God Speaks, Are You Listening?

How does God speak to you?

I believe I have been lead to ask this question, or rather answer it. I find it interesting to discuss the many ways God speaks to us. 

I love this quote, “Make time for the quiet moments, as God whispers and the world is loud.”

The very thought of God whispering, just astounds me. But also He speaks in many other ways. For me, He speaks through my dreams, I may not always hear a voice, but I have a feeling that it is a direct message from God. I have a great example for this! Let me explain the details first.

Back story: A lot of my friends are planning weddings or are married. It makes me think and wonder if I will ever be in that same position. I have recently become happy and satisfied being single, but the idea of marriage still resounds in my heart.  I had this dream one night, a glimpse of the future from God. It was glorious. I was in the chapel getting ready and I remember that I was writing my vows. The glimpse that God gave me didn’t show me who I was marrying, but gave me the insight that I would be praising Him for the opportunity to get married. It was such an awesome gift to be shown that I do not need to worry, because one day God will provide me with the man of my dreams, so to speak. :)

Have you ever heard the voice of God? I have. I can’t say that it has been too many times. The awesome thing is once you realize that it was the voice of God, I get super excited and then try to decipher what He is trying to say to me.  What I am trying to say, is that he doesn’t always give me the answers.  He guides me, but gives me the opportunity of choice and free will to contemplate what He wants me to do. I figure sometimes He sits back and watches to see what choice we will decide.

Do you ever feel that He wants to teach you something? I believe I do. That is why He stays on the sidelines, like a good Father. He is there to give us encouragement, like when He gave me the glimpse that I will get married one day.

Not only does He speak in dreams or in our heart, He also speaks through the Holy Bible. When you are discouraged, read it for encouragement. When you are afraid, read it for courage. When you are hungry, read it to be satisfied. When you are insecure, read it to be comforted. God always knows what to say when we are hurting, scared, lonely, or discouraged. The best thing about God is that He can totally relate because He has been where we are and can comfort us.

My all time favorite verse is Isaiah 40:31:

“But 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.”

Today I had a 45 minute presentation on energy conservation and work simplification. Last night I called on my friends to pray and give me advice on being confident during the presentation. I prayed last night and prior to entering the presentation. Even though I was scared I leaned on God to carry me through. This time at the presentation I came more prepared and rehearsed, compared to last time.  I also trusted this verse, sent to me by a Godly man in my life.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10

You know what, because I believed in myself and trusted God had my back, I delivered the presentation with ease and an air of confidence. These last two weeks of my internship will be an end to a great learning and growth experience.

Defined

Who I am...
I attended a women's ministry night at His House, a Christian fellowship that I participate in. The women's ministry topic featured the topic "beauty." I have also been thinking about this subject for awhile. When God lays something on your heart, its hard not to listen and obey. I have been learning throughout my years on this earth the differences between what God says is beautiful and what the world claims. This post is not going to be a list of what I am or not. I am beautiful, not by the world standards but by God's! And so are you!

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves." 1 Peter 3:3-5a

The lesson I learned here was that God does not make junk. We are his handiwork and masterpieces, although he continues to refine us. If you have not seen the video by the Skit Guys, called "God's Chisel," I would recommend watching it. Its so good and even though we were born sinners and have sin in our life, God still loves us. As we strive to know Him better, He continues to mold us to be more like His son, Jesus. However we have to take some of the responsibility such as reading the Bible and studying the word of God, and having a prayer life. I have been struggling with these things as I have been thrown out of routine and exhaustion crosses my path of life after a typical day at work. I have been becoming better at praying and trying to stay encouraged through God's holy word. 

Where your beauty lies in God, your heart will also lie. Or maybe its the other way around? Anyways God loves you for your true self...don't change just because the world tells you that your body or outward appearance doesn't meet the standard. Besides who gets to set the standard? In God's eyes, we set our own standard and are beautiful in our own way. I love that I can be who I am without sacrificing my values and beliefs.


I praise God for reminding me and encouraging others on what beauty really means. :) It really is, what is on the inside that counts!

Do you have the light?

The light. Do you know what that is? By definition it means, "something that makes things visible or affords illumination" and "the radiance or illumination from a particular source." Isn't that a perfect definition? I am inspired by this and also by my own definition that light is the opposite of darkness. Or really darkness is just the absence of light. I have been thinking of this topic a lot. One reason is that because Jesus died for my sins and lives in me. He is the light of my world and life. 

In John 8:12 states "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus is the light of life, how grand is that! That we will NEVER be in darkness when He is in our life. 

I sometimes wrestle with the darkness, because nothing good can come out of it. I also think about whether my actions, words, and attitudes are setting a good example for those around me. Since God lives in me, I carry the light of God's love with me. I just want to make an impact, make a difference, you know shine light in the darkest night. If I change one person's outlook in life to be a more positive one, I will be happy. WHY? You ask? Because it wasn't me who changed that person's life, it was God! I strive for these God moments! If you have had them, you know what I mean, and if you haven't, I pray that you find out why it's so exciting.

It is also interesting to take this viewpoint, that God made both the light and the darkness and both of these have their purposes. So don't give darkness a bad connotation.

Lately, I feel I have been putting myself in the darkness. Don't put yourself there or let Satan attack you and put you in a corner. Satan's objective at all costs is to dim your light and at most put it out. Just like the song lyrics, don't let Satan blow it out, I'm going to let it shine! Satan attacks for one reason only to separate us from God. I have been dealing with issues and now have seen the light, so to speak, God has been telling me that I don't deserve to be in the darkness. He loves me and even though I know this, it takes a while to anchor it in my heart, again and again. :) 

I choose to step out of the darkness and to continue shining my light. I choose to let my light shine. I will continue to strive for the relationship with Jesus. Satan you will not blow my light out, because I'M GOING TO LET IT SHINE!!!

Brandon Heath says it so well in his song, "The Light," stating, "God, since You gave me life something was different, I Knew it the instant You put the light in me. The spark, the shot to the heart. You are the hope that leads me out of the dark. You let Your love shine down so that the world could see You put the light in me. You are the Maker, you tell the sun when to rise. I'm just a house on a hill, but You make me brighter than all the stars in the sky, keep me from growing down. Cause in Your perfection, I'm just a reflection. So pull me closer to You, I catch like a fire and I'll hold You higher, cause You put the light in me."

Anyways in what ways do you let your light shine?

You ARE worth it!

You are worth it!


I watched this movie tonight called, "To Save a Life." It reminded me about how I have been feeling lately. We all go through tough times. My parents are divorced and you know what its not my fault. I have contemplated many things over the past few months while at my internship. Things I won't fully go into, but its not about that. Its about this...God has a plan for me and a plan for you. I have been struggling and trying to hide is not an answer. First you can't hide from God because He is everywhere. Second, He has a plan for me, He knows my confusion and frustrations. He has seen my hurting soul. He has been there. What was also awesome about that movie is it talks about worth and God showed me tonight that I am greater than what I feel I am worth. In one part of the movie, the character Chris (youth pastor) talks about what would a person do for $20. He gives examples such as taking your mom to prom or french kiss a dog, but then he asks the same questions with a penny. Would you take your mom to the prom for a penny or french kiss a dog? It made me realize that's how I feel sometimes. A penny. But God showed me tonight that He thinks I am greater than that and you are too.


I have been blaming myself for a lot of things lately. I just don't feel good enough. I feel lost, probably like most of you right now, but maybe not. This world is crazy. Don't let Satan knock you down. I have been there and getting up is the hardest thing. But just keep moving forward, God is there right beside you. This is my only comfort, knowing He is by my side, ALWAYS. You (and I) have to trust Him. It's hard I know.


Don't be a penny today! Be something bigger and better! God loves and cares for you. But even if you choose to be the penny, God will still put you in His bank. :)