Pearls of Delight

"...Anyone who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."  Hebrews 11:6. What do you expect to happen when you pray? Do you expect God to answer? Do you expect to get exactly what you asked for? Or if you’re brutally honest, do you expect nothing much to happen? Do you approach prayer more like a wishing well—it’d be cool if you got your wish, but you know you probably just wasted a penny? I think this is an unfortunate trap we can fall into when it comes to prayer. If you go through a rough season, or a prayer that didn’t go your way, or maybe you’ve been trying to hear from God for a while, and He just doesn’t seem to be answering, it can sometimes shake our expectations of what God might do. But, God is always working in our lives, always answering prayer—even if it’s not in the way or the timing we would like. He is alive and active in our lives. We just need to re-frame what we expect God to do. If I can be really tr...

All of us have been through trials that left us feeling like we’ve been stripped bare. At times our prayers are nothing more than weak whispers of, “I love you.” Jesus doesn’t reject us when the storms of life leave us exhausted. He doesn’t shake his head in disappointment when our eyes of faith won’t focus. Instead, with matchless compassion, he climbs into the boat to be with us. When you’re in the midst of the storm and can scarcely turn your heart to the Lord, but do so anyway, he sees. With tenderness he rushes to your side, wraps himself around you, and becomes your strength. He creates hope out of hopelessness and stills the storm. With patience he breathes faith into your heart until you can see clearly once again. His love lifts you above the storm in a hurricane of grace. Victory becomes your song. Jesus, all I can do is sit and wait for you in total dependence. I feel you here, breathing hope and igniting faith. I will not yield to despair. Instead, as you hold me in you...

My child, I do not seek you harm, i am your father, i made you.  It is time to shift your focus and sense of worth, from your performance, achievements and financial status, to your worth and position in me.   YOU beloved are mine! Remember how I called you out from your father's house, when you were small in your own eyes, when you were yet a child and knew nothing and I brought you to myself and blessed you.  You do not have to perform to be called somebody in my eyes, you are precious to me.  Do not let your identity be in your perceived ability, nor measure your value and esteem by your earthly worth and network.  The darkness, pain and loss you suffer are only for a while, not caused by me, but a consequence of sin in the world in which you live. I bring redemption my child and I will use this pain to show you who I really am, you and all yours. If you capture this, it will be more valuable than having all the comforts of this world, for you will kn...

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:8‭-‬9 MSG These days, almost everywhere you turn, bad news seems to fill the media, world over. I have found that dwelling on such negative report affects my thoughts and depletes my energy, so I have simply stopped, instead I try to refocus my mind on good news, the promises of God over my life and testimonies of his faithfulness, this brings me peace and strength to look to the future with hope.  The way we think determines the outcomes we get out of life. Inspite of All that surrounds us, scripture encourages us to think hope filled  tho...

We don't need to do it all, we just need to do all of what God is giving us, in this season -Crystal Stine  If you’ve seen the movie,  Monsters, Inc ., you know what I mean when I say the journey I’ve been on has felt like the climactic scene of that movie. Mike, Sulley, and Boo are dangling from the conveyor belt filled with thousands of doors. But they can’t open just any door. Walking through the wrong door could put them in a blizzard or in the heat of a desert. Opening the right one would take them home. So they hang on with all their strength, fighting the enemy who sought to distract and destroy, until they can reach the one door they know means safety and security. The internet gives us the ability to see the doors God is opening for other people around the world, and we lose sight of the one door God wants us to step through in faith. Not every door is meant for us. Not every door leads us home. I’d spent more than ten years in a tight-grip survival mode—as I graduate...