Weekday Devotionals - Raquel
Character of a Disciple
I declared Jesus as my Lord and Savior at 23 years old. When I got dunked, I felt invincible. As many new believers can relate, I felt that from that moment on, everything was going to be all fine and dandy. Only blessings and happiness were coming my way! It didn’t take very long for me to realize that despite becoming a believer of the Good News, that life continued to hand me bad times. The challenges and heartbreak were still present.
As Pastor Pete said, “all life grows through stages, as does our spiritual life.” Time went on, and for the first couple years of my walk with Jesus, I was confused as to why life was still hard. What was taking so long for this ‘never-ending joy’ and ‘unwavering trust’ I had heard about to kick in? I struggled with this desire to be the best at something as soon as I tried it for the first time. The false belief I had was that if it was not perfect right away, then I was a failure. I applied this to my journey with Jesus, which left me feeling inadequate. “I’m going to be a Christian, and you better believe I am going to be the best one out there!” I now know that spiritual growth does not happen overnight. Character transformation takes place over time as we walk with Jesus. Sanctification happens through consistent, intentionality over time. In my own life, this has looked like countless hours of studying Scripture, sitting in silence with God, receiving counseling in pursuit of healing, and seeking wisdom and guidance from spiritual mentors.
When we are born the first time, we are stamped in the image of Adam. When we are born a second time, we are stamped with a new image.
I look back at who I was over a decade ago, and I see someone who was terrified of rejection and had a fear of abandonment. Adam used fig leaves to cover his nakedness. These were defense mechanisms to feel better about himself. I reflect on my ‘fig leaves,’ and I see a girl who would cover up her fears and insecurities with drunkenness, jealousy, sexual immorality, and anger. Galatians 5:19-21 says, “when you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.” The image stamped on me was that of a broken, helpless little girl that no one could ever love.
Then, I met Jesus.
He slowly, but so intimately and lovingly revealed my broken parts to me piece by piece, and then showed me how to heal. Sometimes, I would get frustrated with how long it was taking, but now I see that He always knew and still knows what He is doing. We are fragile beings and cannot handle healing all the brokenness at once. I like to say He is peeling back one layer of the onion at a time, at the right time. He is so patient and merciful with us.
What image do people see when we are being hammered by life?
In 2 Corinthians 6:4-6, Paul says, “in everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.” Where I once acted out in immediate despair and feelings of doom at inconveniences and hardships, I now respond by going straight to God. I might still feel worried and concerned about whatever difficult situation I am going through, but there is a rock solid ‘knowing’ that I can trust the Lord with anything and everything. Although we can’t see the outcome, He is in control of it all. We only need to let go and surrender all of it to Him.
When we are under intense pressure and adversity who do we see? Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” God cares about every detail of our lives. The highs and the lows. When we are experiencing adversity, He wants to experience it with us. We are not alone in the struggle. If we allow, His Spirit can fill our souls with all the fruit! He will be our strength and help us endure.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10. A developed disciple is someone who no longer defines their worth and value based on other peoples’ opinions of them. Their worth and value is based on what the Father says about who they are. Jesus was not moved by what people thought about Him because He knew what His father in Heaven thought about Him. That’s what really matters, our identity in Christ.
The dream team says it every Sunday, “the goal of Thrive is to help people take their next steps.” My life with Christ is a testimony to that statement. Over years of one little step after another, I have gone from brokenness to the definition of a “new creation,” in all aspects of my life. So, the next time we are faced with a trial or tragedy, let’s remember what the Creator of the Universe feels, thinks, and says about us. Let’s go to Him with everything and allow Him to continue transforming us into His image.
-Raquel
I declared Jesus as my Lord and Savior at 23 years old. When I got dunked, I felt invincible. As many new believers can relate, I felt that from that moment on, everything was going to be all fine and dandy. Only blessings and happiness were coming my way! It didn’t take very long for me to realize that despite becoming a believer of the Good News, that life continued to hand me bad times. The challenges and heartbreak were still present.
As Pastor Pete said, “all life grows through stages, as does our spiritual life.” Time went on, and for the first couple years of my walk with Jesus, I was confused as to why life was still hard. What was taking so long for this ‘never-ending joy’ and ‘unwavering trust’ I had heard about to kick in? I struggled with this desire to be the best at something as soon as I tried it for the first time. The false belief I had was that if it was not perfect right away, then I was a failure. I applied this to my journey with Jesus, which left me feeling inadequate. “I’m going to be a Christian, and you better believe I am going to be the best one out there!” I now know that spiritual growth does not happen overnight. Character transformation takes place over time as we walk with Jesus. Sanctification happens through consistent, intentionality over time. In my own life, this has looked like countless hours of studying Scripture, sitting in silence with God, receiving counseling in pursuit of healing, and seeking wisdom and guidance from spiritual mentors.
When we are born the first time, we are stamped in the image of Adam. When we are born a second time, we are stamped with a new image.
I look back at who I was over a decade ago, and I see someone who was terrified of rejection and had a fear of abandonment. Adam used fig leaves to cover his nakedness. These were defense mechanisms to feel better about himself. I reflect on my ‘fig leaves,’ and I see a girl who would cover up her fears and insecurities with drunkenness, jealousy, sexual immorality, and anger. Galatians 5:19-21 says, “when you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.” The image stamped on me was that of a broken, helpless little girl that no one could ever love.
Then, I met Jesus.
He slowly, but so intimately and lovingly revealed my broken parts to me piece by piece, and then showed me how to heal. Sometimes, I would get frustrated with how long it was taking, but now I see that He always knew and still knows what He is doing. We are fragile beings and cannot handle healing all the brokenness at once. I like to say He is peeling back one layer of the onion at a time, at the right time. He is so patient and merciful with us.
What image do people see when we are being hammered by life?
In 2 Corinthians 6:4-6, Paul says, “in everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.” Where I once acted out in immediate despair and feelings of doom at inconveniences and hardships, I now respond by going straight to God. I might still feel worried and concerned about whatever difficult situation I am going through, but there is a rock solid ‘knowing’ that I can trust the Lord with anything and everything. Although we can’t see the outcome, He is in control of it all. We only need to let go and surrender all of it to Him.
When we are under intense pressure and adversity who do we see? Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” God cares about every detail of our lives. The highs and the lows. When we are experiencing adversity, He wants to experience it with us. We are not alone in the struggle. If we allow, His Spirit can fill our souls with all the fruit! He will be our strength and help us endure.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10. A developed disciple is someone who no longer defines their worth and value based on other peoples’ opinions of them. Their worth and value is based on what the Father says about who they are. Jesus was not moved by what people thought about Him because He knew what His father in Heaven thought about Him. That’s what really matters, our identity in Christ.
The dream team says it every Sunday, “the goal of Thrive is to help people take their next steps.” My life with Christ is a testimony to that statement. Over years of one little step after another, I have gone from brokenness to the definition of a “new creation,” in all aspects of my life. So, the next time we are faced with a trial or tragedy, let’s remember what the Creator of the Universe feels, thinks, and says about us. Let’s go to Him with everything and allow Him to continue transforming us into His image.
-Raquel
Recent
Archive
2025
2024
March
June
July
August
2023
March
August
November
Categories
no categories