Stay Trusting!

We all have our own hopes, dreams and ambitions here on earth, that we want to see fulfilled as we think they will make us whole. Maybe they would but anything without God in it, will not allow us to become the people God wants us to be. 

As I think of summer being only around the corner, or being summer for one person! We all have the anxiety of our results coming in August! I can remember the build up to last year when we received our GCSE results... That was scary! Will never forget that experience! But as I continued to think about the results and worry about them a quote came into my head. 'The Bigger our Worry List, the Small your God is'. This got me thinking about how we need to trust God more for what is going to happen in the future. By trusting God it will allow us to feel more content and secure! When we trust him he will then be able to speak to us and tell us where he wants us to go to serve him. When we trust God he will then start to mold us into the people he wants us to be.  We need to let God become the potter in our lives, rather than us trying to mold what we think God wants us to do or be like.

In august we need to remember the results we get are ones that God has already planned for our lives. He is in control and knows what he is doing! He has a specific route for us to take and all we can do is trust him with all we have...

 

When I thought of the title for this blog two verses came to mind...  

 1. 'Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths' ~ Proverbs 3v5-6
 

2. 'The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; your mercy, O Lord endures forever' ~ Psalm 138v8 

Time to Move FORWARD

Yesterday in church Rick was speaking about on the passage from Exodus chapter 14v1-16, which was about the Children of Israel having been brought out of Egypt.  It spoke about how Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, and they were now facing the Red Sea.  This made the Children of Israel to doubt God as they saw a huge problem as they had the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army coming after them to recapture them into slavery.  The Children of Israel thought that they were going to die as they had little faith in God. On the other hand we can tell from the passage that Moses cried out to God for help, who told him to raise his staff over the sea and it would split so they could pass through on dry land.

Many times I been like one of the children of Israel, as they felt like God had abandoned them and in the times of deep darkness I too felt like God had abandoned me as I couldn’t see that light at the end of the tunnel.  Looking back I see that I felt like this because I allowed doubt to creep into my life, which meant that I wasn’t trusting God.

On the other hand I would prefer to me more like Moses as he was a man in amongst the trouble and problems that he cried out to God for help as he knew that God was in control over the situation that they were in.  Maybe need to start having as much faith as Moses did as this is when we can see God move and we realise that we are not on our own and this is all a part of his plan.

I suppose the purpose of this blog is to challenge not only you girlies but myself.  I cant help but feel like it is time that we make our faith matte to us so much that we are willing to give up whatever holds us back to make a difference for God.  But we cant do that in our own strength and power, so we need to become people who pray and seek after God’s heart so that he can reveal his precious plans for each of our lives.  When he reveals the plans for our lives we have to trust God with all our hearts and say yes.  We cant be like Gideon who doubted God when he first was told that he would defeat the Mideanites but he felt so insignificant but eventually he allowed God in and he fulfilled the plans God had for him. 

Girlies we have all summer, so this is going to be a valuable time to serve our Father in Heaven, so lets get seeking his face and asking him to reveal the plans that he has for us, so that we follow his dreams that will let us find ourselves, rather than following our own dreams which may not be as adventurous or challenging as the one’s God has given us.

Lets make this a summer to remember girlies, as summer where we have memories due to God moving in our lives and making us better people than we were before!

Lets Seek God and be showing his love to all J

Lets follow God’s footsteps that he has lead out for us and lets look to him for guidance.

Lots of Love Girls

xx

We All Have a Purpose :)

Today I have been thinking about my purpose here on earth! If I am honest this is something that I struggle with at times, as I feel like I'm being told what my purpose is for a specific time period, but it is hard to know if it is the voice inside my head building up my hopes and dreams, or if it is God saying to me and pushing me out of my comfort zone.  But over the last year I have had experienced both of these feelings. I'm going to be open and honest with you girls, last year in May when I was asked to become a Sunday School Teacher it was a real answer to my prayers as I wanted to give back to my church and make a difference in the lives of children, just like my Sunday school teachers had done for me.  So throughout this year I have seen God move in amazing ways and to be fair I was pushed right out of my comfort zones like when I stood in front of church giving an account of Glo, now that was petrifying but I was able to do it through the strength that God gave me :), it just really surprised me how God was able to use me to speak in front of a packed church, when I hate speaking in front of a class of 25 never mind like 100 people.  Then the next push out of my comfort zone was having to teach the children wee bible stories did challenge me as I wasn’t sure how I should put the story across.  Hearing the children still retelling the story a few weeks later just fills you with so much joy that you actually were able to teach them something.  Then the doubts I had on Gods plans this year was the fact that I had been placed back into the College after my GCSE's and in my heart I was so pleased that I had got back in, but somewhere within me wondered why I was putting myself through another two years of exams and stress as I just didn’t have a clear view of the future. Still I don’t have a clear vision of what my future holds and it scares me, when I'm honest about it.

But the verse I find so much comfort is Jeremiah 29v11 'For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you a hope and a future'.  I love this verse for many reasons as it reminds me that God has a specific purpose for my life, even when I am confused to where he is leading me.  I know you girls are in the similar situations, as some of us have the thoughts running through our heads of what course am I going to study at university?, What university will I go to? And even how do I know what course God wants me to do?  The thought of uni scares me as I feel so unprepared for going and so unprepared when it comes to the course as is the course I want to do, the course God wants me to do.  I also know for a couple of people that it is the whole thinking of whether they will be back studying at Lurgan College next year and suppose all I can say is that I know how it feels not knowing where you are going to be in September, but if you have tried your best in your exams that’s all that is asked of you.  But we have to remember that God is in control over what is happening, he knows our grades that we are going to get in August. God already knows and he is going to be there supporting us in whatever happens. We have to rely on him and trust in his name as this is when we will find peace in our lives.  

I also love the part in this verse that says 'plans to give you a hope and a future' as it shows me how much God cares and loves me and even how he is looking out for me as the word hope just makes me think that the future will be bright so long God is in control.  Although there will still be times of hardship in the future it will be much brighter for us as we  have the power of God in our lives working there to keep us strong and safe! Also knowing that I have hope with God in the future shows me that I can face tomorrow as he is already there waiting to pick us up and carry us through. 

Whilst I was writing a few verses came into my head which I’m not sure if it really ties in or not, but I’m going to put it anyways.  The verses are all to do with Sparrows.  The verses are:-

Matthew chapter 10 verse 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. 

Matthew chapter 10 verse 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 

Luke chapter 12 verse 6 "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?* And not one of them is forgotten before God. 

I just wanted to share these verses with you as they are so life giving as at times we may feel worthless due to parents nagging all the time or other reasons that we don’t like to disclose to anyone.  These verses just emphases to us that God loves us no matter what and that we are worth so much to him so he won’t let any danger come to us. 

YOU ARE LOVED <3

In this world today our perception of love has been completely transformed, and we all have the different definitions.  I feel like we use the love way to easily as we can say we love chocolate but we also use the same word love when we are talking about our love for others such as family members, friends or even boyfriends.  Sometimes we use this word too lightly so we forget what God planned love to be.


Even in today's world so many times we feel so unloved through the way that we are treated by others or other things. When we feel like this we can feel so left out of society and feel like you are worthless.  Well the purpose of this blog is to tell you that YOU ARE LOVED! So no matter what other people tell you just remember that.  In the bible we read lots about the love that God has for us... For example in the book of Genesis we read how God created each one of us in his image.  Girls this should make you feel so special and loved as no one is like us.  This means that each one of us is special to God and nothing can ever take that away from us.

Again we see that WE ARE LOVED when we read in John chapter 3v16 which reads 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.'  I love this verse, even though it is so simple as it shows us how Gods love for us is never failing for his children.  Along with this there is a verse found in Romans 5v8 which reads 'But God demonstrates his love for us as whilst we were still sinners, Christ died for us'.  Both of these verses just really tell me how God loves us no matter where we are in this life. I know that we don't like to think of our lives being messed up, but if we think about it, before we were saved our lives were so messed up with sin, but yet God still loved us so much that he was willing to send his Son to be beaten and bruised for our inequities.  What love was demonstrated for us! What an amazing God.


The last verse on love for this blog is Romans chapter 8v38-39 which reads 'For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord'.  This verse just fills me with hope because it reminds me that I'm not perfect, so I am liable to mess up and fail my Father in Heaven no matter how hard we try, its just one of those things that we cant control. But thankfully God still loves us even when we mess up and turn away from him and he is always calling us home back to him as he wants to make us whole again and he wants to guide us in the way that we should go as he wants to use each one of us.


I found this quote online from a Christian man called Max Lucado

“God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus. ” 

In conclusion, I want you girls to remember that no matter what happens throughout your lives that you are LOVED by your Father in Heaven, who wants to use you to do amazing things for him.  He has amazing plans for your life, but I'll leave that for another blog.  Girls by heart has been filled so much with love for you's, so I'm here for you's no matter what... I'm a phone call or text away :) 

Lots of Love

xxx

Summer is almost here :)

Well Girlies :) It's not long now until our summer will be here :) buzzing.  And if you are like me you have more plans made than you will have time to yourself.  

I'm writing this our first blog just to encourage you to just keep going, which may seem slightly strange, but i feel like it is very relevant to how we all feel at this time of how we just really want summer to be here and that we have NO motivation to revise. I know it is hard but it is something we have to persevere at so that we have our basis for our future.


I was reading in Hebrews chapter 12v1-2 last night and it reads 'Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.'


Girlies I just think that this is so relevant to the time period that we are going through as it speaks of how we have to give up everything that might hinder us from doing what we know we must do; such as studying. Well i know when im studying I constantly find other things to do, its amazing how a mess room suddenly becomes annoying and we use that as our excuse to stop.  Well last night I just felt like it was God saying to me that I cant allow anything to hinder me from serving God in the way that will please him, so if that means i have to abandon all my hopes dreams and whatever else that is of this world i will want to do it. So I want to encourage you girls not to  give up but to continue running this race that has been set out before us so that we can lead lives that are pleasing to God.  This verse also gives us the reassurance that we need that it is alright to struggle and need help as it tells us to 'fix our eyes on Jesus' as he already knows what we are going through as he struggled with the same things as we do whilst he was here on this earth.


Just going to conclude this blog with a wee note... Yesterday was our first Peculiar Treasures meeting at Love Coffee, unfortunately I was unable to attend due to an unscheduled driving lesson.  but from what I gather from the girls that was there that it was a good afternoon. hopefully girlies we might have the time to slot in one more meeting before I head to Scotland.  At the next meeting we will issue the email addresses which i am in the process of making.


Lots of Love 
xxx