Victory (How a tattoo can display God's amazing love)

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all have had a good weekend so far. Today I just wanted to write a short post on tattoos. Not just any tattoo but my best friends tattoo and the beautiful story behind it. God has allowed me to be apart of Courtney's life and watch her go through some terrible things all while fighting and giving her life to Christ. Being friends with her has been one of the most rewarding things because I have gotten to see the healing power of Jesus displayed in an amazing way. Seeing  your best friend struggle with self harm, seeing the terrible physical scars, and the spiritual damage, and helping them carry that burden is one of the hardest things to go through. It was even harder for her! But seeing her get a tattoo that reads "Victory"over the scars is the most amazing thing in the world. I know you might be thinking "It's just a tattoo why are you getting so emotional." But it is so much more than a tattoo. It is a display of the wonder working power of the cross. This tattoo is a testimony of how Jesus literally takes our brokenness and heals it with His love. I love the cross!!!!!! Jesus came to defeat our enemies and because of the cross my best friend can get a tattoo over one of the most painful and darkest parts of her life that reads Victory. I'm weeping as I write this because I'm so overwhelmed by Jesus' love. It doesn't make any sense other than to say God is Sovereign and His blood defeats depression, self harm, anxiety, suicide, and every other attack that the enemy brings against us. I hope this can inspire you guys and touch your hearts. There is no one greater than Jesus. God I'm so in Love with You. Thank you for healing my best friend, thank you for the cross. Here's the verse that inspired the tattoo and her heart.
 "You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies." - 2 Samuel 22:40

New Seasons. Same God.

Beer Lahai Roi

           Happy Saturday everyone! I can't believe it's November! October went by so fast and now I only have 20 more days until I go home. I am so excited! College has been so amazing and God has covered me in His grace to the utmost. My beautiful roommates are so fantastic and I have grown immensely in my relationship with Christ since being at Liberty. My passion for ministry has sparked beyond a fire and is full ablaze. I just get so overjoyed when I sit back and realize that there is no other explanation for this other than it was all orchestrated by God who created the universe and yet still sees me. And that's what today's post is about. Beer Lahai Roi means "well of the living one who sees me."  This phrase appears in Genesis 16:14 when God responds to Hagar's fear and pain
             She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. (13-14)
  Hagar was being mistreated by Sarah, the woman in charge of her, and so she ran away in pain and fear. She stopped next to a spring (it's funny how God did that because the Holy Spirit represents a spring of living water) and that's when she encountered the Angel of the Lord and made a statement that gives me strength everyday. God sees me. He saw Hagar in her distress and confusion and he sees me in my distress and confusion. God is a well of living water that fills us constantly with His Spirit and through His Son Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can walk in the truth a woman thousands of years ago did. God sees us. It's such a humbling statement for me, to know that the God who rules over all things sees me. I'm one person out of the billions of people in the world yet He personally knows me, created me, and knows every single detail of my life. It's mind blowing and it makes me fall so deeply in love with Him. To be in love with Jesus is amazing but to know that He is in love with us even more is the most beautiful and powerful thing to ever know. I find myself greatly relating with the Apostle Paul when he says, "Yes, everything is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:8)   Know that you're not always going to feel like God sees you. You're not always going to feel like knowing Jesus is the best thing ever. Feelings come and go and are always changing, that's the result of living in a fallen and sinful world. But also know that God's Word never changes. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same God that met with Hagar next to that spring is the same God who wants to meet with you and bring you to the the spring of living water. God loves you so much and He wants you to bring Him your pain, confusion, tiredness, and burned out heart, so He can lift you up and wrap you,fill you, with His loving presence. When you do, you to will have a Hagar moment and be able to say, "I have now seen the One who sees me." - Love you guys.  Sofia

P.S- Watch this amazing video and just worship and enjoy the sweet,restoring, presence of God. 

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

Pumpkins, Waterfalls, and the Holy Ghost

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all have had a good week so far. My week has been crazy! God has really been moving in a extremely supernatural way over the past few weeks in my life and roommates. He has just been teaching us so much more about His Spirit and has been taking us so deep into the miraculous. Just this past week money supernaturally filled my roomies bank account and wallet. The power of the Holy Spirit has just broken out and I am seriously overwhelmed with amazement on how it is spreading like wildfire in the lives of people around me. Friday night me and my roomette Kat went to a revival glory outpouring service at a church here in Lynchburg. It was indescribable. The Holy Spirit cam, baptized our hearts in His spirit, filled us, renewed us. Then I began to pray for Kat and the Holy Spirit started prophesying through me to her and about her life and things to come. It was miraculous. I am just so in love with Jesus. It is only by Hi's blood and grace that these things are able to become a reality. Seeing the kingdom of God here and now is beautiful and seeing my roommate's who I have grown to love in such a short amount of time experience these things for the first time and be filled with His Spirit like never before is incredible and I wouldn't trade it for anything. That's what this life is all about, serving Jesus and seeing people changed by his love and glory. God has set my heart on fire for ministry and seeing it manifest right in front of my eyes is crazy and wonderful. Today I got to go on my first every Virgina hike and saw the most beautiful waterfalls it reminded me of this verse. "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." John 7:38 The living water is the Holy Spirit and the only way for it to overflow out of us and into others is to drink from Jesus. Drink him in, take in his free gift, and the miraculous will happen. Revivals has broken out and this is only the beginning. Jesus we only want more and more of you. Pour out Your Spirit like never before."I may be weak, but Your Spirit is strong in me. My flesh may fail but my God you never will."

Oh and by the way today I went to a real pumpkin patch. As in the pumpkins were actually growing out of the ground. It was amazing. (I've never been to one before)-

Love Sofia