Lily Archives - As It Is in Heaven

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021

What Are You Sacrificing for Your Life of Faith?

sacrificing for your life of faith, sacrifice, jesus, disciples, abraham, faith

How much would you say you’re sacrificing for your life of faith on a day-to-day basis?

This probably isn’t a typical discussion question with friends or family, because for many, it’s not a very comfortable conversation. Growing up, I used to think that being a Christian required a lot of sacrifice. As someone who’s definitely not a morning person, getting up early every Sunday morning for church required tons of effort. That was a sacrifice, right? Plus, I spent lots of time at countless volunteering activities and outreaches.

April 22, 2021May 29, 2021

What is the Covenant and Are You Keeping It?

covenant, new covenant, God, promise, Bible

Most of us make countless promises throughout our lives.

Whether it was a ‘serious’ pinky-swear during elementary school or a legal business contract, there are many forms promises can take. However, the purpose is always the same. It is an agreement between two or more groups that is meant to be kept by everyone involved.

April 15, 2021June 10, 2021

It Is Finished: What Jesus Actually Completed

It Is Finished, fulfillment, promises, Jesus

Angry shouts filling the air, curses, beatings, humiliation, pain. And then, the final words from Jesus, “It is finished”. The event of Jesus bearing the cross is a familiar one for most Christians. But how much time do we spend truly reflecting on this moment? Recently, I was reading through the book of Matthew again and came across the account of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Churches and media everywhere commonly refer to this event on Easter or in movies. But take a moment to really put yourself into that moment. Picture what it would’ve been like to be there.

April 1, 2021April 3, 2021

Are You Living Up to God’s Standards?

God's standards, God, relationship, faith, knowledge

If we think about relationships, do you think it’s possible to have a successful relationship without having any standards? Maybe in a romantic relationship, you want to be with someone who lives a certain lifestyle that matches yours. Maybe in a friendship, you make an effort to keep friends who are positive and encouraging instead of gossipy or cynical.

Even if we don’t want to admit it, we all have standards and expectations for our relationships. And we should. Having standards is a way of ensuring you can trust the other person while also protecting your own heart. But let’s also think about when you have clear or set standards in a relationship, but the other party constantly breaks or ignores them. How would you react? Even when you sincerely love a person, you set standards that you hold them to and usually they do the same for us. For any of us who say we’re in a relationship with God, should we expect God to be any different?

March 18, 2021September 12, 2021

How Can I Live a Righteous Life?

Am I good enough? Does God care about me or listen to my prayers? Am I Iiving a righteous life? How do I know if I am doing things the ‘right’ way? If you’ve ever had these types of thoughts, then you’re surely not alone. I know I personally struggled a lot with these questions and negative feelings when I was growing up, despite always making sure to put on the facade of a good, happy, Christian daughter.

February 26, 2021April 1, 2021

Have You Heard God’s Voice Lately?

I always had many different ideas and questions about God. I would often wonder what it would be like if God spoke to me. Or, if I had a chance to meet with God, what would I want to ask? However, as I pondered more about these things, I began to seriously wonder how God communicates with us today. There are many people around the world who claim to receive visions from God or hear God’s voice through dreams. But I didn’t want to believe anything until it could be verified as true. So, I turned to the Bible for help.

February 11, 2021July 25, 2021

How to Have Hope in a World that Seems Hopeless

Hope. Something that everyone wants, but few are able to keep. When we look out into the world, especially with everything going on these days, hope seems like a very far-off dream.

I know I personally have had times where I struggled to hold on to hope. Everything around me felt so hopeless. In those moments, others would try to help me by telling me to “look at the bright side of things.” They would say, “just stay positive.” But this often just made me feel worse.

January 25, 2021April 15, 2021

6 Practical Tips to Improve Your Life of Faith

It’s start of a new year. A time when motivation for change is at an all-time high and people all around the world renew their energy. It’s a time to start with a clean slate and move on from the shortcomings of the previous year. As a Christian, one of the goals I always made at the beginning of each year was to “have a stronger relationship with God” or “improve my life of faith”.