#personal testimony

“My story is not about how strong I was.

It is about how faithful He has been.

It is not about how I figured things out.

It is about how God made a way when I could not.

Every breakthrough, every answered prayer, every moment of restoration points back to Him, not me.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.” Psalm 107:2

I am just the evidence of His grace.

The proof that God still heals, still restores, still redeems.

What people see as strength is really His sustaining power.

What looks like victory is actually His mercy at work.

So when I share my testimony, it is not to highlight my journey, but to reveal His goodness.

Because at the end of it all, the story was never about me.

It has always been about God.”

This is a great post from “Just Sayen'”, who I've just discovered on Facebook (check them out). I pray it blesses you. 🙂

Friends, have a great day in Christ. 💛

I experienced this first hand today.

I knew God was calling me to spend time with Him in His word, but I became distracted by a YouTube notification on my phone. One of my favorite Christian content creators posted a video, which I misinterpreted as Him being forced out on the streets.

As a result, I ended up watching the video instead of spending my time in the Lord’s word. My intention wasn’t necessarily sinful (trying to see if I could help someone who I assumed to be in need), but it caused me to disobey God and go my own way.

In my attempt to stay on the narrow path, I actually strayed off it.

The intentions behind our actions matter to God. The widow’s offering from the Gospel of Mark shows us that God values our good intentions, even if we don’t have much to give (Mark 12:41-44). However, what God desires most of all from us is obedience.

Imagine a child wishing to cook their parents breakfast in bed, but in doing so, they hurt themselves on the stove, something they were told not to touch. The parents may appreciate their child’s intentions, but they valued their child’s obedience more than breakfast in bed.

God is exact same way. What God desires out of His children is direct and pure obedience to His will, all done out of reverence and awe of Him. To obey is better than burnt sacrifice after all.

It doesn’t matter how good our intentions are. If they go against the will of Christ, it is not in God’s will for us to carry them out. What good is a good deed if it wasn’t desired in the first place? What good is giving someone an apple when they’re hungry when they asked for an orange?

God’s will is perfect, as He is perfect, and to go against it is to go against God; whether we intended to or not. Sin is sin, regardless of the reason for committing it. Obey the Lord, keep His commands, and value His will above your own.

Well, absolutely they do, and that in there is a whooooooole conversation to be had, but by the grace of God yours truly hasn't really been struggling with it anymore. Not to say I am not tempted, nor to say I only have pure thoughts or I don't feel the flesh seeking gratification when I have to go into a porn blog to block it, but porn is not the vice it once was for me - and I, by the power of God, stave it off by remembering what it's done to me, how illogical porn and porn consumption is, and how filthy I'd feel afterwards. I do really appreciate the prayer, though!

I sat in silence with the Lord, admiring the trees in my backyard and watching them sway to the soft summer wind.

Then, I saw a squirrel crawl up a tree, and I said to the Lord: “Lord, whenever I’m out here with you, could you please show me a squirrel so I know that you’re with me?” I didn’t think much of it.

A few weeks later, I’d completely forgotten about that prayer, and I was having a very rough week spiritually. I went outside and did the same routine — sat in my backyard in silence with the Lord. It was the first time I’d done it since I prayed that prayer weeks ago.

The more that I look in the details, the more of Your goodness I find. - "Counting My Blessings" by Seph Schlueter

I was driving home today from the gym listening to this song, and I was so overwhelmed with gratitude that I nearly started crying. God has done so much in my heart and in my life in the past three months. And when I look back, I can directly trace many, many of those blessings to deep sorrow I've experiences over the last year or so. If the hard stuff hadn't happened, I know without a doubt that some of those recent blessings would not have come about. My life feels completely transformed and I have a hope I didn't have four months ago. In hindsight, I can see God's hand using the hardship. He didn't let my pain go to waste. He has redeemed things and healed things that I thought were forever broken. And seeing that has filled my heart with a level of trust in Him and His plan that I haven't experienced in a long time--if I ever have.

My prayer is that God's will be done in my life. Whatever is ahead--even if hard times resurface and the sheer happiness I'm feeling right now diminishes--I know He's got me, and He's working things out for my good.

In 2019 I signed up for Be The Match Registry. It is a global registry of people willing to donate bone marrow to patients in need. In order for someone to receive a bone marrow transplant, they need to find a donor with the closest matching bone marrow tissue for it to work in their body. The more people on the registry, the more likely it is that patients will find a match!

This week I've been told that I matched with a patient! There are still a lot of steps to go through before I donate and it may be that someone else is a closer match so I might not donate at all, but it is still super exciting. The process to sign up for the registry is extremely easy. Just search up Be The Match Registry (or click that link) and give them some information. It takes ten minutes tops. After that, they'll send you a kit to swab the insides of your cheeks so they have a record of your DNA and proteins which will be used to see if you match a patient. Then, you forget about it. Some people may never get a call. But you might, and that's when you have the chance to save a life.

If you are a POC, please consider registering! The chances of someone finding a match are this:

· Black/African American          23%

· Asian/Pacific Islander             41%

· Hispanic/Latino                       46%

· White                                        77%

I don't know the explanation behind these stats, but I got them from Be The Match and the likelihood of POC finding a match can only go up if POC sign up for the registry.

The people who are turning to this registry for donors really, really need that bone marrow treatment. For them, the treatment is extremely dangerous and often their last option. Signing up costs you nothing and it could end up saving someone's life. Please consider re-blogging and signing up for the registry! Just go to the above link or search "Be The Match" for more information.