How do we think outside the box?

I am sure you have all heard the phrase “Think outside the box”. That phrase means to think differently, or from a new perspective. There is a lot of truth in that. Especially when it comes to life. We have plans or ideas of how we think things should go or ways we expect to get stuff done.

 I personally get caught up in my thoughts a lot. I get stuck in a certain way of thinking and have trouble thinking outside the box. 

I think expectations often lead us to disappointment. I think that is the point. Jesus wants us to expect him to provide and take care of us, even when it looks different then what we had planned, it often ends up being much better. 

He often uses the unexpected to correct our old ways of thinking. If everything went the way we wanted, we would expect things to happen a certain way or know the outcomes. We would always get what we want, how we want it to happen. Character building happens when life is unexpected. 

Even writing these words, I never know how it will turn out. I start writing with an idea in my head but don’t know how it will end. I like having an idea and going for it. Sit down, start writing and see where I end up. It is kinda nice to not have expectations. I don’t worry about what others think. I don’t worry about what I will write, I know God will come through and i know that he knows how it will turn out. It’s okay to not have all  the answers. It’s not fun, it’s confusing, and frustrating at times, but there is beauty and growth in it all.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” -Isaiah 55:8

God knows things we don’t, and he can see things that we can’t. He sees the full picture, he knows how it all works. He is sovereign over all.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight” -Proverbs 3:5-6

We submit to his authority because of who he is. He is all knowing, He is all powerful, He sees everything. He is worthy of our trust. He is always faithful even when we don’t see his faithfulness. He is always working for his glory and our good. 

“The Lord has made everything for his own purposes” -Proverbs 16:4

“Even when I don’t see it, you're working, Even when I don’t feel it, you're working, You never stop working” Song: Waymaker by Leeland 

“You take what the enemy meant for evil and you turn it for good” Song: See a Victory by Elevation Worship

So to answer the question, How do we think outside the box? The answer is simple, Jesus. Yeah I know, the typical Christian answer, “Jesus is always the answer”. But it couldn't be more true. More of Jesus is always a good thing. We look to him, we ask him to give us his eyes, we thank him in hard times, we praise him always, we spend time with him, and pray to be more like him. It is hard to go with the flow of his plans, I know how hard it is. We must learn to go with his flow to fully experience life, to truly live life fully. Believe me it is a process, I am still in the midst of it but I have faith that I will one day be good at it, and I know you will too. 

In the face of uncertainty...

What do we do in the face of uncertainty? Do we turn to the one who is faith and in control? Or do we give in to fear?

In a time when we are faced with so many questions and unknowns, why is our first instinct to take a step back? In a time when nothing is certain, Now is the time to press into God. After all, we need him now more than ever. 

So why is it so hard to press into God, when we need him most? Why is life so unpredictable? 

The simple answer is, that is the only way we will realize that the only constant in our life is Jesus. We cannot do life without him. It is when we try to figure it out or do it on our own that we end up frustrated and confused. 

I need this post as much as anyone else. I have a blank slate ahead of me of what my life looks like. All I know for sure is that I want to trust God and follow his lead. It is scary, it is unknown, but it is where he has me and there is purpose in this mess, and peace in the midst of chaos. 

But it is only through Jesus that I can do anything. It is only through him that we will experience peace, life and purpose. 

The only question now is: How are we going to spend our time? I pray that we fight our laziness and lack of motivation in order to pursue Jesus

Hope

It is a common word we hear. A word we like, but also a word we don't like at times. The truth is life is hard and sometimes hope seems impossible. I am sure you have felt like that at times. We want hope, we really want that and desire it, but we doubt it. We get impatient and weary of hoping. We get discouraged by what we see before us. 

Some want "The one" but get tired of waiting through years of singleness. The woman who desperately wants a child but is getting discouraged by the reality of her circumstances. The loved one dying of cancer. A problem or situation we just can't take anymore. An illness or disability that keeps getting worse, or keeps persisting. 

It is good to hope in things but not to trust in them. We can't guarantee anything in life. But we know the one who knows all things. Earthly hope is fading, but Heavenly hope is ETERNAL. That is where we place our hope. Not in people, not in circumstances, not in this world. Hope in this world makes no sense but that is the reality, hope needs faith to stand strong. 

Our hope is in Jesus. He will come back again, one day we will be with him forever. It is hard to keep going but it is not impossible. "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13) 

We may not get the results we want. We may feel like our heart is breaking. We may feel like our world is crashing down on us. But we must cling to these Truths:

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

The things of earth will pass away. No more sin, no more pain, no more crying or mourning, and no more death. Oh happy day🙌✝️

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4 ESV)

Keep fighting for hope, things will get better, it is hard to see now but stand firm in the truth you know:

“They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.” (Psalms 112:7-8 NLT)

Eternity is Waiting...

Every day feels like the same

Through the day and all the night

Changing my mind just like the time

Overthinking again and again

A roller coaster that never seems to end

Winding in circles up and down

Never ending ride of anxiety 

Playing with my emotions

Making them rise and fall

Building and destroying my sanity

Creating fear and uncertainty 

Making me doubt and analyze 

Everything pushing me away

From the father that died to save me

When will I rise and stand tall

When will this ride cease to exist

How long does it take

How much more can I handle

I know I will bend and not break

I feel broken and defeated 

Weak beyond repair

I want to believe the truth

Live in faith not fear

Be firm and unmovable 

Laying on green grass

Planted by streams

Rooted in Christ

There’s hope beyond the pain

There’s a home beyond the dirt

There’s life after death

Jesus rose from the grave

To save me from this agony

To raise me up on wings of eagles

And soar high above the heavens

Beyond the clouds

Heaven is forever

Goodness reigns 

Hope remains

The face of Jesus

I will see

The voice of God 

I will hear

Eternity is waiting...

Surrender & Trust

We often think of surrender as a weakness, when in reality is our strength. Surrendering is no easy task. Trusting God is also not as easy as we want it to be. I think surrender and trusting God work together. Trusting God requires an intentional and continuous action of surrender and submission to him.

We can’t just surrender to God and move on. Why? Because we as humans like having control and giving that up is hard. We lay it down and often pick up those worries, fears and situations again. That is why we surrender daily and sometimes many times that same day.

It is an action that you need to do when worries start creeping in, lay it down. When circumstances cause us to fear, we lay it down. When someone we love dies and we feel anger or grief, lay it down. When someone hurts you and you want to be bitter about it, lay it down. When lies sneak in and try to steal your peace, lay it down. When you want to hold onto something he is asking you to let go, lay it down.

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He tells us to come to him and lay those things down at his feet. He says that because we were never meant to carry that weight, but he is, that is why he died for us.

We know that truth but do we obey it? The bible says in James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” I am not writing this to convict you; I am writing this to convict myself. I want to trust God, I want to surrender but man my flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41b “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." That is precisely why it is so hard.

I wrote something a while ago called my daily declaration. I wrote it as something to say every day. It includes a prayer of surrender, putting on the amour of God, resisting the enemy, protection, and truth. (https://kianabergen.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-daily-declaration.html) I think it is important for us all to have one. You can use some of what I wrote to help you write your own, but include surrender and the spiritual armour in it.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

Worship & The Word of God

Just like in worship there are always new songs to sing, new songs to be inspired by, always new ideas and revelations. There is always something new to discover. Some songs are more meaningful to certain people than others. 

The same is true about the word of God. There is always something new to learn from it, always a new idea or revelation being shown. God is always giving us new insight. Some verses are more meaningful to certain people. 

Worship and the word of God are both powerful things God uses greatly for us to experience him. We often memorize songs and listen to them over and over, but how often do we do that with the bible. 

Whoa, that is convicting me so much right now. If I am being honest I love to listen to songs and I memorize them quick but when it comes to memorizing scripture, I don’t  do it. I mean I have words in my mind that  I know are in the bible but I don’t know where they are found. 

When I starting writing this I had no idea where it was going to go. Now I know that this is to show us how much more we value music than the bible. We spend hours listening to music and sing those songs over and over but have a lack of interest when it comes to the bible. Some of you out there may be good memorizers of scripture, I am so glad that you do that, but I know I struggle with that a bit. I want to know the bible, I want to know it more. I want that but I have done anything to show that. 

This is my challenge, a challenge for myself mostly but you are welcome to join. I want to start memorizing scripture I am going to work on this. I am going to ease into it but I honestly don’t know where to start. There are so many verses to choose from. I got an idea...

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

If you want you can pick your own verse. My challenge to you is spend this week memorizing verse. Write it out a few times, say it out loud a couple times. I know this could be hard, but if we take one verse and memorize it in 2 weeks, then add another, if that is too hard then make it a month then add another one. I am already thinking this is going to be hard, but no, I rebuke that thought and instead I am going to pray. 

Lord, help me to memorize scripture, give my mind the strength it needs to learn this verse. Help me to be obedient in memorizing as time goes on. I know it is good for me and you want me to do this. Help me lord, and help me to find joy and love for this, and give me patience for myself as I work on this. Lord, I know you will be with me and I thank you for that, Amen 

Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020

As we reflect on the previous year and look forward to the year ahead. 

What are some things you want to change in this next year? It could be an attitude you want to change. It could be someone you should spend more time with. It could be something you stop or start doing. Whatever it is, pray and ask God to show you how to be a better you in 2020.

Maybe there is something he wants to teach you or grow you in this year.

As you think about 2020 what is a word that comes to mind? It could be about change, endurance, peace, trust, kindness, joy, etc... Pray and ask God to show you the theme word of your life for 2020.

You can even go deeper and just pray for God to give you steps for this year and how you can stick to them.

You don't have to use the questions I gave but I do encourage you to spend time in reflection. 

Reflecting on the past year is a great way to check at the growth you have made, and the areas that need growth. Celebrating the victories and figuring out how to improve on the failures. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"  -2 Corinthians 5:17

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."

-Lamentations 3:40

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." -Ephesians 4:22-24

What Christmas Means To Me!

To me Christmas means: 

-Spending time with loved ones

-Giving gifts to family and friends 

-Eating delicious food consisting of meat, mashed potatoes and gravy

-Watching home alone each and every year

-Opening gifts from those who are near

-Singing songs of glory to God for the birth of his son

-Family gatherings with those I don't see as often

-Playing games that are fun and sometimes get out of hand

-Reading the story of Jesus birth

-Watching movies that bring laughter and joy

-Staying in pjs as long as possible

-Snack on Christmas oranges 

I hope that this year you would experience Love, Joy, and Peace this Christmas season. 

That you will celebrate the birth of Jesus and spend time with those you love. 

Have a great Christmas everyone

🎄🎁👶🎶♥️

What Does Spiritual Strength Look Like?

Lets start by taking about foundation. I think one of the most important things we need in our faith is a strong foundation.

We all know that in order for a house to stay standing, it needs to have a strong foundation. Then you add walls, some windows, eventually a roof then more smaller and intricate details to it, until it is finished. The same is true about our faith. We need to start with knowing what we believe, then we add more knowledge and more truths into our walk as we go. The further we get the less we will learn. We will still learn lots but our foundational and strong beliefs are already there and we learn more detailed and intricate things as we mature in our faith. When  Jesus returns, we will be finished, complete in our faith.

While we are here, we will have lies, doubts and questions that come at us. We need to know whether we believe something or not. Just like a house, that is built strong enough to withstand the wind, weather and all the elements that get thrown at it. In our faith we need to withstand all those irrelevant or untrue things. I know I don't believe that so I need to address it and move on and kick it out. 

In the faith of some people they are like houses against a hurricane, they try and keep it together and stay strong but in the end are no match for what they are facing and get uprooted and destroyed. We need to have a strong foundation so that when hard things or faith questioning obstacles come, we can stay strong. Sure we may break a window, or tear down a curtain or something, but we stay strong, make it through and keep going.

My question to you today is: How strong is your foundation?

Matthew 7:24-27

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Hebrews 6:19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower”

Ephesians 6:10 “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”

Lets pray: Lord I pray that the people reading these words would use this to fuel their faith, that those who need a strong foundation will ask you for help and guidance on how to grow their faith. That those who have a strong foundation would keep building on that faith. That you would reach into the hearts of every person and lead them closer to you today, in Jesus name, AMEN

Beauty

As woman we are always comparing ourselves to others, looking down on ourselves yet always encouraging others. Why is it so easy to compliment someone else yet look in the mirror and see only our flaws. Why do we build others up and tear ourselves down. This is not okay.

We are all unique. We are all beautiful in our own way. We were never meant to only see beauty in others but also in ourselves. We let the world’s standards of beauty impact the image we see in the mirror. We let society tell us we need to look a certain way to claim the title of beauty. We need to stop letting all these lies impact our lives. 

“For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” -1 Samuel16:7

We are looking at this all wrong. How you look shouldn't be the only thing that matters or the most important thing. What matters and what is most important is your HEART. It’s about who you are as a person. It’s about kindness, love, respect, generosity, compassion, joy, serving others, etc... 

The real definition of beauty is who you are as a person, how you treat those around you and how well you serve Jesus. 

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. Rather it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” 

-1 Peter 3:3-4

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” 

-Proverbs 31:30

I hope this encouraged and reminded you that you are beautiful and no one can take that away from you. Jesus made you to be beautiful and in his image. Only he has the ability to judge that. 

Spend some time asking Jesus to reveal to you what he sees when he looks at you and write it down. Keep it somewhere and look back on it and add to it. Ask him to open your eyes to the beauty that is in you.