Breathe!!

Breathe and take a moment to remember what's really important.
-Phil Parker

   I like this quote because I can relate to it. As you know, I was depressed at one point in my life. I had to stop so many times and just breathe and remember the importance of life, and why this was happening to me. Taking a breather to remember the finer things in life that I can get to if I push past this, helped me so very much.

   Once I came out of depression, I was happy, but not as joyful. God is still bringing that joy back to my life! Still is! Just the other day I said to my youth pastor, "I'm not used to being this happy!" And as we talked I discovered that you can get addicted to ANYTHING. Sadness even. So don't forget to breathe, and push on. Lets get addicted to happiness:). 

Impo!

Impo!

What's impo( important) you ask?!
Reading the bible! WAITTT-I've already done a blog on the bible. But this, this will be a tad bit different!

So last week, I decided to just workout! So I did! And after 3 miles I walked around and all a sudden-whip lash! I got really dizzy, it's hard to see straight, and hard to see anything in general! I was really light headed and felt like I did when my ankle got busted open, but I wasn't afraid this time. I started thinking,"maybe I just need to go pee." So I wobbled my way over to the bathroom. Well that didn't help. Then I thought,"what could help this??"then I started praying in tongues. And when I stopped, this jumped into my mind, "My word is life,health and medicine to all flesh."  BINGO! So I recited the verse that's plastered on my brain-psalm 1:3:" I am a tree planted firmly by flowing streams if water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever I do prospers."
And before you know it, I'm healed from that lightheaded ness and such:). 
Wow. How awesome. See the Holy Spirit would not have been able to bring that verse to my rememberance if I had not read it!

Any questions-you can always  leave a comment or shoot me an email..:)

Tough situations

So about a week ago I was dancing around this kiddy pool trying to encourage my dog to jump in, I slipped and fell and when I did my ankle hit some metal. Stitches? Yep.

When this happened I praised Jesus. I tried to find out God's intentions in allowing this to happen. There was some good that came out of it. I didn't have to clean the boat. That's not a big deal though-u might think. But God might have been saving me from something worse happening...that could have happened in the midst of cleaning the boat. Well then why did he let that other thing happen you say? Maybe I needed to learn something.

See even in these "tough" situations that we have, there is always a reason. God designed you with purpose - not so he can just play around with you and have fun. 

Depression

I actually went thought depression not to long ago. It's a sad thing, filled with no life,a heavy heart, etc. but you can conquer it!! I personally, pulled through depression by listening to a few songs(ill list them at the bottom of this blog). I listened to them every. Single. Day.

The joy of The Lord is our strength. When I praised Him, He was happy:). Therefore, I got the strength to not give up. You can get this strength too! You have grit! You can get through anything!!!! I encourage you to never give up. 

-Songs-
Songs by: Kim Walker-Smith

The King Is Here (Live)
Yield My Heart (Live)
Spirit break out (live) 

Self Esteem-brains and looks!!!

   Brains. As a blonde, people believe I'm, well, simply put, plain dumb. But I believe I'm not because one, blondes being stupid is just one big stereotype. And two, God created me! And God says that I have His mind. And that I can do anything through Him. Yes, you can work that math problem, write that essay paper, accomplish those life goals-all through Christ. After all, we do have the mind of Christ. You are smart! God created you didn't He?  

   And ladies with non-blonde hair. Being non-pretty is just..not correct! You are BEAUTIFUL. God created you in His divine image. I realize, that as blondes are stereotyped as "dumb and beautiful", other hair colors hear this stereotype, and think, "well then I must be smart and ugly". WRONG. You are BEAUTIFUL. 

   God created every human being in His divine image. Wether your blonde, Burnett, grey, or black headed lady--it doesn't matter!!! You are both BEAUTIFUL and SMART. 

    Don't believe me? Look it up!:)

Song of Songs 4:7

Song of Songs 4:1

1 Corinthians 2:16

Philippians 4:13

1 Peter 3:3

Quotes

Just for the brain to think upon, here are some Cool quotes that I love!

-FOOTPRINTS-
One night, a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest moments in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned The LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set if footprints.i don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied, " my precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of foot prints, it was then that I carried you."
-unknown



"I'm here. I love you. I don't care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. There's nothing you could ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die,and after your death I will protect you. I am stronger than depression. And I am braver than loneliness.and nothing will ever exhaust me.
-God"
-unknown

"Decide that you want it more than you are afraid if it"-bill Cosby

"Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ." -Sheila Walsh 

The living light

  Jesus is the light! Jesus is the life. When we have Jesus living on the inside of us, other people will see a change in you. Why? Because now you have the living light within you! Light shines in darkness, that's why people notice you, and think you are different-well you are different.

  Now addressing something a little different, notice how when you turn a flash light on in a dark area, the light replaces the darkness? Same thing with Jesus! Jesus is light! He replaces the darkness in you. When you get saved, The light replaces the darkness that once was in you, and shines through you and out into the darkness of the world. The bible says that sin and Jesus cannot be in the same place. So how can He shine in the darkness if he cannot be around it? HE REPLACES IT!:)

Struggling with keeping your prayer life and bible time balanced. Or just having a hard time with both.

  For me, I struggle to find balance between my prayer life and bible time. I seem to either be spending all my time in the word, or all my time praying! But how do we balance it out? That's simple-make time for both (bible and prayer). God knows you have other responsibilities like maybe, school, sports, work, etc. So even if you just pray in the shower, He is glad you are speaking with Him. And even if you only read your bible in class,or anywhere for the matter, and you only read one verse. He is pleased! Bottom line: if you make time for each, you are balanced!

  Now, if you don't seem to want to pray, or read your bible, seek God more and more! At the times you don't feel like seeking Him, seek Him the most! Once you seek, and seek, and seek Him, even if you feel it's the most boring thing, soon you will get on a high for God!! I have had that before. I seeked Him out, and then sha-boom!! I got high off of God! All I wanted to do was learn more, more about God! More about the bible!

A verse to ponder on(:
"Seek first the kingdom of heaven and everything else will be added unto you."-Matthew 6:33

Precious

"Ah a night lit only by the moon. No stars, no planes, no helicopters, no nothing. Laying on this plan blanket in the grass, the smell of sheep poop reaches my nose. But then the crickets chirp, and the train bellows. Rabbits scurry, and I mellow."

This is a moment I was experiancing and enjoying on earth day. This moment is so sweet to me. So, I decided to type this moment up, and send it to a few friends over txt. And when I did, one friend replied like this,:

"Did you ever stop to realize that the Heavenly Father created that moment just for you because He knew you would greatly appreciate it? If not, that's His way of saying, Sara you are precious to me!"

Whoa. That is amazing! Wow. Do you have sweet moments you love? Those were created for you by the created of love! You are so precious to Him!

Love your haters.

Brotip #1477
"   Love your haters.
You made them.  "

Right now, I am learning how to, love the un-lovable.

In proverbs 12:25 it says "anxiety in a mans heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad."

That "hater" probably doesn't know God. So they have all of this anxiety/stress! Everyone is looking for peace. but, They can't seem to find peace and may take it out on you. So now they are your "haters". But they are the ones who need to be loved the most, Not get what they said to you thrown back into there face! Just doing the smallest of things like, saying hello to them, smiling at them, or saying one encouraging word!!! That could make there day! It all starts with you.
Are you willing to step out of your comfort zone, and start loving the unlovable?

Holding you

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be dismayed, For I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my Righteous right hand.

Being lonely. Being afraid. It's a part of being human. And the great thing is, God is not human! He is 100% spirit! And if he is living in your heart,(if you Are saved) He will be with you wherever you go!  He will help you and strengthen you. Holding you up with his hand. He is holding you in His righteous right hand; Comforting you, protecting you, loving you. Always. 

Dating

My personal views on dating:

Why waste your time? Time is the only thing in this world that you can never get back. Usually when people are dating, it's to fill that spot they feel inside of, "I wanna be, and feel loved." So they reach out to dating. When really we should be reaching out to God! God created us with that desire for love, that only He can fill, since He is the one that placed that desire within us. And I believe that dating can wait-for the right moment. The moment when you are ready for marriage, the moment when God says,"yes, that's the one."

Sure, dating may seem fun. But is it really? noo! So Live life! You have plenty of time in the future to deal with romance....when your ready for it! So for now, chill.

~Verses on love~
1 Corinthians 13:1-8.

---Reading the bible---

 The bible.

B-basic
I-instructions
B-before
L-leaving
E-earth.

 But eww! Instructions? No one wants instructions, because, well, as humans we know EVERYTHING, right? No, not right. We don't know everything. oh and don't think  of the bible as instructions- cause instructions sounds like a "have to" or a specific "do it this way" kinda thing. The bible isnt like that. There is a thing called free will. God won't make you do anything. He is a jealous God. Which means he is jealous other things might have your attention other than him, and he wants all your focus on him.
 Also,one way God speaks to us  is through scripture. everyone interprets the bible different because a verse can have multiple meanings- what people get out of a verse is God talking to them . So think of the bible as a 66 book love letter from God. Everything God does is out of Love. God's language is love. He only speaks in love. He is like a Father. He disciplines you, and in the moment of discipline is much pain, but in the end you have peace. He watches over you.

I challenge you to a bible reading challenge! Read the book of 1 John (every book is of love, this is just one of my favorites.) and share with me what you have discovered about God's amazing love for us in this chapter, email me at:
saranfinley@gmail.com

Ladies, lets go into modesty

When you shop, what is the most important thing on your mind? Is it 'This would look cute on me!' If it is this type of mind set, you will make a big mistake of choosing an outfit that God would not like or would not be proud of. God is our father. You're his little girl and just like our earthly fathers, he wants us to keep that shirt pulled up, clothing not too tight, and shorts just right. In 1 Corinthians 12:23 it says.. "And the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty." Your body is Gods temple, therefore honor God with your body. Again, in 1 Corinthians 12:26.. " If one part suffers with it;if one part is honored , every part rejoices."  In Matthew 5:29 as well, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." So next time you go shopping, go into it with the mind set of 'How can I honor God today.'

-W.R. :)

Feeling fake

Do u ever feel like this? 

 like you are on a reality show. feel like people aren't alive. You feel like You are watching yourself on a tv screen going through the motions. You feel like a dream. Watching yourself outside your body....

 This feeling comes from the world. This feeling is NOT from God. God defeated the world (John 16:33). It also says near the beginning that in Him you may have PERFECT peace and confidence. Now what does it mean when it says, in Him? To me, that means His holy presence. 

How do we rest in the presence of God? I get in His presence through worship. I feel peace, happiness, goose bumps, joy, just overwhelming joy when in His presence. You may feel different than i, and that's fine. There is no special or certain feeling you HAVE TO HAVE to know you are in His presence. 

This is what I do when I catch myself feeling fake-I relax in His arms-His presence. 

Verses to think about!:

•Psalm 96:2

• John 14:27

Doubting God

   Have you ever been in a place where you have doubted God? I know I have. And what pulled me through, was this verse: Hebrews 11:1-2 "Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past" 

   Think about your history books. How did we know these people were actually living? There is evidence in our society. Same way with bible people! We know they were living because we have evidence called the bible, and the bible has an effect on us, because Jesus is the bible(the word)! And Jesus is life. (See John 1:4)  

   Also what pulled me through was verse: Jeremiah 29:13-14.

This verse assures me, and you and everyone, that He will always bring you back. ALWAYS bring you back to Him. No matter what your going through.

-Attitude-

One of my goals right now, is to have an attitude like Christ. Philippians 2:5 says that we should make our attitudes that of Christ Jesus. And what is that attitude? This attitude sounds like the fruit of the spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...-Galatians 5:22,23.
I realize expressing love to all people is a hard and very difficult task. But if you seek God, you will be able to ooz out this love out onto people without even noticing what you are doing. Pretty awesome isn't it?:)

Christ was also very motivational. Like in John 5:17. That has to be above all my favorite when it comes to motivation. So I motivate, encourage you, to never stop seeking, and working towards the Father, so that you can finally have an attitude that is that of Christ.

"your attitude determines your altitude."-Zig Ziglar

Your attitude not only affects you, but every single person who encounters you. Everyone will notice it. Your attitude can draw people in, or push people away. Attitude is a choice, not a random thing. You can choose to be happy and see the good in things, or you can choose to allow everything and everyone to get on your nerves.

~BREAKTHROUGH~

When a challenge comes your way, and I'm sure you will have them daily, try to see them as a necessary part of growing into the person you will be. 

Everyone and every living thing has a set of challenges to overcome, it's how God separates the leaders from the followers.

Sea turtles must dig their way through at least 2 feet of sand to get to the surface, only the strong will survive.  After that they must run for the beach before seagulls snatch them up, only the fastest will make it.  They have been through hell, and many have lost their lives.....they haven't even been alive 12 hours yet!  The ones that do make it are the strong and the fast, the ones that will make good parents and have what it will take to survive to lay their own eggs.

Moral of the story, it's the challenges in life that give us the opportunity to excel.  Don't fear or be intimidated by them, embrace them as an opportunity to breakthrough!  You are in charge of the woman you will become.

Know that I am always here, just in the shadows sometimes.

-David (my dad)

"Today I will choose to do what others won't, so that tomorrow I can do what others can't"-unknown

A realization !

I not to long ago got understanding on something (doesn't happen often though-I am blonde), that is fairly important to me. I thought of the question, "is it possible for a person to attend church regularly, and NOT be saved or believe in Jesus?" I ended up asking my pastor this question and he said, "can u stand in a garage and go vroom vroom? Yes but does that make u a car?"
No. Of course not. So what he was saying is that even though a person attends church often,  or has read the whole bible-it doesn't mean they are saved. It does not mean they know our God. When we get saved, we have Jesus living in us and His light.

You may wonder how to discern who these people are. now you must also know, that even if a person gets saved, they can turn away from Jesus even though he never turns away from them. Look to Jesus and be saved...-Isaiah 45:22 . so if a person's main focus is Jesus and that is all they see, they are saved. you will see this by the way they act, talk. That's it. Nothing more. Just watch the way they act compared to those who have Jesus living on the inside of them. I promise you will see a difference. "Guard your heart above all things for everything you do comes from it.."-proverbs 4:23

Prayer?

Prayer is simply talking to your Heavenly Father! But prayer has a large impact. In Matthew 18:19 it says clearly that if two or more come together in Jesus's name, it will be done for them by The Father in Heaven! Come together?!well-what's that mean? it means, getting together and praying! so what must u do? you must pray. If you wonder why you cannot seem to hear from God, it probably means you are not speaking to Him. But you may think, "But God knows all. So why must we ask if he knows our needs?" Yes, God does know all, but God wants a relationship with you!
Think of it this way: if you do not talk to your best friend, husband, wife, or anyone close to you, are you close? How did u meet the person anyway? You had to experience them, talk to them, get to know them. Well God knows you, but do you know Him?
So I challenge you to speak to God today.:)