Category Archives: Life

The Truth About Secrets

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Little secrets, big secrets, we all have them, right? Wrong 🙂 There is one person who knows all of your secrets. He knows every little detail about your life, your past, present and future (Psalm 139:1-6). God.

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows (Luke 12:7). God is so interested in you and your life that He has numbered every hair on your head. Why does this matter, why would God number your hairs? He wants you to understand how valuable you are to Him, how much He cares about you that He would pay attention to the smallest of details.

Let’s talk more about secrets. A secret is something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others. Secrets can be good (who else likes cool surprises like I do!?). But, secrets can also be bad. It may be anything from something “small” you did or something “big” that happened to you. Keeping “bad” secrets can be dangerous. Why? Because you’re are allowing something to take control of you, your thoughts. It may not seem serious and it may start off as something small, but the Bible says light and darkness do not mix (Matthew 6:23).

How this manifests in your life will vary. You may lose freedom in a certain area of your life, insecurities, unhappiness, depression, you become bitter, you open up a door to fear (fear of someone finding out… because a lot of times secrets do come out, Luke 12:2-3)… then it’s a big mess. It also may cause you to think about yourself differently, unworthy, not good enough. It allows the enemy to tell you all kinds of lies, and you believe them.

James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” Do you have a confidant? Someone that knows God and will pray with and for you? If there is no one you want to share with or feel like you can talk to, mom, dad, brother, sister, family, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, best friend, remember God. He is the one you should always go to. Actually, God already knows what happened, he knows your deepest, darkest secrets, so why not just tell Him? He wants you to talk to him so can heal you and tell you how to go and live freely!  Being transparent with God, others and yourself helps you to have a pure heart.

If you are reading this and there is something you know you need to go to God about, do it. If you need to ask for forgiveness, do it. He will give you freedom and cleanse you completely. Isaiah 43:25 says that God blots out your sins for His own sake and will never think of them again. If God won’t even remember your sin, why should you? Why let it hold you back?  

From the silliest to the most serious things, God wants to talk to you. He wants to laugh with you and cry with you! Don’t forget that God is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week God. You always have someone to talk to 🙂

With love,

Rinny

Living on God’s Timing

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Trusting God’s timing is not always easy. It can get frustrating actually… God, do you even hear me? Even though I know everything happens for a reason and the season (good or challenging) I’m in is making me learn and grow in whatever way God wants me to, it’s kind of easy to stop giving thanks despite the outlook and to start getting discouraged.

Shouldn’t this be simple though? There’s ALWAYS a reason to give thanks. God is faithful, He gives us His best, He promises us good things. God doesn’t lie and He isn’t a God that changes His mind (Numbers 23:19). He’s planned out every second of our lives, including our tests and trials. If we keep our focus on Him, won’t we always find victory?

“God has set a time to deliver and send His favor upon us—and it usually comes in our worst hour of trial. That’s the time when we’re no longer struggling to do things on our own. Instead, we admit, ‘Lord, I can’t do it—it’s a mess. I give it all over to you.'” I heard this and it made me think how much God wants us to truly understand dependence, how dependent we should be on Him, to have faith in Him and what He is doing and wants to do through us. Once we reach that place of total surrender, then God can really move.

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭12-14‬ NLT)

God is always faithful. We are the ones that neglect Him, lose focus and direction, especially in our tough times when we start looking to everyone and everything to give us an answer. We forget that through our struggles, trials or tests, we still have purpose. We start taking care of ourselves and focusing on ‘self’ instead of letting God take care of us. If we take care of God’s ‘house’ first in our lives, then our ‘house’ will be in order (Haggai 1:7-11). Don’t lose focus. God has us where we are for a reason, so why give up? Everyday, we are being molded, changed and pruned for something greater than we can see. Someone needs you to push through, someone needs to hear your story, to see your victory.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). Trust God 🙂 Continue to seek Him and spend time with Him daily… read the word! Think of it as food lol. It will give you strength and sustenance for your journey. Remember that God loves you so soo much and will never forget about you.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised (Hebrews 10:35-36).

With love,

Rinny

You Are Worth More

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…than your career, a relationship, your fav designer shoes. Sometimes we place so much value on these things that they began to define us. We want the next promotion, more money, the newest gadgets, and enough is never enough (Luke 12:15, Ecclesiastes 5:10). They become our identity.  When we feel empty or we are looking for something more to fulfill us, it’s easy to turn to the things society deems as important.
 
Reality is, this only leads to confusion because we are so much more than these things. Career, money, power and even relationships are all temporal things. We should be kingdom focused, storing up treadures in Heaven, Matthew 6:19-21.

I love this quote from author/writer Richard E Simmons, “We live in a culture that measures greatness by building a business, amassing some great fortune or being a celebrity. But in my mind, true greatness is measured by the impact you make on the lives of other people.”

If you are you looking for something more in life, what are you looking to? Are you fulfilled in Christ first? I know this might be a bold statement for some of you, but, if you’re not, you’ll forever be searching. 
 
Ephesians 3:19 says, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
 
So how can you be made complete or find contentment where you are? To be made complete, you must first believe in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:8-14).
As far as contentment, a couple of things: depend on Christ to strengthen you, to take care of you, trust God and be thankful no matter what your situation or circumstances are (Philippians 4:10-13, Ecclesiastes‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬).
A lot of us are not where we want to be… trust, you’re not alone lol. But, you’re where you are for a reason. You’re learning, you’re growing and as long as you’re focused on God, you’re one step closer to the next thing He’s called you to do, so keep going! 🙂
With lots of love,
Rinny

God Wants You To Be Happy

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Just a reminder 🙂 Sometimes we get really caught up and forget what God really wants and has for us. I was reading Ecclesiastes 3 today and came across these scriptures (specific to work)… This whole chapter is about there being a time and place for everything.

So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭12-13‬ NLT)

So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬ NLT)

God wants you to be happy with what you’re doing and to enjoy what you work for. Colossians 3:23-24 says to “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Work unto him and everything will work out for you. If you’re not happy where you are, it might be time for a change! Change isn’t always easy, but is it time to take a step of faith and make that move?

Jesus lovess you and cares and wants you to be happy. Remember that 🙂

With love,

Rinny

Lonely On Valentine’s Day? This Is For You!

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Heyy y’all!

Happy Valentine’s Day 🙂 I just wrote a post about loneliness on my church’s Strictly Young People (youth ministry) blog.

Here’s a snippet of the post:

If you’re not smiling today because you think Valentine’s Day is just another day to remind you of your loneliness, I hope that this blog puts a smile on your face. And for everyone who feels “ugh not another Valentine’s Day to remind me how single I am,” this is especially for you… you are not alone!

You’re probably like, well yeah I am. I don’t have a boyfriend/girlfriend. My friends are all going out on dates… I’m sitting at home alone. I live in this hugee city with millions of people and so much to do, but I still feel empty. There is no one for me. I am lonely.

Firstly, let me say that loneliness is biblical. It is a desire to be with someone because that’s the way God created us…

Finish reading it here: Lonely on Valentine’s Day? This is for you!

Be blessed and have a great day y’all!

P.S. Last year I wrote about what I think is The Best Kept Relationship Secret. Check it out!

“What God Is Calling You To Do Doesn’t Exist Yet”

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That’s a quote from a sermon I heard last year. Promising right? There’s something here in life that only you can do. You’re special. So live like you are.
Be salty. I love this scripture, Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”Don’t do the ordinary, do the extraordinary. Don’t be average, be above average. Don’t live how everyone else is living, live differently. Romans 12:2 says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Don’t want what everyone else wants, want better. If you are walking with the Holy Spirit, your desires should be those that come from the Holy Spirit. ‘Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.’ (Romans 8:5, check out Galatians 5:16-17 too)
You are called to be set apart. ‘Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.’ (Leviticus 20:26)
Be bold. Only God will give you the direction, the wisdom (James 1:5) and strength you need. ‘A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.’ (Proverbs 16:9)
How are you walking, in His will or your own? You’ll only be as great as you think you are or can be if you follow yourself. Follow God and he’ll make you greater, more successful and everything else than you would ever dream of.
Keep going, keep pushing, keep praying, keep praising!!
Love y’all,
Rinny

What Does It Mean To Be “Saved”?

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…to be “redeemed”, to be “bought by his blood”, to be “born again”? The list goes on, but I’ll stop there lol. Ever heard one of these phrases and wondered what it means?

Simply put, it means ALL of your sins are forgiven, they are erased and forgotten. You are a new person and everything of your past is gone (2 Corinthians 5:17). Even though there may be consequences of past wrong doings or mistakes, you never have to look back and be condemned by them. You don’t have to care about past wrongs or mistakes. You are cleansed, pure, holy and righteous because of God’s sacrifice and the righteousness of his son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9). You are a new person.

So if you’re wondering what it takes to be “saved”. Start with believing 🙂 (Mark 16:16, Luke 8).

8 quick reasons I think you should believe:

1. All of your sins, past, present and future are forgiven. (Hebrews 8:12…but, this doesn’t mean you can go sin knowingly, not repent and keep “living for God”…you should still live a spiritually pure life Read Romans 8, flesh vs spirit, lovee this book!)

2. You are no longer living under law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14, check out Galatians!)

3. You are loved more than anyone here on earth could ever love you. Yes, including your parents, gf/bf, bff, wife/hubby 🙂 (1 John 4:7-11, Romans 8:35-39, Isaiah 49:15-16, John 3:16, 1 John 3:1, Psalm 52:8..God’s love for us is all throughout the Bible). God is longing to know you more and to show you His unwavering love. If you don’t know God, you will never know true love.

4. You don’t have to worry about anything. God is in control and has already taken care of it..will you submit to Him? (Philippians 4:6-7, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28)

5. You can wake up everyday and walk in peace. No matter what you are going through, God is with you.
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 29:11, Isaiah 26:3, 54:10, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Philippians 4:6-7)

6. You have nothing to fear because perfect love (God) hath no fear (1 John 4:18). You always have the victory as long as you trust and have faith in God despite the circumstances. (Check out the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednegro in Daniel 1-3, also 1 Corinthians 10:13, Deuteronomy 20:4, Joshua 10:8)

7. You are free. Free from bitterness, unforgiveness, hate, etc. These things take time, but they are no longer your battle.
Psalm 34:4-7 I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles. (check out 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 too)

8. God has your back! Everything you need, He will provide. It may not be your timing, but He will come through.
1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (Luke 11:9-13, Matthew 6:25-34, James 1:6-8)

And I’ll leave you with this scripture:
Romans 10:9-11 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

Pretty awesome right? Life will be a lot easier, not easy, but easier if you trust in Him. Praying that 2015 will be a year of salvation, peace, freedom, joy, happiness, love, prosperity for everyone reading this.

Feel free to add your thoughts on being saved, would love to hear your comments!

With love,

Rinny

For Those Looking For Recognition, Validation…

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I saw a documentary last night on master art forger Landis. Dude was super talented! Watching his story made me want to cry though. Not only because his life went completely downhill after he got caught/exposed, but because what he did was driven by his desire to be seen, to be known, to make someone proud, to be somebody.

That was me a year and a half ago. I always wanted to be on top of my game, make a name for myself, make top 30 under 30 for my industry. But then I realized, there’s a much greater purpose to life, for my life. Achieving these things would be awesome and I’m not saying anything is wrong with being at the top of your game…we should aspire to such things, be ambitious. But, what are our motives behind wanting those things? Why do we set the goals that we set? Do we just want to be successful, fame, money?

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:6-10 NLT)

It took me one experience to realize that the people (friends, managers, co-workers, etc.) you expect to support or appreciate you, won’t always do so. When these people don’t validate you, don’t support you, don’t give you your promotion, thank you, etc., what happens? Do you get discouraged, encouraged, quit, work less hard? Do you realize how it affects you? If we’re always working for recognition, to please others, will we ever have true peace?

As long as we work for and unto others, we will never be fulfilled or find joy in our work. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 KJV). Pleasing God is what matters most. (Galatians 1:10)…but, please don’t take any of these scriptures out of context 🙂

Purpose. Wouldn’t you rather live a life of purpose instead of always searching for that something to fulfill you? If you don’t know what yours is, pray about it! We should work because we have purpose, not for recognition. You have a purpose that needs to be fulfilled, and only you can do it…with God of course, let Him lead you. It’s all for His glory.

Love y’all!

-Rinny

Sidenote: This has been sitting in my drafts for a while, gotta do better…I know!

Why is It So Hard to Believe God?

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I mean, the word says it. I believe God, I know that the Bible is truth, but even still it’s hard to look beyond where I am sometimes. To have faith and know that God is working it out. It’s God’s promise that he’ll never leave us nor forsake us. God has always kept his promises to us, he never fails.

So why is it so hard for believers (and non-believers) to believe God sometimes? To trust Him and His word and to walk in ALL of His promises? If we really, fully believed in the power we have through the Holy Spirit in us, we’d be unstoppable (in a good way). God loves you, He’s working on your behalf- And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, Romans 8:28. If you know God, you’ll be alright.

Try to see the positive in the midst of everything because God’s promises are always true, He never fails. Always give praise, because He was, is and will always be our King.

Amen if you love Jesus 🙂

With love,

Rinny

Wake Up Black People

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Dear Black People,

Yes, black people. Wake up. What else does it take for us to wake up. We’re paying attention now, right? God is calling, He just wants us to say hi, to look up and recognize who He is. I heard a sermon last week on not looking at our circumstances, but instead, staying focused on God and know that He is in control. God is in control.

Are we done consuming ourselves with pop culture, talk about celebrities, who’s wearing what, who’s dating who, big booties, etc? Are we ready to go deeper, what does that even mean? Are we ready to grow?

If you know the story of the Israelites in the wilderness (read Exodus and Numbers) journeying to the promised land, then you know how they turned their face from God. That’s where I feel like we are as a people. Don’t get me wrong…ALL people are God’s people, but right now, black people specifically are stuck in a wilderness that we can’t get out of unless we turn our hearts and faces back to God. Just like man didn’t end slavery, no man will end what’s going on now. Until we realize that, we as a people will be stuck living in bondage to man. But, how can you know this truth if you don’t know the truth? “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:4-9)

Jena 6, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Marlene Pinnock, Mike Brown (and tonnssss more) are bigger than us. So how do we really impact policy and make change happen? Rallies are nice, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, great…now in two weeks let’s see where we are when all the chatter dies down and media is covering something new. Same story, new day.

This is out of our control, but God IS in control. Who do we put our trust in? Can we trust Him? Can God be our leader? “Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.” (Psalm 146:3-4, also see Isaiah 2:22)

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). If you didn’t know, now you do…YOU are not of this world. For the hurting, despondent, hopeless black race in America, you are loved. Not loved by just anyone, your fam, friends (and me!), but by someone greater than all of us. God’s love is everything, and it’s all you need.

Can we trust God to show us His glory, His love, His faithfulness, His power, His grace when we are at our lowest, our weakest (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)? Can we all come together and pray and believe? Pray for the police (Matthew 5:44 says to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you) and pray for the young brothers especially. If we want to stop living in darkness, in fear (1 John 4:18…if you know God, true love, then you won’t know fear), in hurt and pain, turn to God and He will show you light, peace, truth, comfort, protection, forgiveness. You can’t do it, I can’t do it, no man can do it. Only God. Hit your knees fam. Pray, fast, read The Bible, believe. That’s all it takes.

To the promised land we go!

Here’s a powerful daily prayer for you: Psalm 23. Let this be your life. Read it, say it, believe it daily. Verse 4, so fitting – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Peace and love y’all.
❤