A powerful testimony by one of my daughters in Christ. I am so thankful and grateful for her story. She really survived in every way and taught us how to rise above the storm. So many people I know go through the most pressing situations…but they get back up. To the many warriors that have overcame such a tragic and triumphant year of seventeen. This was our year for total victory.

Because of our Chains—

“As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”
Philippians 1:13-14

Because of our chains; Because of our despair, Because of our pain; Because of our struggle; Because of our mess –it actually inspires others when we are able to go through those things triumphantly. People can say –“Wow! They conquered that!”

They weren’t hidden chains that Paul had.  Some things are so obvious that we go through. Those deep things that no one really wants to talk about or get into. Yet, it becomes our story where it works to help others.

By your story—not what we have that makes us beautiful (hair, face, clothing, weight) what makes us beautiful is our positive attitude.  Even through the dark times we really push through. Not everybody can recover.  In periods of brokenness—it didn’t destroy you.

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

A lot of people go through situations and they never recover—they don’t bounce back. They are never the same again and not all is positive. If we are never the same again it should be for God’s glory.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18

So many deep trials that people go through and many just don’t recover.

What now becomes a part of your story is—how did you do it?

How did you survive? How did you get up? How did you smile?

How did you find the strength to even show up anywhere?

What were your thoughts?

For every level is a new devil, so we need to write it down—testify—use it as a manual, a learning tool in life should we experience other pressing and challenging situations.

How do I keep positive in the midst of turmoil?

How do I smile? How do I find beauty in brokenness?

How do I find who I am when I’m losing everything that seems to define me?

Those are things we can share—powerful testimonies.

Even when it wasn’t easy, through the night watches –how did you overcome?  Through that dark.

It’s always about changing a mindset! I have to learn to change the way that I think of myself or about my situation. There is beauty in broken things.  I love the definition of broken—because it doesn’t mean that you don’t work.  It just means that you are not functioning properly! You still function—and the rest that is missing God places His grace over it. You are just reduced.  Smaller—and God does GREAT things with less!!! A lot of those things happen so we don’t get so big of ourselves or think we can do it alone.

• past participle of break.
• reduced to fragments; fragmented.
• ruptured; torn; fractured.
• not functioning properly; out of working order.

When you turn it around—I am a survivor! I am not offended! I am going to move on. We become so victorious.

We all have a unique story worth sharing. Tell the world! Facebook, IG, Twitter—write a blog; a book; create a video!  It’s so worth it! We have to learn when we go through it.

Still smiling, laughing.  When you went through the break up, the sickness, the darkness and all the loss.

Those things we do through it, that make us such a powerful person IN GOD!

There is always a moment we all have where we thought we were going to lose it!

Can’t emphasize enough how we respond to pure pain, emptiness, treatment, loss – can be so mind blowing.

Remembering those dark moments, you realize that in those times you can’t really help someone.  We wish we can remove the pain for us and even for others.  But we go through it.  Through many agonizing times, but it does and serves its purpose.  It’s our tool, our fuel—it is what God is going to use.  Our thorn.  It doesn’t matter what the thorn is—a thorn is a thorn and we all have them.  Sad in itself but that it makes one so powerful in God.

“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Not only going through loss in some way –other things can counterattack us to try to silence us. But we can speak up and confess that God is able to help us through. We cancel out the seeds that the enemy tries to sow and allow God’s seeds of hope to grow!

We will be a witness! We will testify! We can share! We can explain! We can uplift! We can get through this! Because of our chains—it advances the gospel.

***For Yarina Orellana***

With Love,
Christina

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Romans 12:1-2 MSG

Yesterday after work, I left and went straight to Target with a target in mind.  I want change.  Change in my mind, change in my diet, change in my scenery and change in my routine.  I really do.  As tired as I was–I went to get things I had in mind that could help.

I came in today refreshed and positive.  I want Christmas here!  So here is how my day began:

• I woke at 5 am for the 40 day prayer rally with Pastor Edward Ramirez.
• I finished with my own personal prayer after the online version ceased.
• I got dressed for workout at my own personal gym that I am building in the basement.
• I drank my water–got showered & ready with new Enagic products.
• I got dressed for work–skirt day & some make up. 🙂
• I jotted down my workout routine in my motivation journal as a tracker.
• I made myself my Vega-One protein shake & gathered my food for the day.
• I left the house with my coffee and belongings–got to work with all the decorations.

As I walked down the corridor with all the decorations in the box–my boss smiled and said –“Wow, what is all this!?” I said, “I am bringing Christmas here!.” She responded, “I just love you for that!”

I decorated the office and soon after the colleagues joined in the holiday fun.  I handed out some stockings and we continued to decorate.  Everybody’s mood was quickly changing and super joyful.  All smiles in their faces. We needed some holiday cheer here.

Just as the Word says–“Take your everyday and bring it before God as an offering!” When we take a positive approach and change our atmosphere, we are bringing God a GREAT offering.  Spreading love and holiday cheer can be every day! Not just in December.  Consistency is key.  A set mind is key.  A smile is key.  I need to be more proactive and intentional about changing my environment on the regular.  I am happy that I got a lot done so far today.

The rest of the day is set for me as I will continue to listen to positive and uplifting music.  I will think on good things [Philippians 4]. I will read throughout the day–as is my norm and I will press for productivity.  The more effort I put in; the more results I will see because I decided to change my atmosphere.

I am ready to do it again tomorrow. ❤  I am an atmosphere changer! So are you!

Happy Holidays all.

With Love,
Christina

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

So I picked up a NEW cop… aka thing to get.   A book by Trip Lee called “Rise.” It is pretty powerful so far.  Normally what I do when I go into a book store is open them up somewhere in the middle and start reading a few paragraphs! Here is what I found:

“Why do we feel the need to pretend like everything’s all right? Because we replace God’s glory with our own, and we replace contentment in His acceptance with the approval of other people.  

Recently I sat in a physician’s office and talked with the doctor about a health issue I’ve had for a while.  After she prescribed some new medications, she asked me a series of questions to make sure I was doing fine otherwise. I appreciated her inquiries, because she was trying to care for me as my doctor.  If there had been something wrong, she could have acted immediately. The dumbest thing I could have done is hide my ailment from the very person appointed to help me with it.

Yet we’re often tempted to make a similar mistake with our spiritual health.  God has given us one another to help fight our sin, but we often hide from each other in shame.  That’s an understandable response for those who are still exposed and vulnerable to judgment.  But our sin has already been covered, so we have no need to hide it.  Why hide a bill that has already been paid?”

The point of this message is him reminding us, WE ALL HAVE ISSUES STILL!!! But we continue to fuel the lie and pretend like everything is okay all the time.  We are afraid to speak, afraid to share, mindful to keep things back because it truly seems so redundant.

“You mean to tell me your STILL struggling with this???”

Well, quite honestly –HECK YEAH!!!! I still have to fight! Hello! My sin has been paid for–not the process.  Then we continue to hide because we can’t find a healthy safe “over and over again” place.  Like where can I go through with some “over and over again” folks.  That when I explain my “over and over again” not making sense type situation… THEY GET ME!

So here is the big lie folks— “YOUR THE ONLY ONE LIKE THIS!”

Everyone has already conquered this–the pastors, the leaders, your friends… that amazing and powerful speaker!

YES THEY OBTAINED IT–BUT I CANT….

Pressing Toward the Goal
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 New King James Version (NKJV)

Like how does the overcome preach about overcoming?

How do the depressed reach the depressed?

How do the anxious help those struggling with anxiety?

How do the lustful help those in lust?

BECAUSE THEY GO THROUGH IT TOO!!! That is how!

Here is what I will never forget my mentor, Femi Adun telling me–“only one who has been restored can restore others.”  Most times I say to myself, “Well have I? Why do I always feel broken though??? Why do I always feel like less in a mess!”

You know why–because I am human! And so are YOU! We are not Jesus! He walked this earth flawless and paid the ultimate price FOR US knowing that we could never accomplish that… so he paid for all the “over and over and over again” type situations!

You are not alone.  You have a body of people that can help you–but here is how… by being open! By allowing yourself an opportunity to share and allowing others to share with you. By being a trustworthy person.  By understanding how to listen and share for the betterment of our process called growth.

I mean the enemy does like to attack us –over and over and over again.  So what can we do over and over and over again…. We can repeatedly share–repeatedly seek help–repeatedly go to His word–repeatedly cry out to Him–repeatedly pray–we can do all those things until there is a BREAKTHROUGH!  Remember the only way to get THROUGH is by the BREAK that goes before it. And in our brokenness we find the most beautiful things.   An amazing, unique, gifted, talented, giving, sharing, loving version of who God made you to be!

Now I have to use ALL that I can to think and do positively over and over again. I use the things God gave me and that is a powerful Bible, an amazing family, a thriving church and a body of beautifully gifted sisters that can strive with me.

So my struggle may seem redundant.  But so is my God! He is redundant at keeping me all together–about reminding me of His word–about surrounding me with people that are just like me and can relate with me.  I am NOT alone.  I am in that over and over again place of complete and total victory the same way that you are too.

With Love,

Christina