Tag Archives: Lord

Faith Over Fear

Posted in Christian, pregnancy by

spiritoffear

Can I be honest with you all? I have been struggling a lot with fear lately. 2 Timothy 1:7 has been the scripture I have been holding on to. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

This provides comfort to me. From the recent shootings and terror attacks to old friends dying in car accidents, fear has been tormenting me. Can I not go to the movies, go to church, drive down the street, or hop on an airplane without a high probability of dying?

From the looks of my social media accounts, I am not the only one who is struggling with fear. In my quiet time with the Lord, He reminded me that this type of fear does not come from Him. The enemy wants us to be fearful to live the life God has planned for us. If we are too afraid to drive down the street or hop on a plane, we won’t be effective spreading the Gospel. If we are afraid that a madman may shoot up our churches, we won’t go. The enemy is using fear to prevent Kingdom business from being done.

The Bible says that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb & the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). We can overcome fear by taking it to the feet of Jesus and by telling others about what we went through and how we overcame. Oftentimes, we feel ashamed or feel like we shouldn’t share certain things, but the Bible is clear. We have to share our testimonies in order to truly overcome.

So here is a list of few things that have almost crippled me with fear.

  • Pregnancy: Most of you do not know this, but I was told I had abnormal cells in my cervix that looked like cancer and they were growing fast. I had surgery to remove the portion of my cervix that was affected by these cells during the first year of my marriage and everything is great now, but after surgery, my doctor informed me that I may not be able to carry full term because my cervix could open any time because it is weaker now. He also let me know that I will probably never be able to have a vaginal birth. Being pregnant now, of course this is always on my mind. but I have to trust God. No matter what I feel, I know HE is in control. His plans are perfect.
  • Raising a black child in this world: With there seeming to be more and more innocent black people being killed at the hands of cops who are supposed to protect and serve, I am fearful of my child being caught up into something crazy just because the color of his skin. I am fearful of getting a phone call saying that my child died at the hands of a police officer because they “thought” he had a weapon, but he only had a pencil or some candy.
  • Having a husband who is a Police Officer: On the flip side of the bullet point above, my husband is in the final stretch of training to become a police officer. With so many people hating cops and thinking all cops are bad or crooked, I fear for his life. I am scared that some crazy person will kill him just because of his uniform. I lose sleep some nights over this.

These are real fears for me, but when I remember that this world is not my home…that I am only here for a little while, all fear goes out the window. I may have plans and dreams of growing old with my husband, but what if God doesn’t? Do I trust Him any less? Does it make Him a bad Father? I don’t think so. The Bible says, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14). When we remember the real reason we are here, to spread the Gospel & save souls, fear has to go out the window. When we cast our cares upon the Lord, we can’t continue to hold on to the fear. We have to trust God no matter what.

With that being said, if you are reading this and you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior of your life, today is the day. Tomorrow is not promised. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). That’s all it takes. You don’t have to get right first. God makes you right. You don’t have to wait until Sunday morning worship, you may not make it to see Sunday. Your time is right now. Don’t let another day pass you by without making this decision.

My biggest fear is not sharing the Gospel, but keeping the Good News to myself, while people die and go to hell. Choosing Jesus was the best decision I ever made. I can’t force you to choose Him just as He doesn’t force you to choose Him, but I promise you won’t regret it if you do.

Fear tries to overtake your faith. Don’t let it. If you are currently struggling with fear, take it to Jesus. He can and will help you overcome. Trust Him. Faith > Fear.

xoxo
Disa B.

Knowing God vs. Knowing Of God

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It is so easy for us to think we know someone based on what we’ve heard about them or learned about them through the experience’s of others, but we don’t really know them. We haven’t gotten to know them one on one. We haven’t built a relationship with them. Our friends or relatives might have a relationship with someone and they may share with us bits and pieces of that relationship but we don’t have a relationship of our own with that person. For example, I went to a rather large high school. We had around 1,000 people per graduating class. I did not know everyone. I knew of a lot of people just like a lot of people knew of me. On my track team alone, I didn’t really know everyone and I was captain. For college, I went to a smaller school. I knew everyone on my track team. I had a relationship with them all rather big or small…I knew them. I know some better than others because I spent more time with them, but I can say I know them all.  

A person who doesn’t know me but knew of me and was asked about me might respond and say something like “Oh yea, I’ve heard about her. She ran track right. She dated so & so and went to HBU right?” They are just saying things that they have heard about me from other people, where as a person who truly knows me would say something like “Oh yea Disa. That’s my girl. We talk/hang out all the time. The Lord has truly worked in her life…etc” They can say these things with confidence because they KNOW me. 

I feel like growing up and just living life, we hear people say “God is good.” We hear them say “God can make a way out of no way, He is the beginning and the end, alpha and omega.” We hear them say, “Jesus is real. He is good. He is redeemer. He is savior” And then we just go on and repeat these things because that is what we have heard others say, but we haven’t experienced His goodness for ourselves. We don’t know Him as our redeemer, our healer, our savior. 

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Jesus wants you to know Him. He wants you to have a deep, intimate relationship with you. He wants you to experience Him for yourself. I can blog, tweet, Facebook, and Instagram about how good the Lord is but that won’t save you. When you encounter Jesus for yourself, you won’t leave the same. You won’t be the same. I remember my mom always talking about how good God is but I never really understood it until I experienced His goodness for myself. Until I got to know Him. Now I don’t just know of God, I actually KNOW Him! I have my own relationship with Him. Through Jesus, I know Him as my friend, my redeemer, my healer, my savior, my comforter. He is my way maker, my door opener (and closer). He is my Lord! 

ImageHow do we get to know God and build a relationship with Him:

  1. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior! “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your hear that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” – Romans 10:9. In order to begin to have a relationship with God, we have to be saved. The only way to get to The Father is Through Jesus.  “Jesus told Him: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” – John 14:6. Once you truly accept Him as Lord of your life, you will begin to see a change in yourself. You will begin to start looking more like Him. The process isn’t always going to be easy, and it will sometimes hurt, but it is all for your good and it will be well worth it.  
  2. Pray Often: Prayer is how we communicate with God. The Bible says to “Pray continually” in 1 Thessalonians. Praying doesn’t have to be so elaborate and complicated. Talk to God just like you would talk to a confidant here on earth. Tell him your hurts. Tell him how you feel. He wants to know the depths of your soul. Yes, He is all knowing so even if you don’t tell Him, He knows but He wants to know that you trust Him. He wants you to humble yourself and admit that you can’t do this thing called life without Him. He wants you to come to Him. He says “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28)
  3. Read His Word: The Bible is God speaking to us. He gives us instruction and wisdom in His Word. It is living. It is relevant in today’s world. It shows His heart. It shows His plans. It shows Him. We can’t truly know God is we don’t know His word.The great thing about God is He is always there when we need him. He doesn’t ignore our text messages, he doesn’t forward our calls to voicemail. He is there in our time of need. He gives us thousands of promises in the Bible. But we must read it in order to know what they are. And the good thing about those promises and His word is that it never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). 

I pray that today you begin to know Christ for yourself and not through the experiences of others. I found God and began to really know Him at my lowest point. He saved me from depression, feelings of worthlessness, and so many other things. I know God as my healer because I have experienced it. I know Him as my redeemer because He redeemed me. I know Him as my savior because He died for me 2,000+ years ago and died on a cross for me so that I might have eternal life in heaven but also because there are times I could have died, times I shouldn’t have made it…yet He saved me! 

My prayer is that you begin to know God for yourself. Just like you spend time getting to know someone new, spend time with God. He wants to know the ins and outs of you. We will spend all day on the phone getting to know our newest crush but can’t spend 30 minutes with God. He wants a relationship with you. It will be the best relationship you have ever experienced. I can promise you that! 

Jesus loves you.

I love you.

xoxo Disa B.

Worth far more than rubies

Posted in Christian, Self Worth by

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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 🙂