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Ashley Hetherington
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Ashley Hetherington Shares ‘4 Things You Must Quit To Grow Closer To God’

by Christel Berns
written by Christel Berns

Social media influencer Ashley Hetherington suggested four things that a Christian must quit to grow closer to God. These are truths she learned from the Bible.

4 Things To Quit To Grow Closer To God

Just like any human relationship, one’s relationship with God requires nurturing for it to grow. The journey of walking with God involves becoming one with Him in thoughts, in the heart, and in actions. Sometimes, it requires commitment and compromise to align with His perfect will.

Ashley HetheringtonAshley Hetherington. (Screenshot). (2024). Influencer, Retrieved March 21, 2024 from:

In a post by social media influencer Ashley Hetherington, she shared four things people must let go of to grow in their relationship with God.

1. Worrying

It’s easier to worry than to trust, especially when ugly circumstances arise. But as a child of God, it is an opportunity to trust God for His movement and intervention. Ashley also likened worrying as a “worship to the devil.” So, she advised, “And God says we shall cast our worries unto Him and be anxious for nothing. So, give it to God and let Him take the weight of your worries.”

2. Speaking word curses over your life.

Ashley quoted Proverbs 18:21 in her advice, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” She explained, “What you speak you become. So, stop speaking negatively about yourself. Instead, start speaking God’s Word over your life so that you can start to see yourself the way He does.”

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: LIVING FOR CHRIST, GAINING IN DEATH
3. Allowing your fears to control you.

The enemy often uses fear to destroy God’s people. As described in Scripture, the devil is a liar. Ashley explained, “God does not give you a spirit of fear. The enemy places fears and doubts in your mind to prevent you from becoming who God has called you to be. But remember, God walks before you and He’s always with you. So, why should you be afraid?”

4. People-Pleasing

“Stop making decisions based off of what other people will think about you,” Ashley wrote. “When you’re walking in God, you’re not gonna be liked because you make decisions opposite of what people think is right. Focus on pleasing God.”

AMEN TO THAT 💌 #shorts #biblestudy

Reference | YouTube – Ashley Hetherington

Header Image: Ashley Hetherington. (Screenshot). (2024). Influencer, Retrieved March 21, 2024 from: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TvUyJX6o2vY?feature=share

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Faith doesn't grow without disappointment.
ArticlesFeaturedNews

Pastor Richard Kim Preaches That ‘Faith Doesn’t Grow Without Disappointment’

by Christel Berns
written by Christel Berns

Pastor Richard Kim of the Church of Southland Chino preached in his sermon that “faith doesn’t grow without disappointment.”

Disappointment

Disappointment comes from expectations. Often, when one’s high expectations over something don’t match one’s desired outcome, one falls into hopelessness—eventually leading the person to quit.

Faith doesn't grow without disappointment.

Church of Southland | Chino [@churchofsouthlandchino]. Pastor Richard Kim. Instagram, 9 Nov. 2023, https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czbf8rRpWuX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This is sometimes true for many Christians in their walk with God. It’s easier to follow God when things are going their way. But when it doesn’t, a believer can barely handle the disappointment. As a result, they quit, give up on life, walk away from God, and, in the worst case, fall into deep sadness and depression.

But contrary to this idea, the Bible speaks of the power disappointment could bring to a person. And this is what Pastor Richard Kim of the Church of Southland Chino highlighted in his message to the church.

Faith Grows

In a shortened clip shared by the Church of Southland Chino, the pastor stressed that faith actually “becomes powerful” in the midst of disappointment.

“Faith doesn’t grow without disappointment,” he remarked. “Faith doesn’t grow without discouragement, faith doesn’t grow without closed doors and unanswered prayers.”

Then he explained, “That’s the type of faith where Jesus says, ‘according to your faith, it shall be done.’ Jesus never said that about our salvation. Jesus never said, ‘according to your faith, you shall be saved.’ No. But you know what Jesus said? According to your faith, you shall be healed. You see the difference of faith there?”

Also, in the church’s caption, they wrote, “A faith that is strong is a faith that has faced failures, disappointments, and let downs time and time again and yet prevails. This is how we develop a strong faith.”

Life as a follower of Christ is not always easy. Sometimes, a believer’s faith is tested through trials and unlikely circumstances. However, through these trying times, a Christian is strengthened in his faith in God.

So, the next time you encounter a struggle and disappointment, always remember that you are up for the next level of your faith in Jesus.

You can do it!

 

Reference | Instagram – Church of Southland | Chino

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Relationship with God
ArticlesFeaturedNewsVideo

3 Ways To Grow In Your Relationship With God

by Christel Berns
written by Christel Berns

Impact Video Ministries shares three useful ways to grow our relationship with God. It’s a profound message we all need to hear so that our walk with God can go deeper.

Distraction

Distraction—it’s one of the greatest weapons the enemy uses against those who follow Christ. If Satan can’t discourage us, he often distracts us, so we would forget God and choose other things over Him. So, we should take the time to align ourselves with God and listen to His guidance every day.

Impact Video Ministries. (Screenshot). (2022). Grow in God, Retrieved October 13, 2023 from: https://youtu.be/WylujIesziw

The Impact Video Ministries also shares three useful ways to avoid these distractions. Their whiteboard series explains what we need to keep in mind to grow deeper into our relationship with God.

3 Steps To Take To Grow In Your Relationship With God

1.Grow in Solitude

In Luke 5:15, Jesus set an example for us to grow in solitude. As He became well-known because of the miracles he had performed, large crowds drew near Him “to hear Him.” However, Jesus’ response here was remarkable. It says in the verse, “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”

PRISCILLA SHIRER: “ALL OF THE AUTHORITY OF GOD HIMSELF NOW LIVES ON THE INSIDE OF YOU”

Jesus withdrew from the crowd to spend more time in silence with God. And with that, we should also do the same. We should sometimes disconnect and spend our time in silence before the Lord, no matter how busy we are. Make it your goal to grow closer to Him.

2.Grow in Sacrifice

In Luke 9:23, Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, He is the one who will save it.”

Part of our growth in the Lord involves sacrifice. That means surrendering things that would not help or hinder us from growing our relationship with God. But we should also remember that “the bigger the sacrifice, the bigger the blessing.”

3.Grow in Service

One of the best ways to grow more in the Lord is to put our faith into action. That could mean allowing ourselves to be used by God.

“When you learn how to Bible Study, you gain knowledge,” IVM explained. “But when you serve and apply the truths that you learned at a Bible Study, you gain experience. And when it comes to growth, you need both.”

Hear the entire message in the video below.

3 Ways to AVOID Distractions and IMPROVE Your Relationship with God || Whiteboard Series

Reference | Impact Video Ministries

Header Image: Luis Alberto Sánchez Terrones. (Photographer). (2018). Woman kneeling, Retrieved October 13, 2023 from: https://unsplash.com/photos/7cTsvt25GuY

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FaithGod's Word for the Day

Has Knowing Jesus Changed Your Life?

by Henrietta Decruz
written by Henrietta Decruz

“Therefore if any person is [in grafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP) Accepting the Lord is the greatest decision we have ever made. However, we need to ask ourselves how much we have changed since the time we met the Lord. Some believers have known the Lord for twenty, thirty, and more years, and yet they haven’t grown much in the area of faith and in knowing Jesus personally or studying His Word.

Yield to the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has been indwelling within us and He has been working in us from the moment we received Jesus Christ as our Savior. He often nudges us in the areas that we need to change. The Holy Spirit is so gentle that a lot of times we barely realize how much we have changed. However, some of us resist this change and stifle the Holy Spirit from doing His work of renewal in our hearts.

Hebrews 5:12 speaks about someone who did not grow, it says, “For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God’s Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food.”  

Knowing Jesus: The Way Forward

Let us examine our hearts. Are we hindering the work of the Holy Spirit within us?  And are there areas in our lives that we haven’t surrendered to the Lord? Are there secret sins that we don’t want to acknowledge and areas of weakness that we would rather leave unattended? Do our lives reflect the fruits of the Spirit as mentioned in Gal 5:22-23, which is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

If we continue to live as we are doing now, will we bring joy to the heart of our Lord Jesus who will be returning for His spotless Bride? Are we true ambassadors of Christ? Are we obeying and following the teachings of Jesus or living in opposition to what the Lord taught us?

The Lord knows it is hard for us to let go of control and give our lives to Him unconditionally. For this reason, He gives us more grace to overcome. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness!” AMP

Be More Like the Father

If we have been holding back from surrendering our hearts to the Lord, and fully knowing Jesus, we need to repent for it so that He can perfect the work He is doing within us. Just human children often like to imitate, behave and look like their parents, God the Father also wants us to become more like Him and His Son Jesus.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, I am sorry for not yielding to You. Please reveal the areas that I need to change. I want to truly reflect Your heart, Lord Jesus. Complete Your work in me so I can be Your instrument of change and transformation. I want to be the new creation You want me to be. Lord, have Your way in me! Amen.   

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business
Faith

Christians in Business: How to Grow Where You Are Planted

by Robin Dahms
written by Robin Dahms

Grow Where You Are Planted

~If we allow people to be human and God to be God, we all have a fighting chance. ~ Robin Dahms

Do you ever feel like life is coming at you too fast?

Does everything seem to go wrong at the same time?

It’s easy to get discouraged when the storms of life over take us. In this noisy world, often times, it seems there is no calm and we cannot keep up. Are you tired and weary?

I met a lady that had made some bad choices in her life. Her parents were absent and by the age of 13, she was moving in bad circles trying to find her identity. She started using drugs and eventually began selling as way to earn an income.

She was caught and put in juvenile detention. After a while, she was released back into society with no family waiting for her. It wasn’t long and she was back to her old ways. She got caught again and was put in jail as an adult.

God Began to Work on Her

The quiet, undistracted time and solitude were refreshing; the noise of life faded into safety, security, freedom of not having to make a living, and freedom in living with rules and expectations. It was during this quiet time, the Holy Spirit began to speak to her. She eventually started a women’s prayer group inside the prison and instead of using their one hour of physical exercise outside, the women gathered around for prayer time!

After incarceration, she thought about those women often. She could not get them off her heart. She became an ordained reverend and started a Women’s Ministry Program inside that jail. The one thing she shared with me that changed my life? There is courage in community. As the women were released from jail, they had a ‘family, God’s family’ waiting for them. Re-incarceration became almost obsolete for these women because they had been renewed and resurrected!

Golden Nuggets:

  • Your ministry is often between your own two feet.
  • Jesus will meet you where you are but never leave you there.
  • Your biggest storm can become your biggest area of opportunity.
  • Having accountability and a family will help you manage the storms of life to victory!

Christian Business Leaders International (CBLI) understands business ownership is a lonely journey. Scared to “fake it until you make it” because it’s a lie, and business is challenging and you don’t know why?

CBLI educates, equips and empowers leaders and business owners through leadership and business training, spiritual training, mentoring and encouragement.

We meet once a month, online, for a Value Based Mastermind Training and Peer Advisory and once a month, online, for prayer. Experience unity in community!

~Building Like-Minded Spiritually Driven Leaders~

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seed
Faith

The Mustard Seed: Why We GO!

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

Mustard Seed: Why We GO!

A fresh reminder as to why we go. Jesus highlights the qualities of the mustard seed, likening it to the Kingdom of heaven. The seed starts as the smallest of seeds, yet becomes the greatest of all the herbs. In fact, it becomes a tree so big even the birds of the air can nest in it. Check out this 2 minute inspirational video speaking about the Kingdom of heaven, who we are, and why we’re here.

Jesus and the mustard seed

“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.’” (Matthew 13:31-32)

Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.’” (Mark 4:30-32)

“Then He said, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.’” (Luke 13:18-19)

Who We Are In Christ

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,’” (Galatians 3:13)

“And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,” (Romans 11:17)

“Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” (Ephesians 1:5)

By the work of Christ alone we are united in Christ, heirs of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, we sow the seed of the Gospel that all may call on the name of the Lord and be saved.

Reminded by the humblest of seeds: the mustard seed.

Let’s GO!

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