Salvation is So Sweet.

But I will sing of Your power, Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning: For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. - Psalm 59:16

I am so thankful for the cross. I'm so thankful that my salvation isn't earned or obtained by works but that it is obtained through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. I am so thankful for the cross. There is nothing else that can save me. Being a good person, making good decisions, getting baptized, going to church twice a week, none of these things give me salvation or put my name in the book of life. Only Jesus. Only by His mercy, grace, and sacrifice is our salvation available. It's so glorious. What's even crazier is that when we accept Christ to be Lord over our hearts, and lives, he fills us with the Spirit and changes our values to His values so that those things I just listed above become apart of our lives; not apart of steps to salvation but a result of salvation. It's one of the craziest things in the world. And I am so thankful for it. Reading this bible verse this morning really encouraged me and refreshed my spirit. I have just been going and going this week. With non stop work, randomly getting sick, and feeling drained because I've allowed myself to worry and stress but not trust God, I've been discouraged. That's one of the reasons I love God's word. It is alive and active and literally takes a discouraged heart and brings power and truth. Today in convocation at school our campus pastor shared with us that a girl we had been prying for who got hit by a car a few weeks ago had a 25% chance of recovery. Now the doctors are saying she is going to fully recover. Praise the Lord for turning that 25 to an 100! God is our defense. He covers us in the shadow of his wings and makes Himself a refuge for the worried, broken, hurting, and sick . So I've made up in my mind by the life changing power of the Holy Spirit to worship God regardless of what I feel, to take time all throughout my day to just say "thank you Jesus." His mercy is new everyday, it sustains and makes me whole. I encourage you guys as I encourage myself to sing of God's greatness and power everyday. Even if you have no idea what your future holds, even if you're in the hurt, wondering, waiting. Continue in thanksgiving and constantly remind yourself of the cross. Praise is a weapon against the enemy and a fragrant sacrifice to God. Use it and rest in the fact that your sins are forgiven and your name is written in the book of life. - Sofia

Jehovah- Nissi

   Hi everyone! I hope you all are having a good week so far. With high school slowly starting to come to an end for me, I'm finding myself having more work than I've had through my whole high school career! Everything from 8 page research papers, to tons of college papers, scholarships, payments, and test to take can get pretty overwhelming. I am so thankful that I am able to enter into the rest of Jesus. Without His peace and guidance I would literally go crazy. In this new season of spiritual intimacy and prayer I've entered, God has revealed some different  things to me. One of these things are His characteristics and who He is to me and for me.

 Jehovah-Nissi means "The Lord is my banner." Jehovah, meaning Lord, and Nissi, meaning "refuge, exaltation, banner." As I came across the names of God this one really stuck with me and as I searched it up in the bible God poured His love and revelation into my heart. In Exodus 17:8 The Amalekites go to war and attack the Israelites. Moses orders Joshua to take some of the men and go fight against the Amalekites and says "Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill and with the staff of God in my hands" (9). So Joshua went and fought the Amalekites and Moses went and sat on a hill with Aaron and Hur. The interesting thing is this "As long as Moses held up up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning," (11). So basically when he was holding up his hands he was getting victory but when he lowered his hands he was being defeated. This has such a deep meaning. Moses wasn't just lifting up his hands randomly., he was lifting them up to God offering a sacrifice of worship and prayer.Think about a time you were at church and saw people lifting their hands during worship, that's probably what Moses looked like in that moment. When Moses's hands were lifted victory was established and poured out on the Israelites, but as soon as those hands of worship and praise came down defeat also came down upon the Israelites. This passage shows the value of offering ourselves to God as a living sacrifice and what can come of it. As the passage continues it says "But Moses' hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him. and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side; and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun, (12)." Sometimes it get's hard to worship. We find ourselves getting beat up by our emotions and the world. We become weak and our hands and heart grow so heavy that we just don't think we can praise anymore. That's when we need to sit on the stone. I'm talking about the cornerstone, who is Jesus. When Moses's hands became heavy he sat on top of a stone. When I read this it all just hit me, this stone represents Jesus. Our strength, our fortress. Without continually turning to him ,and sitting upon His word of truth our hands become heavy and we can no longer find ourselves able to worship. He is our strength. We have to rest upon Him or we won't rest at all. Not only did Moses sit on the stone but his companions Aaron and Hur supported him. Helping him to lift his hands up. To me this represents having people in your life that will point you to Jesus even when things are hard. Aaaron and Hur could have let Moses struggle and watch the Israelites be defeated but they stepped in and helped their friend offer a sacrifice of worship to God. That's beautiful and that is true friendship.  So guess what happened after all of this "Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword," (13). When I read this I couldn't help but praise God. Joshua overcame. Because of Moses' sacrifice of praise to God they overcame adversity. "Moses built an alter and called it. The Lord is my Banner. He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord, (15-16)." God is our Banner. He fights for us and lifts us up when we are weak. Moses gave direct glory to God after this victory. He built Him and altar! And basically said "God is my protector, my fighter, my banner, my strength. I lifted my hands up to Him and look what He did. Not only did He give me the strength to carry on but He gave us the victory." Today know that God is fighting for you. When it seems hard to lift your hands in praise sit yourself upon the Rock of Ages, the cornerstone, the word of God, Jesus. When we are weak we are made strong in the Saviors love. Offer yourselves to God and He will pour out victory, strength and more than you could ever imaging. Thank you God for being our Banner our Jehovha-Nissi.    "Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them- living and breathing God!" Romans 8:5 (MSG)

Here are the names of God found in the bible. Study them and see what God has to say about your life and what He has to say about Himself. They will reveal the intimacy of God and what He has in store for your life. 

                                 Love,
                                         Sofia