We are His delight!

Truly, we are His delight! I find this crazy to believe. This is what I've been reading lately--that we are His delight. I think it's crazy because how can a people so lost, so perverted, so rebellious/sinful/selfish be HIS delight? It's all because of who He is--LOVE. (1 John 4:8) and because of what He's done is us! (1 John 4:10). It's because of Jesus. It's not because of us or what we've done. It's because He loved us and saved us! 

He wants fellowship with us. And He cares so much to the point of paying the full price. There's no halfsies. He desires that we come to Him and confess. Come to Him and admit. Come to Him and ask for His Lordship in our life. Come to Him and worship Him. 


His forgiveness is the basis for our fellowship with Him. It's His faithfulness to us, not our faithfulness to Him. Do you see the difference? Don't get me wrong, we must go to Him and confess. Relationships are two-way. BUT, that's not the basis. He is the basis. His forgiveness. His faithfulness. His Love. He is the foundation. It's all because of Him that we can have this beautiful relationship! It's all because of grace. 

me and my beautiful mamma

Here for Him

When you're going through tough times, remember why you're here. And remember who's with you. 

"LORD, You will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us." -Isaiah 26:12

"Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength." -Isaiah 26:4

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." -Isaiah 26:3 

"O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth." -Isaiah 25:1 

"For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast from the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." -Isaiah 25:4

"He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken." -Isaiah 25:8 

And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." -Isaiah 25:9 

This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24 

God is the LORD, and He has given us light... - Psalm 118:27 

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. -Psalm 118:17-18 

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. -1 Peter 5:6-7

Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. -2 Thessalonians 3:5 

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. -2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Refinement.

More about refinement... Take joy in it! It's a sign you're His kid. He refines those He loves. He chastises His children. Just like a father wants the best for his kids, He wants the best for you. He's not going to leave you in the mess you're in. He wants to intervene and fix things. He wants to shape you and form you into the person He created you to be. He has good plans for you. Don't shy away from the work He's doing in your life. Walk in the light. Ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Spend time with other believers. Find encouragement. Pray always. Don't forget what He's already done in your life. Don't forget who He is. Allow Him to work. And yield to Him. It's all about love. It's all about relationship. And it's all about bringing Him glory. 

"For whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights." -Proverbs 3:12

"If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?" -Hebrews 12:7 

"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." -Hebrews 12:11

"For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." -Lamentations 3:31-33

"For the turning away of fools will destroy them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil." -Proverbs 1:32-33

"The way of the LORD is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity." -Proverbs 10:29 

"The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall." -Proverbs 10:8

"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." -Proverbs 12:1 

"He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded." -Proverbs 13:13

"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death." -Proverbs 14:27 

"The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility." -Proverbs 15:33

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." -Galatians 5:16 

Missing my Twinny

His promises are sure

Hi guys. :) So... I started the new quarter at UCI! It's been good, busy, and a little hectic. Learning lots of lessons already. Had to drop a couple classes...

BUT, it's all been good. I'm taking Arabic, Italian, and a gender studies class. Arabic is a challenge. I'm so not used to the letters and even some of the pronunciations. It's hard. But luckily I have connections, some people willing to help me out. I like taking the course because it exposes me to a new culture. I get to learn a new language, which is so awesome! I also learned this week that your brain starts "deteriorating" at 20 years old. Yikes! Gotta keep learning new things. I'm really hoping to learn more and more languages! I sort of found my niche. It's super exciting when you start understanding other languages. My Italian class is fun! The instructor is a hoot. She is very enthusiastic and creates a very interactive classroom. You can tell she has a big heart and wants her students to enjoy every aspect of Italian. My gender studies class is interesting. So many people. So many differing opinions. So many controversial subjects brought up. I think this class will challenge me, too, which is good. It will force me to solidify and even put my own beliefs up to the test. I'm excited to learn more about how others think and even discover more about what I think and the subject in general. I've never really been drawn to gender studies courses. Nonetheless I'm excited to what I'll be learning. 

What else is going on? Work. School-related things. Friends. Family. People. My boyfriend. Etc etc. Why mention it all? Well, in the midst of it, it can be fun! And exciting! And new! But, it can also be scary! And difficult! And challenging! It's not stable. One moment things are up. The next, things are down. You can't fix your happiness or even your life on these earthly things. Yes, there may be plenty of wonderful things that happen but there's so much more to focus on! AND, there's a God in Heaven who loves you and wants to do something amazing with your life! 

My boss told me: "plans are meant to be broken." I'm seeing that more and more as the quarter goes on. After dropping the two Spanish classes that I need to graduate I'm realizing it's not all about me and God's plans prevail over all. I feel set back. But, I believe it's part of His plan. And I know He will use this time for His purposes. Gotta have faith... And not be discouraged... 

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!" -Psalm 27:13-14