Inspirational Mondays - "Roots"

Aloha and Happy Monday Ohana!

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend. My weekend was pretty eventful but very nice. Hubby and I made sure our boys knew the true meaning of the Holiday because it's way too important to drown it out with Easter eggs and bunny. Don't get me wrong, we still took part in Easter egg hunts but we wanted to make sure they knew that Easter wasn't about eggs or bunnies or candy.

This particular Holiday was extra special because it's when Christ died for each and every one of us whether we deserved it or not. It's such an awe inspiring concept to sit and meditate on. Little old me... Jesus died for me. Jesus bared ALL that he did on the cross and died a slow and painful death just for me. I can't help but to be grateful to him and live the life he wants me to live.

Every year my church puts on a huge Easter production about the miracles Jesus performed as well as him being crucified on the cross. It's a poignant story and one I will never get tired of hearing or seeing. This year's play was especially touching for me since I've been digging deeper into the word of God. It's like I was seeing and hearing everything through a newer and better perspective. I like this new me. :)

I found this scripture and thought it fit this week's post perfectly:

"So walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude." - Colossians 2:6-7 NASB

Have a blessed and prosperous week everyone!

Mahalo for stopping by. :)

Inspirational Mondays - "Prayer"

Aloha Ohana! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. My weekend was super busy but in a good way. It was spent hanging out with family and friends. We celebrated birthdays with great friends and just bonded more as a family which is always a great thing.

I wanted to write this post about prayer because it's something that seems so simple but in actuality I was a closet prayer. What I mean by that is that I have no problems praying out loud at home around my immediate family. I pray day and night at home or even in the car. However, whenever we have an event, host a game night or whenever there were people other than my family around, I was usually the one passing the "prayer torch" to my hubby and while he doesn't mind and is pretty good at it, I now know that I need to step my game up.

Prayer is God's way of communicating with us and God wants us to communicate with him at all times. He also wants us to be able to pray for others. Sometimes it's going to mean praying out loud in the middle of a crowded room. As a christian it's a part of our christian duty to pray for others but speaking our prayers out loud really gives the devil a run for his money. It gives us more power and resilience and let's the devil know that we mean business when we speak to our God. It puts him in his place. This fear I had for praying out loud was perfect for satan to weasel his way into my head and start planting seeds of doubt. Well, after realizing this, I'm now more determined than ever to pluck out those seeds and get rid of them.

I know God's not placing pressure on me but I know that in order for me to be as Creflo Dollar said "a cut above christian," I need to improve my prayer life. It's funny because God knows exactly what or who we need to help us take the next step to becoming more like him. I'm a part of a life group aka bible study where our teacher inspires and pushes us to either open or close in prayer. At first, I would clam up and get so nervous that my voice would crack in the middle of prayer. I was so worried about what to say, how to say, how much to say that I completely missed the point of what prayer's all about. God doesn't care about the nitty gritty of prayers, he just wants us to talk to him.

Looking back at it, I completely complicated something that's so simple and pure. I'm much better at praying now and although I'm not a very outspoken or extroverted person, I'm now more open to praying out loud. I just speak from the heart and ask the holy spirit to guide me. I can actually laugh at myself now for how silly I was before because I know that God has my back at all times so there really wasn't anything to worry about.

This week's inspirational message is:

"Prayer is meant to be a part of our lives, like breathing, thinking, and talking. God is portable." - Gloria Gaither

"Show me where to walk, for my prayer is sincere." - Psalm 143: 8 TLB

Wishing everyone a blessed and prosperous week!

Mahalo for stopping by. :)

Inspirational Mondays - "Encounter with God"

Aloha and Happy Monday Ohana!

Before I get into the usual inspirational post I wanted to share what I did this past weekend. I had the tremendous opportunity to get closer to God.

I was raised in the church and was taught the fear of God from a very young age. Luckily for me I never lost my way from the way of the Lord. I did however, "scale the line." The line of jumping full force into my walk with God and jumping into the ways of the world. I went to church, read my bible, prayed and did good deeds. What I didn't do until now was to totally devote myself to God. I didn't always wake up early enough to give God his glory and start the day with him. I didn't always devote my night to him before going to bed. I didn't always keep the best set of friends. I tried my best to do these things but didn't think anything of it if I missed the chance to do them. I know I'm not perfect and I know God understands when we fall short. What matters is recognizing the wrongs and doing the necessary steps it takes to make them right, then continue making right decisions for the future.

I thought I was being a good Christian but God wants more from us. He wants all of us. He wants us to think of him in all we do and in all we say. He wants us to wake up and give him praises, he wants us to invite him to walk with us for our entire day, each and every day.

My church here in Hawaii provides the congregation with various classes designed to help us grow closer, understand and truly love God. So I dedicated my entire weekend to taking classes and really getting my spiritual fix. I now feel so refreshed and free. Free from all transgressions and ready for a new day and a new way of living.

I learned a WHOLE lot in class this past weekend but a cool saying I was taught was that God wants us to be "H.O.T" for him. "H.O.T" meaning "Honest," "Open," & "Transparent." We can even take it further and be "H.O.T.A" for him. "H.O.T.A." meaning "Honest," "Open," "Transparent," & "Accountable." Isn't that great? Yes, you can steal it. ;) lol

I'm now in a place where I can't wait to wake up and talk to God. I can't wait to ask him to hang out with me for the whole day. I can't wait to praise him in the good and the bad. I feel myself getting more mature in God and I'm so happy about it. :)

Today's inspirational quote is:

"Let us with a happy mind praise the Lord for he is kind. His mercies shall endure, ever faithful, ever sure." "His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness... The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him." - Lamentations 3:22-23, 25 NIV

Isn't God's grace and mercy for us awesome?!

Have a blessed and prosperous week everyone.

Mahalo for stopping by. :)