'I am learning to run freely, Understanding just how He sees me'

Origin: "Greater" by Mercyme.

    

Our lives are nothing but a journey that ends, sooner of later. But a journey that's meant to be enjoyed and from which we learn that narrowing our focus is nearly impossible! Everybody has tons of responsibilities and some crazy schedules, and we feel like we're sprinting in life but that's exactly why we need to take a break and think about where we're going. This morning I talked about simplicity and focusing on One Word for our lives instead of jamming them with loads of resolutions that don't come true. In this song, Mercyme's lyrics made it clear enough that our God is much greater than our plans and resolutions combined. They showed us that we could lose the battle but God's grace says that it wouldn't matter because we're set free! We're not in chains anymore! The moment we realise how God sees us, is when we know how valuable we are and how amazingly blessed we are! Your resolutions are yours, but your life is God's. He's the only one with the keys to your chains!


   I don't mean any kind of disrespect to your resolutions or plans and I'm, most certainly, not against having them and working on them. What I don't stand is having the wrong resolutions instead of focusing on what matters. Did you know that "One Thing" was mentioned 4 times in the bible? In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul uses the phrase "one thing" to bring focus and clarity to his calling. In Luke 10:42, Jesus says to Martha, "only one thing is needed." Both Luke 18:22 and Mark 10:21 include His words to the rich man and express a lack of "one thing." John 9:25 also includes this phrase as the blind man tells the Pharisees, "One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" In the same way that Scripture uses these words, we also can put it to use by asking God to reveal His vision for us for the year.


   Setting yourself free isn't a thing you do, it's something God wants to do because that's the only way you could really understand how God sees you! 

1-You are God's son! You belong to Him!(John 1:12 - Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.)

2-You are loved! (1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.)

3-You are chosen by God and for God!(Ephesians 1:4 - For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.)

4-You are forgiven! (Colossians 2:13-14 - When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.)

5-You've got the power! YEAH! (Philippians 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength.)

6-Holy Spirit is in you! (John 14:16 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.)

7-You have peace! (Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.)

8-You are not alone! (Hebrews 13:5 - Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.)

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'They will lift their wandering eyes, and see us SHINE' -Early Christmas Post.

Origin: "Hey Moon" by Sidewalk Prophets.

Now, to be clear, I don't mind having the whole song's lyrics written as this article because this song is just BEAUTIFUL! It's one of the songs that you listen to and relate to every word that's said. Sidewalk Prophets started this song saying that time flies so quickly and things change so fast where people could get stuck in the middle and start wandering around looking for signs of God, now here come the interesting part, that when they lift their wandering eyes, they will see us shining.

   In Matthew5:16:'In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.' We were called to be mirrors in which people can see God's light and mercy and I've always believed that God might work in your life through suffering to inspire others by your example in adversity. Those who endure adversity can sympathise and identify more effectively with others in their sufferings. We comfort others in the way we are comforted. God may permit suffering so we learn to respond to problems in a biblical way. I also believe that the true reason behind people not believing in Jesus is them being ashamed of their sins. Sin, which is basically defined as the separation from God's Holy Spirit. Now, the most beautiful time of the year is coming up carrying the best memory of Christ's birth. The man who was slaughtered and crucified for our sins and shame, He carried it all on His shoulders. What kind of love is this? It's not just something you'd turn your back to, no, not at all! I know how tempting this world's patterns are BUT faith is what distinguishes from the rest of the world and our goal is the same as God's, for all people to be saved. ALL OF THEM! 

   God will use us as his instruments for the this world's redemption, our God is a great God. He understands us and He never changes. He forges us into strong elements, unbreakable ones that permit the passage of Hid unending glory through us to the rest. It doesn't depend on your wealth or social position, God chooses those who are ready not those who are able! Pray and wait, ask for a new vision and demand wisdom for the goal that God has set for you. We often fail to realise that prayer has always been the key to everything, now, that you know how simple it could be, can you guess what your next move is?

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"I am royalty, I have destiny, I have been set free"

Origin: "The Anthem" by Jake Hamilton (Jesus Culture).

   

ROYALTY! DESTINY! SET FREE! Yes! We got all these! And this is what marks us as Christians! We are all God's beloved sons and daughters! In Isaiah 62:3:'Then you will be a beautiful crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal crown in the hand of your God.' And in Jeremiah 29:11, one of my most favourite verses in the bible, it tells us something about our life's destiny here on Earth with Jesus Christ! And when you read it, all you can get is that God knows the plans He has for you, you'd never know these plans or maybe He revealed them to you in a vision or a prayer, both ways lead to welfare not evil. To give you future and hope!

   

   If you are reading this right now, then I'm sure that you went through a time of uncertainty of who you are and what you're supposed to do with your life. It differs from one person to the other and for me I've always believed that this world isn't my real place and all that I'm going through here is nothing but a temporary mess from the King of this world, Satan. Our identity, as true believers, is found in the King of Heavens! The one and true God who's worthy of all our praise! The only King our lips can proclaim! So, whenever you feel rejected, hurt, uncertain or even lost at some point of your life, I want you to know that no matter what is going on around you, you are the SON/DAUGHTER of the King! And He loves you so much, His love is so thick, His love is enduring and there's nothing that can be done to make Him love you less or more. NOTHING.

   

   Our daily lives' demands make it so hard to focus on God's word and even harder to believe it, like seriously, financial, emotional, social or even educational problems could be the major blocks we're stumbling upon these days and even make us doubt ourselves if we can really achieve what we're made for or even reach our goals. A fun fact about me, when I became a believer, many friends were praying for me and they prophesied that God would use me for awesome and heavenly plans He has in mind! That was three years ago. And, honestly, so far, nothing extraordinary happened except me being drawn to serving and helping others and putting myself last, maybe that's why I chose the medical career, anyhow, I started to doubt whether these plans would actually come true or not, so I asked a friend of mine:-

Me:'Would God change His plans for me? Ever? Would His love change?'

Friend:'No, Never.'

   Don't be afraid! Fear will get you nowhere! It'll prevent you from reaching out to the Holy gifts God has for you! Step out and be sure of your Divine image! You don't have to ask for wisdom or anointment because you already have them! All you need to do is to cultivate and develop them. Step out in faith and be sure of who you are and of who stands with you.

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"This is what You do, You make me come alive"

Origin: "This is what You do" by Bethel Music.

   "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"-2 Corinthians 5:17.   YES! This is what He does, ladies and gents! This song highlights the most important truth in all Christianity! God has made us alive! He created life and it's only through him that we can be alive again. And the more we wander away from the life of Christ, the more we die from the inside out yet our greatest weakness lies in that we consider our failures the very dead end of our road and never fail to recognise that it could be our enemy whispering thoughts in our ears!

   We are not normal beings, we are defined by who we are in Jesus Christ, we are a 'chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.' 1 Peter 2:9. We are the branches of his vine and the members of Christ's body. We are NOT defined by our darkness or by what surrounds us, we are not defined by our friends or families, and the greatest trick there is that Satan can pull on us is to make us fake our identity and search for it in this materialistic world. Well played but we're not that easy to get, we are not what the world dictates. We are what the living word of God says we are, no matter how far we run, as Christians, God will never give up on us and He will provide a way when we're lost. His helping hand is always there waiting for us to jump and grab it to be lifted up!

   This is how it goes in our lives, we are dead to sin. It can no more affect us, but hard times will come and we'll start questioning God and ourselves. But God says that the past is forgotten and hard times will no longer be found in Him because the moment you ask for it, you get a fresh new life. Being a Christian guarantees a life-changing process in Jesus Christ when we accept Him as our personal saviour. We are children of the light and we're not of darkness. We are protected and we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ 'And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.' 1 John 5:14-15. So I pray and ask for a new life to whoever needs it and searches for it, I pray for renewed lives and forgotten pasts because it is only through You, Jesus, that we can be encouraged and move on despite the war this world declares on us. I pray for waves of mercy and grace and for people to be carried away by these waves to places they never thought they'd reach. I pray for wisdom and for tender hearts that they may see Your face and presence in all that surrounds them because this is what you do! You make us come alive!

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"When no one else knows how I feel.."

Origin: "No One Else Knows" by Building 429.

   Well, we might not be the same but I bet each one of us had his own share of "Am I alone in this?" thoughts and boy, they're tough times! I couldn't agree more! And maybe you don't feel alone, perhaps everybody is just disagreeing with you or even facing problems with a close friend. Truth is, I never really cared as long as I had someone there for me. You know, it's like failing a test but not getting all mad about it because your classmates failed too. Haha.

   I'll be honest here and tell you a secret, no one will ever know how you feel, okay? EVER. No matter how well they know you, no one will ever get to know the real-deep-inside-of-you! Yet, we always fail to realise this because it's in our human nature to think about someone we know and close enough to run to whenever we need help and forget that:'The LORD remains near to all who call out to him, to everyone who calls out to him sincerely.' (Psalm 145:18). And that without our faith, we are making room for hatred, pain and drama in our lives. We always try to seek others for help before we seek God himself because we never knew that God, Himself, seeks us before others do! He's examined us, He knows our thoughts before we think them, He knows where we go and where we lie down. Where can we possible run away from Him? (Psalm 139).

   Many of our friends might come up begging us to open up and get things off of our chest but sometimes our reply could be that they wouldn't get what we'll say or they wouldn't understand our situation, they'd just tell you to try them and when you do, eventually, they really don't get what you say which makes it a bit worse BUT God is NOT like that! God said:'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' (Matthew 11:28). He did not say:'I might give you rest', 'Try me' or even 'I'll think about it'. He said and HE PROMISED that He would give us rest! 

   And the funny thing is, we always have the tendency to focus on our sufferings instead of setting our eyes on God's unchanging promises! 'You are extremely happy about these things, even though you have to suffer different kinds of trouble for a little while now. The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise, glory, and honour to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ appears again.' (1 Peter 1:6-7).   


   I, myself, hate it when someone tells me:'I know how you feel' and I go like:'No, you don't. You don't know what I'm going through, you don't know how I feel, you don't know what I'm thinking of, you didn't live my life!' And it's true, life is a true challenge and the only way to win this challenge is for your eyes to be on the prize! And the prize is going through unstable life stages hand in hand with our unchanging God who went through everything we're facing, even death. Yes, death. 

   I won't deny that it's good having friends who will always be there for us knowing that it will be partial and imperfect yet it's better to know that God is always there for us forever and perfectly! God knows how we feel through Jesus!

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"My soul feels crushed By the weight of this world"

Origin: "Worn" by Tenth Avenue North.

   This is such a great start for me choosing lyrics from my own favourite song by Tenth Avenue North. I would have written the whole song's lyrics here for they are so true and beautiful! Let me guess, reading the title made you think about something, right? Something that you went/are going/are going to go through. Yeah, well, I felt the same thing writing the whole article and it wasn't easy for me to write about something that I, myself, am suffering from.


   As a Christian believer, this world is not mine and I DO NOT belong to it, I look at it just the way I look at someone I don't know. I don't know it, I can't get it and I most certainly do not want to live in a place so filled with pain and hatred. Mike Donehey shows us in painful words how depressing this world could get and how hard we're hit every now and then. 



   John 16:33 states that:"--- In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Pain and suffering are both looked at with disgust and there's no living being on earth that would like to go through either one of them yet they keep throwing themselves at us without mercy but you guys didn't notice the verse I shared up there, did you? Jesus says:"I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD". And the thing is, we don't admit that He really has but instead we just keep looking at the tragedies of our lives. We will have tribulation and we will have trouble in our lives, that's for sure unless we define our "peace" as absence of problems. Well, it's not. Peace is not having a problem-free life, it's about making God the centre of our lives. It is HE who has overcome the world and I firmly believe that He is the only one who can give us rest.

   Donehey moves on with the song saying that HE CRIES OUT WITH ALL THAT HE HAS LEFT, and, frankly, that's what we're supposed to do nowadays and forever. To cry out with our minds and hearts to our saviour, Jesus Christ. People who fail to do this are often compared to those who live in a prison but its doors are opened!

   The weight of this world will crush our souls unless we ultimately decide to change what we're looking at. We should always remember that at our weaknesses, He is made strong. He brings calm to the storm and He brings rest to the restless. And whenever our souls are crushed I'd rather have a should crushed with longing for His ordinances at all times. (Psalm 119:20).

   

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