a prayer for your week

this is for the weary at heart. the ones who feel overwhelmed, stressed, or just worn out. 

Father God,

please place your hands upon the person reading this. help them father during their week to face each situation as you would. give them the strength to face each situation. the wisdom for tackling the different situations they may find themselves in. Father, give them peace and pour your love over them.

thank you, Father for Your everlasting love and grace. You are the utmost high and we praise You in all of Your glory.

- In Jesus' name

Amen

Faith in Action: Strength

Isaiah 40:31

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

When we know the meaning of faith, have a tiny bit of faith, continue to grow our faith through questions, be content in waiting, and rely on God, we are building our strength in faith. This means that even though we walk in a dark world if we build up ourselves by taking in the Word of God, we will be ready to overcome any battle we may face. 

Each Christian in this world is weak compared to God. This is why we must lean on Him and allow Him to direct our steps. We are not perfect and this is a gift when realized. We need to realize that we need God and His love and mercy. 

The best way we can strengthen our faith is to practice our faith. This means that we let go of our worries, fears, anxiety, and sadness by handing it over to Jesus. Once we pray for His will to be done and we allow God the opportunity to take these things from us, we need to remember to LET IT GO! That doesn't mean to pray about it and continue on with these negative feelings. That means once you pray, move on to something that is worth your time and energy. 

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We are now in the last part of the Faith in Action Blog Series. Thank you for following along and I pray that you see your faith in a different light and see just how important it is to have faith as a child of God. 

If you enjoyed this series, please send me a little note telling me what it was that you enjoyed so much and keep an eye out for my next blog series. 

God Bless

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas

I wanted to send a quick note to you all by saying 

Merry Christmas

I hope you have a blessed holiday with lots of laughter, hugs, and cheer. 

Faith in Action: Waiting

Wait. 

This is often a word that no one wants to hear.

Waiting can be difficult, especially when we're desiring something good in life.

For example, "As a child on Christmas Eve, we must wait for Christmas to arrive to dive into the pile of gifts laid out nicely for all." 

As a child, it's hard for us to wait for joyous moments such as these. I remember a time when I was little where the value of waiting was too much. On Christmas Eve, my mother used to give me and my sisters one gift to open. We joyfully ran into the living room, sat down in anticipation, while my mom handed us these beautifully wrapped gifts. We tore off the wrapping to reveal what was inside. As I dropped the last of the wrapping paper on the floor, I noticed that the gift I held in my hands were different then what my sisters unwrapped. The two of them marveled at their new dolls while I held a knitted scarf and hat. They were beautiful, however, my next set of actions weren't. I threw the gift down and threw a fit because I didn't get a doll of my own. After my fit, I ran off to my room. In the haste of my fit, I didn't realize what my actions had done to my mom, who was excited for us to see what she worked so hard to get us. 

In my mom's anger, she shuffled through the bits of gifts hidden in her room for the one she thought she grabbed and threw it at me. I came to find out that I did get a precious little doll from her but in her rush to give these gifts, she grabbed the wrong one for me. Her feelings were hurt because I wasn't being grateful, nor did I wait to see what Christmas day would bring. 

I remember this Christmas and the feelings that I felt afterward weren't pleasant. I felt guilty, sad, and I felt bad for not being grateful for what I had. I felt bad for what I did. If I had been grateful and waited, I would have found out the next day that my mom got me a doll too. That was the year that I ruined Christmas for my family. If I would have waited, I wouldn't have broken my mom's heart, stole the joy from the season, and I could have saved myself my own heartache. 

Our relationship with God and faith is just that... waiting. Sometimes when we ask God for things, we take His response as Him not answering our prayers or ignoring us. That is not the case. We need to have faith when we take things to God in prayer that He will answer them according to His will. Perhaps God did answer your prayer and it was a simple "no" or "not yet?" 

When we are praying, we need to wait patiently and have faith that God will answer us in His time and in the way He sees is best for us. Sometimes when He says no, we later find out that it was, in fact, better for us. Therefore don't let the enemy to persuade you that God is deaf to your prayers or ignoring you because HE'S NOT!

I believe that waiting is God's way of testing our faith and helping us to grow in our faith. Therefore, the next time you feel you're in the waiting period, thank God for the waiting moment and see what blessing He's trying to show you.

Faith in Action: Questioning

The meaning of faith, as mentioned on the start of this series, is a form of trust in the Lord when you can't actually see Him. It's given just as love is, unconditionally. There will be times in our walk with Christ where you'll have questions about Heaven, the Bible, and God. That's okay. When we ask questions and seek answers; we learn. I have been actively pursuing and growing my faith for several years now and I yearn to learn more. That's why if you watch my morning routine, it includes reading my Bible. If you watch my afternoon routine, it involves more reading of the Bible. Lastly, if you watched my nightly routine, it includes even more reading of the Bible. I crave to learn more of God's word and his hopes for us.

However, I'm not a Biblical scholar by no means. As a matter of fact, I still have A LOT to learn.

I still find myself asking questions, as I believe we will ask them until the day the Lord takes us home.

... and that's okay!!

Just because we ask questions doesn't mean we are lacking in faith. It means that we are seeking to grow our faith in Christ and His word. 

Since we are told to LIVE by faith, this means that in everything we do, it should involve Christ and we should be making a conscious decision to TRUST in His promises. We shouldn't ever stop asking questions, especially when it comes to our faith. To learn and grow, a child drives their parents crazy with questions during their young years. I believe that we should drive Jesus loopy with our questions to learn of His ways and His desires for us. 

Therefore, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK.

The Bible tells us,

 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV) : This is telling us to ASK!!

What are you asking the Lord to help you learn to strengthen your faith?

Faith in Action: A Mustard Seed

He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you. - Luke 17:6

I'm sure you have heard this verse many times before but have you ever stopped to truly see what it means for us today? First let's take a look at the mustard seed. 

Look at how TINY a mustard seed is -------> 

It's so small that you can hardly see it when holding it. This is the point of faith. It only takes a tiny bit and we can move mountains through God. How amazing is that? 

Faith wasn't something that was easy for me to come by and I do find myself struggling with it at times. I mean I am only human. However, when I feel my faith wavering, I stop to think of this verse and what Jesus told his apostles. When I start doubting, I remember Jesus telling the apostles that they needed to increase their faith. 

Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that birds come and perch in its branches. (Matthew 13: 31-32)

We are God's creation, his family, sons and daughters. We have been commissioned as Saints. We are to walk the earth as we proclaim of His return. If we believe and have faith, we can do wonders within this world through Jesus Christ. 

When we have faith, it's a hard road. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, however just the smallest bit of faith can be grown through our dedication and love toward Christ. If we devote our time to reading His word like we devote to checking our Facebook page, just imagine all of the things we can do for Christ!! 

But most of all, we NEED to put our faith in Christ. He said that he would never leave us, even when times are tough or when we sin. He still loves us. I know how rough life can get. I've been through so much that was designed to ruffle my feathers and it could have wavered my faith. However, in my darkest moments, Jesus was there for me. He listened to my cries and answered my prayers. 

Let me tell you about how my faith started with Jesus.  

I was at the lowest of lows. My soul was crushed and shattered. I was planning the one thing in life I never imagined that I'd have to do. I hurting because of the death/burial of my infant daughter. She was born still, forever sleeping, or some may recognize it as a stillbirth. I was lost, damaged, and depressed.

On this particular day, I was alone at home. My husband was at work and my oldest daughter was in school. I was supposed to be picking up the house and doing my daily chores. However, instead of doing my wifely duties, I sat in the corner of my living room, worship music blasting through the speakers of my computer while I held on to the only thing I had left of her; her hospital blanket. 

I remember standing up, walking to the center of the room, and crying out to God. I went weak in the knees and dropped to the floor. While praying, I asked God, "Why?" I did a bunch of unrecognizable rambles through my screams of pain and heartbreak.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened. My music stopped in mid-song. Then jumped to another song on the list. (Phil Collins "You'll Be in My Heart) started blasting through the room. Immediately, my sobs stopped. I turned to look at my computer and a strong peace filled the room. I felt comfort, love, and a renewed strength. That's when I knew that Jesus was with me. To this day, these words ring in my mind when I'm faced with difficulty: 

Come stop your crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand
Hold it tight

I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry

For one so small,
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry

I believe that these words are to me from Jesus. He was comforting me. He told me to stop crying and hold His hand because He was going to protect me from all that was going on around me. He was promising me that he wasn't going to leave me. To the world, I'm small but through Christ, He had made me strong. However, when I would feel the need to fall, His arms would catch me, keeping me safe and warm. That's where our bond grew and I knew it'd never be broken.

That day was the day that my mustard seed was watered and began to sprout in all directions. 

Think about it: Is your faith that of a mustard seed that's waiting to be watered by Jesus so it can grow into something so profound, that it will change your life?

Faith in Action: What is Faith?

Faith.

I asked today on my Facebook page, what does faith mean to you? 

Here are my thoughts to this question:

Life. Faith to me means life. In today's world, many claim they have faith and are living a life full of faith. To some, it's a bonus to living with Christ. It's something that's optional or completely misunderstood. I have seen this. I have told others who I have seen going through trying times to have faith. They've responded, "I have faith but..."

NO!! STOP!!

There aren't any BUT'S in faith.

When one has faith, they turn EVERYTHING, every worry, fears, and all anxiety to Him. Everything. They take their issues directly to the Lord and ask for the help, strength, and wisdom to get through whatever it is they're facing. Then, they LET IT GO!! Once you give it to God, don't look back. Don't worry about it. Don't give into the whispers to the ears from the enemy.

Faith isn't perfected overnight. It's an ongoing process that EVERY Christian must work on. I don't believe anyone has perfect faith because if that were the case.... then, they'd be right there beside Christ.

Faith is an important part of the life of a Christian. It's vital to our walk. My faith helps make the world around me make sense. It shows me that no matter what I'm facing, God is with me and HE knows what's going to happen, so I don't need to worry about the ending. I know this because I'm His child and He will take care of me. Everything will happen according to his plan.

Faith is my identity and way of life. I may struggle with it at times but when I catch myself not showing faith, I pull the reins and pull my faith back.

Faith is a form of trust in the Lord when you can't actually see Him. It's given just as love is, unconditionally.

Faith isn't stepping into a situation and having doubt. When faced with a difficult situation, one must fully rely on God. They can't claim that they have faith if they let worry, anxiousness, fear, doubt, or any other negative feelings in. When one has faith, they let go and let God. Then, they don't worry about the situation again because God WILL take care of it.

*Previously published on RaeBeth's Corner*