I just wanted to share some of my favourite quotes throughout this weekend:
There's this song we sing that has this line - "You are everything to Me." and everytime i hear it, i feel like God's saying that to me.
When you have begin to have something real with God, He will challenge and mess up the comfort you have substituted for a relationship with Him.
He DESIRES a relationship with you deeply!
*When God encounters you, He always leaves you uncomfortable (happy-scared!). So you're gonna need to pray hard! "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13 You have to be disconnected from the familiar to be connected to the divine.
*Don't look back, if your eyes connect back to where you came from, you get pulled back to who you were.
Sometimes if you would be great in God, you've got to keep moving forward even if your heart is breaking behind you, even if your emotions are raging, and not look back. God knows the plans He has for you and they are BIGGER and BETTER than what you left behind!
It will never be the right time, we just gotta go!
To be a vessel for God's healing and power to come through.
You can never conquer what you won't confront.
*One praying woman can BREAK the hand of the devil upon the people she loves. One praying woman can change a city!
The devil is afraid when you really get serious with praying cause that's when you'll defeat him! A place of prayer is enough to kill the enemy!
*You just need to BELIEVE the Scripture you know.
.. and that's just some! like if i could tell you all i experienced and learnt... just WHOA. still amazed. :P
* 1 - this was such familiar territory yet it rung as such a true reminder. i remember sharing about this in cg and i actually said.. "you know what guys, the harder the better, if it means i'll get to experience God in the midst of all that". and as soon as i left a place of comfort, it became difficult to believe that again. it became so easy to just not wanna pray, not wanna talk, and looking back i see the influence the enemy had on me then, to unleash my laziness and all. but now.. as i remember what i asked God for all that time ago, i know that deep down, i want to pray the same prayer again. Lord, push me to that place of total dependence on You, to a place where i know that i cannot do anything if it wasn't Your gentle hands guiding me and strengthening me. Make me uncomfortable Lord, if it's what it takes to make me grow. Thanks God, for letting me eat my words and learn a valuable lesson once again. :)
* 2 - In line with this Pastor Chris Hill said, "i refuse to be sad forever!" which made me think of how much of my heart i left behind in malaysia, in my past. i'm always whining about how much i miss home that i was blinded to the beauty and amazing people God put before me here, to the joy He's made available for me if i would only get over myself and let go and move forward. now, in no way is moving forward to me forgetting the amazing people i had to part with, but to me it's more not letting my past joys cause me present pain. and consequently, (or not so, cause it's all in God's hands.. ;) ), that morning i had such a fun time getting mini melts with my uni friends, and just soaking in all the laughter and happiness of the present moment. just talking, and opening up again once more, determined to make the best out of where God has put me now. and when i learn to actually appreciate all these people in my life, i find that i am happy. i AM. :)
sonia missed out on the picture though! :( but ah well, she was bunches of fun to watch ridiculous youtube videos with. :P DESPONDEX!
and gosh not to mention these awesome girls (+ ernying, pearly and ann ee) who are just complete blessings in my life, along with the rest of ULU-13. i really thank God for these godly role models in my life, people i admire so much and who make me feel so so at home everytime. it was really great spending this time in beautiful woman with you all! <3 <3 <3
* 3 - i forgot the power of prayer. like.. i really forgot. so many times when i felt so helpless, i did everything but pray. and now i remember, the peace i get when i'm in a real conversation with God when we're alone, the security and affirmation that everything's gonna be alright. :) i've decided to pick it up again, and to fast from facebook too for the next 40 days. facebook is ridonkulous in taking up my time man.. so yea. challenge for me. :) and i'll never forget to take advantage of the absolute privilege i have to be directly connected to God, as His daughter and baby girl. :) i'm gonna keep praying and believing for a breakthrough, and when it comes i KNOW it will come with a double portion. AMEN!
* 4 - i've been believing a lot of lies in my head and now only do i see how strongly and truly the Scripture i know in my head and heart contradicts those thoughts. so these are the truths i will hold on to more strongly from now on.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] 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
"Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
- Ephesians 3:20-21
"..casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
- 1 Peter 5:7
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
- Jeremiah 29:11
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
- Ephesians 2:8-9
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful"
- Psalm 139:14
and reinforcing this now, i won't be fooled into thinking that i am not good enough, or unloved, or will never be strong enough to carry out God's will over my life, or believe that i'm not gonna make it through med school or whatever else circumstance comes my way because GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN ME!
i guess to many who've never experienced God in this way before, it's difficult to believe that people could be so.. tethered and drawn to an invisible God. but it takes more that seeing to be visible , and real in a person's life. i feel God when He's around me, i know He always is but when i really tune in to that, i can feel Him so real, so true, so loving in my life. and once you know that sort of love He has for you, that deep, immeasurable love that was shown so sacrificial when Jesus died on the cross for our sins that we may be set free, when you really realize that, you'll see that everything else pales in comparison to the everlasting God. there's NO ONE like God, and nothing like His love, and believing that His plans over my life are gonna be greater than i've ever imagined.
i'm not afraid anymore, for now at least but i have the weapons i need to kill the fear should it arise again! for now, i'm not afraid of the future anymore, not afraid of the bad decisions i might make in the future, cause God's holding my hand and leading me into my anointing, my future, my inheritance as a daughter of the Most High King.
God He's awesome! :)
be blessed!! <3
candice :)
Good to see you so fired-up and encouraged coming back from that conference yo!!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's true, smooth sailing is a blessing, but at most times I too don't know how to appreciate it. So yeah, I guess I'd like to have difficult moments to remind me what God is capable of- more than what we can ever imagine of. Just, really thank God again that so far things have been so good for me heh..
Have a blessed week Candice!