godwants-you: God’s arms are always open for you to run back into, no matter how far you’ve strayed.
enlightenedpathway: This is so important. I constantly struggle with this, I have Satan whispering in my ear telling me I’m not good enough of a Christian to even ask for forgiveness from God. But if course that’s wrong. God is so merciful and just like Matthew 7:7 says “ask and you will receive” God will forgive you if you pray for forgiveness and turn away from sinful things.
A major way people distance themselves from God is when it comes to sexual purity. Many people believe that once their virginity is gone they have lost their ability to be pure. This idea is very Jewish because of a woman had sex outside of marriage she was considered unclean. But in Christianity God has given us the opportunity of baptism to cleanse and make ourselves holy and pure in His sight.
God forgives all sin you just have to ask.
As someone who endured years of sexual sin and abuse, and who now feels utterly broken, filthy, and unfixable… this reminder, this blessed reminder of the all-powerful love and grace of God, and His willingness to make me whole, if I have faith in Him to do so and give Him all that pain in hopeful surrender… it strikes right to the heart, and brings me to joyful, grateful tears. Blessed be God forever!!
Jesus promised Peter the gates of hell would not prevail. He did not, however, promise that the powers of hell wouldn't have a pretty good run causing us lots of trouble in the meantime. #stickwithPeter #PeterhastheKeys -Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P.
This is so important to remember. Jesus works WITH the weak and struggling people of His Church because it not only highlights His great power, love, and mercy, but also because it gives ALL glory to God for its success– no pride of man has carried us along for two thousand years of trials and failures and schisms. The devil is indeed waging war against Christ’s Body in His People even now, daily and cruelly. But God has promised our ultimate victory. Hell shall not prevail. So yes, absolutely stick with Peter, a man like us who doubted and feared and made plenty of mistakes, but who also always turned back to God, and who wholeheartedly recognized and adored Jesus as such– as the Christ, the Savior of the world. We still have those keys. So let us set our hearts firmly in our faith, no matter what, so that we too may be rocks anchored in the Rock Of Ages– The Gate Himself.
Saint Peter, pray for us!
Whenever I’m faced with making a decision in my life no matter how big or small, my first instinct is to pray.
I need to truly develop this holy instinct, especially in the little things. They matter, and they add up. Luke 16:10.
When God calls you to something, He is not always calling you to succeed, He's calling you to obey! The success of the calling is up to Him; the obedience is up to you. -David Wilkerson
True success is not measured by the world anyway; everything here is temporary. The obedience to God itself is genuine “success,” for it is in line with the truth of who we were created to be in Christ.
“Remember, it’s a gift when the Holy Spirit exposes areas of darkness, captivity, and sin. When you can actually see the ugliness, it’s because the light has come, revealing what was already there. So ask for the courage to be uncomfortable, uneasy, and provoked so you can confess and release these things. The Lord is full of compassion and love for you. God wants to reveal truth so that the truth sets you free … May you have ears to hear the Spirit’s gentle voice.”
— Sharon Garlough Brown, Sensible shoes
The Lord disciplines His children because He loves them so. His Light burns away the shadows of sin. It may indeed hurt, or be disturbing and uncomfortable, and admitting that we have such ugliness in us is scary and humbling… but it’s all for our highest good. Once God reveals it, He’ll help remove it. Listen, and let the Light in, to sweep out the dirt and cobwebs of your soul. God knows the beauty beneath– He created you, after all.
“I am with you. I am with you. I am with you. Heaven’s bells continually peal with that promise of My Presence. Some people never hear those bells because their minds are earthbound and their hearts are closed to Me. Others hear the bells only once or twice in their lifetimes, in rare moments of seeking Me above all else. My desire is that My “sheep” hear My voice continually, for I am the ever-present Shepherd.”
— Sarah Young, Jesus calling
🥺❤ How profoundly our lives will change, if we tune our hearts to the sound of those bells– to the divine music of His Voice!
“Spirit, I need to be extremely close to You, not just sort of close or somewhat aware of Your Presence. Please make me sensitive. I give You blanket permission to let me know emphatically when I’ve offended You, and I commit to making whatever adjustments I need to make when You do.”
— Chris Tiegreen
AMEN. Dear Holy Spirit, speak loudly and constantly in my life! Please grant me the grace to lovingly listen, hear, and obey with prompt joy and humility.
“Have you struggled with an addictive behavior? Have you repeated the same sin over and over? Understand the statement you are making when you indulge in it: you prefer the passing pleasure of a sinful desire to the fellowship that comes from obedience. It’s a revealing choice. Refuse to be trapped by it. Let righteousness- an unrivalled desire for God- deliver you.”
— Chris Tiegreen
This is a sharply humbling truth… but only such a righteous razor can cut through the shackles of sin. God, free me from fearful addiction, and secure me in friendship with You! May I desire You above all things, and may I properly discern how to live that devotion to You in all my choices. Lead me in your love.
“One of the greatest hindrances to our sense of God’s Presence in our lives is our awareness of our own sin. And though God hates sin, He loves us. So even when we disobey Him and grieve Him, He is single-minded in pursuing us. Why? Because He wants to be with us. He wants closeness. He may withdraw His Presence briefly sometimes. but it’s only so we will see what we’re missing and return to Him. His ultimate goal in creating human beings was for them to relate to Him. Why, after abolishing the record of our sins, would He withhold Himself? He wouldn’t. He has always pursued relationship, and He always will.”
— Chris Tiegreen
Remembering this, truly realizing this, moves me to tears every time. God’s love, unconditional and unfathomable, is my biggest hope, my strongest motivation, my source of courage, my eternal joy. I’m speechless with humble gratitude. What divine mercy– what divine love!!
“The mark of the godly man is he likes to change. The mark of the godly man is he says, ‘Lord, show me where I should change, and I’ll do it. Show me where I should obey, even where it’s hard, and I’ll do it.’”
— Timothy Keller
God, I beg you, give me the grace to surrender completely to Your Loving Will– that I may faithfully say this with every beat of my heart!
“In human relationships, we give ourselves more fully to those who have given themselves more fully to us. God, an intensely relational God, is the same. Fragmented hearts receive a fragmented experience, but a whole heart receives a whole experience of God. If we scatter our affections abroad—a little of this or that treasure with God added on—we’ll know God at some level, but not as fully as we could.”
— Chris Tiegreen
God must be our All, or else we will have nothing at all. He is the only true treasure, the Source and Cause of all Joy. Don’t waste your life and heart on ephemeral things, which can never satisfy our longing souls, nor love us in return. But Our Lord waits to give you all of Himself– what wondrous love!– if only you will let go of the world, in order to open your arms wide to return His embrace.
““The Lord… is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish…” (2 Peter 3:9). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through me?”
— Oswald Chambers
Remember this always; it will keep your soul humble and your heart gentle, and it will be a check against sinful pride and a fountain of grateful joy. Jesus has loved us first– deeply and radically, patiently and powerfully– now let His love for you flow out to the world through you, to all the other souls he loves so much!
“We forget that God’s primary goal is not changing our situations or relationships so that we can be happy, but changing us through our situations and relationships so that we will be holy.”
— Paul David Tripp
Holiness causes joy, and that is infinitely more solid than circumstantial happiness. Trust in this Godly goal.
“I know your weaknesses and am patient with you, much more patient than you are with yourself. You need to understand that sheep don’t worry about the future, obsess about their mistakes, or strategize their lives. And if you knew the heart of this Shepherd, you wouldn’t either. Sheep follow. That’s all I’m asking you to do.”
— Chris Tiegreen, Experiencing God’s Presence
Our Good Shepherd will lead us in the right path. Regardless of appearances, delays, or doubt on our part, He is always Good. Follow Him. He knows what He’s doing. ❤
“Some of your worries have deep root systems. Extracting them is hard, hard work. In fact, it may be the toughest challenge of all. But you don’t have to do it alone. Present the challenge to your Father and ask for help. Will he solve the issue? Yes, he will. Will he solve it immediately? Maybe. Or maybe part of the test is an advanced course in patience. This much is sure: contagious calm will happen to the degree that we turn to him.”
— Max Lucado
Whatever God chooses to do, or not do, it is Good. That is guaranteed. But we must ask Him for help too. Humility, trust, faith, and love all require it. Worry only happens when we forget that it’s all in His hands… or when we’re afraid to surrender to that fact. Don’t worry, and do not be afraid. It might take a storm, or years of erosion, but God can remove any bad root you give to Him.
“God keeps giving me another chance, and I never deserve it. I just don’t know what to say. … I guess we never stop having things to work on. I guess we never stop having things to pray on. This is just another hardened piece of me that had to break.”
— From one of my poems
I need to remember this… the process doesn’t end until we die. Until then, our Lord offers endless hope and grace to grow ever nearer to Him. When it’s over, after all, He wants us to be with Him.
Thanks be to God for breaking all the frozen parts of my heart, and continuing to do so, no matter what.
“Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” -John 14:23
What a privilege for us to be where He will come and make His home. To be a dwelling place. For our body to be a temple. The more you really think about it, the more amazing it is.
It’s enough to bring any believer to their knees in holy fear and tearful love. If we remembered this blessed privilege in every moment of our lives, how dramatically we would grow in graceful holiness!
“Do you expect instantaneous answers to your prayers for deliverance? More often than not, you will be disappointed. Change your perspective. Rather than looking for escape, look for the benefit of the trial. Let endurance have its perfect result. Ask God what He’s accomplishing and then participate in it willingly. If you can learn perseverance, you will be a rarity in this world and well fit for the Kingdom of God.”
— Chris Tiegreen
YES. God took over ten years to save me from my most terrifying trial, because I needed to endure it for that long. It was a lesson that took serious time to be fulfilled. Only God knew that; I could only see it afterwards. So trust Him! Persevere in faith, endure with patience, do it all for Love of the Lord– because in every moment, no matter how difficult, He loves you.
“We can’t expect answers to our prayers without having faith in our God to whom we are praying.”
— Stormie Omartian
We must constantly examine our hearts with this. Do we trust God’s answers? Do we trust that He can and will answer? Do we trust His “no” as much as we trust His “yes”? Where are the weak points in our faith?
“Father, let me never waste my pain. Use it to draw me deeper, to show me hidden treasures of Your ways and Your Kingdom. Give me glimpses behind the scenes of my life.”
— Chris Tiegreen
May my pain be used for God’s glory– to teach, to admonish, to push me closer to Him. May my sole comfort and joy be the Lord.
“God will never tell you to do anything that gratifies the flesh—to do just as you please without thought of the future. Yes, He wants you to enjoy life—but in a way that pleases Him and brings you wholesome fulfillment, not in a manner that will ultimately destroy you.”
— Charles Stanley
This is absolutely vital to remember when discerning our daily choices. You cannot serve two masters; the spirit and the flesh are utterly opposed, the latter will indeed destroy you, and God will make sure you know that very well. Anything that says otherwise is not God.
“What is holiness? The best practical definition that I have heard is simply “without sin.” That is the statement that was made of the Lord Jesus’ life on earth (Hebrews 4:15), and that should be the goal of every person who desires to be godly. Granted, we will never reach that goal in this life; nevertheless it is to be our supreme objective and the object of our most earnest efforts and prayers.”
— Jerry Bridges
Don’t throw in the towel just yet. Besides, if you’re rolling with Christ, He’s probably about to throw it back. Keep going.
"No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good." -C.S. Lewis
I can attest to this, with all humbled fear. Without God, we’re hopeless. But God is with us. His Son is here for us. Hope is real.
Don’t think that you’ve been gone too long to come to Him. God is not some spiritual parole officer waiting for you to fail. If you’ve strayed from prayer, He is not keeping some score. If you don’t feel Him at all, tell Him that: “I don’t feel you right now, God.” Pray with any amount of faith that you have; believe that prayer works; ask for faith if you have none. If you’re mad, tell Him. If you’re ashamed, guilty, confused, afraid, doubtful: tell Him. He can handle that. He is understanding, patient, gracious; He loves you. You’ll soon find you’ll want to talk to Him, because He’s actually pretty awesome to talk to. -J.S. Park
Our hearts must be ENTIRELY open to God. This sort of constant, honest, vulnerable, trusting prayer is vital to deepening our faith and growing in grace. Don’t hide from the One who loves you. Give Him everything.
I am not going back to how I once was. I will keep pressing forward till the day I stand in His presence- free and perfected through His glory. I am not going back to how I once was.
I’ve been praying this same prayer all day. God keep us in Your grace.
lovelyethos: I will only be saved by the grace of God. Any other so called solution is complete bullshit to me. Only God Himself could fix me- that I am entirely convinced of.
Years of therapy and medical bills has convinced me of the same.
I’m a terrible busted-up wreck of a person. No amount of get-fixed-quick pills, magic mantras or “so how does that make you feel” couches have ever accomplished anything of value towards improving my poor mental health and bungled morality. But you know what has worked? Jesus. The grace of Christ. Surrender to God. Faith in the face of crushing fear. God alone will be glorified in my recovery, and that means that only God can succeed. I have seen the proof of this beyond any doubt, even and especially when everyone and everything else in my life was vehemently insisting to the contrary.
In short, I feel you on this, sister. Even when our shortcomings, failures, flaws, and outright disastrous errors in life drive us to the brink of despair, God is still capable of fixing it all. And we must trust in that, and in His timing, and in His gracious love for us, despite how utterly unworthy and broken we may be. God is greater than our sin and our sorrow. And if we let Him, if we open our hearts despite all doubt, He will save us. I am sure if it. That is my fiercest hope.
“If conversion to Christianity makes no improvement in a man's outward actions – if he continues to be just a snobbish or spiteful or envious or ambitious as he was before – then I think we must suspect that his 'conversion' was largely imaginary." -C.S. Lewis
A very vital, humbling reminder. Conversion WILL manifest through the way we live, because conversion changes the heart. It’s inevitable.
Remember Matthew 3:8: "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." Repentance is worthless without proof of action.
We can claim we are fruit trees, but if we bear no fruit, our claim is useless– it is essentially a lie. Repentance, change of heart, is the root, but will we let that root wither and die, by refusing or fearing to water, tend, and nourish it?
Lastly, the fruits of repentance may indeed taste as sharp as lemons. True metanoia demands great and difficult things, as it requires we fight our fallen nature, and as such the “firstfruits” of our reformation will likely make us wince a little, to say the least. But lemons are still fruit. The tree is not dying, but living. If your tree of new life is bearing lemons, then grow beautiful lemons! Cultivate sweetness in your heart, and they will no longer taste so bitter. Give thanks to God for the harvest of grace.
Reblog and say a prayer for someone who is struggling with the same sin as you.
This is both humbling and deeply compassionate. We as Christians should do this daily.
“It is a happy moment when our desire crosses with the will of Heavenly Father.” -C.S. Lewis
As God changes our hearts, those moments will occur more and more! And in heaven, those “moments” are now our “always ”.
The greatest joy in the kingdom of heaven (the greatest among many) seems to me to be that we will no longer be tied up with earthly concerns but will have rest and glory within us – rejoicing that gives joy to everyone, peace that lasts for ever – satisfaction in ourselves, a satisfaction that comes from seeing how everyone is praising the Lord and blessing and hallowing his name, while no-one offends him. Everyone loves him. Each soul has no wish other than to love him: it cannot stop loving him because it knows him truly. -St Teresa of Avila
This is such a beautiful description of heaven. And this is how we are called to live even now, as bringing that very Kingdom to this world for the sake of Christ.
"I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus." -Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
The desire of all the saints… may we, too, called to the same holiness, desire this pure and single purpose with every atom of our hearts.
If you’re out there and you’re struggling with depression, I just want you to know one thing: God loves you. Your struggle is not your fault. It does not define you. It does not mean you’re a failure. It does not mean you’re a burden to God or anyone else. It does not mean you’re a bad Christian. It means that you’re a human being who is struggling at the moment, and that’s perfectly okay. You are still loved by God. You are still God’s precious child. God does not blame you. God is not ashamed of you. In fact, His heart is hurting along with yours. He longs to see you healed and restored. He knows recovery takes time. He understands. And He loves you.
Mental illness can be a cross, leading us down a humbling path to greater good. Carry it with trust and faith; God’s power is made perfect in weakness after all. Jesus will never abandon you; keep your heart set on Him.
I needed to remember this tonight; thank you.
“I am a Christian because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for me, and the least I can do is live my life entirely for Him.”
When we realize how much He loves us, our hearts cannot help but love Him with everything we are in return.
“When lovers are together, they spend hours and hours repeating the same thing: ‘I love you!’ What is missing in the people who think the rosary monotonous is love; and everything that is not done for love is worthless.” — Sister Lucia of Fatima
This is so simply yet profoundly true. ❤
“Our obedience is not the grounds of our relationship (with Jesus) but the overflow of it.”
— Jared Wilson
Jesus loved us while we were still utterly dead in sin. Our salvation, and resulting obedience, is due to His Grace– for true obedience blooms from love, which is of God, and which we could not have ever achieved on our own during our sinful pasts. Jesus loves us, and that love, when accepted through Grace, opens our hearts to love Him back.
“All I wish is to love until I die of love.”
— St. Thérèse de Lisieux
The kernel calling of every Christian.
Happy Sacred Heart Month y'all! ❤
I have had a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart since childhood; it’s what always resonated the deepest within my own. I look forward to this month every year. ❤ May God bless us all by it!
Christ is knocking at the heart, and the devil is at the brain.
This is such a striking truth! The mind can indeed play the devil’s games– overanalyzing, making excuses, scheming and manipulating– and the state of our world speaks volumes to the evil influence upon our brains, with the epidemics of anxiety, depression, and various other mental illnesses. But if Christ has a home in our heart– if we have indeed let him in to live with us– then we know the Truth, and we can be at Peace, no matter how loud and agitated things may be “upstairs ”.
When thoughts confuse you, when you feel pulled in different directions, listen to where that pull, that call, is coming from. Is is an impatient, demanding “knock,” accompanied by intrusive thoughts, fears, and crooked “justifications”? Do you feel forced to open the door, although you’re scared or tired or unsure? Then that’s the devil knocking! Don’t let him in– there’s only room in your soul for two, and there’s a far kinder guest knocking at a far deeper door, quietly but purposefully, waiting for you to unlock the deadbolts of fear. Do not be afraid. We sheep recognize the Master’s voice (John 10), and we also recognize when it’s not Him, despite all creeping doubts that may whisper and scream otherwise. Trust the One who will, and can, only enter through the secret gate of your heart.
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