Everyone has people in their lives, who shape them, support them, and inspire them to become better version of themselves. For me, there are a few people who hold that place of honor in my life. My husband and my Pastor. Though they play very different roles in my life, both of them have profoundly influence who I am, how I see the world and how I walk out my faith each day.
My husband is my closest friend and strongest companion. He is the person I trust with my struggles and every day hopes. His patience and kindness and will to protect me at any cost create a sense of safety that anchors me, his humor and warmth makes even ordinary days feel special. One of the things I admire most about him is his steady character he is the same loving, supportive man in private as he is in public. His commitment to our marriage, his work and our family encourages me to be just a dedicate and intentional in my own life. With him, I feel loud, not just for who I am today, but who I am growing to become. My pastor played a different, but equally important role in my life. Through his teaching, guidance, and example helped strengthen my relationship with God and deepen my understanding of the Bible. His sermons are not just messages, they are lessons that challenge me to grow, to forgive, and to live with more compassion. I love how he has a genuine heart for people. He listens without judgment, encourages without pressure, and constantly demonstrates the humility and grace that he preaches. His leadership has shaped my spiritual walk and given me a clearer vision of what a life of faith looks like in action.
Although , they influence me in different ways -one through personal relationship, and the other through spiritual direction they both bring out the best in me.
What gets us into heaven religion or relationship? The path to heaven is not based on following a set of rules, but having faith in Jesus Christ, believing in His atoning death and resurrection, and repenting our sins.
There are core requirements we need to begin a relationship with God:
Faith In Jesus: believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins and was resurrected.
Repentance: Acknowledge your sins, and turn away from them, asking forgiveness.
Receiving God’s gift: Accept the give of salvation through faith which includes His righteousness, rather than trying to earn it through your own works.
There are some additional practices that are rooted in the Bible.
Baptism by immersion of water is an important act of faith that represents a believer’s commitment to Jesus and the washing away of sins (John 3:23, Matthew 3:16).
Living a moral life involves striving to live according to God’s moral standards and avoiding specific sins, which are seen as evidence of your faith and a way to stay in a state of grace.
An analogy I heard years ago is this:
If you go to a stranger’s home and say, “I’m moving in with you, and you have to let me because I’m a good person” of course they would say “no.”
So, why on judgment day when we meet Jesus do we expect Him to let us move into heaven just because we think we are good? He doesn’t know you because you never had a relationship with Him.
In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, Lord, will enter enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?.’ Then I will tell them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you worker of iniquity.”
This passage is a warning about false believers who perform religious deeds in Jesus’s name but lack a genuine, personal relationship with Him.
My pet peeves are people interrupting me when I’m talking. It is so disrespectful that I sometimes I just walk away. My second one is seeing people who are rude to the waitress or waiter at a restaurant. One thing is for sure if I am at the table and the person is rude to the worker, I will not be going to a meal with them again. The third thing is when people have no regard for other people. It’s all about them, and when you ask them to stop they play the victim card.
Could you imagine how devastating it was for the disciples to see Jesus go? But the Holy Spirit needed to be sent to us.
I can not imagine the pain and uncertainty the disciples felt when Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection. Knowing they would face these feelings, Jesus prepared His disciples before His crucifixion. He told them He needed to go away and send the promised helper, the Holy Spirit. It actually was to their advantage that He go away and send the helper (John 16:7-15). The Holy Spirit is with us now, dwelling within every born-again believer. He does so much to encourage, equip, protect, and guide His people.
Jesus responded to the sorrow that had filled His disciples’ hearts. He had shared with them that He was not just going away, but they were going to experience some extremely difficult days of persecution even unto death. Nevertheless, in spite of this Jesus told them. Even though they would feel alone they were going to suffer, the Holy Spirit would be there to help them along the way.
Because Jesus in His humanity restrained Himself to time and space, it was to the advantage of His disciples then, and now they He goes away and sends the Helper, the Holy Spirit so the disciples might experience His presence and power with them always, and everywhere. While I’m sure it was terribly upsetting and disheartening to witness what was about to take place, it was better for them if Jesus went away, or the Helper would not come.
The Holy Spirit could not come until Jesus was exalted. Since the work of atonement must first be accomplished for Jesus to be glorified, and since the Helper represented the presence of Jesus. Jesus by definition must depart before the Holy Spirit (helper) can be given. It was only through the internal presence of the Jesus Spirit (the Holy Spirit )will the disciples and we could truly understand Jesus.
John 16:8-9 lays out the basic role of the Holy Spirit. “And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment, concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me.”
There is only one question when it comes to sin and judgment. Do you believe in Jesus? If you have saving faith in Jesus, then your sin is atoned for in full. Your debt is completely paid. But to reject Jesus in this life will result in judgment in the next.
Thankfully while we still have breath, the Holy Spirit‘s work regarding sin is conviction, not judgment. He will convict the world concerning sin. The conviction of the Holy Spirit is intended to lead us to repentance and confession, not guilt and shame. Our default status as sinners is to reject Jesus, to not believe in Him. So, we need the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins in order to bring us to repentance and belief in Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is making us more like Jesus. There comes an increasing righteousness in our lives if we have the Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to bring change to our lives of born-again believers.
Jesus promised in John 16:24 that when the Holy Spirit comes, “He will guide you into all the truth and will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears (from God) He will speak.”
I really don’t have a preference between the two. I have lived near the mountains all my life. I could adapt to the beach very well. I have read that preferences are subjective and depend on personality and desired activities.
Those who are highly sensitive are significantly impacted by the world around them. Sensory processing sensitivity involves deeper levels of processing, subtleties in someone’s environment and high levels of empathy. These traits have a positive impact when highly sensitive people are in nursing and nurturing environment. They are likely to thrive and flourish.
It’s more challenging when a highly sensitive person experiences, toxic, chaotic, traumatic environments. This is especially difficult in Highly sensitive children. Children are like sponges, they absorb the energy, emotions, and behaviors of others. People who grow up in dysfunctional environments that are highly sensitive experience nervous system dysregulation, resulting in mental, emotional, or physical challenges later in life. This can include symptoms of depression, anxiety, or physical tension in the body.
While there are still many unanswered questions between the relationship between trauma and highly sensitive people. There are books that explore how experiences of trauma and being highly sensitive can lead to significant spiritual and psychological awaking.
For years I tried to cover my sensitivity with addictive substances, I used dissociation, so I didn’t have to feel. Because I was told it was weird, or that something was wrong with me. It took me years to understand what was really happening. I lived in a state of prolonged disconnect.
I saw my sensitivity as a weakness, not a strength. I feel everything. The energy that comes from others saps the energy right out of me. Because of the trauma I have experienced it has amplified my highly sensitive traits.
For years I was told I was broken turns out as an emotionally neglected child I was wired differently from the start.
As I think about historical figures. I couldn’t think of anyone I would want to meet except Jesus. He did so many amazing things while He was on earth.
He did miracles, taught about God’s Kingdom, and showed compassion by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and caring for children. And I’m sure that there are a few I can’t remember off the top of my head.
He showed us examples of how we are supposed to live. No man could keep up with this example. The great thing is I will have a chance to still meet Him.
For the majority of my life, I believed my worth comma value, and purpose were tied to being a mother, a wife, and an employee, and yes, other people‘s opinions of me. My worth was how someone else’s opinion of me, am my accomplishments were all that mattered.
It was exhausting, and sometimes still is when I forget who’s child I am and who’s opinion of me truly matters.
I was so exhausted that I was about to give up. I was tired of holding everything inside, and relying on what others said to brighten my day. I didn’t see any point to life. I hit rock bottom, but that’s when something amazing happened -God showed up. He as the only One left. And He was enough. And He still is.
God doesn’t value us less because of our mistakes, because of other people’s opinions. His opinion of us doesn’t change because our bodies and minds are tired.
On good days and bad days, God‘s opinion is the only one that matters.
I trust my instincts because I believe that they are a spiritual force. I believe it’s a way that God communicates with us to discern good from bad, trust from falsehood, and to make choices that strengthen faith.
I believe that that gut feeling is like listening to the Holy Spirit that guides us.
That feeling I get in my gut either gives me peace or turmoil. If it gives me peace, I know I’m making the right choice if I feel turmoil, it’s time to back away.
But there’s also a need for balance. It must be anchored with wisdom from God rather than wisdom on ourselves because it by itself can be misleading or driven by fear.
Our world is experiencing a time of darkness. But there is hope, it’s not as dark as you think. The light of the world has come, and the light will triumph in the end.
Isaiah 42:16 God said, ‘I will bring the blind by a way they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them.
America and the world are experiencing a time of darkness. There are wars, protests, conflicts, lawlessness, and even the threat of revolution by some ideological factions.
There are many law enforcement officers who have taken early retirement or relocated to different places because of what is happening in big cities, because they fear antifa and others who may attack their families.
Some people are fearful of what could happen and discouraged by all the turmoil. There’s a cloud of apprehension that seems to be hanging over us.
Our days are a time when people “call evil good, and good evil, who confuse darkness for light, and light for darkness (Isaiah 5: 20).
In this darkness, there is hope.
There have been many dark times in history. The Romans attempted an all-out extermination of Christians for 3 centuries. Almost 4 million people are buried in the underground caverns around Rome because they had to flee underground to escape.
The civilized world was almost overrun by Genghis Khan, by the Goths, by the Muslims under Saladin. There was a black plague that killed 75-299 million people. There were “dark ages” when the scripture were inaccessible except to the mostly unsaved clergy who spoke Latin.
There was the US Civil War in which the states took up arms against each other in fact 600,000 men died. Then two world wars wracked the world, killing hundreds of millions of people. We nearly had a nuclear war with Russia in 1962 that could have wiped out all life. These times were certainly darker than what we are facing today, yet God brought us through them.
Trouble always needs perspective and comparison. When you think of other people with worse troubles it usually makes you brighten up because yours isn’t that bad.
My pastor spoke about complaining in Sunday’s teaching. Most of the time our complaints are just inconveniences.
There’s a proverb that comes from various Chinese, Indian, Jewish, and Irish, and many more I’m sure that says, “I cried because I had no shoes until I met someone who had no feet.”
Isaiah 9:2 announces the “good news,” “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. This who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on then the light has shined.”
I believe the light of God is coming to the world. Only the people who choose evil will fall. If we choose to believe in Jesus He will never leave us or forsake us. He will lead us out. F
God has given us His Word to light our path, to hide it within our hearts, that we might not sin against God. It shows us where to go, how to live, and how to please Him.
Light represents knowledge, instead of ignorance.
I’m Psalm 119:130 David says, “Your word is lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Before we knew Jesus we walked in spiritual darkness. We didn’t know about our spiritual needs. We didn’t have the right priorities or direction for our lives. But when Jesus came He threw on the light so these things could establish our steps.
I read somewhere that Dr Alexander from Princeton University found that glowworms took such extremely small steps that they hardly ever moved. But when they crossed fields at night, there was just enough glow in them that it lighted their next step. They were never in the dark. When I thought about this, I thought what a good illustration. They weren’t in the dark and neither are we. God lights just enough for us to make the next step.
Light illuminates our darkness.
God’s children are called “children of light” (John 12:36, Thessalonians 5:5). For you were once darkness, but are now light in the world. Walk as children of light” –Ephesians 5:8.
Righteousness VS Wickedness
The light acts as a dividing principle. When people encounter the light, they are forced to decide to accept it or reject it with its implications. The light has come into the world, but people love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil. John 3:20 says, “Everyone who does evil hates the light.” Light exposes what we are. Some people will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
God is a merciful God.
To accept the light is to accept the life with Jesus. In fact, in the light there is life. In God there is life itself.
In John 8:12 Jesus tells us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it” -John 1:5
From Pity to Praise 