“Your faith has made you well.”

Do you quiver at the thought of asking for help? Does it stir something within you? Does it resonate with you? Or do you want to run from it?

I feel that in our society, we are so afraid of asking for help, like it’s almost become something that signifies weakness, when actually it is the complete opposite.

Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but one of strength.

Help is actually a sign of faith.

When Jesus came down to earth as a human, so many people lined up every single day to get His help and one story in specific resonates so much with me.

It’s the story found in Luke 8.

There was a woman who could not stop bleeding and the Bible said that she was bleeding for twelve years, which is such a long time to bleed and not find any healing!

The Bible says that this woman came behind Jesus and touched the hem of His garment and was immediately healed and the blood stopped flowing!!!!

How insane is that?!?!

Jesus said to her “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

This woman didn’t even ask for help, she believed that Jesus was her help.

I don’t know about you, but I want faith like that!! It was her faith that healed her.

What is your faith like??

In my life I have gone through things that I shouldn’t have gone through, and these things have caused me to crumble sometimes. But one thing I know is that Jesus is my help.

I could not have gotten through anything without Jesus in my life, and I can say that with 100% confidence.

Jesus has healed my heart faster than anybody else ever could. Because of God’s word, the chains that were over my life have broken, because of wise counsel I now know how to walk in freedom, because of my counsellor I am able to find ways of living out my victory every single day. Because of my friends and family I am able to be reminded every single day that I can do all things with Jesus.

The one thing that all these things point back to is Jesus.

Guys, whatever you are facing, Jesus is the answer.

Ask Him for the help, take the counseling appointment, have a coffee with your best friend and talk it out, be honest with your family, cry if you want to, and above all remember that Jesus wants to help you and He will help you.

My life is a testimony of that. And yours is too.

You are strong.

I love you all

-Melisa xoxo

 

 

5 Tips To Deal With Anxiety

Anxiety.

Something that a lot of us deal with.

Something that can cripple you with pain, confusion and heartache.

Something that the enemy uses in our lives, but there is hope….

Jesus has the victory over anxiety. You see, He is the most powerful being in our universe.

Anxiety trembles at the name of Jesus….

You may think “well this is all well and good Melisa, but how do I actually cope with anxiety in my life? How can I make it to tomorrow when I’m panicking and I feel my chest tightening with every breath?”

2nd Peter 1:3 from the Bible says “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.” 

God doesn’t rejoice when we feel anxious, in fact, God does not want anxiety in our lives. He wants us to live in the fullness of life and a life that is pleasing to Him just like this verse says. Another translation of this verse (NIV) says that “God has given us everything we need for a Godly life.”

God has given you all the tools you need inside of you to deal with anxiety. You are powerful because Jesus lives within you! So although I don’t have all the answers and cures to anxiety, I just wanted to share 5 things that have helped me during my journey.

1. Prayer. I know you’ve all heard this before, but prayer really does move mountains. A couple weeks ago I was in a group setting and began to feel anxious so I left and took myself off to a toilet and just prayed. I just sat on the floor of this bathroom and prayed to the God of the universe and I felt His peace wash over me. It didn’t mean that the thoughts went away straight away, but I felt peace in the midst of the anxious situation and that was enough for me to ask for help and to come out of the bathroom.
2. Breathing. Another thing that helped me when I was in the group setting. I take one big breath in and one big breath out and I repeat however many times I need to, sometimes more than 5 times. This helps because you are in control of your breathing. Often with anxiety you feel out of control, so to be able to control something like your breathing helps break the chains of the anxiety in that moment.
3. Grounding. These techniques have really helped me and others around me during panic attacks. Grounding means to re focus your mind on the now rather than all the thoughts racing in your mind during anxiety attacks. Here is a link to 30 grounding techniques:  grounding techniques . The science behind anxiety is fascinating and the grounding techniques really help counteract the bodily functions going on. When something triggers your anxiety, the amygdala which is the emotional part of your brain detects something threatening to you and therefore responds with heavy breathing, panicking and shaking and with grounding, you can re focus your mind so that the anxiety fades.
4. 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Method. This is by far my favorite grounding method and I have used this myself and have seen others use it and it has been so helpful. During your anxiety attack ask yourself or get somebody alongside you who knows this technique to ask you to speak out: 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can taste, and 1 thing you can smell. This helps take your mind off the anxiety and onto your surroundings which is very helpful.
5. People. In my own life especially, I am so thankful that during my times of anxiety I have had people around me who have helped me every step of the way. Having people in your life who know you and who accept you for who you are is so important. Show me your friends and I can tell you your future. Who you are friends with is so important especially during moments of anxiety, they can help you re-focus and remind you that you have the victory over the anxiety!!

Overall, I want to remind you all that you are VICTORIOUS.

Anxiety is tough, but our God is tougher. It is something that you can overcome. It is something that you can get through. It is something that you can conquer with Jesus on your side. Keep walking, keep seeking Him and keep your mindset as one of a victorious child of God. Anxiety cannot and will not ruin your life. You are too powerful for that.

I love you all xxxxx

to the person who wants to give up…

Before I even start this blog I just want to say, I get you.

Maybe you are in a new season of life and don’t know how you are going to accomplish the huge mountain that is in front of you. Maybe things around you have just crashed down and you feel isolated and disappointed. Maybe a relationship you thought would work out actually turned out to be toxic and you are left feeling empty.

Whether you are facing heartbreak, isolation, change, grief, disappointment or any other emotion- I just want to say, i’m here for you- more importantly, God is too.

Emotion is always something i’ve struggled to come to terms with. You see, I used to struggle with sharing how I felt. I somehow thought that every “negative” emotion was to be suppressed and wasn’t positive enough to be shared. I thought that I wouldn’t be the same smiley Melisa everybody knows if I shed a tear or was going through a hard time.

I set the highest expectations for myself, and sometimes didn’t allow myself to feel the emotions that were building inside of me day after day. And what happened?

I crashed.

You see, emotions were not meant to be kept inside. Emotions are made to be felt.

Because I spent so many months carrying emotion, the time of crash for me meant that instead of just feeling my emotions, they actually ended up controlling me, and this was not healthy.

How are your emotions? Where do you go when you feel them? Do you let them out??

First things out, please let your emotions out. If somebody in your family has passed away, it is okay to cry about it! If you just broke up with your boyfriend/girlfriend or vice versa, it is okay to have a day in bed and cry out to God!! If you are being bullied at school, it is okay to feel upset and disappointed about it.

Feeling emotion and letting it out is not a bad thing. The bad thing is when you let your emotions control you.

The enemy sees emotions and he wants to take advantage of it. He wants to tell you that you will be sitting in that emotion forever. He wants to tell you that the way you are feeling is going to be forever, when in reality, these are all lies he tries to fill your mind with.

God on the other hand reminds us that “for everything there is a season.” (Ecclesiastes 3) In fact, the whole book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that seasons pass! The way you are feeling now is definitely not going to be forever. Let God refresh your mind. Let Him be your joy in the midst of pain. In the middle of your crying, cry out to Him. Talk to Jesus. He wants to help you through it- He doesn’t want you to stay that way.

God wants you to feel things- but not to stay in your feelings.

Why? Because He has SO much better for you!!!!

Last year was one of the darkest moments I have faced. It was my first heartbreak and for me, this was very difficult to navigate. Hearing promises of forever and then entering a new season of unknown was strange. I had no other option than to trust God and to lean on Him in this time- and girl let me tell you, that moment was one of the best choices I have ever made. I decided that I was upset, but I decided that I trusted God and that there was obviously a reason for that relationship break down, and I wanted the joy that Jesus offered in the midst of that pain. Jesus, help from my church and family was what helped me get through that season.

Since then, the joy I have felt is unlike any other. And that started with a choice.

I don’t know how you feel right now girl, but you have a choice.

A choice to let the feelings take over or a choice to let God help you and bring you His joy in the midst of them. A choice to suppress how you feel, or to reach out for help.

Which will you choose?

some verses that have gotten me through pain:

ecclesiastes 3:1- There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens

isaiah 41:10- So Do Not Fear, For I Am With You; Do Not Be Dismayed, For I Am Your God. I Will Strengthen You And Help You; I Will Uphold You With My Righteous Right Hand.

Romans 8:28-And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

If you need help or support with anything, please don’t be afraid to reach out to me, your local church, a local helpline such as the samaritans-0845 790 9090 etc.

Please never feel ashamed to reach out for help- you are important.

-m.a.b

do you need peace?

p e a c e.

/piːs/

noun

1. freedom from disturbance; tranquillity.

I don’t know about you, but there have been so many moments in my life where I have needed peace.

At university during essay season, with people during disagreements, in general whilst juggling a million things and only a week to finish them. In life there are so many things to think about and so many things to do.

Wouldn’t it be great to tackle them with an inner peace rather than running through life stressed?

One Bible verse has been on my mind for a while and it is found in Isaiah 26:3. It says this:

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

This verse is saying that God has perfect peace for us! How incredible is that for starters?! We don’t only get a peace that fades, but we get a perfect peace; a peace that never ends and that is always ready available to us.

But get this, to receive this peace, we have to play our part too.

Firstly, we have to ask for it! The Bible says that if we don’t ask, we won’t receive! (James 4:3)

Secondly, we have to trust in God. We have to trust that our perfect Father will provide that peace for us, because He provides all our needs!

And thirdly, we have to keep our mind on Him. 

That is what this Bible verse is saying to me. So you may be asking, “well how do I keep my mind on Him? The world is constantly filling my mind with other things and it distracts me! What do I do?”

There are so many different ways to keep your mind on Jesus, but a couple of things I like to do are:

1. Having intentional time with God. For me personally, I like to schedule time into my mornings & evenings to read His word and pray. This may not work for you, but for me personally, my love language is quality time, so I find that scheduling out time to spend with God helps me to fix my eyes on Him because I know its for a purpose and it is intentional! 🙂
2. Praying as I go! I love to pick up my phone as if I’m talking to a human being and talk to God instead! I know, I’m a werido 😉 But I promise you that times when I have been walking to the bus stop and have talked to God have been some of the most powerful moments for me.
3. Speak His word over yourself! Speaking is SO powerful! You’ve probably heard this before, but when you speak encouragement over yourself multiple times, even if you don’t believe what you are saying at first, you will begin to believe it because you are speaking life over yourself! It’s the same for negative things too, so don’t go speaking negativity over yourself! Instead, speak life!! This can be as simple as looking in the mirror and saying “I am chosen. I am loved. I am beautiful because God says so.”

You see, this peace is ready available to us.

What are you going to do about it? 

I love you all!

-Melisa ❤ xxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember who you are….

The enemy is so good at telling us lies.

he is constantly speaking death over us, hoping that we will take it to heart and let it overtake us. his voice speaks over us with words like “you’ll never be good enough” and “you’re not important”, “you’re too far gone to receive love.”

How many times do we believe these lies?

Are you one of those people who believes that voice?

Society is constantly clouding us with pictures of what we think are “perfect people.” People photoshopped with abs and perfect summer tans. Girls with the “perfect” figure and guys with the “best body.”

When we are constantly seeing these things pop up on our instagram and facebook feeds, what do we do?

 One quote that always sticks out to me is….

“Comparison is the thief of joy”

 It is so easy to compare ourselves to others. To want that persons calling, to want that persons relationship, to want that family, to want that status.

But are you forgetting about something?

You are YOU. When we start comparing ourselves to others and stop being content with what we have and who we are, we are simply forgetting our true identity.

The Bible says that we are made in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27) Now, I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty amazing that we are made in the image of the creator of this whole entire universe!

We come from the creator of the beautiful sunsets, roaring rivers, crystal oceans & strong mountains. This is who we belong to. This is where we find our true identity. 

And guess what? God calls you even more beautiful than all of His creation. He calls you valued and chosen and loved. He calls you to die for. He did die for you in the person of His son, Jesus.

This is how important you are.

This is how valuable you are.

When we know our true identity, we won’t look to the right or to the left in comparison, but we will remain firm in who God made us to be. It reminds me of the scene from the lion king where Simba forgets who he is, and his father appears to him in the clouds.

Watch this clip and imagine the father is actually your Heavenly Father speaking.

lion king clip

“Remember who you are.”

We are His.

And that is enough.

You may get lost along the way, and that is okay. Your Father always waits with open arms…..

matthew 6:30-And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

-m.a.b

What I have learnt as a 19 year old.

Its approaching June 25th, and this means that I will be 20 soon!

Every year, I love to reflect on the past year and all the amazing things God has brought me through. I thought I would write about what I have learnt during my 19th year of life.

1. The number one thing I have learnt this year is that God’s plans are SO much better than my own. There have been many times this year when I wanted my own plans, when I thought my own plans would be the best, but each and every time I believed this, God showed me that His plans were better. And His plans have absolutely blown me away, let me just say that. Even that is an understatement. Learn from my mistakes and trust that God’s way will always be better than your own.

     2. This year I also started university. I learnt that God’s plans will prevail, regardless of what you think your ability is. God qualifies us and prepares us. I didn’t have any A Levels, which are the qualifications you need to get into university, so I was expecting to not get into any school, but God not only got me in, but He also got me into my favorite school where I am currently studying my true passion, working with young people and theology too. (SEE, SO much better than I could have dreamed!!!)

3) God has also shown me in so many ways this year that He is provider. He knows exactly what we need. He knows our desires. He has heard our prayers and He will provide for us in His way- which is the best way!! We just have to be willing to wait on His plan.

4) He makes ALL things new.

5) He works ALL things together for good. (romans 8:28)

God never fails to remind me of this verse, whether it is turning my phone on randomly during the evening and seeing the time as “8:28” or seeing the numbers 828 on the street or on a bus. He CONSTANTLY reminded me of this verse this year, and I will always hold this verse close to my heart.

Romans 8:28- “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

6) I am more valuable than I think. God has healed those pieces of my heart this year that did not see my value. He has shown me that I am worth far above rubies in His name! (Proverbs 31)

7) Now, this point is the most valuable thing I have learnt this year by far. That whatever happens in my life, Jesus is the only one that can satisfy and love my heart the way it was created to be. Jesus is the lover of my heart. There is nothing that can separate me from His love and there is nothing that can sway me away from it. There is nothing at all in all creation that even comes close to His love. Only He satisfies. Only He fills my heart completely. Only Jesus. (romans 8)

8) God wants to use the parts of you that you think are broken. God actually believes in you. He has set you apart. He sees goodness when He sees you. His love is too good to leave you broken in the darkness. He actually wants to bring you from that place and into a place of healing and restoration so that you can share that healing with His world! He cares about you. There is no broken part of you that is too dirty for God to heal. He wants ALL of you- not just the “perfect” parts…..

The list could go on and on.

I am beyond excited to learn more this year and let God overflow my heart with His love.

My prayer for all of you is that you remember how loved & valuable you are to Jesus. You are fiercely loved by the King of Kings who died so that He could know you individually.

Don’t forget that.

-m.a.b

 

 

r e f l e c t i o n

hello world! It’s been a while since I posted on here, but I want to start posting again because the Lord has placed so much on my heart to share!

As you might know, I started uni in September and it’s about an hour and a half away exactly from my house on the train. When I tell people that, they usually look confused as to why I make the effort to travel three times a week to class, but for me, I see it as an opportunity.

Every train journey is an opportunity to reflect.

And that’s exactly what I do. I never used to be much of a thinker. I always wanted to be doing something, keeping myself as busy as possible. But this year has really taught me the importance of reflection. Solitude. In your own thoughts. In prayer. In peace.

My favorite thing to do is sit on the train and put on music I already know, so that I’m not distracted by new lyrics or melodies. I just close my eyes and think.. Reflect on the day before; what happened, what conversations I had, ways I could have done better, things I am proud of that happened, ways that God moved in that day… etc.

I also like to pray and just listen. How often do we have a one sided conversation with God? We do all the talking and forget to listen. But what if God has something very important He needs you to listen to? Is the art of reflection something that is needed in our spiritual journeys? I would personally answer yes.

Just an hour train journey- but so many revelations have happened here. So much encouragement. So much prayer. So much time to just be in the presence of God without the world’s distractions.

So let me ask you something….

Are you a reflective person? How often do you just sit and think? Where do you think you could implement the art of reflection into your life?

p r o v e r b s – 4 : 2 6 – Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.

-melisa x

do you know your worth?

I’m not gonna lie- I’ve probably written about this before.

You see, I feel like I am on this earth to share 2 messages. 1) That you can be set free from oppression, and 2) That you are valuable.  We’ll get on to number 1 another time.

This is just a message that the Lord constantly puts on my heart- probably because it is so easy to forget.

I am a firm believer that we are all here on purpose. I believe that we are meant to be here on this earth- we are needed for a specific plan.

Just like Rapunzel from “Tangled.” She was far away from her kingdom. She was deserted from her parents. But she carried one thing with her. That memory of the lanterns that appeared in the sky every year on her birthday. They were a reminder from her parents that she was the lost princess. That she had value. Even if she didn’t know it yet.

Throughout the story Rapunzel searches to find those lanterns. She is searching to see why they are so valuable. Little does she know its herself that holds the value.

Let me ask you a question. Do you search for your value when can’t see it anymore?

Life can always throw things at us- especially insecurity and this causes us to forget our value. We can get into bad situations because we don’t think we are good enough. Bad relationships, taking medication to numb the pain of how useless we feel, constantly wanting to lose weight because of how obsessed we are with our celebrity idols. Constantly bad mouthing ourselves because we don’t feel good enough. Always isolating ourselves because we think nobody likes us.

These are all real things.

It saddens my heart because there is one man who paid the ultimate price of death to pay for your life. One man who wiped all your sins away so that you could live freely in our world today. One man who gave everything He had- Just for YOU.

If you want to remind yourself of your value- Look to Christ. Cause He adores you 🙂 He did all of that just for you. 

Instead of the lanterns in the sky being our sign, the cross is.

Never forget the price that was paid for you. You are one of a kind. You are precious. You are needed. You are unique. You are loved. You are forgiven for everything you have ever done and everything you will ever do. You are VALUABLE. 

r o m a n s 5:8- But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

r e f l e c t i o n – q u e s t i o n s

1. Where do you find your value?
2. Is there anything in your life that makes you feel not good enough?
3. Where are you going to find your value from now?

I love you all.

Remember that you are royalty in God’s eyes. Just like Rapunzel found her value in finding out that she was the lost princess- you can know NOW that you are God’s royalty. Grab hold of that opportunity. Stop searching.

-mel x

 

 

singleness

“In a relationship.”

Something almost all of us want to be able to say or post on our facebook walls. Almost all of us desire to have a significant other if we don’t already have one. I see posts all over my timeline about being single and how awful it is. I hear countless people talking about how they want to be in a relationship already and how they just want somebody by their side forever. It’s a worldwide desire. We all want to be wanted. We all want somebody to cherish us and someone who never leaves our side. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that too.

But I want to talk about God’s view on all this. Every time I think about relationships and the desire we have to be in them, it brings up a question. “Why do I desire relationship?”

The first book of the Bible gives us the answer! God created Adam but He knew that it would be better for Him to have a helper alongside Him. God is the author and creator of relationships! He started them all off from the very beginning with the first humans to walk our earth.

Genesis 2:18- Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

So if God created relationships, can’t we trust Him to fulfill our desire to have one?

If a very generous person was making cupcakes and you asked for one, I’m sure they would give you one.

God is the most generous being ever and He loves to see His children happy. There is a verse that has been on my heart recently and it is Psalm 84:11- “For the Lord God is our sun and shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold NO good thing from those who do what is right.”

The Lord knows you better than anybody and He knows the significant other that He has in mind for you- He will not withhold that from you.

All we have to do is follow Him and trust that He knows best. I know it’s not a piece of cake and it doesn’t always make the journey of singleness easier, but it gives me hope to know that my creator, and the creator of love knows who is best for me. And He has perfect timing in that.

So in your singleness, trust the creator of relationships. Trust that He knows best for you. Listen to His voice and follow His leading. And know that no earthly relationship could ever fulfill you like Jesus does. He is the only one who can truly fill that void in our hearts. Earthly relationships are meant to be His reflection- not fulfillment.

Girls: Wait for that man who will pursue you. Wait for that man who will cherish you and be intentional with you- not someone who leads you on or someone who messes you around. But wait for the man who is listening to God when He is asking you out!

Guys: Stop with all that “She’s too good for me.” If God is leading you to be with someone, follow Him! What is the worst that could happen? Remember, God knows best. Emotions and infatuation can get the best of us, but it’s the Lord’s voice that is right. Ask for discernment and don’t be hard on yourself!

All the love,

Mel x

 

t h a n k f u l <3

hiiiii beautiful children of God! It’s been a while!

Anyways, today I wanted to talk about thankfulness! I’ve already talked about this on my blog, but I felt God leading me to bring it up again!

I’m sure you guys can relate, but as human beings we are constantly going through something. There is always something going on in our lives that is stressful or hard or sad. And there is a little secret to help you get through these things easier….

See, every day we have a choice to let our struggles be the focus, or we can make thankfulness the focus.

When we start our days with grateful hearts, stress has no room anymore! Because we are choosing to zone in on what we are thankful for instead. It doesn’t mean that all our problems are gonna go away, but it allows your heart and mind to be at ease knowing that God has them taken care of. It takes your focus off the bad and onto all the good in your life. Because there is so much good!  All the blessings that have been given to us are from God himself!

Psalm 9:1- I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

If you take a moment and think about it, there are SO many things to be thankful for! Doesn’t it just fill your heart with so much joy? It definitely does for me!

God blesses us with so much every single day and it blows my mind!!!

So challenge! Take a minute to pray or pull out your journal and remind yourself of everything you are thankful for. I guarantee by the end of it you will feel different. Like a weight has been lifted off of you.

“Appreciation can make a day—even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” ―Margaret Cousins

When you actually speak aloud or write down what you are thankful for, it brings it to life rather than just thinking about it.

So I challenge you and myself this week to wake up every single day with a grateful heart and a heart of praise to our God.

Life is too short to worry about problems God has already taken care of.

Start seeing your life through the lense of praise.

(challenge: each morning for a week, write down on a sticky note one thing you are grateful for and focus on that all day. when anxiety, pain or sadness hits, remember what you wrote.) Then you can speak over yourself, “I’m not going to be sad because God has blessed me with this!” 🙂

I love you all!

-Mel xxx