jonathanbridge1407

Promises from God

September 18, 2019 by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Advice

Don’t you ever get a word from someone that things are going to get better? Or that the harvest is near? We always hear from others how things will get better as long as we trust God and spend time with Him, but what does He promise in the Word?

But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33.

Now in this verse it may seem that everything we need and want will be ours but it is in fact not true. He only promises food for our bellies and clothing on our bodies.

That’s it!

In the passage God is telling us not to worry for food and clothing for that will be given to us. But that is it. No other mention of anything else.

Don’t let your trust in God be that you will be blessed, because that will become your idol.

I have been a victim of this too. Trusting for something rather than being content with what I have. It is just crazy how focused we can become on something that hasn’t happened yet and will not give us fruit. If it has been promised then so be it, Your life does not need to revolve around it.

It’s a gift to be happy when you have nothing.

What we forget to realise is that we have everything regardless of what is in our homes and bank accounts. The culture we live in today says we must strive for more, always searching to receive and never actually give. It isn’t wrong to want more but one must be careful of what they want because it can rule over them rather than be a goal to look forward to.

If we are humble with the little we have then surely the same will be with the overflow of things we will possess. However, when we become greedy with the little you can surely bet we will be greedy with the abundance of things.

Sometimes we need to be humbled before we can receive what is truly installed for us.

It is always important to be happy with what you have, but also in pursuit for more. If you have a filled stomach and warm clothing tonight then you are richer than 821 million people in our world.

Breaking boundaries

September 15, 2019 by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

We did it!

Our first excursion that my friend and I planned went according to plan.

If you read my blog “Finding the one” written about 2 weeks ago you might remember me saying one needs to challenge oneself in order to grow. I have just done that and I am going to share just a little bit of what we did.

Now this first excursion the two of us had was not in any way daunting nor for one second did we get anxious. It was rather just to get the ball rolling so to speak.

The first idea we had was to go hiking at a mountain called Lady Slipper. Sounds scary right? Probably not. The thing that made it interesting was that we were planning to do it at night. That plan then become challenging for multiple reasons so we decided to make it a simpler hike.

There is a place close to where my friend stays that is situated at the very top of our town and it had a water tower so the view would most likely be breathtaking.

We decide to go for it just before sunrise. It was a very pleasant evening with the occasional breeze.

We didn’t know if it was safe to go. We weren’t even sure how to get there and of course we didn’t know if we were allowed to go. But who cares…

Long story short we made it to the tower and we got to see the sun set leaving a beautiful array of colours over the horizon.

We did actually see a few people drive past us but strangely enough we were unnoticed. I know now we probably shouldn’t go in the person’;s property but for a view like this I’ll be willing to do it again.

Is money ruling your life?

September 4, 2019 by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

That is honestly quite a difficult question. And I guess in some ways if you have money or at least want it then to a certain extent it is ruling your life.

The question arose a while back but I wanted to think about it myself for a while and maybe get some facts together and make a good blog post. Unfortunately I haven’t really made an effort so I guess while making this post I’ll do some investigation.

I was talking to a colleague of mine while we were working together that day and we started to talk a little bit about giving and how exactly you “should give” (Guess I can make a post about that too). He eventually stated that right now money doesn’t rule his life even though he is not a multimillionaire, in fact, he was not so well off. But he is making it.

Now whether or not that is actually true doesn’t matter. But I could honestly not say the same without a wavering doubt. I don’t even have major expenses, no sicknesses, no one that relies on my monthly income; yet I still worry about where my money goes.

And as someone who believes that God can make miracles happen I still hold onto the little that I have and have misplaced faith that He can’t give me so much more.

One thing that I can say is that money is not ruling my life, but there is not a day that goes by that I do not think about it. What has helped me though to not freak about where my money goes is budgeting. I make my own income and expenses list and over the months I have altered it to my desires. It does help when you go shopping or eat at a restaurant because then you know more or less what you can afford. Budgeting has also helped me to spend it wisely and I am now able to invest, save money for future adventures and even have some left over to store in case something goes wrong.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” – Matthew 6:21. It is impossible to serve God and mammon, meaning material wealth associated with greedy pursuit. Some believe one can have both, the money on earth and God in heaven but that is not the case. Do not exhaust yourself going for the wrong things because in the end it will not be worth the time and effort.

Too many people spend money they earned..to buy things they don’t want..to impress people that they don’t like. –Will Rogers

Finding “The One”

September 1, 2019 by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Uncategorized

Being in love with someone means that you feel your life is complete. Whatever could happen in the future whether it is positive or negative will not affect your joy you find in that person. When you find ‘the one’ you feel complete. You feel the desire to always make them happy and if you could do something that would bring them joy you would do it.

But what if you haven’t found the one yet? What if you just haven’t met that person yet?

There was a time where I thought I found ‘the one’. She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met and she had certain qualities that you don’t normally find in people. The most incredible thing about her was that she was such an inspiring person. And that was what drew me to her.

She wasn’t ‘the one’ though.

There was nothing wrong with her I just eventually discovered that she was not the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.

So I’m back at square one. 7 billion people approximately in this world. Let’s say 3.5 is woman. So I can cross of 1 name. Great progress!

So what’s the next step? How can I find her?

After months of trying to figure it out I came to a conclusion that will probably not satisfy you but I feel content at this point of time.

There are tons of people that I could be with but I want the perfect match. You can make any marriage work but why struggle now to make it work in 5 years or rather wait for the perfect one and deal with the things that will affect the relationship before you go into the relationship and for her to do the same?

There is also something else I would like to address. Something that I have recently discovered. Rather tiring yourself out looking for someone that inspires you, why not become the inspirational person you would like to meet?

To do that you evidently need to start doing crazy things. Things that excite you but also freak you out. Things that you will never forget. It doesn’t need to be something you aren’t ready for yet but something that will scare you at least on some level. Then one day that thing you thought you never could will be something you will laugh at because it is such an easy feat.

So start daring yourself. Do crazy things. If you’ve got bad memory then just do unforgettable things.

What crazy things have you done and what are the things you are planning to do?

I am also not a hypocrite so I will also be doing things that entice me and of course bring those stories to light.

They say you are the product of the people you spend your time with. I’m sure it will be the same with the person you love. So once you become an inspiration to others you may find ‘the one’.

The Good, the Bad and the Smelly

August 21, 2019 by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Story

There is something most people don’t actually know about me that is rather peculiar. That is my sense of smell. Since as long as I can remember my smell has been non-existent. I could not smell the most obvious things which in a way was rather lucky for my family has a reputation for emitting the most horrendous odours at any given time, myself included. It never really had an impact on me and there weren’t many times where I wish I could smell like a ‘normal person’.

This past week however, was a big change in my life. I honestly felt different on that day. My work took me to the mountains on that specific day (which was the first time ever actually) and my colleague asked me if I could smell the scent of the untouched nature. Now usually I take a deep breath and act in bewilderment and say something like: “Hmm, smells great” but when I took that breath I could
honestly smell the fresh air that the mountain was giving. It made the hike even more special to witness another aspect contributing to the beauty of what I was experiencing in that part of the world.

What made it even better was that I was able to smell other things over the week such as diesel, pancakes and some not so nice scents. Even now I can smell certain things that are around me that I never could.

Through this brand new experience I have learned a couple new things.

Before I was shielded from smelling anything nasty or peculiar but that also meant I would not be able to smell things that were beautiful and fresh. So to be able to smell a rose or an enticing meal of food I head to brace the fact that I might also smell someones gas or a dirty room.

And that was the choice Adam and Eve basically chose, to give up the perfect place just to be able to know what is wrong as well as what is right, to be able to see the evil as well as the good.

Being able to know the difference makes you appreciate the times where you see the most amazing things.

You will only be able to know what true love is if you have experienced the opposite (which doesn’t mean you need to find someone to break your heart, just learn from other people). You will only know how to treat others when you have experienced it on both levels.

And that is just life. I am so glad now that I have the ability to smell things regardless of whether it is a good odour or not because it is that extra beauty one can find. Our life is so intricate that there are multiple ways to appreciate life and sometimes the scent of nature is all you need to shift your emotions.

As Jon Foreman says:”The shadow proves the sunshine”, meaning that even in dark places and dark times, positive things are happening in the world.

The necessity of being part of a community

August 10, 2019 by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Advice

Growing up I was an introvert. I enjoyed playing on my own, working on my own and pretty much figuring out life on my own. I had what I would like to say my own advice or my own motto that I lived by and that was: If I can’t do something I try to figure it out on my own and if I still can’t do it I seek advice and counsel from others so that I can eventually do it on my own.

The reasoning for that was: What if something goes wrong and I’m left to survive on my own? I would think of the worst case scenarios that I could possibly fathom and see if I was somewhat capable of living on my own. It was something I stuck by until I came across a new chapter of life that taught me something different.

At the start of last year I joined a gap year curriculum that showed me the value of being part of a community. There were countless times where we had fellowship with each other that was in a very healthy way. Sometimes it was just a time of fun and laughter while other times it was more personal and profound, times that made us open up from the things that affected us in a positive or negative way.

Being part of a community gave us that opportunity to seek help from others. It never felt like a burden to ask someone but actually a privilege for both parties. What I also noticed was that when I became part of the community did I not only seek counsel from others but people came to me for they realised what I could offer that they had less or no experience in.

Being part of a community in my eyes makes life simpler, makes it more convenient. Yes in some ways doing things on your own will make you a much more streamlined person and you will have lots of time to work on your craft or
whatever it is you would like to but if you get stuck then what? If you are in need of desperate help then what?

So I guess there is a balance (just like everything in life). There are pros and cons to either direction but we are made for fellowship and we are made to help others. You will notice certain times where you will have such great love for those around you and other times where you can’t stand them, but that’s how life goes for everyone sorry to say.

Be inspired by the goodness of people and not their flaws.

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Can recurring signs and symbols you see have a distinct message for you?

August 1, 2019 by jonathanbridge1407, posted in Story

Have you ever had one of those days or weeks that you see a certain object or you hear a certain sound and it happens over and over and over again? Does it then feel that the world is speaking to you? That the world is crying out to you? Or do you believe that it is just coincidence?

There was a day this week that I saw a spider web over and over again. It was in the weirdest places, the places in which one should not see a spider web, but it was there. When I went to do my usual checks in the morning I opened up the canopy of the car and immediately I saw the first spider web of the day.

That’s strange I thought. It didn’t phase me though so I carried on with my daily duties.

After checking the car I went upstairs to my desk and on my monitor I saw the end of a spider web which I again thought was strange but did not take too much notice.

But then it happened again, and a few hours later again, it was probably about 5 spider web’s that I saw that day and by the 5th one I got the message. Something was up and I really wanted to know.

Yes it may have all been coincidental but the places I saw the web’s were very significant because it was technically on the things that belong to me. I didn’t see a web on another vehicle and it was only my screen with a little web on it, so there must be more to what meets the eye.

So the following day on my free time I decide to search biblical meaning of a spider and I found an article that I could really relate to. It was in Proverbs 30:28. “The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in king’s palaces!”

It(the article) then further elaborates on the verse stating that a spider was outside the kings palace and wanted to go inside but it seemed impossible for the palace seemed too big and intimidating to reach. Eventually though, the spider gave it a chance and started weaving and each day it got a little bit closer to reaching its target till one day it reached the top of the palace.

Yes it is a short summary of the story but what I learned from the story is that sometimes a task looks daunting and impossible till you give it a try, and it doesn’t take a short while but sometimes very long. But you get there. You may toil for very long but the outcome will be completely worth it. Hard work and perseverance always results in a good outcome.

It does sound obvious but the story for me was a good reminder especially because I feel like that spider in my current situation. I feel like there is a very high wall I need to climb and all I need to do is keep climbing and never give up.

One day I will reach the top and be able to look back to where I once was and smile knowing that the hard work paid off.

So I personally believe we can know more about ourselves and our situation through signs and symbols and I believe God put it there for us to see. He wants us to suceed and He wants us to have an intimate relationship with Him. He is so incredible that He can speak to us through things that can seem so small.

Here are a few tips to know if God is perhaps talking to you through signs and symbols:

The sign occurs regularly out of the blue meaning that it wasn’t a recurring happening a day or two ago but suddenly it won’t stop happening.
The meaning of the sign has a relevance to your life or perhaps someone around you.
You feel that others are not aware of it but you constantly see it and it seems to be very obvious for you.
You feel a certain sensation in your body that does not happen regularly.

If you look closely and observe nature you might see something truly amazing that may give you the perfect encouragement in whatever situation you are in life.

A link to the article of the spider: https://www.onlythebible.com/Bible-Gems/Wisdom-of-the-Spider.html