I want to tell you guys about this book that I read, not once, but twice! Yep, it’s that good. I never have time to read the same book twice because I always have another book that I am eager to get to once I’m done reading the current book.
First, I would like to say that Lysa Terkeurst is a phenomenal author. She is funny, relatable, and realistic. She is so open and honest about her life and what to expect during your journey with God.
In this book, she discusses her own personal disappointments in life and how they sent her into a deep depression. She’s very detailed and transparent about what she has gone through and how God got her through it and it still getting her through it.
I love how she isn’t trying to sell us a fairytale. Nor is she trying to make having a relationship with God look perfect. All of her information is straight from the bible and she doesn’t say anything without having scripture to back it up.
I highly recommend this book if you are facing challenges in your life, no matter they are. She allowed the Holy Spirit to guide her as she wrote this book and you can tell in every chapter.
Click the picture below to order your copy from Amazon for $13.98. It is well worth it. The first 10 people to copy my blog link to their social media, I will send you the digital copy for free.
Thank you all. I love you and please remember to pray for one another.
No time, no see. It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I had to take a break to focus more on my family and Gods design for my life and it has been really exciting. First I would like to start off by saying that yes, this is an “End of the Year” post and no it won’t be super long, filled with everything that I have done in the past twelve months. Instead, I would like to focus on how far God has brought me in such a short amount of time.
Back in January 2018, I was such a frail, lost soul. So badly wanting to escape the horrors of my own existence (so I thought). I thought my life was supposed to be filled with cruelty and disappointment and that I was supposed to deal with it because of the terror that I caused in the past.
See this! Above you will see the “To Do” list of 2018. I was incapable of doing the simplest of task because my body and mind were so sick and tormented by the enemies lies. I allowed the enemy to convince me that I was past redemption. That God had forgotten about me and that He was terribly disappointed in me.
Let’s fast forward to now. God has answered every single one of my prayers and more. Even the ones that were in the back of my mind. The ones that “I thought” weren’t important enough to bring to His attention. He has done abundantly more than I can ever ask or imagine. He has placed wonderful people in my life to help me realize what it is I am supposed to be doing with my life; furthering His Kingdom, living a Christ-like life while raising my family, and serving his people in the process. He has also helped my break my bondage from the enemies lives so I can experience the fullness of Gods love withOUT condemnation.
I prayed for so long, “Jesus, replace my heart with your heart.” And he has done just that. The bitterness and malice that I held for people, GONE! The bondage of Satan, GONE! Unforgiveness, GONE! I have truly found my freedom in our Christ Jesus and what a wonderful feeling.
Yasss! Freedom!
During this process, I have made the enemy very upset. He has decided to throw curve ball after curve ball. He almost made me forget all of the hard work that I have put into finding my identity in Christ, but then Jesus showed up like always to remind me again by blessing me with an honorable task of serving his people, to keep the focus off of myself and onto to his children. Now, Satan has lost his grip on me.
So needless to say, 2018 has been a prosperous year. I’m not rich or famous and there are a lot of things that I could complain about, but I realize, God didn’t make me for that. God showed up and showed out in my life in other ways that will benefit me more in the long run. He proved to me that (which he didn’t have to) that with Him in my corner, all things are possible. I am not longer the frail dandelion that you see flapping the wind. I am a strong sunflower, standing tall in the sunlight with Jesus’ rays shining upon my face. I have shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to be here, but it has been worth it. As my mentor says, “To experience the full love of Christ comes with a price, but it is so worth it.” And I plan on doing it over and over again.
Happy New Year, Loved ones! May God be with you at this time in your lives. Please remember, it’s not God if it’s condemnation.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.Lamentations 3: 22-24
Yesterday, I gave an example of how I struggle with self-worth (click HERE). Many people do not realize that there is a difference between self-worth and self-esteem. Self-esteem is how much you THINK you’re worth, while self-worth is what you are ACTUALLY worth.
The world will trick you into believing that self-esteem is more important than self-worth. Self-esteem is measured by what you have financially, economically, socially, and physically. While self-worth is measured by the fact that God sacrificed his only son so that we can be saved from eternal damnation.
Let’s go over the facts…
God created everything (Genesis 1)…
God created man to rule over all creatures of the earth (Genesis 1:26)
God provides food and water for all plants and animals on earth (Psalm 147:8-9) We see proof of this everytime we walk outside and hear birds chirping, leaves blowing in the wind, grass sprouting in our front yards, and sunrise/sunsets.
If he loves even the smallest creatures enough to provide food for them to survive, then can you imagine how much he loves the creatures that he put in charge of said small plants and animals? He even loves those ugly bugs that you see in the seal of your window during the summer months.
It shouldn’t matter what others think of us because the world has a bad habit of lowering our self-esteem in order to make itself feel better. For some reason, people only feel better about themselves when others feel worse about themselves. It’s a paradox that has us stuck in a cruel cycle.
It doesn’t matter how big of a step you take, as long as it’s in the right direction
Thank you all for reading my thoughts. I pray that each and every one of you allow God to show you His awesome love so you can know that you are more than worthy of it. Please remember to pray for one another and I pray that you are having a wonderful start to your Tuesday.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. -Psalm 139:14
So, back in April IvesTrendyTopic nominated me for the 2018 Liebster Award. I know, that was almost five months ago, but I am always truly honored when someone loves my writing so much that they honor me with a nomination. Even though it was five months ago, I want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to IvesTrendyTopic for thinking of me. I love you, GIRL!
Do me a favor, friends. Please check out her blog by clicking HERE. She’s so funny and humble in her writing. She has the ability to warm your heart and educate you on health, makeup, and beauty at the same time. She is truly a gem.
Many of you may know the rules of being nominated, but for those who don’t, I’m going to lay them on you.
♦♦ Thank the person who nominated you
♦♦ Repost the rules
♦♦ Answer the questions that were asked of you
♦♦ Nominate 11 people who have 500 followers or less
♦♦ Ask your nominees 11 new questions
That’s it. It’s that simple. The rules always vary, so I did the best I could to remember. So, if you are nominated by various bloggers and the rules are different, ignore the ones I told you. Ha!
Ives 11 Questions for me
What was the happiest day of your life? I would say when I had my children. There is nothing like holding the most beautiful creature in the world all while feeling a flood of positive emotions.
What sad event would you change if you had the chance to? I wouldn’t change any sad event. All have shaped and molded me into the person I am and meant to be.
Dogs or cat? Dogs. Cats never listen. Ha!
What’s your favorite series? It used to be Game of Thrones, but I’m not sure at this moment.
If you saw a celebrity, how would you react? All depends. If it were Leo DiCaprio, I would throw my underwear at him. If it were 50 Cent, I would throw a raw egg at him.
Whats your idea of fun? Laughing and playing games with my family.
Have you ever been in a long distance relationship? No, and never would want to be.
What is your inspiration in life? My children and husband. Everything I do is for them
Are you a foodie? Amen!
Would you be in game of thrones if you had the opportunity? No! Noone is safe. When you think you’re going to be the main character, you suddenly die in a tragic death. Nah, I’m good.
What has God done for you this year? God has saved my life, saved my marriage, and helped me grow closer to my kids. Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you all for reading my thoughts and thanks again to IvesTrendyTopic for the nominations. I appreciate each and every one of you who continue to share this journey with me. Love you all and remember, please pray for one another.
Healing with Harotian 