The Power of Grace//#LetYourLightShine Thursday Link-Up!

Monday. I wake up feeling good knowing "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Tuesday. I wake up feeling good telling myself "I am the righteousness of God in Christ".
Wednesday.  I am tired. The work week is weighing down on me. I am playing back the sins I committed in my head. Trying to remember "I am the righteousness of God in Christ."
Thursday. I am asking myself "How am I the righteousness of God in Christ if I continually make mistakes and sin?"


I think this pattern happens to a lot of us. We may have something that reminds us of God's love for us and how no sin can come between us and our Savior because of what Christ did for us on the cross .(Hallelujah!!)

But as the week goes on, our reminder may fade as the world creeps in.

I am here to remind myself and you that you are still indeed, no matter what your sin, the righteousness of God in Christ. Nothing we do can separate us from the grace and love of God. (Romans 8:38) Jesus shows us grace each and everyday with new mercies for us.

The power of grace has overcome any sin.

If you sinned earlier this week or last night or this morning or even just a minute ago, Christ is still looking at your with love and grace. He is waiting for us to turn back to Him so He can make all of our paths straight again. What a wonderful Redeemer.

Knowing God's Grace can help us:
1) Have boldness to live in Christ. We don't have to shy away because our mistake and failures.
2) Peace for today.
3) Hope for tomorrow.

Grace is powerful. Remember, we have it everyday!

If you are like me and struggle with understanding the extent of God's grace sometimes, some of these things help me:
1) Going to church mid- week.
2)Bible studying with friends or alone.
3) Listening to sermons on grace (Joseph Prince has some good ones!)
4) Pray. Sometimes if I just pray and ask God to show me His grace in the midst of my struggles, it gives me an unspoken peace.

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Lets welcome today with 

Let Your Light Shine Thursday!

You know what time it is, let that beautiful light shine!
Each week we appreciate those of you who come by to share your posts on fashion, beauty, faith, love, and all the in between.

Today we are featuring a wonderful woman who love Christ with all she has. She is such an inspiration it shows through her blogging. Make sure to check out Cynthia @ Rose Colored Shades.

This particular post by her talks about how Jesus desires fellowship people and she goes in depth about the abundant life that comes from doing so. Make sure to check it out :)

RULES: 

1. Link up your favorite post this week - It can be related to faith, fashion, food, family, or whatever else you would like to share that helped you shine your light from the week!

Don't worry if you don't have a blog to link up - just leave a comment with how you let your light shine this week!

2. Follow Rooted in Salt & Made with Zeal on Bloglovin, or any other social media outlet (FB, Twitter, Instagram, or GFC)

3. Link back by using the button above or your own link.

4. Visit other blogs and meet new blogger friends!

Each week we will be choosing our favorite posts to feature and share with you all! So link up for your chance to be featured!!

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Linking up: WIWT, Treasure Tromp, Week's End

-A

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An InLinkz Link-up

#OOTD + The Power Series

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I was actually sick with strep late last week going into the weekend. I now have a cold! Sheesh! But it is alright, because that hasn't stopped me one bit! 

This weekend was awesome. I spent time with my girlfriends, made homemade apple crisp (I will be putting the recipe on here soon! ) and dragged out my fall/winter clothes! 

I wasn't home most of the weekend- I always try to keep myself busy. So come Sunday evening, after church and running errands, I was excited to get home and RELAX! I would typically turn on an episode of Grey's Anatomy (My guilty pleasure right now on Netflix) but I felt God leading me to read a book in the Bible. He led me to Zephaniah.

In summary, the book is short (only 3 chapters) where Zephaniah is giving prophecy to what God is going to do to nations that were full of sin and disregard to God. In the beginning of the book, it displays God's anger and consequences to come but in the end of the book, it displays God's promises to His people. 

There were nations that were full of sin and who didn't really care about God's commands. There was idoltry and self righteousness. There was complete disregard for the Lord. Of course, that made God extremely angry and from the surface of the chapter, all you would read is God's anger.

But as I dug in further, talking to God about this book and what was going on in the prophecy, God put my attention on this verse:

Zephaniah 2:1-3

"Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, before the decrees take into effect and the day passes like windblown chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's wrath comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger."

What did that scripture say or mean to you? 

Well, to me, if I were to just skim over it, I would probably just see that Zephaniah is giving warning on what's to come to the people and possibly sparing those who are humble and follow the Lord.

But as I kept reading it. I started realizing it that God showed His mercy and love in a very strong way. He not only used Zephaniah to give warning, He gave the people time to turn away from their ways. He gave them time. And further gave instruction on how to be sheltered when the day of the Lord comes.

What great love is that!

I started thinking more and more about it. Here is God, who created all things and the very people who were against Him. Who gave such people a way out of oppression in the past and showed such great mercy and love. Yet, they still did not accept Him or follow Him. He is a jealous God- it makes sense why He would be so angry! His own creations disregarded Him. 

Yet, the Creator all things did not just kill them all and bring oppression to them without any sign or warning. He showed His love and mercy and concern for those people (regardless of what they were doing) by giving warning and TIME for them to turn away and acknowledge Him. 

Wow. 

I started crying because as angry as He was, He was still concerned with everyone's salvation. He wouldn't have used Zephaniah if He wasn't! If He did not have mercy or love He would have just done everything that He said He would do without any warning or regard for the people's lives. 

But God is faithful and just. He gives us the choice on what we want to do and how we want to live our lives. He can only try to get us to see what is truly the best thing for us- & that is His plan. 

What a beautiful love He has for us that He gives us time to turn away from our wrong doing and focus on Him. What patience! 

In the last chapter of the book, Zephaniah says this (Zephaniah 3:17):

"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."

The chapter finishes with God's words (Zephaniah 3:18-20):

"I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame.  At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,”says the Lord.

What a great promise of the Lord. Those who love Him, He will do everything and anything to protect them, give them a full life, bring justice to those who do wrong against them, restore them, and will give them honor and praise. WOW! 

Our Lord may be jealous, but how loving and amazing He is to us. What a promise! 

No matter what is going on, as those who love the Lord, we are forever protected and everything for us will be restored. He is concerned with every matter of your life. Big or small. He is even concerned for those who don't know Him- which shows me that is it important to pray for those I know who do not know the Lord. Because He is Mighty to save! 

I hope this has touched you like it touched me. It is truly such a blessing to have a God that is so concerned about everything we have going on, who loves us, and will go to any means to protect us and make sure we are A OKAY! :)

Have a great week!

-A

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God's Dreams Are Bigger

Happy Monday, Everyone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Per usual, the weekend was much needed for me. I thank God for weekends with no "must do" plans. It allows me to sleep in,  take my time, and go with the flow! 

It was a great weekend spending time with loved ones. It was an all together great weekend. 

One thing that stuck with me this weekend was from something I heard at church. The pastor said "God's dreams are bigger than our dreams."

I sometimes forget about that. I often look at my situation and lose sight of the fact that whatever my dreams are, God's dreams for me are far above that. 

" Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."- Ephesians 3:20

As often as I hear that scripture, I often don't apply it to my everyday life! I look at where I am, get discouraged if I feel I am not where I am supposed to be, and just get into a negative thought spiral instead of keeping my eyes on Jesus knowing He can do above anything I can imagine, in His perfect timing.

I have been down and out about work- it has been stressing me out- but this weekend at church reminded me that God's dreams for me are bigger than my own, He is concerned with every part of my life, and He sure didn't bring me this far to fail me. 

The enemy will try to discourage us with anything he can. Whether if it's to tell us we will never be as good as others, we will never get promoted, or we won't reach our goals- we have to remember they are ALL LIES! 

He has really been trying to get me to believe that I am incapable of being good at my job. But being reminded of God's dreams for me helped me remember that I can do all things through Christ! I have a secret weapon- & that's the creator of ALL things!

By knowing what God's will is for me, it keeps peace in my heart, my eyes on Him, and helps me stay confident in who I am and what my purpose is. 

I am so thankful for Him because He always knows what we need when we need it.

He will never give us more than we can take. It's such a blessing to know we have a Father that will never leave us or forsake us.

I start my week feeling comforted, renewed, and at peace. I am so happy to be in the hands of My Mighty Savior. With Him is where I feel absolutely safe.

God told me to meditate on scripture that reminds me of His will for us. So I decided I want to share it with you, too, so you can be reminded on how much God loves you, how much He cares about every little thing in your life, and how there is no need to worry because we are all in good hands!

Download Now

Have a great Monday!

-A

Putting On A Different Lens

Time For School, Back From A Long Weekend- Whatever it is, Happy Tuesday!

Have you ever heard the phrase "It's like my eyes have been opened!" or "I can see clearly now!" or even "The blinders have been taken off- now I can see"

In my life, I have had many times that I say that. There have been many situations that have happened that have helped me grow, helped me understand better, and helped me see things differently. 

Some things happen unexpectedly that help us see things differently, but Jesus was teaching me this week that often times how we want to see things come down to choice. We can choose what type of lens we want to see out of. 

For example, with my stress at my job, I was looking at things so negatively and with doubt. I was looking out of a lens that was not helping me see the good, the opportunities, or even the positives. I was praying to God to help things come to pass (& He will) but I would find myself still seeing things from a negative perspective instead of with hope, positivity, and faith like Jesus tells me to. 

He said to me " You are looking at your situation through the wrong lens."

I was looking through a negative lens, so I have started trying to view my situation through a lens of gratitude and positivity. In this short time, it has helped me see that though my situation with my job is stressful, it is setting me up for success.

 Sometimes Jesus has us go through seasons that are more difficult because it will build us for the future. It will help us get prepared for what's to come. It will make us better. It will make us stronger. It will make us wiser. 

So now, I am looking at every hardship in my life as an opportunity. To learn, to gain wisdom, to refine me. How I know? God's will is perfect, is timing is perfect, and his plan is perfect. Everything will work out perfectly with Jesus & I know that no matter what, He has a perfect plan for my life! No matter what it looks like! So that is why no matter what, we can choose the lens we want to look out of. 

source

We WILL get there!! :) :) :)

Here are some songs that I love to get positive with :)

Enjoy!

The Power Series: The Jesus Key

Happy Tuesday!

I know, I have been very bad with blogging- pretty much all month. If you have read my past posts this month, you will know that the last couple months at work have been really stressful and busy for me. It has been a struggle, but I know God is faithful and will bring me through stronger and more wiser than I came in this season!

My blog has always been a place for me to just "let loose" and release things that are on my heart, mind and spirit. Sometimes I lose sight of that, but it's time that I get back into just releasing anything my heart desires on here because often times I release things that I look back and am glad I documented. I felt God was telling me to share this on my blog so I am not going to hold back. Here it goes! (This is going to be long- so bear with me!)

With everything that has been going on with work and life in general, I have been feeling almost fearful of what "could" happen. I try not to, but the "what ifs" were always sneaking in my head (although I know they are the enemy, I have had a hard time shaking it.) I just prayed to God that he help give me back the confidence in His plan for my life and help give me a sense of peace during difficult situations. I also prayed that God continue to be my "secret weapon" at work so no matter how I FEEL, I know I have something that can never be defeated- & that's Jesus. 

This last week, Jesus gave me a dream. 
You might wonder why I know it was from Him. Well, usually when I have dreams, I don't remember them or they are super weird and creepy and make no sense. It's hard to explain, but I just have a sense of knowing it was from Him.

Anyway, the dream started with me being in a dark area- I would say room but I didn't seem any walls, it was just dark all around. The energy in the room was weary and dark  w/ prideful, and sadness. But what I could see was a big dark wood door. The doorknob was big but the key hole looked like a regular key hole you would see on a standard door. There was a lot of brass detailing on the door. I could feel people intimidated by it but I didn't think anything of it except that it was pretty detailing. 

People were in line to try to get through this door. I felt that although people were intimidated by the brass on the door, they still wanted what was on the other side of the door. 

Everyone in line trying to go through this door had a key- each of their keys looked like a standard house key that looked like it could fit into the keyhole of the door. 

Jesus gave me my key, and it was the only key, almost like the brass on the door, that was big and visibly looked like it could not fit in the keyhole on the door. I remember feeling like I wasn't going to get through because my key is so different and everyone else had the same key. Here's some pictures that kind of resemble my key:

Anyway, as people would go up to the door and put their keys in, some wouldn't fit, some would fit but wouldn't turn, and some would turn but not unlock the door. That made me more nervous because I thought if they couldn't get in with their keys, I won't get in with mine- especially being so different.

It got to my turn. I had the feelings of weariness, fear, sadness, anxiousness and was so nervous to put my key in the door handle. But when I put my key in the key hole, it fit. And not only did it fit, but when I turned the key, it unlocked the door. I kept turning the key to see if it would lock the door again but it wouldn't, that key permanently unlocked the door.

So I opened the door and it was so bright, and full of light that I could hardly see what was there- but the feelings that had come over me were love, peace, holiness, security, confidence- every good thing. It was amazing.

And Jesus spoke to me that He is my key.

When the dream ended, I it made me realize that no matter a situation looks like, no matter how it seems- Jesus is the key to everything in my life. Nothing can stop me with Jesus. With him locked doors will open and remain unlocked. I am so thankful for that.

When I thought there was nothing more to this, yesterday as I was writing this post, Jesus told me to look up the meaning of brass in the bible (random??). 

  So I looked it up and a few explanations I got was brass signified Gods judgement against sin but moreover gods judgement against sin carried out through the death of his Son. The explanation went on to saying that when we believe on Jesus, we are delivered from the effect on sin.

The most interesting use of it is in Numbers 21:4-9, where Moses puts a model of a snake, made from brass on a pole, and when the people looked at it they were delivered from the poisonous bites of the snakes that had infested their camp as a result of their own sin. John 3:14-15 compares the snake on the pole to Yeshua (Jesus) and when we believe on Him, we are delivered from the effect of sin. Because He took our sin on Him in God's judgement against it - then He can deliver us from it. God judged sin when Messiah died for us - in our place. If He is lifted up (and thus believed upon) then He will draw all men to the Lord.

This showed me that no matter what, with Jesus, I am delivered, I am covered, and I am saved. 

I got through because of Jesus. Because nothing- no wrong key, no person, and no judgement of sin could stop me because I had Jesus. 

It's beautiful to think that the dream goes to the deepest purpose of life but also things that happen in your life- that through Jesus we can do all things- no matter how it looks.

I wanted to share this dream in case you have been going through a season of change, a difficult time, or feel lost/ confused. Jesus is your key- the key that opens every door- & keeps it unlocked!

Have a great Tuesday!

Aisha

Power Series: The Power of Prayer

Happy Monday Everyone! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was very relaxing. I didn't have anything planned and just went with the flow. It was amazing :)

One thing I saw this weekend was a video that displayed an analogy of prayer. It stuck with me so much because it reminded me that prayer isn't something we just can do once, we can pray about the same things as much as we want- it is a way to keep what we need and want in our remembrance and also helps us remember that God is working it out in His perfect timing. 

With work being stressful lately and personal things going on (as everyone does, I am sure), I had started feeling like Jesus wasn't answering my prayers like I was hoping. The enemy started putting in my mind that He wasn't working on things on my behalf and almost made me feel like I was alone in the process.

But then I saw this video. My sister actually sent it to me and I believe it was Jesus working through her to remind me He is always here, always listening, and always working on my behalf- I need only to be still (Exodus 14:14).

Take a look- it'll be well worth your 4 minutes :)

This video shows that prayers are a way of knowing only God can truly change situations for us and bring things come to pass that we could never do ourselves. I love prayer because it's a way to talk to Jesus one on one, but also it brings comfort to me that I am never alone. I have a Mighty God that is going through it with me. It reminds me that only He can do it- I can't. 

One example of prayer I have like this water bottle is one I have never actually shared with anyone. But it's been in my heart and I thank Jesus for it. W and I have been together for a long time (almost a decade now) and since we started dating so young, there were a lot of things we went through. I still can't explain today how we made it through everything, but it's truly because I believe God always had a plan for us. 

I used to pray to God that W and I get to a solid foundation in our relationship- because I often thought of our relationship as being on sand- anything could brush it away and destroy it. I wanted our relationship to be on a solid foundation. I wanted to stop letting things tear us down so fast and I also wanted to stop "those things" from happening. 

I prayed and prayed (I still pray lol) and in the last couple years, I have seen a change in us like I never saw before. I started seeing the deep love W really has for me and the length he is willing to go to show me. 

We went from dishonesty to honesty, lies to truth, hate to love, girlfriend/boyfriend to best friends. And I truly believe it was all because of Jesus changing our hearts and our minds like I had prayed for. Sometimes I cry thinking about how far he has brought us and how blessed I feel to have a man that cherishes me so much- so much that he can put up with my bad side. 

And our solid foundation? We have Jesus. Making Jesus the foundation of our relationship always brings us back together and back to that solid ground that we needed for years. Things sometimes still get rocky and storms roll through, but I not only have a love devoted to Christ, but I have a friend. I thank God for that. But it took time. And God is stilling working out kinks... Because by golly we have a lot of them. But I know it will only make us stronger. 

Isn't Jesus good??? I love Him so much!

Have a wonderful Monday :)

Just Say Sorry//LYLS Thursday Link Up!

-Hey Everyone-

So.. yes. It has been a week since I posted. I have been horrible. But to be honest, it's really because when I write things on my blog, I want it to be meaningful things, things that will help people and for the last few weeks, I have been beyond stressed out at work that I just haven't felt I had meaningful things to say. Work has honestly been getting the best of me lately but it's time to stop moping around and letting it effect me so I can get back into the things I love, like blogging.

So if you read my blog regularly, you would know that I have written about how I used to be an angry person and a really controlling person. God has since released me from that but sometimes, those old habits from my old self still come out.

The "do I really have to apologize? face"

Do you ever have it that sometimes you get so deep in your anger that you want to do things in spite, or say things that are meaningless and just hurtful? I will raise my hand high on that. I can get so angry sometimes that even though I know what I am doing is wrong, I still do it just because my anger has control over me. When one part of me is telling me to stop and just apologize, the other part of me wants to show the anger and prove my point (although, let's be honest, does showing anger really ever prove your point?)

I can be so stubborn that I won't apologize because the anger hardens my heart. And then, by the time I realize I took it wayyy too far and it did nothing good, I feel stupid apologizing after that. And to top it off, I feel disconnected from that person, and even God. Knowing I have sinned and let my heart be so hardened that I did/said things without purpose is hard to swallow. It is hard to explain, but apologizing and humbling yourself can just be SO hard sometimes.

I start to feel like I don't deserve forgiveness from God or that person because I was just plain foolish for getting that upset and to be completely frank, I know better than to let myself get too upset. But through growing a relationship with Christ, I know that He has already forgiven me, He just wants to help me get back on track.

The "that actually made me feel a lot better" face.

The first step to do that is repentance. 

So- just last night I sat in my car and just apologized to God. I humbled myself and just spoke to Him about what I did and why I am sorry & what I need help with. It's amazing by simply saying sorry how quickly your heart un-hardens and how good it feels. It's like, I go into saying sorry feeling stupid and come out feeling refreshed. Weird? maybe. But who knew humbling yourself and showing your faults can feel so good.

After that, I knew I had to apologize to that person. So- I laid out everything I was sorry for- it didn't even matter what they did that maybe they needed to say sorry for- because like the Bible says, I needed to take the plank out of my own eye before ever trying to take the plank out of someone else's eye (Matthew 7:3). After apologizing, I felt relaxed and rested. Just confessing what I did wrong lifted the weight off my shoulders. It lifted the control I thought I needed to have, any hard feelings, and gave me the thoughts of moving forward, instead of being stuck in the moment.

It's like when you finally repent or apologize, you are cleansing all the bad, the negative and the ugly and welcoming for good to poor in where the bad was. It also helps bring God's will back into the forefront of my mind. If I can bring God the worst, then I can bring God anything I am dealing with.

I want to challenge you that if you have something you could apologize to someone for, do it! It not only makes you feel better, it makes them feel better, too. Let's put love first in line, again- one by one! :)

The "now I just want to love and kiss you" face.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

1 John 1:9

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. "
James 4:10

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.."
Acts 3:19

Today is

Let Your Light Shine Thursdays!

Thanks so much for all of you that linked up last week!
Me and Jena loved seeing all of your posts!

Our favorite from last week's link-up was from Shannon from Shannon Nicole!

She gives such wisdom and inspiration through her posts on faith, love, and life. This one here from last week was so good and uplifting. 

Thanks again for all of you who participated! Now it's time to link up again :)

RULES: 
1. Link up your favorite post this week - It can be related to faith, fashion, food, family, or whatever else you would like to share that helped you shine your light from the week!

Don't worry if you don't have a blog to link up - just leave a comment with how you let your light shine this week!

2. Follow I'm Perfectly Human & True Soul & Spirit on Bloglovin, or any other social media outlet (FB, Twitter, Instagram, or GFC)

3. Link back by using the button above or your own link.

4. Visit other blogs and meet new blogger friends!

Each week we will be choosing our favorite posts to feature and share with you all!

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An InLinkz Link-up

The Power Series: God's Love Surrounds

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, fun-filled, weekend! My nephew turned 2 this weekend! I am so overjoyed to be able to see him grow into such a wonderful little man! Aren't the children in our lives such a blessing? 

The innocence they show, the love they have for people, and the trust they give us in knowing they will be taken care of is truly amazing. It reminds me how God asks us to be with Him- to have child-like faith! Because a child doesn't need to know details in order to "do" things or listen or trust- they just trust and listen (well we would like to think so! LOL)

I was going to write about something totally different today (God has been giving me so much!) but I decided to go more simple today. It came from a movie I watched last night that I LOVE! 

A Walk To Remember

Have you seen it? It is seriously one of the best movies I have seen. LOL some may disagree because it's a love story but it is also a story of faith. & it shows how if you just believe, things can happen for you!

But that is not the point I wanted to make in watching the movie. 

During the movie, Jamie (Mandy Moore) made a statement that got me thinking. She said:

" God's love is like the wind. I can't see it, but I can feel it."

It right away got me to say "that's a great analogy of God's love" but then I started thinking about it more and I realized-

 We can see God's love around us everyday. It's a matter if we can see passed the first layer.

For example. One way God shows his love is through the rising sun. 

"..because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven"- Luke 1:78

We can see the sun. But do we just see the sun? Or do we see what the sun symbolizes?

A parent loves their child regardless of what they do. The love is not explainable. Their forgiveness cannot be described. 

Do we just see our parent's love? Or a glimpse God's love for us displayed through our parents? 

Or how about when someone gets you flowers- it's a way to show love, isn't it? & we always think it's so sweet to get flowers from our loved ones. 

There are flowers all around us that bloom all across the earth. Do we just see flowers? Or do we see the gift God gives to us freely for us to enjoy? 

This reminds me of the scripture from Jeremiah 29:13:

"When you seek me, you will find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

We don't have to wait for a miracle to happen to see God- because He is disguising himself in our everyday life through the earth, through the people we encounter, through the things in our life. When you seek Him in your everyday life, you will surely see Him. 

source

God isn't hiding our love from us, He's all around us showing us His love, mercy and glory!

God uses us to show people his love. We are a vessel for people to not only experience His love, but see His love work through flesh-- something we can see!

"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

"For I am convinced Nothing can separate us from the love of God." Romans 8:38-39

We may not be able to see every part of God's love, it may be like the wind- only something we can feel- but there is evidence that God's love is all around us- & we can't escape it!

Have a WONDERFUL Day!

-Aisha

Further Reading:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - full explanation from Romans 8

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. Joshua 14:16-17

The Power Series: A Jesus Girl

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! 

It was so nice to have a 4 day weekend. It was much needed. Sometimes work can be overwhelming and the only thing that can cure it is some rest! 

One of the highlights of the weekend was that my good friend got married! Weddings are always a good time so of course this one was no different. The best part? I got W to dance! Ha!

I think what's so fun about weddings is that its a celebration of love. You don't think of your worries or dislikes that day, you just think about how you are excited to love your partner and spend the rest of your life with them.

I could go on and on about how great love is- but that is not the topic of today's post!

Jesus has been teaching me something for awhile now and when pastor touched on it in service this weekend, I thought it would be cool to write about it!

In this journey of faith, I often times find myself getting discouraged if I am not doing things perfect, if I make mistakes, or if I am not being my best self. I find myself going back to the bible's do's and don'ts to just get more discouraged at the mistake I made because the Word of Truth even says its bad! Or I will get so caught up in what I should do and not do that I get overwhelmed and just want to walk away from this "right" path. But Jesus showed me such a simple way of looking at every single situation we encounter- & that is to enter every situation telling myself that I am a Jesus girl. 

Let me explain:

W got on my nerves so bad yesterday! Although it was really just the difference between him being a guy and me being a girl, I let our differences get to me. I started telling myself all these lies that weren't as big as I was making them seem in my head and didn't hold back from telling W how I felt. I wanted him to KNOW how mad I was! 

Looking back it's funny- but because God has released me from is being so angry, I was upset at myself for letting myself go that far. I was mad that I was doing so good and then I messed up! I started quoting scriptures in my head that anger only leads to evil, it doesn't produce the righteousness of God, etc. and I got overwhelmed with guilt that I got so mad. 

So I just stopped. I stopped quoting scripture about what not to do because I had already done it. Instead- I told myself I am a Jesus girl. So I have to do what a Jesus girl would do. So what does that mean?

It means to simply live as Jesus Christ lives. 
Do as Jesus Christ does. It is very similar to What would Jesus do? But sometimes we need something more personal. We need to relate it to ourselves. What better way to do that than to say you are indeed a Jesus person? 

Jesus is a kind, compassionate, loving, forgiving, comforting, patient, understanding, wise, inspiring, trustworthy person. He gave His life so we may live and live freely from death or bondage of sin. He is the ultimate example of how to love!

So although I had already made a mistake, I was able to repent and go back to being a Jesus girl. And being that, I had to apologize to W for letting my temper get out of hand but I also knew I had to treat him with respect and kindness and most importantly- LOVE- going forward. Regardless of my feelings or our differences. I had to remember that with every situation I encounter- I have to kill it with kindness! (remember that post here?).

Jesus calls us to be just like him and has given us the power to do so.

In every difficult situation I encounter, I try to always do what a Jesus girl (or guy) would do- & that's to approach a situation as Jesus would and to respond like Jesus responds. I don't always get it right, but it sure helps! It keeps Jesus at the forefront of everything! I know I have spoken about different ways to keep Jesus at the center of everything, but this is one way that has helped me be more like Him.

There's power in the name of Jesus & there's power being a Jesus person!

Have a great rest of your Monday! :)

Aisha