In His Hands

Hi again, everyone!

This morning, I was reminded of one of my favorite passages in scripture: Isaiah 41:10

"So do fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 

This verse always makes me stop and think. It's so cool to think about God holding me and carrying me when I need him to. He isn't apathetic or lazy. He is so proactive about keeping me safe and secure and He will not let me drown even if I think I am going to.

I have nothing to be anxious or worried about because my King and Savior is carrying me. I am in His strong and capable hands and that's the best place I could possibly be. And yet so often I find myself feeling scared. I often need to read Isaiah 41:10 multiple times a week just to remind myself that God is holding me up and I can relax.

God fights my battles. God holds me up. God carries me through. 

Sometimes, I just need to stop, take a few deep breaths and listen for that unmistakable voice of God whispering in my ear, "I got you, Chloe. I'm right here." 

I'm in his arms and I am safe. That's all the assurance I need. May you feel the amazing arms of our Savior wrap around you today and every day. Enjoy the ride. God's got you. 

Peace and Joy,

Chloe

My Cup Overflows

Hello once again!

Happy Wednesday! I hope you all had a lovely Labor Day weekend and had a chance to rest and connect with your loved ones.

These days I've been reflecting on Psalm 23. I just love the imagery of Christ as the good, faithful, and devoted shepherd. It reminds me that I am always in the most capable hands and have absolutely nothing to worry about. One of my favorite verses from Psalm 23 is verse 5. It states:
"You prepare a table before in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

"My cup overflows."

David, the author of this Psalm definitely did not have the easiest life. He was a young shepherd boy (which was the lowliest job anyone could have during Biblical times), the youngest of his brothers (Can you imagine how much he got teased and overlooked?) and then he was literally chased out of his comfort zone and forced to run for his life and go into hiding from King Saul. Yet in the midst of life's discomforts and challenges, David was able to proclaim that his cup overflows. David was able to declare this truth because he knew God was with him and provided for him. David wasn't focused on his problems, he was focused on his blessings. When we focus on God's goodness, we are able to find peace even when the situation seems impossible.

We are all fighting a battle. I don't know what your particular battle is, but I can assure you that you you are in God's hands, and there's no better place for you than resting with the best shepherd. I pray you are able to find some peace and comfort as you reflect on the many ways God provides for you and protects you. You are deeply loved and are so precious. Stay strong and keep fighting the good fight.

Peace and Joy,
Chloe

Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall
not want.
He makes me lie down in green
pastures .
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of
righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of
the LORD
forever.

My Daily Prayer

Hello everyone!

One of my favorite ways to start my day is by praying over myself, as well as the people that I will be interacting with throughout the day. It's my way of centering myself and setting an intention of peace, joy, and compassion. I strongly believe that taking a few minutes to pray over yourself, loved ones, and asking God to protect and bless you has immense benefits. Here is my personal prayer. Feel free to use this as an outline and revise for yourself where necessary.

Father God,
Thank you for waking me up this morning and breathing Your life-giving spirit into my lungs.
Thank you for all the great things You have in store for me today.

Lord, thank You for my loving family. I pray that You will bless each of them today and surround them with Your love and mercies. Protect them from anything or anyone who wants to harm them or cause them to fall away from You. May they feel your presence and immense love for them today and may they be filled with joy, peace, and wisdom.

Father, thank You for all those who I will interact with today. May I be a source of light and hope to them and a beacon of your love. Lord, please help me show unconditional compassion and grace to them. May my words and actions point to You and may they honor and glorify You. Prevent me from saying or doing anything that will cause confusion, pain, division, or hostility. Help me to spread peace and healing to those that need a kind, gentle, and humble friend.

Father, I pray for myself today. Please keep me safe from the enemy or anything or anyone that wishes to cause me harm. I ask that I will be constantly reminded of Your love and grace in my life. Keep me humble and close to Your will and may I be someone who listens more than I speak and is slow to become angry. Lord, help me to stand firm in my faith and stay faithful to You alone. May I walk in love as You loved me and gave Yourself up for me as a fragrant offering.

Jesus, I am so excited to experience all that this day has to offer with You. You have made another beautiful day and I choose to celebrate Your goodness today. Thank You for all the many blessings in my life. I do not deserve Your kindness, yet You still pour out Your love upon me. I am in awe of You. I love you, Lord.

Amen.

Peace and Joy,
Chloe

Just Ask...

Hello once again!

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fabulous weekend.

This morning, I was reminded of the fact that God is always listening to me and wants me to come to Him to seek whatever I need. It is often easy for me to think God is too busy or preoccupied with other affairs and doesn't have the time or energy to be present with me.

I have a difficult time asking for things. I hate making requests or asking for help even when I really need it. I hate feeling like I am inconveniencing someone else or taking too much of their precious time and energy away from them, so I resort to trying to do everything on my own.

Ya'll, when we do life with Jesus we are not supposed to do things on our own. Life isn't always easy and we need backup. We cannot do everything alone no matter how independent and strong we think we are. We risk being burned out and feeling like victims to our circumstances. We start saying things like, "I am the only one I can count on.", "I do all the work around here because nobody ever helps me." "Nobody appreciates my work."
The remedy to this is simple: Call on Jesus.

As followers of Christ, we are invited into the open arms of God to receive whatever we need. We need to have big enough faith to ask God for the thing we need. Maybe you need some encouragement and comfort. Maybe you need a miracle. Maybe you need peace and rest. Maybe you need a faithful friend to talk to and release your heavy burden. Whatever you need, just tell God about it. I cannot promise that you will always get exactly what you asked for or have your miracle delivered right away, but I can promise that God is listening to you and knows exactly what you need. And whatever you need, God will provide.

I am learning how to swallow my pride and ask for God's lifeline. It is so reassuring to know that I have a God who is ready and able to help me and pour out His grace upon me. I no longer have to do everything on my own. I have an advocate and His name is Jesus.

Scripture:

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." -Mark 11:24

"And this is the confidence we have towards Him, that if we ask anything according to His will he hear us. And if we know he hears us in whatever we ask, we know we have the requests that we asked of Him" -1 John 5:14-15

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." -Hebrews 4:16

Peace and Joy,

Chloe

Happy 1st Birthday! (to this blog)

Hello again!

Today is this blog's first anniversary. I cannot believe it has been one year since this blog went live and I am so thankful for the Lord's abundant grace and faithfulness. I always wanted to have an outlet that allowed me to share my passion for Christ, and have a place to learn from others and both give and receive encouragement and sense of community. It fills my heart with so much joy when I hear that a post has touched one of you, or when people send me their own stories and testimonies about what God has done and is doing in their lives it gets me so excited because it just goes to show that God is always at work and He is always faithful to us.

Whether you have just discovered this blog today or you have been following along since last year, I pray that you sense the Lord's love. You are called beloved by the King of the universe. You are precious. I am so happy that you have stopped by my page.

My hope for this blog is that it is a place where people can find encouragement and hope. No matter what you are facing, you are not facing it alone. God is always besides you and with His strength, you can overcome life's hurdles. Sometimes the world can seem so bleak and sad, but it is my prayer that this blog can help shed some light and be a source of truth, community, and love.

One last thing:
Please pray for me. Pray that I stay true to God's Word and do not write anything that would cause harm, confusion, and/or cause others to stray from God. And if there is something that God wants me to share, may He give me the wisdom, discernment, and strength to deliver His message in a way that is God-honoring and done so with tact. I pray that I will live out John 3:30 "He must become greater; I must become less." I ask that God will remove any pride or arrogance from me so I can become a humble servant who brings light and truth to a world that needs it.

Thank you for allowing me to share my faith with you all. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers and reminding me that life with Jesus is the best. Thank you for giving me grace, support, and being a source of joy for me. You are awesome.

Peace and Joy,
Chloe

Comparison

Hello again, lovelies.

Happy Tuesday!

The past couple days, I've been thinking a lot about how comparing our lives to other people's lives is just one of the worst things we could do to ourselves. I ran into a situation the other day and learned a lot through it.

Situation:
Surfing through social media posts. I came across a girl's profile. Her photos were flawless, her videos had immaculate editing, and her captions were cute, sassy, and spot-on. I began diving deeper, looking into her most liked posts and started asking myself, "Why am I so lame?" "When will I have my own success story like she does?" "I need to change, but how?"

Reality:
These days, nothing gets posted without serious editing and photo shopping. (especially by professional lifestyle bloggers and celebs) What I was looking at isn't real. Her profile doesn't show this girl's bad days, the failures, or anything that would otherwise look unattractive. I was looking at only a tiny glimpse of her life. Of course, she has bad days like me. Of course she has her own struggles. Of course she has made mistakes. I just didn't see that. I could only see what she wanted me to see: the fame, the glamour, the pretty/edited.

When we live as children of God, we don't ever need to compare ourselves to others. Comparison is a demon that deceives us into believing that we want what we already have. We all want acceptance, admiration, and acknowledgement. Yet Jesus has already given us those things plus lots more. He adopted us into His heavenly kingdom to become daughters and sons and have a heavenly inheritance. We are His princes and princesses. He reminds us over and over in scripture about how much he adores us. We are His beloved. He takes pride and joy in us. The Bible even says he rejoices over us with singing. How cool is that?!

Comparison is the ultimate joy killer. When we start comparing our lives to others, it is so easy to become jealous and bitter. We could be so content and peaceful if we just stay reminded of God's promises.

-He will never leave us nor forsake us.
-He loves us. There is nothing we could ever do to make Him stop loving us.
-He will always provide for us. We lack nothing.

The devil loves using comparison as a way of making us stray away from God. Satan loves seeing us depressed, jealous, and bitter. Those are all things that will divide us if we aren't careful. God's way of life calls for unity, love, peace, and joy.

You have everything you could ever need because God looks after you. Rest assured, dear ones. You are more than enough. Always.

Peace and Joy,
Chloe

My First Year Post-Grad/The Power of Faith

Hello again!

Last month marked by first year since graduating from college. I still cannot believe how fast time flies by. This new chapter has been a roller coaster for sure. Some of you may recall the days I spent last summer praying for the right job to come along, then realizing my plans were not exactly part of God's plan, then getting completely surprised by God and receiving an amazing blessing... a job. (while temporary but it provided an incredible wealth of knowledge, exposure, connections and it was simply amazing!)

And while I am in yet another season of transition, I feel like this time is easier for me to relax and not panic. Those of you who know me know that I am happiest when I am working super hard and making things happen. I love working! I honestly believe a strong work ethic is one of the most attractive qualities a person can have. I was raised to always have a job and contribute so time off is certainly a bit uncomfortable for me. But this time, my faith has really grown its roots and it's getting much harder for me to panic and be unhappy. I am learning that in seasons of abundance and in seasons of drought, my heart is still capable of being joyful, grateful, and at peace. 

And throughout the highs and lows of my post-grad life, a reoccurring theme has emerged: My God sees me through. He pours out grace upon grace. All I have to do is tell mt mountains about my God and I will see the impossible made possible.

Scripture constantly reminds us of how God goes before us to fight our battles. He did so for the Israelites so He will do the same for me. God always keeps His promises!

Deuteronomy 31:8

"The LORD himself goes before you and he will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. DO not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Exodus 14:14

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Isaiah 45:2

"I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron."

Matthew 19:26

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

One of the most important things God has taught me this season is that nothing is too hard for Him. He works out every single detail in my life and is always by my side. God is so faithful and gracious and it never ceases to amaze me. I've realized the worrying is pointless and God desires my full faith and trust in Him.

It hasn't been the easiest ride, but when I was too tired, scared, or anxious, I felt Jesus pick me up and carry me. He knows I am human and I am weak. Yet he gently carries me in His arms just like a parent embraces their child. I've had my fair share of tears and heartbreak and yet I also felt God's comforting presence as He helped me wipe away my tears. He's given me scripture, music, mentors, and His own gentle reminders to validate me, encourage me, and strengthen me. He's become my best friend and my hero and I am so grateful I chose to do life with Him. 

Things are not always going to go as planned. And it's totally okay because God always has better ideas. I've become comfortable with being uncomfortable because I have witnessed Jesus performing miracles in front of me. Humanly speaking, I shouldn't have had this many blessings and victories in my life, and yet God still continues to fight for me. WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! God is amazing. God is faithful. God is gracious. 

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend! I pray that you all experience abundant peace and joy no matter what season of life you are in. You are loved and you are precious.

-Chloe