Satan Shall Not Prevail

2017 has been a hard year. 6 months in and I still feel like I'm stuck in a big pit. All darkness and no way to the light. It's like you're in a tunnel and you're trying to see the opening - the end to all the blackness...and you strain your eyes and look...and there's nothing but more black. But maybe there is an end and you just can't see it because Satan is holding a blindfold over your eyes. And if he is ... well then, there's two things you can do. Let him keep blinding you and drown yourself in self pity - or fight back. And as for me, I'm going to fight. 

Satan has been working hard this year in our little ..."community", shall I say. Both inside and outside of family, things have been rather challenging as of late. Just when I would think things couldn't get any worse, things would. And unfortunately, that didn't happen just once. It happened multiple times until now I've gotten to the point where I'm completely unsure of what the future holds, and I've even doubted whether God was actually there. How can a God who supposedly loves me let there be so much hurt and pain? How can He let such horrid things happen? Maybe I'm being punished... Those thoughts sound familiar? Mm hmm... Job and his oh-so-helpful "friends". But as I'm realizing, the instigator of all these toxic thoughts, all these thinkings that cloud my better judgement and make me see the dark side of things - they're all from Satan! He's shooting those arrows, trying to sway my faith in God. And for a time, much as I hate to admit it, the devil was winning. He gained a foothold in my heart and made me bitter and angry at everything and everyone. I don't know about you, but personally, for me, when I don't know exactly what is going to happen...I get scared. And Satan knows my weakness - and he pounced on it. When there's no light or any seeming end to the mess and I doubt anything will ever be resolved... when I try to pray and it feels like He can't hear me...when things change in a heartbeat and one second things are going well and then the next it's all going downhill...or when it feels like I'm falling in a bottomless pit...it's scary. And at first, I didn't try to fight. I let myself drown in utter miserableness and self-pity. I let Satan continue to rule my heart and mind and anger just kept building up inside me. I let evil thoughts have free reign in my mind, and, that in turn started creeping into my heart and turning it ugly and black. And Satan was winning. He was turning me into exactly what he wanted - and I felt helpless to fight back alone. 

But I wasn't alone. And I am not alone, nor will I ever be. 

"The Lord your God will never leave you not forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 

"The God of peace be with you." Romans 15:33 

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" Psalm 27:1

For one, (and a very big one too!) I have God on my side. Even when it looks like He's not there...He always is. And He always will be. Who here likes to just look at the tree? *raises hand* It's hard really. All you can see is just what's happening and you can't see into the future. And sometimes, well, you forget to look at the bigger picture, at the whole forest. And in this case the whole forest is the fact that God has a plan. He knew that this was going to happen since the very beginning of time...and He knows how this will end too. And somehow - though I have utterly no clue as to what exactly He will do or how He will do it - He is using this for His ultimate plan. There is something good that will come out of this struggle of pain and darkness and hurt. Even though I can't see it, doesn't mean that it isn't going to happen. All I can do is continue to trust in God. Forever and always. Trust. In. God. 

"For You will light my lamp; 

The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

For by You I can run against a troop,

And by my God I can leap over a wall. 

As for God, His way is perfect; 

The word of the Lord is proven; 

He is a shield to all who trust in Him." 

~ Psalm 18:28-30 

My family. In the last few months, I would say more specifically my dad, my mom, and my sister. Not choosing favourites or anything...but I have grown a lot more close to these three in the past little bit. They have stood behind me and given me encouragement. They didn't scold me or give up when I felt discouraged or couldn't put it all behind me...rather, they comforted me and pointed me back to the Lord. I've been able to pour my heart out to my sister and even share a few tears. Ok who am I kidding...a LOT of tears. Bucketfuls upon bucketfuls. She let me vent out my frustration and confusion to her, and she understood. And despite the times we don't always agree on things, I love my mom. She was there when I was scared out of my wits. She was there when I needed advice. She was there when I ended up sobbing my heart out on her shoulder. She has, and is, and always will be, there for me. She also reminded me to "take my thoughts captive" and to not let Satan reign. Easier said than done, to be sure, but when it is done...oh doesn't it feel good to know the devil's been conquered, if even for that moment. And Dad. My steady and constant protector. He was so very reliable and gave some much needed advice. I may not always understand, but I know that he is always doing what he thinks is best for me. Because he loves me. 

And my friends too. A certain special person who always has the time to pray with me, no matter how busy she is (you know who you are :D). And of course, my sister counts as one of my best friends too...even if I already counted her in family. Doesn't hurt to repeat her ;) Why, even while I'm writing this, she just came to show me a discovery she had made in a blessings devotional we had been given as a present from our Awana teacher (who also happens to be our family friend too). The devotional was talking about how you might feel after being hurt by a person. I mean, we all know what comes naturally when you get hurt. You want to take revenge and make things right. Or anyway, what you think is right and just. But we gotta leave it up to God! Trust Him to do all the revenge necessary. He knows what's best, we just have to trust, trust, TRUST Him! 

I honestly don't know what I would do if I didn't have these two by my side. They're two of God's biggest blessings towards me. I don't deserve such wonderful people in my life - but I thank God every day for them. They've helped me face whatever might happen, to remain strong in the Lord, and to fight back all the depressing thoughts that try to get back into my mind. They have encouraged me and l.o.a.d.e.d me with prayers and lots and lots of Bible verses. We've laughed and we've cried. I foresee a lot more laughs and even more tears together...but you know what? I kinda look forward to them. We're all growing so much closer and stronger together in the Lord. 

I was talking to my friend a little while ago, and we started sharing all the good memories from this year. And that's when I was hit by that song again.

"When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one, 

And it will SURPRISE you what the Lord has done. 

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God has done! 

Count your blessings, name them one by one, 

Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care? 

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will keep singing as the days go by." 

[Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman, Jr.] 

I hadn't been counting my blessings at all. If anything, I was only counting all the bad things that had happened. And I've gotta say, that's one of the best ways to make yourself feel even worse and more sorry for yourself.

When those sad, dreary, dark, toxic memories and thoughts start fighting for room in your mind...you've gotta take them in hand - and tell them to just shut up! Then start countin'! Every single blessing, either massively big or teeny weeny...count them all! Amazing friends. Love from my family. The chance to be able to teach. Singing. Reading. 7 awesome siblings (ok, if I'm to keep this realistic...I don't always think of them as blessings *grins guiltily* But they're blessings just the same). The Bible. Love. Joy. Peace. Grace. A wonderful trip to Virginia. Surviving another year of school. Receiving a letter from a university commending my English work. Getting my driver's license. Hugs. Visits from friends. Laughs. Tears. Music. Books. Freedom. Getting to serve. The advantages of technology. Even trials can be blessings. "But nothing good ever comes to me...I'm just the unluckiest person in the world." *shakes head violently* Not true of anyone. God has blessed all of us, all in different ways. Look around you. You're alive and breathing. That's a pretty big blessing. God made you. That's an even bigger blessing! You're a masterpiece made from the King of all Creators. Christ died for you and gives the gift of salvation to you. That's probably the biggest blessing of all. Then you can look at the smaller things too. A simple, yet pretty flower. A golden sun that has risen and set every day without fail. Clouds rolling across the sky. And don't forget how God positioned the earth just right so we would neither burn nor freeze to death. And how we live on the only planet in the universe that has oxygen and water. We're all blessed, people. Oh so very blessed.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast sprit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." Psalm 51:10-11

I was also reminded of God's ultimate plan in one of many conversations I had with my friends. Maybe God makes these problems where we feel absolutely helpless...just to show us His power. Show that He can conquer with a snap of His fingers. That He is completely and utterly in control. Isn't that just amazing to think of?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

And He shall direct your paths." 

I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself. I'm tired of feeling helpless. I'm tired of letting Satan take control of my life. And, with God's help, I am going to change! I'm shaking off this burden Satan is trying to drag me down with...and I'm following God, y'all! I AM going to be happy and I AM going to sing. My heart is going to be full of joy at what God has done in my life. Too sad to dance? Nuh uh! I'm gonna spin and twirl and jump around (I'm horrid at dancing, but hey...it works xD) I'm going to praise the Lord with all my heart and I'm going to let His light SHINE!

"But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For  You have been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;

For God is my defence, 

The God of my mercy." Psalm 59:16-17

My friends and I (and when I say friends, I'm also including my sister in that :) have also been able to pray a lot together. Not in person, unfortunately, as distance is a bit of a problem at the moment, but we make do with FaceTime. I treasure those moments when we're able to just get together and pray. Lift our hearts up to the Lord and ask for His guidance and strength. And in doing so, we not only grow closer to the Lord, we grow stronger together in our friendship too.

Another thing we've been doing is finding Bible verses that talk about the situation we're in, or just encouragement from the Bible. Psalms has been a favourite place. It's amazing to think of David who, in the midst of all those trials, was still able to praise God and glorify him for His grace and mercy and complete and utter wonderfulness.

"He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defence; 

I shall not be greatly moved." Psalm 62:2

"In God is my salvation and my glory; 

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge, is in God." Psalm 62:7

"In You, O Lord, I put my trust;

Let me never be put to shame." Psalm 71:1

"For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways." Psalm 91:11

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, 

A refuge in times of trouble.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;

For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You." Psalm 9:9-10

"I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;

I will guide you with My eye." Psalm 32:8

"The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

Do not fret - it only causes harm." Psalm 37: 7-8

"Direct my steps by Your word,

And let no iniquity have dominion over me." Psalm 119:133 

"A man's heart plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9 

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,

And He delights in his way. 

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;

For the Lord upholds him with His hand." Psalm 37:23-24 

I know God loves me and that He will always be by my side. He will never leave me nor forsake me and just as I will fight for Him, He will fight for me. 

The devil can try his darnedest, but he will not win. I won't let him. I am God's, not his. 

So there. Take that, Satan. 

Counting Our Blessings

Good morning/afternoon/evening (depending on when you read this post ;))!

I'm launching something somewhat similar to a blog link up and I hope you all enjoy it! Note how I said somewhat ;) It's not exactly a blog link up because there won't be a major amount of "blog linking". It's more like meeting or getting to know others better and counting our blessings! Basically, how this works, is I will be choosing one or two people a month and on either the 3rd or 4th week of each month, we will get to read a post done by these wonderful people! :)

The primary reasons for doing this is so we not only get to know each other a bit better, we also get to glorify God and show what we are thankful for in the many ways/things that He has blessed us with!  

So I hope you all will enjoy these upcoming posts! If you know of any one else who would like to do this, or if you yourself would like to do this, you can send me a message through the contact form on the side. The more people, the more fun, right? :) 

And if you have any questions, just let me know! I'll be happy to answer them :) 

Join in the fun! :D 

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,  for his steadfast love endures forever! 
~ Psalm 106:1 

Pray for Paris

The terrorists have struck again. This time either killing, kidnapping, or injuring 100 innocent people. And not only that, but harming the hearts of those that are related or friends to these people. Let's pray, asking God to heal all the broken hearts that are suffering right now.

Taking verses from my previous post God is in Control that I think would be applicable in such a time as this.

Proverbs 16:4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Genesis 50:20  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 

Once again, it's the trust that we need to have in God. Belief that He is in control, even in the darkest hours. 

In the darkest hour, I must face

I'm counting on your grace

To give me all I need

Sunless days and cheerless nights will pass

And work their work at last

To form  your joy in me

For when I am weak

I find that you are strong

And all I really need is your grace

All I need to know is you are near me

All I need is you

All I really need is your grace

All I need to know is you are for me

All I need is you

All I need is you

~ All I Really Need 

Mark and Stephen Altrogge 

I would encourage you to also check out Olivia's post #PrayforParis where she shares her thoughts on the Paris attack as well as some Bible verses too. 

God is in control! 

God is in Control

 God is, and will always, be in control.

Have you ever felt that things were going so badly that you didn't think it would ever get better? Or you just didn't know why things were happening the way they were? I have! I wanted to share some verses that I found that talked about this subject.

Romans 13:1b  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Proverbs 16:4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it

Psalm 135:6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth,  in the seas and all deeps.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way,  but the Lord establishes his steps.

Ephesians 1:11  having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.

Genesis 50:20  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 

Above verse is from the story of Joseph. A great example, wouldn't you say? Joseph had no idea why he was being betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, and he probably wondered what on earth was going on and why would God let such a thing happen. . . but in the end, it all showed that everything had been predestined by God and He had been in control the entire time!

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

Little Chicken

I know, I know, this is not a chicken! Thought I should say that first before you all decided that I had gone crazy or something. :P

Little Chicken is what I named the bird. The cutest bird ever! And...the first wild bird I've ever held in my life! But I'll start from the beginning. 

I was making my breakfast in the kitchen and right after I had thrown my eggshells in the garbage can, a shrill cheap, cheap, cheap started. Looking out the window, I saw a little brown lump on the deck railing. Of course, I went outside to see what it was! :)

There sat a small fluffy brown bird. As I stepped outside, it immediately saw me. But instead of flying away, it just sat there and continued chirping. I stepped closer. It sat there. Finally, I was only a foot away. That's when I decided that the bird was probably a baby bird, since adult birds usually don't let people get so close to them!

The bird flew away after we had stared at each other for awhile. So I went back inside and started beating my eggs. And then came the incessant cheap, cheap, cheap again! This time it was coming from the front of the house, by the basketball net. I went out and tried to find the bird. But because it's brown feathers blended in well with the dead leaves on the ground, I had a difficult time locating it. Sitting down on a rock, with crushed corn in my hand, I waited and strained my eyes trying to find the bird in all that foliage. A bit of corn fell out of my hand and landed on the ground. Immediately, leaves crackled as the bird quickly hopped toward me. The first thought that flashed through my head was since when did wild birds come toward you?? Really, it seemed so weird, since never, in all my life has a wild bird come to me!

Little Chicken had trouble eating the corn, probably because it was too hard. I got up and walked to the deck to see if I could find anything else. Imagine my surprise when, looking behind me, I found the bird following me, hopping as fast as it could! Then I remembered with horror that Maple, the dog, was lying on the deck! If she found the bird, it would be as good as dead. I instantly ran up the deck and put her in the house. The bird stayed in the driveway and chirped. . .and chirped. . .and chirped :)

While inside, I grabbed my camera, attached the telephoto lens, and rushed back outside again. 

Yay! I managed to capture a picture with her beak open! ;)

She's sooo cute, don't you think?

If ever a bird could have a double chin, I'd say this is the closest it could get! 

And can you believe it? Little Chicken actually let me hold her! By this time, everyone knew that I had found a wild baby bird and were all rushing out to see it. Okay, so I almost freaked out when Dare Devil ran forward and almost stepped on her, but. . . it was almost, so I didn't freak out. :P My heart did skip a beat though!

It's almost impossible to try and describe the delight of holding her. Little Chicken was so light and fluffy, and her tiny feet would curl around my finger and cling tightly to it as she perched there. And she didn't even try to fly away! 

You're probably wondering why I named her Little Chicken, am I right? :) Well, these are my two reasons. 1. Mom kept calling her a chicken :P  2. I had read a book called Freckles (which, by the way, is a really good book!) and the main character, Freckles, had found and tamed a wild bird and called it. . . you guessed it! Little Chicken. :D

Rachel Joy Scott, Her Story

Have you ever heard of Rachel Joy Scott? She was an amazing girl, who loved her Lord and remained faithful to Him, even when it endangered her life. To read more about her, you can go to Bethany's blog post: The Legacy of Rachel Scott.

Note: I do NOT own this picture. This comes from Google Images. 

Kyrous

Kyrous. The name of this beautiful Lime Butterfly. Cousin 3 was watching the stages of metamorphosis by observing a caterpillar hatch out into a butterfly. God's handiwork is again shown in this stunning butterfly. The light blue, creamy yellow, ivory black, tiger-orange, pure white, and orangish-brown details all carefully and perfectly put into this small winged insect. Isn't God amazing?

 There was another butterfly hatching out. Unfortunately, it was taken by the hotel cleaners while we were out and um...let's just say it probably didn't end well for this poor insect.

Cousin 3 and Kyrous 

Blessings + Blessings

Hello! Here are more blessings/gifts!

October 3
 Blessing #9: Homeschool! It gives us the freedom to
study almost anywhere....

Including the trampoline!

October 4
Blessing #10: Another part of God's creation; a toad.
I was very fascinated with this particular animal and I took
a lot of pictures! Maybe I'll post about that next time.

October 5
Blessing #11:  A Country Scene

Blessing #6

Don't you think that flowers are an absolutely beautiful example of God's handiwork? I do! Snapping these pictures made me notice details that I hadn't seen before and it just made the flowers even more amazing!

It started out as this little green bud...

Then blossomed into this lovely flower!

I think this is a hydrangea. I'm not an expert at
flower names!

Is this considered a pink black eyed susan, a cone flower
or echinacea?

The Pink Pom Pom!

This looks kinda fluffy!

Do you think dandelions are flowers or weeds?

I took the following pictures at the park.

Most of the flowers were already dead, but thankfully
there were still a few left!

I know these aren't flowers, but they were fun to take
 pictures of!

Do you like this picture better or the one just above it?

Blessing #2

This is a picture of a small fuzzy black and yellow insect that is part of God's wonderful creation. It gathers pollen and carries it in a little basket attached to its hind legs. While they are known for their important role in pollinating flowers, they are also connected to the ugly image of stingers/needles.  It "makes" a delicious sticky substance called honey.  If you haven't already guessed it, this is a bee!

Okay, this might not be a blessing, but it is a gift. To make it simpler to organize, gifts will be the same as blessings. I hope this won't be confusing! :)