Don't stop swimming...

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to find his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." -Matthew 16:24-25

So I know I haven't wrote on this in forever, and it is about time I start up again. It is finally summer and there has been so many changes in my life in the past few months. I am already over halfway through with college and it is so crazy how fast time flies! I feel like just yesterday I was moving into the dorms and discovering what college is all about. I feel like I have learned a lot about myself in the past year and God has closed many doors while opening others. Sometimes in life God asks you to do something, and you wrestle with it for a long time. I was in that place for a very long time...what do you think is going to happen when you try to wrestle with God? He always wins. Although we may not be able to see the future, God is holding it in his hands. So I got tired of wrestling with God and decided to let him have it.

Lately I have been feeling more at peace with the Lord and know that I do not want to let anything get in the way of my relationship with Him. I have been looking back through my favorite book, "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and this is what really stood out to me...

"Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It must be central to everything we do and see. If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream."

I think in this season of my life this is crucial for me to remember. I will honestly admit I have not been always putting Christ first in my life. Many times I let my others passions consume my schedule. Reading this again has reminded me that this relationship with Christ can not be second or third of my priorities. Yes, I love him and I long for a relationship with him that is intimate and close. But what am I doing about that? I can't stop swimming. I must keep moving, keep learning, and communicating with him daily. I know I am not perfect and I am constantly having to battle my flesh, but that is why he has given me the Holy Spirit to give me the strength to overcome.

I pray that this wisdom will help you like it has me today...and that you will never stop actively pursuing the Lord...never be content with where you are but always learning more and falling more in love with the Savior of the world.

Lord, forgive me for the times I have stayed content with where I am at. Forgive me for letting other things get in the way of you and me...I'm sorry and I pray that you will continue to purify my heart...amen.

"First" in 2011

So I watched church online this morning through Lifechurch.tv. Craig Groeschel started the year off with his sermon called "First." I have been thinking a lot about new years resolutions and things that I want to do differently in 2011. Craig asked us, "what kind of year was last year for you spiritually?"

He listed three categories that one might fall under: Spiritually Apathetic (not really doing anything or feeling motivated to go further with the Lord), Spiritually Inconsistent (sometimes you are consistent with making God a priority and other times you fall away and get too busy), and Spiritually Consumed (you are going strong and giving God 100% and always putting Him first in your life).

When I look at 2010 and be honest with myself I would say that I was Spiritually Inconsistent. There were seasons that year where I was going strong and felt like I was really growing and going somewhere with my relationship with the Lord and then there were seasons where I found myself consumed with other things and offering God what some may call "leftovers."

Craig gave 4 points in his sermon which I want to make as part of my new years resolutions. Here they are:

1. First of the Day: Seek God

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." -Mark 1:35

2. First of the Week: Worship

"not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

-Hebrews 10:25

3. First of the Month: Tithe

"A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD." -Leviticus 27:30

4. First of the Year: Fast

"Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people of the land into the Temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to him there."-Joel 1:14

At the end of his sermon Craig mentioned something that really stood out to me. He said "if you want what you had then do what you did. But, if you want something you've never had, you have to do what you've never done."

So as you examine your last year and think about the new year, remember that quote. God has the potential to do huge things in 2011 but are you ready for that? Are you ready to surrender everything right now and make Him FIRST in your life?

Here is my bible verse for 2011:

"Seek the Kingdom of God above ALL else, and live righteously, and he will give you EVERYTHING you NEED." -Matt. 6:33

Choices...

Lately I have had to make many decisions and choices that will affect my future and my relationships with God and others. As I think about the Christian life, I see how decision making is an important aspect and that it is crucial that we go to the Lord in all decisions in life.

When making choices here are some things that we should consider...

...will it help my witness for Christ?

...am I motivated by a desire to help others know Christ?

...will it help me do my best?

...is it against a specific command in scripture and will cause me to sin?

...will it be best and is it helpful?

...will I be thinking only of myself or do I truly care about the other person?

...will I be acting lovingly or selfishly?

...will it glorify God?

...will it encourage someone else to sin?

When you are walking in God's will, He will lay it on your heart the right thing to do. Something I find myself struggling with is whether I am hearing God or just my own thoughts? But what I have come to realize is that when we are pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly, reading his word, and communicating with Him, his thoughts become our own. The closer you become to God, the more his desires become your own.

Another thing I have noticed is that the Lord will give you peace when you are making the right decision. When you do not feel that peace then that is Him signaling to you that you need to stop right there, and listen. So many times people say that no matter how hard they try, they cannot seem to hear from God. But the question is, are you listening? Are you truly trying to hear from Him?

Nailed to the Cross...

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another." -Galatians 5:24-26

The bible constantly talks about the battle between our sinful nature and the Holy Spirit. Our sinful nature desires to do evil, but the Holy Spirit gives us the opposite desires.

Want to see the difference between the two?

Our sinful nature looks like this...sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, hostility, jealousy, anger, selfish ambitions, drunkenness, wild parties, quarreling. (gal. 5:19-21)

The Holy Spirit looks like this...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (gal. 5:22-23)

The good news is that when Jesus died on the cross, our sin was nailed to that cross on that very day. Jesus defeated sin so that we are no longer in bondage to our sins. Christ provided a way out at the cross. He gave us his Holy Spirit which gives us the power to defeat temptation.

Satan comes to kill and destroy and he knows our weaknesses. Satan uses that knowledge of our weaknesses to tempt us and lure us in. Then he tears us down and pulls our heart away from the Lord. But the Lord says to flee from temptation and run the other way. Since we are no longer a slave to sin, we have the power to run, and keep running.

Nailing our sinful nature to the cross is a daily action that we all must take. It requires us to commit each and every morning to stand up against our flesh and follow the Spirit's leading. It requires us to die to ourselves and come alive in Christ.

And remember..."When we allow ourselves to live recklessly for Him, then we, too, will see his glory. We will see Him do the IMPOSSIBLE!" -Francis Chan

I love you all!! Keep running hard after Jesus!!! He loves you so much!

"A wife of noble character who can find?..."

..."She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised!" -Proverbs 31

So a couple years ago my brother gave me the "Becoming Esther" article by Paul Washer. We read it together back then and I recently came across it again. Reading it now that I am older, it really makes a lot of sense to me. Esther is one of my favorite bible characters. She was beautiful inside and out and her courage set her apart. Esther had to go through a long process of cultivation. Before she could be queen, she prepared herself spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. Esther did not sit around like many of the other women who were fighting for the crown, but rather she used her time as a single woman to pursue the Lord and let Him work on her heart.

"Singleness is not a waste of time or a sitting on the sidelines, but a time that God has set aside especially for the woman, to make her into what He wants her to be, and to use her in ways that just might be impossible after marriage. Singleness is a time in which a woman is to cultivate the virtues that pertain to being a woman of God, so that she can offer her future husband and the world something more than just a pretty face."

Wow!!! Is that not a beautiful picture! This gets me so fired up...I want all single women to know that right now is the time to step out on faith and run hard after God! We must live in the here and now and let the Lord prepare us for the great work he is going to do in us. The Lord longs for a beautiful relationship with us and He wants to be our first love. The Lord wants to show us how to be a woman of God so that one day we can be a godly wife and mother. If we take advantage of this time now, I believe that the Lord is going to take us to new heights. I believe that if we let Him have our hearts then He is going to show us a marriage that goes all the way and one that thrives and is on FIRE.

"Remember in your singleness that you are not the only one single, but your future husband is passing through the same stage as you. Would it not be a terrible thing to finally meet the man who is to become your husband only to find out that he has used his singleness to serve God and to prepare himself to be a better husband for you. And yet you did not use the freedom of your singleness to serve the Lord, nor did you take advantage of the training that God offered you? Would it not also be a terrible thing to realize that your husband spent his days as a single man praying daily for your needs and the work of God in your life, while you neither prayed for him, nor responded to the grace of God that was given you as a result of his prayers."

This really hit me and really kind of scares me when I think of all the time I have wasted and the mistakes I made in the past. I know that the day that I walk down the aisle to my future husband, I want to present myself to him fully equipped. I want him to know that I prepared my heart and cultivated my character so that when joining with him, we would carry on God's will in a marriage. I know that in preparing myself for that now, I am preparing for a marriage that is completely and undeniably thriving.

Lord, cultivate in me a beautiful heart for you. Teach me your ways and help me to use my time in a way that honors you and brings you all the glory. I pray that you would continue showing women their roles and their calling and create in every woman a heart that is on fire for you.

Confessions

1 John 1:9-10
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

So I will be the first to admit it. I am not perfect. I am human and I have faults. I am constantly having to battle my flesh and my sinful nature. God tells us to come to him with our sins and admit that we messed up and he will "purify" us. All we have to do is come humbly and bring it to the table. If we try to hide our sins and justify them, then we are not being true to ourselves or to the Lord.
I have made mistakes recently and I have had to go humbly to the Lord and ask for his forgiveness. I know that what I did was wrong and all I could do was to be real with myself by going and asking God for his grace and his forgiveness.
The good news is that God is so faithful and God forgives. Even though we constantly mess up and sin against him, he always takes us back. He never stops loving us and his grace is everlasting.
Thank you Jesus for your patience with me. Forgive me for the times I have messed up and not always did the right thing. Take my heart and make your desires, my desires. Help me to be more like you and to love like you do. I pray that my life would shine brightly for you and that others would see YOU when they look at me. May I live in a way that brings you all the Glory and Honor and Praise! Amen.

For greater things have yet to come...

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?" Luke 12:25-26

Do you ever find yourself worrying about the future? Wondering where you will be in the next 2 years, the next 5 years, the next 10 years? Worrying about where you will work, where you will live, and who you will marry.
So many times I find myself in that place because I am the type of person who likes to know what is going on and I like to have a plan. Sometimes not knowing what is ahead can be a little scary!
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

I consistently find myself coming back to these verses, especially at this time in my life. There have been so many changes in my life recently and I'm not going to lie, it has not been easy! Satan is constantly putting thoughts in my head, making me doubt my decisions and trying to cut me off from following the Lord's leading. Right now I can say that I have no idea where I will be in a few years from now, because I am not in control of my life.
I know it can be a daily struggle but we must remember that we are not put on this earth for our satisfaction. This has nothing to do with us but everything to do with God. The Lord tells us that worrying is just a waste of time, because whether we worry or not, he is going to come through for us. He is going to provide, more abundantly than we expect. God is sovereign.

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need." Luke 12:31

Lord, help me to trust you and the work that you are doing in my life right now. Take my heart and heal it. Keep it safe and pure. Father, I am struggling right now with the past but help me to let it go and press on. For greater things have yet to come....I believe that and I know that you have a better plan for me than I had for myself.
"But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me. " Psalm 13:5-6