Five Minute Friday ~ Because

Because of love, Jesus came to the earth and became a man because of us. Because of sin, we were separated from God but because of Jesus' sacrifice, we have an opportunity to come boldly to the throne of grace. Because of Jesus Christ, we are free and we have eternal life in Him. Because of His intercession, many things are working out for good.  

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (NKJV)

Because of our faithfulness and love towards God, we continue to move from glory to glory. Because we surrendered everything to God and said yes to His will, we are becoming more and more like Him. Because of the Holy Spirit, we have an anointing that teaches us. Because of Him, we are guided into all truth and we need not worry which direction we should take because God is leading us. 

Because God is with us, we do not need to fear because He will never leave us or forsake us. 

This post is a part of Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

Guest Post : Trust Is A Must

Today, we have another guest post by my dear friend, Daneisha Brathwaite. She is one desiring to be that flower in the garden of God who will show forth is glory and beauty. I pray that as you would read this article that your hearts would be drawn closer to God and that you would be able to trust Him.

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Often times when I find myself in certain circumstances, I am told to 'Just trust God'. This phrase is so easily uttered by many, but at times I find it difficult to actually commit myself to doing it, but why? I think one of the main reasons is because of the many disappointments and unmet expectations/needs I have experienced throughout my life. Sometimes, things felt like they haven't gone my way and I am left feeling like a deflated balloon or withered flower. I am sure that many of you reading this now, have too like me, found letting go and trusting God hard, especially when you have no idea of what is going to happen next. What I am sure of now, is that the moment we choose to let go of the things that worry us and place them in God's hands, we no longer have to be afraid. We can stand firmly and be confident because as His children we know that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

Worry goes and peace comes when we trust God - "You will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV). I remember, when I used to try to work out everything on my own, I was very miserable and became easily frustrated. I was not relying on God because back then, I wasn't quite sure of what the outcome would be. That was the hardest part for me; letting go. Some days I would surrender everything, but the next day, I would start trying to figure out everything again and end back up right at the beginning feeling discouraged. I then had a 'light bulb' moment. I realized that trusting God was something I had to commit myself to doing every SINGLE day and act like it too. The Bible tells us to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). I couldn't say 'God, I trust You', yet I am constantly thinking and even talking about the situation, I had to fully let go, let go in my mind too. I had to be still and allow God to take control. My mind had to be stayed on Him and not on the circumstance. Honestly it's hard sometimes, but trusting God with all that we have is a MUST, if we truly want to experience Him fully in our lives.

What does trust mean? Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something. In the New Testament, two Greek words are used in relation to the heart attitudes of a true believer in Christ. "Peitho" means to have confidence in and "pepoithesis" means trust/confidence. We must have confidence in God. We must know that nothing we go through is too much or too big for Him to handle. Trust is also a verb. To trust God, means that we must submit and surrender our all to Him just as the Bible tells us - " Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5 NKJV).

In the Bible, we are given specific instructions about trusting God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV says:

 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

The meaning of this verse is simple. It tells us to trust God with not part but ALL of our hearts. It doesn't mean that we only trust Him, when we think things are working out for us. It means that we choose to trust Him, in the tough situations, when things are dark and we feel hopeless. It means that we will surrender everything we have to Him. When we do this we are saying to God not our will but yours be done God. We do not rely on our own insights but we trust Him despite and in spite of what we see, feel or think we know.

I am not sure what position you are at now in your relationship with God but whatever you are facing, know that you can trust God. He will never fail you and He is concern with all that concerns you. Place everything in His hands and watch it all fall into place. God is there and He cares - "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7). Whatever is hindering you today, let it go. It may be fear, doubt or insecurities, let them go. Trusting in God, doesn't have to be hard either, we just have to make a decision. Are we going to live in fear or faith? There is so much joy and peace released when you trust God. Always remember TRUST IS A MUST and not an option.

Prayer:

Dear Faithful Father, forgive me for the times I have trusted in my own self, instead of You. Help me daily to commit my all that I have to You and trust that You will work everything together for my good. When all is darkness and I feel weak and helpless, give me the sense of Your presence, Your love and Your strength. Help me to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry me. Amen.

My name is Daneisha Brathwaite. I am 19 years of age and a love of Jesus. He is my greatest source of strength and inspiration and my bestfriend; without Him my life would be pointless. I have an insatiable appetite for helping people. I am currently completing my Associate Degree in Social Work at the Barbados Community College. After BCC, I hope to further my education in Social Work at the University of the West Indies and then a University in Canada. I am also very passionate about dance. I am a part of the dance ministry at my church, New Dimensions Ministries and also have a hope in becoming a contemporary dancer. I am also the founder of Finesse Designs, check it out!!

Five Minute Friday ~ Whisper

Was there ever a time when you heard a voice whisper to you to do something, then you said to yourself  'a mind told me'? How many times have we described the voice of God as a mind told me? God speaks to us as a whisper and we need to have our ears opened to hear.

There are so many things in this world that are fighting for our attention. There is so much noise. Out of all this, we need to be able to hear. The seeing eye and the hearing ear, the Lord has created them both.

How can we stop the noise? How we can hear the whisper more clearly? We need to focus on God and come to a place where we know Him for ourselves.When we get to know God more, we become aware of the different ways that He speaks to us. We create our own unique communication with God. 

When God speaks, we can't ignore. We can't make up an excuse that we didn't hear or that God doesn't speak. He is speaking and all we have to do is listen.

As the whispers come as the wind

The ears are opened to hear

The mind is opened to understand.

This post is a part of Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

Moving Forward

Are we moving forward in Christ? Are we moving backwards? Are we stuck in one position? As Christians, we are called to be ones who will continually be moving to another level in God. Our life should always be moving higher. We should never be where we were two or three years ago. Our relationship with God is one that should be of growth and of progress.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV)

In the verses above, Paul indicates to us that he is not perfect. He has not attained everything as yet but this didn't stop him. Sometimes we think that we can not move forward because we are not perfect and we are not achieving what we should do. Sometimes we also let our past stop us from moving forward. We consider the things that we did in the past and we say to ourselves that we are not worthy of achieving anything and that we are not worthy of this Christian life. In spite of all this, Paul said 'I press on'. Paul pressed on to attain the things that Christ had for him. In this life as a Christian, it is necessary for us to be determined and to not give up. When we give up, we miss out on the things that we could have achieved if we stuck in there. Do not give up on God because He will never give up on you!

Paul forgot about the things that were behind him. He forgot about his past. He did not let his past stop him from pursuing Christ. Paul was a persecutor of the Christian church. He had a past that would have left a terrible mark and shame on his life but when he came to Christ, all of that shame left. There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). There is no condemnation to you. Are we letting our past stop us from being who God has created us to be? Are we letting our past hinder our relationship with God? Our past is our testimony of how God saved us but it is not a place for us to live.

We have to reach forward to those things which are ahead. We have to reach for the greater. Jesus said that greater works than these we will do (John 14:12). We are called to be greater, to be different from this world. We are called to be transformed into the image of Christ, to have the mind of Christ and to be moving from glory to glory.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)

Let us press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us make it a goal to always be moving from glory to glory in Christ. Let us desire to always be moving forward and never going backwards. We are always in a process of being transformed, in a process of being refined and purified to be like gold.

Let us commit today to move forward. I will follow You forward!!