[holyadvice-blog]

Cutting down on bad habits

‘For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast’ Ephesians 2:8-9

This blog post is going to be more personal and about a barrier I’m going to try and break free from, like many people I know I spend too much time on my phone ignoring signs from God because I am getting too distracted by the desires of this World. To do so I am taking a huge step to control my habit and this is to reduce the time on my phone by deleting apps which make me ignore the existence of God our father and make me find love and attention in other means. I feel social media can be such a blessing: I can write my blog, talk to long distance friends and enjoy technology in this day and age. But, Social media has its negatives I am so distracted by my phone I am ignoring the natural beauty of this world, ignoring God, not being able to have a conversation with family by the means of my phone being there. So I’m having a detox and taking a huge sacrifice which I hope will pay off. I have decided to delete apps which I spend too much time on, will only talk to close friends by my phone for now so I can focus on God and the friends and family who love me. I think taking a detox is what everyone needs to do, give themselves a break and some time to focus on God. I know for me this will be a huge challenge and something I’m not used to but I hope I can stick to it and find the benefits from it.

I chose the verse (s) from Ephesians to show this: it is only by grace through faith alone we are saved not by ticking a checklist, being perfect or copying others. Our faith is a spiritual personal journey with God nothing else, not the results of works but it is a gift from God. I have been a Christian for four years and still I forget the one important thing about being a Christian which is being saved, I feel like many others this can be forgotten by the bad habits we have or being too busy. So for me trying to escape this is a sacrfise but the best way to get back on the track with God and know you are saved because of God! There are so many barriers put in place by the Devil which seem to be impossible to conquer but with God anything is possible (Mathew 19:26) , he knows what is on your heart before you even think about he will help. Sometimes God can put you on a path which looks messy but it is like a tunnel, you are in a darkened tunnel which feels as if you’re there forever but through God you will come out of the tunnel and see the light. Look back on your life try and see where God has been when you thought you were alone, God does not give up on you but makes you whole. Through prayer, perseverance, love and grace we can conquer bad habits taking control shows you are with God and loved by him and are accepting his gift which is faith. 

We have our dips and our low points when we cannot be bothered to go to worship God, to pray, to focus on him or even worry about him. We make too many excuses call ourselves hypocrites, by saying one thing and not acting on it. God knows this and knows this is because of our sinful nature which will never go away, but God can ease the pain he wont let us down because he has us and he will never let go. Through his actions of putting his son out to be executed we no longer have to take the debts of our bad habits because God has done it. When you are low, God knows. When you are happy, God knows. God knows all about us he knows our plans, trusting in the unknown can seem like a huge step to take but it is not unknown. What we are trusting in, is God our loving father who gets us more than we get ourselves. Surround yourselves with people who fully love you, pray, try and persevere to get rid of bad habits and remind yourself of the sacrifice Jesus gave us which gives us freedom to accept the gift of God. 

I have recently read my daily devotional, it is titled ‘Five Reasons to be fearless’(https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/five-reasons-to-be-fearless)  and this pushed me even more, to detox and try to love God when I am low. It reminded me that freedom from bad habits will help us glorify God. We should not be afraid of God because he wants us he is our shepherd and we are his flock, not being afraid of God and our bad habits will help us see God as our father and that we are loved, not being anxious will show we treasure God as King for he is all powerful, getting rid of bad habits and not being anxious about God shows that we fully trust him and want him by taking control of our life through ourselves will show we treasure God, want God and trust God. 

We should not feel sorrow in our lives but accept God’s mercy and his love for us, I challenge you to reduce and take control of your bad habits through any means so if you’re low or even happy you know you are loved by God!  

All my love,

S  ♡ 

DM - for any tips, prayer advice or support. 

[holyadvice-blog]

It’s okay to not be okay

‘Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived’ Galatians 6:1-3 (MSG)

Whether its you who feels distant from God, hated by others and have the feeling of being  unloved or if you are seeing someone who is feeling rubbish. We all have some bad times and managing to overcome these problems is a struggle. As Christians we live the constant struggle of being drawn to Earthly desires, escaping from God and all the stresses of life which sometimes can engulf us and leave us with a feeling of being left alone. In this blog post, I’m gonna be honest and voice what people feel.  Explain the high points and low points on our Christian Journey and through this I will use my handy tips to push you ,or help someone, to be put on that path with God again.

I chose the verses from Galatians as they really are powerful the passage is titled ‘Nothing but the Cross’, Galatians is written by Paul (if you want to hear more about Paul read my other post for some background). Paul was sharing a deep message to the people of Galatia which he wrote as a letter, he was sharing something which we too needed to follow. For me in brief summary the verses show what we need to do: not judge others, be kind, understand that helping others may lead us into temptation but it is important to put yourself in the situations to help others  to share Gods message, and I feel the verses show we are not perfect people but as followers of Christ we still need to display his message. 

As Christ showed us we are loved and his love is enough but as Christians we need to display the love he has for us! Don’t hide yourself from the people around you when you’re having a bad day but keep going surround yourself with people who you can trust, and with those people you can talk about the lows you have in your faith. These people can help you in your faith as they can pray for you in the dark times which will push you to see the love God has for you. The verses in Galatians shows us a message what we need to do and how are friends should respond to us in bad situations. Some people may discourage you by the way you share Gods message or the way you respond to people you trust but God has everything in plan with a purpose. We all have a God given purpose which we all will achieve with the strength and grace from God, sometimes things don’t go according to plan or without the purpose you wanted. God places you in situations so you can learn from the past, some people may be there to discourage you show a lack of love or mislead you. Even in situations like these God will always be there.

Sharing advice about Gods love and applying his goodness in your own actions is hard we all commit sin and therefore to non believers and to ourselves look like hypocrites. We as God’s people are never perfect but in fact we lack the moral understanding Jesus had because of the fall. There is no hierarchy when it comes to faith because we are all not perfect, but we must not give up on the fact that we need to show love through our actions just like Jesus. This is because God put his son on a cross to suffer a harrowing death so we don’t have to suffer. For me I use that as a living reminder that God chose me to help others, to share his love, to stick to his word, and to always follow him. Even in the dark times he is there because you can learn from the past and see that God was there! God’s love is unconditional, never ending, it will keep on giving till we reach the day in Paradise when we are reunited with the one true living God! Pray for those who persecute you, read his word, surround yourself with people who can remind you of his message and try to love like Jesus loves you!

So whether its you who isn’t feeling okay at the moment or if you have a friend who isn’t okay at moment, Gods love doesn’t give up on you and will never need a ‘break’ from you or time out because you too much to handle he never leaves you. Don’t rely of friends, relationships or other idols to push you through life rely of God because he is the only long standing cause who knows you fully inside and out. Don’t live life by the moment, but live for the moments given by God, yes live life to its fullest but value it because it is God given. Living life by the moment isn’t valuing the gift God has given you, don’t live by materialistic wants or moments but by spiritual wants by God. Try sticking with God in the low points and the high points valuing your life with God in it. 

God gives our brothers and sisters so we can feel supported but so we can support others, God’s love is so great that he gives us people to see his message through fellowship. But he uses us for this purpose too: sharing Gods message isn’t just about the Gospel but it can be determined in your actions and the way you respond to situations. Non-christian or christian displaying Gods love is a key aspect in our lives we must display the love he has for us in our actions (Mathew 22:39). The love God has for us is never ending and he does not give up on you; so help out those friends you’ve been ignoring, talk to some close friends about faith, pray for those who love you that they will support you in the low times and read God’s word! 

I hope this has made some sense as throughout recent time, I’ve wrestled with the idea of God’s love and honoring others when I don’t want to! 

Best Wishes, S  ♡

[holyadvice-blog]

Take a step back

‘Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:26-28 (MSG)

Sorry that I haven’t been very active on the blog posts, I have lacked motivation in writing posts but feel like I need to share this. Recent events have really boosted me to consider God’s plan and what his message is for me. I have found the verses from Romans a real insight into what our message is from God and how we should act on it in every insight of our lives. 

The book of Romans was written by St Paul and is a letter to the ‘Romans’, in which he shares the sin of humanity and shares God’s message that with God’s grace we are saved. The story of Paul for me shows God’s love, Paul at the time was called Saul he was a deceiving tax collector and showed no compassion for the people living Gods message at the time. God saw this and God saw that he needed to show Saul that he was loved, Saul had a vision on the road to Damascus his whole life changed he lost sight temporally and his named changed to Paul to represent his change of life. From then on the newly named ‘Paul’ continued throughout his whole life to share God’s message and share his love and this can be seen in the passage where he is telling fellow people about God’s grace(Acts 9). Paul took a step back and evaluated his life so he could see the existence of God’s love when he did not try and show it. 

The passage in Romans can not just give an insight at the time of Paul but it can be applied to the lives we live today, I find the message version a really helpful tool to help digest parts of the Bible with fresh current eyes which can be supplied to our society. I found the passage in Romans shows no matter how we are feeling God knows what is on our hearts, he knows how we are feeling and understand the situations we live. God is not disconnected from us, in fact, he knows who we are as he created us. In the verse from Romans God fully understands how we feel when we are low when we have the struggles in our daily lives and he can do the praying for us. But to do so we also need to show God’s love in situations of our lives and display his glory like Paul; such as situations of school, relationships, work and family. Understanding the love God has for us is important but being able to digest this by showing his love in our actions is important too, and if we struggle with this God does not give up on us sees our problems and pains which we suffer and he will come to our rescue. 

One of the biggest struggles in our Christian Journey is seeing Gods plans when we want things ‘our way’, misjudging situations and twisting them to fit the idea we want in our life. However, we can never fully escape God’s grasp and his plan is beyond our imagination and better than anything we can think. Understanding Gods plan is difficult especially when there are parts of your life which you want to ignore, the passage from Romans shows that God knows these difficulties even if we are not motivated to discuss them with God. God overrules in all situations by his love and he is always trusting in us even if we feel we aren’t adapted to do so. 

Coming back to these verses are a real boost but to also help you to get yourself back on track take a step back and view your life and search for the plan God has for you. We are not perfect, understanding that God accepts you is helpful! Surround yourself with close Christian friends, view your life by seeing where God has intervened, read his word through apps or bible notes, and search for Gods love and try to display this through your actions. This is something we can all struggle with but slowly feeding yourself with the right actions will help you develop your faith. Just ‘take a step back’ acknowledge God and the people around you and this should help you evaluate God and his love for you (Jeremiah 29:11).

In this society, we want to conform and be like the people around us and God knows this because of our free will. In Romans it shows that God knows this, God understands we cannot change in a heartbeat but understanding his message will help us be in the world but to not conform to it. By following his advice through his word we can enjoy life but we know the greater reason which is to be reunited with him. The purpose we live on is to share his love but to not conform to the planet we live on. 

The quote used at the top of this post really helps me! I imagine my life as a lemon, a lemon before being squeezed is filled with ‘juice’. For me this ‘juice’ represents all the things God wants, his glory, his love, and his power which strive you in your life. But sometimes, the lemon is squeezed which lets out the juice of the lemon getting rid of the power God has in you and you start to lose the love for God and you start to go your own way. The juice can be lost, through all the human sins we deliver and do not repent for. But God does not leave the lemon he replaces you and fills you up with more juice when we are delivered from our sins through him, shown in the verses. Through the holy spirit, our lives will taste better as God is refuelling us with more ‘lemon juice’ and we won’t always be squeezed out 'lemons' as God does not give up on us. But sometimes we need to feel low because without low points we don't know the high points of Gods’ love we can be refuelled to feel God’s presence. To help remember Gods love prayer is the answer, do not rely on boosts of faith but stick to a routine which will help you grow in God's love day by day. Praying on God and waiting on Gods love is important! His love is enough and this will help us pursue God when we don’t want to.

Always remember that Gods love is enough throughout our worries, lack of purpose or the idea of putting your trust in the unknown is hard. God will help us, refuel us and love us no matter our problems

Thank you all and please share, its a pleasure to share whats on my mind and to see how I’m working with God. 

S  ♡ 

[holyadvice-blog]

Proclaiming God’s Glory

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

I think most of us find it hard to proclaim God’s Glory during the hard times when we feel alone and weak, but God’s Love is always with us. In this blog post, I’m going to try and address some issues which I think we all face and the struggles we have trying to overcome them. 

Myself included: we have issues in our growing faith and sometimes those issues and doubts can last days, weeks or months. The feeling of loneliness sometimes will never escape us and become an idea that God does not exist. We feel less supported because we are running away from God and not listening to him, escaping to the bad habits we are so used to just so we can forget about the troubles going on around us. This is the work of the devil, running away from God becoming less like him and feeling not worthy of God is not what God wants. God will always love us and he will always be there for us no matter how many times we escape from the comfort of his love he will never run away (https://onlythebible.com/Poems/Footprints-in-the-Sand-Poem.html). 

I find it hard giving advice but not acting on my own words, trying to proclaim God’s glory when you don’t feel worthy of it is an ongoing struggle. In Thessalonians, it says that we need to be thankful to God in all circumstances. Meaning whatever situation you are in you need to worship and honour Gods glory, this is because we belong to God and we are in his family. I find this idea of proclaiming God’s glory a difficult one because sometimes we may not feel up to it or we might feel too unclean for his glory due to sin.

 I have found the friendship of other Christians really helpful as I find praying for others a lot easier than praying for my own issues, being able to have regular contact with close Christian friends has really helped me see God's glory in another perspective. I would recommend going to a Church service, youth group or Christian event if you are struggling. As seeing other people worshipping God and proclaiming his glory you may be able to get back on track as you may feel supported. But this is bittersweet, you might begin to compare your life to others but the easiest route to escape this even if you don't want to is to pray.  God is always listening he might not be giving answers now or the answers may be unexpected but God always has the best plan in mind which will benefit you (Jeremiah 29:11). God's love is all around us and that is through his family (Hebrews 10:25), even if you find it hard to engage with thanking God other Christians around you are thanking God. To help thank God more is to ask for prayer and open your eyes to others around you. 

I always like to go back to the story of Jonah, the story with the 'Big Fish'. Jonah messed up, didn't follow God's advice and to be honest was not following God's plan and showing God's glory. To cut the story short, Jonah got in a sticky situation and was swallowed up by a big fish (Jonah 2:2-10). God didn't give up on Jonah but sorted him out, he planned everything so Jonah could see God's love and God did not give up on Jonah. However, you see the story of Jonah the message of Jonah's story is important: God will never leave you and he has the best plan set out for your life but to be part of this you need to accept God's glory, give all your life to him and thank him every day. Now, these things can be scary and it might cause you to run away from God but prayer, fellowship and God's word will help you get through the tough times. Don't be scared to ask for prayer from others, talk to someone about your faith, download the Bible app or follow an account which will give you a verse every day even if you feel like its going over your head at least you're trying and last of all always remember that God loves you. The Bible may seem old and silly for a society which has developed so much that it might not be important in your life as an individual but its the word of God you should not ignore it, some stories are significant and prayer is the best way to overcome your questions.

I hope I have made some sense, I'm enjoying this 'blogging' thing its fun and calming for me to make a go of the thoughts which sit in my head. I want to thank all those special people who are pushing me to do this, supporting me on my Christian journey who understand my struggles and are always praying for me because that support is always a massive boost. I love you all very very much and I wouldn't be here without all of you. 

Please give this a share as the message of these posts are God-given and they may be helping someone if you need pray or any advice I am always here! 

Sorry if I sound so cringe in this post, all my best wishes!

S ♡ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU771D5AYWE 

[holyadvice-blog]

Coping

‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’  Philippians 4:6-7

God will always be there but we always will have the bad times in faith and in life. Sometimes we are just hanging on in there: school stress, exams, friendships, mental wellbeing,  family life and relationships can get in the way of our faith and make us doubt Gods existence. These issues are so normal in society but we as Christians must remember with Gods love we are never alone. We may stress out, become frustrated with whats going on and want the attention which we might not get but Gods love will overcome it. 

The verses from Philippians fully represents the love God has for us, it represents what he can do for us and what we need to do in order to understand the love of God. We all mess up as its the World we live in, doubt Gods existence, get swamped into the society and make too many mistakes. The problems we sustain in our life can all be recovered by Gods love since his son died for the pure existence of the human race (John 3:16). We need to give any troubles to God but that idea of telling him of our fears, failures and regrets is daunting. In my experience, I have felt so unclean and guilty of my own actions I have doubted the whole concept of our Gods existence.

A few friends have given me this verse as inspiration to help me in my struggles. I really wanted to share the verse as it shows so much wisdom. This verse gives us a job in how to overcome the problems we deal with and the fixer of our problems is God. In Philippians it says that in every situation we face we must present how we feel to God, this can be tricky so it says to do this we need to pray and seek Gods strength in every situation. Then we shouldn't be scared or worried about the past and what is to come. Gods love is enough, it is unconditional and all powerful. We may doubt this, we may not understand how that works but God loves us. 

We may just be coping with God at the moment or may be jumping for joy with the overflowing love God has for us: but it is all in a plan made by God he has crafted you a path which you cannot imagine.God puts us in places and situations so our faith can deepen, grow and get stronger (Esther 4:14). Whether you are just hanging on in there or proud of where you are at the moment. With the help of others, Gods love, constant prayer and the reflection on his word will help you make an understanding of the love he has for us. God gives us second chances always because he will never let go of us because his love is never ending.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6RNJ6HDTpU). 

‘Whether you’re just coping or overfilled with his love, he will never let go’

Hope you all understand what I’m getting at and please let me know how you all are, all the best 

S  ♡

[holyadvice-blog]

Gods Message

‘Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works’ Hebrews 10:24 

Gods love is always important, but to support Gods love good fellowship is what we need! We can gain advice and support in our faith from friends at all times so we can trust God more and our faith will become stronger in doing so. To do this I have decided to answer some questions from my friends so we can be motivated in our faith to show acts of love and to show good work in our faith. 

We will always have our struggles but I find friends who give me advice boost my self-esteem as God puts people in our lives to help us and for me, they are Gods messengers. The verse in Hebrews for me sums up what I feel Gods fellowship is and fellowship will help me have a stronger faith, getting involved in a local church group and such will always help you see the good side of God! 

So here it goes and I hope the answer to these questions will somewhat help others, but they’re all in my own opinion so let me know if any more advice is needed! 

When did you first believe?

I have always had an understanding of God since I was born, but through Christian events, my understanding of God became more of a love for God and I started to trust in him. I became a Christian late 2014 and took the step of faith to trust in God at all times. Would really recommend attending Christian events as it made me see God with fresh eyes. 

How do you feel confident in sharing your faith?

I find it hard answering this as Christians we live corrupted in sin so sharing our faith can be an obstacle but God gives us the strength to combat it. I wouldn't say I'm confident in sharing my faith and it is always an ongoing issue, but through prayer, I am able to openly talk about what I believe so others who don’t believe have an understanding. 

I use the prayer technique ‘TSP’ 

- Thank you (thanking God for helping me in any situation)

- Saying sorry (Asking God for forgiveness)

- Please (asking God for help). 

How do you feel closer to God? 

Feeling closer to God can be difficult at low times. But one way in which when I’m low or stressed to feel closer to God is to talk to a close friend who also believes being honest and explaining how you feel so they can pray for you, so you are supported even if you don’t want to communicate with God yourself. The idea of fellowship is always a constant reminder when I question my faith. I also enjoy listening to the Bethel Starlight album, the music is so spiritual and reflective it helps me feel closer to God even if I don’t want to pray and read my bible (https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLANSzPZUcDII_dpN5rni8GjqkVLhCZgrk)

How might you describe your relationship with God now, how might you like to improve this?

I feel my faith is like a wave, I have good times and bad times but throughout this God will always be with me. I struggle praising God when my faith is bad and ignoring God in good times but to improve this I always will pray whether I’m feeling bad or good having constant communication with God is always important. To strengthen my faith: I always feel having a good fellowship of people around me is important, reading Gods word (having notifications on for a daily bible verse), and keeping up with how I feel about God is key. This will always help me build a better relationship with God. 

How to tell if God is giving you signs? 

All the advice I feel I can give on this matter is prayer! Prayer is the key way to communicate with God if you feel like you are been given signs pray for them. Ask God for advice and healing on matters and in time he will answer you: God gives us signs through prayer, the word and other people but praying on them is the best way to see if there God-given. 

How to not get obsessive over the want for a relationship? 

God should always come first in your life and that is something you need to prioritise. God will always have a plan for who enters your life, but if you obsess over a relationship you are taking your eyes off God. In my opinion, our relationship with God is important and if there is someone in your life or you’re becoming obsessed, Imagine the relationship as a triangle God at the top and as Person A (you) and Person B grow your faith in God will become stronger with God at the top of the triangle. Try praying over these issues, for God may be putting someone in your life but do not obsess over it.

 I would suggest a three-point prayer system 

Praying for the other person in mention, praying that they understand the love God has for us, that they will follow the fruits of spirit in their character (Galatians 5:22-23) and if they are following the way God pronounces love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Praying for yourself that in this situation you too understand the love God has for us, that these feelings will not overtake the love you have for God but help you grow in your faith. 

Pray that God in time will act on whatever you’re feeling so you don’t become obsessive but putting God at the top always, since God has it all in plan sometimes we just need to be patient (Psalm 27:14) 

How does the bible show truth if it is written by humans but given by God, and how is this relatable in society?

Yes, the bible was written many years ago but the truth of the Bible will stand since it is Gods word. The bible is of historic importance and some parts may conflict in our World but prayer is the easiest method to overcome such issues.

I hope I have answered these questions to the best of my ability and if you need any help just let me know!

S  ♡

[holyadvice-blog]

You are beautiful

‘She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come’ Proverbs 31:25

God often tells us, that we are made in his image! But what does being made in Gods image actually mean? 

Gods image has so many different meanings, but I feel Gods image is in ourselves and we need to reflect his beauty through the fruits of the spirit. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I believe this is the character that God wants, although due to our corrupted and sinful world these characteristics will never be fully fulfilled. However, God wants us to show the fruits of the spirit in the way we care for others and the way we care for ourselves since we are Gods creation.

Our beauty is shown by God since he created us, we need to reflect God by the way we care for ourselves and the way we care for others. People in the society give a negative and twisted view on being beautiful, the way we need to look, the way we need to respond to our bodies has caused so many problems which have led to a lack of self-love for ourselves and others. Since in the bible it says that we should love others but to love others we need to love ourselves (Mathew 22:39). To do this we need to be proud of who we are and be proud of our beauty because it is God-given, so many people like myself class our bodies as ‘ugly’ or ‘disgusting’ we share insults to ourselves. This is not what God wants it is in our sinful nature, in my opinion, being nasty upon your self-image is hurting Gods creation since God created us. In Mathew, it says that we need to show an example to ourselves of self-love so we can love others. 

My tip is to not show disbelief when someone compliments the way you look, always be thankful! Having an open mind to others loving you will build you up to become strong and proud of your image. I do not mean in this way that we need to always be complemented and overly vain about ourselves but we need to avoid discriminating ourselves. We are always comparing ourselves but we are all beautiful so do not compare the way you look to others. I find it hard being proud of my image but having the constant reminder of the unconditional love with Jesus is the best way to overcome bad thoughts, I feel such a hypocrite writing this because we are all filled with doubts and I struggle with the same issue but Gods love will always prompt us to stop being negative about ourselves.

The verse in Proverbs is taken from a passage called ‘The wife on a noble character’, for me this is describing a woman who is proud of her looks because they are God-given! She is strong, proud and humble something I aspire to be, this woman is showing the fruits of the spirit through her actions and trusting in the Lord which is why she is ‘laughing at the days to come’. She does not need to worry because she knows God loves her and that is all she needs! I feel every person needs to a ‘take a leaf out of her book’ because she is showing so much wisdom and publicly praising the Lord, as people we must not mock others or ourselves since God loves us. The love God has for us makes us beautiful we are not ugly or less beautiful than ‘so and so’: we are beautiful because of the love that God has for us. 

We will always struggle with our beauty because of the ways of this word. The society we live in lacks self-love but God gives us wisdom and an unconditional love to overcome these issues. God uses us as people to stop this by following his word, having a strong foundation in Christ with an ongoing God centred fellowship and knowing that if we mess up he shall always love us. 

Dedicated to the wonderful strong women I know who project Gods beauty in their lives every day, you are all so wise and build me up. I love you all! 

You are beautiful, 

S ♡

P.S - Defo recommend ‘You bled’ by Rend Collective, it shows the love God has for us through the lyrics of the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuNgB9f2aQk) 

[holyadvice-blog]

God Equips The Called

‘Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say’ Exodus 4:12 

God equips us, for the first time in a while I have plucked up the courage to do something with the Godly thoughts that get stuck in my head. Even if no one sees what is on here, at least I know I have the God-given courage to do this. So here it goes! 

I feel this verse, from Exodus, has so many different meanings for us as God’s people and for the people, at the time the book was written. Exodus is a book that tells us the story of God’s chosen people fleeing Egypt from slavery, this gives us some context to the verse. I feel this verse gives two prominent meanings which we as Christians need to follow and act on. 

God chooses you 

How do we know we have been equipped by God?

God chooses you 

In the verse from Exodus, God is telling the Israelites to go. God is saying to them to leave Egypt and go to the promised land but not on their own. God also says that he will speak to them and help them on their way, through men such as Moses. Moses was chosen by God to lead his people out of Egypt, God gave Moses a plan and a purpose. For me, in Moses position, I would have been sceptical and a bit nervous since he was given a big job role to fill. But, Moses was equipped by God and called to lead God’s people out of Egypt. From this, we are given a message: God equips us and calls us in this World. We as Christians are told not to be ‘off the World’ but ‘in the World’. To do this we need Gods love and a strong fellowship which is helped by prayer, reading his word and being with others who believe. God chooses you, to be a light in the world to share his message of Gods love. When we are low we must remember that God brought his son into the world: Jesus breathed the same air we breathe, saw the sky we see but died so we can be forgiven. You do have a purpose in this World because God chose you, we are here to let others who live also know that they too have a God-given purpose (Mathew 7:7).

How do we know we have been equipped by God?  

The verse from Exodus shows that God was telling Moses to go. In my opinion, I feel God was talking to Moses by a spiritual voice. God speaks to us in many ways to tell us of his plan and how he is equipping us. There can be so many ways that God can talk to us such as the Bible, worship songs, prayers and other people. If you’re struggling to see God’s purpose, pray on it since that is the way to communicate with God. Even Jesus prayed (Luke 5:16). Prayer is the best way to communicate with God but sometimes I struggle waiting for a response to prayer, to help me with this I used a prayer diary writing down what I have prayed for so I can see where God is leading me. Looking back on my life, I can see Gods purpose because I have prayed. As Christians, we deal with the constant struggle of our faith being criticised. But we must remember that God has an unconditional love given to us and it is comforting knowing that he will equip us in given time. I find it hard, knowing when God is speaking to me. I struggle just believing things as a coincidence or not noticing at all where God is in my life when I have my low times. But I have found recently, giving advice and talking to other people to comfort me in my faith has helped me see that God is equipping me. Hence, why I have taken the time to write this blog because I feel God has equipped me to write this as he equipped Moses to walk with his people to the promised land.

I hope this has some way, helped people deal with issues as much as it has helped me. I’m gonna give this whole ‘blogging’ stuff a go and see where God leads me. Please keep me posted, if prayer is needed and if this post was helpful. 

S ♡