Be glad and persist. All too often we wonder why we have to endure trials. Stop asking God why. Start asking why not. Not that you should be happy when you endure fiery tests and tribulations; however, you should realize that your life is no more precious than any other. God loves us each the same. Whatever trial you are going through – someone else has it worse than you. Be glad and thankful. Know that God will bless you in return. Often he returns blessings by a hundredfold. Be glad. Persist. Don’t give up. Help and give love to one another.
About Zina
Zina Hermez has authored the best-selling book(s), Not Without God: A Story of Survival and Not Without God: Hope In the Storm. She’s been featured in numerous articles, guest posts, podcasts, websites, newsletters, and magazines. She’s also been featured on The Neil Haley (media giant’s) Show, The Intuitive Edge podcast and on ESPN’s ‘Solutions from the Huddle’broadcast as well as Grace and Truth Radio World!
Zina’s written several hundred articles and has taught thousands of students from all over the world from many different backgrounds and cultures. She’s appeared in Christianity Today, the Suite T blog, and the Southern Writers magazine among many other places.
She writes on faith, science, and overcoming adversity. She also writes on health and diet and loves to help others. Her latest book, Not Without God: Hope In the Storm is live and for sale.
When I look back on life, it’s been in the times I’ve needed him the most that I’ve felt his profound sense of peace. In the helicopter on the ‘survival life flight’ to the University of Michigan hospital at just sixteen, for example. I’ve felt his peaceful presence when other tragedies in life have occurred, also. In loss, pain, heartbreak, or grief beyond belief—you will feel the Lord’s presence granting you peace. When you feel like every day is challenging, when you’re not sure how you will overcome, and when you cannot predict the future or what direction your life will take, God will give you reassurance. I love you, he whispers. Trust. Believe in me. I will lead and guide you. I want what’s best, he says. Keep the faith, and never give up! This is the peace that surpasses all understanding. The peace of God that never fails us.❤️
This is so true. I find myself trying to make things happen that it is not ‘time’ for. You see—I’m a go-getter. I don’t like to wait. I focus on the present and make what I want to happen now. But God doesn’t always work like that. Meaning, we are moving here from faith to faith. Every moment is a blessing (no matter the circumstances) you are breathing. Every day is a gift. We are going through stages and periods and sometimes we want to rush our lives (hmm…I wonder why 🤔). We are more focused on reaching our destination than enjoying the journey. We need to calm down though. We need to savior our journey and be grateful even in what we deem as ‘bad’ times. God will bring us through it. He will make our dreams happen if we press towards our goals and be patient. He is good all the time.☯️✳️🙏
How do we remain in love? How do we always ‘turn the other cheek,’ so to speak? I fail and get angry at times. Part of the human condition is to fail and sometimes we can’t help it. I think the important thing to keep in mind is that we feel remorse. If we feel remorse or upset for our wrongs, the hurt we caused someone, or our irrational behavior that makes the difference. God never expected for us to be perfect. He said I came for those who ‘are not well.’ The sick, the sinner, and the downtrodden. He came to save us from our hurts and pains. He did not come to condemn but to heal and save. I think we need to realize that healing is not a one time thing or event. God knew we would need to be healed, restored, and set straight more than once. But how do we do better? Good question. When we feel sorry, when we acknowledge the hurt, rejection or pain that we caused God notices that. He forgives. He restores. We’re given another day, another chance, and another opportunity to get it right. We ask him to help us. We have to humble ourselves. I remind myself that how I treat others is how I’m treating God, because the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit dwells within each of us.❤️🙏✳️
I I think this is one of the hardest lessons, ‘to bear with one another in love,’ despite our differences. Yet, it’s so simple. God requires us to be patient, tolerant, and to carry the spirit of ‘long suffering.’ I have failed at this. I get upset, want to be right, or am not willing to compromise. The need to be right can hinder us. We may very well be right; nonetheless, we have to ‘bear with one another (in love)’ no matter what. The pathway to peace is not always achieved by proving you’re right, but by settling differences. Let it go. Moving forward and hopefully toward a brighter tomorrow.☀️ ‘Happy are the peacemakers; they will be called Sons of God.’ -Matthew 5:9
At times the road may be tough. You may wonder why you work so hard. You may feel like throwing your hands up and giving up. You may wonder how you’ve even made it this far. But keep in mind that God is working with you. He’s stayed with you this whole time. He is a God who never sleeps and you have access to him 24 hours a day. Just call on his name. He’ll be there to refresh, restore, and help you relax. ‘Those who walk with God always reach their destination.’🙏✨🧡
Love your enemies. Pray for those who scorn. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44), to do good to those who hate us (Luke 6:27). I know it can be tough. But just think about how much God has forgiven you? How many times has he taken you back? We are called to love and forgive one another.🧡✨
God will meet your needs. It’s true. There were times I didn’t know how I would make it through. Whether you’ve had a crushed spirit or a heartbreak; just reach out to God—simply call his name. He will be there right away. God never sleeps and he does not leave our side. You just need to reach out to him. Ask him to guide. He will lead you to the right situation, guidance, or person to help. He wants to see you happy.✨💫
Sometimes we strive for perfection. We keep it pretty on the outside. We do our best to make the greatest first impression, we choose the right words, we go to church on Sundays, we buy lots of presents, and we gain as much love as we can for validation. As you already know, though, the truth is that none of us can be perfect. Only the Lord was perfect. That is not to say we should not strive for it, but accept the broken pieces, and the times you’ve really messed it up and failed. The times you regret what you did or said. All of those parts make up you; however, the ‘ugly’ parts don’t represent you. They just represent a time when you were ‘broken.’ We have all been there. Some more than others. Good thing God will always love you no matter what.♥️
Sometimes we fear the worst. Sometimes we wait for things to go wrong. Sometimes we’re afraid to expect anything good because we’re used to being disappointed. But if we look back at the times we were alone, disappointed, afraid, or stressed—we will realize we were never really alone at all. God is not just some white-bearded old guy sitting up in the sky. He dwells within. In John 14:26 we are told: ‘But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name [Jesus], he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.’ How many times has the spirit helped you, taught you, or even saved you from something traumatic?’ We are never alone.🕊🕊🕊
We strive to do right but some are not concerned with it. Their path is jaggedly, distressed and painful. I can’t imagine walking through this life alone, not seeking after God or having care for his will or purpose. The Bible tells us the wicked fail and it’s true. Their schemes are always brought to light. But when we seek after God, his righteousness, AND long to do what is right, he picks us up even when we fail. He puts us back on track. There is another day, another chance, another opportunity to fix it. He keeps us on his path when we continually seek after him. 
I’m not sure if you can see the tiny caption in this lovely picture but it says ‘Give it to God.’ I would like to talk a little about ‘Give it to God’ this morning. Giving it to God is a lovely message and should be followed in so many ways; however, oftentimes people think that giving it to God means to let it go. Well, not entirely. Even when we give something to God it still requires some action. Often I feel like people say ‘give it to God’ as a way to assume no responsibility. The Holy Spirit works within us, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God,” the Bible tells us. Therefore God gives us direct steps and instruction. My prayer is always for him to lead and guide. I know I am on the right path when he is leading me. This world can cause all kinds of confusion. We live in a culture that is focused on self; therefore, it may be hard to discern what God is saying versus other voices out there. Typically if something is not pleasurable to us or gratifying we do away with it. We ‘Give it to God.’ Think of the volunteers who wake up before dawn to go to the soup kitchen or the ones who do random acts of kindness or care for the elderly. These are people who gave it to God, but let God work through them for humankind. In a culture that tends to be individualistic in nature, the Bible tells us to ‘die to self.’ And that those who hold into their lives shall lose it, but those who ‘lose’ their lives [for His sake] will find it.✨🙏☦️
This is an incredible interview with Colton Burpo of Heaven Is For Real. Colton is grown up now and loves to tell his story of his trip to heaven and back when he was a child! I won’t say anymore because it’s all right in the video. I hope you enjoy it. This book/movie has played a huge role in strengthening my faith and learning about the after life!✨🙏❤️🩹😇
I was the type who would never post without make-up on or without having my hair done. I also paid attention to clothing and what I had on. One thing I’ve learned more and more as I’ve gotten older is we are here but for a moment and in the larger scheme of life appearance does not mean much. It’s who we are, who we helped, and what we did to leave our mark. I am interested in living to the fullest. I’d like to vacation more, experience things I never have before, get all dressed up, and make more holiday dinners! But sometimes we sacrifice what we want for the greater good, sometimes we put away our desires and attend to the needs of others, sometimes all we have to do is be human. Real. Ourselves. Meeting expectations of culture is fine if you feel the need to appease others but my interest lies in hearing the words, ‘well done,’ once I leave this world. I also want to accomplish some more milestones in the years to come!🙏🌆👍💕🎙😀🙌❤️
It’s true. Nothing nourishes you like spending time with our Lord. It is better than nutrition. What I mean is, when you seek God first above all things he will NOURISH you, and he will lead you to situations of wellness where you are happy and whole. I fail at this sometimes too. But I love that God is our ever constant strong hold we can run to in time of need. He will NEVER turn away, because God is Love. We can call out to him in desperate need or in the middle of the night. He will be there 24 hours a day. I love that about God.❤️🔥
Always. God is our number one source of health. When you ask him for help, he will lead you to the right situations and people to guide you. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all else will fall into place… I’ve been listening to the Book of Acts (one of my favorite books), and I realize that what made Paul so special was that he held onto the voice of God and never let it go. We can do that. We all have that capability.❤️
You never know what life has in store, and it’s easy to think that things will never change. We get used to routines and imagine that our life will always be the same. But life is a process and you are evolving. That means that anything can change. God is in the driver’s seat. But how much effort you put in or care you take makes a difference. You can work with God to make your dreams happen.❤️ Although he always knows what’s best. You have a God who loves you and made the hundreds of billions of stars✨, earth🌎, sun☀️, and moon🌙 just for you!
Honesty is the best policy. When you keep your word, people know they can depend on you. When you stand by your promises or beliefs, people know you don’t waiver and are someone who can be trusted. They will trust you in business, friendship, and life. Marketing anything is about consistency. When you are consistent, people know what to expect. When you don’t keep commitments, it develops a lack of trust, especially if it happens repeatedly. People like routine. We aren’t into surprises. We like others who keep their word, do as they say, or give honest explanations when they don’t. If you want to know how to be successful at anything, be reliable.
It was a nice night for a walk. I’ve surpassed my goals and have been able to walk thousands of feet at a time. It feels fulfilling. I’m not so much obsessed with setting records for myself all the time anymore. I’m more just obsessed with getting in exercise. It feels great to walk and think at one of my favorite spots: church. This was after I went on a little shopping spree, and that’s another thing I occasionally enjoy. I could spend more time buying furnishings and other stuff, but the more time I spend the more money I spend. So I have to limit myself. It’s been a good night.😄👍⛪🛍🙏
This is true. The greatest physicists have debated whether or not free will exists. I believe it does to some extent. But maybe not as much as we think it does. Everything is in cosmic order. I believe we are moving here through our imagination, but God ordains certain things to happen and certain people to be sent. Through our choices, we bring our destiny to fruition. That is why I do believe we have free will because there are choices we can make and different routes we can take. However, we can’t control everything. We can’t control when there is a hurricane, for example. We can’t control the way certain things turn out. However, we can be coworkers with God to make the best out of life and to make the right decisions. He gives us that ability, even if our choices are predetermined, it feels like they aren’t. We just have to trust that God is always in the driver’s seat and even when we fail or suffer loss, he has a plan. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Cor. 4:17).✨💫🙏
This verse is self explanatory. Friendships may end. The world may pass away, but God’s love will remain. It is unconditional and everlasting. Even when you mess up, it will be there. Even when you fail him, he will stay. When you are all alone, he will comfort. God will send you help. He will be a fortress and enough. He will give you guidance. You will know the next step to take. He will tell you which way to go. Not only does he not abandon, but he directs you to the path that will heal. God’s love is infinite. You can never have too much or experience all of it. It’s guaranteed. All you have to do is call on him. He will be there with loving arms to help.💞🛐😄🙌
God can change everything. It’s true. He can make a bad day good. Cause you to get well. Turn your life around. God can make everything new. Never doubt God’s love or healing capabilities. Endings become rebirths. He restores broken hearts and puts the right people in your life. The world may seem to be falling apart, but one stagnant thing is God’s unconditional love. Not only that, he will always be there with his divine powers to help you.✨☀️☄️⚛️😄
Some people would like a clear map of where their life is going. But life can be unpredictable. That’s why we have to trust in God. We can work to make our dreams happen. God wants that. We can be ‘co workers’ with God to make our goals come alive so long as we do our part. What I mean is nothing will just happen if we don’t provide action. We have to plan and work hard. We have to ‘do our best’ and let God handle the rest. Doing our best can mean a lot. It can require hard work and sacrifice. This quote doesn’t say to only do half, nor does it say to only do your part. It says to ‘do your best.’ Are you doing your best in all areas? Are you falling short in some parts? Let’s reflect on this. How can we do our best for ourselves and those around us?
I need to do this more. When I ‘pray myself’ out of fear it tends to work. What does that look like? I talk to God out loud. I tell him I’m an overcomer. I remind myself (and him) that I think things through. I talk to him about how long we’ve been together (Jesus and I), sorting problems out and finding solutions. I remember all the times he’s sent me the right people and how he continues to. I remind myself that the ones who left used their time up. They were no longer of use, especially if they were in opposition to God’s plan.🙏 I remind myself of what he’s brought me through. I remind myself he’s never failed me. I talk out loud and tell myself I can. When your power rests in God, there is no such thing as failure. Sometimes you are redirected, and sometimes you fall, but you get back up. You make it. You find a way. There is success because with God all things are possible.
I’ll praise Him in the storm⛈. I’ll praise Him in a loss. I’ll praise him when I’m down and when I don’t know what’s going on. I’ll praise him when I have no strength to praise; I’ll praise Him in my heart. I’ll praise him when he takes. I’ll praise him when there seems to be no way out. Did I say I’ll praise him when I don’t know what is going on? I’ll praise him all the days of my life no matter what, because, it’s simple. He’s the king of kings. He’s the God of all glory! The ruler of the universe(s). The maker of the heavens! He sits on the throne. From everlasting to everlasting, I will praise Him all the days of my life, whether here or elsewhere. His love has a way of making things right, he mends broken hearts, he brings peace and solutions, and he heals me every time. When you have confidence in God, you don’t have too much to worry about.☀️🪐🌍💫✨⚛️⚡️🌠
God has never left you. Not for one minute. Not since you were born up until now. God has never left your side. He’s always been there. Through every heartbreak. Through every challenge, every let down and every sad moment. God has been there. He does not rejoice in our pain. He sends unseen angels to help us😇. He does not count our wrongs; he reminds us of our rights. He does not condemn us, he lifts us up. He gives us peace in the storm. Grace to face another day. He’s an ever present help in time of need. Most of all, he is a friend. He will never leave. His love is all encompassing, all accepting, it is love unconditional. You can’t find it anywhere. Our God is perfect. He will always be there.💕💕💕
God knows all the prayers of our hearts before we even ask. He wants us to have them. He doesn’t grant everything, though. We sometimes fail to realize that God is not Santa Claus. He is a loving father who gives us our wishes sometimes on his timing, and sometimes we don’t get our desires at all. He is a loving God who cares for us and knows what’s best. He doesn’t fail to hear. He is a God we have access to 24 hours a day, and he has a plan for even when we fail. God is the greatest chess player. He sees all the ways something can go. The beauty is he is abundant, too, so he wants us to be joyous and full. In an infinite universe, such as the one we’re in. There are endless possibilities. That’s why we should never say never. We should always hope and not give up. God wants us to be happy.
Often we are faced with circumstances that seem like more than we can handle. We might wonder how we will make it through. If we will be able to find the strength, the right words, the audacity to ‘walk through the fire.’ It is in the fire when God is with us the most. His power is made perfect in our weakness, and since he is the creator of EVERYTHING, he knew we would need him. Walk into that scary situation. He will be right there. Let your faith be more significant than your fear, and you’ll realize the outcome will be better than you expected. God doesn’t deny us when we are in need and call out to him. If we are genuinely in need and trying to do right, God will sustain us. He is a fair God. He still favors right over wrong. His omnipresence is magnificent, and his unconditional love, well, there are no words.❤️
notwithoutgod.net 