Tag Archives: Jesus

Seasons of Life

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Happy New Year! I pray your 2014 is off to a fabulous start.

I wanted my first post of this new year to reflect my 2013 and what I’m expecting for 2014. Each year, there are 4 different seasons where the weather changes. We have summer, fall, winter, and spring. When the leaves begin to fall, we know fall is coming. When it begins to get darker earlier, we know winter is on the horizon. When the flowers begin to bloom, we smell spring blossoming. When the days are longer and the nights are shorter, we know summer is here.

ImageWell, just like there are earthly seasons, there are also spiritual seasons and seasons of life. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 talks about these seasons by stating, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

In life, we all go through different seasons. Some of them we wish would last longer than others and some we wish we never had to experience. Each season we go through provides us with wisdom and growth. Each season prepares us for the next season just like fall prepares us for winter and spring prepares us for summer. Its easy to want to about the process, but if we don’t go through the process, how can we expect to get to the promise?

In 2013, I experienced many seasons, some were great and I loved them. Some hurt and I couldn’t wait to be out of those seasons. What I’ve learned about life and God is to be content with where you are right now…not complacent but content. Being ungrateful and discontent and complaining every 5 seconds isn’t going to make it go away any faster…it might actually prolong the process. God knows where you need to be RIGHT NOW. He knows what you need to go through to get to the other side. The hardest season I faced in 2013 was my engaged season. I just wanted to be married already. I became envious of other people’s marriages. I wanted what they have. But I am not her and my husband isn’t him. If I kept comparing us to them, I would never be happy. I would never be satisfied because we aren’t them. If I focused on someone else’s marriage, I would miss the beauty of my own.

My husband and I took a marriage course prior to tying the knot and the class was amazing, but some aspects hurt. It forced me to look at me and make changes to me. God showed me where I fell short and He was chiseling away my selfish ways and desires. He showed me that if I didn’t go through this process my marriage would fail. That’s not easy and it doesn’t feel good. There were days I just wanted to quit. I just wanted to give up because I resisted the change. It didn’t feel good for God to point out my imperfections and chisel them away so I could look more like Christ. God kept telling me, “Don’t abort the process. Don’t abort the process. Look at how far you’ve come. I am your strength you can do this. Its raining right now but the sunshine and rainbows are on the horizon if you just don’t quit.”

ImageLet me tell you, I am so happy I didn’t quit. I am happy I didn’t abort the process. It was HARD! But it was WORTH IT! If I were to get married without God showing me my imperfections and changing me, we probably wouldn’t have made it very far…we probably wouldn’t have made it to the alter. Now, I have faith that we can and we will make it. And I am loving my newlywed season. Everyday isn’t sunshine because the enemy wants nothing more than to destroy my marriage, but now I am able to fight back. Now its not all about me. I am now apart of a team. If I would have aborted that process I went through during my engaged season, my selfish ways would run me. My emotions would control me. Now I can control them.

Its so easy to compare ourselves and our lives to others but as soon as we do that we begin to feel inadequate, jealous and discontent. Just because one thing worked for him/her/them doesn’t mean it will work for you. Everyone is called to do the same thing. Keep your eyes focused on Christ and on your portion and you will be content. Always strive for greater but be content with where you are now. How can God bless you any more if you aren’t grateful for what He’s given you thus far? No matter what season you’re in, there is purpose there. Don’t waste this season just because you’d rather be in a different season. God knows best. Trust Him. He loves you.

 

xoxo Disa Badillo

Grace

Grace

^^Click the link above^^

This video is such a great depiction of God’s grace towards us. As humans, it’s often hard for us to fathom how a perfect God can forgive us and show us grace and mercy when it’s so hard for us to show others that same grace and mercy. It’s such a great feeling to know that we serve a God who loves us unconditionally: a God who graces us when we make mistakes: A God who is with us always. We just have to love Him, trust Him, and walk with Him thru Christ Jesus.

Nothing Wrong With a Little Transparency

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I am a firm believer in being transparent while on this Christian journey. People are often scared to speak about issues they are facing because they feel alone and like no one else is going through what they are going through because we try to come off all perfect. Well let me tell you, I am FAR from perfect. I fail daily. There are days where I let my emotions get the best of me. There are days where I look at the world and am tempted to go back to that lifestyle because it looks fun. There are days when I just want to be selfish and care about no one else but me. I promise that whatever issue you are facing, you are NOT alone. There is someone going through the same thing or something very similar.

The enemy wants us to be silent about our struggles and downfalls. Most of all, he wants us to be silent about our past. He wants us to be ashamed of our pasts and the things we have done. I am here to tell you that we do not need to be ashamed of the mistakes we’ve made Imagebecause God brought us out of them. He met us there. He redeemed us. He didn’t leave us nor forsake us. How amazing is that?! Revelations 12:11 states, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” (NIV). The “him” this scripture is referring to is the devil. The reason he wants to be silent about our testimony is because he knows that if we speak about it, we have overcome. We are no longer bound by shame, guilt, and condemnation.

There is nothing wrong with a little transparency. It helps more than it hurts. I don’t even think it can hurt. Of course there will be some critics, but I have the utmost respect for people who are so open and honest about being delivered from homosexuality, prostitution, gang violence, etc. Don’t let the enemy steal you from your joy by keeping you in bondage. Be free. Overcome by the words of YOUR testimony!

So what about me? I am telling you all to be transparent, so I should be to. When I look back at my past, I see it so differently now than how I saw it while going through it. It’s crazy, I look back at old pics of me partying and appearing to be happy but I see a broken girl who was holding so much hurt and pain. I thank God for His saving grace. For healing me and making Imageme whole! I don’t ever wanna go back. I can’t and I won’t.

The other day, I was looking at photos where I was out in the club partying. I looked happy on the outside but I remember vividly that deep down I wasn’t happy at all on the inside. I had no joy, no peace. I was very much so led by my emotions. I would hit the club and drink heavily to try and escape reality, but when that party was over, when that buzz was gone, reality was there staring me in my face and I was broken. I didn’t realize it then (or maybe I just didn’t want to admit it), but I was completely broken. I had no joy and no peace. But God came in and rescued me. He freed me from all that hurt and pain.I had no place to go but to the cross…to the feet of Jesus and He carried that burden for me. He healed me and made me whole.The smile I have now is different from the smile I had then bc this smile is full of joy and peace. It’s not to cover up brokenness. Even when things are crumbling down around me, my joy remains bc it came from God and only He can take it away.

So why was I broken? During this time, a lot of things were falling apart in my personal life. I was in a relationship where I really cared about this person, but he really could have cared less about me. I tried to make the relationship appear great on social media, but in reality it was HELL. I was cheated on. I was abused. I used to fear for my life. I honestly felt that one day, I would be dead at his hands. I used to be ashamed to talk about being abused because I was always that strong girl. That girl who took nothing from nobody, but I found myself in a relationship where I was being choked, bullied, slammed on the ground, given concussions, etc. I honestly felt I didn’t deserve better. I would make excuses for my then boyfriend and would try to make us seem happy and like a great couple, but that was so far from the truth.

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At my lowest point, I had no where to go but to the feet of Jesus, and He showed me my worth. I talk about that more in my post Worth Far More than Rubies. Jesus met me just where I was. I was broken, had low self-worth, and felt undeserving. He redeemed me, restored me, and never left me. Even in my sin, he protected me. I am so grateful for God’s grace and mercy.

I used to find my value in having a man, especially that man, but now I know my value comes from God and God alone and nothing in this world can take it away.

I know I am not the only one who has been in an abusive relationship. I am here to tell you to break the silence. It is becoming more and more prevalent. Share your testimony, it might be just what a person needs to hear to end their situation. And if you are in an abusive relationship right now, I urge you to get out of it. You are worth so much more. You deserve to be treated like royalty. You are worth more than diamonds, pearls, rubies, and everything else. You are precious. This isn’t the best God has for you, I PROMISE!

I love you all!

xoxox Disa F.

Going to the club isn’t a sin right?

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We need to stop asking if everything is a sin and start asking if it is a seed. I am a firm believer that things plant seeds in our hearts and those seeds will begin to grow eventually. (I will get back to this later).

I often wonder, if Jesus was live in the flesh, attached to our hip would we still do a lot of the things we do. I don’t think we would. If Jesus was attached to you, would you bring Him to the club, twerk, get wasted, or roll up with Him right there? I don’t think so. So why do we do it now? I mean as believers, the Holy Spirit lives within us right, so essentially He really is there right with us as we partake in activities like these. God sits high and looks low, so there is nothing we can do to hide anything from Him. We can keep no secret from God. He knows our thoughts. He sees our hearts.

Don't let this be you!

Don’t let this be you!

As Christians, our lives should bring glory to God. How is going to the club glorifying Him? How is drinking, smoking, and twerkin’ bringing Him any type of glory? It isn’t. You are surrounded by a bunch of unbelievers in the club who could really careless about God and right and wrong, yet you are there. The crazy part about it is that we can’t tell the difference between who the believer is and who the unbeliever is. I often say, if your life looks the same as it did before you were saved then you might not really be saved.

2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun” (NLT). When we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives and as Savior, we should not look the same as we did before. We have been made into a new person, so the things we did before should not be the same things we do now.

I also believe that everything we do should have a purpose. Our ultimate purpose as a believers is to please God. Again, how is going to the club pleasing God? I know you aren’t in there ministering to people and trying to save souls. Earlier, I talked about how things plant seeds in our heart. I believe going to the club plants many negative seeds. I believe it plants seeds of lust, greed, sex, discontentment, envy, and many others. Going to the club might seem like just a good time or a way to unwind, but once you leave, you are feeling either the same or worse than you were before. You see people popping bottles that you can’t afford or you see all these women getting the attention you desire and wonder why no one is approaching you and it breeds envy and discontentment. Those seeds are not of God. So why put yourself in that situation.

Living+to+Please+God_T_nvAs a believer, there should be some places we should not go, some movies we will not watch, some music we will not listen to, and some clothes that we will not wear. If not, we look just like the world. We are called to be different, to stand out. No it’s not easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it. But I promise it is worth it!

Be bold. Stand out. We are in this world but not of this world! Let’s start acting like it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!! I hope these first 5 days have been great and I hope the 360 others will be wonderful as well!!

xoxo
Disa F.

The Power of the Tongue

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Lately, I have been studying a lot about anger and the power of the tongue. I listened to a sermon by Trip Lee on the importance for words. (You can listen here.) What he was speaking really blessed me and encouraged me. I hope it encourages you too!

I am just going to keep it real with y’all. I have had a VERY hard time in the past controlling my tongue. I would be rude (I still can be sometimes, God is not done with me yet), I didn’t take the feelings of others into consideration, I would tear down instead of build up, I would curse and not bless, basically I was mean. In Trip Lee’s sermon, He focused on Matthew 12: 36-37 which states, “And I tell you this, you must give account on judgement day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you” (NLT). This seriously ROCKED me. It was like all the words I had ever spoken that went against everything God is went through my head and I was seriously convicted. I am so thankful to be saved by the grace given to us by the blood of Jesus. If it wasn’t for that, I know heaven wouldn’t be my final destination. 

I felt the need to share that because words are spoken with the tongue. I think we fail to realize how powerful our speech can be. We carry LIFE & DEATH in the tongue. How crazy is that?! We have the ability to build up or to tear down. We have the ability to encourage or discourage. We have the ability to bless or curse. We have the ability to speak truth or speak lies. We have all these abilities through our tongue. What has your tongue been doing? Does it cut people like a knife or does it soothe people? Has it caused turmoil in the lives of others or has it provided comfort and support? 

These are all questions I have to ask myself. There are so many things I have said to people that I wish I could take back. There are so many “do-overs” I wish I had so that I could speak life into people instead of taking life out of them. The thing with words is, once they come out, they can’t be taken back. The damage is already done. 

ImageThe Bible says that whatever is in our hearts determines what we say, so its not just about watching our words, its about checking our hearts. What are we feeding ourselves on a daily basis? Are we watching things that glorify tempers and anger? Are we listening to music that makes us want to fight? We must GUARD OUR HEARTS! What goes in determines what comes out. Our words are an accurate reflection of what is in our hearts. I urge you all to check your hearts and to start planting seeds that will produce good fruit. 

One area where I see the power of the tongue abused the most is in relationships. (I am so guilty of this). I’ve always known there were power in the words I spoke, but most of the time, instead of using my words for good, I used them for bad especially with my little boyfriends I had. I would manipulate them with my words, I would tear them down, make them feel inferior. Now when I look back on those situations, I realize my heart wasn’t right. I was insecure and was the one who really felt inferior. I was hurt and wanted them to hurt like I was hurting. Instead of building them up and encouraging them, I would nag, complain, and whine.

It wasn’t until I completely surrendered to God that things started to change. God completely changed my heart. He healed me, made me whole, and softened my heart. I am not going to say that I never slip and say something mean, because I do at times. But now when I do slip up and say something mean or rude, I feel convicted. I don’t want to say those types of the things any longer, where as before, it didn’t bother me at all. No one could change that but Jesus. Surrender to Him. I promise you WON’T regret it!

Ladies, I encourage you to build up your brothers in Christ and significant other. Don’t underestimate your influence when it comes to speaking words of encouragement to the men in your life. The world tears them down daily, so we should build them up daily. 

Men, I encourage you to build the women in your life up. Many are dealing with insecurities. Don’t add to that. Treat them with the respect they deserve.

I am sure you all are saying, “But Disa, how do I do that? What steps do I need to take?” In a nut shell:

1. You need to pray persistently. Come to God open and honest. Surrender yourself completely to Him. Tests will come, the enemy will attack, so be prepared.
2. You need to read your Bible. The more time you spend in His word, the more you begin to look like Him. 
3. You need to surround yourself with brothers and sisters in Christ who are encouraging and supportive and help build you and others up so that you see it in action.

It can be done. I promise. But it can ONLY be done with Jesus. Allow Him to wreck you so He can develop you into the Godly woman or man He has called you to be. 

xoxo
Disa 🙂

Why Worry?

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Romans 8:28 This is a verse that we Christians know and repeat all the time. It happens to be one of my favorite verses. If we know all things work out for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose, why do we worry so much?

When we worry, we are basically saying, “God I kind of trust you but not really.” Worrying is the opposite of faith. How can we say we have faith in God if we worry all the time? We can’t have faith in Him if we don’t trust Him, and worrying means we don’t trust God completely.

I know often times we worry because we don’t understand the situation or circumstance. We don’t see how things will work out. The good news is, it’s not our job to understand. Our job is to trust God. He is all knowing. He sees everything. God is not bad, He is good. So although He might not have been in it, He can and will work through it. TRUST HIM!

Proverbs 20:24 sums it up, “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand along the way?” By us trying to understand everything, we birth worry. We birth doubt. We birth fear. These things are not of the Lord. Now, when you stop worrying and begin to completely trust God, your perspective will change. You will begin to see your circumstances differently. God will not fail you. He is good. Worry decreases faith. Faith decreases worry. Which are you decreasing? Have Faith!

So how do we combat worry?

  1. Pray! Be persistent in prayer. Tell God all you’re going through. Release it to Him. He wants to carry your burdens. “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.” – Philippians 4:6 NLT

 2.Read God’s Word! When you read God’s word, you begin to understand just how good our God is. The more you spend time in His word, the more you get to know Him and the more you will trust Him. You will be able to hold on firm to the promises of the Bible because you now know them and because you trust what He says is true. Reading the Bible more and studying scripture also gives you ammo to use against those thoughts of fear, doubt, and worry. The Word is a sword. Use it.
Begin to speak things like:
– “God, I know you are working things out for my good. I might not understand why this is happening, but I trust You.”

-“Lord, on You the solid rock I stand. I will not fear.

3. Get an accountability partner who is mature in faith.This is important. You need someone who you can turn to who is stronger in faith than you are so they can encourage you and pray with and for you when your faith is waivering. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” – Proverbs 27:17 NLT

I truly hope this blesses you. Being a perfectionist and a slight control freak, I know worry all too well. It wasn’t until I decided to completely trust God that the spirit of worry left me. By trying to control everything, I was saying, “God, I can handle this better than You can.” HOW CRAZY WAS THAT?!

I urge you all to truly Let Go and Let God!!

xoxo

Disa F.

Worth far more than rubies

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Many of us women always quote Proverbs 31 and say we are more precious than rubies, but how many of us truly believe it? If we truly believed it, a lot of us wouldn’t be struggling with body image problems, abusive relationships, low self-esteem, and all those other things that a lot of us struggle with daily.

I know for quite some time, I didn’t truly believe it.

Can I be real with y’all? I struggled with knowing my self-worth for a long time. Basically from 9th grade until this year…yes, THIS YEAR! I have parents who would build me up and tell me I am beautiful, I am valuable, etc. That was never the problem. The problem was that I didn’t believe it. I didn’t feel beautiful. I didn’t feel valuable. I didn’t feel I was worth much at all. I was insecure, felt less than, and when it came to relationships, I was willing to accept any and everything. The enemy really had a hold on my mind.

I would try to find my value in my GPA, in my performance on the track, in my relationships, from guys, from the clothes I would wear, and anything else you could think of.  Let me tell you, I have made 4.0s, graduated college Magna Cum Laude, had some great track meets, have gotten a lot of attention from guys, and I still felt empty. Trust me, I am not saying this to brag or boast. I am saying this to show you that no matter how many material possesions you have, no matter how great your resume looks, no matter how much of a star athlete you are, you won’t be fulfilled until you accept Christ in your life. He is the only one who can fill those voids. We find our worth in Him and Him alone not from the things in this world because all these things can and will fail us at some point.

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Me after graduating from college May 12, 2012

I placed my value in track so much that when I stopped performing as well as I once was (due to injuries and drama) I felt so low. I felt myself slowly going into depression. I placed all my worth and value in my relationship that when my ex cheated on me and abused me, I felt worthless. I felt I did something to deserve it. I felt so low that I didn’t feel like I deserved better. I didn’t think I could get better because I placed all my value and worth into a man who could honestly have cared less.

I have said all this to tell you that you can overcome this. Jesus overcame and so can we.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you
will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the
world.” – John 16:33

You don’t have to live life being insecure and looking to material possessions, a significant other, a pair of thighs in your bed, or anything else.

Ladies, your self worth is NOT found in that man. It is not determined by how many likes you get on your photos on instagram, how many guys try to holla, or your relationship status. Your worth is found in Christ. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You were made in the image of God, and we serve a beautiful God so that makes you beautiful as well.You are worth far more than rubies, diamonds, and pearls. Believe it. Recieve it. Act like it. Don’t sell yourself short.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139: 13-14

Fellas: Your worth is not found in how many females you can sleep with, how big your muscles are, the car you drive, the brand of clothing you wear or anything else. You find your worth in Christ. When you accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life, you will be made new.

“And the very hairs of your head are numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable than a whole flock of sparrows.” – Matthew 10:30-31

Now when you realize your value comes from God, your actions will change. Your thoughts will change. You will realize that you don’t have to give it up to a guy in order to get or keep him. You will realize that you don’t have to have 10 differect chicks in order to feel good about yourself. You will realize that you are valuable, that you are worth the wait. If a man gets upset that you won’t give it up, you will be cool with that and politely give him the boot because you know Whose you are. You will know that you are worth far more than a measley 10 minutes of something that can lead you to hell.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” – 2 Corinthians 6:17

I pray that this helped someone who is dealing with self-esteem/self-worth issues. You are beautiful. You are worthy. You ARE more precious than rubies. You deserve God’s best. Jesus loves you. You are to DIE for. Jesus showed us that. Receive it. Believe it.

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xoxo

Disa Foster

I mean I go to church on Sunday…I’m a Christian Right?

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I have come across many people who believe they have a spot in eternity because they go to church and believe Jesus is Lord. I actually used to be one of those people. I would do what I wanted to do without a care in the world Monday-Saturday and go to church on Sunday and then repeat. I was only a Christian by name, but being a Christian is so much more than stating that Jesus is Lord and giving him a couple of hours on Sundays.

It’s not enough to believe in Jesus. Demon’s believe in Him. Being a Christian means to be “Christ-like”. This means we are to model our lives after Christ…not just our Sunday. He wants our ENTIRE life. When we become saved, we are to look different than we looked prior to becoming saved. We are to act differently, dress differently, talk differently, think differently. If you are doing the same things you were doing before you got saved then you might not really be saved. Being saved is more than getting water baptized…it’s a heart change. It’s a life change.

ImageBeing saved means giving your life completely to Christ, not just parts of it. It means dying to your flesh and surrendering to Him daily. So no, going to church on Sunday does not mean you’re a Christian and does not mean you will spend eternity in Heaven. Jesus isn’t concerned with the title as much as he is concerned with your heart. If you truly believe Christ is Lord and Savior then your life should bring glory to Him. You should spend time in His word, talk to Him, pray, serve, love others, and love Him. Love is an action. Do your actions show that you love God wholeheartedly? These are things I had to examine in my life. I had to really take a look at my life and see how I was living and examine my heart. Once I finally submitted every aspect of my life to Christ, I changed. My heart softened. I longed to serve others. I longed to please God in everything I did and bring glory to His name while doing so. It’s a process. Everyday I make a conscious effort to live for Him. It doesn’t ever stop.

Earlier I said that being saved is a matter of the heart. Before I got water baptized, I had to make sure I was serious about this walk. I had to make sure I was really going to live for Christ. My baptism was the outward symbolism of what had already taken place in my heart. Getting baptized was one of the best feelings I have ever had because I knew I was serious. I knew my life had changed. I knew Jesus Christ was and is and will always be the Lord of my life. 

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My prayer is that we stop calling ourselves Christians and start living as Christians. I pray that our hearts and lives look more and more like Jesus’ and that on Judgement Day God says “Well done my good and faithful servants.”

I love you all! It’s not too late to change your life around and give it to Christ. I will be praying!

xoxo Disa 🙂