Expect God's Goodness

Happy New Year's Eve!

The Lord put something special on my heart to share that will take everyone into the New Year. It truly blessed me and I know it will do the same for you :)

God is good! Some people don't believe this, but time and time again, in the Bible, it is seen how good God is to His people. 2013 has been a year of God's great grace in my life and the lives of my family and friends and I know that 2014 will be even greater than this year! 

I hope that you choose to embrace this truth because God has great plans for you in 2014. He wants to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what you ask or think (Ephesians 3:20) in the New Year! So let's learn a little bit more about God's goodness.

Psalm 27 was written by David and is one of my favorite Psalms. David starts out in verse 1 by saying, "The Lord is my Light and Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" 

David had a revelation of the goodness of the Lord. He knew that this goodness meant God would protect him from any danger and this caused him to state that he did not have to fear. David knew that God was on his side and that He would cause him to triumph in every situation. 

All of Psalm 27 speaks of the goodness of the Lord and I want to focus on the last verse right now. Psalm 27 verses 13-14 say, "What would have become of me had I not believed that I would see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living. Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord." 

David is basically asks, "What would have happened to me if I hadn't believed the Lord was good and expected to see His goodness in my life?" He makes a statement by then saying to us that we should expect to see the Lord at work in our lives. 

What does God's goodness mean to you? How could His goodness work in your life in this New Year? 

Maybe you need to see a move of His goodness in your family, your work, or your health. I challenge you to expect to see God's goodness in every area of your life. Nothing is exempt from His goodness. His goodness will touch your family, finances, job situation, family, relationships, health, and anything else you need to see changed. 

I truly believe the Lord is calling me to expect an abundant move of His goodness in my life in 2014 and I know that He wants you to expect this as well. 

I also want to address one more thing that the Lord put on my heart. Romans 2:4 says, "The goodness of God leads man to repentance." God's goodness causes men to change their ways and to turn to Him. I believe that 2014 will be a year of family members who have been away from the Lord or never known Him to repent and turn to Him. 

I am believing for many salvations in my extended family and some friends as well. If you are believing for this, this would be a great scripture to pray over your loved ones. Stand in prayer believing that God's goodness will show up in their lives and cause them to change. 

Again, thanks for reading and sharing this new blogging experience with me this year. It has been a blessing for me to write and I know it will continue to be very rewarding. Happy New Years everyone!

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Pruned and Flourising

Hello everyone, Alessandra's sister here! I had the honor of being asked to write as her guest blogger this week, and I couldn't be more thrilled to do so! Right away I thought "I'll just write something sweet and encouraging about Christmas!" But when I asked the Lord what to share this week, He kept taking me back to John 15. This came as no surprise since He has been teaching me for weeks now the importance of remaining one with Him at all times. Let's take this chapter apart one piece at a time...

John 15:1-2 "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more."

Our Father is the true vine, which tells me that there must be other "vines" out there that we can become attached to, perhaps even unknowingly at times. Other vines can be pretty much anything that we idolize or give more attention to than we do God. Some examples: cares of this world, popularity, status at work, physical appearance, or any other empty filler we have access to. All of those will bring instant gratification but nothing that truly lasts. The stability our hearts search for will only come from the Author of Life as we faithfully draw near to and abide in Him. And it gets even better; as we continue to walk with Him, He corrects us where we miss it so that His grace can take us to a deeper place where roots will take form and yield a more bountiful harvest! What favor!

Let's skip to verses 5-6, " Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned."

So what happens when we choose not to stay connected to our Father, or what about those who have not yet committed their lives to Him? Let me just tell you the obvious, this is not a good place to be. I have heard other believers and even myself say something along the lines of, "that was just a spiritually dry season for me..." I have begun to realize why we experience times like these and I also know it is completely up to us whether or not we accept them as the "usual". "Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers." Hmmm...let's think for a moment, how would you describe the appearance and purpose of a withered plant? Dry? Useless? Well, it certainly doesn't look pretty! And what's the point of having a dried up plant lying around anyways? It certainly isn't aesthetically pleasing...it kind of just takes up space! This is exactly what happens when we disconnect ourselves from the living water found only in Jesus. We know that our own strength will get us only so far and having to rely on ourselves is in no way an enjoyment. I personally remember times in my life where I was leaning on my own understanding, and let me tell you...it burned; it was painful! I had deprived my Spirit of the very One who could feed and sustain it. Grace found me, restoration began to took place, and I came to the point where jeopardizing my reputation, sacrificing my personal comfort and even some relationships no longer mattered. I knew in the end I would gain everything! Jesus is my life! Now for the next step: obedience...

John 15:10-11, " When you obey My commandments, you remain in My love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"

It's hard to listen to and follow through with someone's instructions if you do not trust them, and you cannot really trust the person (God in this case) until you first get to know them; and it's difficult to develop a relationship with someone whom one day you speak with and the next you ignore or want nothing to do with! Let's be consistent sons and daughters of God. 

What does this all mean though? I believe the empowerment to consistently obey God or submit to His yieldings comes only when we commune with Him on a day-to-day basis. And from what we read in verses 10-11, obedience yields joy! But the truth is, our hearts don't become sensitive to God and desire to honor Him until we first rest in Him. "Dwell in me and I will dwell in you..." He is looking for a people to abide and make His home in. This kicks the toil of religion out of the picture and relationship takes its place. We now know that the sense of completion our hearts have been longing for comes from one source whom we cannot help but glorify and follow all the days of our lives.

Abiding in God will shift our focus to the spiritual things that are eternal and everlasting, all that will matter in the end. Now, you may ask, "What about all the other parts of life He wants me to enjoy, all that I've been believing for? The Lord has assured me time and time again: He will give you all you need from day to day, as you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern! Matthew 6:33 "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." 

I pray this blessed you, Merry Christmas!

Lots of Love,

     Antoinette (: xx

Happy Finals Week :)

Happy Tuesday!

I know this week is finals for a lot of people and I wanted to take the time out to blog about something that has been on my heart lately. I know the pressure that can come with finals and the end of a semester with grades. People want to do well and they scramble to try and learn as much as they can and retain it before they take their tests. This brings a lot of fear and anxiety. I've been seeing this all over the place and I really felt the Lord speak to my heart on this issue. 

Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God." Now, the first part of the verse is a command from God. He tells us not to worry or have any anxiety about anything. To some people, that may sound impossible. You may be thinking that right now. However, if God is telling us to do something, He always gives us the grace to do it. It is completely possible, through Him, to have no anxiety. The next verse resolves any doubt by saying, "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, will mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." The peace that God gives us, after we give every circumstance over to Him, guards our hearts and minds. This means that anxiety can't get in anymore because we are guarded with peace that surpasses all understanding. 

So basically this is a step by step process: 1. Do not have any anxiety about anything 2. Go to the Lord in prayer with what you have been anxious about 3. Thank Him continually for already meeting your needs and taking care of what it is that has been bothering you 4. God's peace is yours!

I realize this may sound easier said then done to some of you, but God makes it simple for us to go to Him and receive peace. Peace is a promise. God understands the pressure of finals and getting the grades you need to move forward. He has it all taken care of, so let Him take care of it and get back to studying! 

My prayer is that you truly receive this today and take the Word and apply it to your situation. Stress, worry, fear, and anxiety are all not from God. In this season, choose to resist that worry and anxiety and receive God's gift of peace. Also, take some time out of your busy schedule and just spend some time with God. He is calling you to get away with Him. He loves you and He knows just how to help you in every situation. Don't forget how much He cares about you just because you have 5 finals and 3 papers. He has brought you this far and He will bring you even farther if you just keep trusting Him.

I have been studying the book of Hebrews this month and I'm really getting excited about the things God has been showing me in this book. It's amazing! I will be sharing some about that this month. For now, have a blessed week! You will all do great on your finals! Thanks for reading :)

Photo Source: French Press Mornings