Tag: faith

A prayer for the victims of the Texas School Shooting … 💖

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Hello, everybody! I hope you all are having a beautiful day or night!

At this point, almost everybody has heard about the tragedy of the Robb Elementary School shooting. While I usually don’t discuss events like this on my blog, I wanted to do my part in spreading awareness about gun violence and share my condolences to every person who was involved, as well as their loved ones.

Honestly, I wish that this hadn’t happened, as a majority of the people who have seen this news have. Each victim, whether a student or adult, had much more life to live, and none of them were deserving of this evil deed.

I understand that we cannot do anything to rectify the past, or the lives of every soul who has descended as a result of this event, but I would like to say a short prayer for everyone who was and is being affected.

Dear God,

Thank You for hearing from me today, as always. As You know, many families and children were hurt in the recent massacre. Although this might not take away the pain that the victims are currently feeling, I would like to bring my requests to you for a much brighter future in this world.

Please give the loved ones of the children and teachers–as well as the still-surviving victims, themselves–who were harmed by this school shooting a feeling of inner peace. Even in their state of grief, I pray that you will wrap your arms around them and give them hope for a better future. Please don’t let them use this event as a reason to give up, but please let it set a flame for them to do what they can to prevent others from experiencing what they did. Turn their grief into a drive to make the world a better place.

The truth is, some people in this world are crazy. And while some of them are mentally ill, others are filled with so much hate that they feel as though they need to hurt others the same way they are hurt. I pray that you will create peace in this world, where the government will stop worrying about power, but the safety of the citizens who they govern. I pray for gun safety laws so that families who drop their children off to school won’t have to worry that they won’t see them again.

Please let schools take their students’ and teachers’ safety as a top priority. Set a bubble of protection around every school as they put physical boarders in place to prevent history from repeating itself once again. Comfort the children and parents who are grieving and walking on eggshells. The surviving victims who had to witness the last moments of their classmates and teachers. Help them get the help that they need, so that they may see it as a testimony that You kept them here. Thank You Lord for preventing outcomes worse than what they were.

Please let this be a wake up call to everyone around the world, that life and world peace is more important than power. I bind up the spirit of greediness and pride. I pray that every person aware of this awful deed will have a spirit of compassion. Let this event be a large step in a safer nation, where the government, cops, and all those who should be protecting us to approve laws that ensure the safety, justice, and equality of ALL people. Please make this world better. Because we can’t do it without You.

Thanks again for listening and answering our humble prayers.

In Jesus’ name, Amen ♡

Hopefully, this event that will last in history will make a positive difference in our nation and our world. While I am sorry that this ever occurred, I am grateful that I can use my online platforms as a way to spread awareness about the issue of gun violence. I hope that this has inspired you to pray for all of those who were involved, not only earlier this week, but for decades before it.

LET’S CHAT~Feel free to share your thoughts, prayers, and condolences for the families in the chat. Just remember to keep it family appropriate please. Thanks! ♡

Have a beautiful and blessed day everybody! See you next time! 💖

How to Grow in Your Faith | 7 Faithful Steps

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Hey, y’all! How are you doing? Wonderful, I hope!

In several of my past posts, I have spoken quite frequently about the subject of faith. When we have faith, we are able to have the willpower to push through all of the trials of life due to our trust in the Lord. It is God’s desire to help us grow our faith in Him. But the question is, how exactly do we do that? I’ve got the perfect points for how you can make your faith stronger. Let’s get started!

1. Study; Read the Bible daily. Keep in mind that studying the Bible doesn’t have to take several hours every day. While some study sessions can be this length, it is perfectly fine to spend some or most of your days with 15-45 minute Bible sessions as you focus on 1-3 chapters at a time. The most important part of studying the Word of God is that you are able to gain wisdom and get closer to God in the process.

2. Fellowship; surround yourself with other people of faith. A big part of being a Christian is making sure that the people who we spend our time with reflect our faith. Therefore, when you attend church and other events within your community, make sure that you interact with other believers. Fellowship offers an opportunity for us to be inspired and give inspiration to and from other followers of Christ. Therefore, it serves as a great way to strengthen your faith.

3. Pray; make an effort to build your relationship with God. If you have the desire to grow in faith, then a good idea is to simply let God know what you want through prayer. Make sure that while you pray, you thank Him for what He has and is blessing you with. Then, ask Him to strengthen your faith and to give you a fresh love for Him, so that you may want to spend more and more time in His presence. From the wise words of James 4:2, we do not have because we do not ask God.

4. Forgive; learn how to forgive those who have sinned against you. The truth is we all want to be forgiven, for we have all sinned. Therefore, if we are loved enough so that we can be forgiven for our sins, we can forgive our enemies for their wrong doings. Although it is not easy, forgiving others helps us see God’s grace towards us, regardless of our shortcomings of His glory. Like the truth, forgiveness will set you free.

5. Give; take advantage of opportunities to give to others. In order to deepen our faith as evangelists of Christ, it’s always a blessing to be able to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We should always be on the look out for people to be a blessing to. God himself adores those who give out of the love of their heart.

6. Application; strive to live your life according to the Word of God. Trust me, I know that this step can be a lot easier said than done. However, it is crucially important that not only do we take the time to meditate on the Word of God, but also put God’s instructions for us into practice during everyday life. The reason why God gives us wisdom is so that we may use it for His glory.

7. Fulfillment; practice being content. While it can be tempting to focus on what we want and don’t have, it is important that we show God that we are thankful for the blessings that He has already bestowed upon us. When we are able to see the blessings in any situation, we begin to have a happier, healthier, and renewed way of life. A substantial quality of faith is trusting that despite the fact that everything isn’t going the way we envisioned, God is good to us, and He has a plan for us that will be greater than what we are capable of imagining.

I thoroughly had a great time sharing these tips for how we can grow in our faith. Just remember that as followers of Jesus Christ, we should put in the effort to do better and be better every day. Although we won’t be perfect, there is nothing that we cannot do when God is on our side. All we need is a mustard seed of faith.

Have a beautiful and blessed day, y’all! Peace in! 💖

Movie Review: Hope Lives (2022)

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Anyone who is among the living has hope —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

Ecclesiastes 9:4 ~ New International Version (NIV)
Title: Hope Lives
Rated: PG
Director: Anthony Hackett
Release Date: 2022
Runtime: 1hr 53 min
Official Movie Description
An inspiring drama that shows the triumphs and pains of a group of high school students who are victims of bullying, and how one man can make a difference.

This Mother’s Day, me and my grandmother (who is more like my mother) checked PureFlix–a Christian film streaming channel–to see if they had added any intriguing movies for us to watch. We stumbled upon Hope Lives, a new movie that was just recently released. Although I was a little unsure of what to expect from the movie, it easily became one of the best films that I’ve ever watched.

The protagonist–who is played by the wonderful director, Anthony Hackett–lost his daughter as a result of bullying, which was revealed in the opening scene of the film. Dramatic start, I know. But hey; it is a drama, after all.

While Mr. Ryan is heartbroken due to what happened, I admire how he uses his experience for good by volunteering to form a club with high school students to discuss ways to stop bullying. The fact that the movie went so in-depth into the topic –without being violent or derogatory–was super refreshing to witness.

Each of the students that Mr. Ryan counsels experiences bullying in a different form, but we really get to know each of their stories and struggles, making every main character likeable and relatable over a really short period of time.

It really stood out to me that every highlighted victim of bullying eventually learned how to stand up for themselves in a way that didn’t include violence or inappropriate language; I think that it shows the people of today’s world that while you shouldn’t sit there and allow people to mistreat you, it is more effective to stand up for yourself without punching back (neither verbally, nor physically).

As the club members begin to build friendships with one another, the film begins to dive into other important topics such as body image, self confidence, and showing yourself respect just as much as you would expect it from others. The acting feels real (another great element of the movie) and I think that makes the smallest of moments that much more powerful and memorable.

Hope Lives (2022) is the utter definition of an emotional roller coaster. While there were many wholesome, funny moments, I also found myself frozen in shock and nearly in tears, at some points. It’s honestly amazing how this film is extremely family friendly and fun to watch, yet there are a lot of powerful moments that will likely sit with any viewer, regardless of age.

Every moment that I spent watching this film was a moment well spent. I thank God for letting me watch it in full with Goodmommy on her special day.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (10 out of 10 stars)

Recommended Age: All Ages 10+

In closing, I would recommend this movie to absolutely ANYONE who is 10 years of age and older. It is powerful, inspirational, and a film that I believe everyone can get something special out of. This was a fantastic watch for both me and Goodmommy, and I would definitely watch it again, in the future.

Thank you so much for stopping at my corner of the Internet. God bless you all, and I will see you next time! Peace in! ✨

Take a Leap of Faith – Words of Wisdom #12

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Hebrews 11:6 New International Version (NIV)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

It can be easier to stay in your comfort zone. It can be more comfortable to stick with what’s familiar–with what you’ve always done. But the truth is, an important skill that we should all have in life is the ability to walk by faith and outside of what’s familiar. Because, if we’re always staying in that little box of comfort, how are we going to get to the next destination that God has along our path?

There is a season for everything. And during each season of our lives, God might want us to keep doing what we’re doing for a while. But just like every season must start, every season must come to pass, at some point and time.

At some point, we may not understand why God is calling us to go to the next destination. But the thing is, God told us not to lean on our own understanding, but to acknowledge and trust Him. And when we do, He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6)

When we walk in faith, we are not walking because we understand where we are going or why we are going there. But we are doing so because we know that God, who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13), is and will be with us every step of our journey.

Here are some ways to keep the faith throughout life’s challenges:

  • Pray–ask God every day to give you strength to take a leap of faith. Be honest about what you need. In addition, thank Him for what He has blessed you with–there’s always something (and more than one thing) to be thankful for.
  • Read Bible verses about hardship, faith, and overcoming to get inspired.
  • Spend time with other believers–fellowship can be a great way to build your faith in the Lord.
  • Believe and confess that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, if you haven’t already–this is the first step to living a faith-filled life.

Thank you so much for reading another addition to the Words of Wisdom series. Don’t forget that we shouldn’t leap with our own understanding, but with the understanding of what God says in His Word. As long as we have faith in Him, the Lord will provide us with everything that we need, and more.

Have a beautiful and blessed day everyone! “See” you next time! ✨

A Little Faith Goes a Long Way.

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Matthew 17:20 NIV - He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

These are the words of Jesus, our Savior Himself. He says that faith the size of a mustard seed (which is only 1 to 2 millimeters) is enough. Even with an amount of faith that may seem small to us, with God, this is all we need to move mountains. Wow.

I really want that to sink in: Even with faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains.

Although it’s a small sentence, it holds a lot of power.

Have you ever wondered why things aren’t going your way? You prayed with all of your might and still no prevail? While prayer is a wonderful way to communicate with and bond with God, what we also need to do is have faith. And guess what; it only takes a little bit.

God says that with faith, nothing is impossible; in other words, all things are possible with just a little faith.

You may be wondering what I’m trying to say to you. If nothing else, remember that God sees our hearts. He knows our true intentions, when and why we pray to Him (whether that be all the time or just when things aren’t going our way), and how much faith we truly have.

He hears our prayers, all the time, but He also knows what’s inside our hearts. He knows if we really believe that with Him, anything is possible.

He Himself said to us that mustard seed faith can move mountains. He says to us that a little faith goes a long way.