Tag: hope

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Make God Your Priority

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Author: Olga Victoria

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Spending time with God is precious and so important. I like Joyce Meyer’s comment regarding it, when she was saying that we need as much food for our soul as we need it for our body! There is so much truth in it. We can’t live on snacks to get all the nutrition we need and maintain good health the same way as we can’t live without having daily spiritual food, which is time you spend with God.

Unfortunately, things we do, things we own and the whole routine of life can be so distracting from what’s most important, and it can actually ruin us.  Life is not about accessories and possessions; it’s so much more than that. As one of my most favorite scriptures says

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.

Mathew 6:19-21

Not long ago I got caught into the routine and daily chores of my life. I quit having my quiet time with God and praying as much as I used to. There would be always an excuse for me to do something else instead… I was spending less and less time with Him, and I was getting busier and busier… what’s interesting is that none of the things I was doing brought me a permanent sense of happiness and peace. Otherwise, I felt stressed and overwhelmed from the load of chores I put on my shoulders.

I felt like something started missing in my life, and the whole idea of God and His presence in my life were fading away… my faith was getting colder. When I was trying to go back to my Bible readings, I noticed how quickly I was rushing through the pages.  I had no free time to just enjoy the moment and reflect on His word. I had no time…

I lost my peace. I was overscheduling myself, and piling more and more tasks… aaah, it gave me so much anxiety and stress. It’s hard to take care of SO many things at once. Literally, it would never end.

What was wrong with me?

I was just living my life and trying to get everything done to be a good wife, good Mom to my Goldens, good employee, student, daughter…etc. The list could go on and on. I noticed that at the end of the day, I didn’t feel satisfied, otherwise, I felt like I wasted my day, without accomplishing all that I planned to.

What I learned is that I got trapped, all the things I own and do pulled me away from peace and happiness that I find in God, and in Him only. I felt emotionally and physically drained, trying to get all the planned tasks done, and at the end of the day I had no energy to spend with Him.

So, one day I realized that I made a mistake…I wanted to feel again excited about my life, not drained from it, but to be excited and happy, and thankful.

How could I get that back?

I prayed that day, tears were rolling down my cheeks, and I felt so embarrassed and so ashamed for what I’ve done. I felt like I forgot about my best friend, the One who helped me so much in my life, the One who was and is leading me every single day, and Who shows me His love and endless mercy. I forgot all the great things He did for me, and instead, I got stuck in my routine….

As the scripture says “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13

So, I made God my priority. I made my decision to put Him first no matter what my schedule is… just keep Him in my heart and in my thoughts. I learned to set special time for Him, when I listen to my favorite teachers as Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, when I read my favorite daily devotionals from 31 Proverbs Ministries, and when I read my Bible. Just read it, and try to learn from God how He sees us and what kind of life He wants us to have.

I noticed how different I started feeling after shifting my priorities. I gained peace and happiness. I filled my heart with thankfulness for every moment of my Life and for rekindling my relationship with God.

If you lack peace and harmony in your life, ask God to help you with that. Just talk to Him, and ask Him to help you gain control of your Life and have Him as your priority. He loves us all unconditionally and equally. We are His creation, and He yearns to hear from us and help us.

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

“Let every sunrise be full of hope and every sunset full of  peace for you.”

Unknown author

Olga

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Your Beauty & Worth

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Author: Olga Victoria

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Romans 12:2 AMP

  I think many of us tend to compare ourselves with others and try to fit into the society, by wanting certain looks, certain image and style. We gaze into a mirror to see how we look. We evaluate what we see and make changes based on that.

It’s tough to enjoy life when you don’t accept yourself the way you are. People who haven’t learned to accept and get along with themselves tend to have more difficulty accepting and getting along with others. Why is it so?

As the Bible says “A good tree will bear good fruit, and a rotten tree will bear rotten fruit.”  If we are rooted in shame, rejection, lack of love and acceptance, etc., the fruit of our relationships will suffer as well. That’s why it’s important to accept God’s unconditional love for us, and begin to accept ourselves and others. As Joyce Meyer says “The “fruit” of our lives comes from the “root” within us.”

If we strive to conform to the standards set by the world around us, and measure our successes and failures by those standards, most of the time we’ll feel frustrated and discouraged.

If we base our self-image on our expectations of ourselves, then we can easily experience sense of failure when we don’t meet those expectations. We can become too hard and too critical with ourselves, and feel not worthy or not good enough.

That’s why, as it is said in the Ministry of LivingFree.org, ” The healthy way to see ourselves is the way God sees us.” He loves us and He gave us everything we need to live a full life. We are handpicked and loved by Him. He created us in His own image and He sees our value.

God sees a deeper beauty and worth in us than what anyone else can see, even more than we see in the mirror every day.

Do not fall victim to believe any less about yourself.

Olga

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Love of God

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Author: Olga Victoria

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, 
nor any powers, neither height nor depth,

Nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

How special it is to know that God’s unfailing love for us will not be shaken and nothing and nobody will ever separate us from Him. Don’t you feel relief just from having a thought that you are already accepted and there is nothing you need to do to earn God’s love? You already received it as a gift… with the first breath you took! He will never leave you nor forsake you and He will be with you always till the very end of the age. That is His promise to you!

My dear friend,

There is so much love and kindness in God’s words that you will find throughout the Scripture. It was written for you, so that through His word you can find the truth.

Take a moment today and reflect on how you see God in your life.  Always remind yourself how valuable, precious and how beautiful you are. You are fully equipped to live the life you want to, whatever you do and wherever you go to, God promises you to be always with you.

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”            
Matthew 28:20

Olga

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Know the Truth

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Author:  Olga Victoria

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2

I saw a dream as if I was flying away from my city, from my country… from this World. I saw myself flying in the galaxy and watching the Earth from the above. It took my breath away to see how many lives are there, how many lights light up the Earth, how busy and desperate we are… I realized how insignificant this all is and how insignificant we are in comparison with what’s around us and what’s within us.

I realized that many of us focus on the wrong things, worry about something that doesn’t matter. We bow down to the wrong powers and feel intimidated by the society we are in… We try to fit in our culture not knowing our true self.

Life is so much more than waking up in the morning, making a cup of coffee, going to work, having lunch and dinner, going back to bed and starting all over again the next day!

Please remember where you came from and don’t get pulled away from the truth trying to catch the wind and living the life that is preassigned to us by our society. We were created to live a life not just endure, and there is so much more in this World that we can’t even grasp, but feel! We owe to know one, but Him and we should not be intimidated by anyone, but stay confident and put our trust in God, who is our Creator!

Free your mind from all the boundaries, barriers, fears and limitations you might have and know who you are in Christ. Know your mission and plan in life. Don’t live your days aimlessly, but know the truth! Be bold and confident in your faith, seek God and He will show you what really matters!

Olga