Always Something to Pray For

I Timothy 2:1-3 NKJV

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is  good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,"

I had a revelation about these verses a while back, and its nice to re read them and receive that revelation again! Many times we think that we have run out things to pray about. We come on our knees and get up minutes later because we don't know what else to pray about. Here it names many things to stand in prayer with. Prayer is a privledge yes, but it also work! Since we now know that there are hours worth of prayer, now all that's left is the to actually pray. And since these verses ask to prayer for ruler, again we are shown that prayer is powerful! And it is also our key to "a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

-Abbas Daughter,

Arina D.

Your Prayer Has Been Heard

Luke 1:13 NKJV

"But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John."

Its interesting that the angel came and said "your prayer has been heard". Zacharias was old, so was his wife... So I'm sure they had lost both faith and hope of ever having a child, meaning that they probably stopped praying about having one. The angel said it as if the payer has happened recently! Maybe God was hearing his past prayers?? I mean I know God hear all our prayers and takes them in account. All recorded!... But it's just cool to think Zacharias' past prayers were still being heard! And then finally answered! Gives me reassurance about my unanswered prayers; it's nice to be reminded that He still hears the prayers we've already prayed and will eventually answer in His good time.

-Abbas Daughter,

Arina D.

Prayer

Matthew 6:6-7 NKJV

"But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words."

It crazy how much we have complicated prayer when it's meant to be so simple! Some times I feel like I need to pray; that's its just something that I have to do, like a chore. But Christ says not to ramble. Why? Well because prayer is a time to be intimate with my Father, my King, my maker... A time to rejoice in His presence, and He in mine.

Abba help me not take prayer for granted, and show me the true worth of the worship on my knees!

-Abbas Daughter,

Arina D.

Was Blind but Now I See

John 9:1-41 (Whole Chapter)
^^Read chapter

So much food here!
1st- who sinned? Him or his parents? And what was Jesus' answer?: "neither, but so the glory of God be shown through him.
So many times we wonder what was the cause of us falling in a certain situation, or why. But Jesus says its no ones fault, not our own or anyone else's... It only to have the Glory of God shown, that His love and light would be able to shine for all so see. Amazing how he chooses our situations to make something beautiful!

2nd- they way the man get healed... Christ smeared spit and dirt and rubbed it onto the guys eyes. Jesus didn't even lead the man to the pool to wash it off. I'm sure part of the reason was to test the man faith. I mean if he had healed him on the spot, the man probably would have been like the 10 lepors who got healed and didn't even come back. But instead the guy had to stand up to his faith. He has to stand against his neighbors, parents, and Pharisees. Through this, his faith in Christ grew! Even though he didn't know how, or who healed him! So when Jesus showed himself to him, imagine the mans joy!

3rd- Jesus' last phrase, where he mentions that if the pharisees were blind, then they would be without sin. The Pharisees knew everything about God, and how to be pure and holy. And then there was this blind man... In the end the blind man got the blessing! If it wasn't for his blindness being healed by christ, the guy may never have believed... Just like the pharisees never did.

So Abba, help me trust You, and the situations You put me in. In the end, I may end up with a bigger blessing due to being disabled, then if I were what the world saw as " healthy" or " normal". Amen

Christ Handeling His Anger

Mark 3:5 NABRE

"Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out and his hand was restored."

Its amazing how even when Jesus was angry and frustrated, He was still able to do good; to show love towards people!
He was angry at all the people, yet he still managed to serve them!
I know when I'm really mad/angry its hard for me to do any good, especially to the person who set me off!

Christ was a human just like us... So it is possible for us to also reach this ultimate good attitude in anger. If we depict Christ's character in this moment, He was:
     -humble (as always)
     -full of love and compassion
     -he knew nothing would result if he wouldnt have kept serving the people
     -mercyful
Christ also knew his mission here on earth, and though a human character he was still able to follow through! This also shows -self control... I guess you could say that Jesus always had the Fruits of The Spirit with Him! Even in anger!

-Abbas Daughter,

Arina D.

Do It Now, Or Don't Do It At All

A message I got from reading Deuteronomy 1: 26-45 (Read it!). Definitely God speaking to me...

When God tells us He will bless us to do the work He wants us to do, we must trust Him and go through with it. If we deny to do it, He may give that blessing to someone else. If God wants it done, He will find through whom to do it. He won't wait until we think we are "ready", He'll just pass it along. And if we finally decide that we are so called "ready", there will be no guarantee that we will be supported/blessed by God when we do it. It may become just the opposite actually, where instead of getting a blessing like we we're supposed to - we get hurt because He won't be there to guide and bless.

Abba, help me do the work You prepared me to do with out fear or doubting in Your timing. Give me strength to trust Your timing in every step of the way.

                         -Abbas Daughter,
                                 Arina D.

A penny for my thoughts?

Whenever I spend time with this little gal, I can't help but study her! Although she may be almost three she already has a personality of her own! And she makes me miss those good old days when my only problem way being someone else's problem! 

Not only do I witness first hand what Christ meant when He said: "14...Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”Mark 10:14-15(NIV)

Children are just so innocent and joyful and are able to put their trust in you completely!.. but first they need to get to know you haha!

My little friends name is Angela. And just like my Child Development class warned, being a toddler, she is very egocentric! Egocentric definition would be: "One is 100% focused on themselves; See's the world only through their own experiences".

This doesn't mean that they are completely selfish and rude, just unaware that maybe not everyone benefits from what they benefit from. For example: if Angela got an "owie" on her knee, and after receiving a Band-Aid, felt better, she maybe try giving me one if I got a head ache or something. As she gets older she will learn to realize that not everything can be fixed with a Band-Aid hahaha!

I realize that we, being children of Christ tend to act the same way. when we grow in Christ we start seeing others, and their needs. and that what we benefited from might not help he person. Everyone's walk with God is different. We Christians are egocentric, but with growth, that can go away.

Also we need to receive the kingdom like a child!! We need to be able to trust with no questions! To spend time with Abba, realizing He doesn't expect a lot from us. We are mess-ups, sinners that were saved by His Amazing Grace. By choice we have the ability to bring His name glory, because of the wonderful gift He has given us!

Why is it so hard to understand this concept? I struggle constantly with this idea. Abba doesn't expect us to read the bible. We aren't forced due to the gift of choice. But He delights when we do, when we choose to learn and listen from reading the word. We don't have to pray, yet if we want to grow and learn His heart, that's the only way we can.  Many times I fall into the devil's lie that because I didn't read, I am not good enough. Or because I didn't pray in the morning, I have not right to come to Him with my problems later in the day. And then the next day you feel awful about yesterday, and do the same, and so on...

Abba help me understand that even though you do not expect me to come to You in word and prayer, You still want me to. And even if I don't have to, make me want to!! I want to know Your heart and Your will, just help me find strength in You to let go of my own and put my full trust in You. Help me understand that growth only comes with knowing You. Then I'll be able to know and understand Your other children; my brothers and sisters!

-Abba's Daughter,          Arina Dovgoruk

Todays Manna

Exodus 16
When God brought the Israel nation from Egypt, led by Moses, He provided for them. They were completely dependent upon the Lords mercy.
Everyday (except for the Sabbath day) God gave them manna. They had to trust that God would be faithful every minute, or else they wouldn't be able to survive. They had to trust that God would provide Every. Single. Day.
And He did. They got manna everyday, which they were told to throw out every evening and not save for the next day; not to worry about tomorrow for God would provide. Yet some did not trust Him enough and would save the manna for the next day, that's when they disobeyed and sinned.
Each day we have to trust that God,our warrior (Exodus 15:3), provider, Father and King, by His great mercy will be there.
It would be wrong to trust our selves and hold on to the old, when He expects us to accept the new blessing/word He has provided for this day.
God was molding the character of His nation, and does the same for us today. But it's all for the best, to become more in His image. More Christ like.
-Last weeks manna is no good for today. Each day we must receive new food, only that way we can grow.
Exodus 19:4-6 NIV
"4... You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ ..."
                    Abba's Daughter,
                              Arina D.

Compared to Branches

Romans 11:16-23

When reading this place, I got two messages.

We are all branches broken off for a purpose, yet all should be grafted to the one tree; God.
We mush be grafted into the Holy tree, but we must remember that:
               - We are no better than any other branch,
               - And that we do not support the root, but it supports us.

Also...

If the roots are Holy, so are the braches. So if the core of our motivations and intrest are holy, then every out come, like our fruits, should be Holy too.

21. "For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either."
22. "Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, not kindness to you, provided that you continue in His kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off."
23. "And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again."

so we as Holy people of God must act and bare fruits, showing our holy roots. He gave us a chance to show/do work for Him, and we must take it for He wont hesitate to give it to another.

Abbas daughter,

       Arina Dovgoruk

July 14th = Proverbs 14

Another week and it would have been a whole month since I last posted... i could start making up excuses, like: "I've been busy", thus causing "no time".. but reality, I just have been lazy. but that doesn't mean lazy to read and pray,( even though there have been days) but lazy to post...

I have nothing very special to post, but a few proverbs. I usually try reading the proverbs Chapter corresponding to the date. Today is the 14th, so Proverbs 14 it is!

- 1 "The wise woman builds her house,
    but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."

- 10 "Each heart knows its own bitterness,

    and no one else can share its joy."

- 13 "Even in laughter the heart may ache,

    and rejoicing may end in grief."

- 15 "The simple believe anything,

    but the prudent give thought to their steps."

- 26 "Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,

    and for their children it will be a refuge."

-27 "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
    turning a person from the snares of death."

- 29 "Whoever is patient has great understanding,

    but one who is quick-tempered displays folly."

-30 "A heart at peace gives life to the body,

    but envy rots the bones."

- 32 "When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,

    but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God."

These are all the proverbs that stood out to me, and they have really good lessons and morals that i need to take for my self. May God help me grow in Him and know His heart.

-Abbas Daughter,

                        Arina Dovgoruk

P.S. I'm going to try to post more often now. But life is life, and I am human...

Thought of the moment...

Earlier today I was listening to a sermon by Mark Driscoll. It was the firs in a study he was doing on the book of Malachi. The whole sermon was very good, yet one part in particular stood out to me. All day it has been poping into my mind, so
I decided that I am going to let it out.

So here it is, of course im rephrasing it, but anyway: " We, people, deserve hell. Anything else giving in life is a gift."

The fact that im saved by the blood of the lamb is a gift. That I have the promise of everlasting life, also a gift. Kind of opens a new perspective to when things go wrong in life...  Definitely something I am going to remeber for the rest of my life!
                      
                       Abba's Daughter,
                               Arina D.

Mark Driscoll Sermon

Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, YES LORD!

2 Corinthians 4:6-12

6" For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."

Wow! All six of those verses are good, but aren't the last two, 11 and 12,  extremely thought jarring?! His life should be revealed in our bodies, ( the whole W.W.J.D thing again) it is at work with in us! 

Verses 7-9 are very comforting, and inst there a song that has those word in it? ........Hmmm! It's: 

I'mTrading My Sorrows (yes lord) - Jeremy Camp

 Great song aye?  Let us be jars that are willing to be molded by our Abba, Father.

His Daughter,

Arina D.

Proverbs 16

Just some really good verses from Proverbs 16 I got for today!

-1 "To humans belong the plans of the heart,
    but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue."

-2 "All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
    but motives are weighed by the Lord."

-6"Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
    through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided."

-9 "In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps."

-20"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
    and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord."

-31"Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
    it is attained in the way of righteousness."

-32"Better a patient person than a warrior,
    one with self-control than one who takes a city."

-33"The lot is cast into the lap,
    but its every decision is from the Lord."

I believe they are all pretty self explanatory...  and some are very convicting! :p

His Daughter,

Arina D.

"Eating Food Given to Idols"

1 Corinthians 8:4-11

"...yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came for whom we live; and there but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came, and through who we live."

We as believer this may firmly believe it, but others could be shaky on this concept. Shaky as in they may be questioning, and not sure how to behave as a follower. something that you may find "okay" to do,or have, may be something they could have a guilty conscience over.

So maybe someone is struggling to stop doing something, and then there you who doing it, not seeing anything bad in it, or being able to control yourself. for example, some sort of social media network. you don't get distracted by it, at least not as much as the  next person. But that next person may be fighting the temptation of spending time on that instead of reading the word and praying. They see you being able to do both, and believe they can to. So for the sake of that soul, we should be able to give up our comforts.

Though we may not be moved by having that one thing in our lives, or brother or sister may be.
"So the weak brother or sister for whom Christ died is destroyed by [our] knowledge."

I need to ask God for his approval on the thing I do. I don't want anyone to stumble due to my thoughtlessness. I believe with His help, we can accomplish anything!

His Daughter,

Arina D.

"Nature of True Apostleship"

Okay, so I read some really good stuff today! Well, at least  I thought it was pretty swell.

So anyway, 1 Corinthians 4.

"Nature of True Apostleship"

(Title in my bible)

If we consider our selves as a servant of Christ, we have been given a trust, must prove to be faithful. also, we must not worry about what other will think and say to us, as long as we know where we stand in front of God. But having a clear conscience in front of God does not make us innocent. God will still judge us, so we must take this as a lesson, not to judge others because God will judge us, and them. 

God will bring to light what is in the darkness. we cannot hind anything from Him. eventually everything will be out. So I believe it would be much better if we always came out with the truth right away. All the motives and desires of the heart will be exposed.

Probably one of the greatest statements from this passage would be verses 6-9. For what make us diffrent than anyone else? What do we own that we did not receive by grace? 
"8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign..." and "9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings." So great! I just love these promises, and I love knowing that we as Christians have responsibilities! 

May God bless us all... and give us all the desire to follow Him and become better spectacles to the whole Universe.

His Daughter,

Arina D.

June 9th....

Wow... its been like what... 7 days since my last post? Yaa... Well, could start coming up with excuses, but I think that would just make things worse. Ill just be honest; I was slacking. I keep telling my self that i will have more time for God once school and finals are over. But yesterday I got real with myself, and I can say that i am really quite embarrassed with myself.  I know that once schools over, I will still be in the bad habit of not starting my day with the word. I mean I still read, but that was just to get rid of my guilty conscience of not-reading. But I Praise God He is so merciful and patient!

Today I read from Acts 16. Verses 11-36 stood out to me most. I never cease to be amazed by Paul's character. I mean his characteristics of Faith and Bravery are amazing! Even in a jail cell he worshiped and sang to God, with his friend, Silas. They were not at all afraid of what was to come,(I encourage to press the likes and to read the chapter, if you are not familiar with it!) yet I can't even force my self to read the word sometimes, or pray! I want to be like Paul and Silas. Not only did they prove there faith and trust in God, but doing so they brought a man and His whole family to Christ! Amazing! God help me to become more like Pauls... and Silas.(Hmm I am loving that name; Silas).

Well, hopefully i wont be so long to post again...

Arina Dovgoruk,

His Daughter.

P.s. Check out this cute Finals Poem! 

http://www.ccefc.org/_blog/Reid_Kapple/post/a-poem-for-finals-week/

June 2, 2014

Isn't it great to have friends? Ones that you can still come for comfort, even if you haven't talked to them for a day? I mean I cannot compare God to our earthly friends, yet I still consider Him a friend, even in my earthly state. I  know that even when I am to "busy" to spend time with Him for the day, or to lazy, I can always come to Him, and He will be there for me! Of course this is no excuse to not read my bible, or spend anytime with Him, its simply a comfort for me; one that I'm still trying to grasp. 

I am truly grateful for my father, and His unending love for me. looking at the way I act towards Him sometimes is embarrassing...  I mean,  there I am, running around trying to solve my own problems. Thinking about my own worries, longing for love and attention where I'm not supposed to. Mean whiles He's watching me and (probably) thinking... "Did you really forget that I am RIGHT HERE.".

My God, help me remember that You are there. Always. Help me long for your presence to be with me constantly. Help me love You the way You love me. Amen!

-Arina D,

Your Daughter.

June 1st!

I've heard many time that we must be like Jesus. The whole W.W.J.D (What Would Jesus Do) thing. Well today I read from Luke 2 the 41 verse to the end of the chapter. This is where Jesus parents take him to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. We all know how the story goes. Joseph and Mary "lose" him. Three days later, when they finally find him, he was in the temple courts among the teachers. He was "...listening to them and asking them questions.".[Luke 2:46 NIV] Poor Mary was worried and upset, so she asked him why he treated them like that, he replied saying: 49 "Why were you searching for me?...Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?". While I was reading this, I got two messages.

1. We should always be happy to be in our Father's house (like our church). Listening, and asking questions. We can get so much from sermons as long as we set our hearts to receive something for that day. Not only that, but we must participate, or work in the church.

2. We should also always be in in our Father's presence. Asking Him question, and listening to His voice. Reading the word and praying is how we can accomplish that. So in doing this, we can answer people that we we in our Father's house. This is probably the best place to be!

 I need to try to always be in his house, and to enjoy it. Whether it,s when I'm at church, or when I'm at home spending time with Him. May God help me find pleasure in being with Him, and serving Him.

-Arina D,

His Daughter

Here we go!...

Right off the bat I am going to say that I am new to this! My plan was to have something to be accountable to in my walk to get closer to God. I am honestly just doing this for my self! I assumed that if I had somewhere to share my learnings (a made up word?) it would help me become closer to My Father. To be honest, I'm not very good at committing to things, so hopefully this blogging works out! I plan to post my thoughts for the day, the verses I read, the things He teaches me for the day (or week, not sure yet), and maybe I, and whoever else reads this, gets a blessing.

-Arina D,

His Daughter