How are you, my dear read friends? This article was written way back on November 13 but didn't publish it and I believe it's time to do so.
It's the weekdays again, I guess most of you have plans of going out or are already out for some tasks. Please observe health protocols.
Oftentimes people think that I don't practice my faith because I don't always say words like, "Thank you, Lord, God, amen, hallelujah, praise God or Jesus" and stuff. I just wanna pray and praise God privately.
I am a spiritual person, not a religious one and there's a difference between being religious and spiritual. But it doesn't mean a spiritual person cannot be religious and vice versa. I am not really showy when it comes to my faith.
And if you'd ask me how often do I pray? I'll say a few times a day.
Praying isn't only asking but giving thanks. And I utter words of gratitude any time of the day. Aside from praying when I wake up, before eating, before going to bed, before going outside, I also pray when I think of my family and friends who need help, when someone's sick, etc.
I don't always say "God bless" when I don't mean it because when I bless someone, I take it by heart that may God bless them a thousandfold. And I am sorry if I don't praise God a lot in my social media posts because I wanna praise Him when I pray when I have a heart-to-heart with Him. And I think we can agree to disagree that we have different ways of proving our faith.
And there were times that I feel so broken and desperate, and alone. Despite the presence of friends and family, I felt that there is something more that I needed to do. Those are the times when I feel so weak, my soul is weary, my heart is heavy. I resort to reading the Bible to remind me that God is always there, willing to listen and comfort me. And all I have to do is surrender and trust that He will lead the way.
So here are my favorite Bible verses:
“The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
-It is a reminder to me that whatever I have asked from God and given to me, He can take it away in an instant. I had to be grateful for the blessings I received and take good care of them especially my body and my health. They say it is the temple of the Spirit so it has to be sound enough for the Spirit to live in it. I may not be going to the church but I do pray and meditate sometimes, I ask forgiveness when needed and humble myself especially when at fault. To be honest, I prefer learning the ways of Buddha because it's what's applicable to me. But I do read the Bible from time to time especially the Old Testament. And I don't feel so bad when God doesn't answer my prayers, I believe it may not be the best for me, or it might be delayed. I only made a request and I would understand if it will be denied. No hurt feelings.
"Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer". (Psalm 4:1)
-I do have a lot of favorite verses in Psalms and this is one of those. You know sometimes we think that God is not listening when we pray so hard and desperately to Him and we think He's denying us of our desires? We know that not all of our desires are good for us, or it's not the right time to receive them yet. Yet, we are too stubborn and impatient to wait. Or we are into a lot of problems and we want some solutions right away. God won't judge us if we pour our hearts out but let's be patient and trust that God will answer at the right time. He always does. His help is always on time. Proven and tested.
"In You, Lord my God, I put my trust". (Psalm 25:1)
-This one's very short but very powerful. It's when I can no longer control the things that are happening to me and I don't know what to do anymore. I will just tell God that He knows what's best and I trust whatever it is to come my way, it is His will and not mine.
"Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me". (Psalm 27:10)
-This was very applicable to me when I was serving my church and my parents, especially my mother didn't agree. I knew in my heart that I was happy with what I was doing so I continued my passion. I've come to understand that we may not be always on good terms with people in this world, especially with our loved ones. But if our purpose is pure and true, God will always stand by our side. We might lose friends and family in defending our faith or pursuing our dreams, but we must have faith that God will be there for us every step of the way to guide us in reaching our goals.
And yup, my favorite book is Psalms, next is Job.
I don't read the Bible oftentimes nowadays but I do remember some of its teachings by heart. I tried introducing the Bible to my eldest but she already was influenced by Youtube and she was having a hard time distinguishing the characters of faith from fantasy characters. Sigh, but it's not yet too late for her.
How about you, my friend? What are your favorite Bible quotes and why do they inspire you? Do you also have a favorite story or book in the Bible? I'd be glad to know!
I pray that everyone's safe and sound with their families.
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This 2022 has started strong for me and I hope I could finish it the same way, otherwise, no worries mate!
You are all GOAT,
Glessa
James 1:13 for me..