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Faith

The roller coaster of disappointments

written by Kaitlyn

Have you ever felt like you were on a roller coaster ride full of disappointments? I have and still do, and trust me it is anything but fun. Now don’t get me wrong, I love roller coasters but the roller coaster of disappointment is not the same thing as the amusement park roller coaster.

The roller coasters at the fair and amusement parks are filled with laughter, joy, and sometimes nausea depending on how well you handle speed and heights. But the roller coaster of disappointment is filled with anger, frustration, and sadness, which eventually can turn into depression.

Disappointments are a part of life

As a kid, my biggest disappointments were based on not getting the toy that I wanted or not being able to go to the park because it was raining outside. But now my disappointments are based on expectations that I had of certain people, or having a plan and not being able to fulfill it because things didn’t work out, financial, relationships, etc… The older that I get and the more that I experience, I feel the more disappointments I face.

I can’t tell you how many of these disappointments have come from liking guys…A LOT! And it doesn’t help that I have never really had an official boyfriend or have ever been on a date. But it’s true and I know there are a lot of times where you may want to get angry at God and yell out WHY ME!?! Well, that’s exactly how I have felt, even writing this right now I feel like doing that. But as much as it sucks, disappointments are a part of life. Now I’m not writing this to make anyone mad or frustrated but I want to share my journey on how I have been dealing with disappointments and how to get off that long ride of disappointments.

How to deal with disappointments

Before I get into these tips, I will be honest and say something that I have always told myself and others when facing a problem or a disappointment: distract yourself with something you enjoy. And although it is ok to do that sometimes, I have to remember that distracting myself might help for a second but it doesn’t last. And I can’t continue to distract myself with something every time I get disappointed by something or someone, because if I used a distraction for every time I was disappointed then I wouldn’t be able to face reality. I learned that talking to God and leaning on Him is the best thing I can do when facing disappointments. Which brings us to the first tip…

Going to God– Now when I face a disappointment, one of the first things I do is talk to God. In the past year I have been really spiritually growing, I mean I have been saved since I was six years old but spiritually I was not where I am today. But I also have to be careful when I go to God when facing a disappointment, especially when it’s something that I really wanted because sometimes we can talk to God as if He is a genie and He is definitely not that. I use to do that all the time in middle and high school. I would only really talk to Him when I really wanted something and when I didn’t get what I asked for I became upset. But now when I talk to Him I make sure I thank Him for everything He has done for me so far and everything He is going to do for me, even though I do not know what that is. I talk to Him about my disappointments and how I feel even though He already knows, it still helps to get that off my chest.
Make time for worship– Something that has really helped me is when I sat down and made time for God. Now I’m not saying have an entire church service, even though if you want to GO FOR IT! But take the time to read the word, get your worship playlist out, and pray. That is exactly what I do. I also have this great devotional journal that my mom got for me and it is awesome. I promise most of the time I open up the lesson, it immediately speaks to me. But making time for worship can bring this sense of peace and comfort. And it is also a great intimate time with God.
Surrounding yourself with positive people– This tip has been very important in my life. I wouldn’t say I had bad friends in middle and high school. But spiritually they were not where they needed to be in order for me to follow. All of the positive people in my life are all on a high spiritual level. That helps more than you know because God speaks through those who listens and follows Him. And a lot of stuff that has been spoken to me has really helped. These people also will not criticize or judge you. But they will listen and encourage you.
Realizing that God’s plan is bigger than yours– I know it can be hard to understand when things don’t turn out the way you plan. But I have had a bunch of life lessons to know that when you trust in God and you let Him do what He wants to do, His plan is way better than ours. Just writing that sentence gets me excited, because in the past year I have had some downs but not too far away were the ups.

Bigger than I thought

One of my favorite worship songs right now is “Bigger than I Thought”, sung by the Passion Worship Band. The whole song is amazing, from the beginning to the end but the chorus is when I really get emotional every time. So I will end with this beautiful chorus to the song,

“Bigger Than I Thought” So I throw all my cares before you, My doubts and fears don’t scare you You’re bigger than I thought you were, you’re bigger than I thought. So I’ll stop all negotiations, With the God of all creations You’re bigger than I thought you were you, you’re bigger than I thought you were
Passion Worship Band

May 6, 2019 Comments

Biblical women Faith Trust

Do not allow fear to paralyze you

written by Deinah

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
Proverbs 31: 25

The future can be exciting as well as very intimidating. Whether it is looking into starting a new job, moving to another country, or trying to meet your goals in a certain time frame, it can make you feel small but simultaneously encouraging you to press through in order to reach your goal.

Strong and Courageous

Esther was a woman clothed in strength and dignity. She was the one chosen by God to save the Israelites from an ethnic cleansing that was about to take place. She was strong, courageous, and there was nothing that was going to stop her from standing against the edict of the king, even though she was well aware that she could have been killed in the process. You see, in those days, no man or woman were allowed step into the presence of the king without an invitation. However, even so, in all boldness she entered in and pleaded for her people, just like God instructed her to do. And guess what, she survived because the Lord was with her.

Uncertainty and Fear

The uncertainty of what could go wrong brings on fear that can either motivate us or paralyze us. Esther was uncertain of what was going to happen to her. Nevertheless, she did not allow fear to paralyze her. On the contrary, she allowed it to motivate her to step forward in all boldness. I can’t imagine how terrified Esther must have been the moment she appeared uninvited before the king. However, one thing I am certain of is that she knew God was with her and therefore confidently walked in such way to fulfill her purpose.

The Future

The future will always be exciting and intimidating, but

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord will fulfill His promises to Her”
Luke 1:45

So whether you have the next five years of your life planned out or not, trust Him. His plan for your life is perfect and the good work he has started in you he shall complete. Your life is in His hand!

While it was still dark

written by Kelly

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
John 20:1 NIV

While reading this very familiar scripture during my quiet time, the words, “While it was still dark” jumped out at me. I have always seen this as a reference to the time. Well, not today… because you know God, He reveals His word in new ways all the time! From now on, these words have a new meaning for me altogether. These words do not simply represent the time of day but also the time in Mary’s life.

April 20, 2019 Comments

Bible Faith Jesus Life Love

More of You, Less of me

written by Ashley

Do you ever feel a bit overwhelmed with your weekly schedule? I know I do and I often find myself feeling anxious with each task I have to do whether it is running the kids to their practices, after-school events, grocery shopping, birthday parties, and then also squeezing in there being a wife. I am going to share with you my Pastor’s advice,

take a deep breath-More of you God…Exhale-less of me.

I think we are all guilty of having too much of “us” and not enough “Him”. I get it, it is hard, we live in an instant gratification society and we are heavily influenced by the world around us. We have conformed our lifestyles to the way of the world…or at least the way the world wants us to be. Again, too much us and not enough Him.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2

I have read this scripture hundreds of times, but it just never sticks. What will it take to release those chains of conformity and pick up our cross? Look around, all the ads and articles pertaining to the newest fad diet, best clothing line, or even the most popular rock band—but it is hard to find an advertisement that explains the way God wants us to live, right?

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep.”
John 10:11-12

After reading that scripture, why do we as Christians continue to follow the “hired hand” rather than the good shepherd that gave His life for you and me? I know it is easy to go with the flow and to conform to the society we live in, but do not let it define you, the shepherd, the one who created and owns you is the only one that defines you.

Let’s think for a minute, Jesus left 99 sheep in order to find the 1 lost sheep. We have all felt like that 1 lone sheep, lost and lonely. If it were not for the Father making a way to find the lost sheep, we would all still be that lost and lonely sheep. God promises to never leave our side or call us to a battle that He hasn’t already conquered. During this Easter season, let us remember the battle He fought for us. He loved you so much that He gave up His life so that YOU could have yours. Stop conforming to what the universe expects of you and start transforming into being the hands and feet of Jesus.

The evening always comes before day

written by Stephanie

And There Was Evening, And There Was Morning-The First Day

And God said, Let there be light, and there was light, God saw that the light was good and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness He called night. And there was evening, and there was morning -the first day.
Genesis 1:3-5

Is there any hope?

Do you feel like your life is consumed by the darkness today? Maybe bitterness or guilt is consuming you, or you are overwhelmed by hopelessness and uncertainty about your tomorrows. Maybe there’s just emptiness or unsettling in your soul as you look out and realize this world offers very little in the way of peace and rest. Or maybe you are just in a place today of questioning God and wondering how you even ended up where you are. You may even think, “is there seriously even any hope in starting again?”

A wonderfull and profound lesson

There is a wonderfully profound lesson to be learned even on the very first day of creation. A truth that we can hold fast to as we rest in our Creator. Things always seem the darkest before the dawn!

Pay close attention to the key point in these verses. Watch as the Creator speaks into the darkness and the void in order to display His glory and His goodness. As God separated the day from the night and created the very first day, which came first? Look closely at the order…What do you see?

In the process of being transformed

In creation, the evening (DARKNESS) always comes before the day (LIGHT). There is a very good reason why the Jews still live by this order of the day. Our lives also are in the very process of being transformed and worked out to display His glory, if we will allow our Creator to also separate us out of the darkness into His glorious light. This will only be done by allowing Him to speak His Words, breathe His Spirit, into our lives. Into the darkness of our nights that yearn for the morning. Only then can we move in the natural order that is meant to bring us joy and Him glory and the ability to now live as children of the light. There is the promise of a new day ahead for you!

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. Live as children of the light. Eph 5:8

Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping my tarry for the night, but joy come with the morning. Psalm 30:4-5

Turning brokenness into blessings

written by Ashley

Rock Bottom

Have you ever found yourself at rock bottom? Perhaps your marriage was failing, job interviews were not in your favor, or maybe friends had removed themselves from your life. Basically, your life didn’t look anything like you had imagined it would.

Friends let me tell you, rock bottom is nowhere you want to be. But unfortunately, that is where I found myself a few years ago. Although it is not the ideal place to find yourself-but praise God I was there. Seems absurd, I know, but it literally took me hitting rock bottom to find my way back to the top. I was faithless but God remained faithful.

Out of control

I thought I had it all. I was blessed with a hard-working husband, two healthy children at that time, a top of the ladder job, no mortgage on the new house we lived in, and even a nice car to drive…but you know what? None of those things helped me out of that dark pit I was drowning in. My husband had become distant, I lost that top of the ladder job, I had just had a miscarriage and none of those materialistic things mattered in the long run, because they could not pull me up out of the darkness. If anything, I was feeling like the water was continuing to rise. I called out for help but was too consumed by my own darkness that I did not even realize when God was answering. I was trying to remain in control and in all reality, I was out of control.

I was struggling big time. I finally broke down and stepped out of my comfort zone and found myself across from a pastor who I barely knew. All these recent disappointments had resurfaced hurt from my past. The Pastor suggested that perhaps I never healed fully from the past, I only healed enough to move forward. That opened my eyes to a new world. I guess you could say I was notorious for allowing myself to just forget all the hurt and pain. You know what I am talking about, just shoving it in the back of your mind and hope that you will just forget it.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:24

I found myself praying a lot! I was not exactly sure what to pray for, I had distanced myself so far from God and any type of religion because I thought I could control my life and I would be able to fix it. But, as a matter of fact, I couldn’t fix it. The main tool in my toolbox was missing-God. I felt ashamed praying to God asking Him to pull me out of darkness when I had pulled away from him.

“if we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself”.
2Timothy 2:13

Thanks be to God that He didn’t give up on me. He met me right where I was and provided me with the tools I needed to come up out of the darkness. He led me to a church that became my home, He provided me with faithful friends, He led me to a mountain top where I released my hurt, pain, and control. I felt renewed, He was the change in me. My brokenness brought me to God, without the scars from my past I would have never known how deep God’s love is for me. I am not who I was before, I don’t have to fear anymore, and now I see with my eyes wide open.

If you are feeling faithless in your darkness, don’t lose hope! You are never too far gone, God will run to you even when it seems as if everyone else has left you at your worst. I am thankful that God grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my darkness. He knew I couldn’t make the change, so He became the change in me. Thanks be to God for not waiting on me to find my way back-He came for me just as I was.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you”.
Hebrews 13:5

You are what you say

written by Hanna

Have you ever heard the saying, “you are what you eat?”

Although that refers to health and I 100% agree with healthy eating equating healthy outcomes, the Lord recently reframed that saying to me and said, “Hanna, you are what you say–externally and internally.”

I thought about that for a moment and remembered that wasn’t the first time Jesus said that. He told the same thing to some Pharisees in Matthew 15 where He says, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” (v. 10-11)

April 9, 2019 Comments

Faith God Prayer Trust

Changing the way I pray

written by Ashley

Promise Prayers

When we are small children, we learn what I call “kid prayers”. You know the traditional, “As I lay me down to sleep..” “God is good, God is great…” But no one really tells you how to pray. During my youth years, I found myself praying for only the things I needed or wanted. I leaped straight from thanking to asking. I would find myself praying “promise prayers”. “Lord if you will just help me make an A on this paper, I promise I will pray every day!” It wasn’t until I was almost 30 years old, I found myself on my knees – not even knowing what or how to pray. I felt like there was a specific way to pray and I didn’t feel like I had mastered that part of my faith, yet.

Be still and know?

On October 17, 2018, my husband was in a serious accident at work. Most of it is a blur now, but I do remember as I was driving to Raleigh, NC – which was about 2 hours from my home, I kept praying, “God, let him be ok”…. ”Please God, I cannot do this life without him.” I was simply praying what I desired. Never once did I thank Him for anything at that point. I sure didn’t have the time to stop and listen. Are you serious, my husband is laying on an operating table with his chest cut open – I don’t have time to “Be still and know.” Just Lord, hear my prayer! And, hopefully, if I just keep reciting the same prayer, “Lord please let him be ok,” He will eventually grant me the desires of my heart.

God has already worked it out for the good of those who love Him. Romans 8:28

What I didn’t take into consideration was God already was taking care of my husband. When my husband woke that morning, God had already prepared the surgeon that would be performing emergency surgery on him. He had things lined up for me that I couldn’t see at the time. He knew my husband would be involved in an accident that day, and He had a plan. However, I didn’t trust that God had a plan. Please don’t get me wrong, I do not believe God makes bad things happen to people, but He does allow them. This whole time, God had prepared for that day. It was already taken care of, before it happened on earth. But how easy is to forget to trust that God has already worked it out for the good of those who love Him? (Romans 8:28)

No prayer is too big or too small

Recently I learned how to stop-pause-pray. Before, I would pray and be interrupted or fall asleep during my nighttime prayers. Personally, I have a hard time praying on a whim, my OCD kicks in high gear and I get a bit frazzled because I need to prepare and plan exactly what to say… or at least that’s what I thought I had to do. And, how crazy that God hears our every prayer? God knows exactly what you are praying for even when you cannot find the mere words to utter. No prayer is too big or too small. He may not answer right away, but isn’t that the beauty of His unending grace and mercy?

Through this “growth” spurt, I felt God was challenging me to Praise Him rather than Ask Him. I was asking for things that He was already taking care of and handling. He was already protecting those people I prayed for Him to protect. Rather than asking God to continue to be there through my husband’s recovery, I thanked Him for being with him during his recovery. Less asking more praising!

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness”.
2Peter 1:3

I realized God would always provide, I needed to ensure I was praising Him rather than asking. Have your prayers become mechanical? Do you find yourself asking for things that God is already providing? Practice the stop-pause-pray method. Do not stop asking God, but stop and evaluate the things you are asking for – praise Him during the pause-and never cease to pray.

Thanks be to God, Amen.

Because He Loved Us First

written by Willemien

“We love because He first loved us”

1 John 4:19 is a well-known scripture. But what does this mean? Can we see examples of it in the Bible?

The Life of Mary

Well, let’s take a look at the life of Mary. The other day when I was in church the preacher shone a new light on the well known Bible story of Martha and Mary. The one where Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and Martha complains that her sister is not helping her. Jesus then said that Mary choose the right thing to do. Often this story is told to give the message that we should not just do works for God but also take time to sit at His feet. And that is definitely true. But this time we took a look closer to the live of Mary.

April 2, 2019 Comments

Faith God Jesus Lifestyle

Lord, Teach Us To Be More Like You

written by Kaity

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Colossians 3:12

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7:1-5

What Would Jesus Do?

Sometimes I don’t want to admit that I’m a Christian. It isn’t that I’m ashamed of Jesus. I’m not embarrassed to say He’s my Savior. I just don’t want to be identified with the hateful throngs of people who say they follow Jesus, but espouse hate, judgment and anger towards anyone who thinks differently than them. If you look at any political, social, or ecumenical issue, there’s always an angry group of people, calling themselves Christians, shouting, name-calling and claiming God hates the other side.

Can you imagine Jesus typing nasty comments on social media to someone who disagreed with Him?
Kaity

Jesus never once did this, and He was perfect. Can you imagine Jesus typing nasty comments on social media to someone who disagreed with Him? Can you see Him outside of an abortion clinic with signs yelling and hating people inside? No, I imagine Jesus would walk up to those people, sit alongside them, and tell them He loves them. He would invite them to partake of the Living Water just as He did to the woman at the well. He didn’t scold her or judge her. He welcomed her to come walk with Him.

Behind Closed Doors

I have to admit, though I am not publicly berating or shaming others, I do it behind closed doors and in the caverns of my heart. I judge my neighbor, my husband, my friends. I mumble a sarcastic remark about my husband’s shortcomings. I’m impatient with my friends’ flaws. God has been gently teaching me to clothe myself in the fruits of the spirit, instead of acting out of judgment and self righteousness. It’s really hard! It’s my own natural inclination to act like the god of my little world and judge those around me.

“Lord, teach us to be more like You. Show us to show your love and mercy to those around us, instead of acting out in harsh judgment. Help others see the Light and Hope through our words and actions. Let us show a dark world what it means to be a Christian.”

Amen.

March 19, 2019 Comments