The kind of faith that overcomes the world, and all the sin in it is a faith founded on a loving God and keeping His commands, and if those commandments demand us that we love others as Jesus loves them.
Sometimes we restful with how we should spread God‘s word of hope in a groaning world, but don’t forget that God‘s plan is for you to be a particular kind of person (He gave everyone spiritual gifts). Our focus should be loving and serving God, so that we can love and serve others as God would have us do.
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who who begot also loves Him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -our faith. Who is He who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” -1 John 5:1-3
When John writes how “this is the victory that had overcome the world” even our faith. I think he means for us to understand faith in light of what he said, it’s loving God and carrying out His commands.
Everyone who chooses to follow God overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world. The power of faith in Jesus means overcoming the world and its challenges.
This means that through faith, we can withstand the temptations, pressures, and negative influences of the world.
“For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future” -Jeremiah 29:11
This letter from Jeremiah was for the Israelites who were exiled to Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem. They were in a tough spot, far from home and uncertain of their future and feeling as though God had abandoned them. But their situation was not hopeless.
Jeremiah was a prophet and reassured them after 70 years that God would restore them, with a promise of “plans for a hope and a future.”
I read it somewhere that “plans” here is “machashabah,” in Hebrew which can mean thoughts, purposes, or intentions. Which means to me that God isn’t just reacting to events, but has an intentional design in mind.
I think the power of purpose in Jeremiah 29:12 lies in the ability to transform how we see our circumstances. It reminds us that our suffering isn’t the end of our story. Maybe it’s that its purpose isn’t something we have created for ourselves, it’s something we can discover in what God has already set in motion.
When I think back on my life, I can see a pattern that has almost woven itself together. It’s something that I discover in what God has already set in motion. Maybe it wasn’t God’s plan for me to live the life I’ve lived but, a plan He has woven it together for good. Besides satan trying to take me out of the picture. Which is incredibly empowering because it has shifted my focus from chaos and despair to trust and anticipation.
A “hope and a future” gives me the energy to keep me going even though there are struggles in life. The purpose isn’t always about the absence of hardship but about what’s being built through it. It’s a call to trust that there’s meaning even when the plan isn’t fully known yet.
Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.
My nagymama (grandmother) was always a positive role model for me. She always had a warm hug for me, and shared stories from her childhood growing up in Budapest Hungary.
She sometimes had my favorite cookies called dios keksz. They were walnut cookies made. And she would let me drink coffee when we had them.
I think back on those precious memories and it brings me to tears. She was a special lady and her simple acts of kindness made a hug difference in my life.
Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.
One positive thing a family member has done for me. When I was a teenager and my father found out what my mother was doing to me. Everything changed. He began by telling my mother that he wanted me to eat what he was eating and me sitting with him while he ate.
Mind you at this point all my siblings were grown up and we’re out of the house. My father would take me to school every morning, and when I didn’t have school he would take me to work with him. He painted vehicles and had his own shop in the back of a car dealership.
From that point on he supported me through thick and thin. I was still drinking like a fish, and began doing drugs to deal with all the pain of what my mother had done.
I think after he became aware of the abuse I had gone through. My father stopped drinking so much alcohol. And came to do what he should do and support his daughter. He never left my mother, he just began spending time with him. And I would not be who I today without his persistence in supporting me and living me.
After I got married my father began having some issues and my mother died at age 59. I began taking care of him. And we became closer in our father-daughter relationship. It was very powerful knowing my in a truly loving way. After most of the childhood I was no taken care of like I should have. I learned so many things from him, this was a huge blessing to get to know my father in a deep relationship with him.
My favorite restaurants are Milagros and Texas Roadhouse. They both have good food. Except with Texas Roadhouse it’s best to make a reservation, because they are always full.
“I am the vine you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, apart from Me you can do nothing.”
When each of my children was learning to tie their shoes, they could not master the task. Each time I offered my help, they yelled, “I can do it all by myself.”
Yet, they couldn’t. They didn’t quite have the skills or knowledge necessary for trying shoes. I offered them to sit on my lap and I would teach them, but they would get frustrated and run away. Eventually, I would have to scoop them up as they yelled.
They wanted to tie their shoes by themselves. In their mind they were capable, but they couldn’t do it alone.
I understood this frustration because as an adult I didn’t want to admit I needed help. We are sometimes taught from a young age to be independent or believe that asking for help is a weakness. We struggle with pride and want to prove our ability in the world. Or even feel alone, that we can’t trust others with our issues.
While this may be our mindset, it is not the mindset of Jesus.
Jesus told His disciples in John 10:10 that apart from Him, they could do nothing. Even though they committed their lives to following and serving Him. Jesus wanted them to understand they needed an intimate and interdependent relationship with Him.
Jesus was not commanding, but rather inviting His disciples to abide in Him. He promised blessings and that they would bear much fruit.
Just like a fruit can only be produced if it stays connected to the branch for nourishment and life. I think Jesus through this verse that we must stay connected to Him. Without a vital life-giving union with Jesus, we can bear no fruit in our lives.
Often we do things in our own strength and wisdom, rather than realizing it relenting to our need for God’s help. But when nothing happens, we get frustrated and stressed out, just like a child incapable of trying their shoes.
Our tendency to rely on ourselves can actually become a stumbling block. We can find ourselves defeated and discouraged.
When we choose to follow God, we are invited to abide in Him. This verse encourages me to stay connected to a relationship with Jesus and is important to my faith. As I’ve learned to dwell or abide in Him, I found myself better equipped to handle stress, and better prepared to avoid meltdowns altogether.
In the natural world fruit is the result of a health plant producing what it was designed to produce. In the Bible, the word fruit is often described as a person’s outward actions that result from a condition of the heart.
There are fruit related metaphor found in the Bible. But you might wonder what does the actual mean to bear fruit? the Bible revealed many ways to bear fruit, here are four that stand out to me:
The Fruit of the Spirit
In Galatians 5:22-23, the apostle Paul tells us that “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.”
These kind of fruit are very real and very valuable comma they are not this sort of things become necessarily see with our eyes. However, their existence can be revealed through our thoughts, actions and demeanors.
For example, the fruit of joy is displayed when we find happiness in the little things, such as smelling flowers, cuddles from a furry pet, or the vibrant rays of a sunset, even when we’re going through difficult circumstances. And the fruit of peace is a good when we are able to lay aside our worries and rest in God‘s promise that he is working off things for our good (Romans 8:28).
Most of us have moments when we are definitely not peaceful, joyful, loving, etc… and these moments make us feel painfully deficient in the fruit of the spirit. But looking back on where we are now from where we were several years ago, helps us get an accurate perspective on the growth of the fruit of the spirit in our lives.
2. The Fruit of Prayer
On the night before, Jesus was crucified, He said,
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples” John 15:7-8
Here, Jesus, links asking, and receiving with bearing fruit, and in doing so, He reveals that answered prayer is a form of fruit.
The Bible gives us many examples of this kind of fruit:
In Genesis 25:21 Isaac prayed for his wife, Rebecca, who was infertile, and she went on to give birth to twins.
In Exodus 15:22-27 Moses prayed for water when he was leading the Israelites through the desert, and God provided fresh drinking water.
In Acts 12:3-16 the early church, prayed for Peter to be released from prison, and he was miraculously set free.
Our persistence is an important ingredient for bearing fruit for answered prayer. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus said,
“Ask, and it will given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.”
As you seek to be fruitful in your prayer life, whether you are praying for guidance, healing, or provision, don’t give up. Keep praying, believing, and abiding in Jesus and trust that He will answer in His perfect time.
3. The Fruit of Good Deeds
In Paul’s letter to the Colossians told them,
“Don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
God has given each of us good work to do, and when we are faithful to explore the work God given us, and when we willingly carry out such work to the best of our abilities, it results in fruitfulness.
It’s important to know that we are not saved by doing good works or deeds but are saved by God’s grace. And good works will look different for each of us. We all have different spiritual gifts that lead us to bear fruit.
God might call you to knit a baby blanket for a new mom, or cook a meal for a sick neighbor, or write an encouragement letter, are drive someone to the dr or store.
While we each produce different kinds of good deeds, don’t compare your works to another’s. Regardless of our individual gifts, our good deeds or works they benefit people in one way or another.
4. The Fruit of Praise
Hebrews 13:15 says,
“Through him, them, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to His name.”
You’re probably thinking praise is singing, and while this is definitely a huge way we can praise God. I like putting in a worship CD or pulling up a worship playlist on YouTube and sing along with praise to God.
But we can also praise Him by simply thanking Him for His goodness as we go about our day. We can praise Him for His creation -for flowers, oceans, mountains, and vegetables. We can praise Hum for Hid provision -for our daily supply of food, medical care, clothing, and other resources. We can praise Him for His attributes, His love, His compassion, His wisdom, and His faithfulness. We can praise Him for the salvation He has provided and the sacrifice of Jesus made on our behalf.
We can praise Him when we pray, when we talk to others, and even when we face problems and challenges. No matter our circumstances God is always there to help us through it.
Our ability to produce fruit does not depend our own strength, just like a mango tree doesn’t depend on its muscle mass to produce mangos. It simply comes through “abiding in Jesus, and following the Holy Spirit” (John 15:5).
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
Doing things to make us happy every day is a choice, not just a feeling. It’s about focusing on what we can control -our mindset, our actions and reactions rather than waiting for perfect outcomes.
Prioritizing meaningful connections and practicing gratitude can spark joy.
We can learn to see setbacks as lessons, not failures.
Our happiness is influenced by intentional activities, not genes or our environment.
When we can acknowledge our pain and struggles, we have a choice on how to move forward.
One small action you take today can lean you toward happiness.
Setting healthy boundaries is crucial for self-respect, prioritizing our needs, and maintaining well-being, allowing us to protect our time, energy, and emotional space.
This includes identifying our needs and values.
Self reflection: take time to understand your personal values, needs, and limits.
Prioritize: determine what truly important to you both personally and professionally.
Recognize your boundaries: identify the areas where you need to set limits, whether it’s time, energy, or emotional space.
When communicating our boundaries, we should make sure we communicate them clearly.
Be direct: express your limits and expectations, clearly and assertively.
It helpful to use “I” statements. Frame boundaries around “I” statements to focus on your feelings and needs rather than blaming others.
Explain the rationale: briefly explained why you need to set a particular boundary to help others understand your perspective.
Being consistent: reinforce your boundaries consistently, even if it’s difficult. When you set a boundary don’t change just because you don’t feel like it.
Give yourself permission: allow yourself to decline request, and commitment that don’t align with the priorities or limits.
Don’t overexplain things: you don’t need to justify your boundaries or apologize for saying no.
Focus on your needs: remind yourself that saying no is a form of self-care andself-respect.
Enforce your boundaries. Stand your ground don’t back down when other challenge or boundaries.
Sets your consequences. Determine the consequences for when others consistently disrespect your boundaries.
Protect your energy. Don’t allow others to drain you emotionally or physically.
Remember, boundaries are not set in stone. You may need to change your boundaries to evolve out your needs and circumstances change.
Always communicate changes. If you need to adjust your boundaries, communicate these changes clearly and respectfully.
Among all, forgive yourself. Don’t beat yourself up if you occasionally slip up or need to make adjustments.
High school was very different than is today. Our first period class we would say the pledge of allegiance to the flag. We were taught to love our country and to respect everyone. Having no cell phones, we were expected to sit in class and be quiet and learn. Bullying was a thing that was kept at a low, because if you were caught doing it, you knew your parents were going to take action to punish you as well as the school. There was a few times other kids would try and bully me. Like calling me fat I thought it was stupid because I weight 85 pounds in high school. I just ignored them and it stopped.
English and choir were the top things I did in high school. I kept to myself pretty much, if a student would come to school. I would try to talk to them and be extra nice.
There’s a delicate balance between making plans and surrendering to the divine will of God. Surrendering to God doesn’t mean relinquishing our desires, or giving up on our specific goals in life, rather, it is about finding a harmonious partnership with the divine guidance that unfolds within us.
Surrendering to God, and letting go begins with cultivating trust and faith in Him. We need to recognize that there is a greater intelligence at play, one that has a grander perspective and knows what is best for our highest good. Surrendering involves releasing the need to control every aspect of our lives and allowing ourselves to be guided by divine wisdom.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout my spiritual journey, is that when we let go and surrender to God, our life becomes much easier. When I finally surrendered to God‘s plan, I felt happier than I’ve ever imagined with the way my life was going. I realize how silly I was thinking that I knew what was best for me better than God.
When our plans align with God‘s plan, that’s when the magic happens. It feels like you’re flowing effortlessly throughout your life journey, and you start manifesting things easily. Instead of swimming against the current, you start going with the flow of life.
Surrendering to God is at our best interest, but it’s difficult to let go of our desires and the plans we make for ourselves. Because there are things that are not going to work out the way we want.
There were times when I was aware I was going against God‘s plan and I refuse to surrender to God‘s will. My ego was very stubborn. Even though I was aware of refusing to surrender to God that inflicted suffering, I resisted and refused to surrender until I was emotionally and spiritually exhausted.
When I decided to surrender to God and let go of my plans, life started working out for me. It felt like I had closed a chapter of a book and started a new one where everything seemed to work out, smooth and effortlessly.
By letting go of my egotistic desires, and tapping into my intuition I allowed myself to be guided.
Surrendering to God does not mean that you stop everything that you are doing and wait for things to happen by themselves. It does not mean that you give up on trying, and feel demotivated. It’s completely natural and healthy to have goals, desires and plans. that means that you are motivated and have a vision for your life.
But it’s important that the fusion that you have for yourself is in line with God’s vision for you. To understand God’s plan for you, you need to let Him guide you.
To surrender to God and let go, you need strength and guidance because it’s not always clear to understand understand God‘s plan for you. Through prayer you can ask for strength to overcome your egotistic desires, attachments, and beliefs which no longer serve you. You can also pray for guidance and clarity when your mindful clouded during challenging times.
Sometimes our minds are clouded with worries, doubts and fears which make us feel like we are lost in or own world. Our fears and worries make it harder to surrender to God because we stay stuck in our comfort zones instead of choosing the path of personal and spiritual growth. Like every discipline in life, we must practice mindfulness and learn how to become aware of our negative thoughts. Simple breathing techniques an help us enhance our self awareness and help us be more mindful of our thoughts.
To surrender ourselves completely to God we have to get ourselves out of our comfort zones.
In the Bible we see examples of this. Genesis 22 shows us this when God tests Abraham when He tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. God blesses those who obediently surrender everything and follow His will. When we follow our intuition and take leaps of faith, God rewards us with blessings.
Letting go of our need to control is one of the hardest things to do because we don’t like feeling vulnerable. We are under the impression that if we control things, we can avoid suffering when everything goes our way.
But in reality, we cannot control what is outside of us which creates more suffering when we fail. We can only control how we react to things, how we think and how we feel. By strengthening our faith in God, we will find it easier to let go and trust completely in our Creator.
When we surrender to God, we feel a sense of relief and freedom. Even though it may sound scary, it’s extremely liberating because it frees our minds from negative thinking, doubts, and fear.
Find something that helps you feel more connected to God. I find nature helps me connect with God. It’s very beneficial to go for a walk especially after a long day or being in a closed environment.
Writing in a journal is a beneficial practice that can improve the quality of your life. It helps you get in touch with your emotions and your thoughts, and makes connections with life circumstances and possible triggers.
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed with life and writing things down helps get things out of our heads and put them on paper. It also helps us organize our thoughts. With a calmer mind and a clearer vision and free space in our.minds, it becomes easier to surrender to God, and establish goals which are true to our authentic self.
Seeking guidance from God helps us throughout our lives and in challenging situations. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand God’s will for us, because we don’t see the bigger picture. That’s why God tests our faith and trust of Him. When we can’t see the light in the darkness, but seeking God’s guidance praying and meditation with help us see clearer.
Remember God promised He will never leave us or forsake us.
When we keep chasing our own egotistic goals , we realize that there’s nothing that brings us fulfillment. Or ego sometimes can trick us into thinking that we are following God’s plan when in reality we are only serving our ego. Our achievements only bring about temporary satisfaction. But God brings us to feeling fulfilled and whole.
From Pity to Praise 