The Real Meaning of Easter - Our True Love

Today is Easter Sunday, we've all stuffed ourselves with chocolates and it's time for bed... But how much of today have you taken to really appreciate what Jesus did for us? Like really thought about it? This video and song puts it all into perspective. It is a bit gruesome but this is what our Saviour went through for ME and YOU.

Amazing right? Jesus knew from the beginning that he was going to do this, and when it came to it, he was terrified... but he continued through the pain, through each whipping that struck his back and broke the skin, through all the taunting and the agonising walk with the heavy cross on his back. Just stop... imagine that, we have no idea what pain he went through, physically and emotionally, but you know what? He did it with LOVE, not with anger or for attention. Jesus went through this horrific ordeal for each and every one of us, because of our sin, so that we can be free from guilt, and have an eternal life with the Father.

But the story doesn't end on the Friday. Sunday comes and he is risen! Jesus conquered the grave so that we too can conquer sin and rise with him. We do not have to be held by sin any more. That's it, the price has been paid! By dying and rising he removed ALL barriers between us and God. Now, through believing in Jesus and the resurrection we can walk with our Father and spend eternity with him.

God will roll away any stone in your life and protect you from any pain now that Jesus has been through the crucifixion  Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice, his LIFE. For YOU.

So you may think, "This darkness in my life is just covering me, I'll never get out of it." You will if you have the power of God with you. And he promises that he will never leave you. NEVER.

^"16 The eleven followers went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ On the mountain they saw Jesus and worshipped him, but some of them did not believe it was really Jesus.¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. ¹⁹ So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptise them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.”    Matthew 28: 16-20

God Bless
xx

All That God Wants You To Be

I found this on Google images and thought "woah". It's hard to think about but, it's true right? Can you honestly say that without going through what you have been through in the past, you would be who you are today? 

The things that you have been through have shaped you into who you are right now. 

God created us, he designed us, he knows us - every little detail and it is all carefully stitched together to make up exactly who he wants you to be. Not what you want or what society wants, but what God wants.

When an architect designs a house, he knows all the measurements, details, problems with the house. He has created it and he will follow it through to see the house built to how he wants it, how he planned it. If someone else comes in and changes something, trying to make it like other houses, it won't all fit together. Because it won't be exactly like the designer planned. 

God knows exactly how to shape you into the person he wants and he knows you can be, but he's not going to do it straight away.away We have to grow into that person. And when we grow, God smiles, he's proud of who we are becoming. 

There may be problems and struggles along the way but just trust that God knows what he is doing. He's known from the very beginning so why do we fight it? Because we don't like it? Tough. We'll be pleased it happened eventually and when we enter into Eternity, we will be able to say, "I did everything you wanted me to do, God". 

God has a good plan for your life. 

Romans 12:2 says:

"Don't become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants-what is good, pleasing, and perfect."

Change how you think, and think about what God wants, not others.

God Bless

xx

Feeling Overwhelmed

So yeah, last night was awful, I just could not sleep, I struggled for hours to sort through my thoughts, to try and think of nothing stressful but I couldn't. All I was thinking about was mum, nanny, other people, problems, worries and anxieties. Nothing I did could push the thoughts from my head, it was horrible, I felt like I was being attacked and I probably was.

My major worry is that I'll sink back into my depression, just when I was coming out of it, I feel as if I am. I really am not keen on going back to therapy... It just all feels too much sometimes, I feel overwhelmed, like I'm just going round in circles...

I found this great summary, (taken from here) of what Jesus might say to us when we are overwhelmed:

Situation: Jesus, there are so many demands on me. My family, job, finances, relationships, and on and on. Sometimes it seems I'm going around in circles and not getting anywhere. How can I stop feeling so overwhelmed?

Jesus says: I'm so glad you came to me. Here, sit down; let's rest a little bit. You can do it. I know it's hard to stop moving and thinking of all the things you need to do, but give it a try. Take some deep breaths and let's just talk. Tell me, what is your true desire? What do you want your life to be? No. I don't mean a bigger house or more money. What is it? Take some time, if you want. Or maybe it will come quickly. It will probably come from the deepest part of you. My child, I believe what you really want is to feel loved and to give love. Am I right? Think about it. Is it to have a purpose in life? Be careful not to let your ego come into the reflection. The ego is a tricky little guy. If your desire is to somehow feel important (which is a need all humans have), I invite you to go deeper. I think you also will find that somewhere in your deepest part you want me. After all, I am your Home. I am your Creator. So, how does this relate to your question? Once you find out what you truly desire, you can focus on just those things. This will take much time and prayer. I have spiritual advisors who can help; there is no shame in getting professional help. This is just the first step. Remember, my child, you can always rest in me when you feel overwhelmed and I will hold you for awhile.

Activity: Follow the suggestions in the Jesus Says segment. You might be surprised what you really want. Spend some time figuring out why you are feeling so overwhelmed, and if you need some support, by all means follow up on that. Praying can be a huge help. Use whatever form is helpful for you, but connecting with Jesus and knowing he will help you carry your cross can make a difference in your life.

My favourite part of this is where Jesus says that He is our Home, it's just a great comfort. He is where we can go when we feel weary, drained and overwhelmed. We can breathe and recharge, ready to get back up and fight another day.

So yes, last night I felt really bad, I thought I was going crazy, but today I got up, and even though I was tired, I got a lot of work done, I could have stayed in bed, I wanted to! But no I got up and moved on to the next thing... I'm hoping I'll sleep tonight but if not, I can't dwell on it...

God Bless

xx

We All Have Scars

Sorry, I haven't written in a while, but it's now 11pm, I haven't got any sleeping tablets left and felt I needed to write a post, so here I am!

We all have scars, some deeper then others, nonetheless they are there.

One scar that a lot of us have are battle wounds, battling with our minds. I have just started reading Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind that they sent me and already it has made me realise that, the devil has a lot of patience, he wants to do a job properly, so we need to stop him before he gets a chance. If not, things can go terribly wrong. We need to use spiritual weapons to defeat him:

Praise - our attention is fully on God and the Devil hates that.

Prayer - we are developing our relationship with God, one which the Devil cannot come between if it is strong enough.

The Word - the more we know the Bible, the more powerful it is as a weapon, Jesus used it as a weapon. He won.

Troubles may have held us captive in the past, but we need to let go of them, so the Devil can not use them as footholds, forgive people, forgive yourself and pray. The simplest, yet I think the hardest. 

So I've not been too great lately but I keep having to remind myself of the Truth, even if it's by listening to music, I need to reinforce it in my mind. 

We all have scars, some deeper then others, but they will soon become part of who you are, and when people ask you can say you fought a battle and won. 

You, yes, you reading this post are amazing and God loves you no matter what you have done, or have been through, never ever forget that...

God Bless

Sarah xx

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie ten Boom

These lovely words are from Kari Jobe's song "Find You On My Knees".

I love these words, they show, no matter what we should have unbreakable trust in God. He knows what is best for us and he is the one in power. 

We need to remember these things:

God is trustworthy. 

2 Samuel 7:28 says:

"Lord God, you are God, and I can trust what you say. And you said that these good things would happen to me, your servant."

God never forgets his promises.

Psalm 9:10 says:

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

God listens to us.

Psalm 62:8 says:

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."

One thing I particularly love about this verse is the pour out your hearts to him bit. It's just lovely. We can pour out all our troubles and anxieties to him and he won't love us any less!

That may be a lot of baggage that you need to unload, and guess what you never have to pick it up again! 

Just put your trust in God, wherever you are, whatever you are facing, and however bad it is, God already carried it for you, so why do it again?!

This is an INCREDIBLE video to watch about trusting God, please watch it. It is very powerful!

God Bless

Sarah :) xx

New Year New Start... This Time I Mean It!!

It's the second day of 2013 and right now it's 11.34 I should be asleep or at least attempting to but I wanted to write this. After a lot of messing around I finally got here (I'm on my iPod)
So I just read a bit of Galatians as part one of my New Years resolutions (read and study bible more) and I came across Paul asking a crowd who he was pleasing them or God? The answer was God. I want that to be my answer! I focus too much on what other  people think of me and I need to stop that!
Next thing is in a devotional I read that God completely understands me and what I'm going through. I need to renew my mind and focus on him! I also need to spend more time with him. Hard but I am going to try!
Wish me luck!!
God Bless
Sarah
Xx

Random Thoughts

Ok it's 10.40pm and I feel like doing a blog post as there is so much going round my head! 

I can't seem to get over how awesome God is! He is incredible! I love listening to worship songs because they are so meaningful and powerful to me, it's how I connect with God I guess.

Although I have been through a rather sucky year, I need to remember that GOD NEVER LEFT ME... I struggled with that for a while, and still do to be quite honest but I need to keep reminding myself of the truth.

I've had a few days in the past week where I've felt like I was being attacked, I had bad days where everything seemed to go wrong and I've felt really depressed and upset, putting myself down all the time. I just don't feel adequate sometimes. 

But the song above - Jesus Paid It All is one of my favourites! Just because of the emotional connection I get with it! I don't know why it's just a very meaningful song to me! It's very uplifting, and powerful!

"JESUS PAID IT ALL" - It just sums it all up really!!

Right, that's got a few things of my mind!

God Bless

Sarah xx