God our Peace

Hello everyone!!

I hope you all are having a blessed and joyful Christmas season and enjoying plenty of time with your family and friends! The Lord has so blessed me these last few weeks with great fellowship and plenty of laughs. He is good!

I am excited to finally write again what's been on my heart. I have been very busy wrapping up this semester and in the midst of it all, the Lord has been directing me to continue with what I started many weeks ago on the blog.

I believe it is vital in the times we are in today to trust and believe God is our complete peace. Isaiah 26:3 is my absolute favorite verse on the peace of God. It reads, "You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You."

As we commit ourselves to the Lord, His peace floods our hearts and our minds and puts any worry or fears to flight. We can have confidence in the midst of any trouble, knowing God is our complete package of peace!!

Philippians 4:7 describes the peace of God in such a beautiful way: "And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

I looked up the definition of garrison and it means to "provide (a place) with a body of troops". God's peace guards our hearts and minds and literally defends us as troops would defend a fortress. This is such a relief to me! To know that I can have a defense of peace surrounding me in any situation brings great joy!!

We can count on God to be our peace all day, every day, no matter what we are going through. I encourage you to trust God and know that His peace is within you, as a believer! He will show Himself strong on your behalf and minister to you every moment of your day. I truly believe all we have to do is believe and receive this peace that has already been given to us.

I want to end with one scripture that always ministers to me! Isaiah 9:6 AMP, "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace."

Jesus, the Son of God, is our Prince of Peace! Receive the peace that is already within you from Jesus and walk out each day free from fear, worry, and anxiety! I am praying for all of you who may have finals or just need peace in this busy Christmas season! Focus on Jesus, our Light and Salvation. He is our Peace!!

Blessings to you all! Merry Christmas!! :)

God our Healer

Hello friends!

It has been awhile since I have had the pleasure of writing. A lot has been going on in this season of my life. My family moved to Texas about a month ago, and I am still getting used to my new home. I also started my senior year of nursing school. The Lord has been teaching me so much about Himself in this particular season of my life. I would love to share some of that with you all. I hope it will impart something new in your spirit and that you will be renewed in whatever season you are in right now. 

I want to start a bit of a miniseries on who God is. He has so many amazing traits that He reveals to us in our lives. I felt led to talk about just a few of these characteristics in the next upcoming weeks starting with this post. I know in my own personal life, God reveals Himself stronger in one area that meets the exact need I have in that time and place. He is our Father and He knows everything we need.

One of the first characteristics of God that I always focus on is God my Healer. Jehovah Rapha means "The Lord who heals." That may seem so simple, but the healing that God provides goes much deeper than the surface. His healing covers the whole spectrum of our lives. He heals us spirit, soul, and body. This just makes me want to rejoice! God is so good. 

One group of verses I have always focused on concerning healing are in Psalm 103:1-3," Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits--Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases...". God heals every disease. No matter if it is chronic, acute, malignant, or minor. God heals it all!! 

The even better news is that our healing is a finished work. We don't have to try to earn our healing or be good enough in order to get healed. Jesus died on the cross, taking every disease known to mankind on His own body. Through His resurrection we have the free gift of healing. That's why Psalm 103 calls it a benefit!!

So how do you access this free benefit? You receive it by faith! We know that we can receive this by faith because Hebrews 4:16 says to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in time of need. When we come to God on the basis of His Word, receiving what He has already paid for, we know we have the answer! It is as sure as what He says, and we can trust Him!!

I hope this encouraged you today. God is our healer. He heals every emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual issue that you could be standing against today. So I just encourage you to keep standing in the truth of the Word of God. Believe without a doubt that God loves you! He wants you healed! He wants you whole! He wants you well! Keep speaking the Word concerning what you are believing for and watch it turn around!!

In addition to my principle verse used, I would like to add that Isaiah 53:4-5 are great verses to declare over yourself daily. I try to make it a point to speak those out of my mouth each day. Remember, Jesus took sickness and disease on Himself so that we didn't have to. He became sick so we could be made whole and healthy! Praise the Lord today :)

I hope you all have an amazing rest of your week. As for me, I am heading out to Chicago this weekend to see my boyfriend and some family. I am so thankful for a fall break just when I need it! I am praying for you all! Be blessed!!

He will sustain you

Happy Thursday! 

I wanted to share what's been on my heart this morning. I was spending time with the Lord today, just reading my Bible and I felt led to share a verse that I read and give a little short testimony to encourage all of you today.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 says, "Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the strong man who trusts in and relies on frail men, making weak [human] flesh his arm, and whose mind and heart turn aside from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub or a person naked and destitute in the desert; and he shall not see any good come, but shall dwell in the parched places in the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Most blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green.  It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit."

That passage has always been one of my favorites because it clearly describes the difference between someone who has placed total trust in God and someone who puts their trust in man. As believers, we were never created to place our full trust in anyone else besides our Creator. That is why He is the only one Who can provide what truly sustains us. 

Jeremiah says that the man who trusts in the Lord is "most blessed". Even when the heat comes, their leaf shall be green. Even when the drought comes, this man never stops bearing fruit. That sounds awesome to me! I would liken the heat and drought to trials, temptations, and hardships which all equal pressures of this world. When the pressure is on, who are you choosing to trust? 

It can be easy to look away to other sources as a form of trust. Maybe you're so used to your family being the ones you look to, or your spouse, or a close friend. Whoever it is, outside of God, they will never be enough to sustain you. 

I told you I was going to share a short testimony that ties into the verse, so here it is! This summer I have begun the fundraising process for my nursing leadership trip to Ghana. It's a three week trip in which I will get the privilege to serve and provide medical relief as well as the compassion of Jesus to this precious African country. I am beyond excited and in expectation of all God is going to do in this preparation process, as well as when we arrive in Accra, Ghana. I sent out letters to family and close friends giving them the opportunity to pray and sow a financial seed into my trip fund. I spoke over each letter that increase would follow and I just kept standing on Philippians 4:19 knowing that all I needed would be provided by God. 

A few weeks in, I had only seen one check, but I was still confessing what I was expecting. The Lord instructed me the following Sunday to sow a large seed in the offering. I'm not saying this was thousands of dollars, but to me, it was large. I sowed my seed by faith believing and trusting the Lord. The next day, I received my second check in the mail which far exceeded my expectations! It just reaffirmed to me that God is faithful and will always do what He says He will do! Several times after this, the same thing happened again. I would be praying and standing on the Word and I would receive another seed towards my trip. God is good! I am now close to being halfway to the funds needed for my trip!! 

I said all this to say that God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one person, He will do for the next. The key is to trust Him, take Him at His Word, and let Him sustain you in the heat and drought. Maybe you need a financial breakthrough, or a healing to take place. I encourage you to trust Him and seek His Word on what to say in this situation. He will give you the right words!

One of my nursing professors said something so awesome during one of our Ghana preparation meetings. She was talking about the money needed for the trip. She said, "Don't have your mind on that money. Once you have your mind fixed on the money you need, it won't come. Instead, fix your mind on God and what He has promised you and told you. That's when you'll see the money flow in." That has stuck with me throughout this whole process. Being "need minded" won't help you receive from the Lord. Being "promise minded" and fixing your mind on the Word, will meet that need!

I hope you all have a great weekend! I am off to Texas for the week to attend The Southwest Believers Convention. If any of you are in the Fort Worth area, I encourage you to go to one of the sessions, or go to all of them! It starts Monday, June 30th and extends till Saturday, July 5th. It's going to be awesome and the Word is going to be spoken in such force that you will see things change in your life! Be blessed!!

A New Season

Hello everyone! 

I've been taking a break the past few weeks and enjoying time with my family and my love. Sometimes you just need to get away and refocus. That's exactly what I've been doing. 

I had a great vacation in South Carolina, with my family, and now I'm enjoying the rest of what's in store for this summer. It's going to be a great one! 

I wanted to share a little bit about what I have been going through lately and what the Lord has been teaching me. It has been a humbling season where I am learning to trust God in every area of my life. Sometimes it is not always easy to learn these things, but God is the best teacher and He has provided us with all of the answers we may need, through His Word. 

Back in December of last year, the Lord spoke to my family about making a move that would help our family grow spiritually. We chose to be obedient to this call and will be moving from Chicago to Texas in August. We are very excited about this new season that God is bringing us into and we are expecting  great things! 

One of the things I have been having to fight off a lot is feelings of worry and fear because Illinois is the only place I've ever lived my whole life. My family, boyfriend, and friends live here and I have so many memories all across this state. The Lord has blessed my family and I with a great church here that I have been apart of since I was born and I will really miss that. Having said all of that, God has been comforting me through this whole process and reminding me of the greater plan He has for me. 

I know that when God calls you to do something, He's only doing it because He has your best interests at heart. He loves us so much and He has the best plan in mind for us. We know this because He says so in His word. Jeremiah 29:11 describes the plans of God for us as "...plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome."

Throughout all of the moments where I have felt worried, God has been telling me to trust Him more. Proverbs 3:5-6 talks about exactly what God has been showing me. It says, "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths." 

That verse brings me so much peace every time I read it because it reminds me that I don't have to know everything, I just need to put my trust in Him. I need to remind myself that the plans He has for me are good plans and they are to give me an expected end. I love thinking about how awesome God's plans are because even when I think of the best thing ever, His plans are even better than that! His thoughts and plans for me are so far beyond what I could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). 

I am learning each and every day that God is doing awesome things in my life here in Illinois, and He's going to do even more great things in Texas. It doesn't matter where I am, because as long as I am obedient to Him, I'm right in the middle of His will for my life. 

Philippians 4:13 in the Message says, "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One Who makes me who I am." Isn't that powerful?! I can make it through anything, no matter where I am, through Him. So, I made a decision not to be worried. Instead, I'm casting all my cares on Jesus (1 Peter 5:7), because He cares for me!!

I am so looking forward to this new season! I am embracing all that God has in store for me. My family and I are going to be joining an awesome church called Eagle Mountain International Church and we are so excited. I know that God will provide the opportunities for me to come back to Illinois to visit my family and my boyfriend. I also know that God will bring awesome, God-loving friends into my life to remind me of how faithful He is. I can be sure of this because He has promised me, and God always keeps His promises :)

I shared all of this to remind you all that, no matter what you're dealing with, you can trust God to lead and guide you. It may not be something as big as moving halfway across the country, or it could be something bigger, but God's plans for your life are only good. His plans are bigger than what you're facing right now so just lean on Him. God is going to do big things in this next season in everyone of our lives as we trust in Him. I know He's about to do some amazing things in my family and I'm ready! Everything's bigger in Texas right?! haha :)

God bless you all! Thanks, as always, for reading! I hope you all enjoy your week!

P.S. Here's a photo that my lovely sister took of me on the beach while my family was on vacation. I love how full of joy my expression is. Every time I look at it the Lord reminds me that only He can give me that true, fulfilling sense of joy! He is so good!

Endless Joy

Happy Monday! 

It's finally May!! I am writing today with a fully joyful heart for many reasons. 

First off, God is continually faithful! That in itself could take up an entire library of books. The Lord has proven to me throughout this long semester of nursing school (my hardest semester EVER) that He won't abandon me. He has been there for each test, paper, and clinical. He's been there when I pray for a sick patient, and He's been there when I sit in class listening to a lecture. 

If there are any doubts in your mind as to the faithfulness of God, I encourage you to search out the scriptures. God has created us with the ability to look in His Word and find what we need that pertains to our lives. If you look through the pages of His love letter to the world you'll find countless accounts of His faithfulness to Abraham, Noah, Job, Esther, Ruth, and just about every other person listed in scripture. 

There were so many times this year where I heard, "Well...junior year is the hardest year of nursing school...not many people make it through." Every time I heard that I had to remind myself of how far the Lord has brought me and what He has told me in the past. He is faithful to His Word! He won't ever go back on what He says. 

There were times I wanted to give up and times I wondered what the point was. The truth is, there really is no point if I'm not doing it to please my Father. I realized that the whole reason I'm becoming a nurse is to worship and glorify God by caring for people in what may be the lowest point of their lives. I didn't give up, though. I am on the other side of this difficult semester thanking and praising God for giving me the victory!

1 Corinthians 15:57 says, "But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ."

I encourage you to take that verse and believe it was written just for you--because it was! God knew what He was doing when He told Paul to pen those sacred words. They were just as true back then as they are today. So believe it! 

The second reason I am super excited is because school is finally over for the summer which means I get a break to enjoy my family and friends. I'm looking forward to not having to open a nursing book or study for a test. It's going to be quite relaxing :)

I'm also looking forward to changing some things on my blog this summer. I want to include more guest posts from friends and family, basically whoever God leads me to. I am also wanting to blog more frequently and just share what the Lord is doing in my life and the lives of those around me. Testimonies are awesome and I love sharing those. I'm expecting many of those this summer!

I want to do more crafting/recipe blogs too! I have missed having a kitchen to cook and bake in so this summer I will be trying out more yummy food ideas. I hope you all will come back and check all of this new stuff out. 

God loves all of you and so do I! :) Have a blessed rest of your week!

Confident in His promises

Happy Saturday!!

I have been super busy finishing up my semester and I have finals next week, but I wanted to share something the Lord has been reminding me of in this process.

God is so good and He is always teaching us in every season of our lives. I want to share with you some scriptures I have been focusing on for awhile now that have been teaching me a lot.

Psalm 56:13 says, "What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You." 

I realize that it can be hard to trust God sometimes, but I truly believe we are the ones who make it hard. God has given us more than enough in His Word to stand on. He has given us His peace (Isaiah 26:3), love (Jeremiah 31:3), victory (1 John 5:4), joy (Nehemiah 8:10), and so much more! We can trust Him!!

The Lord has just been reminding me to not walk in fear, but to walk in faith. If you think about it, trusting God is walking by faith. It's a stand to believe what God is saying no matter what circumstances might say. Trusting God is choosing to believe His Word and His promises and not what's going on around you. 

If you continue to read Psalm 56 it has sort of a theme about it. Verse 11 says, "In God have I put my trust and confident reliance: I will not be afraid, What can man do to me?"

I love how it says "confident reliance" because trust is having faith and confidently relying on what God has shown and revealed He would do for you.

Psalm 56:13 ends the chapter well by saying,"For you have delivered my life from death, yes, and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life and of the living."

The answer to what you've been facing is found in trusting God. I don't know what you've been up against, but God wants you to trust Him. It is only then that you can walk in peace and faith, relying on the truth that God will do what He said He will do! 

I know in my own life right now, finals week is coming up, and I've been trusting God to get me through this. I've also been battling some symptoms in my body and standing on the Word concerning healing. I just know that He has never failed me before, and He won't fail me now :) He is soooo good! 

I know God is going to do awesome things for each and every one of you! Just trust Him and walk by faith!! 

Hearing the Voice of the Father

Happy Friday everyone! 

I have really missed blogging in the last month because I have been so busy with school and other activities, but I am excited to share with you today! 

The Lord put it on my heart to blog about hearing His voice which is one of the most important things to a faith-filled believer. We need to hear His voice to get guidance and direction for every day decisions as well as future plans and desires.

In the past I have had friends and family come to me asking why they couldn't hear God's voice or why things weren't so clear to them. The important thing to realize here is that it is never a problem on God's part. He is always speaking! There are things we need to change in our own lives so we can hear Him clearly. In this day and age I think that distraction has a lot to do with the inability to hear the Lord speaking. How can you clearly hear God when you're so distracted with the cares of this world?

That's why Jesus instructs us to cast those cares on Him for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Focusing on Him and what He is speaking to you each day is one of the most vital necessities in life. The still, sweet voice of the Father can be heard each and every day as long as you are receptive and open to hearing His voice. 

I personally take God speaking to me as a big deal. I love to imagine the Father having just the right words to say to me that will bring comfort. I actually have a journal where I write down all the things He has said to me over the years. It is a great reminder to flip through those pages and read the wisdom and peace He has given me through His words. I would encourage all of you to do the same. Whenever the Lord speaks to you, write it down and store it somewhere where you know you can find it so you can look back at it and remind yourself of His faithfulness.

Another frequently heard complaint (which is a lie from the enemy) from believers is that they can't hear from God. It really bothers me when I hear that because God speaks to His children all the time and it's not just certain people who have the ability to hear Him-it's everybody!

I have been reading the book of John this month and have come across so many scriptures where Jesus points out hearing the Father speak to Him. 

John 10:27 says, "The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me."Jesus explains here that His sheep hear His voice and know His voice. As believers, we need to believe and know that we are His sheep and that we hear His voice. We also need to be readily listening to what He will speak to us each day. 

God is never holding out on you! He desires to reveal to you the answers that you need so just keep listening to Him. You will hear Him! 

I hope this was a blessing to you! Thanks for reading!

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