Wow!! It's been a while since I blogged with pictures of my daily life. Time has been flying by so quickly it's crazy to think about!! These past couple months have been so amazing! God is so good and His blessings never cease! I've never felt closer with my Jesus and pray as time goes on, that our relationship will grow more deep and precious. I have had the best encouragement and uplifting words from my Christian friends ( My dear brothers and sisters in Christ ). . . I thank each one of you for being there for me and challenging me to be a better Christian..
Before I go on sharing photos that I have taken randomly throughout the past two months (Most of them you may recognize from Instagram), I just wanted to share this song by Hilsong. You can play it as you scroll down and look at that photos I have shared. :)
Stand In Awe - Hillsong
* * *
A few drawing I did in my free time in September =)
2:00 a.m. photos...gotta love um ;)
<3 This girl <3
My Best friend..!
Working off two hours sleep there :/
~ You always make me smile ~
It's that time again.. lots and lots of Soup
~ I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ~ (Psalm 27:13)
Better than all this world
Better than all I know Better than life itself Your love is All that I have is Yours All that I'm living for All that I need is You Lord
You are better than life Than anything in this world
You are all that I want In everything You are good I stand in awe of all that You are I stand in awe of You
Everything unto You Everything held by You All of our hope is in You Jesus Nothing compares to You Nothing will take Your place All of our trust is in You Lord
What is it to truly rely on Christ and His timing..This has always been hard for me to fully grasp. It's hard not knowing answers when you want to know them now, or not knowing why things are happening the way they are but you just want to feel comfort in knowing how things will turn out. Well recently, I've felt the LORD telling me to fully rely on Him..On His timing, on how He will move in my life. If you know me, I really can't handle waiting for answers. I like to find them out then and there or at least try to, but lately, I can feel God saying "Rachel, please don't worry about it. I have everything under control. Everything and everyone I have placed in your life is here for a reason. Don't worry My child. I have done and given you these things because they have a purpose.. and I will reveal them to you in My perfect timing when I know you're ready for it. Take comfort in Me right now and keep faith and trust in Me.. I won't let you down"... I'm not sure if you understand, but when He speaks to me and I hear this, I get all emotional ( we girls have our moments ;) ) because it's such a miraculous thing to hear God speaking to you. It truly does give me comfort when I realize that God has placed everything and everyone in my life for a reason and even if I don't know what tomorrow, next month, or next year will bring, I can take joy and comfort in knowing that God will work things out for those who truly love Him and want His will for our lives. "And we know that in all things God works for the goodof those who love him, whohave been calledaccording to his purpose." (Romans 8:28).That is not promising that it wont be tough. I'm sure each of you reading this has something in life where there's uncertainty. Everyone does. Not sure where things are going in your life or when God will move in certain areas.. It will get really hard not knowing things.. but all this leads to one thing. Relying on Christ. . .
We need to keep reminding ourselves that Jesus Christ, the King of all Kings, Our Lord of all the Earth is holding us in His mighty hands, Never to let us go. "So do not throw away your confidence;it will be richly rewarded." (Hebrews 10:35) We need to keep our faith in Him up with a spirit of rejoicing. Because there in Hebrews it says we need to keep our confidence(Faith) high in Christ because when we do, He will reward us with what we desire in Him. That includes keeping our confidence and faith in how He will bless us, when he will reveal the things we want revealed (His timing is perfect), And we need to know that all we do will be done for the Glory of Christ.
It is important for you to have like minded Christians helping you be lifted in God's word and encouraging you in your walk with Christ. To help reassure you that your not alone in this world and that we are going to continue to walk with Christ throughout the good and bad times. Always being a blessing and loving each other. I am blessed to have my friends and family here to help encourage me in Christ and lift me up with scripture. "Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future." (Proverbs 19:20). Even friends that I haven't known long, it's a blessing that I've met you. Because having a friend that I've not known long but has helped uplift and motivate me to become a better Christian is better than having a friend your whole life who has not been an encouragement to Christ and who is leading you away from Him. The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. (Proverbs 12:26)
And I love this song ( The Struggle - by Tenth Avenue North ) for so many reasons... Because we are free, we are free to struggle. We are Children of the Lord struggling in this world, dropping dead weights as we continue to sing praises to Jesus. And yes, we Christians will still have to struggle in this world but Jesus' might blood He shed, washes us clean. "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for manyfor the forgiveness of sins." (Matt. 26:28).So as we continue to rely on Christ and what great things He has planned for us, let us keep our hands help high and voices singing to the One who gave us life and continues to bless us, even when we can't see it just yet. His wonderful plans will reveal in Christ's perfect timing.
As I woke this morning and walked outside, the weather screamed out "fall is here". I have waited all year for weather like this! So I am so grateful for this weather and want to enjoy as much of it as I can! :) So for my morning devotion, I grabbed my bible, some coffee, and my thoughts and sat outside soaking in the sunshine, breeze and nature around me. Right now, In my morning devotions, I'm reading through Psalm.. Today was Psalm 84. As I read this chapter and after, I felt restored, refreshed and invigorated as to what's to come! I'll share a few of the verses I read this morning. When I'm reading through Psalm, I read really slowly and taking in every word that is there..because there is so much information and words with meaning in there. So the verses I share with you, please take the time to let them sink in. Feel the power of them and how strong just a few words are. here is Psalm 84:1-2...
How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Yes! My heart and flesh is crying out for Jesus..Wanting to be with Him in His courts, in Heaven. Longing, yearning, wanting to be in the presence of the Almighty. . When I think of Heaven, I think of how pleasant it will be, how wonderful it will be to have knowledge like never before. To have no more trouble, hard times, or sorrows like we often have here on earth...Everything and Everyone will be perfect. What a thought. I mean really, perfect is a word we cannot use here on earth unless we are referring to Jesus Christ. He is truly the only One perfect."As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him" (Psalm 18:30)"So to one day have the knowledge like Him is mind boggling! . . Here is some more verses from Psalm 84:10-12...
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in
the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness
For the Lord God
is a sun and shield; the Lord will give
grace and glory; no good
thing will withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Yes, one day in heaven would be better than a thousand anywhere else. Wouldn't you agree?! ;) I also find so much comfort in this part "no good thing will withhold from those who walk uprightly". Being a true believer, we need to follow what God commands us to do. Yes, we will surely fall down but we need to acknowledge when we fall down and then pick ourselves up again asking God for forgiveness. We are imperfect persons living in an imperfect world, but being a Christian, you will know what is right from wrong in God's eyes and you will want to strive to do right before the Lord. You will feel conviction from the Holy Spirit and the main thing is, that we strive to be like Christ in all of our ways."Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Philippians 3:12).The Lord knows we will have bumps in the road that causes us to sin but He also will know who continued to ask for forgiveness and made the effort to walk uprightly before Him. God can not stand Fake Christians. Those who speak of God and then live like the world, you can't truly be saved. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23) See, many will live there lives acting as Christians yet are lying to themselves. God is a merciful God but He is also just. He gives people what they deserve, like a good Judge. I'm not here trying to talk down about people who are truly not Christians, rather try and give hope that there is a truer way to Salvation that actually leads to eternity in the most high place with our Creator. It is so very important to know that you have a close relationship with Christ. To live out the Bible to your fullest, giving it your all. "But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." (Luke 11:29)Thatyour mission here on earth isn't to please yourself, but please God. We are here to encourage, uplift, train, mentor, and bring people to truth about God. "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." (Hebrews 3:13).We are here not to hate, but to Love everyone Like Christ has loved us. If we are to be like Christ, we need to try and love like Him. Think of all the love Jesus had/has for us. He loved each and every one of us so much that He died an unspeakable death so that we ( anyone who comes to Him ) might have eternal life through Him in heaven. He loved us so much, that He didn't want to see us end up living eternity in hell. (John 3:16). So He gave His life, to the ones ( like me before I accepted Christ in my life ) who spat at His face, who mocked Him, who tortured Him and nailed Him to a cross. After we did that, what does the Lord say? "Then said Jesus, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do'..." (Luke 23:34) . . .That, people, is what you call true love. I know if that was me, I wouldn't have forgiven them. I would have had more hate in my heart than I could bare. But you see, He went through all of that so we don't have to hate, so that we can love those who persecute us, who beat, hurt, mock us.. That one day we can glorify God in Heaven. That is true definition of LOVE. . .
{ Please listen to this worship song :) }
One of my favourite thing to do is get lost in worship. Music is definitely a big thing for me but more than the actual music, it's the time I have with God and the lyrics I sing to glorify Him. To listen to worship music while eyes closed and feeling God's presence all around me. It's a feeling I wouldn't trade for anything. After I read through my morning verses, I played a song that was on shuffle hoping to get a good worship song with meaningful lyrics. And wow, Did I! ( the song I'm sharing with y'all ) I have only heard this song once before, but right there, surrounded by God's creation after reading those verses about Heaven, I went into total worship mode. I didn't want to come out of it. . . Ever. I wish I could stay right there praising God until He comes back. Then I was thinking, "Wow, if I love it right here praising God in my back yard surrounded by fresh air and worship music, and to think heaven is going to be so, so much better! "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)It excites me people! We need to share our excitement with others. We want others to see how much peace we have in knowing we have a Saviour who holds us in His hands and will never let us go. Unbelievers will see this peace in our hearts and know that something is different about us. Curiosity gets the best of most of us, hm? ;) So maybe just us acting as Christians should, will bring someone to Christ. And not just showing God's love while out in public, but around the clock, because we will want to.
I thank each of you for reading through my posts that are always typed out of what the Lord lays on my heart to share. I also encourage you to take a few minutes to be alone with just you and God. Turn on the song I've shared and have this precious time alone with Him, worshiping His name. It's a feeling no amount of money can buy.
You know that feeling when you're reassured? . . . Reassured in Christ, that because you are His child, He won't let you down. That feeling when someone reassures you that, hey! just live for God and his wonderful will and then you will know that He has great plans for you and you need only give yourself fully to Him. . . Yes, I love that feeling! Another feeling I love is when I go to church to hear my paster preach his heart out for us. He is so gifted in the area of explaining the Bible so well that you understand so clearly what God commands us to do and how to live for Him. How to live a godly life that is pleasing to the Lord. Also, he is not afraid to teach on sin. I find that a lot of churches these days really don't want to teach on that topic because they might loose/scare off people... So the fact that he is not ashamed to preach truth just excites me! . . . I took as many notes as I could to share with y'all.
He was teaching on the Book of Habakkah ( I will admit that I haven't read that book of the bible before, but once he started teaching on it, I was like, "wow! I was missing out" ) . . He taught on 6 discourses... Here we go :)
1.) The theme of Habakkah is "To live by faith in God's sovereignty even if we don't understand." . . . I know there were many times where I would not fully understand why God would allow bad things to happen to me. I know I am a child of God.. He said He would take care of me. But I realized that I have to put all my faith in God, even when I have no clue where things are going in my life. I can't live by the standards of things or people of this world but live by Faith. I may not understand His will right now for my life, but He does and has great plans for me... And this goes for anyone who is a true believer in Jesus Christ. And that leads us to the next part.
2.) "It is okay to ask God questions but He is not obligated to answer them" - Oh, this one definitely hit home for me. I am sure we have all asked God many questions. But we can't expect God to answer any of our questions right after we ask. Because we can be asking something that He is not obligated to answer because he might have a better answer for you in another area .That is why it is very important that when we ask God questions, we have to always ask it according to His will. I have asked God questions before that I thought He would answer because I figured that God would answer in the way I wanted, but I was wrong. I did not ask it according to His will and I was only thinking of myself. I think another reason why He didn't answer that question was because He wanted to humble me. But I do believe that He is going to answer that prayer/question but it will be according to His will and it will be WAY better than what I was asking for first.
3.) "Trust that God is working even when we can't see" - As Christians, we definitely have to have this mindset. We can not be discouraged. When we can't really see God working in our lives, that is when Satan creeps in and wants us to think that God doesn't care about our problems and isn't worried about us. We need to flee those thoughts and continue to tell each other that God, right now, is working in and through each and every one of our lives.
4.) "Trust that God will judge sin in His timing" - My paster explained this so well. If someone claims to be saved and sins (here are some examples : does bad by someone, hurts others with words, does things secretly to hurt others, lies ) then their sin will find them out. They are not hiding it from God. "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James 4:17) God sees and hears all. I mean, if you are a true believer, you wont want to do those things. So if you aren't saved ( or you may think you are but truly haven't given your life to Christ ) and keep sinning, God will bring justice to those who commit the sins. They will be found out either here on earth or on judgment day. But they will be judged. So when someone continues to try and hurt me, I keep reassuring myself that God will have his justice in His timing. I am relying on His timing for everything. Because His timing is PERECT!
5.) "Are you broken?" - Are we truly broken and humble for the Lord? Are we offering ourselves fully to God? No strings attached to this world. Willing to do anything for Him..No going in half way. We need to be willing to fully rely on God. We need to be fully submissive to Him. Giving our everything to glorify Him.
6.) - "Are you living in sin?" - Something that we need to do every day is examine ourselves. Say, "Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours". . . I continue to say "Lord, if what I am doing is going against what you called me to do, take it away, throw it out. If it does not glorify you, break it away and cleanse me with your love" . . . I urge you to really ask yourself if your lifestyle or how you act is God honoring and Christ like. Because soon and very soon, the Lord is coming back to take all His children up into the clouds. I would hate to see anyone be left here when I had a chance to tell them about God and His gracious ways. How He can save you from an eternal life of misery. That there is hope in Jesus Christ. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) . . . He died on that cross for whoever would believe in Him. It is never too late. Don't let anything, not even pride get in the way of acknowledging and confessing our sins. Do right to others, help each other out. Continue to ask yourself "would I do this if Jesus were standing right here in this room" but again, we forget sometimes that God sees and hears everything we do. . .
Until next time my dear followers, I'll leave y'all with a very beautiful song.
I'm sure like 99% of y'all know that hurricane Isaac hit the gulf coast states and more. I have been trying to update all of y'all that follow me on Instagram but I have family and friends that don't follow me on that so I thought I would just do one nice size post telling y'all how things went and what we did. It'll be easier. :D
For this post, I would first like to thank God for not letting any real big damage be done to any of my family, friends, or our home. He has been so good to us and I continue to thank Him for His blessings. When we first saw Isaac's path heading straight for us, our first thought was "Evacuate". But after lots of discussion, we decided not to... We boarded almost every door and window there was on our home, so it felt like living in a cave. Isaac decided to take a long visit over Louisiana and Mississippi. Way longer than we expected... I thought the rain and horribly strong wind would never end. I will never forget the sounds the wind made. . .We lost power a couple times and tried passing our time by talking, praying, and watching the news. We did get tornadoes but they came at night, which was perfectly planned.. God knew that we would really freak out if we could see them during the day. He even thinks about the little things that help us. :D
I think so many people underestimated hurricane Isaac. I think God wanted us to realize that even though it was only a category 1 and then turned back into a tropical depression, that it could cause a lot of damage. My prayers are with everyone who flooded or lost so much in it's path. God is in control and people need to not underestimate God's power. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. And as Isaac hit on the 29th, all I could think of was when Katrina hit. How so many people lost their lives, family members, houses, and so much more. We really need to have compassion on all of those people and send our prayers out to them.
And to that, I want to thank everyone who has sent so many prayers our way. They meant the world to me. I felt so much comfort from every comment you sent me saying you were praying! It was like the Lord giving me a big hug. I can't explain with words the comfort of prayer brings. . I can't thank y'all enough. <3
These two pictures are of our lake that over flowed with water.
Our lake over flowed with water. To the point it breached.
And to that, I think I shall call it a quits. This past week was pretty interesting. But I will continue to pray for anyone else who was affected by hurricane Isaac. I'll leave y'all with this verse below. Someone showed it to me before Isaac hit us. Even though he said it's meant for a spiritual storm, it could go both ways. :)
This post is being typed out of pure happiness and joy. Out of thankfulness and feeling like one of the most blessed persons on earth. Not because I don't have any problems or that my life is perfect. If I said that, I would be lying to y'all and myself. Sometimes we are so consumed in our downs, our negatives in life, or things that don't lift us up. What we really need to be doing is looking at the things that bring joy into our lives, the positives things and the things we need to be most grateful for. Jesus Christ! "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but take heart; I have overcome the world." ( John 16:33) Lately, the Lord has blessed me abundantly with so much encouragement from fellow Christians, lifting each other up in the Lord. Even though my life isn't perfect and I am continually going through stuff in my personal life, what can I ask more than to have fellow believers by my side, lifting me up in God's word and using them to change so much in my life."What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up." (1 Corinthians 14:26) . . . So I thought I would do a special thanks to those who have really touched my life lately. I have had the chance to meet and/or talk with some amazing people either over computer or iPod. I have had the chance to share my testimony with so many whom I didn't know and those who did know but haven't heard it before. I have had the chance to spread God's word and let so many see what great love our Lord gives and displays. I have been able to get and give so much encouragement and uplifting from so many others..I just wanted to thank those who have been there for me and to tell y'all that y'all are truly, blessings from God. <3 God works in the most mysterious and amazing ways. He knows just that right time to bring these types of people into your life. He knows when you need them most and and they need you. "So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding." (Romans 14:19) . . .
God answers prayers even if it's not exactly what we asked for. We need to make sure, as we pray, that we say and understand that it will be according to "His" perfect will. "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." I didn't ask God to bring perfect strangers into my life. . But He did, and it has strengthened my relationship with my Lord. He knew my future, I didn't. Of corse I "planned" what it might have looked like, but once I let God be in full control, He has made it more clear than ever that my life wont be what I wanted it to be but it will be what He has planned it to be. "Trust in the Lordwith all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;" ( Proverbs 3:5 ) . . . I can't keep from thanking Him for opening my eyes and for Him to have shown me so much lately. For understanding and knowledge through Him! "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) . . . He is and an Awesome God!!
And to that, this is where faith and trust comes into the picture. I'm sure that we all have those days where we have our ups and downs. Some when we feel like we are alone and others where we feel like we have everyone we need in life . . . But here's the perfect remedy for all of the above. . . "Put all your trust in Jesus Christ" . . . "Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord." (Psalm 32:10) Putting all of your faith in God, He sees that you are willing to hand everything over to Him. Therefore He knows that your ready for His next move in life. If we just hand EVERYTHING over to God, He sees how earnestly we want Him to have our whole life and are willing to do anything or go through anything to please Him. There are like a gazillion verses about putting our trust in God. I would have the best time posting all of those if I had the time but today I'll share with you just a couple of so many comforting verses. . .
~ But I trust in your unfailing love;my heart rejoices in your salvation. - Psalm 13:5 ~
~ Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. ” - Isaiah 12:2 ~
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13
And before I sign out, I just wanted y'all who haven't seen it already on instagram, I started taking all my friends/dear follower's prayer requests. I believe that the power of prayer is very strong and it can change so much in one's life. "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” ( Matthew 21:22 ) . . . Love to all my followers! In Christ, =Rachel Pursell=
Yesterday we had the whole day to spend in Metairie with my cousins. We had lots of fun! There is never a dull moment when we have Katey, Kayla, and me together. :D
<3 Lunch at Whole Foods Market. <3
Let us head to the mall, shall we?
@Cali. . . Spikes do not go very well on shoes. These were dangerous. :/
We thought it would be fun to try on dresses. . it was :D
We had some issues with a dress :/
I absolutely loved the style of this dress.. if only it was a couple inches longer and the price, way lower. I wasn't spending $175 on that beauty. ;)
Olah to all my followers! :D I hope y'all are all having a great summer so far! The heats been taking a toll on a lot of us here, but we have also been getting storms every day ( including lightning and thunder ( which means no swimming. ) :( . . . No swimming means I get a lot of stuff done in the house if we are not busy doing other stuff. Like schooling more, trying to keep things tidy, growing closer with my Lord in His word, and other things. :) So I'm just going to post some pictures of stuff going on lately ( that's if you haven't seen them on my instagram already ) . . .
Love to all my friends and family!!
I've been getting so see "my" little cousin a lot lately. Love her to bits!!
It's sushi time!
Gluten free diets makes you do weird things late at night. ;P
Started reading a new book. It's very good so far!
<3
Silly us
I love our old typewriter!
My bed room almost finished decorating
And more of this girl!
<3 My love for coffee <3
Posted this on Instagram. For those who didn't already know. . . ;)
~ This quote is so very true! When things happen in life that may not be what we planned, instead of questioning God why this is happening, we need to be thinking that God has bigger and better plans for us. We need only put our all of our trust in God. He's got everything under under control ~
And some photos I took of God's wonderful creation!
Until next time. . . God bless! And have a wonderful Week!
