless. God does take all those things very seriously and when push comes to shove it takes a toll on us as well. One of the biggest lessons I have taken from this and in learning and continually being brought back to this place of complete frustration in the lack of understanding why- Don’t let the devil bring you even further down, he will bring you down and then add things on top of all the things you have just done. What I have done in the past and even in more recent times, is strivin

Psalm 23:3 “… He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Sometimes I do not want to let go of my resentment; I grow fond of my dark, murky attitudes. But when I allow an infilling of fresh water, I am set free, to live a full and creative life. Interestingly, enough God has taught me that forgiveness works this way in our lives whether we’re the forgivers or the forgives. The distinction is not all that clear, because every one of us has need to be both. “Like the colors in a watercolor painting, forgiving and being forgiven run together, creating surprising and unforgettable patterns.” Said by Emilie Barnes. Every single one of us, because we are human and sinful and make mistakes and act out of motivation that are less than pure, has a continual need to ask for forgiveness of God and other humans. And every single one of us, because the people around us are human and sinful and make mistakes and act out of motivates that are less pure, has constant need to fo

Ephesians 2:9 “…not of works, lest anyone should boast.” All blessings come from God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. No good can be expected from a righteous and holy God to sinful creatures, but by His grace He gives. It says in verse 8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings, which we are to bless Him with. What is hard for me is to come to the realization that I can not bless God more abundantly than by praising, magnifying, and speaking truth of Him. Now this verse spoke to me saying, do not set your affections on the things of this earth but on heavenly things, which are the things from above. I could literally do anything and everything but if it isn’t to glorify His name then I have accomplished nothing and I have gained nothing but lost everything. God doesn’t ask us to do things on our own and then own it with our prideful nature- NO He calls us higher- He

IBS- 1 John 4:4 “ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” I am His and He is mine. I have to remind myself that God is infinitely stronger than Satan. And in the end God will win- He always does. The Lord is always ready. When times come around and I fall short, He is there, He is never not going to be there, ready and armed for anything. Knowing how far and how deep God will really go is never a question. Many times, I fail, still His mercy remains. It confirms it right here that we (His children) are “from God” comforting right? It is to me for sure. Its exciting! The one that lives in me is the One who concord death. When I stop and really think about this verse and all that it means to me, it takes me back to the feet of Jesus, to the place where I have to come to a place of total brokenness to receive all that He has for me. God has overcome it all, yet I question Him in how He is go

Romans 5:5 “The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” The first step I must take to victory in the holy war is to give up all of my natural being and way of life. The spiritual way is the way I want to be moved in daily with. It is a way were there is no cuts and bruises, never grieving, always loving, way of life. But I am not able to express this kind of spirit with my own love, but with the love that Jesus Christ gives me through my devotion and walk with Him. I can only express it when Jesus expresses it through me. His grace is so much more intense than anything of this world and the pain and hurt Christ felt on Calvary is so much more than anything any human will ever feel. In His death is our life, and in His life is our victory. I love that saying, its so true, so hard to fully grasp but God just wants us to believe and from there He will reveal the things in which we need in the most perfect time. My greatest prob

Exodus 4:11-12 “The Lord said to him, ‘Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I the Lord? Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.” Its not your ability, but your availability that determines how God will use you. Something I personally still struggle with. Some points not knowing what the heck I am doing and what God is doing in my life, and other times just so in awe of seeing Him work in my everyday life. I find myself in fear and questioning what God has laid before me; yet He created the moon and the stars and knows the number of hairs on my head and calls me by name. Still I find myself sitting in questioning the One who created the universe by a vapor of His breath. Just like Moses here I question God and what He has called me to do. I wonder if it’s the right thing or if its just me trying to do it in my own strength or me trying to be my own god. I struggle with the thinking life, the “what if’s” o

Deuteronomy 4:7 “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him?”             After Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he had prayed and talked to his Father in heaven after this his people and all the successes were all brought and looked on as a gift from God, which it all was. To know that the other nations may have had better weapons, better this and better that, it didn’t matter in the end. But they had God with them and the power given to them by Him and Him alone. I never really thought anything of this verse before but its so true. What other gods do you know of that will go as far but yet be so near whenever you call on His name. There is a peace that comes about when you call on His name. So my team and I went on a trip to an Island here in Ugnada and we went around evangelizing and one of the groups ended up at a mans home looking thing which was a shrine and they were a little hesitant to go in