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Why is it Hard to Surrender?
When painful memories try to dominate my thoughts, when tears keep flowing, and when fear wants to reign, people will often say that I need to surrender. “Lift them up to God.” “Stop carrying the pain.” “Let go.” “Surrender.” These words are so easy to utter but so hard to do. How I wish I could easily dictate my heart not to be afraid. How I wish it was just a switch that I could easily turn on or off. If only things were not that complicated. It’s hard. It’s not easy to let go, especially when you want to control everything that is happening around you. It’s painful to…
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What is Faith?
Sometimes, it’s hard to describe the things that you can’t see. How can you even put words to what you want to happen but never really grasp its existence? Faith is not just a belief; it’s like trust, hope, love, surrender, grace, and courage combined in one word. It’s deep, and sometimes, it doesn’t make sense. It’s so easy to utter it but somehow hard to exercise. There are even days when it’s painful to keep our faith. There are instances when it hurts to trust in God’s ways. But I guess this is what it means to truly believe in Him. It takes a heart that’s willing to surrender.…
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Faith Without Action Is Dead
If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2: 16-17, NIV Faith without action is dead. It’s like telling God, “I trust you,” and then suddenly feeling exhausted because we want to control everything. It’s like expressing “I love you” to our Heavenly Father yet continuing to follow our selfish desires. Real faith can be seen in actions. You know that you truly believe in God and stop doing your own thing when you find…
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Just Do Your Best For God, And Everything Will Be Worth It
The way you do things will change the moment learn to surrender everything to God. You may have your own plans and goals, and you may want to fulfill them for the people you love and for others, but this time around, try to redirect your focus to God. Do your best not because you want to achieve your dreams but because God deserves your all. Offer all the works of your hands to Him and allow Him to bless them. Give your all and acknowledge that He is the source of your strength and wisdom. This is not about you, but this is about the God who is living…
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Let’s Choose To Strengthen Others
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Acts 18: 23, NIV Paul’s mission wasn’t just to plant churches outside Jerusalem and make converts. But it was also his goal to strengthen the disciples. This gives us two important reminders. First, for those who already started making disciples, we are reminded to continuously serve those whom God entrusted us. It’s not enough that they know Jesus; we are also called to help them know Him deeper. That they may be strengthened, and they may also be empowered to disciple others.…
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Focus on Eternal Things
This world is broken. There will be times when we experience pain and problems, and there will be unfair situations along the way. This is why we need to set our eyes on eternal things. If we just focus on the situations of this world, we will easily lose hope and feel disappointed. The negative things around us will consume our souls, and living a fulfilled life will be impossible. When we also fix our eyes on the temporary things of this world, we will no longer consider the eternal consequences of our choices. We will live as if our life ends after death. We will try to do the…
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Loving Father, Please Remind Me That I Am Not Alone
Lately, I’ve been going through a series of pains that greatly challenged my faith. I don’t know where to start, and I don’t have any clue what’s really going on. I just knew that I was not okay, and something inside was bothering me. Every time I try to face all these uncertainties on my own, I can’t help but wonder why I feel like I am the only human being in this world. The people around me looked so happy and successful. They put smiles on their faces, and it seems like they don’t have any problems at all. But here I am, struggling for something that I don’t…
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A Beautiful Mess
Have you ever tried creating a masterpiece out of your hands? If you tried to recall the beautiful things that you did before, did the process always appear smooth and perfect? You see, a mess is somehow part of the journey. Sometimes, we treat it as our enemy, but little do we know that the difficulties we experience in life are essential for our growth and maturity. They are like beautiful mess. They look like obstacles, but if you try to see the bigger picture, you will realize that you badly need those messes to see things clearly. They will open our hearts and teach us about the important things…
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Trust That God Will Give You Enough Blessings
Sometimes, when we face challenges in life, it’s easy to worry about what tomorrow brings. When we experience unexpected situations, we fear the future and forget about the blessings that we have in the present. Life may be difficult, but keep in mind that you have a God who is so in love with you. He cares for what you need. You may feel like your resources are getting smaller but focus on the blessings in front of you so that you will be reminded about the reason why you can still smile. Trust that God will provide. He may not always give you what you exactly want, but he…
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God’s Ways Are Different
I may have my own plans, but God’s will must prevail. His ways may sometimes be unpredictable, but his plans are better than my plans, and He sees things differently. These are the truths that I need to slowly accept, especially when I encounter situations that are out of my control. This may be hard to fathom, but what helped me the most was simply reminding myself about who God is. He moves in ways I can’t always see. His hands are there, but they’re not always visible. That’s why I need to constantly remind myself that God is doing miracles behind the scenes despite the troubles and challenges I…
