You are free to be YOU.

Lately, in life... I've been experiencing some funkiness. Yes, I've been in a FUNK. It comes and it goes... and it sucks.

Well last night I was cleaning my room... I saw one of my favorite pens and got the urge to start writing. Immediately I knew... I felt it in my spirit to write to Poppa :). My thoughts and emotions started flowing... I just wanted to thank Him and express to Him all of the love that I felt. It was almost as if my heart was really gonna burst from so much joy and love!

I have a tiny journal.

Well its not tiny... but, I like to write big... so to me... it's tiny. Anyway! As I was writing... I could hardly contain my speediness! lol I was trying so hard to stay in between the lines and still freely express myself on paper. It wasn't working... either I wrote neatly and sacrificed some of that raw emotion... or it got really raw and the writing was out of place. hahaha That's when I felt the Lord speak to me in the softest, purest, most tender way.

I don't want you to stay inside of the lines.

I want you to FREELY be yourself.

Freedom from the thoughts of others & be unapologetic about it.

 Freedom from their perceptions.

Be whole in Me & do not be phased by anything else. 

Oh boy! God is great. Amen?! Amen. The freedom that I felt after this! This funk is gone. My "ugh." is replaced with "woooo" We have a Father that turns mourning into dancing, y'all. I will never cease to be amazed at how much Abba loves His children. 

I started to reminisce (as I tend to do every year on my birthday ;D) and I can't help but to be humbled in COMPLETE REVERENCE. I have been taken out of so much junk, removed from toxic relationships, and protected so much by God. Even when it's hard for me to identify what it is that is going wrong inside of me... He knows... and if we listen closely enough, we can hear Him speaking to our spirit.

O Lord, You have searched me. 

You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 

You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. 

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, surely the darkness shall fall on me, Even the night shall be light about me; 

Indeed, the darkness and the light are both alike to You. 

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

Psalm 139:1-18 NKJV

Your Heavenly Father knows every single aspect about your life... the good, the bad, the ugly, and all of the potential that you carry inside of you. I pray that you are able to accept this freedom of being YOU that God has blessed us with. 

LORD, I pray that the person reading this right now can receive the freedom to him/her self. Break the chains of other people's thoughts, opinions, or perceptions of them. I pray that they are able to see themselves as You see them, not as the people that surround them do. In Jesus' name, amen. 

I love you all soooo much! God bless and have an incredible day... every day ;D

-Alyssa

The Most Prized Possession

Hello! I'm Davinah. It's okay if you can't pronounce it. Sometimes I can't either.

I'm here to share something encouraging for someone. It may just be me, which is totally fine. But I woke up this morning with something on my heart, and I hope it speaks to you.

Long story short, I was raised in a single parent home with a mother anyone would kill (maybe not kill) to have. My mom is incredibly strong, selfless, and nurturing. Church was not something we did on a regular basis. It was mostly on holidays and when a family member would pass away. I was raised a Christian, though-- if that makes sense. I believed in God, and I believed in Jesus. I knew in my heart that there was a higher power, but making a personal connection was never something I really desired until I was in college.

I'll save that story for another day, because I really, really, really want to share what is on my heart this morning.

I just finished an intensive 2 year graduate program that took me out of my church community for 9 long months. I felt dry, isolated, cut off, separated, and most of all I felt forgotten. At the same time, my mom was battling the fight of her life-- stage 2 breast cancer. Between my school papers, her chemotherapy and surgery, reading textbooks, working, and trying to keep my head above water this last year has been an absolute blur. I was barely able to function at the end of my program, let alone understand what God was doing in my life.

  ___________________________________________

Now, imagine this-- you buy a nice gift for yourself and when you get home and open the box, it's in pieces. You have to put all of the pieces together just right, so that it will function correctly. You put this gift together and here comes the moment you've been waiting for. You get to press the on switch.

As you turn on your new shiny, prized possession it begins to do exactly what you want it to do. It's functioning correctly. Let's fast forward 5 years. Your prized possession is a bit blemished, sometimes it works and other times it barely moves. You really, really, really love this prized possession so you have no choice but to take it to a repair shop. The technician tells you that he can fix it, no problem. He'll even do it for free because he sees the prized possession and it's purpose.

That prized possession my friend, is us. God created us to serve a purpose.To love each other. To connect with one another. To serve in community together.

As time goes on, life happens. Let's be honest! Things happen that sometimes darken our hearts, damper our spirits, and suffocate our hope. The off switch gets pressed, and sometimes we just don't want to turn ourselves back on.

But there's someone who fixes that. For free, because He sees our purpose.

He doesn't charge you when you cry out to be renewed, refreshed, or restored. He does it because He knows exactly what you were designed to do, and He will see to it that every fiber of your being recognizes His intentions for your life.

So two weeks ago, after 8 months of feeling absolutely desolate-- God met me. He met me in an encounter that I will never forget because I felt my heart open up again. Do you know why He met me? Because I cried out, and I trusted that God would do something in my heart to heal the hurt that I had felt, but I also trusted that He was not done with me yet.

So whoever you are, reading this... I hope that it speaks to your heart. If it didn't, well that's okay.

I love you.


Davinah
(http://www.daybysnap.blogspot.com/)

Because of Jesus Christ, I can face every tomorrow!

 Reading everyone's personal testimonies on this blog has been just fascinating! Indeed "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the seas." ~ Habakkuk 2:14 I met sister Alyssa on Instagram and she has been such inspiration for me. I hope my story will help people connect personally with the Gospel of the wonderful grace of GOD.  

I am 52yrs old, mother to 2 lovely daughters and a wonderful son very fond of creeping up on me with a startling "Mama, boo!", hence my nick Mamaboo on Instagram. My real name is Helen Regina given at baptism at the age of 6. I was raised in a Catholic home and got married to a non-believer businessman 32 years ago. That was the end of church-going...and GOD and the beginning of my life as a career woman after taking on a key role in the family's business empire. As our businesses grew and expanded rapidly, I became a workaholic - pretty much a frazzled "Martha" tossed between our hugely successful but extremely demanding businesses AND the guilt of a somewhat neglected home. Getting knots in my rope, I relied on frequent holiday getaways to untie them - a pathetic soul in bondage; trapped in the monotony of life, swallowed up and absorbed in the economic and financial affairs of the world. 

 Life was such a burden; like living in a prison, day-in day-out, the same routine. My children were sent off to prestigious schools abroad simply because I could afford the money but not the time with them. What a sorry state to be in! For a while, Mass was sporadic but soon afterwards, even GOD was no longer a priority as I was too consumed in my career, too busy and didn’t want to go to a church alone in a new city. I put off taking steps to meet Christians, to get involved with the body of Christ in my new community and eventually became isolated. In my busyness, I was missing out on the purpose of life, the world could not offer me the contentment I desired. My Bible was never far though I hardly ever read it. Although I knew Jesus died for me, I had very little knowledge about the Word and GOD apart from praying the Lord's prayer and Hail Mary, Adam and Eve, the 10 Commandments, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Noah's Ark, Jonah and a few other popular Bible stories. Looking back, I suppose Catholics, in general, hardly read much of the Bible and I wasn't very much encouraged to either. I remember carrying a rosary with me most of my life for "protection." 😏 How shallow my belief then. I guess I missed out on the encouragement Hebrews 10:23-25 said one needed to remain strong in their focus, faith and walk with the Lord. And yet - in moments of introspection and honesty, I knew deep down inside that I was missing out on GOD. Every time I drove past a church, my heart longed to go in but I was too caught up in life's grinding wheel to make that move. 

An encounter with the Lord put a stop to my tracks and an overhaul to my lifestyle when He spoke Mark 8:36 in a remarkable and revelatory manner. It was 4 April 2003 - a day I was to take my own life. I had driven across town and checked into a hotel for that purpose. The world was so loud. I was tired. So tired of living. Too tired to live another day. I was lost. I wanted to put an end to everything to have that peace. I don’t know if anyone can understand what this is like, but there was this kind of inner despair and emptiness that just eats away at your insides making every day miserable, another day to get through. I couldn’t see any purpose to life; nothing really made sense. The wealth, the success, the achievements were meaningless and could not fill the void inside of me. I had everything, yet I had nothing. I dreaded every day and wished I did not wake up to another day. Nothing mattered anymore.

Photo found on Google Images

 I remember holding my Bible and asking GOD for forgiveness for what I was about to do. I then heard a small tapping sound on the window beckoned me outside and as I stepped out, I noticed a beautiful dove had flown in and perched on the railings on the hotel balcony. It cooed for a good few minutes and then walked towards my Bible that I had placed on the table, as if asking me to open and read it before disappearing beautifully and slowly into the sky, over the rainbow and above the canopy of trees. As I watched it in flight, I felt so small and so insignificant. Birds were so much happier. What a mess I had made of myself. What a life. What a fool. Was all this worth it? Is it worth it? Will it ever be worth it? I remember looking into the heavens and crying out to Jesus in distress for the first time in my life - 

"I wish I were a bird. I want to be free, Jesus. So free. I want to be a bird. Please set me free, Jesus."  

Sorrow and repentance came upon me as I wept and wept uncontrollably. Then I heard an audible voice, 

"What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" 

I was awestruck and thought I was dreaming. Then something stirred within me to open the Bible and Matthew 6:26 stood out:

 "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap, or store in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

 I felt a tremendous warmth envelope me and the loving presence of God in the room and wept even more. Then I felt the heaviness lifted from my heart. I felt the chains that enslaved me broken. His words lifted the veil from my heart and suddenly everything became clear. So much transpired within the next few hours of that grace-outpouring afternoon as I fell on my face weeping in His presence in total repentance and surrender pleading for His mercy and forgiveness. I laid myself, my past, all that I was at the feet of Jesus that afternoon and received my forgiveness and deliverance, and 14 Scriptures from the Lord and above all, a blessing - a new beginning. GOD spared me. 

After restoring fellowship with GOD in Jesus Christ and the release from the bondage, I have experienced the freedom to live a new life in the spirit. I renounced myself and asked Him to be the cornerstone for a new life in Him. I rediscovered my purpose. The Spirit of God had put a consuming desire in me to know Jesus and an insatiable appetite for the Word of God and I began reading the Bible and I read... and I read.. and I read every day, every night, day in day out for a long, long time. The only prayer I prayed for a long time afterwards was to plead with the Holy Spirit to quicken my knowledge and understanding of my Lord and Saviour Jesus through the Word. I felt left behind for so long. I began chasing after GOD, so to speak. I wanted to be where He was happening. I joined every prayer meeting, every church gathering, every retreat, every conference I could, everything and anything that I could lay my hands on about GOD I wanted. I would skip dinner and wait outside the church door so I would not be late for our meetings. If I read too late into the night on Saturdays, I would not go to bed so I would not miss Church Sunday mornings. The family, on the other hand, thought I had gone crazy. It was, however, the beginning of a real joy that could only be realized in that fellowship with, in and through JESUS CHRIST. He became the sum and substance of my life and brought eternal significance to it. Suffice it to say, I could see now as I had never seen before; I could feel now as I had never felt before; and I could know now as I had never known before. No longer do my own pursuits, circumstances and the world's influence have any depth of significance. Suddenly life matters. Suddenly life was full of excitement. Suddenly life was worth every breath I have. The truth is that nothing on earth will ever give lasting satisfaction because I was created for eternity. Now the things I do are charged with eternal meaning. The real treasure is who I am in Christ and not what possessions I have. My hope is anchored in Him. Jesus Christ has made my life profoundly worth living as a pilgrim, not a prisoner on earth. I can now lose myself in service for I have found myself in Christ and made a commitment to serve Him no matter what happens.

I can relate with what Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes dragged us through the pointlessness of a life without God:

 "Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless, Everything is meaningless! What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind." 

 Judas sold Christ for less than 30 pieces of silver and I had sold my soul for something just as trivial because I chose everything else of this life over Christ. My experience has changed my perspective and the course of my life forever and took me to a higher level of faith, hope and trust in GOD. There is more to life than our limited spheres of knowledge and I hope to help people find the key to their own stories of faith and struggle and come to the truth that our status is not dependent on our relationship to a person or a thing but with Jesus Christ.  

Seek the things which are of Jesus Christ ~ Philippians 2:21 for our citizenship is in heaven. ~ Philippians 3:20 Remain in Him and continue in Him. ~ 1 John 2:27-28

Funnily enough, I wrote a letter to GOD that day (which I cannot believe I did if I didn't recognize my own handwriting) that I still keep tucked between the pages of my Bible: 

 "Father in heaven: I need Your love and saving grace. Please forgive my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me. Come into my heart to become my Saviour and lead me into a life everlasting. For many are called and few are chosen. I confess I do fall short of your glory. Renew my spirit and show me the way to this narrow gate to Your kingdom where there only will I find a life with You, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I present to You my body as a living sacrifice that You may fill it with the Holy Spirit to give me the strength to endure to the end. And, as I continue to find my way to you, save me and deliver me from the evil one and let me live a life everlasting full of the peace, joy and love that I need. For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. In Jesus' name I pray for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and only through Him will I come to You. Amen." 

Later that same year, He brought my husband and our children to salvation to receive His grace and blessing. We named our house "EMMANUEL" that year and God IS with us. What complete joy and what a blessing since JESUS took over as the head of our house. Our Father is a faithful GOD who saves by the households. ~ Acts 2:39, 16:31

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him. 

~ Philippians 3:7-9 

Whom have I in heaven but You?

My flesh and my heart fail;

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

~ Psalm 73:25-26 

This is what the Bible says in Luke 19:10 concerning JESUS CHRIST,

 "The Son of GOD has come to seek and to save that which is was lost."  

God's abundant grace, God's overflowing peace, God's everlasting love, God's unfailing promises and more... 

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. 

~ Matthew 6:33 

What a blessing to know this! 

➡ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. ~ 1 John 2:15-17

➡ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ~ James 4:13-14

My prayer for you, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, is that you will never permit anything to come between you and Christ, and that you will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus. If we find that whatever we do is encroaching our daily lives to the extent that we do not have time for the Lord as we ought, then we ought to choose even being less prosperous or rich in this world rather that our souls perish. Take heed the words of our Lord Jesus in Matthew 7:24-25 about building our foundation on the imperishable Word of God. He compared it to a wise man who builds his house on the rock: 

"when the rain came down, the streams rose, the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation built on the rock." 

If you have not received Jesus Christ as your LORD and SAVIOUR, come to Him today... as helpless and unworthy as you are, without righteousness, without any hope. Mercy, pardon, grace and full salvation awaits those who seek Him. The adversary will look back at your past and see all your mistakes but God looks back and sees the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ who died on the cross for you so that you would not perish but have eternal life. He sees what you can become in His grace and power. Today is the day.The Bible says that today is the day of salvation. 

"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation

  ~ 2 Corinthians 6:2

 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. 

~ Proverbs 16:25

 Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
 ~ Acts 4:10-12  

Apart from faith in Jesus Christ there is no salvation. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 
~ John 14:6. 

A Story for HIS Glory

As a “church kid”, I’ve heard my share of testimonies and stories.  I’ve heard how God delivered people from the lowest of the low, breaking the chains of drug addiction, disease, everything imaginable.  And for a while, those stories made me feel inferior.  Silly as it is, I felt like my testimony wasn’t good enough. 

My testimony begins really at the beginning of my life.  My parents brought me to church and told me about Jesus.   I knew that we were sinners in need of a Savior, and even though I was a little kid, I knew that I needed to accept the gift of salvation.  Some people would say I was too young to know what I was doing, but I know without a doubt that God saved me.  Of course, being a little kid, there wasn’t a whole lot of transformation in my life…not yet.

Then when I was 12, I realized what it meant to live like Christ.  I noticed that even though I wasn’t a bad kid doing bad things, there wasn’t much about me to set me apart as a follower of Jesus.  At that point, I rededicated my life to Christ.  I began really pursuing a daily relationship with God, reading my Bible, and spending time in prayer.  Since then, I have begun to understand how truly amazing God is.  He has shown me many things and answered a lot of prayers.  I know now that every testimony matters, not just extreme ones.

But sometimes I forget.  Even as I write this, part of me wonders what good can come of a story so simple, so seemingly easy.  Then I remember something I heard a preacher say once.  He was sharing his testimony, one a lot like mine, and admitted that at one point he thought he needed a “great” testimony.  The thing he realized is that every testimony is great.  Nothing we do makes it that way; it’s great because by His power God has saved us. 

That’s why I was so excited when Aly asked me to write a post for Revelations of a Daughter.  I want the world to know how great my God is.  My testimony isn’t about me at all—if it was, it wouldn’t be a testimony.  God has given me this story for his glory.

Much Love in Christ!!

 Alexa

Blog: Forever and Today 

 

Life So Aware

Hi my name is Jonathan Rouse, I am 28 years old and married. I grew up as a pastor's kid. My parent's were such a good example to me on how to be a lover of Jesus and a lover of his word. They taught me to always keep his word first in my life and close to my heart. I have to say I am so thankful for that. I haven't always been a perfect little boy, like I am right now haha jk.

 Like a lot of preacher's kids, I did have my rebellious stage. From the time I was 16 through the age of about 21/22 I really just did in life what I wanted to do. A lot of drugs, and alcohol were part of my daily life. Don't get me wrong all the while I still loved God, I still felt bad and convicted for the things that I was doing, I just wanted to run and live life the way I wanted to.

I thank God that my parents brought me up in God's word, because if they didn't I wouldn't know any better, I wouldn't know that God was calling me to something more in life, I wouldn't know that God is calling me to a holy life and that he wants to work through me and in my life for the Glory of God and to reach people that maybe others couldn't. I just want you to know how thankful I am for a God who has new mercy every morning, for a God who is so graceful and forgiving for every sin we have ever committed. I promise you that surrendering your life to God rather than running from him is so much better.

I won't say that every day isn't a battle, that everyday is a perfect day full of happiness and joy, but what I will say is that God gives you strength when you are weak, God never leaves you or gives up on you. I am an example of that. All the time I was running doing my own thing, the Holy Spirit was there telling me it was wrong and that God loved me! It almost brings me to tears right now just thinking about how he never gave up on my and always was reaching out to me, I could always hear that voice inside of me trying to teach me, reach me and love me.

So if you are a Christian and you aren't living for God, listen to that voice inside of you that is telling you "I love you, I will never give up on you, I have a plan for you", know that God is reaching out for you right now and is full of mercy. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, Let me tell you that His love is never failing, he will never give up on you either. He wants to take you, hold you, heal your broken heart, and just be there for you in whatever area you need him. All you have to do is believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and let him know that you want to have him in your life and he will! Like I said, not everyday will be a perfect one. You will fall and fail, but just pick yourself back up again and let God pick you up, because he is full of love, mercy, grace and forgiveness for you. God has a plan for you, just seek after him and you will find him. Hope this helps you with your walk.   


-Jon Rouse  www.lifesoaware.com

Conflict Zone VS Comfort Zone

This is just something that has been on my heart for quite a while... pretty much my entire life... lol but for some reason today... it has just been in the forefront of my mind... so I'll share.

Countless times I've seen, heard or learned of some type of injustice going on around the world, a need that needs to be met, people or causes that need to be helped. Whether its: feed the children commercials, homeless people on the streets, abortion, human sex trafficking, people needing to vent, a pet dying, financial issues, health issues... (seriously, I could go on forever). You get my point, right? There are a lot of things that go wrong on a daily basis. Can you agree with me that there are certain issues that just really pull on your heart strings? So much so that you're moved... it does something emotionally to you? Maybe its because you can relate... you were at that point before, you know someone that has been there, or you just have a soft spot in your heart for the people or area going through that. There are many different reasons... but regardless... there is a trigger and it has an effect. How often do we actually RESPOND and ACT on this heart string tugging?

sym·pa·thy/ˈsimpəTHē/

Noun:

Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune. Formal expression of such feelings; condolence

In a nutshell... as humans if we see, hear, or learn of something unfortunate happening... we are sympathetic towards them. Correct? But... Do we just leave it at that? Far too many of us... (especially in the Body of Christ) feel that being sympathetic towards somebody is enough. Is it really?

 If you were going through a tough time, lets just say that you're mourning; would you prefer for someone to tell you that they feel bad about whats going on with you? Or would you prefer for them to cry with you--to share your burden with you? Let's flip the script a bit... If you were celebrating a great accomplishment... what would you value most? A "good job." or a friend that is excited and celebrates with you? I love how The Message puts it:

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.

Romans 12:14-16 MSG (Emphasis added)

These verses are not describing sympathy... they are illustrating what it is to be EMPATHETIC.

em·pa·thy

noun \ˈem-pə-thē\

1: the imaginative projection of a subjective state into an object so that the object appears to be infused with it 

2: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner; also : the capacity for this

To be empathetic is basically to feel with someone... whereas to be sympathetic is to feel for someone. Sympathy is like the first step towards empathy... but why do we stop there and not take the extra steps to actually experience with whomever or whatever it is that is triggering us to feel??? This is where the Conflict VS Comfort Zone comes in to play... 

Have you ever noticed that, most of the time--  The people that put themselves "out there" to help... the people that are always there for you... that go out of their way to help... that are your shoulder to cry on... etc... are the people that have been through a lot? They've lived through the dark times... and have come out survivors!.. they shine the brightness of their light in whatever part of your life that you need them to? How about the people that have nothing really going wrong in their lives... they're... comfortable? How many comfortable people do you see putting themselves out there to help? From personal experience... when I'm comfortable... I don't want to move one bit... because then I will become UN-comfortable. But did you notice how self centered my previous statement was; who does that help? 

  I actually got this concept from Father of Lights... and I'm paraphrasing, 

'...there are 2 zones in the world: a conflict zone and a comfort zone. The church that is in the conflict zone is united... The church that is in the comfort zone, doesn't care.'

Can I get an "AMEN!" over here?! Some of the strongest bonds that I have with people or causes have come from troubling times. Its in these times of turbulence that you discover who and what is true and what matters and you don't let go. Why do you think that most often, people seek and cling most to God during their dark seasons? Jesus has been through it ALL... He knows what we're going through because He experienced it and prevailed... as a human!

Being in the comfort zone is such a dangerous place to be in. You don't do anything. There is not change, no growth--that means that you have NO AFFECT on anybody. You still have feelings and opinions... but what good are those if there is no action coming from them? 

 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 2:14-17 NIV

I've written all of this to say, STEP UP... if you feel these injustices... do something about it! Take that extra step... don't just have an opinion... have an action to back it up! Take a moment to ponder what the world could be like if we each stood up for what is right... is it worth the discomfort? I think so.

May God bless you. I ask in faith right now, that the Holy Spirit stir your heart... that you become uncomfortable and remain uncomfortable until all of the wrongs are righted. I pray that you are filled with strength & boldness that is not your own, but your Heavenly Father's. I declare a revolution in your life that affects many and changes the world! All of this in Jesus' mighty and holy name, Amen.

This photo was taken on an ordinary winter day. My grandparents and I were in our front yard when we saw this homeless man limping with no shoes or pants on. He was only wearing long johns. We gave him clothes, shoes, a blanket, food, water, and called the ambulance because he was injured. Did this interrupt our ordinary day? Yes. I wouldn't have it any other way. Go the extra mile, folks. Not so that you look good, but because it's the right thing to do.

Much love,

Alyssa Ponce

Blessed Orfa

Hi! My name is Orfa Vargas-Ponce I am a 45 year old woman and a mother of 3. I just want to share a little bit about my life and how I came to know the true Love of God. Unlike the previous Precious Sisters / brother who shared their testimonies, I did not grow up in a Christian home or knowing Jesus as I know him now, I knew about him and a lot about the saints & which saints interceded for what and that was it. 

 I was about 7 years of age When I asked Jesus to come into my life and this was being a catholic & all. I didn't even know I was catholic until I was about 10 and that was because my parents had told me so. Any how it's complicated but that will have to be told at another time =)

Throughout this brief testimony, I will be sharing some of my favorite verses as they helped me through some critical moments in this phase of my life.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Let me tell you what happened 4 years ago, I was in the middle of a lot of Trials & tribulations and without God in the midst, what did I expect right? This included my marriage, children rebelling, no job security, no reliable transportation and not to say the least MEDICAL Crisis! (This is what triggered the change in my life and I should have trusted in the Lord)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to GOD.
Philippians 4:6

I had finally made a doctor’s appointment for my yearly checkup. A normal process (so I thought) as I went to my appointment the doctor found something not normal within & told me that I had to get some test done to define them, I said, "okay no problem."  A week later the results of the test came in (not good), so now a biopsy had to be done because they found something in the results (now this was NOT Good at all). I started to panic & freak out.  “OH MY, what’s really going on” I was crying, and called my husband looking for comfort, this is when I started to learn that I needed God to help and take control of my life because prior to that, I was able to handle everything on my own. I'm independent, a hard worker and a loving mom, so I didn't think I need anyone to feel sorry for me or any help from anyone, WRONG!!!

By this time , let me tell you, I remembered how to pray, I surprised myself because it was what I thought a sincere prayer, it was straight from the heart (because in the past I wanted to pray with big words and be all holy) NO.. God wants me/you to pray from a humble and sincere heart.  Your own words… I did that, I felt his comfort, love and peace in such a way I have never experienced it.

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.
Nahum 1:7

A couple of days later I get a call from my Doctor telling me I had to get a procedure done ASAP because I was in the ends of stage 3 for cervical cancer and if I didn’t get the procedure done soon I was looking at critical stage 4. (WHAT! God, where are you and why aren’t you hearing my prayer request?) Am I going to DIE, because that was the first thought that came to mind? (Again I did not trust the Most High, my Abba) 

Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:5

As all of this was taking place I was overwhelmed with what was going on in my life but especially my kids. I started missing them and feeling like if I still had so much to do and I did not have enough time!!!? (Weird feeling of emptiness and those who know me know what my kids mean to me) Within days my life was falling apart, so I thought, little did I know that God had something else planned out for me. Again Proverbs 3:5-6 came in to place at this time.

Give Thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

In a matter of 2 weeks after the entire dilemma, I learned to submit, humble & cry out to God for help, comfort, endurance, strength and LOVE.I did not want the kids to know what was going on so I would cry in the shower, on my drive to work & just in my time alone, I would desperately cry out to my Abba father to help me understand why I was going through this. (In between the dilemma my husband had told the kids that I had cancer and that they had to behave, and be supportive because we did not know the criticality of it, Mind you, I did not know this). This caused my children to carry a burden... I'm thinking somewhat like insecurity?

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Ephesians 3:20

So once the Lord started to reveal himself & answer me, I asked him to have compassion with me (mind you, I'm thinking the worse at this time and preparing to leave things in order cause I was going to DIE! So I thought) and since I had no inheritance to leave my family there was no money, no properties nor anything in my name for my children in case things took a turn for the worse, I then prayed for the Lord to allow me some time teach them the most IMPORTANT and lifetime guarantee, a life changing experience and of Worth for my children and that would be for them to get to know Christ! (I'm crying here). The knowledge of Jesus Christ would be what I would leave as an inheritance for my Children.

The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. 

Psalm 145:13

So I had my procedure done, my husband went with me, though we were distant he was there for me, this is where the Lord also revealed himself to me. My husband was worried & cried with me as they did this procedure (doctors did not put me under so I knew what was going on). The procedure was successful but I did have to have monthly doctor appointments (yeah! I praised the Lord for a great outcome I also told my children as they were also carrying a burden of what if’s, if we lose mom or what are we going to do etc.)

As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. 

Joshua 24:15

By this time I was down on my knees with constant prayer & submission as well as adoration for my Abba father because during the year of constant doctor appointment my children and I started going to church. (Joyful cries AMEN! Hallelujah) within the year the Doctor cleared me and stated “Orfa, you are cleared, it’s like you never had anything wrong with you” PRAISE GOD!!! (Tears of JOY) 

Shout with joy to God, all the earth! See what God has done, how awesome his works in our behalf!
Psalm 66:1,5

God Has blessed me in all my circumstances and continues, therefore I Love to be called “Blessed Orfa”

To all Daughters/Sons, I pray for you and want to tell you that prayers are answered always, don’t ever hesitate or second guess the worth of prayer, the Lord continues to answer my prayers and has told me “I will show you what I can do and MORE” whoa, I keep that close to my heart and use it in all my prayers as a promise because he keeps his promises to us.  Until next time.
Love and Blessings to you all always,

 - Blessed Orfa

Is loving worth the risk? Heart vs Brain

For so many years 'I've heard that, your heart can decieve you!' 'Don't follow your emotions!'
'Your heart can get broken so BE CAREFUL!' I mean these are all things that l've heard in the process of growing up. But I wonder what would happen if we stop letting our brain do ALL the work and start to actually listen to our hearts? Hmmmm....

As I'm writing this, even prior to writing this I notice that in previous situations in my life when things get too deep, or in other words "dangerously deep" I tend to let my brain takeover and start to do all the talkin' and Actin' I don't know exactly why, but what i do know is that its a defensive mechinism that I have. Maybe its because I'm afraid of the emotional breakthrough, or the emotional attachment, or maybe even the emotional hurt that I'm gonna feel. So immediately my brain, as the analyzer and protector of my body, including all major organs, does its job! It sends out a signal that builds a wall so that the most important organ, muscle, whatever its called, lol,in my body doesn't get scared or wounded. So then, with many years of this process going on, I start to become a person that thinks more than she feels. And for someone who, first of all loves Christ, and second is a woman, thinking just tends to get in the way. Not all the time, but sometimes.

Now I'm not saying that thinking is bad, or is the devil. After all in Romans 12:2 it says to let your mind get renewed,so that you will be transformed (just paraphrasing). There are certain, if not many situations that we encounter that our brain aka mind comes in handy. But what I am saying is that sometimes letting our hearts take the lead may ultimately be the right thing to do. Wouldn't that lead us to be more Christ like?

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul! What if our hearts are a window to heaven?
Wouldn't our hearts have more to say about compassion? Or what about just plain love? Doesn't our heart love harder then our brain? I think so!
 
I think maybe we have to stop worrying about our hearts being hurt in the process of loving and just love. Lets stop thinking about loving and just love. Doesn't the Bible also say 'if God for us who can be against us?' No one! Maybe ourselves?

So my recommendation to myself is to first, let myself become more full of the spirit. And second, let myself love more and love harder,  'cause if God is for me then I don't want to be against myself!

Hey, freely loving someone is one of the highest sacrifices, your heart is in danger, therefore so is your mind and even body. But isn't the sacrifice worthy of the glory of God? I'd rather God be glorified through my suffering, then myself be glorified through my knowledge ( or lack there of)!

Romans 12: 1-2 ' I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, whichis your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.'

Romans 8:31-39 ' what then shall we say to these things? If God is for who can be against us? ..... who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or nakedness,or peril, or sword? As it is written: for your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life. Nor angels nor principalities,nor powers, nor things present nor things to come. Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!'

Galatians 5:25 ' if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.'

So friends let us LOVE WITH ALL OUR HEARTS! knowing that not even a broken heart will ever separate us from the Love of our creator! As a matter of fact it will bring us closer to Him.

Psalm 34:18 NKJV
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

With as much Love as I can give,

Ruthie