“What Are You Learning?”
This is a common question that I would ask myself on a day to day basis. Or another squad mate would ask, “what is God doing in your life right now?” It was enough to make me constantly stop and reflect what God was teaching me during that time. It helped me to constantly want to be in the Father’s teaching and want to be learning because we’re never done growing.
You can make a difference in your day by just choosing in and choosing joy. Joy is a choice and I promise you’ll never regret choosing it.
Finding your strength in God is the most powerful thing. Don’t limit yourself to what you think you can do, God gave you His spirit so you wouldn’t grow weak, weary, or burn out.
Leaving is hard. It’s never fun for anyone even if it’s only been a short amount of time. The people you will meet and the relationships you will build are blessings. Don’t take them for granted. The number of days or weeks aren’t important; what really matters is the way that God knits our hearts together during that period of time. I wish I could say I came up with that last part but Katie Davis (Kisses From Katie) does a pretty swell job getting across what I wanted to say.
There is a time to act and there is a time to rest. Serving and ministry are amazing and wonderful but make sure you take the time to rest and reflect on what The Lord has done through you and what He is teaching you during that season.
For God gave you a spirit of authority not a coward spirit. When the darkness closes in don’t fear because Satan is like a puffer fish..he thinks he’s bigger than he really is. He tries to get in our head and tell us the complete opposite of what the word of truth says and what the Father created us to be. He strips the thoughts of love, worth, and security and turns them into unlovable, no value, and lost. The Father of Lies…because that’s all he can do is pollute the truth that we already know. We have the choice to be lost in his lies that he puffs himself up with or to be found in the One who’s understanding has no limit.
You are a daughter. A princess of the one true king. He is your daddy and He will always be there for you, it doesn’t matter what anybody else says about you because the only opinions that matter are from the One who created you and knows you best. He knows your insecurities, thought processes, if you’re an introvert or an extrovert, he knows you like no one else. So are you going let man state their opinion of you? To make you to think of yourself in any other way than what the Father says about you? Or are you going to trust that the Father knows what’s best and you can go running into His arms when life gets to be overwhelming?
Find comfort in the One who is not of disorder but of peace. Don’t find comfort in people because nobody’s perfect, we try to find most comfort in other things. Don’t find comfort in numbing your mind while surfing the internet or watching television. Don’t bury your noses in books trying to seek an escape from reality for a while. Instead fix your eyes on the author and perfecter of faith, the one who always was and still is. Everything in this world will collect dust and eventually fade away but the Heavenly Father is everlasting and He will never leave you nor forsake you.
If you have a problem with someone pray about it and make sure your heart is in the right place before bringing up the issue and then confront them. Our words are meant to call people higher not to tear them down. Speak life not death. There’s really no in between.
There is power in quietness and gentleness. God calls this beauty. How much greater would it be to see a gentle whisper move a mountain rather than a shout?
It’s when you start focusing more on your reputation rather than your character, is when it becomes a problem.
Make the ceiling your floor. Don’t limit the possibilities..bring them to life. Be limitless and don’t put a boundary on God and His plans because they are always much greater than anything we could come up with.
I have learned that I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person. And if one person sees the love of Christ in me, it is worth every minute. Again, Katie Davis captivates me with her words. I want people to see Jesus in me and for people to know I’m different. I know that it’s not by my power but in God alone. But if I plant the seed (1 Corinthians 3:6) and God makes that seed grow abundantly it’s worth every minute.
It’s amazing what God can do through you when you loosen the reigns a little bit. (This one was a tricky one for me. Aka I like being planning and knowing what’s coming next.) God ultimately knows what’s best for you and your future.
Never take anything for granted, you are alive each and everyday for a reason. God gives you the breaths you take to glorify Him and bring his people closer to the kingdom.
Spend time with the ones you love and adore. They may not be there for as long as you hope. Set aside time each day to just sit and talk with people about life or until your heart is overflowing with joy.
Step out of your little box every once in a great while. Following God doesn’t mean living a typical life. He calls us to live a life of the extraordinary and of great wonders that He brings upon us. Following God is the greatest adventure you’ll ever have.
You’re never done growing spiritually. You are growing almost like a tree. This tree can grow and grow and grow forming new branches. The branches represent the new things we are learning or adding to what we already know forming new branches upon the old ones.
Stop looking at the green hill on the other side of the white fence and water the dirt patch that God has placed in front of you. Be a faithful steward. You who are faithful with little will be trusted with more.
There’s definitely more to the Christian faith than going to church and the Jesus fish bumper stickers. I feel like we do all these “religious things” with the motive of trying to earn God’s attention and affection, when you’ve already got it. Christ doesn’t desire religion, He desires a relationship.
Love is a language that knows no barriers. Something that’s been a common theme throughout the race is the way that no matter what language is spoken, love is not limited. Love is expressed in words but also your actions. It’s quite beautiful.
Things will change in your life. People will come and go. If you get your joy from those things, it will never last. The only person who is never changing in our lives is Christ. Get your joy from Him, and then no matter what happens, even when it’s painful, the undercurrent of joy will still be there.
Hey you. Did you know you are precious in the eyes of your Creator? Your Heavenly Father? Because ya are. I used to think, “there’s a billion other people in the world. Why would Christ desire a relationship with me?” Well in John 3:16 one of the most popular verses in the Bible it says, “for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son so that whoever believes in Him will never die but have eternal life.” I always knew about the love that He had for the world but never the specific love He had for me. We always say that Jesus died for our sins. He did. But what if I said, He was thinking of YOU specifically when He was hanging on the cross? He was thinking of the relationship He desired with you, your sins He was bearing, your shame He was taking away, the love He wants to give you. You are worth pursuing. And He will never give up on you because He can’t bare the thought of spending an eternity without you.
I’ve heard the word “boldness” a lot on this adventure Jesus has brought me on. (yes I bolded the word boldness because I thought it would add for the visual effect.) I struggled with boldness a lot. But that came from my insecurities and not trusting God. I always thought, “what if that person views me weirdly, they’re going to think I’m crazy, or what if I don’t say the right things.” But God says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” //Joshua 1:9// He is encouraging us to rely fully on Him and to not be discouraged or scared. Because He is always with us. I think he’s reminding us that when we think we don’t have any boldness to give to draw closer to Him and rely on the unlimited boldness He has to offer.
It seems weird but God is the same anywhere you go in the world. He was the same for me in the Philippines, Swaziland, Nicaragua, and now back in the States. I don’t know why I thought He would be different in each country, but he’s not the one that changed. It was me. God has changed me throughout this whole beautiful journey He’s taken me on alongside with Him. And He is continuing to remind me that He is the same even when my surroundings change.
I hope these words encouraged you guys as much as they have encouraged me! Thanks for reading 🙂
With much love,
kaitlyn
