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“When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million, empty words.”

— Thema Davis

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(Revelation 3:5)

One of the biggest lies Satan tries to convince the Church to accept is the belief that once saved, always saved - regardless of the life we live.

In Revelation 3:1-6, Jesus is speaking to the Church at Sardis. This Church had a good reputation amongst the people, but in the eyes of our Lord, they were dead. In verse one Jesus said, "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead." Jesus instructed this Church to make changes - to be watchful, strengthen the things that remain, and to repent (verses 2 and 3). In verse 5 Jesus said those who overcome will not have their names blotted out of the Book of Life. Yes, their names were already in the Book of Life, but if they didn't make the necessary changes and repent, their names would be blotted out. As Christians we need to understand that Salvation is a gift from God, but how we live in this life will ultimately determine where we spend eternity; so it's up to us to live a life that's pleasing to God. But this is something you cannot do without God's daily help, so make sure you're asking Him to help you live a Christ centered lifestyle.

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“When I met you, flowers started growing in the darkest parts of my mind.”

— Unkown

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i love the buzzing sound of electricity running through the wires

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Maria Denise Dessimoz, The Inevitable Anguish of Desire

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1 Peter 2:11

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul.

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I often think about how Jesus knew he was going to die. We often say how you never know what will be your last morning, your last night of sleep, your last moment of peace. Except Jesus did know, He knew it intimately. He knew His last time eating with those He loved, His last time to hug His mother, His last prayer. How precious were these moments for Him? The last time He had physically been with His creation had been in Eden. Now, wrapped in flesh, He had to give it up again all for the hope that He could again be with us, this time forever. The love of God physically hurts me sometimes. I feel how He misses me, and I dearly miss Him.

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“You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!”

‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

No man knows the day or the hour of the coming of the Lord. Make sure you live every moment with God in your heart. Remember that you may be the only Jesus a person sees today. Do that good deed. We are called to be servants.

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Dear child of God, when was the last time you sat with the Lord, opened your Bible, and sought His wisdom and understanding? Your spiritual growth is too important to leave in the hands of others—whether pastors, YouTubers, blogs, or friends. You need to know God for yourself. Make the choice today to dive deeply into the Word daily. Find a quiet space, bring a notepad and pen, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Watch as the Lord reveals all He’s been longing to teach you, filling your heart with His truth and love.

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crochet cross bookmarks

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I used to hate herbal tea. I drank it for medicinal purposes, but it was a chore. But then I learned The Secret, the one that makes herbal tea not only palatable, but enjoyable. Tasty. Delightful, even. I will tell it to you now:

Herbal tea is not tea.

Duh, you say, but let me explain further.

Herbal tea is not tea, and it will suck if you treat it like tea.

Actual tea, as in the tea plant Camellia sinensis, has very specific steep times and temperatures. This varies by variety (green vs black vs white), but it all comes down to a common factor:

Tea is high in tannins.

Tannins make stuff bitter. Tannins are released from the tea if you heat it too high or too long (again, specifics depend on variety but the point stands). If you steep it too long, BOOM, tannins. You put it in water that is still boiling or hasn’t cooled down enough from boiling? TANNINS. You get nasty, bitter, burnt-grass-tasting tea.

Herbal tea almost universally doesn’t have tannins. This means you almost universally can’t over-steep herbal tea. And in fact, and listen up because this is the practical part of the secret, you need to steep it way longer than actual tea if you want to get the flavors into the water!

Those recommended steep times on your herbal tea box are based off actual tea (black tea to be specific). It’s usually somewhere around 5-7 minutes, but what you actually need is something like 10-15 minutes.

And most conventional tea-making wisdom will tell you to not put the water in too soon after boiling, but again, that’s for tannin-rich Camellia sinensis. You could literally boil* your herbal tea if you wanted. It might make it slightly less sweet depending on variety, and you will probably bust your tea bag doing so, but my point is that you should put as hot of water as you can get into your steeping vessel. As in kettle starts whistling, pour it in immediately over the tea bag. Then let it sit for 10-15 minutes as discussed above.

The only exceptions that I know of personally are meadowsweet, red raspberry leaf, and yarrow, and only one of those is a very common herbal tea ingredient. And honestly, it’s not even high enough in tannins to affect your whole cup if it’s just part of a blend.

So please stop drinking weak plant-adjacent water and start getting the actual flavors you paid for.

*I have actually just dumped herbs in a pot and boiled them and it made a delicious tea. I used lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, and mint, all of which I’d grown myself, and literally just tossed the fresh-picked sprigs into a pot and boiled the crap out of it for close to 10 minutes because I forgot about it while I was rearranging the freezer. It was delicious and not bitter at all despite being a color I can only describe as “positively murky,” and I could taste every single one of the herbs I put in there. It also made my whole apartment smell like a sunny meadow. Do with this information what you will. Am I recommending you boil the devil out of your herbal tea bags? Not necessarily. But I’m also not not recommending it.

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www.instagram.com/officialnatalina

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Submit yourselves to God: resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

—James 4:7