It's CONTRACTION time

"I am a Christian therefore I am not supposed to go through pain and hard times. I am not supposed to experience difficulties and tribulations".

If this is what you've been thinking, well, I would like to stop you right there!

Let me clarify something: being a Christian does NOT exclude you from suffering.

Thinking that salvation through Jesus-Christ is an anti-dote against pain or again an injection that will keep you away from the troubles of this world is to me an illusion, a misconception.

As long as we are in this world we will know pain, we will be challenged, we will go through hard times, we will get disappointed and heartbroken.

However, our salvation and our faith in Jesus is the medicine, the cure that will heal, strengthen, fix, restore and help us go through those difficult times and overcome them.
In other words, it does not keep us from suffering but it helps us go through it and overcome it!

Now let me take you to Romans 8: 22-27

 ^"22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?
²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."

 
The whole world suffers, even us who have been saved and born again.
We can suffer from sickness, brokenness, stress, frustration, confusion, broken-heart, temptation , you name it all. And we so many times ask God to deliver us from what we go through but it doesn't happen right away.

In fact, if you take a look at 2 Corinthians 12:8, the apostle Paul says that He was given a thorn in his flesh, something that was tormenting Him, a great distress. And He pleaded God to take it away:

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".

In other words God was saying Keep Calm! I've got it under control.

I read a french quote the other day which translates like this: "God is not ALWAYS there to deliver us from the storm. But He is definitely there to help us go through it, with Him, and come out victorious"

Verse 22-23--> Why comparing our suffering with Childbirth pain?

Because childbirth pain gives place to a miracle.
During pregnancy, there is something growing inside of a woman, something that she cannot see but only feel.
As it is for a pregnant woman, when we go through trials and tribulations there are things growing inside us that we don't see- that can be faith, wisdom, endurance, perseverance, knowledge, patience, strength, compassion, peace, love etc.
The same way a pregnant woman cannot see her child until birth time, We cannot see the fruit and the reward while we endure the suffering but only at the end of the suffering- after having been patient and having trusted the Lord faithfully.

It is when you are about to reap your harvest; when you are about to produce the best fruit; it is when you are about to birth something great that you experience the greatest pain.
Just like a pregnant woman goes through some discomfort and frustration during the pregnancy you will experience discomfort during the storm, you will be frustrated, you will feel tired.
But hear this, the greater the suffering the greater the blessing.

And when the pain really becomes unbearable she knows she needs to push! This is CONTRACTION time!!!
You have to recognize contraction time in your life! It is a signal letting you know it's time to push harder because the breakthrough is here, the miracle is about to happen.

So don't you ever get discouraged when everything get worst. Keep hoping, persevering, stay prayed up for at the right time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

And when you think you've done everything you could possibly do and prayed all the prayers you could possibly pray, don't worry, it's okay to be silent. Sometimes words are no longer enough . 

"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans".verse 26

The Holy spirit knows our pregnant condition and He is carrying us through.

Go and FLOURISH!

With love,

Alvezido

Because I was His idea

He looks at me with a smile, even when i don't feel beautiful, 

He looks at me, looks at every detail of my face and body and he smiles

Because i was his idea!

He feels content and proud when i do well, when i work hard, 

He looks at me and smile because i was his idea.

When i cry out to him and surrender, he puts his arms around me, 

He comforts my soul and my spirit,

Then he looks at me and smile because i was his idea.

When i am able to keep my hands above the waves,

When i decide that throughout every storms i will bend but i will not break,

He looks at me and smile because i was his idea!

And regardless of all my mess and mistakes, he sees the best in me and smile because I was His idea.

When I am weak he always whispers 'you can do it' and when i overcome my fear and shout 'O Lord you are my strength', he smiles because i was his idea.

Even in the middle of darkness, when i was lost and couldn't find my way, He met me there in that place of despair because i was His idea. 

He knows I can't be sinless, He knows my incapability of being perfect

Yet He loves and forgives me anyways because I was His idea.

When i walk through the valley of the shadow of death He is with me always because I was his idea.

He sees the good, he sees the bad,

And the worst of me always succeeds by the abundance of His loving kindness.

When I feel lonely, when I feel useless, He infuses me with his love,

He reminds me I am purposeful and wonderfully made.

And when He sees that other people's opinions start to define my life,

He reminds me that only his matters, He reminds me that I was His idea.

In every circumstances His love prevails, his love remains because I was His idea.

He enjoys watching me live, enjoys watching me sleep because I was His idea!

He has watched me fail, he has watched me learn-he calls it growing.

He enjoys me at every stage of my development because I was His idea!

Never will he share me with the world! I was His idea.

His love is patient, his love is kind

His love never gives up on me, never loses faith in me because i was His idea.

My Daddy wants the best of me, He wants the best for me because I was His idea.

Forever I will remain His.

I will humble before him, for no other reason but to worship

With all that I am I will praise Him

I will call on no other name but Elohim

I will Love him supremely, trust in him completely,

Thank him continually and obey him wholeheartedly.

And all of this because I was His idea!

Alvezido ;-)

Yesterday is over, Tomorrow's much brighter

I remember the joy and yes I remember the pain... 

The tears, the happiness

I'm living life all over again. 

Once a love story, a dream, a beautiful romance

Who would have thought this would turn into this hurtful nightmare?

My heart filled with anger and regret, disappointment and bitterness, I often wonder how I would make it through another day.

Because you see, the pain I felt...no let me rephrase 

The pain I am feeling is so intense 

I cry everyday Dear Lord, when will this end?

But life is about choices, they say...

And the choice of being happy I own it! So why not make it?

It is enough! I no longer wanna live this way!

Crying everyday, holding on a dead past, such an unhealthy mindset!

More than 2000 years ago on that cross the deal was done!

My Father lifted me out of the pit of despair!

So why am I holding on to a past that I can't change? Why am I still living in this mess?

I have been through this already, I am going through this again! 

But It is FINISHED, it is OVER I declare!

Opening the curtains of my heart and life, it is time for the sun to shine, bringing back my summer days!

Lord fill my heart with a new song to sing! Fill my heart with a hymn of praise, fill it with a new melody.

I am moving forward, no more looking back at yesterday!

For yesterday is over and tomorrow much brighter. 

Go and FLOURISH!

Alvezido 

He has everything in our lives worked out

Life Overflowing ( T.D Jakes, p56)

Our hands and hearts must rise up to worship the God who has repeatedly told us and revealed to us that we are His precious CHOSEN ONES.
Every step of the way, every day, and in countless ways, God is working all things in our lives toward the glorious future He has planned for us.
He is continually working ALL things- not some things, not a few things, but ALL things. 

What does it mean for God to "work" all things? It means He is constantly manipulating, moving, maneuvering, and arranging all things according to His purposes. Things don't happen at random in our lives. They don't happen because of coincidence. God is at work, bringing about His purposes.

If we are experiencing tribulation we must glory in it! Tribulation works patience, and patience, experience, and experience, hope, and hope dispels all shame (see Romans 5:3-5). God is in the process of taking the worst things imaginable and turning them for great good in our lives.

Circumstances may not seem good at times, but look at the hand that is behind those circumstances, "working" those circumstances!
We must hear the Lord speaking to our spirits, "I'm working it out. Don't judge yet. The final conclusion hasn't been revealed yet. I'm not through yet. Just keep looking at the master blueprint of my will".  

As God is working all things for the highest and greatest good of all, we who have trusted in Christ should live to the praise of His glory. We are incited to continuously praise and worship and glorify Him because we are His inheritance and He has everything in our lives worked out.

AMENNNNN to that!

Go and FLOURISH! ;-)

Not FOR everything, But IN everything

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus"
1 Thessalonians 5:18

I've previously had difficulties in understanding how could God ask us to thank Him regardless of the circumstances. I mean come on, it can be difficult to picture yourself going through intense pain and struggle and yet having to say "Thank You God for my pain, thank You God for my struggle".
This can sound totally crazy! But until you've tried everything you could try, done everything you could do and until you've gone everywhere you could possibly go and still could not find any peace, you will learn what it means to thank Him even in the midst of pain.

Proverbs 14:10 tells us "each heart knows its own bitterness (pain, sadness), and no one else can fully share its joy". This verse means that we are all limited in terms of counselling and comforting others during times of pain and tribulation but also limited in understanding the depth of their joy and happiness in good times.
Indeed, we often found ourselves in situations where we cannot really explain or tell someone how we really feel deep inside, may it be pain or sadness, joy or happiness and we can also find ourselves not being able to really understand what someone else is feeling. Being humans, our ability to express or understand feelings is thus limited.
All of this to say that after all has been said and done and still no peace has been found, those situations call for us to simply and ONLY rely and count on  the ONE whose love never fails and never disappoints.

There has been many times in my life where  I found myself hurting sooooo bad it made me wanna rip my heart out of my chest, pull my hair off and knock my head against a wall . Okay that's a bit hard core I confess lol but I'm sure some of you will recognize themselves here...No? No one? Is it just me? lol Well in any case that's how I felt, and in times like that I would cry as if there was no tomorrow, speak to God and shout "Why this? Why Me?", go speak to everybody I could possibly think of only to find a little bit of peace, a peace that will quickly disappear the next morning.
All this to finally sit on the edge of my bed with tears running down, telling God:

"Lord I am tired! I have done everything, I've tried everything and I've seen everyone! I have asked you Why and I've cried day and night! Nothing has been able to take away the pain! So Lord I come today to let you know that I may not understand why all this is happening and why you have allowed it but I'm sure of one thing, nothing that You do is meant to torture me because You do not take pleasure in my suffering!
So here I am to obey, I come to Thank You in the midst of my pain! Thank you because you have a plan. Thank You because you've always been there, Thank You because you love me and will always be there to help me! Thank You because You were, you are and will always be God! Thank You for Your presence, Thank You for your support! Thank You for working behind the scene of my life, Thank You because You're in control. I'm hurting but I trust You. So Thank You!"

God is God and will always be God!
He has a purpose in everything He does and there is nothing that happens in our lives that he doesn't know about.
Once you decide to follow Him you've gotta make sure you have given every area of your life to Him. Following God ain't no part-time but FULL-time "job" and will require a great amount of faith to TRUST Him to lead the way-He never said it would be easy but He did say it will be worth it.

 "For I know the plans I have for You, there are plans for good and not disaster to give you a future and a hope"  - Jeremiah 29:11

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." - Romans 8:28 

We may not understand God, but guess what? This is not what He is asking for!
"Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How IMPOSSIBLE it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!" says Romans 11:33.
To tell you the truth, I've kinda gave up trying to understand Him. Right now I'm just in the business of TRUSTING and THANKS-GIVING and I encourage you to do the same!

"It's natural to complain, but it is supernatural to give thanks when we are tested and tried by life's circumstances"- Joyce Meyer

Go and FLOURISH!

Alvezido :-)