A child and a dreamer today, a follower tomorrow

I have recently thought about my childhood. Pictures of water covering my feet in the early months of summer to the rain pouring down on me after dance class come to my head when I revisit the early years of my life. Let’s go back in time for a while. I grew up into a child dreamer. I decided to make this post about my childhood dreams, at least my top ten.
1) I dreamt to be married one day.
When I was five I decided that I was going to marry “my Prince Eric” from Little Mermaid. He was handsome, free, and just amazing. I loved pretending that one day I would meet him and dreamed every word out of his mouth to me. I was obsessed over the fact that one night it would be my turn to be beautiful.
2) I dreamt to be a mommy.
Oh how my desire to be a mommy burned inside of me. It was my passion to raise kids and I was glad when my mom gave me three younger siblings. I would watch her every move and be amazed how she made it look so easy. I had cabbage patch kids named, taken care of, and ready for life every day. I was so proud of myself when I started babysitting.
3) I dreamt to change the world with the power of Christ’s love.
I was baptized, committed my life, and ready to change the world when I was ten years old. I would dream of how God would use my life to bring glory to the kingdom.
4) I dreamt to be a Kindergarten teacher.
Since I am patient with children five and under I want to be a kindergarten teacher. It seems like the best job on this planet.
5) I dreamt to be a mermaid.
I love mermaids but do not believe them.
6) I dreamt to work for Disney.
Whether it is a parade or a show, I have always been interested in Disney. They inspire me to try harder. It brought back a sense of comfort and a warm blanket of encouragement. I love Disney!
7) I dreamt to travel the world.
I want to go to China, Africa, South America, and New York. I want to see things outside of my zone. I know God created this Earth beautifully and I want to see it.
8) I dreamt to have my own tree house.
It seems like every child has a tree house. I still until this day want a tree house, a place of my own to pray, worship, and to be by myself.
9) I dreamt to be the best I can be.
My parents raised me to be one that strives. I live for a challenge and ask for no reward. I do things to the best and the even beyond. My family was founded on the principle of doing the absolute best in every situation.
10) I dreamt to take naps for the rest of my life.
I enjoy naps, especially on Sundays.

You see I have dreams from my childhood that still stick to me. Everything is possible with God. He will be able to fulfill your heart. Trust in the Lord because He has BIG things in store for you. Your Heavenly Father wants you to be happy; He yearns for His children happiness. Follow Him in all areas of your life not just today but your whole life.
Matthew 25:21
“Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Colossians 2:10
“And you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”

The Edge of Your Seat!

Willingness of your heart, mind, and soul has been an amazing concept when fully grasped and understood. Have you ever had one of those moments where God was pulling your heart but you did not understand until the light bulb finally shinned above your head? That happened to me a few weeks ago in church. The subject was on the road less traveled, it is from Crossroad’s The Heart of Summer series.

I figured it out what God has been saying all along, it is the willingness to have a relationship with Christ. Let’s say you accept Jesus as your Savior, your relationship will be as strong as your willingness towards the relationship.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 (New Living Translation)
“This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”

God wants EVERYONE in the whole entire world to be willing to choose Him as their personal Lord and Savior, accepting the truth, being ready to be freed by the Holy Spirit, sharing His love, and denying oneself on a daily basis.
How to be willing!

1) Accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior declaring it to the world.
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

2) Accept the truth
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

3) Being ready to be freed by the Holy Spirit
John 8:32 “then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

4) Sharing His love
1 John 3:16 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

5) Denying oneself on a daily basis
Matthew 10:38 “And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

So I ask you this: are you willing to be at the edge of your seat ready to be a follower for Christ? I pray that everyone who reads this will be willing to open their heart towards God.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that those who read my blog will be inspired
to live the life you have planned for them. Help me and those reading this to be more willing to live for you. Let us see the truth and obey what you have planned for us. Lord, I pray for those who may not know you, help them to see that you are the way, the truth, and the life and through you they will not have to live in bondage. Thank you Abba, for your everlasting love.
I ask this in your name,
Amen

The Compassionate Heart!

A lesson in compassion really hit me hard the other day. I use to think I was very compassionate but my heart told me a whole different story. You see when I was younger I forgave everyone but as I grew up I lost that. I became very angry and bitter towards the world and everyone in it. In high school, my senior year, things changed for me. I became “on track” with God and His plan for my life but something was always missing. I was reading Beth Moore’s book called Breaking Free and learned that I was living with captivity. Forgiveness!

I thought that just by forgetting about the hurt that others put upon me was enough to be called forgiveness. I was wrong. I could have been lived in freedom all these years but I chose to be strangled by my captivity.

Here is what I did to be set free.
1) Think of all the people that I hurt and that hurt me
2) Pray that I would be forgiven for my actions towards these people and I also prayed that I would have the strength to forgive these people.
3) I told these people that I am sorry and truly meant it. I also told them about my life changing experience. To the people who hurt me I told them that I forgive them for everything.
4) I accepted my past and now I live in my future, an abundant life with my Abba.

Being compassionate is a hard thing to do on your own. Remember that God, the Father of His children will hold your hand through it all. I know He will. Ask, seek, and forgive.

Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Hollywood Part 3: Devotional

Hollywood Part 3: Devotional

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6

These are the wonderful words I saw written on the page of my devotional before I embarked on a journey to Hollywood. What a beautiful comfort I received. God did not just stop there, He continues to show how beautifully comforting He is. As we were driving I looked out the glass window to discover something so amazing. On the building it said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” I told my dad of how magnificent it was to see how much God was truly comforting me. I was in awe.

GOD IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE!

I know that God is the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to truly live is to have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. I pray that more people open their hearts to this incredible testament of life. God will comfort you, where ever you go. You are His sheep and He is the Shepherd.

The way: He wants ALL of His children to be in Heaven with Him. To attain this we need to ask God into our hearts and ask for salvation. He will give it to you just believe, follow, and live love out loud.

The truth: God sent His son to Earth to save us. Out of love He saved us from sin. He sent His one and only son to pay the ultimate price so that we might live. Truth be told; Heaven is waiting for us. Anyone who does not accept Christ Jesus will be sent to Hell. Start a relationship with Jesus; after all He is the truth.
The life: Live love out loud. When we live out our love just as Jesus did for us, we develop the ultimate life. We live an abundant life with an outstanding Father holding our hand.

1 John 3:16
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Hollywood (Part 2)- Conquering my fears

Hollywood (Part 2)
Conquering my fears

Confession: I am fearful of a lot of things. I was able to conquer two of my fears this week. Glass elevators and bridges!

I have been afraid of elevators since I was a little girl. If I ride them then I always hold on. This time was different. My dad and I went into a glass elevator. At first, when I went on I was terrified. I prayed to my Heavenly Father before I got in. I was comforted in the midst of this scary event that was taken place. He did not leave me.

After the elevator we went on the bridge that crosses between buildings. It had a lot of cracks in it. So again I was comforted when I crossed the bridge.
What made me be able to cross the bridge and get on an elevator? Answer: the comfort of God. He never left me.

No matter what you are going through, whether it be facing your fear or even in a struggle God is always here. I recognized how much He loves me for helping in something that I thought was huge. I know that God is holding my hand through every day that have lived and will live. Take a few moments today to truly think about how God has been there for you.

Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Hollywood Part One-Homeless

Hollywood (Part 1)

On July 7th, 2010 my dad and I went to Hollywood. While we were there I realized three major important things that God was telling me. I was in awe with the first one.

Homelessness is a huge problem. Everywhere we went there were people who did not have a home. It broke my heart and I started to realize how blessed I am. I have been taking my house for granted. Let’s look at the back story before I am able to fully explain myself.

My family moved from house to house to house. I did not realize that God gave my family the chance to have a home. Yet I have complained about every single house. I feel awful for complaining. It was always “why do I have to share my room? Or the bathroom is just too small.” I should have been saying “Yay! I get time to get to know my sister better. Or thank you God for providing my family with a bathroom.” See when I took the chance to realize what great things God was doing in my life, I was able to see His blessings for me.

Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

I love this verse. It touched me the very first time I read it. My heart has been heavy until I heard this verse. I love how the Creator of the universe wants to answer me. I am going to be praying for the homeless population, not just in Hollywood, and I know God will do big things.

Dear Father,
I pray that you will hear my cry for the homeless population. It breaks my heart to see so many people without a house and without you Lord. Please continue to do big things in their lives. Thank you, Jesus for my home.
I love you Abba!
Amen

I look to YAHWEH!

I have something that have been keeping secretly in my heart and leaving a sense of pain. I need to confess about an issue in my life. I was blind to my ignorance and thought this world was created for me. I am indeed selfish and very dishonest with myself. I have heard all the lies before and actually bought into them. I was watching a romance movie the other night and could not help but wonder what God has planned for me. Boy, I was wrong.

I should have corrected myself and thought about what God is doing for me. As a declaration to this great day, I have to come out and say that today is about the freedom God gave you and me. It is an honor to be on this Earth serving my Abba. It is an honor to be breathing and having a glorious life that is often taken grant for. God gave this day to you and me. He fought and endured the worst kinds of pains for me and you. So I will correct myself. God has been doing remarkable miracles in my life.

1. He has healed my sister, Jayden. I have never taken the time to praise God for this miracle. My sister has been battling Leukemia for a few years but now she is living abundantly thanks to Jesus.

2. Jesus has given me an opportunity to learn about Him with an amazing group of women. My mom and I go to the women’s Bible study. I am blessed to spend time with my mom while learning more about ourselves and digging deep into a time of study with our Father.

3. I have theeeeee most amazing and spectacular family in the whole wide world. I am blessed to have a family who loves and accepts me but more than that have dedicated their lives to Christ. I am thankful for the church family that I have. I am honored to have met my brothers and sisters in Christ and then to have a relationship with them.

Those are just some examples of what God is doing my life. He is blessings me abundantly and I praise Him for He is mighty. I do not have to worry about who I will be with, how I make money for my family, or even if I will become something great. I have God and that is all I need. After all if He can fight for my freedom then He will give me peace about my future.

I will look to Yahweh forever, today and tomorrow with arms opened wide. I receive joy and love today because of a compassionate Father to His daughter.

Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the times come. “

Today when you remember what the red, white, and blue also remember what God did for you. Trust that He will never leave you, thank Him every day, and have a relationship with your Father.

Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.”

Today and everyday, I will live in freedom because of a loving Father.

Live Love Out Loud!