I met this man in Italy…

It has been such a long time since I have written a blog post but my recent trip to Italy has given me a burst of inspiration. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to point glory to my Father in heaven for the wonders of His hands.



My cousin Princess! Love this chick!

Firstly, let me say that one of my closest cousins (Princess Major) practically made it possible for me to take a wonderful trip to Italy. I’m forever thankful for the love that she has demonstrated to me, I owe this girl 1 million euros! Lol Seriously, nothing moves the heart like the love demonstrated in sacrifice. Sacrificial love is the foundation of God’s love for humanity so to see it human-to-human is like a piece of heaven. Thanks P! Love ya girl!

So…on to the story à

Last Wednesday my cousin and I departed for Milan, Italy for an exciting adventure (and what an adventure it was)! I’m going to save the details of the trip for another post to prevent this post from being exhausting. The main point of this post is to tell about the amazing man that I met in Milano, Italia. I spent Thursday and Friday in Milan exploring the city, tasting the food, shopping, sightseeing, etc. On Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel and flew to Rome for a day (which was a GREAT time!) to do some sightseeing. The Roman experience was amazing; seeing that much history at one time was absolutely breath-taking! On Sunday morning we flew back to Milan. Upon arriving we checked into the fabulous Park Hyatt Milan, located just minutes from the number one tourist attraction in Milan, Italy, The Duomo di Milan (or the Milan Cathedral in English).

The Duomo di Milan

NOTE (About Duomo): The Duomo is the 5^th largest cathedral in the world and took nearly 6 centuries to complete (construction began in 1386 and was completed in 1805). This place is a BIG deal in Milan. It is guarded by military and visitors must adhere to specific rules and regulations to enter.

 

As the hotel receptionist walked us through our room she mentioned that there were flowers waiting for me on the table. I looked over to find a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers (my favorite) and to my amazement they were from my love! I was absolutely blown away that he had found a way to send me flowers all the way in Italia! It made my heart melt that he had been so thoughtful and intentional. It was extra special because just the night before, while riding a crowded train to my hotel in Rome, someone picked my pockets and took ALL of my euros (now I must admit, though I was being careful, It was unwise of me to have all of my money in one location). When I realize that my money was stolen I had an unusual and overwhelming sense of peace. I told my cousin that

The most beautiful sunflowers ever!
Rick had them waiting at my hotel in
Milan upon my arrival! xo

I felt like the Lord was very close to me and was telling me “It’s ok daughter. I am not caught off guard, I knew this would happen. I gave you the money in the first place and I only allowed for your money to get stolen for my glory. This is for my glory! I will give you the money back, plus more. You are my daughter, my prized possession and I have you in the palm of my powerful right hand”. I felt so close to God at that moment! I had so much joy in my relationship with God. I was reminded that the world can take everything away from me, even down to my life, but they cannot take away my joy in Christ and my relationship with the one true God. My spirit was on fire within me. I was also reminded of my purpose; my call to help others experience relationship with Christ so that they could experience the joy that does not depart. While I live, God is with and for me so no matter what circumstances occur, I am taken care of; and if my very life is taken, I still win because I will be with God, my Lord, my savior, and the lover of my soul. It is a WIN no matter what happens. Anywho, I say all that to say that the flowers from my Boo Bear was a pleasant surprise and even more meaningful considering the circumstances of the day prior.

After checking in, my cousin kept talking about the Duomo and wanting to go to the top to take pictures (even though she is deathly afraid of heights! LOL) so we decided to go up and do just that. At the top of the Duomo you can overlook the entire city of Milan. You take an elevator up but to get to the very top you have to go up about 20 steps. So, we rode the elevator up and just before we got to the steps P said that she was scared to go up but asked me to go and capture pictures for her. I refused to go without her so we left and went back to the room to get ready for dinner. As we were walking back out to find a place for dinner I noticed this guy that looked just like my love; then I noticed that he was looking at me, and smiling at me; then I realized that IT WAS HIM!! You can imagine my confusion! As far as I knew, he should have been in Atlanta, preaching at His friend’s church (I had been praying for him all morning that he would deliver the word with clarity! Ha!).

So romantic!

I asked question after question about why He was in Italy, how long he had been there, and how he got there, just trying to make sense of what I was experiencing (none of which he answered). We walked back to the Duomo (me still in a totally confused and shocked state) and took the elevator up; Princess was behind us capturing pictures. As we got to the steps and went to the very top I noticed that Rick seemed to know all of the security guards in the entire Duomo (also confusing for me).

This is when my life changed forever…

He lead me to the platform at the very top of the cathedral (which security had cleared off for his use) and shared with me how much he loved me, how much joy that I’ve brought into his life, how this was the biggest moment in his 30 years of life, how I was his best friend and his rib, how God had planned for us to be together

The most beautiful ring I've ever seen! My
love did an excellent job! Feminine and
classic with a vintage feel! Inscribe on the
inside is Songs of Solomon 4:9-
"You have captivated my heart, my
bride; you have captivated my
heart with one glance of your
eyes, with one jewel of your necklace."

since before the foundation of the earth (and many other things that I didn’t remembered because of my shock. I had Rick to tell me what he said again later LOL), and he got on one knee, presented me with the most gorgeous ring that I have ever seen in my life, and asked if I would be his wife. As I exclaimed a tear-filled YES, I had to express thanks to God who gave me a wonderful man, who protected us until the point that we met on January 12, 2012 (we met as I was leading a LifeGroup bible study at my house. It was the first session that I hosted and I was nervous. He literally knocked on my door the first time we met; it's amazing knowing that God had already planned this moment even then), who guided us into relationship on April 14, 2013 (after Rick called me and asked me to fast and pray with him about the direction of our friendship), and who graced us on Sunday, October 27, 2013 to publicly declare our love and commitment to one another. After the proposal the Italians who were on the top  

side view of my ring- Tacori makes the most
feminine and beautiful rings!

of the cathedral with us began to cheer and sing a cultural song of celebration to us; it was absolutely beautiful!

  
 


I am forever thankful for Rick’s heart for me, for his love and respect of me. I’m thankful for his commitment to God and his commitment to love me as God desires. I’m so blessed to be able to marry my soul mate, my best friend, and the man that God created just for me. Meeting him and being in relationship with him makes my life make so much sense. Every experience and every piece of the story of Kristin Major has been shaping me for him. I am a better woman because of his love. I look forward to being his wife, his helper, to serving and loving him, and to helping him achieve everything that God desires for his life to accomplish. Rick is the best man that I’ve ever met in my life (not to include my wonderful father, brothers, and uncles; that's a totally different vantage point); I respect and admire him tremendously. And next year, I look forward to committing to him in Holy Matrimony.

I met Rick soon after making a decision to get off of the fence (living for God part-time and living according to my own desires and volition part-time) and give God 100%; to put all of my eggs in His basket. At that point, God exceeded my every expectation with Rick and gave me a true treasure in him.

I met this man in Italy, and He made my dreams come true.

The day after our engagement, in front of the Duomo di Milan; where it all went down!

If I could tell you one thing it would be to give your life completely to God. His sole purpose of creating you was to bless you and love you; He wants to give you the desires of your heart (once you allow for His desires to become your desires). The common misconception is that God wants to give you something that you don’t want, that maybe he wants to make your life miserable and boring. But I am here to proclaim that the adverse is true! He LOVES you and wants to give you the best that He has to offer. God told me in 2011 that He wanted to use my life to prove “God’s way does STILL work”. And I can truly say that I am a living testimony of that truth. I haven't had to disrespect my savior or my body, I haven't had to compromise in anyway, I haven't been restricted from being who God created me to be. There is freedom in true love. Rick esteems me and protects me not only physically but also spiritually (by not asking me to or allowing me to compromise). I know that this love can only be produced by God.

I pray that my story encourages you to trust God more, to experience real relationship with Him (not merely church, but real relationship with the living God). May God bless each of you and keep you, and cause His face to shine upon you!

Here we go...Team Fields!

The beginning of the sweetest story ever told. Rick and Kris

With love,

Soon-to-be Mrs. Kristin Fields

XO  

 

P.S. – It seems that everyone knew that Rick was planning to surprise me in Italy except for me. I’m impressed that my friends and family kept the secret so well. Bravo!

Also, I later found out that Rick arrived in Milan just 1 day after me. I’m blown away!

The Epidemic: "Baptized but NOT saved" (Part 1)

It truly is an epidemic! Baptized but NOT saved; a tactic that the enemy uses to deceive people to believe that by an emotionally charged journey to the altar at church, saying a prayer, and being baptized, they are now saved and in right standing with God. Now, i'm not saying that people don't come down to the altar and make a sincere decision about Christ, but I am saying that many people have an inaccurate view of the "why" and "how" of salvation and how to "grow" in relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, It's one of those foundational blocks of the Christian faith that is not given the needed emphasis or presented often enough for people to have a clear understanding. My goal over the next few post (with the help of God) is to help individuals understand what it means to truly be a Christian.

 I serve on the Decision Counseling ministry at my church; this is the ministry that assists people who have made a decision to accept Christ as Lord and Savior of their life. I also try to be intentional about sharing the love of Christ with people by sharing the gospel with them and offering relationship with the living God. The single most common thing that I hear when people tell me that they are saved is "I was baptized when I was (insert age here); i'm saved." When I ask those same people about the change that they experienced when they received Christ they can't offer anything. When I ask them about the contrast of their life before Christ and after Christ they can't offer anything. When we take a look at reality of if they live their lives as GOD teaches or as THEY DESIRE, the favor is in THEIR side. This is the devastating reality of what I come across 85% percent of the time. This breaks God's heart because He is very protective of His glory and if people are living lives that are contradictory to what God commands but yet they are calling themselves Christians; then God is being misrepresented. Sure, we will all sin and fall short, but our commitment as Christians should be that we are daily becoming more and more like Christ by allowing HIM to transform our hearts and our lives. This doesn't just happen by osmosis, it takes intentionality.

Another phrase that I often hear when asking people about their salvation is, "I'm saved, I grew up in the church". This is yet another tactic that the enemy uses to convince us that we are right with God. We go to church RELIOUSLY but see no evidence of God's power displayed in our lives. There is little difference between our life and the life of those who are unbelievers. So many find comfort and security in their relationship with God (or lack thereof) because they ritually attend church and avoid what they deem as the "major sins". God is clear that true relationship with him causes a HEART/LIFE CHANGE! I'd venture to say that unless your life looks different after Christ (meaning that your desire for righteousness is increasing, your taste for sin is decreasing, and evidence of that is displayed in your life), you must take a deep look at if you ever truly accepted Christ in the first place. The book of 1 John has a great deal of information that will help one to determine if they are truly in relationship with God (I'll cover some of that soon but for starters, you can read it in a version of your choosing that is simple to understand).

Now why am I so passionately talking about this? Is it to point out this epidemic just for the sake of it? Absolutely not! My goal is to help people have an understanding of the danger of claiming relationship with God without truly being involved in that relationship. That is damaging to the Kingdom of God and an extremely dangerous position for an individual to take. In the next few post I would like to walk through some ways that the bible clearly teaches us in identifying that if we are truly in relationship with Christ.

While salvation is a free gift given to us by God through Jesus Christ, it is more than just saying words; it is submitting to a heart change and committing to growing in the knowledge and righteousness of Christ. We don't have the ability to do it in our own strength, but by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit given to us through Christ Jesus at the point of salvation, we can truly experience what it means to have abundant life in Christ (John 10:10).

I pray over the next few post I am able to help you or someone that you know see what God truly desires for us as His children. His love is unfailing and unrelenting and he desires TRUE relationship with you today. Come back and join me for more on understanding what it means to be a born again child of God.

I love you all, but Jesus loves you SO much more!

Kristin Sarai  

The Stage of Life: God HATES pride

 

 

I’ve always considered myself to be kind, sweet, giving, and humble. I’ve always been the type to shy away from receiving praise from people because I recognized arrogance as a characteristic that I hated in other people. I was comfortable thinking, “I have many areas where I need God's transformative power and molding but pride is NOT one. Recently, I was slapped in the face with the truth (God has a way of illuminating in your heart the truth of who you are and who He wants you to be); I DO have an issue with pride and I DO need God to transform my heart further in that area.

We always think of pride as arrogance, conceit, or bragging but another form of pride that often goes unchecked among Christians is self-dependence. Pride is also putting confidence in yourself to run your life. I know this may sound crazy because we live in a culture that constantly tell us that independence is respectable, it should be desired, and it’s the best way to prove that you have what it takes.

I enjoy acting (though it's not something that I have the opportunity to do often) and my favorite part of the process is hearing the director's vision for the play. What's the story line?, what message does the director want to send to the audience?, what will my role add to the big picture?, etc. But can you imagine if I walked into rehearsal with no lines and no defined role and started doing whatever I wanted to do? What if I made up the parts myself and expected everyone else to get on my page. I mean, what's the big deal? I'm have a vision for my role too, why can't I just do what I want to do?

The sad reality is that many people approach life in this way. We have a director (God) who has written the story of our lives, who has given us a role (purpose), and has personally agreed to help us learn how to play our role but yet we hit the stage and do what we want to do instead of yielding to the vision that was already set (in God's case, it was set before the foundation of the earth).

One thing that I’m learning more and more in my Christian walk is this; anything that we attempt to do outside of God is a path to destruction. We did not create ourselves, we don’t know what the plans for our lives are (outside of what God clearly tells us is His plan for all of His children), but far too often we set our hands to making decisions about our lives and playing our own director. Let's look at a scripture in James 4 and see what we can take from this: 

⁶ But He gives us more and more grace (^[a]power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).

⁷ So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

⁸ Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].

⁹ [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].

¹⁰ Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].

 

So, it would take me several post to completely dig into this scripture but I'll share my key takeaways with you all.

 

1. Pride is our natural inclination: Our default is to trust ourselves to run our lives. I mean, most Christians that I know have a regular saying, "God knows best", but few Christians live life in a way that proves that they truly believe that. If we truly believed that, we would study His word and through His strength, do all of the things that He has instructed us to do therein. We would also depend on Him for leading our paths, decision making, and teaching us how to love like Him. We can only eliminate pride through allowing God to do the work IN our hearts.

2. God gives believers the Holy Spirit to overcome our pride with humility: God has given His children the Holy Spirit to rest in our hearts to liberate us from slavery to sin and pride. When we approach God with a sincere heart, desiring for Him to make us more like Christ, He promises that He will do the work within our lives. That's the whole point of the Holy Spirit (to be our helper, counseling, advocate, standby, and strengthener)

3. God explicitly HATES pride: Ummm how many times can I express that God absolutely hates pride. I dare you to do a many study on "How God feels about pride" and see just how serious He is about His disdain for it.

4. Recognize your need for cleansing: In order for God to transform you, you must: acknowledge your sin, recognize that you need saving, and recognize God as the source for the transformation (God is the solution). You must realize that there is nothing that you can do in your own strength. We can decide to have the life that is offered to us in Christ by submitted and allowing God to transform our hearts or we can continue to be self-dependent and always grasp at the life but never achieve it.

5. Get desperate for Him and draw near to Him: We spoke about the need for cleansing right?! Ok, this step is critical! We have to be desperate for it! Don't merely want it, but approach God in a "Look, I want to be like you, I want the character of your son Jesus Christ, and I will not stop pursing you until you change me". That may mean that you'll lose some sleep, you may miss some meals, you may be unavailable to family and friends during this process, but THAT desperation will move the hand of God and just as He promised, "As we pursue Him, He WILL pursue us".

6. God WILL exalt you and make your life significant:  This is where it gets GOOD! This is when we are truly experiencing the "abundant life" that God is offering His children. We see a shedding of our sinful nature and we start to look like Christ. We start to grow in the fruit of the spirit, we love better, we handle adversity better, we see visions of our future, we are walking in our purpose, we are living our life as an act of worship unto God, and because of that, he gives us His joy and peace. It's just SO good!

 

God is the perfect director, His vision is clear, His desire is to bring us to an expected end and give us abundant life in Him (John 10:10, Jeremiah 29:11). I hope that today you will renew your commitment to giving God full director responsibility and submitted to His vision for the role that you are to play. He won't give you a bad role but I promise, you'll create a bad role for yourself (even if it seems great initially). He loves you and he wants to constantly move you to a place where you are experiencing His love in a deeper way.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for shedding a light on our hearts through Your word. Please forgive us of our sin and help us to turn away from them for they are many. Thank you for an understanding of how You feel about pride. We submit to your molding! Please remove pride from our hearts, remove our self-dependence and help us to trust You more. We trust that you know what is best for our lives, we trust that you will NOT let us down, and we trust that life in You is better than anything that we can do on our own. Have your way in our lives Lord, press your word upon our hearts, and make us more like your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for the promise that you will exalt us and make our lives significant. We believe you and we Love you! In Your Son Jesus name, Amen.

 

I love you all, but Jesus loves you SO much more!

XO,

Kristin Sarai

 

Introducing The REAL New Normal! New video webseries in collaboration with Tamiera McNeil with The Life For Less Ministries

Hi friends! It has been a while since I last wrote a blog but I've learned that there are some seasons in life where God will just overwhelm you with the way that he chooses to express His love and I am in that season now (oh how sweet it is)! I hope that today you are encourage to continue to pursue The Lord! As we pursue Him, he without fail pursues us just the same!

I want to take this opportunity to introduce to you a new video webseries that I am doing in collaboration with my dear friend and sister, Tamiera McNeil with The Life For Less Ministries. It is such a humbling experience to share what God has done in us with you! My prayer is that you have a fresh perspective and you are inspired to grow deeper and closer in relationship with Jesus Christ! He truly is standing there, waiting for you, with arms opened wide. I love you but Christ loves you SO MUCH MORE!

The REAL New Normal Webseries: Episode 1 Mary and Martha

XO,

Kristin Sarai

Check out my sister's ministry page, you're sure to be encouraged by it! I promise :) www.thelifeforless.com

The Necessity of Walking On Water: Faith over Fear

God has been pressing the scripture in Matthew 14 (where He and Peter walked on the water) for the last few days and actually when I consider it, the last few months. At first glance it seems like no more than a super cool story about something impossible being accomplished with little implication for the modern day believer BUT this scripture is jam packed with encouragement and implications for believers in the 21^st century!  Let’s see what we can pull out of this text!

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Ok so first it’s important for us to understand that absolutely everything that is written in the bible has purpose. God is a purpose-driven God; therefore, He desires to tell us a story about Him in everything.

Can you see it? The disciples have had a hard day and an amazing day all at the same time! They are tired (You’d have to read the entire chapter to capture this part)! John the Baptist has been murder in the worst way; they had a massive crowd show up (about 5,000) to be healed by Jesus and to listen to Him, they had been out there in the heat all day and they told Jesus “Send these people home so they can eat, it’s getting late” and Jesus responded “uhhh no, they are hungry but don’t shift responsibility…YOU FEED THEM”. They look at Jesus like he is crazy, “Master, we can’t possibly feed ALL of these people, we only have 2 little sardines and 5 loaves of bread!!” Then Jesus, full of swag responded “Perfect, bring me what you have and I’ll make the increase”. The disciples witness 5,000 people fed with more than enough food remaining afterwards (and they were able to take some ownership because Jesus used their hands as vessels to give the increase).

Ok that brings us to this point à the disciples on a boat after a long, difficult but exciting day of miracles. The waves are crashing around the boat and all of a sudden they see Jesus walking on the water (for some reason, we always get nervous when we see Jesus operating outside of our realm of understanding). Jesus told them “Take Courage! It is I! Don’t be afraid!” I imagine Jesus thinking “here we go again; they are acting like they’ve never seen me do impossible things before. Just today I allowed them to see 5,000 people be fed with just a little food yet they are still amazed. Ok, I will take this opportunity to confirm who I am to them once more.”

Peter cracks me up so much!! Do ya’ll see this dude’s response? “Lord forreal forreal, if that is really you then I bet you can’t make me walk on water!!” Jesus decides to oblige him here and tells Peter to come. I see myself in Peter and I can relate to what He was feeling. He steps out of the boat by faith and he’s doing it; He’s actually walking on the water! Then Peter takes His eyes off of Jesus and focuses on his circumstances. He starts to look at the waves and forgets to focus on Christ and that is the place where he begins to sink. But the good thing is that he has enough sense to call on Jesus for help. This next part is beautiful…

The scripture says, “Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him”. Wow, what a loving father! If it were me, I may have let him sink a little bit more to teach him a lesson before I saved him (horrible, I know). But Jesus, like the gracious warrior and loving father that he is, IMMEDIATELY reached out His strong hand to save Peter. He also took an opportunity to give Peter a pep talk about trusting Him. When the other disciples saw what had happened they worshiped Jesus. Funny how our trials propel us to worship God right!

Worry ends where faith begins. It is critical that we take the limits off of God. God desires for us to walk on the proverbial water (walking on water for our context is allowing Him to do the impossible through our lives). What is it that God has called you to accomplish? God gives vision to each of His children and sustains our life so that we can do THAT. Often “that” can seem like an impossible task…to start a ministry, to build churches, to heal the sick, to give justice to the disenfranchised, to start a business, to share the gospel with a co-worker, to home school your children, to be a husband or wife that loves like Christ, etc. It can all seem overwhelming…as I imagine the waves crashing around Peter appeared. But thank God that His loving hands IMMEDIATELY lift us up as He did for Peter.

God desires for you to walk on water, to TRUST Him, to TRUST His character and His love. Once we step out we have to purpose in our hearts to not be moved by the circumstances that present themselves in our lives. We can’t become anxious because that is the point where we began to spiral out of control. Philippians 4:6-8 is a good scripture to plug in here.

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (^[b]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

⁷ And God’s peace [shall be yours, that ^[c]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall ^[d]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

Peter forgot about this scripture in the instance where he saw the waves crashing. He became worried, concerned, anxious, and nervous (typical flesh response). God calls us to respond with spirit…and what gives us added benefit is that God’s very spirit lives within us. Peter had Jesus physically there with Him which can seem most comforting, but I’d argue that we are in a better position having the Holy Spirit LIVING inside of us.  It’s critical that we walk on water and walking on water begins with FAITH in the LIVING God, Faith in Who God Is and His Character, Faith in His Love (perfect love cast out fear and Christ IS love), and Faith in His sovereignty. Be encouraged friends…Look to Christ all of the time and follow the instructions in Philippians 4:6-8. God is chiseling down the layers of our humanity and building something beautiful…Himself within us. That is complete elevation. More to come next time!

With love,

Kristin Sarai XO

God as the Masseuse

This weekend I went to the spa to celebrate the birthday of one of my dearest friends. It had been far too long since the last time that I had a massage so I was extremely excited and anticipating the relaxation. As I comfortably positioned myself on the table the masseuse informed me that my back and shoulders were really tight. I’m no newbie to massages but this one was a unique experience because the Holy Spirit decided to minister to me right there on the spot (God is always prepared to speak to His children).

In my experience, the massages that have relieved the tension and made my body feel better were the ones that were uncomfortable during the process.  In simple, the masseuse adds additional pressure to areas that are tense in an effort to provide relief.  In order to endure the pain I have to breathe deeply and force my body to relax.  After a good massage I am usually sore for the rest of the day but on day 2 my body feels NEW, Relaxed, and Relieved.

Over the last week I have been faced with fear, anxiety, and doubt regarding personal things in my life and I’ve been jumping some spiritual hurdles as God requires greater faith and trust from me. Right there in the middle of my massage God took the opportunity to teach me how similar my relationship with Him currently is to what I was experiencing at the spa. 

He spoke this to my heart: “You came to me excited, eager to lay on my table and in full anticipation for an experience that would ultimately make you better.  You looked at my credentials and my track record of success and you stretched out before me in submission to me working on you to ultimately make you better (holy, righteous, set apart, Christ-like, patient, disciplined, loving, longsuffering, meek, patient, etc.).  I began to work on you; to work the toxins out of your life, to remove things that didn’t look like me from your heart, and to put my heart and character inside of you. I know, I know, it doesn’t normally feel good when I’m in the middle of working these out but just like with the massage, in those times you have to “breathe deeply (focus on my word and know that any pain that you are experiencing is out of my love for you – Romans 8:28), and force yourself to relax (by using the power of the Holy Spirit working inside of you).  I know just how much pressure that you can bare and because of my love for you, I will never allow that level to exceed.  As I am working out the issues you can have confidence knowing that this is ultimately for your good and out of my love for you and my desire to do my job as your father and savior in excellence.  Yes, you feel a bit sore immediately after I’ve made some critical changes and uprooted some deeply rooted issues but trust me, I replaced those things with something far better.  A day after our massage is over you will realize that you’re far better than you were before the process. You’re regenerated, you have more joy, and you feel like a new woman and guess what? You ARE! You are less like Kristin Sarai and more like Jesus Christ. So, the next time you lay on my table, don’t tell me to decrease the pressure, don’t complain about the tension, just rest in My peace knowing that I love you and every time that I am applying pressure it’s for your ultimate good and to bring you to your expected end. I love you more than life itself, so I stretched my arms out and died so that you would live.”

Once again, it’s amazing how God will shut down your little pity party and give you a way of understanding the way that He works. In 2013, God is still speaking in parables! LOL Today, I hope that you find encouragement in knowing that your sufferings (this is specific to people who are truly seeking to honor God with their lives in obedience) are God’s way of molding you into the image of Christ. He is near to you during the suffering and He will work it out for your good. Be encouraged!

With love,

Kristin Sarai

What Do You REALLY want Out of this??

That’s right folks! My question is simple, what is it that you REALLY want out of this life of yours?! What might the journey to obtaining the life that you’ve dreamed of look like?  Is this something that you’ve ever just sat back and honestly pondered? I’d encourage you to do so and here’s why à

Often, when we consider our lives, we think “big picture” (overall desires that if achieved we believe will yield us the satisfaction for which we’ve always hoped) or “little picture” (instant desires that will make us happy and/or satisfied at the moment). But what I’ve learned is this; it is dangerous to have DESTINATIONS in mind without at least considering the JOURNEY.

In my life journey one principle that God continually drills into my mind is the importance of “his desires being my desires”. So, I’ve incorporated this into my prayers, “Lord make your desires my desires 1) so that I am not resistant to what you want for me, 2) so I can be in your perfect will, 3) so that I have peace in whatever state you have me in knowing that anything that you allow for me to experience here on this earth is out of love, and 4) so that I have peace and joy, even in unforeseen circumstances knowing that Rom. 8:28 is applicable in my life.” Now don’t go getting this twisted…it’s not easy (hence the need for the prayer). I have realized that unless God captivates my mind and my heart, I am bound to be a HOT MESS! My desires will be all about gratifying my flesh, partaking in the lust of my flesh and the pride of life. But I do believe (and it has proven to be true in my life) that God is capable and desires to transform our hearts and minds to sanctify us for His GOOD work. *check out Ephesians 2:10*

I always wanted to be a physician and not just a physician but I desired to open up free clinics to provide free services to minorities with low socio-economic status (low education, low-income, low-social status). I wanted to do medical research too! I remember being a little girl pulling up roots from the yard and running in to tell my parents that what I found outside could be the cure for cancer (ok, I may have been a little weird LOL). Ultimately, I wanted to be appointed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the highest medical official in the United States)….Oh yes honey!! I had lofty goals and I was well on my way to achieving them! But my plan, although cute, was not what God had in mind. Before I even knew to ask for His desires to be my desires, God started to transform my desires. He began exposing me to people, showing me a need for Him and His truth, showing what He REALLY created me to accomplish and giving me little snapshots of my future (which I didn’t really understand). I became intrigued and THEN I started to ask for Him to share His heart for my life with me. Now, I have a clear vision for what I want out of life (what God wants for my life), I am clear about the fact that my life is for God’s glory, and the passion burning in my heart is His fire and not my own.

Now, that I am clear about what I want out of life and why I want what I want (for God’s glory)….You’d think that it would all go according to “your” plan right?! After all, your plan is God’s plan. That couldn’t be further from the truth. God ain’t (yes, I said ain’t) interested in getting on your little boat (that would compromise His sovereignty); His desire is for us to hop on His ship! That means that although we have an end vision, we have to submit to God bringing our lives together anyway that He deems necessary. That means that we have to be more concerned with the journey than the destination. The beauty of the story is always in the journey but our innate human nature desires to focus on the destination. But as aforementioned, the comfort and peace comes in knowing that after you’ve submitted your life to Christ, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE IS OUT OF THE LOVE OF GOD. Even the circumstances that seem horrible is God demonstrating His love to you. Sounds crazy?! We don’t have to understand God’s methods *see Isaiah 55:9* …our little minds can’t even handle such knowledge but we can make a choice to accept it.  This journey isn’t easy but boy is it rewarding!

What do you really want out of life? Is it truly what God desires of you? What does the journey look like? Are you down for whatever? God is looking for ride-or-die disciples. People who say, Lord I don’t get it but where you go I will follow, if you’re here with me I’ll keep going. *see Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23* Ask God to test your heart and reveal it to you. This test helped me to see that I wasn’t as pure as I thought I was (Jeremiah 17:9), I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew and I that I am completely insignificant outside of Christ. Thank God that He gives wisdom to all liberally and without reproach (James 1: 5). Lord Jesus! Help us live this life, it’s not easy but we TRUST you…If you don’t do it, it won’t get done! Amen.

With lots of love,

Kristin Sarai xo

Look up ALL of the Time!

 

We know that God has purpose for each and every one of us as believers, we seek God for direction and he provides us with insight on what he desires for our lives to accomplish. Great! Thank you Lord for sharing your heart with your children. The dilemma often comes after we know what God desires and actually have to get to work (this portion may consist of head scratching, doubt, fear, anxiety, feelings that no one else understand what you're going through, etc...does this sound familiar?). I went through this a great deal recently but God spent some significant time building me up, firmly planting my feet, confirming His love and His involvement (Kris, I got your back girl, don't you know how much I love you?!!). One of my favorite things about God is His "Realness"! He doesn't forbid us from feeling these things, in fact, he feels them with us. He hurts when we hurt and cries when we cry (what an amazing Father). God allows for us to cry out to Him with full expression (Check out Hannah's story in 1 Sam. 1-2, and Paul in 2 Corinthians, David in Psalms and Sooooo many other biblical accounts) and he even values our cries! He loves it when we run to him with our cares (1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all of your cares upon Him because He cares for you) and he is faithful and just to lift up our heads.

One thing that has aided me tremendously in God's working with my perspective and outlook is "taking the word of God as truth". I know that sounds like a given but if you really ponder this thought you'd realize that in some areas you haven't quite taken His word as truth. Consider James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let Him as of the Father who gives to all liberally and without reproach." Do you take that seriously or is it just a cute little verse in the bible? Do you actually ask God for wisdom and expect for Him to provide the needed wisdom?

I know what God has called me to but I started to feel overwhelmed which made me stagnant. My thoughts were, "I know what you want me to do but I don't know if I can do it, I want to do it but I don't know how, I don't even know the FIRST thing about accomplishing what you've called me to" or "It's not adding up, what you've called me to just isn't possible right now. I need to be in a different position first". God spoke to me and presented me with a very clear message:

"Kristin, first of all don't ever be confused...I have called you to do MY work, you didn't just dream this up on your own. I know that you don't know how to do it. You see, that is a part of my divine design. If you could accomplish it on your own then you would get the glory that is due to ME. Not only that, you would snatch your hands out of mine and lean to your own understanding. I am a jealous God daughter. I want your dependence on me, I want you to cry out to me, I want you to look up to me ALL of the time, I want to do a work through you that will leave you telling people, 'I don't know...all I know is God is REAL and His word is TRUE'. Guess what, you know that little book that I left for you to read, the bible, it is full of testimonies of people who I called to do my work and they didn't have a clue how to accomplish it without my instruction. Do you think that Noah knew how to build a boat secure enough to float for a year while I wiped out the earth?! I hope you answered no to that! Kristin, I am the Lord your God, I run this earth, at my thought I put this whole 'earth story' together from beginning to end, I am seamless, there are no glitches in me, trust My love. Talk to people, do some research, get in front of the computer screen on a blank page, write the vision and make it plain, Hold my hand and watch me work."

How silly was my thinking before. I am so thankful for God's grace and long-suffering nature towards His children. The message is simple, "Look up all of the time and keep moving your feet. Cast your cares on God and he is strong enough to handle them AND lift up your head".

What is it that God is calling you to accomplish? What has he put on your heart that may feel overwhelming? What are you saddened about? May I encourage you to look to God and allow for Him to take control of the situation. He is speaking the same message in 2013 that He was speaking in biblical times. Find joy in knowing that He is on your team and you can trust His love wholeheartedly.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for speaking to your children. Thank you that your love is secure. Thank you that you allow for us to feel and that you are interested in bearing our burdens. Thank you that you don't get tired of us coming to you and that you are interested in holding our hands all of the time. Continue to strengthen us and protect our hearts and minds from feeding into things that are of you. Help us to always think on You and Your word (Col. 2:16) and rebuke any thoughts or feelings that are anti-You. Thank you that you allow for us to feel but instead of dwelling in negative emotions or feelings you desire and are capable of lifting up our heads. You are such an amazing Father and our hearts are desperate for you. We are after Your heart...for our hearts to look like yours! We don't only want to be beneficiaries of your love but also givers of that love. Continue to perfect us and mold us into the image of Christ. We love you to from the bottom to the top! Amen.

With Love,

Kristin Sarai