Happy Sabbath!!!

This GUY! ^^- I admire!! Feeling so blessed!! :)

Encouragement for the day for you!! Happy Sabbath, ya'll!! Last Sabbath of the year, make it an amazing one!

12/25/2012

Merry Christmas!!! :) What an awesome year it has been. God has been so faithful!!!!!

So glad that the King of kings came on earth to save us of our inequities and our sins!! I am so excited about eternal life with Him.

Today was an amazing day with big sis and fiancee thanks to awesome church friends and [Lim] family!!

two words: brrrr and yum.

Check it out in pictures (Sprague Lake and Bear Lake Trials). We're officially Colorado-ans....hahaha.

Faithful God Indeed

Wow, what a terrible job I've done with keeping up with this blog. Yet it's funny how much of a blessing my previous posts have been to me. To read my experiences with God, my praises and testimonies, and to see how faithful God has been? Priceless.

I can't think of much to say right now, but I certainly can think of an awesome song to share! Because of God, my life is beautiful!

food for thought

Have you ever prayed so hard for so long that you started losing hope? questioning whether or not God is even listening anymore?

E.M. Bounds on Prayer....(powerful powerful man of God)...if you've been wanting to improve your prayer life....PLLLLLLLLLEASE go to amazon (or something!) and buy his book. He will convict, encourage, move, and motivate you to get on your knees!!

"If Jacob's desire had been given him in time for him to get a good night's sleep, he might never have become the prince of prayers we know today. if Hannah's prayer for a son had been answered at the time she set for herself, the nation might never have know the mighty man of God it found in Samuel. Hannah wanted only a son, BUT GOD wanted more. He wanted a prophet, a savior, and a ruler for His people. Someone said that "God had to get a woman before He could get a man." This woman He got in Hannah. Precisely by those weeks and months and years there came a woman with a vision like God's, with tempered soul and gentle spirit and a seasoned will, prepared to be the kind of a mother for the kind of a man God knew the nation needed" (W.E. Biederwolf), p. 326.

God Restores

God never said the road would be easy, in fact He predicted that (2 Timothy 3: 12)"everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." A preacher once reminded that we are in the middle of a war, and there is no middle ground. You're either on God's side or you're not. As in all wars, there are casualties. As a result, no one should be shocked that life is hard. Casualties come in all forms, shapes and sizes. It could be the death of a family or a friend, receiving a speeding ticket, losing friendships, experiencing financial problems, depression, struggling with a specific sin. It could also be something as "small" as losing your key, dealing with a cold, etc.

The battle isn't really what you're dealing with, as much as it is how you're handling it. Do you betray your own? Deny God? Give up on life? or do you TRUST and Deal with the situation in faith?

It is no wonder that James 1: 2-4 encourage that we "consider it pure joy, brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I am no different than anyone on earth. As I grow older, it is so easy to get upset at God because life "seems to be getting harder and harder". In fact, the past couple years, my relationship with God has had many ups and MANY downnnnsss. (mercy!) There have been and will continue to be tears, heartaches, pains, etc., but deep down inside, I know that I am and will be nothing without God. There is no way I would dare deny Him after what I have seen Him done in my life.

If you feel as if your life is headed down a DEAD END street...if you are struggling to find the meaning or a purpose in your life...if you are finding yourself unable to forgive certain deeds in your life that you have done...if you are dealing with depression, have lost those you thought had your back.......

Always remember, dear friend, that GOD RESTORES. Just take it one day at a time. You have a purpose in life...in His time, with your trust and faith, He will reveal it to you. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

This song has been on repeat since the first time I heard it way back when!!

Where's Your Investment?

As I took my car to make that almost 13-hour trip, I couldn't help but make some spiritual connections with my journey.

You see, almost four years ago, my mother took me car-shopping, and to make a very long story short, because buying a car wasn't a priority to me then, I didn't really think of it as a long term investment.

However, the more I started investing in the car (oil changing, check ups, tires, etc.), the more valuable this car became to me. So valuable that I have asked God to make this car last another year (5-years) and after that (whether or not I have the means to get a new one), I will run with it until I can no longer.

I love my car!!!! (Yeeees, I hesitated to write "love" but I couldn't think of another word...) . I love it soo much that I determined in my mind that only IIIIII was going to drive it to my next destination (and you better believe I drove that 13-hr with my car!!! lol).

Throughout my 13-hr journey, I found myself blowing kisses (I know it sounds silly) to the wheel, speaking words of affirmation and encouragement to my car, and just reminiscing on our past journeys. And when my dad suggested that I sell the car, I almost..flipped. out. "SELLLLLLLLL????" I thought....play not..we've been through SO MUCH and I have invested so much of my time, money...and to give it away to someone else?....not a chance. not EVEN...one.chance.

My sentiments may not be even CLOSE to how God feels about us, but I'd like to think that for a quick second, I felt His pain.

To have experienced great pains, to have been rejected by those He was going to die for, to have left
His heavenly kingdom to come down on earth...and then die on our behalf? WHAT AN INVESTMENT!!

No wonder He has perpetuated in His heart that NOTHING could EVER separate us from His love.


He has invested so much that the THOUGHT of abandoning us sounds so foreign. Til your last breath, He will endlessly chase after you. Surrender your heart to Him. He is LOVE...everything you could ever want or need.

KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED UNCONDITIONALLY TODAY!

a bit of encouragement!

like this song!! it made it to my blogspot.

TRUE LOVE

The summer of 2010 started like a regular summer until the most amazing man (;)) stepped in. Very long story short (one day i'd be UBER GLAD to share it with you, but until then ;)!), we started talking and eventually began dating. Over the course of the year and half plus we have been dating, one thing (to sum it all up) that we have learned is that the key to our relationship is....you guess it! COMMUNICATION. (Please don't underestimate that skill). Learning to excel at this skill as individuals (to God and each other) and as a couple has been the instant glue in our relationship....and believe me, it's been a journey, but one that has been and continues to be an extremely satifying journey.

Through COMMUNICATION, we have learned how much we are different(gender differences, personality differences, worldviews, temparament) as well as how much we are similar! (our needs, our dreams and our hopes). We recognize two important things: 1) only through communicating have we been able to understand how we are different and why, and 2) only through our communication have we been able to recognize how AMAZING GOD IS.

Check this out: Do you REALLY think that the differences between a way a man and a woman think is coincidental? If you do, you have missed the GREATER purpose of relationship as well as the width and depth of God's love.

God is a God of diversity. In all things that He does, He seeks to be glorified. God commands that we love one another as we love ourselves. He knew that He could only show us the extent of His love if He could stretch our minds to learn how to respect and appreciate differences in others. After all, WE are different from God.

WE are humans. HE is God.
WE are mortals. HE is immortal.
WE are sinful. HE is holy.
We are selfish. HE is not.
WE are limited in knowledge. HE is omniscient.
WE are limited in our powers. HE is omnipotent.

Despite our differences (HIM being the perfect ONE), He still loves us UNconditionally. He is patient with us. Yet it's funny that as imperfect beings, WE tend to be the impatient ones. WE think we're the best out there and everyone should be and think like US. We are impatient and disgusted that other people are different, or think differently or act differently. We are easily turned off by OTHERS' sinful nature, yet fail to realize that WE ARE basically on the same boat. We fail to realize that everyone has the same basic needs, thaty they just have a different way of expressing or receiving those needs because of how life has shaped them. If only we had time to communicate with these people we would find out how SIMILAR we are.

What I have learned in my relationship with the most awesome man in my life is that without communication, our relationship would have already ended. Without being patient enought to sift through our differences, we would not have had the amazing opportunity to find those similarities. If we had not found those similarities, we would have given up already because we would've thought we were "incompatible". If we had given up, we would have missed out on the joy and the happiness of experiencing a secure, honest and loving relationship (praise GOD for wisdom and patient!). The fire wasn't easy to go through, but it made it alot feasible knowing that we could communicate to each other and help each other during the chiseling process. We came out lookin' better than ever, feelin' better than eva, and lovin' each other better than ever.

It is the same in our spiritual relationship with God. We are extremely different from God (we think and act differently), but both God and us want to the same thing- the best for us as human beings. But how can we understand each other if we are so different? Our differences are basically that God is "spiritually discerned" and we are not. How can we be spiritually discerned? COMMUNICATION!!!!!! Praying without ceasing.... Even Jesus did it...there's a reason for that. Praying for the Holy SPIRIT who is our comforter and our guide.


GOD IS RELATIONAL. and ultimately, if we are seeking TRUE LOVE (which is Him), we must seek Him first and through Him, find our perfect earthly one. I did ;)


BE BLESSED.!

Do you WANT to Hear God?

This year, specifically, God has been revealing Himself in ways that I never thought were possible. He has put me through FYRE...and today I can testify that my faith and character have strengthened...again, in ways that I never thought were possible.

Testimonies are too much for me to share, and I don't even know where to start. The past couple of weeks though, (beginning of April), I have been participating in this April Fast with a young group of people, which requires me to do two things: spend more time in His word, and one day a week together- to fast for 12 hours.

Long story short, the more I started to lengthen my time with God, the more I wanted to spend time in His presence. The more I spent time in His presence, the more peace I experienced. The more peace I experienced and am still experiencing, THE MORE I BEGAN/am beginning TO HEAR HIS VOICE. and the more I hear(d) His voice, THE STRONGER MY FAITH.

----> I remember a couple of months ago, it was a struggle to wake up in the morning because I was overwhelmed by the daily 'required' tasks. I would be so tired, and would rush through my devotion (it's so funny because my previous experiences already have testified that it is when I was the most busy, that I needed to spend the MOST time with God!) but hey, isn't it easier to "blow off God" since we can't see Him and focus on our job requirements since we have to say our bosses, for example?

I struggled to wake up..and today, God woke me up at 4:30am....and I have been spending time with Him for at least an hour, and I really don't want to stop.

{MY DEVOTION TODAY: Acts 10 ---> noticed that both characters were praying and because they were praying, they were able to hear God, which led to a reunion, which led to the Holy Spirit's presence in their midst. As a result, souls were saved!!!!). You can't blow off PRAYER!!!!

----> I also remember not feeling the aspect of "fasting" because it was just too much. But I have always asked the Lord for the experience of hearing His voice...and to make a long story short, if you want to hear God's voice...FAST!!!! and PRAY. you will be so hungry that you won't even have the energy to worry, and because you won't have energy to worry, you will be able to hear the Holy Spirit.


What's up with this whole Holy Spirit talk?

Well, check this out: if the Holy Spirit is supposedly your Comforter, and Your Guide...then doesn't it make sense to PRAY for Him so that He can help you make better decisions in your daily life? (duuuuhhhhh. :)

Anyways, this month has been A BLESSING x10. Things are being revealed to me (about myself first and most), and I can not stop being amazed at what God has done, is doing, and will do.

Trust HIM!!!

my GOD IS AWESOME!!!!!

The peace I am experiencing right now in my life despite the uncertainties of the future....priceless. Dear God, thank you for YOUR LOVE!!!

I have been doing something different lately. I was reminded a few months ago that prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. I could not wrap my head around how to "listen" to God while praying(that would take MAD LONNNNNGG, right?)...so this week, I decided to do something different.

1)Pray (intercede on behalf of others and myself), THEN
2)Journal what has been going on with me, then
3)Ask a question, usually "where do you want me to go from here, Lord?" or "what do you want to do right now?" etc. Finally,

4)RANDOMLY open my Bible to place and whichever chapter I come across (pick the one in its entirety)... read and write down my thoughts.

Amazing. Exciting. Creative. Powerful.

I shall start sharing what God has been speaking to me starting tomorrow!! It's good to know that I am not just praying (talking and talking and talking) and not listening :). The WORD is MY LIGHT.!

My GOD IS AWESOME (a friend shared this dynamic song with me!)

the way God works.

For the past couple of months, or maybe years (lol), especially being in school, it's been really hard for me to not feel a bit..."trapped". I remember the days when I was so ambitious and excited about life...so ready to conquer the world, so focused and so determined..and it's not that much has changed, except that I have been feeling as if I have been "stuck" in the same environment, place, system (educational) for years now. I am a future-thinker. I love to plan, dream of doing different things in life simultaneously, direct my own life...but because of studies, studies and more studies, I have been so limited in what I could/can do...and that sometimes can make me feel so frustrated and extremely miserable!! (ahhh, because being "trapped" leaves little room to "move around" and "experience freedom").

As such, when I notice that others can have that opportunity to do different things (have a career already, for example), it makes me grow impatient. Yet, lately, I have been realizing that while there is greatness in focusing on the future, it's so easy to miss the blessings and enjoy the present. It is no wonder that I start feeling unsatisfied with the place I am in life, and wishing that I was "done already" so I can "do something with my life", wishing that I was this and that and feeling so useless....WHOMP WHOMP.

Thus, this evening as I am spending time with God, and reading a testimony online, I am led to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. The verses read: Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

God led. I needed to hear those words.

We are not perfect. We will never be. Our present is there (in whatever shape or form) to humble us and to remind us that this life is NOT our own! In this case, God chose my present to nullify the things that are, so that I can't boast before Him. What powerful verses. I need to memorize ASAP.

Love Takes Time

What is right in Christian relationships?

How far should Christian couples go?

Check this out and let God lead you.
It might sounds difficult or revolutionary...but there's nothing worth something that's easy to achieve!!

Song of Solomon 8:4: "Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right."

click here ----> FOR A HEALTHY, GODLY RELATIONSHIP THAT GLORIFIES GOD!!