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[rawkaleewe]

God has not answered every prayer in the way that I have wanted, and that has saved me from myself. He answers with truth, not from misguided feelings and emotions that waiver with the times.

[rawkaleewe]

When life seems so uncertain, I know of one sure thing: He is faithful.// And this is what I will put my hope and trust in as I go through this season of waiting. I will cling to those three words. “He is faithful.” Because I know He has a good and perfect plan for me. I know that He has gone before me and made a way. That He is still leading me. He hasn’t left me alone to figure it all out by myself. His word remind me that He is the One who holds my hand, and He goes before me, paving out new pathways, opening doors, and healing broken places so I can walk through. I know He has given me a hope and a future even though I feel like I have no hope, no future, and no plan. He breaks through all the lies the enemy would want to heap over me, and reminds me that He certainly knows my way. And His plans are good, every single one. He brings hope and purpose, even in the hardest and darkest times we’ve walked through. And the same goes for you friends. Cling to those three little words “He is faithful.” https://www.instagram.com/p/B0gjqwIFJ_H/?igshid=tu3uofd3z4t6

[rawkaleewe]

The gospel is full of seeming contradictions. If you want to be first, you must be last. If you want to save your life, you must lose it. And if you want to be strong, you must glory in your weakness. Brokenness is God's requirement for maximum usefulness. This is because it is when you are truly helpless and without resources that you must count on God's provision. His power enables you to triumph and all the glory belongs to Him.

Charles Stanley

[rawkaleewe]

Dear someone, if you're hurting inside know that God loves you and that He is with you and that He is for you. You're not unloved, alone, nor unsupported.

[rawkaleewe]

“If you’re wondering where you stand with God, just know that he chose you. He chose you when you ran away. He chose you when you made a mistake. He chose you when you wanted to do the exact opposite of what He told you to do. He chose you.”

- Christian Bosse

[rawkaleewe]

“If you’re wondering where you stand with God, just know that he chose you. He chose you when you ran away. He chose you when you made a mistake. He chose you when you wanted to do the exact opposite of what He told you to do. He chose you.”

- Christian Bosse

[rawkaleewe]

Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:11 Picture this event: There’s this adulteress woman, angry and rebellious, perhaps her hair in disarray, dragged by the hypocritical religious leaders, throwing accusations at her. But when she sees Jesus, the mercy and love that was in His face and voice began to touch her. She realized that she had sinned, and she repented. Jesus forgave her instantly but added, “Go and sin no more.” Some Christians say, “God loves me just the way I am.” Yes, God does love us the way we are, but He wants to change us. Forgiveness is always designed to set us free. This beautiful story brings us to that place in which we understand that when our sins are forgiven, it is to free us that we might begin to live a different lifestyle by the power of His Holy Spirit.

[rawkaleewe]

An Unguarded Strength

I think I’ve been guilty of moving too quickly through the sequence of events that preceded Peter’s downfall. I often jump from Peter’s bold declaration that he would die for Jesus and never deny him to the rooster crow that signaled his first denial; however, our mistakes don’t just happen all at once. Let’s look closer at the events that led up to this moment in Peter’s life. What if it wasn’t Peter’s weakness that led him to failure but rather his strengths?

“I will never deny you.” - Peter

Many of us are well acquainted with our weaknesses. We know the things that we lean into when we are not healthy, but we don’t really consider our strengths as places where we can fall short and miss the mark. One of Peter’s strengths was his bold personality. I think that’s part of the reason why Jesus called Peter in the first place—because he could take charge, move quickly, act with passion, and do the things Jesus called him to do without reservation. Jesus wanted this kind of personality on his team. The problem was that Peter never learned how to put a governor on his gift. He never learned how to guard his strength, and an unguarded strength is a double weakness. Nothing can get you into more trouble than your strengths.

Are you a people person? Do you thrive off of the energy of other people? If this strength goes unguarded, you could find yourself thriving not only on the energy of others but also on the acceptance of others, perhaps compromising values and beliefs to fit in with whomever is “in” at the moment.

Maybe you have a leadership gift and a mind for strategy and vision. What a gift! But if that strength goes unguarded, you may find yourself manipulating people and situations to execute your own agenda rather than championing others’ skills, contributions, and gifts. Then you become a leader with blurry ethical lines, and your unguarded strength becomes a double weakness.

Perhaps you’re good with money. You could be so good with money that soon all you think about is money—how you can get more, how you can save more. If this goes unchecked, you begin to hoard it instead of giving it, and now you are greedy and not generous. In this instance an unguarded strength becomes a double weakness. Any strength we have that is not surrendered to Jesus can be used as a weapon against ourselves and against others.

We have to guard our strengths. Because Peter was unwilling to accept the possibility of falling down, he was unprepared for his opportunity to stand up. When we admit that we are prone to failure, that our strengths aren’t strong enough to save us, we find the power to live righteously through Christ.

Scripture says, “Take heed when ye stand, lest ye fall.”

When sin affects our opportunities to use our strengths, a perfect situation can become a perfectly wrong situation.

Have you assessed your strengths and your weaknesses lately?

Readings: 1 Cor 10:12-13; Romans 12:3

[rawkaleewe]

“If you want peace about where you’re headed, you won’t get there by worrying. You’ll get there by trusting, knowing that God will lead you right where you need to be.”

— Morgan Harper-Nichols

[rawkaleewe]

After studying the story of how Judas betrayed Jesus I found myself shaking my head at him. AFTERALL, He chose money over Jesus. But after thinking about it, I had to question myself. How often do I choose something over Jesus, but I do it for free?

[rawkaleewe]

After studying the story of how Judas betrayed Jesus I found myself shaking my head at him. AFTERALL, He chose money over Jesus. But after thinking about it, I had to question myself. How often do I choose something over Jesus, but I do it for free?

[rawkaleewe]

God has perfect timing. God is not in a hurry. You are. That’s exactly why you are tired. That’s why you are anxious, stressed, and disappointed. Trust in God’s perfect timing. Trust that what was meant to be yours, will be yours.

[rawkaleewe]

Don’t question who God removes from your life … Trust him. He heard the conversations when you weren’t around.

[rawkaleewe]

God has perfect timing. God is not in a hurry. You are. That’s exactly why you are tired. That’s why you are anxious, stressed, and disappointed. Trust in God’s perfect timing. Trust that what was meant to be yours, will be yours.

[rawkaleewe]

Don’t question who God removes from your life … Trust him. He heard the conversations when you weren’t around.

[rawkaleewe]

Never go to bed a single night without knowing, even the lowest part of your soul, that no matter what this world thinks of you, you are deeply loved and deeply known by a God who wants nothing more than for you to know Him and love Him back.

[rawkaleewe]

Don’t question who God removes from your life … Trust him. He heard the conversations when you weren’t around.