Tag Archives: christian

What Season Are You In?

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I think I can safely say it’s my season of “plowing”. Last week I was reading Proverbs 20 and came across this verse: Proverbs 20:4 NIV Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing. I love this farming analogy that God uses, it’s so perfect. Sowing seeds, tending the fields, plowing, so the crops can be prepared for harvest…that’s how life is!

A little background, I quit my job at the end of last year, started a company and since then have been working on my own. I’m still figuring stuff out and sometimes I just feel like, “what am I doing??” and then I read this: The seed is the word of God. – Luke 8:11.

And that made me happy. Think about all of life’s different seasons. God takes you through each and every one of them for a reason. To make it to harvest though, all you need is the word of God…that’s it! First, plant the right seeds in your life (speak God’s word into your life to match whatever season you’re going through), then plow them (pray, believe), and keep going until harvest comes! Yes, this is super simplified but that’s pretty much what it is!

I’m plowing in my season right now, but I know harvest is coming. Who knows how long this season will take or how long “harvest” will be. Of course I want harvest to come sooner rather than later haha, but I can find peace in knowing that what I am doing now is taking me somewhere. The work, the learning is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58 says to stand firm and let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

God is preparing you for harvest. So stay focused and keep going.

With love,

Rinny

You Are Wanted

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I don’t mean wanted by your bf or gf, significant other, mom, dad, sister, brother, friends, co-workers, the people we usually seeek validation from…I mean wanted by someone faaar greater than any of these people, God.

He is looking for you, calling you, waiting on you. Ever hear a word that just touches you? That wasn’t a coincidence, it was God talking to you.

In your loneliness, Jesus is your companion, in your trials, He is your comfort, in your depression, He is your hope, in your confusion, your clarity. Everything you need is in Him. Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
If you’re longing for someone, for love, for peace of mind, if you feel empty, don’t turn to people or to things of the world to cope. Go to the one who wants you the most, who loves you the most, who hurts because you hurt. He’ll pick you up and place you on solid ground if you just trust in Him. Psalm 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
What’s kept me all these years has been my dependence on Christ. Even before I completely surrendered everything (i.e. career, relationships, etc) to him he was calling me, wanting me to acknowledge him in everything, loving me the whole way 🙂 Lucky me, right? It’s the same for you!
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. Ephesians 3:19.
God loves us all the same, and way more than anyone else can ever love you. Through the sins and mistakes, he’s still pursuing you. Just run to him.
With love,
Rinny

The Best Kept Relationship Secret

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Happy Valentine’s Day! Perfect day to post about relationship stuff 🙂

What do you look for in a guy? How do you know if he is the one? If you don’t date, how do you know what to look for?

I get these questions a loooot. The answer is simple. God. It may seem silly or weird to some of you but I 100% depend on God in that area of my life. He is way more seasoned than me and will never disappoint. I think God is the biggest kept secret to making any relationship work.

How can you tell if a guy is with you for the wrong reasons? Or why do girls turn crazy after a couple months of dating? Asked a few friends what they look for in their significant other, this is what I got: loves God, humor, good heart, determination, faith, patience, sex, humility and honesty. Deal breakers:  disrespect, arrogance , pride, no relationship with God, selfish…

Consider our lack of discernment, caused by so many things…feelings are one of them. Some might be obvious, but would you really be able to see any any of the above if you don’t have discernment? (Philippians 1:9-10)

I read this in a book once: think of your relationship with God and your future spouse as a triangle. God at the top point, you two at the two other points. As you get closer to God, you get closer to each other. Once God is done preparing you for each other, bam. It will happen in His timing. God’s timing is always the right timing even if it may not seem like it.

If you’re one of those peeps that thinks v-day is “single awareness day”…good. Now, go bask in your singleness 🙂 What better time to do everything God has called you to do as an individual. All your cares should be for things that belong to the Lord, how you can please Him..but when you’re married, you have to also care about “things of the world”, how you may please your spouse. 1 Corinthians 7:32-34. I hope you can see the awesomeness in being single.

If you’re in a relationship, *smiley with the ❤ eyes”, I am happy for you 🙂 I hope you’re enjoying this season in your life. You should be! If not, take a step back and think about it. Are you where God wants you to be right now? He’s got your back so just go to Him.

A few more thoughts:

1. Ask God to choose your spouse for you, to give you eyes and a heart only for the one that he wants you to be with. I’ll be happy with whomever God chooses for me, He can do a much better job than I can haha. Yes, there are manyyy choices and you can make it work with more than one person, but I think there is a special someone God has called for you to be with to accomplish a purpose in His kingdom here together.

2. Ask God for what you want but also ask God to help you only desire what He has in store for you. Pray for your future wifey/hubby.

3. Pray about any relationship you’re thinking about beginning, ask God for confirmation. Asking someone to be your gf should be a big deal. (And girls, you pray too.) God should get all the glory from your relationship.

4. Stay pure. Y’all know what I mean here. If you’re not married, you have not entered a covenant relationship with each other…you don’t “belong” to each other yet. 1 Corinthians 7:2-4  You are a holy vessel, do you want to defile the things of God? 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 I know this is much easier said than done, but the strength to overcome temptation only lies in the Holy Spirit.  He loves us so much that He already forgave us and gave us this power to overcome when he died on the cross.

Love you all lots! God loves you so much more. Happy days 🙂

❤ Rinny

A Life Changing Message

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“This is going to be a life changing message.” That’s kind of how last week’s Friday night young adult service began. *sigh* (confession) Sometimes when I hear that I’m like, is it really though??

Good news, it was a powerful message…and so I’m sharing 🙂

The Power of The Word

You can’t win at life if you’re not reading the Bible! We’re in a daily battle…with ourselves, spiritually and with the world. Are you equipped to fight?

In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus went head to head with Lucifer and was tempted three times. Check out the scriptures, “it is written…” Jesus said that each time he defeated the devil. This is a prototype for us. We have to use the word of God to fight and win…and sometimes, just to make it through.

Some of you might not understand this at all, what is meant by “fight the enemy” or being in a “daily battle”. Take a sec and think about your day yesterday, were you tempted to do anything you know you shouldn’t do (lie, cheat, fight, drugs, sex, etc.)? These are just some of the daily battles we have to overcome. Obviously, we experience much bigger battles in life too. So, how do we win?  

Jesus used the word from the book of Deuteronomy to defeat Lucifer, and even Lucifer used the word to tempt Jesus (Matthew 4:6). If Jesus needed the word, how much more do we need the word?

The pastor said a few other things that really got my attention:

– He never met a person who prays for 30 min and reads the word for 30 min daily who can’t defeat their problems

– If you get one thing down, reading the Bible, you’ll self correct several other things. (The word is life, it’s how you win.)

– Only study the truth so you can identify the junk, no matter where it’s coming from (sometimes people preach but they don’t preach the truth…you need to be spiritually strong enough to discern this)

– Other people can’t fight your battles for you (yes others can pray, give advice, etc, but if you are not in the word, it’s gonna be tough!)

Let God turn your Bible into a weapon. He loves you soo deeply and he always wants you to win. He’s patiently waiting for you.

Here’s a challenge for you: start reading the Bible daily. Even if you start with just a few scriptures, a chapter…it counts, just be consistent. Every book in the Bible is meaningful (even if it’s not making sense lol). Are you hurting, looking for purpose, struggling with something? You have the BIGGEST help from your Father up above. Can you know God’s voice if you don’t know Him, his word?

If you’ve fallen away from your faith, if you need strength, even if you don’t believe…just try it and see what happens. I want that W, that victory for all of us (Matthew 3:17)

With lots of lovee ❤

Rinny

P.S. Thanks to our guest speaker, Pastor Tim Dilena of Brooklyn Tabernacle, for the awesome word. http://www.brooklyntabernacle.org/

Questions, thoughts? Feel free to comment! 🙂

Having A Rough Day?

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I always say that I LOVE it when my mom writes me and my sibs emails because she writes the best emails ever. This one in particular I have to share because it’s amazing might I say…and I think someone will take something away from this.

From the heart of my mommy:

Subject: It’s me!

I went out shopping today and I was tired when I came home, but refreshingly so, and when I took a deep breath, it actually felt so good. The problem was that I couldn’t pass a single person who I was drawn to without sharing something on this level.

Having a rough day? Place your hand over your heart. Feel that? That’s called purpose. You’re alive for a reason. Don’t give up. I went through a phase in life, wondering if I was ever going to find a purpose in life. What helped me was following my heart. Although, it didn’t always lead me to sunshine, it did always teach me a lesson along the way. Finding your purpose in life doesn’t happen over night, it’s a life-long journey.

So hang in there, and if you continue to believe that you’re here for a reason, then eventually you’ll understand your purpose in life. Look forward to how good that will feel and that will help you feel great today.

Knowing that you all know this, share at your own pace and from your own encouraged heart.

Andrea shared something with me yesterday…I thought I was aware of all the simple things.  She said that we live our lives comparing it to what we see and hear around us. We sometimes desire these things that are right for others and think they should be right for us now too.  We should learn to be happy for being our own wonderful selves, and more wonderful things will follow.

This totally hit home for me yesterday. Just want to add a scripture for ya, Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Also, check out John 15:16. God has a plan for you. Don’t forget your purpose 🙂

With lots of love,

❤ Rinny

Late Night Thinking…

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Group think! Why do groups of young girls, teens, young ladies, grown women tend to choose someone to dislike, bring down, shoot down together?  I’m not sure I’ll ever fully understand…

This is so random but it was on my mind as I was getting ready for bed some time ago. I mentor a middle school girl who is smart, at the top of her class, well spoken, athletic, hard worker…etc. She’s focused and has set goals, her passions are so clear, its admirable. The stories she’s told me always shock me…girls want to fight her.

My advice to her: When you stand for something, are confident, won’t compromise your values or who you are for others, people feel threatened, annoyed, they want you to conform. You exhibit what they wish they had in them.

Speaking from experience, I’ve seen girls act crazy on other girls for no reason. None. And it never ceases to shock me. And I know people will say, “Well it’s not them, it’s her…why do people always have a problem with her?” Wrong. Look at the people saying that, usually they are intimidated, immature, feel inferior, want attention…one and/or all of the above.

Just remember,  everything happens for a reason. God put em in your life for a season and took em out for a reason. I’ve got a few stories of my own. Teaches you character, lessons learned, wisdom and knowledge gained. Don’t cling to things that aren’t meant to be. You won’t miss that “friendship” one bit.

If you walk with God, who can be against you? Romans 8:31 (I love Romans 8:28-31!) I think this goes for guys/men too even though its not always as blatant.

Y’all know I love open discussions soo share your thoughts 🙂