Spell FREEDOM

Read it, again and again.

Say it again and again.

A Letter To God, From My Anxiety

By Rayi Noormega

Updated October 1, 2019

Daria Shevtsova

Dear God,

These past months have been so difficult. You knew that I hit rock bottom. I barely survived as those raging storms seem so endless, sometimes I don’t even know whether it’s still going on. I know I shouldn’t complain like this, but I know that you are The Most Merciful and I know that you hear me.

Today, God, I’m tired.

I’m tired of faking my smile and pretending that I’m fine all the time. I’m tired of holding back my tears each day so no one will tell me to stop being weak. I’m tired of hiding all my insecurities and telling everyone that I’m strong enough to handle everything by myself. I’m tired of struggling on this battlefield which I don’t know how to win. I’m tired of facing those rejections and disappointments. I’m tired of having a heart which always needs mending.

So, God, please help me to go through this.

God, I’m scared of what will happen to me in the future. Will I survive this storm? Will I be content with what I have? Will I still be able to help other people? Will I ever be happy?

You’ve shown me how the real world works. You’ve shown me that this world is cruel. You’ve shown me how humans can be so greedy and ungrateful for your blessings. You’ve shown me how so many people are glorifying money and power and you’ve shown me they will do anything to get it.

You’ve shown me how the majority of society forgets that this life is too short to be lived as someone who is materialistic. You’ve shown me people who make artificial things their ultimate goal and I don’t want to be one of them. God, please make me one of the people whose ultimate goal is to be closer to you each day.

You know me better than I do. You know my deepest secrets, you hear my whispers, and you listen to my prayers even if I can’t say them out loud. You know the brokenness of my heart, the scars left by people, and the disappointments left by expectations.

You know what’s best for me and you have planned my life. I believe that you are the best of planners and if you ask me to wait, then it only means that there is more in store for me. Although sometimes it feels unbearable, I know that you will never abandon me, even on the days I have abandoned you.

So, when the time comes, I hope you’ll finally make me understand why you put me in hard situations. I hope you’ll make me find peace with what you decreed for me. I hope you’ll make me realize that those storms are one of the signs that you love me and you only want the best for me.

I hope you’ll always be near me whenever I have one of those days where I couldn’t carry on and my heart is so torn with anxiety. I hope you give me patience and an infinite belief that eventually, you’ll give me everything in the most mysterious yet beautiful way ever.

God, whatever you give to me in this world, I hope that you’ll always bless me with beautiful patience.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

- James 1:2-4

Are you letting something from the backseat control your joy?

Are you letting the wrong priorities be the driver from the backseat?

Think of it this way: If convenience is your priority, then my joy is tied to my convenience. If your priority is acceptance from others - then your joy will be controlled by their acceptance. This is very dangerous - what happens if the other person doesn’t even like themselves? How are they going to give you joy while they are fighting their own battles? If your priority is recognition, then your joy is tied to whether someone appreciates you (or not).

Important point: your priorities control your joy - and we all have backseat DJs destroying our joy - something that is not supposed to be driving is controlling your joy - where this comes from determines how it comes out. Not only does where it comes from determine where it comes out (and how it comes out), but WHERE IT COMES FROM DETERMINES WHERE IT RUNS OUT. When it comes to joy, there is a joy that is partial, temporary, unreliable, and unpredictable. However, there is another joy that Jesus spoke of - the kind of joy that we should be praying for in our lives.In fact, I stopped praying for joy a couple days ago - but rather I started praying for focus. If we have the right focus, joy is the byproduct of this.

God is developing your capacity for joy right now - and we don’t necessarily feel this.It’s what you focus on.Focusing on the wrong thing will only make you miserable and exhausted - where you are fighting things mentally that you are not even going through situationally - where you might be so depleted you can’t fight the real battles. So, God teach us priorities - so that we can have real and authentic joy. 🌻

© THE ELEVATION CHURCH, Pastor Steven Furtick

You're doing great, all those prayers will be answered in perfect time. All those daydreams where you saw her eyes sparkled when you gave her those forget-me-nots and handwritten letters will soon become real.

You may be as frustrated as her waiting on a park bench, hoping both of you will fit together. But when you find the one the universe prepared for you, it won't be a piece of a puzzle that will fit in. It will be a paper and a pen, both can't make a letter on their own but can write a poetry together.

There's a fine line between compatibility and complementary. The right one will certainly arrive in a least expected way. Many can fit to your standards but only one can make you complete. And when she arrives, all the butterflies in the stomach will float, you've seen the best and the worst, and still chose both.

She may be busy reading those books in her solitary room while you are at your favorite café waiting for the door to open, hoping that someone will make your heart skip a beat. Or maybe you are on your way home but she's on her way to work.

You've waited so long for her like love and patience in a parallel line—so close, yet so far to meet.

But the longer the wine sits the more valuable it is. Someday all those sacrifices will be worthy. The lonely times will be gone and all those hardships will be replaced with joy.

God knows our deepest longings, but His plans will still prevail. He's preparing you for the best love story.

If you want God to orchestrate; wait and meditate.

You will soon find her and all those dreams will come true but right now you pray for her happiness.

#SundayThoughts

This is so true.

I ventured into entrepreneurship at a young age of 21. Yes, it’s very uncommon; and a lot of people were telling me,

“Sayang pinagaralan mo. Paano na diploma mo?”

“Maraming risks diyan. Magtrabaho ka na lang, secured ka pa. Every month may sweldo ka.”

“Alam mo kasi, puwede maging failure ‘yan. Wala kang SSS, pension, etc. Walang security diyan.”

And many of them were looking down on me, because I chose a path that only a [very] few people are willing to walk through.

Fast forward to today, I don’t regret anything. And I thank God for leading me to this path of entrepreneurship.

Contrary to popular belief, I chose the road of entrepreneurship because I wanted a secure life, even after the age of 60. I wanted a life full of endless possibilities and options. But most of all, I wanted God to use me as an instrument to give hope to people — that they, too, can see that they can HAVE more, DO more, and BE MORE.

Choosing the path of entrepreneurship was one of the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life. A leaaaap of faith, as they say. Because in choosing entrepreneurship; there are growing pains, risks, uncertainties, sleepless nights, hardwork, unknowns, countless conflicts, failures, trial and errors, and many people will badmouth you.

And these are the things that most people FEAR.

But you know what?

VICTORY and SUCCESS — both are on the other side of FEAR.

If you are willing to persevere, be strong enough, be resilient, be consistent — then you can say hello to a victorious, rewarding and fulfilling life in entrepreneurship. In here; there’s growth, opportunities to help other people, and a chance to witness what you’re really capable of.

So, yes, it was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But it was the BEST, and still is the best.

So if you’re in your 20’s, it’s time. Get off of your seat and go after the life you’ve always wanted. Inhale faith, exhale fear.

Because I’m willing to wait for the real one, than stay in a relationship that has no commitment.

I’d rather be single, than be with the wrong man. Because I know I will just end up broken and destroyed if I stay with the wrong man. (I’ve been there.)

I’d rather wait for the one who pursues God. Not someone who just “knows” God, but someone who WALKS with God. Because I experienced being with a boy who doesn’t, and it was really toxic. (which I’m really grateful that He provided a way of escape for me to walk away.)

I’d rather wait for a man that God has for me.

If you’re single, I hope you find the strength to wait for that one. Because that right man? HE IS WORTH THE WAIT. ☺️

The more you fall in love with Him every single day, the more you know what kind of love you deserve.

It’s all about your mindset. Everything you do. Everything you think. Everyone you meet. All of your experiences. How you choose to interpret those experiences. Everything is all about your mindset.

You know what they say, “If you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”

In life, you will always encounter challenges that seem impossible to conquer. And a lot of times, we always think we can’t do it, that’s why we end up not conquering it.

That’s the thing: Challenges come and it will always be bigger than us — but it shouldn’t be bigger than our mindset. We should train our brains to always think WE CAN in the midst of all these challenges. That way, we will always win. It’s all about mindset.

Always remember that you are in complete control of your own life. You are in complete and total control of your own interpretations and your own perceptions and your own reactions and your own mindsets. Don’t ever let anyone or anything take that away from you. Take back that control which is rightfully yours. And find those people who encourage you to do the same. ✨

“We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it.”

I used to think that I don’t deserve good things because of my past. I imprisoned myself and refused to believe that I was created for greater things. I was driven by fear for so, so long. But when I realized that I deserve a better life and that God already gave me the ability to change my situation, I decided to step up and told myself, “If I don’t move now, nothing will change. God has already prepared for it. All I need to do is to take that step.”

What we are today is the result of our decisions 3 months ago, 6 months ago, 1 year ago and so on. So if you’re not happy with what you are right now, it’s not yet too late. Don’t put a period on it. Don’t imprison yourself with thoughts like, “I can’t have that because I’ve done this and that.” or “That’s not for me. Because people told me I don’t deserve it.” Ditch that self-limiting belief that you don’t deserve great things.

Your past doesn’t define you. You define yourself by deciding to step up today. God has already given you FREEDOM, accept it. You are destined to be great, no matter how bad your past is. You deserve godly relationships, true happiness, good health, you deserve to be blessed with a lot of extraordinary things. Why? Simply because YOU DESERVE IT.

"Imagination is the preview of things to come."

- Albert Einstein

Are you genuinely happy with what you have right now? Are you dreaming of good things to happen in your life, but you still think it won't happen?

If this is you and you want to change your life, listen, it all starts from your heart.

God links the heart through pictures -- because pictures paint a thousand words. And when God gives you pictures, it becomes your imaginations.

Faith pictures = imaginations.

So when you dream things, you imagine things that stems from your heart.

So whatever is happening in your life right now; the way you think, the way you do things, whatever your situation is right now, it happened long before in YOUR IMAGINATION. God says, the imagination is as good as the creation of it, and as the working out of it. It will translate to your thoughts -- then whatever thoughts you have, you will feel. Then whatever you feel, it will manifest in your actions... and that will create your results.

So what is in your heart, what's in the imagination, IS AS GOOD AS DONE.

So you see, you have full control of what's happening in your life. It's within your control. You may be dreaming of a life that is fruitful, but if you think that it won't happen, then it never will.

I used to think that I will never amount to anything for so, so long, because I allowed other people's imagination about me flood my heart. God had to change my image, and when He did, my situation changed. God had to change my heart before the miracles happened. I had to see myself as an effective leader before it started to happen. You see, when you start seeing things differently, that's when your situations will change.

And the good news is, GOD WANTS TO CHANGE YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT. That's why He keeps on giving you faith pictures, so you could allow Him to transform your life. So whatever that is in your heart, whatever pictures and imaginations you have, it will happen.

When you're working at your dream, somebody said, "The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory."

Because when it's hard, and there's struggle, WHAT YOU BECOME IN THE PROCESS, is more important than the dream.

That's FAR MORE important.

The kind of person you become,

The character that you build,

The courage that you develop,

The faith that you're manifesting.

It's something that when you get up in the morning and look yourself in the mirror, you see yourself as a different kind of person. You walk with a different kind of spirit.

And people will know that you know about life... that YOU EMBRACED LIFE.

Les Brown: You knew it was hard.

BUT YOU DID IT HARD.

A good half of the art of living is RESILIENCE. It is one of the most important skills in life.

We all face difficulties, challenges and setbacks, but resilience is what determines whether we fight through it and grow, or whether cave in and let those challenges defeat us.

When you are faced with a challenge, always choose to grow through it. It is so easy to give up; but don’t ever choose the easy way out. Fighting through every battle and winning it — it is the most fulfilling way to live. And growing through every challenge, it will mold you into a better person.