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- ❤️ Weekly Testimonies: How do you hold onto your hope in Jesus when going through trials? (Part 2)
❤️ Weekly Testimonies: How do you hold onto your hope in Jesus when going through trials? (Part 2)
Weekly post of how others are walking the daily walk with Jesus
Jae Leeholland
July 19, 2023
Hello, and happy Wednesday.
How is your week going?
This past weekend, I had the chance to watch the Sound of Freedom in the theatre.
In case you haven’t heard of it, the movie is based on a true story surrounding the reality of child trafficking. You can read about it here or watch the trailer here.
There are not enough pages nor words that can fill all the emotions, thoughts, and questions that floated around in my head after viewing. The one takeaway I do have is a commitment I made to God as a result: that I will do everything I can in my will within the days He’s allotted me to share His goodness and love.
I know not how to overcome evil with the strength of my own, but I know all things are possible through the Spirit of the One who’s already conquered death. So, if my way of fighting the forces of evil is through writing the weekly First Love newsletter, putting my best foot forward at work, and loving those around me without a thing to be left on the table, I shall, with all my strength. Like Rebekah, I’m ready and eager to go.
In the post-credit scenes— don’t worry, I’m not spoiling anything— the main actor addresses the crowd to lean on hope as a driver for change, not fear. Amen, is all I can say. Lamentations 3 uncovers why hope is so important:
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him.”
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.”
Last week, I received a number of emails and messages from y’all who were encouraged by Amy and Mary’s testimonies on the topic of hope. I’m so grateful for their courage in sharing their stories with vulnerability. The world needs more people like the two.
Today, we’re continuing on the topic of how to hold onto our hope in Jesus through trials. In Fabiola’s story, you’ll hear how our beautiful Father in heaven comforts His child, and in turn, how a faithful woman of God places all she has in Christ as she’s battling cancer. In my testimony, you’ll see the steps I take to pull myself out of the downtrodden path of trials and seek refuge in Jesus.
As you read this week’s testimonies, I pray you’ll find comfort in knowing there’s at least one other person in the world who understands all that you’re going through and that He seeks to comfort you.
If anyone crosses your mind as you read, I encourage you to put your faith into action by forwarding this post along, perhaps coupled with a loving word of encouragement. You just may make someone’s day without knowing it.
The Question of the Week:
How do you hold onto your hope in Jesus when going through trials?
From Fabiola Lewaherilla, a faithful fighter:
There’s a time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3).
I love to spend time alone on the beach. Staring into the amazingly beautiful painting made by The Creator in front of my eyes.
And then I saw a 🛥️ boat.
I heard the Holy Spirit gently say to me: “Look at that boat, I, Jesus, am the captain, holding the steering wheel, directing it to My destination for you. You are My passenger. I want you to sit down comfortably in it. I will bring you to the place where I want you to be. In the journey, you will see the view outside, many times you will enjoy beautiful sceneries. But many times, you will see bad weathers, thunderstorms and heavy rains. You will feel the shaking because of the strong winds and waves hitting the boat, maybe you will feel headache or worse than that. But remember, you are still with Me, IN the boat, sitting down safely! Those rain and storms can’t touch you. That boat is My protection, My blood who covers you, My hands that holds you. You are safe with Me. Just sit back, relax, enjoy the rides, put your trust in Me and I will take care of you, I know where I’m going.”
Life is not just about experiencing happy and beautiful times. Trials and tribulations, darkest valleys are a part of our journey in life too. My life and your life.
When things are tough, seem impossible to handle, feels like there’s no way out, darkness all around, I hold onto the many visions and voices of God who strengthens me in my journey. Just like what the Holy Spirit told me about the boat. I will remember of His goodness, of His promises in The Bible, His protections, His love, His mercies and grace. Miracles after miracles that never end.
I chose to hold onto Jesus. I chose to focus my eyes on His eyes, His loving eyes, His eyes who never sleeps. I chose to trust His heart, the heart that never stops loving me. I know that He knows where I’m going, He knows the destination that I need to be in, He knows the way. I just needed to sit down, relax and enjoy the rides, in good and bad times.
He is the captain of my life and in your life too 👨✈️ put your trust in Him. Trust His heart ❤️
He will never leave you nor forsake you.
From yours truly, Jae:
Other contributors told me this was an especially challenging prompt to address. I found myself at a loss for words as well. So, as I do when I feel lost, I prayed. And the Spirit said, “Speak the truth.” I whispered, ‘so shall it be’—
My knee-jerk reaction to facing trials is two-fold: either trying to figure things out on my own or just straight up feeling discouraged. The former is out of pride and the latter out of unbelief. Neither has led to a positive outcome insofar as I can recall. At this point in my journey, I would like to say I’ve figured out how to deal with trials however a mature Christian should, but in all honesty, I just came to accept I am weak and learned to go to God quickly with my problems.
I hold true to Jesus’ Word that apart from Him, I can do nothing (John 15:5), and by the same token, that I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). With that in mind, now when I face trials, I try to remind myself to:
- Surrender all— the expectations, the frustrations, the feelings, the fears, everything— and instead, seek strength, peace, and faith in Jesus.
- Rely on my community: so they can share in my journey, encourage me, and keep me accountable in my walk. I struggled with being vulnerable until I met Mary, who created a safe space for me to share my challenges and ugliness, and it single-handedly changed my life along with how I do relationships with others.
- Recognize and reject the lies of the enemy e.g., ‘this trial is too big for you to handle’, ‘God does not care’, ‘you’re not good enough’, etc. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Recently, I went through a trial that helped me realize our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Well, what’s great is that Jesus already conquered death through His resurrection! So, I truly have nothing to fear (Psalm 27:1)— not even death. As Paul famously said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). When the greatest source of fear no longer holds power over us, we can walk in peace, knowing we have all that we need within us to fight the giants and claim our victory.
So, take heart, for Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33)
A Question for You
Is there an area in your life that feels like a lost cause?
Perhaps there’s a dream deferred. Perhaps you’ve been seeking physical healing. Or maybe, it’s related to finances.
Would you be open to creating room for hope there?
Next week, we’ll hear from others on:
“Could you tell me about a time when someone loved you radically like Jesus?”
If you have a testimony to share on this topic, please pray about it and let me know by simply replying to this email.
Let your testimony give glory and praises to God and touch the lives of others in ways you cannot imagine.
Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!
With love, Jae
Got any prayer requests or praises? You’re welcome to share them here.
“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)
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