Posts Tagged ‘Christian Living’

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You are Rejoiced Over

Thursday, October 5th, 2017

you-are-rejoiced-over

Did you know that God rejoices over you? Yes, you are rejoiced over by God Himself! Listen to this:

The LORD your God is in your midst,
A mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by his love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

Singing represents joy. God expresses joy when people do what is right. God is full of emotion, and He is rooting for us. He is not against us! (Romans 8:31)

We bring God joy!

The sinless angels in heaven are reflecting the joy that God has. What makes God happy makes the angels happy. What makes God sad makes the angels sad. The angels and God are on the same side.

Here is more insight from Scripture to see where the angels in heaven reflect the joy of God:

  • Through creation: “…while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” Job 38:7 NIV
  • When we repent of sin: “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 ESV
  • When we display our faith in God: We are told after the Hebrews Hall of Faith that “we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) and that our acts of obedience and faith do not go unnoticed by God!
  • When we endure unjust treatment: “For God is pleased when, conscious of His will, you patiently endure unjust treatment.” 1 Peter 2:19 NLT

rejoice-over-you

When we hold on to our faith when our circumstances are dark, when we continue to trust God when everything seems against us… When we minister to others even when we ourselves are hurting… This brings joy to God.

When we delight in God, this brings delight to God! This is why singing praises in the midst of difficult circumstances brings so much glory to God. The cloud of unseen witnesses around us roots for us and rejoices when they see us bringing glory to God.

Here is a poem I wrote today as I was pondering these things:

God rejoices
When He sees me
He sings!

Joy and freedom
Free from sin
Dancing!

Joy knows no bounds
Limitless smile
Approval!

rejoiced-over

Just like we as parents rejoice over our children when they do what is right, in the same way, God rejoices over us. Even if a child is mostly disobedient, when we see that child doing what is right, we as parents get so happy. We delight in any good thing our children do. It is the same way with God.

The Lord is not a hard task master. He is a God who delights in us. Let that sink in! You are rejoiced over by God!

If you don’t want to miss any of these posts from the series “31 Days to Regaining Your Identity,” why not sign up for my free monthly newsletter below, and follow my prayer page on Facebook.

you-are-a-masterpiece

 

My daughter and I created the artwork for this series from the course {aff} “You are a Masterpiece” by Alicia Gratehouse. If you love to do art and are discovering who you are in Christ, this is a great art course for you!

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Posted in Christian Living | 8 Comments »

31 Days to Regaining Your Identity

Monday, September 25th, 2017

regaining-your-identity

During the month of October I will be participating in the 31 Days challenge, and the topic this year is a life-changing one: 31 Days to Regaining Your Identity. Each day I will be covering a different aspect of who we are in Christ so that we can regain what the enemy has taken away from us and live a joyful life full of purpose. Christian women should be fully grounded in our personhood as daughters of the King so that we don’t live our lives in defeat.

Don’t listen to negative talk that people say against you, even if it’s your own family members. If you have trusted Christ and made Him Lord of your life, you have been forgiven. You are loved, and you are beautiful! I am going to prove all these things to you through Scripture and personal experience by filming a short teaching video with each day’s topic, so that you can come to know who you truly are.

Imagine someone who has a huge bank account, but that person does not know that he or she is a millionaire. So they live their lives in misery, because they just don’t know what they already own. Do you realize that you have an inheritance in Christ, and you don’t have to be dead to receive it? It’s true! You get so much treasure in Christ in the here and now, and the reason we live in defeat is because of lack of understanding.

Here is the list of topics I will be addressing this month:

1. You are Accepted
2. You are Loved
3. You are Forgiven
4. You are Beautiful
5. You are Rejoiced Over
6. You are Honored
7. You are Wanted
8. You are Valuable
9. You are Full of Hope
10. You are Protected
11. You are a Citizen of Heaven
12. You are Confident
13. You are Joyful
14. You are Unique and Significant
15. You are a New Creation
16. You are an Overcomer
17. You are Gifted
18. You are Powerful Over the Enemy
19. You are Healed and Restored
20. You are Free
21. You are God’s Temple
22. You are a Light to Others
23. You are Fearless and Brave
24. You are United with Christ
25. You are a Minister of Reconciliation
26. You are Equipped and Strong
27. You are Blessed
28. You are Full of Grace
29. You are Seated with Christ
30. You are God’s Masterpiece
31. You are Complete in Christ

If you don’t want to miss any of these posts from the series “31 Days to Regaining Your Identity,” why not sign up for my free monthly newsletter below, and follow my prayer page on Facebook.

you-are-a-masterpiece

 

During this series, you will see artwork created by my daughter and by me, through the art course {aff} “You are a Masterpiece” by Alicia Gratehouse. If you love to do art and are discovering who you are in Christ, this is a great art course for you!

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Posted in Christian Living | 20 Comments »

The Sin of Boredom: MK Perspective

Friday, November 11th, 2016

the-sin-of-boredom

Having grown up in a third world country, I have seen true poverty. In Guatemala, people who were finished with their chores would sit outdoors and contemplate life. They were not stressed out, even though they were poor. They didn’t feel that they had to be doing something every second in order to be happy.

In America, there are so many options for continuous entertainment. Most Americans become angry if they don’t have the extra money to do everything their heart desires. They lash out at the people around them that they are miserable, even though they have already spent lots of money on entertainment.

The sin of boredom is truly ugly. It reveals a heart of self-centeredness. Instead of asking God who to minister to at that moment (either by phone or in real life), they think only about themselves. They lack love. Love seeks the good of others above oneself. The majority of Americans have no love. As Jesus tells us about these end times in Matthew 24:12, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”

We are commanded to be different from the world. First John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” What a cold statement! The love of the Father is NOT in the man who loves the things of the world.

Even the fluff entertainment (that might not be sin in and of itself), when indulged to excess the way that Americans do, leads to tens of thousands of squandered hours. We will stand before God and give an account of our time. We will be ashamed. We will wish we had the time back to glorify God rather than indulge our flesh.

But very little of today’s entertainment is harmless. It causes us to indulge in sins of the mind, which lead to sins of action. As a whole, American Christians don’t even have a conscience any more. No only do they indulge in wickedness, but they feel entitled to self-pamper their greed every waking moment.

When the Israelites in the wilderness were “bored” with the manna that God miraculously provided, God sent quail for meat, and God struck dead the people who were bored, wanting more variety in their life. This is how God feels about boredom. It’s inextricably related to ungratefulness. God had supernaturally provided for all their needs, and they slapped God in the face because they DEMANDED more variety. They were angry that God did not give them more variety. They were ready to go back into slavery in Egypt rather than “put up” with God’s provision. What rotten people! No wonder God struck them dead!

Yet we are WORSE in this nation. God has given us more riches than any preceding time in history, and instead of being fully satisfied with our manna from God, we slap God in the face and demand to be self-pampered with whatever we can think of. If we can think it up, we should be able to do it without hindrance. How dare God say that we can’t do whatever we feel like doing?

God, have mercy on our nation where we say, “Have fun,” every time someone leaves the house to go out, as if the goal of life is having fun. Instead we should say, “Find ways to glorify God while you’re out.” Are we actually Christians, or do we indulge our flesh to the same level as the world?

This is the second in a series of “Indictments Against the Sins of America.”

  1. The Sin of Entitlement
  2. The Sin of Boredom (this post)
  3. The Sin of Lust

To keep up with my MK posts, like my MK page and subscribe to my blog.

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Posted in Christian Living, Growing Up as a Missionary Kid | 30 Comments »

101 Reasons to Pray

Monday, June 20th, 2016

101-Reasons-to-Pray

If you are wondering why you should bother to pray, here are some good reasons to pray:

  1. To have a relationship with God.
  2. To experience God’s peace.
  3. To be transformed into the image of Christ.
  4. Because God commands us to pray.
  5. To be involved in God’s work in people’s lives.
  6. To show people we love them enough to pray for them.
  7. To receive guidance from the Holy Spirit.
  8. To get wisdom in a difficult situation.
  9. To see how God answers prayer.
  10. To learn perseverance and endurance.
  11. To get rid of anxiety and worry.
  12. To turn God-ward.
  13. To give us a proper perspective.
  14. To know the love of God.
  15. To connect to the God of the universe.
  16. To learn thankfulness.
  17. Life is hard. Without Jesus beside us, it would be unbearable.
  18. To feel the presence of God during trials.
  19. To stand in the gap for a loved one.
  20. To ask for the salvation of someone.
  21. To ask that God would transform a difficult person.
  22. If we have a need, that God would provide it.
  23. To receive comfort during sadness.
  24. To align your heart to God’s heart and feel what He feels.
  25. To receive forgiveness for sins.
  26. For God to help us to control our words.
  27. To adore the Creator.
  28. When someone is in the hospital, that God would bring healing.
  29. After a car accident or other trauma–for the ability to get through the situation.
  30. For the reconciliation of a broken marriage.
  31. For an estranged child to come back to Christ.
  32. For our bills to be paid.
  33. For safety during travel.
  34. For God to use our spiritual gifts for the edification of the church.
  35. For God to unify His people.
  36. To accomplish God’s work.
  37. To perform our daily tasks well.
  38. To raise our children with hearts for God.
  39. To talk with God, to commune with Him.
  40. To receive insight into God’s Word.
  41. For God to give us the right thing to say to someone.
  42. To remove fear and give us confidence.
  43. To receive encouragement from God.
  44. To delight in the Lord.
  45. To be strengthened inwardly.
  46. To grow in faith and trust.
  47. To glorify the Lord.
  48. To receive answers to specific prayers and praise God.
  49. For the church to have revival.
  50. To listen to God.
  51. To find God’s purpose and calling for your life.
  52. To push back the powers of darkness and shine light to others.
  53. To gain clarity in a confusing situation.
  54. To be able to commit ourselves to God when falsely accused.
  55. To make Jesus Lord of our lives and allow Him to rule us.
  56. To abide in Christ like a branch in a vine.
  57. To set people free from bondage.
  58. To learn to trust God and to see His faithfulness.
  59. To be sanctified so that we can be useful vessels to the Master.
  60. To grow in our faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God.
  61. To receive more rewards when we finally are with Christ in heaven.
  62. To gain assurance of salvation.
  63. For protection in a dangerous situation.
  64. To remove excuses for sin.
  65. To be guided by God and His Word.
  66. To be convicted over sin and retain a clear conscience.
  67. To bring delight to God.
  68. To repair a friendship.
  69. To receive wisdom for parenting.
  70. To know how to prioritize a busy day.
  71. To grow in holiness.
  72. To enable us to rejoice in all things.
  73. To know that all things will work out for our good.
  74. To gain boldness in evangelism.
  75. To acquire gentleness in rebuking someone.
  76. To learn to live in dependence upon God and not our own resources.
  77. To be set free from our own strongholds or sinful patterns of thought.
  78. To gain generosity to help the poor.
  79. To give true encouragement to the fainthearted.
  80. To help someone feel that they are not alone.
  81. To grow in intimacy with a spouse.
  82. To get excited about Christ’s return.
  83. To get rid of false guilt and condemnation.
  84. To have hope in a hopeless situation.
  85. To take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
  86. To gain a greater awe for God.
  87. To not grow weary in doing good.
  88. To discover the hidden things of God.
  89. To ignite a deeper love and commitment to God.
  90. To ask God how to lead His children closer to Himself.
  91. To align your will to God’s will.
  92. To thank God for our daily food and His provision of it.
  93. To overcome temptation.
  94. To appreciate what God has given.
  95. To ask God to enable you to get out of debt.
  96. To not be blind to an area of sin.
  97. To break harmful addictions.
  98. To set our hearts on things above and not on earthly things.
  99. To learn contentment.
  100. To be a rock for other people in the midst of a storm.
  101. To enjoy the presence of God.

I hope you can see that prayer is vital and that there are so many reasons to pray. Can you think of other reasons we should pray?

To follow my prayer posts, like my Prayer page on Facebook, YouTube, and Google+.

101-Reasons

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