Lenn

Saved by Grace thru Faith in Jesus Christ alone.

[garcialenyrose]

Shit

I don’t if I’m able to articulate what I am feeling exactly right now.

[asdeepcriesout-deactivated20210]

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 you to know Him and love Him back.

[covenantfaith]

I got prayer all wrong in the past. I thought if I prayed and focused long enough for something like confidence I would be confident for the rest of the year at least if not for life. But sooner or later my doubts would creep in and I would wonder, “Where did my confidence go?” My prayer worked but my confidence only lasted for a while. The thing I realized was that my confidence had an expiration date. I thought maybe I’m not being faithful enough. So then I would pray for faith thinking that if I prayed for it religiously for a week I would have faith for the rest of the year or for a couple months at least and that I would never have to pray for it again until when I was desperate enough.

Our Father in Heaven never meant for us to come to Him asking for specific things just once or even twice. He knows just how needy we are. He wants to have a connection with us all the time that’s why He uses our lack, our imperfections, and our weaknesses to drive us back to Him. But our human nature usually opts to wait for those desperate moments to bring them up in prayer when we can make a habit instead to pray about them throughout the day. Our faith and confidence expires for a reason and that’s because God’s does not. Isn’t His love so amazing to call us back to Him when our cups have run dry?

It says in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened…” It never said, “The one who asked the door will stay open or the one who sought and knocked, the door will stay open.” Faith just like confidence is a state of mind. And when we pray for them or even for strength or wisdom…THE LORD PROVIDES FOR THE MOMENT because He wants our meditation on Him to increase. I believe we need to keep asking Him for these things because we need them for our growth if we are to keep growing in Christ.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

By His Grace, Sheela (Via godfirstgodalways)

[hisprincess]

This is actually something that I realized this past week but haven’t been able to put into words.

[jspark3000]

When you return to God after a long time away, He doesn’t judge nor keep score. In fact, it’s His very acceptance that will restore you back to intimacy again. His very grace heals you back to Himself.

[this-abounding-grace-deactivate]

To all the girls waiting for the right guy

Girl, I know it’s hard to wait. I know it’s so hard to face rejection after rejection, the fear of never finding the right guy. But the right guy is worth waiting for. Stop settling for guys who don’t wholeheartedly follow Jesus. Stop dating guys who are “good” but do not follow Jesus, who do not bring you closer to Him.

If a guy doesn’t follow Jesus, he cannot love you right.

He can treat you great but if he has no desire to grow closer to Jesus, he won’t be good to you in the long run. If he doesn’t believe in Jesus, you should not be dating him at all. Yes, he might be okay with you being a believer but if he is not, he will not be able to encourage you or challenge your or call you out when you sin. He might be okay with your faith now but he will also be okay with your sin. You don’t want that. You want someone who challenges you to correct your ways. Someone who reads the Bible with you, grows closer to Jesus with you and prays with and for you.

If you find yourself saying “I know he’s not (perfect/patient/humble/faithful/growing closer to Jesus) right now but it will get better” – please, don’t believe yourself. You are worth more than that. You are worthy of a guy who honors you and respects you above all else. You are worthy of a guy who will challenge himself to become better so that he can love you right right now, not in the future.

Because you will do just the same for the right guy. You will see your flaws and you will want to grow, become better so that you will love him rightly. You will give him your heart, your time, your everything – just to be with him and to make him happy.

You were not created to be married, you were created to honor Jesus and to fellowship with Him. Girl, singleness is not a curse. You are not single because God doesn’t love your or because He is punishing you. So it might be that it will take weeks, months or years before the right guy comes along – because God wants to use you as you are right now for His glory. Don’t rush the process. See what God has for you in this season of singleness and make the most of serving Him, as you have freedom with your life right now. You can do amazing things, and you do not need a guy to do all that.

[y-hweh]

This is spot on.

[jennylovesmusic21]

So true!

[worshipgifs]

[jesusnerdyall]

I love how the picture for love is not a romantic couple.

[theragamuffininitiative]

If you think you’re worthless, stop scrolling right now and read.

I’m writing this for a specific mutual, but it isn’t only true for one person, so read on.

You know those inspirational posts you see people reblog every day?

Stuff about people all throughout history who failed and went bankrupt and were depressed and were told they weren’t good enough - and yet somehow they rose above it and defied all those notions to become heroes and legends and history makers and culture movers. And the post always ends with “so don’t be hard on yourself when you mess up” and it’s all nice and sweet and pretty. Maybe you scroll past them. Maybe you hardly ever see them on your dash at all.

Maybe you’re among those who reblogs these posts.

But maybe every time you hit the reblog or the like button, your brain is whispering “this isn’t about you” and “yes people can do amazing things, but not you” and “ah yes amazing stories, too bad it will never happen to you” and you listen to these whisperings and you laugh and shake your head…

Because you know exactly where you stand: worthless. irredeemable. a loser. a lost cause.

Please.

Please.

Listen to me.

As your friend.

As a stranger who doesn’t know you. Who doesn’t have to know you, or your failings, or your depression, or your anxiety, or your embarrassments, or your deepest darkest most heinous crimes.

Stop.

Just stop.

Look up. Look around you. Open. Your. Eyes. Are they open? Good. Keep them open. Don’t ever close them again. See the world. See you: a human being, valid, flawed, journeying, changing, growing, scraping, failing, rising, a masterpiece that will never be made again.

You are beautiful. You who think you are overweight and lazy. You are beautiful. You who think you are stupid and uneducated. You are beautiful. You who think you are a loser, and amount to nothing. You are beautiful. You who bleed and ache and never rest. You are beautiful.

You have worth.

Want to know a secret? If you wake up in the morning and tell yourself you’re not going to amount to anything that day, then you aren’t going to. If you go to bed at night thinking nothing will change tomorrow, then you are going to change nothing.

Because you’ve resigned yourself to that lie. And it is a lie, friend. A straight-out, soul-condemning, out-of-the-pit, self-deprecating, self-pitying lie. A lie you don’t have to believe. A lie you should not believe.

If you stand in the corner and bow your head and stare at the ground, you’ve already lost the battle without fighting. This is a surrender in which there is no honor, and in it there is no hope.

Life isn’t easy, friend. Life isn’t fair. It’s hard. And getting things done is hard. Some days, just getting up out of bed is hard. Just breathing. Just doing homework. Just going to work. Just trying to keep the dishes and trash from overflowing.

But we do it anyway.

Why? Because there’s life to live. There are choices to be made. Jokes to laugh at. Awkward conversations to be had. Art to mess up and start over on. Jobs to work. Pizza to be eaten.

We do it anyway.

So guess what?

You do it anyway too.

Why? Because of this:

You are special.

Right now, this second, turn off the voice that hears these Disney-fied words and scoffs and ignores them. Listen.

There is not a human being who has ever lived or ever will live on this planet that is not important, that is not here for a reason. No life is worthless, and most certainly not yours. My God doesn’t make worthless things, and he doesn’t make mistakes. There are no extra pieces in this universe, no spare parts. He made you. And he made you for a purpose, and that purpose is not to sit in your room, afraid to try, afraid to love, afraid to hope, afraid to climb and fall and hurt and get back up again.

Want to know another secret? You aren’t alone. Every single human being in the history of everything has struggled with feeling worthless at some point in their life. Every single one. That is not a lie. Your feelings of worthlessness are not what is special about you. You are what is special about you. The God who created you is what is special about you.

No matter what you’re going through, no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you have failed to do, someone else has gone through worse. Sometimes, a lot worse.

Oh, now you feel invalidated. “Why can’t I just believe in myself? Other people have it worse, I shouldn’t complain, I should just try harder, but I know trying harder isn’t going to help, so what’s the point.”

Guess what?

Stop that too.

Stop it dead in its tracks.

Kill that thought. Every day. Every morning. Every minute it shows its ugly lying face. Kill it and put it to rest. Stack headstones on top of it and move away, far far way, friend.

Don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. I don’t know where you’ve been, but you don’t know where I’ve been either. Don’t ignore hope because you think it’s for other people. Don’t keep yourself from making an effort, and pushing yourself forward. Bury the lie. You have worth. You are loved. You are important. God does not make worthless things.

One of my favorite lyrics says “How does it end when the war that you’re in is just you against you against you? You’ve got to learn to love, learn to love your enemies too.”

Learn to love.

Your enemy.

Yourself.

Start learning to see you the way God sees you.

See you the way I see you.

Perfect.

Worthwhile.

Amazing.

Just at the very beginning.

Every single day you wake up is a brand new start.

A bright new chance. Every. Single. One. You will never stop getting chances for as long as you are here, so why dismiss them? Isn’t that the most beautiful thing there is? You get to keep trying. Every single day. You have the gift to go again, try again, start again, live again, breathe again, hope again.

Guess what. When the morning is wasted, the afternoon is still there. When the afternoon is wasted, the evening is still there. When the evening is wasted, the night is still there. And then morning comes again.

So the next time you see a motivational post, an inspiring reblog, a story about how someone overcame something horrible, and turned it into something amazing, look long and hard and take courage, find hope in that. Stop dismissing it as being from a universe you have no part in. Stop putting yourself to that measuring stick and turning away because you’re not there yet.

You’re looking at the end result. At some point, they were standing in their shoes. They couldn’t see the end. They couldn’t see what they might or might not amount to. They had no idea, just like you now. Just exactly like you.

Hope, my friend. Every time you start to think “I can/will never” do this or that or amount to anything or accomplish anything… Hope. Stop those thoughts immediately. Kill them. Bury them. Never stop burying them. They are lies and you are better than them.

Drive them out. Open your eyes. Look around. Pick yourself up. Brush away the tears. “I will try. My God doesn’t make worthless things, so I am not worthless. My God does not create without meaning, so I have meaning. I am here for a reason. Today I will live to find out what that reason is for today. And tomorrow I will hope again.”

Life is hard, my friend. Stop beating yourself up. You are worth more and capable of more than you can ever imagine or hope or dream. Don’t let your past or present failures stop you or beat you down. Keep going, keep hoping, keep killing the lies. You are bigger than them, you go beyond them. And God is greater, and he knows your heart. Trust him. Wake up. Open your eyes. Move forward. Keep your eyes open.

“You’ve got all that emotion that’s heaving like an ocean And you’re drowning in a deep, dark well I can hear it in your voice that if you only had a choice You would rather be anyone else I love you just the way that you are I love the way He made your precious heart Be kind to yourself Be kind to yourself I know it’s hard to hear it when that anger in your spirit Is pointed like an arrow at your chest When the voices in your mind are anything but kind And you can’t believe your Father knows best I love you just the way that you are I love the way He’s shaping your heart Be kind to yourself Be kind to yourself Well how does it end when the war that you’re in Is just you against you against you Gotta learn to love, learn to love Learn to love your enemies too You can’t expect to be perfect It’s a fight you’ve gotta forfeit You belong to me whatever you do So lay down your weapon, darling Take a deep breath and believe that I love you Be kind to yourself Be kind to yourself Be kind to yourself Gotta learn to love, learn to love Learn to love your enemies Gotta learn to love, learn to love Learn to love your enemies too

[jspark3000]

There are days or weeks or even months when I read the Bible and there are no grand epiphanies. There are whole seasons of Sundays when I sing praise and feel nothing. There are times of prayer where the silence kills me. There are great Christian books and podcasts that I eat up which don’t budge my spiritual life. There are too many times when I doubt the very existence of God and the sending of His Son. It can all feel like a crazy lie. I’m probably being too honest — but I’ve found that I’m not the only one who feels this way. It’s in those times that I ask myself, “Am I out of love with God somehow? Am I losing my faith here? How do I get back to where I used to be?” But I keep reading my Bible. I keep singing on Sundays. I keep praying. I soak in books and sermons. I serve. I enjoy the company of mature Christians. I enjoy the fellowship of the broken. And you know what? Sometimes the clouds part and God comes through and His love squeezes my heart and I fall to my knees remembering how good He is. Then I read Scripture and can’t stop weeping and I turn on Christian songs in my car full blast and sing loud enough to scare the traffic. I serve with shaking hands and get convicted by those sermons and soak in God’s goodness all over again. So I’ve learned over time: I wasn’t really out of love with God. I’m just a fragile human being who changes as much as the weather. I was setting a ridiculous standard for myself that can’t be defined by self-pressuring parameters. I was tricked by the enemy into judging my flesh. My faith is based on His grace and not my feelings. And I think I need to relax.

J.S. Park (via jspark3000)

[jspark3000]

I know how hard it is to talk about Jesus. It’s the most awkward conversation you’ll ever have. If you even say the whole Gospel out loud right now, it sounds like the craziest thing you’ve ever heard. But the Gospel isn’t some ‘speech’ you unload on people and then ‘leave it in God’s hands.’ Blasting people with theology is like serving icing for dessert. Evangelism is your whole life, it’s sharing your home, it’s enduring patiently, it’s being a human being, it’s availability, it’s sharing Jesus through who you are; not perfectly, but passionately. Yes, invite them to church and to that revival and talk about your faith and your testimony, but once you dare to go there, just know you might be rejected immediately, a lot, and aggressively. Except secretly they can’t deny there must be something to it, because you’re not just a billboard: you’re an overflow of a barely containable supernatural miracle.

J.S. Park (via jspark3000)

[freshairandspearmint]

love.

If Jesus lived today, he would smell like smoke.

Whether it be from pot or from cigarettes or whatever else can be smoked, Jesus would smell like it. Not because he would partake in it himself, but because he would go out of his way to go to where the smokers were. He would go to them and be with them, get to know them and show them that they are worthy of love and that they can be saved from whatever they’re running from.

Jesus would know the sensation of stale beer drying on his shirt because somebody forgot to put their drink down before they hugged him. He’d never get drunk but he might have one beer, maybe two, socializing as he got to know the regulars at the bar. The ones who found their way there day after day, hearts too heavy to do anything but numb the pain. He’d go there and listen to their stories and help carry their burdens, lift them off their shoulders. He would be the person that everybody knew—knew was safe, knew was loving, knew would listen. The bartender would call him the ‘unofficial shrink’, and Jesus would smile and order another glass of water, ready to drive home whoever would need it that night.

He’d know the feel of gauze beneath his fingers as he wrapped it around a friend’s bleeding wrist. He wouldn’t ask, wouldn’t pry, just patiently clean and treat it with careful, calming touches. The story would eventually come tumbling out in the bathroom and Jesus would draw them close, hugging tightly, and do whatever he could to find the best help available when asked, when needed.

He would know the drained, yet relieved, morning after feel the day after (of?) a three a.m. phone call from a person who was desperate, because they didn’t know who else they could turn to. He would know the days when one cup of coffee isn’t enough to wake him up, where two cups of coffee almost doesn’t do it either, but the lethargy and the headache and the bags under his eyes are worth it because the person he was talking to is okay. He would do it again in a heartbeat, too.

He would always have somebody staying in his spare bedroom—if he wasn’t staying in somebody else’s spare bedroom himself. He knows what it is to be without a roof over his head, without a blanket to pull over his cold body, and he would do whatever he could to make sure others didn’t need to experience it—even just for a night. He’d keep an eye out for help wanted ads and help his friends on the street with their resumes and pay for their haircut and nice clothing for the interview, and he’d buy them dinner after whether they got the job or not.

He would know the need to go and grab another box of kleenex as the person at his kitchen table can’t help but cry at the feeling of not being enough, of needing to change themselves before people would love them, before they would be accepted. He would know the heave of their shoulders beneath his hand as he comforted them, reassured them that they are enough, that they are wonderful and beautiful and amazing and loved. So, so loved.

He would know the feeling of a tight bank account, not because he doesn’t know how to manage his finances, but because there are other people who need it more. Who need food for their families and clothing for their children and money for their rent. He would give of himself and build relationships with these people, connections with them, encouraging them to keep going. To keep striving. That life isn’t out to get them, and that they can succeed.

He would know the pain of a harsh word, thrown at him by a hurting soul, and he would stand tall and take it because sometimes a broken heart just needs to shout.

If Jesus lived today, he would smell like smoke. Not because he approves or because he doesn’t care, but because he knows that to love isn’t just being pleasant to other people and giving them a smile, it’s crawling into the trenches with them.

[garcialenyrose]

*sob 😭

[godlywoman]

When you start giving in to temptation, you start losing sight of God.

(via godlywoman)

Couldn't agree more 😢

[girlfrommarial-deactivated20180]

God doesn’t tolerate you.

Yes, you read the correctly.

God didn’t make you to put up with you. He didn’t see a pile of extra cells and some leftover traits and say, “hey, I think I could make a person out of that.” He didn’t fall asleep the night you were conceived and try to decide what to do with you in the morning.

He loves you.

He planned  for you since the beginning of time. He made you to live in this time and in this place. Every single aspect of you was thought of before your parents even met, before they were even born. He made you to be unique and He made you to be a Saint.

He delights in you.

He is passionately in love with you. He loves to see you use the gifts and talents He gave you. He loves to see you make with what He created you with. He looks upon you with more love than a mother gazes at her baby. You don’t bother or annoy Him when you try to tell Him about your problems; He’s pleased that you want to spend time with Him at all.

You are not a burden to God.

[garcialenyrose]

Always be thankful. Always. ☺ . . . #vscophilippines #vsco #vscophile #vsco📷 #vsco🍃 #vscocam #vscogood #vsco📸 #vscophile #vscophil #vscofilters #naturephotography #nature #photography #ferriswheel #sunset #sunsets #sunset🌅 #art #art🎨 #sky #sky☁ #monday

[god-loves-u-sweetheart]

If you’re reading this, God is allowing your heart to beat, He is allowing air to flow through your lungs, there is blood running through your veins, and you were able to open up two wonderful gifts I call eyes to witness a new day. You still have the activity of your limbs to move around, you have your senses to enjoy all that God has made. That in itself should push you to make a joyful noise. David wrote in the Book of Psalm, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name,“ (Psalms‬ ‭103:1‬ , KJV‬‬). We should always bless the Lord. Whether during times of happiness or during our times of sadness. God is so good to us daily. He has never failed us. We should bless Him for our lives, health, and strength. We should bless Him, because His mercies are new each day. We should bless Him because He protects us from danger seen and unseen. He provides for us and sends us resources. We should bless Him, because His love is never ending and though we fail Him daily, He is still full of compassion. We disappoint Him daily, but He still blesses us over and over again. Many times we become distracted and wander down the wrong path, but He is there to take our hand to lead us back down the right path. We must learn to bless God at all times, because all of the time, He is blessing us. Come on and bless the Lord with me today!

Janteya Ford (via god-loves-u-sweetheart)

❤

[jspark3000]

To Remain Teachable.

[jspark3000]

I always want to know when I’m wrong. Really. I’m aware I’m never the smartest guy in the room. I want to remain teachable. Being wrong is not the end of the world. I want to be open to a thought I’ve never had, even if it threatens what I’ve always known. Even if we disagree in the end, I want to have considered every possibility before landing on solid ground.

If there’s a better way or some angle I’m not seeing, I’d like to know. If even one percent of what we’re saying can help someone see a little further, it’s worth saying and worth learning. There’s no pride or joy in holding onto an idea just because “we’ve always done it that way.” Some convictions are lifelong and eternal, but there’s so much that is fluid and flexible.

I hope we can give someone else the chance to change their mind, too. No one gets it right every time, and almost never the first time. And I hope we can respect those who remain firm. There’s a difference between rigidness and resolve. One is stubbornness but the other is integrity. One is a wall that must be broken, and the other is a seed that must be nurtured.

– J.S.

[garcialenyrose]

❤

[jesusnerdyall]

From Heaven’s perspective, grace is enough. If God does nothing more than save us from hell, could anyone complain? If God saved our souls and then left us to spend our lives leprosy-struck on a deserted island, would He be unjust? Having been given eternal life, dare we grumble at an aching body? Having been given heavenly riches, dare we bemoan earthly poverty? Let me be quick to add (…), the majority of us have been saved and then blessed even more!

Max Lucado; In the Grip of Grace (via jesusnerdyall)

[jspark3000]

The only time a Christian should be first is when they’re the first to apologize, first to confess their mistakes, first to care and humble themselves. Never to compare or compete with another’s worth, because we got the heavenly riches and it’s enough to go around: first.

J.S. Park (via jspark3000)