Month: September 2025

Humble Yourself

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Literature, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

A little booklet by John MacArthur, Found: God’s Peace, casts these famous verses in an entirely new light. As Christians, we’ve probably all heard them a time or two, and thus, they can easily be overlooked due to how well we know them. But the question stands: how often do we actually put these verses into practice?

MacArthur explains what it means to humble ourselves under God’s hand: “The key is never to contest God’s wisdom but instead to accept humbly whatever God brings into your life as coming from His hand.”

Humbling ourselves under the hand of God equals accepting everything, even trials and pain, as coming from His perfect plan. Instead of getting angry or bitter, it means trusting and submitting. Instead of continually questioning “why?” it means saying “Lord, I do not understand what You are doing. But I trust that it is good–in fact, it is best for me–and it is for Your glory and my good, ultimately.”

Of course, we all struggle, and there are times we face doubt and questions. That is common; go to the psalms and you will find that other men of God struggled with the same things. But at the end of most lamenting psalms, you will find declarations of praise and trust. Even in the book of Lamentations, which is a declaration of mourning and sorrow, we find some of the most beautiful verses in Scripture: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

That is what truly makes a person of God–not someone who never struggles with their faith, but someone who does not stay there but always comes out victorious, humbly and joyfully submitting to God’s will in all things.

It is most certainly not an easy practice. But may we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us peacefully and joyfully submit to His will! What a God we serve, that we can trust Him wholeheartedly, for He always does what is best for us, for our good and more importantly, for His glory.

*Note: I wanted to mention that Dr. MacArthur’s recent passing is deeply sorrowful for those of us on earth who have been impacted by his life and ministry. I have been so blessed by his materials and am thankful for the man of God he was. Praise the Lord for his life and legacy, and may the Lord help his ministry to continue going strong!

Reflections

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk

Psalm 46:1

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”

The events of the past few days have left me speechless. Many of us feel deep grief and pain at so much loss, from the terrorist attacks in Israel to the brutal murder of a dear young man who loved Jesus and his country–Charlie Kirk.

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to view the latter tragedy through the eyes of several different people from various walks of life. The assassination impacted each differently, yet the feelings seemed to be the same. “I never met Charlie, but I cried all day yesterday,” is the same message I heard from many. Why? Because Charlie Kirk was a young man who was passionate about his faith. Nothing impacts this dark world more than a light that shines radiantly, unashamedly, courageously. Nothing is as powerful as believers who live out their faith in all their actions, not just claiming to be Christians but bearing fruit and proving it with their deeds.

This is our generation’s 9/11. (Quite literally.) This is our wake-up call. Will we carry on Charlie’s work? Will we stand for Christ and for His truth–which is THE Truth? Will we seek righteousness?

If you are like me, you may be feeling discouraged and somewhat defeated this week. But I have good news for you–we as Christians are not defeated! Christ is not defeated–He is victorious, and we are victorious in Him! Although it may seem like darkness has prevailed at this moment, it has not. The Light of the world always overcomes the darkness. God is perfectly sovereign. His plan is perfect, and the darkness cannot thwart His purpose. He does whatever He pleases, and His ways are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9) Psalm 21:11 stood out to me today: “For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot which they are not able to perform.” (emphasis added)

Charlie’s work on this earth is done, but ours has just begun. We must step out and stand up. We must live for Christ wholeheartedly–the time for a lukewarm faith is past. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, another Christian martyr declared, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” In order to live fully for Christ on this earth, we must die to sin and to self. Once one becomes a Christian, he simply can no longer live the same way he always used to. Instead, we as believers must become living sacrifices for Jesus (Romans 12:1), surrendering everything to Him and committing to obey Him in whatever He calls us to do, no matter the cost. He may not call each of us to speak before millions, but He may call us to tell one family member about Jesus. And that is worth it.

It is not wrong to feel a sense of intense grief at losing Charlie, a fellow believer. We all mourn together. Jesus understands our sorrow; He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Yet, we do not mourn as those who have no hope. (1 Thess. 4:13) We know Charlie is with Jesus, and we have our marching orders to carry on his work, fearlessly speaking the truth in love and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Charlie was a Christian martyr who died for his faith. May we live fully for our Savior and be willing to lay down our lives for Him, if He calls us to. May we boldly speak out for truth and for righteousness.

And most of all, let us pray. Pray for Charlie’s family. Pray for our leaders. Pray for protection. Pray for our country. Pray for the light of Christ to shine and to mightily overwhelm the darkness.

And if you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there is no time to wait! He died so that we can live with Him. He willingly shed His blood on the cross so that we can be with Him forever, in eternal life. We are all totally depraved sinners–anyone who denies that fact is thoroughly deceived–and we could never earn eternal life. BUT GOD stepped in and sent His Son to take the penalty on our behalf. He bore the wrath of God so that YOU don’t have to. Believe in Him. Jesus Christ is the Lord–God incarnate–and He is the ONLY Way to salvation. I pray you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior today! For more information, visit the Gospel tab.

John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.“

Proverbs 31:8-9

“Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.“

Psalm 10:13-14

Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
“You will not require an account.”
But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
To repay it by Your hand.
The helpless commits himself to You;
You are the helper of the fatherless.

Prisoner’s Prayer

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Literature, Praise and Worship, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Recently, I read some writings by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of my personal heroes. If you do not know much about him, I hardly know where to begin in describing his life to you. Rather, I will have to refer you to one of my favorite books ever: Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. Once you start digging into the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, you will find yourself challenged, inspired, and encouraged in your walk with Christ.

Bonhoeffer wrote a prayer to encourage his fellow prisoners at Christmastime in 1943. It ministered to me greatly, and I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy!

MORNING PRAYERS

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.

Help me to pray

And to concentrate my thoughts on you;

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,

But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

But you know the way for me.

O heavenly Father,

I praise and thank you

For the peace of the night;

I praise and thank you for this new day;

I paise and thank you for all your goodness

and faithfulness throughout my life.

You have granted me many blessings;

Now let me also accept what is hard

from your hand,

You will lay on me no more

than I can bear.

You make all things work together for good

for your children.

Lord Jesus Christ,

You were poor

and in distress, a captive and forsaken as I am.

You know all man’s troubles;

You abide with me

when all men fail me;

You remember and seek me;

It is your will that I should know you

and turn to you.

Lord, I hear your call and follow;

Help me.

O Holy Spirit,

Give me faith that will protect me

from despair, from passions, and from vice;

Give me such love for God and men

as will blot out all hatred and bitterness;

Give me the hope that will deliver me

from fear and faint-heartedness.

O holy and merciful God,

my Creator and Redeemer,

my Judge and Saviour,

You know me and all that I do.

You hate and punish evil without respect of persons

in this world and the next;

You forgive the sins of those

who sincerely pray for forgiveness;

You love goodness, and reward it on this earth

with a clear conscience,

and, in the world to come,

with a crown of righteousness.

I remember in your presence all my loved ones,

my fellow-prisoners, and all who in this house

perform their hard service;

Lord, have mercy.

Restore me to liberty,

and enable me so to live now

that I may answer before you and before men.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.

Amen.