I’m Back And Here To Stay

Howdy. Hey guys. Hey y’all. Hola. What does one say to the people she hasn’t spoken to since January? It has been a hectic last few months, and wowzers, it’s been a long ride. I guess y’all deserve to know what I’ve been doing in my 10 months absence. Just know, I didn’t totally forget about this blog. I actually started writing quite a few posts, but I never published them. It’s not that I didn’t want to share Jesus anymore, I just got in a bad place mentally, I stressed myself out, got depressed, and just lost track of my faith. But, as you’ll learn later in this post, I got my fire back for Jesus. What a journey it has been. And now, I’m back and here to stay. So, here’s a little update on myself.

January 2018: I had an incredible experience at one of my church’s winter retreats. There will be a post coming on this soon. But just know that this experience changed my life.

February 2018: Well, I got caught up in the wrong crowd. Honestly, I felt depressed this whole month because of friends. And boys. Especially boys, because it was the month of “love” and ya girl was still single. And I had driver’s ed. I don’t usually like being around new people but I had to swallow my timidness and pass the class. Which by the way, I was top of my class 🙂 Oh, and I started volunteering in children’s church at my church.

March 2018: The month of our biggest cheer competition of the year. I’m not going to go into too much detail but WE DOMINATED. So this month was a lot better than February had been. But… once again I got caught up with the wrong people. I started talking to a guy.. but it ended quick. He didn’t want a totally 100% on fire for Jesus Christian girl. He wanted the “Christian” but not THE CHRISTIAN. Thankfully God helped me to shake it off. Because that one stung quite a bit.

April 2018: Honestly I don’t even remember anything from April. Oh yeah, I severely sprained my ankle and I had to wear a brace on it for the next 5 months. And, I had to drive the driver’s ed car with my injured foot. That was fun.

May 2018: Ah May. Tons of softball practices (I was catcher) and ya girls birthday :))))) I turned 15. But this was 6 months ago, so only 6 more months till I’m 16. Oh and by the way, I spent 3 hours at the DMV waiting, but I finally got my permit.

June 2018: Struggled to finish up freshman year.

July 2018: Start of the continuous beach trips. And an amazing summer camp at my church. This camp also changed my future, which I’ll have a post coming soon about that as well.

August 2018: More beach trips, cheer camp, four-wheeling, paint-balling, DISNEY WORLD, and even more beach trips. It was an amazinggggg summer. And, my dream came true. God allowed my youth group leader to put me in the youth band!! I had always wanted to sing in the band, and now I am! The first song I sang as the lead was King of My Heart <—– (here’s the link to my favorite version of it. Go listen)

September 2018: Start of sophomore year. Let the school depression begin.

October 2018: I started distancing myself from the negative and bad influences in my life. I got away from the people who would drag me down. I didn’t hang out with the “click” anymore. I became just me. A solo act. Someone who talks to everyone and shares the light of Christ wherever she goes. This was a big change for me because I’m usually very shy and I don’t like hanging around people I don’t know. So, I always stayed in the click to make myself feel secure. But, once I got out of my comfort zone and allowed God to work through me, I became my own person. And I’m able to be a role model to the young and old. I’m able to shine God’s light to everyone I meet. And I can greet and say hello to total strangers, and I’m not even scared anymore. I became genuinely happy, and I wasn’t sad and depressed like I once was.

November 2018: Still struggling with school. Need more driving hours. So many christmas play lines to memorize (I’m Imogene Herdman in my church’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) And, I’M SINGING FOR BIG CHURCH AT MY CHURCH. Which is pretty much, I get to sing on Sunday mornings now for the adults, and not just for the youth. That’s a huge blessing and a dream come true and I can’t thank God enough for it. But honestly, amidst all this hustle and bustle, I’m happy and oh so thankful for God’s goodness. And especially his love, because he never gave up on me.

 

So yeah, that’s what has been up with me for the past 10 months. A few more posts are coming soon, but I’m back and here to stay now. Through all this I learned that GOD HAS A PLAN FOR MY LIFE. That, I AM SPECIAL AND OH SO LOVED. And that HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART IF YOU JUST LIVE FOR HIM. Thank you God for never giving up on me. He never gave up on me, and he’ll never give up on you either.

Thanks for reading and I’m so blessed that I can share my journey with y’all. God bless all of you.

-Cupcakegirl10 ❤

 

White As Snow

Hey guys. I’m back. But sadly, I can make no promises in how frequently I’ll be able to post. A have a lot of my plate at the moment but, I promise I haven’t forgotten about this blog.

As we are still taking a break from the series, Knowing You Are Special. Today, in the midst of all the cold weather and snow, I thought this post would be appropriate.

 

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Have you ever struggled in your Christian life with the question, “God will never forgive me of this”. Or maybe you’ve thought something along the lines of, “How could God possibly forgive my horrible past?”. Or maybe even, “How can God forgive me of everything? I’ve done so many horrible things in my life.” If you’ve asked yourself something along these lines, you are not alone. Every Christian sometime in their walk with God needs to be reminded and maybe even told, Jesus took it all.

You see, when Jesus died on the cross he took EVERYONE’S sins upon him. He died so we could have freedom and forgiveness of our sins. Once we get saved and we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are given forgiveness. At no cost to us, Jesus freely gave us forgiveness. He sacrificed himself for us, and because of this we have freedom.

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

The east and west are totally different directions. That is (metaphorically speaking) how far Jesus has removed our sins from us. If only we ask him.

You could be the most horrible person on this Earth. You could have killed hundreds of people, drank thousands of quarts of beer, smoked hundreds of cigarette packs, or maybe even stolen millions of dollars worth of money; Jesus still offers forgiveness. No matter what you’ve done in this life, if you ask Jesus’ forgiveness, he will freely give it to you in abundance. Because Jesus loves you so much, he died for you, was buried, and rose to life again for you. So you wouldn’t have to go to Hell when you die, but instead be with him in Heaven. He died on the cross so you could have freedom but most importantly, FORGIVENESS.

Though your sins could be as red as scarlet. They shall become like wool. This bible verse is stating that, no matter how deep, dark, or bad your sin is, Jesus can forgive you. Think of a white cloth that has been stained with dirt. You try everything but you can’t clean those stains. You end up only making it worse. But, you happen to find Oxyclean in your cabinet. And you use that stuff to clean your cloth. Your once dirty, stained cloth is now white again. Think of Jesus as the Oxyclean. You can try everything, but without Jesus you can never have your sins forgiven. All you have to do is ask him and he’ll forgive you. That’s how amazing God is.

So if you ever feel you’ve committed a sin that can never be forgiven, just ask Jesus to forgive you. Because if you are truly sorry for your sin, he will indeed forgive you. He shall make you WHITE AS SNOW. Your once dark, black, and sinful life is now turned into something white as snow.

W hite

A s

S now

Once you ask forgiveness of your sins, those old sins are now gone forever. Instead of spelling out ARE, those ARE your sins, white as snow spells out WAS. Those WAS your sins, those WERE your sins. Your sins are now in the past as far as the east is from the west. And Jesus has now made you WHITE AS SNOW.

 

 

My blog’s 4th anniversary

Where does the time go? I started http://www.cupcakegirl10.wordpress.com 4 years ago on December 9th, 2014. And now it’s almost 2018! *screams a little inside*

This blog has come along way since it first started…..*flashback*

I started out wanting to write about my dream cupcake bakery, henceforth, the name cupcakegirl10. When I was little that was my dream. I just loved baking and dreaming about my future cupcake shop. Nowadays I’m more into music and that dream really isn’t accurate anymore.

But, soon I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to change my blog. To something honoring to God. So, I changed it too, The Work Of Thy Fingers. I talked about God’s amazing creation. for about 6 months. But the more I kept writing the more I realized I was really talking more about humans and our walk with Jesus than animals. And I felt God leading me to change my name once again. I prayed and asked God what I should name my new blog. He led me to the name Bible Talk. And that’s the name I’ve stuck with for the past 3 years.

I’ve kept the name cupcakegirl10 over the years because I want to remind myself what God has done for me and how he’s blessed this blog.

Thank you to the 170 people who have followed along with me and still continue to.

And special thanks to all who have encouraged me with comments, Kaylatot, Rachel Vincent, Ashly Vye, Hannah, and many more.

I hope you find encouragement in my blog posts. But, just know that what I write comes from the LORD, and not me.

I pray this blog has been a blessing to all of you and I pray it will continue to be a blessing to you.

God bless!

-Cupcakegirl10

2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, [and] prepared unto every good work. God has made me a willing vessel,and he has used me, for his use, to tell others about him.

 

FACQ- Frequently Asked Christmas Questions

Hey y’all. Sorry for the lack of posting (again). The holiday season is busy, and y’all probably can relate. We are going to taking a break from the series, Knowing You Are Special for the month of December and focus more on Christmas topics. So here’s the first Christmas post of the season, FACQ: Frequently Asked Christmas Questions.

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Why do we celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas?  Historians have studied when Jesus might have been born.  They have a few ideas but, they are not exactly sure when he was born. Christmas was first celebrated officially by the Roman emperor, Constantine and it wasn’t declared a national holiday until Ulysses S. Grant. It really doesn’t matter when Jesus was born. All that matters is that he was born.

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Why do we call it Christmas? Back in the early church time people used to get together for communion or celebrate Christ’s birthday. They would call these get together’s masses. So, when they celebrated Christ’s birthday they called it Christs’ mass. Over the years we have shortened Christs’ mass to Christmas!

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What do certain plants have to do with Christmas? You have probably heard the song, The Holly and the Ivy. Well Christians believe that prickly leaves of the Holly represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he was crucified. The berries are the drops of blood that were shed by Jesus because of the thorns. And the Ivy has to cling to something to support itself as it grows. This reminds us that we need to cling to God for support in our lives. I never thought about Holly and Ivy this way until someone actually told me! It’s quit clever if you think about it.  Same thing for the popular Poinsettia plant. The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity. Who knew a little plant could mean something?

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Why do we exchange presents on Christmas? We are giving the gift of Christmas to others. God started this tradition by sending, or by giving us his only son, Jesus. John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he GAVE his only son. That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. We show people we care and love them by giving them something. Just as God showed us he loved us by sending his son. We are regifting the love Jesus gave to us, and showing it to others.

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What’s the point of the Christmas tree? A Christmas tree reminds us of a story a along time ago. There were people that worshiped a false god. They believed that the god dwelt in this large tree, right in the middle of nowhere. They believed if anyone cut it down they would be punished. But, there was this one guy who believed in Jesus, and knew idol worship was wrong, and he decided to cut down the tree. The people watched as the tree came down and nothing happened. Then they all started worshiping the one true God – Jesus! So the tree reminds us that Jesus is the one true God.

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Why are candy canes such a big deal? There are many stories about this one. But my favorite would definitely have to be..

“Look at the candy cane and what do you see? Stripes that are red like the blood shed for me. White for my savior who is sinless and pure. “J” is for Jesus, my Lord, that’s for sure! Turn it around and a staff you will see- Jesus my shepherd is coming for me!”

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What does X-mas mean? A lot of you may have heard about the word x-mas before. It is Christmas shortened, but notice that the x covers Christ. So what do you think the purpose of the word x-mas is? To take Christ out of Christmas. Just like Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings. They don’t believe Christmas is the day we celebrate Christ’s birth. Some people say “Merry x-mas” but they don’t mean anything by it. They just don’t know what it means and why it’s said like that. Some people just say it to take the short way out. They don’t feel like spelling Christmas all the way out. If I were you, I’d take the time to spell Christmas out. Because I don’t to take my savior’s name out of Christmas.

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Who is Emmanuel? You’ve probably heard the song, O Come O Come Emmanuel. The song is quoting scripture. In Matthew 1:23 it says “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us”). Emmanuel is just another name for our savior. He has many names, God the Son, Messiah, Lord, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Light of the World etc. Isaiah 9:6 even states that “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

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What exactly was the star of Bethlehem? This is a question that has confused Christian astronomers and worldly astrologers alike. Some say it was a supernova that had recently exploded. Others say it was a planetary conjunction between big and bright planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus. Some say that the moon was in the mix. Others propose that maybe very bright stars aligned. And then there are those who think God put a brand new special star in the sky just for that very night. No one knows for sure what exactly happened. But it has become a beautiful symbol of how special that night was.

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If Christ inspired the idea of Christmas, how did Santa Claus come into play?   Many stories associate the idea of Santa Claus with giving. St. Nicholas’ story goes something like this, There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn’t get married. (A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the brides parents on the wedding day.) One night, Nicholas, who’s parents had just left a big sum of money to, secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas. Other stories go onto say that Saint Nick would leave presents in wooden shoes. So children every year would leave their wooden clogs at their doors and wait for Saint Nick to fill them with goodies! Santa’s name is different in every country,  Pere Noel, Sinter Claus, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, St. Nick, Santa Claus etc. Through the years people just kept making up idea’s about this St.Nick fellow. They later changed his name to Santa and developed the ideas of him living at the North Pole, having 12 reindeer (and of course, Rudolph), elves, flying a sled, and so on. So really the whole Santa Claus story originated from a plain ole guy just wanting to share Christmas with others.

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What is the true meaning of Christmas? I got one word for you….. Jesus.  “Jesus is the reason for the season.” *thinks about coffee mug*  It tells us here in Luke 1:26-56 about how the angel Gabriel came to a virgin girl who was just 14-15 years old. Her name was Mary. The angel told her she was going to have a child. But, not just any baby, she was gonna have the savior of the world. The bible tells us how Mary had to break the news to her fiance, Joseph. And how the Lord had to show Joseph that everything was going to be alright. In Luke 2:1-40 it talks about how they had to travel all the way to Bethlehem (pregnant Mary rode a donkey) to pay taxes and how there was no room at any of the inns. It tells us how Jesus had to be born in a stable because they couldn’t find a room. It tells us how the shepherds saw the star and heard the angels sing. They followed the bright star and reached the little family in the stable. Matthew 2:1-12 Say that years later wisemen did the same thing. They followed the star and presented the king with gold, myrrh, and frankincense. Christmas is about celebrating the King’s birthday. It’s about thanking God for sending us salvation on a cold winter’s day in a little town called Bethlehem. #christmasstoryinanutshell

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So, it looks like the FACQ post is now over. *sniffles* If you can think of any more questions, let me know in the comments below.

And just remember we can joke and decorate with Santa but just make sure you always remember and never stray away from the fact that, Jesus is the reason for the CHRISTmas season! ❤

 

A New Series

Hey y’all. Sorry for not being active lately. Schoolwork, theater, violin, church, ultimate frisbee, and cheer are trying to get the best of my time. Not to mention it’s the holiday season and all. I’m already jamming to Christmas music. #Christmasnut

God laid an idea on my heart that for the next week, every day I will post a bible verse along with a short lesson/or quote that goes with that selected bible verse. This series is entitled, Knowing You Are Special.

My first post of the series will be up tomorrow and the series will continue until next Tuesday, when the week is up. After this series is over I’ll start a new one.

Just wanted to give y’all a head’s up! Tune in tomorrow for the first post of the series. God bless!

Ephesians 6:10-18

Ephesians 6:10-18 

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Standing Firm

So, life as a teenager is pretty typical. Schoolwork, texting, friends, family, hang-outs, and guys. Now of course there is alot more to being a teenager than that. But, these are pretty much the things people think about when you say you are living an “average teenage life.”

So, I recently went through something in my life a few months ago. I’d thought I’d share it with y’all. So here it is: (keep in mind the names used in this story are not the real people’s names)

In July my sister and I had the opportunity to go to a christian 4 day summer camp at one of our local churches. The camp enables tweens and teens to socialize, reach out into the community, help the less-fortunate, jam out to praise and worship music, listen to guest preachers, and just have a great time serving, loving, and praising Jesus.

Well, they also had fun games at this camp. And while we were playing one of the games I saw a guy. He looked about my age. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Tall. Cute. And I assumed since he was at a christian camp, he was a christian too. What more could a girl ask for?

And then to my surprise and delight, he comes over and starts talking to us! One of his close friends was there and after he left his friend came up to me and said “Will definitely likes you.”  And I sat there thinking “wait a minute. Will as in the girl who used to be on our cheer teams brother? The short awkward guy? That Will?” And to my surprise his friend replied “Yep”

So yeah, my insides like exploded with happiness. I never thought the little brother of one of my old cheer friends could turn out like he did. I liked him, he liked me. It was just awesome.

That night he added me on an app called Snapchat. I added him back (why wouldn’t I?) And we talked. We asked each other questions and just talked. I told him about my faith, and asked him if he was a christian (which he replied “Yea” to. Not very convincing now that I think about it)

Well, skip forward a month or two after the camp was over, We ended up going to this church every Sunday and Wednesday night for youth services. Will just happened to go to this church so I got to see him every week. But what’s weird is, he would never talk in person to me.

Another girl started going to youth services there too after the camp around the same time we did. She was pretty, got all the guys, and dated everyone under the sun. Well Ursula and I became good friends and we would always hang out at services.

Well, sometime later guess what happened. Will announced that he and Ursula were going out.

So yeah. Guess how that made me feel. After a month or two of thinking he liked me, he never did. So now my good friend and lying crush are going out.

That’s my story summed up. I skipped a few major details but you get the just of it. Now for the point of the story…

 

Will had told me at one point that he liked girl’s personalities more than looks. I thought about that. I had told him about my faith, I said a few bible verses every now and then, and he knew my faith was important to me. If he was truly a christian he wouldn’t want to go out with a non-christian girl who has dated everyone.

I think now the reason he doesn’t like me anymore is because of my strong faith. I am bold and I proclaim my faith. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a christian.

And the thing is, I have no regrets. I am glad I proclaimed Jesus.

I’d rather be “dumped” by a guy because of my faith then dumped for some other reason.

“What if you didn’t talk about Jesus so much”, “What if you just had a quiet faith”, “Maybe if you quieted down about Jesus he would like you.” Maybe he would like me then. But I’m not going to shutup my faith for some guy. I won’t shutup about my faith for no one. I have to stand firm. We have to stand firm.

“I LOVE JESUS” – I’m not afraid to say it and you shouldn’t be either

Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Guys might leave you, friends might turn against you, the world might rise up against you, but you have to stand firm.

It will seem so hard. Trust me. But at the end you will feel so good that you stood firm and you kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Jesus will be proud of you. And when you get to heaven you’ll be able to hear him say “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

People will say “How can you still love God after all you’ve been through.” Well it’s because of what I’ve been through I still love God. He’s gotten me through the thick and thin times. And he is always with me and always will be.

Psalm 54:4 Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Psalm 27:3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

 

I hope you’ve made the choice to fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. Amidst the hardships, difficulties, and struggles life throws at us. Keep proclaiming Jesus, no matter what. So at the end of this life or when Jesus calls us home you can truthfully say, I have fought the good fight, I finished the race, I’ve kept the faith.”

Stand firm.

Acts 20:23-24 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

 

1 Corinthians 9:24-25  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

 

 

 

 

Long time no see

Hey y’all. I’m sorry for not posting at all this summer. It’s just been a wild ride and I’ve been extremely busy.

School just started for me today. I’m officially a freshman and that’s going to be a rollercoaster ride in it’s self.

I promise a longer post is coming. I just wanted to give y’all an update.

Jesus loves you ❤

 

 

My future

Hey y’all forgive me in not posting in over a month. I’m been really busy with my local theater, school, vacation, etc.

Anyways, I’m back

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And school’s out. So hopefully I’ll be able to post alot more.

 

So I’m officially a highschool student. And personally it’s kind of scary. Because you have to start thinking about your future, college, a job, a car, etc. My mind gets filled with questions.  What if I don’t get enough schooling? What do I need to take to get into college? Will I go to college? What for? What job should I get? Will I get a car? What will I be? What will I become?

It’s like an emotional rollercoaster.

 

I’ve always been a planner. I plan what I’ll do today, tomorrow, in ten years, twenty, etc. So when I really can’t plan my future life it’s nerve racking. I don’t know what I’ll do and I don’t know what I’ll become.

 

But the amazing thing is I’m not in charge of my future. I’m not in charge of who I’ll become. I make decisions that can either help or hurt these things but in the end God controls my future. And it’s in way better hands that way.

We just need to trust Jesus with our future and our lives. He knows the plans he has for us. Plans that are good and will make us prosper. And they will give us hope and a future.

And the thing is, my future isn’t unknown to God. He knows it all. Even though I know nothing of it.

 

God is already there. He knows it and he has it in his hands. And I’m gonna let him take care of it.

And trust him to do what’s best for me. Because I know he will.

 

Encouragement for the week ahead: